..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Mohamed Elneny will be ready for World Cup – Arsene Wenger


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Mohamed Elneny will be available for Egypt at the World Cup.The midfielder suffered an ankle ligament damage in Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over West Ham United in Saturday’s English Premier League game.

It has been confirmed that he will be unavailable for the rest of the season, thus, missing out of the Gunners remaining league games against Manchester United, Burnley, Leicester City and Huddersfield Town. The former Basel player will also be out of the Emirates Stadium outfit’s remaining Europa League matches.

Hector Cuper’s men will square off agaunst Uruguay, host country Russia and Saudi Arabia in Group A of the global tournament and the French tactician is optimistic of the midfielder's participation at the showpiece."Elneny has a little, little chance to play at Huddersfield,” Arsenal told Sky Sports."I think he will be available for Egypt at the World Cup but not anymore for Arsenal."

Elneny who boasts of 57 caps for Egypt played a crucial role to help the country qualify for their first World Cup since 1990.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

UEFA Europa League Semi-Finals Fixtures 2018.04.26

UEFA Europa League Semi-Finals Fixtures 2018.04.26

Arsenal Vs Atletico Madrid

Olympique De Marseille Vs FC Salzburg

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

BUMP+

Thanks bro

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool book 'extraordinary' Rome meeting to ensure fan safety in Champions League decider


Liverpool will meet with relevant stakeholders in Rome in the hope of assuring fan safety during their Champions League match with Roma, after violence marred the first leg at Anfield.Two men from the Italian capital were charged on Thursday in connection with an attack on a 53-year-old man, who suffered serious head injuries just before kick-off and remains in a critical condition.

It is not the first time Roma fans have been involved in such situations and, as such, Liverpool are taking no chances ahead of the return leg in the Italian capital on Wednesday.

Their meeting will include representatives from both clubs, UEFA, local police and security services.A Liverpool statement read: "Liverpool Football Club is continuing to do everything in its power to provide supporters travelling to Rome next week with the most comprehensive safety and security advice."The club has taken the exceptional measure of requesting an extraordinary meeting in the Italian capital, which will take place on Friday April 27.

"Present at the meeting will be all the major stakeholders who share responsibility for the wellbeing of Liverpool supporters making the journey to watch the Champions League tie."At the behest of Liverpool, club officials will join Roma, UEFA and the relevant Italian police and security services to discuss specific ongoing concerns.

"Liverpool have sought clarity on a number of issues surrounding the matchday operation since the draw was made and is hoping this extraordinary meeting will provide the necessary reassurances and essential information.

"This, if provided, will allow the club to fully inform supporters of the measures that will be in place. "The club thanks its fans for their ongoing engagement on this issue and would hope to provide a detailed update following the meeting."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho arrival was 'the beginning of the end' for Wenger, claims Keown


Arsene Wenger has one more Premier League meeting with Jose Mourinho to come, with the Manchester United boss considered by Martin Keown to have started “the beginning of the end” for Arsenal’s outgoing boss.Back in 2004, the Portuguese arrived on British shores at Chelsea as a UEFA Cup and Champions League winner at Porto.

He quickly set about investing Roman Abramovich’s millions at Stamford Bridge and was able to construct a side which wrestled the Premier League crown away from the clutches of Manchester United and Arsenal.

The Gunners have been unable to get back on top of the domestic pile since, with Wenger’s running battles with Mourinho down the years often seeing him come off second best.Former Arsenal defender Keown told the Daily Mail on that rivalry ahead of a final reunion at Old Trafford on Sunday: “Jose Mourinho became Arsene Wenger’s next big adversary and Wenger came off worse in that head-to-head.

“Mourinho coming in and winning those two Premier Leagues in 2005 and 2006 ultimately brought about the beginning of the end of Wenger’s supremacy in English football.

“His timing was perfect. He arrived at Chelsea with plenty of resources at his disposal and built a brilliant team. Arsenal finished second in 2005 and without the rise of Chelsea, Wenger probably would have won another Premier League title.
“I am sure both men will be eager to get one last victory over the other this weekend.”

Wenger has announced that his 22-year tenure at Arsenal will be brought to a close this summer, with the Frenchman preparing to walk away from a club that he has given so much to.Filling his shoes will be no easy task, with Keown warning those in the running that they are going to have a tough challenge on their hands at Emirates Stadium.He added: “The new manager will have to do the opposite of what Wenger did when he arrived in 1996.

“When Wenger arrived, he found a club where the emphasis was on limiting the opposition. The training sessions were very defensive and it was a case of ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’. It was all repetitive work on the training ground to the extent that you became bored with it.

“Wenger came in and made us much more creative. It was like a breath of fresh air. It felt like we had all become complete footballers. While Wenger’s emphasis is to play football, it feels as if some of the basics are no longer there in the defenders.“When I returned to Arsenal in 1993, it was all about the defensive line. If you were involved in a situation to clear a ball, you had to recover and get back in that line.

“Laurent Koscielny has been at the club for a long time and Arsenal’s defenders should be taking their line off him. He should know where he needs to be and where the line needs to be but at times I do not think he does.

“While there are still negotiations to be done with certain players, the new manager will inherit good attacking players in Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette.
“What he needs to do is work with the defence and the protection it gets.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Rangers hope to appoint Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as new manager


Rangers are hoping to appoint Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as their new manager, Goal understands.

The Scottish club have held talks with the former Reds captain as they look to take him to Ibrox, and are ready to offer the 37-year-old the job.Gerrard, who is currently in charge of Liverpool's U18 side, is understood to be weighing up the approach, but has made no secret of his desire to get into senior management.

Some bookmakers suspended betting on Thursday on Gerrard replacing Graeme Murty as Rangers boss. Gers chairman Dave King was spotted at Anfield on Tuesday night, watching Liverpool beat Roma in the Champions League semi-final.

Gerrard, too, attended as part of BT Sport's punditry team, and was present at Ibrox for last month's Old Firm clash with Celtic. His Liverpool youth team visited Rangers earlier this season for a friendly match.

"I'll never forget when I'm invited to Ibrox," Gerrard said afterwards. "It's an iconic stadium. I've got a lot of respect for this football club and it's history and tradition - and that's the reason why we took the invitation up.

"I had to take the opportunity to bring my team up to experience playing in front of that stadium, just being in the surroundings, in the dressing room - it's a wonderful place."

Rangers are in the market for a new manager with Murty unlikely to be given the job on a full-time basis. The former Reading defender was installed on a caretaker basis following the sacking of Pedro Caixinha in October, and has kept them second in the SPL table - albeit comfortably behind leaders Celtic.Their 4-0 defeat to their fierce rivals earlier this month in the Scottish Cup semi-final led to protests from supporters, who are desperate for a change in mentality at the club.

Should Gerrard make the move, it will raise the tantalising prospect of him going head-to-head with Brendan Rodgers, his former Liverpool manager. Rodgers has enjoyed blanket success since moving to Scotland in 2016, winning the domestic treble last season and closing in on a repeat this time around. Gerrard's job would be to stop the Hoops' dominance.

The former England star has impressed since taking a role at Liverpool's Academy in January 2017. Having been appointed as U18s manager last summer, he has settled nicely into the job. His team sits third in the Premier U18 League table, while they reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Youth League, losing agonisingly on penalties to Manchester City.

Furthermore, a number of his players have moved up the ladder this season, with the likes of Curtis Jones and Rafael Camacho featuring on the bench for Jurgen Klopp's senior side in recent weeks. Others have stepped up to U23 level with Neil Critchley.

Gerrard himself has not hidden his desire to move into mangement. He turned down the chance to become MK Dons boss before taking the role with Liverpool, and has been linked with other Football League vacancies since.“I want to improve and I want to coach at the top level,” he said back in December, while in a recent interview he reiterated that desire.

“I feel like I’m a man on the move," he told JOE.co.uk. "I don’t want to stand still for very long. I want to progress, I want to improve, I want to keep testing myself.
“There’s no timescale on this, but I certainly want to coach at the top."His first opportunity could be about to arise. Gerrard vs Rodgers for glory in Scotland? It sounds intriguing.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

No World Cup 2018 for Ibrahimovic, says Swedish FA chief


Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not form part of Sweden's 23-man squad for the World Cup, the head of the country's football association has said.The 36-year-old striker, who recently made the move from Manchester United to LA Galaxy, has not featured for Sweden since retiring in the wake of Euro 2016.

However, in recent weeks, the idea of Ibrahimovic potentially making a shock return to the international fold for the 2018 World Cup in Russia has prompted plenty of discussion.

And the former Paris Saint-Germain forward did little to quell the speculation by declaring that he would be at the tournament and that no one could stop him if he wanted to go.

But that talk has been squashed by Lars Richt, head of the Swedish FA. Richt explained: "I talked to Zlatan on Tuesday. He announced he did not change his mind about the national team - it is no."

Mid-way through April, Ibrahimovic told Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he would be going to the World Cup, but was vague on details."I'm going to the World Cup, yes. If I say more, they will hang me, so I have to be careful what I say," said the Swede.

"A World Cup without me wouldn't be a World Cup."The suggestion that the outspoken striker could return to the international stage for this summer's tournament inevitably led to questions being directed at Sweden boss Janne Andersson.

However, Andersson revealed that Ibrahimovic had not spoken to him about his desire to go to the World Cup.“He hasn't said to me yet that he wants to play," said the Sweden coach. "When he has made his decision he is welcome to call me and talk with me about it.“In the end I am the manager and I make the decisions. And at the moment I have other things to do than to think about what would be if...”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 1 Atletico Madrid 1: Griezmann smuggles vital away goal for 10-man Atleti

Antoine Griezmann equalised eight minutes from time to grab a 1-1 draw and give 10-man Atletico Madrid the advantage in their Europa League semi-final against Arsenal.

An expectant Emirates Stadium enjoyed an early onslaught from the Gunners in Arsene Wenger's final European home match and Atletico right-back Sime Vrsaljko haphazardly collecting two yellow cards inside the opening 10 minutes placed further onus on the hosts.

Atleti's famously miserly backline played without direction from boss Diego Simeone, who was sent to the stands by referee Clement Turpin, having refused to curtail his protests following Vrsaljko's dismissal.They managed to hold out until the 61st-minute, when Alexandre Lacazette expertly directed Jack Wilshere's cross beyond Jan Oblak.

Simeone's men had virtually disappeared as an attacking force in the closing stages but an ever-alert Griezmann preyed upon shoddy work from Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny to bear down on goal, find the roof of the net and entirely alter the complexion of an absorbing tie.


Atleti made a sloppy start in keeping with their recent wobbles in LaLiga as Wilshere intercepted a slack pass from Jose Gimenez and Vrsaljko was booked for crudely bringing down the England midfielder with 75 seconds on the clock.

Lacazette volleyed wastefully wide from Danny Welbeck's excellent cross before Oblak sharply kept out a header from the France striker.Both opportunities arrived down Vrsaljko's flank and his torment would soon be curtailed as Lacazette touched the ball clear of the Croatia international, who trod on his ankle.

The two bookings seemed entirely justified, although not in Simeone's eyes. The Atleti boss howled for punishment when Hector Bellerin brought down Lucas Hernandez in the 13th minute and Turpin decided he had heard enough.

Arsenal's early pressure was duly ramped up, with Atletico captain Diego Godin bravely blocking from Welbeck before Oblak denied the England forward with his boot.From the resulting 21st-minute corner, Koscielny hooked over at the back post from Lacazette's flick-on.

Atleti were now consumed with one of their famed European rearguards but the mercurial Griezmann almost beat David Ospina in the 37th minute following Thomas Partey's driving run.Arsenal resumed with the lion's share of possession after the interval but Atleti's defensive obduracy generally drove them down blind alleys.

Just as they appeared to be running out of ideas, the home side hit the front – Griezmann was hustled out of possession on the edge of his own box and the ball was worked to Wilshere, who hung an astute cross up to the back post where Lacazette's finish was of a similar calibre.

Experienced holding midfielder Gabi came on for striker Kevin Gameiro as Atletico made it clear damage limitation was their priority, but there was time for Griezmann to atone for his earlier mistake.The 27-year-old was alive to the possibilities of a hopeful punt forward, startling countryman Koscielny into an untimely slip, shooting against Ospina and flicking into the roof of the net via the similarly prone Shkodran Mustafi.

Aaron Ramsey's flying header forced Oblak's best save of a busy night as the clock ticked down but Wenger's hopes of a golden farewell have suffered a considerable blow.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Marseille 2 Red Bull Salzburg 0: Thauvin, N'Jie earn semi-final advantage

Florian Thauvin and Clinton N'Jie were on target as Marseille won 2-0 in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against Red Bull Salzburg.Rudi Garcia's men had the better of Thursday's tie at Stade Velodrome but were fortunate on two occasions when decisions from referee William Collum went in their favour.

Thauvin converted a cross from the influential Dimitri Payet by inadvertently heading the ball onto his arm, but with no VAR in use in European football the goal was allowed to stand.Salzburg had a strong penalty appeal rejected when Maxime Lopez appeared to bring down Stefan Lainer in the box, but Collum said no and Marseille doubled their lead in the 63rd minute.

Captain Payet was again at the heart of it, collecting a pass from substitute N'Jie, progressing down the left flank and laying a superbly weighted pass back into the winger's path for a precise finish.Although Marseille will take a considerable advantage to Austria for next week's second leg after Fredrik Gulbrandsen was denied an away goal by the woodwork, Marco Rose's side lost the first leg of their quarter-final 4-2 away to Lazio but progressed thanks to a 4-1 home victory.


Payet sent an early free-kick off target but Marseille took the lead in the 15th minute, although the goal was a controversial one. Another Payet set-piece was floated to the back post and Thauvin arrived unmarked, heading the ball in off his arm to give his team-mate a fifth assist in the competition.

Duje Caleta-Car should have done better with a header from Andreas Ulmer's corner, before Yohann Pele - deputising for injured Marseille number one Steve Mandanda - saved easily from Lainer in the 29th minute.

Salzburg demanded a penalty when Lopez collided with raiding right-back Lainer in the area early in the second half, but referee Collum waved away the claims.Pele had to make a great save to deny Hannes Wolf, but N'Jie replaced Lopez and scored within three minutes of his introduction.N'Jie dropped deep to link up with Payet, who carried the ball down the left and slotted the ball back into his colleague's path for a neat strike past the helpless Alexander Walke.

Valon Berisha tried to muster a rapid response but his drive was beaten away by Pele, with Diadie Samassekou and Munas Dabbur then missing the target.Gulbrandsen went close to earning Salzburg what would have been a vital reply with 13 minutes to go, but the substitute saw his shot cannon back off the woodwork to leave Salzburg facing another daunting second-leg turnaround.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool 0 Stoke City 0: Salah draws rare blank as relegation looms for Potters

Liverpool passed time between Champions League semi-final assignments with a 0-0 draw against Stoke City that nudged their opponents closer to relegation from the Premier League.Mohamed Salah spurned a glorious early chance to net his 44th goal of the season and Danny Ings saw a goal ruled out for offside before half-time.

Nevertheless, for all Jurgen Klopp's pre-match insistence upon the importance of their weekend engagement, it was a fitful showing from Liverpool, who will look to press home a 5-2 advantage over Roma in the Italian capital on Wednesday.




Stoke boss Paul Lambert continued his proud record of having never lost at Anfield in six visits and the well-drilled away team never looked likely to endure the sort of ordeal on the road that has seen them concede seven at Manchester City and five apiece to Tottenham and Chelsea this season.

Nevertheless, anything over than victories over fellow strugglers Crystal Palace and Swansea is unlikely to save Stoke, who almost found an 88th-minute winner heavily against the run of play through captain Ryan Shawcross. At this stage, even that might not be enough.


Anfield waited for the net to bulge in the fifth minute, but the only sight more surprising than Erik Pieters darting out of his defensive line to give Salah the freedom of Stoke's half was the PFA Players' Player of the Year dinking a routine finish wide.

Joe Gomez, one of five alterations to the XI that thumped Roma, made a shaky start and in the 20th minute his aimless lunge on Moritz Bauer allowed the Austria international to cross for Mame Biram Diouf to head wide at the far post.

Gomez was playing at right-back as Trent Alexander-Arnold pushed into midfield to fill the void left by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's knee ligament injury and the latter youngster should have done better when he prodded Salah's pass at Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland.

There were chances at both ends as ex-Liverpool man Peter Crouch just failed to get on the end of Xherdan Shaqiri's low centre, while Georginio Wijnaldum rippled the side-netting and Salah did likewise from a 34th-minute free-kick.Ings thought he had given Liverpool the lead four minutes before half-time but strayed offside before rifling Wijnaldum's return pass into the roof of the net.

A groin injury to centre-back Bruno Martins Indi came as a major blow to Stoke and Lambert's decision to send on winger Ramadan Sobhi underlined the Potters being in a situation where a 12th draw of the campaign would be of little use.

Stoke's Egypt international enjoyed a couple of forays, drawing a brave block from Gomez, but the visitors had faded as an attacking force. Liverpool's hoarding of possession was the main factor that made a home breakthrough more likely in a half that ambled past the midway point as Alberto Moreno drove wide from 25 yards.

There was late drama as Pieters fortuitously survived a penalty shout for handball before Shawcross, a Stoke mainstay since their promotion a decade ago, came agonisingly close to smuggling home the winning goal his club badly needed.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Fabregas shrugs off transfer talk to reiterate Chelsea commitment


Cesc Fabregas has shrugged off the latest round of speculation suggesting that he could leave Chelsea this summer.The World Cup-winning midfielder was heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window in 2017.He eventually stayed put and has remained an important part of Antonio Conte’s plans throughout a testing campaign in west London.

Fabregas sees no reason why he should be looking for a move elsewhere, despite Chelsea’s struggles this season, with his family settled in England and a contract keeping him tied to the Blues until 2019.

He told Cadena COPE when quizzed on renewed exit rumours: "I'm happy here and I want to stay in Chelsea next season."I feel good in London, my family too, so I do not see why I'm leaving Chelsea."

Fabregas has made 45 appearances for Chelsea this season across all competitions.He has contributed two goals and four assists and helped the club through to the FA Cup final – where they will meet Manchester United.

He last won that trophy back in 2004-05, during his time at Arsenal, with a four-year spell at Stamford Bridge having delivered one Premier League title and a League Cup triumph.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Only Neymar can get close to Messi or Ronaldo' – Brazil's Josue backs PSG ace to shine at World Cup 2018


Former Brazil and Wolfsburg midfielder Josue has backed Neymar to return in time for the World Cup and turn in a starring performance.

The midfielder believes that the Paris Saint-Germain star is the only player in the world capable of out-matching Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, which makes him invaluable to Brazil’s challenge for a sixth global title.

Despite a broken foot, from which he is still on the road to recovery after sustaining it against Marseille in February, he has been tipped to be central to his country’s challenge.

"Neymar is a reference when you talk about the Brazil team, we put a lot of confidence in him," the former Wolfsburg man told Goal. "I’ll put all my chips on him – no one else can come as close to Messi and Ronaldo."His injury wasn’t far from being a serious one. Everyone’s concerned about how he’ll be when he returns. But we have to be positive."

Meanwhile, he is bullish about his country’s hopes overall. "I think Brazil, Germany and Spain are favourites,” he said, “but I’ll bet on Brazil winning the World Cup."It’s been a while since we’ve been favourites. The national team now has the confidence of the players and the fans with some great performances. It’s a quick and young team."

Josue also reflected on former team-mate Edin Dzeko, who he teamed up with to win the 2008-09 Bundesliga title with Wolfsburg."He’s a forward who can make a difference,” he said of the Bosnia and Roma man. “He can finish very well and I have a special fondness for him – I still cheer for him after playing with him for two years.

He is not, however, optimistic of the striker’s chances of turning around a 5-2 Champions League semi-final deficit against Liverpool."It’ll be tough for Roma to come back against Liverpool – more difficult than it was against Barcelona – but football is an unbelievable universe," he said.

"I don’t think it’ll happen again, particularly because Liverpool will have seen what Roma did against Barca and will take precautions."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Herrera hails 'cat-like' qualities of super-confident Man Utd keeper De Gea


Ander Herrera has hailed the “cat-like” qualities of Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, with the Spaniard’s “special” qualities inspiring confidence in those around him.The Red Devils’ No. 1 has established a reputation as one of the finest players in world football – particularly among those he shares a position with.

He has been a model of consistency for United throughout a testing period of transition since Sir Alex Ferguson headed into retirement, with three Player of the Year awards secured at Old Trafford.

Herrera admits his fellow countryman is an elite performer, with performances which frustrate him on the training field replicated in the heat of competitive action by a super-confident talent.

The United midfielder told the Daily Mail: “David has something special. He was born with a gift.“There are times in training when I shoot and in my head I'm saying ‘Gol!’ like the Spanish commentators, then this cat-like hand emerges from nowhere and claws it away. I shake my head, laugh and enjoy him.

“He's made saves in games where I've stopped in my tracks and just said to myself: ‘How good is this guy?’ He will make a save and everyone's singing his name, the TV's showing six replays, Twitter's going mad, and he gets up as if it is the easiest thing in the world.

“Before games, I'm a bit crazy. I get tense, I shake, dance. David pats me on the back, shrugs and says: ‘No, Ander, stand still, don't worry, it can't go wrong. If they shoot, they cannot score because I'm in goal’. It's like nothing has happened.

“In the FA Cup semi-final against Everton in 2016, he saved a penalty from Romelu Lukaku and after the game he's just like: ‘OK, that happened. What do you want to do tomorrow?’ It's like a student handing in an assignment and moving on. This is greatness.”

De Gea has been in inspired form again for United this season, with 17 Premier League clean sheets leaving him on course to claim a first Golden Glove of his career.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

De Gea: I have to win trophies at Man United


Trophies are what David de Gea craves as the reported Real Madrid target looks to lead Manchester United back to the top of English and European football.

De Gea has not won the Premier League since Alex Ferguson retired in 2012-13 – the Europa League, FA Cup and EFL Cup the only silverware added to the star goalkeeper's cabinet.

The 27-year-old Spain international, who continues to attract interest from two-time reigning Champions League holders Madrid, has flourished with numerous individual honours – including four successive PFA Team of the Year inclusions.

But De Gea has his sights firmly set on trophies as United prepare to face Chelsea in the FA Cup final next month."I'm playing well, I'm confident but I have to maintain it and win trophies," De Gea told the Daily Mail . "That's what world-class players do."

United have struggled since Ferguson's departure, finishing no better than fourth prior to this season, which sees the club second to champions Manchester City.
But with three-time Premier League winner Jose Mourinho at the helm, De Gea believes the Red Devils can return to the English summit.

"It was odd [under van Gaal]. Finishing fourth is not good enough," De Gea said. "I want to win. If you are at United, you need a manager with a winning mentality. We had that with Ferguson. Mourinho has it. He wants to win every game."We spoke in the Euros and he told me he wanted me with him and wanted trophies. We've had a tough time since Ferguson retired. It's hard to diagnose. It has to be more.

"Titles are what I crave. We have to get United back to their best, back in the Champions League, back as the champions of England, back to the top."

De Gea was reportedly set to leave United if Dutch manager Louis van Gaal remained at Old Trafford in 2016.

Van Gaal was in charge when De Gea's move to Madrid sensationally fell through on deadline day in 2015 – a faulty fax machine reportedly at the centre of the failed transfer.

De Gea missed United's opening two matches of the Premier League season after van Gaal claimed the Spaniard did not want to play."My first game back was at Old Trafford against Liverpool. Louis had said what he said. The truth is, I wasn't sure how Old Trafford would react to me," De Gea added.

"I was nervous walking out that day. They have always been behind me but I did wonder that day. As it transpired, they were amazing. Everyone was singing my name. It was important for me."Rumours have once again surfaced linking the goalkeeper with a move away from Man United, with Real Madrid interested in making him their number one.

But De Gea can feel confident with his place in the side, with Mourinho's having said there is "no chance" of his star man was leaving this summer .

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Pochettino: England needs to back English players


Mauricio Pochettino described criticism of star duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli as "strange" as the Tottenham manager called on England to unite ahead of the World Cup.

Pochettino hit out at the Football Association (FA) after the governing body published a tweet mocking Spurs striker Kane following last week's 2-1 FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United.In the tweet, which was later deleted as the FA issued an apology, United's Chris Smalling was asked "what's in your pocket?" along with a short video of the defender saying "Harry Kane".

Kane has been the centre of attention, mocked my rivals for successfully appealing Tottenham's second goal against Stoke City earlier this month after it was initially awarded to team-mate Christian Eriksen.

Spurs attacker Alli, meanwhile, has also been booed for diving throughout the season, and Pochettino said the pair should be backed heading into the Russia 2018 showpiece.

"[The criticism] is a little bit strange from my point of view. Both Harry and Dele are massive talents and they are going to defend the England national team shirt," Pochettino said.

"But I think the people love Harry Kane and Dele Alli. It is in fashion sometimes to boo or criticise [players] like this but I think people love them but it is true sometimes we magnify the situation and we create an issue when really there is not an issue."But yes, sometimes [the criticism] is difficult to understand. Like it was so difficult to understand this tweet from the FA after the game of course."

Pochettino added: "For me, the most important thing here in England is try to back English players. It is so important for English football to back them. Kane is going to compete in international games at the World Cup and everyone wants to support the national team.

"If Harry Kane scores he is an English player not a Tottenham player or United or Chelsea, something like that."The most important thing is to back them. I don't think people need to show more respect -- it is only to show a little bit more love to them because, sure, this type of situation, like the one that happened after the game [against Man United], doesn't help to create a good atmosphere.

"And I'm sure that Harry is not happy and no-one is helping him to have an unbelievable World Cup. When we talk about passion, when we talk about to feel you are proud to defend your country and everything we need to be careful in the way we send messages or the way we write or give our opinion."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Conte: No contact with PSG


Antonio Conte has reaffirmed his commitment to Chelsea and denied being in contact with Paris Saint-Germain about a move to the Ligue 1 champions.Unai Emery and PSG confirmed on Friday the Spaniard will leave the club at the end of the season, despite only needing to beat third-tier side Les Herbiers in the Coupe de France final to depart with a domestic treble.

European failures have dogged Emery's time in Paris, the coach having previously won three consecutive Europa League titles while in charge of Sevilla.

Conte is reportedly among the contenders to take over at Parc des Princes, but former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel is expected to be given the job.

And the Italian, who won the Premier League in his first season in English football and has led Chelsea to the FA Cup final two years running, is planning to stay at Stamford Bridge."No, but my answer is always the same," Conte told reporters when asked if there have been talks with PSG.

"I'm committed to this club. I have a contract with this club. My intention is to continue to work with this club."Speculation over Conte's future has intensified throughout the season, with Chelsea fifth in the Premier League and likely to miss out on Champions League qualification.

Chelsea travel to relegation-threatened Swansea City on Saturday, with an FA Cup final date with Manchester United looming next month.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho blames 'lies in journalism' for Pogba rumours


Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has refuted the suggestion that he has any personal problems with midfielder Paul Pogba, putting the current speculation over the pair’s relationship down to “lies in journalism”.The Frenchman has been criticised for failing to live up to his potential since making a £90 million move to Old Trafford from Juventus in the summer of 2016.

Despite putting the 25-year-old midfielder, who says he is "judged" differently to others, on the bench at times, Mourinho has insisted that there is nothing to the talk.

“If that happened 10 or 15 years back, it would bother me a lot, because in that time it wouldn't have lies in journalism,” he told ESPN."Actually, I don't even know who's a journalist and who isn't anymore, because nowadays anyone can be a journalist. In fact, me and Paul have never had a personal issue.

“If you tell me that we would have problems because me, as a coach, create different things than someone else and vice versa, ok. But personal issues, absolutely not. “And I feel happy to say that Paul can be a lot of things, but there's a think I can assure you: he's very polite.”

Meanwhile, Mourinho believes the success he enjoyed in his managerial career prior to arriving at United has heaped additional pressure onto an already demanding club.“It's my fault because my career was built to win,” he when asked why there is so much expectation upon the Red Devils to win the FA Cup.

“It's always victories and victories. And now it's been almost a year without any victories and I feel like that's more important than people who never won anything.

“But in reality, people who never win anything are worse than the ones who always win and someday just don't. I have never been an entire season without victories, so that means that if I don't win the FA Cup, the fact that I made it to the finals turns into only an 'option’.”In his first season at Old Trafford, Mourinho claimed the Europa League as well as the League Cup.

This time around, however, they have finished a distant second to Manchester City in the Premier League – an improvement on last term’s sixth – but were eliminated from the Champions League in surprising circumstances by Sevilla.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger details 'peaceful' relationship with former Man United boss Ferguson


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's relationship with former Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson is now "peaceful", following numerous explosive clashes in the pair's heyday.The rivalry between the two managers and their Premier League sides was the defining managerial clash of the last decade, with both clubs going toe-to-toe to secure silverware.

However, since Ferguson's retirement five years ago, the relationship between the two legendary bosses has changed for the better, with pair now being a lot closer and sharing memories.

Speaking to Arsenal's official website ahead of the Gunners' clash with Jose Mourinho's United side at Old Trafford on Sunday, Wenger lifted the lid on his relationship with Ferguson."Now it's peaceful. Both of us have calmed down and with time respect takes over," Wenger said."You know that both of you fight and I think with both of us, we identified highly with our clubs because we stayed for a long time.

"For both of us, it was more than just a manager who does his job in a professional football club. We were highly identified by being linked in a strong way with our club and having a love story."He has a love story with Man United and I have one with Arsenal. That's why maybe as well it was more than just winning a game at stake."He added: "We are closer already. We have a good relationship and we keep our individual memories."

This weekend’s showdown at Old Trafford not only brings up memories of old rivalries for Wenger, but recent friendships too as he prepares to face former Gunners forward Alexis Sanchez.

Alexis made the switch from north London to Old Trafford in January, in a deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move the other way, and is set to tackle his former team-mates for the first time this weekend.

Wenger brought Sanchez to Emirates Stadium from Barcelona in 2014 but Arsenal were unable to agree to a new contract with the 29-year-old, forcing the Gunners into a mid-season sale amid anger from fans.

Sanchez was amongst those who paid tribute to Wenger following the announcement he will leave Arsenal this summer, bringing an end to a historic 22-year spell with the club, and the French boss feels it will be unusual to come up against his former star forward.

"Of course [it will be a little bit strange to face Alexis]. The only thing that has not changed is the colour, that's still red," Wenger added."It's strange for me to see him in a different shirt because he had a strong bond with the club and of course he was here for a few years. He did extremely well for us."

The two-time FA Cup winner has since scored three goals for Manchester United, including an equaliser in the 2-1 FA Cup semi-final victory over Tottenham last weekend.

"At the time he did not accept our contract offer and the best possible way we could get something from his departure was to make an exchange for a player of the quality of Mkhitaryan," Wenger added."For him, it was a move to another big club. Overall, both parties had [the] interest to do what happened."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

‘A team without a Brazilian is not a team’ – Mourinho drops Man Utd signing hint


Jose Mourinho has teased Manchester United fans over the identity of a summer target – but the Portuguese says he does not think he will be able to sign Willian from Chelsea.

The attacker has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, but after the Blues sold Nemanja Matic to United last summer and were criticised for doing so, he does not believe another player is likely to make his way direct from Stamford Bridge.
He did, however, suggest he could be after a Brazilian.

"I think that a team without a Brazilian isn't a team,” he told ESPN. “But also, a squad with three or four Brazilian athletes, depending on their profile, cannot make a great team too. I'm kidding!

“I think their talent is fantastic and the creativity of the Brazilian player cannot be measured. If a European team, like, very European, could have a Brazilian in their squad, it would bring a 'Brazilian thing' to the game and I think that's very important.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Always effective Eriksen can replace Iniesta at Barcelona - Poulsen


RB Leipzig forward Yussuf Poulsen has heaped praise on Denmark team-mate Christian Eriksen, stating the Tottenham star has the quality to replace Andres Iniesta at Barcelona.

Eriksen has reportedly attracted the attention of Ernesto Valverde's side due to the imminent departure of Iniesta, who confirmed on Friday he will be leaving Camp Nou at the end of the season.

The loss of the World Cup winner will leave a huge void to fill in Barcelona's midfield and Poulsen has backed Eriksen to excel if he moves to Barcelona.

Speaking to Omnisport, Poulsen said: "Of course there will be more competition at Barcelona than at Tottenham. He has got a very good standing at Tottenham right now and he has to ascertain if it is the right moment.

"Of course there will be a vacancy if Andres Iniesta leaves the club and Christian Eriksen has definitely the quality to compete on the highest level. Therefore I understand why Barcelona is interested in him."

Eriksen has been a key player for Tottenham this season, scoring 10 goals in 33 Premier League appearances, and was also the hero for Denmark in the World Cup qualifying play-offs, hitting a hat-trick against the Republic of Ireland to book a place at Russia 2018.

"Christian Eriksen is the most effective player I ever played with. All of his actions are effective – his forward passes, his finish or his corner kicks and free-kicks," Poulsen added."Everything is always on point and effective. I think against Ireland he only shot on goal three or four times and scored three goals. That's what makes him a class player.

"I talk about players who are very effective and who implement every situation very accurate. Christian Eriksen is one of those players. And he has got an extraordinary free-kick. He often showed it and he still shows it at Tottenham."