..::Football IV::..

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Solskjaer ‘looking for quality’ amid Man Utd Bale links


Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United need to look for quality and longevity as they look to build a squad for next season amid the latest links to Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale.

United made a concerted bid for Bale in 2013 before the Wales international left Tottenham for the Spanish capital, and his struggles this term – coupled with the return of coach Zinedine Zidane – have led to reports that he could head for Old Trafford this summer.But Bale’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, has insisted this week that his client wants to end his career with the 13-time European champions.

On Friday Solskjaer was asked about links to Bale and while he refused to be drawn on the winger specifically, United's caretaker manager insisted that the club will consider any player who will add something new to their squad.

“I can’t really comment on Gareth Bale or specific players because they’re property of other clubs but we should look for quality players, definitely, and players who could improve us as a team,” Solskjaer said.

“There’s so many factors you need to think about when you sign players. It’s easy when you’re in the media or when you’re a supporter, you can think short term.We’ve got to think about the longevity as well, who’s going to fit in personality-wise.“So there’s so many things that we need to think about.”United head to Wolves on Saturday night in the FA Cup quarter-finals having already seen off Arsenal and Chelsea in the competition.

And Solskjaer admits that he sees some parallels between the club’s 1999 treble-winning campaign and the current challenge as United make a tilt for the Champions League, FA Cup and a top-four Premier League finish.“To win trophies you’ve got to win at least one or two really tough games. They’re like defining moments,” he said.

“We beat Liverpool, we beat Chelsea, we beat Arsenal back then [in 1999], and you think ‘We deserve a little bit of luck in the draw next time’ but Wolves away, what a difficult game that can be.“So comparisons? Well we’re not challenging to win the league this year but we are challenging for the other two trophies.

“The more games you win, the more confidence you breed, the more hunger there is in the players. Every single game that you win puts another layer on that, on the way to becoming the team that we want to be."So I don’t agree with Gary Neville when he says that teams should go out of this and this to focus on that.”

United were paired with Barcelona in Friday’s Champions League quarter-final draw, and Solskjaer believes that the previous round’s away-goals win over Paris Saint-Germain showcased many of the qualities United will need to progress to the last four of the competition.
“I think we’ve shown against PSG that on any given day we can beat a top team.Then again there are so many variables and these games will be decided by margins," Solskjaer said.

“And of course that VAR, even though for me it’s a penalty, you can still be unlucky and not get it in the last minute and then we’d be out and no one would really remember the PSG performance.“So yes, we can go all the way but you’ve got to be lucky and good along the way.”

 

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Liverpool won't spend big again this summer - Klopp


Jurgen Klopp has hinted that Liverpool won’t spend big money in the transfer market this summer.

The Reds splashed out a combined £140 million ($186m) on Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker in 2018 – then world-record fees for a defender and goalkeeper.Naby Keita also joined from RB Leipzig for a hefty £48m ($64m) in the summer, along with Fabinho from Monaco for an initial fee of £39m ($52m).

That significant investment has paid dividends, with Liverpool boasting the best defensive record in the Premier League so far as they go toe-to-toe with Manchester City for the title.They have also progressed in the Champions League, with Wednesday’s fine victory over Bayern Munich setting up a quarter-final tie with Porto.

Despite having two months of the season still to go, speculation has already begun about Liverpool’s transfer plans for this summer.Klopp, though, does not think the Merseysiders will be breaking any transfer records this time around.

“I don’t want to talk exactly what we will do, but I don’t think this is a team at the moment where we have to spend the big money or whatever,” said the former Borussia Dortmund boss.

“The best way to do it is to bring together a group of players, try to develop them all together and then stay together for a while. And that was maybe the main problem of Liverpool for the last decade. When they had a good team after a season they went all over the world. That will not happen this year, for sure.”Despite the predicted lack of major transfer activity, Klopp still insists there is plenty of scope for his players to improve.

The team has made great strides this year as they chase their first title since 1990 but Klopp feels that even more can come from the Reds in the future.“It is massive [potential for growth],” added Klopp. “I think the steps are really obvious but it is still about a natural confidence. We have to start looking at ourselves, how other teams see us.

That significant investment has paid dividends, with Liverpool boasting the best defensive record in the Premier League so far as they go toe-to-toe with Manchester City for the title.

They have also progressed in the Champions League, with Wednesday’s fine victory over Bayern Munich setting up a quarter-final tie with Porto.Despite having two months of the season still to go, speculation has already begun about Liverpool’s transfer plans for this summer.

Klopp, though, does not think the Merseysiders will be breaking any transfer records this time around.“I don’t want to talk exactly what we will do, but I don’t think this is a team at the moment where we have to spend the big money or whatever,” said the former Borussia Dortmund boss.

“The best way to do it is to bring together a group of players, try to develop them all together and then stay together for a while. And that was maybe the main problem of Liverpool for the last decade. When they had a good team after a season they went all over the world. That will not happen this year, for sure.”

Despite the predicted lack of major transfer activity, Klopp still insists there is plenty of scope for his players to improve.The team has made great strides this year as they chase their first title since 1990 but Klopp feels that even more can come from the Reds in the future.

“It is massive [potential for growth],” added Klopp. “I think the steps are really obvious but it is still about a natural confidence. We have to start looking at ourselves, how other teams see us.

 

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FIFA planning on expanded 24-team Club World Cup in 2021


FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that FIFA has approved an expanded 24-team Club World Cup, which is set to begin in 2021.

The tournament will replace the current edition of the Club World Cup, which features seven teams from six confederations and takes place in December.
Instead, the FIFA council has approved a revamped summer version of the CWC, which is set to replace the Confederations Cup on the calendar.

The tournament will take place every four years, and Infantino spoke glowingly of its possible impact at a press conference in Miami on Friday.

"From now the world will see a real Club World Cup where the best teams will compete to crown the club world champion," Infantino said."This is important today because of course club football is evolving. It's moving at a different pace in different parts of the world and it is our duty and our responsibility to make sure that we encourage professional club football all over the world.

"We want to have an exciting competition, we want to have a prestigious competition, we want to have an inclusive competition for clubs and we will have this through the new Club World Cup starting in 2021, so I'm very very happy that this decision has been taken."

Despite Infantino's excitement, several European clubs have expressed their opposition to the expanded competition.“[We are] firmly against any potential approval of a revised CWC - no ECA clubs would take part," a letter from the European Club Association said, according to BBC Sport.

“We wish to restate the position of ECA: (a) ECA is unwilling to consider any new or significantly revised competition prior to a holistic assessment of the IMC (international match calendar) post-2024 being conducted and an agreement as to its underlying principles being reached; and (b) in any event, a Club World Cup in June 2021, as proposed by FIFA, is not acceptable in light of the existing competitions and the IMC, which is fixed until 2024.”

UEFA is concerned that the expanded CWC could infringe upon the Champions League, but Infantino expressed optimism that FIFA and UEFA could come to an agreement.

"There have been some very positive discussions lately with the UEFA president, with UEFA – constructive dialogue even though of course there are lots of different points of view but we are moving forward," Infantino said.

"We have the responsibility to take decisions for FIFA and we took the decision. I'm sure that in the next few weeks even the discussions with UEFA will bear some positive fruits."

 

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Barclays Premier Fixtures 2019.03.16

Barclays Premier Fixtures 2019.03.16

Bournemouth Vs Newcastle

Burnley Vs Leicester City

West Ham Vs Huddersfield

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FA Cup Quarter-finals Fixtures 2019.03.16

FA Cup Quarter-finals Fixtures 2019.03.16

Watford Vs Crystal Palace

Swansea Vs Manchester City

Wolves Vs Manchester United

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Good Luck Manchester United!

Wolves match eka lesi wena ekak naha.Perforemance godak hodai meh season eke Wolves lageSpecailly Jimenez ehema hodata perform karanawa.Hoda fight ekak denna wenawa win karanna​

 

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LA Liga Fixtures 2019.03.16

LA Liga Fixtures 2019.03.16

Huesca Vs Alaves

Real Madrid Vs Celta Vigo

Athletic Bilbao Vs Atletico Madrid

Leganes Vs Girona​

 

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Serie A Fixtures 2019.03.16

Serie A Fixtures 2019.03.16

Sassuolo Vs Sampdoria

Spal Vs Roma

Torino Vs Bologna​

 

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Bundesliga Fixtures 2019.03.16

Bundesliga Fixtures 2019.03.16

Augsburg Vs Hannover

Schalke Vs Leipzig

Stuttgart Vs Hoffenheim

Wolfsburg Vs Fortuna

Hertha Berlin Vs Dortmund​

 

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Half Time

Wolves 0 Vs 0 Manchester United

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Chances create kalanam hodatama madi

Good luck for the 2nd half Manchester United!
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Full Time

Wolves 2 Vs 1 Manchester United

Wolves Goal(s)

R.Jimenez 70'
D.Jota 76'

&

Manchester United Goal(s)

M.Rashford 90+5'


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Aparade hoda chance ekak nathi karagattha Trophy ekakata yanna puluwan

Ada Manchester United performance nam hodatama madiGoal down wenakam ma melo deyak kale nahane Creativity anthimaiMartial,Pogba,Lingard poorMatch eka balanakota hithuna ayeth Mounrinho ge kaleta gihillada kiyalathAparade hoda chance ekak miss unaLoku improvement ekak one issarahata thiyana matches walata.

& next Watford EPL match eka.Good luck for the next match Manchester United!
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Wolves 2 Manchester United 1: Jimenez and Jota seal last-four spot

Wolves sealed an FA Cup semi-final spot as goals from Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota saw off Manchester United 2-1 at Molineux.

It is the first time Nuno Espirito Santo's side have reached the last four of the competition since 1997-98 and they thoroughly deserved their victory over an insipid United team.Jimenez fired home inside a crowded area after 70 minutes before Jota turned Luke Shaw inside out to add a second six minutes later and put the game beyond United.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side – who had won nine away games in a row before last weekend's Premier League defeat to Arsenal – did find a late consolation through Marcus Rashford but can have no complaints with the result.

Paul Pogba clipped wide and Rashford tested John Ruddy from distance as the hosts comfortably kept United at bay during a tepid opening half hour.Shortly before the interval, Sergio Romero was out quickly to paw away a clean-through Jota's effort after Wolves had countered quickly from a United corner.

Rashford blazed wide within a minute of the restart before Romero superbly tipped Jimenez's header onto the crossbar.The Argentina international was called into action again shortly before the hour mark, tipping over Joao Moutinho's deflected effort after a period of intense Wolves pressure.

That pressure finally told 20 minutes from time when Jimenez swivelled among a posse of United players in the penalty area and sent a half-volley past Romero.Another sharp Wolves counter-attack resulted in the second soon after as Jota left Shaw in a heap on the floor and drilled a low effort past Romero, who will feel that he should have done better.



A late red card for Victor Lindelof was overturned by VAR, which decided his foul on Jota was only worth a yellow card, before Rashford collected Shaw's cross and buried it into the bottom corner with almost the last kick of the game.However, it proved too little, too late for a United side who were well beaten by their less illustrious Premier League opponents.

 

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Swansea City 2 Manchester City 3: Controversial Aguero winner completes comeback

Manchester City kept their quadruple hopes alive after coming back from two goals down to win 3-2 at Swansea City in the FA Cup quarter-finals thanks to Sergio Aguero's controversial late header.

Pep Guardiola's men looked to be heading out of the competition at the hands of second-tier opposition, but three goals in the final 21 minutes saw City come back from the brink, as Aguero – who appeared to be offside – nodded in the late clincher.

Although the Premier League champions initially looked bright, a confident Matt Grimes penalty put Swansea in the ascendancy and they doubled their advantage with an exceptionally worked Bersant Celina goal against his former club.


The visitors upped the ante after the break and pulled one back through Bernardo Silva, before an Aguero penalty went in off goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt.And, just when Swansea looked to have held on to force extra time, Aguero completed the comeback two minutes from the end to send City to Wembley.

City made a fine start and went close three times in the first 15 minutes, but Swansea capitalised soon after – Grimes coolly dispatching a penalty after Fabian Delph tripped Connor Roberts.

It was 2-0 before the half-hour mark as Swansea brilliantly carved through City and Nathan Dyer teed up Celina, who found the top-right corner with a curling effort from just inside the box.

City were back in it in the 69th minute when substitute Aguero saw a shot come back off Jay Fulton's face and the Argentina striker subsequently teed up Silva for a fine outside-of-the-foot finish.Guardiola's side were level 12 minutes from the end, with Aguero's penalty – after Cameron Carter-Vickers was adjudged to have tripped Raheem Sterling – coming back off the post and going in off the unlucky Nordfeldt.

With City piling on the pressure, there was an air of inevitability about the winner, which arrived when the prolific Aguero met Silva's cross with a well-placed header into the bottom-left corner.

 

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Hertha Berlin 2 Borussia Dortmund 3: Reus' stoppage-time winner sends visitors top

Marco Reus scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Borussia Dortmund won 3-2 at nine-man Hertha Berlin to move three points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

Salomon Kalou looked like he would haunt Dortmund again as his double saw the hosts twice move in front, the former Chelsea forward having scored a brace in October's reverse fixture.

Dortmund equalised on each occasion - Thomas Delaney and Dan-Axel Zagadou striking in either half – but had to wait until the final moments to secure victory when Reus side-footed into the bottom corner from Jadon Sancho's cross.

They open up a small gap over Bayern Munich, who do not play until Sunday against Mainz at the Allianz Arena, and will hope this battling victory gives them some much-needed momentum.

In a slump, that has also seen them exit the Champions League, Lucien Favre's men had only won two of their previous six league games, but they now hold the title-race advantage once again.

Hertha struck first in the fourth minute, when Maximilian Mittelstadt cut inside from the left and saw his low shot fumbled by Roman Burki, allowing Kalou to tap in the rebound from three yards.

Dortmund scored a fortunate equaliser 10 minutes later when Delaney made a key interception, charged to the edge of the box and sent in a left-footed shot that only beat Rune Jarstein courtesy of a massive deflection off Karim Rekik.

Jarstein made a key save from Jacob Bruun Larsen after he had been sent through by Reus, the second time the home goalkeeper had denied the Denmark youth international in the early stages.

At the other end, Hertha were awarded a 35th-minute penalty when Julian Weigl handled as he tried to block Ondrej Duda's cross, allowing Kalou to send Burki the wrong way from the spot.

A thrilling match was level again when Zagadou headed in Sancho's corner just 87 seconds into the second half, but Hertha were inches away from moving back in front after Marko Grujic hit the post from 15 yards.

Two key moments saw Duda have a penalty claim denied by referee Tobias Welz when he was brought down by Abdou Diallo, before the visitors launched an immediate counter, where Sancho somehow fired wide from a glorious chance.Christian Pulisic could not convert three chances in quick succession while Delaney hit the bar as part of a frantic finale.

Hertha almost held on for a point despite Jordan Torunarigha receiving a second yellow card with five minutes left for fouling substitute Achraf Hakimi, before Vedad Ibisevic saw red for throwing the ball at Burki as frustration boiled over after Reus' winner.

In a frantic finale prior to his strike, Christian Pulisic could not convert three chances in quick succession while Delaney hit the bar, before the late drama sparked wild celebrations in front of the travelling support.

 

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Real Madrid 2 Celta Vigo 0: Isco and Bale rise to Zidane's second coming

Isco and Gareth Bale celebrated their Real Madrid returns under Zinedine Zidane by sealing a 2-0 LaLiga win over Celta Vigo.

Santiago Solari gave Isco a minimal role in his plans but, after Zidane was reappointed to end the Argentinian's ill-fated tenure, the Spain international returned to the starting XI alongside the similarly ostracised Bale, Marcelo and Keylor Navas.

Bale hit the crossbar and was fortunate not to be sent off, while Navas brilliantly prevented Maxi Gomez from putting relegation-threatened Celta ahead amid an all-action showing from Marcelo.


But it fell to Isco to break the deadlock after the hour and Bale made sure 13 minutes from time, moving Madrid two points behind city rivals Atletico in second ahead of their trip to Athletic Bilbao later on Saturday.
Navas, preferred to Thibaut Courtois in goal, made a stunning reaction save from Gomez's 16th-minute header and Celta retained a threat on the counter-attack throughout.Bale struck a 30th-minute scissors kick against the bar and Sergio Ramos headed wide after Ruben Blanco diverted a rasping Marcelo strike behind.

The Wales forward crossed for Karim Benzema to roll into the net during first-half stoppage time but was correctly penalised for crashing an elbow into Kevin Vazquez's face and fortunate to only see a yellow card.Unperturbed, Bale went sliding into Sofiane Boufal in the 53rd minute, the act of turning his studs to the turf before contact enough to spare him.

Modric thought he had given Madrid the lead when he drove home from Toni Kroos' partially cleared corner, only for a Raphael Varane to be ruled offside and interfering by a VAR review.The breakthrough came after 61 minutes as Madrid constructed the type of sharp break that became a hallmark of Zidane's initial reign and Isco slid home Benzema's low cross before departing to a standing ovation.

Blanco excelled to thwart Bale and Benzema, but the former skipped through a flagging backline to clip in a right-footed shot off the post.

 

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'We'll be ready' - Solskjaer promises strong bounce back from Man United after FA Cup exit


Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has promised Manchester United fans the team will be back to their best after the international break, following "the poorest performance" since the Norwegian took over.

United struggled to mount a threat on goal as they lost 2-1 away to Wolves in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, as Solskjaer – who replaced Jose Mourinho in December – suffered consecutive defeats for the first time at the helm.

The Red Devils were beaten 2-0 at Arsenal in their most recent Premier League outing, bringing them back down to earth after a remarkable 3-1 victory away to Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League's round of 16, a result that saw them progress to the last eight on away goals.

Addressing reporters following the insipid performance at Molineux, Solskjaer was asked if he had a message for United supporters."[We'll be] ready to go again after [the] internationals," he said.

"Man United in April and May, always find our form, we can't wait for the challenge for this and big nights like when Barcelona come, we've got so many highlights to look forward to," he added, referring to a tie against the Catalan giants in the Champions League quarter-finals."The players? Don't worry about their attitude because when they come back again we'll give it a good go."

Goals from Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota in the space of six second-half minutes put Wolves in control of the tie in the West Midlands, with Marcus Rashford's goal in injury time coming too late for United to trigger a comeback.

But Solskjaer sent a message to his players after the match to find a way to recharge during the international break so they can rebound from their losing skid.
“It is happening so we cannot do anything about it,” the manager told the club's official site after the match.“To the players who go away with international teams, go and enjoy, go and play as well as you can.“Some of them have been called back into a squad, maybe that gives them a boost, but we just need to come back recharged.

“Whatever you are doing, if you have days off, or play with the national team, come back with a big smile, loads of energy and be ready for the league and Champions League.”

 

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'Nothing much has changed' - Zidane feels at home after marking Madrid comeback with win


Zinedine Zidane has affirmed that he already feels comfortable back home at Real Madrid after beginning his second coaching spell with a victory.The Frenchman was announced as a surprise mid-season replacement for Santiago Solari last week, less than a year after resigning from his position on the bench.

Goals from Isco and Gareth Bale, two players who had been marginalised under the Argentine, made sure Zidane's return would begin on a positive note as Celta were dispatched 2-0 on Saturday.

Zizou, a club legend as both player and coach, was given a rousing reception from the Bernabeu, in stark contrast to the jeers Madrid's stars have received in recent weeks at home following two Clasico defeats and a humiliating Champions League elimination at the hands of Ajax.

And Zidane admitted after the game that he was delighted to have picked up where he left off last season. "Not much has changed [since last May]. I've quickly found my old habits," he explained to beIN SPORTS.

"This team is eager to finish the season strongly. We can say it's a complicated season without any trophies. But you don't have to throw everything into the trash as there was some good."Despite Saturday's victory, Madrid are almost guaranteed to finish the season out of contention for further honours.

Their interest in the Champions League and Copa del Rey has ended, while Barcelona can restore their 12-point lead over their rivals in La Liga with victory over Betis on Sunday.The Club World Cup will therefore be the Blancos' sole piece of silverware from 2018-19, but Zidane still wants a strong finish to a disappointing campaign."Sometimes, you have to accept not being on top. There are 10 games left, we have to finish well," he added.

"I don't know if everything is serene in this club but we like it that way, we like this adrenaline. We like to compete."Florentino Perez called me the day after Ajax and it was all natural, it was settled in three days.

"My deputies were fine and still are. I'm in my home here, I know I can do good. It's all natural to me".

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2019.03.17

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2019.03.17

Fulham Vs Liverpool

Everton Vs Chelsea

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