..::Football IV::..

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His ability is unquestionable, it's the rest – Ventura calls for Balotelli consistency

Giampiero Ventura says in-form Nice striker Mario Balotelli has to show more consistency if he is to seal a return to the Italy squad.

The 26-year-old continued his impressive start to the season with a superb late winner against Lorient on Sunday but was sent off in stoppage-time after receiving his second yellow card in the space of six minutes.

Balotelli has scored six goals in five appearances across all competitions this season and had been tipped to earn a recall for Italy, who he last played for at the World Cup in 2014.

However, Ventura opted to leave Balotelli out of his final 26-man squad to face Spain and Macedonia in World Cup qualification despite having given him a pre-call.

"His ability as a player is unquestionable, it's the rest," Ventura said at a press conference. "His pre-selection was a sign that there are no foregone conclusions about players.

"The pre-call came because he is back to playing and scoring - now it takes consistency. The important thing is that the players are playing, in Italy or abroad."
Ventura warned Italy over the scale of their challenge in having to face their biggest rivals to win Group G, Spain, at Juventus Stadium on Thursday."It's important, but not decisive," he said. "We are facing the best team in the group.

"The last game they lost in World Cup qualifying was 23 years ago. They are a team which has changed in their approach and how they do things on the pitch.
"It's a different Spain to the past. How they played at Euro 2016 doesn't tell us much.

"They've changed direction and revitalised the team. I can really appreciate [Spain coach] Lopetegui, he's given them ideas and enthusiasm."It's inevitable that there will be rotation for the Spain and Macedonia games. They're two fixtures very close together."

 

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Lewandowski backs Liverpool to challenge for Premier League title

Robert Lewandowski has hailed Jurgen Klopp as a “father figure” and believes his former coach can lead Liverpool to the Premier League title this season.Why always Mario? What happened in Europe over the weekend The Reds have made an electric start to the campaign, winning five of their opening seven games including victories over Arsenal and Chelsea away from home.

And Lewandowski, who played under Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, believes a lack of European football to contend with can benefit Liverpool in one of the most open title races in recent history.Speaking exclusively to Goal, Lewandowski said: “Under Klopp I think they will be fighting for the title this season.

“Pep and Manchester City will not make it easy for anybody to win the title, but Liverpool have a real chance.“Without European football it can really help them with being fresh for games and with injuries and, even though Klopp is always smiling, he is ruthless enough to take advantage of that.”

Lewandowski, 28, morphed into one of the best strikers in the world under Klopp's stewardship at Dortmund before moving to current club Bayern Munich in 2014.The Poland international has lauded Klopp's man-management skills, saying players adapt to his methods because they know he has full belief in them.

“I have watched some Liverpool games since the arrival of Klopp, and you can see that the players are enjoying playing for him,” he explained.

“As a player you know that he totally has your back, he is like a father figure and, because you have that trust in him as a player, it makes you totally open to his methods and his ideas which, in the long term, you always see are for the benefit of your game and for the team.”

 

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Deschamps wants to cool Pogba expectations

France head coach Didier Deschamps has no concerns over Paul Pogba's form despite the world's most expensive player making an underwhelming start to his second spell at Manchester United.

The Premier League club shattered the global transfer record by agreeing a deal worth an initial £89m with Juventus for Pogba but he has so far failed to find his best form at Old Trafford, where he progressed through the youth ranks before joining the Italian champions in 2012.

The 23-year-old missed a pair of gilt-edged opportunities and hit the crossbar during stoppage time in United's frustrating 1-1 Premier League draw against Stoke City on Sunday and is struggling to enjoy a consistent influence over games.
Deschamps now has Pogba back under his charge for France's World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Netherlands and has urged patience with his star midfielder.

"He has changed his club team and needs to find his bearing with his new team-mates," Deschamps told a news conference at Clairefontaine."With Paul, we always expect more. When he does something neutral, often it is not enough.

"He is someone we expect to make assists in every game – there is an expectation that is too large."Paul is okay in his own head. He knows what he wants."
France have once again convened without Karim Benzema.

The Real Madrid striker told Telefoot over the weekend that he was keen to end his international exile, stating "I love the France team… I love my country".Nevertheless, such sentiments are unlikely to hold any sway with Deschamps."I expect nothing from Karim, like the other players," he said. "What you say or write will not change anything in what I think and which players I will choose."

One player Deschamps is unable to choose is Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu, who retired from international football despite being initially called for the forthcoming matches."I accept it because things are clear," the coach said. "It is his decision, I can understand it.

"Ideally, it would have been better if he had warned me before. He has experience with the France team that has not been the happiest."He was honest enough to tell me before you [the press] communicated it. I wish him good luck with his club for the rest of his career."

 

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Mata: Everything is possible for Man Utd

Manchester United must not let their frustrating 1-1 draw with Stoke City on Saturday stop them believing "everything is possible this season", says Juan Mata.

After a tough eight day spell that yielded three consecutive defeats, United recovered with victories over Northampton Town, Leicester City and Zorya prior to last weekend's Premier League encounter.They were unable to claim a fourth, though, as Joe Allen's 82nd minute strike cancelled out Anthony Martial's opener to earn a share of the spoils for Potters.

Mata admits the United squad are "not in the best mood" following the draw, but remains confident they can still enjoy success in the 2016-17 campaign."I'm feeling angry because the team played really well but we didn't win," he wrote in a blog on his website.

"It was a pity, that's the truth. My perception from the pitch was that we were playing a good game, creating chances, passing the ball effectively, but we couldn't complete our job."We have to take the positive aspects and know that if we keep playing like this, we will definitely get good results.

"Against Stoke, the team was full of confidence and we wanted to keep the good streak. We did it in terms of football and the way we played, but not in the score.
Townsend replaces injured Sterling for England "With only one point instead of three we are not in the best mood to take the international break, but we are aware that, at our level, everything is possible this season.

"We have five games in October that are very important and we will give our best to make it a good month. Manchester United has always had challenges and the one we have this season is still there.

"Many times in sport you must learn to accept those games when, even if you do many things well, you don't win. That is football, and that's why it's such a nice and exciting sport.

"We'll be back to the competition in two weeks [against Liverpool] in Anfield. It's a massive game and we are looking forward to start working on it."

 

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Tottenham the opposite of a defensive team, says Lloris

Hugo Lloris hopes Tottenham's victory over Manchester City will help to prove they are not a defensive-minded team.Townsend replaces injured Sterling for EnglandSpurs handed Pep Guardiola his first defeat since taking over at the Etihad Stadium with a deserved 2-0 win at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Tottenham scored twice in the first half through Aleksandar Kolarov's own goal and a Dele Alli strike, holding on for victory after the break despite Erik Lamela having a penalty saved by Claudio Bravo.

Lloris thinks the win displayed Spurs' qualities at both ends of the pitch, as they kept a clean sheet after having the joint-best defensive record in the top-flight last season.

"Last season we were already one of the best defences in the league so I think it's one of our basics to be strong at the back," captain Lloris was quoted by Sky Sports."It doesn't mean we are a defensive team, we are the opposite.

"We try to have a lot of risk in our game, trying to play as high up as we can on the pitch, putting pressure, as we did especially in the first half against City."But we have the ability to play with different options, like we did in the second half, playing a bit deeper, waiting and counter-attacking."

Lloris urged Tottenham's young players to maintain their focus after the morale-boosting victory, which leaves them just two points behind City at the top.
He added: "As long as we keep the same mentality and spirit we can have ambition.

"We have a young team with a lot of talent. We need to make sure we are not changing our minds, just being the same."That's why we enjoy our time at Tottenham because the spirit is excellent."

 

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Herrera earns first Spain call

Ander Herrera could be in line for his first international cap after being added to Spain's squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

The Manchester United midfielder has featured for Spain's Under-21 and U-23 sides in the past but had not previously earned a call-up to the senior team.

But Herrera has been rewarded for his form in the Premier League with Spain coach Julen Lopetegui drafting the midfielder into the squad ahead of matches against Italy and Albania.

After spending the first few weeks on the bench, Herrera has forced his way into United's starting XI under Jose Mourinho and has forged a promising partnership with Paul Pogba.

 

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Congratulations Herrera!​

 

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Balotelli agrees with Italy snub

Mario Balotelli has no qualms about being left out of Italy's latest squad by head coach Giampiero Ventura, but he is targeting an Azzurri return in the near future.The controversial striker has not featured for the national team since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when he was taken off at half-time in their 1-0 defeat to Uruguay in Natal.

Since then Balotelli has struggled to find his best form in difficult spells with AC Milan and Liverpool - the 26-year-old having scored only four times in all competitions across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns.

His struggles saw Liverpool allow the Italy international to leave for Nice on a free transfer during the last transfer window and he has flourished in Ligue 1 with five goals in three starts.

That form had seen him linked with a return to the national side but Ventura opted not to call him up, a decision Balotelli agrees with. "I've missed it for some time, but it's been deserved," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"I hope to return in blue very soon, but only at my best. To me, it's better to have skipped this match. I want to be at my best for the upcoming games."Balotelli also lifted the lid on his troubles during his last spell in Italy with Milan, criticising the atmosphere within the club.

"They weren't the best environment for me," he added. "I did nothing wrong from a behavioural point of view. Injuries are out of players' control and don't depend on us."I found a lot of confusion at Milan, the only certainty was and is [Adriano] Galliani."What do I think about his possible farewell? This would confirm the current confusion at Milan."

Life in the south of France is much better for Balotelli and he is enjoying his football once again."The city where I am now is beautiful," said the former Inter striker. "The environmental aspect played a role in my decision, having recently lived in Liverpool and Milan.

"The team, however, are very young. We're almost all the same age, this is the football that I like."I have no more dreams in football, only targets. The ranking of the teams where I have felt good? Nice, Manchester City and... that's it."

 

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Ronaldo targets another 10 years in football

Cristiano Ronaldo insists that he has no intention of retiring any time soon.

The Real Madrid superstar has tormented backlines in England and Spain during his club career, while also becoming the leading Champions League scorer.After netting 118 goals in 291 appearances for Manchester United, the Portugal international has managed an astonishing 367 strikes in 354 games in the Spanish capital.

His career has brought four Premier League titles, one La Liga crown and three Champions League successes, and he added the European Championship with Portugal to that haul earlier this year.

And the forward's hunger for football shows no sign of dissipating after announcing he plans to play on for another decade."Life is not just about football," the 31-year-old said at the opening of his new hotel in Lisbon.

"Although football is my grand passion, I must start to think about the future.
"I don't have many years left, about 10 more or less, so I must look to the future."

 

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Rooney must produce as a striker to earn caps record - Shilton

Wayne Rooney needs to buckle down and perform as a striker if he is to earn England's cap record, says current holder Peter Shilton.

The former England goalkeeper, who won 125 caps in his career, repeated his belief that the captain – capped 116 times – should have retired from international duty after Euro 2016.

Those comments saw Shilton criticised by Jamie Carragher, but the 67-year-old stands by his view and does not think Rooney has been close to his peak form for at least a year.

He told Omnisport: "I have always been a massive Wayne Rooney fan. He has always been a street-fighter, he's given 100 per cent, he would get in the box and would score goals – I always rated him very highly.

"I don't think he is the same sort of player now. But I've got to say, If he actually plays the way we know Wayne Rooney plays and he surpasses my record I will be the first one to shake his hand, pat him on the back and say 'well done' because for a striker that is fantastic.

"But I don't think he has done that in the last year or so. In the Euros he was captain, we lost to Iceland – I didn't see him in the game, I didn't see any leadership. "I've not seen the Wayne Rooney I know for a year as a striker. He now wants to play in midfield - if he was a midfield player he would have played there.

"I thought after the last Euros – because I think a new manager has got to build two years for the next World Cup - you have got to have a team.

"Wayne Rooney, if he is selected, which Sam Allardyce did do, has got to play so many games in a short space of time to win the World Cup and he will be 32 then, so I think it would have been the right time for him to retire after the Euros - that would be my opinion and that is what I said."

Shilton thinks Rooney's form for Manchester United will be the deciding factor over whether he surpasses his own cap tally to reach that record as well as the country's goalscoring mark.

"He says he wants to retire after the next World Cup – to me that is his management company putting a lot of propaganda out," added Shilton."It's about what he does on the pitch and now he has obviously been dropped by Man United.

"I hope he gets back but he's got to play a striker and he has got to score goals. If he does that, he will retain his international place. If he doesn't, he won't beat my record."

 

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I'm not yet at Ronaldo and Messi level - Griezmann

Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann concedes he is not yet at the same level as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.The 25-year-old is among the favourites for this year's Ballon d'Or after sustaining exceptional form for club and country.

Griezmann scored 32 goals last season as Atletico finished third in LaLiga and reached the Champions League final, before he claimed the Golden Boot at Euro 2016 as he fired in six goals to take France all the way to the final.

But the former Real Sociedad forward, who has struck six times in as many league games this term, believes he must win more trophies if he is to be considered on the same level as the Barcelona and Real Madrid forwards.

"I think I still have more to do to be their equal, starting with winning titles," he told L'Equipe. "They've won them and they keep winning them.

"But as I've said in the past, I want to sit at their table. And I think I'm getting there, bit by bit. I hope to stay there as long as possible."Griezmann does, however, feel as though his increasing reputation is beginning to have an impact on the pitch.

When asked if opponents or officials take more notice of him than when he first joined Atletico in 2014, he replied: "The referees, even more!"Now they call me 'Griezmann', whereas before they didn't know who I was. They had to look at the name on the back of my shirt."

Griezmann caused a stir when, after the 0-0 draw with Leganes in August, he claimed that Atletico could be dragged into a relegation fight if they did not improve.

The forward admits he was wrong to vent his frustrations to the media, but feels his comments may have had the right effect, with Diego Simeone's side having won six times and held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in their last seven matches."I was wrong to speak publicly," he said. "I should have done it in the dressing room, but that's what I thought at the time. That's why I said it.

"Maybe it stung everyone a little. But, again, it was just spontaneous. There was no hidden agenda. I'm not someone who uses the media to get messages across."

 

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Aubameyang: Manchester City were in contact over a transfer

Borussia Dortmund attacker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed that talks were held with Manchester City over a potential summer transfer, though he says there was “nothing concrete”.

The Gabon international, who scored 39 goals in all competitions last season, has also confessed that there has been interest in his services from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

“It’s true, there was contact,” he told Onze when asked about summer links with City. “My father held talks with the club, but in the end there was nothing concrete.“I think there was interest [from Real Madrid], but it was more distant so I didn’t get too carried away.”Aubameyang has never hidden his love for the Bernabeu club but does not necessarily expect to be called by them.

“I was asked in interview: ‘What is the club of your dreams?’ I replied: ‘Real is the club of my heart and I made a promise to my grandfather to play there one day, I hope it will happen.’ “So it's just a target, I still have time. If they want me, they will come.”

Former Saint-Etienne man Aubameyang has also refused to entirely close the door on a return to France with PSG but suggested the Parc des Princes club are weaker than in the past.

“We’ll see. I found their summer transfer plans... let’s just say I expected that they would sign more players,” he said. “They’re still a big team and I think they’ll still be Ligue 1 champions this season. But there are one or two teams who could annoy them.

“At the end of my first season in the Bundesliga there was contact. And the next summer, too. In fact, almost every year. They took it poorly, it didn’t happen – that’s all I can say.

“I don’t especially want to return to France immediately. But it’s true that PSG have the ambition to win the Champions League, so they could be interesting for a player like me.”

 

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Son and De Bruyne up for September Player of the Month award

Tottenham forward Son Heung-Min and Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne are in the mix for the Premier League Player of the Month award for September.

Son scored braces against both Stoke City and Middlesbrough to inspire Spurs to a strong start to the season, while De Bruyne played a decisive role in City's victory over rivals Manchester United.

Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana has been named on the shortlist for the accolade after a string of impressive displays in his side's unbeaten start to the campaign.

And Arsenal winger Theo Walcott and Everton marksman Romelu Lukaku complete the list of candidates.

Walcott found the back of the net against Hull City and Chelsea, while Lukaku ended his goalscoring drought with a fine hat-trick against Sunderland as well as strikes against Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace.

 

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Guardiola, Klopp & Wenger all nominated for Premier League Manager of the Month

Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Arsene Wenger have all been nominated for September's Premier League Manager of the Month award.

Manchester City boss Guardiola has enjoyed a terrific start to life in England's top-flight, although suffered his first loss of the season on Sunday at the hands of Tottenham.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is also nominated for the award, having won all three league matches in September, while Wenger's Arsenal also won their three games.

The other nominations include Jurgen Klopp, whose Liverpool scored an impressive 13 goals in the league as they recored three consecutive wins last month, and Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew.Mike Phelan, meanwhile, claimed the August award after guiding Hull City to two Premier League victories out of three.

 

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Manager of the Month Klopp wei godak durata​

 

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Chelsea need to improve to compete with Man City and United - Conte

Antonio Conte has warned Chelsea that they must build on their 2-0 win over Hull City if they are to compete with the likes of Manchester City and United.

The Blues ended a three-game winless streak, including defeats against Liverpool and Arsenal, with victory over Hull at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday.

Chelsea are currently seventh and Conte, who was set the goal of finishing in the top four before the seaso n started, believes his side have a lot of work to do to match their counterparts."We need to understand there is a lot to improve," Conte said. "Then we can play better in the games against Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham.

"Now I think that we must work, we must continue to work because we know that to change the past then we need to work a lot and together."

Conte faces a tough run of games after his players return from international duty, with Chelsea's next two games coming against Premier League champions Leicester City and Jose Mourinho's United Chelsea switched to a 3-4-3 system for the win over Hull and Conte was pleased with how well his charges adapted to the change.

"The principles are to try to maintain always very short and narrow [when we don’t have the ball]," he added. “To try to do, obviously dependent on the situation, like if we lose the ball to try to win the ball back very quickly to maintain a good balance and I think this principle is very good.

"We have the width and these are the principles of my idea of football. If we play with three or four centre backs we have to bring these principles."

 

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Pedro returns to Barcelona

Pedro has returned to Barcelona! But, don't worry Chelsea fans, only for a brief visit while training with Spain.

The 29-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge in a deal worth around £20 million last summer but, after an impressive debut in which he was man of the match, has failed to live up to his promise.

Pedro revealed during the transfer window that he had held talks with Barcelona club president Josep Maria Bartomeu over a return to Camp Nou, having spoken of his desire to move back on more than one occasion.

The Spain international, who is preparing to face Italy and Albania over the next five days, told Barcelona's official website: "I was looking forward to coming, to see the people I left behind and see how things are going.

"I always wish them the best and I hope they can stay on top."He added on Chelsea: "[I am] enjoying a new and different experience. The team is in good shape in the top half of the table and we are working hard with the coach."

 

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Bayern are more cautious under Ancelotti, admits Kimmich

Joshua Kimmich admits Bayern Munich are a more cautious side under Carlo Ancelotti than they were when Pep Guardiola was in charge.

Former Barcelona coach Guardiola left the Bundesliga champions at the end of last season, joining Manchester City, while Ancelotti arrived after a year-long hiatus.

Bayern have so far continued the fine league form shown with the Spaniard - winning five of their first six matches - but Kimmich insists the style of play is very different.

"We play more cautious," he told Bild. "We do not try 90 minutes of pressing play as with Pep Guardiola. This is simply not our plan."There are now phases in which we wait to go forward so we can create more space."

Kimmich, often deployed as a full-back, has already scored five goals in nine matches this term, adding that he is continuing to develop his attacking game."I now better understand the situations where I can go forward," he said.

 

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I am at my dream club and I want to fight for my place - Memphis

Memphis Depay insists he is content with life at Manchester United despite a lack of game time so far this season.

The Netherlands international struggled in his first year at Old Trafford after a £26m move in the summer of 2015, scoring just two goals and recording no assists in 29 Premier League appearances.

And despite playing only 12 minutes in the top flight this term, Memphis is happy to remain patient and wait for an opportunity.

"[Jose Mourinho] has faith in me," the 22-year-old told Dutch publication Metro. "He told me so."I feel like a loaded gun but I have to wait for my chance in the first team. I am at my dream club and I want to fight for my place."A 1-1 draw with Stoke City on Sunday leaves United in sixth place in the Premier League table after seven matches.

 

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I am at my dream club and I want to fight for my place - Memphis

Yes you canGood luck Depay!

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