..::Football III::..

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Klopp: Of course I'll celebrate if Liverpool score against Dortmund!

Jurgen Klopp believes it would be completely out of character for him to not wildly celebrate a Liverpool goal, even if it is against his former club Borussia Dortmund.

The Reds boss returns to the Westfalenstadion dugout 313 days since departing the club at the end of last season, with Liverpool facing the Bundesliga side in the Europa League quarter-final.

And despite spending seven years in charge at Signal Iduna Park, winning two championships, a DBF-Pokal, as well as securing a runners-up finish in the 2013 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, Klopp will not hold back should Liverpool find the net.

"I will celebrate, of course," he said. "I did it when I came back to Mainz with Dortmund, and I was there for 18 years. If after seven years they don't know me well enough that if my team should score then I will celebrate, well...

"It [my reaction] depends, if it's in the first minute I don't know, I won't go running down the line. But if it's important, if it's decisive, in this moment that's what happens. "It's not that I plan this, but I will not go there and take some pills that means I won't celebrate a goal. At Mainz they knew about it. We had a big celebration when I left, it was 'thank you' and when I went back there it's what they expected.
"I did everything for Mainz, I did everything for Dortmund and now I do everything for Liverpool – it is like it is."

Klopp used the competitive relationship with his dad to illustrate that wanting to oust Thomas Tuchel's side from the European competition doesn't diminish the affection he has for the club."My father loved me overall but when we played something against each other he wanted to beat me," he explained.

"I needed 15 years to beat him for the first time, but that wasn't his problem and there was no doubt about our relationship. "It's a game still, even if people are not always aware of it."

 

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Klopp: I want Liverpool to beat ‘best friend’ Dortmund

Jurgen Klopp has reiterated that his affection for Borussia Dortmund will not diminish his desire to see Liverpool defeat them in the first-leg of the Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night.
The 48-year-old will make a competitive return to the Westfalenstadion, where he spent seven years at the helm, 313 days after departing the club last May.

On how he’ll approach what will be a stirring occasion, Klopp said: “We all started playing football against our best friends and I can’t remember a moment where because it was my best friend, I did not want to win against him. That is absolutely bulls***.

"There’s no doubting the importance of the game for both teams. I had no bad moment in my relationship with Dortmund. Not one second.
“Now I go back I don’t know what the people think but no-one has to show me they know about our positive past because I know about it.

"I know all about our relationship. With all the people no-one has to show me anything. They can whistle if they like.”

Klopp revealed the most pressured part of the fixture for him won’t come on the pitch, it will be not having enough time to converse with people he enjoyed a stellar relationship with prior to kick off.

On Wednesday afternoon, he got to the the stadium earlier than required ahead of his press conference so he could "meet old friends," but he won't have that luxury on Thursday evening.

“Stress is the moment when I leave the bus, go into the stadium and meet every security man and each person working there who I know. Usually I’m a kind person who would say hello and talk a little bit,” he explained.

“That is stressful for me because when I am in the dressing room it is work. Today was time for friendship, but tomorrow is about football."

 

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Zidane: Madrid can still turn things around

Zinedine Zidane voiced his frustration with Real Madrid's performance in Wednesday's 2-0 Champions League defeat at the hands of Wolfsburg, but believes they can still turn things around in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu and reach the semi-finals.

It was a disappointing outing for Madrid, who had basked in the glory of a 2-1 Clasico victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou just four days previously.

First-half goals from Ricardo Rodriguez and Maximilian Arnold saw Wolfsburg send the visitors home empty handed, but the Frenchman refuses to throw in the towel just yet.

"I'm not happy with how the game went, especially the first half," Zidane told reporters.

"That’s football, that’s how difficult it is. That’s what happens when you don't play with intensity from the start. We have to rest and think about the return leg because we still have the chance to change everything."It wasn't about a lack of confidence. We knew that we had a difficult game and we had one.

"We have 90 more minutes to try and achieve our objective. We need to be united and continue what we have been doing."The second leg at the Bernabeu takes place on Tuesday April 12.

 

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'Real Madrid defended like an Under-10s team'

Steve McManaman slammed Real Madrid's defending during their 2-0 Champions League defeat to Wolfsburg, accusing the Blancos of making infantile mistakes.

First-half goals from Ricardo Rodriguez and Maximilan Arnold put Zinedine Zidane's men in danger of crashing out at the quarter-final stage, raising the prospect of another trophyless year at the Santiago Bernabeu.

And McManaman, who played with Zidane during his time in the Spanish capital, pointed the finger at the club's back-line - especially the two Brazilians out wide.

"I thought they were woeful, I really did,” McManaman fired on BT Sport."From the highs of getting a good result on Saturday to really low lows tonight.

"Defensively the right-back [Danilo] and left-back [Marcelo] were just all over the place, coupled with Pepe and [Sergio] Ramos who looked like they hadn't played with each other before.

"I was astounded as to how bad they were. I expected a real calm, measured performance as well.

"It was like schoolboy, Under-10s or Under-12s defending. (In the second goal) Marcelo walks across with his arms behind his back and [Maximilian] Arnold gets two yards ahead of Ramos.”

McManaman, however, insisted that his former Real team-mate was not to blame for the fiasco, and accused the side of failing to follow instructions."It seems like the manager just prays on the sidelines that they get it together. It looks as if they just freestyle,” he added.

"It just looks horrific. You can't blame the manager because he's just said to the same team which played against Barcelona on Saturday - apart from Danilo - 'go out and do it again'."


The Spanish side will now try to recover the two-goal deficit in the second leg, which will take place on April 12.

 

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Vidal snubs Chelsea move: I am very happy at Bayern

Arturo Vidal insists he is "very happy" at Bayern Munich after being linked with a move to Chelsea.

The 28-year-old is reportedly a target for the Premier League club, who have confirmed Antonio Conte as their next permanent manager.Conte and the Chile international were together at Juventus and won three-straight Serie A titles at the club.

But Vidal, who is contracted until 2019 at the Bundesliga champions, said he was content in Germany."I am very happy here," he told BioBio."I have to think about my family and I still have time on my contract."

Vidal has been a regular at Bayern this season and scored the only goal in their 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.

 

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Bale: I was denied Madrid penalty in Wolfsburg loss

Gareth Bale claimed he was denied a clear penalty as Real Madrid's Champions League hopes were left hanging in the balance after their disappointing 2-0 defeat to Wolfsburg.Bale had his appeal for a penalty waved away by Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi after Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal disallowed for offside in the second minute on Wednesday.

The Wales international cut in front of Luiz Gustavo and won the ball before he was bundled over inside the area.

It proved to be decisive as Ricardo Rodriguez and Maximilian Arnold scored within seven minutes of each other in the first half to lead Wolfsburg to a remarkable victory.

"I went down. I had the ball in front of me and he took me out, if that's outside the area it's a foul, so inside it has to be a penalty," Bale complained after the match.
"Obviously it's a frustrating result but we get another chance."It's not a good result, but we have time to turn it around. What we have to do is make sure we win the return leg by three goals."

Madrid, who had a six-game winning streak in all competitions snapped, head back to the Spanish capital for the second leg on April 12.

 

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I have not lived up to my own expectations, says Schneiderlin

Morgan Schneiderlin has been underwhelmed by his debut season at Manchester United, stating he has not fully lived up to his own expectations.

The Frenchman was one of many off-season signings made by Louis van Gaal ahead of his second season, arriving after an excellent Premier League campaign with Southampton.

United were expected to challenge on all fronts for silverware but have been largely out of the title race since a poor November and December, during which they were also ousted from the Champions League at the group stage.

The club have, for the most part, recovered and are just a point outside of the Premier League top four and have a quarter-final replay against West Ham in the FA Cup.

But Schneiderlin - who has made 24 league appearances for the club this season - is still disappointed he has not helped his club challenge for more silverware at the business end of the table.

"When I first came I had big expectations and, of course, I wanted to play for the title and I wanted to have a big impact straight away on everything. It’s a new philosophy and a new thing to take on board," he told MUTV.

"I had some good games and a good spell but there’s a lot of competition and so even in my time when I didn’t play every game I was still learning, still trying to improve and doing my best.

"Since the weeks went on in the season I’ve felt better and better and of course I know I have plenty more to show to everyone and plenty more in my locker."Now, Schneiderlin is committed to making the most of the competitions that his side remain in contention for.

"We look game by game, we’re not looking too far ahead but we know that we have some big games coming, like Leicester and Tottenham and the FA Cup and we want to win everything and make sure we finish very strong," he added.

"Of course we are all disappointed not to play for the title, but in football you never know what can happen so we will try to finish as strong as possible."Hopefully the teams who are in front will drop some points and we can capitalise on that."

 

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Aguero: Manchester City are back!

Sergio Aguero says Manchester City "are back where they have to be" after moving within touching distance of the Champions League semi-finals.

City secured a 2-2 draw away to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night, with two away goals putting them in a strong position ahead of next Tuesday's return leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Manuel Pellegrini's side have endured a tumultuous season and saw their Premier League title hopes go up in smoke following a poor run of domestic form over the past two months, but Aguero says their latest performance was much more in keeping with expectations.

"City are back where they have to be," he told reporters after the match, "but we still have work to do. Nothing is certain. PSG are a great team and we have work to do."

Uefa tweeted after the match that 79.4 per cent of teams to have taken a 2-2 draw into a home second leg have gone on to qualify for the next round.

But Aguero is not interested in the numbers: "You can't pay too much attention to statistics. We just have to play our best and try to win. They have good players which makes for a complicated [challenge], but we were also able to score two goals against a defence that is very strong."

He added: "I am happy with the result. It was a fair tie. It was important that we scored a goal as visitors and as luck would have it, we did."

"We can't take anything for granted. We have 90 minutes more and we must do our best in City."

Kevin De Bruyne put City ahead on the night, his second goal in two games since his return from a 10-week lay-off with knee and ankle injuries.

The Belgian and Aguero have struck up a formidable partnership at times this season, and the striker knows his team-mate's importance all too well.

"He is fundamental for us," he continued. "It was good that he was able to come back from injury and have such a good return."

Angel Di Maria, Aguero's international team-mate, also returned from injury in time for Wednesday's clash, but failed to make an impact just a week after limping out of his country's World Cup qualifying victory over Bolivia.

The former Manchester United man has been enjoying a fine season since signing leaving for PSG in the summer, and Aguero would be pleased to see the back of him even after his subdued display.

"Di Maria is a great player as we saw when he played for the national team. I know he did everything possible to play today but it is better for us when he doesn't."

 

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Smalling: I won't be a passenger for England at Euro 2016

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling expects to play a key role in England's defence at Euro 2016.The 26-year-old has been crucial to the Red Devils' efforts despite another lacklustre season for the club as a whole.

Smalling's efforts at the back have helped United to build the Premier League's second best defensive record.And he is expecting that to be reciprocated with a big role for England after describing himself as a "passenger" at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

"I have bigger expectations this time," Smalling told reporters. "Very much so. Hopefully I will be coming off a full season and one where I felt I contributed.

"I feel I have put my name right at the forefront and after playing the last two England games I hope I can keep that shirt and carry on my good form into the summer.

"I fully expect to be a part of it if I can keep this up because club form will get you a starting place. Going into the World Cup, it was a very stop-start season for me.

"It wasn't a full consistent run of matches so you cannot necessarily expect to start in a major tournament, but this year is different."I have played consistently and I expect to play a good part in France."

Smalling said staying injury free has played a big part in his displays this season."I am happier with myself than I was two years ago. I have stayed injury free and that has enabled my confidence to grow," he added.

"It has helped me to churn out the games and that is something I enjoy. Nobody wants to train every day so the more games the better. It is nice to hear yourself being compared to great players.

"Everyone has their own traits but if you are being compared to players like Rio Ferdinand then you must be doing something well and hopefully I can keep that going."

 

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Valencia 'sad' to see Man Utd below Leicester and Tottenham

Antonio Valencia admitted it is a sad situation for Manchester United's only involvement in the Premier League title race to be their upcoming clashes with Tottenham and Leicester City.

Louis van Gaal's men are not in contention to win the league, but do face second-placed Spurs at White Hart Lane on Sunday and table-topping Leicester on May 1.

Valencia is looking forward to taking part in those significant matches, but rued the fact United are not more directly involved in the battle, as they instead fight rivals Manchester City - who are one point ahead of them - for a top-four finish.

"When you are playing against opponents who are challenging for the title, in the shape of Tottenham and Leicester, they are going to be big fixtures," the 30-year-old told MUTV.

"It will be interesting but a little bit sad in a way because we feel that we should be fighting for the title itself.

"But we have to make sure we keep on this winning run in order to achieve what we need to. It will be exciting for us as we are playing for our place in the Champions League next season. "We know how important historically the Champions League is here, how happy it would make the fans to qualify for that competition again for next season.

"So the main battle is to get back into that top four."Valencia - a winner of two Premier League titles in 2011 and 2013 - has made three appearances since returning from a serious foot injury that kept him out for almost five months.

"I'm really keen to play," he said. "After five months out of action, I'm happy with the way the operation went and overjoyed to be back and available.

"I'm fully recovered and, when I play, it's very important for me to perform well to show how much I like being here and how much I love this team."

 

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Braga 1-2 Shakhtar Donetsk: Ukrainians seize advantage in Portugal

Shakhtar Donetsk have put one foot in the last four of the Europa League after beating Braga 2-1 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie at the Estadio Municipal.

The Portuguese side dominated possession for most of the opening period but were pegged back by Yaroslav Rakitskiy's clever finish minutes before the interval, in what was the visitors' first chance of note.

Braga pushed for an equaliser in the second half and went close when Rafa Silva struck the crossbar from close range, before Facundo Ferreyra doubled Shakhtar's lead with a superb chip.

The 2009 winners went close to adding a third on a couple of occasions but will be kicking themselves for conceding late on, as Wilson Eduardo found the net late on to give his side something to try and build on in the reverse affair in Ukraine next week.

Paulo Fonseca's men, who controlled proceedings but were made to pay for their profligacy, face a tough task to turn things around in the return leg, though, having won just two of their five away games in Europe this campaign.

Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov was called into action for the first time after just two minutes, punching Silva’s attempt from the edge of the box over the bar for a corner.

Pedro Santos then failed to beat the wall with his free-kick from a promising position, before he blasted a shot high from 20 yards after some good work from Nikola Stoiljkovic.

Braga continued to dominate and Rakitskiy did well to intercept Marcelo Goiano’s low cross from the left before Silva could get to it, while Ricardo Ferreira headed just over following a corner from Santos.

Shakhtar failed to create much in the first half but opened the scoring in the 45th minute from their first real opportunity - Rakitskiy beat Braga goalkeeper Matheus with a volley at the far post after Taison’s corner.

Maksym Malyshev should have doubled Shakhtar's lead in the 48th minute when he beat his marker to Ismaily's low cross from the left, only to see his attempt from close range take a deflection off a defender and end up in the hands of Matheus.Silva was unfortunate not to draw Braga level just minutes later when he hit the bar after Shakhtar failed to clear a corner.

Braga pushed hard for an equaliser and the hosts saw Santos' powerful strike from a narrow angle go inches wide, with Nikola Vukcevic's shot also narrowly missing the target after taking a deflection.

However, Ferreyra soon doubled Shakhtar's lead in the 75th minute with a calm finish from inside the six-yard box after being set up by Marlos.Eduardo pulled one back for the hosts in the 89th minute when he headed home a cross from Baiano, but it was too little, too late as Shakhtar seized the initiative going into the second leg.

 

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Athletic Club 1-2 Sevilla: Emery's men take the advantage

Vicente Iborra scored a late goal to give Sevilla a 2-1 comeback win over Athletic Club in the first leg of their all-Spanish Europa League quarter-final.

Iborra latched on to Kevin Gameiro's pass and slid the ball into the net to give Sevilla their first away win in the Europa League this season and put one foot in the semi-finals.

The home side gained the upper hand when Aritz Aduriz scored just after half-time, but Iker Muniain's poor defensive header allowed Sevilla a golden chance to equalise and Timothee Kolodziejczak levelled the scores.

A draw would have given Sevilla the impetus in the tie, but Iborra’s winner gave the second leg an entirely different complexion and kept the Andalusians firmly on course for their third consecutive Europa League title.

Sevilla have been beaten just once at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in 2016 and Athletic will have to become first side to win there in the Europa League this season if they are to stand any chance of progressing in the competition.In torrential rain at San Mames, the visitors lost Benoit Tremoulinas to injury after just 10 minutes and replaced him with Tottenham loanee Federico Fazio.

A slip from the substitute almost allowed Inaki Williams to open the scoring as Athletic pressed, and the 21-year-old forward was involved in much of the hosts' best early attacking play.

Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega hit the outside of the post with a fizzing low shot from 25 yards midway through a cagey first half, and at the other end David Soria made a good save at the feet of Williams before Iker Muniain blazed a shot over the crossbar.

Michael Krohn-Dehli split the home side's defence with a superb throughball only to see Vitolo denied by a great save from Iago Herrerin, before Athletic's leading scorer Aduriz went within inches of opening the scoring when he headed Benat’s free-kick onto the post.

The Basque side took the lead within two minutes of the restart, with Aduriz evading Coke to connect with Muniain's cross and score his ninth Europa League goal of the season with a powerful header.

A brilliant save by Soria kept Xabier Etxeita’s header out as the home side looked to extend their advantage but Sevilla then drew level, less than 10 minutes after they had fallen behind.

Muniain was attempting a simple header back to Herrerin but he failed to put enough power on it and the error was pounced on by Banega, who pulled it back for Kolodziejczak to slam home from close range.

Muniain cut a broken figure as he left the field having been substituted but the evening got worse for Athletic when Gameiro played in Iborra, who made no mistake with a low finish inside the box that could prove decisive in the tie.

 

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Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Liverpool: Origi away goal leaves Klopp smiling after reunion

Jurgen Klopp's return to Borussia Dortmund saw his Liverpool side take some cautious optimism into the second leg of their Europa League tie thanks to a 1-1 draw at Signal Iduna Park.

Divock Origi rewarded the Reds boss's faith in him as a starter ahead of Daniel Sturridge by sliding home the opening goal, a strike away from home which could be extremely valuable come full-time in the return fixture.

Dortmund equalised just over two minutes after half-time, however, when slack marking allowed Mats Hummels to had past Simon Mignolet from six yards out.

It was one of the only lapses, however, in a strong defensive performance by Liverpool, who head back to Anfield with a slight advantage in the battle to reach the last four.

Both sets of fans joined in a stirring rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' before kick-off and there was a nervous moment for Mignolet when the action got underway, the Liverpool goalkeeper dangerously cutting back across Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang when the Dortmund forward tried to charge down Mamadou Sakho's backpass.

Sakho was in the right place to block Henrikh Mkhitaryan's close-range effort in the 18th minute before his centre-back partner, Dejan Lovren, headed James Milner's free-kick too close to Roman Weidenfeller and clattered into the Dortmund keeper in pursuit of the rebound.

That brought a lengthy delay, with Weidenfeller's bloodied mouth necessitating a change of jersey, after which Dortmund put their visitors under increasing pressure – only to fall behind in the 36th minute. Milner leapt to flick on Alberto Moreno's hopeful chipped pass and Origi powered onto the loose ball before seeing a low, right-footed shot clip Lukasz Piszczek's heel and nestle in the bottom-left corner.

Lovren made a vital challenge to deny Aubameyang in first-half stoppage time and Marco Reus was unable to convert when Liverpool failed to clear the resulting corner.

Origi should have doubled his tally with the final act of the half, as Moreno picked apart a Dortmund offside trap in disarray, but his first touch took him too close to the embattled Weidenfeller, whose objections to the striker's follow-up challenge earned him a yellow card.

An apparent recurrence of his persistent heel pain ended Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson's evening at half-time, with Joe Allen introduced, while former Liverpool loanee Nuri Sahin replaced Erik Durm in the Dortmund midfield.

The hosts' equaliser came within three minutes of the restart when Hummels was allowed a free run at Mkhitaryan's right-wing cross to power a header past Mignolet.

Liverpool responded by forcing a succession of saves from Weidenfeller, who was superbly down to his right corner to keep out a powerful Philippe Coutinho strike before thwarting the Brazilian again on the rebound from Nathaniel Clyne's long-range drive.

The intensity of the match dropped, somewhat inevitably, during the final half hour and Dortmund could not craft the opportunity for a winner, as Liverpool displayed a level of defensive discipline rarely associated with their performances this season to take a draw back to Merseyside.

 

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Villarreal 2-1 Sparta Prague: Bakambu double gives hosts advantage

Cedric Bakambu struck twice as Villarreal beat a depleted Sparta Prague 2-1 in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at El Madrigal on Thursday.

Sparta goalkeeper David Bicik gifted Villarreal the opener in the third minute, dallying and hitting a clearance off striker Bakambu, which ricocheted into the net.
Ladislav Krejci's goal was rightly ruled out for Sparta and Bicik made a string of saves before Jakub Brabec headed a potentially key away goal in first-half injury time.Bakambu put the hosts back in front after half-time with a superbly taken effort after Denis Suarez created space on the edge of the penalty area.

Bicik made yet more saves in the second half to keep Sparta, one of two unbeaten sides in the competition, within touching distance, as Bakambu was denied a hat-trick by the goalkeeper's excellent reactions.

Injury-hit Sparta's task is made tougher by Mario Holek limping off and Brabec and Costa Nhamoinesu both collecting bookings that rule them out of the second leg.

Their evening got off to a shocking start as Villarreal took the lead inside three minutes, goalkeeper Bicik taking too long on the ball and allowing Bakambu to charge his clearance down and deflect it into the net.

Mario should have doubled Villarreal's lead after nine minutes, turning a corner over the crossbar from close range after Victor Ruiz’s flick.

Bicik then saved from Samu Castillejo and Roberto Soldado planted a free header wide as the visitors, who were unable to name a full substitutes bench due to injuries, struggled early on.

Krejci had a goal disallowed for offside after 20 minutes before Bakambu nearly profited from another defensive error, this time by Brabec, but Bicik saved well with his feet.

Bicik was keeping his side in the tie and he denied Bakambu again after 31 minutes as he continued to atone for his early error.Castillejo shot over from 10 yards and Ruiz headed off target, with chances coming regularly for Villarreal, who would soon regret not scoring a second goal.

Sparta levelled deep in first-half injury time when Brabec got clear of Mario at a corner and powerfully headed home his third Europa League goal of the season.
Mario hit the crossbar with a header immediately after the interval before Soldado forced a good save from Bicik.

Villarreal retook the lead after 62 minutes when Bakambu bent a fantastic finish into Bicik's bottom-left corner from 20 yards, the striker hitting his sixth goal in five Europa League matches at El Madrigal this season.Bicik made a fine double-save from Suarez and Bakambu after 73 minutes as the La Liga side sought to put the tie out of Sparta's each, the goalkeeper also saving from Suarez in injury time.

The Czech outfit cannot be ruled out having beaten Krasnodar and Lazio on their way to the last-eight, but Villarreal's narrow lead gives them a slender edge ahead of next week's second leg.

 

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Dortmund were not at their best, concedes Tuchel

Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel conceded his side were not at their "top level" after being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Liverpool in the Europa League quarter-finals. Liverpool struck first and secured a vital away goal courtesy of Divock Origi just nine minutes before half-time at Signal Iduna Park.

But Tuchel's men hit back in the second period, with Dortmund captain Mats Hummels' header ensuring the tie is all square heading into next week's return leg at Anfield.

While he was disappointed not to have secured victory, Tuchel believes Dortmund are still in a good position to progress to the semi-finals."We wanted to win of course but you have to get in that position and work for it," the German coach told BT Sport.

"We worked hard but we were not on our top level today and if you're not at your top level when you need to be – nine o'clock in the evening in the quarter finals - you don't deserve to win.

"Liverpool played how we expected but we expected ourselves to be better, with a better rhythm. We took a long time to get into the game. We had a good chance [through Henrikh Mkhitaryan], almost a certain goal and we didn't make it
"It got more difficult for us but we have to live with it. It is only half time."Tuchel said his side will go to Anfield without fear despite Liverpool scoring an away goal in Dortmund.

"[Origi's goal] can be very important but we can score away goals as well and we can score more than one. We are not frightened and we are not too disappointed," the 42-year-old said.

"We went to a lot of places and scored and won. Now it's half-time but again the players are confident enough and have played a lot of tight matches and tough matches.

"We are looking forward to the game at Anfield. Before that we have a derby against Schalke so there's enough to do."

 

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Kane named Player of the Month as Ranieri scoops manager award

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has been named Premier League Player of the Month for March with Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri named Manager of the Month.

Kane scored five times during March, netting against Arsenal in the 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane as well as grabbing doubles against Aston Villa and Bournemouth.

The England international’s goals means he is also the Premier League’s top scorer with 22, three ahead of Jamie Vardy, while his form has also helped Spurs stay in the hunt for the title.

Ranieri, meanwhile, has kept Leicester at the top of the table where they remain seven points clear of second-placed Spurs with just six games left to play.

The Foxes took 10 points from a possible 12 in March with their 2-2 draw against West Brom at the start of the month followed by 1-0 wins over Watford, Newcastle and Crystal Palace.

This is the second time this season Ranieri has been named Manager of the Month, having picked up the award back in November.

 

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Zidane appointment has been bad for James, says father

James Rodriguez's father believes Zinedine Zidane's appointment as Real Madrid coach is hurting his son's career in the Spanish capital.

The Colombia international arrived at the Bernabeu under Carlo Ancelotti in 2014 and enjoyed a fine first season, but his form has dipped as of late and has become the subject of boos from fans.

However his father, Wilson Rodriguez, says form is always going to fluctuate but insists Zidane has not helped his son's cause."I think it is normal, football's like this," he told Marca. "Injuries play a big part, and make it harder for a footballer to maintain his level.

"[Ancelotti and Zidane] are two very different managers and the fact that he isn't playing at the moment doesn't mean anything, but it's obvious that change of manager was bad for him."

Wilson was a professional footballer himself and while he never hit the heights his son has been able to reach, he was renowned for scoring goals from distance.

"I was able to score many goals thanks to this skill," he said."The best goal I ever scored was almost from the halfway line against Navarro Montaya, when I was playing for Deportes Tolima."It's genetic. Even though you must practice a lot, you are born with this ability. You must start with something. James' shot isn't so bad.

"Although it's true that he has achieved much more in his career then I was able to.
"When I was playing there weren't businessmen who could just relocate you from your country and everything was more difficult than it is now."He is a symbol of how much things have changed, athletes are much more athletic now than when I was playing."

 

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'Luis Suarez has psychological problems'

Barcelona forward Luis Suarez has been accused of having "psychological problems" by former football agent Daniel Fonseca who also claims the Uruguay international owes him money.

Suarez, 29, said in an interview with Montecarlo TV on Tuesday that Fonseca owes him 20 per cent of the fee from his transfer from Nacional to Groningen in 2006. However Fonseca, a former Uruguay international, hit back at Suarez's claims and labelled the ex-Liverpool striker as a "coward".

"He's lying, because he is a child who shows that he has psychological problems, for sure, we know that," Fonseca told Radio 1010. "That's why he is seeing a psychologist, but it's not giving him the effect he desired. "He should change his psychologist, or see a psychiatrist instead."To count you need two fingers, because the kid does not know how to count."

Fonseca, who played for the likes of Napoli, Roma and Juventus in a storied career, says the rift between Suarez is not entirely over money, but something that happened in the early days of his countryman's playing days.

"The story goes because one blessed day three friends from the youth team called me, and said something uncomfortable is happening with Luis," the 46-year-old said."I had to tell him something very uncomfortable to this kid, and to the day I die I will not say what it was. It was a very uncomfortable truth. He did not accept it, and it did not sit well with him.

"I would prefer to have friends who tell me the truth instead of lies. So with a few words, I want him to tell the truth and not to dirty me by saying I owe him $200,000. Scoundrel!

"If he has courage, he will say the uncomfortable thing I had to tell him. That's the real reason this unpresentable character does not have the courage to talk, and has hid these past six years."

 

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Fellaini warns Tottenham: Man Utd have the quality to beat anyone

Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini says his team fears no one ahead of a must-win clash against second-placed Tottenham.

The Belgium international said the match at White Hart Lane on Sunday was one of the biggest of United's stop-start season, although not for the reasons he would have liked.

United are one point off the top four but are a whole 16 points off Premier League leaders Leicester City, and nine off second-placed Tottenham.

Louis van Gaal's men crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage this season and Fellaini said anything less than qualifying for the top continental competition once again would be a failure for the club.

"It's a big, big game," he told the Manchester Evening News."Tottenham are near the top of the table. But it’s a huge game for us as well."We want to be in that top four. A club like Man United has to play Champions League so we will go there and do our best to try and win the game."

While the occasion is a big one, Fellaini said his team-mates are confident they can get the job done and pip either Manchester City or Arsenal to one of the last two top-four positions.

"The quality we have we can beat anyone, and I think we’ve shown that," he said.
"But we have to be there in the right moment. We will do our best on Sunday and hopefully we can get there."

 

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Ricardo Rodriguez's father talks up Real Madrid move

Ricardo Rodriguez is eager to move to a bigger club in Europe and would love the chance to join Real Madrid, the Wolfsburg left-back's father has claimed.

Switzerland international Rodriguez has emerged as one of the most highly prized full-backs on the continent in recent seasons and opened the scoring from the penalty spot in Wolfsburg's shock 2-0 win over Madrid on Tuesday.

Jose Manuel Rodriguez, himself from Spain, has talked up the prospect of a future switch to La Liga for the 23-year-old and admits he met with Madrid president Florentino Perez and director Emilio Butragueno in Germany - though he insists they did not discuss a transfer.

"I met with Florentino Perez on Wednesday, and with Butragueno, too," he told Cadena Cope. "We spoke a little, not much. We were talking, but not about football things.

"He said congratulations, that I had a good player. Maybe with time he might be able to go to Madrid. He would be pleased."My son wants to go to a bigger team. He wants a career in a bigger team and Spain would be a great option."

Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs stated earlier this week that Madrid had "never" made an approach for Rodriguez, but added that they "maybe" retain an interest.

"Now is not the time to talk about figures and to put a price on a player," he told Marca. "All I can say is that he is one of our most talented players, one of the best full-backs in the league.

"He is playing fantastically well for Wolfsburg and Switzerland although this year the team is not at the same level as last year. In the future he may be one of the best."

Rodriguez, who began his career with FC Zurich, has made 122 Bundesliga appearances since joining Wolfsburg in 2012.