..::Football III::..

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Lukaku: Hungriest side will win Merseyside derby

Romelu Lukaku says whoever is the hungrier out of Everton and Liverpool will take the spoils in this weekend's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

Everton go into the first meeting between the two rivals this season having failed to win their last 10 games against their neighbours in all competitions, but enjoyed a morale-boosting victory against West Brom on Monday.

Having fallen two goals behind at The Hawthorns, Lukaku sparked a late comeback with a brace of his own as Roberto Martinez's side won 3-2, and the Belgian says they must show similar hunger if they are to taste victory again.

"Monday's win sets everything up really well but the derby is a different game," Lukaku told the Liverpool Echo.

"It is about the personal pride and the pride for us as a club. The side that is hungrier is going to win this game on Sunday.

"We went back to Liverpool on Monday night and tried to recover as soon as possible. It was then that we started focusing on the derby.

"I will work hard on Sunday like I did at West Brom and whenever I go on the pitch I want to work hard, help my team-mates and help us win. I want to win the game and score."

 

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Injured Bale still key to Wales' seeking Euro 2016 qualification - Coleman

Wales coach Chris Coleman has called Gareth Bale key after naming him in the Wales squad for their upcoming Euro 2016 qualification clashes against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Andorra.

The Real Madrid attacker has not played since suffering a calf injury in his club's Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on September 15, and did not even make the bench in Madrid's 2-0 win at Malmo on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old has still been named in Wales' 25-man party for the games on October 10 and 13.

Coleman's unbeaten side sit top of Group B, needing one point from the two matches to be sure of a place in next year's tournament in France, and the coach is looking to sew up qualification as quickly as possible with Bale.

"If he is fit to meet up with us I will look to play him in Bosnia. We need our strongest team on the pitch to get the result," Coleman told reporters after the announcement of his squad.

"We need a point from two games and we want to take care of our own business. We need another performance."

Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen and Crystal Palace's Joe Ledley were both named in the squad despite also having injury concerns over recent weeks.

Squad in full: Wayne Hennessey, Daniel Ward, Owain Fon Williams, Ashley Williams, Ben Davies, James Chester, James Collins, Chris Gunter, Neil Taylor, Ashley Richards, Adam Henley, Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey, David Edwards, Andy King, Joe Ledley, Emyr Huws, Jonathan Williams, David Vaughan, Hal Robson-Kanu, Simon Church, David Cotterill, Tom Lawrence, Sam Vokes, Gareth Bale.

 

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Monaco 1-1 Tottenham: El Shaarawy snatches deserved point

Stephan El Shaarawy snatched a late point for Monaco as they drew 1-1 with Tottenham in Group J of the Europa League.

The on-loan Milan striker made a crucial intervention at Stade Louis II as he headed home a cross from fellow substitute Nabil Dirar.

El Shaarawy's strike cancelled out Erik Lamela's first-half opener for the visitors, Tottenham having slightly edged a lacklustre start to the contest.

Monaco's attempts to get back into the game seemed to be getting them nowhere until Dirar found room on the right, and his pinpoint cross was headed home by El Shaarawy.

Dirar's late cameo nearly produced a late winner for the Ligue 1 side, but Tottenham clung on to a point to ensure they remain unbeaten in the group.

It took 20 minutes for the match to have its first chance following a drab opening. Harry Kane drew Danijel Subasic off his line before finding Nacer Chadli unmarked on the left edge of the penalty area, but the Belgium international's attempt to curl his shot into the unguarded goal was just too high.

Just after the half hour, the deadlock was broken as Lamela fired home following a swift counter-attack. The forward pounced after Dele Alli - celebrating his first senior England call-up - saw his shot saved by Subasic, with a kind ricochet off Andrea Raggi falling perfectly for Lamela.

In a total reversal of the opening exchanges, the half finished with chances at both ends.

Dangerous crosses from the left were headed wide by Fabio Coentrao and Lacina Traore, while Thomas Lemar saw his low effort saved by Hugo Lloris before Alli was denied by Subasic.

Any momentum both sides had built up before the break disappeared after the restart, with only a long-range free-kick from Christian Eriksen causing any concern in either goal.

Monaco posed more of a threat than their visitors as the match drifted towards the hour. Their attacking play promised much but failed to produce enough quality in the final third, leaving Lloris untested.

With 71 minutes played Tottenham suddenly burst into life and saw Eric Dier and Kane presented with chances to extend their advantage. Neither was able to convert, though, as Subasic twice showed a safe pair of hands.

With nine minutes to play, two of Monaco's substitutes combined brilliantly to drag their side level, Dirar's perfectly placed cross found El Shaarawy to head past Lloris from close range.

Dirar should have sealed all three points for Leonardo Jardim's side in the closing minutes, but he was denied by Lloris to ensure the spoils were shared.

 

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Lazio 3-2 Saint-Etienne: Hosts secure comeback in nervy win

Lazio went down first to Saint-Etienne in the Europa League on Thursday but eventually fought back for a 3-2 win that sees them go top of Group G.

The Slovenian striker was dismissed in the first half after his elbow accidently caught Mauricio and the decision proved costly for les Verts as the game slipped away from them.

Moustapha Bayal Sall put Saint-Etienne in front with a tap-in inside the penalty area but goals either side of the break from Ogenyi Onazi and Wesley Hoedt turned the match on its head.

Lucas Biglia drove home a third for Lazio with around 10 minutes of normal time to go but Kevin Monnet-Paquet set up a nervy final few moments with a late strike after coming off the bench.

It was the first ever meeting between the two sides in UEFA competition and Saint-Etienne took the lead after Sall stabbed home after six minutes from Romain Hamouma’s cross.

The centre-back’s goal gave Lazio at wake-up call, though, as strikes either side of Beric’s sending off from Onazi and Hoedt completed the turnaround.Former Anderlecht man Biglia drove home what proved to be the winner on the 80-minute mark via a Loic Perrin deflection.

But the visitors fought to the end as Monnet-Pacquet lobbed Etrit Berisha four minutes later, before Vincent Pajot headed narrowly wide in the dying stages as Lazio limped to victory.

 

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Poor finishing costing Atletico, says Simeone

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone says his side's poor finishing is to blame for their current form, but refused to press the panic button in the wake of Wednesday's 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Benfica.

Nicolas Gaitan and Goncalo Guedes struck either side of half-time for the Portuguese side to cancel out an opener from Champions League debutant Angel Correa, condemning los Rojiblancos to consecutive defeats after their 1-0 loss at Villarreal last weekend.

But though Simeone said they needed to focus on improving in front of goal, he is unconcerned despite the result against Benfica handing early control of Group C to the Portuguese champions and expects them to turn things around in the Champions League.

"It was a great game and our opponents did very well in defence," he told reporters. "We had chances to stretch our lead in the first half, but it wasn't to be.

"We need to focus on our finishing. It's obviously a bad result, but we always had the right attitude.

"We are second in the group so we're relaxed and we have to wait for the next round of games to see how the group pans out."

Jackson Martinez was guilty of missing several presentable opportunities for the hosts in what was a pulsating clash at Vicente Calderon, and the Colombian striker admitted that he is still struggling for form this season.

"Our coaching staff are doing everything to help me, but at the moment things aren't going as I'd like them to," he said.

"We had the chance to score more than one goal in the first half, but we didn't take it and that allowed them to equalise.

"We sat back and gave them the chance to use the ball more, but we still had chances to score and we could have increased our advantage."

Atletico's next Champions League fixture is a home clash with group strugglers Astana.

Of more immediate concern for Simeone and his charges, however, will be Sunday's derby against Real Madrid.

 

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Deschamps: Martial's potential is exciting

France coach Didier Deschamps is excited by Anthony Martial's potential, and says he is deserving of another national team call-up due to his flying start at Manchester United.

The striker is in contention for upcoming friendlies against Armenia and Denmark after adapting instantly to life in the Premier League with three goals in as many games so far.

And the ex-Monaco prodigy has the backing of les Bleus boss Deschamps, who admitted his impact at his new club has been eye-opening.

"He has the potential. Everybody is surprised by what he is doing at United but that's good for him and good for us. He deserves to be here," the 46-year-old told reporters.

"It was anything but easy after everything that has been written and said about him.

"It has silenced a few people. He's young, he may have more complicated times. He's able to make great things happen. He did in Monaco.

"He's doing it now in a club at another level so it is easier to pay attention to his performances. He's always been talented though."

Lassana Diarra will meanwhile add a "strategic role" to the France team following his recall to the squad on Thursday, according to the coach.

The midfielder - whose last cap came over five years ago against Norway in August 2010 - was handed a recall to the France squad on Thursday with his fine form for Marseille this season bringing him to Deschamps' attention.

The trainer is looking forward to working with the former Real Madrid man, and is keen to see what about what the veteran will add to the group.

"If I called him up, it's because I know he wants to be back with us," he continued.

"Lass has made a very good start to the season and has international experience. He knows the national team and will bring a strategic role to the defence."

The call-up completes a remarkable upturn in Diarra's fortunes given he was left without a club last season following a contract dispute at Lokomotiv Moscow.

Hatem Ben Arfa failed to earn a call-up despite his fine form with Nice but Deschamps insisted the former Marseille man remained on his radar.

Deschamps continued: "I know him very well, I was his coach at Marseille. I want him to continue the way he has done since the start of the season. I am following his progress."

Squad in full: Alphonse Areola, Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda, Patrice Evra, Christophe Jallet, Eliaquim Mangala, Bacary Sagna, Mamadou Sakho, Benoit Tremoulinas, Raphael Varane, Kurt Zouma, Yohan Cabaye, Lassana Diarra, Blaise Matuidi, Paul Pogba, Morgan Schneiderlin, Moussa Sissoko, Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Anthony Martial, Paul-Georges Ntep, Mathieu Valbuena

 

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Liverpool 1-1 Sion: Reds rue failure to convert

Liverpool were again unable to convert pressure into goals at Anfield as Brendan Rodgers’ men were held to a draw with Sion in their second match in Europa League Group B.

Adam Lallana gave the English side the perfect start at Anfield, turning home Divock Origi's cross after four minutes for his second goal in as many matches in Europe this term.

However, an unlikely equaliser from Ebenezer Assifuah after 16 minutes allowed the Swiss visitors – who had lost 6-3 on their last visit to the venue - to pick up a point that leaves them top of Group B.

Liverpool huffed and puffed in the closing stages but Brendan Rodgers' side, without the services of watching duo Christian Benteke and Daniel Sturridge ahead of Sunday's Merseyside derby against Everton, were wasteful in front of goal.

They had made the perfect start to their 350th European fixture when Lallana broke the deadlock after only four minutes.

The midfielder was given the simple task of turning home Divock Origi's cut back from the touchline, the Belgian having shown excellent pace and strength to get clear on the right.

Jordan Ibe fired in an effort from a tight angle that Sion goalkeeper Andris Vanins deflected wide, while Danny Ings took too many touches to get a shot away, as Liverpool looked threatening going forward.

It seemed only a matter of time until they doubled the lead, only for Sion to knock the stuffing out of them with an equaliser against the run of play.

Sloppy work by Nathaniel Clyne led to Assifuah being set free down the right channel, the Ghanaian controlling the ball on his chest before nudging it through the legs of the onrushing Simon Mignolet.

The goal – coming from Sion's first real foray into enemy territory – stunned the Kop into silence.

A nervous atmosphere ensued, though Liverpool saw a goal from Ings rightly chalked off for offside before Origi dallied long enough to allow a defender to get across and block his eventual attempt right before the break.

Rodgers saw his team start the second half in similar fashion to the first, though their bright beginning quickly fizzled out.

Philippe Coutinho was summoned from the bench with an hour gone to try and provide a spark, though it was Joe Allen who produced a superb pass to provide Origi with a one-on-one chance that he again squandered, shooting at Vanins' legs.

Lallana made the same mistake when Alberto Moreno's ball over the top found him clear of the defence, meaning he was unable to finish a frustrating night as he had started it.

 

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Legia Warsaw 0-2 Napoli: Mertens and Higuain secure deserved victory

Dries Mertens provided the breakthrough and Gonzalo Higuain added an exclamation point as Napoli overcame stern Legia Warsaw resistance to secure a 2-0 victory and keep the pace atop Group D.

The win is a first for Maurizio Sarri’s men on their travels this season across all competitions, while ensuring maximum points in this infantile Europa League campaign.
Chances proved hard to come by in the opening half as a tactical masterclass from Legia left everything very congested with the Partenopei dominating possession.

Belgian attacker Mertens linked up with Jose Callejon, teeing up David Lopez after some good interplay in the area, but the Spaniard saw his low strike brilliantly cleared off the line by Michal Pazdan just shy of the half-hour mark.

The hosts remained well-organised in defence, though their focused efforts prevented them from generating anything of note going forward and the teams headed into the break on level terms.

Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri favours himself a reputable tactician, and his altercations at the interval seemed to spark his side who came flying out of the gate.

Christian Maggio produced a delightful ball over the top to send Callejon through down the right, and he managed to pick out a cross for Mertens to head home the opening goal.

Legia posed little threat at a comeback, failing to carve out a chance from open play with the Partenopei defending comfortably.

The best chance for the hosts came at the hour mark when Maggio’s attempted clearance from a Tomasz Brzyski corner was sent clattering off the crossbar.

In a game where goals were hard to come by, Gonzalo Higuain graced the match with a strike of the highest order, skipping past three defenders atop the area before unleashing a thunderbolt into the top corner to put the final nail in the coffin.

The win keeps Napoli atop Group D, level on points with Midtjylland whom they will travel to face in their next match, while Legia are left chasing following a pair of defeats to open their campaign.

 

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PAOK 1-1 Borussia Dortmund: Castro rescues a point for Tuchel's men

Gonzalo Castro's fortuitous goal ensured Borussia Dortmund remain unbeaten under Thomas Tuchel with a 1-1 draw at PAOK in the Europa League.

The midfielder netted with an attempted pass in the 72nd minute to earn a valuable point, although it was no less than the Germans deserved for a dominant display.

Dortmund were looking to build upon a good start to their continental campaign in Greece, having enjoyed a 2-1 home win over Krasnodar in their opening fixture.

But a failure to take a series of opportunities in the early part of the clash came back to haunt the Bundesliga outfit as Robert Mak's emphatic finish put the hosts ahead 11 minutes before half-time.

Dortmund continued to dominate thereafter, however, and finally grabbed a deserved goal through Castro's moment of luck.

They continued to press forward in search of a winner and, while that did not come, Tuchel will doubtless be delighted not to head into the weekend's crucial clash with Bayern Munich on the back of a loss.

While Dortmund headed into this clash unbeaten, they had drawn their two most recent fixtures following 11 successive wins in all competitions.

And Tuchel's men began the game like a team determined to ensure that did not happen again, with Jonas Hofmann hitting a volley narrowly over the crossbar.

The hosts were in a rich vein of form of their own having gone four games without a reverse, yet Dortmund continued to look the more threatening side as Sven Bender headed just wide after meeting Adnan Januzaj's corner.

That proved the first of several good chances in the early part of the opening half, with the best falling to Castro.

The midfielder played a fine one-two with Januzaj, only to see his effort denied by the legs of Robin Olsen.

Yet an opener remained elusive, with the visitors' frustration reaching boiling point when Hofmann fired a lovely low centre across the six-yard box that Marco Reus agonisingly failed to connect with.

Such annoyance paled in comparison to that felt when the hosts took the lead against the run of play in the 34th minute.

Erik Sabo played a delicious chipped pass over the top of the defence that Mak ran on to before hammering home a stunning strike off the underside of the crossbar.

The early stages of the second period continued along the same pattern of Dortmund dominance with little reward.

But their opponents continued to look a threat on the counter-attack, illustrated by Dimitar Berbatov only just missing the target with an audacious 30-yard lob.

It appeared Dortmund's endeavour would continue to bring little reward when Olsen denied Januzaj's free-kick.

Yet the goalkeeper's good work was undermined by an awful error moments later as, anticipating a touch from Reus, he was left helpless as Castro's chipped pass rolled beyond him into the corner.

That seemed to spur PAOK into life, and they almost grabbed a second in similar fashion when Roman Weidenfeller produced a diving stop to turn Jairo's cross around the post.

The Greeks were fortunate just to secure a draw, though, as Olsen's brilliant reactionary save denied an own goal before Park Joo-ho's driven effort flew inches wide.

 

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Celtic 2-2 Fenerbahce: Fernandao brace rescues draw for Turks

Fenerbache will be relieved that a brace from substitute Fernandao allowed them to leave Celtic with a 2-2 draw in the Europa League on Thursday.

The Scottish champions had raced into a two-goal lead, with Leigh Griffiths opening the scoring from a corner before Kris Commons doubled their advantage just minutes later.

Fenerbache had lined up with ex-Manchester United duo Robin van Persie and Nani, but it was instead the substitute Fernandao who proved their saviour with two goals to restore parity.

The striker pounced on Efe Ambrose's poor defensive header to grab the first shortly before half time, setting nerves jangling around Celtic Park.And just after the break he levelled the contest by beating Ambrose to a header and burying it past Craig Gordon.

Celtic, who have drawn both their games, will now need a win at Molde to get their European campaign back on track, while it was a commendable point for Fener, who were stunned 3-1 at home by the Norwegian side last time out.

In the deafening atmosphere of the opening minutes, Celtic carved an opening when Mikael Lustig's cross found James Forrest on the edge of the box and his low shot was not far wide of Fabiano's near post.

Raul Mereiles, one of a handful of former Premier League players in the Fener side, endured a tough first half, picking up a booking for a tug on Forrest's shirt moments before he was felled by the shoulder of Scott Brown and had to receive treatment before Celtic took the lead.

A corner was headed across goal by the unmarked Lustig, and Griffiths was on hand at the far post to smash the ball high into the net at the second attempt after Fabiano saved his initial strike.

Just four minutes later, Forrest burst down the left and crossed to Commons, who got in between Simon Kjaer and Bruno Alves to strike a sweet left-foot shot into the top corner.

But disaster struck for Celtic two minutes before half time when Ambrose's weak header back towards his own goal presented a chance to Fernandao, who had no difficulty in beating Gordon with a simple finish.

Almost immediately after half time, Fernandao got the better of Ambrose again when he easily out-jumped him at the near post to head Nani's left-wing corner into the net.

Having conceded the lead, Celtic then found themselves under pressure as a buoyant Fener pressed for a winner.Hasan Kaldirim had a shot deflected wide before Nani, who had been quiet in the first half, burst into life and tested Gordon twice with long-range efforts.

Diego forced Gordon to save with his legs as Fenerbahce continued to press, but Celtic did rally in the final 20 minutes, and Commons' swerving hit from 30 yards would have been a worthy winning goal had Fabiano not been equal to it.Lustig also went close as Celtic looked the more likely side to grab a winner late on, but in the end the points were shared.

 

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Inter captaincy has not changed me, insists Icardi

Mauro Icardi insists he does not feel any extra pressure on his shoulders now that he is captain of Inter.

The striker was handed the armband by manager Roberto Mancini before the start of the 2015-16 season, despite being only 22-years-old.

Icardi, who signed a new long-term contract with the club in the off-season after being rumoured with a move away, believes he has the full backing of his team-mates after taking over the role from defender Andrea Ranocchia.

"Nothing has changed for me since becoming Inter captain," Icardi told El Grafico. "I'm just continuing to live the same way as I always have.

"The decision to make me captain was made by Mancini with the consent of the whole club and, of course, I had the approval of the rest of the squad.

"It would be false of me to claim that I have changed now as a result of the responsibility. People like to talk about me and I have a certain reputation that the media plays up on.

"But the people who say these things don't know me. The image created by the media is completely different to how I am as a person."

Icardi scored 22 goals in Serie A last season, and although his fine form was not enough to see him add to his solitary cap for Argentina, the striker insists switching nationalities was never something he had considered.

"There will be plenty of chances for me as I’m still young," he said when asked about his Argentina career.

"I was happy with the interest from Italy but I'm Argentine, and always said I wanted to play for Argentina."

 

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Tuchel hails great Dortmund showing against PAOK

Thomas Tuchel lauded Borussia Dortmund's "great performance" after they maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-1 draw at PAOK in the Europa League on Thursday.

The German side dominated for much of the encounter but had to rely on Gonzalo Castro's fortuitous equaliser after spending long spells behind to their hosts after Robert Mak netted the opener for the hosts.

Nevertheless, Tuchel was impressed with the way his team fought throughout to avoid a defeat heading into the weekend's crucial Bundesliga clash with Bayern Munich.

"I'm very satisfied," he told reporters. "It was a great team performance. We were great in the first half-hour.

"Then we conceded the goal out of nowhere. We were then completely dominant. We allowed [PAOK] almost no shots on [Dortmund's] goal until the 80th minute.

"We know our pace and quality can play a key role at the end of the game."
The draw in Thessaloníki is Dortmund's third consecutive one in all competitions, although they are still top of Europa League Group C.

 

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Rooney not guaranteed England place, insists Hodgson

Roy Hodgson has warned Wayne Rooney that there is “no guarantee” of a place in his England team.

In September, Rooney became England’s all-time leading scorer but his form for Manchester United this season has been patchy with only one Premier League goal to his name so far.

When asked if he could imagine dropping Rooney, the England manager replied: "At the moment, that day has not arrived," Hodgson said when asked if he could ever envisage a time when Rooney could be dropped.

"With any luck it won't arrive because he will continue to play well and he will continue to merit his place and we will still talk as warmly about him after the tournament in June as we are now, but there is no guarantee.

"I have been in football a long time and Wayne Rooney has been in football a long time. He would regard me as someone who is very false if I ever said to him your place is guaranteed.

"He would not expect it, and I would be very upset if anyone asked me to give them a guarantee of a place. No one else has ever done, and I would take umbrage if that day ever arrived."

 

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Van Gaal: I’m a different manager to Wenger and Ferguson

Louis van Gaal says he is a different type of manager to Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger as he prepares to take on the Arsenal boss at the Emirates on Sunday.

The Dutch coach arrived at Old Trafford in 2014 but has already insisted he plans to retire from his post when his contract expires in 2017.

Wenger, meanwhile, has been at the helm of the Gunners for 19 years but Van Gaal has reiterated his intention to retire and says he is man of his word.

“I set aims and I was very lucky that clubs or national teams want me," he told reporters. “Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson are other types I think.

“I always want more. I have set my aims always in advance. It’s the same thing as what I’m doing now.

“I shall retire. I always do what I have said. I have always set my own aims and I think that I have set my last aim also.”

Van Gaal’s side head to Arsenal top of the table and three points ahead of the Gunners and the Dutch coach took time to praise one of his key players so far this season, Chris Smalling.

“I think the player, when he does things, he does it all by himself,” he told reporters.

“I help him with advice and also with demands, also with training sessions, also with showing images to improve him, but he has to be open and he has to perform on the pitch. He does everything for himself. The greatest compliment you have to make is to Chris and not to me.”

“Obviously he got the chances because of that but it is always like that. As a player you need vacancies in positions and when it is your position you have more luck. That’s always true in football clubs.”

 

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Van Gaal: I’m a different manager to Wenger and Ferguson

Apo ow 1kanam attha thamai​

 

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Sir Alex Ferguson explains 'four world-class players' at Manchester United claim

Sir Alex Ferguson has justified his claim of having only four world-class players during his 27 years at Manchester United by insisting that he was only referring to “creative players who win games”.

The 73-year-old has been criticised over a passage in his new book ‘Leading’ which stated that only Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo could be defined as world-class during his reign at Old Trafford.

But Ferguson has now hit out the way his words have been interpreted by the media but maintains that his criteria was solely based on attacking players who “made a difference”.

“We’ll that’s the area in which the press have not given it the proper publication, the proper reason for saying this,” the former United manager said in an interview with SiriusXM FC.

“If you look at the time I was at for United for 27 years, I had some fantastic players, some great players. I never said those players were not great, they were fantastic.

“But in the context in my opinion, it was a qualified opinion, that some players make a difference, and that’s what I judged.

“Eric Cantona, when he came into the club in 1993 he made a difference. Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs played for 20 years in the Premier League, that made a difference to us. And of course, Cristiano Ronaldo’s performances, he is a world-class player as everyone knows. Him and [Lionel] Messi the two world-class players.

“So I never said any player was rubbish. I said they were all great players. And most importantly, those four players didn’t win the leagues alone, or the cups alone, It was the squad who won the cups, all the teams, they did that perfectly, and I was so proud of them.

“The thing about my own take on players, ever since I was a little kid, I was always attracted by the attacking players, centre-forwards, wingers and creative players in the game. And that’s why in the book, I’ve stressed the importance of creative players.

“If you look at the Ballon d’Or winners for the last 50 years, only two defensive players have won it. And I question one of those because one was Franz Beckenbauer, I’m not sure he was a defensive player, I think he was more of a creative player. The other was an Italian, [Fabio] Cannavaro, in 2006.

“So, I think the general consensus of what great players are, usually falls on the mantle of the creative players who win games. And that’s where the take on those four players come into it, no criticism of any of my players, because you couldn’t criticise those players, they were fantastic.”

 

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Arsenal are technically the Premier League's best - Van Gaal

"Arsenal are technically and tactically the best team in the league," said the 64-year-old.

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technically best wenna puluwan tactically best neme

 

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Mata a joy to watch - Blind

Manchester United defender Daley Blind has taken the time to praise Juan Mata following the Spaniard's sublime performances in recent weeks.

Mata joined United from Chelsea in January 2014 and has developed into a key figure at Old Trafford this campaign.

The 27-year-old has netted three goals in his last four Premier League appearances, while setting up three more, and guided Louis van Gaal's men to a 2-1 win over Wolfsburg in the Champions League on Wednesday with another goal and assist.

The former Valencia star's performances have not gone unnoticed in the dressing room and Blind has admitted he is thoroughly impressed with what his team-mate has shown in 2015-16.

"Mata is a joy to watch," the Dutchman told the official Uefa website.

"He is a great football player, a great guy as well and he is very important for us and the team."

Mata's fine run of form has seen United climb to the top of the Premier League table with 16 points from seven games, one point clear of rivals Manchester City.

Louis van Gaal's side will be looking to add three more points to their tally when they take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

 

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Lukaku wants Mourinho reunion

Everton striker Romelu Lukaku is keen to work with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho again in the future.

The Belgium international, 22, was a Chelsea player when Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge in 2013, only for the Portuguese to ship him out on loan to Everton before selling him to the Merseyside club 12 months later.

Lukaku does not hold any grudges against his former manager, though, and would be interested in a reunion with the Blues boss.

"Mourinho is the one coach I would like to work with," Lukaku told Sport/Foot Magazine.

"And then there are Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger. In that exact order."

The Belgium international also admires Wayne Rooney and would relish the chance to link up with the Manchester United striker.

He added: "I would love to play with Wayne Rooney. He really is a great player. He is strong with his head and has a sense for goals.

"We have played against each other very often. There was a chance to play together for Duncan Ferguson's testimonial, but I had to miss the game due to injury. I still regret that."

 

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Dzeko and Salah join Roma permanently

Roma have confirmed that deals for Edin Dzeko and Mohamed Salah have been made permanent.

A financial statement published on Thursday confirmed loanees Dzeko and Salah will remain in the Italian capital beyond the 2015-16 Serie A season.

Dzeko and Salah joined Roma on season-long loans from Premier League duo Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, with the Bosnian netting the winner against reigning champions Juventus earlier in the season.

"These players were first signed on a temporary basis, which has been transformed into definitive transfers after planned contractual conditions were met," read a Roma statement, which also revealed a permanent deal for Genoa winger Iago Falque.

Dzeko, who is sidelined with a twisted knee, has scored once since arriving in Rome, while team-mate Salah has bagged three goals, leaving the captial club sixth in the table, four points off Serie A leaders Fiorentina.