Aston Villa need six wins from their remaining 12 games to avoid relegation from the Premier League for the first time in their history, manager Tim Sherwood said on Thursday. . Sherwood, who replaced Paul Lambert as manager earlier this month, tasted defeat in his first game in charge last weekend as an injury-time penalty gave Stoke City a 2-1 victory at Villa Park. . Villa have lost six successive league matches and with 12 games remaining sit in the drop zone with only Leicester City below. . “Is it a bigger challenge than I thought? No,” Sherwood told a…
Author: David F.
Arsene Wenger slammed his Arsenal flops as naive and suicidal after their defensive meltdown allowed Monaco to clinch a stunning 3-1 win in the Champions League last 16 first leg. . Wenger’s side were widely expected to see off the French club and advance to the quarterfinals of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2010. . But instead they are on the verge of a fifth consecutive last 16 exit following an incredible meltdown at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. . Geoffrey Kondogbia’s first half strike was followed by a cool finish from former Tottenham forward Dimitar…
Diego Simeone insists his Atletico Madrid can turn things around for their Champions League last 16 return-leg clash in Spain after suffering a shock 1-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen. . The Germans have one foot in the quarterfinals for the first time since reaching the 2002 Champions League final after Hakan Calhanoglu’s superb second-half goal gives them a slender advantage. . Atletico finished with ten men at Leverkusen’s BayArena. . Defensive midfielder Tiago was sent off for the final quarter of an hour for a second booking while centre-back Diego Godin is also suspended for the return leg after a…
Chelsea have signed their “largest ever commercial deal” with the Yokohama Rubber Company that will see the name of the Japanese tyre manufacturer on their shirts for five years starting next season. . Financial details were undisclosed but the agreement ends the Stamford Bridge club’s 10-year partnership with Samsung Electronics. . “We believe Yokohama will play a key role in helping us drive our global expansion in international markets such as the US where they have operated with distinction for many years,” club chairman Bruce Buck said in a news release. . “Also, of course, Chelsea having such an esteemed…
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers on Thursday acknowledged he was disappointed the club had gone out of the Europa League to Besiktas on penalties but said they would now focus on the Premier League and FA Cup. . “We are disappointed of course to go out in the manner we did,” Rodgers said after the away tie in Istanbul which saw Besiktas level the aggregate score 1-1 and then win 5-4 on penalties in the Round of 32. . “We created opportunities in the first half to make it difficult for them,” he told reporters, regretting the errors that led to…
Bayer Leverkusen let Atletico Madrid off the hook by failing to secure a bigger advantage than their 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 match on Wednesday, said the Spanish side’s coach Diego Simeone. . After falling behind to Hakan Calhanoglu’s 57th-minute strike, Atletico then had to play the final quarter of an hour at the BayArena with 10 men after midfielder Tiago picked up a second yellow card. . Simeone had also used his three substitutions following first-half injuries to fullback Guilherme Siqueira and midfielder Saul Niguez, and the introduction of forward Fernando Torres,…
Liverpool walked away as Uefa Champions League winners the last time they played at the Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadium – their task this time around is to see off Besiktas and qualify for the Uefa Europa League round of 16. . Liverpool won the first leg at Anfield thanks to Mario Balotelli’s 85th-minute penalty. . The sides also met in the 2007/08 Uefa Champions League group stage, with Ertugrul Saglam’s Besiktas beating the Reds 2-1 in Istanbul before crashing 8-0 to Rafael Benítez’s men at Anfield; it remains Besiktas’s heaviest European defeat, and indeed the heaviest loss suffered by any club…
Arsenal supporters accustomed to seeing their team qualify for the Champions League year after year are beginning to adjust to a new routine: wretched elimination in the competition’s last 16. . Wednesday’s crushing 3-1 home defeat by Monaco left Arsenal on the brink of a fifth successive last-16 exit, after previous humblings at the hands of Barcelona, AC Milan and, in the previous two seasons, Bayern Munich. . Against Monaco, things were supposed to be different. The Ligue 1 club were appearing in the knockout phase for the first time in 10 years, had scored only four goals in the…
The second semi final of the 2015 Caf/Africa Cup of Nations will be contested between the Young Syli National of Guinea and the Aiglonnets of Mali. . The winner of the tie will meet South Africa who beat reigning world champions Nigeria 1-0 n Wednesday’s final to book a slot in the final. . Mali finished as the top team in Group A with two wins and a draw to garner seven points while Guinea also finished with five points from three matches to place second behind Nigeria. . The Young Eagles, tipped by many as the stand out team…
Arsenal’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2010 suffered a stunning blow as they slumped to a shock 3-1 home defeat by Monaco. . The Gunners looked to have been handed a favourable draw but a display that plumbed the depths of incompetence and naivety leaves them facing a last-16 exit once more. . Monaco, resilient at the back and capable of punishing Arsenal’s shoddy defence, took the lead in the first half through Geoffrey Kondogbia’s deflected shot. . To add insult to injury, former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov added the second…
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has said his side must put their shock 1-0 defeat to Malaga behind them as soon as possible with a huge Champions League clash against Manchester City to come on Tuesday. . Juanmi pounced on an error from Dani Alves to score the only goal of the game at the Camp Nou on Saturday as Barca’s impressive 11-game winning streak was brought to a crashing end. . The Catalans remain a point behind Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, but could see the European champions extend their advantage to four points when they travel…
Celtic manager Ronny Deila says his team will need to produce their best performance of the season to secure an “historic” win over Inter Milan. . The sides drew the first-leg of the Europa League last-32 tie 3-3 at Celtic Park, and Deila says his men can win at the San Siro if they hit top form. . “If we have our best performance of the season, and have a little bit of luck with us, we have a chance, “Deila said. . “If we can get an historic win here it will be the moment of our lives.” .…
Seven men identified as part of an investigation into alleged racist chanting after a Chelsea game in Paris have now come forward, police say. . The men, thought to be Chelsea fans, were pictured at London’s St Pancras train station last Wednesday. . The alleged chanting in London happened the day after the club’s 1-1 draw with Paris St-Germain. British Transport Police (BTP), which published photos of the men, said they would be interviewed “in due course”. . The alleged chanting happened after an incident of alleged racism by Chelsea supporters on the Paris Metro, when footage showed a black…
Leeds United are “not for sale” despite actor Russell Crowe suggesting he may be interested in buying the club. . Theinfostrides had learned that New Zealand-born Crowe, a Leeds supporter, would consider buying the club only if approached and with the fans’ backing. . Leeds are owned by Eleonora Sport Limited but banned president Massimo Cellino has sold his personal stake in both the company and the club. Chairman Andrew Umbers said there have been no approaches. . “The club is not for sale nor do the Cellino family wish to sell and nor have we received any approaches contrary…
Nigeria coach Emmanuel Amunike says he is disappointed with his team’s loss to South Africa, but the loss will help the team become better. . The Golden Eaglets, who are the defending world champions, lost 1-0 to South Africa in the first semifinal of the on-going Caf Africa Junior Championship in Niamey, Niger Republic. . Eric Mayo’s 27th minute goal was all that separated the two sides in a tie that Amunike says could have gone either way. . “We made mistakes and we were punished but I felt we deserved something from the game,” he told supersport.com . “Congratulations…
Bayer Leverkusen stunned last season’s runners-up Atletico Madrid 1-0 in their Champions League round of 16 first leg on Wednesday courtesy of a fine strike by Hakan Calhanoglu. . The Turkey international scored the 57th-minute winner to set Leverkusen, who are struggling for form in the Bundesliga, on the way to their first ever win at this stage of the competition. . “This was a very, very good game from us,” goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who twice rescued his team in the first half, told reporters. . “We showed a reaction to the criticism of the past week. We had some…
Arsenal are in danger of an embarrassing exit from the Champions League after Monaco romped to a stunning 3-1 win in the last 16 first leg at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. . Arsene Wenger’s team were left shell-shocked as Geoffrey Kondogbia put the French club ahead with a deflected first half strike before former Tottenham forward Dimitar Berbatov marked his return to north London with the second goal after the interval. . Berbatov’s cool finish was a hammer blow to the Arsenal fans who had jeered him for his past allegiance to their bitter rivals and there was worse…
Super Eagles out-of-contract goalkeeper trainer, Ike Shorunmu, has described as unfortunate the Golden Eaglets ouster at the ongoing African Under-17 Championship in Niger Republic. . The reigning world champions lost 0-1 to their South African opposition, Amajimbos, in Wednesday’s semifinal clash at the General Seyni Kountche Stadium in Niamey. . Shorunmu said nobody could have foreseen Eaglets’ ouster in the hands of South Africans as the side were quite impressive in their past matches. . “It’s quite unfortunate for Eaglets to see off their title hope in the semifinal against South Africa. . “I never imagined that they could be…
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney is used to Champions League football in midweek but with Louis van Gaal’s side outside of Europe this season the England star enjoyed some time off with his sons. . Rooney posted a picture on his Instagram page next to one of his sons with the caption: ‘Good to have my little mates back from holiday. Trip to the cinema to see Peppa Pig!’ . The 29-year-old was relaxing away from Manchester United’s disjointed Premier League campaign before they face Sunderland on Saturday. . Van Gaal’s side are currently fourth in the Premier League, despite…
Manchester United are preparing a bid for PSG striker Edinson Cavani. The Daily Star says United will send Radamel Falcao back to AS Monaco at the end of this season and seek to replace him with Cavani. . It is understood PSG are willing get Cavani off the wage bill in the summer to help them meet UEFA’s financial fair play regulations. . And it’s suggested United will go to £300,000-a-week to bring Cavani to Old Trafford. . A source said: “Edinson Cavani has been targeted as the big-name striker the club wants and United are confident of pulling it…