..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal explains Giggs absence

Ryan Giggs’ absence from Manchester United’s 3-0 victory over Stoke City at Old Trafford on Tuesday has been put down to a family illness despite rumours he is set to become the manager of Celtic.

Reports before the clash on Tuesday claimed that the Welshman was set to leave his post as United’s assistant manager to succeed Ronny Deila at Parkhead following the Scottish champions’ League Cup semi-final loss to Ross County at the weekend.

But it has emerged that Giggs missed United’s win due to a family illness and not because of an imminent departure from the club he has served as a player, coach, interim manager and now assistant manager over a period of 29 years.

Deila is under pressure despite his side holding a six-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership. It was believed that only a domestic treble was likely to see the Norwegian retained for next season, and Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Hampden Park has thrown his position under significant scrutiny.


And Giggs’ own future is in doubt due to United’s troubles under Louis van Gaal. The club’s indifferent form this season has led to speculation about a change of manager ahead of the proposed handover from Van Gaal to Giggs in the summer of 2017. The 42-year-old is thought to be ready to leave Old Trafford if he is overlooked for the top job when it next becomes available.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal thrilled with 'fantastic goals' against Stoke

Louis van Gaal expressed his delight with Manchester United's build-up play after they cruised to a 3-0 Premier League win over Stoke City on Tuesday.

United scored in the opening 45 minutes of a game at Old Trafford for the first time since September as Jesse Lingard broke the deadlock in the 14th minute with a diving header from Cameron Borthwick-Jackson's cross.

Anthony Martial rounded off an excellent team move involving Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney with a superb curling finish nine minutes later.

Mata and Martial were at the centre of things again as Rooney made sure of the points in the 53rd minute with his 99th Premier League goal at Old Trafford as United at least temporarily silenced the critics who have piled pressure on Van Gaal.The Dutchman told Sky Sports: "It was a great performance. First half we create attacks, fantastic goals, we created more chances. In the second half we controlled the game.

"I think in 2016 we have only lost against Southampton in the last minute in a game that nobody has to be the winner.

"We have more confidence maybe. At home you have to win but I hope it gives us a lot of motivation to continue. In Derby County [in the FA Cup last Friday] we played very well also like this evening."Great goals, from the building up to the end of the goal. Superb goals, I'm very happy because you can see the team is scoring the goal not only the player."

Asked about the impact of the likes of Lingard and Borthwick-Jackson, Van Gaal added: "I'm always pleased when youngsters are showing themselves."Today is also Cameron Borthwick-Jackson's birthday and he gets a fantastic assist. I'm very happy for him."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Pochettino praises mature Tottenham after Norwich win

Mauricio Pochettino felt his Tottenham side "showed maturity" after contrasting performances in each half of their 3-0 win over Norwich City on Tuesday.

The visitors were dominant in the first half at Carrow Road, with Dele Alli breaking the deadlock after just two minutes when tapping home a rebound inside the penalty area.Harry Kane doubled their lead from the penalty spot, while he was only denied a second before the break by a post.

The England striker also hit the woodwork again in a second half that saw Tottenham happy to sit back and hit on the counter. The policy paid off in the closing stages, as Kane steered in his second of the night.

"I'm happy. It's three points for us and we fully deserved the result," Pochettino told Sky Sports."I think the first half was fantastic. I think we deserved to score more goals. In the second half, we showed maturity.

"It is not only about having possession and playing well. Sometimes you need to play as a team and be strong without the ball."

The result - coupled with Arsenal's 0-0 draw at home to Southampton - lifts Tottenham above their north London rivals into third place in the Premier League table.

However, Pochettino is refusing to get carried away by any title talk."The most important thing now is to be ready for the next game," he insisted."We need to keep improving and keep working very hard. We need to be ready, because the next three points are very important to us."

Alli was replaced at half time due to feeling unwell, although Pochettino confirmed it was "just a precaution", with the midfielder expected to be fit to face Watford on Saturday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

One away from Ronaldo & Suarez: Vardy's season just gets better and better

Whatever Jamie Vardy is eating for breakfast it is certainly doing the trick. The striker's dream season continued on Tuesday night with two goals in Leicester City's 2-0 win over Liverpool.

His first strike - a stunning long-range volley - was a contender for goal of the season, while his second means he now has 18 goals in toal for the current campaign - one short of Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez's tally in La Liga.

Most of Vardy's goals come from inside the 18-yard box but his spectacular opener against Liverpool was the first of his efforts to have come from long range.

Riyad Mahrez was the man who set up the England international for his opening goal, the seventh time the pair have combined to score this season. Only two other strike pairings have been as lethal - check out who they are below along with the rest of Vardy's latest stats...

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal welcomes Guardiola arrival

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has welcomed Manchester City's appointment of Pep Guardiola.

Van Gaal was Guardiola's manager during their time together at Barcelona and made the former midfielder his captain at Camp Nou.
The Spaniard has since followed his old boss into management and enjoyed great success during his time in charge of both Barca and Bayern Munich.

His next challenge will see him replace Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad Stadium next summer, where he will immediately become a rival of Van Gaal, though the Dutchman says he will be happy to see him.

He said: "He is my former captain so I am very pleased to see him. And I can speak Spanish so it is very convenient for me!"

Van Gaal was talking after United's 3-0 win over Stoke City on Tuesday night, which came courtesy of goals from Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

OFFICIAL: Jackson Martinez joins Guangzhou Evergrande

Guangzhou Evergrande have officially completed the signing of striker Jackson Martinez from Atletico Madrid for a Chinese record €42 million (£31.8m).

The deal smashes the previous £21m record Jiangsu Suning paid Chelsea for midfielder Ramires, a benchmark that did not even last a full week as the Chinese Super League’s immense recruitment drive continues.

Clubs in the top two tiers of Chinese football spent more than €200m collectively during January, with Martinez and Ramires also joined by the likes of Gervinho and Fredy Guarin in moving to the increasingly star-studded league.

Martinez moves to China on a four-year deal after successfully completing a medical and agreeing terms late on Tuesday and flies directly to Dubai to link up with his new team-mates on their winter training camp.

The Colombia international will now be managed by Luiz Felipe Scolari and will link up with fellow South Americans such as Paulinho and Ricardo Goulart.

The 27-year-old only joined Atletico in the summer, struggling to make an impact at the club following his €35m move from Porto amid rumours of a falling out with fiery coach Diego Simeone.
Incredibly, that means Atleti have actually made a €7m profit (£5.3m) on a player that scored just two goals in 15 uninspiring La Liga appearances, as well as netting a solitary goal in the Champions League.

Infamous super-agent Jorge Mendes, most closely associated with Cristiano Ronaldo, helped broker a deal that sees Martinez become the most expensive transfer of 2016 so far, and the biggest signing in Chinese football history.

Although Martinez struggled at Atletico, he had an impeccable record at former club Porto; the Colombian bagged at least 20 league goals in each of his three campaigns in Portugal, racking up 92 goals in 132 appearances in all competitions.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Atletico Madrid lata pissuda manda out of form kiyala mechchara hoda player kenek sell karanna

Anyway good luck Jackson Martinez!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League 2016.02.03 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2016.02.03 Fixtures

Everton Vs Newcastle

Watford Vs Chelsea

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Copa del Rey 1st Leg Fixture 2016.02.03

Copa del Rey 1st Leg Fixture 2016.02.03

Barcelona Vs Valencia​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Serie A 2016.02.03 Fixtures

Serie A 2016.02.03 Fixtures

Frosione Vs Bologna

Empoli Vs Udinese

Fiorentina Vs Carpi

Hellas Verona Vs Atalanta

Inter Vs Chievo

Juventus Vs Genoa

Lazio Vs Napoli

Palermo Vs AC Milan

Sampdoria Vs Torino​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal: Mata must perform every week

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says Juan Mata must perform every week if he is to keep hold of his place in his starting XI.

The Spain international was one of the best players on the pitch in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Stoke City as he thrived in his favoured No.10 role.

Mata has often played as a right winger under the Dutchman and Van Gaal urged him to show consistency if he wants to play in his preferred position every week.

“He was participating in all the three goals so that is what I like to see,” Van Gaal said. “When he is playing how he is playing now the chance is big [to stay at No 10] but every player has to prove it every week.

“Even my captain [Rooney] has to do that because everybody has now forgotten he was a substitute against Stoke City away [in December].

“It is always the same with me. You have to prove it every game, every training session and then you play. When he [Mata] plays like this, I cannot say to him: ‘Go to the bench.’ ”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Oxlade-Chamberlain slammed by Arsenal fans after tunnel dance

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been slammed by Arsenal fans after he was filmed dancing in the tunnel before the goalless draw with Southampton on Tuesday evening.

The stalemate has left the Gunners fourth in the Premier League and five points behind leaders Leicester City, who ran out 2-0 winners over Liverpool.

Arsenal posted a video of Oxlade-Chamberlain dancing in the tunnel before heading out to warm-up, but some fans have criticised the midfielder for his approach to the game...

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Cech: Forster robbed Arsenal

Petr Cech says Fraser Forster "robbed" Arsenal of victory after watching the Southampton goalkeeper deliver a man-of-the-match performance at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

The Saints left London with a hard-earned 0-0 draw, with England goalkeeper Forster called into action routinely as Arsenal fired 11 shots on target during the game.

Forster has kept clean sheets in all four of his games this season since returning from a serious knee injury, helping Ronald Koeman's men shoot up the Premier League table.

Cech is quoted by the Evening Standard: "Fraser Forster robbed a point from us because it was only thanks to him they got a draw here.

"They did really well in the first half but in the second half we did much better and created a lot of chances - probably the most we have this season at home. We just couldn’t find the back of the net because he was outstanding and made important saves."

The Southampton stalemate left Arsenal on 45 points after 24 games, five adrift of league leaders Leicester City in fourth place, having failed to win any of their last four league outings, with no goals scored since the 3-3 draw with Liverpool on January 13.

"We had a position where we could only look at ourselves but now we are behind so we need some of the results to go our way.

"But there is a long way to go and there is always a twist in the tail so you keep working hard every day and try to keep getting results. If we believe then I think we can still do it - there are more than enough games to put ourselves back at the top of the league so we will work for that."

 

[Kasippu Sira]

Eloooo

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Brazil want Neymar for Copa Centenario & Olympics

Brazil hope captain Neymar will compete at two international tournaments this summer, according to Brazilian football confederation (CBF) technical coordinator Gilmar Rinaldi.

The Selecao will be in USA from June 3-26 for an extended version of the Copa America to mark the tournament’s centenary, before competing at the Rio Olympics between August 4-26.

Coach Dunga will lead his side in both tournaments but may have to do without his captain for one of them.“At first, yes [the idea was to use him in both competitions], but let's talk to the players and the clubs,” Gilmar told Globo.

“In the coming days Dunga will give me names of the three over-age players he proposes for the Olympics. “After the qualifiers in March, against Uruguay and Paraguay, we will talk personally with those players.”

Football clubs are under no obligation to release players for the Olympic Games and Barcelona are keen not to risk Neymar burning out prior to the start of the European season.

Argentina coach Gerardo Martino said this week his Olympic squad will not include Lionel Messi, who was previously granted leave by Barcelona for the 2008 games in Beijing.Neymar has repeatedly expressed his desire to compete in both competitions but is believed to be prioritising the Olympic games in a bid to lead the five-time world champions to the only remaining major title they are yet to win.

“The player really wants to play the Olympics, which take place when he’s on holiday [at the end of the season],” added Gilmar. A tournament for players under-23, each team is allowed to select three over-age players.

Neymar competed for Brazil in the 2012 London games which saw his side lose the gold medal match to Mexico.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Drought-breaker Lingard wants more Old Trafford entertainment

Jesse Lingard hopes Manchester United can start to dazzle the Old Trafford crowd after breaking their first-half goal drought.

The 23-year-old stooped to head in the opener in the 14th minute of United's 3-0 win over Stoke City – the first time Louis van Gaal's team have scored against an opponent on home turf before the interval since September's 2-1 Champions League victory over Wolfsburg.

Tuesday's Premier League triumph helped to ease some of the growing pressure on the Dutch manager, with further goals from Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney finishing the job.

"We started very brightly and as soon as we got the first goal, we were confident of getting a second and third," Lingard told MUTV.

"We needed to score goals, attack and entertain the crowd really. When we do that, we make the game easy for ourselves, so I think we should carry that on now."

Lingard also praised the impact of Anthony Martial, who has scored six goals in 19 Premier League appearances thus far this season.

"If we keep feeding the ball to Anthony Martial, he can make things happen," he added.

"We knew from his [debut] goal against Liverpool what he could bring to the team – that pace, that power and he's got a great goal in him."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Nistelrooy leaves Netherlands set-up for PSV role

Ruud van Nistelrooy has left his role as assistant coach of Netherlands national team to take up a role working with PSV's youth set-up.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker will not renew terms at the end his current deal with the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), meaning he will step aside in July and not be a part of his country's 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Under coach Danny Blind, Netherlands will be looking to rebuild after their shock failure to reach Euro 2016.

Nistelrooy will coach PSV's Under-17, Under-19 and reserve sides – something he has previously done on an informal basis.

"I have learned a lot in the past two years," Van Nistelrooy said in a statement on the KNVB' official website. "Not only at the [UEFA] trainer course, but also on the pitch with PSV Under-17s and reserves. And how beautiful it is as a coach starting out to be involved with the Dutch team.

"In my time as an international player I've worked with the technical staff and I never realised how much time and effort this required.

"For my development as a coach this was a valuable experience. I will always keep in mind the fantastic way of working together with the players and staff. I'm grateful to the KNVB that they gave me this chance."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

OFFICIAL: LA Galaxy sign Nigel de Jong

LA Galaxy have officially announced the signing of free agent Nigel de Jong, with Wednesday's announcement completing the side's roster shakeup.The 31-year-old officially left AC Milan on Monday ahead of the Italian transfer deadline and has signed a one-year deal with the five-time MLS champions.

Goal USA's Ives Galarcep reports that De Jong's deal is worth around $500,000 (£342,000), a figure some way down on what he commanded at both Milan and Manchester City before that.

De Jong's arrival marks the latest signing in LA this winter. The team has also added Jelle Van Damme, Ashley Cole, Dan Kennedy, Mike Magee and Jeff Larentowicz during the off-season.

After losing Omar Gonzalez and Juninho following a disappointing exit in the quarter-finals of the 2015 MLS playoffs, the Galaxy have looked to experience, bringing in four players in their 30s.

De Jong joined AC Milan in 2012, after spending three-and-a-half years at Man City - a period that saw him help the club win the Premier League title for the first time in their history, as well as the FA Cup.

He has more than 80 caps with the Netherlands, including appearances in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, and is likely to partner Steven Gerrard in the heart of Galaxy's new-look midfield.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Martial will peak when I've gone - Van Gaal

Louis van Gaal believes he will have left Manchester United by the time Anthony Martial reaches his peak.

The Frenchman was the star of United's 3-0 victory over Stoke City on Tuesday, scoring the second goal and creating the third for Wayne Rooney.And Van Gaal, who admitted he did not expect Martial to make such an impact so early on in his United career, believes he will get even better in time.

“It is very much surprising,” he said. “You come from the French league, come to the Premier League and you do this at 20 then you have a lot of potential but then I am the manager not any more at that time when he is at his best.”

Martial's impressive form has seen some United fans call for him to be deployed in his favoured position up front.The 20-year-old has predominately operated on the wing this term, but Van Gaal insisted he will not be moved into a central role.

"That is dependent on the shape of the team, his fellow players,” the Dutchman said.

“He likes to play in a striker’s position more than where he is now playing but when I need him to play on the other side. When he plays like this I am not changing. Same as Rooney, same as Mata. I am not changing."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Adebayor: I am not a bad apple

Crystal Palace striker Emmanuel Adebayor insists he is not a bad apple and claims his new club's fans already love him.

The 31-year-old, who has played for the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Tottenham, made his Palace debut in Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at the hands of AFC Bournemouth – his first club appearance since May.

He feels he has unfairly attracted a negative reputation, but rejected the notion that he can cause trouble for his managers off the pitch."There is a bad reputation about Adebayor, but if you ask every single manager that I work under, maybe [only] one or two would say I am a bad apple in the dressing room," the Togo international told Sky Sports.

"I am always smiling with everyone. It is a good squad with good players and I can guarantee that the squad in the dressing room is one of the best. It makes life easier for me.

"I do not have anything to prove. I just want to enjoy my football. I have been there and done it. The fans already love me, so I have to do my best. I always have a smile on my face.

"He [manager Alan Pardew] said I have to be a leader, which means I have to set an example, I have to come on time in training, do my job professionally and that is what I am doing."

Adebayor was without a club from September after his release from Tottenham, but played down any worries over his fitness and claims he has been keeping fit by organising matches in Africa.

"I have not played a full game since May, but I think I have played more than these guys in the Premier League," he said.

"It is quite easy to organise a game in Africa. I just had to call some of my friends and tell them I was in the mood to play football. Then we would play a proper game with proper professionals."