PSV coach Phillip Cocu has hailed the role of Diego Simeone in Atletico Madrid’s recent successes ahead of the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in Eindhoven on Wednesday. Simeone has guided Atletico to La Liga, Europa League and Copa del Rey triumph since taking charge at the Vicente Calderon in December 2011 and Cocu has nothing but respect for the Argentine’s work. “Atletico Madrid are nothing like the team they were when I played in Spain,” the Dutchman said. “They have a different coach and different players, but it’s nice to see how Simeone has built a…
Author: David Folami
Massimiliano Allegri says Juventus lacked confidence early in their 2-2 draw at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Thomas Muller’s goal in the 43rd minute in Turin saw the visitors lead at half-time and they went 2-0 up against last season’s beaten finalists when Arjen Robben scored 10 minutes into the second half. The hosts finally got to grips with the contest after that, Paulo Dybala and Stefano Sturaro hitting back to give Juve hope of progressing to the quarter-finals. And despite watching his team concede two away goals, Allegri is optimistic ahead of the second leg at Allianz Stadium…
Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller are closing in on the Bundesliga’s record goal-haul for a partnership with the Bavarians reportedly set to spend big to keep the duo together. Mueller netted twice and Lewandowski scored their third in Saturday’s 3-1 comeback win at home to Darmstadt for the runaway league leaders. It was Bayern’s last game before Tuesday’s crunch Champions League last 16, first-leg clash at last season’s finalists Juventus. Lewandowski is the German league’s top scorer with 22 goals, from 21 games, with Mueller on 17. It leaves the pair with 39 Bundesliga goals between them and…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted he will not be viewing Thursday’s Europa League clash with Augsburg as an unwelcome distraction despite the game coming less than 72 hours before the League Cup final. Klopp has the chance to lift a first piece of silverware as Anfield boss when the Reds face Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday, but he is keen for European progress as well. The last-32 tie against the Germans remains finely poised after last week’s first leg in Bavaria ended goalless, so Liverpool need to be especially wary not to concede an away goal. A strong…
Manchester United winger Memphis Depay has said he has not lived up to expectations since his big-money transfer from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, but is working hard to improve. Memphis joined United in June for a reported 25 million pounds ($35 million) after finishing the previous campaign as the Dutch league’s top scorer with 22 goals, but has struggled to settle in England. The 22-year-old, described by manager Louis van Gaal as having the “potential to become a great footballer”, has scored six goals in all competitions for United and two in the Premier League all season. “I haven’t yet…
The gloom that has been descending on Manchester United lifted a little when they beat Shrewsbury in the FA Cup on Monday, but manager Louis van Gaal remains a man facing problems. United’s manager has no margin for error as he attempts to maintain his team’s chances of a European trophy when they face Midtjylland at Old Trafford on Thursday. United’s 2-1 defeat away to the previously unheralded Danish champions in their Europa League round of 32 first leg last week was a significant embarrassment for Van Gaal, with the local newspaper, the Manchester Evening News, calling for him to…
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has rejected the notion that the club’s announcement that Pep Guardiola will take over at the end of the season has derailed their campaign. “Really, that’s not the problem,” the Chilean told a news conference on the eve of the the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie at Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday. City have, however, been hit by injuries, especially in midfield, and are without Fabian Delph, Kevin De Bruyne, Jesus Navas, Wilfried Bony and Samir Nasri. The club announced on February 1 that Bayern Munich coach Guardiola would replace Pellegrini at…
Bayern Munich were left to rue a number of missed chances in their Champions League last 16 first leg against Juventus on Tuesday after the Germans squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 despite dominating for much of the game. “It is not only the coach who is disappointed. It is all of us,” said Bayern winger Arjen Robben, who had netted in the 55th minute to give the visitors a two-goal cushion. “We should have killed it off after the 2-0. What happened to us afterwards should not happen,” said the Dutchman. “We should have been cooler and calmer.”…
Bayern Munich remain confident of advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals despite blowing a two-goal lead in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Juventus in the first leg of their Round of 16 encounter on Tuesday. The 2013 champions were well worth the 2-0 lead they had opened up after a dominant hour in Turin before the Italians hit back with two goals in the final 27 minutes to restore parity ahead of the return leg in Munich on March 16. “We should not make the mistake and wrangle too much with this result even if we were leading by two…
Juventus staged a superb revival to battle back from two goals down and rescue their Champions League hopes with a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in their last 16 first leg in Turin on Tuesday. Thomas Mueller pounced on a deflected cross to put the visitors ahead in the 43rd minute and Dutchman Arjen Robben doubled the lead early in the second half as the 2013 champions took control of the tie. The Italians looked dead and buried after an hour with the Germans having close to 70 percent possession and Juve desperately waiting for a rare chance to break.…
Newly appointed National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff has said he will not resign despite calls from various members and groups in the party asking him to quit. In a statement on Monday, February 22, he called on the aggrieved members of the PDP, who have not yet come to terms with his emergence, to bury the hatchet and join in repositioning the party for the tasks ahead. Sheriff was reacting to a call by the PDP Rescue Group on Sunday, February 21, urging him to resign his position, saying his appointment was unacceptable to…
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Monday, February 22, rallied support for the newly appointed National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, saying his emergence is the thing for the party now. He said this in a statement released by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka. “His emergence at this time is the best thing in the present circumstance and those aggrieved should sheath their sword and deploy their time and resources into fighting the All Progressives Congress (APC) instead of their own party,” Fayose said. He said his decision…
The Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike has suspended three Local Government chairmen for not attending a town hall meeting he organised. According to Leadership, the town hall meeting was scheduled to address the security situation in Omoku, headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni council area of the state. The security meeting organised by the Governor was aimed at finding a lasting solution to the rampant cult killings in the Orashi area. Wike said the chairmen, through their action, showed that they were not concerned about the security situation in the region. He also said “It is our duty to protect the lives…
Former Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus has handed over to the party’s new chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff. Secondus handed over to Sheriff on Monday, February 22, 2016, at the party’s secretariat in Abuja. Meanwhile, the new PDP Chairman has said that he will not resign from the position despite the controversy caused by his appointment.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff has said that former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode will not go scot-free after the latter described him as the founder of Boko Haram. Sheriff made the threat on Monday, February 22, 2016, after officially taking over the leadership of the party, according to The Nation. The PDP Chairman also insisted that he had nothing to do with the sect which had also killed members of his own family. “Boko Haram killed my own brother. They killed members of my family. So, why should I sponsor people to kill my own brother, my…
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted that it will not support new Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff and has urged him to resign. The PDP BoT also decided, after a long meeting on Monday, February 22, 2016, that Sheriff is not fit to run the party, The Nation reports. The trustees’ position was disclosed by Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, who presided over the meeting in Abuja “We are going to propose viable solution to this problem after we must have consulted with other organs and relevant stakeholders in the party,” Jibrin said. PDP chieftains…
Former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has expressed surprise at a threat issued against him by new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff. Sheriff had said that Fani-Kayode would “not go scot free” after the latter described him as a Boko Haram sponsor. In response, the former minister said that he’s waiting to see what Sheriff will do to him. “We are more than ready to meet Senator Ali Modu Sheriff in court. It would be a pleasure to expose him for what he is. The days of intimidating, silencing and threatening others are long over,” he said. “If…
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue state, Chief Abu King Shuluwa has said that new chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff is an agent on a mission to destroy the party. Shuluwa also urged Sheriff to resign from the position due to the controversy his emergence had caused. “He has no business being the chairman of the party. He is an agent. Sheriff was the one who nursed an organisation in Borno that later metamorphosed into Boko Haram,” the chieftain said. “Suddenly, he now becomes chairman of PDP. He surely has a mission to destroy the party,” he…
Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola has expressed shock at the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) claim that he is planning to replace the state’s striking doctors with native doctors. Aregbesola’s position on the allegation was disclosed via a statement released by spokesperson, Semiu Okanlawon on Monday, February 22, 2016. It reads: “Frankly, what is there to respond to in this PDP’s market place, naked dance?” “The statistics are there for the PDP to fault. Osun under Aregbesola has the enviable record of sound health delivery. To come second to Lagos in Nigeria cannot be a little feat.” “Weird is the logic…
The Ministers Forum of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the party saved Nigeria by keeping the country together in 2015 despite predictions that the general elections would lead to its disintegration. The remark was made by the Chairman of the forum and former Minister for Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki during a meeting which held in Abuja on Monday, February 22, 2016. “People had predicted that Nigeria will disintegrate in 2015 but the PDP kept Nigeria together. If we can save Nigeria, we can save our party if we save PDP, we are saving democracy in Nigeria,”…