..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Bayern Munich confirm Heynckes departure date


Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has accepted Jupp Heynckes' assertion that he will not remain as head coach beyond the end of the season.

The 72-year-old replaced Carlo Ancelotti until the end of the 2017-18 campaign in October, and president Uli Hoeness recently suggested his fourth spell in charge of the club could be extended.

Heynckes - in response to Hoeness - said Bayern would have no trouble finding an "adequate" permanent coach to replace him before next season, and Rummenigge is prepared to lose the veteran coach."Jupp declared it, then that's the case," Rummenigge told reporters.

"Uli Hoeness did not fuel the discussions about the coach. The mood was very good and harmonic on Friday. He only showed his appreciation for Jupp Heynckes."That Jupp wants to abide by his agreement [to leave after this season] is okay. Yesterday he asked me why Hoeness said this and I told him exactly that. Then it was okay."

Heynckes guided Bayern to a Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League treble in 2012-13, during his previous stint in charge.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Atletico Madrid 3 Elche 0 (4-1 agg): Torres double sees Simeone's men cruise through

A Fernando Torres double helped Atletico Madrid comfortably beat Elche 3-0 to secure Copa del Rey progression with a 4-1 aggregate triumph.Atletico were only able to come away from last month's first leg with a 1-1 draw, but they never looked in danger of being on the end of an upset at the Wanda Metropolitano, with Torres scoring twice in a strong performance.


Diego Simeone refused to jeopardise progression by playing an inexperienced team like he did in the away leg and his side looked focused as a result in making it four wins from their last five games.



Initially they wasted opportunities and began to look frustrated, but Jose Maria Gimenez finally ended Elche's resistance with a header at the back post in the 31st minute.And their second followed shortly after, with Torres producing a fine finish for his first goal at the Wanda Metropolitano.


The chances continued to flow for Atleti and although wasteful finishing again surfaced after the break, Torres finally doubled his tally in the 68th minute to make absolutely sure of their qualification for the last 16.


Atletico were quick out of the blocks and almost broke the deadlock after just three minutes, but Luciano Vietto – enjoying a rare start – shot just wide of the left-hand post from a tight angle after a fine run in from the right flank.Elche had to rely on the post to save them just before the half-hour mark, with Koke's 30-yard drive smacking against the frame of the goal.


But there was to be no denying Gimenez soon after, however, as the Uruguay defender stealthily appeared behind the Elche defence at a corner and headed just inside the right-hand post.


And with their very next attack, Atleti added a second.Guille Vallejo failed to hold on to Yannick Carrasco's long-range effort and Torres was there to pounce on the rebound, tucking in from a tight angle.


The wasteful Vietto should have extended the lead just before the break, but he fired over from the centre of the box after Torres' cut-back.Things were similarly one-sided after the break and Atletico should have gone three up shortly after the restart, but Nicolas Gaitan could only find the side-netting after a fine flowing move.


Atletico then began to sit back a little more and invite pressure in the hope of catching Elche on the break.And they almost did so in the 64th minute, as Gaitan darted in from the left, skipped past a couple of challenges and fed Thomas Partey into the right side of the area, only for his squared pass to be cut out at the last moment.



An even better chance fell to Torres soon after, with Vietto teeing him up with an easy finish from 12 yards, yet he inexplicably scuffed wide.He made amends a few moments later, though, slamming past Vallejo from close range after being released by substitute Sime Vrsaljko.


Torres almost got his hat-trick 10 minutes from the end, but Vallejo made a brilliant save down to his right to deny the striker, as in-form Atletico settled for a three-goal victory.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Paris Saint-Germain 2 Troyes 0: Cavani atones for penalty miss

Edinson Cavani made amends for his penalty miss with a late goal as Paris Saint-Germain beat Troyes 2-0 in Ligue 1 at Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

The league leaders were facing the prospect of two points dropped against a much-improved Troyes side after Cavani had a first-half penalty saved, but strike partner Neymar gave PSG the lead 17 minutes from time before the Uruguayan atoned for his spot-kick woe in the dying seconds.

Jean-Louis Garcia's Troyes went into the game having won two of their previous three in Ligue 1 and they could have been 1-0 up after 35 minutes when Stephane Darbion found the back of the net, but an offside flag had already been raised.

Cavani then won a penalty after having his shirt pulled, but his effrt was kept out by Mamadou Samassa and the visitors and there may be calls for future penalty-taking duties to fall to Neymar, who contested Cavani for the right to take them earlier in the season.

The hard-fought victory kept PSG 10 points clear of second-placed Marseille and extended their winning run to five league games, proving that even when the likes of second-half substitute Kylian Mbappe are out of form, Emery has ample talent at his disposal.


Garcia will take comfort from the way his side battled against the league's standout opposition and if they can maintain the same level of performance over the festive period they should expect to pull away from the relegation battle. Cavani, looking to add to his tally of 16 league goals, squandered his first opportunity when he volleyed Javier Pastore's chipped free-kick high over the crossbar from 10 yards out.

PSG seemed to favour attacks down the right flank through Angel Di Maria, whose shot from the edge of the box bounced just wide to the left of Samassa's goal after 19 minutes.Kevin Trapp had to make his first save of the match just before the half-hour mark, parrying Samuel Grandsir's shot away after the pacy winger burst into the penalty area.

Grandsir had the ball in the net five minutes later, only to be ruled out by an offside flag despite replays suggesting the goal should have stood.Just before half-time, Cavani took a theatrical fall in the penalty area when he had his shirt tugged and a foul was given, but the Uruguayan then saw his spot-kick saved by Samassa, diving to his right.

Emery's men pressed hard from the outset of the second half but shots from Marco Verratti and Thomas Meunier were blocked before Neymar blazed high and wide from 25 yards.

Grandsir was judged to have fouled Trapp as the Troyes playmaker caused the goalkeeper to fumble a high ball, but Samassa had no such problems at the other end when he made a good save from Giovani Lo Celso's thunderous low drive from 20 yards.

Emery sent on Mbappe for Di Maria with just over 20 minutes left and his introduction had an invigorating effect as Neymar collected the ball moments later and sauntered forward before powering a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net.

Troyes did not give up and substitute Suk Hyun-jun managed a shot on target with seven minutes left to play, but Trapp held firm and Cavani made sure he took a share of the headlines when he rifled the ball into the top of the net from 10 yards out with seconds to spare.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Stoke City 0 Liverpool 3: Salah at the double for rotated Reds

Jurgen Klopp's decision to rest several key men paid off as Liverpool climbed to fifth with a convincing 3-0 win over Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium on Wednesday.Mohamed Salah scored twice in a 23-minute cameo off the bench to add to Sadio Mane's first-half opener and edge the visitors closer to the Premier League's top four.

Egypt international Salah was one of six players rotated out from the side that drew with Chelsea at the weekend, although the changes failed to prevent the Reds from registering a fourth consecutive away win in this fixture.

Mane, who had not scored in his previous five league appearances, earlier opened the scoring by punishing a sleepy Stoke defence in the 17th minute.
And the Reds all but confirmed another important three points when Salah - who joined the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson on the bench - fired home from Mane's cross in the 77th minute.

The in-form attacker completed the rout with his 12th league goal late in proceedings as Klopp's side leapfrogged Tottenham, while Stoke - who were aggrieved not to see Simon Mignolet sent off for bringing down Mame Biram Diouf in the first half - slipped to 16th in the table.


They were aided by a static Stoke defence, which paused to protest that Joe Gomez's byline cut-back had run out of play. That enabled Dominic Solanke to turn the ball into the path of Mane, who dinked a clever close-range finish over Lee Grant.Solanke - in his first league start for the club - should have doubled the advantage when he was freed by Roberto Firmino's back-heel but, with time to pick his spot, the young forward fired straight at Grant.

He almost paid an immediate price as Diouf latched onto a long ball, only to be tripped just outside the area by the onrushing Mignolet.The goalkeeper escaped with a yellow card despite denying the attacker what would have been a certain goal, and the resulting free-kick came to nothing.

Stoke then received a reprieve of their own on the stroke of half-time, Mane hitting the base of the left upright after being sent through one-on-one by Solanke's pass.The run of chances continued after the restart as Joe Allen's half-volley deflected narrowly wide off the fit-again Dejan Lovren.

And with Peter Crouch coming more into the match on his first league start of the campaign, Mark Hughes' men began to mount a greater aerial threat.Crouch's knock-down from an Erik Pieters cross teed up Allen for another promising opening, but the fast-arriving midfielder blazed well over the crossbar.

Klopp responded to the slight loss of control by introducing Salah and James Milner and the former quickly continued his hot run in front of goal, volleying home Mane's cross to make it 2-0 with just over 15 minutes remaining.And he only needed a further six minutes to double his tally and complete a one-sided victory, outpacing Pieters and applying a cool finish past Grant.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Everton 4 West Ham 0: Rooney hat-trick seals vital win in front of Allardyce

Wayne Rooney scored his first Everton hat-trick to seal a crushing 4-0 win over West Ham, with new manager Sam Allardyce a delighted Goodison Park spectator.David Moyes could only watch on aghast as his side were put to the sword by his old club, who have beaten Moyes teams at an aggregate tune of 12-0 since the Scot's departure for Manchester united in 2013.

Rooney was recalled to the side as David Unsworth took charge of the senior side for the final time in his caretaker stint and the former England skipper responded with two goals in the first half, opening the scoring on the rebound from his own penalty after Joe Hart had pulled down Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The Everton captain then slotted home his second of the evening just before the half-hour mark, capitalising on some poor defending and sweeping home from inside the box.West Ham improved after the break but Jordan Pickford saved a Manuel Lanzini penalty before Rooney drilled home his third from inside his own half and Ashley Williams headed home a late fourth.

Moyes has his work cut out to kick-start the Hammers' campaign, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal their next three opponents.Both teams went into the game in need of a win but it was Everton who struck the first blow, going ahead after 17 minutes.

Calvert-Lewin was sent clean through on goal but was brought down by Hart with referee Michael Oliver pointing straight to the spot.Up stepped Rooney and, although a diving Hart managed to parry his kick, the ball rebounded kindly for the striker to head into an unguarded net.Everton then doubled their lead after some poor defending from the visitors which will have frustrated Moyes.

Tom Davies was allowed to charge into the danger area unmarked before sending in a cross which managed to get all the way to Rooney, alone in the middle of the box, and he swept past Hart.


Moyes made a change at the break sending on Diafra Sakho for Pedro Obiang and West Ham were initially much-improved and went close to pulling a goal back. Lanzini cut in from the left and stung Pickford's palms with a decent effort before Aaron Cresswell unleashed a fierce shot which beat the Everton goalkeeper but just clipped the crossbar.

West Ham continued to press and with almost an hour gone, were handed a lifeline after Williams chopped down Sakho in the area.Lanzini took the spot-kick and fired low to Pickford's right but the goalkeeper made a fabulous save to push the ball clear and preserve his side's two-goal lead.

Rooney then made West Ham pay with a brilliant third goal to seal his hat-trick. A clearance from Hart fell to the skipper just inside his own half and he met the ball first time, drilling it over the goalkeeper and in.There was still time for more drama, Williams heading a corner past Hart to seal a fine outing for the Toffees and a much-needed three points.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratzzzzzzzz Rooney!
​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester City 2 Southampton 1: Sterling snatches last-gasp winner

Manchester City restored their eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League thanks to a goal in the dying seconds by Raheem Sterling that sealed a dramatic 2-1 home win over Southampton.A Kevin De Bruyne free-kick, diverted into his own net by Virgil van Dijk, had looked likely to be enough to give Pep Guardiola's side a 12th league win in a row until Oriol Romeu snatched an equaliser 15 minutes from time.

But Sterling curled home a sublime winner as the game crept into the sixth minute of injury time to maintain the hosts' charge towards the title.

City battled back from a goal down to beat Huddersfield Town last time out, Sterling also scoring the winner in that clash, and they could easily have found themselves behind in the first half at the Etihad Stadium against a Saints side buoyed by their 4-1 win over Everton.

Wesley Hoedt and Maya Yoshida missed clear opportunities to punish the home side for a sloppy opening period, with goalkeeper Fraser Forster equal to anything City were able to produce.That was until the 47th minute, when De Bruyne's goal-bound delivery was deflected in at the near post by Van Dijk, allowing the home fans to breathe a little more easily.

The home side failed to add to the goal and were punished in the closing stages by Romeu's clinical finish, but Sterling struck to deny Saints a valuable point and frustrate title rivals Manchester United, who had looked set to make up ground on City.

A surprisingly slack start from City should have been punished 14 minutes in, with Hoedt only able to head against the crossbar from inside the six-yard box after Ryan Bertrand's corner was flicked on by Yoshida. City broke swiftly and twice tested Forster, with Sterling and Gabriel Jesus denied by the England international, who then made a flying stop to claw away a Fernandinho effort after Mario Lemina was dispossessed in his own half.

Ilkay Gundogan then missed City's best chance of the half, scuffing a half-volley into the turf and behind for a goal kick after Forster had saved from Sergio Aguero, but the home side continued to look subdued and Yoshida missed a clear opportunity to punish them before the break, prodding an effort over the bar from point-blank range after Van Dijk's downward header.

Saints were made to rue those misses in the first two minutes of the second half. De Bruyne whipped in a low free-kick from the left of the penalty area and the ball was turned into his own net by Van Dijk, who was under pressure from Aguero.

Jesus was then thwarted by Forster when through one-on-one and the Saints keeper made a flying save to keep out a De Bruyne strike from 25 yards out, with City apparently keen to press their advantage and kill off any hope of a comeback from the visitors. Aguero missed a free header from another De Bruyne delivery before Van Dijk spurned the chance to equalise, nodding another dangerous corner over the crossbar from six yards out.

However, just as the game looked to be getting away from the visitors, they snatched their equaliser. A deep cross from Bertrand was controlled expertly by substitute Sofiane Boufal and, when he picked out Romeu from the byline, the midfielder made no mistake in smashing high past Ederson.

City poured forward and their pressure told seconds after the allotted five minutes of injury time, Sterling collecting De Bruyne's pass and bending a stunning strike into the top-left corner from the edge of the area to deal a blow to United and the chasing pack in the title race.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea 1 Swansea City 0: Rudiger the match-winner for dominant Blues

Antonio Rudiger's headed goal earned Chelsea a 1-0 victory over Swansea City on Wednesday, but the margin should have been far greater in a match that also saw Antonio Conte sent to the stands.Chelsea were in control from start to finish against a Swansea side who failed to muster a single shot on target, but they were left to rely on a somewhat scruffy Rudiger effort to claim a win that keeps the gap to second-placed Manchester United at three points.

Conte was given his marching orders towards the end of the first half, when he lost his temper after his side were wrongly denied a corner.

But the Italian will have breathed a sigh of relief when his side eventually and deservedly went in front – Rudiger heading home after N'Golo Kante's effort took a huge deflection off Swansea striker Wilfried Bony.While Chelsea will be grateful to emerge with the three points, Swansea's concerns in front of goal continue following a fourth successive match without finding the net.

Eden Hazard dropped to the bench in one of four changes to the Chelsea side that drew 1-1 with Liverpool on Saturday and Willian – one of the players to come in following his equalising goal at Anfield – came close to opening the scoring in the 10th minute.


The Brazilian's free-kick from the left curled just around the post after Marcos Alonso came within a whisker of getting his head to the delivery. On-loan Swansea top scorer Tammy Abraham was ineligible to play against his parent club as Bony once again led the line, but the Ivorian saw little of the ball early on, with Chelsea controlling possession and testing Lukasz Fabianski with efforts from Davide Zappacosta, Pedro and Alvaro Morata – a man who has scored more goals in the Premier League this season (8) than Wednesday's opponents (7).Alonso unsuccessfully hit the deck in search of a penalty under pressure from Renato Sanches after 25 minutes, before Fabianski was called into action again to tip over a well-struck Morata volley.

The wing-back then headed wide and a Willian cross deflected just beyond the left-hand post off Alfie Mawson, but the home side went in at half-time with nothing to show for their 11 shots on goal, while Conte was banished over his furious reaction to the home side not being awarded a corner following Mawson's lucky escape.Sanches, who arrived in south Wales from Bayern Munich with much promise, was hooked at the interval after another ineffective outing in the Swansea

midfield, and Chelsea finally got their goal 10 minutes into the second half.
Bony got his head in the way of a fierce Kante drive but only managed to divert it into the path of the advancing Rudiger, who used his own head to power the ball beyond Fabianski.

Swansea finally drew a save from Thibaut Courtois when Jordan Ayew fired across the six-yard box from a tight angle, but it was the sum of what the visitors could manage against a Chelsea side who should already have been out of sight.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 5 Huddersfield Town 0: Ozil makes the difference in flattering win

Mesut Ozil was the difference maker as Arsenal were made to work hard before securing a flattering 5-0 victory over Huddersfield Town at the Emirates on Wednesday.Germany international Ozil made an emphatic return to the starting line-up after sitting out Sunday's 1-0 win against Burnley due to illness, providing two assists and scoring another in the space of four second-half minutes to emphasise his importance amid ongoing uncertainty over his future.

Alexandre Lacazette gave the Gunners an early lead but they failed to kick on and afforded frequent chances to Huddersfield, who saw Steven Mounie's deflected shot in the second period pushed against the crossbar by Petr Cech.

Olivier Giroud replaced Lacazette at half-time, leading to concerns the former Lyon man may be carrying an injury ahead of Saturday's meeting with second-placed Manchester United, and turned home a pass from Ozil to relieve the rising anxiety in north London in the 68th minute.

The shackles came off for Arsenal and Alexis Sanchez slammed home a right-wing cross from the Germany international, who capped off a blistering spell by dinking Aaron Ramsey's throughball over the onrushing Jonas Lossl for 4-0.

Giroud's second gave the scoreline a deceptively one-sided appearance, but a 12th successive home Premier League win provides the ideal preparation for a clash with United.Arsenal needed less than three minutes to get off the mark, Ramsey flicking a brilliant pass into the box for Lacazette to place the opener past Lossl.

The hosts dominated possession but did not engineer another opportunity until after the half-hour mark when Lacazette kept Granit Xhaka's throughball alive at the byline, only to see his chip from an acute angle cleared off the line by Martin Cranie and Sead Kolasinac fail to convert the follow up.Sloppiness crept in for Arsenal as half-time approached, offering Huddersfield hope on two occasions.

Shkodran Mustafi's risky challenge on Mounie after some loose play by the hosts was not deemed a penalty by referee Graham Scott, before Collin Quaner failed to bring the ball under control in time to make the most of a counter-attack launched when a high press forced another error.

Giroud entered the fray in place of Lacazette and, after Quaner made the most of the space afforded to him by testing Cech, an important block from Cranie denied the substitute a quick impact.Huddersfield were unperturbed and came close to an equaliser when Mounie's shot looped up off Nacho Monreal and was pushed behind off the bar by Cech.Giroud rounded Lossl before hitting the woodwork but he made no mistake after Ozil initiated a neat move down the left and set the Frenchman up for the goal Arsenal had desperately been searching for.

Just over a minute later Sanchez benefited from Ozil's creativity as he slammed a thunderous effort from the midfielder's delivery beyond Lossl.
Ozil took further advantage of the Terriers' collapse, latching onto Ramsey's pass and clipping a clever finish over the goalkeeper as he raced off his line.

Giroud added to a miserable half for Huddersfield when he lashed home from Kolasinac's flicked pass four minutes from time, but, despite the commanding scoreline, there will be some concerns for Arsene Wenger ahead of United's visit at the weekend.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Neymar: The Brazil that everyone respects is back


Neymar said he is going to give everything to win the World Cup next year as Brazil look to vanquish the demons of 2014.

The 2014 World Cup was supposed to be Brazil's time to shine on home soil, however, the South American giants suffered a demoralising 7-1 semi-final loss to eventual champions Germany.

It was a result that sent shockwaves through Brazil and world football but fast forward to 2017 and Tite's men now head to the Russia showpiece with renewed belief and loom as one of the teams to beat.

Brazil only lost once during CONMEBOL qualifying to book their ticket to next year's tournament and Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar insisted confidence is high."The respect towards the team now is different to what it was three or four years ago after the World Cup," Neymar told FIFA.com.

"People see us differently. The Brazil that everyone respects and admires is back; a team that enjoys good football. And that makes us happy. The mood of our fans and our country has changed.

"Everyone's confident and happy looking ahead to the World Cup. You can't put a price on that."The 2014 World Cup was particularly painful for Neymar, who was forced out of the event with a back injury.

Neymar fractured a vertebra in his spine having taken a knee to the back from Juan Zuniga during Brazil's 2-1 win over Colombia in the quarter-finals.

"It's strange because I didn't finish that World Cup the way I wanted to. Obviously I wanted to crown it with the title, but I neither won nor lost. I didn't finish the World Cup. My tournament ended with a serious injury and, unfortunately, I had to pay for that," Neymar added.

"That was a really bad week for me. I cried a lot and asked myself many times why it had happened. But eventually you understand that everything that happens in life makes you stronger, even if it's not something you want at that particular time. It helps you to learn and prepare yourself better in the future."I think this World Cup is going to be huge for Brazilians. Personally, I'm going give everything I've got to win it."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Southgate urges Kane to show he can be one of the best at World Cup


Gareth Southgate hopes Harry Kane will seize the opportunity to show he is one of the best strikers around at next year's World Cup.

England will learn their group stage opponents for the tournament in Russia when the draw is made in Moscow on Friday.The Three Lions will be drawn from Pot 2 and could face one of Germany, Brazil, France, Belgium or Argentina in the first round.

With a tough pool a possibility, England manager Southgate wants his top players to be at their best in the tournament, and sees top striker Kane as a key figure.The 24-year-old has scored 16 goals in 18 games for Tottenham Hotspur this season and seven in his last six appearances for the national team.

And Southgate hopes Kane takes advantage of the opportunity to prove his ability on the global stage.“I’m certain it is Harry’s ambition to be the best in the world," he told reporters. “If that is his ambition, then this is the stage to go and show it.

“As a player, you are judged a lot by what happens with your club, but in the end the world stars are ultimately judged by what they do with their country, and in major tournaments.

“This is the stage for all of our guys to show exactly the level they are capable of.”
The 47-year-old is optimistic about his side's chances as he feels there is a good atmosphere within his squad.

“If we come back and the country are proud, that will mean we have played well, in a way that the nation has engaged with and we will have won some games."We are excited about what lies ahead. There has been a really positive feel around what has happened in the last few weeks. Definitely.

“People are excited by some of the younger players we have played and the approach we have taken and we have got to build on that going into the summer.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mohamed Salah 'has been a revelation' for Liverpool, says Phil Thompson


Former Liverpool defender Phil Thompson says Mohamed Salah 'has been a revelation' for the Anfield outfit.

Salah came off the bench to net a brace in the Reds’ 3-0 victory over Stoke City in Wednesday’s English top-flight outing which earned Jurgen Klopp’s men their seventh league win.The forward has registered 17 goals in all competitions this term, thus, surpassing his performance at Chelsea, where he scored just four times in his 27 appearances.

And Thompson who initially doubted the 25-year-old's qualities is now convinced after strings of match-winning displays.

"He's been a revelation. Dare I say it when we were signing him in the summer I was thinking, 'I've seen this player at Chelsea and he didn't pull up any trees for Chelsea',” Thompson told Premier League Daily."He didn't have many games and I think he scored two goals in about 13 matches and I thought, he didn't even look a player.

"When he was at Roma, I looked at the stats of the player and thought, 'it's not just the goals he scores but the assists that he made."

Thompson compared Salah to Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne - who has also established himself in the league after going through a similar fate at Stamford Bridge.

"That was one of the big things for Kevin De Bruyne when he went to Wolfsburg. He scored quite a few goals there but his assists were quite incredible and by far the best in Germany. That made me think, 'he's got something in his locker,” he continued.

"That's what I was looking for with Mo Salah before he came to Liverpool. I thought, 'if he can reproduce that he's got to have something in him to unlock defences', which is what Liverpool need against packed defences and he has been an absolute star."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Hodgson: England have nothing to fear in World Cup draw


England have nothing to fear from Friday's draw for the World Cup group stage, according to former boss Roy Hodgson.

Gareth Southgate's side, who finished eight points clear at the top of Group F in Europe's qualifying section, are in pot two for the ceremony in Moscow.

They could be paired with any of Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Portugal or Belgium in their group in Russia, with the world's top-ranked teams — along with the host nation — in pot one.



Pot three also features some tough sides, including Iceland, who knocked Hodgson's England out of Euro 2016 to spell the end of his tenure.However, the Crystal Palace manager believes the team is progressing well under Southgate and should not be concerned about the prospect of a so-called 'group of death'.

"I don't think Southgate or England will be bothered about that, they will have confidence about how the team is improving," he said on Thursday. "They do not need to fear any of those scenarios or ideal groups. I would summarise my feelings that I am confident that, no matter what group England find themselves in, it really won't matter.

"What will matter is that the players Southgate picks will be good enough to win against [any] of them and I don't think England will fear anyone.

"I don't think it matters what draw England get what matters is they will go there with a good team that I believe is capable of doing extremely well."It certainly doesn't go on FIFA rankings as there are a lot from the top 10 I would rather meet than 25 down."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

David Silva signs new Manchester City contract


David Silva has signed a new one-year contract at Manchester City, the club has confirmed.

The Spain international, who has been at the Etihad Stadium since 2010, has put pen to paper on a new deal that will keep him at the club until 2020.Silva has been in exceptional form thus far this season, with Pep Guardiola's side threatening to run away with the Premier League title.

He has provided eight assists and scored one goal in 14 league appearances thus far as City have an eight-point lead from Manchester United at the top of the table.
"I am so happy to have committed my future to City," the 31-year-old told City's official website. "I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved at City in my seven-and-a-half seasons here and with Pep in charge, I feel we are in a great position to win trophies this season and beyond."The style of football we are playing is a pleasure to be a part of and I look forward to winning more titles in the years to come."

Director of football Txiki Begiristain added: "We are very pleased with this announcement. Not only has David Silva been central to the Club’s success over recent years, he remains one of the team’s key players.

"He has shown again this season that he is the best creative midfielder in English football and he will be very important in developing our talented young players in the coming years."

Silva is one of the most decorated players in the Premier League, having won the World Cup, two European Championships, two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and two League Cups.A classy midfielder, Silva started his career at Valencia, only otherwise playing for Eibar and Celta in loan deals, and won the World Cup with Spain just days before his £24 million move to the Etihad Stadium in 2010.

City, who beat Southampton 2-1 thanks to a last-minute Raheem Sterling goal in midweek, will face the sternest test of their season December 10, when they face Manchester United after clashes with West Ham and Shakhtar Donetsk.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Zlatan is not a threat to Lukaku' - Neville backs misfiring striker to prove himself


Gary Neville has backed Romelu Lukaku to bounce back to goalscoring form for Manchester United, and does not believe that the Belgium striker is under pressure from the returning Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Lukaku has eight Premier League goals for the Red Devils this season following his £75 million move from Everton, but has scored just once in his last 10 appearances in all competitions for the club.

With Ibrahimovic back from injury, many supporters have called for the 24-year-old to be replaced by the veteran Swede, but former United defender Neville does not have any concerns about Lukaku's role as Jose Mourinho's first choice attacker."I don't think Jose Mourinho will be worried about Romelu Lukaku's lack of goals, but I think ultimately he's got two big games coming up," Neville wrote in his Sky Sports column.

"He was brought in to score goals in the games which United were drawing last season. However, it is in the big matches where they now need him most. If there is a way to get at Arsenal and Manchester City then it is by really going at their defences."Lukaku gets more chances created for him but he's also under more pressure, so misses get scrutinised, and rightly so, but these are the games where he can silence his critics.

"I don't see Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a threat to Lukaku at all but as a supplement.The only way Ibrahimovic can become number one is if the aura of Zlatan gets to Lukaku."Zlatan is confident but Lukaku is number one, the fans and the manager believe in him and if he does have any demons then he needs to clear them from his mind."

Manchester United travel to London to face Arsenal on Saturday, December 2, before home games against CSKA Moscow and Manchester City in the following eight days.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Emery: I have nothing to say to Di Maria


Unai Emery insisted he was happy with the attitude of Angel Di Maria after replacing the Argentine winger after 70 minutes of Paris Saint-Germain's 2-0 win over Troyes.

Di Maria cut a forlorn figure in the warm-up for PSG's previous game – a 2-1 win over defending Ligue 1 champions Monaco – when he sat on a ball by himself after being named among the substitutes.

The former Manchester United star was restored to Emery's starting 11 for the visit of Troyes on Wednesday but the game remained goalless until he was replaced by Kylian Mbappe and the home side took the lead through goals from Neymar and Edinson Cavani.

In the mixed zone afterwards, Emery admitted Di Maria was not at his best in the match but offered reassurances over the 29-year-old's commitment to the team.
"I'm happy with all the players. The most important thing is their state of mind," Emery told C8.

"Angel works every day for the team. Sometimes he has very good matches, sometimes worse. We will continue to give everyone confidence. "I spoke with Angel yesterday. He started the match with a lot of desire and motivation. Maybe he did not show his best moves as he wanted or as we wanted.

"His attitude is good. I want to maintain a good spirit in the team and take each match as it comes."PSG struggled to break down a determined Troyes side, who would have taken a 1-0 lead after 35 minutes had Stephane Darbion's goal not been harshly ruled out for offside.

Cavani also missed a first-half penalty, having once again brushed aside Neymar, but two goals in the last 17 minutes turned the game.

"It was a difficult team to play against and they closed the game down. That's why we had to maintain consistency in the match," said Emery, who refused to discuss whether the likes of Di Maria might be seeking a move in the January transfer window.

"All players must think of Paris. We cannot talk about transfer window before we still have a lot of matches. We need to think about the current workforce and give them confidence."If players are not in the spirit we want, we talk together. I'm happy with the group."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Conte apologises to officials after being sent off in Chelsea win


Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte issued an apology to referee Neil Swarbrick and fourth official Lee Mason after he was sent off following an outburst during Wednesday's 1-0 win at home to Swansea City.Conte cut a frustrated figure when he was dismissed to the stands by Swarbrick approaching half-time at Stamford Bridge.

The 48-year-old Italian furiously protested a failure to award his side a corner when Alfie Mawson deflected a cross behind as he shouted in the face of Mason.

Conte's tension simmered post-match and the Premier League-winning boss told reporters: "After the game, I think it's normal, it's right to apologise for what happened during the game.

"During the game, in the first half, I saw that Swansea were wasting time. I said this a few times to the fourth official. At the same time, I didn't see something change in the first half. I was frustrated for this situation. I tried to tell again, but then the referee took this decision.

"I repeat: I apologise for this. I was frustrated. For sure I made a mistake. During the game I suffer. With my players I suffer. It's a pity."They are wasting time. I was a bit animated. I said this and I shout this. It was not the first time. I think for this reason the fourth official lost his patience. But I repeat: the fault was mine, not the fourth official's. I apologise for this. I was frustrated."

Asked where he watched the remainder of the game, Conte – who was initially positioned above the Chelsea dugout – replied: "In the dressing room. Because we have the tactical camera. For this reason I watched the game very well. But I don't like.

"I suffered in the same way also in the changing room. To watch the game on the video and then to not have the possibility to communicate with your players. It's very strange. It's very tough for me."

Chelsea consolidated third position in the table thanks to Antonio Rudiger's goal 10 minutes into the second half, with Conte's men now in the midst of a six-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. "This type of game, you are able to score early, otherwise you must have a lot of patience to try the best way to score," he said. "At the same time, you must pay attention for the counter-attack.

"My feeling now is we are better than before, when we started this season. We started this season with many problems. Now we are trying to solve these problems. I think now we are improving. We are trying another system of play.And I had the possibility to alternate these two systems. These are good options for me."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Sanches needs to get basics right' - Clement concerned by struggling Bayern loanee


Paul Clement believes Renato Sanches is struggling with low confidence and not "getting simple things right" after he replaced the midfielder 45 minutes into Swansea's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Sanches has made eight appearances for the Swans since joining on loan from Bayern Munich in August, but he has failed to make a positive impression in the Premier League, with Swansea lacking a victory in their last six games.

The 20-year-old Portuguese was substituted for Leroy Fer with Swansea and Chelsea goalless at the start of the second half, and Clement said the change was due to form rather than fitness."He wasn't injured," Clement told reporters. "He had a poor half, didn't he?"I feel for him because he's a very talented player. I don't think in any of the games he's played this year he's showed the talent he has.

"He's a player struggling for confidence, struggling for form. We believe we're the right environment to try to get him out of that." Sanches' struggle for form predates his spell at Swansea; he endured a torrid season in 2016-17, failing to register a goal or an assist in 25 games across all competitions for Bayern.

Just 18 months ago, the former Benfica star was named Young Player of the Tournament at Euro 2016 as Portugal won the competition for the first time in their history, but Clement said he needs to work on the fundamentals of his game.

"He's got to start with the basics, getting the simple things right," said Clement."He mis-placed a lot of simple passes. His confidence is very low."He wants it badly. It's just not happening for him in games at the moment."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger: Mesut Ozil showed what he can do


Mesut Ozil "showed what he can do" in an astonishing four-minute spell that impressed Arsene Wenger and lifted Arsenal to a 5-0 win against Huddersfield Town.

Despite Alexandre Lacazette's third-minute opener, Arsenal laboured against the Terriers, who saw Steve Mounie's deflected shot pushed behind off the crossbar by Petr Cech early in the second half.

Ozil eased the tension by setting up Olivier Giroud – a half-time replacement for Lacazette, who sustained a groin injury that will rule him out of Saturday's clash with Manchester United – and Alexis Sanchez in successive minutes, before adding one of his own shortly after.

The Germany international's future at Emirates Stadium remains unclear with his contract set to expire at the end of the season and his effort has frequently been criticised, but Wenger was left in no doubt about his importance after his latest display."We started well but then we lost our focus and our passing and allowed them to come back into the game," the Arsenal boss told BBC Sport.

"Then we got the second goal and suddenly everyone played with more freedom and more technical quality - then Mesut Ozil showed what he can do."

Wenger added: "The last 20 minutes became comfortable but I would say Huddersfield did fight very well."In the second half I felt at some stages it could have been 1-1 but when we scored the second goal the game changed completely. We played very well, with freedom. We played a bit on the edge before that."

David Wagner rued Huddersfield's missed opportunities, with Collin Quaner failing to make the most of chances in each half, as the visitors fell to a third successive loss.

"Congratulations to Arsenal on the win - they deserved it," said Wagner."We had our best period, with two big chances, then they scored three in five minutes. They gave us a lesson in being clinical."We will be strong enough to leave this result - a harsh defeat - behind us quickly. The next game is just around the corner."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Lingard on 'same level' as Mkhitaryan - Scholes wants Man Utd star to prove himself


Jesse Lingard has “the same level of ability” as Manchester United team-mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan, according to Paul Scholes.The 24-year-old was a late bloomer at Old Trafford, with several loan spells required before he got his big break.

He has since gone on to become a senior England international and earn a lucrative contract, but questions continue to be asked of his ability to contribute on a consistent basis.

The same can, however, be said for Mkhitaryan – who has been out of favour again of late – and Scholes believes Lingard would be held in higher regard if he was a bigger name.The legendary United midfielder told BT Sport: “Maybe they [his team-mates] don’t trust him enough.

“He’s not the big name of a Mkhitaryan or somebody like that. He’s got that ability. He’s got the same level of ability as Mkhitaryan.

“He can score goals, he can make goals. What’s his best position?“He has to establish himself now, he has to be more consistent, he has to produce more performances like that to make him a real first-team player.“I don’t think he’s ever gone on from that bit-part player yet – now he needs to.”Lingard did prove his worth to the United cause in his most recent outing, as he netted a spectacular strike away at Watford.

With Jose Mourinho’s side having seen the Hornets hit back from three goals down at Vicarage Road to pull within one, the Red Devils needed inspiration from somewhere.

Lingard provided it with a surging run and finish which started inside his own half.
He was replaced two minutes later by Zlatan Ibrahimovic as United sought to see the game out, but he had already made his mark and will be determined to build on his goal in the coming weeks and prove Scholes right.