Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger knows all about the ups and downs of football management and expressed sympathy for his beleaguered Liverpool counterpart Brendan Rodgers ahead of their clash at Anfield on Sunday. . Rodgers is facing a stern examination of his managerial credentials this season, with last year’s Premier League runners-up 11th in the table. . Wenger, who has been Gunners boss for 18 years and survived his fair share of challenges, said: “I’ve sympathy for every single manager in the Premier League. Everybody goes through periods where it goes a bit less well. . “Our job is to survive…
Author: David F.
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…
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.