When Manchester City arrived at the Stadio Olimpico needing to beat AS Roma to stand any chance of progressing to the Champions League knockout stages, many wondered how they would cope without Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure. . Manager Manuel Pellegrini did not. . Despite boasting an enviable wealth of talent in their ranks, City have often floundered in the Champions League and ahead of kickoff in Rome on Wednesday they sat third in Group E needing a victory and Bayern Munich to beat CSKA Moscow. . With powerhouse midfielder Toure suspended and captain Kompany and talismanic striker…
Author: David F.
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce is not dreaming of qualifying for the Champions League just yet but that could change in January if his side continue their flying start to the Premier League season. . Fourth-placed West Ham, who have 27 points from 15 games, have surpassed expectations with a string of fine attacking displays and they will be hoping to record their fourth straight win when they travel to Sunderland on Saturday. . “If we’re still here towards the end of January then we’ll reassess our aims,” Allardyce told a news conference on Thursday. . “By that point…
Manchester United have been looking for a midfield dominator for years – many believe that the club has never replaced Roy Keane who left the club nearly a decade ago. . But, if persistent reports are to be believed then Louis van Gaal is certain that he has found just the man. And that is, of course, Roma’s Kevin Strootman. . Strootman will turn out for Roma tomorrow night when they play their make or break Champions League game with Manchester City. Win and Roma will progress to the knockout phase at the expense of Manchester United’s arch rivals. .…
Another day, another Manchester United rumour – this time talkSPORT claim United are in pole position to sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Perez after Spanish side Valencia could not meet the Portuguese giants’ valuation of the Argentina international. . The 28-year-old has been in fine form, helping Benfica rise to the top of Primeira Liga and has scored nine goals in 68 appearances for the club since joining in 2011. . TalkSPORT understands United boss Louis Van Gaal is an admirer of Perez and wants to bring the midfielder to Old Trafford in January after abandoning a move for Roma midfielder Kevin…
FORMER Manchester United assistant boss Mike Phelan has blamed Louis van Gaal’s fitness regime for the catalogue of injuries at Old Trafford after Chris Smalling became the club’s 43rd casualty of the season. . It is also the third time that Smalling has been sidelined since van Gaal’s arrival last summer after he limped out of Monday’s win at Southampton with a groin strain. . The England defender was to assessed further yesterday but is rated extremely doubtful for Sunday’s game at home to Liverpool. . United are currently also without summer signings Angel di Maria, Daley Blind and Luke…
Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has fired a warning to rivals Liverpool to expect him back to top form at Old Trafford on Sunday. . The 31-year-old struck two fine goals as Manchester United defeated Southampton 2-1 to extend a winning run to five games and to lift Louis van Gaal’s side up to third in the Premier League. . Van Persie has struggled with injuries and inconsistent form so far this season but now feels he is back to playing better than ever which will concern a stuttering Liverpool side. . “I’ve been feeling very well over the…
Angel di Maria is set to return for Manchester United against Liverpool this weekend according to reports. . The 26-year-old Argentinian has been missing from United’s last two games and although Louis van Gaal’s side has been able to keep their winning streak going, the performances have been far from convincing. . Di Maria’s absence was particularly apparent in the 2-1 win over Southampton as without him in the team, United’s counter-attacking threat was blunted. Nobody has the pace of Di Maria, apart from Di Maria himself.
Neymar scored a spectacular goal as Barcelona came from behind to beat Paris St Germain 3-1 in their Champions League showdown for top spot in Group F on Wednesday. . Former Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic put the French side ahead after 15 minutes with their first threat on goal but Lionel Messi restored parity as he maintained his remarkable scoring form with his eighth goal in Europe this season. . The Argentine slotted in at the far post from a Luis Suarez cross and although they continued to look exposed at the back, Neymar scored with a drive from distance…
Chelsea gave a helping hand to a former hero on Wednesday by rounding off the Champions League group stage with a 3-1 victory over Sporting which sent the Portuguese side packing and opened the door for Schalke 04 to reach the last 16. . The English side finished comfortably clear at the top of Group G after a Cesc Fabregas penalty and a rasping strike from Andre Schuerrle set them on their way and John Obi Mikel rounded off the scoring after Jonathan Silva had given Sporting hope. . The result proved a boon to Chelsea’s former Champions League-winning coach…
Already qualified Bayern Munich beat CSKA Moscow 3-0 with another dominant performanceWednesday to complete their fifth win in six Champions League Group E games and leave the Russians bottom of the table and out of Europe. . A new-look Bayern side featured teenagers Gianluca Gaudino and Pierre Hojbjerg alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger, making his first start of the season after a lengthy injury absence. . With Xabi Alonso and Arjen Robben on the bench, Bayern, who had secured top spot in Group E with two games to spare, never hit top form. . Thomas Mueller scored his 24th in the comeptition…
Manuel Pellegrini celebrated Manchester City’s remarkable brinkmanship in securing a Champions League knock-out spot on Wednesday by hailing the champions’ Roman warriors rather than the absent leading players. . The unruffled Chilean, who must have feared a quick exit before his side made a remarkable comeback against Bayern Munich last month, almost made it sound as if City’s 2-0 win at Roma had been merely routine. . Instead, it might actually have secured his job with City’s Middle East paymasters unlikely to have easily accepted another early capitulation in the flagship event. . Yet after all the talk of absent…
Swansea City announced on Monday that they have appealed against goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski’s dismissal during their 3-1 loss at West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday. . The former Arsenal goalkeeper was sent off in the 68th minute at Upton Park, with the score at 2-1, for racing out of his area and impeding Diafra Sakho as the West Ham substitute bore down on goal. . But Swansea coach Garry Monk complained afterwards that Sakho had used his arm to nudge the ball past Fabianski and argued that the West Ham forward had not been denied a clear…
Manchester United forward Radamel Falcao is “100 percent ready to give everything” according to wife Lorelei Taron who hit back at manager Louis van Gaal’s suggestion that the Colombian is only fit enough to play 20 minutes. . Van Gaal said Falcao must play in the second team before he would be considered to start a game and “was not interested” if the 28-year-old was unhappy with his current role. . “He is not fit enough to start a game yet. He needs to play 45, 60 or even 90 minutes in the second team but I haven’t been able…
Robin van Persie scored twice as Manchester United won 2-1 at Southampton to continue their recent resurgence and climb to third in the Premier League on Monday. . The Dutchman scored in each half as United, who were distinctly second best for much of the game, secured their fifth successive Premier League victory. . Graziano Pelle ended a personal goal drought dating back to October by equalising but Southampton have now lost three successive Premier League games and are without a league victory since a 1-0 victory against struggling Leicester City on November 8. . Manchester United have 28 points,…
Almeria have sacked coach Francisco Rodriguez after Monday’s 5-2 drubbing at Eibar left them winless in La Liga in eight matches and mired in 17th place in the standings. . Team physio Sergio Pardo will take charge of training while the club look for a replacement, Almeria said on their website (www.udalmeriasad.com) on Tuesday. . Rodriguez’s replacement would be appointed in time to take charge of Friday’s La Liga game at home to leaders Real Madrid, they added. . Juan Ignacio Martinez, known in Spain as JIM and a former coach of clubs including Real Valladolid and Levante, was mentioned…
Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor has returned home to Togo for personal reasons, the Premier League club said on Friday. . The 30-year-old former Arsenal and Manchester City player has been given permission to take time off, Spurs said on their website (www.tottenhamhotspur.com) . “This is a private matter and so we will not be providing any further comment,” the club added. . Adebayor has made 12 appearances for Tottenham this season and has not played since the November international break when Togo failed to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. . Spurs visit Turkish side Besiktas in…
Nigerian international, John Obi Mikel, got among the goals for English Barclays Premier League club, Chelsea, in what represents his first goal in the Uefa Champions League. . Since joining the London club, Mikel had only scored four goals in the league and Cup competitions in England but the midfielder netted in the 56th minute in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Sporting Lisbon at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. . Interestingly, Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, opted to start Mikel as well as Serbian midfielder, Nemanja Matic, who has been the reason the Nigerian has seen limited action with the Blues. .…
Manchester City concluded one of the great Champions League Houdini acts on Wednesday as they qualified for the knockout stages with goals from Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta sinking Roma 2-0 to eliminate the Italians at the Stadio Olimpico. The Frenchman’s 60th-minute thunderbolt, before he laid on a second for the Argentine in the 86th minute, ensured the English champions did not suffer another frustrating early exit in Group E. . City’s great escape into the last 16 seemed unthinkable when they trailed in their penultimate game at home to Bayern Munich with just five minutes remaining before Sergio Aguero…
Adem Ljajic scored deep into injury-time to rescue a point for second-placed AS Roma who had to come from two goals behind and with a man down to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Sassuolo in Serie A on Saturday. . Ljajic had begun the comeback with a 78th minute penalty for a Roma side reduced to 10 men six minutes after the break when midfielder Daniele De Rossi was sent off for a second booking. . Rudi Garcia’s team stayed three points behind leaders and titleholders Juventus, who drew 0-0 at Fiorentina on Friday, after dropping their first…
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has stated that no deal has been agreed with out-of-contract Super Eagles head coach Stephen Keshi. . There have been reports suggesting that the football federation has offered Keshi an improved contract reportedly worth N84 million per annum. . The reports also stated that Keshi will be handed a new contract for a year starting from January 2015 and will run till December of the same year. . But NFF president Amaju Pinnick has tactfully played down the reports of a new improved contract offered to Keshi. . In a report monitored on radio in…