..::Football III::..

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Suarez: I won't change my attitude for Uruguay

Luis Suarez said he will not change the way he plays but admits he must be more intelligent ahead of his return to competitive international football.

Suarez is preparing to play a competitive match for Uruguay for the first time since the 2014 World Cup after he was found guilty of biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

The 29-year-old was subsequently banned for nine games - and suspended from all football-related activities for four months - and missed Uruguay's Copa America campaign in 2015 as well as the first four games of their CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers. As he gets set to face Brazil in his international comeback on Friday, Suarez said he has no plans to change the way he plays.

"I will continue with the same attitude, and arguing, because that's the way I play," the Barcelona forward said. "But with the same moderation that you've been seeing now [at Barca]. I have to be more intelligent in many things.

"I want to make the most of the opportunities that life gives me, do the best I can and enjoy my return with the national team and the affection of the people."Uruguay will be without Diego Godin and Maxi Pereira, opening up the opportunity for Suarez to be given the responsibility of captain.

"The armband is important, but how the new Luis is, if I am captain it will be welcomed and I will be proud, but if not then it's the same," he said.Uruguay are second in the 10-team South American qualifying group following three wins in their first four games.

 

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Suarez: I won't change my attitude for Uruguay

Ahenam ayemath bite 1kak damu neh​

 

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Rakitic: I wanted to play for Croatia

Ivan Rakitic said he held talks with the team doctor to play in Croatia's upcoming friendlies, but he ended up being convinced his health was more important.

The Barcelona midfielder underwent an MRI scan for his calf injury but the results determined he will miss the friendly against Israel on Wednesday and Hungary three days later.

Rakitic said he spoke with the Croatia team doctor, but it was better for him to sit out than risk aggravating the injury.

"I wanted to play, but unfortunately injury will not allow it," the 28-year-old said. "I had a chat to the doctor because I wanted to play. I asked him if he would let me, but he convinced me my health was more important.

"But those playing for the national team always try to do their best. "Do not doubt us, we will do our best, we will try everything we can to win [Euro 2016] in France."

 

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Benteke hits out at Klopp over lack of playing time for Liverpool

Christian Benteke admits he cannot explain why Jurgen Klopp does not consider him to be Liverpool's first-choice striker.

The Belgium international joined in a £32.5 million deal from Aston Villa last July, but after eight goals in 35 appearances, Goal understands that Liverpool are now prepared to sell the striker at a loss this summer.

“Some team-mates have said that I was lucky with the arrival of Klopp, because I certainly would play,” Benteke told Sport/Voetbalmagazine.

“When your coach says he wanted to take you to Dortmund and a little later you sit at the same club and he ignores you, it is hard to understand.”

Benteke has not started a match since Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham in the FA Cup on February 9, but the 25-year-old has hit back at suggestions that he is not suited to Klopp’s system.

"I do not understand why people say that,” he said.

“I can play pressing and moving a lot. It is not that we play in the Barcelona style.”

 

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Bellerin: My future is with Arsenal

Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin has insisted that he is happy to remain at the club and that he is not thinking about leaving.

The Gunners defender has emerged as one of Arsene Wenger's key first-team players, featuring in 36 games in all competitions in 2015-16, including the Champions League fixtures against former club Barcelona.

Reports in recent times have suggested that the Catalans are keen on buying back the 21-year-old, but Bellerin is adamant that he is happy at the Emirates Stadium.

He told Goal: "I left Barca without looking back. I left focused on London and Arsenal and I am really happy there. I signed a new deal last year and there's still a lot in front of me. It's a club that's forming a great team, with players like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.

"My future is there and I am happy where I am. A lot of things can happen in football, but I am at Arsenal, giving my all for the club. I am not thinking of going anywhere else."

Bellerin featured in both legs as Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage by Luis Enrique's Barca, and the right-back, who left the Spanish club in 2011, was pleased to finally make an appearance at Camp Nou.

He said: "It was really special to return to Camp Nou. I grew there, it was my home from a young age. To return to Camp Nou is a dream for any player who developed at Barcelona. For me, it happened wearing another shirt, but it was a huge honour. I'm really happy to be able to represent such a big club and to be experiencing everything that I am."

Bellerin also discussed his desire to feature for the Spain national team, with the Gunners star currently involved with the under-21 squad ahead of their U-21 European Championship clash with Croatia on Thursday.
"Who doesn't [aspire to be part of the full Spain national team]? It’s a dream for everyone," he added. "I have just turned 21 and I am with the under-21s and we have a difficult game. When you work hard, in the end, with a bit of luck, everything comes. Like all Spanish players, my aim and dream is to play for the full team. But you have to take things step by step and take on the challenges as they come.

"After last season and having started to play with the first team at Arsenal, my objective this year was to play as much as possible. And I have to give my thanks to the manager because he's given me a lot of minutes, allowing me to complete my objective.

"It's true that on a club level things aren’t going as we wanted and that’s complicated things, but personally I am really happy with how things are going. I’m completing my objectives and now I have to aspire to more and want more - that’s how things progress."

 

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Mata keen to link up with Ibrahimovic at Manchester United

Juan Mata admits he would welcome the chance to play alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Manchester United next season.

United have been linked with a move for the 34-year-old, whose contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires at the end of the season.

And Mata admits the Sweden international, who is yet to reveal his future, would be an excellent acquisition for United.

"I don't know what he's going to do,” the Spain international told Sky Sports.

“I don't whether he's finishing his contract with PSG at the end of the season and if he's going to stay there or not.

"Maybe he tries a new chapter in his long career. He was in so many countries and so many leagues and he's won trophies everywhere. That speaks about his qualities as a player.

"He's a very good player and I like to play with very good players. I don't decide that, he decides that and the club decides.

“But obviously I think every player would be happy to play with him."

 

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Ibra Manchester United awoth nam patta​

 

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Del Bosque concerned by Morata's inconsistent form

Spain head coach Vicente del Bosque has told Alvaro Morata he must improve his consistency if he is to become his country's main man in attack.

The European champions continue preparations for the defence of their title at Euro 2016 this summer with a friendly against Italy – who they beat in the 2012 final – in Udine on Thursday.

Juventus marksman Morata is bidding to be Spain's leading striker going into the tournament in France alongside Valencia's Paco Alcacer, Chelsea's Diego Costa and Athletic Bilbao's Aritz Aduriz.But although Del Bosque is an admirer of Morata's skill set, he admits he is concerned by the forward's poor form for club and country of late.

"He has everything that is needed to be our centre-forward: physical strength, the ability to play in small or large spaces, he's strong at heading and he strikes the ball well," Del Bosque told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"But for some reason he has not yet found the necessary regularity and it's not the fault of his coach [Massimiliano Allegri]. The player has his own responsibility.

"I don't know if he lacks belief. He is a nice guy, he's not spoiled, he is humble and quiet and this is an important thing. "He lacks consistency in games. We hope he finds it both with Juventus and with us. He needs to appear more during games."

Former Real Madrid forward Morata, 23, has only scored once in six Spain caps and just six times in 28 Serie A games for Juventus this season.

 

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Schweinsteiger injured on Germany duty as Ozil misses training

Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has picked up yet another injury while on international duty with the Germany national team, missing Wednesday's training session.

The former Bayern Munich man has had an injury-blighted first season in the Premier League, only recently returning to full fitness, but missed out on the latest training session after picking up a knock to his knee on Tuesday.

The German Football Association have confirmed that the midfielder has travelled to Munich to undergo an MRI scan to reveal the full extent of the injury, throwing his involvement in friendlies against England and Italy into doubt.

Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil was also absent from training on Wednesday, though his problem is not thought to be serious, while Bayer Leverkusen winger Karim Bellarabi is also carrying a knock.

A statement from the DFB explains: "The training of the national team this morning in Berlin, the penultimate before the internationals against England on Saturday in Berlin and Italy on Tuesday in Munich, was missing Bastian Schweinsteiger of Manchester United, Mesut Ozil from Arsenal and Karim Bellarabi of Bayer Leverkusen.
"World Champion Schweinsteiger was injured at the end of the session on Tuesday afternoon on his right knee. For further investigation, the captain will now undergo an MRI examination with national team physician Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt in Munich.

"Ozil and Bellarabi will stay for treatment at the team hotel. World Champion Ozil had suffered a blow to his left ankle in the Premier League match on Saturday at Everton. Bellarabi picked up a bruise to his right foot in the Bundesliga match on Sunday against VfB Stuttgart."
Schweinsteiger came off the bench in Sunday's Manchester derby victory, his first appearance since January, but has been limited to just 13 Premier League starts since leaving Bayern in the summer.

 

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Get well soon Schwini!​

 

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Uefa says no plans to play Euro 2016 games behind closed doors

Uefa insists there are "no plans to play matches at Euro 2016 behind closed doors" following the terror attack on Brussels on Tuesday, but European football's governing body added it is "working on contingency plans and on multiple scenarios around crisis situations".

The issue of matches being played without supporters in France was raised by Uefa's own executive committee vice-chairman Giancarlo Abete following the atrocities in the Belgian capital which killed 34 people and injured over a hundred more.The Italian told Radio 24: "Euro 2016 is the kind of event we can't delay or postpone.

"We can't exclude the possibility of playing behind closed doors as we cannot exclude terrorism. If we talked about potentially cancellable games such as a friendly or a competitive match that could be moved to another date, obviously this would not be the case."Uefa denies closed-doors matches are on the agenda, but confirmed it had retrained its focus on safety and security following recent events.

A statement read: "We are confident that all security measures will be in place for a safe and festive Euro and therefore there are no plans to play matches behind closed doors.

"However, we are nevertheless working on contingency plans and on multiple scenarios around crisis situations since we take the security of all participants [players, fans, etc] very seriously."

The Euro 2016 final is scheduled for July 10 at the Stade de France, one of the venues targeted by terrorists in the Paris attacks in November 2015 on the night of France's game against world champions Germany.

Over 130 people were killed in a coordinated attack across the French capital with Germany's game against Netherlands in Hannover cancelled three days later over fears of further terrorist activity.Those events, plus the situation in Brussels, are what prompted Abete to suggest there could be a shift in policy regarding the European Championship.

He added on Tuesday: "We are talking about events which have already had a negative impact on the Euros because the perception of risk is already there and there is less excitement about getting involved from those who wanted to join in a joyous mood.

"But we are talking about games which are staged for June, whereas today we are going through a very urgent emergency."

 

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Euro16 nam risk 1kak europe countries wala wena ISIS actions nisa​

 

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France are Spain's main rivals for Euro 2016 glory - Del Bosque

Spain head coach Vicente del Bosque has tipped hosts France as the biggest threats to his team's defence of their European crown this year.

World champions Germany are rated as narrow bookmakers' favourites to win Euro 2016, but Del Bosque fears Didier Deschamps' squad most in the competition.

The Spain boss did stress the tournament is wide open and that all seeded sides, as well as the majority of the 24 teams playing in France, would fancy their chances.

"There are many rivals and there is no clear favourite," Del Bosque told Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of his team's friendly in Italy on Thursday."If I have to only say one name, I would say France because they are playing at home.

"All the seeded teams can win. One thinks of Italy, Belgium, England, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, but it sure appears that someone else will find the right form. "It is a short tournament with 24 teams, so it will be unpredictable."

On the match with Antonio Conte's team – who they beat in the Euro 2012 final – Del Bosque spoke positively about Spain's opponents.He added: "No, Italy have not found a world-class striker, however, but they remain a difficult team to face.

"Italy's defensive structure is that of his [Conte's] Juventus side and that is the basis of everything. Frankly, I do not see big differences between this and [Cesare] Prandelli's Italy."

 

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'My move to Chelsea hasn't gone as planned'

Asmir Begovic claims his move to Chelsea has not gone as planned but insists he wants to remain at Stamford Bridge.

The 28-year-old joined from Stoke last summer, and although he deputised for Thibaut Courtois earlier this season, the Bosnia-Herzegovina international lost his place to the Belgian when he returned from a knee injury at the start of December.

“[Moving to Chelsea] wasn’t as simple as being No.1 or No.2 — I felt I needed a new challenge,” he told The Evening Standard.

“Certain things were put in place, conversations sounded good to me and I wanted to be part of a great club and help the team win trophies.

“It hasn’t gone as planned, but hopefully that will change and the future will look a bit brighter.”

 

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Cavani move to Juventus 'possible'

Edinson Cavani's brother and agent Walter Guglielmone has revealed that a move to Juventus is possible at the end of the season.

The 29-year-old striker's future at Paris Saint-Germain is uncertain and he has been linked with Chelsea and Manchester United in England, as well as Juve and La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid.

Cavani's representative insisted all options were open regarding the striker's future, which would not be determined by whether or not an out-of-contract Zlatan Ibrahimovic leaves Paris at the end of the campaign."Everything is possible in football – Juventus are a prestigious club with a great past and a fantastic present," Guglielmone said to Tuttosport.

"In three months everything can change. What is true today, may not be the case tomorrow. Edinson could stay at PSG, who have an ambitious project, but also he could change teams."It will depend on many aspects, but for now he only needs to think about winning the Champions League.

"I have heard many things about the relationship between my brother and Ibrahimovic, several of them not true."Edi has great respect [for Ibra], he simply said that he would like it more to play as a centre forward. His future does not depend on Ibra's."

Guglielmone insisted that Cavani would not be against returning to Serie A, even though he feels it is less competitive than the Premier league and the fact he played there before with Napoli.The agent added: "The Premier League is where there is more competition between the teams, but Serie A and La Liga are equally difficult and high-level.

"For Edi, a return to Italy would be no way a backward step in the career. Playing with Paulo Dybala? Well, they would form one of the strongest partnerships in Europe, but for now my brother plays with PSG."

Asked whether Cavani would prefer to play for Massimiliano Allegri, Antonio Conte or Jose Mourinho, he replied: "They are three big coaches, but for Edi I would prefer the attacking game of Conte and Allegri."

 

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Schweinsteiger could miss Euro 2016 with knee ligament injury

Bastian Schweinsteiger is a major doubt for the rest of the Premier League season, after picking up a knee ligament injury in training for the German national team.

The German Football Association revealed on Wednesday morning that the Manchester United midfielder would fly to Munich for an MRI scan after picking up a knock at the end of Tuesday’s training session.

National team boss Joachim Lowe later confirmed that the Man United midfielder would miss the friendlies with England and Italy before the German Football Association released a statement indicating that the 31-year-old had suffered a "partial tear" to the ligament in his right knee.

The statement read: "The MRI scan today found the captain suffered a partial tear of the medial ligament in his right knee after a tackle with an opponent at the end of training on Tuesday.
"Medical care will be provided by Manchester United in coordination with the medical department of the German team."

The news is another blow for Schweinsteiger in an injury-plagued first season at United, with the World Cup-winning midfielder having managed just 13 Premier League starts since leaving Bayern Munich.

The 31-year-old made his first appearance since January in Sunday’s Manchester derby victory having been sidelined with a knee ligament problem, though now looks set for another spell on the treatment table.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil also missed Wednesday’s training session with a knock he picked up against Everton in the Premier League, though Low expects him to take part with the squad on Thursday.

 

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Belgium-Portugal clash moved to Leiria after terror attacks


Belgium and Portugal will still take part in their previously cancelled friendly after the two Football Associations agreed to relocate the match to Leiria in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Brussels.

The Belgian capital was attacked on Tuesday morning, with two explosions at Brussels airport and a third on the Metro claiming the lives of 34 people and injuring at least 200 more.

The team's scheduled training session was cancelled as a result, with numerous squad members, most notably Vincent Kompany, paying their respects via social media.
The Red Devils were due to play Portugal at the King Baudouin Stadium in north-west Brussels next week, but initially cancelled the match on the advice of police, and have now agreed to move the fixture instead.

A statement read: "Given the dramatic events of yesterday, in these difficult times to allow mass events to take place safely and given the terror level 4 at national level, the game against Portugal will not take place in Brussels next Tuesday.

"This was decided today in coordination with the authorities and the Portuguese Football Federation.

"The Board of Directors of the Belgian FA has, in agreement with the national coach and coaching staff, decided to accept the proposal of the Portuguese Football Federation to play this match in Leiria, on the same day and at the same time, Tuesday, March 29 at 20:45 (Belgian time).
"The Belgian FA appreciates the availability, flexibility and solutions offered by the Portuguese Federation. The FPF expresses its full solidarity with the Belgian FA in this tough and emotional period.

"This afternoon, our Belgian Red Devils will train behind closed doors at the King Baudouin Stadium (16:30). This training session will not be open to the supporters and the press."

It is the second successive international friendly Belgium have had to cancel, with November's match against Spain also called off in the wake of the terror attacks on Paris.

Belgium skipper Kompany, who had remained in England due to injury, addressed his compatriots on Twitter on Tuesday and condemned the attacks.

He said: "Horrified and revolted. Innocent people paying the price again. My thoughts are with the families of the victims. I wish for Brussels to act with dignity. We are all hurting, yet we must reject hate and its preachers. As hard as it may be."

 

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Schneiderlin: More to Rashford than goals

Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin believes Marcus Rashford has a bright future ahead of him and has stressed there is more to the striker's game than just goals.

The 18-year-old has already netted five goals in eight appearances in all competitions since making his official debut in the 5-1 Europa League win over Midtjylland, including the winner in a 1-0 derby win over Manchester City at the weekend.And Schneiderlin is equally impressed by the young striker's all-round game and has little doubt he will become a household name in the future.

"It is amazing what has happened with him since he made his debut," Schneiderlin told MUTV."He is a great talent, it is not just about the goals he is scoring, it is about all his game.

"He will make some progress in the future as well and he will be a top, top player."
United's win over City pushed them right back into the mix for a top-four finish and Schneiderlin is determined to see United build on that victory by beating Everton on 3 April.

"It is a great feeling to win, especially for our fans after the disappointment of the Europa League defeat against Liverpool," he added."We knew it was a massive game for ourselves as well as our fans and the club.

"We must make sure we win the game against Everton. We have some time to recover and to enjoy this victory with the international break but, against Everton, it will be even bigger than Sunday because if we want to do something [in the league] we need to confirm it with another win."

 

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AC Milan did not treat Aubameyang right - agent

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's former agent Yvan Le Mee has made it clear the Borussia Dortmund star left AC Milan because he felt he was not treated right.

The 26-year-old joined the Italian club's academy in January 2007, but left San Siro before breaking into the first team.He enjoyed loan spells with Dijon, Lille, Monaco and Saint-Etienne before eventually joining the latter on a permanent deal in 2011.

However, Le Mee says things could have gone differently had his former youth coaches at Milan not favoured Italian youngsters over Aubameyang.

"Aubameyang was scoring some amazing goals for Milan, but we realised that he was not playing much with Milan's Primavera [youth] team because their coach favoured Italian players over him and kept Auba out of the team," Le Mee told Le 10 Sport."At that time, we got in touch with Dijon over a transfer. After pushing really hard for six months, Milan eventually accepted a loan offer from Dijon.

"And at Dijon, he scored eight goals and provided six more at the tender age of 19. How many players of that age have achieved that?"

Since leaving Milan Aubameyang has not looked back, the Gabon international is in sublime form again this campaign with 35 goals in all competitions, and Le Mee feels he is arguably one of the best strikers in the world.

"Right now, Aubameyang is the fifth-best attacker in the world for me," he added.
"Only [Lionel] Messi, [Luis] Suarez, Neymar and [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic are better than him. He is better than [Robert] Lewandowski and [Sergio] Aguero."He is a good person, someone who works really hard. Plus he has always had his technical skills.

 

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Manchester City fans to protest ticket prices at West Brom home game

Manchester City fans will protest against rising ticket prices at the upcoming Premier League game against West Brom at the Etihad Stadium, although a mass walk-out is not on the agenda.

The 1894 Group, an influential supporters club that works closely with City, have called on fans to pull together in a bid to curb the gradual increase in the cost of tickets.

City announced on Friday that they would be charging up to £60 for an adult ticket to the Champions League quarter-final second-leg against Paris Saint-Germain on April 12.

That sparked a backlash from supporters, many of whom have now cancelled the cup-scheme option of their season ticket which would have guaranteed them entry to the match.

The club stood by their pricing strategy in a statement on Monday, after which the 1894 Group announced in their own press release that they were taking stock of the situation before declaring their intentions.

That was then followed up by a damning open letter penned by influential City website City Watch, warning that supporters would “turn their backs” on the club if they did not back down.

As a result, the 1894 Group have now announced their plans via a second statement in a bid to keep fans united.

A co-ordinated walk-out, which proved effective when Liverpool fans flooded out of Anfield to protest proposals to charge £77 for entry to some areas of the ground, is not yet planned.

Having consulted with influential figures behind the Anfield exodus, the 1894 Group decided their own supporters have not yet reached the kind of tipping point which forced their counterparts on Merseyside to take drastic action.

The group are also wary of splitting the fan base at a delicate time in the debate, and have instead called on anybody attending the April 9 clash, which will be televised, to bring along banners decrying the club’s current stance on tickets.
City are one of a number of top-flight clubs yet to declare their season-ticket prices for the 2016-17 season.

There has been a clamour among supporters across the country for clubs to freeze or even lower prices in the wake of the £5.14 billion TV deal which will come into effect this summer.

West Ham announced no change in the price of attendance for their first season at the Olympic Stadium, while Everton lowered the cost of adult and junior tickets by at least 5 per cent.

At £299, City boast the cheapest season ticket in the Premier League, although their most expensive, at £1,750, trails only Arsenal and Tottenham's costliest seats and is £800 dearer than the highest bracket rivals Manchester United offer.