Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal admitted to concerns about his team’s goal-scoring problems after they were bundled out of the League Cup on penalties by second-tier Middlesbrough. . The Premier League giants contrived to fail with three of their four attempts in Wednesday’s 3-1 shoot-out loss, with England internationals Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Ashley Young all unsuccessful. . That followed a goalless tie, including extra time, which extended United’s run without a goal in domestic football to 238 minutes following a drab stalemate with Manchester City in last weekend’s Manchester derby. . “Yes, of course,” said Van Gaal…
Author: David F.
Crystal Palace will be paying special attention to England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney in Saturday’s meeting at Selhurst Park, manager Alan Pardew said on Friday. . Rooney has scored only two league goals all season but Pardew believes that may be down to the service he is getting. . “He is at the top of the pitch now and maybe he is not getting the service he would probably want,” he told reporters. . “I can see a little bit of frustration in him but that makes him dangerous. Rooney has proved many times, particularly when he gets…
Jose Mourinho says he “cannot promise” Chelsea will be in the Champions League next season, but insists his struggling Premier League titleholders will turn around their season. . The Portuguese had previously stated he was certain they would finish in the top four, but he has changed his mind after Chelsea’s poor start, losing half their league games. . When directly asked about the Champions League, Mourinho responded: “I cannot promise” but did say “no” when asked whether he had any doubt they would get out of this run. . That poor spell means an awkward match against Jurgen Klopp’s…
Juventus and Argentina striker Carlos Tevez has had his driving licence suspended after being caught speeding through the Mont Blanc Tunnel, Italian media reported on Thursday. . Tevez was clocked exceeding the 70km/h limit in the tunnel, which separates Italy from France, although his actual speed was not revealed. . The incident took place on Wednesday, the day after Tevez had scored in the 2-1 Champions League semifinal win over Real Madrid in Turin. . The 31-year-old Tevez is no stranger to falling foul of the rules of the road. . In March 2013, when he was at Manchester City,…
AC Milan, at the centre of takeover uncertainty and with coach Filippo Inzaghi unlikely to survive until next season, can have a hand in the Champions League shake-up when they face Roma on Saturday. . The 18-time Serie A champions and winners of the European Cup on seven occasions are marooned in mid-table with just 43 points, a huge 36 behind Juventus who wrapped up the title last weekend. . They go into their home clash with second-placed Roma on the back of three straight defeats and a winless run of five matches. . To make matters worse, they will…
Roma failed to strengthen their grip on second place in Serie A after goals from Marco Van Ginkel and Mattia Destro saw struggling AC Milan win 2-1 to blow the race for the Champions League wide open. . Van Ginkel’s first Serie A goal five minutes before halftime and a close range header from former Roma striker Destro just before the hour mark were enough for Milan to win for the first time in six games, despite a Francesco Totti penalty letting Roma back into the game 17 minutes from time. . Rudi Garcia’s Roma stay second on 64 points…
It was not a vintage Chelsea performance but manager Jose Mourinho said his newly-crowned champions competed for the dignity of the Premier League in their 1-1 draw against Liverpool on Sunday. . The visitors welcomed Chelsea on to the pitch with a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge and the hosts responded by taking the lead after five minutes when John Terry headed in from a corner. . Visiting captain Steven Gerrard capitalised on some slack defending to nod home the equaliser just before halftime but neither side could make the decisive breakthrough in the second half. . “It was…
Arsenal all but sealed Champions League qualification for an 18th successive season after they breezed past relegation-threatened Hull City 3-1 in the Premier League on Monday. . Alexis Sanchez’s deflected free-kick wrong-footed stranded keeper Steve Harper to hand Arsenal a 28th-minute opener before Aaron Ramsey doubled the advantage four minutes later when his shot was diverted into the net via a Hull defender. . Sanchez rounded Harper to add his second in first half stoppage time and, though they improved after the break, Hull’s solitary response came from Stephen Quinn’s 56th minute header. . Arsenal, in third, have 70 points…
Sergio Aguero lifted Manchester City’s spirits as the Argentine’s brilliant finish clinched a 1-0 win at Tottenham on the day his side’s reign as Premier League champions came to an end. . Manuel Pellegrini’s team kicked off just half an hour after Chelsea were crowned champions with a victory over Crystal Palace and, given the lacklustre nature of their title defence, it would have been little surprise to see City turn in a disinterested display at White Hart Lane. . But Aguero’s predatory instincts came to the rescue as he netted the first half winner that kept City in second…
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said his side had won the toughest league in world football after a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday saw them crowned English champions. . Eden Hazard’s goal on the stroke of halftime gave the Blues a 1-0 win in front of their own fans at Stamford Bridge and an unassailable 16-point lead at the top of the Premier League table. . Chelsea have now won the title three times under Mourinho but this is the first since the Portuguese manager returned to the London club for a second spell in charge in 2013. .…
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has stepped up his war of words with Jose Mourinho by claiming he would never be satisfied to win the Premier League playing in the cautious and careful style of newly crowned champions Chelsea. . Pellegrini’s side saw their reign as champions officially ended on Sunday when Chelsea beat Crystal Palace to secure the points they needed to take the title away from Eastlands. . But, in the latest verbal jousting between two old rivals, Pellegrini refused to accept that Chelsea’s achievement was worthy of much praise because of the ultra-conservative tactics adopted by Blues…
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expects Hull City to secure Barclays Premier League safety after “two amazing results” and has warned his side of the challenge they battle in their visit to the KC Stadium on Monday. . Hull climbed out of the relegation places following back-to-back victories against Crystal Palace and Liverpool, leaving them two places and one point above the drop zone going into the encounter with Arsenal. . Dame N’Doye’s double wrapped up Hull’s 2-0 success at Selhurst Park before Michael Dawson’s header downed Liverpool on Tuesday, and Wenger is wary of the threat the Tigers pose to…
After a slow start at Barcelona, Luis Suarez now has a strike rate comparable to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, while his selfless style has also helped instill a spirit of camaraderie within their deadly attack. . In recent seasons, Barca’s play was emphasised by their short-passing football but now it is the ruthlessness of their forward trio that is propelling the club towards a second treble in six years. . Messi, Suarez and Neymar have amassed 108 goals between them and have the Spanish record of 118 goals scored by Real Madrid trio Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain…
AC Milan will keep faith with under-fire manager Filippo Inzaghi until the end of the season despite a 3-0 defeat by Napoli on Sunday, Italian media has reported. . “Pippo Inzaghi will remain Milan coach until the end of the season,” the Gazzetta Dello Sport reported the club as saying immediately after the defeat. . Inzaghi looked to have been on the verge of the sack after Wednesday’s 3-1 home defeat to Genoa. . But with the club in the middle of buyout negotiations, the former Milan striker is safe until the end of the campaign. . “I have a…
Bayern Munich are expected to name a weakened line-up for Saturday’s clash at Bayer Leverkusen with the newly-crowned Bundesliga champions pre-occupied by Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal at Barcelona. . Pep Guardiola has fresh injury concerns with both his top scorers Robert Lewandowski, who has 23 goals this season, and Arjen Robben, who’s scored 19, injured while Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last nine league games. . Lewandowski fractured his cheekbone and suffered concussion in Tuesday’s German Cup semifinal defeat to Borussia Dortmund while Robben’s season is over after lasting 16 minutes of his comeback before tearing his left calf. .…
Newcastle’s under-fire interim manager John Carver will remain in charge of the struggling Premier League club for the final three games of the season after surviving crisis talks on Monday. . Carver was expected to be sacked after Newcastle’s eighth successive defeat, at relegation rivals Leicester on Saturday, left them just two points above the bottom three. . With Newcastle firmly in the relegation dogfight after looking safe in mid-table just weeks ago, Carver has endured strong criticism from Magpies fans, who refused to applaud their team following the lacklustre 3-0 loss at Leicester. . Carver, who took over when…
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal accepts that finding a remedy for his side’s misfiring forward line will be essential if they are to challenge for the Premier League title next season. . United’s steady improvement under the Dutchman has come to a grinding halt with consecutive defeats against Chelsea, Everton and West Bromwich Albion, undermining their hopes of sealing a top-four finish without undue anxiety. . They failed to score in any of those three games, a first since 2007, and while Van Gaal complained that West Brom “parked the bus” in their 1-0 win at Old Trafford on…
Before the last strands of blue ticker tape were being swept from the Stamford Bridge pitch on Sunday, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho would have cast his mind forward to the task of retaining the Premier League title. . Even the club’s most blinkered critics could not argue that Mourinho’s side were unworthy champions. . The 1-0 win over Crystal Palace secured Mourinho’s third league title for Chelsea, following the back-to-back triumphs he masterminded during his first spell in charge of the west Londoners when his tactical nous and owner Roman Abramovich’s money proved an irresistible mix. . In 2004-5, he…
Jose Mourinho has insisted he cannot equal former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s record of 13 Premier League titles, saying it would be “impossible”. . Chelsea boss Mourinho guided the Blues to the English title on Sunday following a 1-0 victory at home to London rivals Crystal Palace. . It was the third time the 52-year-old Mourinho, now in his second spell as Chelsea manager, has brought the Premier League title to Stamford Bridge following the 2004/05 and 2005/06 triumphs the Portuguese boss enjoyed during his initial period in charge. . Ferguson was 51 when he guided United to…
Juventus won the Italian title for the 31st time on Saturday after Arturo Vidal’s first half strike saw Massimiliano Allegri’s side defeat Sampdoria 1-0. . It was Juventus’ fourth league title in a row with as many games to spare this season and set them up perfectly for their upcoming Champions League semifinal duel with Real Madrid. . Chilean midfielder Vidal met Stephan Lichtsteiner’s deep floated cross with a perfectly placed header in the 32nd minute to put Juventus 17 points ahead of second-placed Lazio. . The Rome side travel to relegation-threatened Atalanta on Sunday with only 15 points available…