Pep Guardiola is showing signs of feeling the pressure as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich hunt their first win of the year at strugglers VfB Stuttgart on Saturday. . Bayern have failed to impress so far in 2015 in their two matches since returning from the Bundesliga’s winter break with an 11-point lead. . Their shock 4-1 thrashing at second-placed Wolfsburg last Friday was followed by a 1-1 draw at home to Schalke on Tuesday after playing for 70 minutes with ten men. . The usually calm and composed Bayern coach sprinted 45 metres to remonstrate with the assistant referee after…
Author: David F.
World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo returns for a Real Madrid side otherwise stricken by injuries and suspensions as they look to beat Atletico Madrid for the first time in six meetings this season on Saturday. . Ronaldo completed his two-game ban for kicking out at Cordoba defender Edimar as the European champions sneaked past Sevilla to open up a four-point lead over Barcelona at the top of the table on Wednesday. . However, victory came at a cost as World Cup star James Rodriguez broke a bone in his right foot that will keep him out for two…
Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos will be out of action for five weeks, coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed on Friday. . Spain international Ramos, 28, suffered a torn hamstring in Wednesday’s 2-1 La Liga win over Sevilla and limped off after just nine minutes before being replaced by Nacho. . “Sergio’s injury is a serious one. He’ll be out for five weeks,” Ancelotti explained. . Ramos, who had already been ruled out of Saturday’s derby against Atletico, could also miss both legs of Champions League round of 16 against Schalke, on 18th February and 10th March. . The centre-back’s absence is…
Zinedine Zidane is shaping up as a future coach of Real Madrid coach, present incumbent Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday. . Zidane, who is currently coaching the Real reserve side Castilla, “has all the qualities” required to take the the helm of the club, Ancelotti told a news conference. . “I enjoy Zidane’s work, he’s doing very well,” Ancelotti said. . After a difficult start of the season, Castilla are top of Spain’s third tier league. . “He’s doing very well in his first year in charge. He’s taken Castilla to first place and he needs to keep up the…
One of West African powerhouses Ivory Coast and Ghana will end their lengthy wait for another Africa Cup of Nations title when they meet in the championship match on Sunday. . The tournament final will be played on Sunday night at Estadio de Bata in Equatorial Guinea. Kick-off is at 9pm CAT. . The Elephants defeated DR Congo 3-1 in their semifinal on Wednesday night to secure a place in the final for the third time in the last nine years and will hope to add to the one continental trophy they claimed back in 1992. . Ivory Coast were…
Christian Atsu says the Ghana team is focused and not carried away by their Afcon 2015 finale feat. . The Chelsea winger reveals the target of doing the main business in Sunday’s finals over Ivory Coast before thinking of celebration. . The Black Stars took a cautious approach to the tournament and diligently eased past hosts Equatorial Guinea 3-0 in a gruelling semifinal which was later marred by crowd troubles in Malabo. . The crowd incidents began after Gabonese referee whistled and pointed to the spot following a clip by Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Felipe Ovono on attacker Kwesi Appiah. .…
Africa Cup of Nations hosts Equatorial Guinea will look to redeem themselves in the third-place playoff against DR Congo on Saturday night at Nuevo Estadio de Malabo. Kick-off is at 9pm CAT. . Though the tournament hosts put together a remarkable run to reach the last four – easily their best Afcon showing – their 3-0 defeat to Ghana in the semifinals and the shameful behaviour of their fans at the end of that match has threatened to take the gloss off their achievements. . “I am really sad with what happened with the supporters,” Equatorial Guinea coach Esteban Becker…
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere needs to “master his own life” after being pictured this week holding a shisha pipe at a London night club, his manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday. . The England international, who has not played since November due to injury, had been photographed smoking on two previous occasions. . “I have spoken with him about that — he is not a smoker,” Wenger told reporters the day before the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. . “He is sorry about what happened, but he has to master his own life. . “When he is here, he…
Harry Redknapp’s resignation as Queens Park Rangers manager was a big surprise to everyone at the club, caretaker coach Chris Ramsey said on Friday. . Ramsey, Les Ferdinand and Kevin Bond will lead the team into Saturday’s Premier League match against Southampton after Redknapp quit on Tuesday due to knee problems. . Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood was immediately linked with the job but media reports said negotiations with him had stalled. . “It’s always a surprise when something like this happens,” Ramsey, the manager of QPR’s Academy programme, told a news conference on Friday. “It was a shock,…
Brazil captain Neymar has tipped Liverpool forward Philippe Coutinho to become the biggest star in England after some eye-catching displays in the Premier League. . The fleet-footed Coutinho has played an important part in Liverpool’s resurgence in recent weeks, with the Brazilian adding greater consistency to his burgeoning bag of tricks. . Barcelona forward Neymar played alongside Coutinho as they came up through the youth ranks of Brazilian football and is a big admirer. . “He can be the star player in England. This season I think everybody in England is seeing how talented he is — and I know…
African football chiefs on Friday hit Equatorial Guinea with a $100 000 fine for unrest in a Africa Cup of Nations semifinal in which 36 fans were injured. . But the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said that despite disturbances blamed on Equatorial Guinea fans in Thursday’s semifinal defeat to Ghana, supporters would be allowed into the country’s third-place play off against Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday. . CAF meted out the fine to the Nations Cup hosts “for aggressive behaviour and being repeat offenders” for crowd trouble, said a confederation statement. . An order to play Saturday’s third place…
Willian has confirmed what many have long suspected in revealing that Jose Mourinho’s complaints about the treatment of Chelsea are a way to motivate his squad. . Chelsea manager Mourinho is set to break his self-imposed ban on speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s visit to Aston Villa when the Blues will attempt to consolidate their five-point advantage at the head of the Premier League table. . Last weekend the Portuguese maintained his silence either side of the meeting with title rivals Manchester City. . His stance was triggered by the Football Association’s decision to retrospectively impose a three-match…
The battle for Champions League qualification in the Premier League takes on new intensity this weekend with two high-stakes derby clashes involving teams pursuing a top-four finish. . Arsenal, who trail fourth-place Southampton on goal difference alone, tackle north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a contest between two sides who have found form in recent weeks. . Liverpool, meanwhile, visit Everton, having climbed to within four points of the Champions League places with a haul of 16 points from a possible 18 – a run matched only by Lyon in Europe’s five major leagues. . The weekend’s action begins at…
It has taken Ghana five years to smash their Afcon semi-final jinx, and now they want the icing on the cake. . Black Stars coach Avram Grant has now made his ambitions of winning the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final clear. His side fought a tempestuous battle to beat Equatorial Guinea 3-0 on Thursday. . “Everyone talked about the other teams. Now we are in the final and we would want to win the cup.” . The 33-year wait for a trophy is something the Israeli wants to conquer, but the opponent to wrestle in Sunday’s final will be…
Describing himself as “no angel,” Chelsea striker Diego Costa has insisted he won’t alter his aggressive and confrontational playing style in the wake of his three-match ban for stamping on an opponent’s leg. . The Spain international missed Chelsea’s 1-1 Premier League draw with title rival Manchester City on Saturday after failing to overturn a charge of violent conduct for treading on the ankle of Liverpool’s Emre Can during the League Cup semifinal on Tuesday. . “I’ve never injured another colleague, another player on purpose,” the former Atletico Madrid striker is quoted by the Sunday Telegraph as saying. “Yes, I’ve…
Southampton made fullback Ryan Bertrand’s loan move from Chelsea permanent in the final minutes of the transfer window on Monday after the English Premier League high-flyers had snapped up Serbia’s Filip Djuricic from Benfica. . Bertrand had initially joined on a season-long loan in July but the 25-year-old signed a four-and-a-half-year deal on Monday after some impressive displays in Southampton’s miserly defence, the best in the league, which has helped them to fourth place. . The permanent deal brings to an end a frustrating spell with league leaders Chelsea, where he had gone on loan seven times and rarely had…
Stoke City defender Robert Huth became Leicester City’s third signing of the transfer window on Monday when he joined on loan from their Premier League rivals until the end of the season. . However he is ineligible to play in Saturday’s match at home to Crystal Palace as he completes a two-match ban for breaching FA rules by interacting with a Twitter account that asked users to guess the gender of individuals in explicit pictures. . The 30-year-old former Germany international, who has also played for Chelsea and Middlesbrough, has been signed to bolster a Leicester defence that has conceded…
Premier League leaders Chelsea signed Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina on a four-and-a-half-year deal on Monday with Mohamed Salah moving in the opposite direction. . Media reports said Chelsea had paid a fee of around 35 million euros ($39.69 million) for Cuadrado. . Egyptian Salah, who has struggled to establish himself at Chelsea since joining from Swiss club Basle last January, has agreed to join Fiorentina on loan. . Cuadrado had been on Chelsea’s radar for some time and the deal was finalised after the Stamford Bridge outfit sold Germany winger Andre Schuerrle to Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg earlier…
Premier League leaders Chelsea signed Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina on a four-and-a-half-year deal on Monday with Mohamed Salah moving in the opposite direction. . Media reports said Chelsea had paid a fee of around 35 million euros ($39.69 million) for Cuadrado. . Egyptian Salah, who has struggled to establish himself at Chelsea since joining from Swiss club Basle last January, has agreed to join Fiorentina on loan. . Cuadrado had been on Chelsea’s radar for some time and the deal was finalised after the Stamford Bridge outfit sold Germany winger Andre Schuerrle to Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg earlier…
The African Nations Cup semifinal resumed after a break of over 30 minutes on Thursday as most of the crowd were forced from the stands amid violent scenes after missiles rained down from angry Equatorial Guinea fans. . Ghana supporters sought refuge on the pitch with their team leading 3-0 in a tempestuous semifinal at the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo against the tournament hosts. . Teargas was fired as riot police tried to control the home supporters while Ghana fans, corralled into an enclosure to the side of the 15 000 capacity stadium, spilt onto the field and amassed behind…