Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is confident the club have the squad to win trophies in 2016. The Spanish giants failed to lift a trophy in 2015, finishing second in La Liga behind Barcelona and eliminated by Juventus in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Madrid are third in La Liga and were thrown out of the Copa del Rey for fielding an ineligible player, with pressure mounting on coach Rafael Benitez. However, Perez remains upbeat about the club’s chances in the second half of the season. “I ask for health for everyone, work, welfare and happiness,” he said in…
Author: David Folami
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique gave his team just short of a perfect mark for the year as they completed 2015 with a 4-0 win over Real Betis at Camp Nou. Lionel Messi marked his 500th appearance for the club with a goal and Luis Suarez scored a brace after Heiko Westermann’s first-half own goal on Wednesday. The win saw Barca stay top of La Liga to finish a year which saw them win five trophies. But Luis Enrique was unwilling to describe it as perfect as he urged his team to improve on their efforts. “It’s a very good year…
Barcelona “do not need” penalties like the one awarded to Lionel Messi, furious Real Betis president Juan Carlos Ollero said. Messi collided with Betis goalkeeper Antonio Adan and Barca were awarded a spot-kick, which Neymar put onto the crossbar. But the rebound resulted in a Heiko Westermann own goal to put Barca 1-0 up as they went on to record a 4-0 La Liga victory on Wednesday. Ollero was fuming with the decision and said it was one teams like Luis Enrique’s did not need. “I felt a tremendous outrage at the time when the referee decided to draw a…
Nigerian goalkeeper, Chinedu Agwu has died at the age of 30 after battling a protracted illness. According to a reliable report, Agwu, who became famous while with Kaduna United, had battled the illness for a while before he was confirmed dead on Friday, January 1, 2016. Known for his remarkable saves during a penalty shootout between Kaduna United and Enyimba during the Federation Cup in 2010, which the northern-based club won, friends and family members have been thrown into a state of mourning. “Chinedu finally passed out today after a protracted illness,” a family member who identified himself as Chijioke,…
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo allowed a video crew into his £4.8m plush Madrid mansion. Unscriptd Sport cameramen entered the seven room mansion with Ronaldo describing everything to them. The home is located in the La Finca part of Pozuelo de Alarcon – an elite neighbourhood 10km west of the Moncloa District of Madrid. Ronaldo’s Real Madrid teammate Gareth Bale and club legend Zinedine Zidane also stay in that area. The Portugal international showed off his bedroom and his trophy room. While describing his room, he called it ‘one of the most important things in his life’. “I spend nearly…
Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos is hoping for more balance and stability at the club in 2016. The Spanish giants endured a difficult time in 2015, with Rafael Benitez coming in to replace the sacked Carlo Ancelotti. Benitez is the eighth Madrid coach in 10 years, while rivals Barcelona have only changed trainer five times in the same period. Ramos, who has struggled with niggling injuries in 2015-16, is hoping the New Year is a more prosperous one for Madrid and himself. “At a personal level, first I hope injuries treat me well and it’s a year with a good…
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique believes Atletico Madrid have what it takes to challenge for the Liga title right until the end of the season. Diego Simeone’s men sit second in the table, level on 38 points with Barca, who have played a game less, but two clear of Real Madrid. Atleti beat Barcelona and Madrid to the title in 2013-14 and Luis Enrique feels they are genuine contenders this term, too. “I’m sure that Atletico are candidates for the title,” the Barcelona coach said at a news conference. “They’ve already shown how good they are and I’m sure they’ll challenge…
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone says he expects Fernando Torres to improve and has backed the misfiring striker to reach the 100-goal mark for the club. Torres has been stuck on 99 goals for Atleti since he last found the net in September but will again go in search of his landmark goal against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday. Simeone’s men resume their La Liga campaign in second place – level on points with Barcelona, having played a game more – and the Argentinian says there is plenty more to come from his squad. “I always expect more from all of…
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has urged his players to be on their guard when they host basement boys Levante in La Liga on Saturday. The 2013-14 champions head into 2016 level on points with current title holders Barcelona at the top of Spain’s top flight. They might have had a slender advantage to their name without a suffering a surprise 1-0 loss at Malaga before Christmas and Simeone is keen to avoid any similar slip-ups. “Levante are an organised team,” he told a pre-match news conference. “If we don’t work as the match requires it will cost us. “For…
As many of you battle with sore heads and croaky voices following last night’s festivities, Toe Poke thought we’d have a little look to see how some of football’s biggest names chose to ring in the New Year. Sadly, it appears they mostly managed it with a whole lot more class and decorum than we did. Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated the onset of the new calendar year by dressing like a 1920s Mississippi riverboat gambler and doling out motivational quotes. On the other side of the Real-Barca divide, Neymar chose to lay on a classy banquet for his nearest and dearest.…
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has said he considers Dimitri Payet to be on the same level as Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil. France international Payet excelled after joining West Ham from Marseille in the summer before suffering an ankle injury in November. However, Bilic has said the 28-year-old should be fit to return to face Liverpool on Saturday and feels the playmaker bears comparison with in-form Germany star Ozil. Asked about Payet, who scored five goals and provided three assists in 12 Premier League games before his injury, Bilic said: “I rate him on the same level as Mesut Ozil. “He…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be leaving Paris Saint-Germain in January, but his agent Mino Raiola insists the striker would be perfect for the Premier League. Ibrahimovic, 34, has been linked with a move away due to the fact his contract expires at the end of the season. The Swede has attracted attention from MLS and Qatar, while it has also been reported that he could return to Serie A with AC Milan. Yet, while Raiola made it clear his client was not leaving Ligue 1 just yet, the Premier League remains an option. “He will definitely stay with Paris Saint-Germain…
Everton boss Roberto Martinez is wary of the threat posed by “rare” Tottenham striker Harry Kane ahead Spurs’ trip to Goodison Park on Sunday, but he wouldn’t trade his firing Romelu Lukaku for the England international. Kane scored 27 Premier League goals in 2015, eight more than any other player, and after a slow start to this season, he has netted 10 times in as many league games. The Toffees, meanwhile, have conceded seven goals in their last two home games and boast the worst defensive record in the league. Martinez, who believes Spurs are genuine title contenders, is an…
Guus Hiddink has admitted that Cesc Fabregas is no longer an indispensable part of the Chelsea team and may have to be benched against certain opponents. Fabregas has endured a disappointing second season at Stamford Bridge, registering just two goals and three assists in 25 appearances in all competitions, and was booed by Chelsea supporters during a 3-1 win over Sunderland last month amid reports that he, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard had actively worked to ensure the departure of former manager Jose Mourinho. The Spain international made 47 appearances in all competitions under Mourinho last season as Chelsea surged…
French star Paul Pogba says his time at Manchester United was like being on holiday in comparison to the work he has to do at Juventus. Pogba, who has helped Juve win three consecutive league titles since controversially quitting United in 2012, made the remark in a wide-ranging interview with Turin daily La Stampa in which he also tips Argentinian teammate Paulo Dybala as a future winner of the Ballon d’Or. “People need to know that nothing at Juve is easy,” Pogba said. “There is a different culture of work compared to elsewhere. I was at Manchester: it seemed like…
Arsene Wenger has revealed Mesut Ozil rarely trains between matches as he looks to keep the German playmaker in peak condition for Arsenal’s Premier League title charge. Ozil has been the key figure in Arsenal’s rise to the top of the table and has already provided a league leading 16 assists this season. While the likes of Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez are out injured, Ozil has avoided any problems and become a pivotal part of an Arsenal side ahead of Saturday’s visit from Newcastle. And Gunners boss Wenger, who was criticised for over-playing Sanchez before he pulled…
Arsene Wenger says Mesut Ozil holds the key to Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Premier League for the first time in 12 years. Ozil’s superb run of form has been the catalyst for Arsenal’s climb to the top of the Premier League table heading into 2016. The 27-year-old German midfielder has been immaculate in recent weeks and has already notched up a league leading 16 assists this season. The latest came in Monday’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth, with Ozil then adding the second goal himself. “He is a complete athlete. I also believe he has grown in stature and takes…
Guus Hiddink has challenged his Chelsea flops to rediscover the winning formula as they start the new year with a tricky trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday. Hiddink’s side have drawn against Watford and Manchester United since the Dutchman returned for his second spell as Chelsea interim manager following Jose Mourinho’s sacking. That those two workmanlike performances were regarded as cause for encouragement shows just how far the champions had fallen during the miserable final days of Mourinho’s troubled reign. In a reversal of fortune that would have seemed remarkable at the end of last season when Chelsea were hoisting…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for his side as they returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Premier League leaders Leicester City at Anfield on Saturday. Before Saturday’s encounter, Liverpool had picked up just one point from their previous three league matches, culminating in last weekend’s miserable 3-0 defeat by Watford at Vicarage Road. But they were far brighter against Leicester and substitute Christian Benteke made the difference in the second half, slotting home Roberto Firmino’s cross to finally make Liverpool’s dominance count. “Beating the top of the table is tough,” Klopp said. “A lot…
Liverpool great Steven Gerrard could return to the club in a coaching capacity as early as this year, he revealed in a British newspaper interview published on Saturday. Gerrard, 35, left Liverpool for the Los Angeles Galaxy last year, but he has been training on Merseyside during the Major League Soccer close season and is now eyeing a role on Jurgen Klopp’s coaching staff. “I’m not 100 percent sure, but I think it will probably be my last year as a player,” the former Liverpool and England captain told the Daily Telegraph. “I have had a chat with Klopp. I…