..::Football IV::..

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Neuer: Every Germany player questioned himself after World Cup exit


Manuel Neuer believes every Germany player questioned himself after their World Cup humiliation, but he and Julian Brandt each insisted the team is ready to move forward and prove to coach Joachim Low that they can still count on each other.

Germany's defence of the World Cup in Russia proved a nightmare for Die Mannschaft as they were stunningly knocked out in the group stage, a 2-0 defeat to South Korea condemning them to an early exit.

Low's men return to action in the UEFA Nations League against new world champions France on Thursday, and Neuer said in a pre-match media conference: "We're trying to put this behind us and look to the future.

"After such a performance with such a result, you have to question yourself. I'm sure every player did that, looking at their part in it. Each and every player takes on their share of the responsibility. Just as the head coach and the entire coaching staff do.

"The analysis of the whole situation was presented last week, it was very detailed.Obviously, it'll be discussed a lot in the aftermath. But for us it's important to draw our conclusions and move forward and to work on the specifics, so that we move in the right direction in a positive way to return to successful football."

Brandt echoed the goalkeeper's sentiments, adding: "I think there's always a lot of talk about the players being a team, but obviously the coach is also part of that team.

"I think we're all playing for the team, in a way. The coach [Low] held a very long presser, in which he put a lot of blame on himself, but obviously, even though this topic will follow us around for a while, we're trying to leave that behind and look to the future, starting this Thursday.

"We want to play well as a team. The coach - who is a part of the team as I mentioned before - together we'll try to show him our best version and prove to him that he can still count on us, and that we can still count on him.

"I believe we have a great team spirit and I'm convinced we'll be able to show that on Thursday in order to give him the conviction he deserves to feel from the players."

 

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Arsenal can adapt to Emery's 'Barca style' of play, says Campbell


Unai Emery is implementing a Barcelona-esque philosophy at Arsenal, says Sol Campbell, with there enough quality at his disposal to overcome some early teething problems.The Gunners are already accustomed to favouring a ball-playing approach after 22 years working under the guidance of Arsene Wenger.

They are, however, having to change their ways somewhat, with the new man at the helm in north London looking for his side to work their way out from the back and dictate proceedings.

Some of those in the Arsenal squad, such as veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech, are yet to get to grips with a tweak to the tactical approach, but Campbell believes the benefits will be seen in time.

The former Gunners defender told AFTV: “I think it’s all about a new rhetoric, new system. Players finding out how the manager wants to play and training-wise it’s great.“But then you have to implement that into a game and that takes time.“It’s not going to happen [straight away]. If it happens straight away, fantastic, but there are still teething problems and things like that.

“The players have to get used to that, especially the defenders.“They’re so deep, almost like the Barcelona kind of starting the play. That’s very unusual for Arsenal to start so deep and receive the ball.

“But, they can do it, they’re quality players, but it just takes a little bit of time to get used to for everyone to get into sync, what to do when you’re being put under pressure.“When you train it’s great and it could be high intensity, but you can’t replace that other than in the game. So it’s only a few games in and it’s going to take time.”

Arsenal have taken six points from four fixtures to open their 2018-19 campaign.
They have looked a little shaky at the back, conceding eight times so far, with positive results ground out at home to West Ham and away at Cardiff.

There is, however, the promise of more to come, with a run of Premier League games after the international break set to see them face Newcastle, Everton, Watford, Fulham and Leicester before welcoming Liverpool to Emirates Stadium on November 3.

 

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'Alisson's smart enough not to make that mistake again' - Kewell backs Liverpool 'keeper after Leicester error


Former Liverpool winger Harry Kewell expects goalkeeper Alisson Becker to recover from the mistake which led to Leicester City's goal during the Premier League win at the King Power Stadium.Kelechi Iheanacho pick-pocketed the dithering Brazilian in the penalty area before Rachid Ghezzal eventually turned the ball into the empty net.

Though the error proved inconsequential as the Reds secured a 2-1 victory, it was the first blunder committed by the £66.8 million ($86m) summer signing since his arrival from Roma.Manager Jurgen Klopp was " really happy " with the mistake on just Alisson's fourth outing for Liverpool and Kewell sees no reason for concern ahead of the remainder of the campaign.

"The problem that Liverpool had last year was who was going to be the goalkeeper but Alisson has done excellent," the new Notts County manager told Sky Sports."He has made a mistake, but it's a team game and the boys stuck by him and got him through it and I'm sure he's smart enough not to make that mistake again."

Ghezzal's goal was unable to prevent Liverpool remaining top of the Premier League table as they completed a fourth win from as many games.Klopp's side have already plundered nine goals during that period, with Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and last season's top scorer Mohamed Salah having already registered.

The trio netted 91 times between them last term and Kewell has sympathy for any defence faced with trying to stop Liverpool's attacking triumvirate.

"They [Salah, Mane and Firmino] are exciting and you look at the players he [Klopp] has on the bench to come on... You look at their front three: it's frightening," the ex-Australia international added."We always talk about Liverpool and think 'do they need that 30 goal a season striker?' But, for me, Firmino has been excellent, I can't fault him. He works so hard in positions on and off the ball which is fantastic.

"Then you have Mane and Salah driving at you at any given moment and both of them seem to have a little competition with each other to see who can score the most goals. It's just excellent."

 

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Maguire can be modern day Steve Bruce for Man Utd – Schmeichel


Manchester United have been urged to retain their interest in Harry Maguire, with Peter Schmeichel of the opinion that the Leicester defender can be a “modern day Steve Bruce”.The legendary Red Devils goalkeeper spent many happy years at Old Trafford working behind one of the most reliable centre-halves in the business.

Bruce was often an underrated performer, with no England recognition coming his way, but he skippered United to Premier League title glory and was never one to shirk a challenge.

Maguire is considered to be cut from the same cloth, with Jose Mourinho having targeted the 25-year-old over the summer.He was left frustrated in his efforts to get a deal done, but Schmeichel is hoping to see United make a fresh approach at some stage in the near future.

The iconic Dane told beIN Sports: “I think Jose is right about the centre-half, and I also think he was right with the name that came up in Harry Maguire.“I think he would really suit that team.“Hopefully, eventually, at some point, Harry Maguire will find himself in a red shirt. He’s a modern day Steve Bruce!”

Maguire saw his stock rise throughout the 2017-18 season.
He starred for Leicester in the Premier League before going on to become a key figure for England during their run to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.United’s inability to bring in a player of his ilk over the summer has come back to haunt them, with Mourinho’s side having seen defensive frailties contribute to a testing start to the current campaign.

Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof have looked shaky at times, although the latter did help to keep a welcome clean sheet alongside Chris Smalling in the Red Devils’ last outing at Burnley.

 

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Away-goals rule to be reviewed by UEFA after coaches call for change


UEFA intends to review the away-goals rule in continental competition after leading coaches suggested the time is right for a change.

Giorgio Marchetti, deputy secretary general of European football's governing body, confirmed it would "open a discussion" on the future of the rule used to split teams who are level on aggregate in knockout ties in the Champions League and Europa League.

"The coaches think that scoring goals away is not as difficult as it was in the past," Marchetti told reporters. "They think the rule should be reviewed and that's what we will do."They consider the situation in football has changed and the weight of the away goals is not the same as many years ago when the rule was introduced."

The rule was first used in the European Cup Winners' Cup of 1965 as a way of settling ties that finished level, so as to avoid the prospect of deciding the result with a coin toss or a replay at a neutral venue, which was a far greater logistical challenge than it is today.

Marchetti spoke after the annual Elite Club Coaches Forum in Nyon, which is used to swap ideas with UEFA about possible improvements to the game and debate the future of the continent's top tournaments.

Along with the away-goals rule, the use of VAR and the technical and tactical aspects of last season's tournaments, attendees also called for a unified end to the transfer window.A number of coaches are said to have been frustrated this year by the different closing dates for individual countries and leagues.

"We discussed the summer transfer windows - the coaches were of the view that there should be a unified window - and that the window should not overlap with the start of competitions," Marchetti said.Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui and Paris Saint-Germain's Thomas Tuchel were among the coaches to attend, along with former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

The others included Carlo Ancelotti of Napoli, Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone, Rafa Benitez of Newcastle United, Sergio Conceicao of Porto, Paulo Fonseca of Shakhtar Donetsk, Marseille's Rudi Garcia and Senol Gunes of Besiktas.

 

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Klopp: Liverpool are in pre-season mode - we will only get better!


Jurgen Klopp insists that his Liverpool players are only going to get better after their perfect start to the season.The Reds have won all four of their Premier League games thus far, beating West Ham, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Leicester City.

Klopp's side subsequently sit atop the table heading into the international break, but he insists that they are set to improve as the months roll on.

“The players are not at their top level yet. That is because we are in the early part of the season. It is normal," he told reporters.“Everybody should know we have a lot of work to do still, but if they don’t then I have told them.“When you win four times it sounds really crazy to say this, but it is still part of the pre-season for a very long time after the summer.“From mid-September, we play every three days. So we do the work now, and this is how it is – it is normal that you are not quite at 100 per cent in the games.”

Liverpool face a tough run of games after the resumption of domestic competition, facing Tottenham in the league before a Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

That will be followed by a Premier League encounter with Southampton, two clashes with Chelsea - one in the Carabao Cup and one in the Premier League - and a trip to Napoli in Europe before taking on champions Manchester City on October 7.

 

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Mbappe the ideal Ronaldo replacement but Perez wanted Neymar, says McManaman


Steve McManaman believes Real Madrid would be better off signing Kylian Mbappe rather than Neymar, but club president Florentino Perez would prefer to bring in the Brazilian star.

Ronaldo ended his decade-long affiliation with Madrid this summer, joining Juventus in a €100 million (£88m/$117m) deal.

Losing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner left many assuming Madrid would immediately buy someone to fill his shoes, with Neymar, Mbappe and Eden Hazard often touted as the potential replacements.

However, the European champions did not spend big on a stellar name, deciding to sign Mariano Diaz from Lyon instead, with the 25-year-old even taking Ronaldo's old No.7 shirt .

Madrid will no doubt continue to be linked with the likes of Mbappe and Neymar, and McManaman feels the France World Cup winner would make more sense, although suggests Perez still has his eye on the Brazilian."If Neymar comes, the situation will be difficult, because he previously played for Barca. I know Florentino [Perez] really wanted him," he told Goal.

"But when you need a reliable star figure for the next ten years, I think you have to bring in players like Mbappe. He's only 19 years old and seems to be a rising star."If I had to choose, I would go with the the future, so I'd say Mbappe [as the ideal replacement for Ronaldo]."

For now, though, Madrid and head coach Julen Lopetegui will have to make do with what they've got, and McManaman is expecting Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to step up in 2018-19.

"There will be players like Bale and Benzema, who will have a bigger role than in previous seasons," he added. "And I think Bale looks to be a leader in the offensive side of things."The pressure will be much greater, but that's the same for Benzema, Marco Asensio, and even Mariano."

Despite not splashing the cash on a single big-name signing, Madrid did manage to bring in Diaz, former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, and Alvaro Odriozola.And McManaman believes the policy of spreading the cash across multiple areas of the team is a good idea.

He added: "Madrid are actually spending a lot of money this summer, but didn't replace Ronaldo with a superstar. They brought in Courtois, brought back Mariano, and a promising young Brazilian [Vinicius Junior].

"I have no problem with the transfer policy. You can't always spend money every season. Buying young players is an approach they are now using. You have to buy a young player, you have to make him a better player, and hope he can be a mainstay.

"To not buy megastars makes Madrid's transfer activities seem passive. But that's what they have done in recent years and remain champions. So I have no problem with the transfer policy."

 

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'Juventus have no Serie A competition' – Totti


Francesco Totti has lamented that Juventus will run away with the Serie A title this year, leaving sides like Roma, Napoli and Inter simply to compete for second.

Juve have already won seven successive Italian titles and having invested in Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo over the summer, the Roma icon sees no prospect of them being upset this time around.It is a situation that does not please him, but he is aware that it’s not unique to Italy.

“Juventus are in a championship of their own, there’s no competition,” he told Roma Radio. “But all the other major championships have had difficulties.

“It’s been a long time since Roma won a title, but other teams aren’t doing it either: only Juventus wins. We’re all in the same position.”“Roma have to try to finish between second and fourth, and qualify from the group stage of the Champions League. We have to stay united and compact.”

The side from the capital have made a slow start to the season, earning only four points from matches against Torino, Atalanta and AC Milan.

The long-time servant of the club, though, would not be drawn into criticising those in charge, instead trying to take pressure off head coach Eusebio Di Francesco.“No one would have predicted this start to the season,” he accepted. “We can’t look for guilt already. We need the support of the fans, together we can get out of this position. Di Francesco’s know what he’s doing, the team needs to follow his ideas and get back to doing well.”

After the international break, Roma face Chievo before a trip to Real Madrid in the Champions League. Viktoria Plzen and CSKA Moscow complete their European group.

 

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Marcelo dismisses Juve speculation: I will be at Real Madrid 'until the end'


Marcelo insisted he will retire at Real Madrid after strongly dismissing links with Serie A champions Juventus.Brazil international left-back Marcelo was reportedly a target for Juve, who lured former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo to Turin, before the transfer window closed.

Marcelo addressed his future and assured Madrid fans he plans to see out his career at the Santiago Bernabeu, where the 30-year-old has won three successive Champions League titles and four in total since arriving from Fluminense in 2007.

"It's an element which is hardly worth discussing. I'm very happy at Real Madrid, it's my home and I've got many years left on my contract," Marcelo told Real Madrid TV ."I'm very happy here, it's the best club in the world and I always want to play for the very best.

"It's good to talk about it because there are always rumours and it's tough for me to have to continually show I want to be here and can play here. I always give it my best to be at the best club in the world."I just keep doing my job. I have to show what I can do every year.

"I enjoy every moment of playing for Real Madrid and naturally, I give it everything I've got. I do all I can to make sure the fans enjoy the football and that Madrid are always at the top, which is where they belong.

"I want to be at Madrid for many years. I'm very calm about it all and I want to continue at Real Madrid. Lots of people hide behind social media to spread ridiculous rumours and cause problems where they don't exist."I'm as hungry as when I was 18 years old. I'll be here until the end."Madrid are off to a fine start to thier La Liga season with three wins from three.

 

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Mbappe given three-match ban for Savanier shove


Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe has been given a three-match ban after being shown a red card for pushing Nimes player Teji Savanier on Saturday.

PSG won the match 4-2, but it was marred late on by Mbappe's first Ligue 1 dismissal, as he grew frustrated with some rough treatment.The France international darted beyond Savanier on the break, before being cynically scythed down.

Mbappe reacted by running over to the Nimes man and pushing him to the ground, with both men subsequently sent from the field.The young attacker will miss Ligue 1 games against Saint-Etienne, Rennes and Reims, while Savanier has been given a five-match ban for his dismissal.

The World Cup winner apologised to the PSG fans after the game, saying that he "ruined our excellent team success".PSG Thomas Tuchel came to his defence, saying that the 19-year-old was reacting to "a horrible foul".

He added: "He was lucky not to be seriously injured. I want him to stay calm but in a match like that, in an atmosphere like that, it's not easy. He didn't hit somebody, he just pushed."

But Savanier had a different perspective, as he predicts the young sensation will be on the receiving end of many more red cards after Mbappe said he would react the same way if the incident occurred again.“I didn’t see it coming. I was surprised when he reacted like that," he said.

"If he continues like this, he’s going to see a lot of red cards this season."Mbappe will be in action for PSG before his league suspension ends, however, as PSG visit Liverpool to begin their Champions League campaign on September 18.His first game back in the French top flight will be against Nice on September 29.

 

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[RottenCOLT]

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Ow bro Nations League


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Ow bro Nations League


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[RiFTeR]

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UEFA Nations League.

 

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Netherlands 2 Peru 1: Depay bags brace as Sneijder bows out

Wesley Sneijder's Netherlands farewell ended in victory as Memphis Depay scored a brace in Thursday's 2-1 friendly triumph over Peru.

With luminaries from the team that Sneijder helped to reach the 2010 World Cup final looking on, the 34-year-old toiled throughout his 134th and final Oranje appearance as Pedro Aquino's first-half goal looked likely to take down an uninspired home side.

Ricardo Gareca's Peru impressed many at the World Cup despite their group-stage exit and they were once again well-organised, physical and opportunistic in Amsterdam, while Ronald Koeman's side showed little of the steel and flair that typified Sneijder's international career.But the introduction of highly rated Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong helped to turn the game, the 21-year-old providing an assist for the equaliser from Depay, who won the match with a goal he created and finished himself to put himself in the shop window as he seeks a move away from Lyon.


Poor control early on by Daley Blind allowed Andre Carrillo to dispossess him and carve the Dutch defence open before squaring to Yoshimar Yotun, who somehow fired wide despite having time and space to pick his spot.

Peru continued to create the better chances and Aquino rose highest to head Christian Cueva's delivery into the top-right corner.Koeman sent on De Jong for the second half and just before the hour mark, the substitute won the ball near the box and squared to Depay, who applied a simple low finish to Pedro Gallese's left.

Sneijder was replaced by Quincy Promes and received a rousing ovation, but it was De Jong's name that rang out around the stadium before Depay clinched victory.

The former Manchester United man picked out Promes, whose shot rebounded back off a defender for the Lyon forward to side-foot into the left corner.

 

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Portugal 1 Croatia 1: Centurion Pepe denies World Cup finalists after Perisic opener

World Cup finalists Croatia were pegged back by Pepe's header on his 100th international appearance as they drew 1-1 with a Portugal side minus the services of Cristiano Ronaldo at the Estadio Algarve.

Ivan Perisic gave the visitors an 18th-minute lead in the friendly fixture, lashing in a first-time shot with his right foot after a deflected clearance had run perfectly into his path.

Croatia had rarely threatened prior to the opener but the Inter winger benefited from a lucky break to fire home after Portugal had carelessly given away possession inside their own half.Despite the absence of the talismanic Ronaldo - who asked national boss Fernando Santos to be rested from national duty at the start of September - Portugal levelled before the break.

Defender Pepe celebrated his landmark game by climbing highest to meet Pizzi's cross from Portugal's right flank with a powerful header that left Lovre Kalinic - picked to replace the retired Danijel Subasic in goal - rooted to the spot.

Croatia's goalkeeper had earlier kept out attempts from Bruma and Bernardo Silva as the hosts made a lively start, on both occasions getting down low to prevent Portugal from opening the scoring.

However, Kalinic needed the help of the woodwork to avoid conceding again in the closing minutes, Antonio Milic turning a low cross from Mario Rui onto his own post before watching on as the ball deflected away to safety.

Perisic had sent a header straight at Rui Patricio soon after the break, yet the second half failed to catch fire, a raft of substitutions by both teams consistently interrupting the flow of the game.

 

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Germany 0 France 0: Heavyweights underwhelm in Munich stalemate

The previous two World Cup winners failed to live up to their billing as Germany and France played out a 0-0 draw in their Nations League opener.France boss Didier Deschamps stuck with 10 of the players who started their final triumph against Croatia at Russia 2018, with an injury to captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris enforcing his only change.

Deputy Alphonse Areola impressed on his debut with a string of late saves.It showed Germany belatedly shifting into gear after a forgettable opening hour, but it will take more than this for Joachim Low's men to shift the gloom that lingered after their group-stage exit and Mesut Ozil's international retirement.

France right-back Benjamin Pavard was left with stud marks down his neck after Antonio Rudiger clumsily but unintentionally trod on him, while Joshua Kimmich took an arm to the face from Blaise Matuidi during a robust opening.


N'Golo Kante's searching ball from the left saw Olivier Giroud draw a plunging save from Manuel Neuer and France's Chelsea striker just failed to turn in a cutback from the lively Kylian Mbappe in first-half stoppage time. Antoine Griezmann engineered space in the Germany area but Neuer grasped his eventual shot at the second attempt.

The Bayern Munich goalkeeper was more impressive when Griezmann tried his luck from distance in the 64th-minute before opposite number Areola did brilliantly to tip Marco Reus' curling shot behind.Areola kept out a stinging Mats Hummels strike after Thomas Muller inexplicably opted to chest rather than head his Bayern colleague's cross.

An overhit Muller centre almost caught out Areola and the PSG goalkeeper's best moment came from the resulting corner, denying Matthias Ginter with a superb reaction save.

Kante's heavy touch late on in his own box almost cost the world champions, but he recovered to block from substitute Ilkay Gundogan and preserve the stalemate.

 

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Wales 4 Republic of Ireland 1: Bale stars in Giggs' competitive bow

Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey were on the scoresheet as Wales thrashed Republic of Ireland 4-1 in Ryan Giggs' first competitive game in charge.Tom Lawrence and Connor Roberts were also on target in Thursday's League B Group 4 clash, with Wales totally controlling their opening match in the Nations League.

Martin O'Neill's men were dreadful at Cardiff City Stadium and could have lost by more, Wales easing off after the break having established a 3-0 lead prior to the interval.But the visitors scored a consolation through substitute Shaun Williams, who capitalised on a Ramsey error to chip Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

The hosts were without a win in eight meetings with Ireland but they led inside six minutes.Ethan Ampadu's crossfield pass created space on the Wales right, which Joe Allen exploited by sliding Lawrence through on goal, the Derby County man smashing in a near-post finish.

Another diagonal created Wales' superb second 12 minutes later, Ben Davies sweeping the ball out to Bale, who cut inside and curled a brilliant strike into the top-left corner.


Debutant Callum Robinson wasted a good chance for Ireland but Wales extended their lead again in the 37th minute, Ampadu robbing Jonathan Walters and striding forward to feed Ramsey, with his low drive again leaving Darren Randolph beaten at his near post.

Robinson headed a Seamus Coleman centre over the crossbar as Ireland sought a second-half response, but Wales were rampant and added their fourth in the 55th minute.Lawrence teed up Bale on the left and Wales' star man fizzed the ball across the box, Roberts controlling with his right before lashing home an unstoppable 20-yard volley with his left.

Although Williams made the most of Ramsey's slip a comeback was never on the cards, leaving Giggs to mull over a superb team performance led by Bale and rising star Ampadu.