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Terry absence remains a mystery

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John Terry has been sitting impotently on the sidelines for half of the new campaign as Chelsea stutter to one of their worst starts in years.

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London - When Chelsea captain John Terry signed a new one-year contract last May he could hardly have envisaged sitting impotently on the sidelines for half of the new campaign as his beloved club stuttered to one of their worst starts in years.

In the wake of another poor defensive performance by Jose Mourinho's team while losing 2-1 away to Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday, pundits and supporters alike are questioning how long the manager can continue to ignore a player he once described as 'untouchable'.

Before meeting the Portugese club where he made his name, Chelsea's manager was forced to admit that none of his players came into that category now, which he proved by leaving out Player of the Year Eden Hazard, the previously reliable Nemanja Matic, Brazilian midfielder Oscar and Terry.

After playing for every minute of the 38 Premier League games last season, it was the fourth time in five matches that the club captain has been left sitting among the substitutes.

In only the second game of the season he had suffered the ignominy of being taken off at half-time as the defending champions lost 3-0 to Manchester City.

Instead of glamour matches against the likes of Arsenal and Porto, his only appearance recently was in front of barely 10,000 people for a League Cup tie at third-tier Walsall.

For the big games, England international Gary Cahill has been partnered in central defence with the 20 year-old Frenchman Kurt Zouma.

Neither impressed in the two most recent matches against struggling Newcastle United and Porto as Chelsea conceded two goals each time. They have already lost more matches than in the whole of last season.

With right-back Branislav Ivanovic given the captain's armband and looking completely out of sorts, critics are wondering how long it can be before the Terry is recalled.

“What must John Terry think as he watches from the substitutes' bench while Ivanovic seemingly survives error after error, match after match?” asked the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.

“The reason remains a mystery,” the Daily Mail wrote of Terry's continued absence. “Can they be much worse with Terry at the back? He would bring leadership and organisation at least.”

At 34, it is generally accepted that Terry may have lost a little pace, but many observers believe his vast experience would compensate.

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand, though he has had his differences with Terry in the past, spoke on Sky Sports of Chelsea “lacking leaders”.

Steve McManaman, once of Liverpool and Real Madrid, who was also covering the game, described him as “the ultimate professional” and said there will be games when he is called upon again.

For many Chelsea fans even this Saturday's home game against Southampton would not be soon enough. – Reuters

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Lack of discipline cost Arsenal

Per Mertesacker says Arsenal were punished for a lack of discipline and concentration in their Champions League loss to Olympiakos Piraeus.

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Arsenal were punished for a lack of discipline and concentration in Tuesday's loss to Olympiakos Piraeus in the Champions League and must regroup ahead of the weekend's game against Premier League leaders Manchester United, said defender Per Mertesacker.

Arsenal's hopes of advancing from the Champions League group stage for a 16th straight season are dangling by a thread after their 3-2 defeat to the Greek side.

The Gunners have now lost their opening two group matches for the first time following a 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb two weeks ago and are bottom of Group F, six points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who they have to play twice.

Arsenal were shaky at the back and goalkeeper David Ospina's awful mistake gifted Olympiakos a 2-1 lead five minutes before the break when he failed to collect an inswinging corner and allowed the ball to drop over the line.

Alexis Sanchez equalised in the second half but the Gunners seemed to switch off after the goal and Alfred Finnbogason put the Greek champions back in front less than a minute later.

“We lacked discipline. Even when you get a goal back don't rush yourself. We need to get behind the ball and play better defensively,” Mertesacker told the club's website (www.arsenal.com).

“Get your discipline back and with possession you get your chances. If we are not disciplined and do not chase the ball we have got no chance.

“We lacked that concentration and it is not understandable why we drifted and did not do the job we are used to doing. That is not acceptable and we will be punished in the Champions League.”

The German international said Arsenal had to regroup in time to host the Premier League leaders on Sunday.

“It will take a couple of days to recover and to think about Manchester United and play in a different competition, which will be a good opportunity to come back to the Emirates and play our football with possession and dynamism,” he said.

Olympiakos, whose 12 previous visits to England since 1965 had all ended in defeat, scored as many goals in the match as they had managed in the last 50 years on English soil.

“It is not an easy task to come here and get three points,” Iceland international Finnbogason said.

“We have had a very, very bad (away) record in Europe up until now and we are very delighted to be rewriting the history of Olympiakos by winning their first game in England,” he added. – Reuters

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United can conquer Europe - LVG

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has suggested that they are capable of winning the Champions League.

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The Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal, who is buoyed by his club going top of the Premier League, has suggested that they are capable of winning the Champions League.

Van Gaal never required much encouragement to issue reminders that he won the trophy in 1995, with Ajax, and at a time when he is making comparisons between Anthony Martial and Patrick Kluivert - his prodigy who played a match-winning role against Milan in that final - said the club, who entertain Wolfsburg tonight, can do it again.

“I think we can, because I've done it,” he said. “It's not [just] quality but it's also luck. For me as a manager when you reach the final you have done fantastic. I think in the Champions League you need to win all your home matches otherwise it will be very difficult.”

His side, who will be without Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera tonight, will need to defend better than they did in the 2-1 away defeat to PSV Eindhoven in their opening match, though Martial's interaction with Juan Mata which has already yielded four goals in five games is fuelling United's optimism.

Europe will create a true sense of whether United's rise in the Premier League is simply a reflection of the indifferent standards of Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, though Wolfsburg ought not to threaten Van Gaal's aspirations. They have started the Bundesliga campaign erratically, with three wins in seven and are nine points off leaders Bayern Munich.

The club - who are without Luis Gustavo - also bring with them the fallout of the VW emissions scandal. They were formed from a Volkswagen workers' sports club in 1945 and are a wholly-owned subsidiary of the stricken car manufacturer, whose financial investment helped them win the Bundesliga title in 2009 and German Cup last season. Analysts are already suggesting the scandal may damage VW's investment and threaten their funding streams.

“When you suffer a big financial hit, you have to look for savings,” the respected Coventry University sports business analyst Simon Chadwick has told the BBC World Service. “Sponsorship is one of the things that gets hit during times of austerity. It has to have an impact on the club. Depending on the size of the financial dent it remains to be seen whether they can sustain the level of expenditure, and therefore the team's performance, that we've seen over recent seasons.”

The club's sporting director Klaus Allofs has moved to reassure concerned fans. “As things stand now, nothing will change,” he said. The former Wolfsburg striker Jonathan Akpoborie is less convinced. “The link is always there. For the players it's not hidden. You know that without Volkswagen the team can't survive, it would crumble,” he has told the BBC.

Van Gaal only has thoughts for himself and his own side. He even held open the prospect of not carrying out his pledge to leave once his contract expires in 2017 - should United bring him a second Champions League trophy, 21 years after his first. “Normally I leave after next year, but nothing in football is normal,” he said. “But I promised my wife to go to our [Portuguese] paradise and it would be hard to break that promise.” – The Independent

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We had bit of ‘bad luck’ - Wenger

Arsene Wenger refused to take the blame for Arsenal's Champions League crisis after his selection gamble backfired against Olympiakos.

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Arsene Wenger refused to take the blame for Arsenal's Champions League crisis after his selection gamble backfired in a humiliating 3-2 defeat against Olympiakos.

Wenger's side had never before lost their opening two Champions League games, but they have imploded twice against Dinamo Zagreb and now Olympiakos to leave their Group F campaign in turmoil.

And it is Wenger's curious decision to make a host of changes for both European fixtures that has played a major role in the defeats which leave Arsenal in danger of failing to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in 16 years.

After making six changes for the loss in Zagreb earlier this month, Wenger threw caution to the wind again and made another five alterations for Olympiakos's visit to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

Crucially, he opted to leave Petr Cech on the bench and select David Ospina in goal instead and the move went spectacularly wrong as the Colombian's horrendous howler gifted the Greek club their second goal.

Yet Wenger remained defiant when asked if he regretted his failure to send out his strongest team.

“I make the decisions, I pick the team and I'm responsible for it,” Wenger said.

“I know many things that maybe you don't know and you ignore.

“You can't select the team by making a poll before the game.”

Pressed on why he had decided he could do without the experience of former Chelsea star Cech, an increasingly tetchy Wenger refused to accept he had blundered.

“I don't give you why. I don't have to sit here and give you explanations about every decision I make,” he said.

“Cech had a slight (injury) alert before the Leicester game and I didn't want to take a gamble.

“It's not because of that we lost the game.

“Ospina payed 19 games and kept many clean-sheets. Last week at Tottenham he had a fantastic game.

“It (the mistake) could have happened to Cech as well.”

With back to back fixtures against group leaders Bayern Munich coming next, Wenger's team could be eliminated by early November.

But the Gunners boss is convinced they can still nick a win against the Germans and find a way to sneak through.

“It leaves us in a bad positon but we are still in it,” Wenger said.

“We have to think we can deal with Zagreb and Olympiakos and we have to make a result in our next game against Bayern at home. We are not out of it.”

Felipe Pardo opened the scoring before Theo Walcott equalised.

Then Ospina's own goal was followed by an Alexis Sanchez equaliser and just 59 seconds later substitute Alfred Finnbogason bagged the winner.

Even by Arsenal's sloppy defensive standards, this was a new low for Wenger's men, but he was adamant it wasn't the worse European result of his reign.

“No. If you sit on the bench and lose in the Champions League final you will have the answer,” he said.

“I believe some aspects of our game were quite good but we lacked quality in our defensive concentration.

“We had a bit of bad luck as well. They had four shots on targets and scored three goals. That happens once in 100 games in the Champions League.

“We had 65 percent possession but we feel guilty because we gave easy goals away.”

While Wenger cut a frustrated figure, Olympiakos boss Marco Silva was understandably revelling in his club's first ever win in England after 12 consecutive defeats.

“I can't hide that I'm very satisfied. It's something historical for us after all these games and all these losses,” he said.

“Any team that wins here has to know how to suffer and put up with the pressure. That is one of the key features.

“We had to resist and to run a lot when Arsenal are trying to tire you.

“It was important never to be scared and we never stopped believing we could win.” – AFP

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Jose left to rue ‘ridiculous mistakes’

Jose Mourinho lamented Chelsea's defending from set-pieces after they lost 2-1 at Porto in the Champions League.

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Porto, Portugal - Jose Mourinho lamented Chelsea's defending from set-pieces but was otherwise satisfied with his team's display after they suffered a fifth defeat of the season on Tuesday, 2-1 at Porto in the Champions League.

Porto, the club Mourinho led to the Champions League title in 2004, scored in each half through Andre Andre and Maicon while the 2012 winners replied through Willian on the stroke of halftime.

“It was a good performance with two ridiculous mistakes,” the Chelsea manager told reporters. “Sometimes you make those mistakes and you are not punished, we were punished.

“With the second goal it's a ridiculous mistake. We watched dozens of repetitions of Porto taking corners, I thought we were completely ready for that and at a moment when the game was under control and were preparing to make a change we conceded that goal.

“We had another similar mistake when they hit the post. Apart from that I thought we had balance, defensively we had no problems and the defenders played well,” added Mourinho.

“The basic thing in football is a defensive set-play, the ball is there, you know the movements, control the spaces.”

Dynamo Kiev and Porto top Group G with four points from two games. Chelsea are on three while Maccabi Tel Aviv have yet to get off the mark.

The Londoners are also way off the pace in the Premier League and Mourinho has criticised his side at times during a difficult start to the season.

On Tuesday night, however, he refused to “point the finger” of blame at his squad.

“I don't think my players deserve me to be critical of them apart from the two mistakes,” he added.

“It's a difficult opponent and a difficult place to play. The Champions League brings a different emotion to matches, to the crowd and opposing players. I think the team played well.”

Porto's first-half scorer Andre hailed a memorable performance by his side.

“The most important thing is that the team keeps winning, no matter who scores,” said the midfielder.

“I would be equally happy if we won and I was not the one scoring. We are all very happy, we played a great match and now we have to savour this victory.” – Reuters

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Arsenal in danger of early CL exit

Arsenal lost their second successive Champions League game, leaving them bottom of their group after losing to Olympiakos Piraeus.

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London - Arsenal's hopes of advancing from the Champions League group stage for the 16th straight season were left dangling by a thread after they lost an astonishing clash 3-2 to visiting Olympiakos Piraeus on Tuesday.

The Gunners have now lost their opening two group matches for the first time ever following their 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb two weeks ago and are bottom of Group F, six points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who they have to play twice.

Olympiakos, whose 12 previous visits to England since 1965 all ended in defeat, scored as many goals in this match as they had managed in the last 50 years in England, and have three points along with Dinamo, who were beaten 5-0 at Bayern.

The defeat left Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in a tetchy mood when he faced the media at the post-match news conference.

His team selection was criticised when they played in Zagreb and he came under renewed questioning after this loss especially about his decision to play No.2 stopper David Ospina instead of first choice Petr Cech. He was unusually curt with his answers.

“I make the decisions and the selections for the team and I am responsible for it. I know many things that maybe you don't know and maybe ignore,” he said.

“You cannot select the team by making a poll before the game and getting everyone's opinion.”

“It leaves us in a bad position but we are still in it,” added Wenger. “We have to think we can beat Zagreb here and Olympiakos away from home and get a result in our next game against Bayern at home, but we are not out of it.”

Olympiakos, who had lost their last five Champions League away games and their last six in all European competition took the lead against the run of play when Felipe Pardo's 32nd minute shot was deflected by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain past Ospina.

Arsenal were level three minutes later when Theo Walcott scored from a tight angle but Olympiakos went in front again when Ospina mishandled a corner and dropped the ball over his line with the fifth official signalling a goal.

Alexis Sanchez equalised for the hosts with a neat header in the 65th but almost immediately Icelandic substitute Alfred Finnbogason put Olympiakos ahead again.

The visitors carved their way through an unusually shambolic Arsenal defence, disrupted by the loss of Laurent Koscielny who went off with a hamstring injury after 57 minutes.

A key moment came though when Ospina made a calamitous mistake to gift Olympiakos a 2-1 lead five minutes before the break, the keeper failing to collect an inswinging corner when unchallenged and allowing the ball to drop over the line.

“It's always a simple thing to say Ospina should not have played. He played 19 games last season and kept 14 clean sheets and last week at Tottenham he had a fantastic game,” said Wenger.

“No goalkeeper is mistake-free - it could have happened to Petr Cech as well. But I don't have to sit here and give you an explanation of every decision I make. We did not lose the game because of that mistake, that's a farce.”

Ospina's own goal was the third goal in an eight-minute spell after Pardo and Walcott traded goals.

The next arrived when Sanchez headed in Walcott's precise cross in the 65th but a minute later Finnbogason finished off a neat passing move to with what proved to be the winner and left Arsenal with a mountain to climb to reach the last 16 again. – Reuters

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Lewandowski bags another hat-trick

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski continued his remarkable scoring run with a hat-trick in a 5-0 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb.

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Munich - Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski continued his remarkable scoring run with a hat-trick in a 5-0 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday to snap the Croats' 45-game unbeaten run and put the German champions in firm control of Champions League Group F.

In an explosive first half in which Bayern were 4-0 up inside half an hour, the Poland striker, who has notched a staggering 10 goals in their last three matches, including five in nine minutes against VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, struck twice in seven minutes.

“He is having an amazing run and an unbelievable week behind him,” Bayern captain Philipp Lahm told reporters. “A striker like Lewandowski doesn't need any prodding. He could be even more dangerous than last season.”

Brazilian Douglas Costa had put the hosts ahead with a fine low shot after 13 minutes and Mario Goetze added his second of the campaign before Poland captain Lewandowski chipped keeper Eduardo in the 55th minute for his third goal as Bayern moved to a maximum six points from two matches.

Greek champions Olympiakos stunned Arsenal 3-2 to move into second place level on three points with Zagreb, leaving their hosts bottom without a point.

“I want to congratulate my players for tonight,” Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. “They had a top performance. With (wingers) Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman our game is much better. Robert and Thomas (Mueller) have much more space in the middle.

“Now we are off to the Oktoberfest and then we will start thinking about Borussia Dortmund on the weekend,” he added referring to their top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash.

Dinamo, unbeaten in 45 games matches in all competitions before Tuesday and winners at Arsenal in their opening group game, were mere observers as they witnessed Bayern's awe-inspiring display of speed, skill and strength.

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola surprisingly left Thomas Mueller and Xabi Alonso on the bench, playing the talented Joshua Kimmich instead.

The 20-year-old needed three minutes to make his presence felt, although his glancing header sailed narrowly over the bar.

Eduardo came to the rescue a little later, palming a powerful Jerome Boateng drive around the post but could do nothing when Costa charged into the box and caught him off guard from a tight angle.

His 13th-minute goal opened the floodgates and Bayern doubled their lead in the 21st when Thiago Alcantara pounced on a mistake by Filip Benkovic and laid the ball off for Lewandowski, who had no trouble tapping in.

Goetze was then on target after playing a clever one-two with Kingsley Coman in the 25th and Lewandowski flicked in a Costa corner three minutes later with the ball going in off the bar.

The 27-year-old Lewandowski, who also scored twice against Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, completed his treble 10 minutes after the restart with a fine turn and chip after a backheel combination between Costa and Thiago left the Dinamo defence dazed. – Reuters

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Dazzling Porto sink Chelsea

Jose Mourinho fumed on the sidelines as Chelsea suffered at the hands of Porto in a Champions League clash.

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Porto, Portugal - Jose Mourinho suffered a nightmare homecoming as Porto, the club he led to the Champions League title in 2004, inflicted a 2-1 defeat on his woefully out-of-sorts Chelsea side in Group G on Tuesday.

Manager Mourinho sprang a surprise before the game by leaving out Eden Hazard, Nemanja Matic and Oscar and the Londoners went behind after 39 minutes when Yacine Brahimi produced a surging run down the left and Andre Andre scored.

Brazil playmaker Willian equalised with the last move of the first half, curling a delightful free kick into the top corner of the net from 25 metres.

Porto then went back in front seven minutes after the break when Maicon stooped low at the near post to head a left-wing corner past keeper Asmir Begovic.

Diego Costa was agonisingly close to a second goal for Chelsea when his wicked drive from 25 metres hit the underside of the bar and came out.

But Chelsea, who won the Premier League last season but are struggling in 14th place in their domestic championship this term, could have fallen further behind at the Estadio do Dragao.

Porto laid siege to the visitors' goal in the last 20 minutes and Begovic had to be at his best to keep his team in the game.

Penalty claim

Chelsea were denied a late penalty when Diego Costa flicked the ball around Ivan Marcano in the box and the defender deflected it away with his arm.

Overall, though, Porto were deserving winners as they joined Dynamo Kiev at the top of the group with four points from two games. Chelsea are on three while Maccabi Tel Aviv have yet to get off the mark.

Mourinho blamed his team's fifth defeat of the season on two bad moments.

“We watched dozens and dozens of repetitions of Porto taking corners,” he explained. “We were completely ready for that and in a moment when the game is under control we concede a goal that is ridiculous.

“They hit the post from a similar mistake. Apart from that the game was balanced. Two ridiculous moments and we were punished.”

Victory was especially sweet for Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas as the former Real Madrid stalwart broke fellow Spaniard Xavi's all-time Champions League record by featuring in his 152nd game in the competition.

“That was our best performance of the season,” said Porto coach Julen Lopetegui. “I have to congratulate my team, these three points are totally deserved.

“The players attitude was amazing, spectacular. It was tough and unfair to go to the dressing room at halftime with a draw but we reacted well.”

REUTERS

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Lamela gets Argentina call up

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Erik Lamela has been called up by Argentina for their opening 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

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Buenos Aires - Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Erik Lamela has been called up by Argentina for their opening 2018 World Cup qualifiers after captain Lionel Messi and Ever Banega withdrew with injuries, the Argentine FA said on Tuesday.

Lamela, who shone in Spurs' 4-1 Premier League win over Manchester City last weekend, has been drafted into the squad named by coach Gerardo Martino last week for South American qualifiers at home to Ecuador on Oct. 8 and away to Paraguay five days later.

Messi has been ruled out for up to two months with left knee ligament damage after being injured playing for Barcelona against Las Palmas on Saturday while Sevilla midfielder Banega is nursing a right knee injury.

Lamela, who was part of the squad that reached the Copa America final in Chile in July, last played for Argentina in their 7-0 rout of Bolivia in a friendly on Sept. 5 on tour in the United States. - Reuters

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United banking on Martial

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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