The Blues face Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, while Cristiano Ronaldo could be among the goals again and Thomas Muller is in scintillating form for Bayern Munich

HAS WENGER BROKEN MOURINHO HOODOO?

Chelsea will be hoping to kickstart their faltering season against Arsenal after a midweek Champions League victory against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The Gunners, meanwhile, will be hoping to bounce back from a nightmare night in Zagreb on Tuesday. Arsene Wenger finally broke his Jose Mourinho hoodoo in the Community Shield in August at the 14th attempt, but in the league, the north Londoners remain winless in their last seven Premier League clashes with the Blues (D3 L4).

Theo Walcott, who netted against Dinamo Zagreb, could be key to Arsenal’s chances having netted 11 goals in his last 11 league starts.

As for Mourinho, he’ll be hoping to keep alive his record of having never lost consecutive home Premier League games following a shock defeat to Crystal Palace.

League leaders Manchester City, meanwhile, will be eager to return to winning ways at home to West Ham after a defeat to Juventus. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have won their opening five games of a top-flight season for only the second time ever (after 1912-13).

City have now gone an impressive nine hours and 26 minutes of Premier League football without conceding a goal but in Dimitri Payet, they’ll face a player in form. Including last season’s Ligue 1 campaign with Marseille, the playmaker has been directly involved in 11 goals (four goals, seven assists) in his last 13 league appearances.

Like Arsenal and City, Manchester United also endured a difficult Champions League opener in midweek, going down 2-1 away at PSV. On Sunday, Louis van Gaal’s side face another tricky away trip to St. Mary’s, with Southampton winning five and losing just one of their last seven Premier League home fixtures.

Under Van Gaal, United have won just seven of their 21 Premier League away matches while against the Saints, they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last seven league encounters. However, Ronald Koeman’s side are currently enduring a difficult run of form, with only two wins in their last 11 top-flight games (D4 L5).

If Southampton are to make it three wins in 12, they’ll have to deal with United’s intense work ethic, which has seen the Red Devils cover more ground than anyone else in this season’s Premier League (578.5 km).

BARCA SLOW TO START?

Barcelona were held by Roma in the Champions League in midweek, but face Levante as the only side in La Liga with a 100 per cent record so far this season.

Barca are unbeaten in 17 league games (W15 D2), keeping 11 clean sheets in the process, while Levante are without a win in seven (D4 L3) and have failed to score in each of their last three away La Liga fixtures. If they fail to score at the Camp Nou at the weekend, they will equal their longest goalless streak on the road in the league (four games), a run they last suffered back in 1964.

Expect a slow start to this game, with all six goals scored by these two sides in La Liga this season coming in the second half (four for Barcelona, two for Levante).

Fresh from his hat-trick against Shakhtar Donetsk, Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping to add to his season tally at home to Granada.

The Portuguese superstar netted five goals in Madrid’s 9-1 mauling of Saturday’s opponents back in April while overall, they have lost only one of their previous 21 home league games against Granada, winning 18 and drawing two.

However, it is in defence where Rafael Benitez’s side have impressed most this season, with Manchester City the only other side in Europe’s top five leagues yet to concede a single goal. Indeed, if Madrid manage another shut-out this weekend, they equal their best ever defensive start to a league campaign (four games without conceding in 1975-76).

DORTMUND FACE LEVERKUSEN TEST

Bayern Munich travel to Bundesliga new-boys Darmstadt at the weekend eager to keep alive their 100 per cent start to the new league season.

Bayern have won each of their last 21 Bundesliga games against newly-promoted sides, with their last defeat coming in August 2010, when they were beaten 2-0 in Kaiserslautern. Darmstadt have only taken one point in total from their four previous top-tier clashes with the German champions, losing the other three.

However, like Bayern, Darmstadt remain unbeaten in the league this season and are the only side in the top division yet to find themselves behind in a game.

But in Thomas Muller, Darmstadt faces a man in form after his brace in midweek against Olympiacos. The 26-year-old has scored six times in the Bundesliga already this season and will take some stopping.

Borussia Dortmund host Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday hoping to make it five wins out of five in the league this season. Their record of 12 points and a plus-12 goal difference after four games is second only to Stuttgart in Bundesliga history (+13 goal difference in 1996-97) but Leverkusen will be no push-overs.

Dortmund are without a win in their last four Bundesliga games against Leverkusen (D2, L2) and have lost their last two home games against Bayer without scoring. However, Roger Schmidt’s side have struggled so far this season and currently find themselves 13th in the league, having lost their last two games.

TOP VS SECOND IN SERIE A

Inter have enjoyed a flying start to the season and remain the only side in Serie A with a 100 per cent record. This weekend, they face a top-of-the-table clash with second-placed Chievo.

The Nerazzurri have an impressive record in Serie A against Chievo, winning 15 of 26 meetings and losing just four times. Indeed, Chievo have failed even to find the back of the net in six of their last nine league clashes with Inter.

However, the Flying Donkeys themselves have enjoyed a superb start to 2015-16, remaining unbeaten after their first three games, something they have achieved only once before in Serie A (2004).

Juventus beat Manchester City in midweek but have struggled in the early stages of the Serie A season, and in Genoa face one of the three sides to beat them in the league last season (along with Parma and Torino).

In total, Genoa have won just two of their last 23 Serie A encounters against Juventus, and have netted a total of three goals in their last seven league meetings with Juve, so the Turin giants will be confident of a first domestic win of the season.

GOALS GALORE FOR PSG & REIMS

Ligue 1 champions PSG lost their 100 per cent record at the start of this season in a 2-2 draw with Bordeaux, and face a tricky trip to Reims at the weekend.

At the Stade Auguste Delaune, Reims have lost only two of their last nine Ligue 1 meetings with PSG (W3 D4) and whatever the result, the crowd should expect goals, with the last 18 encounters between these two sides producing a total of 65 goals (3.6 per game), the most on average of any game played 10 or more times.

On Sunday, Marseille and Lyon, two of last season’s title hopefuls, go head-to-head at the Stade Velodrome.

Having won just three of their last 17 home clashes with Lyon (D8 L6), Marseille will need to be at their best against a visiting side who have lost just two of their last 13 top-tier games (W7 D4) and only one of their last eight on the road (W6 D1).

With Lyon also keeping a clean sheet in five of their last six games, the hosts will look to the likes of Michy Batshuayi to make the breakthrough at the weekend. The striker is currently in the midst of a fine run of form, having had a hand in five of Marseille’s last eight Ligue 1 goals (scoring three and assisting two).

Read More

Jose Mourinho orders Chelsea scouts to find replacement for misfiring Branislav Ivanovic – report

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has ordered club scouts to find a suitable replacement for Branislav Ivanovic, according to reports.

Serbian defender Ivanovic has gained a reputation as being one of the most consistent Premier League performers since his arrival in 2008.
The 31-year-old has struggled this term, however, and has been directly at fault for several goals Chelsea have conceded.
Chelsea are now doubting his longevity in the top flight, and have therefore begun searching for his successor, according to the Daily Mail.
The Premier League champions were planning to offer Ivanovic a 12-month contract extension, but the recent dip in his performances have changed things.
Mourinho is apparently planning life without him and the club are considering transfer moves for several players they believe can fill the Serbian’s boots.

Ivanovic has made 220 league appearances for the Blues (Picture: Getty)

Source by: http://metro.co.uk/2015/09/18/jose-mourinho-orders-chelsea-scouts-to-find-replacement-for-misfiring-branislav-ivanovic-report-5396945/

Read More

Manchester United show signs of revival, Arsenal strikers fail to cover up issues, Jose Mournhio's Chelsea lack leaders among squad

Seven things we learnt: Leicester form sees Foxes pushing for Europe, Crystal Palace defeat hardly a setback, Spurs' start drastically changes and Swansea search for consistency

Arsenal strikers fail to convince despite finding the target

On the face of things, goals for Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud should be exactly what was needed to shut up the critics at the Emirates and convince fans that Arsenal's current strike force is strong enough to lead a Premier League title challenge. But the true story isn't quite what it seems.

In total, Arsenal had 29 shots at goal during the 2-0 win against Stoke on Saturday, with an impressive 12 on target. So to come away with just two goals against a side languishing down in the relegation zone – despite Stoke expected to challenge for a top-10 finish this season – goes down as a disappointment.

Walcott had eight of those efforts, missing one simple header when the goal was at his mercy, while Giroud had two shots at goal once he came off the substitutes’ bench. While one found the back of the net, the other saw him capitalise on a sloppy mishit in the Stoke defence only to fire the ball wide of the goal with just Jack Butland to beat. True, the young English goalkeeper put in one of his best performances, but Arsenal are nowhere closer to solving their goalscoring conundrum.

United show signs of revival in dominant win over Liverpool

There was once a time where Manchester United would be openly confident of securing a result against Liverpool, but that hasn’t been the case in recent seasons. However, Saturday evening’s meeting saw United play with a swagger that they have rarely demonstrated since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and he result came in the form of a convincing 3-1 victory and a debut goal from record teenage signing Anthony Martial.

Even when Christian Benteke scored a screamer to get Liverpool back into the game, United were able to kick on and control the game, with Martial coming on to make a name for himself and register a debut to remember. If United can keep that confidence this season, there’s no reason to suggest that anything other than success is on the cards.

Anthony Martial celebrates scoring on his United debut

Chelsea look like they’re missing leading figures in the dressing room

What’s wrong with Chelsea? Jose Mourinho is busy blaming computers, luck and team doctors, Diego Costa can’t find the back of the net to save his life and the strongest defence in 2014/15 is suddenly the weakest. Could it be possible that the Blues’ struggles, which continued with a 3-1 defeat at Everton, is down to a lack of leaders in the squad?

The last two seasons has seen the likes of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole and Petr Cech leave the club, meaning John Terry stands alone as the club’s last remaining member of the ‘Old Guard’. Branislav Ivanovic looks a shadow of his former self this season as he continues to struggle for form, while Cesc Fabregas has endured one of the poorest starts to a season in his entire career.

Steven Naismith's hat-trick dealt Chelsea a second straight defeat

Chelsea’s squad is talented enough that they can’t be ruled out of launching an incredible comeback to retain their title, but the problem is Manchester City look untouchable right now, and they may be too strong for anyone, let a Chelsea side 11 points adrift, to catch.

Leicester for Europe? Suddenly it’s not so absurd

Few would have expected Leicester to be sitting pretty in second after five games of the Premier League season, but even fewer would have 33 points from 14 matches that stretches back into last season’s unlikely survival bid. Nigel Pearson has been replaced by Claudio Ranieri, but the squad’s team spirit looks intact and they continue to show an incredible resilience that any side would be proud of in the top flight.

Selecting Leicester v Aston Villa for the 4pm kick-off on Sunday raised many an eyebrow, but the two sides played out an early contender for match of the season. Jack Grealish and Carles Gil put the away side ahead with two beautiful goals, only for the Foxes to complete a breath-taking comeback that was completed through Nathan Dyer’s brave injury-time header. With that belief and character among their squad, there’s no stopping Leicester this season.

Nathan Dyer heads home Leicester’s late winner

Palace defeat hardly a setback as Pardew’s Eagles continue to impress

A deflated Crystal Palace suffered a late 1-0 defeat to Premier League champions-elect Manchester City on Saturday, but they would’ve been forgiven for scratching their heads and questioning who had delivered the disastrous blow. Kelechi Iheanacho, wearing No 72, showed a striker’s instinct when he reached an Alex McCarthy parry first to tap in an injury-time winner.

But Palace should not be disheartened. For 90 minutes, they did what no other side has been able to do this season and keep City goalless, and they still sit in fifth position with a credible nine points from five games. With winnable games against Tottenham, Watford, West Brom, West Ham and Leicester, they can quickly put this defeat behind them

Kelechi Iheanacho scores City's winner

Pochettino thankful for win that drastically changes season start

Three points from five games will have any manager looking over their should, but six from five matches looks a whole lot better and will have Mauricio Pochettino breathing a sigh of relief this morning. For large periods of Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Sunderland, it was the Black Cats that looked the most threatening. Jermain Defoe hit the post and also had a shout for a penalty, while substitute Jack Rodwell glanced the crossbar.

But where Harry Kane is failing so far this season, Ryan Mason stepped up. The midfielder went on a lovely run that linked Kane, Erik Lamela and himself, before chipping the ball over Costel Pantilimon and give Spurs their first win of the season. Relieved? You bet, but it at least gives Pochettino some breathing space and time to try and get his misfiring strikers running on all cylinders.

Ryan Mason nets the winning goal for Spurs

Swansea lack the consistency of a top-four challenger

With Jefferson Montero, Bafetimbi Gomis and Andre Ayew starting the season like a house on fire, Swansea looked to be one of the sides to watch this season. An unlucky draw with Chelsea and a win over Manchester United saw them solidify their place in the top half, and a trip to winless Watford should have posed little problem for the Welsh side.

Odion Ighalo gave Watford their first win of the season

However, Odion Ighalo found his form at the best time for the Hornets to give them a welcome three points and lift them up the table. If Swansea have ambitions of pushing on this season, they need to find the consistency of a top side that will make them stand out from the best of the also-rans.

Source by: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/manchester-united-show-signs-of-revival-arsenal-strikers-fail-to-cover-up-issues-chelsea-lack-leaders-among-their-squad-10499623.html

Read More

Manchester United vs Liverpool match report: Anthony Martial's brilliant goal caps off dominant display by Louis van Gaal's side

Manchester United 3 Liverpool 1

Anthony Martial wasted no time writing himself into Manchester United folklore as he stepped off the bench to score a stunning winner on debut against Liverpool.

The mood in the Manchester United dressing room was no longer flat – the word that Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick had used to describe it to Louis van Gaal in the run-up to the nearest thing English football has to a clasico. The dark, wood-panelled walls would have reverberated to the easy talk and laughter that comes with decisive victory and a fabulous debut. After Anthony Martial’s wonderfully-athletic goal, his transfer from Monaco appears better value than Radamel Falcao’s.

There are several things that mark Van Gaal out from his predecessor, David Moyes, and not least of it is the ability to win the big game. This was a third straight victory over Liverpool and, despite the deficiencies in the squad exposed in a painful first half, it was reasonably straightforward until the last few minutes. Once Ander Herrera had converted the penalty he had won, the contest seemed beyond Liverpool’s powers of recovery.

Bar a clearance off the line by the superlative Daley Blind, David De Gea’s comeback had been utterly unremarkable, until a one-handed save from Jordon Ibe sparked a brief flurry that culminated in a jaw-dropping bicycle kick from Christian Benteke.  The hope flickered among the Liverpool support for two minutes – time enough for Martial, arriving to a standing ovation on his debut, to skip through their defence and score with the kind of composure a teenager is supposed to lack.

“He doesn’t speak any English,” said Ashley Young. “We have to use Marouane Fellaini as his translator, but if he talks like that on the pitch he doesnt need to say anything.” There were two questions before this game. Were Liverpool as “bang average” as Harry Redknapp claimed and did Manchester United possess a specialist centre-forward? The answers are yes.

If you wanted an indictment of Manchester United’s transfer policy since the departure of David Gill as chief executive, the team sheet would be exhibit A. The vast flow of money in and out of Old Trafford had produced Marouane Fellaini as centre forward. It was the sort of makeshift solution a United manager would employ in the final 20 minutes when a goal was desperately needed. Faced with the sight of Fellaini’s vast mop of hair lumbering towards them, rather than the crewcut sported by the injured Rooney, Liverpool’s defence might have been expected to relax and control the game. Instead, still carrying the livid scars from their capitulation to West Ham, they were, to use some Redknapp terminology, bang dreadful.

Daley Blind opened the scoring with a superb effort

The warning signs appeared early. Simon Mignolet’s attempt to play the ball out to Joe Gomez merely presented it, via Juan Mata’s boot, to Fellaini who produced a vague, looping and unthreatening shot. In between, Mignolet attempted something similar to Nathanial Clyne and saw the ball coming back at him via Memphis Depay’s instep.

In between, Matteo Darmian, fed beautifully by Carrick, muscled past Gomez on the Liverpool left and his low cross found Fellaini, whose first two touches carried the weight of an articulated truck. Not for the first time, you wondered what Rooney might have done in similar circumstances. Had Rooney started, had Manchester United possessed more pace up front than Depay, who was replaced at half time by Young, they might have inflicted some grievous damage before the interval. Instead, they did not direct a single shot on Mignolet’s goal.

Ander Herrera celebrates after converting from the spot

Curiously, Manchester United broke through once Depay had left the field. The finish was the sort Rooney would have admired, a drive from the edge of the area that finished in the top corner of the net beneath the Stretford End.

The shot, after a very cleverly taken free-kick, was from Blind, who was supposed to have been stretched to the limit dealing with Benteke, but who in the event coped effortlessly. With Holland, managed by his father Danny, making a dreadful, ham-fisted hash of qualifying for the European Championship, this has not been a good couple of weeks for the Blind family. This would have raised their spirits.

Christian Benteke's spectacular strike briefly gave Liverpool hope

There was rather less put De Gea’s way. Van Gaal had refused to select him while Real Madrid were making their clumsy attempt to bring him back to Spain because his mind was not “properly focused”.

His mind could have been anywhere for an opening 45 minutes in which Liverpool contrived to give the ball away at virtually every available opportunity. Until a one-handed save from Danny Ings three minutes short of the hour mark, he could have been selecting his 10 favourite Beatles tracks or wondering why nobody makes a decent musical these days. The football would have been the least of his concerns.

Anthony Martial slots the ball past Simon Mignolet to score his debut goal

Manchester United: (4-2-3-1) De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw; Schweinsteiger, Carrick (Schneiderlin, 72); Depay (Young, h-t), Herrera, Mata (Martial, 65); Fellaini. 

Liverpool: (4-3-3) Mignolet; Clyne, Skrtel, Lovren, Gomez; Can, Lucas Leiva, Milner; Benteke, Firmino (Ibe, 65), Ings (Origi, 74).

Referee: Michael Oliver

Man of the match: Blind (Manchester United)

Match rating: 6/10

Source by: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/manchester-united-vs-liverpool-match-report-anthony-martials-brilliant-goal-caps-off-dominant-display-by-louis-van-gaals-side-10498413.html

Read More

David De Gea contract: Manchester United ready to increase goalkeepers wages from £35,000 to £200,000 as talks open with agent

De Gea looks set to perform an incredible U-turn and agree a long-term contract extension with United just days after a move to Real Madrid fell through

David De Gea could see his wages increased by more than 600% by Manchester United after the club opened contract extension talks with the goalkeeper, just 10 days after his £29m move to Real Madrid fell through.

De Gea looked set to join Real on the Spanish transfer deadline day, only for a delay in paperwork on the Spaniard’s part see the move collapse at the final minute. It’s known that United manager Louis van Gaal is looking to reintegrate De Gea into his first-team plans, which could see the Spaniard start his first game of the season when United host Liverpool this Saturday.

But it was the sight of De Gea’s agent, Jorge Mendes, as well as members of his family arriving at United’s Carrington training base on Thursday that has triggered talk of discussions between the two parties to extend a deal.

At present, De Gea has just one year remaining on his £35,000-a-week deal, but United are believed to be willing to increase that six-fold and more, with the proposed offer set to take De Gea to around £200,000-a-week that will also be backdated to last year when negotiations initially began.

According to TalkSPORT, the deal will see De Gea commit his future to United for another five years, although as expected it will include a buy-out clause of €50m (£36.5m) that would be well within Real’s spending power should they renew their interest.

David De Gea's agent Jorge Mendes

Mendes, who is also responsible for negotiating the contracts of Jose Mourinho, Radamel Falcao and Cristiano Ronaldo among others, arrived in Manchester yesterday in a bid to smooth relations between the club and the player. While executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward was not in attendance, talks did begin with Mendes and it’s added that De Gea could sign a new deal within 72 hours should discussions progress without any further issues.

Van Gaal could also be probed about his alleged comments about new £36.3m signing Anthony Martial, with the Dutchman reported by The Times to have admitted that the most expensive teenager in the history of the game cost “a ridiculous amount of money” – something which United have refused to comment on.

There could also be difficult questions regarding an apparent row with his players that led to senior figures Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick to approach the manager in a bid to ease growing tensions that are said to have raised from the sale of former defender Rafael and the prominence given to video analyst Max Keppers.

Source by: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/david-de-gea-contract-manchester-united-ready-to-increase-goalkeepers-wages-from-35000-to-200000-as-talks-open-with-agent-10496071.html

Read More

Manchester United players’ row with Louis van Gaal may not be a crisis

Louis van Gaal Sportsblog

Conflict is a normal part of football in Holland and news of unhappiness over the manager’s rigid style of play may not signify lasting issues in the dressing room

Louis van Gaal says he is an open guy and encourages discussion but there is a fine line between debate and dissent. 

Photograph: BPI/Rex Shutterstock

When Bobby Robson took over at PSV Eindhoven in 1990, he was shocked by the culture he found there. “An English professional,” he said, “accepts the manager’s decision, but after every match here the substitutes come and visit me.” Debate has been part of Dutch football from at least the days of Rinus Michels and his “conflict principle” by which players were encouraged to critique one another’s performances, seemingly on the logic that every pearl begins with a little grit of irritation.

Perhaps it is even the case that debate is part of Dutch life. “If in Holland someone says something,” Marco van Basten said, “there is always someone else who stands up and says: ‘Yes, but…’ That starts in school and that is our way of living. If you tell someone to do something in Germany then they will say ‘OK’ and do it but that is not how we work and how we grew up. It’s a different way of being.”

That context is important when considering the wider ramifications of this week’s reports of dissatisfaction within Manchester United’s ranks. Of course it is significant if players are unhappy with the training schedule or the rigidity of the system, but Louis Van Gaal emerged from a culture in which players were expected to raise their concerns: even given his autocratic nature, it may – may – not be quite the signifier of crisis it would be at other clubs.

Van Gaal, in fact, addressed precisely this point at the end of last month. “I am amazed you say I am single-minded,” he said. “I have a philosophy. You have to come with good arguments to change my philosophy but when you have a better argument than me I change. I am an open guy.”

He spoke then with particular fondness of Wayne Rooney, who as captain was the principal mouthpiece of the players’ unhappiness. “I think he trusts me,” Van Gaal said, “so that is very important and I trust him, so when he comes to me and has remarks I always pay attention to them.

“He also has the confidence to say things that are not always normal for players to say, so that is also good for the atmosphere in the dressing room.” You don’t have to be Dutch to see the logic of that: far better for a concern to be addressed quickly than allowed to fester.

That is the positive interpretation and it may be that is all that happened here: what would be considered normal practice and healthy discussion if things were going well looks bad when performances are indifferent. There are, though, two problems with that way of looking at it. Firstly, that nothing much seems to have changed since Rooney’s representation: United’s players have appeared inhibited all season. And secondly, this is Van Gaal who, for all his fine words, has a historical tendency to the autocratic.

Van Gaal is a disciplinarian, something that was apparent even in his earliest days as Leo Beenhakker’s assistant with Ajax. If players were a couple of minutes late for training, Beenhakker would shrug; Van Gaal would be furious. When he became head coach, Van Gaal’s leadership was notably strict – so much so that Johan Cruyff has described his approach as “militaristic”, in contrast to his own desire for “individuals to think for themselves”.

“Each player,” Van Gaal said, “has to carry out his basic tasks to the best of his ability and this requires a disciplined approach on the pitch. In my opinion this can only be achieved if there is also discipline off the pitch.”

That, as the consistently outspoken Clarence Seedorf found out as he was shipped off to Sampdoria, meant debate could only go so far. Van Gaal’s career is littered with fallings-out with people, often over what look from the outside relatively trivial issues – that, indeed, is the premise of Hugo Borst’s book O, Louis. Debate inevitably leads to disagreement and, with a character as volatile as Van Gaal, that can be problematic. At Bayern Munich, the striker Luca Toni insisted there was “no dialogue” and Uli Hoeness, the general manager, accused him of “running the team as a one-man show”.

Yet more recently there has been a sense that Van Gaal has mellowed. When, early last year, as Holland manager, he took the radical decision to switch to a back three, he emphasised that he had done so only after consultation with Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. It was seen as significant not only that he had done so but that he had spoken about it, as though trying to cultivate an atmosphere of consensus.

There were signs of that at United last season – even if you had to look for them. “He seems a good guy,” said Ander Herrera, “with a personality that maybe causes clashes in the first meetings.” Yet the old ruthlessness is still there: Van Persie was unceremoniously sold to Fenerbahce once he had outlived his usefulness. Víctor Valdés was frozen out for a supposed lack of commitment to playing for the reserves.

Van Gaal may encourage discussion and have given Rooney a privileged position to raise concerns, but the difference between debate and dissent is often in the eye of the beholder. The problem with Van Gaal is, there are rarely second chances.

Source by: http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/sep/10/manchester-united-players-row-louis-van-gaal

Read More

World Cup 2018: Malaysia v Saudi Arabia abandoned due to crowd trouble

• Play stopped in 87th minute after fans launched flares
• Syria make it three wins from three to top group

               Saudi Arabia players before leaving the pitch in their World Cup qualifier against Malaysia. 
               Photograph: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images

Reuters
Tuesday 8 September 2015 17.49 BST

The World Cup qualifier between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia at Shah Alam stadium in Selangor on Tuesday was abandoned just before full-time because of crowd trouble.

The visiting Saudi Arabia team were leading 2-1 in the Group A Asian qualifier when play was stopped in the 87th minute after fans launched flares and fireworks on to the pitch, local media reported.

Players from both teams left the pitch as smoke began filling the ground, and did not return. The match was later abandoned with the outcome to be decided by the sport’s world governing body Fifa.

Malaysia led 1-0 when Mohd Safiq Rahim scored in the 70th minute but Saudi Arabia equalised three minutes later through Taisir Al-Jassim and took the lead after 76 minutes when Mohammed Al-Sahlawi scored.

Malaysia are bottom of Group A after suffering a record 10-0 loss to United Arab Emirates last week.

Dollah Salleh resigned as coach upon returning to Kuala Lumpur on Friday and the Football Association of Malaysia appointed the former international midfielder Ong Kim Swee as caretaker.

In the lead-up to Tuesday’s match, Ong asked disgruntled Malaysian supporters not to disrupt the game after the supporters’ group Ultras Malaya called on fans to protest at the team’s poor performances. Hundreds of extra police had been deployed at the match in case there was trouble.

Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin later blamed the unruly fans and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), saying it had failed to control the situation. “FAM lost control of their own stadium. Fans throwing flares were wrong. Both at fault tonight,” he said in a tweet.

Advertisement

The crowd problems overshadowed another remarkable win by Syria, who have never qualified for the World Cup but have defied the odds to lead a qualifying group that includes Japan.

Forced to play all their matches away because of the problems in their homeland, the Eagles made it three wins from three matches with a 6-0 thrashing of Cambodia at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh.

Syria’s 21-year-old striker Omar Khrbin scored twice, his first brace for his embattled country, while Mahmoud Al Mawas, Sanharib Malki, Omar Midani and Osama Omari also got on the scoresheet.

The victory - their second by that scoreline in the qualifiers - consolidated Syria’s position at the top of the Asian Group E standings with nine points and 13 goals without reply.

Iraq surrendered a 2-0 lead, conceding two late goals to draw 2-2 with Thailand in Bangkok, but also remain unbeaten.

Iraq’s American-born winger Justin Meram opened the scoring in the 34th minute. Then Iraq’s captain, Younis Mahmoud, doubled the lead in the second half with his 55th international goal.

But Thailand, who won their first two matches, scored twice in the last 10 minutes through Theerathon Bunmathan and Mongkol Tossakrai, to remain at the head of Group F standings, although Iraq, three points behind, have a game in hand.

Asia’s heavyweight teams all won easily. Australia’s stand-in captain Tim Cahill scored two late goals to seal a 3-0 win for the Socceroos against Tajikistan in Dushanbe.

The reigning Asian champions maintained their perfect start to the qualifying campaign to remain at the top of the Group B standings with their third win in as many matches.

Japan showed no mercy against Afghanistan, smashing in six unanswered goals in their Group E fixture, which was played in Tehran.

Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki scored twice each as four-times Asian champions picked up their second successive win after being held to a shock goalless home draw by Singapore in their opening game in June.

Iran beat India 3-0 in Bangalore while South Korea defeated Lebanon by the same score in Beirut and, like Syria, have scored 13 goals without giving up any in three matches.

Jordan scored twice in each half in a 4-0 win over Bangladesh in Dhaka to remain undefeated in Group B, with Abdallah Deeb scoring a brace, including a penalty.

Kuwait defeated Laos 2-0 in Vientiane to preserve their 100 percent record, while 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar continued the strong showing by Gulf teams, holding on for a 3-2 victory over previously unbeaten Hong Kong.

Qatar almost threw it away after leading 3-0 with three minutes of normal time left but head the Group C standings with nine points from three matches, followed by China and Hong Kong, both on seven.

China got their campaign back on track after last week’s scoreless draw with Hong Kong, with a 3-0 win over the Maldives, with the help of two goals from striker Yu Dabao.

Vietnam registered their first win with a 2-1 victory over Taiwan, with Tran Phi Son scoring the winner in stoppage time on his international debut.

The tiny Pacific nation of Guam held Oman to a goalless draw, rekindling their fairytale start to the qualifying competition.

Source by: http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/sep/08/world-cup-2018-malaysia-saudi-arabia-abandoned

Read More

Spain's La Liga 'must plan for Messi and Ronaldo exit'

By Bill Wilson
Business reporter, BBC News, Soccerex, Manchester

Spain's top football division, La Liga, must be such a worldwide sporting attraction that it is able to deal with stars Ronaldo or Messi moving on, says the league's president.

Javier Tebas says that either player could leave La Liga "within three seasons, and we need to be ready for that".

As part of its financial and global expansion plans, the league is looking to build a stronger presence, not only in traditional markets such as South America, but also in new regions such as China.

Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP), to give it its formal Spanish name, and which operates the top two divisions in the country, is opening offices in Beijing and Dubai, and plans to do so in Johannesburg and New York in the near future.

"We need to be present where our groups of fans are," says Mr Tebas, with each of the above locations being regions where major European clubs are looking to expand their presence.

"We will have different strategies for different parts of the world," adds Mr Tebas. "For example, sport is not 'lived' in Asia the same way it is in Europe, but we have a strong [football] base that is common to all."

He points out that in China, 45% of people watch sport solely on their mobile phone, whereas it is only 15% in Europe.

"So in China we have a signed a partnership with [online video provider] PPTV, which is working a lot in the smart phone area," he says.

Premier League threat

However, Mr Tebas is under no illusions of the challenges and global competition that La Liga faces.

He says not only are they competing with England's commercially formidable Premier League, but also from other sports such as NBA basketball, and F1 motor racing.

And he warns that unless other European leagues can sufficiently challenge the dominance of Premier League, then the latter will "become the NBA of football", snapping up all the best players in the world.

Using another analogy, he also says there is a danger that the Premier League will be the Ferrari of club football, and the Spanish League would the "Dacia", a budget-priced Romanian car.

But Mr Tebas adds that La Liga has given itself a stronger financial structure by moving to a new collective TV deal, which was signed in April this year, and comes into effect from season 2016/17.

The aim is to share cash out more fairly in Spain's top two divisions

Government legislation was needed to overturn the previous arrangement, whereby individual clubs negotiated their own TV contracts, which gave a huge financial advantage to Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Critics have said that the new deal is still unfairly weighted towards the big two, and there was a player strike threatened in protest at the end of last season, which was eventually suspended by a court ruling.

However Mr Tebas, speaking at the Soccerex football business convention in Manchester, insists the new TV deal is a massive step forward.

"This was a dream for the small clubs, to overcome the differences between the really big, and the smaller, and the huge differences in TV rights," he says.

"We now have a fairer deal for all and that has therefore strengthened our competition. It means a new future for Spanish football."

More TV money?

Mr Tebas says that 41 out of the 42 professional teams in Spain backed the deal. With Real Madrid being the only club to object.

And he says that the difference in TV revenues between the smallest and biggest clubs would now be 1:3.5, whereas previously it has been 1:13.

Before the new deal kicks in next season, in July Spanish TV firm Telefonica agreed a one-season deal with La Liga for the 2015/16 season.

It paid 600m euros (£434m) for the domestic rights for Spain's first division (Liga BBVA), and second division (Liga Adelante), as well as the pay-per-view rights to air the Spanish Cup.

"I am convinced we will get 900m euros the next time," says Mr Tebas.

The 53-year-old lawyer says that the league now has a solid platform to also expand its broadcasting revenues strongly in two other directions, into overseas markets, and into increased pay per view sales in Spain, where figures lag behind those in England.

Mr Tebas has also endeavoured to clean up debt at Spain's football clubs, particularly to Spanish government authorities, by bringing in strict economic controls.

In their first year of operation, debt to Spain's Inland Revenue had been reduced by 14%.

"This was the main issue for our industry," he says. "We couldn't keep going with our clubs in an endless near-bankruptcy position.

Meanwhile, Mr Tebas is at loggerheads with Uefa and Fifa over the matter of third party ownership (TPO). Fifa has banned the practice, and Uefa has called it a form of "slavery".

But the La Liga supremo says he does not agree with a ban on investment funds having an ownership stake in players, rather he wants to see the game's authorities strictly regulate the practice.

"If Spanish clubs cannot get investors to help them buy players then they cannot compete with the Premier League," he says.

"If we think there is a risk of young players being exploited, then we can regulate, if we think players might be forced into a transfer against their will, then regulate. We can also ban funds being based in tax havens. But the prohibition of TPO is ruining smaller clubs."

Player duel

Mr Tebas says that there are still two years left of his six-year-plan to turn around the finances of Spanish league football.

"One of my remaining challenges is… where is the AV [audio visual] market going to?" he says.

"Digital is important, we have to be well-situated for this way in which football is going to be consumed in future.

"Until two years ago our fans wanted to watch football on TV, but now they want to 'feel it' through things like social media and statistics."

He says a number of social media strategies were being drawn up for the home and international markets.

"La Liga needs to be more than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo," he says. "We are selling this duel between them to the world, but we need to sell different concepts.

"We need to sell ourselves as an international brand."

Source by: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34185172

Read More

Manchester United have wasted the most money on expensive flops in the Premier League… but who joins them in throwing cash down the drain?

Manchester United have wasted more money than any other team in the Premier League, research has found.
A transfer review by the Prime Time Sport consultancy released at the Soccerex global convention in Manchester found that £474.81m worth of players signed by Premier League clubs over the last three seasons were used in 50 per cent or less of the total minutes of their club's season.
At the top of the list of culprits were United, with a total of £117.61m, followed by Tottenham Hotspur £100.81m.

Manchester United signed Angel di Maria for £59million last summer and sold him to PSG after just one season

Luke Shaw has begun this season in fine form for United but played less than 50 per cent of minutes in 2014-15

Manchester United spent €161m on players in last three seasons that played less than 50 per cent of minutes

Manchester City (£53.33m), Liverpool (£50.4m), Arsenal (£34.33m) and Chelsea (£32.87m) also spent big on players who failed to deliver.
United's failure was heavily influenced by Angel Di Maria's ill-fated stint at Old Trafford.
The Argentine winger cost manager Louis van Gaal a British-record £59.7m from Real Madrid in the summer of 2014 but left after a miserable season spent on the fringes of the Dutchman's squad.

Source by: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3225400/Manchester-United-wasted-money-expensive-flops-Premier-League-joins-throwing-cash-drain.html

Read More

Australia cruise to 5-0 victory over Bangladesh in World Cup 2018 qualifier

•     Leckie 6, Rogic 8, Barman OG 20, Burns 29, Mooy 61

  Massimo Luongo congratulates Mathew Leckie, who opened the scoring for Australia against    Bangladesh. Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Ange Postecoglou’s rebuild of the Socceroos has taken another small step forward, with Australia cruising to an easy win over Bangladesh in Perth. It makes it two wins from two outings for the Socceroos in this early stage of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers.

It was the champions of Asia against one of the confederation’s lowest-ranked teams, and it was a mismatch from the start. Mathew Leckie, who plays in the Bundesliga for FC Ingolstadt, needed just six minutes to find the net. Tom Rogic followed suit two minutes later.

Desperate to make the most of his recent call up to the national squad, 28-year-old Tarek Elrich controlled the right side of the pitch, and played a large part in both early goals. QPR’s Massimo Luongo – the player of the Asian Cup – was also involved in plenty of Australia’s key moves.

But it was Rogic running the show in his long-awaited return to the midfield. And on 20 minutes, the Celtic man had found the net again, though this time it came via a deflection. Rogic looked almost apologetic when the ball went in.

Socceroos 5-0 Bangladesh: World Cup 2018 qualifying – as it happened
Minute-by-minute report: Ange Postecoglou’s side face a potential banana skin at nib Stadium as they continue their journey towards Russia 2018
 Read more
Tim Cahill – the only member of this Australia squad with more than three international goals to his name – was left on the bench. Instead, Leckie, Rogic and Nathan Burns were given the chance to open or double their accounts. Within half an hour, all had. On 29 minutes, Burns swooped on a loose ball for his debut international goal.

It looked like Bangladesh were heading for their first ever double digit loss, but Thursday night was not to be that night. The scoring slowed up considerably from that point on, thanks in part to some tardiness from the home side and some good saves by Tigers keeper Sahidul Alam.

Then on the hour mark, the industrious Aaron Mooy trapped the ball outside the area, turned and curled the ball past Sahidul for Australia’s fifth. There were shades of Luongo’s goal in the Asian Cup final about it.

There were many more chances to come for the Socceroos, but none of them were taken. Perhaps the best of those efforts came from Chris Ikonomidis, who headed the ball on to the crossbar shortly after replacing Rogic. Ikonomidis came close to scoring again in injury time, this time with his foot. More importantly though, the substitution means the Lazio youngster is now cap-tied to Australia.

Leckie resembled Cahill at times with his heading, especially in the first half. Jackson Irvine – a late substitution for Elrich – also had his moments.

In the absence of Mat Ryan and Mitch Langerak, the gloves were handed to the only member of the squad ‘playing’ in the Premier League, Adam Federici. He is yet to get off the bench at Bournemouth this season, and was only marginally more involved here. One of his rare touches drew one the biggest cheers of the match. Another almost turned into a howler.

Postecoglou rejected suggestions he was preparing his side for life without Cahill. 
“We’re not looking at a post-anyone era,” he said. “At the moment what we are looking at is a team that is continually evolving and will continue to evolve until we get to the place where we feel that we can challenge for the World Cup. [Tonight] was our first home game since the Asian Cup final and the players enjoyed it out there.”

A crowd of 19,495 turned out for Australia’s first outing in Perth in a decade. It’s a record for this venue.

Australia need to finish top of the group to guarantee progression to the deciding stage of these qualifiers. They may come to regret not making more of their opportunities.

The next stop on their mystery tour is Dushanbe, where they face Tajikistan on Tuesday. They’re the third team in the group that the Socceroos have never played before. Bangladesh return home to face the group’s other big name, Jordan.

Australia face the reverse fixture to this one in November, in what may be the biggest logistical nightmare for the Socceroos in this leg of qualifiers. In June’s qualifiers in Dhaka, it apparently took Kyrgyzstan hours to navigate the busy streets between their hotel and the ground.

• This article was amended on 4 September 2015. An earlier version referred to Jordan in the last paragraph where Kyrgyzstan was meant.

Soruce by: http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/sep/03/australia-thrash-bangladesh-socceroos-world-cup-2018-qualifier

Read More