NIGERIAN PLAYERS SCORE CARD


Odion Ighalo made it five in eight matches after lashing on misunderstanding between the goalkeeper and defender of Bournemouth to fire home his 25 of the year.

Finally, new recruit Brown Ideye has opened his goalscoring account for Greek champions Olympiakos and it came in the Super League clash against PAOK on Sunday, a game that should rank as The Reds biggest game in the top flight so far this season.

After spending 399 minutes on the pitch across all competitions without finding the back of the net, the Nigeria international netted his maiden goal for Olympiakos in the 26th minute as the defending champions beat PAOK 2 - 0 at the Stadio Toumbas .
With most of the pre - match talk centering around his fitness for the game, Ideye was delighted to get off the mark in front of passionate supporters of Greek football.

“It was a very interesting game and would love to go to the stadium of PAOK and play.  The last time I played in such an atmosphere was in England and was very nice,” Brown Ideye was quoted as saying by Nova.

“As you saw it was a very important victory for my team and I think this result will open the door to more opportunities for great things in the future.”

Of a possible six matches, Olympiakos have won five that Brown Ideye has started since his arrival from English club West Brom, with their only loss coming against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Kehinde Fatai Nets Brace As Sparta Prague Beat Slovacko

Published: October 04, 2015

Kehinde Fatai scored his second and third goals in the Czech Liga as Sparta Prague won their sixth game of the season, thrashing Slovácko 4 - 0 at Generali Arena (Praha) .

Coach  ščasný started the game with the same 11 players that took to the pitch in the 2 - 0 win against APOEL in the Europa League on Thursday and he got his reward when Kehinde opened scoring in the 10th minute.

In the 72nd minute, the Nigerian attacker scored his third goal in three days in all competitions after finishing off a cross from Bořek Dočkal, to bring the scoreline to 3 - 0.

Excluding the Czech Cup, Kehinde Fatai has registered his name on the scoresheet in all the competitions he has played this season, including the Champions League and Europa League.

Due to the international break, Sparta Prague will not be in action next weekend but will face Příbram next on October 18.

Ahmed Musa Stars As CSKA Beat Dinamo In Moscow Derby

In the 11th round of matches in the Russian Premier League on Sunday, Nigeria international Ahmed Musa scored his sixth goal of the season in the league alone as CSKA Moscow defeated Dynamo in the Moscow derby.

After  Wernbloom gave the Army Men a one - goal lead two minutes out of intermission, Musa made sure the three points were secured in the 77th minute when he finished off a move started by strike partner Seydou  Doumbia .

Today’s victory was the first time CSKA Moscow managed to beat Dinamo since the appointment of Leonid Slutsky as coach.

Prior to the game at Arena Khimki (Khimki), both sides had contested 12 games, with the Army Men failing to win any.

In the coming hours, Musa will pack his suitcase and head to Belgium to link up with his international teammates ahead of the friendlies against DRC and Cameroon.

Abiola Dauda and Dominic Solanke both found the back of the net as Vitesse Arnhem thrashed Groningen 5 - 0 in the Eredivisie on Sunday afternoon.

Prior to the meeting at The GelreDome, former Kalmar striker Dauda and Chelsea loanee Solanke had not scored in the league since August 30th, when they hit target in the 32nd and 90th minute respectively against Bartholomew Ogbeche’s Cambuur.

It was the England youth international that opened scoring in the 18th minute , slotting home a rebound after Nakamba’s shot had been saved by goalkeeper Sergio Padt.

Abiola Dauda netted his third goal of the season in injury time after replacing Solanke 14 minutes from time.

The 27 - year - old was on target on Monday, September 28 in the reserve side’s 4 - 2 win over Brabant U21 in the Beloften Eredivisie.

Mikel, Odion Ighalo hit Eagles camp in Belgium

Mikel was not listed by his troubled London club at the weekend, while Ighalo smashed his fifth goal in the EPL for Watford.

Eagles spokesman Toyin Ibitoye confirmed their arrival at the Eagles hotel in Belgium, adding that a majority of the call-ups will hit the camp on Monday.

“Mikel and Odion Ighalo are the first arrivals in Belgium for our matches against DRC and Cameroon,” disclosed Ibitoye.

“Most of the other players will be arriving Belgium today (Monday) based on their confirmation to the coach.”

However, the six players from the domestic league are yet to join up as they are yet to be issued visas by the Belgian embassy in Nigeria.

Nigeria take on DRC on Thursday, before they battle Cameroon on Sunday as part of their preparations for next month’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against either Swaziland or Djibouti.

Football | Spain

Spain drop Costa, recall Thiago

---

Vicente del Bosque has overlooked striker Diego Costa and recalled midfielder Thiago Alcantara for the holders' final two Euro 2016 Group C qualifiers against Luxembourg and Ukraine this month.

Chelsea's Costa is suspended for the match against Luxembourg in Logrono in a week's time but would have been available for the game in Kiev three days later. He was replaced on the 23-man roster by Juventus striker Alvaro Morata.
Thiago, who is back on good form at Bayern Munich after a series of knee problems and last played for La Roja in a friendly against Italy in March 2014, comes in as cover for injured pair Andres Iniesta and Koke.
Del Bosque said the decision to leave Brazil-born Costa out was taken after he was booked in Spain's 1-0 win away to Macedonia last month and was not a result of the player's disciplinary problems in the Premier League.
Costa was banned for three domestic matches by the English FA last month after being found guilty of violent conduct in a match against Arsenal.
"I did not like what happened in the Premier League, I don't think it was edifying," Del Bosque told a news conference at Spain's training base outside Madrid on Friday.
"He can't play the first match and we preferred not to bring him," he added. "He is not playing badly, we'll select him in the future if everything goes normally."
Spain can make sure of their place at the tournament in France next year with a win against minnows Luxembourg, who are second-from-bottom in the section.
Del Bosque's side have 21 points from eight matches, two ahead of Slovakia, who host Belarus on Friday. Ukraine are third on 16 points ahead of their match away to bottom side Macedonia.
Del Bosque also recalled Celta Vigo winger Nolito, Villarreal captain Bruno Soriano and Real Sociedad centre back Inigo Martinez, with Bayern fullback Juan Bernat and Sevilla midfielder Vitolo missing out.
Spain squad:
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Porto), David De Gea (Manchester United), Sergio Rico (Sevilla)
Defenders: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Marc Bartra (Barcelona), Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Inigo Martinez (Real Sociedad)
Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Santi Cazorla (Arsenal), David Silva (Manchester City), Isco (Real Madrid), Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea), Bruno Soriano (Villarreal), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Juan Mata (Manchester United)
Forwards: Pedro (Chelsea), Paco Alcacer (Valencia), Alvaro Morata (Juventus), Nolito (Celta Vigo)

FIFA RELEASES 59-MAN LIST FOR  BALLON D’OR 

 

 

  World football governing body FIFA have snubbed Nigerian players for the umpteenth time in the race for football’s most coveted individual prize, the Ballon D’Or. However, in a widely reported leaked list, four African players were short-listed for the award‎ to be held in December. They include Manchester City’s Ivorien duo of Wilfred Bony and Yaya Toure and Ghana’s Christian Atsu and Andre Ayew.One of many surprises on this year’s shocking list is the inclusion of QPR midfielder Massimo Luongo, who spent last year at Swindon in League One. He was nominated for his exploits in the Asian Cup. Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney the only two English players listed while Real Madrid and Barcelona lead the way with seven players each. Juventus also boast six players on the list. THE 59-MAN BALLON D’OR LONG-LIST Claudio Bravo – Barcelona Javier Mascherano – Barcelona Andres Iniesta – Barcelona Lionel Messi – Barcelona Ivan Rakitic – Barcelona Neymar – Barcelona Luis Suarez – Barcelona Gareth Bale – Real Madrid Karim Benzema – Real Madrid Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid Luka Modric – Real Madrid James Rodriguez – Real Madrid Toni Kroos – Real Madrid Giorgio Chiellini – Juventus Paul Pogba – Juventus Alvaro Morata – Juventus Arturo Vidal – Juventus/Bayern Andrea Pirlo – Juventus/NYCFC Carlos Tevez – Juventus/Boca Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Arjen Robben – Bayern David Alaba – Bayern Thomas Muller – Bayern Manuel Neuer – Bayern Wilfried Bony – Manchester City Yaya Toure – Manchester City Sergio Aguero – Manchester City Nicolas Otamendi – valencia/Manchester City Kevin de Bruyne – Wolfsburg/Manchester City Diego Costa – Chelsea Willian – Chelsea Thibaut Courtois – Chelsea Eden Hazard – Chelsea Edinson Cavani – PSG Zlatan Ibrahimovic – PSG Javier Pastore – PSG Wayne Rooney – Manchester United David de Gea – Manchester United Memphis Depay – PSV/Manchester United David Ospina – Arsenal Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid Jackson Martinez – Porto/Atletico Madrid Carlos Bacca – Sevilla/AC Milan Giovani dos Santos – Villarreal/LA Galaxy Phillippe Coutinho – Liverpool Son Heung-Min – Leverkusen/Tottenham Christian Atsu – Everton/Bournemouth Paolo Guerrero – Flamengo/Corinthians Eduardo Vargas – QPR/Hoffenheim Gary Medel – Inter Harry Kane – Tottenham Alexandre Lacazette – Lyon Andres Guardado – PSV Carlos Sanchez – River Plate Andre Ayew – Marseille/Swansea Massimo Luongo – Swindon/QPR Shinji Okazaki – Mainz/Leicester

FRIDAY GOSSIP.....

Manchester United really were desperate to sign Muller, Lukaku fancies playing for Wenger, Klopp-to-Bayern rumours persist…

UNITED’S MULLER DESIRE
Manchester United wanted Thomas Muller ‘at all costs’ this summer, apparently.
‘Super agent’ Giovanni Branchini (who wears a cape, one might imagine) confirmed what we already knew when he revealed that he had to break it to United that there was no chance of signing the Germany striker.
“Manchester United wanted Thomas Muller at all costs,” Branchini told calciomercato.com in a Q&A picked up by most of Friday’s papers. He added: “I’ve spent days trying to explain Bayern Munich would never let him leave – so in the end they changed their mind.”

LUKAKU HOLDS WENGER AMBITION
Romelu Lukaku is an ambitious boy. Ever since he joined Everton for not far off £30million, the striker and his agent have seemed at pains to point out that the Toffees are a mere stepping stone to the very top.
Daniel Storey’s crush has been talking about which bosses he’d like to play for, and Arsene Wenger makes his top three.
“Mourinho is one. Guardiola and Wenger. In this order,” the forward told Le Vif.
Cue ‘Wenger eyes January move for Lukaku’ headlines…

BAYERN-BOUND KLOPP TO DISAPPOINT PL GIANTS
‘Arsenal and Liverpool receive devastating blow in hunt for Jurgen Klopp’ is the Daily Star website’s headline.
When they say ‘Arsenal’, it seems they actually mean ‘Piers Morgan’. But Liverpool might be slightly more irked at more rumours coming out of Germany that Kloppo is indeed waiting around for Pep Guardiola to shuffle off into the sunset next summer.
Guardiola is out of contract at the end of the season and does not seem in a hurry to discuss a renewal.

AND THE REST
Manchester United are keen on Bayer Leverkusen’s Turkish international Hakan Calhanoglu…Jesse Lingard could be set to join Sheffield Wednesday on loan…Tottenham are interested in Lille’s Sofiane Boufal…Aston Villa are targeting a January move for ex-Chelsea midfielder Gokhan Tore…Javier Mascherano will stand trial on charges of tax evasion later this month…Turkish prodigy Enes Unal has revealed he snubbed Chelsea in favour of Manchester City…Mathieu Debuchy is expected to review his situation at Arsenal in January after losing his place on Thursday in the France squad… Brendan Rodgers has dismissed suggestions that Divock Origi could go on loan in January.
Date published: Thursday 1st October 2015 8:31

Liverpool have been snubbed by Schalke starlet Leroy Sane, Arsenal are after a “goal-machine” and West Brom are amazingly tracking a player they nearly signed in the summer…

LIVERPOOL HANDED SANE CUSTARD PIE
Schalke have confirmed that Liverpool were keen on signing 19-year-old Leroy Sane.
German publication Bild has quotes attributed to Schalke director of sport Horst Heldt, who says Liverpool submitted a lucrative offer for Sane during the transfer window.
“There was one or more prestigious club that contacted us about Sane. Liverpool was ready to pay money for him.
“These offers didn’t at all interest us or the player. I am really not concerned about losing the player.
“Two years ago, Ajax made an offer as well.”
Liverpool are believed to have offered around £11million for the winger, but Brendan Rodgers received the proverbial custard pie with neither the club nor the player interested in the move.

WEST BROM CHECK ON ENRIQUE…AND
West Brom scouts checked on Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique this week, according to the Daily Mail.
It’s not surprising Albion are keeping tabs on the 29-year-old full-back because he almost signed for them in the transfer window, but the move fell through reportedly because of the Spaniard’s high wages.
The former Newcastle man is out of contract next summer and West Brom are mulling over whether to wait until then to sign the player or move in the January window.
Enrique, who has been omitted from Brendan Rodgers’ Europa League squad, has been included in Liverpool’s Premier League squad but he is well down the pecking order and turned out for the Under-21s this week.
Enrique has also been heavily criticised by fans on social media for posting pictures of himself, but he was forced to apologise – how dare he enjoy life after being dropped.
Enrique said: “I thought it was good to share with the fans pictures but I think they have been killing me for that.
“Ok, chao (sic) Instagram and Twitter. Focus on play (sic) football and show myself again.”

ARSENAL LINKED WITH ‘GOAL-MACHINE’
Arsene Wenger will sign Celta Vigo “goal-machine” Nolito in the January transfer window, according to reports in Spain.
‘Arsenal to pip Liverpool and Barcelona to £13.3m goal-machine’, reads the Daily Express’ headline.
According to Fichajes, the Gunners will match the attacker’s £13.3million buy-out clause and sign the 28-year-old in January.
Firstly, we’re not sure 99 goals in 334 games constitutes “goal-machine” status and this is Arsenal we’re talking about here. Arsene Wenger failed to make an outfield signing in the summer window and with Danny Welbeck expected back in action early next year then the move for Nolito looks very unlikely.
And we haven’t even mentioned the Express’ blatant click-baiting yet. Are Liverpool (click) and Barcelona (click) really interested?

AND THE REST
Everton are giving a trial to Brazilian right-back Felipe Mattioni. The 26-year-old played for the club’s U21 side in their 3-1 win over Norwich City at Southport on Tuesday night…Wales want the future of manager Chris Coleman sorted out early in the new year…Chris Ramsey has been warned he is skating on thin ice at QPR…Aston Villa midfielder Joe Cole has held talks with manager Tim Sherwood over arranging a loan move to the Championship…Walter Mazzarri’s agent has revealed the former Inter Milan coach is learning English ahead of a possible move to the Premier League…Arsenal and Liverpool transfer target Martin Montoya is not looking for a quick escape from Inter Milan, according to his agent.

It feels eerily like Brendan Rodgers is mirroring Roy Hodgson and Rafael Benitez’s final doomed days at Liverpool. Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli also need huge performances. Plus, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Manchester United’s right-back.

Arsene Wenger
“Weak”, “soft” and “lacking characters leaders and winners” was the typically subtle verdict from Roy Keane on Arsenal in midweek. It’s a withering assessment that could have been made at any point over the last decade, but it’s an assessment which is growing more and more difficult to challenge.
Where Wenger could previously fall back on progress in the Champions League and a top-four finish in the Premier League whenever his job security was questioned, one of those ‘achievements’ grows more unlikely with each game. Defeats to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos leave Arsenal bottom of their group in Europe, with back-to-back ties against Bayern Munich next. A top-four finish alone may not be enough to save the Frenchman come the summer; indeed it should not be enough.
As Sarah Winterburn wrote in midweek, Wenger got it wrong against Olympiacos. Very wrong, no less. With progress in the Champions League in major doubt, the leaders await in a Premier League clash the Frenchman cannot afford to lose.
If history is anything to go by however, that’s the most likely outcome. The Gunners have beaten United just twice in 17 meetings since 2008, and just once in the Premier League in that sequence. Arsenal have a lower win percentage against United in the league (24%) than versus any other opponent. You can’t help but feel Wenger will be more eager to ensure avoiding defeat rather than gaining the win at the Emirates on Sunday, thus sending out further mixed messages to his supposed title challengers.

Dele Alli
“Be careful with the younger players, the players who arrive in the Premier League and perform well. It’s not easy. But again, like last season, it’s not my decision. It’s Roy Hodgson’s decision if he wants to call up Dele Alli. Always in football it’s step by step and we need to be careful. It is too much of a rush to talk about bigger steps for him.” – Mauricio Pochettino, September 25.
“We’ve been impressed with Dele Alli and this is a chance to get to know him. He’s a very exciting talent.” – Roy Hodgson, October 1, after naming Dele Alli in his England squad.
It’s been quite the meteoric rise for the Spurs midfielder. This time last year he was starting for MK Dons against Yeovil in League One; this time in two weeks he could be an England international. For a player with three Premier League starts to his name, much is being asked of good old Bamidele Jermaine.
All eyes will be on the 19-year-old at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday. Whether he replicates his performance against Manchester City from a deeper-lying role or he is utilised in his cutomary more advanced role, Alli will be expected to prove just why he is in line to feature for England despite boasting just two Under-21 caps.

Brendan Rodgers
Who fancies a game of spot the difference?
Exhibit A: “The doom and gloom that surrounds us is not coming from within the club, not from me and not from the players – it’s coming from people outside who are having a field day and delighting in the fact we are having a bad time.”
Exhibit B: “I am pretty confident that there is a group of people that don’t want me here to be the manager. Sometimes we haven’t lost games and the hysteria around it is pretty clear that there is maybe something else going on from behind.”
The former comes from Roy Hodgson, the latter from Brendan Rodgers; nearly five years apart to the day. From the bizarre excuses all the way down to the dire performances, this season has been strikingly similar to the final campaigns of both Hodgson and Rafael Benitez before their respective exits.
A draw with FC Sion in isolation is bad, but in the context of Liverpool’s season it merely adds to the increasing pressure on the manager. It is now just three victories from 10 games in all competitions. How Liverpool and Rodgers acquit themselves in the first Merseyside derby of the season could come to define his reign.
Defeat on Sunday is unfathomable for the Northern Irishman, but this is an Everton side fifth in the table and playing in front of a raucous Goodison Park crowd. Considering Liverpool’s last five Premier League wins have come against Bournemouth (currently 16th), Stoke (17th), Aston Villa (18th), Newcastle (19th) and QPR (13th. In the Championship), the Reds are quite heavy underdogs up against their neighbours.

Raheem Sterling
Time to spare a thought for Liverpool fans currently in possession of a 2015/16 club calendar. Those poor souls must suffer with the image of Raheem Sterling adorning their wall throughout all of October – a timely reminder of what they once boasted as the club continue to struggle. Of course, the club isn’t the only one still acclimatising to the move.
For Sterling, the switch from playing the role of big fish in the little Anfield pond to plankton lost amidst the Manchester City talent pool has been an understandably difficult one. This is a player who was asked to help provide for Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli on regular occasions last season, and Sergio Aguero and team-mates this.
It’s difficult to shake off the feeling that Sterling needs to produce a big performance in a City shirt sooner rather than later. The England international has missed just one Premier League game this season – that through injury – but has been substituted in a club-high five games. Liverpool are struggling without one of their most potent attacking threats, but Sterling himself is yet to truly adjust to the quality at the Etihad.
It’s understandable. Sterling is still only 20 and has the weight of expectation still sat firmly on his shoulders after becoming a £44million footballer in the summer. It’s arguable that his versatility, while one of his key assets, rather plays against him in a City side boasting players with similar acumen.
“They know they must perform because if they do not they will be replaced,” was the stark warning from defender and team-mate Eliaquim Mangala in midweek. Where Liverpool had no-one better to compete for his place, City have potential replacements in abundance if necessary. Sterling could do with improving his record of one league goal and assist each so far this season to avoid such a scenario.

Jose Mourinho
Another defeat in midweek, but a different tactic from Jose Mourinho. He avoided repeating similar criticism of his players after defeat to Porto, expressing the need to nurture “good feelings, happiness, self-esteem” among his squad. It might be a little too late for that, Jose.
The Champions League reverse on Tuesday represented Chelsea’s fifth defeat in nine weeks in all competitions so far this season; they had suffered their previous five defeats in 55 weeks beforehand. The most startling aspect of the Blues’ form is the continued presence of Branislav Ivanovic in the starting line-up.
Where John Terry, Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic can be dropped at will, Ivanovic lives a charmed life at right-back. The Serbian has not started a league game on the bench since April 2013 – a run of 62 consecutive Premier League games. The only thing more baffling is that Mourinho is sure to persist with his ‘trusty’ lieutenant in a game Chelsea cannot afford to not win against Southampton.

Manchester United’s right-back
Whomever it may be. Louis van Gaal has his pick of actual right-back Matteo Darmian, bit-part right winger Antonio Valencia, centre-half Phil Jones or bench-bound Ashley Young for Sunday’s test against Arsenal and a newly in-form Alexis Sanchez. Each option will have lasting repercussions for the league leaders.
Darmian is the obvious option – being a right-back and all – but the Italian is also the most reliable choice on a left-hand side vacated by Luke Shaw. If Wednesday’s Champions League victory over Wolfsburg proved anything, it’s that Valencia simply shouldn’t be a starting full-back for a side with such lofty ambitions. The Ecuadorean silenced Sanchez twice last season, but you wouldn’t bet on lightning striking a third time.
Whatever Van Gaal decides, Sanchez is the reward. After struggling at the start of the season, the Chilean has now plundered four goals and provided one assist in his last two games. If Valencia struggled against Wolfsburg, imagine him facing that little fella. And if Jones is favoured, just imagine the gurns.

Tim Sherwood
Said Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood back in May: “I am allowed to sign whoever I want in the summer as long as I can justify it, but I believe even if we didn’t make a signing we wouldn’t be in this position again.”
Said Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood after defeat to Liverpool left them 18th: “We need to stay in the division and if we do we will be stronger next year.”
Even in drastically lowering expectations to “if we stay in the division”, Sherwood has managed to make yet another promise he will struggle to keep at Aston Villa. The club may have lost Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph in the summer, but if you are considerably weaker after over £50million worth of investment (only Chelsea, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs spent more), how does one propose you will be “stronger” next season?

Football in the north east
14 games, nine defeats and 11 goals. So stands the cumulative record of Newcastle and Sunderland, currently 19th and 20th in the Premier League respectively and the final two teams yet to record a victory. Newcastle travel to Manchester City (2nd), while Sunderland host away-day revellers West Ham (3rd).
Still, at least Middlesbrough are doing well.

Claudio Ranieri
A very different challenge awaits Claudio Ranieri at Leicester this weekend. No longer Europe’s form team, the Foxes head into a Premier League clash at Norwich with their unbeaten record no longer intact. Momentum is crucial, and winning it back is not easy.

Bournemouth
For any side to lose their three most important players – and two most expensive signings in their history – within a matter of weeks is devastating. For a newly promoted side it borders on disaster. Eddie Howe is faced with the task of replacing Tyrone Mings, Max Gradel and now top goalscorer Callum Wilson in his Bournemouth squad.

Anthony Martial
Zero goals in two games? If he’s not careful he’ll revert back to a ‘£56.7million man’ soon.

Mails: Wenger should have signed Smalling

Date published: Thursday 1st October 2015 2:01

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but should Arsenal have broken the bank for Chris Smalling? One Mailboxer is dreaming of Pep Guardiola for Arsenal and Wayne Rooney is defended…
Seen anything for the Mailbox? Mail us at theeditor@football365.com

‘Premier League rubbish? I’d say the opposite…’
The central argument raised by Nick Miller that the Premier League is rubbish is an interesting one.
However I would suggest that the opposite is true and plays a large role in why English teams struggle in Europe. The Premier League teams ON AVERAGE are very good (discount Sunderland).
The so called ‘lesser’ teams in the Premier League would beat their Spanish or German counterparts most of the time.
Take for example Leicester (finished 14th) last season, compared to Levante (14th in La Liga) and Stuttgart (14th in Germany), I would back Leicester every time over the other two. This was before the huge TV rights money this season which has seen unprecedented investment and star names such as Shaqiri joining Stoke. This has made the Premier League even more competitive.
The top four cannot afford to rest players even against the relegation threatened teams any more. This leads to an over reliance on a first 11 (Chelsea) or so much abuse for dropping points when you rotate (Arsenal) that managers are forced to play their star players into the ground.
I think this very point was raised in a previous mail box but the authors name escapes me. I’m fairly sure Bayern, Real or Barca can afford to rest players more often than the English teams.
Whilst this doesn’t explain Arsenal losing to Olympiacos, I’m fairly sure they had an easier game last weekend than a 90 minute end to end game vs Leicester.
Craig (Personally loving the unpredictable Premier League), AFC, Vietnam.

English teams need to get a grip in Europe
Was interested to read a couple of comments seemingly dismissing the likelihood of Italy overtaking us in the UEFA rankings and nicking a Champs League Place, thought I’d take a look.
Ranking points are calculated with the following rules (I’ve abbreviated)…
1. Both Champs League and Europa League count.
2. It’s an average score per club from a country
3. 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw, bonus points awarded for Group Stage of Champs League (4), Last 16 of Champs League (5) & a further point in both Leagues for Quarters, Semi & Final.
4. Quali and Play Off rounds score half points.
5. Last 5 years all count equally.
Currently we have a nice 3-point lead over Italy mainly due to Chelsea winning back in 2011/12 and we’re guaranteed 4 CL places next year.
All very good but things are going to get harder to maintain that gap, last season Italy had a great year with 1 CL finalist and 2 Europa Semi Finalists from 6 teams whilst we had a shocker.
Very soon our historical lead will have gone and we need to beat Italy over the next 2 seasons (by about 0.8 points) to stay ahead. Over the next 3 years that stretches to 2.8 points. A tough ask on current form in the Champs League and attitude in the Europa League.
Basically, English teams need to get a grip, start winning games, preferably at the expense of the Italians and take the Europa seriously otherwise the 4th placed trophy will be no more. (Long Live the 3rd Placed Trophy)
On the other hand it would shake up the Premier League and would be hilarious if Spurs got 4th only to be denied a Champs League spot because Arsenal and Chelsea were rubbish in the Champs League.
Matt (.)(.)

Should Wenger have broken the bank for Smalling?
In a week where Wenger has been slammed yet again for not spending money and having too much faith in his current players, do we have another example of a player Wenger should have tried harder to sign?
Over the years Wenger has become infamous for spending money like it is his own. For me the three players Wenger should have signed and was close to signing but refused to pay the fee were:

• 26 year old Xabi Alonso from Liverpool back in 2008 who Wenger did not think was worth £18m
• 26 year old Luis Suarez again from Liverpool in 2013 who Wenger famously offered £40,000,001 and not the asking price of £50m plus
• Chris Smalling who was heavily linked for £12m this summer who surely would have been sold for £20m plus.

Of course hindsight is a wonderful thing but one must think that an Arsenal team with a Smalling, Alonso (even at 33) and Suarez core would be more successful….
Paul, London
PS I am a Wenger in man.

Strange loans
When watching the Chelsea v Porto game on Tuesday night, Porto made a sub late in the game.
The commentator noted that it was Miguel Layun coming on. Who was currently on loan from Watford. From Watford, on loan at Porto!
It struck me as odd. I looked into it and it turns out he is there on loan with the option to buy, so it makes a bit more sense. But I thought that would be time for a mailbox survey. Strangest loans?
I will start. Faubert to Real Madrid.
Nick, CFC, Inverness

Man United and Everton hold same blueprint
I noticed in the various conclusions to the Man Utd game that many fans and pundits were seemingly pleased that Utd went behind early as it forced them to up their tempo which in turn made the passing more incisive and Utd more dangerous.
I tried to make a similar point in my half cut conclusions to the West Brom Everton game, in that when we went 2-0 behind we increased our tempo which made some of our more sideways passers take extra risks and get the ball forward along the deck. Both teams have managers whose ‘philosophy’, or simply put, strategy to win a game of football, is to control possession throughout the game in the hope that:

• Without the ball, the opposition cannot score (unless there’s a brain fart, like on Monday by Funes Mori and Barry
• With the ball, the team have incisive passers in deep lying midfield roles (Carrick, Schweinsteiger, Herrera, Barry, McCarthy – I know, I know, the United players are better, I’m not making a direct comparison between the players, more the styles of play) to open up the play for the attacking flair players up top.

The issue I see with this style of play is that it generates a slow tempo of build-up play that can be easily stifled by sitting deep and counter attacking (which most teams can do), which in turn reduces the space for the flair players to exploit and thereby negating their impact.
When the team goes behind the midfield have to take more risks and transition to the attacking players quicker, with the big advantage being that there is then more space for someone like Ross Barkley or Juan Mata to do their thing. My belief is that there is still a concern from both managers on the makeup of their defences which makes them go for a defensive style of play (sterile domination as it has been referred to).
I would say for United, with De Gea, Darmian and Smalling that this is not a fair reflection and that the defence is pretty strong and when Everton have Stones and Jagielka playing this is also the case.
So in summary, I would like to see both teams go for it on 17^th October and get the ball quickly to Deloufeu, Barkley, Depay and Mata when they have more space to play in by taking those risks – it may harm pass completion statistics and put more pressure on the defence (which as stated are capable of dealing with it), but both teams have shown that it is their most effective method of scoring goals. It’ll be better than 90 minutes of sideways passes 60 yards from goal.
Bonus point: Have to agree with the recent praise for Smalling, in the pub last night we were amazed at his transformation. An England back five of Hart, Clyne, Stones, Smalling and Shaw (best wishes to him) has amazing potential and the possibility of 500+ aggregate of caps.
Given a year ago we had a back four of Johnson, Cahill, Jagielka and Baines lining up at the World Cup (all good pros but all on the decline) the future looks bright at the back for England, or at least until the underwhelming exit in France.
Cheers, Matt, EFC, London

Rooney criticism grossly overstated
Ben Gleeson’s email this morning is typical of how people are prone to exaggeration and myopia when it comes to passing judgement on Wayne Rooney.
Apparently it has been “evident for at least 3 seasons” that Rooney has not been good enough. AT LEAST 3 seasons; that is to say, it could have been going back further than that, then?
Despite the fact that he scored 34 goals during the 11/12 season, and 19 in 40 games during the 13/14 season.
I know that these are stats plucked from the club website, and that stats can be used to argue any point, but this perception that he has been sh!t for 3 or 4 years is absolute complete and utter rubbish. Make your point, by all means, but do not exaggerate in order to enforce it.
Last season, and indeed under Moyes the season before, Rooney was one of only a handful of players to come out of those seasons with any credit at all.
The blood runs cold to imagine where we’d have ended up without his skill and goals Apparently we should have kept Van Persie, people still seemingly starry eyed from his debut season, forgetting that he was actually totally ****ing shite for the following two seasons. And Javier Hernandez, whose likeable personality seems to be more important than the fact that his overall game was basically worse than terrible.
Wayne Rooney has not been having a great time of it just recently, I think we can all see that, but what grinds my gears is the way people are happy to judge him against a different set of criteria to how they assess other players.
What is good for the goose is no longer considered beneficial for the gander, it would seem, especially when it comes our Wayne.
His drop off in goal return in recent seasons has been widely criticised; his deployment in midfield apparently not an acceptable reason, despite a return of a goal every other game, which for a striker is exceptional, never mind a player being deployed out of position in midfield.
His “miskick” for the opening goal was apparently in stark contrast to Mata’s speculative flick for our second, which was sold as “sublime”.
See what I mean? This side is not “carrying” Wayne Rooney. That is a gross overstatement if ever there was one. People need to get a grip, and stop worrying about what rival fans are saying about our captain.
Harry The Manc.

Schweinsteiger influence already evident
A lot of deserved praise for lovely, lovely Juan Mata this morning in Winners and Losers, as well as some richly deserved abuse for awful, awful Wayne Rooney. I used to argue in the mailbox with Silvio Dante about his Rooneyness but sadly Silvio has ultimately been proven right – Rooney is a shadow of the shadow of the player he once was.
On a more positive note, it’s early days but Schweinsteiger is fast becoming our most important central midfielder. It was noticeable how much control United had with him on the pitch and then how much they lost once he left it, not for the first time this season. I imagine Van Gaal had half an eye on the Arsenal match because the last 20 minutes of a Champions League match when you are 2-1 up against tricky opposition is exactly when you want Schweinsteiger to play. He’s a man for the big occasion and his influence on United is already noticeable – Van Gaal recently told the press that Schweinsteiger has a big influence off the pitch as well as on it and has been accepted by the other players as a leader. Something United were in dire need of.
There are legitimate concerns about his long-term fitness but he has been the most consistent fixture in the base of United’s midfield since the start of the season. Not quite the washed-up, injured has-been many fans gleefully informed us he would be and not bad for the £6.5 million United paid for his services. Considering we spunked £7 million on former hobo; Bebe a few years ago, £6.5 million for Schweinsteiger is a frigging steal, even if he is 31.
So far, he’s done exactly what I hoped he would do and has fully embraced being a United player after spending nearly all his career at Bayern. Funnily enough I remember a few years back he was quoted saying that he would like to join United at some point, apparently his brother is a fan (from personal experience, Germany is one of the few countries outside of Asia where United are strangely quite popular). I am more than happy that he got his wish.
Smyth, MUFC (I like him almost as much as Marco Reus. Almost)

City’s Euro approach needs to change
F365,
City just about did enough to get past a mediocre BMG on Wednesday night, but the performance filled me with little confidence the team can get much further than the round of 16.
The problem is not the individual talent within the squad, it is the approach towards Champions League games.
In the Premier League most teams can be overwhelmed by City attacking from all angles, but at the top end of the game it just doesn’t work like that.  City went on the offensive in Barcelona (albeit with a 4-4-2) last season in the round of 16 and but for Joe Hart could have been on the end of a hiding.  The 4-2-3-1 system adopted by City is highly vulnerable to elite teams, heck it even got dismantled by Spurs!
The system is hard to get right. Mourinho uses the system and will no doubt testify to that.  It is contingent on the three players behind the striker working hard defensively.  That is probably why Jose let Juan Mata go, it wasn’t his lack of creative or goalscoring prowess, he just couldn’t play the defensive part of the role.  Equally that is why Mourihno gets frustrated with Hazard, who as is the desire of a top end attacker, is not so keen on the mundane aspects of defensive tracking.  The system can also leave full-backs horribly exposed, Exhibit A, Ivanovic.
At City the system has the benefit of fitting in all four main attacking players. However, when City used the 4-2-3-1 system at the tail end of last season, it was players like Milner and Navas who adapted well to the dual attacking/defensive requirement which the playing in the three behind the striker role demands.  A failure of the three to work defensively leaves all kinds of spaces in and around the full-backs.  The problem at City is exacerbated when the full-backs have a tendency to bomb forwards at every opportunity, and the holding two midfielders go walkabouts (that’s you Yaya).
I thought Barcelona were taking liberties playing a 4-3-3, with none of the stellar front three doing much in the way of defensive work.  But Barca attackers were so good they got away with it. As for City, it is quite possible that with a good draw the team could progress to around the quarter-final point, but at some point an elite team will come into view and the failure to defend as a team and close a game down will bite once more.
Paul, Lymm

Dreaming of Guardiola at Arsenal
James (.)(.) Boobs Barkstriker ponders what the worst thing would be if Arsene was let go. Well I thought of every possible tragedy from the FA expulsion from FIFA to World War III to Queen Elizabeth finally dying, but not once did I  imagine Arsenal relegated or going into administration, two of the worst things that could ever happen to Arsenal.
Something tells me James’ fears are seeing Arsenal finish in, say 7th position and/or not qualifying for Champions League after so many years in it. But wait… that sounds familiar. I know of a team who were in the same situation but are now top of the log, have won their 2 games in the CL group!
Back to my point now, I don’t give a sh** what could be the worst thing, because I believe the best thing will in actuality happen IF Wenger goes. Imagine this: we get Pep Guardiola in *and we must do absolutely everything in our power*, we finally get the players we’ve always wanted by bursting that kitty open and play the most scintillating football the world have ever seen. We win the quadruple and we go into delirium!
Do I hear some yawns and rumblings? Seriously though it is possible, okay maybe not the quadruple but the others very much so. Pep Guadiola is one of the best managers in the world. Why would he come to Arsenal? 1) Because they have the money (capability) to pay him, 2) He would love the challenge to manage in England and show the world the massive potential lying at Colney Road 3) Arsenal is similar in many ways to both Bayern and Barcelona in the playing philosophy and the foundation is there already.
Arsenal are a big club, we have the potential and the funds to progress further. With a Guardiola at the helm who knows what lofty heights we can reach!
Posab, ( Relax your titties man) Botswana
PS: this is better wet dream than Neville’s!

Raul Gonzalez has won 16 trophies to Cristiano Ronaldo's 7 titles with Real Madrid

Posted: 1 October 2015 Time: 23:19

Print this article

Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to obliterate Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez’s goalscoring record, but the former Spain international has still won nine more trophies with the club.

Ronaldo registered goals number 322 and 323 for Madrid in their 2-0 UEFA Champions League win over Malmo on Wednesday night, equalling Raul’s all-time club record.
Still only 30, the Portuguese is expected to far surpass Raul’s goals tally having already reached it in 433 games less than it took the man who used to kiss his wedding ring during every goal celebration.
Yet Ronaldo – in his seventh season with Los Blancos – is running out of time if he wants to get anywhere near to Raul’s impressive haul of 16 trophies with Real Madrid, which he amassed over 16 seasons.
Raul has winner’s medals on his mantlepiece for three Champions Leagues and six La Liga titles. Ronaldo has won seven trophies in Spain, with only one Champions League and one La Liga title.
However, Ronaldo also won the Champions League and three Premier League titles with Manchester United, and including all domestic trophies he won at Old Trafford (including the minor Community Shields and League Cups) it takes his career silverware to 17 trophies.
The irrepressible 'CR7' has scored 501 career goals to date:
323 for Real Madrid
118 for Manchester United
55 for Portugal
5 for Sporting
He has also won three Ballon d’Or titles and four European Golden Shoe awards for the most goals scored across the European leagues in a single season.
-

Europa League African Stars Watch – As it happened

Thursday 1 October 2015 – Results

 

Group G – Lazio Rome 3-2 Saint-Etienne

Group G – Rosenborg 0-1 Dnipro

Group H – Lokomotiv Moscow 2-0 Skënderbeu

Group H – Besiktas 1-1 Sporting Portugal

Group I – FC Basle 2-0 Lech Poznan

Group I – Belenenses 0-4 Fiorentina

Group J – Monaco 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Group J – Qarabag Agdam 1-0 Anderlecht

Group K – Schalke 4-0 Asteras Tripolis

Group K – Sparta Prague 2-0 APOEL Nicosie

Group L – AZ Alkmaar 2-1 Athletic Bilbao

Group L – Augsburg 1-3 Partizan Belgrade

Group A – Celtic Glasgow 2-2 Fenerbahçe

Group A – Molde FK 1-1 Ajax Amsterdam

Group B – Rubin Kazan 0-0 Bordeaux

Group B – Liverpool 1-1 FC Sion

Group C – PAOK Salonique 1-1 Borussia Dortmund

Group C – FC Krasnodar 2-1 FC Qabala

Group D – Legia Varsaw 0-2 Napoli

Group D – FC Brugge 1-3 FC Midtjylland

Group E – Villarreal 1-0 Viktoria Plzen

Group E – Dinamo Minsk 0-1 Rapid Vienna

Group F – Marseille 0-1 Slovan Liberec

Group F – Sporting Braga 1-0 FC Groningue

Europa League Wrap : Paul Onuachu, Kehinde Fatai And Onazi On Target; Imoh Ezekiel And Efe Ambrose Go The Distance

 

Super Eagles defender Efe Ambrose featured in his 8th Europa League game, going the distance as Celtic were held to a 2 - 2 draw by Turkish side Fenerbahce at Celtic Park.

Last year’s finalist Dnipro beat Norwegian Premier League pacesetters Rosenborg 1 - 0 at Lerkendal Stadion (Trondheim) . New signing Michael Babatunde did not make the Ukrainian team’s 18 - man squad.

Albanian powerhouse Skënderbeu Korçë lost 2 - 0 to Lokomotiv Moscow in Group H. Peter Olayinka was replaced three minutes from time by manager Mirel Josa.

Switzerland U21 international Manuel Akanji remained on the bench throughout the duration of Basel’s 2 - 0 victory over Lech Poznań.  The defender has managed only one minute of game time all through the season in all competitions.

Italy international Stefano Okaka and Imoh Ezekiel led the frontline from start to finish as Anderlecht were surprisingly beaten 1 - 0 by Qarabag.

At the Stade Louis II. (Monaco), Elderson Echiejile watched the game from the stands, literally, having failed to make the Principality side’s 18 - man squad for the game with Tottenham Hotspur, which ended one goal apiece.

New England invitee Dele Alli slotted in at midfield for the Londoners. Teammate Josh Onomah was not considered in the 18 - man squad.

Ex Flying Eagles forward Kehinde Fatai opened scoring for Sparta Prague after 24 minutes in their 2 - 0 home win over APOEL. He  was subbed off in the 86th  minute.

England U21 international Jordon Ibe is still searching for his first official goal in Liverpool colours. The creator fired blanks in the Reds 1 - 1 draw with Sion despite playing the full game.

Midtjylland caused a sensation, beating Club Brugge 3 - 1 at Jan Breydelstadion . Dream Team VI striker Paul Onuachu netted his first - ever goal in Europe in the 67th minute after coming on as a substitute nine minutes out of intermission.

The exciting winger Rilwan Hassan is still out injured, so did not feature for the Danish champions.

At the Borisov Arena (Borisov), Chigozie Udoji and Dinano Minsk suffered a 1 - 0 defeat at the hands of Rapid Vienna. The attacking midfielder displayed his wares for 90 minutes.

Eddy Onazi assisted Lazio pick up their first three points in Group G. It finished 3- 2 at the  Stadio Olimpico, with the Nigeria international scoring in the 22nd minute.