..::Football IV::..

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Cristiano Ronaldo five-match ban upheld


Cristiano Ronaldo's appeal of his five-match suspension following his red card in the Spanish Supercopa has been denied by Spain's Administrative Court of Sport.
The Real Madrid star will now be forced to miss his club's next three games. He is eligible to return Week 5 of La Liga against Real Betis.

Ronaldo received his ban for shoving referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea after receiving two yellow cards in the first leg 3-1 win over Barcelona.Madrid went on to win the tie 5-1 on aggregate to take the Supercopa.

The Spain Football Federation handed down the ban to the superstar only to have it appealed by the La Liga champions. That appeal was rejected by the federation, which prompted the attempt to have the Administrative Court of Sport overturn the ban. However, the TAD rejected that appeal.

Previously, Ronaldo had deemed the ban ridiculous on Instagram, writing: "Impossible to be unaffected by this situation, 5 games!!"It seems exaggerated and ridiculous, this is called persecution! Thanks to my teammates for the support and the fans!!!"

Ronaldo will miss home matches with Valencia and Levante along with an away game against Real Sociedad before being eligible to return Tuesday, September 19 against Betis. Madrid did not miss Ronaldo in their opener, dispatching Deportivo La Coruna by a 3-0 scoreline.

 

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Rojo returns to Manchester United training after four-month lay-off


Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo is back in training, four months after suffering a serious knee injury in the Europa League quarter-finals against Anderlecht.Rojo was involved in Tuesday's session, with Luke Shaw and Ashley Young also taking part as they continue their own recoveries from injury.

United manager Jose Mourinho said last month that Argentina international Rojo "has no chance before December", but he could return earlier than expected.Mourinho's men are top of the Premier League table after winning their opening fixtures against West Ham and Swansea City by the same 4-0 scoreline.

Inter's Ivan Perisic and Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale had been linked with the club, but Mourinho is now targeting a player who can also feature as a wing-back.

 

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Barcelona take legal action against Neymar for alleged breach of contract


Barcelona have announced they are taking legal action against Neymar after alleging the Brazilian failed to fulfil his contract.

Earlier this month, the Catalan giants saw Neymar depart for Paris Saint-Germain, who met the €222million release clause in the player's contract, smashing the world transfer record in the process.

Neymar has made a stunning start to his time in Ligue 1, scoring three times in his first two games, but on Tuesday Barca released a statement confirming they were suing the forward for at least €8.5m.

Barca's complaint relates to Neymar having signed a fresh deal until 2021 in October last year, with the club hoping to recoup his "renewal premium" as well as €8.5m in damages and a further 10 per cent in arrears.The club went on to say that if Neymar is unable to pay, PSG will be expected to cover the costs.

"In this lawsuit, the club demands from the player the amount already settled in relation to the renewal premium for a breach of contract; €8.5m in damages; and an additional 10 per cent in arrears," the statement read. "The club also asks that Paris Saint-Germain assumes the payment of these amounts in the event that the player is not able to take charge.

"FC Barcelona have put forward these actions in defence of their interests following the unilateral termination of the contract instigated by Neymar Jr, a few months after the signing of his renewal until the year 2021."Shortly after Neymar completed his move to PSG, Barca announced that the player would not receive a €26m loyalty bonus after they accused him of breaching his contract.

It was reported that Neymar's father - also his agent - held up the move to PSG beyond the end of July in order to trigger the payment, which had been inserted as part of his new deal."There were three conditions [to the bonus]: one, that the player does not negotiate with another club in the last three months before July 31," Barca said at the time.

"Two, that he will express publicly his commitment to fulfil his contract."Three, the collection was to be made on September 1, to ensure that he did not go to another club."

After scoring twice on his home debut for PSG - a 6-2 thrashing of Toulouse on Sunday - Neymar took aim at the Barcelona board, claiming "there are directors that shouldn't be there"."I had four very happy years there, but Barca deserve much better. I have a lot of friends there," he added.

 

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Thiago and Martinez return to full Bayern Munich training


Thiago Alcantara and Javi Martinez have returned to full training with Bayern Munich, but Jerome Boateng and James Rodriguez are still working alone as they recover from injury.

Midfielder Thiago and defender Martinez both sat out Bayern's first game of the Bundesliga season, a 3-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena on Friday.

But the duo could be in line to feature against Werder Bremen on Saturday after they joined in with full training for the first time this season on Tuesday."Thiago in particular was in a noticeably enthusiastic mood," read a piece on Bayern's official website. "During every break he snatched the ball, showed off some tricks or lifted up one of his team-mates to get to the ball.

"The 26-year-old showed the same delight during the individual training games as he distributed the ball in midfield with fine ball control and fast movement."

Manuel Neuer also trained with the group as the Germany goalkeeper recovers from the foot injury that kept him out of the Leverkusen game.

 

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Rooney still has unfinished business with England - Jagielka


Wayne Rooney still has unfinished business with England, according to Everton team-mate Phil Jagielka.Rooney, 31, has scored in both Premier League games to begin his second stint at Everton, helping Ronald Koeman's men claim four points of a possible six.

The forward's goal against Manchester City on Monday was also his 200th in the Premier League – joining Alan Shearer as the only players to reach the milestone.

Jagielka lauded Rooney and said England's all-time leading goalscorer, who has not played for his country since November last year, “looks as good as ever” ahead of the Three Lions' upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia.

"With the season Wayne had last season – with him not being given the chance to play as much as he would have liked – he is concentrating on his football at Everton and if England comes knocking he has more goals to go for," the Everton captain said.

"He is England’s top goalscorer. I have been lucky enough to play with Wayne a number of times and he looks as good as ever now, as hungry as ever and hopefully that is a good sign for us.

"I am sure he will be happy. If not, we would be delighted he gets a rest and is ready to go for us."Rooney made his return to Goodison Park after 13 trophy-laden seasons at Manchester United.

While the forward last scored at least 10 league goals in 2014-15, Jagielka said he never doubted Rooney would deliver for Everton."Wayne and his team-mates never doubted him – I am not sure why people would doubt him," he said. "He has proven, when he gets a chance to play a number of games, he normally scores a number of goals.

"His record for his country and for the teams he has played for has been second to none. So far, in pre-season and in Europe, he has been one of our best players. And hopefully that form will continue.

"He ran more than anybody else at Manchester City. He has been putting it in, he looks fit and sharp, and is scoring goals. There is not much more we will be looking for him to do."

 

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Barcelona Twitter account hacked as club 'announce' signing of Angel Di Maria


FC Barcelona's Twitter was hacked in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with the club "announcing" the signing of Angel Di Maria from Paris Saint-Germain.

It had been a trying 24 hours for the Blaugrana, as on Tuesday the club announced they were suing Neymar after alleging the Brazilian failed to fulfill his agreement with the team.

And things only got worse later as the club's official Twitter account sent out a tweet saying, "Welcome Angel Di Maria to FC Barcelona!"
Over the course of the next hour, the tweets would disappear and reappear on Barcelona's timeline, as a back-and-forth battle between the hackers and the club ensued. Later, the club tweeted: "Our accounts have been hacked tonight. We're working to solve the problem as soon as possible."Thanks for your patience."

Credit for the hack was claimed by OurMine, a Saudi Arabian group who have also hacked the Facebook account of CNN, and Twitter accounts of Netflix, Marvel and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg among many others.

 

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Barcelona set for further rejection from Liverpool if they return with a new Coutinho bid


Barcelona will find no receding in Liverpool’s resolve not to sell Philippe Coutinho this summer if they submit a fourth bid for the player as it will also be swiftly rejected.

The Reds will not shift from their “definitive stance”, as outlined in an emphatic statement by owners Fenway Sports Group, that no offers will be considered for the Brazil international, who will remain at Anfield come the close of the window.

The last proposal tabled by the Catalan club, which was instantly swatted away on Friday, was followed up by a deadline emailed to Liverpool; they had until Sunday evening to change their minds or the approach would be withdrawn.

The Merseysiders ignored the laughable ultimatum over a base figure of £82 million, which was bloated by improbable release clauses to reach a headline amount of up to £118m.

Reports that Barca are planning to return with a more serious proposition having had zero success in over a month of motioning for the 25-year-old, with the timing of the news coming ahead of yet another matchday, is no real surprise despite their 'final offer' threat last week.

Sky Sports claim Ernesto Valverde’s side are preparing to bid £101m up front with a further £37m in extras contingent on Champions League appearances as they’ll “never give up the fight” to land Coutinho.

However, as Liverpool have stipulated from the onset of Barca’s chase and have maintained ever since, the wantaway playmaker, who has had a transfer request repudiated, is not on the market at any price this summer.

Coutinho has not featured for the club yet this season due to a back injury of convenient timing and Jurgen Klopp has revealed he is now also laid low with a virus.

“If Phil would start tomorrow, which he can’t because on top [of the back injury] he’s now ill, how it was with one or two other players but it was not that serious and so they were back in training today, it would take time because he’s had no training for a long time,” he said, stating there was no date pencilled in for the Brazilian’s return.

The German was asked whether things were still fine between him and Coutinho and whether he would happily welcome back Liverpool’s highest earner when the dust settles over this transfer saga.“Of course. Yes, indeed. Absolutely. 100 per cent,” was Klopp’s response.

Liverpool line up against Hoffenheim on Wednesday night in the second leg of their Champions League play-off before facing Arsenal on Sunday in their final fixture before deadline day.

 

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Atletico star Griezmann lands two-game ban for ref outburst


Antoine Griezmann has been hit with a two-match ban following Atletico Madrid's 2-2 draw against newly promoted Girona in their La Liga opener.

Griezmann was booked for diving during the second half as Atletico sought to haul back a 2-0 deficit and referee Juan Martinez Munera dismissed him almost immediately for his reaction to the punishment.The report handed in by the official said Griezmann had called him "cagon", which translates as "chickens***".

The Royal Spanish Football Federation's (RFEF) disciplinary committee deemed the France star's reaction to be "unjustifiable" and an act of "contempt and disregard" towards Munera.Griezmann will miss Atletico's matches against Las Palmas and Valencia and must also pay a €600 fine, with his club culpable for €700.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has received a one-match ban as expected after collecting two bookings during the champions' 3-0 win at Deportivo La Coruna.

Zinedine Zidane's men host Valencia on Sunday.

 

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Rooney retires from international football

England's record goalscorer, Wayne Rooney, has announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect.

The 31-year-old Everton striker, who returned to his boyhood club from Manchester United earlier this summer, scored 53 goals in 119 appearances for the Three Lions.

The Football Association has confirmed that Rooney informed Gareth Southgate of his decision after being told he was set to be included in the upcoming squad to face Malta and Slovakia."It was great Gareth Southgate called me this week to tell me he wanted me back in the England squad for the upcoming matches. I really appreciated that," he said in an official statement.

"However, having already thought long and hard, I told Gareth that I had now decided to retire for good from international football. "It is a really tough decision and one I have discussed with my family, my manager at Everton and those closest to me.

"Playing for England has always been special to me. Every time I was selected as a player or captain was a real privilege and I thank everyone who helped me. But I believe now is the time to bow out.

"Leaving Manchester United was a tough call but I know I made the right decision in coming home to Everton. Now I want to focus all my energies on helping them be successful.

"I will always remain a passionate England fan. One of my very few regrets is not to have been part of a successful England tournament side. Hopefully the exciting players Gareth is bringing through can take that ambition further and I hope everyone will get behind the team."One day the dream will come true and I look forward to being there as a fan — or in any capacity."

Rooney made his debut for England in 2003, against Australia, and went on to play in three World Cup tournaments and three European Championships.

The striker was unable to lift a trophy on the international stage, with his best achievements coming in reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 2006.

 

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Thanks for Everything Rooney!

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Chelsea working on Candreva deal as Inter target Schick as a replacement


Antonio Conte wants Chelsea to complete a deal for Inter Milan's Antonio Candreva and the Serie A club could sell to fund a move for a new centre-back and Sampdoria's Patrik Schick, Goal understands. Candreva is just one of many names that Chelsea are looking to bring in but Conte is personally keen on signing the 30-year-old, who shares the same agent as the Blues boss.

However, Chelsea's policy dictates that players over the age of 30 should only be offered one-year deals and the Candreva deal would have to represent value for the club to make an exception. The last player that Chelsea broke their over-30 rule for was Yossi Benayoun, who joined on a three-year deal from Liverpool back in 2010.

Inter, meanwhile, are looking into the possibility of selling Candreva as they want to sign the exciting forward Schick, as well as a big-name centre-back, with Arsenal's Shkodran Mustafi and Manchester City's Eliaquim Mangala on their list.

The Italian side are thought to be looking to sell players to avoid any penalties over the Financial Fair Play rules, if they are to make further signings, but they could also look to offload Stevan Jovetić.Chelsea's net spend in the summer transfer window is under £20million and the club's squad has looked depleted in recent weeks after a large number of player sales.

With only eight days left in the transfer window, Chelsea are aiming to make a number of signings to reinforce their ranks.

Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Leicester City's Danny Drinkwater and Tottenham's Danny Rose are among the other names that Chelsea are working on bringing in.

 

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Barcelona pull out of €40m Seri deal


Barcelona have ended their interest in signing Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri, Goal can confirm.The Blaugrana had come to a €40 million deal for the 26-year-old but are now set to go back in for primary targets Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.

Despite agreeing a fee for the Ivory Coast international, there was a disagreement between Barcelona's board and the club's coaching staff as to his suitability, and as such they have opted to pull the plug on the move.

They will now use the saved funds to increase their bids for Borussia Dortmund forward Dembele and Liverpool midfielder Coutinho, though the Reds will reject any further offers for the latter.
Seri, who has also been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham, scored seven goals and laid on nine assists in 34 Ligue 1 appearances last season, but he could not help Nice reach the Champions League group stage as they lost out to Napoli in the play-offs on Tuesday.

The U-turn marks another twist in an eventful summer for Barcelona who, despite spending €70m on Nelson Semedo and Paulinho, are still reeling from the world-record €222m sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.

 

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Liverpool 4 Hoffenheim 2 (6-3 agg): Can at the double in Reds' Champions League romp

Liverpool stormed into the group stages of the Champions League as an irresistible first-half display against Hoffenheim at Anfield secured a 4-2 win and a 6-3 aggregate success.

Jurgen Klopp's side rode their luck at times during the 2-1 first-leg victory in Germany last week and they were keen to leave no semblance of doubt on home soil.

Midfielder Emre Can was an unlikely goal hero – striking twice either side of Mohamed Salah's 18th-minute second.

Mark Uth reduced the arrears before an unrelenting contest reached the half hour and Germany international Can almost claimed the matchball before the interval.
Home forwards Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino performed with palpable menace throughout, with the latter adding a fourth as his Brazil team-mate and Barcelona target Philippe Coutinho remained on the sidelines.

Sandro Wagner briefly punctuated the party atmosphere with a 79th-minute consolation but, in this mood, Klopp's men will not be an opponent desired by Europe's leading lights when they are placed in pot three for Thursday's Champions League draw.

iverpool seemed determined to end the argument early, with Salah sending Mane haring through one-on-one in the fourth minute. Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann stood firm but there was no let-up in a relentless start and the hosts soon broke through.

Mane's pace again troubled the visiting defence and the forward sent a delightful backheel into the path of Can, whose low shot deflected off Kevin Vogt and beat Baumann at the near post.Liverpool were rampant and, after Salah converted from close range when Georginio Wijnaldum's drive came back off the post, it was 3-0 in the 21st minute.

Hoffenheim were taken apart by now familiar instruments of torture – Mane unfurling his backheel once more with relish and teeing up Firmino to cross for Can to double his tally.With the tie all-but over, Julian Nagelsmann saw no sense in damage limitation and replaced centre-back Havard Nordtveit with striker Uth.

After watching Serge Gnabry clip wastefully wide, the substitute had a swift impact as he collected Wagner's pass down the right channel and slid a low shot past Simon Mignolet.

Baumann denied Firmino at close quarters on the end of Salah's low right-wing cross, while Can almost had an unlikely first-half hat-trick when Mane teed him up to curl past the far post in the 42nd minute.

Liverpool were clearly eager to inflict more damage after the break and should have done so when Wijnaldum exchanged passes with Salah and lifted over 10 minutes into the second period.

There was more bad news for the Bundesliga side when Gnabry hobbled down the Anfield tunnel – Mane suffering no such physical ailments as his latest mazy run ended with Baumann making a near-post save.

The overworked keeper had no chance in the 63rd minute and nor did captain Vogt, who was sold short by a wretched Kerem Demirbay pass.Jordan Henderson needed no invitation to steal in and, after bearing down on goal, he selflessly squared to leave Firmino with a tap-in.

Hoffenheim gained a measure of consolation when Andrej Kramaric cut in from the left and Wagner rose to plant a header past Mignolet, but it barely took the shine off Liverpool's artistry and a display Firmino's compatriot Coutinho would surely have relished being a part of. He was hardly missed.

 

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Real Madrid 2 Fiorentina 1: Banned Ronaldo nets stunner in Trofeo Santiago Bernabeu

The suspended Cristiano Ronaldo vented his frustrations with a stunning strike as Real Madrid defeated Fiorentina 2-1 in the Trofeo Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

The star forward has missed the last two matches, including his team's opening game of the 2017-18 Liga season, and is banned from competitive domestic action for three further games after being sent off and then pushing the referee in the first leg of the Supercopa de Espana against Barcelona.

While all eyes were understandably on Ronaldo in this exhibition game, links between the past and future of Spanish and Italian football were also apparent by glancing at the team sheets, as Federico Chiesa and Giovanni Simeone, the offspring of former Azzurri international Enrico Chiesa and Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone respectively, started for Fiorentina.

Young goalkeeper Luca Zidane was introduced by his father for the hosts in the second half, while Ianis Hagi, son of Romania great Gheorghe Hagi, who played for both Barcelona and Madrid, came on in the second half for La Viola.

It was the less storied figure of Jordan Veretout, rescued last month from an unhappy spell at Aston Villa, who opened the scoring for Fiorentina after just four minutes, stabbing a firm finish from the top of the box past Madrid goalkeeper Kiko Casilla.It did not take long for Los Blancos' stars to assert themselves, though.

The in-form Marco Asensio linked up with the man he has been shining in the absence of, playing in Ronaldo down the left of the opposition penalty area. The Portugal star dragged his shot across the face of goal and Borja Mayoral was on hand to fire home from close range.


In the 33rd minute it was Ronaldo who grabbed the spotlight, charging down the left wing, cutting inside and beating defender German Pezzella before firing a brilliant finish into the far top corner of the net, leaving Marco Sportiello helpless.

Madrid continued to dominate without forcing a third before half-time, when the beleaguered visitors offered their starting XI some much needed respite by changing the entire team. Zidane initially sufficed himself with just three swaps, including the introduction of son Luca in place of Casilla.



Star playmaker Isco meanwhile came on for Asensio in the 62nd minute and there were also cameos from Casemiro, Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos, although neither side proved able to add to the scoreline in the time remaining.

 

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Klopp delights in Liverpool's 'perfect storm' as Champions League dream continues


Jurgen Klopp felt Hoffenheim were struck down by a perfect first-half "thunderstorm" as his Liverpool side romped into the Champions League group stages with a 4-2 win at Anfield.Emre Can scored either side of Mohamed Salah's goal, all in the first 21 minutes, to set the Reds on their way to a 6-3 aggregate triumph.

Mark Uth pulled one back for Hoffenheim before the interval and Sandro Wagner's 79th-minute consolation came after Roberto Firmino added Liverpool's fourth, but the Bundesliga side were thoroughly outmatched in the face of a rampant attack.

"I thought the first half hour was a thunderstorm and I've really enjoyed it," Klopp told BT Sport."I have not enough words for this, it's amazing. It's 14 months of the hardest work"It feels in this moment, absolutely amazing. Big, big, big compliments to my team. They played a perfect first half an hour.

"At half-time I asked them if they could remember the feeling they had at 3-0 and told them to put that feeling away because there was too much relief at that moment.

"But credit to Hoffenheim they played football and continued to enjoy the game. They can score two goals because of their quality."We didn't think we were the favourites but everyone else did so we had the pressure, but the boys did good."

Aside from the thrill of bringing heavyweight European action back to Anfield, Klopp conceded there is also a more practical benefit to returning to the Champions League.

"In talks with a lot of players or if we want to extend contracts they say '…if we play Champions League'," he said."To strengthen a team like this is not too easy. There are not too many players out there who are better than these players."I really love the attitude of these players. Always people say we don't do this or we don't do that right but we hit back all the time."

One element of adversity off the field Liverpool have had to contend with is Barcelona's interest in sidelined playmaker Philippe Coutinho.Reports emerged on Wednesday that Barca had tabled a fourth bid worth £138million but Klopp remained unmoved on the issue.

"There is nothing else to say," he added. "It's not that I don't want to talk about it, I just have nothing to say."

 

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Champions League is where Liverpool belong - Henderson


Liverpool still have work to do despite advancing to the group stage of the Champions League, according to captain Jordan Henderson, although he says Jurgen Klopp's men are back where they belong.

Emre Can's first-half brace helped Liverpool to record a 4-2 win against Hoffenheim in Wednesday's second leg, sending the Premier League side through 6-3 on aggregate.Liverpool will now play in the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2014, much to Henderson's delight.

"It has been a brilliant night, the atmosphere was brilliant all night and we were brilliant at the start and set the tempo," Henderson said to BT Sport."We let in a couple of goals, so we have still got things to work on, but overall we're delighted to get back into the Champions League - where Liverpool belong.

"Getting back into the Champions League was our aim and we've done it. Now when we get into the Champions League itself we have got to do ourselves justice and win some games there."

Liverpool will be placed in pot three in Thursday's group stage draw, raising the prospect of Klopp's team potentially facing the likes of Champions League titleholders Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

But Henderson, who set up Roberto Firmino for a tap-in to secure qualification, insisted five-time winners Liverpool are not fussed about their opponents.

"I'm delighted for the lads and the fans," Henderson said. "We're in there and we've proved we can play against big teams. We're happy to play against whoever we're drawn against."

 

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Carabao Cup draw: Liverpool to face Leicester City and Man Utd get Burton in third round


Liverpool will square off with Leicester City and EFL holders Manchester United are paired with Burton Albion following Thursday morning's Carabao Cup third-round draw in Beijing.The seven Premier League sides who qualified for European football last year will also enter the tournament at this stage.

Among the match-ups including Champions League teams, Manchester City are set to visit West Brom, Chelsea will square off against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham will host Barnsley.Meanwhile, Arsenal will welcome Doncaster Rovers, Everton will face Sunderland and West Ham will meet with Bolton Wanderers.

The 16 matches will be played in the week beginning September 18.

 

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Wenger confirms Arsenal's pursuit of Monaco star Lemar is 'dead'


Arsene Wenger has confirmed Arsenal's pursuit of highly rated Monaco star Thomas Lemar is “dead”.

The Gunners had been keen to land the 21-year-old, who played a key role in helping Monaco claim the Ligue 1 title last season as well as reach the Champions League semi-finals.

Goal reported in June that Arsenal launched a €35m (£30.7m) bid for Lemar but the offer was swiftly rejected by Monaco.

And now Wenger has revealed that negotiations between the two clubs are over.“It’s dead because Monaco I think has closed the door definitely,” said the Frenchman.

“They’re still on cases like Kylian Mbappe and Fabinho. They have already lost Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva and Tiemoue Bakayoko.

“Monaco is at a stage where they’ve closed the door. We have the numbers and quality to deal with that.”Despite missing out on Lemar, Wenger insists he is “very happy” with Arsenal's squad as they look to reclaim a place in the Champions League.

The north Londoners have signed both Sead Kolasinac and Alexandre Lacazette so far this summer and Wenger says the club currently have “too many” players on the books.Wenger added: “I’m very happy with the strength of our squad. I’ve said many times before we have too many players in our squad.

“Some of them will have no chance to compete for places because we have too many. On the other hand, one of the values of this club is to give chances to young players.”

Arsenal take on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday as they aim to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat against Stoke City last weekend.

 

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Zidane's Madrid all-stars will be better than Pep's Barcelona


There comes a time when it should dawn on you that the players and teams you are watching before your very eyes rank alongside the all-time greats.This realisation is as much about the observer as the teams and players observed and requires clarity and decisiveness in opinion-making.

It requires fans to be able to stand back and be solid in their convictions that, yes, this team or this player is the best and would probably be the best in any era.

When watching certain players this is not too difficult to manage. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are held to be better than any player that has gone before.Team-wise, it has become widely accepted that Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona team from the years 2008-2012 were the best.

However disorientating it might be to have two all-time great teams coming one almost immediately after the other, we are now forced to consider the reality that Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid might already be better.

With the squad he has at his disposal, given their ages, there is no question that Zidane will have two or three years to verifiably prove that his team is the best and the signs are already there that his side could well put Pep’s in the shade.

For 27 years the record stood. No team in the European Cup or Champions League could retain the trophy. That was until Zidane came along and dismantled that record in little more than a year in charge.

He didn’t request exorbitant sums to carry it out. Indeed, he has spent quite a bit less than any other Real Madrid manager of the modern era. He turned a healthy profit this summer and last, and won those two Champions Leagues with largely the same squad.

The odd blending of young talent here – in Marco Asensio - the odd tweaking of a system there – integrating Isco into the midfield – has proven that there need not be a huge ideological uproot in order to create history.

Then there’s the small matter of Real winning their first Spanish and European double in nearly 60 years. Many have tried, many have failed. It took this squad of players, bonded together by Zidane’s gentle touch, to write a new chapter in Madrid history. No one would back them against sealing another this season.

Madrid appear to be on a higher plane than any other domestic challenger and any other aspirant to their European throne too. There is a fundamental simplicity to the type of football Zidane has requested they play.There is a big echo in the work of Carlo Ancelotti in his system. He doesn’t ask his players to adapt to his preferences; instead he plays to their strengths.

Zidane is no zealot. He moves between systems, subtly, without dizzying his players with a raft of demands. He lets them go out there to showcase their qualities.

He now has the best centre-back in the world in Sergio Ramos, the best left-back in Marcelo, the best midfielder in Luka Modric, the best striker in Cristiano Ronaldo and the best young player in Asensio.

This is a liberated Real Madrid, utterly transformed from the day Zidane arrived. Madrid have such a characteristic habit of self-sabotage that it was hard to think anything other than implosion when Zidane was hastily announced as the replacement for Rafael Benitez.

Rafa had ridden roughshod over a group of talented if egotistical players who decided to quit on him. Zidane, with scarcely the experience or pedigree of a top-level coach, was drafted in.

Since then, Madrid went 40 games unbeaten in La Liga – setting a new record – and won seven major trophies, placing the Frenchman fourth in the all-time Madrid honours list after barely 18 months in charge.

He’s promoting from within and eschewing massive transfer fees for players which some clubs hope are the quick hit needed to find ecstasy. He is content to work with players he knows and likes – and who look up to him – which settles the squad, gives it continuity and trust inside the group. It is a very traditional method of managing the biggest example of a 21st century club out there.

But it’s not simply a matter of Zidane having made Real great. The players have to take the bulk of the credit. Whether it’s controlling the pace of matches through the wizardry of Modric, Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Isco or striking on the counter with the pace of Marcelo and Ronaldo, these men provide the template of how to play football in this era, just like Guardiola’s team did for the first time nearly a decade ago.

To promote this Real to the rank of Guardiola’s world-beaters is not to diminish the status of Barcelona. They were great; the greatest club team the world had ever seen.

They democratised a game that had seen the fittest, the fastest and the biggest come out on top. They struck a blow for the little guy – the Xavis, the Iniestas and the Messis – who were not bestowed physical gifts but cerebral ones. They showed it didn’t matter how big you were if you were well-drilled and skilful then you could compete right at the highest levels.

There was a reinstatement of the ideals of Barcelona with youth products like Pedro and Sergio Busquets promoted and Gerard Pique brought back to the club.
Every other top team looked at what Barcelona were doing and attempted to implement it themselves. Tiki-taka became the only show in town.

The success of Zidane’s Real Madrid does owe plenty to that Barca – you could imagine that midfield plus Asensio all playing in blue and red – but this is a team out on its own.

It relies less on one overarching philosophy to which all the players should adhere than it does to promotion of their intuitive skill and understanding.It is a group which survives the absence of its most potent member in Ronaldo. It is a group which has the world looking around for a real challenger.

It would need to be a very good day for any other team and a very bad one for Real Madrid to see them defeated in any final.It would take a monumental effort to prevent them from winning their third Champions League title in a row.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Matic will help get the best out of me - Pogba


Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has hailed the impact of new signing Nemanja Matic, claiming his team-mate allows him to play his more natural game.The Serbia international has slotted seamlessly into Jose Mourinho's side since his reported £40 million move from Premier League champions Chelsea.

Matic and Pogba have started both of United's league games this term and the central midfield pair have delivered strong performances, with the Frenchman having scored in each of the 4-0 wins over West Ham and Swansea City.

The former Juventus star's form did not wholly justify his £89.3m price tag in his first season back in England, but he believes that playing alongside Matic will allow him to flourish.

"I am mostly an offensive player and I think more about attacking," he told ESPN. "But he [Matic] will be more defending."We can switch, but we match a lot and in those two games, I have been more forward and he has stayed back.

"That helps me more be myself. I still do the defensive part, but now I can go forward more and help the strikers. I like to be in front of the goals too. He helps me and I enjoy it, yes."

United's commanding displays in their opening two games have prompted many to tip them to claim their first league title since 2012-13 this term. Pogba insists Mourinho's men will not become complacent, but says they have no reason to fear their closest rivals.

"I'm pleased and happy that we have started really well, but it is not finished yet. It is just the start of the season," he said.

"The biggest challengers? We are our own rivals and we think about ourselves first. But we don't have to be scared of anyone in the league because we know we are a strong team as well. We know we can do great this season.

"I hope [we can win the title]. Every team is strong, like when Leicester won it two years ago and nobody expected it, so you don't know what's going to happen."We started very well, but we can end up bad and we don't want this. We want to be focused from game to game."

Next up for United is the visit of 2015-16 champions Leicester City, a fixture the hosts won 4-1 last season, with Pogba on target.