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Saturday, October 26, 2013

Barcelona won't ditch style to beat Madrid - Fabregas

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has inisisted that the side will not scrap their style to avoid Real Madrid's strengths in Saturday's Clasico encounter. this is coming ahead of the first Clasico of the season at Camp Nou, the former Arsenal midfielder insists the Catalans know where the Carlo Ancelotti's side are most dangerous

The Liga arch-rivals clash at 18:00CET at Camp Nou in the first showdown between the sides this season, with Gerardo Martino's men sitting three points ahead of Carlo Ancelotti's third-placed side, with Atletico Madrid sandwiched between them.

In has been just under three years since the Blaugrana have beaten the Blancos on Catalunya turf in La Liga or the Copa del Rey, and while Fabregas is aware of how Madrid have exploited Barca's weaknesses in recent clashes, he insists his side will not look to abandon their manner of playing to compensate.

"Madrid haven't liked opponents ceding them possession and waiting," Fabregas, 26, told The Guardian, when asked if Barca are easy to play against for a team like Madrid.

"Cristiano Ronaldo finds himself with two lines of four in front of him; Gareth Bale would too. Karim Benzema's alone. What they like is teams like Rayo Vallecano; what they like is for the opposition to come forward with the ball and then lose it.

"In two passes, Madrid are at the other end. They have such powerful players going forward. In the last few Clasicos they've done that very well against us, to their great credit. They've won possession, been aggressive and made life difficult for us, mostly on the counterattack.

"Changing our style would be an option but Barca have to play like Barca. If we lose we have to lose playing like Barca and when we win we win like Barca.

"That's something I've learnt since returning. At Barca, no-one likes to lose. If you play well and lose or you play badly and lose, either way you've lost. But here people do appreciate that we do things a certain way, our way.

"Now we have another coach and sometimes he has other ideas, so let's see. But, in theory, we'll be the same Barcelona we always have been."

Monday, October 21, 2013

Ozil crucial to Arsenal' - Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has pinpointed Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud as major threats when Borussia Dortmund face Arsenal on Tuesday. The Schwarzgelben have picked up three points from two games in the Champions League this season, following May's final defeat to Bayern Munich with a 2-1 loss to Napoli in September before bouncing back with a 3-0 win over Olympique de Marseille.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have a 100 per cent record in the European competition, including two wins over Fenerbahce in the play-off to reach the group stage and Aubameyang is under no illusions that the Gunners' squad is packed with quality. "Ozil is in great form and is crucial to Arsenal's game but they're a quality side anyway," Aubameyang told Bundesliga.com.

"Playing Arsenal won't be easy at all and we'll have to do better than we did on Saturday." Jurgen Klopp's men peppered Hannover's goal with 18 shots on Saturday but won just 1-0, thanks to an early Marco Reus penalty, with the Gabon international suggesting that the international break took affected BVB's sharpness.

"We didn't have our usual rhythm and didn't play the high tempo football we normally do. But a second goal would've killed the game." Following the continental tussle with Arsenal, Dortmund face arch-rivals Schalke this coming weekend.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Injury claims were 'greatly exaggerated', insists Bale

Gareth Bale has described stories about a chronic back injury as "greatly exaggerated" after returning for Real Madrid against Malaga. Bale came on as a second-half substitute and won the penalty which Cristiano Ronaldo converted to seal a 2-0 win for the hosts at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Reports in the Spanish media this month had claimed Bale was suffering from a major back problem - rumours which were promptly dismissed by the club - and the Wales international has now stressed he has no concerns over his long-term fitness. "It's been greatly exaggerated about my injury," the 24-year-old was quoted as saying by AS.

"I'm over the injury I suffered. I had a small thigh issue and as a result I've not had a lot of playing time. I missed preseason and could not run or train without discomfort. "The truth is that it was not important. Everything is exaggerated enough. I'm already playing again.

"Winning was very important for us today and I think we played well throughout the match. "We deserved the win and now I'm looking forward to facing the next two games." Madrid still sit third in La Liga after their win with 22 points from nine games, but have closed the gap from Barcelona at the top to just three points ahead of next week's Clasico at Camp Nou.

The Sweeper: Manchester City monitoring Pogba latest

Mino Raiola is chasing a bumper deal for the Frenchman, while Rio Ferdinand could be set for a switch to Manchester United's rivals - of sorts - and Harry Redknapp is gagged. Manchester City are keeping serious tabs on former Manchester United starlet Paul Pogba at Juventus.

The Frenchman's agent, Mino Raiola, is pushing the Italians for a significant new deal to reflect his growing stature at the club, with only two years left on his present package worth £900,000-a-year. Sources close to the Italian club have indicated that they are confident of tying Pogba down, with the promise of making him the club's central midfield fulcrum for the long-term future. Andrea Pirlo, those close to the club say, is set to be released at the end of the season.

However, City are keeping a close eye on the 20-year-old's situation, with the youngster's hero, Patrick Vieira, having scouted him heavily when he was at Old Trafford. Pogba had cold feet about making a direct switch to City at the time due to his time spent in the red half of the City.

City remain close to Raiola following their dealings with the agent during Mario Balotelli's City career, and are keen to be at the front of the queue should his negotiations with the Turin outfit break down.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

These Eaglets are unstoppable' - Akofe

One of the four players dropped from the U17 team on the eve of the world cadet championship has tipped his colleagues to rule the world in UAE Olumide Akofe has predicted that the Golden Eaglets will do well at the Fifa U-17 World Championship in the United Arab Emirates.

The defensive midfielder, who did not make the final cut after the Eaglets training tour in the United Arab Emirates, believes no team can stop the free-scoring Nigerians. “I know my colleagues will beat Mexico silly and go ahead to win the title. The team is very strong and mentally fit for this challenge. I don’t see any country posing a threat to our ambition because after we failed to win the Africa Cadet championship, the coaches were not happy with us and I think this is a better platform for the Eaglets to show their class,” Akofe told Lamented

Commenting on his inability to make the coach Garba Manu’s final team, the Team 360 FC of Lagos prodigy confessed he has no ill-feelings because the country’s prestige was at stake. He also thanked the coaching crew for giving him a chance to show his abilities.

“I feel very happy being given the chance to prove my worth and I must confess it has been a great learning experience for me which will help me move on in my football career. I want to thank my coaches for allowing me to embark on the training tour and I can only wish them the best of luck,” concluded Akofe who plans on moving to Europe.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Super Eagles to confront Italy in London two days after second leg against Ethiopia

The Nigeria Football Federation and the Italian FA have agreed on a friendly match between both countries to take place in London. With the 2014 World Cup within reach, the Nigeria Football Federation has agreed for the Super Eagles to play the Azzurri of Italy in London on November 18.

The African champions will take on Ethiopia in the second leg of the African World Cup qualifying tie in Calabar on November 16, and will fly straight to London for the Monday confrontation with the Italians.

Italy will play Germany at San Siro in Milan on November 15 as the FIGC confirmed the dates for the international friendlies which will take place during the World Cup play-offs.

Both teams' first and only meeting to date was at the 1994 World Cup in USA with the Italians handing a 2-1 defeat to the Super Eagles in the second round of the competition, after the Nigerians led for close to 88 minutes.

Mourinho warns Barcelona over Courtois

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has told Barcelona they would be wasting their time in pursuing a move for goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The Belgium international arrived at Stamford Bridge from Racing Genk in 2011 but is now in his third season on loan at Atletico Madrid, during which time he has blossomed into one of the best keepers in Europe.

And with Victor Valdes set to depart Camp Nou at the end of the season, the Blaugrana are on the hunt for a replacement between the posts, but Mourinho has no interest in sanctioning the exit of a player he holds in high regard. He told reporters: "We have the best goalkeeper in the world (Petr Cech) and the best young goalkeeper in the world. It's a very good problem. Our goal is safe and financially we are also very safe - the value in the market is the value of the best.

"In this moment I don't think about it. It doesn't worry me because our situation is fantastic and everything is under our control. We control the situation, not Barcelona, Atletico or another team interested in our goalkeepers. We control the situation so that's fine." The 21-year-old has become a key part of Atleti's rise under Diego Simeone and has lifted the Copa del Rey, Europa League and the Uefa Super Cup with the capital club.

Courtois has played in all eight of his side's Liga games so far this season as the Vicente Calderon club have kept pace with Barcelona at the top of the division with 24 points in an unbeaten start to the season.

Emmanuel Emenike now realizing huge potential in the colours of Nigeria

The Fenerbahce striker is enjoying a purple patch with the Super Eagles and seems to be realizing his dreams and a striker with 10 goals in 17 Nigeria matches, Fenerbahce striker Emmanuel Emenike has shown with that he is ready to take on the goal scoring responsibilities for the national team.

He is steadily proving to all and sundry that he is very capable of leading the line for the national team and people are starting to dream again after the Super Eagles team of 1994 that was headlined by the goal scoring phenomenon, Rashidi Yekini.

The last striker to have made such an impact on the national team was the late Yekini, who scored 37 in 58 matches – an average of 0.64 goals per game. This compares favourably with Emenike’s, which stands at 0.58; though it must be said that at the early part of his Eagles career, Yekini’s average was closer to 0.4, a number which Emenike's stats currently dwarfs.

A team realizes that they have a potent striker when they find that player who contrives to almost always score the most important goals for the team – either the opening goal against a particularly stubborn team, or drags his team back into contention with an equalizing goal. It is much better when he scores the winner in a tight contest.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Valencia confirm Rami to join Milan

The defender, who fell out of favour with los Che in recent weeks, has made the move to San Siro for at least the remainder of the 2013-14 campaign

Valencia centre-back Adil Rami will sign for AC Milan in January on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season, the Liga club have confirmed

The France international had become out of favour at Mestalla after a public fall-out that involved him criticising coach Miroslav Djukic and he will not play again for the Spanish side this season. Los Che endured a poor start to the season - with four consecutive defeats - and Rami lashed out on Spanish radio, to which the club responded by removing him from the first team.

Valencia then suspended the 27-year-old without pay for a week for his actions as the wheels kicked into motion for his departure to San Siro, and he is already training with the Rossoneri but cannot play for the first team until January. Rami joined Valencia from Lille in 2011 having spent roughly five years at the Ligue 1 club and he has 26 caps for les Bleus since his 2010 debut.