..::Football IV::..

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Uruguay 4-0 Paraguay: Suarez and Cavani shine in dominant win

Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani were in dominant form as Uruguay sealed a 4-0 win over Paraguay in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

Suarez scored one and set up both of Cavani's goals as Uruguay kept up their 100 per cent home record in the CONMEBOL qualifiers. Despite the wet and windy conditions inside the Estadio Centenario, Uruguay were able to adapt best as they opened the scoring early.

Suarez played in Cavani to make it 1-0 in the 18th minute, before two quick-fire goals on the stroke of half-time - one from Cristian Rodriguez and a penalty from Suarez - extended the lead.Another piece of magic from Suarez set up Cavani for the side's fourth early in the second half, with the two substituted late on as the goals dried up.

The opening stages of the fixture saw both sides attempt to get a feel for the windy and slippery conditions in Montevideo, with neither pushing too far up the field. In fact, the first real chance of the game was the opener, with Cavani starting the move by playing in Suarez down the right-hand side.

Suarez fended off a mistimed tackle from Paulo da Silva before playing in a teasing cross for Cavani, with the Paris Saint-Germain star producing a neat finish to open the scoring.

Paraguay failed to mount any meaningful attacks in response, with both Victor Ayala and Dario Lezcano trying their luck from outside the area, with only the latter's reaching the arms of Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. Their missed chances came back to cost them, with a five-minute spell from Uruguay doing lasting damage on the visitors.

Suarez won a corner taken by Gaston Ramirez - who had just had a free-kick sail wide - with his set-piece finding the head of Rodriguez, who doubled Uruguay's advantage in the 42nd minute.

The Paraguayan defence were struggling to deal with the trickery of Suarez, who won a penalty on the stroke of half-time following some neat foot work and a poor challenge from Pablo Aguilar.

Suarez stood up and converted the spot-kick, with the Barcelona star sending Uruguay 3-0 up into the break and extending his lead atop the nation's all-time scoring charts with his 46th international goal.

The second half continued just as the first ended, with Suarez terrorising the Paraguay defence. Just like the first goal, Suarez was able to pick out Cavani, this time his header putting Uruguay 4-0 up in the 54th minute.

With the side cruising in the closing stages, Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez elected to replace the pair with Cristhian Stuani and Abel Hernandez.However, Uruguay were unable to find a fifth, with Paraguay ending the game with barely a whimper.

 

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Venezuela 2-2 Argentina: Bauza's men battle back to grab point

Argentina staged a great escape to come away from Merida with a share of the points, as they battled back from two goals down to take a 2-2 draw against Venezuela.

Edgardo Bauza looked to be heading for his first loss at the Argentina helm, but Otamendi produced an instinctive volley to level the score seven minutes from time and deny Venezuela a first win of the campaign.

The Albiceleste were unable to call upon Lionel Messi, whose goal on his return from international retirement secured a 1-0 victory over Uruguay last Thursday sent them top of the table, due to a hamstring injury, and his absence almost proved extremely costly.

Argentina fell behind in the first half to an exquisite left-footed strike from Juanpi for his first senior international goal, while Josef Martinez extended the advantage for Rafael Dudamel's side eight minutes after half-time with a composed finish.

However, Lucas Pratto gave Argentina hope when he responded by opening his international account in just his second appearance, and Otamendi's late strike ensured the spoils were shared.

Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero nearly threw it away when he spilled a free-kick straight to Mikel Villanueva, but he hit the post as Venezuela remain rooted to the foot of the table without a win while Bauza's side slip to second.

Venezuela started positively and looked to get in behind on the wings, but Ever Banega provided a reminder of Argentina's threat when he fired narrowly wide from 25 yards in the 15th minute.

Martinez felt he should have been awarded a penalty midway through the half, but the referee saw nothing wrong with the challenge from Otamendi and instead gave Argentina a free-kick for a handball by Martinez.

However, Venezuela's persistence paid off 10 minutes before half-time. Juanpi showed great feet on the right-hand side of the box to wriggle away from Javier Mascherano and Marcos Rojo before bending a sublime left-footed shot into the far corner.

It could have been worse for Argentina had Pablo Zabaleta not produced an excellent last-ditch tackle to stop Martinez slotting Alexander Gonzales' cross home in the 39th minute, but Dudamel's side did extend their advantage eight minutes after the restart.

Salomon Rondon showed great strength to outmuscle Otamendi before cutting back to Martinez, who committed Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero before slotting home.Argentina responded positively, halving the deficit five minutes later when Pratto made the most of ricochets off Jose Velasquez and Villanueva to stab home.

Di Maria came close to levelling but had his strike from an acute angle batted away by Hernandez in the 67th minute, but the Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder played a role in the equaliser.

His corner found Otamendi inside the six-yard box, and the centre-back poked home a first-time finish to spare Argentina's blushes.

Villanueva struck the upright after a moment of madness from Romero near the death, but Venezuela will remain pleased with an unlikely point.

 

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Brazil 2-1 Colombia: Neymar on target to give Selecao hard-earned victory

Neymar was the hero for Brazil as the home side overcame Colombia 2-1 in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday. The 24-year-old, fresh off guiding Brazil to gold at the Olympic Games in Rio, netted the match-winner with 16 minutes remaining in Manaus.

Brazil had a dream start after Miranda opened the scoring in the second minute at the Arena da Amazonia.The Inter defender headed the home side into the lead courtesy of Neymar's early corner, but Colombia struck back in the first half.

It was not a Colombia player who found the net, however, with Marquinhos putting the ball past his own goalkeeper Alisson from a teasing James Rodriguez cross.

But it was Brazil who came out on top, with Neymar firing home a low strike after being set up by Liverpool attacker Philippe Coutinho.The win put Brazil up to second in the CONMEBOL standings, equal on points with Argentina and one behind leaders Uruguay after eight games.

Brazil coach Tite went in unchanged from his first game at the helm - a 3-0 win away to Ecuador last Friday.The Brazilians got off to an ideal start, with Miranda heading in a Neymar cross in just the second minute of the match.

Neymar had the chance to double the lead with a free-kick in the 14th minute but saw his effort sail harmlessly over the bar.

Real Madrid full-back Marcelo made a great run and produced a sublime turn before firing away a shot, but he was off balance as he hit the ball, seeing his strike flash wide.

Colombia keeper David Ospina was rather untroubled inside the opening half-hour, however, he had to be alert as Brazil began to assert their dominance. The Arsenal shot-stopper first saved a Casemiro strike from distance, before denying Neymar from close range a minute later.

Brazil did eventually put the ball in the back of the net in the 33rd minute after Paulinho guided Neymar's pass home, but he did it illegally - the referee handing him a yellow for a blatant handball.

The home side were made to pay for their inability to convert chances, with James' dangerous free-kick floating off Marquinhos' head and into his own net to level proceedings.

Marquinhos' own goal was the first Brazil have conceded in World Cup qualifying since Gilberto Silva's effort against Uruguay in a 3-3 draw all the way back in 2003. Brazil almost responded immediately through Neymar, but the Barcelona star was once again denied by Ospina as the score remained level at the break.

The first real chance of the second period fell Colombia's way with Carlos Bacca setting up Luis Muriel, but the forward's shot flew into the side netting. It was a much tighter affair in the second 45, with both sides failing to muster any real opportunities on goal.

That was until Neymar was found by second-half substitute Coutinho, his low shot beating Ospina for the match winner.

 

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Rashford on England hat-trick: I've given Mourinho a decision to make

Marcus Rashford says he was pleased to give Jose Mourinho a selection headache ahead of Saturday's Manchester derby after scoring a hat-trick on his England Under-21 debut on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old dropped down a level after not being included in Sam Allardyce's maiden senior squad but he showed no signs of a loss in confidence after firing the Three Lions to a 6-1 win over Norway.

Rashford's hat-trick also maintained his magnificent record of scoring on debuts, having also netted in his first England senior team, Premier League and Europa League appearances.

And the striker was happy to stake a claim for a place in Mourinho's Manchester United side when they lock horns with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at Old Trafford this weekend.

When asked about giving his club manager something to think about ahead of the City clash, Rashford told BT Sport: “As a young player that's all you want to do.

“You want to make the manager make decisions about whether he wants you to play or be in the squad. Everyone is just looking forward to it so it should be a good game.”

United and City have both won their opening three Premier League games of the season under Mourinho and Guardiola respectively.The Red Devils secured a last-gasp 1-0 win over Hull City in their last league outing thanks to a late strike from Rashford.

 

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Morata ready to fight for Madrid opportunity

Alvaro Morata is ready to fight for a starting spot at Real Madrid despite the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.The Madrid trio are established as leading lights for Zinedine Zidane's side and dethroning any of them represents a sizeable task.

Such was the competition Morata left the Santiago Bernabeu in 2014 for regular first-team football with Juventus, but he returned to the Spanish capital in July, signing a five-year deal.

Morata has already opened his account with the opening goal in Madrid's 2-1 La Liga win over Celta Vigo and he hopes to keep impressing to force Zidane to make him a mainstay in the team.

"It does not matter if Benzema plays on Saturday," he is quoted as saying by the Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Patience and ambition are important. If I do not play from the beginning I have to do as against Lichtenstein [for Spain]: enter in the field and score goals.

"In the two years at Juventus I learned so much about what I should not do when I was in Madrid: get onto the pitch anxious to try to prove everything in a few minutes.

"Since that first experience in Madrid I have grown so much. [Fernando] Morientes, who was my idol, he told me that I had to leave and then return. I listened to him and I did well."It is clear that if I had gone to another team I would have played more, but Real is my dream and I want to try to make it happen. In my head I have nothing else.

"They [Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo] are three of the best players in the world, but I will always fight to play and will give everything to make it difficult for the coach.
"I hope Zidane will rotate because it would be good for everyone."

 

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Cavani the right man to replace Ibrahimovic - Emery

Unai Emery has revealed a desire to show faith in Edinson Cavani was the reason why he opted against signing a replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Paris Saint-Germain.

Ibrahimovic joined Manchester United in the summer after leaving the French capital at the end of last season after his contract expired following four trophy-laden seasons at Parc des Princes.

Former Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez was brought in to bolster PSG's forward line, but it is Cavani who has been handed the role of filling the void left by Ibrahimovic's departure.

Emery says it was a conscious decision to put his trust in Cavani, while also giving youngsters Hervin Ongenda and Jean-Kevin Augustin the chance to impress."It was important to give confidence to Cavani," Emery told RMC. "And it's hard to sign a very important player who will compete with him.

"Jese has played striker, he is versatile and we have Augustin, a young player who is ready to play and who will progress."Emery's faith in PSG's youth is a clear shift from the stance of former boss Laurent Blanc and something he hopes can make the Ligue 1 champions better.

"We are working to improve the small details," he added. "But this is a team that has won a lot and I have great respect for PSG.

"Improving a team like this, it's a great challenge and a great motivation."

 

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Xabi Alonso: Mourinho & Guardiola are very similar

Xabi Alonso believes Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho have many similarities as coaches as they prepare to go head-to-head in Saturday's Manchester derby.

Once friends when they worked together at Barcelona, the pair now have a tense relationship which started during Mourinho's time at Inter and intensified when he took charge of Real Madrid while Guardiola was at the Catalan side.

The rivalry is set to be reignited this weekend when Manchester United welcome Guardiola's Manchester City at Old Trafford for the first derby of the season.

Alonso, who worked with Mourinho at Madrid and Guardiola at Bayern Munich, says the two are very similar and believes working with either of them is a massive boost to any player.

"It is a very big game in England," he told reporters. "I think it will be a tactical match. Both coaches are methodic - they want to analyse everything. We'll see what will happen. I hope I can watch the game."

​"​I think they share many things in terms of their personality and the leaders they are. In terms of football, they have their own idea how to approach the game, the ambition they have, in an attacking sense and defensively. In those terms they are different. But for sure they are very competitive and they get the best from each player.

"For a player it is like a motivation to have a trainer that gets the best out of you. They are always demanding, that's the best thing."

 

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Santos tells Portugal to forget Euro 2016 win after Switzerland defeat

Portugal must forget their Euro 2016 triumph if they are to have a successful qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup, ccoach Fernando Santos said in the wake of their 2-0 defeat to Switzerland.

Portugal won their maiden major international trophy by defeating France 1-0 after extra-time in the European Championship final in July, but their first competitive outing since that triumph on Tuesday ended in a 2-0 defeat to Switzerland.

Goals from Breel Embolo and Admir Mehmedi secured the three points for Switzerland at St Jakob-Park, ending Santos' run of 14 competitive matches without defeat since taking charge in September 2014.With his team trailing their main rivals for top spot in Group B, Santos wants Portugal to put their historic triumph in Paris firmly in the past.

"We started the game well, we dominated the first 15, 20 minutes but then we were dazzled by Switzerland and were a bit pragmatic," Santos told RTP.

"We conceded the only time that Switzerland were near our goal and afterwards we stepped back and allowed them to win individual battles – the European Championship has to be forgotten."We were not as strong as we usually are. We are in qualifying and that cannot happen."

Santos introduced Andre Silva and Joao Mario for Eder and William Carvalho at half-time, while Ricardo Quaresma replaced Joao Moutinho in the 68th minute to allow Nani to move into a central role.

The coach was pleased to see improvement in his team – Nani hit the post with eight minutes remaining – and felt one goal could have made all the difference.

Santos added: "Trailing 2-0, I tried to change things, play with two strikers. We had chances to score, we could have created more."In the latter stages, Switzerland just defended but we created some danger in the final minutes when we played with more heart.

"If we had scored a goal, we could have got back in the game."

 

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Manchester City will never be bigger than United - Schmeichel

Manchester City may have had the upper hand over Manchester United domestically in recent seasons, but they will never usurp the Red Devils as the biggest club in the world, according to Peter Schmeichel.

United won the FA Cup last season, but have struggled to replicate the dominance of the Alex Ferguson era since the legendary Scot's retirement at the end of the 2012-13 campaign.

The past three seasons have seen United finish seventh, fourth and fifth, placing below City – who last won the title in 2014 – on each occasion.

But Schmeichel, who made 398 appearances for United and enjoyed a brief spell in the blue half of Manchester, believes there is little contest when it comes to global standing."There's no doubt, nobody can argue that Manchester United is not the biggest club in the world. It is," he told Omnisport ahead of this weekend's Manchester derby at Old Trafford, when both sides will put their 100 per cent records on the line.

"It's the club with the most fans, supporters and there are numbers out there which are official numbers so you can't argue that.

"But is it the best club in the world? It hasn't been for three years, it hasn't been even anywhere near the best club in England. Manchester City have been there or thereabouts.

"This is something you learn as soon as you walk through the doors at Old Trafford that you're never better than your last performance. You always have to improve on your last performance.

"When you look at the last three years it has been very, very poor. Seventh, fourth and fifth – that's not Manchester United. But Manchester City has been there or thereabouts so you can argue that they are the bigger club in Manchester at the moment in terms of results.

"But in terms of popularity they've got no chance of being anywhere near the biggest in the world."

 

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Sharpe: Man Utd have unearthed a gem in Bailly

Former Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe believes Eric Bailly has been the most significant new arrival at the club under Jose Mourinho.

The 22-year-old central defender moved to Old Trafford from Villarreal in June and has been quick to impress since being installed into the heart of Mourinho's backline.

Fellow new boys Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba may have grabbed the headlines when also arriving at United at the same time, but Sharpe has been particularly impressed with Bailly's impact.

"The team looks really strong in every department now, I think the manager's strengthened in good areas with top-quality players and the rest of the team are raising their standards to join them," said Sharpe.

"Ibrahimovic is obviously going to be a massive star, and so is Pogba, but I think the one that's stood out for me at the moment is Bailly the centre-half."He looks quick, decent on the ball, he reads the game really well. "If he continues to play like he has done in the first few games I think they've found an absolute gem."

 

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Mustafi: Lucas Perez has everything a striker needs

Shkodran Mustafi is confident fellow new Arsenal signing Lucas Perez has all the attributes to be a hit in England and warned Premier League defenders they face an "uncomfortable" experience.

Arsenal completed big-money deals to land centre-back Mustafi and forward Perez from Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna respectively before the transfer window closed.

Mustafi has first-hand experience of playing against his new team-mate in La Liga and believes the 27-year-old can bring the sort of form that saw him net 17 league goals last season to Emirates Stadium.

"He is uncomfortable to play against. He's a good striker - he has everything a striker needs," he told Arsenal's official website.

"He's someone you can play well with. He doesn't just run around and wait for someone to give him a pass to score a goal. He works a lot for the team as well and he creates chances.

"He's in the right place at the right time, as he showed last year in LaLiga. I played there for two years and I know it's not that easy to score many goals in LaLiga, because you have great defenders there as well."I think he's going to help the team a lot."

Mustafi is expected to make his Arsenal debut against Southampton this weekend, despite suffering an ankle injury scare on international duty with Germany, while Perez is also in line to make his competitive Gunners bow.

 

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Zaha has potential to play for Barcelona - Pardew

Wilfried Zaha has the ability to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona, according to Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew.

After returning to Palace on a permanent basis from Manchester United in 2015, Zaha scored five goals and created seven in 43 appearances in all competitions last season.

Zaha - who was the subject of a summer bid from Tottenham - has started two of Palace's three Premier League matches this season and came off the bench to great effect in their clash with Bournemouth prior to the international break.

Consistency has long been Zaha's problem, though, but Pardew believes the 23-year-old could play for one of Europe's elite clubs should he improve that aspect of his game.

"This club took him back from Man United when things weren't going so well and put their money where their mouth is to bring him back," Pardew told the Croydon Advertiser.

"He's done great for me, but I think there's improvement in him. I do think he's got some improvements to make to be a top player."I think we're a good platform for him to do that in the Premier League. I have tried to say to him I want him to be a massive success here.

"If Spurs blew us out of the water or Man City offered £50 million and it was Champions League football, okay, it's because you're the finished product."This is what Wilf's ambition should be, but he needs to address his goals and assists.

"If a club came in with, say, £50-£60 million – let's say a Manchester City, Barcelona or Real Madrid, and he's got 10 goals and nine assists – as his manager at Crystal Palace I can't really stand in his way.

"I don't think our fans would either. He knows he isn't there yet and he has no problem seeing that. I have told him that. Potentially, he could be."

 

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Griezmann can be as good as Ronaldo and Messi - Simeone

Diego Simeone is convinced that Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann will soon be considered alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as an elite player in world football.

Barcelona forward Messi and Real Madrid superstar Ronaldo have held a monopoly over the Ballon d'Or award for the past eight years, and the latter is favourite for the prize this time around having won the Champions League and Euro 2016, with Griezmann a losing finalist on both occasions.

Griezmann nevertheless enjoyed a superb campaign with Atleti last term, scoring 22 LaLiga goals, and that form saw him named on a three-man shortlist alongside Ronaldo and Gareth for the UEFA's Best Player in Europe award.

Atleti have taken just two points from their opening two LaLiga matches, but Simeone reassured Griezmann that the club are still challenging for major honours and that he is capable of being recognised as the best in the world."[Griezmann] knows he is at a wonderful club which is growing every day and a coach who wants him," Simeone told reporters at the launch of his new book.

"He is destined to be up there with Messi, Ronaldo, and the best in the world."Simeone's own future was in doubt following the Champions League heartbreak, but he reassured fans that he wants to be in charge when Atleti move into a new stadium next season.

"I'm happy," Simeone added. "We have a beautiful stadium to enjoy from next year and I hope to be there. "When I saw it I could see why I'm still here. I am much simpler than you think."

 

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'Simeone is perfect choice to replace Wenger at Arsenal'

Arsenal should look to appoint Diego Simeone as Arsene Wenger successor, says Ray Parlour.

The Premier League's longest-serving active manager is in the last year of his contract at the Emirates Stadium, prompting talk of who could step into the hot seat should he depart after over 20 years at the club.Eddie Howe has been touted as a replacement in recent weeks but Arsenal legend Parlour feels the young Englishman could be detrimental to the Gunners going forward and Atletico Madrid head coach Simeone is a far better fit.

"I don't think he would know enough about big foreign players to attract them," Parlour told talkSPORT.

"He is doing a wonderful job at Bournemouth and he could be a manager in the future for Arsenal, but I think it is a little bit too soon for him at the moment."

Parlour added: "Simeone, whether he would want to move from LaLiga we don't know, but I'm sure he would like to test himself in the Premier League against the likes of Guardiola, Mourinho, Klopp and managers like that."He would be the favourite if it came to Arsenal changing the manager at the end of the season."

 

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Odegaard hails 'incredible' Rashford after hat-trick

Martin Odegaard has heaped praise on fellow wonderkid Marcus Rashford, claiming that the young Manchester United striker is "incredible".The Real Madrid and United teenagers faced off as England's Under-21s beat Norway 6-1 at the Community Stadium in Colchester.

Rashford netted an incredible hat-trick as he continued his meteoric rise, and Odegaard - the most in-demand young player on the planet prior to his move to the Bernabeu - admits that he was blown away by the performance of his counterpart.“He is an incredible player as we saw,” Odegaard told The Sun.

“And we have seen that in the Premier League too.“So I think he is just an incredible player.”Rashford may be involved as United face Manchester City this weekend in one of the most anticipated derbies in recent history.

Odegaard, meanwhile, holds the record as both Real Madrid's youngest ever player - having made his debut when he was just 16 - and the youngest ever player to appear for Norway's senior side.

Marcus Rashford Hattrick vs Norway U21 6/9/2016

 

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James must keep fighting to be a Madrid success, says Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti has urged James Rodriguez to continue fighting to become a success at Real Madrid.

Ancelotti was head coach at the Santiago Bernabeu when James left Monaco for Madrid after starring at World Cup 2014 for Colombia.

The midfielder proved a hit in his first campaign in the Spanish capital, scoring 13 goals in 29 top-flight appearances, but he struggled for form last term and has regularly found himself out of the team under Zinedine Zidane, leading to widespread reports of a potential exit over the summer.But Ancelotti believes that it is not uncommon for a player to lose form and backs the 25-year-old to come good.

"I was surprised [James lost his form] a little bit but he is very young," he told AS. "Sometimes not everything turns out well. One year, you can have problems. The important thing for a player is to keep fighting, even if you do not play every game.

"Playing in Madrid is not easy because there is much competition."Ancelotti, now coach at Bayern Munich, also stated that Madrid's triumph in last season's Champions League was not purely down to Zidane's preference to play Casemiro in midfield over James.

"Zidane's great success was winning the Champions League," he added, "[but] I played one season with [Luka] Modric, James and [Toni] Kroos and we went on a streak of 22 [wins] with those three."Everything depends on the commitment the players have."

 

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Bailly 'surprised us all' with Man Utd impact, says De Gea

Eric Bailly's impressive start to life at Manchester United has come as a surprise to the whole squad, says goalkeeper David de Gea.United paid Villarreal a reported £30 million to make Bailly the first signing for manager Jose Mourinho.

The Ivory Coast international defender arrived with limited experience, having made just 40 appearances in La Liga for Espanyol and Villarreal, and was seen as something as a prospect for the future.

However, the 22-year-old has been a huge success thus far, claiming the man-of-the-match award three times in four competitive games during August as United enjoyed a 100 per cent start to the Premier League.

And De Gea, who himself endured a turbulent start to life in England before establishing himself among the best keepers in the word, hailed his team-mate's impact.

"Oof, [Bailly has been] a great signing," he told the Daily Mail. "Eric's come in and surprised us all very quickly. I remember when I first came to England and, trust me, it can be hard early on but he's flying.

"He is physical, strong, technically confident and super-fast. He only speaks a little English but we have lots of Spaniards in the dressing room and Paul Pogba speaks French, of course.

"He's a big presence and, when I stand in the tunnel and look behind me, he is one of the new big, powerful players along with Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic that gives us real presence and stature this season."

United will attempt to make it four wins from four in the Premier League against rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday.

 

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Ronaldinho set to retire from professional football

Former Brazil, Barcelona and Milan star Ronaldinho has revealed he will soon be ending his professional football career, after 18 years starring in both Europe and South America.

The 36-year-old is one of the few players to boast both Champions League and Copa Libertadores winners medals, and he also lifted the World Cup with Brazil back in 2002.

But having struggled to settle at any single club since leaving Atletico Mineiro in 2014, he believes it is time to call it a day. "I am an old man now, I am 36," he told reporters at a press conference in New York.

"I am no longer 26 like I once was, and I am looking at what I can do to mark an end to my career. The plan is to play one more year. While he gave few clues on what the future might hold, Ronaldinho affirmed that he may well be entering the music world.

"I am immersed in new projects, related to music and football which are, as you know, my two passions," he said. "I am looking at new things that I have always liked and we will see what we will do this year."

 

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Alexis: I am as good as Messi & Ronaldo

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez believes he is good enough to be considered in the same bracket as superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.Alexis was a team-mate of Messi's at Barcelona, but departed Camp Nou for the Premier League ahead of the 2014-15 season in search of regular starts.

The Chile forward has become a firm fan favourite at the Emirates Stadium after scoring 30 goals in 68 league appearances for the Gunners.

Messi and Real Madrid rival Ronaldo are widely considered as the best two players on the planet and have held a monopoly over the Ballon d'Or award for the past eight years.

But Alexis is confident that he can be considered on their level.In quotes published by Sport, he said: "I have reached a level where I can compete with great players.

"I do not feel inferior to anybody."I liken [my qualities] to Messi and Ronaldo. I have the same abilities as them."Alexis won Liga and Copa del Rey medals with Barca and also has an FA Cup triumph to his name with Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger's side return to Premier League action following the international break against Southampton on Saturday.

 

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Real & Atletico Madrid to serve transfer bans as FIFA reject appeals

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will be unable to register new players for the next two transfer windows after their appeals against bans imposed by FIFA were rejected.The two clubs had been charged with breaching FIFA regulations relating to the protection and transfer of minors.

After initially being handed the punishment in January, the bans were temporarily delayed pending appeal but they will now suffer the same fate as Barcelona, who were found guilty of similar offences in 2014.

"The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject the appeals lodged by Spanish clubs Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid and to confirm in their entirety the decisions rendered by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in the respective cases relating to the protection of minors," a FIFA statement reads.

"Both clubs are to serve a transfer ban that prevents them from registering any players at national and international level for the next two complete and consecutive registration periods for breaching articles 5, 9, 19 and 19bis as well as annexes 2 and 3 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (the “Regulations”).

"The transfer ban applies to each club as a whole – with the exception of the women’s, futsal and beach soccer teams – and does not prevent the release of players.

"Additionally, Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid have been fined CHF 900,000 and CHF 360,000 respectively, while both clubs have been issued with a reprimand and a warning and given 90 days in which to regularise the situation of all minor players concerned.

"The grounds of the decisions taken by the FIFA Appeal Committee were communicated to the parties concerned today."