..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Lille sack Bielsa to end failed experiment


Lille have called time on Marcelo Bielsa's ill-fated spell in charge of the Ligue 1 club.The 62-year-old former Argentina, Chile and Athletic Bilbao coach, who is acclaimed by the likes of Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino and Jorge Sampaoli as a coaching visionary, was appointed by Lille amid great fanfare this May.

Biesla was installed as head coach as Les Dogues underwent a huge squad overhaul, with former Barcelona vice-president Marc Ingla and ex-Monaco technical director Luis Campos brought on to the board by ambitious new owner Gerard Lopez.

But a 3-0 victory over Nantes on the opening weekend of the Ligue 1 season proved to be a false dawn as Lille took three points from nine subsequent winless matches.Back-to-back wins against Metz and Saint-Etienne followed, although Bielsa was suspended by the club two days on from a 3-0 loss at Amiens.

A week later, the coach was summoned to a meeting with Lille officials for "an interview prior to a possible dismissal".Bielsa's lawyer confirmed his client did not attend that meeting and the club finally confirmed his departure via a brief statement on their Twitter page on Friday.

"Having come to an end of proceedings against Marcelo Bielsa, LOSC announces that it has terminated the contract with the coach," the statement read.Following Bielsa's initial suspension, Lille appointed a four-man "technical coaching unit" of Fernando Da Cruz, Joao Sacramento, Benoit Delaval and Franck Mantaux.

They have won two and lost two of four Ligue 1 games in charge, remaining in the relegation zone, and were knocked out of the Coupe de la Ligue on penalties by Nice in midweek.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho won't rule out January deals amid Griezmann & Ozil rumours


Jose Mourinho has not ruled out January transfer activity at Manchester United but refused to be drawn on the prospect of making a move for Antoine Griezmann.

United were heavily linked with Griezmann during the last transfer window, with the 26-year-old hinting he would welcome the switch before committing to Atletico Madrid for the current campaign.

Speaking to L'Equipe, Atleti head coach Diego Simeone said it was natural his star forward would be allowed to move on , citing how Diego Costa and Arda Turan had similarly left the capital club for Chelsea and Barcelona.

Costa is now back at Atleti and ready to form a mouth-watering strike partnership with Griezmann from next month and Mourinho declined to comment on the prospect of formalising United's interest in the latter when asked directly about the France forward before Sunday's trip to West Brom."I don't speak about players," he said. "Especially players who belong to other clubs. There is no sense of me speaking about players."

Nevertheless, in Griezmann and Mesut Ozil – the Arsenal playmaker whose contract expires at the end of this season – United find themselves linked to players whose futures appear particularly poised."I'm not a big defender of the January market but there are players and situations that sometimes you have the chance to do [something] and you shouldn't lose that chance," Mourinho said.

"I don't like the January market just to buy [for the sake of it] but if you can buy a player in January that you would buy in June or July and can get him a few months before, then great."Griezmann has scored seven goals in 18 matches in all competitions this campaign, having netted at least 25 times in each of the past three seasons.

"I love my players a lot and I love to see them grow. I am not ungrateful," Simeone said in the interview with the French publication."If a player comes to me and says, 'Coach, I have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play for a certain team, I want to leave'. If he did all he could for me as Griezmann does, I'll say it's no problem. I know that he needs to grow.

"Of course, Griezmann will be able to leave at some point, the same way Costa and Arda Turan were allowed to leave."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger Ozil wa nam sell karai kiyala hithanna amarui & Griezmann wath January wa ganna puluwan wena ekaknam naha​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Conte hopeful over David Luiz's 'serious' knee injury


David Luiz's continued absence with a knee injury has been explained as a "serious" problem by Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, but he remains hopeful of a swift recovery.

The Brazilian centre-back has been in and out of Conte's team this season, with erratic form an initial contributor to him being dropped by the Italian.But now Luiz is being forced to miss out with a knee injury, with his last performance coming against Qarabag in the Champions League on November 22.

Conte is hoping that the 30-year-old is able to get over the problem soon, but he conceded that it is by no means a minor issue."David has an inflammation in the knee and we are trying to solve this situation with the doctor," Conte told reporters at a news conference ahead of Saturday's clash with Southampton.

"It's important to assess the situation day by day and to try to solve this problem. I don't know when he's able to come back, but for sure we are trying to sort his situation."The player is working apart [from the rest of the team] and the last days he was outside and in the pool.

"Today he was swimming and out on the pitch to run a bit, but very slowly. This is a serious problem, but we hope to solve it as soon as possible."I think every player is frustrated when they don't play, especially when injured.For sure, there's a lot of frustration for the injury and because every player wants to try to put difficulty into the coach's choices."I understand, I was a player and when I was injured I was very sad because you want to feel well and be ready for the competition and training. But injuries are part of the job."

Conte is not expecting to have any other selection issues, however, with everyone else at his disposal, including Alvaro Morata after his recovery from a back problem.

"No, there are no new injuries and all the players are available," he said. "No worries about injuries."Morata is better and he trained with us two days ago and also today. He has this pain in his back, but he is in contention for the game."

The Spaniard has reportedly been watching clips of Didier Drogba in an attempt to become a better physical presence and, although Conte sees them as two very different players, he has no doubt about Morata's potential."I think they're two different players with different characteristics," Conte said."Drogba brought history to this club and he was a wonderful player and striker.

"I think he was powerful and more powerful than Alvaro, but Alvaro, don't forget, has a lot of space for improvement."He's strong physically and technical. I see a great future for Alvaro."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bailly to miss three months due to ankle surgery


Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed that he expects Eric Bailly to miss up to three months' worth of action as he requires surgery on an ankle injury.The Ivory Coast international made a strong start to the season and formed a good partnership with Phil Jones.

But he has not featured since the start of November due to a problematic ankle and that now looks set to ruin much of the remainder of his season.

Mourinho revealed on Thursday that the centre-back's injury is serious and is likely to require surgery, something the Portuguese has now been able to confirm.
Speaking to MUTV ahead of the Red Devils' trip to West Brom on Sunday, Mourinho said: "He goes to surgery, the decision is made.

"I don't say [he's out] for the rest of the season, but it's for the next two or three months."
Despite the blow of losing Bailly for such a prolonged period, Mourinho is at least able to rely on a number of other options, with Chris Smalling, Jones, Victor Lindelof, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Axel Tuanzebe all capable of playing at centre-back.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bailly nathi eka loku paduwak apita

Get well soon Bailly!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Madrid passed up Mbappe signing because of Ronaldo, claims Maradona


Real Madrid passed up the opportunity to sign Kylian Mbappe ahead of PSG because of Cristiano Ronaldo's presence at the club, Diego Maradona claims.

Mbappe, 18, helped fire Monaco to the Ligue 1 title last season and was linked with several clubs including Real, PSG, Barcelona and Manchester City as a result.

Goal revealed in June that Real held talks with Monaco to sign Mbappe , 18, before the teen sensation secured a move to PSG on an initial loan with the obligation to make the move permanent for £166 million.

Argentina legend Maradona has since revealed that he personally told Real president Florentino Perez to sign Mbappe, who he has hailed as the "revelation of football".However, Perez suggested Ronaldo's presence at the Santiago Bernabeu was one of the main reasons why Real did not land Mbappe, according to Maradona.

He told AS : “For me, Mbappe is the revelation of football. I think he can surpass many.“Why did they not sign him? I told Florentino to sign Mbappe. I told him when we saw each other at Fifa.”

And when asked about Perez’s response, Maradona replied: “He told me…’but you know I have Cristiano’.”Mbappe has scored 10 goals in all competitions for PSG so far this season with Unai Emery's men top of Ligue 1 and through to the Champions League last 16.The French giants take on Ronaldo's Real in the first knockout round of Europe's premier club competition.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger claims Ozil won't join Man Utd in January but can't rule out summer move


Arsene Wenger insists Mesut Ozil will not join Manchester United in January, but he has refused to rule out the possibility of the Germany international leaving Arsenal next summer.

Ozil's contract expires at the end of the current campaign, and he has subsequently been linked with a number of clubs, including Barcelona and Jose Mourinho's United.

The 29-year-old can negotiate with other clubs from January ahead of a potential free transfer next summer, and Wenger is insistent that Ozil will at least see out his deal at the Emirates Stadium, though he stopped short of denying he will leave.

"How close? I don't know how close," he said, when asked if Ozil is close to signing a new deal."We have never been approached by Man United anyway so I don't see why that came up. That is something that has been created. [He'll stay] until the end of the season, the rest is open."

Alexis Sanchez's deal also expires next summer. The Chile international, 28, was the subject of interest from Manchester City in the previous close-season transfer window, but a move fell through at the last moment.

Wenger, though, says he too will complete the season in north London.

"They will all stay," he said. It's very difficult for me to tell you as I will analyse every case individually. My wish and my desire is that everybody stays. If you come in and tell me 'I will offer you this for this player' I will tell you yes or no."

Arsenal face Newcastle United on Saturday, having slipped to seventh in the Premier League table, 19 points behind leaders Manchester City.And Wenger claims that City had "petrol" to help fuel a run that has seen them avoid defeat for their opening 16 games of the season - perhaps a cheeky reference to their owner, Sheikh Mansour, who hails from the oil-rich UAE.

Asked how City compare with Arsenal's 'Invincibles' team that completed the 2003-04 season unbeaten, he said: "We had no petrol and ideas. They have petrol and ideas so that makes it more efficient."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Man Utd target Griezmann will be allowed to leave Atletico Madrid, confirms Simeone


Antoine Griezmann will be allowed to leave Atletico Madrid "at some point", according to coach Diego Simeone.Griezmann, 26, has been heavily linked with an Atletico exit, with Manchester United among the clubs reported to be interested.

The France star - who has also been linked with Barcelona - revealed he had a “six out of ten” chance of joining United last summer, before signing a new contract at Atletico.

However, Simeone says Griezmann is free to leave the Liga giants, just as Diego Costa and Arda Turan once were."I love my players a lot and I love to see them grow. I am not ungrateful," he told L'Equipe.

"If a player comes to me and says, 'Coach, I have a once in a lifetime chance to play for a certain team, I want to leave'. If he did all he could for me as Griezmann does, I'll say it's no problem. I know that he needs to grow."Of course Griezmann will be able to leave at some point, the same way Costa and Arda Turan were allowed to leave."

Griezmann has scored seven goals in 18 matches in all competitions this campaign, having netted at least 25 times in each of the past three seasons.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Next summer eke Griezmann wa ganna puluwan unoth godak hodai​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2017.12.16

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2017.12.16

Leicester City Vs Crystal Palace

Arsenal Vs Newcastle

Brighton Vs Burnley

Chelsea Vs Southampton

Stoke City Vs West Ham

Watford Vs Huddersfield

Manchester City Vs Tottenham

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Club World Cup Final 2017.12.16

Club World Cup Final 2017.12.16​

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Real Madrid Vs Gremio

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

LA Liga Fixtures 2017.12.16

LA Liga Fixtures 2017.12.16

Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Sociedad

Eibar Vs Valencia

Atletico Madrid Vs Alaves​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Serie A Fixtures 2017.12.16

Serie A Fixtures 2017.12.16

Inter Vs Udinese

Torino Vs Napoli

Roma Vs Cagliari​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bundesliga Fixtures 2017.12.16

Bundesliga Fixtures 2017.12.16

Cologne Vs Wolfsburg

Frankfurt Vs Schalke

Augsburg Vs Freiburg

Stuttgart Vs Bayern

Werder Bremen Vs Mainz

Dortmund Vs Hoffenheim​

 

[tclanki]

Get well soon Bailly!​

 

[sudokuu]

dialog channel eka maokdda real madrid club final match eka balanna puluvan?

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Dortmund 2 Hoffenheim 1: Pulisic late show extends perfect Stoger start


Christian Pulisic's superb late goal maintained Peter Stoger's fine start at Borussia Dortmund as they climbed to third in the Bundesliga with a 2-1 victory against Hoffenheim.

After a run of one win in 13 in all competitions, Dortmund triumphed 2-0 at Mainz in Stoger's first game in charge and a second success followed here thanks to a late rally.

Julian Nagelsmann's Hoffenheim - leading through Mark Uth's first-half opener - had looked set for a deserved away win until Stefan Posch's rash challenge allowed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to level from the spot.


Even then, it appeared Dortmund would extend a winless home run in the Bundesliga to five matches for the first time since 2006, with Hoffenheim pushing for a winner of their own.

Yet Pulisic brilliantly turned the game on its head with one minute of normal time remaining, beating goalkeeper Oliver Baumann with an outstanding touch before converting, and Aubameyang could and should have added a third in stoppage time as he missed an open goal.The Dortmund supporters were left delighted, though, sending Nagelsmann home pointless following links with the hosts as Stoger's end-of-season successor.

Stoger's side could drop two places on Sunday with Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig in action, but he has at least been able to have a much-needed impact before the mid-season break.

Andriy Yarmolenko passed up a golden opportunity to open the scoring for Dortmund early on, pouncing on Florian Grillitsch's slack pass to run clear and drag a finish just wide.The next chance fell Pulisic's way - this time from Yarmolenko's slipped pass - but the finish lacked power and allowed the scrambling Baumann to gather.

Dortmund's attack has hardly been the problem this season, though, and their defensive frailties became evident once more as soon as the visitors came forward, with Serge Gnabry's low drive first testing Roman Burki.

The opener then followed for Hoffenheim on the same right flank when Nadiem Amiri teased a pass through the home defence and Pavel Kaderabek squared for Uth to convert.

Jeers met the half-time whistle and Dortmund could have fallen further behind after the restart as the unmarked Amiri volleyed straight at Burki at the end of a fine team move.

But the tide started to turn as the second half wore on; Dortmund found their rhythm and belatedly moved the ball with some urgency, allowing Shinji Kagawa to win a penalty as Posch desperately lunged in to halt a dangerous move.Aubameyang calmly slotted away the spot-kick, but the momentum swiftly shifted back the other way as Hoffenheim sought a winner.

And yet, after Kaderabek curled an effort wide, there would be another twist. With just over a minute of normal time left on the clock, Pulisic controlled magnificently to nudge the ball beyond Baumann and tap into the net.

Baumann was further embarrassed in stoppage time, too, but it was Aubameyang who was left holding his head after closing down the goalkeeper's clearance and then nodding hopelessly across the face of a gaping goal.It mattered little and Dortmund celebrated a dramatic win.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester City 4 Tottenham 1: Silva-less City continue to set the gold standard

Raheem Sterling scored twice as Manchester City extended their record run of victories in the Premier League to 16 games with an emphatic 4-1 triumph over Tottenham.

Despite the talismanic David Silva, who had scored four goals in his past three outings, missing a league game for the first time this season, Pep Guardiola's all-conquering juggernaut rolled on to move 14 points clear of nearest rivals Manchester United at the top of the table.Ilkay Gundogan's free header from a corner gave City an early lead before Kevin de Bruyne doubled their advantage with a left-footed drive 20 minutes from time.


The home side could even afford to see substitute Gabriel Jesus miss a penalty before Sterling bagged a late brace, taking the England international's tally for the season to 15.

Christian Eriksen struck a late consolation but Tottenham, who will drop to seventh if Liverpool avoid defeat at Bournemouth on Sunday, were thoroughly outclassed on the road, meaning they have now claimed just one point from their last five away trips away from Wembley Stadium.

The result sees Guardiola equal the best winning streak he oversaw while in charge of Barcelona, though his current crop are still three shy of matching the 19-game run his Bayern Munich squad managed in the 2013-14 Bundesliga campaign. On this form, however, it is hard to see when they will lose again.

Gundogan was the man chosen to fill Silva's void and he took full advantage with a 14th-minute opener.Tottenham failed to pay any attention to the stand-in at Leroy Sane's out-swinging corner from the left, allowing the Germany international to drift in unmarked and, stooping down, nod his team in front.That the gap remained at one through to half-time was largely down to two men - Hugo Lloris and Craig Pawson.

Tottenham's busy goalkeeper denied Sergio Aguero, Gundogan and Sane before the break, while the visitors were grateful when Pawson, the referee who awarded Everton a controversial penalty for a push by Liverpool's Dejan Lovren during last Sunday's Merseyside derby, failed to spot Danny Rose's blatant two-handed shove on Eliaquim Mangala.Despite leaving both Harry Kane and Son Heung-min up front, the visitors failed to register a shot on target in an opening half that saw patchy fog descend over the ground.

Their attacking vision appeared to be a little clearer despite the conditions after the break, with Kane finally forcing Ederson into a save with a long-range drive that required pushing around the goalkeeper's right post.

City, though, demonstrated why their defence deserves as much praise as their high-powered attack this season. They weathered the storm and, as Tottenham were forced to throw bodies forward, capitalised on the counter-attack.

Not long after receiving a heavy challenge from Dele Alli that only resulted in a yellow card, De Bruyne grabbed the all-important second goal when lashing the ball beyond Lloris with his left foot.The Belgian was fouled by compatriot Jan Vertonghen to earn City a penalty soon after, only for Gabriel Jesus to send the spot-kick against the woodwork.



Sterling failed to convert the rebound too, but could not miss the two late chances that came his way.The England winger first tapped in from a free-flowing move involved Gundogan and Sane, before finishing another devastating City attack from close range.

Eriksen had the last word, denying Ederson a clean sheet when his low drive that rather dribbled into the corner of the net, but Tottenham barely celebrated the Dane's strike, well aware they had been outplayed by the league's runaway leaders.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Madrid 1 Gremio 0: Ronaldo free-kick secures Club World Cup glory

Cristiano Ronaldo led the way as Real Madrid beat Gremio 1-0 to successfully retain the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, securing them a fifth trophy of 2017.

Gremio coach Renato Gaucho claimed in the build-up that he was a better player than Ronaldo, and the Portugal star provided the perfect response on the pitch, frequently troubling the Brazilian side and scoring the all-important goal.Madrid often looked susceptible on the counter-attack in their 2-1 semi-final win over Al Jazira, though the same could not be said against Gremio as the European champions exerted complete control in the first half.


Plenty of chances fell Madrid's way, though it took them until the second half to break the deadlock and there was more than a hint of fortune about it, with Ronaldo's free-kick somehow finding its way past Marcelo Grohe and making him the first player to score in successive Club World Cup finals.


Luka Modric saw a 25-yard effort of his own tipped on to the post soon after, as Madrid's search for a second left them frustrated.Ultimately it did not matter, as Gremio failed to cause the LaLiga team any problems in spite of their own desperation and Zinedine Zidane's men had little difficulty holding on to claim the Club World Cup title for a third time in four years.

It did not take Madrid long to establish dominance and they kept the South American champions penned in their defensive third for extended periods during the early exchanges.The Spanish side were not shy in getting shots away, though most of them were from distance and caused Gremio goalkeeper Grohe few problems.

Grohe had to be quick off his line in the 21st minute, however, as he rushed out to smother Raphael Varane's effort after Sergio Ramos flicked on a corner, with Modric shooting wide from 20 yards a few moments later.Gremio eventually had a chance of their own and they went close, Edilson's 40-yard free-kick flying agonisingly over.

And Ronaldo threatened in similar fashion just before the break when his long-range shot from a set-piece grazed the roof of the goal.Madrid's dominance showed no sign of letting up after the interval and few could claim they were not deserving of the lead when they finally ended Gremio's resistance.

Ronaldo dazzled Jailson with some quick stepovers and lured him into a foul, before shooting through the wall from the resultant 25-yard free-kick and finding the bottom-left corner.

The Portugal star then had another ruled out a few minutes later due to Karim Bernzema straying offside. Modric nearly added a legitimate second just after the hour mark, but Grohe managed to tip his effort on to the post.

Gremio's need to throw men forward provided Madrid with several opportunities to counter during the final stages and, although they failed to add to the score, Zidane's men comfortably held on to lift the Club World Cup, giving them the perfect boost ahead of El Clasico next Saturday.