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Brazil too dependent on Neymar?

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As the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign gets underway one worrying factor for Brazil stays the same: the absence of superstar Neymar.

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Much has changed for Brazil's national team since last year's humiliating World Cup exit, but as the 2018 qualifying campaign gets underway Thursday one worrying factor stays the same: the absence of superstar Neymar.

More than a year has passed since that extraordinary 7-1 meltdown against Germany in Brazil's own World Cup.

Since then there's been the almost equally embarrassing failure to survive the Copa America, going out to lowly Paraguay on penalties. The coach has been changed and there have been endless postmortems.

But in all that turmoil, the football-mad nation has remained fixated on national captain and Barcelona star Neymar and the near obsessive fear that without him the “canarinha”, as the team's called, cannot win.

He was out injured during the 2014 Cup semi-final drubbing. Then at the Copa America against Colombia he was red carded and handed a four-match suspension, missing the rest of the tournament, along with his country's disappointing exit.

Now with two matches still left on that suspension, Neymar will again be absent for Brazil's 2018 opening qualifiers against Chile on Thursday and Venezuela on 13 October.

A promise to improve his conduct -- “I mustn't let myself do such stupid things,” he said in Barcelona recently -- and an appeal for his suspensions to be postponed failed. And Brazil is dreading the consequences.

For pessimists, Neymar isn't just important: the supremely skilled scoring machine is one of the last representatives of Brazil's fabled “jogo bonito,” or beautiful game.

The question many here ask is whether the reliance on Neymar doesn't illustrate the broader failure of a system that focuses on exporting of young talent to clubs abroad, robbing the country of the chance to develop a whole team of Neymars.

Since his debut against the United States on August 10, 2010, Neymar has played 67 games for Brazil, scoring 46 times and missing only four non-friendlies.

When he has been missing, the yawning hole has been impossible to fill.

Three of the big recent defeats - against Germany in World Cup semis, then a 3-0 loss to Holland in the third-place match, and the Copa America loss in June to Paraguay - took place without Neymar. In his absence the team only won once in a full international: 2-1 against Venezuela.

Now coach Dunga is pleading for fans and team members alike to stop looking over their shoulder for the absent savior.

“We would like to have Neymar, but it's not possible. We need to focus on the players who will be there with us,” Dunga said when he announced the team on September 17.

But Dunga himself is as much responsible as anyone for Neymar's coronation as the lynchpin of a team that was desperate for a new start when the coach took over from Luiz Felipe Scolari after the World Cup.

The striker was on an incredible roll, building up to winning the treble with Barcelona and happy to be made Brazilian captain in place of Thiago Silva, a player whose reputation sank with the World Cup flop.

Neymar didn't disappoint and ahead of the fateful Copa America, Dunga boasted 10 out of 10 victories in friendlies.

But what no one foresaw -or prepared for - was that the brilliant teammate of Messi and Luis Suarez in Barcelona would lose his composure and see red against Colombia. In addition to his immaturity on the pitch, Neymar is running into tax problems back home.

Still, he remains the big hope and all Brazil is counting the days until his return from suspension against great rivals Argentina in Buenos Aires next month. – AFP

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Rodgers ‘incredibly disappointed’

Liverpool's sacked manager Brendan Rodgers said he was “incredibly disappointed” to be leaving the club.

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Liverpool's sacked manager Brendan Rodgers said on Monday he was “incredibly disappointed” to be leaving the club after almost 3-1/2 years in charge at Anfield.

The Northern Irishman, whose contract was terminated on Sunday after Liverpool's 1-1 draw in the Merseyside derby at Everton, failed to win a trophy during his tenure.

“I am, of course, incredibly disappointed to be leaving Liverpool Football Club. It has been both an honour and a privilege to manage one of the game's great clubs for the last three years,” Rodgers, 42, said.

“I have worked every day to represent the club to the best of my ability, to develop both individual players and a team that the club's magnificent fans can be proud of.

Rodgers, who almost led Liverpool to the title in 2014 when they were runners-up, is their first manager, besides current England boss Roy Hodgson, to fail to win a trophy in the first three years of his reign since Phil Taylor in the mid-1950s.

“There have been some very memorable moments during my time at Liverpool and I would like to thank all of the players for their hard work and commitment,” Rodgers added in a statement released by the League Managers Association.

“The current squad is one in transition, but they have some real talent and are showing a strong sense of togetherness.

“I expect to see them continue to grow and develop over the coming weeks and I wish them and my successor well for the rest of the season.”

Liverpool have been linked with ex-Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp and former Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Former Swansea city manager Rodgers, who succeeded Liverpool icon Kenny Dalglish at Anfield in June 2012, leaves the club in 10th place with three wins from their first eight league games. – Reuters

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‘Klopp is ideal for Liverpool’

Dietmar Hamann believes ex-Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp is the “ideal” candidate to replace Brendan Rogers.

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London - Germany's former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann believes ex-Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp is the “ideal” candidate to replace manager Brendan Rogers.

According to reports in the British media on Monday, Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti are the leading candidates to succeed Rodgers, who was sacked by Liverpool on Sunday after a 1-1 draw with Everton left them 10th in the Premier League.

Klopp, 48, has been out of work since stepping down at Dortmund at the end of last season.

Hamman, who was part of the Liverpool team which won the 2005 Champions League final and now works as a pundit in Germany, believes his fellow-German is the man to reawaken Merseyside's sleeping giants.

“It must be a coach of international standing. The two who are being most widely mentioned are Ancelotti and Klopp. I think Jurgen Klopp would be the more appropriate,” Hamman, 42, told German Sky Sports.

“The emotions in Liverpool need to be awakened.

“The people have lost faith in the team and it is important that someone comes who rouses the people again and gets things going.

“Jurgen Klopp, who lives out his passion and love for the game, would fit wonderfully to Liverpool's mentality. He would be the ideal solution for me.”

Liverpool's current Germany international Emre Can told Die Welt that Klopp had what it takes to bring the glory days back to Anfield.

“Jurgen Klopp is certainly a great coach. I think he has demonstrated in Dortmund that he can work at any team in the world,” said the 21-year-old.

Klopp led Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, the year they won the domestic double after routing Bayern Munich 5-2 in the German Cup final when Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick against his future employers.

He also guided Borussia to the 2013 Champions League final, when they lost 2-1 to Bayern.

The charismatic Klopp speaks good English and said last year he wanted to work in the Premier League.

“I think that apart from Germany, England is the only other country where I should work,” Klopp told German magazine Focus last year.

“Simply because I know a little of the language and I need the language for my work.”

AFP

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Jose has Chelsea’s ‘full support’

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho continues to enjoy the club's “full support” despite a disappointing start to the season, the club declared on Monday.

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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho continues to enjoy the club's “full support” despite a disappointing start to the season, the Premier League champions declared on Monday.

“The club wants to make it clear that Jose continues to have our full support,” Chelsea said in a brief statement published on their website.

“As Jose has said himself, results have not been good enough and the team's performances must improve. However, we believe that we have the right manager to turn this season around and that he has the squad with which to do it.”

Chelsea are currently two places above the Premier League relegation zone after losing four and winning only two of their first eight league games.

Speaking after Saturday's 3-1 defeat at home to Southampton, Mourinho openly discussed the risk of dismissal, but said that he had no intention of walking away from the club.

“If the club wants to sack me, they have to sack me, because I am not running away,” he told Sky Sports in a candid post-match interview.

“It is a crucial moment in the history of this club because if the club sacks me, they sack the best manager this club has had and the message is bad results and the manager is guilty.

“This is a moment for people to assume their responsibilities. I assume my responsibility and the players should assume theirs too.

“There are other people at the club who should assume their responsibilities and stick together.”

Mourinho, 52, returned to Chelsea for a second spell in 2013, having previously led the west London club to two Premier League titles, two League Cups and one FA Cup between 2004 and 2007.

He masterminded a Premier League and League Cup double last season, but Chelsea have made a curiously flat start to the current campaign despite their title-winning squad remaining largely intact.

Chelsea's statement came a day after Brendan Rodgers became the first managerial sacking of the season at Liverpool and Dick Advocaat stepped down from his role at Sunderland.

Chelsea captain John Terry had already given Mourinho his backing, telling the club website: “We have a big group of players and we have the best manager who we remain behind and we remain together.” – AFP

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Rodgers didn’t see sack coming

Brendan Rodgers had just returned to Melwood, Liverpool’s training base, when the life-changing phone call arrived.

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Brendan Rodgers had just returned to Melwood, Liverpool’s training base and his place of work since June 2012, when the life-changing phone call arrived.

Having overseen a 1-1 draw at Everton, Rodgers, in normal circumstances, would have expected to have a discussion with Mike Gordon, the president of Fenway Sports Group, about how the game had unfolded and what his thoughts were for the team going forward.

On this occasion, however, there was nothing convivial about Gordon’s tone. FSG, Liverpool’s Boston-based owners, had made the decision to end Rodgers’ reign and the call was to tell Rodgers they were going in a new direction.

Nothing that happened against Everton would have made a difference to whether Rodgers survived. FSG decided last week that change was needed, but they didn’t want to disrupt preparations for the derby.

However, once the final whistle had been blown and Rodgers had completed his media duties — in which he launched a fierce defence of his record — it was time for Gordon to make the fateful call. It is understood Rodgers took the news with dignity.

The writing had been on the wall for weeks. A succession of poor home performances — which began with a woeful 3-0 defeat by West Ham on August 29 — had seen backing for Rodgers on the Kop evaporate and the appetite for change gather momentum.

Rodgers, too, has looked beaten at times, failing to emerge from his seat in the dugout when things have been going wrong — most notably in the League Cup tie against Carlisle that went to penalties — and there was also a homily after Aston Villa had been beaten 3-2 on September 26.

That day, Rodgers spoke about the ‘frenzy’ and ‘hysteria’ that surrounded his position and he threw a grenade out when claiming there was ‘a group who wanted to get him out of the club’, so this development was not completely out of leftfield.

Yet there was still some surprise. Liverpool’s players boarded the coach that took them on the 15-minute, four-mile drive back to Melwood unaware that Rodgers’ fate had been decided and many of them did not know he had been axed until the announcement was made on the club website.

Published on behalf of Gordon, chairman Tom Werner and principal owner John W Henry, it read: ‘Although this has been a difficult decision, we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch. 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.’

Speed is the key. When they chose Rodgers to take over from Kenny Dalglish in 2012, FSG embarked on a near month-long search, whittling down a 12-man long list that included Frank de Boer, Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Martinez, whom Henry was pictured drinking a coffee with in Miami Beach.

Jurgen Klopp was also on that list but he issued a statement to say he had no wish to consider a move to England. Fast forward to now and there will be no repeat of that. Former Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp wants the job and he and Carlo Ancelotti, who was in London last night, appear to be the only runners in this race.

FSG will not be dithering now. The aim is to have the new man in charge for the trip to Tottenham on October 17 and they have spoken to both Klopp and Ancelotti, who it is understood saw them in Boston and Vancouver.

It remains to be seen, though, whether Ancelotti would want the job. The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss tends to go into clubs that are already established and applies the finishing touches. In contrast, it is an open secret that Klopp, whose presence and charisma would be loved by Anfield regulars, wants the challenge. Many will wonder why FSG bankrolled an £80million spend in the summer only to axe Rodgers after eight Premier League matches, particularly when potentially his best front three — Christian Benteke, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho — only played 45 minutes together.

Furthermore, Werner gave an interview to the Liverpool Echo on August 8 when he explained that Rodgers ‘was the right man for the job’ and how they had faith in him. Seven weeks on, the faith had evaporated. So what kind of club is he leaving behind?

‘If we are to replicate what we did two years ago, we will have to build something,’ said Rodgers, before leaving Goodison Park. ‘That will take time, unfortunately. That is frustrating for supporters but there are new players to come in. That will take time, whether that is me or someone else.

‘While it is me, I will continue to devote every ounce to the club. People will want to put pressure on for different reasons.

‘In all my time, it (reaching the top four) has been an internal ambition but it has never been said by the club. We did that against the odds a couple of years ago. We lost quality and will have to rebuild. I’ve never been asked or told to deliver that by anyone at the club since I came in.’

If that was the case, Rodgers would still be in a job. That FSG have opted to change, you can rest assured the new man almost certainly will need to deliver. – Daily Mail

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Klopp favourite to succeed Rodgers

Jürgen Klopp is the leading candidate to become Liverpool's next manager after Brendan Rodgers was sacked.

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Jürgen Klopp is the leading candidate to become Liverpool's next manager after Brendan Rodgers was sacked following a 1-1 draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby.

The German, 48, has been out of work since resigning from his post at Borussia Dortmund in May, having won the Bundesliga twice in his seven years at the club.

Rodgers had been under mounting pressure following a demoralising 3-1 defeat at Manchester United last month. Since then, Fenway Sports Group - the Boston based investment firm that owns Liverpool - have been exploring the option of replacing him.

From the moment they took control at Anfield five years ago next week, FSG have been open about their lack of experience in football and have taken the counsel of what they refer to as “pre-eminent advisors” when making big decisions such as this.

As The Independent revealed last month, they were initially advised to be cautious of Klopp, a manager of unswerving demands and strong character. Yet, gradually, it seems they have warmed to the idea of recruiting him, recognising his potential as a coach with a proven track record of getting the best out of a squad where no individual is greater than the sum of its parts but also his commercial value. Klopp has a unique personality and has one of the most recognisable faces in world football.

Up until Saturday, Klopp's representatives were denying that Liverpool had made any approach towards him, yet yesterday morning a report in a Bosnian newspaper claimed that Zeljko Buvac would become Klopp's assistant at Liverpool after agreeing a three-year contract. Buvac and Klopp have known each other for nearly 25 years, having played for Mainz together before forming a successful managerial team.

Since leaving Dortmund, Klopp has been on a self-imposed sabbatical but is said to be open to ending that break for the right job. He has previously spoken of his admiration for Liverpool, a club with history and a febrile atmosphere similar to Dortmund.

There had been suggestions that Liverpool were keen to appoint Carlo Ancelotti as Rodgers' replacement. FSG chairman Tom Werner was in New York last week at the same time as the former Chelsea manager, while Ian Ayre, Liverpool's chief executive, was also spotted in Manhattan.

However, it is believed that Ancelotti has aspirations to manage Bayern Munich when Pep Guardiola decides to leave Bavaria. That could be as early as this summer, with both Manchester City and Manchester United potential destinations for the Catalan.

Ancelotti also believes he has unfinished business with Chelsea and could be a candidate to take over from Jose Mourinho if the Portuguese is sacked.

Ancelotti has a history of managing successful clubs that need only finishing touches before achieving their ultimate goals. He might consider the task of rebuilding Liverpool - with “rebuilding” being a word Rodgers has used with regularity in recent weeks - being too great.

Rodgers, who was told by FSG president Mike Gordon that he was being let go by Liverpool after he and the squad arrived back at the Melwood training complex following the short drive from Goodison Park, departs Anfield having taken Liverpool closer to the title than any of the five other managers that have been in charge in the last 25 years.

Despite playing brilliant football in the 2013-14 season, the Irishman's time unravelled quickly following the sale of Luis Suarez in the summer of 2014, with too many failed signings being the prime reason for his demise.

Rodgers was close to being sacked in May, when FSG's US-based members questioned the progress of the team under his stewardship after Liverpool went from finishing second to seventh in 12 months. He was saved by Gordon, who vouched for his credentials, along with Ayre, ahead of an end-of-season review at the start of June. It was decided that Rodgers should continue and be backed in the transfer market, with the big-money signing of Christian Benteke being his suggestion.

Rodgers had previously been undermined by the presence of a transfer committee, of which he was a part, where transfer targets were suggested based on their statistical performance. It remains to be seen whether the committee will remain in place when Rodgers' replacement takes over.

During the international break, Rodgers' assistant manager Sean O'Driscoll and first-team coach Gary McAllister will take control of training, with Dutchman Pep Lijnders also heavily involved.

Sources inside Liverpool claim the club wants to take its time over appointing a successor, but the speed at which they operated after the result against Everton suggests that person's identity is close to being revealed.

Leading contenders for Liverpool job:

Jürgen Klopp 4-11

Carlo Ancelotti 5-2

Frank De Boer 12-1

Walter Mazzarri 12-1

Steven Gerrard 12-1

Rudi Garcia 25-1

Harry Redknapp 33-1

Gary McAllister 33-1

Martin O’Neill 33-1

Sean O’Driscoll 33-1

Jürgen Klinsmann 33-1

Garry Monk 33-1

Ronald Koeman 33-1 – The Independent

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I’ll quit if players turn on me - Jose

Under-pressure Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's management is increasingly more cold shoulder than arm round the shoulder.

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Having dared Roman Abramovich to sack him, Jose Mourinho has issued a similar challenge to his players. Amid reports that the dressing room has turned against him, the Portuguese said if it had, he would resign.

The Chelsea manager, who left Real Madrid in part because of a players' revolt, said of claims his players are no longer responding to him: “People can say what they want. You should really ask the players and not go with sources and fake sources, and the players told a friend, and the friend told the agent, and the agent is not happy with me because I don't play his player.

“You should go straight to the players. Get our media office to arrange a table at Cobham [Chelsea's training ground] next week.

“John Terry doesn't go to the national team, Diego Costa doesn't go, Ramires doesn't go. Ask them.

“If they tell you they don't trust me, [that] is the only thing that can make me resign. The only thing. But not fake sources. The players at the table, face to face.”

No one expects this meeting to be arranged, or the players to speak out if it was.

A former Chelsea manager, Gianluca Vialli, once wrote that in England players never criticise a manager until he is gone.

Terry, recalled for Saturday's 3-1 home loss to Southampton after a month on the sidelines, kept to script when he said: “We have the best manager who we remain behind and we remain together. I have seen managers come and go and if anyone is going to get us out of this hole it is going to be Mourinho.”

It was Mourinho who put his future on the agenda by stating that he would not quit and the club should not sack him as they would not find a better manager. It was time, Mourinho said, for Chelsea to stop sacking managers at the first bad run.

On Saturday night, Abramovich, who was at the game, attended an informal board meeting about the situation - but the message from inside is that this was supportive and a change of manager is not in the offing.

The last time Chelsea began a season this badly, in 1979, they did fire the manager, but Danny Blanchflower, though a great player, was a novice boss, not a serial winner. That team, boasting Ray Wilkins, Ron Harris and Peter Bonetti, finished bottom of the old First Division but no one expects that to happen this time.

Mourinho, who insists Chelsea will finish in the top four, blamed his team's predicament on a loss of confidence and biased refereeing. The latter, entirely unfounded allegation ought to lead to another charge from the Football Association; the former requires deeper investigation.

“They need luck to arrive at half-time winning two or three-nil,” said Mourinho, “Not to feel this pressure, panic and negativity - decisions against, unlucky, mistakes. Time will bring it but I don't know if it will be next match or in three games' time.”

This might make sense if it were not that mid-September Chelsea scored 10 times, conceding one, in beating Maccabi Tel Aviv, Arsenal and Walsall. Even when they subsequently went 2-0 down at Newcastle, they drew. These are seasoned, successful players. Their confidence should not be so fragile that, in Mourinho's analysis, “the first negative thing that happens the team collapse”.

This suggests there are more fundamental problems than just a loss of confidence. Chelsea staggered over the line last season, the team eking out wins, exhausted by Mourinho's reliance on the same core group of players in all competitions, even in a Champions League dead rubber.

With no major tournament, most had a quiet summer and they should have returned feeling refreshed.

To Mourinho, however, being relaxed is dangerous. He has spent most of his career picking fights - with owners, referees, governing bodies, journalists, even fans and, this season, medical staff.

It is as if he needs a sense of grievance to motivate himself, but while it may work for Diego Costa, this mentality can be exhausting to live with.

With players, Mourinho's management is increasingly more cold shoulder than arm round the shoulder. The spine of his first team - Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba - loved their manager and went to war for him. This time there seems more distance with some, like Kevin De Bruyne and Andre Schürrle, finding tough love too tough.

Lampard and Drogba have gone, Terry may soon follow. Mourinho seems to have decided, in a division where most opponents now have a player with the pace Saido Mané used to destroy Chelsea on Saturday, that he is past it.

Mourinho was expansive post-match, but not all the explanations made sense.

For example, Branislav Ivanovic keeps his place despite his miserable form because “if you don't have a minimum of five tall players good in the air, you are dead on set-pieces”.

But new £14m full-back Baba Rahman has not shrunk since he arrived in London, he was 5ft 10in when he arrived. If Mourinho needed a six-footer, he should have signed Matteo Darmian, based on the Italian's performance.

Of course, Mourinho wanted John Stones and Paul Pogba, both 6ft 2in. It may be his apparent antipathy towards the club, and the players, is because a pre-season fear that the latter would let him down is being realised. – The Independent

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United lacked the will - LVG

Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal was left scratching his head after his side conceded three goals in first 20 minutes against Arsenal.

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By the time Wayne Rooney traipsed his way over to Manchester United’s travelling fans at the final whistle, his team had been ripped to shreds.

This was a mauling, a savaging on a grand scale.

‘I have players going away for the international break who are leaving from London City airport,’ moaned Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, who has no time for an inquest.

It was tempting to send Van Gaal with the players after this, to jettison this fabled coach back to Holland. When the United boss sends out a team as vapid as this for a fixture this big, it would be easy to pass him off as a tired old has-been.

As Alexis Sanchez scored twice and Mesut Ozil grabbed the other, United’s demeanour was alarming. Collectively, their team stunk the place out. ‘I didn’t expect that — I was surprised because we didn’t perform to our gameplan,’ said Van Gaal.

‘We didn’t have the will to win and when you are top of the league, I was surprised — amazed even. When you give a team like Arsenal so much space to play football then you know you will lose. We prepared ourselves to be compact and not to lose our aggression, so I am very disappointed.’

United’s left winger Ashley Young was embarrassed at left back and Rooney looks shot to bits. Whatever is going on with him needs to be addressed, sharpish.

‘I had the same question about Morgan Schneiderlin, but I can’t answer because when I say it was not good, or in a negative way, then the headlines say I was not satisfied with the performance of Rooney,’ added Van Gaal.

United were outplayed by the 11 warriors sent out by Arsene Wenger to put right everything that was wrong about their performance when losing to Olympiacos on Tuesday evening.

They sparkled here, putting United away with football that belonged to the Invincibles era. At times, they really were that good.

‘We won our last league game at Leicester 5-2 and this was another convincing performance,’ declared Wenger. ‘It was a strong and united response to our disappointment, but it shows a lot about the group. That’s what you want.’

His only concern was Sanchez limping off with a groin injury late on. He will be assessed by Chile before their World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Peru. – Daily Mail

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Carragher slams Liverpool owners

Jamie Carragher criticised the owners of Liverpool for their handling of Brendan Rodgers' sacking.

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Jamie Carragher last night criticised the owners of Liverpool for their handling of Brendan Rodgers' sacking, saying the decision-making of Fenway Sports Group is “miles off” where it should be.

The former Liverpool vice-captain said Rodgers had been fortunate to keep his job in the summer but that the timing was all wrong to let him go now. “It hasn't gone well for [Rodgers] this season,” said Carragher on Sky Sports.

“He needed to make a good start because maybe he was fortunate in terms of staying on at the end of last season. His staff moved on and new staff came in. He spent £70m-80m, and then seven games later, Liverpool are changing their manager.

“That's what I don't like. Just do it in the summer, if that's the situation. They finished poorly last season, he will have known himself that he would have to make a big start and he hasn't, and that's where the pressure comes from. So [the owners FSG] have made a decision now, but at this moment their track record in making decisions for Liverpool Football Club over the past two or three years has not been good enough. It's miles off.”

Garry Monk, the manager of Rodgers' old club Swansea City, said the Northern Irishman did not merit the sack. “I am surprised, I cannot believe it,” said Monk after learning of Rodgers' fate following Swansea's game against Tottenham yesterday. “It is a very harsh decision, he did not deserve that at all. He is a top manager. You do not know what happens behind closed doors, but I am really shocked.

“I will try and speak to him, you never like to see things like that, he did a great job here and I am not sure who would do a better job at Liverpool.

“He will bounce back, he was so supportive to me, giving me advice when I got the job here. He is a top man and a top manager. I don't understand it.” – The Independent

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Sundowns are ready for title fight

Following a stuttering start to the season, Sundowns have seemingly found their footing and Pitso Mosimane is convinced things can only get better.

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Absa Premiership teams beware, the sleeping giant that is Mamelodi Sundowns has awoken and the man in charge is egging it on to devour everything in its path.

Following a stuttering start to the season, Sundowns have seemingly found their footing and Pitso Mosimane is convinced things can only get better from here.

“We need to keep our feet on the ground, we need to keep going,” Mosimane said after Sundowns registered a third win in a row via a 2-0 Telkom Knockout first round defeat of Chippa United on Saturday night.

“I spoke to the guys. When we played Ajax (Cape Town) I asked them (the players): Do you think can we beat Ajax? They said yes. Can we beat Chippa? Can we beat Polokwane (City)? Can we beat Bloemfontein Celtic? I think we are capable hey. Not to brag or what but we have the possibility of winning those. So we need to focus and keep going.

“Big teams like Real Madrid and Bayern (Munich) can go six, seven or eight even 10 or 12 matches in a row. We need to start believing we can do that and go back to our 2013/2014 season here we went 10 games straight.”

And on the strength of the three successive wins – over Ajax, Jomo Cosmos and Chippa – there’s every reason to foresee Sundowns climbing up the ladder to their rightful place among the championship challengers.

Saturday night’s win in particular was achieved via a workmanlike performance that saw them keep to the game plan and continuously knock their way to goal against a stubborn Chippa side that looked like they could take them all the way.

Keegan Dolly opened the scoring just after the hour mark for his third goal in two matches and then Hlompho Kekana sealed the victory with a deflected strike three minutes from time.

Chippa had been reduced to 10 men after Sundowns went 1-0 up when Thamsanqa Sangweni received his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

And Mosimane expressed pleasure at many aspects of the game.

“This was our second game we kept zero at the back, Wayne Arendse is fighting for his position at the back. He’s the most underrated player and he is claiming his position.

“And it’s good we scored goals. I am happy Keegan is scoring. I told him that the wingers must not only cross but they have to score too. And Themba did very well but he needs to score. But I’m waiting for my strikers top score hey.”

Having been under fire from the club’s supporters only a fortnight ago, Mosimane was pleased the home fans were behind the club this time.

“The good thing now is that our people our behind us. We saw them at Olen Park (against Cosmos), they were behind us and even here. As long as they keep singing, it releases the stress and the pressure off the players. And the goals are coming.”

And that spells bad news for the rest of the Premiership sides. - The Star

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The search for new Reds boss begins

Liverpool have begun their search for a new manager following the dismissal of Brendan Rodgers after the Merseyside derby.

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Liverpool have begun their search for a new manager, but whoever comes in must grapple with many of the issues that caused problems for the sacked Brendan Rodgers.

After a moribund conclusion to the previous campaign, the writing was on the wall for Rodgers and Liverpool's fortunes were not deemed to have improved sufficiently for owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to stand by their man.

Liverpool's poor start to the season raised the question of whether FSG's blueprint for success was flawed, or if the man chosen to implement it had simply failed.

Owner John W Henry, chairman Tom Werner and president Mike Gordon answered that question unequivocally with the dismissal of Rodgers after Sunday's 1-1 draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby, which left the club 10th in the Premier League.

“They have got to get the feel-good factor within the club, which we haven't had for a while now, and maybe that might have tipped the balance with the owners,” said former Reds striker John Aldridge.

On recent evidence, the case for Rodgers to have been given more time was not without holes.

Liverpool's second-half display at Goodison Park summed up much of what has gone wrong for his side, who were disjointed and lacking direction.

Rodgers maintained that his players were “giving him everything”, but the staleness of recent displays - which had yielded one win in nine games - suggests they will benefit from a managerial reboot.

However, it is significant that FSG will expect Liverpool's new boss to reinvigorate and rejuvenate an underperforming squad, rather than rip things up and start again.

In other words, it will be a repetition of what those in Boston wanted when they gave Rodgers the keys to Anfield three years ago.

Loyal to their strategy, FSG will seek a far-sighted coach, prepared to get his hands dirty in the moulding and developing of players, rather than a manager who provides a quick fix.

That would appear to make charismatic former Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp the stand-out candidate.

Ajax manager Frank de Boer could also come under consideration, but it would take a revision of FSG philosophy for an elder statesman such as former Chelsea and Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti to be targeted.

FSG need Rodgers' replacement to be a success to vindicate their approach, or face the prospect that they will become the focus of supporters' ire. The cracks have appeared already.

Those with their fingers on the pulse at Anfield - former defender Jamie Carragher among them - have taken a swipe at FSG's running of the club in the wake of Rodgers' departure.

“They've made a lot of decisions since they've come that haven't worked,” said Carragher, who highlighted the sackings of Damien Comolli and Kenny Dalglish, as well as the failings of the club's transfer committee.

“At this moment the owners' track record in making decisions for Liverpool Football Club over the last two or three years has not been good enough. It is miles off.

“What are these owners of the club going to do to get Liverpool back where they need to be?”

It is hard to disagree with Carragher's assertion that the five-time European champions have become a club seemingly in a permanent state of transition during Rodgers' spell in charge.

And whoever takes over will face many of the issues that so challenged Rodgers, particularly with regard to the nuances of Liverpool's recruitment department.

Although he has been swimming against the tide, Rodgers can count himself unfortunate.

Any manager would have found it difficult to replace talents of the calibre of Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling and Steven Gerrard, not least when transfer decisions were made by committee.

Managing Liverpool, one of world football's most iconic clubs, can be seen as a dream job.

But marry the level of expectation and the weight of history with the modern constraints, and it can quickly seem something of a poisoned chalice. – AFP

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Wenger’s silenced critics, for now

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said his team had answered some of their critics after blowing rivals Manchester United off the park in a resounding 3-0 victory.

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said his team had answered some of their critics after blowing Premier League title rivals Manchester United off the park in a resounding 3-0 victory.

Wenger was roundly criticised in the British press after his side's 3-2 loss to Olympiakos last week left them struggling to avoid a group-stage exit in the Champions League and hit out at the media for focusing on his decision to select blundering second-choice goalkeeper David Ospina.

But his players responded in dazzling fashion at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, scoring three times in the first 19 minutes en route to a win that sent them up to second place in the table.

“That's what you want in games of that stature,” Wenger said.

“We started very strong, we decided to press very high, to play at a great pace, and we did that very well.

“In the second half we decided to be disciplined, control the result, and we did that very well as well, so we had two aspects in our game that are pleasing and were convincing today (Sunday).

“It gives a strong answer to all the questions that were raised during the week.”

Arsenal now trail leaders Manchester City by two points, with United below them on goal difference, and Wenger concurred when it was put to him that his side had sent out a message about their title credentials.

“To win in a big game is always a statement,” said the Frenchman, whose side also hit the bar through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain late on.

“We are in it, we are two points off the leaders, Manchester City, so I hope that result today will give us belief and ambition to fight for it.”

Alexis Sanchez scored Arsenal's first and third goals, a cheeky back-heel in the sixth minute followed by an 18-year thunderbolt, with Theo Walcott teeing up Mesut Ozil to slot home 74 seconds after the Chilean's opener.

Wenger revealed that Sanchez, who went off in the 81st minute, had sustained a “little groin problem”, but said that he expected him to be fit for Chile's opening 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Peru.

United manager Louis van Gaal admitted that he was “amazed” by the lack of aggression shown by his side in the opening stages, particularly after a run of four successive wins in all competitions.

The visitors created only two real chances, Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech saving smartly from Anthony Martial and Bastian Schweinsteiger, and were badly overrun in midfield in the early stages.

But Van Gaal dismissed suggestions that he had erred by leaving out holding midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, having instead fielded Schweinsteiger and Michael Carrick, and refused to discuss a disappointing display by captain Wayne Rooney.

“I never can answer that question because when I say it in a positive way, it's maybe not good and when I say it in a negative way, then it's in all the headlines tomorrow that I am not satisfied about the performance of Wayne Rooney,” he said.

“I talk about 'team' and Wayne Rooney is a very important part of our team because he's the captain. That's much more important than individual evaluation in a newspaper.”

Van Gaal will not see his players again until after the international break and he expressed frustration that he will not have an opportunity to help them shake Sunday's result out of their systems.

“We've lost in a way you cannot lose when you're top of the league. You cannot start like we have started,” said the Dutchman, whose side visit Everton in their next league game on October 17.

“The worst thing is that everybody is going away, even from London airports. And I cannot build up a new situation so that they have the confidence to play football and win the next battle away at Everton, for example.” – AFP

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Buccaneers sail ahead after tough game

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.