..::Football III::..

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Wenger: Arsenal wanted to sign Lukaku


Arsene Wenger has revealed Everton striker Romelu Lukaku was once a transfer target for Arsenal.The Belgium international has been in inspired form for the Toffees in the current campaign, netting 25 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions.

And ahead of coming up against Lukaku and Everton at the weekend, Wenger divulged that he tried to lure the forwa to Arsenal prior to his move to Chelsea from Anderlecht in 2011."Yes, we have known him since he was in Belgium but at the time he opted to go for Chelsea," said Wenger.

"I agree he is developing well and year after year he is better. His finishing is better, his technical link with players is better and he is promising to have a big career because that is always a sign if year after year he gets better numbers.

"No [we did not move for him once he was at Chelsea] because he went out on loan and I did expect him to go back to Chelsea, so after that we are never on the case."

Asked specifically how he would cope with the threat of Lukaku, Wenger continued: "Look, we just played against [Lionel] Messi, [Luis] Suarez and Neymar so now you give us another headache."I think our defenders will get encouragement from the defensive performance they produced against Barcelona."

The Gunners travel to Goodison Park on Saturday on the back of a torrid run of form, bowing out of both the FA Cup and the Champions League in their last two matches.

Third-placed Arsenal desperately need a positive result against Everton if they're to have any chance of winning the Premier League, currently sitting 11 points behind shock leaders Leicester with just one game in hand.

But despite heading into the game following a 3-1 loss at the hands of Barcelona on Wednesday, Wenger believes his side can take plenty of positives from their defeat at Camp Nou into their clash with Everton."We had a dynamic, mobile, fluid performance. We had 20 shots on goal, 12 shots on target in Barcelona and overall I believe our performance was positive,” added Wenger.

"I just want us to play with the same passion and drive until the end of the season now. Everton is a tough place to go, they have big strong squad and a team with huge potential as well. We expect a strong opponent."

 

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Klopp confirms new contract for Flanagan

Jurgen Klopp has revealed he was part of the discussions that ensured Jon Flanagan was offered a new three-year deal at Liverpool.The 23-year-old has agreed fresh terms with his boyhood club, and the extension is expected to be officially announced on Friday.

The right-back, who who grew up 200 yards down the road from Anfield in Utting Avenue, was due to be out of contract in the summer but the Reds boss and several senior players made it clear they wanted him to remain at Liverpool.

Flanagan was sidelined for 20 months with a troublesome knee injury, but since returning in January, has shown the commitment, passion and drive which has endeared him to supporters, the backroom staff and his team-mates.

On the new contract, Klopp said: “I was a little bit involved in these negotiations. Of course, we are all happy about this but most especially happy for Flanno. “It’s good for us, but I think in this special case with his long-term injury, it’s better for him.

“Of course, there are a lot of full-backs in the world, but not so many Scousers and not so many came back after this really difficult injury. “It’s how I said a few weeks ago, he is our boy and we are really happy to have him here.”

 

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Costa dropped from Spain squad with Aduriz included

Veteran Athletic Bilbao striker Aritz Aduriz was on Friday handed his first Spain call-up in five and a half years after being named in the squad for the international friendlies against Italy and Romania.Aduriz, whose only international cap came against Lithuania in October 2010, has been rewarded for his prolific form for Athletic this season.

He started the campaign with a hat-trick in a 4-0 Spanish Super Cup rout of Barcelona and has not looked back, netting 31 goals in 44 games in all competitions.Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said of the 35-year-old: "Aduriz deserves to be here. He has scored a lot of goals and he is a player we all like."

Chelsea's Diego Costa misses out with Del Bosque suggesting it was on fitness grounds, rather than the disciplinary issues that followed his appearance for Guus Hiddink's men at Everton at the weekend.

Costa was sent-off late on in the FA Cup quarter-final defeat but cleared of making an inflammatory gesture to the home fans as he left the pitch at half-time.Del Bosque said: "If Diego Costa was 100 per cent fit he would have been picked. The situation the other day was not so serious - and we are not here to punish."

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta has also been left out with his club team-mate Sergi Roberto included.

"I spoke personally with Andres. He has a bit of a muscle problem, so we thought it better for him not to come," said Del Bosque. "Sergi Roberto has played everywhere and is capable of playing different positions. But we see him as a midfielder."

European champions Spain continue their preparations for Euro 2016 by taking on Italy in Udine on March 24. They then travel to face Romania in Cluj three days later.

Spain squad to face Italy and Romania:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Porto), David De Gea (Manchester United), Sergio Rico (Sevilla).

Defenders: Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Mario Gaspar (Villarreal), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Marc Bartra (Barcelona), Nacho (Real Madrid), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea).

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Mikel San Jose (Athletic Bilbao), Sergi Roberto (Barcelona), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea), Thiago (Bayern Munich), Isco (Real Madrid), Nolito (Celta Vigo), Pedro (Chelsea), Juan Mata (Manchester United), David Silva (Manchester City).

Forwards: Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao), Alvaro Morata (Juventus), Paco Alcacer (Valencia).

 

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Rooney has to earn back place in England team - Hodgson

England manager Roy Hodgson is confident Wayne Rooney will be fully fit for Euro 2016, but told his captain he will have to fight to win back his place in the team.

In the absence of the Manchester United striker, who has a knee injury, there were five forwards selected in the 24-man squad to face Germany and Netherlands this month.

Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge, Jamie Vardy, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck all made the cut and, while Hodgson will take Rooney to France if his fitness is strong, he continues to stress that a place in the starting line-up is no sure thing."I am confident he'll get fit," said Hodgson after announcing his squad for the games on March 26 and 29.

"I am confident that I won't have a situation where I have got the dilemma, if you like, of May 12 arriving and him still really not being 100 per cent fit, but he could make it if we take him to the tournament. That would be an unpleasant situation to find myself in.

"I have never said he's an automatic starter and I have not ever said anyone is an automatic starter."If you say 'does he have a good chance to be a starter with his track record, ability and experience?' Of course he has.

"But that doesn't mean to say that he necessarily will be because he might not have recovered to the best of his ability, we might want to play in a different way, we might want to use other players."What I say about Wayne Rooney is that he is our leader, he's our captain - he has been very good at that job over the last two years.

"We need him there, we need his influence, we need his ability as well, but his ability will have to be proven on the field of play and no-one is more conscious of that than Wayne Rooney."Despite Rooney's status as captain, Hodgson does not think he would react badly if the decision was made to leave him out of the starting line-up at the Euros.

"Wayne Rooney realises that if I've got a choice to make and the choice happens to be that, 'In this game I don't think you're the right man for the job' or, 'I think these players better', he would accept that because he's a footballer," added the England boss.

"He's a leader and our captain. What I have said, and will stick with, is if he's fit, he'll go. I have said that but not as an automatic starter."Rooney, 30, has 109 caps and a record 51 goals for his country.

 

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Hiddink: Diego Costa is not an idiot


Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has defended striker Diego Costa, claiming it is unfair to call the Spain international an idiot.

The former Atletico Madrid forward was sent off for appearing to bite Everton's Gareth Barry on Saturday, but Hiddink feels his player gets treated unfairly.

"[It's] too strong. If you know the definition of an idiot, that is not him," he told reporters. "It’s not always if you are in the very hectic situation, it’s difficult.

“That’s why I defend him - his contribution is brilliant. I judge him fairly."

The Blues interim boss, who is expected to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, also accused the FA of actively looking for a reason to punish Costa, as the striker was banned despite Barry denying that a bit had taken place.
“Of course he was not happy," Hiddink said of Costa, following the FA charge. "He will see if he gets the other game as well.

“Maybe there was a little bit searching [for an FA punishment] for Costa - where can we get him? He is frustrated.


“I think he was not happy with it, of course, and will it go to a third game? Yes or no. He desperately wants to play of course, he accepts he is suspended but is not happy with it.


“The kiss, or bite, whatever you mention it, Barry made a very good statement by saying what has happened or not happened in this case."

 

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I tell my son I was quicker than Messi, admits former Manchester United star

Ryan Giggs admits he tells his son that he was quicker than Lionel Messi during his playing career.

The 42-year-old won 13 Premier League titles, the Champions League twice and four FA Cups during his career at Old Trafford, and is now Louis van Gaal’s assistant.

But despite his illustrious career as a player, Giggs admits that he is having trouble convincing his own son of how good he was.

“The only thing that frustrates me sometimes is that my son never really got to see me play,” the former Wales international told The Daily Telegraph.

“So, as far as he’s concerned, I just played for United for a few years and that was that. Forget me – Neymar is his favourite player, then [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi. So – and this is something I have never done – I have to big myself up.

“I have to say to him, ‘I used to be quicker than Messi’. He’s like, ‘No you didn’t, I’m quicker than you’. He just can’t get his head around it. I find myself saying, ‘Here’s daddy on TV, here’s one of his goals, watch this’. He just wanders out the room!”

 

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Icardi out of Roma clash

Inter captain Mauro Icardi has been ruled out of Saturday's trip to fellow Champions League hopefuls Roma.

Nerazzurri boss Roberto Mancini stated earlier in the day that the striker's fitness would be assessed on Saturday after he sustained medial knee ligament damage in last weekend's 2-1 defeat of Bologna.

But when the squad to travel to the capital was named later in the day, Icardi's name was conspicuous by its absence.There was better news, however, on Geoffrey Kondogbia with the powerful midfielder included.

"Geoffrey Kondogbia has trained and he's okay. He'll travel to Rome and we'll see whether he can play."The clash at the Stadio Olimpico is key with both teams seeking at least a place in next season's Champions League.

Inter are fifth, two places and five points adrift of third-placed Roma, but Mancini doesn't believe the tie is pivotal in the race to qualify for Europe's elite club competition."The players know it's a big match, I don't know if it's decisive. We'll see what happens tomorrow," Mancini added."There are 27 points to play for, an awful lot. I still believe it's open.

"Roma started out this championship with the aim of winning it. I always said that there were three or four teams that were stronger than us, and now they're back to form."My regret is that we lost so many games in the second half of the season, especially as some of those losses were undeserved. If we win tomorrow, we'll be well-placed."

 

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Neymar ordered to pay €45m for alleged tax fraud

Neymar has been found guilty of tax evasion by an administrative court of the Federal Revenue in Rio de Janeiro, according to La Folha de Sao Paulo.

The report claims that the Barcelona forward must now pay a total of $188.8 million reales (€45m) in back taxes, interest and penalties.

The Brazil international will have the opportunity to appeal the decision.

According to the court, the decision was taken after Neymar failed to pay at least $63.6m reales through his management companies between 2012 and 2014. The Brazilian is also alleged to owe $125.2m reales in fines and interest.

Neymar is also facing allegations of corruption and fraud in Spain in relation to his transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013.

 

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Klopp: Liverpool against Dortmund draw is a story only football could write

Jurgen Klopp is expecting to be inundated with messages after Liverpool drew his former side Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

The 48-year-old, who still has three season tickets at Signal Iduna Park after spending seven years as the club's manager, is looking forward to introducing the Reds to “a wonderful stadium and a great city.”The first leg will be held in Germany on April 7, with Anfield hosting the Bundesliga outfit on April 14. And while Klopp initially stated he didn’t want to face BVB in the tournament, he is now relishing the contest against the favourites for the trophy.

“I am really happy with the draw. Yesterday I said why should I wish [to get] the strongest team in the tournament, but obviously if you want to win the Europa League, and when you are in the quarter-final, then you have to beat the strongest teams,” he explained.

“It is better to play against them in two games than in only one game. I am really happy to introduce my new team to Dortmund. I am really happy to show the boys this wonderful stadium and a great city.

“It’s a story only football can write. We’re all happy. During the draw we had our video analysis meeting for Southampton and after that we were immediately training, so maybe my cell phone is full of messages – I need to have a look on there!

“Two of the biggest clubs in the world meet each other in the Europa League, so everybody who thought a few months ago maybe it’s not that interesting of a tournament, hopefully they’ve switched their minds in the last few weeks.“The games against Manchester United were two great, great games and now against Dortmund.

“Going to Dortmund and playing in Dortmund is one of the best things you can do in football. And then, they are all 100 per cent looking forward to coming to Anfield. It’s football at its best and how it should be. Everybody is looking forward to it. Then, two really intensive games and it’s good.”Klopp admits he will not enjoy the focus on him ahead of such an encounter, but still feels it will be special to step back on the Westfalenstadion turf.

“There are two things to say about this. One the one side, for me I was 18 years at Mainz and then in my break, after seven years at Dortmund, I went for the first time to Mainz’s stadium not as a coach, just to go there. It was never easy to go back and meet some friends or things like this because there was always another manager and I thought ‘I don’t want to disturb’ and things like this.

“I have a similar problem in Dortmund, to be honest. I still have three season tickets, but my son uses them and is very often in the stadium – when he’s not in Liverpool, of course. “So, I am looking forward to going there. I loved this place, a few of the best things in my life happened there, so of course I am looking forward to it.

“But on the other side, I hate the hype around my person in these matches. I know about the business and all the circumstances, that’s clear, but I don’t like it to be honest. I will do what I have to do and then we will see. The game and the players, completely focused – or as much focus as possible - on all these guys. “During the game, all the focus on these guys and then if somebody wants to talk to me after the game, I am available then.”

 

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Lights go out on Man Utd at Old Trafford

The lights at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium will be turned off for an hour on Saturday night as part of an environmental campaign organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The Theatre of Dreams is one of a number of significant global landmarks which will be plunged into darkness as part of the WWF’s Earth Hour, a nine-year old initiative to raise awareness of the environmental impact of everyday power use.

Instantly recognisable sights such as the Eiffel Tower, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Buckingham Palace will be blacked out between 20:30 and 21:30 on Saturday, and United have also signed up to join the initiative.

The move means that United’s awe-inspiring home, which normally dominates the landscape of its surrounding area of western Manchester and Salford, will be hidden in the night skies for 60 minutes.In a season with few highlights so far on the field, the Red Devils head across town on Sunday to face rivals Manchester City in the campaign’s second local derby.

United will be looking to brighten the mood among their fanbase with a victory after the disappointment of Thursday’s Europa League exit to Liverpool at Old Trafford.

 

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Man City loss would end Man Utd's Champions League hopes, Van Gaal admits

Louis van Gaal has admitted that defeat for Manchester United in Sunday’s derby against Manchester City will spell the end of their hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top four.United head to the Etihad Stadium looking to eat into the four-point gap which separates them from fourth-placed City and the Red Devils boss accepts that a ninth league loss will end their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.

“I think so, yes,” Van Gaal told reporters when asked if the fixture was a ‘do or die’ affair. “The gap is four points already. And there is also West Ham United, because they are ahead also.

“So it is not just City, it is also West Ham United. Seven points is too much, I think.”Manchester United go into the clash with their local rivals smarting from their Europa League exit at the hands of Liverpool on Thursday.

The 1-1 second-leg draw at Old Trafford rounded out a 3-1 aggregate loss to the Merseysiders and Van Gaal concedes that his side has underachieved in their struggle to improve upon last season's fourth-place finish.

“We actually wanted for third place, because last year we were fourth and you always want to be better,” he added. “But so far we have underachieved. There are factors behind that though.”

United currently sit sixth, with a number of players due to make returns from injury soon. Van Gaal, however, believes the short turnaround following Thursday’s European clash will add a further complication on Sunday.“My players will start their recovery [after the Liverpool game] but I don’t know how they will be,” he said. “Now we have to do the same against Manchester City as we did against Arsenal on short rest.”

Manuel Pellegrini’s men have also underperformed of late but still claim an interest in the Premier League title race. The 2013-14 champions currently sit 12 points behind surprise leaders Leicester City with one game in hand.

United have lost their last two visits to the Etihad, with Robin van Persie’s injury-time strike securing a 3-2 victory in their last triumph in December 2012.

 

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Lukaku 'thinks about' lack of Champions League football

Romelu Lukaku has admitted he hopes to play Champions League football sooner rather than later, but insists any departure from Everton will be handed amicably.

The Belgian striker has scored 25 goals in all competitions this season to guide the Toffees to the FA Cup semi-finals, but Roberto Martinez's men sit 12th in the Premier League.

Their lowly league position has led to speculation linking Lukaku with a big-money move to one of Europe's top clubs, and the 22-year-old acknowledged the Champions League was on his mind.

“Well, then you have to talk,” Lukaku told reporters when asked what would happen if his and the club's respective trajectories continue to differ.

“But the talk will be between me and the manager. We have an open relationship. I will be honest enough with him to say what I think.

“I am 23 this summer. I have been playing since I was 16 and never had a taste of the Champions League. It is going to be seven years. You think about it. If it is going to happen, it is going to happen.

“Champions League football is really the next step, but I am not really thinking about it, because there are 10 games to go and we have something great to achieve in the FA Cup.

“In the league, if we give the maximum in the next 10 games, we will see from there. We can turn it around and I will do everything to take my team forward to glory.”

Lukaku made clear, however, that he has no plans to attempt to force a move through and leave Goodison Park under a cloud.

“I am not too busy with that,” he said. “If something happens, it will be for the good of the club. I don’t want to leave in a fight, if it happens.

“I won’t say this or that. It is going to be good for me personally and for the club. They were the ones who believed in me at the time nobody believed in me, and gave me a platform to perform.

“I have tried to repay them by giving good performances, but I have an agent who deals with the interest. I do not want to be bothered with it. I just want to play my football.”

 

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Pellegrini urges City to expect best from Van Gaal's United

Manuel Pellegrini has warned Manchester City not to expect uncertainty over the future of Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal to play into their hands in this weekend's derby match.Fourth-placed City host United with a four-point advantage over their neighbours in six, with both clubs surprisingly distant from the Premier League title race.

Pellegrini has already announced he will make way for Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola at the end of this season and there is an increasing sense Van Gaal is also coming towards the end of a chapter in his own esteemed career.

United were knocked out of the Europa League by Liverpool on Thursday having salvaged an FA Cup quarter-final replay against West Ham last weekend and there is a growing frustration among the club's fanbase with the direction of the team under the experienced Dutchman.

Jose Mourinho has been persistently linked to Van Gaal's post, but Pellegrini, whose City side are attempting to arrest a slump of one win in five league games, is expecting a stern test from a focused United outfit."I don't think that we can take advantage of [discontent at United]," he said. "I don't know what happens with Manchester United.

"It is not my duty to know what happens with their fans or with Van Gaal. I think we are going to play against a strong team with a lot of history and they will do all that they can to win that game.

"We must not be trusting in those kind of things and try to have a good performance to win the game on the pitch."It's a game of six points and you can have an important difference but, after this, we play for 21 points more and you can never know what will happen."

Pellegrini explained he was inclined to feel sympathy for Van Gaal or any manager under pressure but feels the former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is well equipped to ride out the inevitable pressures of his post."I think Louis van Gaal has a lot of experience," the Chilean, who led Real Madrid in 2009-10, added. "When you manage big teams you cannot expect not to receive criticism when you don't win.

"So I think he has the experience to manage that situation. When you see a manager in a bad moment – and I am not just talking about Louis van Gaal – as a manager you want to support him.

"But I don't think that he has any problems, with the experience that he has and the big teams that he has managed through his whole career. He is not maybe in a good moment, but he knows how to manage."

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.03.19

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.03.19

Everton Vs Arsenal

Chelsea Vs West Ham

Crystal Palace Vs Leicester City

Watford Vs Stoke City

WBA Vs Norwich

Swansea Vs Aston Villa

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LA Liga Fixtures 2016.03.19

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.03.19

Sporting Gijon Vs Atletico Madrid

Granada Vs Rayo Vallecano

Real Sociedad Vs Las Palmas

Deportivo Vs Levante

Real Betis Vs Malaga​

 

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Serie A Fixtures 2016.03.19

Serie A Fixtures 2016.03.19

Empoli Vs Palermo

Roma Vs Inter​

 

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Manchester United academy is not a mess, insists Butt

Manchester United head of youth Nicky Butt has defended the club's academy in the wake of accusations they can no longer keep up with local rivals Manchester City's facilities.

City have invested heavily in their youth facilities in recent years, building the impressive Etihad Campus, which sees senior and youth teams train just yards away from the Etihad Stadium.

Butt says the clubs' efforts remain on a par though, pointing at the emergence of youngsters like Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Marcus Rashford and Timothy Fosu-Mensah as proof their academy is still delivering."No, the United academy is not in a mess," Butt told reporters.

"I judge academies on players who are coming through and we are getting even more coming through. At the club it is something we are all very proud of and something we feel is a massive part of the club and the history of it.

"A lot of players have come through at the minute through necessity really. For one or two it's a bit too soon for them, but they have done brilliant when asked to perform and performed well. You can't ask much more than that.

"People say it is a mess from the outside because we fell behind City because of their training complex. Yes, they have a fantastic training complex, you can't get away from that, but ours isn't too shabby is it... It's not the arse-end of the world really. It is a great place."We are putting things in place that maybe in another year or season, we are quite confident that we will be up there with the best in the world."

Butt was appointed as United's new head of academy back in February.The 41-year-old is a graduate of the club's academy himself, having come through the ranks as a part of the famous Class of '92.

 

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Martial eyes long Premier League stay

Anthony Martial believes the Premier League is the best league in the world and says he hopes to stay in England for the foreseeable future.

The France international joined Manchester United from Monaco at the start of the 2015-16 campaign and has since developed into a key figure at Old Trafford, scoring 12 goals in all competitions so far.

Louis van Gaal's men are in danger of missing out on Champions League football next season, but Martial has stressed the competitiveness that comes with playing on these shores is one of the reasons why he loves plying his trade in England.

"The Premier League is more physically demanding than Ligue 1. I love English football, it's the best in the world in my opinion, and I hope to stay here for many years to come," the 20-year-old told Sky Sports.

"It's true that the atmosphere here is quite different from the one in France, people live and breathe football here, and that's what I like, every footballer wants to play in the Premier League.

"In France it's easy to know which team is going to win the game, where as in England anywhere you play, you know it's going to be difficult."

Martial has featured in a number of positions in attack this season, switching between leading the line or playing out on the left-hand side.But although he says he prefers to play as a number nine, Martial remains happy to operate in other positions in order to help his team-mates.

"Foremost I am a striker," he added. "But it doesn't bother me at all which position I play. When I am on the pitch I just focus on helping the team, that's all."I just want to help the team, and when I score I am happier, I am a striker and that's how it goes."

 

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Benzema well-prepared for comeback - Zidane

Zinedine Zidane says Karim Benzema is fully focused on returning to action against Sevilla despite a difficult week for the Real Madrid striker.

Benzema was reported to have been summoned as a witness as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering, in relation to a business he has shares in.The 28-year-old was also left out of the France squad for this month's friendly matches despite returning to full training after recovering from a thigh problem.

But Madrid boss Zidane, who is expected to hand Benzema his first appearance since February 27 when his side meet Sevilla on Sunday, has few concerns about the striker's mindset."Benzema is okay. He's focused, in spite of the difficulty of his case. He looks good physically, too," said Zidane.

"I don't know if it's fair or unfair. The only thing I want is that the player concentrates on playing football and thinks about the game tomorrow. I've spoken to him and that's the best thing."We have 22, 23 players. I'm always going to put out the best 11, thinking game by game. Being able to choose everyone is positive for a coach."

Zidane admitted last week that he could not offer any assurances over his future after some inconsistent results since he replaced Rafael Benitez as head coach in January.However, despite speculation over his position growing as the season enters its closing stages, the former Real midfielder insists he wants to stay in the role.

"Pressure is guaranteed when you coach the best team in the world. But it's what I like," he added."I'm happy because it helps me to improve day by day. I learn the same as my players. I hope to be here for a long time.

"Sevilla are a very strong team. They have very good players and it's going to be a very difficult game."Zidane also denied that Madrid have been given an easy draw in the Champions League quarter-finals, in which they will face Wolfsburg.

"They're in the quarter-finals for a reason. We have to think about La Liga and, when it comes, prepare for the Champions League game."

 

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Everton 0-2 Arsenal: Welbeck & Iwobi fire Gunners to victory

Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi were on target as Arsenal breathed new life into their Premier League title bid with an impressive 2-0 win at Everton.

Arsene Wenger's men had not won at Goodison Park on their three previous visits in the league, but knew there was no margin for error if they wanted to maintain the pressure on second-placed Tottenham and leaders Leicester City.

The Gunners needed just seven minutes to open the scoring through Welbeck, who netted his third goal in five league appearances this season. And Iwobi capped a promising performance with the second - his first in the Premier League on his first start - shortly before the break.

Roberto Martinez's men had plenty of possession after half-time but never seriously threatened a comeback to slump to their eighth league defeat at home this season.

The hosts started well and had an early chance to open the scoring when Seamus Coleman beat Welbeck to Tom Cleverley’s corner from the right, but the full-back’s attempt went inches wide.

Welbeck somewhat fortunately hit the woodwork shortly after following some fine individual play down the left wing, with James McCarthy’s attempted clearance taking a deflection off the England international and striking the outside of the upright.

Welbeck made no mistake shortly after, however, when, following a wonderful passage of play, he ran on to Alexis Sanchez’s clever through ball before rounding Joel Robles and slotting home.

Robles was called into action again 60 seconds later when he made a comfortable save after Iwobi nearly took advantage of some sloppy defending from Ramiro Funes Mori.

Muhamed Besic tested David Ospina with a shot from just outside the area midway through the first half, with the Arsenal goalkeeper gathering the midfielder’s effort at the second attempt.

Sanchez then felt he should have been awarded a penalty after going down inside the area under Besic’s challenge but referee Mark Clattenburg waved play on.

Arsenal doubled their advantage three minutes before the break, Hector Bellerin picking out Iwobi with a long ball and the Nigeria international coolly placed his shot under the advancing Robles.

Everton's main threat Romelu Lukaku nearly pulled one back in the 66th minute after a fine cross from Ross Barkley, but Ospina reacted quickly to rush off his line and intercept the pass.

Phil Jagielka was next to come close after a corner from the right, only to see his header take a slight touch off an Arsenal defender as it went narrowly wide.

Martinez threw on Gerard Deulofeu in an attempt to force something late in the game, but the former Barcelona winger was unable to make a difference, with Arsenal substitute Olivier Giroud missing a late chance to add a third.