Borussia Dortmund and Germany winger Marco Reus has been fined more than half a million euros for driving without a licence for years. . The 25-year-old international, who has been advertising the club’s car sponsor and has also been in ads for a petrol company, received speeding tickets on at least five occasions since 2011 before authorities realised he had been driving without a licence ever since. . “I decided back then to take that road but the reasons I did it are something I cannot really understand today,” Reus, a transfer target for many top European clubs, was quoted…
Author: David F.
Javier Mascherano believes that hard work rather than talent has made him a crucial player for Barcelona, who aim to finish the year on a high by closing the gap on Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with a victory over Cordoba on Saturday. . From Pep Guardiola to Luis Enrique, all the coaches Mascherano has worked under during his four years at Barca have relied on his graft and discipline, and the King’s Cup win over Huesca on Tuesday marked the Argentine’s 200th appearance. . Barca have been in transition under Luis Enrique this season but the…
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet appeared to criticise the club’s transfer policy on Thursday when asked if he was going to strengthen his struggling squad in the January transfer window. . “I want more quality. Do I think I’ll get it? I don’t know,” Poyet, whose side face Newcastle United in a Tyne-Wear derby on Sunday, told reporters. . “You know what is missing. It is clear what we need to do. That is down to recruitment. . “So, if you ever get the chance to speak to anyone on the recruitment side and ask them about it, you are lucky.…
Managing Southampton in the Premier League had been a south coast breeze for Ronald Koeman – until this month. . The Dutchman’s Saints have spent almost the whole season in the Premier League top four but four consecutive league defeats and another in the League Cup have been a harsh reality check. . With a frantic fixture list and a squad beginning to creak under the strain, pessimists could argue that Southampton’s almost inevitable descent down the table has begun. . Koeman, however, remains upbeat, even if he will be without the likes of suspended Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama…
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has compared Raheem Sterling to Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez after the forward powered the Reds to the next round of the Capital One Cup. . Sterling scored a brace for the Reds to set up a League Cup semifinal against Chelsea with a 3-1 win at Bournemouth. Rodgers also took the opportunity to play down rumours linking Sterling to a move away from Anfield. . “His contract situation is nothing to do with him. His representatives are the ones working with the club. He is, as you can see, happy and enjoying his football. At Old Trafford…
Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has been suspended for one match, fined £25 000 and ordered to attend to an education course after making racist and anti-semitic comments. . Balotelli had already accepted a charge of an aggravated breach of Football Association rule E3, relating to references of ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality or religion or belief, after his posting of an image of computer game character Super Mario on Instagram which included the words “jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew”. . The Italy international did not request a personal hearing, but submitted written mitigation to…
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says Thierry Henry possesses some of the essential characteristics needed to be a manager. . Henry, 37, ended his 20-year playing career this week and told the Daily Telegraph (external) that managing Arsenal “would be a dream come true”. . Wenger, who signed Henry in 1999, said: “He will end up at Arsenal one day. Coach? Manager? Director? I don’t know. . “He always showed an incredible insight in his judgement of players. He has a real ability to unearth talent.” . Henry plans to combine media work with gaining his coaching badges. . “To pass…
Loanee striker Radamel Falcao “wants to stay” at Manchester United but says his long-term future depends partly on how often he plays for the club. . The Colombia striker, 28, has scored one goal in eight appearances since signing for the season from Monaco. . Earlier this month United boss Louis van Gaal said Falcao was only fit enough to play for 20 minutes, but Falcao says he is now “almost 100%”. . “I am very happy in this city, in this club. I really want to stay,” he said. . United have an option to sign Falcao, who is…
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge will spend Christmas in Boston in a bid to speed up his return from injury. . The 25-year-old has already spent time in Los Angeles working on his thigh injury and will now link up with medical specialists at baseball team Boston Red Sox. . He has played only three league games this season and is not expected to return to action for several weeks yet. . Liverpool owner John W Henry is also the owner of the Red Sox.
The Spain stopper has been in sparkling form this season and there have been growing concerns at United that he could depart the club next summer with Real Madrid leading the chase for his signature. . But, according to The Sun, De Gea will spurn Madrid’s advances and has even indicated that he is ready to pen fresh terms at United. . With rumours over a move back to his native Spain refusing to go away, the 24-year-old has assured his United team-mates his intention is to stay at the Theatre of Dreams. . David De Gea is ready to…
Barcelona midfielder Xavi says he would relish the chance to follow the example of Pep Guardiola and coach the club one day. . Xavi replaced Guardiola on the pitch as the midfield playmaker having been promoted to the first team by then coach Louis van Gaal and now with his playing days coming to an end he would jump at the opportunity to coach the Catalan club. . “Hopefully I can (follow Guardiola) and even more so in my home here,” Xavi told El Pais. . Bayern Munich coach Guardiola took over the reigns at Barcelona in 2008 and won…
Premier League leaders Chelsea beat second-tier Derby County 3-1 to reach the League Cup semifinals on Tuesday, but at the cost of injuries to Kurt Zouma and Didier Drogba. . Eden Hazard and Filipe Luis, with his first goal for the club, put Chelsea in control on a rain-soaked night at the iPro Stadium, before Craig Bryson replied for Derby in the 71st minute. . But the hosts’ hopes of a comeback were extinguished when centre-back Jake Buxton was sent off for impeding substitute Loic Remy and Andre Schuerrle made the game safe with eight minutes to play. . Remy…
In-form Arjen Robben scored his 100th goal for Bayern Munich as the runaway Bundesliga leaders cruised to a 2-0 victory over lowly Freiburg on Tuesday. . Robben headed the milestone goal in the 41st minute before Thomas Mueller made it 2-0 three minutes after the restart. . The Dutch winger Robben joined Munich in 2009 from Real Madrid and his 100th goal in all competitions came in his 184th match for the two-time reigning German champions. . “My goals are not the most important. I don’t head many goals, but what counts are the three points,” Robben told Sky TV.…
David Moyes has seen signs of progress at Real Sociedad since he took over last month but believes there is still a lot of room for improvement. . Moyes was denied victory in his first Basque derby on Sunday when Sociedad let slip an early lead and drew 1-1 at home to Athletic Bilbao in La Liga. . The Scot said he was pleased with his team’s first-half performance but was concerned by a drop in energy levels in the second period. . Bilbao were reduced to 10 men when Aymeric Laporte was sent off 10 minutes from time but…
Moroccan international Adel Taarabt has added to Mario Balotelli’s woes after dismissing suggestions the misfiring Liverpool striker was a world class player. . Queens Park Rangers striker Taarabt spent half a season on loan at AC Milan, where he played alongside Balotelli before the Italy international signed for Liverpool at the start of the season. . Taarabt also returned to England in time for the new season but has been training on his own recently amid a spat with QPR manager Harry Redknapp. . Taarabt confirmed recent reports in Italy when he admitted he was looking to return to Serie…
Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera declared that his conscience was “totally clear” on Tuesday after he was one of 41 people named in a Spanish match-fixing probe. . Spanish prosecutors allege that Herrera was one of 18 Real Zaragoza players who gave hundreds of thousands of euros in cash to Levante players to let them win a May 2011 league game they needed to win to avoid relegation. . Herrera, 25, played in the match in question, which Zaragoza won 2-1. He moved to Athletic Bilbao later that year before joining United last June in a £28.8 million transfer. .…
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers rejected reports of dressing room unrest after his side’s poor start to the season, saying spirits are high for Wednesday’s League Cup quarterfinal at second-tier Bournemouth. . Rodgers led Liverpool to an unexpected runners-up finish in the Premier League last season but a failure to rediscover that form has seen the Reds slip to 11th in the table and suffer an early Champions League exit. . A mistake-laden 3-0 defeat at bitter rivals Manchester United on Sunday prompted media reports that the Liverpool manager had lost the confidence of his players. . “I hear one or…
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew says there will be no fear factor when his side visit Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday having won their last two games at White Hart Lane. . Newcastle play Tottenham before a Premier League derby against bitter rivals Sunderland on Sunday and Pardew feels his team may have a psychological edge heading into the quarterfinal cup clash. . Pardew’s men won 2-1 in the league at the end of October and also triumphed 1-0 in the same fixture last season. . “There won’t be that kind of fear element that sometimes…
Japan coach Javier Aguirre, Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera, Atletico Madrid captain Gabi and a host of others were named on Monday in an alleged case of matchfixing involving a La Liga match in the 2010-11 season. . Aguirre was coach of Real Zaragoza at the time of the suspect match, which was at Levante on the final day of the campaign, while Herrera and Gabi were both playing for Zaragoza. . Zaragoza won the match 2-1, avoiding relegation to the second division, and the Spanish prosecutor’s office filed charges with a Valencia court on Monday alleging the Levante players…
Wayne Rooney has warned Premier League leaders Chelsea that Manchester United are capable of winning the title this season. . United stretched their winning run to six matches on Sunday with an emphatic 3-0 victory over bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. . Despite struggling in the opening stages of what was expected to be a season of transition under new manager Louis van Gaal, United have risen to third in the table and they are only eight points adrift of Chelsea heading into the hectic Christmas programme. . So far this season Chelsea have looked the class of the…