Thursday 20 February 2014

Paper Round: Moyes watches Kroos masterclass

Manchester United manager David Moyes witnessed the talent of Toni Kroos first-hand last night as the midfielder's value soared; United are closing in on William Carvalho; and Tottenham have approached Louis van Gaal - here are the main stories making headlines in today's newspapers.

Moyes runs rule over Kroos: The Daily Mail reports that David Moyes was in the stands at the Emirates last night to see for himself just how good Toni Kroos is as the Bayern Munich midfielder put in a masterclass in his side's 2-0 win over Arsenal. Despite his form, which continues to underline his growing stature in the game, he remains locked in a contractual dispute with Bayern as he seeks to become the top earner at the Bundesliga club. The stand-off has put United on red alert, although the player is valued at £50 million and could expect wages in excess of £250,000 a week if he were to move to England.
Paper Round's view: Moyes cannot have failed to have been impressed by the performance of Kroos, who scored the first goal and dominated the midfield battle with the Gunners. Whether that will tempt him to spend a whopping £50m on him is another story. What we can be sure of though - no doubt to Moyes' chagrin - is that Kroos' stock will have rocketed after such an impressive showing and deep pockets will certainly be needed if he is to be tempted away from Bavaria.
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United close to Carvalho deal: United have been "given the green light" to buy Portugal starletWilliam Carvalho after the defensive midfielder's club Sporting identified his replacement, reports the Daily Mirror. Carvalho, who United have had watched eight times, has a £37.5m buyout clause in his current deal and with Sporting lining up Estoril’s Goncalo in a £410,000 deal it appears the Portuguese club are ready to cash in big. The report adds though that United would be unwilling to match Sporting's valuation and would hope to negotiate a lower price, although interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona could make that difficult.
Paper Round's view: At just 21 years of age, Carvalho could be one for the future, but even though Moyes must by now have a pretty good idea of what he would be getting for his money, £37.5m does seem a rather excessive fee. That should also be obvious to Sporting but the clear problem United would have is interest from other parties and, if indeed the usual suspects from Spain are also in the hunt, United may be forced to pay over the odds.
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Van Gaal reveals Spurs approach: Dutch coach Louis van Gaal has admitted Tottenham have been in touch about their manager's job, reports the Daily Mirror. The Holland boss also insisted he wants to become a Premier League manager once his deal with the national side comes to an end after the World Cup, putting Newcastle to Southampton on alert. The paper claims that Van Gaal could be a major rival to current Spurs boss Tim Sherwood, should his decent start in the hot seat falter in the remainder of the season.
Paper Round's view: It's hardly reassuring to see such little faith in Sherwood, be it from the Spurs hierarchy if the report is true, or just from the newspaper. Whichever, it's a bit harsh on the former midfielder, given the way he has turned around Spurs' fortunes since taking charge. That said, Van Gaal is more than capable of doing very good job in England and the likes of Newcastle andSouthampton will be delighted to hear of his intentions to see out his managerial career on these shores.
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Gomes heading to Leeds: Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes could be given a chance to resurrect his career after talks were opened over a loan move to Leeds, reports the Daily Express. Brazilian Gomes, 33, has dropped down the pecking order at White Hart Lane and is currently third choice after Hugo Lloris and Brad Friedel but with the World Cup looming he needs playing time to stake his claim. The paper reports that Leeds boss Brian McDermott has made Gomes his top target and hopes to strike a deal before his side play Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Paper Round's view: Gomes, capped 11 times by Brazil, could be a great acquisition for Leeds given that his focus would be absolute with a place on the plane back to his homeland this summer up for grabs. Surely he's too good a player to be left rotting in the reserves at White Hart Lane, despite a few high-profile and well-publicised gaffes?
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United to over-charge fans: The Independent reports that Manchester United are facing a backlash from fans who have learnt that they will have to pay Champions League prices for Europa League tickets next season, should it come to that. Tickets for the lesser European competition will be included in the controversial “automatic cup scheme”, which also forces season-ticket holders to buy a seat for FA Cup matches, the paper reports, and is one of the most resented features of the commercial regime under the ownership of the Glazer family. The decision has the potential to persuade fans not to renew their season tickets at the end of the current campaign.
Paper Round's view: £50 to watch the likes of Chornomorets Odesa and Pandurii Targu Jiu on a rainy Thursday night does seem a little steep, although it's not a done deal just yet and United could still qualify for the Champions League. At least that's the line the club would want to put out for the time being in the wake of any supporter discontent.

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Costa strikes late as Atletico sink Milan

The Brazil-born hitman thumped a sensational far post header beyond Christian Abbiati seven minutes from time after Ignazio Abate had inadvertently flicked a corner into his path.
It was the Atletico star's 27th goal of the season and saw him come out on top in a face off with Milan's enigmatic forward, Mario Balotelli, whose lively performance was prematurely ended by a shoulder injury in the second half.
The defeat was hard on Rossoneri coach Clarence Seedorf, who twice saw his team hit the woodwork in the first half of what was his Champions League bow as a manager.
The hosts had the better of the chances and could have gone ahead on 15 minutes when Kaka's left-foot drive deflected onto the crossbar, with Thibaut Courtois beaten.
The on-loan Chelsea stopper then made a sensational fingertip save to deny Andrea Poli's downward header and Kaka and Essien had good efforts either side of half-time.
At the other end Costa crashed an acrobatic attempt over the top and Raul Garcia saw two efforts beaten away as the visitors ended strongly and it looked all set to end in stalemate until Abate's error gifted Costa the opening and the striker made no mistake with a bullet header.
KEY MOMENTS PRE-MATCH: Taarabt starts, Villa on the bench - QPR loanee Adel Taarabt is handed a Champions League bow by Seedorf. The mercurial playmaker supports Kaka and Balotelli in attack. Atletico make the one change with Miranda coming back in. 26-goal Costa leads the line with David Villa on the bench.
14' - OFF THE BAR! Kaka picks up the ball on the right and unleashes a stunning effort that is deflected onto the bar with Courtois beaten.
19' - WONDER SAVE! Courtois shows just why he is rated as one of Europe's best keepers brilliantly tipping Andrea Poli's header onto the post after a great ball in from the right by Taarabt. 30' - CLOSE! Balotelli slips a delicious flick into the path of Kaka who curls a shot just over the top from the right side of the area. Milan carving out the better chances.
51' - ACROBATIC EFFORT! Costa pulls away to the far post and attempts an overhead kick that sears over the crossbar.
67'- CLOSE! Essien rises to meet a right-wing corner but he powers his header a few yards wide of the far post.
76'- CHANCE FOR ATLETICO. Abbiati is forced to deny Garcia's rasping low drive following a lightning counter.
78' - BLOW FOR MILAN: Balotelli goes off clutching his shoulder in pain. He's replaced byGiampaolo Pazzini.
83' - GOAL: AC Milan 0-1 Atletico Madrid. Costa thumps a sensational far post header into the corner after Abate inadvertently flicked a corner into his path. 87' - SO CLOSE! Rami crashes in a thunderous 35 yard free kick that arrows inches past the post.
87' - SO CLOSE! Rami crashes in a thunderous 35 yard free kick that arrows inches past the post.

3D Highlights: AC Milan v Atletico Madrid

Diego Costa's goal secured a priceless 1-0 win for Atletico Madrid in an entertaining la…

TALKING POINT: In Courtois and Costa, have Atletico the recipe to go far? The big Belgian continues to illustrate why Atletico are desperate to keep hold of him and the end of this season will be a key crossroads in his career. Petr Cech isn't getting any younger and Courtois would be an ideal long-term replacement at Stamford Bridge. The question is whether Chelsea would be willing to sacrifice the young stopper in their rumoured efforts to sign Costa? Once again the Brazilian was their match winner and he would no doubt add something extra to Chelsea's attack. But at the moment they are very much part of a strong Atletico side who are dark horses to go all the way in this tournament with a strong defence and lethal attack.
KEY STATS.
Milan have won only one of their last nine home games against Spanish visitors.
Atletico are well on course for a first quarter-final appearance since 1997, when their coach Simeone was playing for the Rojiblancos.
Atletico are only one of three teams undefeated in the group stage and are unbeaten in their last five away games in UEFA competition.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Diego Costa (Atletico) - Ploughed a lone furrow up top as AC Milan bossed the first half. His hold up play offered key moments of respite and he typically popped up with the winner when the Spaniards turned the screw late on.
PLAYER RATINGS -
AC Milan: Abbiati 6, De Sciglio 6, Rami 6, Bonera 6, Essien 6, Poli 7, Emanuelson 6, N. de Jong 6, Kaka 7, Taarabt 7, Balotelli 7. Subs: Abate 6, Pazzini 6, Constant 5.
Atletico Madrid: Courtois 8, Godin 7, Juanfran 7, Insua 6, Miranda 6, Mario Suarez 6, Koke 7, Raul Garcia 6, Arda Turan 6, Gabi 6, Diego Costa 8. Subs: Rodriguez 6, Lopez 5.
THE MATCH IN A TWEET
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Ozil penalty miss costly as Bayern throttle 10-man Arsenal

Mesut Ozil missed a penalty and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off before Bayern Munich completed a 2-0 win over 10-manArsenal in their Champions League last-16 first leg at the Emirates.
Arsenal's night began to do downhill from the seventh minute when Ozil earned a penalty after being felled by Jerome Boateng only to miss the spot-kick as his weak effort down the middle was clawed clear by the right hand of Manuel Neuer.
It went from bad to worse when Szczesny was red carded after he sent Robben crashing to the ground as the Dutch winger burst in on goal on 36 minutes. Arsenal were handed a reprieve when David Alaba hit the post with substitute goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianskiheading in the opposite direction.
But the loss of a man proved too much of a hurdle for Arsene Wenger's side to overcome as Philipp Lahm found Toni Kroos, who left Fabianski with no chance from distance for the opening goal on 54 minutes.
With Robben stretching the home side as much as possible, Arsenal were forced to defend stoutly, only to be undone again when substitute Thomas Mueller arrived to head into the net from a Lahm cross with two minutes remaining.
Arsenal won 2-0 in Munich at the same stage of this tournament a year ago, but will need to replicate that outcome to force extra-time against the Champions League holders in the second leg on March 11. It looks highly likely that Arsenal will depart at the last-16 stage.
KEY MOMENTS
4' - SZCZESNY SAVE: Kroos unloads a shot from 25 yards out, and a brilliant diving stop byWojciech Szczesny to nudge the ball wide. So close to an opening goal for Bayern. That was a terrific stop.
7' - ARSENAL EARN PENALTY: Ozil taken out late by Boateng, who is booked for that tackle. Was a soft penalty, but was a penalty.
8' - NEUER WITH THE SAVE: Ozil goes down the middle. Neuer stays up long enough before swatting the kick away with his right hand. Poor penalty.
36' - PENALTY TO BAYERN AND A RED CARD! Wojciech Szczesny has been sent off as he clips Robben in the air. Monreal failed to pick up the run of Robben. Poor defending by Monreal.
37' - ALABA MISSED THE PENALTY: Alaba misses the penalty. Ball comes off a post as Fabianski dived to his left. Two penalties have been missed. Score remains at 0-0. But Arsenal are one man down.
53' - FABIANSKI WITH THE SAVE: Robben works the angle well. Cuts inside before nudging a shot at the goal from 18 yards. Decent stop by Fabianski low to his right.
54' - KROOS FINDS THE OPENER: Kroos slams the ball high into the net from the Lahm pass. Gorgeous strike from distance. And that is a 1-0 lead for the visiting side.
69' - ROBBEN SEES A SHOT SPIN INCHES WIDE: Robben decides to try his luck, but the shot spins a few yards wide of goal. Brilliant effort. Almost a superb goal from the Dutchman.
88' - MULLER ADDS THE SECOND: Mueller heads into the gaping net from the Lahm cross. And that is that. A 2-0 lead for Bayern. Should be all over now.
90+1' - KROOS HITS A POST: Kroos slams a shot from distance against a post. So close to that third goal. Brilliant really from Bayern against 10 men.


3D Highlights: Arsenal v Bayern Munich.

Mesut Ozil missed a penalty and Wojciech Szczesny was sent off before Bayern Munich…

KEY STATS
Arsenal managed just 12% possession in the second half versus Bayern Munich, completing just 38 passes after half-time.
Philipp Lahm has assisted Bayern Munich's last 3 goals against Arsenal in the Champions League.
Toni Kroos' goal was the 100th that Bayern have scored in all competitions this season.
The 100 red cards for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger have been given to 50 different players & against 42 different opponents.
Arjen Robben has won 3 penalties in the Champions League this season, more than any other player.
Opta
TALKING POINT: What can Arsenal take out of the night? This was a chastening evening for the home side and their fans, but Wenger can be happy with the application of his 10 men despite being given a serious run-around. It is doubtful if the home side would have avoided defeat with 11 men as Bayern are on a different level from Arsenal. There was a reason why Arsenal went down to 10 men, Bayern's movement caused the sending off such is the game of football. Pep Guardiola's side have so much more to offer this tournament than Wenger's team.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich) - Such a terrific player, Robben is one of the world's most intelligent attackers. Earned the penalty and treated the 3,000 visiting fans to a professional masterclass in how to play against 10 men in the second half by stretching the home side all over the park.


Oxlade-Chamberlain keeps faith despite defeat

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain believes the fight Arsenal showed in the second half will stand…

PLAYER RATINGS
Arsenal: Szczesny 7, Sagna 6, Mertesacker 7, Koscielny 7, Gibbs 5, Flamini 6, Wilshere 5, Oxlade-Chamberlain 6, Ozil 3, Cazorla 4, Sanogo 6. Subs: Fabianski 7, Monreal 5, Rosicky 6
Bayern Munich: Neuer 8; Lahm 8, Boateng 5, Dante 6, Alaba 6; Martinez 7; Robben 8, Kroos 8, Thiago 6, Gotze 7; Mandzukic 6. Subs: Rafinha 6, Pizarro 6, Mueller 7
THE MATCH IN A TWEET
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Wednesday 19 February 2014

Bayern are favourites – but I fancy our chances of knocking them out

Arsenal play Bayern Munich in the Champions League for the second time in two years. What do you remember from last year’s games?
There are one or two regrets. At first, we lost at home 3-1, and then won 2-0 in Munich. We were only out because of one away goal. I think the away goals rule should be removed in modern football; it has too much weight in the qualification.
Then, there is regret too because we weren’t at our usual level during the first match. We had just lost in the cup, we were a bit down.
The second game, we were 5-10 minutes short of qualifying, because Bayern only started to really panic when we were leading 2-0.
Can you beat them this time?
We have a good chance of revenge against a Bayern side that won everything over the last year. And their aura, their state of mind will certainly be stronger than when we played last year. We, to make up for that, are doing well and still want our revenge. So it will be interesting.
Bayern are the favourites by far, because I think that they are by far the favourites for the whole tournament too. But I think that we still have a good chance.
What is your opinion on Bayern so far this year? With Pep Guardiola as their manager, what changes have you seen?
The changes are those of a team which won everything and must constantly add new ways and means to their victories.
There is some pressure on you when you have won everything. The first year you have to win everything. The second year you have to win everything, and always be brilliant. And that’s the pressure they have today.
They have to produce classy football all the time, and that’s what they do most of the time. But there is more pressure on them to be all the time brilliant and creative. And Guardiola has done this successfully most of the time.
They also have recruited more players. They recruited Goetze, who is not an ordinary player. And I think that they are close to last year’s team, because Robben and Ribery are often the ones making the difference; they are still here, and they still are in good shape.
But they might be missing Schweinsteiger a bit. They replaced him with Thiago Alcantara, who is also a great player. So they still have a team, I’d say with the same basis, but more potential.
On your side, you now have Ozil, and your team is doing quite well. Does this make you more confident?
He gives us a higher creative potential, and he is also used in important confrontations. And he is on the upswing.
I think that we, too, are a similar team to the one we were last year. We have some skills, we are used to playing together, and with an unknown element in Ozil. He has the ability to make a difference or provide an assist at any time.
As it was quite tight last year, would you bet on Arsenal?
If you bet on Bayern, you won’t win a lot of money. If you bet on us and we win, you won’t be disappointed by the return. As I told you at the start, Bayern are the favourites. But I personally think that we have a chance.
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Monday 17 February 2014

Real Madrid keep pace at top with win over Getafe

La Liga, Coliseum Alfonso Perez - Getafe 0 Real Madrid 3 (Jese 5', Benzema 27', Modric 66')

Real Madrid kept pace with title rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona at the top of La Liga with a comfortable 3-0 win over Getafe.
All three teams are now tied on 60 points at the top of the Spanish standings, with Real Madrid taking second spot on goal difference, with Barcelona top of the pile.
Los Blancos took just five minutes top find the net, with Jese Rodriguez continuing his good goalscoring form with a measured left footed shot into the bottom corner of the Getafe net.
And Real Madrid doubled their advantage just before the half hour mark when Angel Di Maria picked out Karim Benzema in the box, who had the presence of mind to take it down on his chest before finishing underneath Miguel Angel Moya.
The away team continued to dominate after the break and made it 3-0 after 66 minutes when Luka Modric guided a low shot into the back of the net from the edge of the box.

3D Highlights: Getafe v Real Madrid

Real Madrid kept pace with title rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona at the top of La Lig…

KEY EVENTS
5’ G0AL – Jese scores once again, cutting inside onto his right foot and bends the ball into the bottom corner of Moya's net. Very impressive.
22’ CHANCE – Big chance for Getafe! Pepe miscontrols the ball, allowing Colunga to sprint through on goal, But the Real Madrid defender doesn't give it up and makes up about five yards to make the challenge just as Colunga pulls the trigger.
27’ GOAL – Good counter attack by Real Madrid, with Di Maria picking out Benzema in the box. The French striker takes it on the chest before finishing under the keeper.
33’ BALE MISS – Big miss by Bale! Real Madrid come surging forward, with Benzema feeding in Bale on the right channel who has time to pick his spot. But strangely he decides to go for the near post and drags it well wide of the target.
66’ GOAL – And that should be that. Marcelo squares the ball to Modric on the edge of the box and the Croatian lashes a shot into the bottom right hand corner.
91’ WOODWORK - Real Madrid hit the bar! The away team go up through the gears almost at will, with Marcelo getting to the byline and cutting across the face of goal. Bale misses it in the centre before Isco shoots at the back post. But it's deflected and bounces off the top of the bar.
KEY STATS
With the win over Getafe Real Madrid have now gone 25 games unbeaten.
Real Madrid have now kept 12 clean sheets in their last 14 games.
Luka Modric have now scored six goals for Real Madrid, with all six of them coming from outside the box.
TALKING POINT: Should Jese be on the Spanish plane to Brazil? With every performance Jese grows in stature and there’s a real clamour in Spain for him to be included in Spain’s squad for the World Cup this summer. He would need to displace Juan Mata or maybe even Isco from that squad if he is to be Brazil but in this form you wouldn’t put it past him.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid) The Argentine winger’s transformation into an energetic central midfielder continued with a good display against an anemic Getafe side. Di Maria seems to have found his place in Ancelotti’s side and he is quickly becoming indispensable to Real Madrid.
PLAYER RATINGS
Getafe – Moya 7, Valera 4, Alexis 4, Lisandro 5, Carlos 4, Borja 4, Rodriguez 5, Pedro Leon 5, Castro 5, Gavilan 4, Colunga 3. Subs – Lafita 6, Lacen 3, Sarabia 3.
Real Madrid – Lopez 5, Arbeloa 5, Pepe 7, Ramos 6, Marcelo 6, Alonso 5, Modric 6, Di Maria 8, Jese 7, Bale 7, Benzema 6. Subs – Isco 5
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Wenger scorns 'silly, disrespectful' Mourinho

Arsene Wenger has hit back at Jose Mourinho after the Chelsea manager called his Arsenal counterpart "a specialist in failure".

Speaking after Arsenal's 2-1 FA Cup fifth round win over Liverpool, Wenger described Mourinho's words as "silly" and "disrespectful".
"I don't want to go into those silly, disrespectful remarks," said Wenger.
"The only thing I know is that it's more embarrassing for Chelseathan for me."
Wenger also denied speaking directly about Mourinho when he suggested rival managers were playing down their Premier League title chances because they were afraid of failure.
Those comments provoked a stinging response from Mourinho, who mocked Wenger's eight-year trophy drought at Arsenal.
"He is a specialist in failure, I'm not," Mourinho told a press conference.
"If supposedly he is right and I am afraid of failure it is because I don't fail many times.
"He is a specialist because eight years without silverware is very long. If I do that with Chelsea, I leave and I don't come back."
Wenger made his point on Sunday, as Arsenal bounced back from last weekend's 5-1 mauling at Anfield to beat Liverpool 2-1.
On Saturday, Chelsea crashed out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 defeat at Manchester City.
Earlier on Sunday, Arsenal legend Bob Wilson described Mourinho as "a boring bully".
He said: "I think at best it was disrespectful, at worst despicable to be so dismissive of a genuinely good guy and a footballing man I think, whose presence in England in 17-18 years has opened eyes and ears and created wonderfully entertaining sides.
"It's obviously not the first time Mourinho has singled Arsene out. He called him a voyeur which is a disgusting claim and thankfully on that occasion he - although belatedly - he did apologise.
"I think it's personal, he is a hugely talented, amazing manager Mourinho but I find - at this moment - I find him boring at the moment."
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