Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara started individual training with a footballon on Tuesday for the first time in four months as he works towards his comeback. . The Spaniard, who last trained on October 14, had to undergo further knee surgery that month after an injury setback. . “Getting used to the ball was what was on the programme today,” Bayern said in a statement. “It is the next small step towards a comeback.” . Bayern coach Pep Guardiola last week sounded confident the player could be back in team training in a matter of weeks but did not give…
Author: David F.
Philippe Coutinho scored a magnificent goal as Liverpool overcame Southampton 2-0 in a controversial game on Sunday to close to within two points of the Premier League’s top four. . Coutinho opened the scoring with a stunning 30-yard effort in the third minute and Raheem Sterling added a second goal towards the end, but it was the performance of referee Kevin Friend that was to prove the biggest talking point on a cold, squally evening at St Mary’s. . The official turned down two strong penalty appeals from Southampton and was barracked by their supporters throughout, as Ronald Koeman’s side…
Jose Mourinho accused Burnley’s Ashley Barnes of making a “criminal” tackle on Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic as the Blues’ boss let rip at refereeing standards and media coverage of his team. . Matic was sent off for his angry reaction to Barnes’ tackle in the 70th minute of Chelsea’s 1-1 draw against struggling Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. . While Serbian midfielder Matic was dismissed, Burnley forward Barnes went unpunished by referee Martin Atkinson and the Clarets took advantage of their numerical advantage to snatch a late equaliser. . Mourinho had little to say in his post-match press conference, simply…
Luis Suarez will have another chance to justify the massive fee Barcelona paid for him Tuesday when he returns to England to face Manchester City in the Champions League round of 16 . The history of football is full of players weighed down by a massive price tag, and this is currently the case with Luis Suarez. . Tuesday will see Suarez return to England for the first time since his July move from Liverpool to Barcelona, to face Manchester City in a Champions League round of 16 first leg. . Barca raised eyebrows by paying Liverpool a club record…
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri told his teammates on Monday that they must shed any sense of inferiority if they are to outwit Barcelona in the Champions League last 16. . Nasri was a member of the City team beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Barcelona at the same stage of last season’s competition, which was the third time he had fallen foul of the Catalan giants in his career. . Barcelona are favourites to progress ahead of Tuesday’s reunion at the Etihad Stadium, but with an extra year’s experience and a close to full-strength squad, Nasri feels City are now…
Juventus goalkeeper and captain Gianluigi Buffon has called for full commitment when the Italian champions host Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, looking to put one foot in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. . The Turin giants welcome Jurgen Klopp’s side on a high, having boosted their Serie A lead over challengers Roma to nine points at the weekend. . Buffon, who admitted to getting frustrated with himself and the team during difficult encounters in recent weeks, said he has every respect for the Germans. . Dortmund beat Juventus 3-1 to win the 1997 European Cup and were beaten in the…
Bayern Munich stretched their lead in the Bundesliga to 11 points following a crushing 6-0 win at Paderborn on Saturday, while Augsburg goalkeeper Marwin Hitz scored a stoppage-time equaliser against Bayer Leverkusen. . Bayern were held scoreless by Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday but the title holders have now scored 14 goals in two league matches. . Robert Lewandowksi’s first-half double on his return to the starting line-up got Bayern on their way, while Arjen Robben is now the league’s top scorer after getting his 15th and 16th goals of the season. . Franck Ribery and Mitchell…
Germany star Marco Reus committed himself to Borussia Dortmund until 2019 with the aim of bringing another Bundesliga title back to the Ruhr, he has revealed. . “That is and remains my biggest goal. I want to experience another one of the days we have had in this city,” the Dortmund-born winger told magazine Kicker. . Borussia won the 2011 and 2012 German titles while Reus was playing for Moenchengladbach but he said: “I’d give anything for that and I have a strong feeling that we’ll do it sometime.” . Reus has yet to win a major title in his…
Real Madrid moved four points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga with a 2-0 win at Elche on Sunday. . After passing up a host of chances in the first-half, Madrid finally made the breakthrough when Karim Benzema tapped home from close range 11 minutes into the second period. . Cristiano Ronaldo then sealed the three points when he bulleted home a header from Isco’s pin-point cross 21 minutes from time. . Boosted by Barca’s shock 1-0 defeat to Malaga on Saturday, Madrid started brightly and should have been well in front by halftime. . Gareth Bale…
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said he had Arsenal and Manchester United in his sights after his team closed on the Champions League places with a 2-0 success at Southampton. . A glorious 30-yard strike by Philippe Coutinho put Liverpool ahead in the third minute of Sunday’s game at St Mary’s and after a number of vain Southampton penalty appeals, Raheem Sterling sealed victory late on. . Liverpool play second-place Manchester City next weekend before tackling fourth-place United and third-place Arsenal over the next six weeks, and Rodgers is confident they can close the two-point gap separating them from the Premier…
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick has moved to explain the rationale behind his planned trip to the United Kingdom to visit Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and Manchester boss Manuel Pellegrini. . Pinnick was in North London last week to visit the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and many questioned the reasons for such a visit. . The NFF boss says the benefits of such visits are latent and would impact positively on Nigerian football. . “I have heard of people saying why should I go and visit somebody like Arsene Wenger, the beauty of it is not quantifiable and…
Dimitar Berbatov will be hoping for a goalscoring return against his former arch-enemies Arsenal when AS Monaco come to the red half of north London for their Champions League Round of 16 first leg match on Wednesday. . The Bulgarian is still remembered with affection for the 46 goals he scored for Arsenal’s local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a two-year spell at White Hart Lane before a 30 million pounds ($46.05 million) move to Manchester United in September 2008. . He scored twice for Fulham at the Emirates in a 3-3 draw in November 2012 and, though he turned 34…
Atletico Madrid, tough to beat on the road in the Champions League, pose a stern test for a Bayer Leverkusen side in poor form and with an equally poor record against Spanish clubs in Europe. . Last season’s runners-up have lost one of their nine away games in the competition since September 2013, winning five of them, and will be confident of taking a positive result home from Wednesday’s Round of 16 first leg. . They bounced back from a surprise defeat at Celta Vigo with a 3-0 success at Almeria in La Liga on Saturday that lifted the Spanish…
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and Borussia Dortmund’s star midfield player Marco Reus have gone Head to Head in a unique interview, ahead of the Juventus v Borussia Dortmund Uefa Champions League™ tie this week. . The two Puma players discussed the game ahead, favourite films, beard growth, and whether it is better to win 4-3 or 1-0. . “Do you prefer shots to the left or the right side of the goal?” Reus cheekily asks, with Buffon replying, “Would I still be playing at the top level at the age of 37 years if I had any weaknesses?” . Both…
Levante scored two late goals on Monday to seal a 2-1 league win over fellow strugglers Granada in a heated encounter that saw three players sent-off. . The visitors took the lead when Youssef El-Arabi converted a 13th minute spot kick after Victor Camarasa handled inside the penalty area. . The tempestuous encounter saw Granada pair Adrian Colunga red carded in the 72nd before scorer El-Arabi and Levante’s Ivan Ramis were both dismissed in the 79th. . Camarasa atoned in the 88th with the equaliser following a disastrous clearance from Granada goalkeeper Oier lazabal. . Forward David Barral scored the…
Juventus goalkeeper and captain Gianluigi Buffon has called for full commitment when the Italian champions host Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, looking to put one foot in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. . The Turin giants welcome Jurgen Klopp’s side on a high, having boosted their Serie A lead over challengers Roma to nine points at the weekend. . Buffon, who admitted to getting frustrated with himself and the team during difficult encounters in recent weeks, said he has every respect for the Germans. . Dortmund beat Juventus 3-1 to win the 1997 European Cup and were beaten in the…
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique declared on Monday that there would be no hangover from his side’s shock defeat by Malaga in their Champions League last 16 clash with Manchester City. . Barcelona saw an 11-game winning run abruptly ended by Saturday’s 1-0 loss at home to Malaga and despite Tuesday’s first leg with City looming into view, questions about the weekend defeat dominated the eve-of-match press conference. . At times Enrique appeared close to exasperation with the Spanish journalists’ line of questioning, but he said that one bad result should not overshadow the sparkling displays that had come before. .…
Atletico Madrid’s players are hoping coach Diego Simeone can become the club’s equivalent of Alex Ferguson, midfielder Tiago has said amid reports the Argentine is poised to sign a multi-year contract extension. . Simeone, who took over at the end of 2011, has a deal with the Spanish champions until June 2017, while Ferguson became the most successful British manager in history when he was in charge at Manchester United between 1986 and 2012. . Under the inspirational Simeone, Atletico have won the Europa League, the King’s Cup and their first La Liga title in 18 years, while Ferguson’s haul…
Two referees who were criticised for their performances in Premier League matches over the weekend will not take charge of games in the next round in the English top flight. . Martin Atkinson and Kevin Friend have been appointed as fourth officials for games on Saturday. . Atkinson failed to send off Burnley striker Ashley Barnes for a strong tackle on Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic during a game at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. An unhappy Matic subsequently pushed Barnes to the ground, and received a straight red card. . The Football Association declined on Monday to take retrospective action against Barnes…
Burnley’s Ashley Barnes will not be punished for his ugly tackle on Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic, the English Football Association announced on Monday. . The foot up and studs showing challenge, labelled “criminal” by Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, in the 70th minute of Saturday’s 1-1 draw resulted in Matic’s sending off for lashing out angrily. . While the Serbian midfielder was dismissed, Burnley forward Barnes went unpunished by referee Martin Atkinson and the Clarets took advantage of their numerical advantage to snatch a late equaliser. . Having initially gone to ground in pain, Matic ran towards Barnes and bundled him to…