'I am not a machine' - Yaya Toure hits back at critics

 
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has reacted to criticism of his recent performances, and has insisted that he is only a man and not a machine.

The Ivory Coast international again struggled to make an impact for the Blues against Aston Villa before scoring a fine solo effort to break the deadlock in the 82nd minute.

Read More

When Carlo Ancelotti calls Cristiano Ronaldo 'the best,' he really means it

The ESPN FC team debate their player of the month: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Diego Costa.

Not Hernan Crespo, Alessandro Del Piero, Paolo Maldini or Andrea Pirlo; not Kaka, Clarence Seedorf, Didier Drogba or Petr Cech; not Edgar Davids, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon or David Beckham; not Xabi Alonso, Alessandro Nesta, Cafu or James Rodriguez; not Andrei Shevchenko, Gareth Bale, Frank Lampard or Karim Benzema; not Ronaldinho, Thiago Silva or Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Carlo Ancelotti has managed some extraordinary footballers -- and a dream team of ex-players, his beloved Christmas tree with every position occupied by one of the greats of the modern era would be pretty damn tasty -- but none of them have been quite so brilliant as Cristiano Ronaldo.
So says Ancelotti himself. The Real Madrid manager was asked this week whether Ronaldo was the best player he has coached. "Without wanting to show a lack of respect to anyone ... yes," he replied. "Cristiano is the best I have worked with."

Is Ronaldo really 'the best' in Ancelotti's mind? It's hard to argue otherwise when you look at his stats.

Read More

Angry Liverpool Ambush West Brom

LIVERPOOL manager Brendan Rodgers will wait to see whether Daniel Sturridge is fit enough to be involved against West Brom, but Manchester City midfielder Fernando is back in contention for today’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa. Liverpool drew at home against Everton in their last EPL match.
  Sturridge has missed six matches with a thigh strain and while he is edging closer to full fitness, he has been left out of England’s 2016 qualifiers due to his lack of action.
  Defenders Glen Johnson and Mamadou Sakho (both thigh), Jon Flanagan (knee), midfielders Joe Allen (knee) and Emre Can (ankle) are all unavailable.

Read More

Hope Akpan: A New Hope for Super Eagles’ Midfield

Hope Akpan

Hope Akpan has never hidden his intention to play for Nigeria in spite of the fact that he was born in Liverpool and had donned the colours of England at the junior level. With the Super Eagles’ hope of defending the African Cup of Nations won in South Africa hanging in the balance with just one point from two games, Coach Stephen Keshi must now win the back-to-back fixture against Sudan to have a chance of booking a place in the biennial competition slated for Morocco, As a result, Keshi is turning his attention to the Reading of England midfielder to salvage the situation, writes Kunle Adewale

Read More

Juventus as good as Real Madrid and Barcelona - Simeone

The Argentine says the Italians are one of the best teams around after witnessing them at first hand on Wednesday evening 


Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone believes Juventus are on a par with Barcelona and Real Madrid after guiding his side to a 1-0 win over the Serie A champions in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Turkish midfielder Arda Turan scored the only goal of the game in the 74th minute at the Vicente Calderon stadium to hand Massimiliano Allegri's side their first defeat of the season.
But Simeone, whose Atletico side won the Spanish title last season to end Barca’s and Real's 10-year duopoly, was impressed by Juventus.
"For me they are at the level of Madrid or Barcelona," said the Argentine.
"Watching the videos over and over, they are one of the hardest teams I have seen to attack or cause damage against.
"They have two magnificent strikers, full-backs or wingers that attack and defend, brilliant players in midfield and an enormous goalkeeper that everyone knows."

Read More

Ronaldo: Manchester United is my family

The Portugal international is touched by the fact that Red Devils fans are desperate for him to return to Old Trafford but he says that he is happy at the Santiago Bernabeu



Cristiano Ronaldo has described Manchester United as his "family" but insisted that he has no intention of leaving Real Madrid.
Speculation has been rife in recent months that the Portugal international is keen on a return to Old Trafford, where he spent six seasons before joining Los Blancos for a world-record fee in 2009.

Read More

John Obi Mikel & Nigerians in the Champions League

In this feature, we profile the four Nigerian players contesting the Champions League this season

EDITORIAL
By Ed Dove

The Champions League returns tonight with the beginning of the first series of group-stage games. Both fans of the teams involved and neutral observers alike are excited at the prospect of another terrific season of elite European competition.
Hopefully this year’s tournament can cumulate with a final as dramatic as last season’s showpiece between Madrid rivals Real and Atletic.
But will there be a Nigerian player involved?
As has been the case in recent seasons, while the nation has not been particularly well-represented in the Champions League, several of the four senior players listed for the competition can be confident of travelling deep into the tournament.
In this feature we profile the Nigerian quartet who will be contesting the competition this campaign.
Please note that this article does not include youth players such as Chuba Akpom and Mikel Agu who have been named in their team’s B lists according to Uefa. Similarly, Michael Olaitan is only due to return to action in early November and has not been named in Olympiakos’s squad.
Comment below and let us know which of this four will travel furthest in the tournament this season.

Elderson Echiejile

French moneybags AS Monaco make their return to the Champions League after an eight-year absence and will look to mark their comeback with an impressive showing. Le Project down on the Riviera has slowed remarkably following the departures of Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez, but the Red and Whites can boast of a number of seasoned European Cup performers.
They also possess a Nigerian left-back that many of you will be familiar with!
However, while Elderson Echiejile is the undisputed number one in his position for the Super Eagles, he has a struggle on his hands to get any kind of game time in the Principality.
The defender has made only five Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco since leaving Portuguese side Braga in January and has found himself in the shadow of French youth international Layvin Kurzawa.
A thigh injury to his rival may afford Echiejile the chance to impress this week against Bayer Leverkusen at home.

Ahmed Musa

He may only be 21, but Ahmed Musa doesn’t lack experience. The explosive forward already has 40 Nigeria caps while he has already featured nine times in the Champions League.
Last year he was a regular as CSKA Moscow fell short in Group D, being outdone by Manchester City and Bayern Munich and even suffering the ignominy of being topped by Viktoria Plzen.
Unfortunately, the Russians face an even tougher test this term.
Not only are they paired with City and Bayern once again, they were also unfortunate enough to receive AS Roma as the fourth seed.
If CSKA are to escape from Group E, they will need Musa to be at his absolute best. His magnificent showing against Argentina during the World Cup stole the imagination without taking any points, he may need to be even better to get anything out of the ominous opening stage.

Chinedu Obasi

After a year of desperation, things seem to be going well for Chinedu Obasi once again.
The forward has overcome his injury concerns—for now at least—and has been recalled into the Nigeria squad be Stephen Keshi, even if the red tape did ultimately complicate his comeback.
The versatile forward should be confident of being given the chance to shine again for the Super Eagles, and an impressive showing in the Champions League would help his chances no end.
Schalke are European Cup regulars and ought to get the better of Sporting Lisbon and Maribor to join Chelsea in the Last 16.
For Obasi, more modest ambitions ought to be the order of the day. He hasn’t, for example, completed 90 minutes in the Bundesliga since April 2012, and played just over half an hour of first team action between March 2013 and February 2014.
If he can stay fit, he can once again be a valuable asset for both club and country.

John Obi Mikel

To date, only three Nigerian players have won the Champions League: Finidi George, Nwankwo Kanu and John Obi Mikel.
Only three African players, Seydou Keita, Fotso Geremi and Samuel Eto’o have won the title more than once.
How Mikel would love to join that second, elite collection of players.
It is to his credit that such a possibility remains open to him. At times during this summer he appeared to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge as one of Jose Mourinho’s unwanted, a player made wholly redundant by the successful arrival of Nemanja Matic.
However, Mikel clung on, and while his first-team appearances are likely to be few and far between, he did demonstrate his enduring class with a terrific back heel to set up Diego Costa against Everton.
Super Eagles fans are fast turning on Mikel for his underwhelming displays for the national side, but in this new, young Chelsea side he is one of only seven players still standing from the unlikely Champions League triumph of 2012.
He is also a Mourinho original, one of Jose’s trusted lieutenants from his first stint in West London; it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Mikel given an important brief on big European nights.

Read More

Mourinho refuses to apologise for calling Wenger a 'specialist in failure'

The Portuguese hit back at his counterpart in February for branding him "afraid to fail" after repeated assertions that his then-table-topping Chelsea side were not favourites for the Premier League title.

He told reporters: "I didn’t get an apology so I don’t apologise. My feeling is to get over it, forget it and to move forward without thinking about what happened, you don’t need to apologise.

"I don’t need to get an apology, I don’t need to apologise. Football people, intelligent people we don’t need that. Finish, move and let’s go for another match with a big responsibility for both of us.

"We manage two big clubs in London and have responsibility to have a good football match for millions of fans that both clubs have and the league has. So no problems."

Read More

Olisadebe: More footballers will dump Nigeria for other countries

The former Polish striker has stated reasons why more Nigerian footballers will continue to switch allegiance to other countries

Former Poland international Emmanuel Olisadebe has envisaged that more Nigeria star footballers will dump the country for other nations. The bulky striker who had 22 caps for the Polish national team and got the country’s first goal at the 2002 Fifa World Cup said this trend will continue if good players are not given the chance to put on the green and white jersey.

Read More

Winning without Zlatan is a big boost, big dilemma for struggling PSG

ESPN FC's Sid Lowe reminds us that Barcelona are poor away from home in European competition.

PARIS -- The PSG players took a very long time to come out of the dressing room on Tuesday night. It is no wonder, though, that after such a fantastic 3-2 win against Barcelona, Laurent Blanc and his men wanted to spend more time together than usual to celebrate their victory.
Nasser al-Khelaifi, the club's chairman, also took time to congratulate his players. "It is the most beautiful victory of my life and certainly since we bought the club. I am very happy and very proud. We have a great team and great players. We needed a win tonight after a difficult start of the season, and we got it. Beating Barcelona the way we did, without Ibra and Thiago Silva, is fantastic."


David Beckham, who watched the game next to Jay-Z and Beyoncé in the director's box, also went down to the dressing room after the game. Becks played the last six months of his career in Paris. "He told us that he is proud of their victory," revealed Gregory Van der Wiel.
There was another very happy man in the dressing room: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He too congratulated everybody, high-fiving, hugging and kissing his teammates. Because of a heel injury, he was out for the game and sat in the director's box with his wife, Helena.

The director's box in Paris was host to David Beckham, who took in his former club's win with gusto.

Here is the big paradox, though. PSG got their best win of the decade without their best player. In 10 or 20 years' time, Paris fans will still be talking about how great Ibra was during his time at the club, but they will also say that it is without him that they saw their team produce of the best performances of its history.
It is impossible to say if the French champions would have also beaten Barcelona like they did had Ibra been on the pitch. Equally, it's hard to say that had Ibra been on the pitch last May, they would have knocked out Chelsea in their Champions League quarterfinal.
- Three Points: PSG, Luiz superb in win
- FC TV: How PSG broke Barcelona
- Barca player ratings: Back four collapses vs. Parisians' pace
But what we can say -- and what we saw on Tuesday night -- is that without Ibra, the team still looked fantastic. Despite the Swede's incredible influence on this squad, the other players showed that they can also deliver without him. "This victory convinced the players that they can do it without Ibra. This is what's important, as well the win itself tonight," said Blanc after the game.
And now, the big debate of "are PSG playing better when Ibra is not playing?" has never been so relevant.
Laurent Blanc was spot on tactically, setting up the team in a 4-3-1-2 formation -- which is another thing he couldn't have done if Ibra had been fit. The Swede can't play with a proper No. 10 like Pastore behind him, as he likes to drop deep a lot during any game. A few days ago, Pastore himself admitted that when he plays, he always has to adapt his positioning and his movement to what Ibra does. Without the big striker on Tuesday, Pastore was as free as a bird and had the game of his life playing between the Barcelona lines.

PSG will be boosted by this big win, albeit one that will raise the question of where and how Ibra fits in.

Ibra being Ibra, he is also very possessive with the ball and is even the first option for any teammate in possession. When he is not there, PSG's play is more balanced, more varied and more fluid. The way Blanc's side countered against Barça would have been very difficult to do with their talisman up front.
In the end, this debate exists because Ibra is such a genius. He can win a game by himself at any time. He has done it for PSG before and will surely do it again. They've played some great football with him in the team. But before Tuesday night, they had never won in the Champions League when he was out (two defeats, one draw). They have now. Psychologically, this has to be seen as a massive turning point for the rest of the squad; it's good to know they can go it alone.
Time will tell as to the consequences this victory will have on the dynamic of the squad around Ibra, but in the mean time, it is a massive boost of confidence. The start of the season had been so poor in Paris -- five draws in eight league games -- but their season has finally begun thanks to this win.

Free from Ibrahimovic's shadow, Javier Pastore was a revelation. Can his form continue when Zlatan returns?

"It was a massive test for us tonight. We showed we are a great team. It is a turning point for us and finally the start of our season," said Matuidi after the game. "We showed a lot of character with a great performance. We knew we could do it. The team spirit was incredible from start to finish," added Edinson Cavani.
Many PSG players spoke about team spirit after the game. There was something different on Tuesday compared to before this season. Blanc said it himself: "We got some values that we had lost back. In those kind of games, the players are more determined and motivated. We needed a game like this one to get our values back. It was either we got back to our best or we continued to sink. There was a lot of pressure around the game, but it is an incredible victory in terms of spirit, as well."
Whether Ibra is there or not and whether Pastore & Co. play better without him or not, the team spirit and attitude shown by them on Tuesday have to remain throughout the season if PSG want to reach the stars.

Read More

Zenit St Petersburg v AS Monaco: Preview

Zenit St Petersburg

AS Monaco

4:00 PM GMT

Game Details

• GameCast
• Lineups and Stats

Zenit St Petersburg boss Andre Villas-Boas has denied suggestions of a rift with Aleksandr Kerzhakov ahead of their Champions League clash with Monaco.
The striker was axed for Saturday's 0-0 draw with Spartak Moscow - the first points Zenit have dropped this season.

Read More

Shooting Stars Set to Unveil The Golden Book

Alhaji Farouk Alao

In line with the transformational agenda of the present government, Oyo State Commissioner for Youth and Sport, Alhaji Farouk Alao Arisekola, is set to unveil a book which is a compendium of the history of Shooting Stars together with the new jersey of the club to celebrates the club’s glorious return to the Nigerian Professional Football league.
Speaking to the author of the book, Mr. Ayodele Ademokoya, the commissioner commended the job and belief such project is what is needed to rebrand the club.

“We are glad the club is returning to the elite division almost immediately it was relegated last season and that is a plus to this administration which the government is ready to celebrate.
“I went through the book and I can authoritatively tell you that it represents the club and what we stand for which is pacesseting in all ramification as no  football club has its history so compiled the way we have done and this is the first of its kind in Nigeria,"the commissioner remarked.

Among the personalities present at the brief ceremony are, the acting Permanent Secretary of Youth and Sports, Mrs Bisi Adegoke, Special Adviser to the government on sport, Waidi Ekun and host of others.
The book which is of 12 chapters and 255 pages is title the 'Golden Book of Shooting Stars' (Volume 1) and took nine years to compile

Read More

Neymar shining thanks to Messi connection

Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique was delighted that star player Lionel Messi could see out the 90 minutes against Granada.

Lionel Messi and Neymar are sharing the headlines after starring in the 6-0 win over Granada at the Camp Nou on Saturday, and rightly so. Despite the disproportionate criticism from a significant sector of the local media in the build-up to the game, Luis Enrique's team jumped on the pitch determined to show that their prior away draw at Malaga was only a temporary slip-up while adjusting to new mechanisms

Read More

BARCELONA HELD BY MALAGA

The ESPN FC crew review the midweek La Liga picture following Barcelona's nil-nil draw with Malaga on Wednesday.

Barcelona were only able to draw 0-0 with Malaga at La Rosaleda in matchday five of La Liga. The Catalans enjoyed 67 percent of possession, created 10 goal-scoring chances and attempted five shots, but, shockingly, none of them were on target.
As usual, Barca managed to control the game but struggled to break their rival's defence on this occasion due to lack of speed in their final third. Luis Enrique's men were forced to dig deeper than in any other game since the Asturian took over as manager in the summer and, regrettably, didn't create as many clear chances as their opponents despite having an overwhelming share of possession

Read More

NPFL Week 28 Previews: Wolves set to feast on Dolphins in Warri

 


WARRI WOLVES VS DOLPHINS – Warri
The Seasiders will hope to displace the Pride of Rivers from the top four of the table with victory at the Warri Township stadium, Warri on Wednesday.
Paul Aigbogun's men must avoid another slip at home against Dolphins, who won 1-0 in the first meeting this season in Port Harcourt as the visitors will seek a positive outcome in the South-South derby.
Dolpins climbed up to 4th after a 2-0 home win over Gombe United, while Warri Wolves dropped to 6th following 1-0 defeat at Rangers - both with 42 and 40 points respectively after 27 games each.

CROWN VS EL-KANEMI WARRIORS – Ibadan
The  Ajilete boys will set their sights at bashing the Borno Army in remedy for Sunday's 5-0 shameful defeat at Kaduna United and avenge their 1-0 first leg loss in Kano.
Visting Coach Salisu Yusuf’s side managed to pull-off a 2-1 home victory against Heartland will set ambitions at shocking Crown  at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan on Wednesday.
El-Kanemi Warriors have garnered 9 points and sits on the 7th spot, while visitors Crown are 4th with 12 points from seven games played by both sides.

BAYELSA UNITED vs KANO PILLARS - Benin
The Restoration Boys will anticipate ruining the ambitions of the league to boost their topflight survival at the Sam Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin on Wednesday.
On the road, Okey Emordi’s team will be anxious to consolidate on their race for third consecutive title in Benin after they edged Akwa United to a 1-0 home win on Sunday.
The Coach Richard Bubagha’s men, who lost 1-0 at Kano Pillars, will hope to rewrite their destiny and distance itself from the relegation zone.

SHARKS vs KADUNA UNITED - Port Harcourt
The Blues Angels must leverage on the home advantage to roast their visitors the Crocodiles at the Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt on Wednesday after a 1-1 draw in their first meeting this season.
Sharks, who fell-off the top ten after a 2-0 defeat at Nasarawa United on Sunday, welcomes Kaduna United whose players are owed 12 months' salaries, despite recorded their season's biggest win in 5-0 thrashing of Crown FC in a Week 27 game.
Kaduna United are 15th on the NPFL log with 33 points from 27 matches, while Sharks are 11th with 38 points from same games.

HEARTLAND vs NEMBE CITY - Owerri
The Naze Millionaires willl be marting from their Sunday's narrow 2-0 defeat at El-Kanemi Warriors when they welcome struggling The Kala Ekulema Boys at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri on Wednesday.
Heartland wants a crucial win to distant themselves from the drop zone against Nembe City, who will also be out to wreck havoc in Owerri after been held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Omoku.
Heartland are 13th with 37 points in 27 matches, Nembe City is remain at the base of the log with just 24 points from same matches.


GOMBE UNITED vs NASARAWA UNITED - Gombe
The Savannah Scorpions will desire to move up out of the relegation zone after their Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Dolpins with win over the Solid Miners at the Gombe Township Stadium on Wednesday.
Visitors, Nasarawa United, who won 2-0 at home over Sharks will harbour hopes of getting something in Gombe to consolidate on their 1-0 first leg win over the Austin Eguavoen's team.
Nasarawa United are second after Sharks rout with 44 points, while Gombe United are 18th from 27 games so far.


FC TARABA vs SUNSHINE STARS - Jalingo
The Pride of Jalingo must resure their league campaign from suffering a total wreck with a crucial win against the Akure Gunners at the Jalingo City stadium on Wednesday.
Sunshine Stars defeated FC Taraba 1-0 in the first leg and also recorded a 3-1 spanking of Abia Warriors on Sunday in Akure, will hope to ressurrect their impressive away result-oriented performance in Jalingo.
Sunshine Stars are 8th with 40 points, while FC Taraba are in the relegation pit with 33 points from 27 games in 17th spot in the NPFL log.

AKWA UNITED vs GIWA FC - Uyo
The Promise Keepers after a 1-0 loss at Kano Pillars have the chance to return to winning ways when they square up against the Elephants of Jos at the Uyo Township Stadium on Wednesday.
Akwa United lost by 1-0 at Giwa FC during their first ever meeting, but will seek chances to stun the Coach Duke Udi's men to return into top five. The Jos-based outfit must stay bright, collected and purposeful for positive result on their trip of Uyo.
Hosts Akwa United are 9th with 39 points, while Giwa have 41 points in 27 games and are in 5th position.

ABIA WARRIORS vs RANGERS – Umuahia
The Ochendo Warriors would seek victory to restore hopes of challenging for title when they confront the Flying Antelopes at the Uhmuhia Township Stadium, Uhmuhia on Wednesday.
The hosts, Abia Warriors who earned a 3-1 comprehensive whitewash at Sunshine Stars is desperate for victory against ambitious visiting Rangers, who despite a 2-1 first leg win, will aim for a shocker.
Rangers moved up to 14th after 1-0 home win over Warri Wolves 37 points in 27 games, while Abia warriors are 7th with 40 points in same games so far.

LOBI STARS vs ENYIMBA - Katsina-Ala
The Markudi Bombers can return to the top ten with a comprehensive home win over People’s Elephant at the Emmanuel Atongo Stadium, Katsina-Ala on Wednesday.
Lobi Stars must look away from their inconclusive encounter at Nembe City on Sunday and face squarely their visitors Enyimba, who won 3-0 in the first leg and roasted Bayelsa United 4-0 in Aba in a Week 27 encounter.
Lobi Stars are 12th with 38 points in 27 games, while Enyimba are third with 43 points in same games

Read More

Babayaro thumbs up Keshi on Martins

Sep 24, 2014 07:44:00

The former Nigeria player has praised the Super Eagles coach’s decision to leave out the Seattle Sounder star from the national team while making a case for Iheanacho's call-up

Former Nigeria goalkeeper Emmanuel Babayaro has thumbed up coach Stephen Keshi’s decision not to recall Obafemi Martins to the Super Eagles. The Seattle Sounders forward has been in splendid form for the MLS side this season, but the former Mali handler said he would give younger players the opportunity to represent the country instead of the ‘weapon of mass destruction’.
According to Babayaro, Keshi’s verdict should be applauded but disagreed on the other stance to leave out Kelechi Iheanacho out due to inexperience.
"Honestly, I support Keshi on the issue of Martins, irrespective of the fact that he is doing very well in the MLS at the moment. I think he is doing well now because he is concentrating on club football alone. It will be a different issue when he starts flying across the Atlantic to play games in Africa,” Babayaro told Punch.
"We should be moving forward. The same argument the coach gave on Martins also applies to some other players in the national team. I never thought a Shola Ameobi should be in the national team.
"He was stagnant at Newcastle United; he was just an average player. There should be a standard in the national team. There are so many names that shouldn’t be there but if you mention them, they will say its personal vendetta.”
He however called for the invitation of Manchester City youth prodigy saying he has what it takes to play for the Super Eagles.
"He (Keshi) is totally wrong on Iheanacho. Football is all about youth. Raheem Sterling is not better than Iheanacho but he is playing for Liverpool and is arguably England’s best player at the moment. I have seen Iheanacho play for Man City and he is as matured as any player can be,” he continued.
"Nigeria comes first before any personal interest. Every Nigerian wants to see the best players invited for games. It’s certain that right now I can’t coach the Eagles because I am not a certified coach and I don’t need the job. But we should be winning with our best players.”
"Iheanacho hasn’t been playing in the Premier League and it simply tells you that Man City wants him to get more experience.
"He is not part of the team at the moment and he has to get more experience and maybe see if he has what it takes to be there,” he concluded.

Read More