..::Football IV::..

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Bayern Munich 4 Werder Bremen 2: Lewandowski & Muller at the double to spare champions' blushes

Thomas Muller and the returning Robert Lewandowski scored two apiece as Bayern Munich earned a come-from-behind 4-2 win over struggling Werder Bremen despite an underwhelming showing from the champions.

Bremen took the lead through Jerome Gondorf and hit back after Muller and Lewandowski – back from a knee injury – had turned things around, a Niklas Sule own goal levelling matters in the 74th minute.But the same Bayern double act stepped up to the plate when needed, with Muller's second strike representing his 100th Bundesliga goal.




The away side showed few signs of this season's struggles during the first half, hitting the post early on and then scoring in the 25th minute through Gondorf, as the performance belied their lowly league position of 16th.Inevitably Bayern fought back and equalised four minutes before half-time, with Muller netting his third league goal of the season in style.

Lewandowski then grabbed his first just after the hour, giving Bayern – who were far from their fluid best – the lead for the first time, though that did not last long as Sule put past his own goalkeeper.

But the champions turned on the style late on, Lewandowski powering in a header and Muller adding a landmark strike.


Bayern went into the match having won each of their last 14 top-flight games against Bremen, a league record, and that arguably could have been a contributing factor to a somewhat complacent performance. The visitors went agonisingly to going ahead just seven minutes in, as Max Kruse met Ludwig Augustinsson's cross and headed it onto the right-hand upright.

And Bremen got their shock lead with 25 minutes played, as Gondorf latched on to Kruse's clever reverse pass and squeezed an effort through Sven Ulreich's legs.
But the hosts levelled just before the break – Muller finishing acrobatically from close range after chesting Jerome Boateng's cross over Milos Veljkovic.

Seemingly frustrated with his team's continued ineffectiveness after the break, Jupp Heynckes introduced Arturo Vidal and Kingsley Coman from the bench just before the hour. And the Chilean nearly made a quick impact, forcing Jiri Pavlenka into an important save with a testing volley.



Bayern went ahead soon after, though, as Lewandowski met James Rodriguez's corner and headed past the helpless Pavlenka.Another corner at the other end saw the parity restored again 16 minutes from time – Sule nudging a delivery past Ulreich after the goalkeeper had previously made a mess of a tussle with Kruse.

But Bayern stepped things up a notch, with Lewandowski heading in Muller's cross two minutes later and the German finally finished Bremen off in the 84th minute, neatly tucking past Pavlenka following James' sumptuous chipped pass.

 

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Riyad Mahrez revels in Leicester City’s win over Watford


Riyad Mahrez is delighted with Leicester City's showing after their 2-0 victory over Watford in Saturday’s English Premier League outing.The Algeria international’s effort rounded up the victory after Jamie Vardy’s spot-kick had given Claude Puel’s men the lead.The Foxes nicked their third away win in the top-flight this season which moved them to the seventh spot in the log.

Impressed by the display, the former Le Havre’s winger then took to the social media to echo his feeling.“Great victory, great goals and clean sheet,” Mahrez posted on Instagram.

The winger who has now registered nine goals across all competitions this season will be looking forward to another fine display when Leicester travel to the ABAX Stadium to confront Peterborough United in an FA Cup tie on January 27.

 

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Silva sacked as Watford blame Everton approach for Premier League slump


Watford have announced that they have parted company with manager Marco Silva.

The 40-year-old former Hull City boss had been regarded as one of the outstanding managers of the first half of the Premier League season and was heavily courted by Everton.However, his side have since endured a dramatic slump that has seen them drop to 10th, just five points above the relegation zone.

On Saturday, the Hornets went tamely down 2-0 to Leicester City, although the Portuguese insisted that he did not fear for his position after just one win in eight Premier League matches.

“My position? I don’t lose my focus from the situation,” Silva said. “My job is to work hard, together with my players, to improve. The board know my opinion about everything. It’s not the best moment but the Premier League is 38 games, not only the last 10.”Watford are pinning the blame of their side's decline on Everton's interest in their manager.

"The club is convinced the appointment of Silva was the right one and had it not been for the unwarranted approach by a Premier League rival for his services we would have continued to prosper under his leadership," a statement released by the club reads.

"The catalyst for this decision is that unwarranted approach, something which the Board believes has seen a significant deterioration in both focus and results to the point where the long-term future of Watford FC has been jeopardised."For the security and success of the football club, the board believes it has to make a change.

"The club will seek to make a swift appointment and there will be no further comment until that appointment has been made."Silva, whose work with Hull last season was commended despite being unable to save the club from relegation, oversaw 26 matches for Watford, winning eight and suffering 13 defeats. At their highest point this season, they were fourth in the standings.Their first test without him is an FA Cup trip to Southampton next weekend.

 

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Alexis Sanchez jets off to undergo Manchester United medical


Alexis Sanchez has boarded a private jet bound for Manchester as he travels to undergo a medical and finalise his January transfer to United.The Arsenal star was flanked by his best friend, and his agent Fernando Felicevich was also present, with United having made the arrangements to charter the aircraft.

Alexis will earn around £14 million a year with United, making him one of the best-paid players in Premier League history, with agent fees expected to reach the £10m mark.

The transfer taking the Chilean to Old Trafford will see Henrikh Mkhitaryan heading in the opposite direction and Goal understands the deal will be a straight swap, with no cash incentives involved.

Indeed, the former Dortmund winger was spotted in London with his agent Mino Raiola on Saturday, and Goal understands the 29-year-old will also undergo his medical tests with the Gunners on Sunday.Confirmation of the transfer is likely to arrive from both clubs on Monday as one of the most intriguing January deals in Premier League history draws to a conclusion.

Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, remained cautious when asked about the possible signing of Alexis in his post-match press conference following the 1-0 win over Burnley on Saturday.

The Portuguese told supporters to expect a transfer either "soon or never", adding: "I think it's so close, so close. So close that if it doesn't happen, it's not going to happen. So I am positive."I know that my people are doing absolutely everything they can - the owners with the green light and Mr [Ed] Woodward working hard.

"I think everybody is giving everything they can and I think we're going to be successful."Alexis posted a video on his Instagram account to show that he was boarding the private jet bound for Manchester, with, ironically, 'No Easy Way Out' from the Rocky IV film playing over the top of the short clip.

And there was further social media activity, with the 29-year-old forward retweeting an article that disagreed with assertions that the Chilean is a footballing mercenary for leaving Emirates Stadium for Mourinho's United.

As well as signing Mkhitaryan, Arsenal are also hoping to complete a deal for Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January window.The German club's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke confirmed on Saturday that there had been an approach for the Gabon international, with the Gunners having agreed personal terms with the 28-year-old.

Wenger will not, however, be bringing in Bordeaux winger Malcom in the winter window, with the north Londoners having pulled out of the race to sign the Brazilian, at least until the summer.

 

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Klopp explains why Liverpool won't be spending Coutinho cash in January window


Jurgen Klopp will not be rushing to reinvest the €160 million generated from the sale of Philippe Coutinho.The Reds have seen their ranks depleted during the January window by the departure of a key creative influence to Barcelona.

They had, however, already spent big on bolstering their defensive options prior to that deal going through, with a record-breaking £75 million package acquiring Virgil van Dijk from Southampton.

Klopp claims that he is happy with the players now on his books, and has confidence in those already at his disposal to cover the loss of Coutinho and allow him to delay drawing up a transfer strategy until the summer.

The German coach told reporters on his plans for the funds now at his disposal: “I don’t think about money. Nobody told me that I have to think about money because we are always reasonable, we always try to do the right thing.“Obviously we don’t hesitate to spend the money, we did a few times, but it is not about the moment, it is about making the right decision.

“It is not that Adam Lallana is a replacement for Philippe Coutinho but he is back. Cool. It is another wonderful, creative, offensive-midfield player.“Does he have the same free kick as Philippe Coutinho? No, but there are a lot of things he can do. He can make us stronger in these situations.

“And there are other players who can stand up. [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain was here all the time with Phil together but he can do a job, Milly [James Milner] still, Gini [Wijnaldum], so they are all here and can make an improvement and develop in the season so that is all good.

“If anything obviously right would be there in the window then nobody would not do it and we say, 'OK, let’s go for it,' but it is not about doing something to cool the situation down or show the people we don’t sleep. It is only about right or wrong and at this moment in this situation it is right.”While Liverpool have no deals in the pipeline at present, they continue to be heavily linked with a number of top talents.

They have until the end of the month to make a call on whether to pursue any of those options, with the winter deadline set to pass on January 31.

 

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Chelsea interested in Burnley striker Barnes


Chelsea have expressed an interest in Burnley striker Ashley Barnes as they cast a wide net in the search for a new back-up striker to work with Alvaro Morata, Goal understands.

A formal approach has yet to be made for Barnes, with the Blues enquiring about a number of centre-forwards as they look to add another option in attack at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues want to loan out Michy Batshuayi, their current back-up to Morata, as he seeks game time ahead of the World Cup in Russia, with Sevilla having previously been keen on the Belgian .

Roma's Edin Dzeko is also being sounded out by Chelsea, with the west London club having reached an advanced stage in negotiations to bring in his team-mate Emerson Palmieri for around £25 million.

Antonio Conte's side had targeted West Ham striker Andy Carroll before an injury scuppered any hopes of progressing a deal , and Stoke City's Peter Crouch is also on the shortlist of players being considered.The club are weighing up their options to as they look to allow Batshuayi to join Sevilla - who are very keen to tie up a loan deal as soon as possible - but will not do so until they secure a replacement.

Dortmund are also interested in the Belgium international, while it has been suggested that he could be offered to Roma on loan as part of any deal to take Dzeko back to the Premier League.

 

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Aubameyang to Arsenal deal moves closer as Gazidis holds formal talks with Dortmund


Arsenal are stepping up their pursuit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with the club's transfer negotiators having been in Germany for their first round of talks with Borussia Dortmund.

Ivan Gazidis, the club's chief executive, new contracts expert Huss Fahmy and Sven Mislintat, the head of recruitment who joined from Dortmund, touched down on Sunday afternoon in a bid to move talks forward on a deal for Aubameyang.

As reported by Goal earlier on Sunday, Alexis Sanchez is on the verge of completing his move to Manchester United having arrived for a medical with the club, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan heading in the opposite direction.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger wants to add world-class attacking talent to his side and sees Aubameyang, a former team-mate of Mkhitaryan at Dortmund, as the perfect forward to complement the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette.Arsenal lodged their first formal offer for the Gabon international on Saturday, with reports suggesting that Dortmund value Aubameyang at £53 million, and it's understood the German side are looking at Olivier Giroud being used as a potential makeweight in the deal.

The German club's CEO Hanz-Joachim Watzke told Ruhr Nachrichten: "I can confirm that there has been a first request from Arsenal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and we are not commenting on the sums that have been called from England since noon today [Saturday]."
Discussions between the Gunners and Dortmund on Sunday lasted several hours before the north London club's transfer team travelled home without an agreement, with Mislintat confirming to local German media that nothing had been finalised as of yet.

Photos from Germany also showed Aubameyang's sports car parked at the same Dortmund Airport terminal. Goalrevealed last week that the striker, who has scored 21 goals in 23 appearances this season, has already agreed personal terms with the club. Aubameyang has endured a frustrating season with Dortmund, with disciplinary issues having previously seen him internally suspended and dropped from the first-team squad.

Despite those conflicts, he has still raced to 13 goals in the Bundesliga this season, a tally bettered only by Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.

 

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'Not much changed' - Zidane boosted by clinical Real Madrid


Zinedine Zidane did not feel Real Madrid's performance in a seven-goal demolition of Deportivo La Coruna was radically different to those from more underwhelming results of late.

Adrian Lopez opened the scoring after 23 minutes for relegation-threatened Depor but doubles from the excellent Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nacho sat alongside a fine Luka Modric strike in a comprehensive 7-1 triumph for Zidane's under-fire side.

Victory was particularly welcome following La Liga losses at the Santiago Bernabeu against Barcelona and Villarreal, not to mention Copa del Rey struggles versus Numancia and Leganes.

Nevertheless, Zidane maintained similar routs might have been enjoyed with sharper finishing over the course of recent outings."I don't know if much has changed," he told a post-match news conference. "The result, of course, as it was a big win.

"That's the difference. In our general play we played very well against Villarreal.
"What changed today is the result, that we scored the chances we made. Nothing else."We all needed a game like this. To score seven goals is not done every day. In the end, I am happy for that."

Zidane had Bale, Ronaldo and Karim Benzema all fit and at his disposal, although the French striker was made to wait on the bench before being fielded in tandem with his celebrated forward colleagues for the first time in 273 days.
Benzema's introduction in place of youngster Borja Mayoral was whistled by a section of the Madrid faithful and Zidane added: "We know we can play in many different shapes. Today was 4-3-3 with Gareth and Cristiano wide, and Borja. And it worked for us.

"We can change shape, but the most important was the attitude we showed."Zidane's men remain fourth in La Liga and are next in action in the home leg of their Copa quarter-final with Leganes, where they hold a slender 1-0 advantage courtesy of Marco Asensio.

 

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Neymar? I'd rather watch the golf, says Bale


Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale is not worried about facing Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next month – because he is too busy watching golf.

Bale continued his encouraging return to fitness with two goals and a man-of-the-match showing in Sunday's 7-1 demolition of Deportivo La Coruna.Madrid remain 19 points behind leaders Barcelona and lie fourth in La Liga, meaning a third European title in succession represents a far more realistic prospect of silverware.

Nevertheless, Wales star Bale claims he is currently more interested in the form of Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth than Neymar and Kylian Mbappe."I don't really watch much football, I'd rather watch the golf to be honest," he told ESPN FC when asked about PSG's prowess.

"We've not really thought about the Champions League yet, it's still a bit of time away. "We have to focus on each and every game at the moment, build confidence and get back to winning ways."

Sunday certainly represented a step in the right direction after Adrian Lopez's opener for Depor threatened to turn the Santiago Bernabeu's atmosphere in a mutinous direction.
But Bale inspired the turnaround, with Nacho and Cristiano Ronaldo also hitting braces, and he received a standing ovation when he was replaced by Lucas Vazquez."Yeah, instead of whistles, which is always good," he said, having previously been on the receiving end of Bernabeu abuse.

"It would have been nice to have stayed on to get the hat-trick, but the most important thing is always to get the victory and to try and get some confidence back in the team."

 

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Pochettino plays down Malcom talk after seeing Arsenal exit transfer race


Mauricio Pochettino has played down reports Tottenham are interested in signing Bordeaux's in-demand Malcom after seeing north London rivals Arsenal distance themselves from a deal.The winger is a reported target for Spurs, having hit seven goals in Ligue 1 this season, with Pochettino yet to make a signing in the January transfer window.

But despite Spurs struggling for creativity in Christian Eriksen's absence during Sunday's 1-1 draw at Southampton, the Argentine coach has denied a move for the Brazilian is imminent.

"That is a rumour and I don't want to speak about it," Pochettino told Sky Sports when asked about 20-year-old Malcom."I am happy with our squad. We are open to quality players, but it is difficult in this transfer window."

Harry Kane's 99th Premier League goal cancelled out a Davinson Sanchez own-goal as Spurs struggled for cohesion at a sodden St Mary's, losing ground in the race for Champions League qualification.But after Kane missed a last-minute opportunity to snatch all three points, Pochettino said his side had done enough to win the game."I think it was an even game and a difficult game to play," Pochettino added. "The pitch was in a difficult condition. It was tough. A battle. It was fair, the result.

"We struggled to play. It was in possession, we made mistakes which allowed them to play. To win the game we should do better and play better. It wasn't great.
"We tried to be more aggressive in our offensive phase and to link better Kane and [Dele] Alli behind. This allowed us to be more aggressive in transition and use our full-backs going forward. We had a massive chance with Harry Kane at the end to win the game.

"We still have the possibility to fight [for the top four]. Southampton are in a relegation battle so it is not easy, they fight to survive. Every ball, they were aggressive. But it was our mistake to not win the game."Southampton are in the relegation zone, without a win in their last 10 Premier League matches, but Mauricio Pellegrino was buoyed by his team's performance.

"I think we are on the right path," Pellegrino told Sky Sports. "In the last four games we responded really well. Obviously this is the attitude we need to show in the next game [at home to Brighton and Hove Albion] - it's massive for us.

"We knew this. In the second half they played with a diamond, one between the line and two strikers, they were dangerous. But we had space in wide areas and we had a couple of chances. They are an amazing team with great players. Most of the time we defended well."We have to be confident but we are not in the best moment so players might not want to take risks, this is part of football.

"For me every single game is an opportunity to improve. We have improved a lot and we have to continue in this way. In three or four weeks time everything can change. We have to be optimistic but we will continue to improve."

 

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Alexis snubbed City because United are 'miles bigger' - Ince


Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez has opted for Manchester United over Manchester City because the Red Devils are "miles bigger" than the runaway Premier League leaders, according to Paul Ince.Chile international Sanchez – out of contract at the end of the season – is poised to join United having snubbed Pep Guardiola and City.

The 29-year-old forward had been tipped to swap Arsenal for City in a reunion with former Barcelona boss Guardiola, however, United hijacked their neighbour's move, with some past players and pundits claiming Sanchez's decision is based on money.

However, former United midfielder Ince insisted City simply cannot compete with the history of their rivals – the 20-time English champions.

"Everyone is raving about City. But when it comes to the two clubs, Man United are miles bigger than City. Players would still prefer to go to them over Pep's side – that's a fact. Players won't go to City because they think they're a bigger, more historic club than United. Because they're simply not," Ince told Paddy Power.

"Some might get the quick satisfaction of winning the league this year, but those years of history, and the side that [Jose] Mourinho is building – players want to be a part of that.

"This signing only confirms that. Sanchez had the opportunity to go into a team where he could have won a trophy. But he didn't, he chose to go to United because of everything they stand for and that says a lot about the size of the club.

"City have some unbelievable players, but winning the league this year doesn't mean anything. They need to do that year upon year and collect trophies to compete with United. That's the true test. They're not serial winners. United are and that's why players want to be there.

"With the Champions League around the corner, this is a huge boost. Sanchez hasn't come to Old Trafford not to play. He's come to show how good he is, on the top stage, which is Europe. He's a special player and the sort that doesn't come around that often, and I'd say United's hopes of winning their fourth European trophy have just got a lot more likely."

Ince – a two-time Premier League winner at Old Trafford – added: "We all presumed Sanchez would join Man City. There was all this talk about how desperate he was to be reunited with Pep Guardiola from their Barcelona days.

"Suddenly, Man United is the destination for him, and that is a massive statement from the club. He's one of the best players in the Premier League, and they've had a lot of competition to sign him."This is their way of saying: 'Don't belittle us. We're still the biggest club in the league and we can get who we want.'

"It seems United, City, Liverpool and Chelsea were all after him. Sanchez choosing United sends a big message to those clubs, especially Man City."

 

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Hazard: My dad is in trouble for Real Madrid transfer outburst!


Eden Hazard has brushed off claims made by father Thierry that he is holding off on signing a new contract to encourage an offer from Real Madrid in the summer.

The 27-year-old was in fantastic form as he provided two goals in Chelsea’s 4-0 win as they got back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Real Madrid are understood to be interested in signing Hazard but Chelsea are also trying to offer him a big pay-rise to remain at Stamford Bridge. Hazard joked that his father Thierry is in trouble for the interview he made in Le Soir but clarified that he will begin talks after the season has finished.

“My dad says some bad things,” Hazard told reporters after the win. “Yes. I talked with him [to tell him off], no, no worries.“I'm focused with Chelsea. I've got two years contract left and I'm happy here. Like I said 10 times before, I want to finish this year and then we'll see. But I'm happy here.” Chelsea showed great improvement up front with Hazard playing alongside Willian and Michy Batshuayi at the Amex Stadium.

Their exciting attacking play was a far cry from the recent struggles against Norwich, while before that the club had registered three 0-0s in a row for the first time in their history.

Chelsea are still looking to sign another striker in January and may loan Batshuayi with the likes of West Ham’s Andy Carroll and Stoke City’s Peter Crouch being linked. However, Hazard thinks that the display against Brighton shows Chelsea don’t necessarily need a big striker to win games.

“Football is simple: keep the ball on the ground and try [to play] like we did. I think we have two very good strikers in Alvaro and Michy. If they are not ready to play I can play striker, so I don't think we need [another one].

“Because we are missing chances people are saying we need another striker, but if we are scoring goals we are the best attack in the league and no one can say we need a striker. It depends on the form of the team and I think we're happy with the team we have.

“Who is the best team this year? Man City. The strikers, [Gabriel] Jesus and [Sergio] Aguero, are not big. It's simple. It depends how you want to play. If you want to play with long balls you need a target man, if you want to keep the ball on the floor you need a small guy. It depends how you want to play.

“Yes, it sometimes happens. From the first minute until the last one you feel confident. When you score early it's easier because you have the confidence straight from the start of the game.“When you see the second goal with Willian, it's one of the best of the season because we create movement with one touch, one touch, and then the finishing is good. We want to do more like this.

“No, no. Maybe one big boy can do that also! Of course we are sharp on the floor, so maybe it's easier to do the movement we are working on in training.”
Hazard completed only his second 90 minutes in the last nine games as Conte tries to protect him during a busy fixture schedule.

The forward also missed pre-season and had a broken ankle that he recovered from over the summer. Hazard spoke about his fitness and how he is being managed by his Italian boss.

“Yes I was not sure, but now I'm sure! It's good to play, good to score, so everything was good today. You can ask the manager. The manager answered last week, so I don't need to talk about this.“When I'm on the pitch I try to give my best, when I'm not on the pitch on the bench I want the team to do the best. That's it. I think it's normal when you miss two months of preseason with an injury.

"I had a good start to the season after the injury, and then it's not easy to stay on the top. But I try, I try to work in training and when I'm on the pitch I try to give everything. Sometimes it happens like today when we play an amazing game, sometimes not. I just keep going, keep training hard and try to do my best."

 

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Batshuayi may leave Chelsea in January, says Conte


Antonio Conte is happy with Michy Batshuayi’s contribution after his improved display against Brighton & Hove Albion but says that the striker could be distracted by transfer speculation.Batshuayi is attracting strong interest from Sevilla to come in on loan, while Borussia Dortmund and Roma are also thought to be monitoring the Belgium international.

Charly Musonda and Kenedy could follow him on loan in January to earn more game time, and Conte says he is happy with Batshuayi but thinks that the transfer market has the potential to distract his young stars.

"No.9's an important player," Conte said at the Amex Stadium in Brighton. "I want a player to be a point of reference for our team. Today I'm satisfied for the work, for Batshuayi's job.

"For sure in this period it is not simple, it's not easy for the players — especially for the players who want to go on loan. It's not simple but at the same time in my head there is the idea to work with these players and to continue to work with all these players.

"As I said during the press conference, I’m very happy to work with this group of players because they show me in every moment a great commitment, they show me they want to do what they want in the game.

"Batshuayi is a Chelsea player and we are working with him very hard in the same way that we are working with [Alvaro] Morata, we are working with [Eden] Hazard, Willian and Pedro and now with [Ross] Barkley.

"For me, Michy is a Chelsea player and in my mind there is the will to continue to work with him and to try to improve. Then I don’t know if the player decides to take other solution or if he wants to play with regularity.

"You don’t know, it can happen. But at the same time in my mind there is tomorrow to continue to work with all my players and try to improve everyone. I think if you are in a team like Chelsea, before you arrive in this type of team you know you have to challenge and this is a big challenge.

"You find a lot of good players. Otherwise you decide to stay in a medium team or low team and probably you can play every game. But I think that every single player that decides to come to Chelsea, they must be prepared to have this type of challenge."

Meanwhile, Chelsea have a young player who is breaking the mould and earning game time in Andreas Christensen.

The 21-year-old suffered a collision of heads with Brighton defender Shane Duffy on Saturday. He was substituted off in the middle of the second half after initially coming back on, but it is understood to be just bruising and not a concussion.

Conte confirmed that Christensen would return to training as normal on Sunday as Chelsea prepare to face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal on Wednesday.He also thinks Christensen could look to the man who replaced him, David Luiz, to improve his passing range.

"I think from the start that Christensen has improved in a fantastic way," Conte said. "I think there is only one word, this is improvement. Work, work and work.This player — despite he is a young player, he’s only 21 years old — I think he could be come a really important defender, not just for Chelsea.

"The important thing is to continue to be humble, to continue with the will to improve, with the will to work, but I’m pleased with the improvement. I think he has to improve a lot with the ball."He has a lot of space for improvement, to have more personality like David Luiz.Luiz with the ball is important because he has great personality and in this way [Christensen] can improve a lot.

"He’s ready tomorrow for the training session. The referee saw the head against head, and then he saw the player touch his head, and for this reason he thought not to force but to suggest a substitution. The player didn’t agree, but I repeat when you have a player on the bench like David Luiz and you’re winning 2-0, I prefer to make the substitution.

"I was a simple contusion [bruise], and the player is OK. If we had to play another game now, he would be ready."

 

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'He's on fire!' - Smalling hails Manchester United's man of the moment Martial


Chris Smalling has revealed that Manchester United's players were instructed to pass the ball early and often to Anthony Martial on Saturday as the French forward netted for the third Premier League match running.

Martial followed up strikes against Everton on New Year's Day and Stoke City last Monday with the winner in Burnley as Jose Mourinho's side were made to battle for all three points.

The 22-year-old has been in scintillating form to start 2018, becoming United's biggest attacking outlet, and centre-back Smalling is full of praise for the former Monaco striker.

"[His goal] was brilliant," said the England man. "He's on fire at the minute." "As soon as [Phil] Bardsley was on a yellow card the instructions were to just give it to him as early as we can because when he’s running at people he’s a danger."

Martial's upturn in form has coincided with a dip in the output of Marcus Rashford but Smalling nonetheless has praised the duo for their contributions from the left wing all season.

"All year him and Marcus, the lot of them have played on that left and to be fair both of them have chipped in with goals and assists. It’s great for us that we’ve got such attacking flair," said the 28-year-old defender.

It is expected that United will wrap up the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in the next few hours and Smalling believes the added attacking depth provided by the Chilean will give United more power up front.

"We all know it’s probably close," he said. "Until it’s done, it’s done. Any new addition that could strengthen our squad is a big welcome."

United remain 12 points adrift of neighbours Manchester City at the top of the table, who won at home against Newcastle United on Saturday evening. Smalling remains optimistic about his side's title prospects so long as they stay within touching distance of the summit.

"We’ve all been there when leads have been dwindled and people have been caught," he said. "We can only focus on ourselves. There’s still a big points gap and at the minute we need to make sure we win our games because if we don’t there’s no point even talking about it."If we can be in with that shout towards that time of the season then that’s when nerves can creep in. Hopefully come those last few games we’re there or thereabouts.

"Whenever we play on a Sunday, we’re well aware watching Soccer Saturday of all the scores and watching the games so it is a little blow if you see all the teams around you winning. We can only do our job."

Mourinho's men are back in action on Friday night at Yeovil Town in the FA Cup where Smalling is expecting an improvement on the team's showing in the Carabao Cup, where they were eliminated by Bristol City.

"Being knocked out of one means we go strong in this one," he declared. "We’ve got a good draw and we'll go there. We’ve played there not too long ago as well, so we know the stadium and we know what we need to do."We’ve got a couple of days to refresh and we’ll be back in on Tuesday to make sure we’re ready for Friday."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Lyon 2 Paris Saint-Germain 1: 10-man leaders downed by twin wondergoals

Paris Saint-Germain saw their lead at the top of Ligue 1 cut to eight points following a 2-1 loss at title rivals Lyon on Sunday, Memphis Depay scoring a sensational late winner deep in stoppage time.

Unai Emery's leaders were without Neymar, saw Kylian Mbappe suffer an injury and had Dani Alves sent off in a thrilling top-of-the-table clash at Groupama Stadium that featured three contenders for goal of the season.

Jean-Michel Aulas said before the game that he ranks Nabil Fekir higher than Brazil superstar Neymar and the lofty praise of the Lyon president was justified in fantastic fashion inside two minutes.


Lyon captain Fekir curled in his third free-kick goal of the Ligue 1 season, beating the badly positioned Alphonse Areola in the PSG goal from well outside the right side of the penalty area.

A long period of stoppage time was added at the end of the first half following an injury suffered by Mbappe in a clash with Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, Layvin Kurzawa lashing home a tremendous volley from Alves' right-wing cross during the extra minutes.

Alves saw red early in the second half for angrily confronting referee Clement Turpin and Lyon eventually capitalised on their man advantage through substitute Depay, who shimmied into space and thumped a wonderful hit into the top-left corner from 25 yards.

In the absence of the injured Neymar, Edinson Cavani failed to record the strike that would make him PSG's outright record goalscorer and Lyon move up to second as a result of a win that breathes new life into the Ligue 1 title race.PSG had won eight games in a row in all competitions but they fell behind in the second minute.


Lyon won a free-kick wide on the right flank, around 30 yards from goal, with Areola expecting Fekir to deliver a cross into the box.But Lyon's star man had other ideas, whipping a sensational strike over the wall and out of Areola's desperate reach, the ball kissing the post on its way in.

PSG came close to equalising in similarly spectacular fashion when Lopes raced out of his goal to clear with his head, only to divert the ball straight to Cavani, who directed a 45-yard lob narrowly wide of the unguarded goal.

Seeking his history-making goal, Cavani headed a great chance from Angel Di Maria's precise delivery straight at Lopes, who then made a terrific one-handed stop to keep out a goalbound header from his own defender Jeremy Morel.Already without Neymar, PSG had to substitute Mbappe after the forward was hurt in an accidental collision with Lopes, the teenager leaving the field on a stretcher.

And during the lengthy period of stoppage time added for Mbappe's injury, PSG equalised with a stunning goal.Alves stood up a tempting cross from the right wing and his fellow full-back Kurzawa crashed an explosive strike in off the crossbar to send the teams into the interval all-square.

Marco Verratti sent a drive over the crossbar after 51 minutes and Kurzawa wasted an opening to add his second goal, but as PSG began to crank up the pressure they were reduced to 10 men.



Alves brought down Tanguy NDombele but reacted furiously to the correct award of a free-kick and squared up to referee Turpin, who sent the Brazilian off for dissent.Emery sacrificed Di Maria for additional defensive cover via substitute Thomas Meunier but the introduction of Depay with 20 minutes to go proved more vital.

There was little on when Depay picked up the ball well outside the PSG box, but he carried the ball past two half-hearted challenges and smashed a glorious finish out of Areola's reach to boost Lyon's faint title hopes.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Betis 0 Barcelona 5: Messi, Suarez rampant as leaders go 11 points clear

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored two goals each as Barcelona secured a hugely impressive 5-0 win away to Real Betis on Sunday.

Betis held their own in a tight first half but they had no answer to Barca's onslaught after the break. Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring before braces from Messi and Suarez capped a wonderful display.

The result sends Ernesto Valverde's side 11 points clear at the top of the table, with Atletico Madrid having drawn with Girona and Valencia losing at Las Palmas on Saturday.


Betis had won their previous two matches, scoring eight goals in the process, and they stayed true to their bold pressing approach under Quique Setien during a keenly contested opening 45 minutes.

Barca's control had been growing, though, despite the loss of Thomas Vermaelen to injury towards the end of the first half, and they deserved the lead given to them by former Sevilla captain Rakitic in the 59th minute.

Messi then fired home with aplomb after good play from Sergio Busquets and Suarez finished well from Rakitic's cross to complete a devastating spell for the visitors and leave the home fans stunned.

A mazy Messi run and finish made it 4-0 with 11 minutes left and Suarez steered his strike partner's pass high into the net in the 90th minute for a fifth, giving Barca a firmer grip on the title race and a 14th game without defeat against Betis.


The home side began on the front foot, with Andres Guardado firing narrowly wide after only three minutes, as Barca struggled to get to grips with the home side's ferocious work-rate.

The visitors slowly settled as Betis began to drop deeper, though, and Sergi Roberto missed a good chance to break the deadlock 25 minutes in when he fired Suarez's lay-off over the bar.

Messi was becoming increasingly involved and he was next to come close to the opening goal, rippling the side-netting from six yards out after Suarez had played him in with a fine pass.

The half ended in disappointment for Barca, though, as Vermaelen limped off with what looked like a hamstring problem, with Samuel Umtiti on to replace him for his first appearance in LaLiga since December 2.The injury did little to throw the visitors out of their stride as their pressure grew in the second half and they at last found the breakthrough just before the hour mark.

Suarez's superb throughball picked out the run from Rakitic, who had plenty of time to stride towards goal and slot the ball left-footed beneath Antonio Adan and into the net.

Five minutes later, the game was effectively over. Busquets robbed Fabian Ruiz in his own half and played the ball through to Messi, who turned to face Adan and rifled a low shot into the right-hand corner.



Suarez made certain of the points in the 69th minute, the Uruguay star volleying Rakitic's cross off the turf and into the bottom-right corner after some more fine play from Messi.Betis' fight had all but evaporated and they allowed Messi to score his 19th league goal of the season in style, the 30-year-old weaving his way into the penalty area before side-footing past a disconsolate Adan.

There was just enough time for Messi to lay on a fifth for Suarez and cap a brilliant display, the former Liverpool man blasting the ball high into the net from 12 yards out for his 100th goal in Spain's top flight after his strike partner had squeezed the ball into his path.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Inter 1 Roma 1: Vecino snatches point on possible Dzeko farewell

Matias Vecino snatched a point four minutes from time but Inter's winless run in Serie A continued as Roma left San Siro with a 1-1 draw.

Eusebio Di Francesco's side entered the match amid mounting speculation over Chelsea launching a bid for top scorer Edin Dzeko, but it was former AC Milan forward Stephan El Shaarawy who came to the fore with a coolly taken 31st-minute opener.Mauro Icardi led Inter's charge during the closing stages as Brazil goalkeeper Alisson produced a pair of world-class saves to deny the Argentina striker.


But Di Francesco's decision to bring on defenders Bruno Peres and Juan Jesus invited an unsustainable level of pressure and Vecino was the beneficiary, powering home a pinpoint cross from Marcelo Brozovic.Inter, who were unbeaten in Serie A until the middle of last month, have taken four points from a run of six winless games but remain three points ahead of Roma in the final Champions League berth.


In an open contest marked by some skittish defensive efforts early on, it was a surprise it took until the 17th minute for the first clear opening to fall Inter's way.

Joao Cancelo got past Gerson on the Roma left and whipped in a pinpoint cross for Ivan Perisic to head against the back stanchion when he should have worked Alisson.

Mauro Icardi had penalty appeals rejected for the hosts as he went to ground under attention from Kostas Manolas and Federico Fazio that was more clumsy than overly impeding, while Perisic fired too close to Alisson after neatly turning Alessandro Florenzi.

It was, therefore, slightly against the run of play when Roma took the lead – Davide Santon badly misjudged a long punt from the Roma keeper, so much so that El Shaarawy could recover from a loose first touch to dink a finish beyond Samir Handanovic.

Icardi stabbed wide under pressure from Fazio, failing to get the ball out of his feet in the 34th minute before it was Roma's turn to have a penalty claim turned down, with Florenzi tumbling after Miranda tugged at his shirt. Spalletti sent on Brozovic for the ineffective Roberto Gagliardini but Inter remained short of fluency as Roma continued to disrupt them with intelligent pressing.

Miranda did enough to prevent Dzeko from heading home a 54th-minute corner, while the flailing Santon caught El Shaarawy with a stray arm as the Roma man sensed a second goal. Referee Davide Massa spared the French defender further ignominy.

And end-to-end feel remained as Alisson scrambled to get behind an Antonio Candreva strike before Manolas was unable to apply the finish when Dzeko flicked on Aleksandar Kolarov's dangerous cross.Massa was not so lenient in the 69th minute, giving a deserved yellow card to Cancelo for an embarrassing dive vaguely in the vicinity of Fazio.

Spalletti's decision to introduce Eder lifted Inter entering the final 20 minutes, with Candreva's replacement instantly bursting into the box from the right channel and firing at Alisson.Roma's keeper made a far more taxing save five minutes later, tipping brilliantly on to the post when Icardi seemed certain to turn home Perisic's cross on the half volley.

Eder then headed over from Cancelo's latest fine delivery. Alisson's further heroics down to his left from Icardi suggested it probably would not have mattered had the Italy forward hit the target.



Dzeko had just departed to the bench by the time Vecino ensured he would not enjoy a winning farewell if this is to be his goodbye.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Cagliari 1 AC Milan 2: Kessie at the double in comeback win

Franck Kessie scored twice as AC Milan earned a comeback 2-1 win at lowly Cagliari in a match that both teams finished with 10 men.

Despite spending heavily during the previous transfer window, the Rossoneri endured a desperately disappointing first half of the campaign which led to the dismissal of Vincenzo Montella in November.

Gennaro Gattuso has endured mixed results since taking over and it looked like being another bad day at the office when Cagliari opened the scoring after Gianluigi Donnarumma failed to keep out a weak Nicolo Barella effort.


Donnarumma made up for that misjudgement to deny Diego Farias and Kessie - one of Milan's pre-season arrivals who has struggled to hit top form - levelled proceedings from the penalty spot after Luca Ceppitelli fouled Nikola Kalinic.Kessie completed the turnaround on the stroke of half-time, but the visitors had to see it out the hard way when Ricardo Rodriguez was dismissed for a second bookable offence 10 minutes from time.

However, Barella also saw red in the closing stages as Milan earned back-to-back wins in Serie A for the first time since September to climb from 10th to seventh in the table, but still 11 points adrift of rivals Inter, who face Roma later on Sunday, in fourth.


Milan fell behind in the eighth minute thanks to Donnarumma's error.Cagliari worked the ball left to Barella and he drove into the area before curling a tame-looking effort towards the far post that bobbled over the Milan goalkeeper's arm.Artur Ionita then wastefully blazed over, while, at the other end, Kessie saw a stinging long-range effort saved by Alessio Cragno.Donnarumma then atoned for his earlier error, saving one-on-one from Farias - on as a substitute for injured captain Marco Sau - after Luca Cigarini's throughball split Milan's defence.

Milan were gifted a lifeline when Ceppitelli failed to win the ball when sliding to tackle Kalinic in the area and Kessie placed the resulting penalty low to the bottom-right corner.It should have been 2-1 when Kessie teed up Kalinic, but he shot straight at Cragno from near the centre spot.

But when the combination was reversed four minutes before the break, Kessie made no mistake, sweeping Kalinic's lay-off into the bottom-left corner from eight yards.Cagliari had Cragno to thank for keeping the deficit to one when he flung himself high to his right to keep out Giacomo Bonaventura's 25-yard drive early in the second half.

Milan wasted a lightning three-on-two counter as Suso's pass was overhit, while Hakan Calhanoglu did not know whether to shoot or pass the loose ball and ended up skewing into the stands.Rodriguez, who had earlier been booked for a comical rugby-style tackle on Paolo Farago, was then sent off for a cynical foul on the same player.

The numbers were evened when Barella also earned his marching orders two minutes from time for a trip on Lucas Biglia having already been booked, but Cagliari almost snatched a point when Leonardo Pavoletti headed wide from Andrea Cossu's corner with the last action of the match.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Madrid vs Deportivo La Coruna 7-1 - All Goals & Extended Highlights - La Liga 21/01/2018 HD

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[Wolverine GTR]

Real Betis vs Barcelona 0-5 - All Goals & Extended Highlights - La Liga 21/01/2018 HD

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