..::Football III::..

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Bale: I rejected England in one second

Gareth Bale says he turned down the chance to play for England in “one second” following his heroics in helping Wales qualify for Euro 2016.

The Real Madrid superstar scored seven goals in 10 games as Wales qualified for the finals in France next summer, becoming the first Dragons team to do so since the 1958 World Cup.

Bale qualified to play for the England through his grandmother’s heritage, but insists he never had any intention of switching allegiances despite the chance he'd be more likely to play tournament football with the Three Lions.

"I was really young at the time and my agent was involved, but it was literally a one-second conversation,” he told the Daily Mirror. "I just said, ‘Stop - it’s never going to happen.’

"I’m from Wales and I love Wales. Everyone knows how much I love playing for Wales. My grandmother is English, but I’m Welsh and that’s it. It was never an option.”

Wales sealed qualification for the tournament last week, despite a 2-0 loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and capped their qualification campaign in style with a comfortable win over Andorra on Tuesday.

“It still feels like a dream that we’ve actually made it to the finals. Every campaign we start off saying we can do it, but there was a bit more belief this time,” he added.

“A few of us have more than 50 caps, and although the expectation went up and the pressure mounts with every game, we just tried to embrace it. As soon as we got the ball rolling, the momentum just took us.

“We were keeping clean sheets, we were nicking 1-0 wins, it was the perfect campaign.

“We just adopted the mentality of winners and we’ve proved how good we are. I don’t mean to be disrespectful to the team of 1958, but I believe they didn’t qualify outright, so we are the first Wales team who have done it 100 per cent - and I take a lot of pride in that.”

 

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Ramsey: Win over Man Utd can inspire Arsenal to title

Aaron Ramsey insists that Arsenal's win over Manchester United has given the club belief that they can win their first Premier League title in over a decade

The Gunners defeated United 3-0 at the Emirates prior to the international break, netting all three of their goals in the opening 20 minutes of the clash.

And Ramsey believes the win, which moved Arsenal into second position in the table, can inspire the squad to even greater heights.

"We owed them from a few years ago and the way we started the game was fantastic," Ramsey told reporters.

"Hopefully we can continue that now and carry on to beat the bigger teams and carry on our form against the other teams.

Ramsey ended a 20-game goal drought with his strike in Wales' 2-0 win over Andorra in their final Euro 2016 qualifier on Tuesday, and the 24-year-old hopes to continue his scoring form at club level.

"I've been wanting it now for a few games for Arsenal as well," he added.

"I have struggled a bit at the beginning of the season with goals, it has been pretty frustrating on that front, but hopefully now that will settle me down and I can carry on throughout the season."

Arsenal travel to newly promoted Watford in the Premier League on Saturday.

 

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Mourinho has put British football back 30 years - Le Saux

Ex-Chelsea defender Graeme Le Saux has deplored Jose Mourinho's behaviour towards former club doctor Eva Carneiro as putting football in England "back 30 years".

Carneiro was publicly criticised by Mourinho for her actions in Chelsea's opening game of the season against Swansea and subsequently left her position as head doctor at Stamford Bridge after being frozen out of first-team affairs by Mourinho.

Football Association Inclusion Advisory Board member Le Saux thinks Mourinho - who was handed a suspended stadium ban and a £50,000 fine for criticism of referees by the FA on Wednesday - has done serious damage to women working in British football with his recent conduct.

"What concerns me the most, given the work I'm doing for the FA, is the impact Mourinho's behaviour may have throughout the whole game," Le Saux said in his column for The Times.

"We're trying to deal with some very sensitive issues and to change the culture of the game. Some good people at the FA have taken a kicking after concluding there was insufficient evidence to charge Mourinho, whilst the whole furore may also deter women from becoming involved in football, as well as discouraging clubs from employing them.

"A lot of people are working very hard to get the game in a better place, but after the last few weeks it feels as if we've gone back 30 years."

As Chelsea have struggled to get going in 2015-16 - they sit 16th in the Premier League table after eight games - Mourinho has boasted it would be folly to sack him as there is no one they can replace him with who is a better manager.

Le Saux has challenged Mourinho's insistence that he's the best in the world, though, as he does not think it is possible to ordain such a title on a coach who refuses to accept when he's in the wrong.

"If this had been handled differently, these negative issues would not have arisen," he added. "Mourinho doesn't seem to have reflected on the damage he's done to his own image, the reputation of Chelsea and - more importantly - the reputation of the entire game.

"Winning things and being the best are two different thing. I define the best as not only someone who's successful but who behaves and conforms to certain standards. Unless you show an acceptance of your mistakes and take responsibility for your actions, I question whether you are the best."

 

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Sir Alex Ferguson reveals his biggest mistake at Man Utd

Sir Alex Ferguson admits one of his biggest mistakes at Manchester United was revealing that he would retire in 2002 before the season had finished.

The Scot subsequently reversed his decision to call time on his reign at Old Trafford but eventually retired in 2013 having won 38 trophies with the club.

“It's important to listen to your staff. In 2005, that period we didn't win anything, just before that I had an attempted retirement, and I think that affected everyone,” Ferguson told ESPN.

“It was a mistake, and my wife and my three sons changed my attitude towards it and I started to think.

“The biggest mistake I made was announcing it at the start of the [2001-02] season, and I think a lot of them had put their tools away; they thought, 'Oh, the manager's leaving,' but when I changed my mind in the January, I started thinking about United again and how we could get back on top.

“After that is when [Wayne] Rooney and [Cristiano] Ronaldo came to the club and we had to regenerate everyone. The youth side of it, the scouts; we'd gone to sleep. Strangely enough, the period from there on has been glorious; it's been fantastic with the numbers of league titles we won.

“The moments you don't win anything register very strongly with Manchester United.”

 

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SAF karapu lokuma mistake 1kak thamai Pogba wa sell karapu 1ka​

 

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Mourinho handed stadium ban by FA

Jose Mourinho has been handed a suspended one-match stadium ban, and a £50,000 fine, for comments made after Chelsea's defeat to Southampton, in which he criticised the officials for not awarding his side a penalty.

Mourinho claimed that referees were "afraid to give decisions to Chelsea" after seeing his side beaten 3-1, and effectively dared the Football Association to issue him with a punishment.

He said: "The result 1-1 is a huge penalty and once more we don't get and a penalty is a crucial moment in the game with the result at 1-1, and I repeat that if FA wants to punish me they can punish me, they don't punish other managers but they punish me, it's not a problem for me."

Mourinho has now been given a suspended ban after admitting to a charge of breaching FA rules, with the governing body warning the Portuguese that the suspension will be invoked if he is punished for a similar breach again.

A statement from the FA read: "Jose Mourinho has been given a suspended one-match stadium ban and fined £50,000 after he admitted a breach of FA Rules in relation to post-match media comments.

"The Chelsea manager was charged for misconduct following the game against Southampton on Saturday 3 October 2015.

"It was alleged his remarks constituted improper conduct in that they alleged and/or implied bias on the part of a match official or match officials and/or brought the game into disrepute.

"Mr Mourinho’s suspended stadium ban will be immediately invoked should he be found by an Independent Regulatory Commission to have committed a further breach of FA Rule E3 for any comment or statement to or through the media before 13 October 2016."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho ta meh kale hari naha wage​

 

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Real Madrid NOT planning Ronaldo contract talks

Real Madrid are not considering the prospect of extending Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract after the forward claimed he could potentially play until he is 40.

The 30-year-old last signed a revised deal with Madrid in September 2013 and currently has three years remaining on that contract.

After receiving his fourth Golden Boot on Tuesday, Ronaldo pledged his long-term future to the Spanish club: "My dream is to retire at Real Madrid. If you take care of yourself you can play until you are 40.

"I want to keep going for another five or six years. I feel good and useful in Madrid and I want to win here."

And Goal understands that Madrid have already held private discussions with Ronaldo and have informed the forward that there is no immediate need to revise the current contract in place.

Ronaldo’s change in stance is also welcomed by Madrid after the forward had claimed earlier in October that “nobody knows the future” when he was asked about potentially leaving the Spanish capital.

Madrid president Florentino Perez also fuelled speculation in September by hinting that the Portugal international’s future may lie away from the club: “Cristiano Ronaldo has a contract and we want him to stay in the future, but in this life you can’t be sure of anything.”

 

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Everton are adaptable to any opposition, says Martinez

Everton manager Roberto Martinez feels his sides' ability to adapt to any opposition makes them difficult to predict in the Premier League.

Martinez's men have been lauded for their high-pressing play but the Spaniard insists it is not the only aspect of their game, insisting they can play a variety of ways in order to counter their opposition.

"We are not disclosing anything that is a secret," Martinez told the Liverpool Echo. "We are a team that, over the last three seasons, has shown that we can play in different ways and in different manners.

"We want to be knowing what to do with the ball, be dynamic and be a real threat. Off the ball, with the players we have, we can do different things when defending and so there is not a straight answer.

"When you are the most important team and have the best players, experience and record, you can set your way of playing and that's it.

"For the others, you have to be adaptable and be able to, from week to week, master different ways of playing."

Everton - seventh in the table - will be looking to continue their five-game unbeaten run in the league when they host Manchester United on Saturday.

 

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Allardyce warns Defoe: Time running out to improve

New Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has warned Jermain Defoe he must become more than just a goalscorer if he wants to play every week.

Allardyce was appointed last week following Dick Advocaat's departure from the club, with the club 19th in the Premier League table, with only goal difference keeping them above rivals Newcastle United.

Defoe has spent the last two games on the bench for Sunderland after starting the opening six matching, and Allardyce admitted there would be limited opportunities for the striker to get back into form.

"There is always a place for a goalscorer but you cannot just be a goalscorer today so I don't know if that's something we need to address with Jermain," Allardyce told reporters.

"He came here and has not played as much as he would have liked. Players who don’t play generally don't play because they drop themselves, not because you have dropped them.

"If a player has not done as much as he did at the top of his game, then you talk to the player and say: 'Look, be careful. You are not quite playing. Is there any problem? And if you have a problem, can I resolve it for you? Is it stopping you playing as well as you have been playing because you are not quite there?'"

He added: "I tell the player: 'There are not many opportunities for me to wait for you to come good'.

"When I played I used to say: 'A few more games and I'll come good,’ but here at Sunderland, we ain't got a few more games. We have got this week to try to win the first game [at West Brom on Saturday] and after that it becomes ever more difficult to win it if we don't."

 

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Wenger: Ozil's Man Utd masterclass has set the standard

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insists that Mesut Ozil has set his own bar with his important goal and man of the match display against Manchester United.

The German midfielder has often been criticised for a lack of consistency, while Wenger himself claimed he expected the former Real Madrid star to score at least 10 goals this season.

Ozil's goal against United was his first of the current campaign and his first since a 4-1 victory over Liverpool in April, and Wenger feels scoring at pivotal times is exactly what is required of a player of Ozil's calibre.

He said: "What you want from Mesut is to score in the big games. He did against Manchester United. When you are an offensive player that is an important part of it.

"I believe there are goals in him and in that game he has shown it.

"I think it can increase the belief and the hunger of the team. On the other hand you have to show that you can come into every game with that focus."

Midfield duo Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini are expected to be available for selection against Watford on Saturday - with the former still looking for his first Premier League start of the season - while Laurent Koscielny is also likely to be in contention.

And Wenger is eager for his players to return from international duty without any unexpected knocks.

"Some players land at 2pm today so we have to check if we have no bad surprises," he said.

"Koscielny will have a fitness test. Arteta and Flamini should be available. Jack Wilshere is still at least one month away. Danny Welbeck, earliest, beginning of January."

 

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Depay can be a Man Utd great under Van Gaal, says De Boer

Frank de Boer has backed Memphis Depay to become a Manchester United great - and believes Louis van Gaal is the right man to get the best out of the summer signing

The Ajax manager was beaten to the title by PSV in 2014-15, with the attacker topping the Eredivisie scoring charts with 22 goals prior to his transfer.

De Boer has seen enough of the 21-year-old to predict he will be a success during his United career and is confident Van Gaal is the ideal man to move his game forward.

"I think Depay needs that kind of coach," he told Omnisport.

"He has a great mentality but still he is very young and has to know what he has to do to stay on that level or even get better - I think Van Gaal is the right person for that.

"I think he can be a great player for Manchester United because he has everything - he has speed, he has technique, he can score goals and physically he is very strong.

"He normally never gets injured and for his age he has played a lot of games for PSV."

De Boer does not think the Netherlands international will be affected by the pressure of playing for one of the world's biggest clubs.

He continued: "I think he can [handle the pressure].

"He showed that also last year for PSV - they had to be champions and he had a fantastic year."

Depay has played in 13 games for United in all competitions so far this season and scored four goals.

 

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Howedes hints at interest in Liverpool move

Schalke defender Benedikt Howedes has hinted his interest in joining countryman Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

The 27-year-old, who has spent his entire career with the Bundesliga club and has a further two years on his contract, revealed in June that he has recently turned down the advances of Arsenal and AC Milan.

Yet the World Cup winner has now revealed he would be interested in a move to the Premier League and spoke of his admiration of both newly named Liverpool manager Klopp and the Anfield club.

“A move abroad excites me. England would for sure be an interesting destination," he told Bild.

“Currently I am with Schalke. There are no deals sorted. But of course, for a footballer there are some clubs that are more interesting than others.

“English football is very fortunate to have someone like Klopp in the league, Liverpool is a club with great tradition and values.”

 

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Niang: AC Milan still eyeing top-three finish

AC Milan forward M'Baye Niang believes the club can still finish in the Serie A top three despite a slow start to the season.

Sinisa Mihajlovic has endured a tough start at Milan, with the club in the bottom-half of the table after four defeats in seven games.

Milan's most recent match before the international break finished in a 4-0 loss at home to Napoli - their worst defeat at San Siro since August 2009.

But Niang, who did a video Q&A with his followers on Twitter, insists there is a belief in the squad that the Rossoneri can turn their season around.

"Yes we still believe in third place, as there have only been a few games and we are all united. I believe, so does the whole team and the club," the 20-year-old said.

"Before he arrived at Milan, everyone knew Mihajlovic because he had a great season at Sampdoria. As far as we are concerned, he is a great coach and you'll see we'll get great results with him."

Niang has been sidelined through injury since August after suffering a fractured metatarsal in pre-season but revealed he is just weeks away from a return.

"I am very proud to wear the Milan jersey, because this is a big club and I want to become part of its history," he continued. "Right now the rehabilitation process is going well and over the next few weeks I hope to be back on the field."

 

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No rift between record-breaker Ronaldo and Bale, insists Benitez

Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez has rejected suggestions of a rift between Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale , and says the record-breaking Portuguese is focused on winning even more accolades.

Ronaldo was presented with his fourth Golden Shoe this week, while at the same time Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett was reigniting speculation over the pair’s relationship, describing them as “complete opposites” .

Benitez, though, insists that there is zero animosity between the two most expensive players in history, with the Madrid dressing room driven instead by a will to win.

“There is no problem between Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. The both of them are very good players and both want to win,” he told Ondo Cero .

“The Real Madrid dressing room is much better than people think.”

Ronaldo’s 48 goals last season saw him edge out Barcelona rival Lionel Messi to claim the Golden Shoe, and Benitez believes the 30-year-old will continuing setting landmarks for years to come – and also highlighted how CR7 always pays respect to his team-mates.

He told Real Madrid TV : “When a player wins one of these trophies it is a big achievement, but to win four at this level means that behind it all is a lot of hard work, perseverance, an eagerness to succeed and, as he has said so himself, other people helping out.

“These numbers, figures and trophy wins are extremely difficult to achieve and they show that he is a very persistent player who possesses that inner drive to better himself which sets him apart.

“Whenever you have a player who scores so many goals, the team are going to win more games. He spoke clearly and thanked his team-mates. He's aware of how big a role they play for him and all the success he is enjoying.

“Cristiano is continuing to set new records. Obviously we're talking about a player with a lot of talent and quality. We're talking about a player who is not only smashing records, but who is still hungry for more, full of ambition and capable of improving on his figures even further.”

Ronaldo faces a difficult task to defend his Golden Shoe this season, with the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Robert Lewandowski all on top form; the Bayern Munich striker leads the way this term with 12 goals.

 

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Bale eager to carry Wales high to Real Madrid

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale wants to carry the feel-good factor from Wales' Euro 2016 qualification into his club form and contribute to a successful season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Bale scored in a 2-0 win over Andorra in Wales' final qualifier at the Cardiff City Stadium, sparking celebrations as the nation reached their first European Championship and a first major tournament in 58 years.

After criticism last season from sections of the Madrid support, a calf injury stunted the start of Bale's campaign this time around under Rafael Benitez.

However, the former Tottenham man is keen to hit the ground running on his return to club action.

"It's a dream, what we experienced at the Cardiff stadium is incredible," he told Marca ahead of Madrid's clash with Levante.

"We're going to work hard to try to win every trophy possible [at Madrid].

"We want to play great football and for all of our fans to be very happy. I want to make each and every one of them happy.

"I hope it's a really great season for everyone at Real Madrid."

 

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Maxwell: PSG squad is strong enough to win the Champions League

Paris Saint-Germain defender Maxwell believes the club has the squad to win the Champions League this season.

The Brazilian full-back agreed a new one-year contract extension with the French champions in May, with this season set to be his last, having moved from Barcelona in 2012.

PSG have bowed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage in their last three attempts but the 34-year-old insists this could be their year in Europe.

"The aim is to go further than last year, that is for sure," he told RMC.

"We have started the Champions League well, with two wins, but for us to make the situation more favourable, we need to get points against Real Madrid.

"For a while now we have had a lot of motivation, confidence. To go far in the Champions League, you have to give everything. It could be for us, like last season. It always depends on the moments and who you play in the two-legged ties.

"We will need luck, for the whole squad to be available. Unfortunately, last year, we had some problems which stopped us from playing our game against Barca. I think that this year, with the team that we have, we have more of a chance."

The former Brazil international suggested he would be open to challenges outside Europe if this is his last campaign with PSG.

Asked whether this season will be the last of his career, he added: "In Europe, yes, it is practically certain. We never know in football. In Europe, I am very happy with my career up until now.

"Aside from that, I think I could have an adventure in another continent. We will see. We must know what [PSG] wants. It is not always my decision, so we will see with the club and the other possibilities.

"I am happy with what I have done up until now. I am 34, so at one moment or another you have to think about stopping."

 

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Gazidis defends Arsenal strategy: It is not an arms race!

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has launched a defence of the club's transfer strategy at their AGM on Thursday.

The north London club were widely criticised for failing to sign a single outfield player over the summer, with their £10m spend on goalkeeper Petr Cech dwarfed by the massive fees paid by Manchester City, United and Chelsea.

Gazidis insists the club will not spend money purely for the sake of it, though, and says the decision to buy a player falls ultimately to manager Arsene Wenger, pointing to the signings of Cech, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez as indications of the club's ambition.

"We know with certainty that we will not be able to beat our competition by getting in an arms race trying to outspend our rivals," Gazidis said. "It would be a waste of hard-earned resources.

"We’ve been very active in the transfer market in recent seasons, transforming our squad in the process. We have a relatively young, very talented and very deep squad this season.

"All transfers are ultimately football decisions and those are made by our manager who has an outstanding record of identifying and developing talent.

"We’ve consistently added to our squad in recent seasons and invested record sums in doing so with unstinting support from [majority shareholder Stan] Kroenke and the board.

"We’ve been disciplined in our strategy of being talent-led, not money-led. We only sign players who will add to the squad, and not simply because we have money to spend. Our squad is deeper and stronger as a result of their efforts.

"All of those players signed in the last four years, with the exception of Lukas Podolski, are still with the squad.

"You don’t sign players like Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech unless you want to win the Premier League and unless you have a manager like Arsene Wenger. The deals were executed swiftly and efficiently by top professionals.

"I make no apology for saying we are in a strong financial position to invest further in players but we will not do it for the sake of it or to appease commentators."

 

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Wenger: After 19 years I'm more motivated than ever

Arsene Wenger insists he is more motivated than ever to deliver another Premier League title to Arsenal after 19 years in charge of the club.

The Gunners boss believes his side are back in contention to win the league having put together a strong run of domestic form since the turn of the year.

Wenger was also adamant he would remain with the club at least until the end of his contract in an attempt to win more silverware.

"I know you want to ask me, can we win the championship? I think we are back in contention and have a good chance," Wenger said at the club's AGM. "All of our numbers confirm we have the potential to be in the fight - chances created, chances conceded, dangerous situations per game.

"We have taken more points than anybody else from January 1 until today. Even if we had a bad start to the season, we still managed to come back. We have created consistency and now we have to show what we did against Manchester United and fight in the big games."We aren’t scared to spend the money. I know I have a bad reputation but we have shown in the last three years that we are prepared to spend the money for the right player.

"I know I face some adversity sometimes but I’m more motivated than ever, more committed than ever. Sometimes I think I was a bit more relaxed 19 years ago."I know what it means to people. I know how sad people are when we don’t do well or lose a game. The responsibility falls on my shoulders.

"I’m committed to the last day of my contract to bring big success to the club and leave the club in the shape where the guy who comes after me can do even better. That’s very important."

 

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Klopp: Time for Liverpool to open our chests and fight


Jurgen Klopp has called for his Liverpool players to "open their chests and fight" ahead of their meeting with Tottenham on Saturday.

The German takes his players to White Hart Lane, facing a team unbeaten since the opening weekend, with the visitors looking to secure only a fourth Premier League victory of the season.

Klopp, attending his first pre-match press conference as Liverpool boss, spoke of confidence in his new squad and the desire to motivate players who have peformed below expectations so far.

"At the end it's only football," Klopp told reporters. "That's important. All these guys are able to play really good football. That's what they did in their past, that's the reason why they are here.

"Now we have to open our chest and lets run and fight and shoot, and defend together and attack together like all the things football looks like in your best dream."

Klopp dismissed concerns over mistakes his charges may have made in the past, with Liverpool sitting in 10th with a negative goal difference, and has already formed his tactical approach ahead of his league bow.

He added: "I'm not interested in what were the faults a few weeks ago, I only think about what can we do to be stable in a game, to close all our doors, and if it's possible look a little bit out and then we will see what happens.

"We have to be active, we're very active, we have to be ready for work, we have to be ready to enjoy the game, we have to be ready for many things and we play against a very very good Premier League team.

"They played together for a very long time... they look fine-tuned, they work well together, maybe they have some problems with injuries or other things but it's a good team. I think we know how they want to play... but it's more important to analyse our own situation.

"If nothing happens in the next trainings I know how we want to play and we have to use these two exercises today and tomorrow to understand a little bit more."