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United banking on Martial

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Anthony Martial has scored four times for Manchester United, helping them to the top of the Premier League. Can he replicate his form in Europe?

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London - Manchester United will bank on the dazzling form of Anthony Martial in Wednesday's Champions League game against VfL Wolfsburg as Louis van Gaal's men look to bounce back from their opening defeat in Group B.

The 19-year-old Frenchman, initially seen as a panic buy on the last day of the transfer window this month, has been a revelation, netting four times since leaving Monaco to help United top the Premier League for the first time in two years.

The Old Trafford club lost their first Champions League match 2-1 to PSV Eindhoven in a game overshadowed by the broken leg suffered by Luke Shaw but have since won 3-2 at Southampton and beaten Sunderland 3-0.

Wayne Rooney scored his first league goal of the campaign against Sunderland and with Martial providing pace and composure up front, Van Gaal's attacking worries are receding.

“He (Martial) is very direct, he is willing to take on players and he is willing to take on that risk,” said United defender Chris Smalling.

“I think, in the final third, it is an area where you can take that risk because you can't take it at the back. He looks a very sharp player.”

Goalkeeper David de Gea has also been in fine form after signing a new contract while Smalling and Daley Blind have formed a solid central defensive pairing and Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger have added experience and craft to the midfield.

“We have improved,” Smalling said. “Last season's start was disastrous and it didn't give us a foothold to be able to challenge for anything.

“We know we have improved in this section of the season and we now have to improve in each other section compared to last season and aim a lot higher.”

Wounded Wolfsburg, who drew 1-1 with Hanover 96 on Saturday after being crushed 5-1 by Bayern Munich last week, are likely to be without midfielders Luiz Gustavo and Vieirinha.

Brazil international Luiz Gustavo was taken off midway through their demolition at Bayern with a knee injury and coach Dieter Hecking says his chances of playing in Manchester “don't look good”.

Portuguese Vieirinha has returned to training after a three-week break caused by a thigh injury but the game at Old Trafford could come too soon for him.

The Wolves, who won their opener against CSKA Moscow, are looking to take control of the group.

“We have worked very hard to get here and experience games like the one at Manchester United,” said captain Diego Benaglio. “So we want to look really good there and we are certainly not going to England just to look at the stadium.” – Reuters

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Rooney denies Fergie’s transfer claims

England captain Wayne Rooney has opened up about his clashes with former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

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London - England captain Wayne Rooney has opened up about his clashes with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, how having children calmed him down and why he should not have gone to the 2006 World Cup for a new BBC television film.

Rooney denies that he put in a transfer request just before Ferguson retired in May 2013 but admits that he broached the possibility of leaving the club he had joined from Everton nine years earlier.

“I went in to see him and just said, 'If you are not going to play me, it might be better for me to move on',” Rooney said.

“Then, all of a sudden, it was all over the press that I had put a transfer request in, which I never did.”

Three years earlier Rooney did request a transfer and questioned the club's ambition.

“Wayne let himself down,” former team-mate Gary Neville told the programme of that incident. “Me and Ryan Giggs had a word and he apologised the next day.”

Talking about his international career, the current England captain admits that he should not have agreed to go to the 2006 World Cup under Sven Goran Eriksson after breaking his foot.

“It was touch-and-go as to whether I would be fit,” he said. “And then Sven put me in the squad.

“Looking back, I probably would have sat out the World Cup. It was a big ask to get fit after six weeks out. I was never going to have that match sharpness.”

His performances at two World Cups have been one of the disappointments of Rooney's career, which he suggests may stem from “putting too much pressure on myself”.

Insights into his personal life include an admission that “having children has calmed me down a bit” and that he was determined those children should be born in his native Liverpool rather than Manchester.

Other contributors to the hour-long programme include Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Ryan Giggs.

It is presented by Gary Lineker, whose 48 goals for England have been beaten only by Bobby Charlton's 49 and now Rooney's 50.

Roony hopes to add to that total when England, who have already qualified for Euro 2016, play their remaining group matches shortly, against Estonia and Lithuania. – Reuters

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Bucs have a plan to counter Al Ahly

Orlando Pirates will take a one goal lead into their Caf Confederation Cup semi-final, second leg tie against Al Ahly.

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Eric Tinkler clearly spoke too early. After his team’s 1-0 Caf Confederation Cup semi-final, first leg defeat of Al Ahly, the Orlando Pirates coach waxed lyrical about Zamalek being the “favourites” to win Africa’s second tier competition.

But it is highly unlikely to be the White Knights the Buccaneers will face in the final should Tinkler’s men overcome Ahly in Suez this weekend. It is rather Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel, who produced a shock result of epic proportions on Sunday, that Pirates may have to overcome to add a second continental title to their cabinet.

Etoile’s 5-1 mauling of Zamalek was the greatest upset in the competition’s 12-year history and it will take a miracle for the Egyptian double champions to overcome the deficit in the second leg in Cairo on Saturday.

Yet having put four past Pirates in their final group match before the semi-finals, Zamalek will fancy themselves to doing the same against the Tunisian Red Devils. That appears highly unlikely though and no doubt Tinkler will now sing a different tune about an Etoile outfit he seemed to rate below the two Egyptian sides.

“Etoile are a very strong team,” he said on Saturday night. “But they are not a team that’s very offensive. They defend well, hit you on the counter-attack and score a lot from set-pieces.”

Surely a non-offensive team would not have been able to put five against a Zamalek team that were “favourites for this cup”?

But before they can take on the Tunisians, there is the small matter of defending their first leg lead, if not adding to it, so they can overcome an Ahly side that is confident they can turn things around.

“We lost to Zamalek (last Tuesday) and to Orlando tonight because the players were not in a good state. But that’s how football is, even Barcelona lost 4-1 (to Celta Vigo),” said Ahly coach Fathy Mabrouk. “We talked about the importance of holding on to the ball because Orlando can punish you on the wings.

“We learnt from our mistakes and we will do our best in the second match. We have players who can score goals, so that is not going to be a problem for us going forward.”

And while he has no intentions of going to Suez to sit back and try to defend Thamsanqa Gabuza’s strike, Tinkler is hoping to punish Ahly on the break.

“They need to come at us,” he said.

“And when they do that they will leave themselves exposed (at the back). When they come at us we need to capitalise on that and punish them. We had opportunities to do so here on the counter in the second half but we did not use them.”

Perhaps letting his team watch the tape of Etoile’s demolition of Zamalek would help Tinkler explain to his players what it is he expects of them.

In any case, the exercise might come in handy with the Tunisians appearing the most likely opposition for the final. - The Star

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Paulse is carrying Ajax - De Sa

Ajax Cape Town coach Roger De Sa has lauded striker Nathan Paulse who has been on a great run of form for the Urban Warriors.

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Cape Town - Ajax Cape Town coach Roger De Sa has lauded striker Nathan Paulse who has been on a great run of form for the Urban Warriors, scoring in each match played in the last week.

“He is 30-something and getting better and better, this is probably the best he has played in a long time,” said De Sa.

“He is carrying the team, but unfortunately now he is suspended and will miss out on the next game.

Paulse will, however, face a suspension for accumulating too many yellow cards.

De Sa's men gear up for the start of the Telkom Knockout Challenge with the recent pressure they have been under set to continue. The Urban Warriors beat Chiefs 1-0 to lift the 2015 MTN8 trophy last Saturday, thanks to a Paulse strike.

On Wednesday Ajax stumbled to a Mamelodi Sundowns side, determined to bounce back from their recent bad run of form.

Then, finally Ajax hosted Kaizer Chiefs at Cape Town Stadium and although the match ended 1-1, the Urban Warriors drew plenty of positives from the match, especially the fact that talisman Paulse found the back of the net once again.

De Sa expressed his views on the match and how well his men responded after Chiefs dominated the first half.

“In the first half we were a little bit fortunate at times, but in the second half we started to play a little bit more and we created a couple of chances.

“We were a lot better in the second half. When we conceded we were playing pretty well, but it is good to see that we bounced back straight away. I don't think either side wanted to lose at the end, so it was basically just holding on.

“I suppose they had more clear chances than us, but we got better,” added De Sa.

Ajax's next outing is away to Golden Arrows at the King Zwelithini Stadium in the Last 16 of the Telkom Knockout on Saturday (kick-off is at 3.pm). - ANA

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Jose warns under-performing stars

Jose Mourinho has told his under-performing Chelsea players that they have an attitude problem which, if not addressed, will force him to replace them with youngsters.

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Jose Mourinho has told his under-performing Chelsea players that they have an attitude problem which, if not addressed, will force him to replace them with youngsters for the rest of the season.

The Chelsea manager delivered the damning verdict on the ambition of his squad who, after strolling to the Premier League title last year, have taken eight points from seven games this season.

The Portuguese diagnosed a damaging “attitude perspective of some individuals” and challenged them to prove that they are “serial champions” - as he is - rather than happy to sit on their laurels.

Chelsea are away at Porto in the Champions League this evening but the main focus is a run of league form that was, before their last two games, the worst of Mourinho's career. Speaking very frankly about their poor start, he put their inconsistency down to a lack of application from key players.

“At the moment what is happening with us is not that we are not performing,” Mourinho said yesterday morning, “but we are not performing in a continuous way, that is our problem.

“The matches we performed consistently with a consistent attitude were the matches that we won. We don't need to learn how to play football, we need to learn how to be consistent again.”

Assessing the cause of Chelsea's poor form, Mourinho made it very clear he thought the issue was mental, and not a hangover from their delayed start to pre-season. “Physically there is no problem, as we finished against [Manchester] City, Swansea with 10 men, and Newcastle with our team on top of the opponent,” he said. “We have no problem physically. Tactically it is the same. Clearly it's an attitude perspective of some individuals. And when you have individuals with that unstable attitude in terms of motivation, desire and commitment you will pay.”

Although Mourinho said that he was “generally happy and positive”, he added that he “wants more from some players”, as he hopes they embrace the mentality he requires from them. “I look for consistency,” he said. “If not we become a Newcastle. Win today, draw tomorrow, three points here, one point there. When you want to be a big team and you want to win, you have to be consistent in your attitude.”

Mourinho has won eight league championships in his career, retaining the title in Portugal, England and Italy. He challenged his players to show the same ambition in seeking to win the league again.

“There are two sorts of champions,” Mourinho said. “There are champions who win something, and there are lots of them. But there are the other champions who, during their career, win one, two, three, four, five, 10 or 20 titles. In this club we have 25 champions from last year.

“But serial champions in this squad, how many do we have? John Terry, John Obi Mikel, Branislav Ivanovic are serial champions. Almost every season they have something in the pocket. But how many serial champions do we have? That's the point.”

The implication was clear: Mourinho fears not enough of his young players share the mentality of the manager, Terry and Ivanovic. “Last year we were champions, but the point for me is are we serial champions? Of course it is very difficult to win the Premier League every season, but you can be a serial champion in your approach and your attitude. Mentally I can say I am a serial champion.

“I can be five or 10 years without winning a title, but I will still be a serial champion in my approach and my attitude. This is the problem we have at this moment. We have champions, but not serial champions.”

Mourinho warned his players that if they fall out of contention for the Premier League, he will have no hesitation in dropping them for the next generation of young players.

“At this moment we are in an open situation,” he said. “It's difficult to win the Premier League, but possible. It's difficult to win the Champions League, but possible. It's difficult to win the cups, but possible. We're still in an open situation. I explained to the players that when the situation is open I have to do both things - to try and prepare the kids for their future and at the same time to try and bring the best out of the other players, with more stability and experience.

“If the season goes in one direction that it becomes closed, and we can't win, I will go just with the kids. It makes no sense when you have nothing to win to play the older players. I'll play the players we're waiting for instead. I can arrive in a moment where I will look to the kids and say, 'let's go, non-stop'. I am ruthless, but at the moment everything is open.” – The Independent

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Pressure is mounting on Igesund

SuperSport United coach Gordon Igesund may be skating on thin ice.

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SuperSport United coach Gordon Igesund may be skating on thin ice.

Prior to the start of the season, Igesund impressed everyone with his performance in the transfer market. He made good signings with the likes of Dean Furman, Bongani Khumalo, Phumelele Bhengu, Michael Boxall and Isaka Cernac joining the side. The names on Igesund’s roster led many to tip the three-time PSL champions for glory this season.

Even opposition coaches, Mpumalanga Black Aces’ Muhsin Ertugral chief among them, have punted SuperSport as one of the teams that will contest for the Absa Premiership title and other pieces of silverware in the PSL.

However, it has not been all rosy for Igesund and his men. SuperSport have been blowing hot and cold. In fact by their standards, Matsatsantsa a Pitori have been punching below their weight so far this season.

Under the tutelage of Igesund, Matsatsantsa have managed one win. This doesn’t augur well for Igesund, who is one of the most decorated coaches around.

SuperSport have won once, drawn twice and lost four times in league and cup games. That they lost by heavy scores further adds fuel to under-fire Igesund’s woes. Wits hammered them by 3-1 in the MTN8. Chiefs subjected them to 4-1 annihilation and Platinum Stars beat them 3-1. Their other loss was a 1-0 defeat to Wits in the league.

Igesund has more reasons to worry about his future. SuperSport’s strike force is simply not firing, the defence is leaking goals and some fans are unhappy with his efforts so far. There’s also Stuart Baxter, former Chiefs coach, who is on holiday in South Africa ...

Though Baxter has distanced himself from the top job at SuperSport, there’s an indication that some want to see him at helm of the Tshwane side. SuperSport United boss Khulu Sibiya has dismissed links to the man who led Chiefs to the Absa Premiership title last season. However Sibiya has unflinching principles when it comes to the performance of coaches.

“I employ you, I give you tools and I say what more do you want? You say no this is enough, I say deliver. If you don’t deliver, bye-bye. Thank you, it was nice knowing you,” Sibiya has maintained over the years.

In the last 14 years, SuperSport have had three coaches before Igesund – Pitso Mosimane, Gavin Hunt and Cavin Johnson. The latter got sacked while the other two left after sharing 13 years between them at the helm. Sibiya hates to fire the man in charge but circumstances may force him to reconsider.

“That’s how it works. I don’t fire you, you fire yourself. With me, I set the standards, you have asked for this and you got it so deliver. If you don’t deliver, don’t wait for me to fire you, fire yourself. Come and say, you have given me everything but I am sorry I could not deliver.”

With SuperSport on a downward spiral, doubts have been cast over the side’s ability to defend their Telkom Knockout crown.

Igesund has to turn the corner as soon as tomorrow when they start their title defence against Polokwane City at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

In City they meet an attack-minded side that plays enterprising football with no fear and SuperSport’s defence will have to be at their best. - The Star

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Stern ‘Gladbach test for City

Manchester City face Borussia Moenchengladbach following back-to-back Premier League defeats, and a losing start in the Champions League.

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Berlin - Manchester City already have their backs to the wall when they travel to Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday, with injuries piling up and a losing start to the competition threatening to derail their Champions League campaign.

After starting the English Premier League season with five consecutive wins, a jolting home defeat by Juventus in their Champions League opener was followed by consecutive beatings by West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Saturday's 4-1 defeat by Tottenham also saw midfield powerhouse Yaya Toure suffer a hamstring injury, while keeper Joe Hart missed that game with an injury and both are doubts for the clash in the Rhineland.

With pressure mounting to stay in the running for a top-two finish in Group D, City's coach Manuel Pellegrini is also likely to be without captain Vincent Kompany who is nursing a calf problem.

“Joe had a problem with his back during the week,” Pellegrini said. “Yaya had some problem with his hamstring, and we don't know (if they will be fit). We must wait..to decide if they are 100 percent.”

With Moenchengladbach hosting their first game in Europe's premier club competition for 37 years, the atmosphere at the Borussia-Park will be daunting for City who badly need a three points to bolster their chances of getting beyond the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time.

Chilean Pellegrini, however, remains confident of City's chances.

“The first season we beat Bayern Munich and lost against Real Madrid in the group stages and qualified with 15 points,” Pellegrini said. “Last year was exactly the same.”

“This season we lost against Juventus here, but we played better than Juventus. We lost just three points. I'm absolutely confident we are going to do it because we did it the last two seasons after losing the first game.”

Gladbach are neither Real Madrid nor Bayern or Juve but the Germans are on a high after two consecutive wins following a terrible start to the season.

In complete contrast to City they lost their opening five Bundesliga games, leading to the resignation of coach Lucien Favre, but interim coach Andre Schubert has since stopped the rot and they will be confident of their first Champions League points after an opening defeat against Sevilla.

Schubert himself has ruled out a long-term commitment but the club's sport's director Max Eberl said: “Andre is doing a fantastic job.”

After a 3-1 defeat of Stuttgart at the weekend, midfielder Granit Xhaka identified the reason for the change in fortune.

“The fun is back because we are playing the type of football that made us so strong in the past,” Xhaka said. – Reuters

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Jose claims Costa ‘witch-hunt’

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho complained about a “witch-hunt” by the footballing authorities against Diego Costa.

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Porto, Portugal - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho complained about a “witch-hunt” by the footballing authorities against Diego Costa ahead of Tuesday's Champions League Group G match at Porto.

The Spain striker was banned retrospectively for three domestic matches by the English FA after being found guilty of violent conduct in the 2-0 win over Arsenal earlier this month.

Costa was unavailable for Saturday's 2-2 draw at Newcastle United but will be back for Chelsea's Champions League meeting with Mourinho's former club Porto.

Asked by a reporter where his team would be if they had 11 Costas, Mourinho replied: “I think we would lose every game because the desire to suspend him is so big that you wouldn't have enough players to start the game.

“I am happy to only have one and let him play until they decide to suspend him again. There is a witch-hunt going on against him.”

Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas, addressing the same news conference, agreed.

“[Costa is] frustrated and rightly so,” said Fabregas. “We all know why he is. Some people understand it, some people don't.

“It's very unfair what has happened to him. He's a key player for us...a player who has to score our goals and finish our moves.

“If you want to win this competition you all have to be at the top of your game but you also need your big players to perform, he's one of them for sure,” added Fabregas.

Chelsea won their opening Champions League game of the season, 4-0 at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv, but their form has been poor in the Premier League where the title holders are sixth from bottom.

“Away games in the Champions League are always difficult,” said Mourinho. “They are a big side and want to win but Porto know they will not face a weak team.

“The fact Porto are top of the Portuguese league is totally normal because of the quality of their squad.

“To be untouchable, you have to be consistent. Right now we have fantastic players but football is about today, not yesterday.

“To be untouchable in football, only consistency can give you that status.”

Mourinho refused to be drawn on Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas, a player he had a strained relationship with during their time together at Real Madrid.

“I know what you're going to ask,” the Portuguese said as he cut off a reporter's question. “I'll salute Casillas tomorrow but there's no point wasting time discussing it.” – Reuters

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Everton rally to sink West Brom

Romelu Lukaku scored twice and set up another goal as Everton clawed their way back against West Bromwich Albion.

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London - Romelu Lukaku scored twice and set up another goal as Everton rallied from two down to sink West Bromwich Albion 3-2 in the Premier League on Monday.

Everton's away victory took their unbeaten run to four games in the league and lifted manager Roberto Martinez's team up to fifth in the table with 12 points from seven games.

“The first half was not too good and at halftime the manager woke us up and the experienced players spoke up,” Lukaku told Sky Sports after his side had trailed 1-0 at the interval.

“I knew the first goal was crucial. I knew that we could win the game.”

West Brom opened the scoring four minutes before halftime at The Hawthorns when James Morrison pounced on a misplaced pass by Gareth Barry and slipped the ball through for Saido Berahino to beat keeper Tim Howard.

Craig Dawson made it 2-0 for Albion nine minutes after the break when he converted an inswinging corner from Chris Brunt with a powerful downward header.

Lukaku, who had a spell on loan at West Brom earlier in his career, started Everton's revival by nodding in a right-wing cross from Gerard Deulofeu in the 55th minute.

The Belgium striker turned provider for the equaliser when he ended a clever dribble outside the box by setting up substitute Arouna Kone for an easy finish.

Lukaku then scrambled the winning goal past keeper Boaz Myhill with six minutes to go following another excellent right-wing cross by Deulofeu.

“We were very disappointed with the first half, we were off, every single individual,” said Martinez.

“Gerard Deulofeu took extra responsibility, he wanted the ball all night and it was a real mature performance.”

West Brom's defeat dropped them one place to 15th on eight points.

“It is really, really disappointing,” said manager Tony Pulis. “We had the game in our hands and we handed it to Everton.

“The first goal killed us, we should have dealt with it. The other two goals are poor goals.”

REUTERS

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Blatter to remain president until February

President Sepp Blatter, under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities, plans to remain in his job until February.

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New York - President Sepp Blatter, under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities, plans to remain in his job until February and told staff at the world soccer governing body on Monday that he had done nothing illegal or improper, Blatter's lawyers said.

An emailed statement from Blatter's personal lawyers, Lorenz Erni of Switzerland and Richard Cullen of the United States, also defended payments that Zurich-based Fifa made to Michel Platini, president of the UEFA soccer confederation, as “valid compensation” for Platini's work as an adviser.

Swiss prosecutors said on Friday they had opened a criminal investigation into Blatter on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation of funds. Authorities interrogated Blatter at Fifa headquarters and seized unspecified data from his office.

The prosecutors said Blatter was suspected of a “disloyal payment” of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.05 million) to Platini in 2011 at the expense of Fifa, said to have been for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002.

Blatter told Swiss authorities on Friday that Platini “had a valuable employment relationship with Fifa” as an adviser, Blatter's personal lawyers said.

“He explained to the prosecutors that the payments were valid compensation and nothing more and were properly accounted for within Fifa including the withholding of Social Security contributions,” the lawyers said.

Platini made his own defense of the payments on Monday. The onetime soccer star for France said in a statement that he had not been accused of wrongdoing and that the money was fully declared to authorities in accordance with Swiss law. Platini offered to help Fifa's Ethics Committee to resolve any issues over the payment.

Blatter has said he plans to resign the presidency after an election in February.

He is also being investigated by US prosecutors and the FBI as part of a sweeping probe into allegations of corruption in the world's most popular sport.

Reuters

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‘Frenzy to get me out’ - Rodgers

Liverpool’s manager Brendan Rodgers felt the time was right to highlight the campaign he feels is being waged against him.

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Brendan Rodgers would not name names but that did not dilute his point. Rather than slipping away quietly at the end of a difficult week, his message was clear.

Having been pilloried for much of the past month, with his work being dissected on a daily basis, Liverpool’s manager felt the time was right to remind people of his abilities and, more than anything, highlight the campaign he feels is being waged against him.

‘There has been a frenzy, there is no doubt about it, to get me out of here,’ said Rodgers. ‘There is no question about that. Whether that’s a Liverpool hysteria or big club hysteria I am not so sure. The scrutiny here is obviously greater, for me, than any club.

‘But it is a huge club. As a manager you know that and deal with it. It’s not about proving people wrong. I think I’ve shown in the early stages of my management — without being arrogant — that with a talented group of players I can compete at the top end.

‘There are very short memories in football. The team was eighth when I got here. We built a team to excite people throughout European football that should have won the league. Then all the good work gets forgotten. The focus has not been on what we have missed but to get me out of the club.’

It was some claim, and, given he has had to contend with frequent stories about Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti being linked with his position, he was well within his rights to make it. But a frenzy? There have been no banners on the Kop asking for his removal, no chants asking for him to go. Yes, some former players — notably Mark Lawrenson — have said a change should be made but others, like John Barnes, have lent their support.

Rodgers’ point about being deprived of key players is also valid, particularly when you see the difference a fit Daniel Sturridge, scorer of two wonderful goals, made here. He is wrong, though, if he thinks the criticism has come in isolation. There have been a number of results over the past 12 months that have ensured his future has been the subject of much discussion and it will take a sequence of sustained improvement to make the noise subside.

With a trip to Goodison Park next, the focus on Rodgers and Liverpool will not go away but if this outpouring is a sign that he has the bit between the teeth, then it will have served a purpose.

‘I’m fine,’ he insisted. ‘You know what comes from leadership and being a manager and the scrutiny. I’ve never got too carried away when we’ve won, and not too disappointed when we lost. I have a hunger to succeed. There have been a lot of things going against us, but we stick together.’

After James Milner opened the scoring with just over a minute gone it should have been a cruise but Liverpool’s brittle state allowed Villa to get back into the game with two goals from Rudy Gestede, the second a fine header.

‘Collectively we’re not gelling,’ said Villa manager Tim Sherwood. ‘We’re doing it in spasms and it’s not good enough.’ – Daily Mail

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Mourinho left scratching his head

Jose Mourinho says he could have taken off six of his players at half-time in the 2-2 draw at Newcastle.

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Jose Mourinho spoke of his confusion and concern at the end of another troubled afternoon. He admitted he could have taken off six of his players at half-time in the 2-2 draw at Newcastle, such was the woeful nature of a first-half performance he said was the worst he had experienced as manager of Chelsea.

These are crucial times at the club. Mourinho is walking into managerial mortality, where defeat is regular, criticism of your own players standard practice.

It is not his way, but then his team are no longer playing the Mourinho way. They were rocked back for an hour at St James' Park, by which time they trailed Newcastle by two goals and the Premier League leaders by nine points.

The turnabout took inspirational substitutions and the execution of Mourinho's game-changing plan, which brought Ramires' stunning goal in the 79th minute and a free-kick from Willian that beat Tim Krul untouched.

There could have been a winning goal at the very death, when Krul saved from Ramires, but it did not hide the mounting problems the champions of England are facing after three defeats and a draw in their last seven games. Nor did Mourinho.

“Yes, I am very concerned,” he said. “I do not understand it and I do not accept it. I would like to have made more changes than I did but the ones that I did make were enough to improve the whole team. The reason I did not make substitutions at half-time was because I did not know which decisions to make. There were six players I could have taken off. That is how bad we were.”

Chelsea trailed to a fine strike from Ayoze Perez, three minutes before half-time. On the hour Georginio Wijnaldum glanced a header into the far corner of Asmir Begovic's goal from a Perez corner. Mourinho acted then, hauling off Loïc Rémy and Nemanja Matic. Neither player got an acknowledgement from the manager.

Asked afterwards if he was puzzled by the way his side has regressed from its domestic dominance last season, Mourinho said: “Yeah, yeah, but about the game, no. I could perfectly read the game and understand why we were so poor. It is easy to analyse the game and all the items that makes a football game, that is completely clear for me. The reason why we did that, or didn't do that, that's the question mark and I have to understand why.”

To add to Mourinho's confusion and concern came Gary Cahill's refusal to accept there is a crisis of confidence in the Chelsea team.

“There shouldn't be, because we got a good result in the Champions League, we got a good result at Arsenal, so we were building momentum,” the defender said. He added: “We'll take a point because if we'd lost this game it would have been a massive blow to us. Manchester City have lost so we have given up a lot of our lifelines now.”

The late revival at least kept the gap to new leaders Manchester United down to eight points. Diego Costa will not always be absent. In coming weeks Ramires's energy will come from the start and not from the bench.

They might also face opponents with less to prove than Newcastle, who did enough to suggest better days may follow a bleak start to the season.

“After Wednesday, I said we needed to be men and I think that's what we showed,” said goalkeeper Krul.

“The fans reacted to that. It was a shame to throw a two-goal lead away, but you can't complain about a finish like that from Ramires.

“Some strong words were said [after the Capital One Cup defeat by Sheffield Wednesday]. We had some meetings about it. It wasn't good enough. It was far below par. We know that, but at least we showed a reaction. That's the reaction we should have shown two or three weeks ago, but at least that's something to build on.” – The Independent

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Kane hits back at critics

Harry Kane says scoring his first Premier League goal of the season will silence the critics who have tried to saddle him with a “one-season wonder” tag.

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Scoring his first Premier League goal of the season will silence the critics who have tried to saddle him with a “one-season wonder” tag, Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has said.

The England international broke his season-long drought for his club when he clipped in a rebound after Christian Eriksen's free kick struck the crossbar in their 4-1 drubbing of Manchester City on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Kane was one of the revelations of last season finding the back of the net 31 times but, before the City game, had failed to score in eight appearances in all competitions for Spurs this campaign, leading some pundits and fans to question whether his feats last term were a one-off.

“Maybe I shut up a few people who have been talking over the last few weeks,” Kane was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

“Only seven games (in the league) and a few people said 'one-season wonder'. People can judge me at the end of the season and we will go from there. I have to stay focused but it is great to score.

“When you score like last season it becomes a drug, and when someone takes it away from you, you want to get it back. You want to score again and it was a good feeling to score again.

“It is frustrating (to be criticised). I kind of use it to get my juices flowing and to prove these people wrong. I have had to prove people wrong throughout my career to get where I am,” he added.

“It is not easy coming through as a youngster but it makes me want to get better and the more people say it, the more I want to prove them wrong.” – Reuters

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Liverpool players rally behind Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers still has the support of the Liverpool dressing room and criticism of the manager has united the squad, midfielders James Milner and Lucas said.

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Brendan Rodgers still has the support of the Liverpool dressing room and criticism of the manager has united the squad, midfielders James Milner and Lucas said after their 3-2 win over Aston Villa eased some pressure on their beleaguered boss.

Rodgers lashed out at his critics after Saturday's game, claiming there was a conspiracy to oust from his job and condemning the “hysteria” over his future after a poor run resulted in managers such as Carlo Ancelotti and Jurgen Klopp being tipped to replace him by sections of the media.

“There is a group of people that don't want me here,” the Northern Irishman told reporters after the Villa win, which sent his side up to seventh in the Premier League table and five points behind leaders Manchester United.

“I am talking about people outside of here. I think it is pretty clear. Sometimes we haven't lost games and the hysteria around it is pretty clear. There is maybe something else going on from behind.”

Milner, who scored Liverpool's first goal and pulled the strings in midfield alongside Lucas during a much-improved performance in which Daniel Sturridge scored for the first time since March, also lashed out at the recent criticism of his team's form and backed Rogers to turn things around.

“A lot of things that have been said are disappointing and frustrating really,” the England international said, quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

“I've been really impressed with the manager. Preparation here is second to none.

“There's people giving criticism from outside the club but I think Manchester City have lost more games than us this season.

“You have to stick together,” the 29-year-old added.

Milner's midfield partner Lucas dedicated the win to his manager.

“We wanted to win for the manager,” the Brazilian said. “We know what has been said about him and we think we showed we are a group of players behind him and trying to make everything right.

“We know the pressure is on him but we wanted to play the way he wants us to play, and I think we did that.” – Reuters

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Pellegrini left raging after defeat

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini was fuming after his side lost 4-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

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While Bacary Sagna was earnestly reflecting on Manchester City’s inability to be ‘killers’, Manuel Pellegrini was in another part of White Hart Lane and about to throw a tantrum.

The City manager had been asked about his post-match address to the players when he snapped.

‘What happened, we lost 4-1,’ said Pellegrini. ‘That is the most important thing, I am angry, I am not angry. No more questions? OK.’

He stormed off only to be told he was going the wrong way down the corridor and would have to return past that same group of reporters.

‘If you want to talk about football, we talk about football,’ he said on his way back. ‘But if you want to talk about stupid things then I do not answer stupid things.’

Except it is not stupid to wonder how he would talk to his players after a game like this, which City led through Kevin De Bruyne before being blown away by goals from Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld, Harry Kane and Erik Lamela.

Physically, City were unpicked by sloppy individual errors and also because they were not intense enough against a young, energetic Spurs team; mentally they appeared to wilt as soon as Tottenham equalised. Form is not on their side and the strain appears to be showing.

City managed 22 shots but scored once here, having also had 27 in the 2-1 defeat by West Ham last week and 13 in the 2-1 loss to Juventus. They have lost three of their last four games and, while not necessarily a cause for a full-scale inquisition, that is a justification for concern.

‘We should have killed the game,’ said Sagna. ‘We conceded that (Dier) goal just before half-time, but it’s not the reason to come back sloppy in the second half.

‘We had to keep some composure and we didn’t have it. We were too nice, we lost too many duels and we have to be killers.

‘Maybe we have shown too much confidence. We have to keep working hard if we want to stay on top. We know we can be champions.’

City were not helped by awful officiating on Saturday but were also undermined by back-line errors. Joe Hart should be fit for Wednesday’s Champions League tie at Borussia Monchengladbach but doubts over Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure, who came off with a hamstring problem, heighten the worry.

Any anxiety for Kane seems to have evaporated with his first league goal this season. ‘Maybe I shut up a few people,’ he said. ‘When you score like last season it becomes a drug, and when someone takes it away from you, you want to get it back. It was a good feeling to score again.’– Daily Mail

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