..::Football IV::..

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Pogba was different class - Mourinho praises midfielder after impressive comeback


Jose Mourinho heaped praise on Paul Pogba after the midfielder dazzled on his return from injury for Manchester United.

The France international hadn't played since suffering a hamstring injury in September but there were no signs of rust as he ran the show in United's 4-1 triumph over Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

Pogba provided the assist for Anthony Martial's equaliser before tapping in his side's third goal, helping United to leapfrog Chelsea and reclaim second place in the Premier League.

Mourinho - who revealed he allowed Pogba to decide how many minutes he played - feels the presence of the 24-year-old made a telling difference to the way the team performed, particularly in attack.

"[Pogba was] different class. [It was] what we had in the beginning of the season with Paul and [Nemanja] Matic, growing up together and being like the engine of the team," the Portuguese manager told BT Sport."We lost a bit of that because, while other players are good players, they have different qualities."I left it in Paul's hands as to how long he played. We made that decision [to replace him] at a good time - it was a great performance from him."

While Pogba was replaced by Marouane Fellaini in the 70th minute, team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked his comeback from a serious knee injury with a late cameo off the bench.

The Swede made his first appearance in 216 days and, after coming on in the 77th minute, nearly marked the occasion with a goal, Newcastle goalkeeper Rob Elliot keeping out his acrobatic volley just before full-time."The returning of injured players is obviously nice. Especially in Zlatan's case, it was such a dramatic injury and to see him back is a great emotion," Mourinho added.

Newcastle counterpart Rafael Benitez felt conceding a second goal just before the break was crucial to his side's chances of getting anything from the game.The visitors had taken a shock lead in the 14th minute through Dwight Gayle, but United turned the game around with headers from Martial and Chris Smalling, who converted Ashley Young's cross in first-half stoppage time.

"We knew that it was important to go in [at half-time] with a draw, we were doing really well. Then obviously the second goal gave them a lift, and then it was more difficult in the second half," Benitez told BT Sport."It's simple and clear – when you spend so much money on players of this quality, it is to make a difference in games.

"We know our strengths and weaknesses. Today was a game where we were doing really well, but as soon as they scored the second goal it was really difficult."

 

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Man Utd on best league home streak since Sir Alex was in charge


Manchester United's 4-1 win against Newcastle on Saturday was their seventh straight league home victory – their longest streak since March 2013. The Red Devils won 12 home league matches in a row under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, and now Jose Mourinho's men are five wins from equalling that mark.

United have won all of their Premier League matches at Old Trafford at 2017-18, with their last dropped points at home in league action coming in a 1-1 draw against Swansea City on April 30. Mourinho’s side also extended their unbeaten run at Old Trafford in the Premier League to 23 games (W13 D10), their longest streak since October 2011 (a run of 25 games).

The Red Devils will have the chance to add to their streak next weekend, when Brighton & Hove Albion visit Old Trafford in league action.

 

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Cavani: Neymar will take PSG's penalties


Neymar has been selected as PSG's penalty taker, according to supposed rival Edinson Cavani.The pair were embroiled in an on-pitch argument over a spot-kick earlier this season during a 2-0 win over Lyon.

Both players wanted to take the penalty, only for Cavani to win out and then spectacularly miss from 12 yards.
However, it appears the issue has now been settled. Cavani told reporters, after being asked who will take the next spot-kick for the club: "Neymar".He explained, too, that manager Unai Emery made the decision, despite Thiago Silva previously claiming that "we have decided that Neymar will shoot all the penalties".

Cavani scored twice as PSG beat Nantes 4-1 on Saturday to maintain their position as leaders of Ligue 1.

 

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Barca's Valverde admits scoreline in Leganes win was 'excessive'


Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde concedes that his side were far from their fluent best in their 3-0 win over Leganes.

A pair of goals from Luis Suarez and a late strike from Paulinho were enough to grind out an 11th win from 12 games and stretch their lead at the LaLiga summit to seven points.

Daunting trips to Juventus in the Champions League and second-placed Valencia next week now await and Valverde knows his side will have to improve if they are to get anything out of them.

"Maybe 3-0 is a bit excessive; they have contributed so the distance shouldn't be that wide," he said in his post-match news conference."We have had a high rate of success, but this is football. I recognise the effort Leganes has made today despite the defeat.

"We all like to win and have many chances and the opponent does not make any, but it is not always the case, they have been very combative. They made it difficult to play inside, it was a complicated game, and I do not deny it.

"I think the result is good, we have not been brilliant and we know we have to improve, but I repeat, we value the rival a lot."Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made a string of saves to preserve the comfortable nature of the scoreline, and Valverde was quick to praise the German."Marc-Andre ter Stegen is having a great season, he gives us a lot of confidence, we appreciate his saves," he added.

 

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Stones could be out six weeks with hamstring injury


Manchester City centre-back John Stones could miss up to six weeks after leaving Saturday's match against Leicester City with a hamstring issue.
The England defender pulled up clutching his hamstring 28 minutes into the contest at the King Power Stadium, and had to be replaced by Eliaquim Mangala.
The 23-year-old initially appeared to be suffering discomfort in his hamstring during England's friendly with Brazil on Tuesday, and his injury on Saturday seemed to be a continuation of that problem.In his post-match press conference, Pep Guardiola confirmed the 23-year-old is set for an extended spell on the sidelines."It is unfortunate for us and for John and I think he might be out for six weeks with that type of injury," Guardiola said.

"We don't have a lot of central defenders, but the spirit in the team – and with all the players – is good so we are going to find a solution."Vincent Kompany made his own return from injury on Saturday and he looks set to be given a run of games in the centre of high-flying City's defence. City would go on to defeat Leicester 2-0 thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne – the club's 10th straight league win.

 

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‘We’ve lots of time to think of Griezmann’ – Bayern sporting director


Bayern Munich will mull over a move for Atletico Madrid attacker Antoine Griezmann, sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has confirmed.

The Bavarian side have twice attempted to move for the France international forward but squad planner Michael Reschke used his veto to prevent a deal from taking place.

Given that Reschke is now at Stuttgart, the path appears clear for the Allianz Arena side to broker a deal for a player who has recently been linked with Barcelona and Manchester United.
Sky Sport reported that Bayern are interested in activating the attacker’s €100 million release clause next summer and Salihamidzic has not dismissed the prospect.

Asked if the club have decided to move for Griezmann a third time, the former Germany international midfielder told Sky Sport: “Not yet. We have lots of time to think about that.”The 26-year-old has scored only three goals this season for Diego Simeone's men.

 

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Ancelotti, Conte and Allegri on Italy list to replace Ventura, reveals Tavecchio


Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri are among the favoured candidates to replace Gian Piero Ventura as Italy coach, according to Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Carlo Tavecchio.

Ventura presided over Italy's 1-0 aggregate defeat to Sweden in the World Cup qualifying play-off, ensuring the Azzurri would miss the tournament for the first time since 1958.

Tavecchio is adamant that Italy will have an elite coach succeed Ventura and, while he confirmed reported interest in Ancelotti, the former Bayern Munich coach is not the only one who has been identified.Speaking to Le Iene, Tavecchio said: "Allegri and [Roberto] Mancini? You're getting warmer. Conte? Fire.

"We're looking for the best. They already have commitments until June from a contractual point of view. Then when we get to June, who will be free? The ones are Ancelotti, Conte, Allegri, [Claudio] Ranieri and Mancini. This is the truth of those available."

Tavecchio reflected on Ventura's time in charge and was baffled by a number of things from the experienced coach's tenure."The debacle is all technical," Tavecchio said. "They had the wrong training.

"How can you not play [Lorenzo] Insigne? I told the staff, not him. I can't intervene [with the coach], there are rules."I have to acknowledge it; I chose the coach. It's been four days that I haven't slept. I wake up continuously.

"We have always played crosses against tall defenders, some almost two metres tall. We had to play around them with the little players, who were on the bench."

 

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'I want to spend my whole career at Tottenham' - Kane downplays Madrid rumours


Harry Kane has said he intends to spend his whole career at Tottenham despite reported interest from Real Madrid.

The striker's goalscoring exploits for club and country since his breakthrough at Spurs have earned attention from the Champions League holders, but chairman Daniel Levy is said to be demanding £200 million for him.

Mauricio Pochettino's side have already beaten Madrid this season and sit three points ahead of them in their Champions League group amid a bright start to their season.Having been at the club since the age of 11, the two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner says he is in no rush to leave a promising Spurs team and feels he could hang up his boots as a one-club man.

"My goal is to play my entire career only for Tottenham," he told Bild am Sonntag. "We have a fantastic team, a great coach, a professional training centre and we're getting a new stadium. At the moment, everything suits me here and I'm happy."

Tottenham continue their European campaign on Tuesday when they take on Borussia Dortmund, who have just two points from four games in the competition.

Pochettino's men beat their German counterparts 3-1 when they met at Wembley in the first game and Kane is confident of getting the better of them despite identifying two key players.

"Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have both caused the a stir for many in Europe in the past few years," he added."Dortmund have a lot of pressure now and have to win both matches to get a chance to progress.

"We are not afraid, we have found our style, we are now also winning away from home and we are cleverer."

 

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Ranieri won't rule out possibility of coaching Italy


Nantes boss Claudio Ranieri said he would think about coaching Italy after the four-time world champions "hit rock bottom" following their failure to qualify for Russia next year.

Italy are looking for a new coach after sacking Gian Piero Ventura, who was at the helm as the country sensationally missed out on a World Cup berth for the first time since 1958.

Carlo Ancelotti has emerged as the favourite to pick up the pieces following Italy's 1-0 aggregate play-off defeat to Sweden, but countryman and Premier League-winning manager Ranieri would be willing to answer the nation's call.

"Would I be the Italy coach? I would have to think about it, but it doesn't only depend on me, as I have a contract with Nantes and a president who I would have to talk to," the 66-year-old told Sky Sport Italia .

"I read names like Max Allegri, Antonio Conte and Carlo Ancelotti. I say that right now they need to think carefully about what to do next. Whoever they get from that list will be excellent.

"I think that in Italy the situation of the coach is almost secondary, because we have hit rock bottom and need things to change. There are interesting young players and we will get back on our feet."Italy hadn't missed the World Cup for 60 years, but at times you need to hit rock bottom to get back on your feet."

Ranieri's Nantes are fifth in Ligue 1 following Saturday's 4-1 rout at French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

 

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Danata thiyana situation eke hatiyatanam Ancelotti thamai Italy job ekata favourites​

 

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Simeone backs under-fire Griezmann 'to the death'


Diego Simeone pledged to support Antoine Griezmann after the out-of-sorts forward was whistled by Atletico Madrid fans during the 0-0 draw with rivals Real Madrid on Saturday.Griezmann has looked a shadow of his former self this season and was again anonymous in the derby stalemate at Wanda Metropolitano.

The France international has shouldered much of the blame for Atletico's scoring woes - netting only twice in 10 league games - and was greeted by jeers from the home supporters during his 76th-minute substitution.Simeone refused to criticise the attacker, although he did hint that the 26-year-old may be moving toward the exit door.

"I have been taught that those who are in my family, I am with them to the death. And I will not change now," Simeone said after the match."Things within your family are resolved within the family."I'm with my family, while they are still there."

Simeone was full of praise for his side's start amid a charged atmosphere, but admits that anxiety has a tendency to creep into their game if they do not score early.
"The first 30 minutes were very good," he said."It is true that the team has anxiety. We are at a time when we do not have the easy goal, but I will take the first 30 minutes."We played a good game against a very strong opponent. We could have won and we have could have lost and that is the beauty of the game."

 

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Montella: To get to the top level we need patience


Vincenzo Montella claimed the most difficult part of the season is behind AC Milan after his side were beaten 2-1 at leaders Napoli in Serie A on Saturday.

Milan rarely threatened to cause an upset at the Stadio San Paolo, suffering a sixth Serie A defeat of the campaign after Lorenzo Insigne and Piotr Zielinski scored either side of half-time to set up the victory, although Alessio Romagnoli scored a memorable injury-time consolation.

Montella's side had won their two previous away league games to ease the pressure on the coach, but again came up short when faced with one of Serie A's elites.

Regardless of Milan looking a long way way off challenging for their target of Champions League qualification, despite huge levels of spending in the transfer market, Montella is determined to remain upbeat.

"I thank the club for giving me this support and confidence," Montella said. "I struggle to look at the table, but from now on we'll have a simpler fixture list and hopefully this type of performance will see us in good stead.

"Our last two defeats were against Juventus and Napoli, so of course they are ahead of us, but despite the results, we were in the games. We showed character, we are growing and it's a growth process."As I said, I am proud of the performances against Napoli, Juve, Roma and Inter [four defeats from four], because to get to their level we need patience.

"We play every three days, so there is not much time to train. We need results straight away and there is work to be done. We must be more clinical in the final third and have the goalmouth in our minds."

But Montella, who lost key attacker Suso to injury shortly before the interval, accepted it is frustrating to see Milan fall short by small margins in matches against their Serie A rivals.

"We weren't incisive enough in the final third, but we caused Napoli a lot of problems," Montella said. "I am happy with the performance, the same amount as the anger I feel at losing when playing so well.

"I praise the performance, as we showed great character and our passing moves were improving too. When you lose badly, it's upsetting, and when you lose and deserved more, then that's upsetting too.

"Napoli have so much quality in attack and so many options to combine that if you get pinned back, you do risk conceding a goal. I preferred to attack them, as five in defence would have been too negative. I took a gamble. We also lost Suso before half-time and that forced more changes.

"I am truly optimistic, I don't know why. I feel we have already overcome the worst period of our season - and I see those in front going at a pace they cannot possibly maintain.”

 

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Mourinho: Man United lacked balance with attacking line-up


Jose Mourinho felt his decision to start both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial left Manchester United open defensively against Newcastle United, even if it ultimately paid off in Saturday's big victory.

The Red Devils ran out comfortable 4-1 winners at Old Trafford despite an early scare when Dwight Gayle scored, with Martial nodding the equaliser before Chris Smalling, Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku secured victory.

Mourinho selected an exciting, attacking line-up, playing a front three of Rashford, Martial and Lukaku, with the fit-again Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the bench, but he acknowledged that it was this system that allowed Newcastle to enjoy a bright start."[Rashford and Martial] both like to play in the same position and that is difficult," Mourinho said.

"They both prefer to play on the left than the right, both playing with another striker through the middle; we lose a point of contact with the midfield that we are used to, with the player playing behind the striker."But we found then a certain balance and, when they started finding one opening on the left and one on the mid-left between the striker and the left winger, that was the moment where we start creating more."

Mourinho even conceded United were perhaps fortunate to be up at the half, though he took the blame for the system instituted, suggesting his defenders were not to the issue.
"But, to be honest, Newcastle were probably the [better] team - not in the second-half, but in the first-half - and we felt a bit of instability in our defensive areas," Mourinho added."That was clearly not because of the defensive players but because of our balance. To play them together gives us things but also takes some things from us."

The victory allowed United to maintain their eight-point gap to rivals and league leaders Manchester City, who ran out 2-0 winners over Leicester City on Saturday.

 

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Cahill warns Man City there is 'still a long way to go' in Premier League race


Gary Cahill does not expect Manchester City's "full steam ahead" form to last the whole season, insisting Chelsea can still catch up as there is a "long way to go".

Still unbeaten after 12 games, City are eight points ahead of nearest rivals Manchester United, with reigning champions Chelsea a further point behind, and they are already being touted by many as favourites to win the title.

Cahill believes such talk is premature, though, and is confident the Blues have enough time to catch up with City should their performances dip over the course of the campaign."They've started off full steam ahead and that’s great for them, but we’re not even at Christmas yet, so let’s just hold fire and see how they get on," the centre-back told Chelsea's website.

"They look fantastic at the moment and we have taken a fair bit of criticism at times this season, but we’ve had three clean sheets on the bounce in the league now, it was a great performance and we’ve got a long way still to go."

Antonio Conte's team slipped up against City in September and lost to Crystal Palace the following week. They have recovered since then, though, as Saturday's 4-0 at West Bromwich Albion stretched their current winning run to four games.And England international Cahill saw the latest victory as a good reward for a solid performance for his side.

"I have to admit it was a superb performance from us, from every single player, and collectively we are very happy," the 31-year-old said. "I felt we played some good football, we kept the ball when we needed to and we scored goals. We saw a bit of everything from us, so performance-wise it was very, very good.

"We were away from home so we expected to be under a bit of pressure, especially early on, and they did come out of the traps pretty quick. We had five or 10 minutes where we had to get hold of the game, but I thought we dealt with that very quickly and once we had control of the game, we went from strength to strength."I’m sure they found it very difficult to play against us, we always seemed to have an option to get out of trouble and there was a lot of composure on the ball, which allowed us to keep it for long periods.

"So it was a great team performance, one we have kind of been waiting for, and the scoreline we have been kind of waiting for, so we’re delighted."

 

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Ibrahimovic: My injury was worse than people know


Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed his knee injury was worse than previously known, saying people would be shocked by his return to the field if they knew the full extent of the problem.The Swedish striker made his first appearance since April after coming off the bench in his side's 4-1 Premier League thrashing of Newcastle United on Saturday.

"If people knew the real injury, they would be in shock that I was even playing. It was more than the knee but I will keep it personal — that's why I choose not to talk of it," he told UK newspapers.

"In my recovery I have not rushed anything. I have been out for six-and-a-half months. I have been following protocol and my schedule day by day.

"The only secret has been working hard. Those close to me know what I have been doing. I was working five, six hours a day."Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals in all competitions for United last season before being released, only to sign a new one-year deal in August.

The 36-year-old veteran may be out of contract again at season's end, but he is unconcerned about his future."At the moment I am just thankful I can run and push it and play football again," Ibrahimovic said."I don't know what the future brings but what happens, happens. I am at the age where I can choose what I want to do.

"I don't sign five- or 10-year deals, I am just happy to be back playing and doing what I am good at.

"It's fantastic to be playing. Jose [Mourinho, United manager] said, 'Do whatever you want, I trust in you and you know what you have to do', so I was not worried.
"The contract is all paperwork and I do the physical work."

 

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Kompany: Stones can bounce back stronger


Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany hopes his own injury battles can act as an inspiration to John Stones during the England defender's potential six-week lay-off.Stones pulled his hamstring in the first half of City's comfortable 2-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday and looks set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines.

Kompany, who has endured a torrid time with injuries over the past few seasons, made his latest comeback in the game at the King Power Stadium after almost three months out and put in a commanding display.

The Belgium international believes he has learned enough from his own injury experiences to know that if you put the work in, you can come back stronger — advice he is keen to share with Stones."Stonesy was one of the outstanding performers so far," Kompany told reporters after the game.

"If there's one thing I can give him it's that it's something you have to go through in your career at times and there's no reason why you shouldn't come out stronger for it."Hopefully it's not too bad and when he comes back we'll need him as much as we'll need anyone — otherwise we won't achieve all these targets we have."

Kompany escaped with a yellow card after hacking down Jamie Vardy in the third minute of a game that made it 10 league wins in a row for Pep Guardiola's side.The City skipper was adamant his challenge was no more than a bookable offence.

Kompany said: "I knew it was a yellow, it was early doors, it was a good run from Vardy and I thought, 'Just use my joker now'.

"But then afterwards as well, what was positive was that I still managed to play virtually the entire 90 minutes with a yellow card in the back and still do what was needed for the team, put in some good challenges, put in some good tackles.
"So overall I was happy with my performance, especially after coming back."

 

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Inter 2 Atalanta 0: Icardi brace sends Spalletti's side second

Mauro Icardi's second-half brace helped Inter seal a comfortable 2-0 win over Atalanta and climb up to second in Serie A.

Argentina striker Icardi, who scored a hat-trick in a 7-1 battering of Atalanta in last season's corresponding fixture, was denied an opener by a smart save from Etrit Berisha during a mundane first half at San Siro.But Icardi would not be denied shortly after the break as he opened the scoring with a simple header to bring the home fans to their feet.


Inter's captain came up with the goods again on the hour with another header to essentially put the game to bed and take his tally in a prolific season up to 13 league goals, two behind Serie A's leading scorer Ciro Immobile.

The double ensured Inter took full advantage of Juventus' surprise 3-2 defeat to Sampdoria earlier on Sunday and Luciano Spalletti's side, who remain unbeaten through 13 matches, are just two points adrift of table-topping Napoli.


Ivan Perisic and Antonio Candreva threatened during a bright start from Inter, but it was the visitors who carved out the first clear sight of goal after 15 minutes.Hans Hateboer threaded a clever pass into the path of Josip Ilicic and the Slovenian's low drive was repelled by his compatriot Samir Handanovic at the near post.Inter were seemingly rattled and spent the next 10 minutes trying to regain their footing. When they did eventually settle back into their rhythm they should have taken the lead courtesy of Icardi.

Borja Valero's flick through the middle released the Argentinian, who had brilliantly spun his marker, but his effort was too close to Berisha, who was able to get his leg to the initial shot and then scoop the ball up at the second attempt.

Five minutes before the interval, Icardi thought he should have had a penalty after being held back in his attempts to reach another dangerous cross, only for his protestations to be waved away by the referee.Icardi headed straight at Berisha moments after the restart, but he did not have to wait long to get on the scoresheet as he evaded his marker to head home Candreva's free-kick from six yards in the 51st minute.

The 24-year-old grabbed his second just nine minutes later, steering a superb header into the bottom corner from Danilo D'Ambrosio's right-wing cross.

Any hopes Atalanta had of finding a way back into the game were all-but extinguished by that goal, and Hateboer was on hand to prevent Icardi wrapping up his hat-trick from Perisic's fizzed pass, although the offside flag was raised anyway, as Inter comfortably saw out the three points.

 

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Moyes 'expected' West Ham defeat in debut game


David Moyes believes West Ham's miserable defeat at Watford was to be expected and recognises they must improve in order to avoid relegation.

The Hammers find themselves in the Premier League's bottom three after Moyes' first game in charge, with Will Hughes and Richarlison securing a comfortable 2-0 win for the Hornets at Vicarage Road.

Although the new manager, taking charge of a Premier League match for the 500th time, was not surprised by his side's poor display, he was still left disappointed that West Ham could not take their chances when they did come."Most people would have expected something like that, because that's what it's been before," he told Sky Sports."I was disappointed that we didn't do better, but we missed a couple of big chances - one at 1-0, we missed a couple just before half-time as well.

"The better team won the game - don't let me say different than that - but there was a chance to change the outcome of the game and we didn't do it. We're going to have to improve."But Moyes retains belief that West Ham can turn their season around and pull clear of danger.

"We've got to try to find a way of winning," he said. "The important thing is to always have the chance to be in the game and when we lost the second goal that was much more difficult."I believe we will [pick up results] but we need to play much better than we did, because that performance wouldn't be good enough."

On the players' lack of confidence, he added: "I found that out actually. I was only ever going to find out what they were like once I worked with them during the week and, more importantly, during the game.

"I could see that. They needed a couple of things to go for them and, in the big moments we had, when they didn't go for us, I could see the confidence draining away from them."

 

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Griezmann: I don't regret staying at Atletico


Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann insists he has no regrets over his decision to stay at the La Liga club.The France international was linked to Manchester United in the off-season, but ended up staying at Atletico due to the club's transfer ban.

Despite scoring just three goals in 14 games in all competitions this campaign, Griezmann said he was still happy with his choice to stay at Atletico.

"I don't regret staying. It was my choice," the 26-year-old told Telefoot."I'm happy with my choice, even if I've gone seven games without scoring. It will come back."Griezmann is now being linked to Barcelona, who are flying high with a four-point lead atop La Liga.

Atletico are also unbeaten through 12 league games, but six of those have been draws to leave them in fourth, 10 points back.Griezmann said the arrivals of Diego Costa and Vitolo in January would boost Diego Simeone's men.

Asked if he had discussed a possible January move, Griezmann said: "No."Diego Costa and Vitolo will be coming so we will try to keep the team high enough. These two reinforcements will do us good."I did not discuss this [an exit agreement] with the president."

 

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Klopp: Sturridge is needed at Liverpool


Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp urged Daniel Sturridge to stay focused despite speculation about his future, saying the Reds still need the England striker.Sturridge has made just four Premier League starts this season and another four off the bench, scoring twice.

The England international is likely to need more game time if he is to make Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad, but Klopp — whose side visit Sevilla in the Champions League on — said he wanted Sturridge focused on Liverpool.

"I can imagine a player with his quality is not happy that he is not starting all the time, but that's all," he told UK newspapers."The situation with the player is completely OK. At this moment we are in November and need all our players — even if he feels a little different.

"There is around one-and-a-half months before the window opens and I don't think about things like this. There are so many games before then and I need all of them."

Sturridge made 26 starts and scored 21 league goals in 2013-14, but has since netted 17 league goals in 29 starts in three-plus seasons while often struggling with injuries.This season, the forward has been unable to unseat Jurgen Klopp's first-choice forward trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

And England manager Southgate dropped the 28-year-old from the Three Lions squad that faced Germany and Brazil earlier this month, saying: "He's not playing regularly. I think it's very difficult. I don't remember the last time Daniel had 90 minutes."