Bilic defends Liverpool’s Lovren

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has received alot of flak following the 3-0 defeat against West Ham at Anfield.

|||

It was fortunate for Dejan Lovren, in the wake of a stunning 3-0 home defeat, that West Ham manager Slaven Bilic was on hand to give the case for the defence because, on the evidence of the previous 90 minutes, defending was the last thing on the Liverpool centre-half's mind.

Only 24 hours before this calamity, Lovren's manager Brendan Rodgers had talked him up, claiming the Croat was about to shake off the malaise of a difficult debut season at Anfield and finally demonstrate why he was signed for £20million from Southampton last summer.

The manager's optimism proved wildly misplaced as West Ham ended a 52-year wait for a victory at Anfield, a sequence that stretched back to the September day in 1963 when Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters were on the mark in a 2-1 win.

The current Hammers line-up may not boast that pedigree but, with Lovren and his defensive partner Martin Skrtel in this form, they scarcely needed such quality. Skrtel's poor defensive header gifted the opening goal to impressive debutant Manuel Lanzini before Lovren allowed the Argentine to skip past him, as he attempted to shepherd the ball out of play, and cross for Mark Noble to double the lead.

“He made a mistake. He was over-confident and that can happen,” said Bilic of his countryman Lovren. “I spoke to him about that in Istanbul when Besiktas beat Liverpool in the Europa League last season. I put him in the Croatia team when he was very young. I know him best.

“When he's concentrated and thinking only about his own game, not about the left-back or whoever is alongside him, there are very few centre-halves who are better than him. One mistake anyone can do but if you are telling me that Liverpool lost because of Dejan Lovren then no, no, no, no, no. It wasn't down to him.

“I'm not objective about him because I like him. It was a mistake but a lot of Liverpool players made mistakes. He can be a strong person but if you get kicked in the head every day then it's hard to stay strong. He was great against Arsenal. It is all down to confidence.”

Liverpool's cause was not helped by the dismissal of Philippe Coutinho, for a second bookable offence, which was followed by Noble also getting harshly sent off, before Diafra Sakho completed the rout in injury-time thanks to more unconvincing defending from Lovren and Skrtel.

But Rodgers, who witnessed the unfamiliar scene of Anfield emptying well before the final whistle, has more to be concerned about than just his defence. With Raheem Sterling leaving this summer and Luis Suarez sold 12 months earlier, Liverpool once more face the challenge of re-inventing their forward line.

“It's going to be a really difficult league to get your home wins in,” said Rodgers, citing the scarcity of home wins in the Premier League, prior to yesterday at least. “There will be lots of games like that and we have to find the way to win them. For us, we hope to be better in our own performance level. We want to be better and we have to be better.” – The Independent



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1Jw08xF
Read More

Mourinho’s threat to stars

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Jose Mourinho has promised to not think twice about wielding the axe after seeing Chelsea lose for a second time in four games.

|||

Jose Mourinho holds Eden Hazard among those responsible for Chelsea’s stuttering start and promised to not think twice about wielding the axe following their shock home defeat.

Hazard, who made the clean sweep of the Player of the Year awards last season, was accused of underperforming after Palace became only the second team to beat Mourinho’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Barclays Premier League.

Mourinho, who last month described Hazard as better than Cristiano Ronaldo, criticised the 24-year-old winger, saying: ‘If you are the best in the league, I think it should be a good responsibility to have a similar season than in the previous season.

‘I don’t want to analyse individual performances. In general terms, it is difficult to have a consistent performance when some of the players are not performing at a good level. When you have six or seven performing and three or four who are not at an acceptable level, it is hard for a team to be consistent in the performance.’

The four below-par players are understood to be Branislav Ivanovic, Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic and Hazard.

Mourinho added: ‘You have players who have fantastic seasons and fantastic moments and the next season do not have the same. If you ask me, “Will I accept this and wait calmly for the performance level to be back?” No.

‘I have to work, react, analyse and if I feel the players are not in conditions to react and give more, I have to make changes. I have never had a problem with that.’

Joel Ward’s winner condemned Mourinho to defeat in his 100th league match at home, meaning Chelsea have begun their title defence with four points from four games, leaving them eight behind leaders Manchester City.

It makes it an uncomfortable international break for Mourinho with his side in the bottom half of the table. The next match is on September 12 against Everton, whose resilience over John Stones has seen Chelsea turn their focus elsewhere.

It is no secret their defence requires attention. Chelsea have conceded nine in their opening four games — their worst record since 1971 — and were repeatedly exposed by Palace.

Palace boss Alan Pardew revealed how his masterplan to target Chelsea right back Ivanovic had enabled him to become the first manager to earn a hat-trick of wins over Mourinho.

Pardew told Bakary Sako, Wilfried Zaha and then substitute Yannick Bolasie to attack down the left wing. He said: ‘We doubled up on Ivanovic in the first half with Sako and Wilf. It worked for us for a little bit. Then Yala Bolasie came on and did the same.’

Mourinho hinted that he feels Chelsea do not offer him the same ‘economic potential’ as City, who spent £52million on Kevin de Bruyne yesterday after earlier laying out £49m on Raheem Sterling and £32m on Nicolas Otamendi.

‘City reacted to the fact they had lost the title by buying fantastic players,’ Mourinho said. ‘They are buying more until the end of the market.This is their job and if they have the economic potential to do that, good.

‘You see my players on the pitch and could identify two or three players that can do better. That is what we have to do.It is not the point to be loyal. It is to analyse if they are ready to give an answer and fight against that bad form.’

Mourinho also indicated a handful of Chelsea’s squad are resting on their laurels. Asked how he can stave off a lack of appetite, he said: ‘If that is the case, it is very sad. When I win, I want to win again.If you win it once and the next you are not on fire, that is sad. My medal is at home. In a drawer.’ – Daily Mail



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1NRxBFV
Read More

Shelvey earns England recall

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Jonjo Shelvey’s fine early season form has earned him a recall to Roy Hodgson’s squad for the qualifying games against San Marino and Switzerland.

|||

Jonjo Shelvey can play his way into England’s Euro 2016 plans after earning a recall to Roy Hodgson’s squad for the qualifying games against San Marino and Switzerland.

The Swansea midfielder, who played in the club’s stunning 2-1 victory over Manchester United yesterday, won his last cap against San Marino in 2012.

Shelvey is in Hodgson’s 22-man squad because the increasingly influential figure of Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been ruled out through injury.

Hodgson said: ‘On this occasion we are obviously missing some players from the June matches.However, this is compensated by the fact we have players who weren’t available over the summer.‘Jonjo Shelvey gets another chance as he has been very impressive since the start of the season, while Ryan Mason has been unlucky with us — he picked up an injury the last time he was in the England squad.

‘This latest squad shows we are working with a good number of players with a claim to be England regulars and secure a place in Euro 2016.‘Before that there are two matches we must focus on. The players must keep going, play well and look to win every match. I don’t want any let-up and we want to win both these games.’

John Stones, who handed in a transfer request at Everton last week, has been named in the squad because of his good form at Goodison Park. Manchester United defender Phil Jones is still injured, but Stones has done enough to move ahead of him in the pecking order at international level.

Left back Luke Shaw, who pulled out of the Under 21 tournament after a disappointing debut season at Old Trafford, has earned a recall to the senior team. Club-mate Michael Carrick also returns.

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, who made his debut against the Republic of Ireland in the June friendly, is on a last warning following FA disciplinary action.

Vardy, who scored a penalty against Bournemouth on Saturday, has admitted and subsequently apologised for racially abusing a Japanese national.The FA have warned Vardy, who has served time in prison for assault, about his behaviour and he can consider himself fortunate to have been retained in the squad.

England have won all six qualifying games, but Hodgson knows the preparations for Saturday’s match with San Marino will be built around captain Wayne Rooney.

The England forward has scored 48 times for his country and he is expecting at least to equal Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 against the European minnows.

After the San Marino trip England return to Wembley to play Switzerland a week tomorrow and it is likely to be an emotional night for the Manchester United striker.FA chiefs plan to invite Charlton and Gary Lineker to the stadium to make an on-pitch presentation to Rooney if he moves to the top of the goalscorers list in San Marino.

Rooney has a close relationship with Charlton, who also serves as a director at Old Trafford, and specifically requested the former England forward to make the presentation for his 100th cap.

ENGLAND SQUAD (v San Marino and Switzerland) — Goalkeepers: Hart (Man City), Butland (Stoke), Heaton (Burnley). Defenders: Clyne (Liverpool), Shaw (Man Utd), Gibbs (Arsenal), Cahill (Chelsea), Smalling (Man Utd), Stones, Jagielka (both Everton). Midfielders: Carrick (Man Utd), Milner (Liverpool), Barkley (Everton), Shelvey (Swansea), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Sterling, Delph (both Man City), Mason (Tottenham). Forwards: Rooney (Man Utd), Kane (Tottenham), Vardy (Leicester), Walcott (Arsenal).– Daily Mail



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1Iy1unD
Read More

Monk lauds Swansea after United triumph

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Swansea City maintained their unbeaten start with am impressive come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Manchester United.

|||

London - Swansea City are becoming a force in the Premier League after maintaining their unbeaten start with am impressive come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Manchester United, manager Garry Monk said.

Sunday's win was Swansea's third in a row against United and extended an excellent start to the season which began with an opening-day draw at champions Chelsea.

“We're a good team,” Monk told Sky Sports. “We're a force in this league and when we're on it and playing our best football we can be unbelievable.

“When we weren't playing our best we can do the other side and that's the key to being a good team.”

The Welsh club were promoted to the Premier League in 2011 and consolidated their top-flight status under first Brendan Rodgers then Michael Laudrup.

They won the 2013 League Cup, their first major silverware, but Laudrup was dismissed and replaced by inexperienced Monk in 2014 - his first managerial role.

Monk, however, defied the odds by finishing eighth last season with a club record 56 points and Swansea have started this campaign in eye-catching form.

“It's just the way that we work and the stuff I try put in place with he players on the field and off the field we work a lot on our mentality and the way we approach games,” said Monk, who has continued the club's recent tradition of possession-based, neat-passing football.

“Today you saw character and the technical side of it. You've seen in the games already this season we've performed unbelievably well and in different ways and shown every side of us. That's what a good club should be doing.”

Fundamental to the victory over United was their ability to adapt.

Monk started the game playing 4-2-3-1 with limited success but reverted to a diamond formation and turned the game round with two quick goals through Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis.

“We thought they were overloading us a bit in the middle so we went to the diamond for 10 minutes in that second half,” Monk added.

“I think that helped us get two quickfire goals and at the end we just made a couple of little changes and saw the game out really well.”

Monk's counterpart Louis van Gaal said his side's inability to adapt to Swansea's formation change lost them the game.

“They had a shape which they started with and that was 4-2-3-1 and after 1-0 they changed the shape. We couldn't cope with that and that's not good,” the Dutchman said.– Reuters



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1LN63Sx
Read More

Dante in 3-year Wolfsburg deal

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Bayern’s Dante is joining Wolfsburg on a 3-year contract, the German champions said on Sunday.

|||

Berlin – Bayern Munich central defender Dante is joining Bundesliga rivals Wolfsburg on a 3-year contract after losing his starting spot, the German champions said on Sunday.

The 31-year-old Brazil international had asked for a transfer after struggling to get any playing time at Bayern this season despite the absence of several other central defenders through injury or suspension.

He was a member of the Brazil team that lost 7-1 to Germany in the World Cup semi-final in in 2014 and struggled for form in the 2014-15 Bundesliga season, spending much of the time on the bench.

“Dante just wanted to have the chance to play regularly. We did not want to deny him this wish,” Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.

The player, who joined Bayern in 2012 from Borussia Moenchengladbach and was a key part of their treble-winning season in 2013, will need to pass a medical at Wolfsburg before signing his contract, the Bavarians said.

“Bayern experienced a very successful time with him and we want to thank him for that,” Rummenigge said.

Wolfsburg, runners-up and German Cup winners last season, are competing in the Champions League group stage.

– REUTER



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1Ju9tpC
Read More

Hunt warns of Urban Warriors raid

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Gavin Hunt concedes his Wits side will have to be vigilant when they face Ajax on Sunday.

|||

Johannesburg – Gavin Hunt concedes his Bidvest Wits side will have to be extra vigilant at the back if they are to come out on top in today’s MTN8 second leg semi-final clash against Ajax Cape Town at Bidvest Stadium (3pm).

The Wits coach said he hadpaid special attention to his opponents during their first-leg 1-1 draw a fortnight ago.

After that performance, Ajax went on to win two of their Absa Premiership fixtures, beating Maritzburg United (3-1) and Free State Stars (2-1), building up to today’s clash.

Wits, on the other hand, bounced back from a humiliating 4-2 defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns, following their draw with Ajax, to beat the Team of Choice 2-0 on home turf.

But Hunt goes into this match with the knowledge that Ajax are a side that can be beaten.

They’ve done it before in their opening match of this season.

The Urban Warriors were subjected to a 2-1 defeat a few weeks ago at the very same venue.

Hence the 51-year-old coach believes his side can produce a result and book their place in the finals.

“We are looking forward to it,” Hunt said.

“They are a tough side to crack and they made it difficult for us in our previous game, but we are ready.

“Hopefully we’ll break them down this time around.

“We’ve been watching them very closely and they’ve shown great improvement in their previous two games.

“So it is crucial not to underestimate them.

“Sure, we’ve beaten them before but history won’t have any influence on today’s match.

“(Ajax coach) Roger de Sa has done an extremely good job with his boys and they’ll be raring to go.

“We just need to be tactically disciplined and we’ll be just fine,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hunt is over the moon about the fact that five of his players have been called up to the Bafana Bafana squad, saying Wits must be doing something right as a professional club playing in the elite league.

The Braamfontein outfit have the biggest representation of players in the current Bafana squad who will be travelling to Mauritania for their second match in Group M of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The five Wits players called to Shakes Mashaba’s national squad are: Sibusiso Vilakazi, Jabulani Shongwe, Siyabonga Nhlapo, Thulani Hlatshwayo and Phumlani Ntshangase.

“I’m proud of the boys,” Hunt said.

“They’ve done extremely well and they deserve to be called up to the national set-up.

“It goes to show that we are doing something right as a club and that’s a good thing.

“We wish them all the best.”

– The Sunday Independent



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1KV6JQ5
Read More

Hunt warns of Urban Warriors raid

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Gavin Hunt concedes his Wits side will have to be vigilant when they face Ajax on Sunday.

|||

Johannesburg – Gavin Hunt concedes his Bidvest Wits side will have to be extra vigilant at the back if they are to come out on top in today’s MTN8 second leg semi-final clash against Ajax Cape Town at Bidvest Stadium (3pm).

The Wits coach said he hadpaid special attention to his opponents during their first-leg 1-1 draw a fortnight ago.

After that performance, Ajax went on to win two of their Absa Premiership fixtures, beating Maritzburg United (3-1) and Free State Stars (2-1), building up to today’s clash.

Wits, on the other hand, bounced back from a humiliating 4-2 defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns, following their draw with Ajax, to beat the Team of Choice 2-0 on home turf.

But Hunt goes into this match with the knowledge that Ajax are a side that can be beaten.

They’ve done it before in their opening match of this season.

The Urban Warriors were subjected to a 2-1 defeat a few weeks ago at the very same venue.

Hence the 51-year-old coach believes his side can produce a result and book their place in the finals.

“We are looking forward to it,” Hunt said.

“They are a tough side to crack and they made it difficult for us in our previous game, but we are ready.

“Hopefully we’ll break them down this time around.

“We’ve been watching them very closely and they’ve shown great improvement in their previous two games.

“So it is crucial not to underestimate them.

“Sure, we’ve beaten them before but history won’t have any influence on today’s match.

“(Ajax coach) Roger de Sa has done an extremely good job with his boys and they’ll be raring to go.

“We just need to be tactically disciplined and we’ll be just fine,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hunt is over the moon about the fact that five of his players have been called up to the Bafana Bafana squad, saying Wits must be doing something right as a professional club playing in the elite league.

The Braamfontein outfit have the biggest representation of players in the current Bafana squad who will be travelling to Mauritania for their second match in Group M of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The five Wits players called to Shakes Mashaba’s national squad are: Sibusiso Vilakazi, Jabulani Shongwe, Siyabonga Nhlapo, Thulani Hlatshwayo and Phumlani Ntshangase.

“I’m proud of the boys,” Hunt said.

“They’ve done extremely well and they deserve to be called up to the national set-up.

“It goes to show that we are doing something right as a club and that’s a good thing.

“We wish them all the best.”

– The Sunday Independent



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1KV6JQ5
Read More

Komphela’s patience pays off

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Steve Komphela led the Chiefs to the MTN8 final on Saturday, his first since 2004.

|||

Eleven years is a long time to wait for a cup final appearance, but Steve Komphela is the patient type.

And while many a coach would have been frustrated, Komphela was content to bide his time as he guided some of the country’s unfancied sides to decent performances and finishes.

Having long served his apprenticeship, he eventually earned South Africa’s plum coaching job this season, although scepticism abounded – naturally.

Last night, he moved a step closer to silencing those who had felt he was not fit enough to lead the country’s most popular side when he led them to the MTN8 final, his first since 2004.

Back then, Komphela guided lowly Manning Rangers to the Absa Cup final, where his team fell to Gavin Hunt’s Moroka Swallows.

There is a possibility of the two coaches meeting again should Hunt lead Bidvest Wits to victory over Ajax Cape Town in today’s evenly-poised other semi-final.

And how the former South African senior national team skipper would love to get even.

At the rate Chiefs are going, few would bet against Komphela lifting his maiden trophy as a coach.

Granted, he took over a settled team that had just had a highly successful season in winning both the league championship and the self-same MTN8. So his job was not going to be that much difficult.

But very quickly Chiefs are clearly a Komphela team, that Stuart Baxter stamp of a fast paced-game that was big on solid defending and reliant on catching the opposition on the break now gone.

Like he said when he took over, Amakhosi are historically renowned for their attractive brand of play that allows the players to confidently knock the ball about while giving the opposition little space to breathe.

This victory last night was grounded on such a game, with Komphela spending the entire match pacing up and down the technical area like a lioness on the prowl for its prey.

And his team responded the best way they know how, by punishing the opposition at the first opportunity.

When George Lebese scored what turned out to be the match’s only goal three minutes from the break, it had actually been Celtic who had appeared likely to score.

The visitors, who needed to score following the 1-1 first leg draw that meant Chiefs had the advantage of the away goal, took the initiative and attacked from the onset.

And they threatened the Chiefs goal as early as the fifth minute when Thapelo Morena found himself through on goal. But Itumeleng Khune did well to get off his line and his slide tackle stopped the Celtic man in his tracks.

Then Helder Pelembe attempted a shot from long range but could not replicate that stunner he scored in the first leg as his drive went way wide on nine minutes.

Celtic then wasted a glorious chance on 19 minutes, Keegan Buchanan shooting wide in a on-on-one situation with Khune following a fantastic through ball from Musa Nyatama.

The miss was to prove costly, especially with Chiefs, always looking sleek in their build-ups. They had got a corner on 12 minutes from Bernard Parker delivered a curler that evaded the defence and looked headed for goal only for Patrick Tignyemb to smother the ball.

Five minutes later it was Siphelele Mthembu who asked questions of the Celtic defence. The Chiefs striker doing well to evade his markers before delivering a cross that appeared to be blocked by a hand, only for referee Daniel Bennett to wave play on. He had another chance just before halftime to put Chiefs 2-0 up but his blast from the edge of the box brought the best out of Tignyemb who parried the ball out for a corner.

And then Buchanan failed dismally when scoring appeared so much easier.

Lebese then persisted in attack just before the break, sharing it with Mthembu before shooting in from inside the box to beat Tignyemb.

Celtic’s Cameroonian goalkeeper actually helped make the scoreline respectable with some brilliant stops in the second half as Chiefs took the ascendancy – no doubt following yet anther masterful Komphela team talk as has been the case since he took over.

He will have to deliver another one of those on September 19 if he is to capture his maiden trophy as a coach in his second attempt.



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1EqB4sX
Read More

Any Real need for De Gea?

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Many will be left wondering if Real need David De Gea after Keylor Navas’s Saturday performance.

|||

Madrid – Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas produced another excellent performance for Real Madrid in Saturday’s 5-0 La Liga win at home to Real Betis that may have left many fans of the world’s richest club wondering why they need David De Gea.

According to reports in Spanish and British media, Real are poised to pay Manchester United 40 million euros ($44.71m) to buy Spain keeper De Gea, who has not played this season because of the transfer saga, before the latest transfer window closes on Monday.

If the deal is confirmed, it will put Navas, who joined Real from Levante for a fee of 10 million euros after a sparkling performance at last year’s World Cup finals, in a difficult position.

Known as the “Falcon of Costa Rica” for his agility, the 28-year-old was one of the star players in Brazil and his brilliant form helped the central American nation unexpectedly reach the last eight.

Against Betis, he demonstrated that agility when he leaped to snatch the ball from the feet of forward Ruben Castro when he seemed certain to score and later saved a penalty from the same player with another fine stop.

Real’s new coach Rafa Benitez has repeatedly declined to confirm or deny whether De Gea will be joining the club, where he is seen as a long-term replacement for former captain Iker Casillas, who left to join Porto last month.

Asked on Saturday whether Navas, who competes for a place with new signing Kiko Casilla, would definitely be staying, he told reporters: “What answer have I given the last three weeks to questions about the goalkeepers?”

“I am delighted with the three keepers and I want to enjoy the 5-0,” added the 55-year-old, who took over from the sacked Carlo Ancelotti at the end of last season. “I work with the players I have. I am very pleased.”

Navas earned effusive praise from Emilio Butragueno, a former Real striker who is now a club director.

“He was spectacular, he reacted like a cat,” Butragueno told Spanish television.

“Ruben Castro totally had the advantage and it gives some idea of what kind of keeper he is,” he added.

“Delighted and the fans were too. He participated a lot in the game, he influenced the result with his brilliance and you have to emphasise that.

“We don’t talk about players from other clubs, we are delighted with the squad.”

– Reuters



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1F8A9IF
Read More

Arsenal scrape past ten-man Newcastle

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Fabricio Coloccini's own goal gifted Arsenal a scrappy 1-0 win over ten-man Newcastle.

|||

Arsenal clinched their second Premier League win of the season as Fabricio Coloccini's own goal gifted the Gunners a scrappy 1-0 success at 10-man Newcastle on Saturday.

After Monday's goalless draw with Liverpool left them with one victory from their opening three matches, Arsene Wenger's spluttering side were already in danger of being cast adrift in the title race.

Although they were below their best again, Arsenal got back on track at St James' Park with the help of hot-headed Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic's latest indiscretion.

Referee Andre Marriner had infuriated Wenger when Arsenal were denied an early penalty after right-back Hector Bellerin appeared to have his heel trodden on by Florian Thauvin as he burst into the Newcastle area.

But Marriner was back in Wenger's good books in the 16th minute when he sent off Mitrovic after the Serbia international needlessly stamped on Francis Coquelin's ankle as he stretched in a failed attempt to reach a loose ball.

The combative Mitrovic's red card came after he had already been booked twice in his first three games since his pre-season move from Anderlecht.

Wenger's team eventually took advantage of their numerical superiority in the 52nd minute when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's low drive beat goalkeeper Tim Krul via a deflection off Coloccini as the Newcastle defender tried to block.

Newcastle are without a win in their first four league matches under new boss Steve McClaren.

The Gunners' away win also continued an unusual trend that has seen only six home wins from 31 Premier League matches so far this season.

Later on Saturday, leaders Manchester City will aim to extend their 100 percent start with a fourth successive win when they host unbeaten Watford.

After securing their maiden victory of the season at West Bromwich Albion last weekend, champions Chelsea take on fifth-placed Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool, in third place, face West Ham at Anfield, while Leicester, surprisingly in second place, travel to Bournemouth.

Tottenham's new South Korean signing Son Heung-min may have to wait for his debut following his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.

The 23-year-old's transfer is subject to international clearance and obtaining a work permit, leaving him with a race against time to feature against Everton at White Hart Lane.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa play Sunderland and Stoke clash with West Brom.

On Sunday, Manchester United go to Swansea and Southampton host Norwich. – AFP



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1UcSUGU
Read More

De Bruyne jets off to City

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne jetted off to England with his club Wolfsburg poised to agree a German record transfer with Premier League giants Manchester City.

|||

Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne jetted off to England on Saturday morning with his club Wolfsburg poised to agree a German record transfer with Premier League giants Manchester City.

De Bruyne sat out Friday's 3-0 win over Schalke which put Wolfsburg top of the league with club bosses about to agree a reported fee of around £54m before Germany's transfer window closes at 1800 (1600 GMT) on Monday.

German broadcaster Sport1 showed De Bruyne boarding a private jet at Braunschweig airport, near Wolfsburg, en route to Manchester shortly before 10am local time (0800).

On Friday night, Wolfsburg director of sport Klaus Allofs said there were “only small details” left to finalise in the transfer.

The deal will smash the Bundesliga transfer record of 41 million euros that Liverpool paid Hoffenheim for Brazil striker Roberto Firmino in July.

Reports suggest Wolfsburg could pocket up to 80 million euros, with an extra six million in bonuses, for De Bruyne if the attacking midfielder helps City win this season's Premier League title.

Germany's footballer of the year for 2014/15 helped Wolfsburg win the German Cup last season and finish second to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, as he scored 16 goals and provided 29 assists in all competitions.

The 24-year-old cost Wolfsburg 25 million euros when he joined from Chelsea in January 2014 after a year on loan at fellow German side Werder Bremen in 2012/13.– AFP



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1Ujz5Zr
Read More

Khune ready for long-range rockets

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Twice this season, Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has been beaten by long-range strikes from outside the penalty area.

|||

Twice this season, Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has been beaten by long-range strikes from outside the penalty area – something unusual for a shot-stopper of his calibre.

It all started with a thunderous shot from Bloemfontein Celtic striker Helder Pelembe in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final, with the teams playing to a 1-1 stalemate after Bernard Parker redeemed himself with the equaliser, having missed a penalty earlier.

Then followed a beautifully taken shot by Puleng Tlolane, who equalised for Polokwane City to salvage a point against Chiefs during their midweek 1-all Absa Premiership clash.

Heading to the second leg of the competition at the FNB Stadium today, Pelembe must be itching to launch another blistering shot to beat Khune.

However, the Chiefs shot-stopper has been working tirelessly at training to avoid being beaten by such goals again.

“Players are gaining confidence shooting from outside the box, but I have been working very hard at training with the rest of the team and it should be something we will fix going forward,” said Khune.

“But it is a collective effort; it is not only the goalkeeper who needs to deal with those shots.

“Even the players need to press the guy on the ball early and restrict him from getting a clear view of goals.’’

Khune reckons they will have to be rock-solid at the back and make sure they don’t allow Celtic to catch them on the counter.

“I’m saying the obvious, but it is very important to keep a clean sheet.

“We were 1-0 down in Bloemfontein, but we showed great character by coming back into the match and getting that important away goal.

“We are hosting Celtic, and we know just how good they are.

“The teams we play against sit back, wait for us to counter, then turn our counter into their counter-attack.

“So it is vital we remain disciplined and focused throughout. And, of course, not concede a goal. Then we are through to the final,” said the former Chiefs skipper.

“We are aware that each game in the MTN8 is worth R2-million. At the moment we have R4-million in the bag, so we are R4-million away from completing the R8-million.

“But it is not going to be easy.

“They are coming to FNB and you know what happens when teams come to our home base.”

Amakhosi were gifted two goals last time they played at home in their 4-0 victory over Free State Stars in an Absa Premiership clash, when Stars centre-backs, Robert Sankara and Liberty Chokomora, scored in their own net, which saw the Soweto giants record their first victory in the league.

Khune conceded that this season’s performance has not started like a house on fire but the team are working on it.

“We are not happy with the way we’ve started this campaign,” he said.

“Last season we went all the way to the MTN8 final without conceding a goal.

“However, this season we started badly by our standards.

“We’ve conceded four goals already in the same tournament, so we can only improve.

“And it will start today against Celtic,” said the ’keeper. - Saturday Star



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1JoDqoW
Read More

LVG wants more from United’s attack

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Louis Van Gaal has warned Manchester United that they still have to prove themselves as an attacking force in the Premier League.

|||

Louis Van Gaal has warned Manchester United that they still have to prove themselves as an attacking force in the Barclays Premier League despite their four-goal cruise in Bruges.

The victory on Wednesday that booked United’s place in the Champions League group stage equalled their biggest win under Van Gaal, as Wayne Rooney returned to goalscoring form with a hat-trick.

It followed a return of just two goals in the opening three Premier League games and Van Gaal knows they are unlikely to have as many chances at Swansea tomorrow in his 50th match in charge.

‘We played very well against Bruges in ball possession, much better than matches before, but it was because they had to attack so they gave more space. Swansea have a good team so it be very difficult to beat them.’ Van Gaal will certainly expect United to be more ruthless after Javier Hernandez wasted Rooney’s generosity by slipping and missing a penalty in Belgium.

‘I am not surprised he gave it to him because Rooney is a very social guy,’ said Van Gaal. ‘He is a real captain. But we cannot do it at 0-0, then I’m very angry.

‘At 4-0, it was a great gesture.’

Van Gaal acknowledged that he has had issues to address at the other end of the pitch even though Sergio Romero has only conceded one goal in five games.

The impasse over David de Gea’s situation at Old Trafford — described as an ‘absolute joke’ by former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel yesterday — has seen Romero thrown in at the deep end. The Argentina keeper’s ball distribution has been a concern and he has yet to be fully exposed to the physical nature of English football because of the form of United’s defence. But Van Gaal revealed that Romero has undergone special training sessions to bring him up to speed. – Daily Mail



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1JrYmh3
Read More

Wenger not panicking

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Arsene Wenger refuses to panic about Arsenal's spluttering start to the Premier League season.

|||

Arsene Wenger refuses to panic about Arsenal's spluttering start even though the Gunners boss admits his side aren't firing on all cylinders.

Wenger's men head to Newcastle on Saturday looking to win for just the second time in their first four Premier League matches.

A goalless draw against Liverpool on Monday left the north Londoners already lagging five points behind leaders Manchester City after a worrying repeat of the slow opening that eventually doomed their title challenge last season.

Wenger acknowledged his players aren't at their best yet, but he cautioned against writing them off too soon.

“We have not had the ideal start and we are conscious of that but we want to play 60 games in the season,” Wenger said.

“We have played three games now and we have lost one that we should not have lost, but we have to be conscious that the season is not decided yet.

“Maybe we are not firing on all cylinders at the moment. Not everybody is ready physically. Certainly at the moment we want it so much at home that we're trying to force it a little bit.”

Meanwhile, City winger Jesus Navas has warned the Premier League pace-setters not to get complacent after their blistering start.

Manuel Pellegrini's side have reeled off three wins from their opening three matches and the swaggering manner of their performances suggests City are back to their best after tamely surrendering the title to Chelsea last season.

With Raheem Sterling bedding in nicely after his move from Liverpool and a big-money deal for Wolfsburg's Belgium playmaker Kevin de Bruyne reportedly close to completion, City are assembling an awesome array of attacking talent that could leave the rest of the top tier trailing in their wake.

The leaders are firm favourites to maintain their flying start when they host promoted Watford on Saturday, but Spain international Navas is well aware of the dangers of underestimating a team who have drawn all three of their league matches so far.

“It is not only that we have won these three games, it is that we didn't concede any goals and we created a lot of chances. We are really happy,” Navas said.

“But we need to keep the same attitude, working really well defensively and also creating a lot of chances. That is the way to win more games this season.”

Like City, Liverpool, who host West Ham on Saturday, were disappointing last season as they followed a second place finish in 2013-14 by slipping down to sixth.

But, while City have recaptured the enterprising style that made them champions two years ago, Liverpool have focused on solidifying a defence that proved so porous over the last 12 months.

The early signs are promising for boss Brendan Rodgers as new full-backs Nathaniel Clyne and Joe Gomez have helped third placed Liverpool keep three consecutive clean-sheets and take seven points from a possible nine.

“For two guys that have just arrived at the club, where the expectation level will be way above what they've experienced before, they already look as though they've been here a long, long time,” Liverpool assistant coach Gary McAllister said.

Buoyed by Wayne Rooney's return to form with a hat-trick in their midweek Champions League play-off round demolition of Club Brugge, fourth placed Manchester United can focus on the title race now their European progress is assured.

United, unbeaten in the league so far, will need Rooney at his best if they are to mount a sustained title challenge, so it was a major boost to see the England striker end his 878-minute scoring drought ahead of Sunday's trip to Swansea.

“I wasn't worried, if it was going on for three, four, five games more then maybe so but it's early days and I knew when the chances came I'd take them,” Rooney said.

With one win from their first three games, Chelsea find themselves in the unfamiliar position of languishing in mid-table, well below Saturday's opponents Crystal Palace, who visit Stamford Bridge in fifth place.

But spirits have soared at the Bridge following the impressive debut display of Pedro Rodriguez, who marked his arrival from Barcelona by scoring one and setting up another in Chelsea's maiden victory of the season at West Bromwich Albion.

Fixtures:

Saturday

Aston Villa v Sunderland, Bournemouth v Leicester, Chelsea v Crystal Palace, Liverpool v West Ham, Manchester City v Watford, Newcastle v Arsenal, Stoke v West Brom, Tottenham v Everton

Sunday

Southampton v Norwich, Swansea v Manchester United – AFP



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1fMsLvH
Read More

LVG out to end Swansea jinx

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Louis van Gaal lost his first competitive match as Manchester United manager against Swansea City on the first day of last season.

|||

London - Louis van Gaal lost his first competitive match as Manchester United manager against Swansea City on the first day of last season and is expecting another difficult game from the Welsh side on Sunday.

Swansea went on to complete the Premier League double over United and the Dutchman is determined to take revenge at the Liberty Stadium.

“My first match was against Swansea and we lost, now I have my 50th and I hope we can show we have improved,” Van Gaal told reporters on Friday.

“I don't want to lose again. It's the only club we could not beat or gain one point against, I hope we can improve and that we can show that we are better than last year.

“It will be difficult but we are better prepared than this time last year.”

Towering Belgian Marouane Fellaini is available to play his first Premier League game of the season after serving a suspension but Adnan Januzaj will miss out due to injury.

Van Gaal could be tempted to start Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera who made a lively contribution and scored a goal in the 4-0 Champions League qualifying win at Club Bruges on Wednesday.

“I had a theoretical scheme in my head that he could play at No. 10 and he did it well against Bruges,” Van Gaal said.

United have taken seven points from their first three league games of the season and lie joint third in the table despite only scoring two goals.

Captain Wayne Rooney, however, bagged a hat-trick in Bruges to open his account for the campaign.

“It will be a difficult game, it's another year and another prospect,” Swansea manager Garry Monk said. “United have added quality to their squad with world-class players.

“It's becoming more difficult to compete with these kind of squads. We're up against one of the title contenders, it will be difficult but we're looking forward to it.”

Swansea are sixth with five points including a draw at champions Chelsea. – Reuters



from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1PXd6qm
Read More