..::Football IV::..

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'Pogba clearly doesn't want to be at Man Utd' - Red Devils urged to sell Frenchman by former boss


Paul Pogba “clearly doesn’t want to be at Manchester United”, says Tommy Docherty, with the Red Devils urged to part with a disruptive influence.

Speculation regarding a possible move for the World Cup-winning midfielder continues to build, with a breakdown in his working relationship with Jose Mourinho edging him ever closer to the exits.Docherty believes a January deal is the best option for all concerned, with there no way back for a “high maintenance” £89 million asset.

The former United manager says there is a reason Sir Alex Ferguson parted with Pogba back in 2012, as he was allowed to depart for Juventus at the end of his contract, and Jose Mourinho is showing himself to be the wrong manager for a flamboyant figure and the Old Trafford outfit as a whole.Docherty told The People: “I would just let Pogba go. He clearly doesn’t want to be at the club.

“Some players who are high maintenance but do perform for you can be tolerated. But he blows hot and cold. United should never have re-signed him in the first place.“Sir Alex Ferguson let him go for a reason. I’m not a fan of Mourinho – if he was made of chocolate he would eat himself.

“And I have my doubts that he will still be at the club this time next season.“United don’t like to sack their managers and like to give them a good run. But Mourinho must be on borrowed time as he has spent well over £300m.

“And these constant rows being played out in public with his players won’t have done him any good.“But if he does stay then he needs to show he’s in charge – and that means getting rid of Pogba as soon as he can. It’s the only way to show he’s in control at the club.

“Player power has always been around. But the modern player has the wages they didn’t have before. There’s less to lose for a player to clash with a manager so publicly.”Pogba refused to address the issue of his future following another disappointing display during United’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham on Saturday.

He was taken off during that game and told reporters “you want me dead” when asked to stop and speak in the post-match mixed zone at the London Stadium.

 

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Barcelona's door open for 'genius' Guardiola return, says Bartomeu


Pep Guardiola has been told he can return to Barcelona "whenever he wants" by club president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

The Manchester City coach said last month that he would like to end his career by coaching youth teams in Barcelona and Bartomeu hailed him as a genius, saying he is thrilled at the prospect.

Bartomeu said he offered Guardiola the opportunity to take charge of La Masia towards the end of his four-year spell as Barcelona head coach.

Guardiola, who guided one of football's all-time great teams through one of the most successful periods in Barcelona's history between 2008 and 2012, opted instead to leave Camp Nou and enjoyed a spell as Bayern Munich boss before joining City.But Bartomeu insists the door is never closed on a potential return.

"He's a genius and he has the doors of his house open whenever he wants," the club president told The Times."The other day I read that he would like to take over La Masia in the future, it seems perfect to me.

"That's what we offered him when he told us he wanted to leave because he was tired because of the pressure."His return would be great news."

Guardiola was in charge of Barcelona's B side where he worked with Sergio Busquets and Pedro, before winning three La Liga titles, two Copas del Rey and two Champions League trophies with the first team.Regarding the latest talks over Barcelona's proposed La Liga fixture with Girona at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, Bartomeu was defiant that the game should go ahead as planned.

He continued: “Every day, football is more global. The fans in Japan, the US, China, the Middle East pay a lot of money to see matches on television."Why not allow them from time to time to see these matches live? An away game, whatever La Liga decides, but our home games, we will never play outside Camp Nou.

“Our position is simple."

 

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'Some care more than others!' - Mourinho appears to take swipe at Man Utd stars


Jose Mourinho has appeared to take a swipe at his Manchester United players, suggesting that some are not as bothered about the club's recent struggles than others.

The Red Devils have slipped to the middle of the Premier League standings after seven games played, with a 3-1 loss at West Ham at the weekend the latest result to go against the Portuguese.In the aftermath of that defeat, critics suggested that certain players - notably Paul Pogba - could be giving more to the cause.

And Mourinho, without mentioning any specific names, has insisted there are certain members of his squad that don't care as much about their plight than others: "Some care more than others."Every player is different, no player is the same. I see different actions but what you see is not really inside.

"I see upset people, some people that don't look like they lost a game."I see so-so but in the little two sessions of training we had [since Saturday] everything was normal, the desire to work and play."

The former Real Madrid boss also believes it is the responsibility of everyone at the club to transform their poor recent results."The performance on the pitch, in my opinion, is the consequence of many factors. Luke Shaw said the players have to give more, and I like that perspective but I don't agree totally.

"Everyone in the club has a role to play. The kit man, the nutritionist, when we win, we all win, when we lose, we all lose."Until someone tells me they were a dishonest player, I will always believe that the players are honest and want to give their best."

With his future up in the air, he refused to be drawn on speculation that either he has held showdown talks with chairman Ed Woodward or called Zinedine Zidane, with the former Real Madrid boss linked with his job.

"Did I talk to Ed Woodward? That’s a private matter, I’m not asking who you spoke to yesterday. That’s a private matter," he said, equally rebutting the suggestion that he has had a conversation with the France 1998 World Cup winner."Ask the guy behind you, he wrote the story!" he said, replying to the journalist who posed the question about Zidane.

Mourinho confirmed that he will be four players down for the midweek Champions League match against Valencia, with Marcos Rojo, Ander Herrera, Jesse Lingard and Ashley Young all missing out.

 

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Mourinho was never right for Man Utd and hasn't done his job properly - Parker


Jose Mourinho was “never right for Manchester United”, says Paul Parker, with the under-fire manager accused of having “not done his job properly”.The Red Devils knew what they were getting when turning to the Portuguese tactician in the summer of 2016.

Having decided to part with Louis van Gaal, United handed the reins to a man with a reputation for delivering results using a unique approach which is not always well received.

Those at Old Trafford are now having to fight their own fires when it comes to Mourinho, as a troubled start to 2018-19 sees his position called into question, with a former defender suggesting that the current issues have been of United’s own making.

Parker told Love Sport Radio: “When you’re playing the game, you want to give 100 per cent and you should be trying to give 100 per cent but it may not be good enough on that day.“If Jose is saying he’s giving 100 per cent, it’s not good enough for Manchester United at this moment and quite a bit before that as well.

“Manchester United haven’t evolved really since he’s been there. We can talk about two trophies, two trophies which he deemed meaningless before he joined Manchester United but he absolutely adored them when he became Manchester United manager. We have to look at performances and performances from day one haven’t been good enough.“I don’t think it should have allowed a club like Manchester United to go the way they are.

“The reason why they have gone the way they are is that they did go a little bit against the grain with three managers in a short space of time but what they’ve gone and done is, more than anything, when they went to the all-important one after [Louis van Gaal], they went to somebody just for the sake of what they believed and what everyone called him was a winner.“When you employ Jose Mourinho, you might get someone who can maybe win you trophies but you have to put up with everything else that goes with it.

“He was never right for Manchester United and that has been proven by what has happened now. There are too many unhappy people.“People can blame up top, they can blame Jose but at the end of the day you have to look at the person who is actually failing the ship and that is Jose Mourinho. He has not done his job properly.”

Mourinho has attempted to steer clear of the questions regarding his future, amid talk of Zinedine Zidane being lined up to take his place, with a number of former players having added their voice to those suggesting that he may be on borrowed time.Parker is unsure whether the former Real Madrid boss would be the right choice, but he expects imminent change to be on the way.

Asked if defeat to Valencia in the Champions League on Tuesday could spell the end of Mourinho, the ex-England international added: “Winning or losing against Valencia shouldn’t make any difference at all. I think everything is there in front of them already to know that this isn’t going to be a long-term relationship anymore. This isn’t going to be able to carry on.“It’s just ridiculous what’s going on. The club is not going to be able to get itself back to where it should be in the way it’s being run in this moment in time. It needs a change now.

“Is it a change like straight away going and playing the swashbuckling football? No, because that can’t happen. It needs a change to go and get a bit of love back in that dressing room where the players want to come in, get in the dressing room, laugh and joke, get on the training ground and have a smile, but know when it’s the right time to start working.

“[They need to know they can] get on the pitch and play with the shackles off. So that, if they make a mistake, [they know] they’re not going to get cussed or persecuted for it. I think that’s all it needs and the rest of it will follow, but slowly.You don’t suddenly become Manchester United of old because you’ve suddenly changed the manager.

“Zidane, as he’s been mooted everywhere, is no guarantee.“You have to remember what he walked into when he got his first proper managerial job. It was incredible what he walked into and he sustained it at Real Madrid which is a difficult job and you have to respect him for that. But now, if he’s going to come into Manchester United, he’s going to be a novice and people have to remember that.

“But football doesn’t allow anything like that. If you’re Zinedine Zidane and you come into Manchester United - sorry, there’s no time for you to get your tracksuit on, you’ve got to go out and win your first game.”

 

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“He was never right for Manchester United and that has been proven by what has happened now. There are too many unhappy people.“People can blame up top, they can blame Jose but at the end of the day you have to look at the person who is actually failing the ship and that is Jose Mourinho. He has not done his job properly.”

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UEFA Champions League Group Stage Fixtures 2018.10.02

UEFA Champions League Group Stage Fixtures 2018.10.02

Hoffenheim Vs Manchester City

Juventus Vs Young Boys

Athens Vs Benfica

Bayern Vs Ajax

CSKA Vs Real Madrid

Lyon Vs Shakhtar

Manchester United Vs Valencia

Roma Vs Victoria

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Good Luck Manchester United!
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Manchester United Vs Valencia

Manchester United Starting Line-up

De Gea
Valencia
Smalling
Bailly
Shaw
Fellaini
Matic
Pogba
Rashford
Lukaku
Alexis

&

Valencia Starting Line-up

Neto
Piccini
Garay
Gabriel
Gaya
Coquelin
Kondogbia
Parejo
Guedes
Rodrigo
Batshuayi
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Big match ekak

Good Luck Manchester United!
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Half Time

Manchester United 0 Vs 0 Valencia

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Rashford witharai deyak karanna try karanne2nd half improve wela play kaloth hodai.
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[RottenCOLT]

eeya real kanawa melo rahak nathi team walin.

 

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Full Time

Manchester United 0 Vs 0 Valencia

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[Wolverine GTR]

Another winless dayMancheter United performance nam anthimaimatch eke anthima hariye wenakam attacking hodatoma madi.Rashford thamai attack ekak denna baluwe godak welawata but Rashford ge corners nam poor

Next Newcastle home match eka.must win match ekak.meken wath ayeth winning ways walata awoth hodai.

Good luck for the next match Manchester United!
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Manchester United 0 Valencia 0: Mourinho's men four without a win after limp display

Manchester United have now gone four games without a win in all competitions following Tuesday's 0-0 Champions League draw with Valencia at Old Trafford.
Fresh from a humbling week in which they exited the EFL Cup to Derby County and lost 3-1 to West Ham in the Premier League, Jose Mourinho's side produced another lifeless display in their second continental game of the season.

A total of just five shots on target being mustered between the two sides over the whole match underlined the lack of attacking quality, with United again unable to get the best out of Alexis Sanchez, restored to the starting line-up after being dropped at the weekend.


The result means the Red Devils are second in Group H, two points behind Juventus and three above third-place Valencia, but the manner of the display will do little to ease the pressure on their under-fire manager, with Marcus Rashford's late free-kick the closest they game to a winner.
United started with far greater urgency than they managed against West Ham after kick-off had been delayed due to local traffic problems, but Valencia soon quietened the Old Trafford crowd with some sustained possession and one or two promising breaks down the left from Goncalo Guedes.

Rashford, starting from the left of the United attack, tried two optimistic efforts from range but there was little else of note from the home side in the final third, with Romelu Lukaku managing only one touch of the ball in the Valencia box in the first half.Paul Pogba stung the palms of goalkeeper Neto with a free-kick as United at last began to increase the pressure in the second half, but a scarcity of any sort of link-up between the front three meant the Brazilian was largely untested.

Valencia were equally unconvincing going forward but Michy Batshuayi wasted a good chance midway through the second half, lashing over on the half-volley following a Francis Coquelin cross.Lukaku at last came to life with a strong run and shot that Neto saved well to his right, before Mourinho introduced Anthony Martial for the frustrating Sanchez in a bid to spark his attack into life.

Martial won a free-kick from a tight angle from which Rashford clipped the top of the crossbar, before Lukaku headed over when unmarked in the box, but that was as close as the hosts came to ending their winless run.

 

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CSKA Moscow 1 Real Madrid 0: Vlasic punishes Lopetegui's rotation policy

Real Madrid's poor form continued as the Champions League holders, shorn of star names, fell to a 1-0 loss away to an organised CSKA Moscow side in Group G.

Nikola Vlasic, on loan from Everton, gave CSKA a second-minute lead at the Luzhniki Stadium, profiting from diabolical defending to rifle home from the edge of the Madrid penalty area.

Casemiro and Karim Benzema both hit the woodwork before half-time in Tuesday's tie, with coach Julen Lopetegui turning to Luka Modric and Mariano Diaz - who headed against the post late on - from the bench.


But with key men including Isco and Gareth Bale absent due to injury and captain Sergio Ramos rested, Madrid fell to defeat at the Luzhniki Stadium and have now failed to score in three consecutive matches, with CSKA celebrating a famous win despite Igor Akinfeev's 96th-minute red card.

Keylor Navas was back in goal for Madrid and he had to pick the ball out of his net after just 65 seconds, Vlasic rifling home after a combination of errors from Toni Kroos and Raphael Varane.

Akinfeev denied Kroos a chance to make amends but Fedor Chalov should have made it 2-0 after more poor defending, instead hitting a tame shot Navas saved easily.Casemiro's placed 25-yarder clipped the post and Benzema's header also came back off the woodwork before the break, after which Lopetegui sent on Modric and Mariano.

But a toothless Madrid continued to toil, Benzema wasting a good chance and Marco Asensio slicing a volley over the angle.Mariano cracked a towering header against the post in the last minute of normal time and Varane headed wide before Akinfeev saw red for furiously confronting referee Ovidiu Hategan.

But after another game without a Madrid goal questions will be asked about decisions made by Lopetegui.

 

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Roma 5 Viktoria Plzen 0: Dzeko hits hat-trick as winning streak continues

Edin Dzeko took his goal tally against Viktoria Plzen to eight in five games with a second consecutive hat-trick against the Czech champions as Roma got their Champions League campaign back on track with a 5-0 win.

After slipping to a 3-0 reverse against Real Madrid in their Group G opener, Eusebio Di Francesco's side took charge against Plzen who gave Dzeko the kind of space he has been craving all season as he netted two first-half goals.

The Bosnian striker scored a hat-trick against Plzen in the Europa League in 2016-17 and history repeated itself, but not before he provided a key contribution towards Roma's third, which was scored by Cengiz Under.


Justin Kluivert scored his first goal for the club, stroking the ball home after Under's effort was saved, before Dzeko rose to head home a corner in the dying moments of an excellent night for Di Francesco's men.
Aleksandar Kolarov's well-timed throughball allowed Dzeko to beat the Plzen offside trap inside three minutes and, taking aim with his left foot, steer the ball accurately into the far corner of the net beyond Matus Kozacik.

Plzen were pinned back until the 20th minute, when Reznik sent a free header narrowly wide from close range, but Roma soon resumed their dominance and Under crashed a wonderful dipping effort onto the crossbar as they pushed for a second.That goal arrived when Under floated the ball into the box, where Dzeko chested it down and lashed it high into the net to leave Roma comfortable at the break.

Under used the instep of his left foot to guide the ball around Kozacik for Roma's third after neat build-up play from Dzeko and Lorenzo Pellegrini, and the Turkish winger's rebounded shot afforded Kluivert the chance to add a fourth with a shot that bounced over the stranded goalkeeper.

Federico Fazio had a goal ruled out for offside before Dzeko made amends in the 92nd minute, powering a header into the bottom left corner of the net from Alessandro Florenzi's corner.

 

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AEK Athens 2 Benfica 3: Semedo stunner settles five-goal thriller


Benfica ended their Champions League hoodoo as Alfa Semedo scored a stunning goal to secure a 3-2 victory at AEK Athens in Group E.Viktor Klonaridis' second-half double looked to have clinched a share of the spoils for AEK, who had taken full advantage of Ruben Dias' red card late in the first half.

Yet Benfica, who were 2-0 up by the 15th minute thanks to Haris Seferovic and Alex Grimaldo, rallied through substitute Semedo's solo effort on his debut in the Champions League proper.


The victory ends Benfica's eight-match losing streak in the competition, getting them off the mark in a tightly-contested Group E.Benfica were ahead inside six minutes, Seferovic reacting sharply to tuck home on the rebound after Vasilios Barkas parried Gedson Fernandes' strike.

AEK were carved open again not long after, Grimaldo making no mistake with a neat header from six yards.The hosts were handed a boost on the stroke of half-time, however, when Dias picked up a second booking for a high kick on Ezequiel Ponce.

Dias' recklessness was soon punished - Klonaridis getting the better of his marker to turn in Niklas Hult's low cross.AEK's pressure told again after the hour, Marios Oikonomou's knock-down leaving Klonaridis with a simple finish.

Klonaridis should have completed the turnaround with 19 minutes remaining, only to fire straight at Odisseas Vlachodimos, and Semedo soon made the hosts pay.
Having picked up the ball inside Benfica's half, the youngster powered through AEK's midfield before dispatching coolly to clinch the points.

 

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Lyon 2 Shakhtar Donetsk 2: Hosts mount late fightback to keep Group F top spot

Lyon scored twice inside two second-half minutes to salvage a late 2-2 home draw with Shakhtar Donetsk and stay top of Group F in the Champions League.Memphis Depay's second-half introduction sparked a remarkable fightback that saw Moussa Dembele and Leo Dubois net 119 seconds apart at an empty Groupama Stadium on Tuesday.

Lyon, shock 2-1 winners at Manchester City a fortnight ago, were forced to play this match beyond closed doors as punishment for crowd disturbances during last season's Europa League, and the eerie atmosphere initially played into Shakhtar's hands.


Junior Moraes struck a double either side of half-time to put the visitors within reach of a second Champions League away victory in 10 attempts but, despite their earlier dominance, Dembele and Dubois' rescue act ultimately left them clinging onto a second consecutive draw.
Lyon scored twice inside two second-half minutes to salvage a late 2-2 home draw with Shakhtar Donetsk and stay top of Group F in the Champions League.Memphis Depay's second-half introduction sparked a remarkable fightback that saw Moussa Dembele and Leo Dubois net 119 seconds apart at an empty Groupama Stadium on Tuesday.

Lyon, shock 2-1 winners at Manchester City a fortnight ago, were forced to play this match beyond closed doors as punishment for crowd disturbances during last season's Europa League, and the eerie atmosphere initially played into Shakhtar's hands.

Junior Moraes struck a double either side of half-time to put the visitors within reach of a second Champions League away victory in 10 attempts but, despite their earlier dominance, Dembele and Dubois' rescue act left Paulo Fonseca's men to rue a fleeting lapse in concentration.Lyon began as brightly as they had at Etihad Stadium but there was no early reward this time, ex-Celtic striker Dembele unable to beat Andriy Pyatov in a one-on-one.

Shakhtar soon settled and unleashed a trio of warning efforts prior to Moraes' deserved opener, the Brazilian sweeping home Ismaily's cutback a minute before half-time.Moraes looked to have fired Shakhtar top of the group by doubling his tally 10 minutes into the second half with a splendid side-footed finish from a narrow angle.

But the arrival of the talismanic Depay instigated a stunning recovery, Dembele first heading in Nabil Fekir's cross in the 70th minute before right-back Dubois ghosted into the box to tuck away Houssem Aouar's pass.

Both sides had chances to win it at the death as Dembele scuffed a close-range shot and substitute Olarenwaju Kayode hit the crossbar at the other end, but a share of the points seemed a fitting conclusion.

 

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Bayern Munich 1 Ajax 1: Mazraoui stretches Kovac's winless run to three

Bayern Munich's recent struggles continued as Ajax held them to a 1-1 draw in their Champions League Group E clash on Tuesday.

After winning their opening seven games of the season under new coach Niko Kovac, the Bundesliga champions had picked up just one point in their last two games against Augsburg and Hertha Berlin before the Dutch side's visit to the Allianz Arena.

They looked like they would get back on track when Mats Hummels' fourth-minute header put them ahead, but Erik ten Hag's youthful side bounced back in style, levelling midway through the half thanks to Noussair Mazraoui's fine strike.


Substitute James Rodriguez came closest to finding an undeserved winner for Bayern in the second period, while Donny van de Beek will be left to rue a golden opportunity 20 minutes from time for Ajax when he fired wide with only Manuel Neuer to beat.
Andre Onana kept out Arjen Robben's whipped effort in the opening exchanges, but was helpless to stop Hummels' unmarked header from the Dutchman's precise cross shortly afterwards.

Ajax responded well to that early setback, though, with Dusan Tadic firing over from eight yards and Hakim Ziyech testing Neuer from distance in quick succession.

Their renewed confidence paid dividends in the 22nd minute when Mazraoui played a smart one-two with Tadic before drilling past Neuer from 12 yards for his first Ajax goal.The visitors were dominant for the remainder of the opening period and were only denied a half-time lead when Neuer parried over Ziyech's powerful 30-yard drive.

Tadic wasted another wonderful opportunity moments after the restart, scuffing a close-range effort from David Neres' cross, while Nicolas Tagliafico's low drive was kept out by Neuer.Hummels was denied what looked a clear penalty after being clattered by Onana just before the hour mark before Van de Beek steered agonisingly wide.

Onana did wonderfully to tip James' scuffed effort wide late on, while Ajax almost secured the win their performance deserved in stoppage time, but Neuer tipped Lasse Schone's fizzing free-kick onto the crossbar.