Friday 14 August 2015

He doesn't want to play for United - Van Gaal



Loius Van Gaal claims that United goal keeper David De Gea doesn't want to play for the club any longer.

According to Van Gaal he said; ''we talked to De Gea and he fully agreed with our decision.''

''I have one assistant coach and another assistant coach so we speak about that ind of thing together. We have a goal keeping coach, Frans Hoek, and I am not doing everything alone.''

''Frans Hoek had a meeting with David and he asked him; 'Do you want to play? and he said no'. Then I have to take the decision. It is a process.''

''We have been observing him in preparation, he was not so good, he was not the same David de Gea as before. He was mybest player last season. According to the fans, he was the best of the last two years.''

Pedro is a player I like - Van Gaal



Louis van Gaal believes Pedro is exactly  the kind of player that Manchester United need to bolster their attack since the club sold Angel di Maria to PSG.

While speaking to the press ahead of the Pre-match press conference ahead of the Aston Villa game, Van Gaal said; ''you have to ask Pedro,not me. My answer is it's a process. A club, a player and we are there also.''

He added; '' I don't mention anything until he has signed. Then I come to you and say Pedro is here. But it is still not the case and we shall wait and see.

When asked if Pedro was the kind of fast , direct striker United was looking for, Van Gaal replied, Pedro is a player I like''.

Thursday 13 August 2015

Juventus target Ramires and Cuadrado



Juventus have enquired about Chelsea midfielders Juan Cuadrado and Ramires. The Serie A champions are trying to replace the likes of Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, and are stepping up their chase to sign Julian Draxler from Schalke.



And they have also asked about the availability of South American duo Cuadrado and Ramires.

City set to hijack Pedro



Manchester City are monitoring Pedro’s situation at Barcelona as the Spain star considers his future over the next 48 hours.

Pedro admits he may have to leave the Nou Camp to play more first-team football, and Manchester United are firm favourites to bring him to the Premier League by activating the £22million buyout clause in his contract.

United want the 28-year-old as a replacement for Angel di Maria and are believed to have agreed personal terms with his representatives.

However, City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain, who knows the player well from his time at Barcelona, is understood to be keeping a close eye on negotiations in case their £46m move for Kevin De Bruyne stalls.

It remains to be seen if Pedro, who came off the bench to score a dramatic winning goal in Barca’s 5-4 win over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup final on Tuesday night, also plays in Friday's Spanish Super Cup final first leg against Athletic Bilbao.



Balotelli at 25



Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli was in the mood for partying on Wednesday night as he continued to celebrate his 25th birthday.

The Italian striker was joined by some of his team-mates as he enjoyed a night at the Sorrento Restaurant in Formby.


Lucas Leiva, Mamadou Sakho, Lazar Markovic, Roberto Firmino, Divock Origi, Emre Can, Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel were among the Italian’s birthday guests.

Can took to Instagram to post a picture of the celebrations alongside the caption: ‘Happy Birthday Super Mario.’


 Balotelli wasn’t involved with Liverpool’s pre-season campaign this summer after being told he is not part of Brendan Rodgers’ future plans.


And his celebratory football shirt birthday cake was the Blue of Italy instead of the Red of Liverpool and even had a No 9 on the back.


Wednesday 12 August 2015

New season, same old Ozil



New season, same old Arsenal.

We have all seen this movie before and frankly no-one should really be surprised at the ineffectual, powder-puff loss to a disciplined, dangerous West Ham.

All pretty patterns but without a cutting edge nor the added bite and grit required to be considered serious contenders for the title, and just when it appeared Arsene Wenger had finally addressed the long term problem of purchasing a goalkeeper he could rely on, Petr Cech had a day to forget doing his best Wojech Szczesny impression.

I am already on record in stating they will not have the pleasure of attending another title party whilst Wenger remains responsible for the first team affairs and yet again one glaring piece of evidence of the Frenchman’s consistent failure was the abject showing of Mesut Ozil.

Surely the £42.4 million squandered by the North London outfit for the German internationalist can now safely be deemed the most worst purchase in Premier League?
In two seasons wearing red, the 26-year-old former Real Madrid man has contributed next to nothing.

His abject, ineffectual showings are an embarrassment with his all too very nonchalant on field persona an indicator of a total lack of care for the very punters forced to spend their hard earned wages for the ‘privilege’ of attending Arsenal matches these days.

Ozil’s ambling around the field is a sad sight to see, while he has never been an all action, box to box buzzbomb in the mould of a Paul Gascoigne, the Arsenal number 11 has all the attributes of a match winner with an abundance of skill and creative vision in his locker and yet only a tiny handful of his 49 appearances for the Gunners can be considered to have been productive.

On Sunday he found himself completely shut off from have any impact whatsoever by a 16-year-old debutant, of course Reece Oxford is fully deserving of the heaps of credit aimed in his direction but the fact Ozil was totally unable to make a dent, breaking free from the shackles of the teenager is embarrassing to the extreme.
We all know that Arsenal are overloaded with lightweight, midfielders intent on weaving intricate designs which ultimately lead to nowhere but it is the attitude of some, in particular, Ozil which infuriates the support.
His lack of passion and determination on his part further detracts from the idea he has been worth even half of the amount he was so ridiculously purchased for.

New season, same old Ozil.

Source: Metreo Sports

Top WAGS for the 2015- 2016 season


Just as a new Premier League season heralds the arrival of new players to boost a clubs fortunes comes a crop of new beautiful women who keep their spirits high.  

The current crop of top-flight wives and girlfriends have a range of strings to their bow, with many of them stars in their own right from former world No 1 tennis player in Ana Ivanovic, Manchester United signing Bastian Schweinsteiger's girlfriend, to the traditional models, actresses and TV presenters.

Also at United, Morgan Schneiderlin's girlfriend was a star of France's version of Survivor while David de Gea's partner represented Spain at Eurovision.

Along with the new wave of significant others are the mainstays of English football's red carpets, including Stoke striker Peter Crouch's Strictly Come Dancing star wife Abbey and Bacary Sagna's French model wife Ludivine.

Here's how the top WAGs for the 2015-2016 season line-up.



ABBEY CROUCH (PETER CROUCH) 

 MISSE BEQIRI (ANDERS LINDEGAARD)

 EDURNE (DAVID DE GEA)

 ANA IVANOVIC (BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER)



 CAMILLE SOLD (MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN)
ALEXANDRA HELGA IVARSDOTTIR (GYLFI SIGURDSSON)

LIverpool should build team around Coutinho - Kaka



Brazil superstar Kaka has told Brendan Rodgers to build his Champions League-chasing Liverpool team around Philippe Coutinho.

Former World Player of the Year Kaka expects great things from 23-year-old Coutinho, who scored a sensational late winner at the weekend away to Stoke.

Kaka said: “I have been a big admirer of Coutinho and he can be a very important player for Liverpool and Brazil.


“There will be a lot of expectation on him with Liverpool fighting to get back into the Champions League, but I know that he can handle it.
“One great player doesn’t make a team, but you can build a team around one great player, and I believe he can be that player."

He added: “Coutinho is a humble guy. He won't talk about being able to replace a legend like Steven Gerrard, and the truth is nobody could ever replace him, but with Gerrard gone they do need somebody to step up — and he can do that.”

Courtois red card appeal failed


Chelsea have failed in their attempt to overturn Thibaut Courtois’s sending off against Swansea. The champions’ No.1 keeper was shown a straight red card by referee Michael Oliverfor a mistimed challenge on Swansea’s Bafetimbi Gomis.

Chelsea disputed that Gomis had been denied a “clear and obvious” goalscoring opportunity as the ball had not been heading towards goal and Gary Cahill was the covering defender.
However, Courtois will miss Saturday's crunch clash against Manchester City after the FA rejected their appeal.

The FA statement said: "Therefore, the player's one-match suspension, which is the standard penalty for this offence, remains with immediate effect.
"For a club to be successful with a claim of wrongful dismissal, it must prove to an Independent Regulatory Commission via written and/or video evidence that the match referee made an obvious error."


Wolfsburg won't be the only team to challenge Bayern - Joachim Low



Germany coach Joachim Low has stressed that Bayern Munich are by no means guaranteed the Bundesliga title in 2015-16.  Low believes Wolfsburg are one of several teams who have what it takes to challenge the reigning champions.


"Bayern have become even more flexible with the arrival of Arturo Vidal and Douglas Costa," Low told the official DFB website.

"Pep Guardiola has a team of unrivalled quality. But that's not to say the Bundesliga title is already theirs.

"Developments at Wolfsburg are rather impressive. I have a lot of faith in Dieter Hecking and his squad. They managed to hold on to their best players and signed a great player like Max Kruse.

"And other teams have the potential to get in the mix for the Bundesliga title as well. Wolfsburg will not be the only team out there challenging Bayern."

Do you think Bayern can retain the Bundesliga title? Leave your comments below......

Dramatic Mourinho ban Club Doctor


Eva Carneiro is banned from Chelsea matches and training after angering Jose Mourinho by rushing onto the pitch to treat 'tired' player

Chelsea were already down to 10 men and Hazard receiving treatment meant that last season's Player of the Year had to spend a few moments on the touchline, leaving the champions vulnerable. Mourinho was furious.


While speaking to the press after Saturday game Mourinho said; ''I wasn't happy with my medical staff because even if you are a medical doctor or secretary on the bench you have to understand the game''


''You have to know that when you have one player less and, in the end, you go on to the pitch to assist a player then you must be sure that a player has a serious problem.''

''I was sure that Eden didn't have a serious problem. He had a knock and was very tired. My medical department left me with eight fit players in a counter-attack after a set piece and we were worried we didn't have enough players left.''


Do you think Mourinho is taking the right step? Leave your comments below...

Tuesday 11 August 2015

Wenger could land Higuain



According to reports in Spain, Sarri understands that he will not get the best from a player who wants to leave and will therefore listen to offers from potential suitors.

Arsene Wenger is thought to be a big fan of the 27-year-old, who has scored 53 goals in 102 appearances for the Serie A outfit.

The Gunners boss could be tempted to make a bid sign him, after the Argentinian rejected a new contract at Napoli. Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, though, is still believed to be the Gunners’ top target.


Inter targets unhappy Liverpool star


Brazil star Lucas looks certain to leave Liverpool after being axed from the squad on the opening day of the season.

And Inter Milan are ready to offer him an escape route after opening a dialogue with the Reds over a deal that could see the midfielder move initially on a year-long loan.

Lucas was desperately unhappy to be left out of the team that visited Stoke on Sunday in search of redemption, and there was a frank exchange with manager Brendan Rodgers.

That fall-out is likely to spell the end of the 28-year-old’s eight-year stint at Anfield, with the Brazilian resigned to the fact he has fallen out of favour after slipping far down the midfield pecking order.


New boy and new vice captain James Milner has formed an instant partnership withskipper Jordan Henderson, and both Emre Can and Joe Allen - though currently injured – are both ahead of him.
Lucas had talks with Rodgers which added impetus to his potential departure - a possibility all summer.
There has been some interest in Italy, with Napoli also enquiring recently about the player, but it seems Inter have made the strongest approach and are prepared to pay a sizeable loan fee to take him this season.


Baba Rahman to cmplete Chelsea move



Chelsea aim to complete the £17million signing of Ausburg left-back Abdul Baba Rahman this week.
The 21-year-old had been targeted by Blues boss Jose Mourinho to replace Filipe Luis.

Luis was sold back to Atletico Madrid two weeks ago after playing just 26 times for the Premier League champions.
Baba Rahman initially had reservations about moving to Stamford Bridge as his friend and Ghana international team-mate Christian Atsu, has yet to play for Chelsea since joining them two years go.

But he has been given assurances that he will be part of Mourinho’s plans for the coming season after
setting up a five-year deal worth £21.7m.

Madrid duo to return from injury


Real Madrid duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos are expected to return to full training on Tuesday, after recovering from minor injury problems.


Ramos - who is yet to sign a new contract at the Santiago Bernabeu following interest from Manchester United - missed Sunday's friendly at Valerenga due to a knock he suffered against Bayern Munich in last week's Audi Cup.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, picked up a back problem prior to the pre-season tournament in Germany, thus ruling him out of the subsequent trip to Norway.

However, neither player was viewed as a doubt for the start of Real's domestic campaign against Sporting Gijon on August 23 and both are now set to join up with their team-mates for training on Tuesday having worked on their fitness at Ciudad Real Madrid.

The pair could now feature in the Santiago Bernabeu Trophy against Galatasaray next Tuesday.



Source: Goal.com

Manchester United targets PSG attacker



The Red Devils sold Angel Di Maria to Laurent Blanc’s side for £44.1million last week and their civil negotiations could help smooth over a deal for Lavezzi, according to Super Deporte.

Barcelona forward Pedro is Louis van Gaal’s first choice to replace Di Maria but the Spanish giants have hardened their stance on keeping the winger since forward Neymar was ruled out of the start of the season with mumps.

Lavezzi, 30, wants first team football next season and is said to be open to moving to the Premier League with the Red Devils.




Van Gaal explains Depay new role



Louis van Gaal has revealed the reason why he is trying Memphis out as a number 10, and it’s a strange one: because of Ashley Young.

Van Gaal felt Memphis did OK in his first big outing as a number 10, but felt his young compatriot was a little too eager to impress.
“It is a new position for him and he has to adapt to the new position because he is a goal-scoring type.

“We have to wait and see if he can fulfil the demands of this position but that’s also because Ashley Young is playing very good on the left side. That is the circumstances now but it can change during the season. He can play in this position.”

“Yeah, but he is too eager, I think. I have said that in advance. New players, especially young players, want to show their qualities. The next match, because of that, will be better for him.”


Roberto Martinez says transfer window is 'unfair' in light of John Stones interest



Martinez, speaking on Monday Night Football, insists the transfer window should end once the season is underway, a view he has previously made public.

When asked how the Stones situation has had an impact, Martinez said: "The window, when it is open and we have to prepare for official games, is very, very unfair. I don't think it is right.
"I think we should have a period where we assemble our squad, and then once the first league game starts everyone is focused.

"I think we forget that footballers have a human side and it can really affect. Players like Stones and Ross Barkley have an incredible future and will attract interest from the outside.
"As a football club these players are going to be a part of our success in the future, so we take [interest] as a positive compliment."

On the subject of Barkley, Martinez says the England midfielder has learned from a disappointing 2014/15 campaign, and insists his personality will make him "one of the best".
Barkley scored Everton’s first goal in the 2-2 draw with newly-promoted Watford on Saturday, but an underwhelming last 12 months saw him score only twice in his previous 36 games.
Martinez said: "Ross is a phenomenal footballer, if you want to analyse him from a physical point of view, he's someone quite unique.
"When you bring in the technicality he has, the low balance, the symmetry he has, it's quite impressive.
"He’s taken a real learning curve from the last campaign, he's got a very important role, and he's someone that is a joy to work with.
"That personality and that maturity will make him one of the best players in the league, down to his personality."

 Source: Sky Sports

Mourinho: Physical performance



Diego Costa performed well and led the line impressively, particularly during the second half after we had been harshly reduced to 10 men following the sending off of Thibaut Courtois.
‘‘He did very well and in the second half it was very difficult because there was a big distance (between him and his team-mates), we had one player less and it was a great effort,’’said Mourinho.
‘’Even so, I was not expecting him to resist for 90 minutes but because we wanted to try to collect a goal we went with him until the end and it was very important for us that he played for 90 minutes with such a physical performance. He’s very happy with the reaction of his body after such a difficult game’’.
Mourinho was pleased with the character his side showed in the second half, and we ended the game having enjoyed a higher percentage of possession than Swansea even after playing for over half an hour with 10 men. The manager explained how he set us up to continue to offer an attacking threat despite the numerical disadvantage.
‘For a period we played 4-4-1 and after that we played with Diego and Hazard in attack with three men across midfield,’ said the Portuguese.
‘In the last part of the game we put Falcao on as a target man with the other two floating behind.’


Bredan Rodgers: ''The most traumatic four years of my life''.



Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers says he has been through “the most traumatic four years” of his life, writes James Pearce in the Liverpool Echo.

“I lost my mum. I lost my dad. I split up from the woman I loved for 23 years. I had a court case, two Old Bailey trials over six weeks with my son who was charged with sexual assault, which was an absolute disgrace.
“Yet professionally, here and at Swansea, these have been the best four years of my life. Something has to come from within. You have to put the professional and personal to each side. It’s about being happy of course, but the owners have paid me to do a job, so I will do the job.’’

Liverpool started their season with a 1-0 win at Stoke on Sunday, with Philippe Coutinho scoring late on to earn all three points and go some way to avenging the 6-1 defeat they suffered on the last day of last season.


City can win the League with Yaya Toure at his best - Carragaher



Speaking on Monday Night Football, Liverpool legend, Jamie Carragher said: 'Have we ever seen anyone better in Premier League history in terms of a central midfield player?'

‘‘Dominating, sprinting from that central midfield, that power coming onto things, but also finishing like that. For the criticism he got last year, he was still the highest-scoring central midfield player. We're saying he had a bad season but his numbers are still far out of reach of everyone else.’’


‘‘It was because the year before he got 20 so you automatically sort of give him criticism. But what a start to the season he's made.’’

‘‘He has drove them to the title. The two years City have won the title, we've spoke about a nucleus of four or five players in terms of Vincent Kompany, Joe Hart, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Toure, maybe Pablo Zabaleta as well.’’ 

‘‘If they can get the Yaya Toure of the title-winning seasons, they have a fantastic chance of winning the league.’’

Do you think Yaya Toure can lead City to the Premiere League trophy? Leave your comments below....





Monday 10 August 2015

New York Red Bulls fans mock New York City in Big Apple Derby


The MLS has garnered greater prestige in recent times through the gradual stockpile of footballing behemoths from bygone years, but it would appear some fans of New York Red Bulls have short-term memories. 

Ahead of their Big Apple derby against not-so-young upstarts New York City, some of the crowd were only too happy to remind Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard that their days as midfield wrecking balls are behind them.

On a banner hanging from the top tier behind one of the goals, Red Bulls' ultra set of supporters taunted the two decorated stars as cartoon characters holding walking sticks, with the words 'City Retirement Home' on the blue ribbon above their heads. 

The newly-formed club have also managed to lure Athletic Bilbao's long-standing full-back Andoni Iraola and World Cup winner David Villa across the pond, but while these two former Spain internationals were spared the OAP treatment, the mockery was a rather rich card to play.

Former Chelsea midfielder Lampard, 37, had been troubled with a calf problem prior to the match, and neither he nor the 36-year-old Pirlo were able to prevent City from going down to a 2-0 defeat.

Source: Daily Mail



“I have read a lot of nonsense in the media''- De Koster on De Bruyne




Wolfsburg manager Dieter Hecking remains confident that De Bruyne will stay after claiming that a move to City isn't enough to tempt the Belgium international to leave, though the 24-year-old's agent Patrick De Koster says they are waiting on more information from the clubs.

"Kevin remains a Wolfsburg player, and is focused on his job at the club,” De Koster told reporters. “I have read a lot of nonsense in the media.

"We are waiting to discover whether any agreement has been reached between clubs. That is for the clubs to decide, and not for us. There is no medical planned at this stage, and he is happy at Wolfsburg."

Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs earlier suggested that De Bruyne would have to consider offers from elsewhere, saying: "I think that interested clubs have turned Kevin's head a bit. We are talking about incredible sums here.

"I understand that all this is on Kevin's mind. He will have to listen to offers. We cannot expect him to just ignore those offers.


"The transfer window remains open for three more weeks. Any interested clubs that still feel they have a chance of signing him will get involved."