AC Milan 1-2 Napoli

Napoli kept up their 100 per cent start to the 2013-14 season with an impressive 2-1 over AC Milan at San Siro on Sunday.

The visitors started the game brightly and were soon ahead through Miguel Britos, with Gonzalo Higuain doubling their lead just after half-time.

Mario Balotelli squandered the chance to regain a foothold in the match, missing the first penalty of his career, though the Italy international scored a brilliant consolation strike at the death.

Both sides enjoyed winning starts to their Champions League campaigns on Wednesday, and the hosts made three changes from their 2-0 success over Celtic as Ignazio Abate, Urby Emanuelson and Andrea Poli replaced Cristian Zaccardo, Kevin Constant and Antonio Nocerino.
Meanwhile, Rafael Benitez made two alterations from Napoli's 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, with Giandomenico Mesto and Blerim Dzemaili coming in for Christian Maggio and Gokhan Inler.
Benitez’s side flew out of the traps and carved out a host of early opportunities, with Valon Behrami and Higuain particularly threatening.
And this early pressure paid off when Britos headed home from close range after just five minutes.
The Uruguayan stole into the six-yard box and converted calmly after defensive partner Raul Albiol had knocked a deep free-kick back across goal.
Milan's top scorer Balotelli brought a good save out of Pepe Reina four minutes later as the hosts sought an immediate response, and the lively Italy international then curled a free-kick just wide shortly after.
The home side dominated the remainder of the half, but struggled to create any clear-cut chances as the Napoli defence stood firm in the face of lengthy spells of Milan possession.
While Massimiliano Allegri’s men continued their bright play in the second half, they quickly fell further behind thanks to Higuain's third league goal of the season after 53 minutes.
The Argentina international struck a powerful effort from outside the area and Christian Abbiati was unable to prevent the shot from finding the bottom corner, even though he got a hand to it.
Milan were handed a way back into the game a minute before the hour mark though when Albiol brought down Balotelli in the box.
However, the forward was thwarted by a superb Reina save, the Spaniard getting down well to his right as the former Manchester City and Inter man missed the first penalty of his career.
Undeterred, the ever-dangerous Balotelli threatened again 10 minutes later as he struck a powerful against the bar.
And the 23-year-old did eventually get the goal his performance deserved as he bent a glorious strike past the helpless Reina in the 91st minute, but Napoli held on to maintain their perfect start to the Serie A season.
The defeat was compounded for Milan after the final whistle when Balotelli was shown a red card, with his dismissal appearing to be for dissent.

AC Milan 1-2 Napoli

By: Unknown on: 2:50 PM

AC Milan 2 - 0 Celtic

AC Milan scored twice in the last 10 minutes to undo a spirited Celtic performance in their Group H Champions League opener in Italy.

The visitors came close with a Georgios Samaras shot and an Anthony Stokes free-kick, which struck the crossbar.

In a stroke of misfortune for Celtic, Cristian Zapata's strike was deflected into his own net by Emilio Izaguirre.

And Muntari knocked in a loose ball after Mario Balotelli's curling free-kick was palmed by Fraser Forster.

The result is Celtic's 20th loss in 22 away group outings but those sorry figures do not reflect what was an impressive display from Neil Lennon's men, which will provide hope for coming games against Barcelona and Ajax once the pain has subsided.

Led by the industry and composure of captain Scott Brown, Celtic matched the seven-time European Cup winners for most of the game and had chances to take the lead at the San Siro.

From an indirect free-kick, Charlie Mulgrew's shot from 10 yards out was charged down by a cluster of defenders racing from the goal-line.

Samaras hammered a shot narrowly wide, Brown was denied a clear run of goal by a brilliant Nigel de Jong tackle and Stokes found the junction of post and crossbar with a lovely free-kick just a few minutes before the deadlock was broken.

Efe Ambrose and Virgil van Dijk were as imposing as the snow-capped mountains that border the city, doing a wonderful job of protecting Forster, although the goalkeeper made his own contribution to an excellent display from Lennon's side.

He was fortunate that a ferocious 18-yard volley from Balotelli flew straight at him in the opening minutes as the hosts started strongly.

And Forster needed to look sharp to push away a glancing header from Alessandro Matri before Antonio Nocerino fizzed a shot over.

But Balotelli and Matri did not link up well in attack for AC Milan, with the former Manchester City forward a peripheral figure for long spells.

Indeed, Balotelli spent most of the first 45 minutes shrugging his shoulders on the left flank, apparently unhappy that a couple of robust challenges on him had not yielded fouls.

The Italy striker did, however, come very close to opening the scoring in the final moments of the first half when his deflected strike looked destined for the bottom corner before Forster produced a marvellous diving stop.

Samaras scored in all three of Celtic's away games in last year's successful group campaign and the Greek forward thought he had done it again after the interval when his slaloming run culminated with a fizzing shot that swerved inches wide.

He later powered into the six-yard box to connect with a header but his effort was blocked by a defender.

There was a huge let-off for Celtic when Muntari somehow missed with a close-range header.

And the visitors nearly took advantage when a slick counter-attack involving Stokes and Kris Commons released Brown into the penalty box, only for De Jong to make a terrific sliding challenge.

Celtic, who earned nine corners, came closer still when Stokes' free-kick clipped the Milan crossbar.

The Italians laboured for periods, with the home support voicing their frustration, but the stadium exploded in joyous relief as the hearts of travelling fans sunk when Zapata's raking strike clipped Izaguirre and left Forster wrong-footed.

Much was made of the home side's long injury list but there were still several big names on display in red and black and Balotelli made amends for his disappointing display with a curling free-kick that had Forster palming the ball out, but Muntari was on hand to convert from close range.

AC Milan 2 - 0 Celtic

By: Unknown on: 3:28 PM

Barcelona 4 - 0 Ajax

Lionel Messi scored a superb Champions League hat-trick as Barcelona ran Ajax ragged in their Group H opener at the Nou Camp.

The Argentinian striker was at his effortless best, despatching a fine first-half free-kick and then producing two clinical finishes either side of Gerard Pique's header.

Ajax were passengers in the second period and were denied even a consolation when Victor Valdes saved Kolbeinn Sigthorsson's penalty.

Barcelona 4 - 0 Ajax

By: Unknown on: 3:21 PM

Marseille 1 - 2 Arsenal

Aaron Ramsey continued his fine form to help earn Arsenal a record 10th successive away win as they strode past Marseille in the Champions League.

Ramsey's goal six minutes from time settled the contest when he collected Kieran Gibbs' ball to fire in from 16 yards for his sixth in seven games.

Theo Walcott's volley midway through the second half gained control of the game after some early scares.

A stoppage-time penalty by Marseille's Jordan Ayew made little difference.

Ramsey brought down Andre Ayew for the spot-kick, with the Marseille forward appearing to make the most of any contact.

Marseille 1 - 2 Arsenal

By: Unknown on: 3:16 PM

Everton - Chelsea 1-0

There are few better places to watch the defeat of one of the major English clubs than Goodison Park.

The old stadium seemingly magnifies the noise tenfold, the roar of the crowd growing ever more frantic as Evertonians anticipate a famous victory.

Saturday was just such an evening. Everton, with Ross Barkley outstanding and Leon Osman, Gareth Barry and Steven Naismith to the fore, were excellent. Chelsea, despite an array of chances, looked strangely vulnerable amid the cacophony of noise.

It will be a while before we can question Chelsea’s transition under Jose Mourinho but it is fair to say seven points from four games and a UEFA Super Cup defeat, albeit on penalties, was not the start he would have anticipated.

This does not look like Mourinho’s Chelsea at present. They lack the authority of old, with neither overwhelming strength nor ruthlessness under pressure. They look a team with an identity crisis, caught between the manager’s requirements and the owner’s vision.

‘Artistic football without goals is not good,’ said Mourinho as he listed the litany of chances his team missed, debutant Samuel Eto’o and summer signing Andre Schurrle bearing the brunt of his criticism.

He offered no easy excuses for the slackness in defence and finishing. ‘I don’t think it’s a question of sharpness,’ he said before identifying the lazy ball from Schurrle on 28 minutes and the delay from Eto’o that allowed Barry back to block in front of an open goal after Tim Howard’s mix-up with Sylvain Distin.

‘Perhaps it is not having the killer instinct. If they don’t have it they have to get it but I think they have it.

‘My team are always my team. Winning, losing, playing badly, they are always my responsibility. Later they will have more the identity of the manager and it’s easier to do that after five months than after four weeks.’

Everton - Chelsea 1-0

By: Unknown on: 1:37 AM

INTER - JUVENTUS 1-1

A super equaliser from Arturo Vidal earned Juventus a 1-1 draw at Inter Milan in an intriguing Derby of Italy clash in Serie A on Saturday.

Walter Mazzari's Inter took the lead on 73 minutes through Mauro Icardi's first goal for the club following fine work from Ricky Alvarez.

But the away side equalised two minutes later when Vidal expertly controlled Kwadwo Asamoah's drilled cross before clipping his third goal in three games past Inter keeper Samir Handanovic.

It was the Slovene stopper who preserved a point for Inter with three minutes left when he got down well to Vidal's close range header, before Mauricio Isla sliced embarrassingly wide from the rebound.

INTER - JUVENTUS 1-1

By: Unknown on: 9:11 AM

Barcelona seek method to match Lionel Messi with Neymar

The clamour over Real’s new marquee signing, the £86 million Gareth Bale, has taken much of the spotlight away from Neymar but tomorrow all eyes will be on the Nou Camp as Barcelona meet Sevilla, and Neymar and Messi prepare to start in the same XI in a home league match for the first time. Will the dynamic duo set La Liga alight or get in each other’s way?

More worldly players than Neymar have struggled to fit in at a club renowned for their established hierarchies and strict dogmas about the way the team plays.

At 21, the new star is five years younger than Messi. He is a player who can genuinely be described as a potential heir to the Argentine and he has arrived at a watershed moment for the most admired club side of the past decade. His signing was completed very soon after Barça, European champions three times in the past eight years, suffered the chastening 7-0 aggregate defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final. The conspicuous feature of their impotence had been the unfit Messi, his mobility reduced when he was on the field, a gap left when he was not, evidence Barcelona had become dependent on one man.

Neymar represents a soothing solution should Barça be denied the services of Messi, whose appetite for playing 90 minutes whatever the fixture, whatever his health, is voracious. But that is not why Neymar has been invited to the Nou Camp. It is more as a stimulus and a complement to Messi, to offer alternatives to a team dogmatically committed to their pass-and-move ideology even if they have become predictable and blunted when Messi is heavily policed.

The challenge for any newcomer at the modern Barça, Messi’s Barça, is about tactics as well as status. Most of Messi’s colleagues are hard-wired to appreciate his territory on the pitch, to be its curators. Players like Gerard Piqué and Cesc Fabregas have a sixth sense of how he operates, where he likes the ball, when and where they can expect to receive it back. They started playing in teams with Messi when they were barely out of their teens, contemporaries at Barça’s La Masia academy. They still cherish him with some of the protective instincts they showed to little Leo, the timid, tiny enigma fresh from Argentina, undergoing treatment for a growth hormone deficiency, a boy whose legs dangled from the bench of the dugouts because he was so small.

Barcelona seek method to match Lionel Messi with Neymar

By: Unknown on: 4:11 AM

Ukraine 0-0 England

A draw, Roy Hodgson happily declared, represents a satisfying night and, in one way at least, he was probably right. England remain top of Group H, a point ahead of Ukraine and Montenegro, and the simple mathematics is that if they win their final two games they guarantee their place at the World Cup without having to go through the ordeal of the playoffs.

The problem for England is that this result means they have not beaten any of their opponents bar Moldova and San Marino, two of football's more notorious punchbags. It is giving his team the benefit of the doubt, to say the least, to expect victory over Montenegro and Poland at Wembley next month to be a formality.

England may have managed to nullify Ukraine but the lack of imagination or creativity on show should temper any premature sense of celebration and, no matter how much Hodgson tried to dress it up, it is still startling to see how unrefined they are when it comes to attacking football in competitive fixtures. Their one decent chance came in stoppage time at the end of the match when Frank Lampard, on his 100th cap, could not get his header on target. That apart, this was a night that showed both England's strengths and limitations. A win here would have pretty much assured them of a place in Brazil. It is just a pity they did not do more to show they understood that.

Hodgson's men played with all the usual resilience and structure that is associated with his teams. What they failed to do, as Gary Lineker scathingly pointed out, was attack with any cohesion or conviction and, in the end, they were just grateful for two things. First, that Ukraine did not take at least three very presentable opportunities and, secondly, that the occasion did not turn into another personal ordeal for Joe Hart.

Ukraine were certainly entitled to their grievances after Hart had left his goal-line and brought down Roman Zozulya before there was even a minute on the clock. Hart could be seen bellowing at his opponent to get off the floor, desperately trying to create the impression it was a dive. He had actually clattered into Zozulya and was mightily fortunate the referee, Pedro Proença, let him off. What a difference it could have made and what an important moment it might be, ultimately, when it comes to deciding which team qualifies.

England were subjected to some intense pressure at times, in front of an impassioned crowd, and they had to play with nerve and togetherness to get through the more difficult moments. The truth, however, is that neither side looked particularly accomplished. England needed more wit and ingenuity in attack and Hodgson must dearly hope his team are not so badly affected by injuries and suspensions for next month's games. His front three of James Milner, Rickie Lambert and Theo Walcott gave everything but they just did not have enough penetrative quality. Hodgson described it as a "very high-quality game" but he was being generous in the extreme. The passing from midfield was too slow, too methodical — maybe not as "woeful" as Lineker stated, but not far off some of the time.

More than anything, this was a risk-free England performance and it will only be in mid-October, after the final round of matches, that we know whether that conservatism was a mistake. What we can say, though, is that it represents a dangerous tactic. Ukraine now host Poland before another inevitable goalfest against San Marino, a team they have just beaten 9-0.

Hodgson said he was "more than happy" but Montenegro will be, too. An England win would have opened up a three-point gap; as it is, Montenegro can leapfrog England by beating them at Wembley.

Hodgson could be seen giving his assistant, Ray Lewington, a little celebratory hug at the final whistle, but England will surely have to play better against Montenegro – or, at least, with more adventure. The manager likes to call this system 4-3-3 but for long spells it morphed into 4-5-1, with Milner and Walcott tucking in from the wide positions to congest midfield. Walcott had an early chance and, before half-time, Gerrard had let fly from 25 yards on a couple of occasions. At other times, however, England demonstrated great carelessness in encouraging positions. At one point Walcott had Lampard in space, with the chance to do something, and passed the ball knee-high. Lampard miscontrolled and it went out for a throw-in. Jack Wilshere was replaced midway through the second half after an ineffectual night, with Hodgson saying the midfielder was still short of fitness.

On the brighter side, England were strong and organised in defence. Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka played with authority. Cole was superb, as he so often is in the important fixtures, and Hart, who had looked anxious in the first 20 minutes, came under pressure in the second half far less than the Ukrainian crowd would have liked. If the home team suspected England's goalkeeper might be vulnerable, they did not do enough to examine it.

Yevhen Konoplyanka put a free-kick narrowly wide and Artem Fedetskiy will reflect on two headed opportunities. Yet it was the penalty claim against Hart that will cause Ukraine the most anguish on a night when Hodgson acclaimed a performance that left others wanting more.

Ukraine 0-0 England

By: Unknown on: 1:44 PM

WENGER NO COMMENT ON ARSENAL FUTURE

Still basking in the afterglow of Mesut Ozil's signing, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger cut a relaxed figure on Friday, insisting he is in "no hurry" to open talks over his own future at the club.

The Frenchman - who turns 64 next month and is now the longest-serving manager in the English Premier League - is out of contract at the end of the current campaign, but has indicated he would be open to extending his stay into a 19th year.

Wenger continues to hold the full support of owner Stan Kroenke and the board, with chief executive Ivan Gazidis stressing earlier this summer negotiations would continue quietly behind the scenes.

The Gunners boss proved key in the record-breaking £42million deal bring German international Ozil from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day, and has always maintained the continued drive for success on the pitch comes ahead of any speculation over his own future.

Long-time admirers Paris Saint-Germain are said to remain keen on luring Wenger back to his native France, with their decision to only hand new boss Laurent Blanc a 12-month deal only adding fuel to the speculation.

Speaking ahead of his side's league clash at Sunderland, however, Wenger reiterated his contentment with life in North London and said any negotiations would not be rushed.

"We are in no hurry. We are in September and my contract finishes in June. There is a long way to go," he said. "There is no need to plan (any talks). I have said many times I want to do well with this club and in the end I will sit down and think 'how well have I done with the team I have had?' That has to be sufficient for me to decide yes or no.

"One of the main judgments you can have about a manager is how well he does with his team."

- Forget Arsenal, target Abdulrahman fancies Saudi switch

Wenger certainly pulled off a transfer coup with bringing in the marquee signing of Ozil. Before the 1-0 win over big-spending Tottenham ahead of the international break, Wenger had seen moves for Gonzalo Higuain, Luis Suarez and Yohan Cabaye all fail to materialise, and only secured the free transfers of Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu Flamini, while a loan move for Palermo goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano was also completed on deadline day.

The Arsenal manager, though, was relieved to have finally allayed the criticism he was not ready to spend big for the right player. "When I told you two or three days before (the transfer deadline), I looked a bit lonely when I said I was optimistic, but in the end it happened," said Wenger.

"I thought we had a chance to do it, a small one, but we worked very hard on it until the end. It was very complicated in the end because the timing was short, but on Sunday when I came to the Tottenham game, just at two o'clock I thought we will manage to do it. Before the game I knew we were 90 per cent there."

Wenger added: "What is very important for us is to find world-class players. There are not plenty around. We had to go through some years when I signed a long-term contract where we had some restricted financial potential, and the target was to stay in the Champions League in this period. We managed to do it, and we are now in a strong position financially."

WENGER NO COMMENT ON ARSENAL FUTURE

By: Unknown on: 1:40 PM

Mesut Ozil says Arsenal are contenders for title glory

The 24-year-old was introduced to the media on Thursday, having been on international duty with his country since his club-record move to The Emirates on deadline day.

Ozil, who joined the Gunners for £42.5million from Real Madrid, scored a penalty in Germany's 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands on Tuesday and is expected to make his Premier League debut at Sunderland this Saturday.

Arsenal have begun their Premier League campaign with two victories and one defeat, and Ozil is confident they have the quality to be title contenders.

Asked if Arsenal can challenge for the title, he said: "Of course, definitely. I know the team and the talent we have here. Every player wants to be successful and Arsenal are one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"We definitely want to achieve something with this team - that is what we work for. Of course it will be very difficult because the league is the strongest in the world. But we will give everything to achieve success.

"We want to play attractive football to improve but of course also successful football. I can't promise to win trophies but I can promise as a team we can give our all to in trophies."

Ozil said that he consulted his international team-mates, Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker, about the club - but his central reason for signing for the Gunners was Arsene Wenger.

"Arsenal is a very well-known club, a very successful club with very young players, and the young players develop very well here," Ozil said.

"This was one of the reasons why I chose to come here, I want to continue to improve myself.

"I am really happy to be here under such a great manager.

That was most important for us, what he (Wenger) thinks about me, what his plans are with me. I decided to come to Arsenal because I have the trust in this familiar environment.

But the Germany international insists his performances for Madrid, scoring nine goals in 32 games last season, prove his professionalism and commitment.

"I don't want to say anything bad about Madrid because I had three wonderful years there," he said. "I have great friends there and also we achieved a lot with the club.

"The people who know me, know how professional I am and I think over the past years one can see how many games I have played - 159 games - and if you are not professional in your life then I don't think you can play that many games.

"So people know how professional I am. This is what counts and I don't care about all the rumours.

"I have a new task here and I am just looking ahead. We have big goals and we will work very hard to achieve these goals."

With Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky suffering a thigh injury on international duty, Ozil could be thrust straight into the starting XI at Sunderland on Saturday.

The German maintains he is ready for the hustle and bustle of the English top flight.

"Of course it is very physical here, but it is a man's sport and I am really glad to play in the best league in the world," Ozil said.

"I want to prove myself in England, therefore I look forward to playing here.

"I also played in the Bundesliga and Spain and always proved myself. I know that I will prove myself here as well."

Mesut Ozil says Arsenal are contenders for title glory

By: Unknown on: 1:34 PM

Alex Ferguson details the strategy behind 26 years of Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed the methods and mentality that saw him win 28 major trophies in 26 years in charge.

The Scot permitted professors from Harvard Business School to observe and study his methods during his final season at Old Trafford as part of a case study, upon which he has since expanded to students in visits to the institution after his retirement.

In a wide-ranging interview published in full in the Harvard Business Review, Sir Alex explained that his first move upon joining the Red Devils was to establish his famed focus on youth.

"From the moment I got to Manchester United, I thought of only one thing: building a football club. I wanted to build right from the bottom," he began.

"I knew that a focus on youth would fit the club's history and my earlier coaching experience told me that winning with young players could be done and that I was good at working with them. So I had the confidence and conviction that, if United was going to mean anything again, rebuilding the youth structure was crucial. You could say it was brave but fortune favours the brave.

"At some clubs, you need only to lose three games in a row and you're fired. In today's football world, with a new breed of directors and owners, I am not sure any club would have the patience to wait for a manager to build a team over a four-year period.

"Winning a game is only a short-term gain - you can lose the next game. Building a club brings stability and consistency.

"Although I was always trying to disprove it, I believe that the cycle of a successful team lasts maybe four years and then some change is needed. So we tried to visualise the team three or four years ahead and make decisions accordingly.

"Because I was at United for such a long time, I could afford to plan ahead - no one expected me to go anywhere. I was very fortunate in that respect.

"Everything we did was about maintaining the standards we had set as a football club - this applied to all my team building and all my team preparation, motivational talks, and tactical talks.

"I had to lift players' expectations. They should never give in. I said that to them all the time: 'If you give in once, you'll give in twice.' And the work ethic and energy I had seemed to spread throughout the club.

"Superstars with egos are not the problem some people may think. They need to be winners because that massages their egos, so they will do what it takes to win. I used to see [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [David] Beckham, [Ryan] Giggs, [Paul] Scholes and others out there practicing for hours.

"If the day came that the manager of Manchester United was controlled by the players - in other words, if the players decided how the training should be, what days they should have off, what the discipline should be and what the tactics should be - then Manchester United would not be the Manchester United we know.


"I tended to act quickly when I saw a player become a negative influence. Some might say I acted impulsively but I think it was critical that I made up my mind quickly. Why should I have gone to bed with doubts? I would wake up the next day and take the necessary steps to maintain discipline.

"Observation is the final part of my management structure. When I started as a coach, I relied on several basics: that I could play the game well, that I understood the technical skills needed to succeed at the highest level, that I could coach players and that I had the ability to make decisions.

"Seeing a change in a player's habits or a sudden dip in his enthusiasm allowed me to go further with him: Is it family problems? Is he struggling financially? Is he tired? What kind of mood is he in? Sometimes I could even tell that a player was injured when he thought he was fine.

"I don't think many people fully understand the value of observing. I came to see observation as a critical part of my management skills. The ability to see things is key - or, more specifically, the ability to see things you don't expect to see.

"When I started, there were no agents and, although games were televised, the media did not elevate players to the level of film stars and constantly look for new stories about them. Stadiums have improved, pitches are in perfect condition now and sports science has a strong influence on how we prepare for the season.

"Owners from Russia, the Middle East and other regions have poured a lot of money into the game and are putting pressure on managers. And players have led more-sheltered lives, so they are much more fragile than players were 25 years ago.

Alex Ferguson details the strategy behind 26 years of Manchester United

By: Unknown on: 5:03 AM

Ronaldo meet Bale then train with Madrid

he 24-year-old, who surpassed the Portugal international as the world's most-expensive player following his €100 million move from Tottenham, is poised to make his debut for his new club against Villarreal on Saturday evening.

Bale began the training session by undergoing individual physical work with a coach before joining his new team-mates in their full warm-up.

The Wales international then took part in light ball work with Iker Casillas, Luka Modric. Karim Benzema, Daniel Carvajal, Alvaro Morata, Nacho and Jese.

Ronaldo, along with summer signing Isco, trained apart from Bale, while Raphael Varane was alone with a fitness coach as he makes his comeback from a knee injury.

Bale came on as a second-half substitute in Wales' World Cup qualifier against Serbia on Tuesday evening, and following his side's 3-0 defeat, manager Chris Coleman believes the winger may be subjected to a restricted amount of playing time in his early stages at Madrid.

"He may start, but he won't finish the game. He may get 45 minutes, I don't know, but he will feel better in himself after 30 minutes here.

"But he has only had four training sessions in two months which is dangerous."

Ronaldo meet Bale then train with Madrid

By: Unknown on: 5:00 AM

Ozil's father threatens legal action in sensational rant at Real Madrid

Mesut Ozil's father, Mustafa, has threatened legal action after claims in the Spanish press suggested the Germany international was distracted by off-field activities while at Real Madrid.

Earlier this week, ABC, a Spanish newspaper with ties to the Spanish club's president, Florentino Perez, reported that the Blancos chief believed Ozil "wasn't a good professional and was obsessed with women and nightlife".

But the Germany international's father has hit back at those allegations and says the discontent which has greeted the 24-year-old's sale has seen Perez turn the new Arsenal signing into a scapegoat.

"Just because a man earns a lot of money, doesn't mean he's a man of honour," Ozil's father is quoted as saying in Bild. "And Perez is no man of honour.

"If Mesut had an unprofessional life in Madrid, then why did he always play? They want to blame him now, because the fans and team-mates are angry."

Ozil's father threatens legal action in sensational rant at Real Madrid

By: Unknown on: 4:57 AM

Juan Jesus: It's normal that Inter are top of Serie A

Juan Jesus has insisted that it is normal for Inter to be fighting for the top spots in Serie A following their fine start to the 2013-14 campaign.

The Nerazzurri currently sit joint-first in the league table after wins over Genoa and Catania, but the Brazilian is not taken aback by their good performances so far.

"I'm not surprised. It's quite normal for us to be in this position because Inter deserve to be up there challenging for the big prizes," the Brazilian defender told Rai Sport 1.

"Walter Mazzarri is doing a brilliant job with us all and we want to keep going the way we are."

The 22-year-old then went on to discuss this weekend's Derby d'Italia against Juventus and admitted that the Scudetto holders start the encounter as the favourites.

"Juventus have been playing together for three years and they have plenty of belief in themselves. 

Juan Jesus: It's normal that Inter are top of Serie A

By: Unknown on: 4:54 AM

Mourinho has brought Chelsea back together

John Terry believes the return of Jose Mourinho has brought Chelsea back together as the Blues target the Premier League title this season.

The second coming of the Special One this summer was greeted with delight at Stamford Bridge, bringing an end to the poisonous atmosphere which had surrounded Rafa Benitez's short reign.

And Terry admits the return of his former boss has had a similarly uplifting effect on the squad as they look to re-establish themselves at the top of domestic and European football.

“We are looking fit and very much together – and Jose brings that,” Terry said, speaking after his appearance for Stiliyan Petrov’s XI against a Celtic XI in a fund-raiser for leukaemia research.

“It is us against everyone else and I think that is what made us when he was here before and we are very much in the same mould again.

“His man-management is excellent and he makes people want to play for him. He has it spot on.

“He has come home and all the players feel the same.

“Hopefully what we know about Jose and what Jose knows about the Premier League will make the ­difference in the title race.
”

Mourinho has brought Chelsea back together

By: Unknown on: 4:49 AM