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Buccaneers sail ahead after tough game

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South Africa’s Orlando Pirates book their place in the CAF Confederation Cup final after beating Al Ahly of Egypt.

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Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates of South Africa recovered from trailing by two goals to triumph 4-3 at title-holders Al Ahly of Egypt Sunday and reach the CAF Confederation Cup final.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg last weekend, the Soweto Buccaneers qualified 5-3 on aggregate and face Etoile Sahel of Tunisia in a two-legged final.

The climax of the second-tier African Football Confederation (CAF) club competition is set for successive weekends between November 20 and 29 with the first game in South Africa.

Etoile won the Confederation Cup in 2006 and were runners-up two years later while Pirates will be first-time finalists.

Defeat for Ahly, winners of a record 19 CAF titles, completed a miserable weekend for Egyptian clubs with Cairo neighbours Zamalek also bowing out despite a gallant second-leg comeback.

Seemingly doomed having lost 5-1 at Etoile, Zamalek shrugged off having Ali Gabr red-carded in the fifth minute to win 3-0 but were eliminated 5-4 on aggregate.

Kermit Erasmus, Thamsanqa Gabuza, Thabo Matlaba and Thabo Rakhale scored for Pirates at the New Suez Stadium, east of Cairo.

Gabonese Malick Evouna struck in each half to give Ahly a 2-0 lead on the night and a one-goal overall advantage, and Amr Gamal was the other scorer for the home side.

Pirates will be seeking a third piece of CAF silverware when they meet Etoile after winning the 1995 CAF Champions Cup (now CAF Champions League) and the CAF Super Cup the following year.

Defeat completed a disastrous year for Ahly, who surrendered the Egyptian league title season to Zamalek and also lost the cup final to their arch domestic rivals.

At the final whistle in Suez, Fathy Mabrouk had the look of a coach who knows the sack is virtually inevitable following 12 trophy-less months.

After government authorities initially refused to admit spectators because of post-Arab Spring security concerns, they relented and a small crowd was permitted to attend.

Ahly controlled first-half territory and possession and deserved to lead 1-0 at half-time after Evouna sprang a 43rd-minute offside trap and rounded Equatoguinean goalkeeper Felix Ovono to tap the ball into the net.

A snap, long clearance from goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy caught Pirates off-guard on 53 minutes and unmarked Evouna nodded home a cross to double the lead.

A couple of substitutes brought Pirates back into the game with a Rakhale cross only partially cleared and Erasmus drilled a half-volley into the corner.

When Gabuza burst into the box 15 minutes from time his shot deflected off Mohamed Naguib and over Ekramy for the second-leg equaliser.

Matlaba put the visitors ahead after intercepting a careless Ekramy clearance, Gamal levelled and Rakhale won the match with a close-range shot five minutes into stoppage time.

Kahraba scored twice for Zamalek in Cairo 24 hours earlier and Ghazi Abderrazak conceded an own-goal, but a fourth unanswered goal that would have won the tie eluded the Egyptians.

AFP

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Arsenal crush Manchester United

Arsenal scored twice in the opening seven minutes and ended the match with a third in the 19th as they crushed United.

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London - Arsenal scored twice in the opening seven minutes and ended the match as a contest with a third in the 19th as they crushed Manchester United 3-0 to move above them into second place in the Premier League at the Emirates on Sunday.

The Gunners demolished United with some brilliant passing football, taking the lead when Alexis Sanchez scored with a clever near-post flick after six minutes.

They doubled their lead a minute later when Mesut Ozil rifled in from 12 metres and completed the rout when Sanchez blasted in an unstoppable shot for his sixth goal in his last three games after 19 minutes.

United, who were top of the table at the start of the weekend, rarely got going against the home side who were always in control and never looked like slipping up with Petr Cech only seriously troubled once.

The victory was Arsenal's biggest against United for 17 years and lifted them to 16 points, two behind new leaders Manchester City, and just ahead of United on goal difference.

Arsenal came into the match under something of a cloud following their 3-2 home defeat to Olympiakos Piraeus in the Champions League on Tuesday, but they put that disappointment behind them almost from the kickoff.

United, with Ashley Young handed an unfamiliar start at left back and Italian defender Matteo Darmian on the right, were totally bamboozled.

Aaron Ramsey and Ozil combined to set up Sanchez for the first, with the Chilean flicking in at the near post to score, and a minute later Ozil carved up the United defence after a one-two with Theo Walcott.

With United's midfield lacking any invention, pace or authority, Arsenal poured forwards and Sanchez powered into a shooting position to launch an unstoppable rocket past David De Gea in the United goal and effectively seal all three points.

United's only real chance in the game came just before the break when Anthony Martial turned and shot but saw his effort cleared by the boot of Cech who was virtually a spectator for most of the match.

Darmian was hauled off at halftime after being tormented by Sanchez and the second half was more evenly balanced.

But Arsenal were never seriously troubled, ending United's four match winning domestic run and at the same time beating them in the league for only the second time in their last 14 meetings.

Arsenal substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was unlucky not to make the score 4-0 when he hit the bar with a looping shot with the last kick of the game.

Reuters

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Liverpool sack manager Rodgers

Liverpool parted company with manager Brendan Rodgers, just eight games into the Premier League season.

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London - Liverpool parted company with manager Brendan Rodgers on Sunday, just eight games into the Premier League season with the five-times European champions in 10th place.

“Although this has been a difficult decision, we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch,” the club said in a statement.

“Ambition and winning are at the heart of what we want to bring to Liverpool and we believe this change gives us the best opportunity to deliver it.

“The search for a new manager is underway and we hope to make an appointment in a decisive and timely manner.”

The club have won only three of their opening league games, against Stoke City, Bournemouth and Aston Villa, and count a 3-0 thrashing at home by West Ham United among their early results.

Liverpool also needed a penalty shootout to overcome fourth-tier Carlisle United in the League Cup at Anfield after being held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield after extra time.

Reuters

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Merseyside derby ends in draw

Everton and Liverpool drew 1-1 on Sunday in one of the quieter Merseyside derbies of recent years.

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London – Premier League rivals Everton and Liverpool drew 1-1 on Sunday in one of the quieter Merseyside derbies of recent years.

Liverpool, who have not lost to their neighbours for five years, went ahead in the 42nd minute when Danny Ings was left unmarked to head in a corner.

But in added time at the end of the first half, Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku drove in the equaliser.

The draw left Everton one point in front of their old rivals and in sixth place before the later Sunday games, Arsenal at home to Manchester United and Swansea City against Tottenham Hotspur. – Reuters

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Sunderland manager steps down

Dick Advocaat has quit as Sunderland coach after less than seven months in the job, the club has announced.

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London – Dick Advocaat has stepped down as manager of Premier League Sunderland after less than seven months in the job, the club said in a statement on Sunday.

The 68-year-old Dutchman took over from Uruguayan Gus Poyet in March and although he saved them from relegation last season, they have failed to win in eight games this season and are one from bottom in the table.

“Sunderland AFC have announced that Dick Advocaat has left his position as head coach at the club,” the statement said.

“The Dutchman informed the chairman of his decision to step down from his role and departs the Stadium of Light with immediate effect.” – Reuters

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De Sa warns Bucs of Al Ahly fan factor

Roger de Sa has warned the Pirates not to assume they will face Al Ahly in an empty stadium.

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Johannesburg –Roger De Sa has warned the Pirates not to take heart from the news that they will face Al Ahly in an empty stadium.

“When we played them in the final (of the 2013 CAF Champions League), we were told the stadium would be empty. Then they changed and said they will only allow 5 000 fans. But when we got there, the stadium was full and as we were warming up they opened up for more fans,” recalls De Sa, who was in charge of the Buccaneers back then.

“So I hope Pirates do not read too much into talk that there will be no crowd. They’ll do well to brace themselves for anything ranging from a hostile crowd that will point lasers at them and fill the stadium with red smoke and make noise with their drums. Al Ahly’s fans are definitely their 12th man.”

The crowd factor aside, De Sa is confident his former club will overcome the Caf Confederation Cup champions and reach the final of the second tier continental competition.

Pirates take a 1-0 lead to Egypt where they face the wounded giants at the New Suez Stadium and the Ajax Cape Town coach says the Buccaneers can register a second win over the Red Devils. Two years ago, Pirates hammered Ahly 3-0 in the group stages only to come a cropper when they met again in the final.

De Sa remembers both those matches vividly and says they owed a lot of their victory to “the surprise factor” while the unavailability of key players was behind their coming unstuck 2-0 in the one that really mattered.

“Ahly did not expect us to take the game to them as we did. But we were also fortunate because (the late) Senzo (Meyiwa) saved a penalty that would have seen them get the match to 1-1 and then we went and scored immediately thereafter.

“But in the final we did not have Andile Jali and Happy Jele and that really left us pretty thin. And remember we went there having conceded a goal at home and the score at 1-1.”

Not so this time though, and De Sa believes Pirates’ 1-0 lead gives them a great advantage.

“Unlike in our final when they could afford to sit back, Ahly have to come at Pirates this time. They have to open up a bit and this will work in Pirates’ favour because they are very good on the counter. I feel they will score there.”

A big part of De Sa’s confidence in Pirates stems from what he believes is some kind of fall from grace on the part of the Egyptians.

“Ahly are no longer the team they used to be. Without (Mohamed) Aboutrika and those other big and highly experienced players, they are not as strong a team as before.

“And I believe Pirates have a realistic chance to beat them. Even if the first leg had ended goalless, I would still fancy Pirates. They did very well at Orlando even when Ahly were throwing everything at them and I am sure that with good defensive discipline and great play on the break they will be victorious.”

While he lamented the absence through injury of captain Oupa Manyisa, De Sa says Eric Tinkler has enough strength in depth to put out a formidable team onto the pitch.

“It’s a pity Oupa won’t be there because he is a phenomenal player. But Pirates can still play with flair and arrogance to go at Ahly, who are not used to having teams run at them. They don’t like to be harassed.”

Pirates, meanwhile, must brace themselves for some harassment by the crowd, the news from Egypt that the match will be played behind closed doors notwithstanding.

– THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT

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Laffor lights up Downs

Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Anthony Laffor has emerged as a central figure to their recent resurgence.

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Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Anthony Laffor has emerged as a central figure to their recent resurgence.

The Liberian international’s contribution has gone a long way to save the blushes of the team and their coach, Pitso Mosimane.

A fortnight ago fans in yellow were ready to riot but Laffor fired a last-minute goal to lead Sundowns to a 3-2 win over Ajax Cape Town.

The goal reduced the number of fans singing derogatory songs about Mosimane, whom they wanted out of the club.

A few days later, Laffor was at it again. This time he provided an assist when Keagan Dolly led Downs to a 2-0 victory over Jomo Cosmos.

Mosimane will be hoping Laffor does it one more time when Sundowns tackle Chippa United at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in the last 16 of the Telkom Knockout this afternoon.

The man from Monrovia has started most games off the bench as an impact player but is not concerned about personal glory.

“Every player at Sundowns wants to be in the starting line-up,” he said.

“I won’t tell you that I am happy to be on the bench but the most important thing is for me to work hard for the team.

“I care less about me coming on as a sub or starting. If Sundowns win, it’s all of us winning.

“If we lose, blame all of us.

“We need to encourage the guys that are starting, though. We are a team.

“I am happy with the way things are going. The most important thing for me is to work hard.

“Being an impact player is just a bonus.

“When I came to Downs, I came here to win trophies and help the club move forward.

“I believe I can still do more. I just have to keep my feet on the ground and work hard,” said Laffor.

The unsavoury incidents by a section of the supporters, as well as the losses and draws have negatively impacted on the playing personnel but Laffor says he and his teammates have their sights on shrugging off the challenge of Chippa United to go all the way to glory.

“Every trophy is important to Sundowns.

“At the beginning of the season, we set our goals and said we wanted five.

“Now there’s four trophies to play for.

“However, we need to concentrate on the game. We can talk about winning the trophy but the first thing is to beat Chippa.

“We cannot say we are going to capitalise on their mistakes because you never know their game plan,” said the former SuperSport United playmaker.

“Things are normal in the camp. The most important thing is to win games.

“I am glad we won two games already.

“We just have to concentrate on Chippa.

“It’s a cup game. It’s one game and you’re in or out.

“If we listen to what our coaches say and keep our feet on the ground, I think we can beat Chippa.

“We have watched their videos and we believe we have a winning formula.”

By and large, Sundowns have not done well in the Telkom Knockout.

The closest they got to winning it was when they reached the final three seasons ago.

They have since been knocked out in the semi-finals.

Mosimane wants the Brazilians to claim the elusive Telkom Knockout.

Mosimane will be crossing fingers that Laffor, Keagan Dolly, Themba Zwane and teammates rock up with their A-game and put Chippa aside en route to glory.

Saturday Star

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Norodien promises more from Ajax

Ajax Cape Town's young stars have had a taste of success - and now they are determined to savour the feeling again.

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Cape Town - Ajax Cape Town’s young stars have had a taste of success - and now they are motivated and determined to savour the feeling again.

Having been crowned MTN8 champions by beating Kaizer Chiefs two weeks ago, Ajax head into the top flight’s next cup competition this afternoon.

The Urban Warriors are in Durban to face newly-promoted Golden Arrows in the opening round of the Telkom Knockout (kickoff 3pm) aware that they can expect a difficult encounter against tricky opponents.

But for the Cape club’s exciting youth brigade, the win over Chiefs has revealed the true potential of the squad. The youngsters now know they can achieve at this level. One such talent looking to continue the team’s current success is winger Riyaad Norodien.

The 20-year-old had a sensational introduction to the PSL last season and has maintained that level of form at this early stage in the new campaign.

It’s taken some time for Norodien to come to prominence at senior level. Always highly rated as a junior, he left Kensington-based Norway Parks at a young age to enter the Ajax youth academy. His manager then tried to get him released from the Cape club, but they were then taken to arbitration by Ajax. The case, won by Ajax, took about 18 months and, for all that time, Norodien was on the sidelines.

Once it was all over and Norodien had committed himself to Ajax, he was brought back to training in January this year. Coach Roger de Sa immediately liked what he saw and threw the youngster into the mix. Norodien went on to take the PSL storm, impressing with his skill, pace and overall game awareness.

Earlier this season, in a friendly against Portugal giants Sporting Lisbon, the winger ran the European defenders ragged. And two weeks ago, he played an influential role in Ajax’s MTN8 final victory.

“It was fantastic winning the final against Chiefs, but it’s over now,” Norodien said. “We are already looking forward. We have the experience of winning and we want to keep doing well. There’s no pressure, we will just take things game by game.”

As for Arrows on Saturday, Norodien admitted he didn’t know too much about the opposition, but was confident Ajax would be well-briefed and prepared.

“Arrows weren’t in the PSL last season, so I haven’t played against them yet,” he said. “But from the videos we’ve seen, they look like a ball-playing team, with some tricky players. But we just have to apply our own game, make sure we are up to our potential, and go for the win.”

While Norodien has put in some good work this season, he still believes there’s room for improvement. “Obviously, I can do more,” he said. “No player can feel comfortable about his game, you have to always keep trying to do more. I think I need to score more goals and continue in trying to assist teammates to score.”

And Norodien has an opportunity to do more when he faces up to Arrows, to make a match-winning contribution as Ajax seek to have another positive run in a cup competition.

Weekend Argus

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Bullish van Gaal predicts Emirates win

While Arsene Wenger continued to show signs of strain, Louis van Gaal cut an increasingly confident figure in the rival camp.

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London - While Arsene Wenger continued to show signs of strain, Louis van Gaal cut an increasingly confident figure in the rival camp.

For Van Gaal, it is a case of when and not if Manchester United win at the Emirates tomorrow. Victory will, he believes, add to the growing sense of belief around Old Trafford that United’s sudden rise to the top of the table is the start of a sustained challenge for the Premier League title this season.

United could give up first place to Manchester City for 24 hours before meeting Arsenal, but Van Gaal insists that the improvement in his squad means they are capable of staying top in the long run.

‘You always have to believe in this,’ he said.

‘I think the balance in our selection is much better than last year, so I believe in that. But the most important thing is not only that I believe, but that the players are believing in that. When we win at Arsenal the belief will rise a lot.’

Van Gaal was full of praise for Wenger at the end of another difficult week for the Frenchman, lauding him as one of the best coaches in the world.

However, he was less sure when asked if he could have stayed at a club for so long without winning a title. It is more than 11 years since Wenger’s team were crowned champions of England.

‘That is difficult to answer because I have won a lot of titles and that’s also my aim,’ said Van Gaal, who won the championship in his first season at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

‘I want to do that in different countries. Not only in the Netherlands, but after that in Spain and after that in Germany, and after that in England. That’s my ambition.

‘I am not that type. I like to win a lot, as a manager also.

‘I think that he (Wenger) is doing great work. When you can stay in a club for such a long period of time, like Sir Alex Ferguson, you have to be very good otherwise you shall not succeed.

‘So I think Arsene Wenger is one of the best coaches of this world, and the same thing with Sir Alex, who I think is the best because he won the most titles.

‘Arsene Wenger, when you are with one club for such a long time, and everyone is satisfied - the fans, the board, the players - then you are very good, believe me.’

Meanwhile, United defender Donald Love, 20, has joined Wigan on a two-month loan.

The Scotland Under 21 international took part in Van Gaal’s first-team training session before Wednesday’s Champions League win over Wolfsburg and was on standby to make his debut.Wigan manager Gary Caldwell said: ‘We believe he has immense potential. Let’s hope he can start realising some of that potential here.

Daily Mail

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Wenger loses his cool

The fallout from Arsenal's Champions League loss to Olympiakos Piraeus spilled over into the news conference before their Manchester United game, with Arsene Wenger nearly storming out.

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The fallout from Arsenal's Champions League loss to Olympiakos Piraeus spilled over into the news conference before their Manchester United game, with Arsene Wenger nearly storming out after being asked why he picked David Ospina ahead of Petr Cech.

Goalkeeper Ospina mishandled a corner and dropped the ball over his line in midweek to give the visitors their second goal of the match, which the Greek side won 3-2.

“I do not want to come back on that. I don't change a word of what I said. I have two world-class goalkeepers,” a livid Wenger told reporters ahead of Arsenal's Premier League clash with table-toppers United.

“Do not come always back with that same story. I think you lack a bit creativity in the press, you all follow a bandwagon that is very, very, very, very boring,” .

“It's the easiest choice I have to make, to pick one of those two. Look, stop that story, or we stop the press conference. If you question Ospina, I question your knowledge of football.

“Nobody analysed the numbers. It's depressing. Yes, the goalkeeper made a mistake, but we could still have won the game,” the 65-year-old added.

Currently fourth in the table, Arsenal have a 24 percent win rate against United in the league, their lowest against any team in the competition, and their hopes to improve that record have suffered a blow, with defender Laurent Koscielny ruled out of the tie.

The France international was forced off in the 57th minute of the match again Olympiakos with a hamstring injury.

Wenger also confirmed that midfielders Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta, both of whom missed Tuesday's game, have not recovered in time to face the Red Devils.

“Koscielny will be out. Flamini and Arteta will also be missing,” the Frenchman said. – Reuters

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Giggs perfect manager for United - Beckham

David Beckham believes Ryan Giggs will be the perfect choice to succeed Louis van Gaal as the next Manchester United manager.

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London - David Beckham believes his old team mate Ryan Giggs will be the perfect choice to succeed Louis van Gaal as the next Manchester United manager when the Dutchman leaves Old Trafford.

Van Gaal, 64, was appointed to the job last year and has said on more than one occasion this season he will leave and retire in 2017.

Giggs, 41, has played more matches for United than anyone in their history, bringing his 23-year playing career to an end in 2014.

He is currently working as Van Gaal's No.2 and Beckham told Talksport radio on Friday he had no doubt that his former team mate and “Class of 92” graduate will make a success of the job if he takes it.

“He is manager material. He's got that streak that runs through him that you need to be a top manager.

“He has learnt from Sir Alex Ferguson over the years, he is learning from Van Gaal now. He is taking his time, doing all the right things, and without a doubt all Man United fans would like to see Giggsy, at some point, be manager of Manchester United.

“To have played for the club the amount he has and have that appreciation and understanding of how Manchester United is, he would be perfect at some point to step in.”

Beckham, 40, who played with Giggs for United from 1992 until 2003 will return to Old Trafford on November 14 to play for a Britain & Northern Ireland XI, managed by Ferguson.

They will play a Rest of the World XI managed by Carlo Ancelotti and captained by Zinedine Zidane with proceeds going to United Nations children's agency UNICEF. – Reuters

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Arsenal must show aggression

Per Mertesacker has challenged Arsenal to show more aggression ahead of their game with Premier League leaders Manchester United.

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Per Mertesacker has challenged Arsenal to show more aggression as they look to recover from their latest European flop in Sunday's showdown with Premier League leaders Manchester United.

Arsene Wenger's side suffered an embarrassing 3-2 home defeat against Olympiakos in midweek that left them in severe danger of missing out on a place in the Champions League knock-out stages for the first time in 16 years.

Adding to the Gunners' humiliation was the horrendous blunder from goalkeeper David Ospina, who dropped a corner into his own net to gift the Greeks their second goal and in the process triggered a barrage of criticism for Wenger for his decision to rest regular first choice Petr Cech.

But Arsenal defender Mertesacker offered no excuses for his team's second successive European loss and admitted they must rediscover their fighting spirit to avoid another damaging defeat against in-form United.

“At home we should be much more aggressive from the start and be more dynamic. That is what our game is all about,” Mertesacker said.

“When we play like we did (on Tuesday), with that lack of concentration and discipline, then we have got no chance.

“I think everyone will have regrets. It will take a couple of days to recover and to think about Manchester United, which will be a good opportunity to play our style of football again.”

While Wenger is certain to restore Cech to his starting line-up if he is fully fit, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has to decide whether to make changes four days after a 2-1 Champions League victory over Wolfsburg.

United head to the Emirates Stadium, where the Gunners have won just once this season, on a four-match winning streak in all competitions which has lifted them one point clear of second placed Manchester City and three ahead of fourth placed Arsenal.

But van Gaal said immediately after the Wolfsburg game that his players were “suffering” after playing six matches in 18 days and he could be forced to freshen up the team.

“The solution is recovery,” van Gaal said. “That's why it's so difficult to prepare for the match against Arsenal.

“As a manager, you want to prepare out on the training pitch, and you cannot do that because you need freshness.

“There is another solution, which is to change your squad.”

Like Arsenal, Chelsea, who host Southampton on Saturday, are also licking their wounds following a painful Champions League defeat that raised renewed questions about their lethargic form.

After watching Chelsea punished for more defensive mistakes in a 2-1 defeat at his former club Porto, Blues boss Jose Mourinho once again expressed his frustration at his players' inconsistent efforts.

But Chelsea striker Diego Costa remains confident the champions, who are languishing in 14th place following last weekend's draw with Newcastle, can still mount a successful title defence as long as they don't let the criticism get to them.

“To come out of this we need to be all together, and for everyone to give a little more,” said Costa, who played against Porto but completes his three-match ban in the Southampton fixture.

“We are not playing well, this is not a good moment, but we have players to get out of this easily.”

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is one of the few Premier League bosses under more pressure than Mourinho at present and Everton would dearly love to add to his worries in the 225th Merseyside derby on Sunday.

The Reds are unbeaten in their last 10 meetings with Everton in all competitions dating back to October 2010.

But an end to that run at Goodison Park this weekend would further complicate Rodgers' position after a stormy few weeks which saw Carlo Ancelotti and Jurgen Klopp linked with his job as Liverpool fell off the early pace in race to qualify for the Champions League.

And Everton's Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku is relishing the chance to make Liverpool suffer.

“The derby is a different game. It is about the personal pride and the pride for us as a club,” he said.

“The side that is hungrier is going to win this game on Sunday.”

Fixtures

Saturday

Aston Villa v Stoke, Bournemouth v Watford, Chelsea v Southampton, Crystal Palace v West Brom, Manchester City v Newcastle, Norwich v Leicester, Sunderland v West Ham

Sunday

Arsenal v Manchester United, Everton v Liverpool, Swansea v Tottenham – AFP

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Igesund out to prove doubters wrong

SuperSport United coach Gordon Igesund used the occasion of his team’s first victory in four matches to jog the memories of those who were already foreseeing him swelling the ranks of the unemployed.

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Polokwane – Delighted to have stopped the rot, Gordon Igesund used the occasion of his team’s first victory in four matches to jog the memories of those who were already foreseeing him swelling the ranks of the unemployed.

“We know I’ve been in this situation before – as you know with Moroka Swallows. When I joined them – last time – they had three points after 15 games, never mind six points after four or five games. But I’ve never brought that up, because we gotta just carry on and I know what I am doing; we will get it right and tonight was a sign of that.”

That sign was a workmanlike 2-1 Telkom Knockout first round victory over an attacking Polokwane City despite their having been down to 10 men for a significant part of the match.

The win brought to an end a three-match losing run that had most suggesting the multiple championship-winning coach could lose his job. But Igesund believes the idea he was under threat never crossed his or his players’ mind.

“We shouldn’t have been panicking about our situation. But people get very excited when things don’t go well and there’s a lot to talk about. The negativity is coming from everybody outside and the newspapers – if they want to write like that, that is fine. We will prove them (wrong), we have to work hard and sometimes the criticism is good for the players to read and take it and turn into positives. Not one player gave up and they put their lives on the line.”

One of those who sacrificed himself for the team was Bradley Grobler whose tackle late in the first half earned him a red card.

But SuperSport were already 2-1 up then courtesy of goals scored by Thuso Phala and Dove Wome in between Puleng Tlolane’s strike for the home side.

And Ronwen Williams literally put his body on the line to pull off some splendid saves – one of those seeing him deny Tlolane his second goal from the penalty spot just after the hour mark.

“This was a fantastic result and, being down to 10 men, this proved a lot of things to people. (It proved) that this team is together and wanting to play and hopefully we will get better and better. This was a big game for us.”

And while he would like us to believe otherwise, the result brought him huge relief given the pressure he was under following those three successive losses. - The Star

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Van Gaal worried about fatigue

Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal spoke of his concern at the club's domestic and European schedules following his side's 2-1 victory against Wolfsburg.

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London - Louis van Gaal will rest his weary players tomorrow before they prepare for Sunday's Premier League clash with Arsenal following a taxing night in the Champions League against Wolfsburg.

The Manchester United manager spoke of his concern at the club's domestic and European schedules following his side's 2-1 victory against the German side at Old Trafford.

“As a manager, you want to prepare on the pitch and you can't do it because you need freshness of the players,” he said on Thursday.

“The solution is recovery - recovery, recovery, recovery. That is why it is so difficult to prepare (for) the match against Arsenal.”

Arsenal have an extra 24 hours to prepare for Sunday's match at The Emirates stadium, having played their Champions League game against Olympiakos Piraeus on Tuesday.

Van Gaal said there were no fresh injuries following Wednesday's win at Old Trafford, but he said it would not be until Saturday that he could assess the fitness of his players.

“Another solution is to change your squad,” he said. “We'll have to see how the evaluation is of my fatigue specialist.

“I cannot tell (now) because the press conference is one day after the match. Tomorrow they have the day off. We have to wait and see for Saturday, and I can make decisions.”

However, the Manchester United boss said Michael Carrick, who missed Wednesday's Champions League game with what Van Gaal called a “minor injury”, would be available for selection against Arsenal.

The manager also praised the form of defender Chris Smalling and Ashley Young, who filled in at right-back in the second half against Wolfsburg.

He said of Smalling: “I help him with advice, demands, training sessions and showing images to improve him, but he has to be open (to it) and he has to perform on the pitch.

“He does everything himself. The greatest compliment you have to make to Chris and not to me.”

Winger Young was brought on to replace Antonio Valencia at right-back during United's victory over Wolfsburg, and Van Gaal said: “He is very important. He is a team player in the first place.

“Not many players are actually team players but he is always thinking of the team, and he can play in a lot of positions. For a manager, it is fantastic that he is willing to do that.” – Reuters

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No England guarantees for Rooney

England coach Roy Hodgson can give Wayne Rooney “no guarantees” that he will always pick him for the national team.

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England coach Roy Hodgson can give Wayne Rooney “no guarantees” that he will always pick him for the national team and said the current crop of forwards he has to choose from is the best he has seen during his tenure.

Manchester United forward Rooney will be awarded a golden boot by Sir Bobby Charlton before England's Euro 2016 qualifier against Estonia on Oct. 9 after overtaking him as the country's leading scorer.

Rooney became the first England player to reach the 50-goal mark when he scored against Switzerland on Sept. 8 but his club form has come under increasing scrutiny.

He went 11 Premier League games without a goal before ending the drought with his first league goal of the season in United's 3-0 win over Sunderland last weekend.

Asked if the 29-year-old could lose his place in the England team if his form did not recover, Hodgson said: “That day hasn't arrived and, with any luck, it won't arrive ... but there are no guarantees.

“He would regard me as someone who is very false if I ever said to him, 'Your place is guaranteed.' I would be very upset if anyone asked me to give them a guarantee of a place.”

Liverpool striker Danny Ings has also been called up for the qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania (Oct. 12), along with Rooney, Harry Kane, Theo Walcott and Jamie Vardy.

Daniel Sturridge misses out after recently returning from long-term injury.

“If you put Danny Welbeck into that list as well, who has done ever so well for us, I think our choice is enormously different to 2012, put it that way,” Hodgson said.

“If I cast my mind back, there seems to be so many more players now knocking on the door than there were four years ago, so that's got to be very positive.”

Hodgson also invited Aston Villa's Jack Grealish to train with the team after the 20-year-old decided to play for England rather than Republic of Ireland.

However, Villa manager Tim Sherwood refused to let Grealish go with the 20-year-old still waiting for Fifa to ratify the nationality decision.

“The idea was to show him St George's Park and ... induct him into England ... but Tim made it clear that wasn't a good idea as far as he was concerned and he needed the boy to do some more training because he missed pre-season.” – Reuters

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