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Fergie wanted Pep, not Moyes

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Alex Ferguson has revealed that David Moyes, his successor at Manchester United, was sixth on a list of ideal replacements.

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Alex Ferguson has revealed that David Moyes, the man chosen as his managerial successor at Manchester United, was sixth on a list of ideal replacements headed by Pep Guardiola and four others, who were all “unavailable” at the time.

In his new book “Leading”, United's longest-serving manager outlines the selection process behind Moyes' ill-fated appointment at Old Trafford, which lasted less than a year after he replaced the retired Ferguson in 2013.

“I asked Pep to phone me before he accepted an offer from another club but he didn't and wound up joining Bayern Munich in July 2013,” Ferguson wrote.

“When we started the process of looking for my replacement, we established that several very desirable candidates were unavailable.

“It became apparent that Jose Mourinho had given his word to Roman Abramovich that he would return to Chelsea, and that Carlo Ancelotti would succeed him at Real Madrid.

“We also knew that Jurgen Klopp was happy at Borussia Dortmund and would be signing a new contract. Meantime, Louis van Gaal had undertaken to lead the Dutch attempt to win the 2014 World Cup,” he added.

Moyes was sacked after 10 months at United but Ferguson defended his fellow Scot's record prior to joining the club.

“We chose David Moyes. He had been consistent in his job at Everton, had a good spell there - 11 years and showed appetite.

“Unfortunately, somehow it didn't work out for David. The process was perfect. It was a good process,” Ferguson said.

Instead, the former United manager reserved his criticism for Moyes' decision to overhaul his backroom staff after taking charge.

“I'm sure there are things that David would do differently if he had the opportunity to relive his time at Old Trafford,” Ferguson said.

“Such as keeping Mick Phelan (Ferguson's assistant), who would have been the invaluable guide to the many layers of the club that Ryan Giggs is to Louis van Gaal today.

“There is no point suddenly changing routines that players are comfortable with. It is counterproductive, saps morale and immediately provokes players to question the new man's motives,” he added. – Reuters

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Chiefs must forget MTN8 final - Gaxa

Kaizer Chiefs defender Siboniso Gaxa wants his teammates to forget the past and look forward following the 2015 Telkom Knockout draw.

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Johannesburg - Kaizer Chiefs defender Siboniso Gaxa wants his teammates to forget the past and look forward following the 2015 Telkom Knockout draw on Monday.

Amakhosi were drawn to play Platinum Stars away from home in the opening round of the competition, the pick of the last 16 ties. The competition is scheduled to kick-off on September 30, with the opening round of matches also set for the weekend of October 3 and 4.

“We want to do well this season,” Gaxa said. “We want to be remembered as one of the great Kaizer Chiefs teams.”

The Soweto giants are still reeling from Saturday's 1-0 MTN8 final defeat to Ajax Cape Town in Port Elizabeth, a result that saw them surrender the title they won 12 months ago.

“We played against a side that wanted it more than us on Saturday,” Gaxa added.

“We need to forget about Saturday and move on. Obviously the loss is still on our minds.”

Meanwhile, defending champions SuperSport United will launch their campaign with a short trip to Polokwane City. Bafana Bafana midfielder Dean Furman is expecting a tough battle in the Limpopo.

“There are no easy games in the PSL and Polokwane City will be tough,” he said. “We have a good squad. We will have a good season if we apply ourselves accordingly.”

Matsatsantsa recently lost 4-1 to Chiefs in the Absa Premiership having a lead 1-0 at the break and Furman added: “We had a fantastic 1st half against Chiefs. We need to take the positives from that match. We have been working hard. We need to bounce back.” Chiefs' Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates will begin their Telkom Knockout assault with a home tie against University of Pretoria. The Buccaneers have been in poor form recently, losing two out of their last three games and failing to win a single game in that time. Defender Patrick Phungwayo believes it is time they improve on their domestic performances after doing well in Africa this year.

They are scheduled to play in the CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals this weekend.

“I don't think as a team we are playing badly,” he said. “The media say we only focus on CAF matches, it's time we redeem ourselves in SA.”

“The Tuks game will be interesting.”

In other opening round fixtures, Mamelodi Sundowns host Chippa United, Maritzburg United play Jomo Cosmos, Bloemfontein Celtic lock horns with Mpumalanga Black Aces, Free State Stars have home advantage against Bidvest Wits and Lamontville Golden Arrows face Ajax. - ANA

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Spurs relishing Arsenal Cup clash

Tottenham will host Arsenal in the League Cup on the back of two consecutive wins, while Arsenal have slumped to two defeats in their last two outings.

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London - Just over a week ago Arsenal's season was gaining momentum while their arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur were still looking for their first win but they meet in the League Cup on Wednesday with that scenario completely turned on its head.

Tottenham will host the first north London derby of the campaign in high spirits after three wins in eight days while Arsenal make the short trip to White Hart Lane beaten in their last two games while having three players sent off.

Spurs, beaten by Chelsea in last season's final, have beaten Sunderland and Crystal Palace in the Premier League and FK Qarabag of Azerbaijan in the Europa League and discovered a new scoring hero in Son Heung-min of South Korea who has scored three times in those games.

Arsenal, who made a bright start to their campaign, lost at Dinamo Zagreb last week in the Champions League and were then beaten at Chelsea where they had two players sent off.

While the League Cup, now called the Capital One Cup, is regarded as the season's lesser prize, both Tottenham and Arsenal would find defeat an unpalatable prospect.

As would Aston Villa and Birmingham City who meet in another derby - their first for five years - on Tuesday.

Villa were booed off when they lost 1-0 to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday are 17th in the Premier League.

Birmingham, in contrast, have made a solid start in the Championship with just one defeat in seven and are just outside the playoff positions.

Villa manager Tim Sherwood told reporters at his pre-match briefing on Monday the game gives Villa the chance to kickstart their season.

“It's a great occasion and we're looking forward to it.

“It's been a difficult start points-wise and it's a good way to send our fans home happy because they've not had many of those this season.”

Villa have won this competition five times but lost to Birmingham in the 1963 final, Birmingham's last major honour until they beat Arsenal in the 2011 final.

Blues manager Gary Rowett said on Monday he would be putting out his strongest possible team for the trip to Villa Park even though promotion is a priority.

The third derby of the round will be at Selhurst Park where Crystal Palace play Charlton Athletic, who ground-shared with Palace for six years in the 1980s and early nineties while their own ground, The Valley, was out of commission.

Palace, despite losing their last two Premier League games to Manchester City and Tottenham, start as strong favourites to see off their neighbours who are 15th in the Championship.

Holders Chelsea begin the defence of trophy at League One (third tier) Walsall.

The Saddlers, forever linked with one of English soccer's greatest upsets after beating Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in the FA Cup in 1933, have made an excellent start to the season but a victory over Chelsea, no matter what team Jose Mourinho fields, would surpass even their famous Thirties exploits.

Liverpool, who have won the League Cup a record eight times, play Carlisle United from League Two at Anfield while Manchester United host Championship promotion contenders Ipswich Town. – Reuters

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Costa, Gabriel charged by FA

Chelsea’s Diego Costa and Arsenal's Gabriel have both been charged by the Football Association after Saturday's bad-tempered Premier League derby.

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London - Chelsea striker Diego Costa and Arsenal's Gabriel have both been charged by the Football Association after incidents in Saturday's bad-tempered Premier League derby at Stamford Bridge.

The FA said on its website that Costa had been charged with an alleged “act of violent conduct” after television replays showed him catching Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny with his arm in an incident not spotted at the time by the referee.

“Off the ball incidents which are not seen at the time by the match officials are referred to a panel of three former elite referees,” an FA statement said.

“For retrospective action to be taken, and an FA charge to follow, the decision by the panel must be unanimous.”

Brazilian defender Gabriel, who was sent off after tangling with Costa shortly after that incident, was charged with “improper conduct” following his straight red card which Arsenal have since appealed against.

Spain international Costa has until 1700 GMT on Tuesday to respond to the charges while Gabriel has until 1700 GMT on Thursday to respond.

Both Chelsea and Arsenal were also charged by the FA for failing to control their players.

Chelsea won the fractious game 2-0 with Arsenal ending the match with nine men after Santi Cazorla was also dismissed for a second yellow card after a foul on former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was critical of Costa after the derby, saying he is “always involved in provocation”. – Reuters

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Insights, revelations in Ferguson’s book

Remember the stand-off between Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney in 2010? It was all about money.

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London - Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has revealed that he refused to allow Wayne Rooney to be paid more than him during a contract stand-off with the striker in 2010.

Rooney vowed to leave United after accusing the club of a lack of ambition, only to perform a sudden U-turn and sign a new five-year deal reportedly worth £180 000 a week.

But that was less than United initially offered him, with Ferguson revealing in his new book, Leading, which is released on Tuesday, that he told United's owners the Glazer family and then-chief executive David Gill he “did not think it fair that Rooney should earn twice what I made”.

“It was simple. We just agreed that no player should be paid more than me,” Ferguson said.

Rooney fell out with Ferguson prior to the Scot's retirement in 2013, but was appointed United captain by current manager Louis van Gaal last year.

Ferguson says that Everton pulled out all the stops to prevent Rooney joining United in 2004, including an emotional phone-call from the player's mother.

“After we gave them our final offer, (Everton manager Bill) Kenwright got Rooney's mother on the phone and she told me, 'you are not going to steal my boy',” writes Ferguson, who is now a United director.

Other revelations in the book include the disclosure that Ferguson considered a move for wayward Italy striker Mario Balotelli in 2010, only to be dissuaded by his contacts in Italy.

“In 2010, I briefly flirted with the idea of signing Mario Balotelli, the talented but controversial Italian striker,” Ferguson says.

“I did my homework on him, speaking to a few Italian contacts, but the feedback I got confirmed it was too big a risk.”

Balotelli subsequently joined Manchester City from Inter Milan, returning to Italy for a second spell at AC Milan this year following a disappointing season with Liverpool.

Ferguson hits out at Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy's handling of Dimitar Berbatov's move to United in 2008, describing the experience as “more painful than my hip replacement”.

He also has choice words for Mino Raiola, the agent of French midfielder Paul Pogba, who left United for Juventus in 2012 and has since become one of the world's most coveted players.

“There are one or two football agents I simply do not like and Mino Raiola, Paul Pogba's agent, is one of them,” he said.

“I distrusted him from the moment I met him.”

The 73-year-old Scot defends the quality of the squad that his successor David Moyes inherited in 2013, saying criticism of United's players made it sound like “I had left 11 corpses on the steps of a funeral”.

He also echoes a recent comment from Van Gaal by backing Ryan Giggs, United's current assistant manager, to enjoy a successful managerial career.

“Ryan Giggs is eventually going to be a great manager,” Ferguson writes. “He has intelligence, presence and knowledge.”

AFP

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DA lays charges against Danny Jordaan

Police are expected to investigate two senior SA soccer officials in connection with the 2010 World Cup.

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Johannesburg - South African police are expected to launch criminal investigations into two senior football officials in connection with the 2010 World Cup, following a request from the main opposition party, officials said on Monday.

The probe is linked to an alleged bribe paid to secure the rights to host the World Cup.

The Democratic Alliance on Monday laid corruption charges against South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan and his predecessor, Molefi Oliphant.

The charges arise from two letters, one written by Jordaan, who was in charge of the country's World Cup bid chief, to Fifa about South Africa's plan to donate funds to a Caribbean football development programme, and another by Molefi, who was Safa chief at the time.

South Africa then paid $10 million (8.9 million euros) through Fifa into an account controlled by Jack Warner, a disgraced former Fifa vice-president from the Caribbean accused by US authorities of accepting bribes.

US investigators believe the money was a bribe to secure South Africa's selection as host of the 2010 competition.

“We laid charges of corruption and fraud against the two individuals relating to their complicity in the $10 million that were meant for South Africa but were actually redirected to CONCACAF,” DA lawmaker Solomon Malatsi told AFP, referring to football's governing body in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

At the time, Warner was CONCACAF president.

Police “can now begin to initiate a criminal investigation that will help clear the cloud over this matter”, he said.

In the 14-page affidavit filed with the police in Cape Town, Malatsi said it “appears that Jordaan and Oliphant were complicit with, and indeed seemingly central to the bribery scheme”.

South African government and national football officials have strenuously denied accusations that they paid a bribe to secure the right to host the first such tournament on the continent.

Authorities insist the $10 million payment was an honest donation to support football among the “African diaspora” in the Caribbean.

Malatsi said the DA was forced to turn to the courts after attempts to summon football officials to Parliament were thwarted by the ruling African National Congress.

Accusations of bribery to win the World Cup triggered an angry response in South Africa, where the event is remembered as a moment of national pride.

AFP

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Hazard will come good - Matic

Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic backed team mate Eden Hazard to rediscover his scoring touch.

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Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic backed team mate Eden Hazard to rediscover his scoring touch after the Belgian international netted his first goal of the Premier League season in their 2-0 win over London rivals Arsenal on Saturday.

Hazard scored in the stoppage time when his shot took a huge deflection off Arsenal's Calum Chambers before it ended up in the back of the net.

The Belgium was adjudged Premier League's Player of the Year last season after he scored 14 goals and provided 10 assists as Chelsea clinched their fifth league title.

Hazard has been criticised for failing to replicate that form this season but Matic backed him to find the back of the net more frequently.

“It's a big goal for Eden. He needs to score goals for his confidence and to be on his top level. He is very important for our team,” Serbian Matic told London Evening Standard.

“I am very happy he scored his first goal and I hope it gives him more self-belief.

“He needs to know that he is the best player in the Premier League and use his qualities. When he scored it was an important moment in the season for him,” Matic added. – Reuters

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Klopp rules out ‘Gladbach job

Jurgen Klopp will not take over at Borussia Moenchengladbach, the agent of the ex-Borussia Dortmund coach confirmed.

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Jurgen Klopp will not take over at Borussia Moenchengladbach, the agent of the ex-Borussia Dortmund coach confirmed on Monday, as Gladbach seek to replace Lucien Favre following his shock resignation.

“Jurgen Klopp will not be the Borussia Moenchengladbach coach,” Klopp's agent Marc Kosicke told magazine Sport Bild.

After losing their opening five Bundesliga matches to go bottom of the Bundesliga, Champions League side Gladbach need a new coach after Favre abruptly resigned on Sunday in the wake of his team's 1-0 defeat at Cologne the day before.

In a statement, Favre said he no longer felt like “the perfect coach for Gladbach” and wanted to quit after four years in charge, having steered them to third in the Bundesliga last season to earn a Champions League berth.

But the Swiss' abrupt exit has left the club high and dry as Gladbach host Augsburg on Wednesday looking for their first league point of the season, then travel to play Stuttgart on Saturday.

Gladbach, who host Manchester City in their second Champions League game in nine days having already lost 3-0 away to Sevilla last Wednesday in their opening game, will hold a press conference at 1400 local time (1200 GMT) on Monday.

Having walked away from Dortmund at the end of last season to take a self-imposed coaching sabbatical, Klopp is weighing up his options after winning the German league titles in 2011 and 2012.

The 48-year-old Klopp was at his former club Mainz on Friday to see their 3-1 win over Hoffenheim.

Although ex-Germany coach Berti Vogts has said Klopp would be a good fit at Gladbach, experienced coaches Jos Luhukay, Mirko Slomka, Thomas Schaaf and Horst Steffen have all been linked to the club as Favre's possible replacement. – AFP

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LVG wants Martial to stay grounded

Louis Van Gaal admits he faces a battle to manage the expectations growing around Anthony Martial.

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Louis Van Gaal admits he faces a battle to manage the expectations growing around Anthony Martial after the striker took his tally to three goals in his first three Manchester United games.

Martial followed his debut goal against Liverpool with a double in the 3-2 victory at Southampton that moved United up to second place in the Premier League table on Sunday.

The forward arrived at Old Trafford following a £36 million (49.6 million euros) move from Monaco at the end of the transfer window.

Yet while there were doubts expressed about the size of the price-tag, Martial has wasted no time making an impact.

“Anthony Martial is already special because we paid a lot of money for him. A lot of people are thinking he is a great star but he is a boy of 19. In three matches he has shown a lot,” said United boss Van Gaal.

“I am very happy with him but we and he have to keep our feet on the ground.”

Van Gaal admitted the youngster will need time to settle into his new surroundings.

“He cannot speak English, I speak French with him, I need help with that with Marouane Fellaini and Morgan Schneiderlin, it is very difficult but he is willing to speak English, it is a matter of time but when he speaks English good enough he will answer the questions.

“First he needs to adapt to the English culture, he is doing great – three matches in a row and three goals.

“He has the talent for it. When you are 19 years old you cannot expect consistency. Emotionally they shall have a lot of dips so that I expect also from him but that is not a big problem for me.

“I'm very happy that he is in three matches and his talent is at a high level and he adapts to the system of how we want to play, that is also important, not every player can adapt in that system but he shows he wants to do that and he can do that.

“He scores goals. That is the most important thing, that as a striker he scores goals.

“That is his quality, his talent. He can improve I think but he has a high level of talent. He shows it. He shows it under great pressure and that is maybe his greatest talent.”

Martial scored twice after Graziano Pelle had put Southampton ahead with Juan Mata adding United's third before Pelle headed a late second.

A mistake from Maya Yoshida led to Martial's second and Southampton manager Ronald Koeman said: “I hate always players, in general not criticising Maya, I hate players who pass the ball always back to the goalkeeper, play it into the space in front.”

He added: “There were several moments in the game where you put the pressure on them. We saw the weaknesses of Manchester Untied today, defensively.”

But Van Gaal took issue with the suggestion United were flawed at the back.

“Have you seen the goal average against, also last season. All the media was writing the defence is very bad but at the end we were third in the Premier League.”

Responding to Koeman's claim that United displayed defensive weaknesses, he added: “This is also remarkable, that he says that.” – AFP

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Telkom Knockout last 16 draw

Platinum Stars will host Kaizer Chiefs in their round of 16 Telkom Knockout clash it was announced at the draw in Johannesburg.

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Johannesburg - Platinum Stars will host Kaizer Chiefs in their round of 16 Telkom Knockout clash it was announced at the draw in Johannesburg on Monday.

Chiefs will take on the Rustenburg in one of three big fixtures in the round. Elsewhere, Orlando Pirates will host University of Pretoria and Mamelodi Sundowns will welcome Chippa United. Dates for the fixtures will be confirmed at a later stage.

Telkom Knockout Last 16 fixtures: Maritzburg United vs Jomo Cosmos Platinum Stars vs Kaizer Chiefs Orlando Pirates vs University of Pretoria Mamelodi Sundowns vs Chippa United Bloemfontein Celtic vs Mpumalanga Black Aces Free State Stars vs Bidvest WIts Polokwane City v Supersport United Golden Arrows vs Ajax Cape Town - African News Agency (ANA)

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Real’s keeper keen to extend record

A few weeks ago Real Madrid's Keylor Navas seemed about to leave but now has a club record five clean sheets.

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Barcelona - A few weeks ago Real Madrid's Keylor Navas seemed about to leave but now has a club record five clean sheets since the start of the season which he will aim to extend against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Wednesday.

Navas has shown poise and dexterity in goal since his move to Manchester United collapsed at the end of the transfer window and has quickly won the admiration of the Bernabeu crowd.

The Costa Rican international, who was reportedly included in a deal to bring David De Gea to Real that was not registered in time, has yet to concede in four league games as well as the Champions League match with Shakhtar Donetsk last Tuesday.

He has already bettered the previous best start to a campaign by a Real keeper when Miguel Angel kept four clean sheets at the beginning of the 1975-76 season.

There were also four clean sheets at the start of the 1957-58 campaign when two goalkeepers Rogelio Dominguez and Juanito Alonso were used.

“It was a difficult night for me at the end of the transfer market but that is now in the past,” Navas told reporters.

“Now I am thinking of the present and the coach (Rafa Benitez) believes in me. I have had the chance to stay and I will give my best. I am very grateful to the Real fans for their support which is not easy to earn.”

Much of the attention ahead of last Saturday's clash with Granada was whether Cristiano Ronaldo could score the two goals that would see him equal Raul's record of 323 in a Real shirt but it was a below-par display.

The match was decided by a Karim Benzema header and Navas made some important saves.

Real will be keen against Bilbao to return to the attacking form that saw them score 15 goals in the previous three games.

They have only dropped points in their opening match of the season with a draw against Sporting Gijon but they trail an ominous looking Barcelona who have a 100 percent league record with the champions visiting Celta Vigo on Wednesday. – Reuters

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Reds will turn the corner - Brendan

Liverpool have failed to win their last four matches in the Premier League, but manager Brendan Rodgers remains optimistic.

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Liverpool are training hard and it is just a matter of time before they get the results that will put their Premier League campaign back on track, manager Brendan Rodgers has said.

The Reds have derailed from their promising start to the season, having failed to win their last four matches in the Premier League.

They last won 1-0 against promoted side Bournemouth on Aug. 17 and are 13th in the table with eight points from six league games.

Liverpool drew with Bordeaux in Thursday's Europa League match and were held 1-1 at Anfield on Sunday by a promoted Norwich City.

The Merseyside club have scored only four times this season, the second lowest in the league, and their slump in form has coincided with the loss of captain Jordan Henderson, who faces up to two months on the sidelines after breaking a bone in his foot during a training session.

Rodgers was confident that the team would soon return to winnings ways.

“Hard work pays and it's just going to be a matter of time until they can get the results to be rewarded by that. I think (confidence) will grow with results,” the 42-year-old told the club's website (www.liverpoolfc.com).

“We just have to build that confidence through our training, through the games, and it's just step-by-step, getting to the next game and hopefully a good performance and keep getting results.

“It's certainly something that we're embracing and the players, I'm sure, if they continue to work as they have been on a daily basis, they'll get their rewards,” the former Swansea City manager added.

Liverpool, who face Carlisle in the League Cup on Thursday, will be eyeing three points when they host 17th placed Aston Villa two days later. – Reuters

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Faith in youth pays off for De SA

Roger De Sa has described Ajax Cape Town’s MTN8 victory as a triumph for development.

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Port Elizabeth – Roger De Sa has described Ajax Cape Town’s MTN8 victory as a triumph for development and urged the rest of the country’s clubs to focus on younger players.

Speaking after his team dethroned Kaizer Chiefs as champions of the season-opening tournament with a 1-0 win on Saturday, the Ajax coach expressed pride at the fact that just about all his players were products of the club’s development programme.

“Anssi (Jakkola, the goalkeeper) is a foreigner and is 26 years old. But the rest are academy players from Ajax. All 10 starters in the outfield were boys that came out of the academy. That is probably a unique scenario all over the world to have a team win the cup with 10 players from the academy being on the pitch,” De Sa said.

“It is something to be proud of as a club and I’ve always said that if all the clubs did what Ajax do, I think our nation would be in a better state as far as footballers are concerned.”

Of course the fact that Ajax were able to outplay Chiefs the way they did had a lot to do with a brilliant tactical plan that saw the Urban Warriors “starve” the Amakhosi full-backs of the ball and put their defence under pressure throughout.

Ajax’s general application on the day also left De Sa beaming with pride.

“I thought we played really well,” he smiled “We controlled the game, especially in the first half and we were a little unfortunate not to go 1-0 up because I thought we dominated. In the second half they got stronger but we were still pretty good.

“Throughout the 90 minutes I was pretty confident of the way we played. We didn’t let them play, which was probably one of the things we did well. We defended well. As a unit we defended very well and that was important. Even though we played well when we had the ball, I thought defensively we were solid. We pressed them and we won the ball quickly and we kept most of the possession. It’s a good feeling when you play well and you win the game; its very rewarding.”

For him, in particular, the win was all the more special.

“Listen, for me it is very important to have won this because I was tired of collecting silver medals,” laughed the coach who had previously finished as runner-up in five of his six finals prior to this one.

The MTN8 captured, De Sa is now looking for more.

“It’s important to win one (a trophy) early in the season. Now that these young boys have got a taste of it, they’ve got a feel of it, they are going to want more. Their confidence will get a bit higher and hopefully we can build on from here.”

The key is to not get carried away though. - The Star

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Jose taunts Wenger, Arsenal

Following Chelsea’s win against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourinho could not resist having a dig at Arsene Wenger.

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Before Jose Mourinho disappeared into the manager’s office at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, there was one last chance to twist the knife into Arsene Wenger.

The Chelsea boss was in full flow, swiftly moving on from an inevitable disagreement with Wenger over Diego Costa’s behaviour and turning his attention to the quality of the Arsenal team.

‘I think Arsenal have the squad to be champions — and every season I feel that,’ claimed Mourinho. It was another pointed dig at Wenger.

No-one really believes Arsenal are good enough to win the Barclays Premier League with this team but it suited Mourinho to give Wenger another jab in the ribs.

‘I don’t know why they can’t win it,’ added Mourinho. ‘If one of their players is a free agent and Arsenal don’t want him there, I would take every one. I like all of their players.’

Arsenal have not won the title since 2004, when Wenger assembled a team of Invincibles.

And this was another brutal lesson after they succumbed to Costa’s shenanigans and allowed poor discipline to mask their usual inadequacies.

Gabriel lost out in a verbal exchange with Costa before the Arsenal defender’s petulant donkey kick at the striker towards the end of the first half. Captain Santi Cazorla left his team-mates to play out the remainder of this fiery derby with nine men when he was sent off 11 minutes from time.

By then Kurt Zouma had headed Chelsea in front and they added a second in injury time when Eden Hazard’s strike deflected in off Calum Chambers.

Arsenal’s season has juddered to a halt after they were beaten at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday. This was the chance for them to build on the psychological blow that was struck on August 2 when they won the Community Shield against Chelsea at Wembley.

Instead the dopey dismissals have given Arsenal an excuse again, as they preferred to blame Costa and referee Mike Dean for this defeat. On Wednesday they play Tottenham in a Capital One Cup tie, which has taken on extra significance.

‘We have played the last couple of games with 10 men in the second half and I hope we can play 11 v 11, but it’s another derby so it’s not guaranteed,’ said Wenger. The Frenchman will take some calming down after Costa’s contribution, which included the demand for a yellow card when he tripped over his own feet.

Of Gabriel’s sending-off, Wenger said: ‘I would like Mike Dean to look at everything that happened and see if he stands by the decision.

‘You can spit in my face and if it’s in a game then I will not respond — but I do not guarantee that outside the game.’

Costa will find out today — after the FA study Dean’s report — if he faces retrospective action for his part in the incident that led to Gabriel’s dismissal. He is likely to be on the bench for Wednesday’s Capital One Cup tie at Walsall with Radamel Falcao starting and John Terry, dropped for Chelsea’s last two games, returning to the team.

SUPER STAT: Diego Costa had not been sent off since December 2012.

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Begovic 6; Ivanovic 6, Zouma 7, Cahill 7, Azpilicueta 6.5; Matic 6.5, Fabregas 6.5 (Mikel 90); Pedro 6, Oscar 7.5 (Ramires 69), Hazard 7; Costa 6 (Remy 82, 6).Subs not used: Blackman, Falcao, Terry, Loftus-Cheek. Scorers: Zouma 53, Hazard 90. Booked: Ivanovic, Oscar, Costa.

ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Cech 6; Bellerin 6, Koscielny 7, Gabriel 5, Monreal 6; Coquelin 6 (Chambers 6), Cazorla 5; Ramsey 5, Ozil 6 (Giroud 75, 6), Sanchez 7 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 75, 6); Walcott 6. Subs not used: Ospina, Debuchy, Gibbs, Arteta.Booked: Gabriel, Cazorla, Chambers. Sent off: Gabriel, Cazorla. Man of the match: Oscar. Referee: Mike Dean 4. – Daily Mail

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Martial making his mark

Anthony Martial, the world's most expensive teenage footballer, scored two more goals at Southampton to the one on his debut against Liverpool.

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London - Paying a record fee that could eventually rise to 58.8 million pounds ($91.35 million) for a 19-year-old Frenchman many British pundits had barely heard of may have left Manchester United open to ridicule. But few are laughing now.

Especially their Premier League title rivals, after Anthony Martial, the world's most expensive teenage footballer, added two more goals at Southampton on Sunday to the one on his debut against Liverpool.

Each has been taken with the sure touch and composure of a veteran.

Before he moved from cash-strapped AS Monaco on the final day of the transfer window, United had failed to score more than one goal in any of their opening four league games and were looking in vain to Wayne Rooney for inspiration.

Six in the subsequent two matches have helped gloss over the fact that the United and England captain is without a Premier League goal since the start of April.

And with Dutchman Memphis Depay, 21, proving another exciting attacking acquisition after joining from PSV Eindhoven, the club appear to have recovered some of the youthful flair always previously associated with Old Trafford.

Gary Neville, once part of the famed “Class of '92” with David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and others, watched the 3-2 win at Southampton in his role as a Sky Sports pundit and was among those admitting to shock that Martial has done so much so soon.

“He's made a great impression,” Neville said.

“United have always had pace up front and at least with him there is that threat again.

“Could he step up to being a one-in-two (games) man? I never thought he'd even be close to that but he's shown in the first couple of weeks he's got the composure to score goals.”

United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin confirmed the impression that his fellow countryman is mature beyond his years.

“He's like you see him in a game, very calm, very relaxed...an amazing talent,” he said.

“Many people will have been a bit (surprised) because of the prize tag but he's a very intelligent guy and he will be a great player for the future of Manchester United.”

It was left to the wise old manager, Louis van Gaal, to try to damped down some of the excitement, but even the Dutchman could not conceal his pleasure and pride at a player he went out on an expensive limb for.

“Anthony Martial is already special because we paid a lot of money for him,” he told reporters.

“He's very important for us already.

“In three matches he has shown a lot. I am very happy with him but we and he have to keep our feet on the ground.” – Reuters

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