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Benteke delivers on debut

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New Liverpool striker Christian Benteke showed an ealy glimpse of what he's capable of in their friendly against Swindon.

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If Brendan Rodgers had any reservations as to whether Christian Benteke was ready to fire ahead of the Barclays Premier League season, they were immediately extinguished the moment his new forward unleashed a quite brilliant volley into the top corner of Swindon Town’s goal yesterday.

Benteke may only have had just over a week of pre-season training with Liverpool since signing in a £32.5million deal from Aston Villa but his powerful performance during this victory suggested the Belgian front man is already primed for the big kick-off.

This was Liverpool’s second game in the space of 24 hours but Rodgers will be satisfied after goals from Benteke and youngster Sheyi Ojo ensured that two entirely different teams ensured successive victories after the 2-0 win against HJK Helsinki in Finland on Saturday.

It leaves Liverpool in fine fettle after emerging from pre-season with five victories and one draw.

Rodgers revealed on Sunday that he ‘more or less’ knows the side that will start as Liverpool attempt to overcome their demons at Stoke, where they ended last season with a 6-1 defeat.

The side that played in Helsinki had rather laboured to success but those players — including the likes of James Milner, Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho — are likely to form the major part of the line-up that will start next week.

Benteke, it appears, is almost certain to be unleashed as well and Rodgers will hope that he can invigorate his side after the lethargy that they displayed for long periods in Finland on Saturday.

‘I will know by the end of next week for sure,’ said Rodgers, whose side were briefly pegged back against Swindon after Jonathan Obika equalised midway through the second half to cancel out Benteke’s opener.

‘Benteke scored a wonderful goal and considering he has only been back in training for just over a week, he looked really good. His goal was wonderful technique, even for a pre-season game.

‘You see his hold-up play, his movement, the goal — you won’t see too many better than that. It was top-level technique.’

Captain Jordan Henderson joined in the praise, saying: ‘He has trained well and he looks sharp. I think the quality we have added will make a big difference.’

Meanwhile, West Ham go into their Premier League opener against Arsenal on the back foot after suffering a 2-1 defeat against Germany’s Werder Bremen in their final pre-season match.

Following their 2-2 draw against Romania’s Astra Giurgiu in Europa League qualifying, the Hammers led for just one minute of the match as Diafra Sakho’s opener was cancelled out immediately by Anthony Ujah.

It was Ujah again 11 minutes later who provided what would be the winner for the 10th-placed side in last year’s Bundesliga. – Daily Mail

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Cech unnerved Chelsea - Wenger

Petr Cech shut out his former Chelsea team mates at Wembley as Arsenal drew first blood in the English season.

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London - Petr Cech broke a few Arsenal hearts down the years during his glittering Chelsea career but helped the Gunners enjoy a rare victory over Jose Mourinho's side on Sunday.

The 33-year-old shut out his former team mates at Wembley as Arsenal drew first blood in the English season with a 1-0 victory in the Community Shield at Wembley.

Signing a keeper of such pedigree, especially from a main rival, was a coup for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and the Frenchman was quick laud Cech's influence on his first competitive appearance for the Gunners.

“He did well. Maybe he had an influence on the Chelsea players as well because they felt that to score against him they had to score the perfect goal,” Wenger, who enjoyed a first victory over a side managed by Mourinho in 14 attempts, told reporters.

“When you have that sometimes you want to try too hard.

“It happened especially with Eden Hazard when he had that chance in the box.”

Cech's clean sheet completed a satisfying day for Wenger but he said the real business begins next week with the kickoff of the Premier League season against West Ham United.

“We have to turn up with the needed and demanded performance in every single game,” he said. “We have a tricky start against West Ham United, Crystal Palace - the two derbies - and then Liverpool straight after.” – Reuters

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Wenger hails rugged Arsenal

Arsene Wenger praised his team's uncharacteristically rugged display after they beat champions Chelsea in the Community Shield.

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London - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger praised his team's uncharacteristically rugged display after they beat champions Chelsea 1-0 in the Community Shield on Sunday.

Wenger denied, however, that he was giving up on his usual attacked-minded approach to football after frustrating many Arsenal fans for years by prioritising stylish play even though it did not produce much silverware.

A rare win over Chelsea, in the English season's traditional curtain-raiser, was sealed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's fine goal after 24 minutes.

“In some parts during the game, we tried just to protect our lead,” Wenger told reporters.

“You could see that my team was really determined not to give a goal away and sometimes the defensive part took over our offensive potential.”

It was a point not lost on Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho who is usually considered the master of being on the winning side even if it means not playing beautiful football.

Mourinho, Wenger's most bitter rival, said he saw in Arsenal “a team that defends very well, a team that leaves their philosophy in the dressing-room..., that accumulates 10 players behind the ball.”

Wenger, who seemed to snub Mourinho as the Chelsea coach shook hands with Arsenal's players after the game, bristled at the suggestion that he was abandoning his normal philosophy.

“We abandoned nothing,” he said. “In a game like that we wanted to win and we played like that and I am quite proud of that.”

It was the first time in 14 attempts that Wenger had got the upper hand over Mourinho and although he denied it meant anything to him, he said it could give his players a boost.

“As long as I get it ... every time in press conferences, it can have an impact on the team,” he said.

“Certainly, the way my team behaved during some periods in the game, it helped, it was important for them to get that hurdle out of the way.”

Wenger said the ankle injury that prevented midfielder Jack Wilshere from playing against Chelsea did not appear to be serious.

Mourinho was not sure whether Spain striker Diego Costa, who was also missing on Sunday, would recover from an injury in time for Chelsea's opening Premier League game of the new season against Swansea City on Saturday. – Reuters

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Blatter gives up his IOC seat

Embattled Fifa boss Sepp Blatter has surrendered his seat on the International Olympic Committee.

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Kuala Lumpur - Under-pressure Fifa leader Sepp Blatter on Monday gave up his International Olympic Committee seat because he will soon end his reign in charge of world football.

Blatter, whose organisation is embroiled in a corruption scandal, was among a group of eight IOC members who should have sought re-election on Monday at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

He has said he will stand down as Fifa president on February 26 when an election for a new leader will be held.

IOC president Thomas Bach said that Blatter “does not deem it to be appropriate to stand for re-election for eight years knowing that after seven months his term would come to an end”.

Bach thanked Blatter and other members leaving the IOC for their “great contribution” to the Olympic movement. Blatter, who has been an IOC member since 1999, did not attend the Kuala Lumpur meeting.

The Fifa president was part of an IOC commission that decided on reforms of the Olympic organisation after it was hit by a bribery scandal over the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002.

AFP

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Di Maria on verge of PSG medical

Angel Di Maria is set to have a medical ahead of a proposed transfer to PSG a year after joining United.

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London – Manchester United’s Argentine winger Angel Di Maria is set to have a medical ahead of a proposed transfer to French champions Paris St-Germain a year after arriving at Old Trafford for a British record transfer fee, local media reported on Sunday.

Di Maria joined United from Real Madrid for a fee of £59.7 million ($92.59m) but, after an impressive start to his Reds career, struggled to display the form that made him one of the most feared attackers in Europe.

Di Maria scored or assisted in three of his first four United games but netted his final league goal in October and only started one match following their FA Cup quarter-final defeat against Arsenal in March.

The 27-year-old did not join the club’s pre-season tour of the United States following the Copa America and has been widely linked with a move to the big-spending French side.

British media reported the French side were preparing a transfer fee in the region of 44.5 million pounds ($69.52 million).

Manchester United were unavailable for comment.

On Friday PSG coach Laurent Blanc did little to dismiss speculation that the club were interested in the Argentine.

“As Manchester United and Paris St-Germain are both very big clubs negotiations can be difficult,” the former United defender told reporters. “But We feel like we are close to the end.”

Reuters

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It wasn’t an easy win: Tinkler

The Pirates battled fatigue and fierce rivalry to claim the Carling Black Label Cup on Saturday.

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Cape Town – Orlando Pirates responded superbly to the twin threat of travel fatigue and fierce rivalry with a composed display, before their goalkeeper Brighton Mhlongo delivered the coup de grâce to claim the 2015 Carling Black Label Cup championship in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Mhlongo saved twice during the penalty shoot-out which was required to separate the teams who had scored a goal each during regulation 90-minute play, and Pirates triumphed 4-3 for a fourth title in five editions of an event that is regarded as the annual curtain-raiser to herald the new season in South Africa.

Eric Tinkler, Pirates’ coach, said after the fiercely contested Soweto Derby his charges had battled gamely through the off-season when, instead of enjoying a break, they were campaigning in Africa, competing in the in the Caf (Confederation of African Football) Confederations Cup competition.

“To be honest, it’s been extremely difficult and a lot of it has been due to the travel. It took us 30 hours to get back (earlier in the week) from Tunisia and that has an effect on the body, especially professional footballers like ours,” said Tinkler.

Right now fatigue is a concern even though we tried to rest the players as much as we could.

“It’s been a fantastic occasion, the vibe was phenomenal and extremely nerve-wracking for the players. We could see that in the way they started the game.”

The team’s exhausting programme in recent times took its toll on players as they succumbed to injury, before and during the game.

“We’re disappointed to lose (Thamsanqa) Gabuza after we lost Kermit Erasmus, both due to hamstring strains, and I really think it comes from the traveling. We tried to rest them – they didn’t train for two days, yet they’re still feeling the fatigue. Hopefully, we can improve on the travel arrangements in the future.”

Tinkler said he was pleased that he could field a few Pirates debutants in the white-hot cauldron of the Soweto derby.

“Pirates had a few debutants here today, Thamsanqa Gabuza, Brighton Mhlongo, Tendai Ndoro, Luvuyo Memela and Edwin Gyimah. They are all guys who have never experienced the (Soweto) derby so it gave us a good opportunity to see them (in action). It also gave us a good idea what will happen come the start of the PSL League,” said Tinkler.

“When you’ve made new signings you want to see how they adapt to playing in such a big stadium, in front of so many spectators. Do they have that ability, both physically and psychologically, is what you’d like to see in a hostile environment.

“We are going to be playing a game almost every three days from now and we have to keep on performing well, all the time.”

Steve Komphela was his usual philosophical self after his team surrendered the bragging rights in Soweto.

“From our side there are two things we’re looking at, we’re looking at the level of fitness and we’re looking at performance. We all know there are no friendly games between these two teams but if you were to ask me, there are more plusses for us (coming out of this game),” said Komphela.

“We’ve seen quite a lot that we’ve been working on. There’s a lot that we can build on and we’re looking forward to the beginning of the season because this sets the tone for the new season.

“It was a good spectacle for the fans. But, it doesn’t take away the emotions from the match.”

Kaizer Chiefs return to FNB Stadium to play their PSL season opener on Wednesday when they face Komphela’s former club Maritzburg United in the MTN8 Cup quarter-finals.

Pirates host Ajax Cape Town on Tuesday at the Orlando Stadium, also in a MTN8 Cup quarter-final clash.

ANA

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FA told to go to Hull

Hull boss Assem Allam has lashed the FA for blocking his bid to rebrand the club for a second time.

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London – Hull City Chairman Assem Allam labelled the Football Association (FA) “amateurs” after the governing body blocked his attempted rebranding of the second-tier club for a second time.

Allam wanted to rename the Championship club Hull Tigers believing it would be easier to market the club and bring in increased commercial revenue but his attempts were rejected by the FA Council last month.

“It is a sad day that most of the people who make the decisions are amateurs,” Allam told the Sun. “To go global, we need to market ourselves. The shorter the name, the better.

“Look at Google, Apple, Twitter. You don't go out to the world and say 'We are Hull City Tigers Association Football Club'. If you do that, expect to fail.”

The FA refused to comment on the matter.

The club's decision, backed by a 69.9 percent vote of its members, followed a recommendation of the governing body's membership committee.

The decision was the club's second unsuccessful bid following an initial rejection in April 2014 - supported by a 63.5 percent vote of its members.

Allam endured protests from disgruntled fans opposing the change but said he remained popular with the club's supporters.

“Overwhelmingly, they are positive about what I am trying to do,” the 76-year-old Egyptian businessman added.

Hull finished runners-up to Arsenal in the FA Cup in 2014 but were relegated from the Premier League last season. – Reuters

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Gunners ‘focused on selfies, six-packs’

Roy Keane says the Gunners are too interested in selfies and six-packs to mount a serious title challenge.

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London – Arsenal are incapable of winning the Premier League title this season because they have too many players interested in selfies and six-packs rather than winning football matches, according to former Manchester United captain Roy Keane.

Keane, a fire and brimstone midfielder, won seven Premier League titles as a player and enjoyed particularly competitive relationship with Arsenal and their similarly combative captain Patrick Viera.

The current Ireland assistant manager, however, said he saw little in the current Gunners side to convince him that they are poised for a first league title since their Viera-led “Invincibles” team in 2004.

“Arsenal have some really good players – some good characters who roll their sleeves up,” Keane told the Mail on Sunday.

“But they also have one or two players who are more interested in selfies and six-packs, guys who are trying to get their pictures taken every day of the week.

“Every year we hear the same thing about Arsenal being contenders. Instead of focusing on the Premier League, it’s all about how their bodies look, how their hair is, more so than winning football matches.”

Arsenal, under manager Arsene Wenger, have become one of the most dazzling attacking sides in Europe but a perceived lack of leadership has undermined their ability to make a sustained title challenge for a number of years.

Back-to-back FA Cup triumphs ended their 9-year trophy drought but for too long the north Londoners have not been relevant during the intense 38-game toil of a Premier League season.

Last season, under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea– built around a strong spine of hard-working, physical players – stifled their closest rivals to canter to the league title and Keane said the Stamford Bridge side remained the benchmark in the upcoming season.

“For me, Chelsea remain the team to beat,” the 43-year-old added. “Their team is the one with the strongest spine – John Terry, their goalkeeper (Thibault Courtois), Eden Hazard – and if they can add (Everton’s England defender) John Stones to their team then they will be even harder to beat.

“The bottom line is that if Chelsea’s players show the same hunger and desire that they did last year then they’ll win the league. They will only be in trouble if they are complacent.”

Reuters

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Triumphant return for Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho made a triumphant return to Brazil on Saturday setting up a winning goal for Fluminense.

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Sao Paulo – Ronaldinho Gaucho made a triumphant return to Brazilian soccer on Saturday when he set up the goal that gave Fluminense a 1-0 win over Gremio at the Maracana stadium.

The former Barcelona forward was a shadow of his former self but his flighted pass into the box after 76 minutes was knocked down for Marcos Junior, who dribbled around the keeper and slotted the ball into the net.

“It was important to start with a win,” Ronaldinho said in a televised interview. “I am delighted, now I just need to keep working away.”

The 35-year old former World Player of the Year had not played a competitive match since leaving Mexican side Queretaro in June and he was expected to appear for just 45 minutes.

However, although he missed many of his attempted passes, he stayed on the field for the whole game, to the delight of the 33 000-strong crowd.

“I didn’t know if I would manage the whole 90 minutes but I am very happy,” he said.

The win lifts Fluminense into third place in the league table. – Reuters

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Pirates maintain cup dominance

Orlando Pirates lifted the Carling Black Label Cup for the fourth time following a penalty shoot-out win against Kaizer Chiefs.

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Cape Town – Orlando Pirates lifted the Carling Black Label Cup for the fourth time following a victorious 4-3 penalty shoot-out against traditional rivals Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium, in Johannesburg, on Saturday.

Scores were locked at 1-all at the end of regulation time after Chiefs restored the stalemate in the second half in reply to Pirates’ first-half goal in the first Soweto Derby of the season.

Fresh from their Africa campaign, Pirates took the initiative from the outset and made several sorties deep into Chiefs’ half but their early efforts came to nought mainly as a result of over-elaboration in the striking zone. Consequently, there were no shots on the Chiefs’ goal in the opening 10 minutes despite the territorial advantage.

Chiefs seemed content to absorb the early pressure and their rear-guard seemed sufficiently composed to contain Pirates’ moves just ahead of the fringes of the penalty area.

Around the 15th minute, Pirates’ adopted a far more direct approach upfront and they looked threatening but Chiefs’ goalkeeper Reyaad Pieterse averted pending danger with a noteworthy save from a Thabo Rakhale strike.

However, Pirates’ Sifiso Myeni stunned the 79 000 crowd in the 19th minute with exceptional ability from a dead-ball situation when he scored the opening goal with a curling free-kick (1-0).

There was no immediate response from Chiefs who continued to keep their challenge alive with counter-attacks from deep options. However, Chiefs opted to pump several balls into the Pirates penalty area where the defence had little difficulty in coping with the speculative plays.

Chiefs picked up cohesion as the match wound its course to the halftime break and their efforts may have paid off in the 40th minute but David Zulu shot fractionally wide after an excellent feed from George Lebese, at a time when the Pirates’ defence were guilty of ball-watching in front of goal.

When the second half got under way Chiefs showed a far greater sense of urgency and their short-ball game was stretching the Pirates defence to the limits. Chiefs enjoyed several half-chances and around the 50th minute they forced two corners in quick succession but failed to make a breakthrough.

Their crowning moment, however, came just after the hour mark when a fast-paced sortie into the Pirates’ penalty area worked its magic as substitute Siphelele Mthembu ranged up down the right flank where he drew the defence before laying on for Reneilwe ‘Yeye’ Letsholonyane who made no mistake with an angled low drive (1-1).

In the best of Soweto Derby traditions, there was no shortage of thrills and spills as the match continued to its close with both defences surviving close shaves although Chiefs generally had more of the play at the end, and only just failed to secure a come-from-behind win.

As a result, the honours in the fifth edition of the Carling Black Label Cup had to be decided by the dreaded penalty shoot-out format. - ANA

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It’s Soweto derby time

The first Soweto derby of the season takes place when Chiefs and Pirates do battle in the Carling Black Label Cup.

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The bad news for Orlando Pirates as they look to continue their dominance over Kaizer Chiefs in the Carling Black Label Cup is that their opposition’s goals will be manned by someone who knows how to shut them out.

Instead of Brilliant Khuzwayo whom the fans had voted to start the match, Chiefs will have Reyaad Pieterse as their last line of defence in this afternoon’s Soweto Derby at the FNB Stadium in Joburg.

Khuzwayo was injured at training on Thursday leading to Pieterse being elevated into the first team while Shandukani Mulovedzi comes in as the substitute goalkeeper. Pieterse will be hoping to keep a clean sheet like he did back in November 2013 when he helped Amakhosi to a 1-0 victory in the league.

But to do that, the 23-year-old will hope his teammates deny the Buccaneers’ man-of-the-moment a sight at goal.

Thabo Rakhale is in splendid form and will go into the derby highly-motivated following his great goal at CS Sfaxien of Tunisia last weekend. That goal, a fantastically chipped shot when all were expecting him to cross, has served to further endear the skilful Rakhale to the Buccaneers faithful who excitedly mobbed him upon the team’s arrival from their Caf Confederation Cup assignment.

It is adoration the player fondly referred to as “Jomo” did notexpect, at least not this soon in his Pirates career.

“I’m just happy the fans voted for me,” Rakhale said of his inclusion in the starting line-up ahead of the likes of Mpho Makola.

“It goes to show that I’m doing something right each time I’m given a chance to play. I hope to reward their trust with some good football in today’s game.”

Reward will mean him leaving the likes of Pa Gaxa and Kgotso Moleko sprawling on the turf via his silky skills that have had many an older fan reminded of the good old days in the 1980s when the local game was all about entertaining football.

And Rakhale has been fortunate that coach Eric Tinkler allows him the freedom to express himself, within boundaries of course.

“Coach Tinkler has been phenomenal in helping me play to my potential,” he said.

“He told me to focus on my strengths and stick to my normal game. And that’s what I have been doing so far and it has worked wonders. I’m not going to put myself under pressure for the derby, though.

“Obviously the bigger picture will be to win the match. It would be nice if we can do that. I just want to go out there and enjoy my football. I believe that will help me perform at my best for the team.”

The lad from Sebokeng credits his rise in the Bucs jersey to the invaluable experience he gained during his loan spell from the club.

The gifted winger was sent on loan to Polokwane City during the 2013/14 season to gain some PSL football experience, after having joined Pirates a year before from NFD’s Sivutsa Stars FC on a three-year deal.

“Going out on loan to City played a key role in helping me get much-needed experience playing in the PSL,” he said. “I learnt a lot there and that’s when I think the club (Pirates) saw I had something to offer and they decided to bring me back.”

And so far it has all been fun for “Jomo”.

The Bucs faithful will no doubt be expecting him to help the club triumph over the arch enemy once again. But Pieterse will be out to thwart him and all of Pirates.

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Jose taunts Wenger, again

Arsene Wenger has not beaten Jose Mourinho in 13 attempts, and the Chelsea boss was quick to remind him of that.

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Jose Mourinho has piled the pressure on Arsene Wenger, saying he would have found a solution to the Frenchman’s dreadful run against him by now.

The Arsenal manager has not beaten Mourinho in 13 attempts, a record Wenger will be hoping to put right at Wembley tomorrow.

And the Chelsea manager insists if he was on the wrong end of such a sequence, he would have found answers.

‘If you were on the other end of it? I think I would ask myself why,’ said Mourinho.

‘I would try to answer it, but not because of a mental block, because I would want to try to find solutions to help my team to do it.

‘Try to find a different way, try to find the reasons why it goes all the time against my team.

‘Have I ever been on a run like that? No. I think I lost twice against Tony Pulis, I lost against Crystal Palace and against West Bromwich Albion. One game each.’

Mourinho’s comments will add spice to the enduring feud between the two managers ahead of the Community Shield.

The former Real Madrid boss has famously branded Frenchman Wenger a ‘voyeur’ and a ‘specialist in failure’ in recent years.

He made a further jibe earlier this week by claiming the Gunners had bought their way into the title race with the big-money acquisitions of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech.

Nevertheless, Wenger insists his awful record against Mourinho is not keeping him up at night.

‘It doesn’t bother me at all,’ insisted Wenger.

‘It’s a game that is important, but it is still preparation.

‘We want to win it and overall it can just give us that little bit more confidence before we go into the season.

‘Reading significance into every game is part of football now. We have to accept that every game is decided and judged as definite. But you know that in real life it is not like that.

‘The tribunal is out there and will draw conclusions from Sunday. But no matter, positive or negative, we have to continue our way and focus on ourselves.’

Meanwhile, Mourinho has provided an insight into how he maintains a winning mentality at Stamford Bridge.

The Portuguese coach will be hoping for more trophies after winning the Premier League and Capital One Cup last season.

‘In competitive situations in training, if one team is winning by three goals difference, I finish the training,’ said Mourinho.

‘It means that the ones that are losing are not training well.

‘So if you don’t train well, you don’t train. But the players love to win, so I think they accept it well.

‘How many times have I done that? Once in Canada (during pre-season).’ – Daily Mail

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Benteke will be a bargain - Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers predicts Christian Benteke will prove himself to be a £32.5million ‘bargain’.

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Brendan Rodgers predicts Christian Benteke will prove himself to be a £32.5million ‘bargain’ but will not rush the start of his Anfield career.

The Belgium striker will pull on a Liverpool shirt for the first time tomorrow in a friendly at Swindon, with Rodgers having decided he would be better served by spending some extra time training on Merseyside rather than travelling to Finland for tonight’s game at HJK Helsinki.

It is likely that the team which starts here will form the nucleus of the starting line-up at Stoke next Sunday, which suggests that either Danny Ings or Divock Origi will lead the attack.

But no other Liverpool signing will be analysed more this season than Benteke. The 24-year-old’s suitability for Liverpool’s passing style has been questioned.

But Rodgers has no concerns and after working with Benteke for the first time this week, the manager believes his new recruit can fire Anfield’s Champions League ambitions.

‘I think he’ll prove to be a bargain for the club, I really do,’ said Rodgers. ‘I’ve read things about his game, but in the short period of time he’s been in I’ve been even more impressed. I’ve seen him for three years and watched this guy, with his power, strength and ability. One of the goals I remember he scored against us at Anfield, he ran half way through the field.

‘This isn’t someone who lacks pace, movement and intelligence. He’s not just a guy who you chuck the ball up to. His strength allows you to keep the ball, but he’ll help the unpredictability of our game.

‘We know he can play football, we know he can play counter-attack, but we also know when we cross the ball we have got a real presence that is going to allow us to keep the ball in the box for periods of time and for others to get goals from.

‘He doesn’t set the price and I’m thankful the club have brought him in because I really think he’s going to be a huge asset.’

Rodgers, who yesterday sanctioned Rickie Lambert’s £3m sale to West Bromwich, added: ‘I’m excited because of what (Benteke) offers and what’s he has been as an opponent against us. Coming in to a club like Liverpool, he can be a real hero for the supporters.’

For all his enthusiasm, however, Rodgers is not going to make a decision on whether Benteke will play at Stoke until the last moment. Similar sentiments apply to Roberto Firmino, the £29m signing from Hoffenheim, who has only been training at the club for 10 days.

‘It’s a long season with many competitions and we want to be as successful as we can,’ said Rodgers. ‘I have a great belief in the squad and if they (Benteke and Firmino) aren’t fit enough, then the players that have been working certainly will be.’ – Daily Mail

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Big test of Arsenal’s title credentials

Arsenal's readiness to mount a sustained title challenge in 2015-16 will be tested when they face Chelsea in the Community Shield.

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Arsenal's readiness to mount a sustained title challenge in 2015-16 will be tested at Wembley on Sunday when they face Premier League champions Chelsea in the Community Shield.

Arsene Wenger's team finished last season at a gallop, winning 20 of their final 26 games in all competitions and retaining the FA Cup by swamping Aston Villa 4-0 in a one-sided final.

They have carried that momentum into pre-season, winning all four of their matches, and having finally addressed their longstanding goalkeeper problem by signing Petr Cech from Chelsea, optimism is abundant.

“We want to win the league, of course we do,” midfielder Jack Wilshere told the Arsenal website ahead of the English football season's traditional opening fixture.

“We feel we've been together a few years now, we've brought in world-class players who have had time to settle, we've added a world-class 'keeper with all of his experience – he's been there and he's done it; he's won everything - so we really feel we're in a strong position.”

Arsenal will be wary of false dawns, having dispatched then-champions Manchester City 3-0 in last season's Community Shield, only to finish 12 points below Chelsea in the title race.

But Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho appears to consider them genuine contenders, if the comments he has launched in the direction of the Emirates Stadium in recent weeks are anything to go by.

Citing the arrivals of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, Mourinho claimed that anyone who totted up Arsenal's transfer expenditure over the past few years would be in for a “surprise” and said that they were “more than ready” to challenge for the title.

Wenger, whose tetchy relationship with Mourinho spilled over into a touchline scuffle at Stamford Bridge last season, responded in sanguine fashion.

“I think what you want is not to listen too much to what people say,” said the Frenchman, who has not beaten Mourinho in 13 attempts.

“Because sometimes in the same week I get two different reproaches: one, I don't spend enough and one, too much.”

With the experienced Cech between the posts, Arsenal look much more robust defensively, the Czech international having been allowed to join a major rival due to his close relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Cech, 33, spent 11 hugely successful years at Chelsea before being dislodged by Thibaut Courtois last season, winning four league titles and the 2012 Champions League, and former team-mate Branislav Ivanovic has urged the club's fans not to jeer him.

“I hope they will give respect to him because he deserves it,” the Serbian defender told the Evening Standard newspaper.

“For 90 minutes the fans will support us. For sure, they will be on our side. Before and after the game, I hope and I'm sure they will give Petr respect.”

To date, Cech is the only new player that Arsenal have signed, but they announced on Friday that forward Theo Walcott and midfielder Santi Cazorla have penned new contracts.

Having finished last season with a flurry of goals and scored the winner against Wolfsburg in the Emirates Cup friendly tournament last weekend, Walcott will hope to start up front against Chelsea.

Sanchez will not feature, having been granted time off after scoring the decisive penalty in Chile's Copa America triumph against Argentina on home soil, while Danny Welbeck remains out with a knee problem.

Arsenal's supporters will hope for glimpses of young attacking trio Alex Iwobi, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Chuba Akpom, all of whom have impressed in warm-up matches.

Mourinho revealed on Friday that centre-back Gary Cahill and last season's top scorer Diego Costa will be fit to play despite sustaining injuries on the club's pre-season tour of the United States.

Radamel Falcao is expected to make his first domestic appearance for Chelsea since signing on loan from Monaco following a torrid season at Manchester United that saw him score only four goals. – AFP

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Lambert’s Anfield exit confirmed

Rickie Lambert has left Liverpool after a solitary season at Anfield to join West Bromwich Albion on a two-year deal.

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London - Rickie Lambert has left Liverpool after a solitary season at Anfield to join West Bromwich Albion on a two-year deal, the clubs said on Friday.

Lambert, who has 11 caps for England, leaves Merseyside for an undisclosed fee, estimated to be around 3 million pounds ($4.7 million), according to British media reports.

The forward never established himself at Liverpool, scoring only three times in 36 appearances, and had fallen down the pecking order following the arrivals of strikers Christian Benteke, Divock Origi and Danny Ings in the close season.

“Rickie is a good, strong, solid player who is a great character, good in the dressing-room and good on the pitch,” West Brom manager Tony Pulis told the club website.

“We are very pleased to have him on board.

“He's a player of great pedigree and we look forward to integrating him into our squad.”

Lambert, 33, started his career in Liverpool's academy and, after spells at several lower league clubs, joined Southampton where he scored 117 goals in five seasons, including 28 in two campaigns in the Premier League.

He was part of England's World Cup squad in Brazil and earned a move to Liverpool, but struggled to claim a regular place at Anfield despite the club's struggles up front last season.

He was frequently left on the bench as Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers often chose to use Raheem Sterling in a lone centre forward role, even though it was not his preferred position.

He is likely to get far more first-team opportunities under Pulis, whose side begin their Premier League campaign at Manchester City on August 10. – Reuters

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