..::Football III::..

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Chelsea should have axed Mourinho for Klopp - Burley

Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley believes the Premier League champions should have fired Jose Mourinho in favour of Jurgen Klopp while they could have.
Klopp was appointed Liverpool manager last week following Brendan Rodgers' sacking, but Burley feels Chelsea missed an opportunity to swap the controversial Mourinho for the German.

Mourinho's touchline and off-field antics have been questioned, with the Portuguese boss receiving a £50,000 fine on top of a suspended one-match stadium ban following his comments after Chelsea's defeat to Southampton on October 3.

The loss left Chelsea languishing just four points above the relegation zone, and 10 points behind leaders Manchester City, after eight matches this season.

In an interview with talkSPORT, Burley - who won the 1996-97 FA Cup with Chelsea - said: "A couple of weeks ago when all this nonsense was going on [with Mourinho], I said that Chelsea should get rid of this guy now."Klopp was out there, he was going to go to Liverpool, and Chelsea should have gone and got him. That didn't happen and clearly it wasn't going to happen but that was my opinion of what they should have done. I would have gone and got him.

"I was not saying Mourinho should go because of a few bad results. I was basing it on the fact that Chelsea are a global brand and the way Mourinho was acting, behaving and speaking outside of the 90 minutes of football was dragging the club, the players and their image through the mud. "Managers can get bad results, but Mourinho has to have a look at himself in terms of the way he handles things. It is not everyone else's fault all the time."

The controversial trainer will look to ease the pressure on himself and his team when Chelsea host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.

 

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Martial named Premier League Player of the Month for September

Anthony Martial has been rewarded for his sensational start to his Manchester United career by being named the Barclays Player of the Month for September.

The France international's arrival shortly before deadline day was met with much scepticism, largely due to United'a decision to shell out an initial £36 million on an unproven talent.

But the 19-year-old has responded with three Premier League goals in his opening four games for his new club including one 21 minutes into his debut in the 3-0 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, landed the Manager of the Month award after guiding Spurs to three wins in September, including a 4-1 victory at home to Manchester City.

"It's a collective honour because we must recognise first our players, all coaching staff and the fans,” said the Tottenham manager.

"It's good not just for me but for the whole club. It's very important. Okay it's 'manager of the month' but we need to recognise all people involved in the team. The whole club deserve this award.

"It was a fantastic month for us that started at Sunderland, which was a big win, and afterwards Palace and Manchester City. The Sunderland win very important because, after many draws, the team played well but we needed to win, and it confirmed our way.

"Also, Palace were a team who played very well since the start of the season. It's true that the headlines will be the win against Manchester City. After you beat them, it was exciting for all, but every victory was very important."

 

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Congratulations Martial!

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Lampard rules out Premier League return

New York City midfielder Frank Lampard has ruled out the possibility of an off-season loan, insisting he needs rest.

Lampard has endured an injury-interrupted first season in New York and the veteran has no plans to seek a temporary move away.

The former England international was announced as a New York City player in July 2014, but he did not make his debut until August this year as an extended loan spell at Manchester City and injuries, namely his calf, delayed his long-awaited bow.

Lampard was asked about his off-season plans on Thursday following reports linking City captain and team-mate David Villa with a loan return to Europe, and 37-year-old replied: "I need the rest to be fully fit next year for the club.

"I wish I could have not had the injuries, but every player has to accept that injuries come along sometimes.

"My aim now is to manage myself well for next season, to finish this season on a high, have some breaks at times, but keep ticking over, have a really good pre-season and throw everything into next year."

Expansion club New York City are out of the play-off race with two matches remaining in the regular season.

City are eighth in the 10-team Eastern Conference on 37 points, eight points adrift of the sixth and final post-season spot occupied by Montreal Impact.

"The important thing is to be professional to each other, individually to do the right thing for the last few games and for the fans and people who have supported us the full season," Lampard said.

"We have to try and put in two good performances, two wins and finish on a high."

Lampard added: "I can't talk highly enough about playing over here.

"I look forward to having a full year, cracking in next year and hopefully starting the season well, getting into the play-offs, which I think we should be as a club, and having a real crack at it."

 

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Lewandowski: Klopp is perfect for the Premier League and will get Liverpool winning again


Robert Lewandowski has backed Jurgen Klopp to be a roaring success at Liverpool, though believes the German coach will tweak his Borussia Dortmund methods in order to adapt to the Premier League.

Poland international Lewandowski, who has already netted an incredible 12 Bundesliga goals this term, spent four seasons under Klopp’s tutelage before departing for Bayern Munich in 2014.

And the 27-year-old is convinced his old boss has found the perfect club – and country – after ending his post-BVB sabbatical, and says his positive attitude can get Liverpool out of their current rut.

In an exclusive interview with Goal, Lewandowski explained: “Kloppo fits perfectly with the Premier League. At Liverpool he can make a difference with his positive thinking and sweep the players along with him.

“They will play really well and they will win. I can only wish him the best of luck. I don't know the team that well, but Kloppo definitely knows what to do and how to make them win as a team. This is the optimal club for him - and league also!”

Klopp made a bold first impression at his Liverpool unveiling last week, describing himself as “the Normal One”.

Lewandowski, though, thinks the 48-year-old coach undersold his personality, and suspects the larger-than-life German will opt to change his Dortmund style to suit his new players and the demands of the Premier League.

“He’s a great guy, a great coach,” Lewandowski continued.

“He knows that the Premier League and Bundesliga are not the same. He will do things differently and find a new approach than at BVB because it is a different league and he has new players.

“I heard that he put on a show at the press conference – this is Klopp. He has fun and is a great coach, a great guy. I can only wish him the best of luck.”

Klopp’s first test in charge of Liverpool is an away trip to Tottenham on Saturday lunchtime, an opponent the Reds scored 15 goals against in four games under axed boss Brendan Rodgers.

 

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Mourinho: Finish my career at Chelsea? It's not possible

Jose Mourinho believes he will continue coaching for another 15 years - but admits a long-term stay at Chelsea is not possible.

Speaking at the launch of a new book that covers his highly decorated first decade-and-a-half in the dugout, Mourinho was optimistic over his future in the game despite a dismal start to his side’s Premier League title defence.

Chelsea are languishing in 16th position with just eight points from as many matches – a run that prompted a public vote of confidence for Mourinho from the club in the wake of a 3-1 loss to Southampton before the international break.

When asked how long he plans to remain in football, Mourinho replied: ”It is difficult to say but if you ask me how many years I am going to coach, I would say I did 15, I have 15 more to do, if I can.

"Can I stay 15 more years at Chelsea Football Club? I don't know, I don't think so. I don't think modern football allows it anymore. So normally I would not finish my career at Chelsea. I would like to, but I don't think it's possible.

"I think we are going to do a similar book, I hope, in 15 years' time. What I can say I'm not going to do is a controversial book.

"The next book will have lots of chapters. The first one will be the moment I am living now, with four defeats in eight Premier League matches, with two defeats at home which is more than I had in the previous 100 matches at home.

"This will be the beginning of the next book for sure, but it will be a book with lots of good moments, lots of cups, lots of trophies. I don't think I am going to be just 10 times a champion in my career."

 

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'Neymar not in a rush to renew Barcelona contract'

The former agent of Barcelona star Neymar claims the Brazilian is no rush to sign a new contract.

It was reported on Thursday that talks over a new deal have been put on hold until January, although Wagner Ribeiro doesn’t expect that to prove a problem.

In fact, he predicts that the 23-year-old, whose current terms run until 2018, will remain in Catalonia for a very long time.

"I spoke with his father and he told me that Neymar is very happy at the club and there is no hurry to renew,” Ribeiro said in an interview with Cadena COPE.

"You can be sure that Neymar will continue for many years in Barcelona, there’s no doubt about that.”

Neymar joined Barcelona from Santos in 2013, although it’s since been revealed talks regarding a move may have begun as early as 2011.

The Brazilian club are unhappy at the way the deal was carried out and feel they are owed more money — and it's even been suggested they could call for Barca’s No.11 to be banned from football for six months.

However, Ribeiro says Santos knew exactly what was going on at the time and will not be successful in seeking damages from the transfer.

"In 2011, Santos authorised Neymar to hire a company to manage his transfer,” he added.

“Santos now want the money that belongs to his father, it's absurd. What they have done with Neymar and Fifa is unconstitutional.”

 

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Gerrard reveals how Rodgers reacted to slip

Steven Gerrard has revealed former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers told the rest of the squad to "bail" the midfielder out after his infamous slip against Chelsea in 2014.

Gerrard fell over as he attempted to control the ball, which allowed Demba Ba to run through on goal and score, with the Blues going on to win the game 2-0.

That result derailed Liverpool's bid for the Premier League title, just as they appeared set to end their 24-year wait to be crowned champions of England's top flight.

"I had been straining the whole half to make something happen, so had Luis [Suarez]," writes Gerrard in his autobiography.

"Chelsea just kept blunting us. And then I’d slipped. The dressing room was hushed."

“Look,” Brendan said, imploring the other players, “if anyone deserves to be bailed out it’s him.” His finger pointed at me. “Your captain needs you to all pay him back."
"The amount of times he’s pulled this club out of a mess and changed impossible situations and got players out of trouble are the stuff of legend.

"Now it’s time you repay him. You’ve got forty-five minutes to do it.” Brendan looked at me. “Stevie, forget it,” he said. “It happens. Let’s all go out and win this game. We can do it.”

Gerrard left Liverpool at the end of last season and joined LA Galaxy, with the Premier League title remaining the only trophy that evaded him during his career with the Reds.

 

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Arsenal can win the Premier League - Watford’s Odion Ighalo

Watford striker Odion Ighalo believes that Saturday’s opponents Arsenal could win the Premier League but are not the favourites for the title.

Ighalo returns from the international break having scored a goal in Nigeria’s 3-0 victory over Cameroon in Brussels on Sunday.

The Gunners are second, sandwiched between the Manchester clubs, going into the weekend, but the Nigerian thinks they will have to contend with the usual favourites to win their first title in more than a decade.

“Arsenal can win it, but it's going to be difficult because you have Manchester City, Manchester United and even Chelsea fighting too,” Ighalo told Goal.

ldquo;There’s no good time to play them because Arsenal are a big team.”

The 26-year-old has been in great form as he was nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month for September and has scored five goals so far, more than strikers Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud combined.

“It’s a great feeling but I don’t want to be carried away with that,” he said, instead focusing on the challenge ahead.

Having failed to score against Manchester City during his first encounter with one of the giants of the English game this season, the Nigerian will face Arsenal on Saturday hoping to reprise the feat of his hero, Samuel Eto’o, against the Gunners during his brief spell with Chelsea. Eto’o opened scoring in that famous 6-0 demolition of the Gunners at Stamford Bridge in March 2014.

“Samuel Eto’o is my idol, I love the way he plays and some people call me Eto’o,” he said.

 

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Barcelona and Real Madrid discover Copa del Rey opponents

Copa del Rey holders Barcelona will begin the defence of their title with a round-of-32 tie against Villanovense, while Real Madrid were paired with Cadiz in Friday's draw.

The draw for this round of the competition is seeded, with the seven teams representing Spain in the Champions League and Europa League guaranteed to face outfits from Segunda Division B leagues and Tercera Division.

Atletico Madrid - winners in 2013 - will face Reus, while last year's finalists Athletic Bilbao will take on Linense.

Elsewhere, Sevilla will play Logrones and Valencia come up against Barakaldo, while Villarreal take on Huesca.

The four all-La Liga ties drawn out of the hat were Real Betis against Sporting Gijon, Levante playing Espanyol, Las Palmas taking on Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano meeting Getafe.

Ties will be played over two legs on December 2 and December 16, with winners progressing to the last-16 stage, which is also seeded.

Draw in full:

Cadiz v Real Madrid
Villanovense v Barcelona
Barakaldo v Valencia
Reus v Atletico Madrid
Logrones v Sevilla
Linense v Athletic Bilbao
Huesca v Villarreal
Almeria v Celta Vigo
Leganes v Granada
Llagostera v Deportivo La Coruna
Mirandes v Malaga
Ponferradina v Eibar
Real Betis v Sporting Gijon
Levante v Espanyol
Las Palmas v Real Sociedad
Rayo Vallecano v Getafe

 

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Yaya Toure and Nasri both set for Man City return

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini says Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri are both fit to return for Saturday's clash with Bournemouth.

The midfield pair have both been struggling with hamstring problems, which saw them miss the 6-1 victory over Newcastle, but they are now set to feature as City bid to stay at the top of the Premier League.

Pellegrini said: "Toure and Nasri are both recovered. For [FabianDelph], maybe one week more and he will be working with the squad.

"[Sergio] Aguero has a muscle injury – it’s an important injury so I don’t think he will be back before one month.

"We’ll see how they [Aleksandr Kolarov and David Silva] improve in the next week – I hope both of them can be back in 15 days."

 

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Van Gaal: It's been awful at Man Utd for two weeks

Louis van Gaal admits it has been an “awful” two weeks at Manchester United following his side’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal before the international break.

United were convincingly beaten at the Emirates Stadium by Arsene Wenger’s men - and the Dutchman concedes he has been powerless to try and lift the mood among his players.

“When you have more than two weeks it is awful when you have such a result,” said the United manager.

“It has been an awful two weeks because before the last international break we lost against Swansea.

“It’s not only the players, it’s the staff, and my cook, Mike [Donnelly], because he has a big influence on the atmosphere in the canteen.

“So these are awful weeks, because you are constantly thinking about how it happened and you cannot manage it with your players, because that is what you have to do, but all the players were flying out.”

Van Gaal also insists that his side must not show a repeat performance when they face Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

“Arsenal had 96 per cent passing accuracy but we had 68 per cent, normally we have 85 per cent or something like that, so it is a big difference,” said the Dutchman.

“We have spoken about how that cannot happen again. We started so badly and Arsenal was so good. Maybe that was a coincidence but I don’t believe in that, I believe in preparation, focus and concentration.”

 

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Van Gaal: It's been awful at Man Utd for two weeks

Everton & CITY matches walath mona karaganida manda​

 

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Luis Enrique would take the Spain job when Del Bosque retires

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has said he would love to take over as Spain coach when Vicente del Bosque decides to call it a day.

Del Bosque will lead La Roja’s title defence at Euro 2016 next summer in France, but he is unlikely to stay on beyond that tournament.

Speaking at a press conference previewing Barca's game with Rayo Vallecano this weekend, Luis Enrique appeared keen when asked about the possibility of managing the national side.

“Yes, I would like to… I would like to a lot,” he responded to a question regarding stepping into Del Bosque’s shoes.

Luis Enrique, whose playing career took in both Barca and Real Madrid, was capped 62 times by Spain, appearing in three different World Cups.

He has been in charge at Camp Nou since 2014, leading the Catalan club to the treble in his first season in charge.

Despite that success, there were doubts whether he would continue in the role and although he eventually signed a contract extension earlier this year, speculation surrounding his long-term future persists.

Del Bosque, 64, took over Spain in 2008 and helped the team win the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championships 2014.

 

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Rooney fit for Manchester United's clash with Everton

Wayne Rooney has been passed fit for Manchester United’s clash with Everton on Saturday.

The United captain missed England's Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania due to an ankle injury he picked up in the 3-0 loss to Arsenal before the international break and was doubtful for the match at Goodison Park.

Nevertheless, United have now confirmed the 29-year-old has recovered in time to face his former club.

Michael Carrick has also been given the green light again after he missed both of England's games due to a groin injury.

Marcos Rojo (hamstring) and Ander Herrera (knock) have done some rehab and are also fit, although they are unlikely to feature for the full 90 minutes.

Ashley Young will be forced to watch this weekend's encounter from the stands as he is suffering with a tight calf.

United will be gunning for revenge on Saturday following their 3-0 loss at Goodison Park last season.

 

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Guardiola: Bayern not taking any risks with Robben

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has stressed the Bundesliga champions will not take any unnecessary risks with Arjen Robben.

The Netherlands international has been out of action since picking up an adductor injury in the Euro 2016 qualifier against Iceland on September 3.

He recently resumed squad training, though, and was expected to make his comeback in Saturday's away game against Werder Bremen.

Nevertheless, Guardiola has opted not to include the 31-year-old in his match squad as he does not want to take any risks with the winger.

"There are no problems with Robben, but he is not 100 per cent fit yet," the Bayern coach said.

Robben himself, meanwhile, has suggested that he could return to the pitch in Tuesday's Champions League encounter with Arsenal.

"I am doing very well," the former Real Madrid man told Bild. "My recovery went according to schedule. I will be part of the group again in a couple of days."

Fellow winger Franck Ribery remains unavailable due to an ankle injury, but Guardiola has revealed the Frenchman's situation is improving, too.

"Franck's ankle has been reacting well. He is taking the next step in his recovery process and that is obviously a positive thing," the Catalan added.

 

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Man City captain Kompany could miss Bournemouth clash


Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany could miss Saturday's game against Bournemouth despite making his comeback from injury for Belgium in midweek.

City boss Manuel Pellegrini said pointedly before the international fixtures that his captain was simply not fit to play for his country, but his Belgian counterpart, Marc Wilmots handed him his first start in a month against Israel on Tuesday.

Kompany played 58 minutes of the Euro 2016 qualifier, with his country already having qualified, but Pellegrini, far from being pleased that the defender stepped up his recovery from a troublesome calf injury, was clearly unhappy with the turn of events.

"No, I was not pleased because we sent Vincent with a medical report that he was not able to play but, as the manager of Belgium says, he can do what he wants," Pellegrini told the press on Friday.

"In the international break he can use the players and he wanted to use it and he used."

Goal understands that City chiefs are as unhappy with Belgium's handling of the club captain as Pellegrini.

There is even a chance that the 29-year-old could be kept out of the starting line-up as the Blues would be keen to have him on their own tailored training regime in order to boost his return to full fitness.

Pellegrini, clearly perturbed by the way in which countries can "do what they want", also believes that clubs and national teams are on a collision course.

"For me, in the same way, when you don’t send a player to their national squad, you cannot use in your club, in the other sense it must be the same way," he added.

"The player didn’t play the last three games in your club, they cannot play for their national squad. But that’s also rules. It’s not my duty to do it but I think some days clubs will protest about that because I think it must be from the same side the same thing."

 

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Luis Enrique: Pedro may regret leaving for Chelsea

Luis Enrique has suggested Pedro may be reconsidering his decision to leave Barcelona for Chelsea.

The Spain winger has struggled to make an impact at Stamford Bridge following his £21million switch from Barca in August.

Pedro opted to leave Camp Nou in search of more first-team opportunities, but his arrival has coincided with Chelsea's worst start to a season in 37 years.

Luis Enrique said: "We know what the situation was with Pedro, we understand it, it's logical, he wanted to play more and over the course of a player's career you have to make decisions.

"Perhaps now he might want to change that decision I don't know.

"It's not a question of us missing him, that's what life in football is like."

Despite scoring on his debut against West Brom, Pedro has scored just twice in eight appearances for the Blues.

 

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Benitez: People want to destabilise Real Madrid

Rafael Benitez believes there are people who want to unsettle Real Madrid by creating false stories.

Suggestions of rifts between himself and key players, such as Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo, have surrounded the club throughout the international break.

But Benitez claims such rumours are untrue.

Speaking at his media conference ahead of Saturday's game against Levante, Benitez commented: "There are some people who do not want things to go well for Real Madrid and who want to destabilise us.

"Stories about controversies get made up, spread and can confuse even the most ardent Real Madrid fans. People believe things that aren't true."

Earlier this week, Gareth Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett claimed his client's personality clashes with Cristiano Ronaldo, while also aiming a dig at the Portugal star's activities off the pitch.

However, Benitez disregarded Barnett's comments and emphasised the positive atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"The players are competitive and get on well together," he added.

"Obviously some are closer than others for certain reasons, like [Luka] Modric and [Mateo] Kovacic or [Karim] Benzema and [Raphael] Varane, but there are no problems here. I can't control what agents say, though.

"The atmosphere within the squad is very good and the players get on well.

"We have to pull together and the players know that. We're focused on our targets."

 

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'Ozil can disappear completely in games'

Mesut Ozil should not be in Germany’s starting line-up at Euro 2016 because he has a habit of ‘disappearing completely’ in games, according to Lothar Matthaus.

The Arsenal midfielder has been criticised over his lack of consistency for both club and country, and Matthaus, who won the World Cup with Germany in 1990, believes Joachim Low currently has better options at his disposal.

“My line of front three looks like this: right [Karim] Bellarabi, left [Marco] Reus and central [Mario] Gotze,” the former Bayern Munich midfielder wrote in his column for SportBild.

"There is no place for Mesut Ozil. His achievements are mixed.

“Sometimes, he is world class, other times he disappears completely.”