..::Football IV::..

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Conte plays down Chelsea exit talk: I'm enjoying it more than last year


Antonio Conte has moved to play down recent reports that he is unhappy at Chelsea by revealing details of his personal life in London, while he also insisted that his working relationship with the board is amicable.

There have been some reports that Conte and the club's transfer chiefs have had a rift over the players that have been brought into the side this summer
However, Conte has remained in charge with mixed fortunes, losing at home to Burnley before beating Tottenham at Wembley last weekend.

The Blues boss offered a rare insight into his personal life as his insisted he is happier than ever as he adjusts to life in England.

"No. Honestly, I'm very calm," Conte responded when asked why he seems grumpier than normal. "I'm relaxed much better than last season. Yeah, much better. Because you learn. You learn also to work for the new club. Last season was my first time. Now, after a year of experience, I learned a lot from the past.

"For this reason, I think I am more relaxed and am enjoying better the situation than last season. That's my impression, anyway. Honestly. Yes, yes. I am still having language lessons. Two hours, three days a week. After one season you start to learn a lot of situations.

"You start to live with a lot of situations. Last season was totally new for me, for myself. It's normal [to have tensions], when you are at a great team, this is normal. You see it also when you stay in Italy, at a club like Juventus or Inter Milan, it's the same.

“Yeah, when I won the league. That was the best moment for me, to let myself relax. I enjoyed that moment a lot. But now, I repeat, this is the past. Now it's important to try and write another story with Chelsea."The past stays there. It's beautiful if you see the past, but the most important things now are the present and to build a really good future for the club.”

Conte faced fresh doubts over his future this week over as reports emerged from Germany that former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel was being lined up to replace the 47-year-old.

Chelsea quickly moved to deny it and Goal understands that no contact has been made between the Blues and anyone associated with Tuchel. Conte has also moved his family to London this season but admitted that he doesn't know where his wife Elisabetta has put his Premier League medal.

He went on to hammer home the importance of Chelsea's win last weekend against Tottenham at Wembley Stadium.

“For sure, this was a big win. A big win," He added. "Usually when you have this type of win, above all in a difficult situation, as don't forget we faced Tottenham 'in emergency'. I think this type of win helps you to improve your confidence and makes you want to work harder than before.

 

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Marquinhos says PSG players are waiting on Mbappe confirmation


Marquinhos said he and his Paris Saint-Germain team-mates are waiting for Monaco star Kylian Mbappe to join the Ligue 1 giants.After signing Neymar in a world-record €222 million deal from Barcelona, PSG have turned their attention to 18-year-old sensation Mbappe, who is tipped to move to the French capital.

Mbappe scored 26 goals in all competitions last season as Monaco dethroned PSG in Ligue 1 and reached the Champions League semi-finals.

Asked about Mbappe following PSG's 3-0 victory over Saint-Etienne on Friday, Brazilian defender Marquinhos said: "We are waiting for confirmation. We do not know yet. We look at things on the Internet. We're still waiting.

"The PSG project is very ambitious. To be ambitious, you have to have big players, big stars. "He's a player who made the difference with Monaco, if he comes here, he's going to bring us a lot."

While Mbappe is expected to arrive, PSG forward Lucas Moura is reportedly set to move in the opposite direction as part of the deal."He's really a friend. He has talent. I hope he stays with us," Marquinhos added.

"With the goals we have, we're going to need everybody."

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2017.08.26

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2017.08.26

Bournemouth Vs Manchester City

Crystal Palace Vs Swansea

Huddersfield Vs Southampton

Newcastle Vs West Ham

Watford Vs Brighton

Manchester United Vs Leicester

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Good Luck Manchester United!​

 

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LA Liga Fixtures 2017.08.26

LA Liga Fixtures 2017.08.26

Alaves Vs Barcelona

Girona Vs Malaga

Levante Vs Deportivo

Las Palmas Vs Atletico Madrid​

 

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Serie A Fixtures 2017.08.26

Serie A Fixtures 2017.08.26

Benevento Vs Bologna

Genoa Vs Juventus

Roma Vs Inter​

 

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Bundesliga Fixtures 2017.08.26

Bundesliga Fixtures 2017.08.26

Leverkusen Vs Hoffenheim

Frankfurt Vs Wolfsburg

Augsburg Vs Monglebach

Stuttgart Vs Mainz

Werder Bremen Vs Bayern

Dortmund Vs Hertha Berlin​

 

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Half Time

Manchester United 0 Vs 0 Leicester

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Full Time

Manchester United 2 Vs 0 Leicester

Manchester United Goal(s)

Rashford 70'
Fellaini 82'


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Congratulations Manchester United!

Well Played everyone

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Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2: Sterling rescues Guardiola's men in stoppage time before seeing red

Raheem Sterling was Manchester City's saviour once again as his desperately late winner spared their blushes at the Vitality Stadium, securing a 2-1 win over Bournemouth before also getting sent off.

Pep Guardiola's men were on top for much of the match and looked destined to once again drop points due to their wastefulness in front of goal, but Sterling popped up just as he did to help City draw 1-1 with Everton last time out, this time netting the decisive winner, before receiving a second booking for a celebration which saw him incite fan encroachment.

Even from the early stages it looked as though City were going to have to dig deep if they wanted to take all three points, with Charlie Daniels' wonderful volley finally getting them off the mark in the Premier League this term.

But that goal seemed to jolt City into life and Gabriel Jesus swiftly hit back, with the Brazilian's finish sparking something of a siege from Guardiola's men.

City continued to be in the ascendancy after the break, though they had a lucky escape in the 61st minute, as Josh King hit a fine effort against the left-hand post.

Bournemouth appeared to have done enough as they got deeper into stoppage time, but Sterling's 97th minute effort stunned the hosts, with the England winger then also getting dismissed, as City stole all three points at the death.


City really struggled to impose themselves as an attacking force during the early exchanges, though the same could not be said for Bournemouth, whose strong start was rewarded in stunning fashion after 13 minutes.

Vincent Kompany initially did well to head a cross out to Bournemouth's left flank, but Daniels ran on to it and hit an unstoppable volley into the top-right corner via the crossbar.That was seemingly the shock City needed, however, as they equalised eight minutes later.

Jesus found David Silva with a quick free-kick and continued his run into the penalty area, eventually latching on to the Spaniard's perfectly weighted return pass and nudging a deft finish past Asmir Begovic.

Nathan Ake was then lucky to remain on the pitch, tripping Jesus when through on goal as the Brazilian charged down a clearance - the defender only shown a yellow card.

City remained well on top and nearly got another just before the break, but Begovic managed to deny Silva from close range after good play by Jesus.The visitors' dominance of the ball showed no sign of letting up upon the restart, with City controlling proceedings and severely limiting Bournemouth's attacking input.

But City were reminded just after the hour mark of the threat Bournemouth can pose, as Daniels' low cross from the left was met with a first-time effort from King which came back off the frame of the goal.Nicolas Otamendi also struck the post with 16 minutes to go, and that looked to be City's final chance, as Bournemouth seemed destined to hold on.

But then, in the seventh minute of stoppage time, Sterling received Danilo's cut-back and saw an effort deflect off Andrew Surman and into the left side of the goal, sparking huge celebrations among City fans.

Sterling was then adjudged to have gotten too involved with those celebrations and was shown his second yellow card, but in the end it had no bearing on the result, as City scraped their second win of the season.

 

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'This is his team and his city' - Ronaldo exit at Real Madrid ruled out by Zidane


Cristiano Ronaldo will not be moving any time soon as Real Madrid are “his club” in “his city”, says Zinedine Zidane.The Portugal international has seen his future called into question since becoming embroiled in a tax evasion saga in the Spanish capital.

Ronaldo has aired his frustration at being questioned by authorities, admitting during his court case that he would like to return to England at some stage – having endured no such struggles while with Manchester United.

Recent reports have also suggested that the 32-year-old is looking for another pay rise to bring him in line with the likes of Neymar, following the Brazilian’s record-breaking transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.

Zidane, though, is confident that the four-time Ballon d’Or winner will remain at Santiago Bernabeu and has refused to be drawn into a debate regarding further fresh terms for a man who only committed to a new five-year deal in November 2016.

The French coach said: "Does Ronaldo deserve to be the best paid if he is the best player? That's an issue for Ronaldo and the club."Ronaldo will stay in Madrid for sure. I didn't imagine my team without him. This is his club, his team, his city... he feels great here.”

Ronaldo has spent eight years with Real, making 396 appearances.Those outings have delivered a club-record 407 goals and countless major honours – including two La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns.The intention is for the Blancos to continue to build around their talisman, but Zidane insists that he has no plans to make a late move into the summer transfer market.

Instead, he will continue to look to academy graduates and those on the fringes of the first-team fold to provide cover when required.He added: “I don't want more players. Borja Mayoral wasn't called yet, but he will be useful this season for sure. I count with him.”

Real are next in action against Valencia on Sunday, with defensive selection issues leaving them short on numbers – with Sergio Ramos suspended and Raphael Varane and Jesus Vallejo nursing knocks.

 

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Pochettino expecting 'unbelievable' Sanchez to adapt quickly


signing Davinson Sanchez will make a quick adaptation to life at Tottenham, because "he's unbelievable".The Colombian defender joined Spurs from Ajax in a deal costing an initial €40 million, making the 21-year-old the fifth most expensive defender in history.

Sanchez only spent one season in the Netherlands after leaving Atletico Nacional and Pochettino sees parallels with his own journey into European football, when he left Newell's Old Boys for Espanyol as a 22-year-old.

Pochettino is confident Sanchez is well-equipped to adapt quickly at Tottenham because he did precisely that at Ajax.He told reporters ahead of Sunday's visit of Burnley: "From America, you come to Europe, you don't know what you will find here. But him, he's unbelievable.

"He speaks very good English, and from day one when he arrived I think he is like all the players here. Yes, he is very welcome with the team-mates and he is one of us.

"It was difficult at the beginning, [but he has] all the characteristics for success here.
"First of all, it [the challenge] is to adapt yourself. I moved with my wife, we were not scared, but you are waiting because you don't know.

"When he arrived at Ajax from the beginning he showed his quality, started to show his character and personality. I think he was the best player on Ajax in his first season.

 

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Mourinho not classing Ibrahimovic as fourth signing but hints at end to Man Utd business

Jose Mourinho wanted four signings this summer but is not expecting any more incomings at Manchester United before deadline day.The Red Devils boss made it clear early on that he felt additions were required in order to make his side competitive in the 2017-18 Premier League title race.

A list of targets was handed to Ed Woodward on the back of a Europa League triumph, and Victor Lindelof, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic have been delivered.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has also committed to a new one-year deal, but Mourinho does not class the Swede as a fresh face and insists he is prepared to wait for further movement on the arrivals front.

He told reporters, with less than a week of the current window left to run: "Everyone knows I would like a fourth player and I can’t hide that because I had it in my mind."But I am happy if I am not going to have [a fourth player] and I don’t think I am going to have.

"And I was the first to tell my board not to feel any kind of pressure from me in that respect, but probably next summer, I have to try to get a player for a position that I think can make us stronger."

United have started promisingly with those already on their books, with back-to-back 4-0 victories in the Premier League seeing them set the early title pace.Recent history suggests that frontrunners cannot be hauled in, but Mourinho is refusing to read too much into a productive opening by his side.

He said: "I won coming from behind at Inter."To be honest in the Premier League, in the last years, Chelsea disappeared and Leicester was the same. Everyone was waiting for them to collapse but no. The season before with me at Chelsea it was the same.

"In the last three or four years it’s been like that - a team goes out in front - but at the moment you can’t say that in relation to us. It’s two games. It’s nothing. We won three in a row last season and we finished sixth, so for me it means nothing."

 

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Fourth signing 1kanam one.ath meh yana widiyatanam bari wei wage​

 

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Werder Bremen 0 Bayern Munich 2: Lewandowski gives Werder double trouble

Carlo Ancelotti's defending champions were confronted by a stubborn wall of green defence as clear-cut chances dried up during the second half at Weser-Stadion.

It was left to Lewandowski to produce a wonderfully instinctive finish in the 72nd minute, just as Bayern's hopes of starting the campaign with back-to-back wins appeared to be dwindling.The Poland star added a second three minutes later to make it six for the season across four outings in all competitions.

Lewandowski was a virtual bystander in the first half, when Corentin Tolisso struck the crossbar and Arjen Robben wasted Bayern's best chance.Ancelotti's side travel to Hoffenheim after the international break, by which time Renato Sanches might have secured a move away from the club.

The 20-year-old Portugal midfielder was allowed to miss the match in order to resolve his future, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Juventus and AC Milan having all been linked to his services.


Bayern pinned their hosts back during the opening stages and almost took a seventh-minute lead –Tolisso volleying against the top of the bar when Werder goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka failed to claim following a corner. There was impressive work from Pavlenka when he got down to beat away David Alaba's piledriver before Werder threatened at the other end.

Mats Hummels blocked Thomas Delaney's shot in the 29th minute and was relieved to see centre-back partner Niklas Sule clear Ludwig Augustinsson's attempt from the loose ball off the line.Bayern launched a fresh assault before the break, with Robben unmarked and glancing wide from Franck Ribery's left-wing cross.

The former France winger then went on a marauding run into the area, only to be denied by Pavlenka.Werder's massed defensive ranks frustrated Bayern after the restart, with the champions forced to subsist on a diet of speculative, long-range efforts.

With 64 minutes played, Ancelotti turned to Kingsley Coman as a replacement for Robben and the substitute's incisive pace proved a key factor when the deadlock was broken shortly afterwards.

The France international fashioned enough space to thread a low cross from the right channel and Lewandowski stole in front of Lamine Sane at the near post to dispatch a superb backheel finish.Following that finesse came force, as Lewandowski collected a pass from the recently introduced Thomas Muller and surged towards a backpedalling Werder backline.

He momentarily seemed to lose control of the ball but steadied himself to fire a shot through Pavlenka's legs and seal the points with 15 minutes remaining.


It meant consecutive defeats for Alexander Nouri's Werder, who travel to Hertha Berlin when the Bundesliga resumes.

 

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Deportivo Alaves 0 Barcelona 2: Messi milestone makes it two wins from two

Lionel Messi surpassed 350 goals in LaLiga as his double gave Barcelona a 2-0 victory over Deportivo Alaves at Mendizorroza on Saturday.

The Argentina star missed a penalty in the first half before scoring his first two league goals of the season after the break to seal a second win in two games for Ernesto Valverde's side.

Alaves started their campaign with a 1-0 loss to Leganes last week, but produced a much improved performance against Barca, who had Andres Iniesta back but were without the injured Luis Suarez.

Messi's spot-kick was the best chance of a half in which Barca dominated only to be frustrated in the final third, but the 30-year-old's deflected strike after 55 minutes gave the visitors the breakthrough and took him to 350 top-flight goals.A second close-range finish followed 11 minutes later and only the crossbar denied him a hat-trick, although 3-0 would have been harsh on the home side.

There was time for Paulinho to make his debut as the Catalans joined Real Sociedad on two wins from two matches and head into the international break on a high.


Valverde opted for a 4-3-3 set-up that included restoring Messi to the false nine role he made his own during Pep Guardiola's time at the club, with Sergi Roberto named at right-back and Aleix Vidal pushed forward into the attacking trident.

Messi and Gerard Deulofeu both forced low saves from Fernando Pacheco in the opening 10 minutes but Barca's dominance of the ball was yielding few clear opportunities.

Indeed, it was Alaves who missed the best chance of the opening half-hour, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen making an excellent near-post save to deny Ruben Sobrino on the break.

Barca were handed a golden chance to break the deadlock before half-time when Rodrigo Ely was penalised for tugging back Gerard Pique in the box, but Pacheco guessed right to keep out Messi's spot-kick low to his right.

But Messi made amends 10 minutes after the break as Barca's number 10 benefited from a stroke of luck. Having done well to get to Jordi Alba's low cross, Messi struck a low left-footed shot that took a big deflection and bounced into the net beyond Pacheco.

It was harsh on the home side, who had defended impressively throughout, but they gifted Barca and Messi a second 11 minutes later to effectively end the match as a contest.

Substitute Paco Alcacer saw a cross cut out but Alexis Ruano's clearance came straight back off the Barca striker's head, allowing Messi to sweep home from 12 yards out.



Messi, who is only the second player to reach 350 goals in Europe's top five leagues after Bayern Munich great Gerd Muller, rattled the crossbar from the edge of the box, but there was to be no hat-trick to celebrate.

 

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Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2: Abraham and Ayew get visitors up and running


Goals from Tammy Abraham and Jordan Ayew handed Frank de Boer and Crystal Palace a third consecutive Premier League defeat as Swansea City ran out 2-0 winners at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

On-loan Chelsea forward Abraham netted with Swansea's first shot on target of the league season and Ayew added a second that leaves Palace – without a goal this term – still pointless.

De Boer's early attempts to rebuild a reputation damaged in his poor spell at Inter are floundering and the errors of a muddled back three simply left a blunt Palace attack with too much to do once more.

Although the two teams had shared 12 goals in two meetings last term, a high-scoring classic never looked likely here as the struggles evident in the sides' opening two fixtures showed no signs of abating.

But the generous Palace defending that had seen Huddersfield Town take three goals and three points from their visit a fortnight earlier continued and allowed Swansea opportunities to get off the mark before finally, in the 44th minute, Abraham took his chance.

And the home back line parted again just three minutes into the second period for Ayew to run clear and beat Wayne Hennessey, securing a first win of the campaign for Paul Clement's side.


Swansea should have led inside three minutes, but Ayew flashed a header wide from Abraham's pinpoint right-wing centre. However, the toothless visitors were unable to build on that promising start and Palace's response was similarly laboured.

A series of deliveries into the Swansea area brought little reward before James McArthur – who scored twice against Ipswich Town in Tuesday's EFL Cup tie – arrowed a low drive off target.

Hennessey was belatedly tested at the other end as he deflected Abraham's close-range prod behind after a Timothy Fosu-Mensah error – although the effort appeared to be heading wide – and Alfie Mawson then sent a header just past the post from the consequent corner.

But Swansea finally hit the target and the back of the net with their next attack on the stroke of half-time, Abraham stealing in behind Fosu-Mensah again to volley Leroy Fer's cross into the bottom-left corner.Palace looked to hit back after the break and Lukasz Fabianski held well from Martin Kelly, but the game was beyond the home side just moments later.

Kyle Naughton charged forward and teased a pass in behind the Palace back line that caught the defenders flatfooted and set Ayew clear, the forward nudging the ball past the advancing Hennessey and then into an unguarded goal.

Shots from distance followed from Andros Townsend and Lee Chung-yong, but neither caused Fabianski great concern and a pair of sublime Martin Olsson challenges then halted two dangerous attacks.

Although Palace kept pressing, they came no closer to finding the net as Fabianski saved comfortably from McArthur and then watched Townsend's strike on its way wide, with the hosts fading and the Swans easing to victory.

 

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Newcastle United 3 West Ham 0: Joselu, Clark and Mitrovic hand Benitez's men first win this season


Newcastle United got their first win of the season as Joselu, Ciaran Clark and Aleksandar Mitrovic fired them to a 3-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday.

Rafa Benitez's men had not won a competitive match since they beat Barnsley on the last day of the 2016-17 Championship season, but they fully deserved to take all three points at St James' Park.Joselu scored his first goal for the club nine minutes before half-time and their lead rarely looked in doubt before Clark's header made it 2-0 on 72 minutes.

West Ham lost their first league games of the season, conceding seven goals in the process, and they looked like a team bereft of confidence as they failed to threaten a comeback from the moment Joselu bundled in the lead.

Javier Hernandez, who scored twice in the 3-2 loss at Southampton, came closest to an equaliser before Clark and Mitrovic made the most of some dreadful defending to put the result beyond doubt.


An end-to-end but scrappy first 15 minutes saw Newcastle have penalty appeals waved away for a high foot from Mark Noble, before Isaac Hayden lashed a half-volley narrowly over Joe Hart's crossbar.

There was concern for West Ham midway through the half as Andre Ayew received lengthy treatment for an accidental blow to the face, the Ghana international returning to the pitch with protective strapping on his nose after being caught by the studs of Javi Manquillo following a sliding challenge.

The build-up from both teams had been drastically low on quality but Newcastle broke the deadlock with the game's first truly good passing move. Mikel Merino sent a fine throughball into the path of Christian Atsu down the left, and his cut-back was steered home by Joselu, despite the best efforts of the covering Aaron Cresswell.

Newcastle, buoyed by their breakthrough, started the second half as they finished the first and Hart had to react well to push a low shot from Ayoze Perez away from his bottom-left corner.

Hernandez, who had scored three times in four starts against Newcastle before Saturday's meeting, thought he had netted again as he turned a rebound goalwards following Rob Elliot's save from Cresswell, but a combination of the goalkeeper and Clark just kept the ball from crossing the line.

West Ham were slowly beginning to take control of the game but Newcastle almost doubled their lead in brilliant fashion, with Hart making a good stop to deny Matt Ritchie and Pablo Zabaleta making a timely clearance on the rebound.

But with 18 minutes left, the visitors were undone by the sort of poor defending that has been a hallmark of their dismal start to the season. Ritchie found space to the right of the area and his cross was headed into the bottom-left corner by Clark, who appeared unmarked just six yards from goal.

Hart made a good save to deny Mitrovic from close range but the substitute made amends with four minutes to play, rounding the England goalkeeper before slotting home after West Ham's dreadful attempt at an offside trap backfired.

The goal capped a strong showing from Newcastle in the wake of their humbling EFL Cup exit at the hands of Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, but the pressure on Slaven Bilic will only increase after another listless Hammers performance.