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Copa America 2015 Group Stage Draw

November 24, 2014, 4:34 pm
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For those who don't know, Copa America is a CONMEBOL-based international football tournament held every four years. In 2011, we saw Uruguay win the tournament in Argentina. In 2015, will they be able to defend their title in Chile?

Although it is organized by CONMEBOL, they invite other national teams to participate in the tournament. This year, the guests are CONCACAF's Mexico and Jamaica. The winner of the tournament will earn the right to represent South America at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. (If Mexico and Jamaica are in the finals, then the highest-ranking CONMEBOL nation will go through.)

The draw for the group stage was held just a few hours ago and here are the participating groups:

Group A: Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia
Group B: Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Jamaica
Group C: Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela

The two best teams of each group and the two best third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage.

Chile will kick things off on June 11, 2015 against Ecuador. Stars expected to compete at this tournament include Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., Alexis Sanchez, and James Rodriguez. Due to his nine-match ban, we will not see Luis Suarez play for Uruguay.

Related Links:
- Schedule from the Copa America Official Website (English)
- Valdez: "It will be a miracle if Suarez could play for Uruguay"
- Marin: "Copa America can restore Brazil's confidence"
- Dutch friendly helps Mexico's Herrera define Gold Cup, Copa America teams

ONTD-FB, which team are you rooting for? :)
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It's the Ginger King's birthday today!

November 25, 2014, 2:34 am
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Today, November 25th, is the birthday of the Ginger King aka Xabi Alonso!


And here is a random pic/gif spam:






With his one true love, Stevie on the day their son was born.



Celebrating with Pepe Reina and the rest of the Reds boys.



The good old days.



With a flop.



This.





That time he got cheeky with the Hobbit Prince.



Holding the World Cup with a shirtless Ramos and Iniesta! (and a Budweiser in the other hand)



:((((



Reunited!



Awwww.



With his newest BFF.



Look at him having fun with the most precious man in football. Can it get any better than this?



Oh wait, it can (please excuse the bad angles).



I feel like there are mostly pictures of Gerlonso, Germans and random people so here's a nice one:



In short, happy birthday, Xabi! Keep slaying us, O Ginger King.


It would be a disservice to all of humankind if you guys don't post pictures, so please, pic spam away my pretties!
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quick news round up

November 25, 2014, 2:57 am
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Xabi Alonso, my forever troll turns 33 today. Shout out to ndobler for saving us all

News


Man City's fortunes are looking dire

The Premier League champions will suffer the ignominy of a group stage exit for the third time in four seasons if they lose or draw to Pep Guardiola’s team at the Etihad Stadium and there is a winner in the match between CSKA Moscow and Roma in the Russian capital.
Having failed to win any of their four Group E games so far this season, however, City have collected just 7.228 co-efficient points from their current Champions League campaign and are set to be overtaken by Group C leaders Bayer Leverkusen - seeded in Pot Three for this season’s draw - if they fail to qualify for the knockout stages or the Europa League.
Uefa are expected to change the seeding system for the 2015-15 Champions League competition, with the top eight seeds being the reigning European champions and the winners of the seven highest-ranked European leagues.
Had this system been in place this season, City would have earned a top tier seeding and avoided facing Bayern in the group stage.more here

Watzke tells players it’s time to deliver



At Sunday’s general meeting, BVB chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke told the team, which was welcomed by thunderous applause by the members, “The poison of hearing things somehow will sort themselves out has to get out of your ears. To stand where you stand after 12 games cannot only be blamed on evil forces. You will need to pull out all the stops now.”

The Borussia Dortmund chairman hailed the team’s first half-display, but criticised them for switching into a “game-management mode” after the break. “In the second half you should have wrapped it up, as you used to do in the past, with determination and focus.” tell 'em why you mad

Sony does not plan to renew FIFA sponsorship contract: sources
TOKYO-- Sony Corp. has decided to end its sponsorship of World Cup soccer amid growing concerns about the transparency of the bidding process for the next two tournaments, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

Sony's contract as one of six "official partners" of FIFA, the soccer governing body, was set to expire at the end of this year. The decision not to pursue a renewal makes Sony the second top-tier sponsor this month, after Emirates Airline, to move to sever ties with FIFA.
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Paul Gascoigne reveals Arsenal paid £50,000 towards his medical care

Paul Gascoigne has revealed Arsenal paid £50,000 towards his medical care - and that part of that was arranged by Arsene Wenger.
The 47-year-old was spotted for the first time recently following an apparent alcohol binge that led to Gascoigne being sectioned under the Mental Health Act a month ago.
The ex-England midfielder has told how Arsenal, a team he never played for and north London rivals of his former club Tottenham Hotspur, helped pay for his treatment.read more

Pep would be good for EPL

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini would welcome the challenge of facing off against Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola according to the Daily Mail.

"I cannot read what will happen in the future but I am sure if sometime he arrives here, he will be a very important manager as he was in Barcelona and now at Bayern Munich. But it is impossible for me to know," said Pellegrini.

The City manager believes Pep Guardiola would one day take up a role in England. Pellegrini said:"Maybe, yes. I think it will be very good for him and very good for the Premier League also. But I cannot talk for Pep Guardiola."

"I think that Pep is a very good manager, he demonstrated what he did in Barcelona and now at Bayern Munich but I think the most important thing for us is to try to make a very good game against a great team." as long as Mou is in the EPL, Guardiola will stay away, tbh

Chatter From The Sidelines

  • Can Rogers stop the rot at Liverpool? Gerrard is sad, Balotelli mad and Rodgers' boastful words have come back to haunt him here

  • Oh F**K off, Real Madrid. First rumours of de Gea and now this?Real Madrid set sight on Liverpool midfielder Pedro Chirivella more here

  • People are jealous of Ronaldo says Marcelo chile... I guess. Just give it to Courtois. Embrace your inner trolls, Balon D'or

  • Saido Berahino Arrested for Suspected Drink-Driving: Latest Details and Comment driving drunk? Dead to me



Pic Spam
because really, this is all I live for. I just throw in the news because you need a bit of vegetables before the desserts, no?


Bayern Munich doing their version of a Haka, I guess


Match tonight!


PSG's Zlatan and Cavani in training


Real Madrid's Marcelo- I think that's Bale because his calves are as big as his thighs


James in training


RM on the road. James needs someone to take him in hand for suits and such. He's too pretty to dress badly


Isco and Ramos


I can never find Atlético Madrid photos. So have one of Antoine Greizman as a bookmark


Benfica peeps! Here's a picture of Eduardo Salvio. No, this doesn't work for you?


How about this grid?


Borussia Dortmund is playing today.


Tin Tin sends word from the Kingdom of Glass Ankles


Pablo Zabaleta whispers of game plan to beat Bayern Munich - I live in hope, die in constant spring


NOOOO Joe Hart! What's with the toothbrush 'stache?


People be thirsting for Jesus... Navas!


Alexis Sanchez is enjoying his stay in the PL


Wilshere's greatest hits


*sobs brokenly*


Tomorrow, I'll be doing the round up through my tears. Please bring tea and sympathy.
Oh, a cheeky questions, can any native Spanish speakers help me out? I'd like to practice my grammar with a native speaker that can help me iron out my issues?
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Philippine Azkals Appreciation Post

November 25, 2014, 5:02 am
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So I was watching our NT play against Indonesia and watching them play good football and win 4-0 inspired me to make this post so that people can get to know our little known NT better. (Asian football needs love too, you know!) I don't claim to be an expert on the team so this is not really going to be a well-written profile. But let me present some facts that I do know!

- The Philippine national football team are called the Azkals. It's a stylized version of the Filipino slang term 'askal' which is a portmanteau of 'asong kalye' which is Filipino for 'street dog,' hence the logo of a dog's head. Someone suggested that we be called Calle Azul (Streets of Blue. We are a nation colonized by the Spaniards after all) and that's also where the name Azkals came from.

- We are currently ranked #129 in the FIFA World Rankings. 129 out of the lowest possible 209. We are the highest-ranking Southeast Asian country. The 17th best in the AFC. We're ranked higher than New Zealand, Hong Kong, India, North Korea (which actually managed to qualify for the World Cup in 2010???) and just a few spots lower than Luxembourg, Jamaica, Belarus, etc.

- We're at the top of our group's table right now in the AFF Suzuki Cup 2014 and we've advanced to the semi-finals for the third year in a row!

- Our current coach is Tom Dooley. He is half-German, half-American, and he's been pretty awesome so far. He goes for a possession-based type of football but it's not boring when we're on the pitch because we play some good counter-attacking football as well. Maybe you might know him. He played for Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen in the 90s and he was part of the USMNT.

- Our current crop of players are very mixed. We have a lot of half-Englishmen, half-Germans, half-Japanese, etc. but it doesn't matter because they are 100% Filipino at heart. <3


- The win against Indonesia was a big deal to us because they've almost always kicked our butts but now we're kicking their butts!


- Paulino Alcantara, a Filipino-Spaniard, was Barcelona's highest goal-scorer for the longest time until his record was finally broken by... you guessed it... Lionel Messi. (Read more about him here)



- The English introduced football into the Philippines just a few years before the Battle of Manila Bay which happened in 1898. (Yes, we've been playing football longer than Real Madrid or Barcelona was even born!) but the first official match didn't happen until 1907. It was a contest for a trophy between some early football clubs in the Philippines. (I got this info from an old almanac I found in our school's library, published around the 1920s.)

- Football is unfortunately not a popular sport in this country. The two most popular sports are basketball and boxing. But football is getting there and I hope my fellow countrymen could show a little more support for them!

- We have some pretty cute players:


Lord Misagh Bahadoran, half-Iranian, half-Filipino. He plays as a forward/winger. He's a subject of internet memes by Filipino fans. Probably because his name is LORD Misagh.


Patrick Deyto who is an awesome keeper, holy shit. Made a lot of good saves in the matches I've seen him play in. (He's also 100% Filipino!)


This is our OTHER keeper, Neil Etheridge. English-Filipino. Played for Fulham once and actually played in the Europa League! Currently plays for Oldham Athltic. He was in the same youth system as the Younghusband brothers (Chelsea). Started out a striker but then the coach told him to play as a keeper instead. He's having issues with Dooley right now so he wasn't called up.


Manny Ott, plays CM. He was born in Munich to a German father and a Filipina mother but he is 100% awesome.


Another German-Filipino is Stephan Schrock. He plays for the 2. Bundesliga side, SpVgg Greuther Fürth. He played for Hoffenheim and Eintracht for a time too. He's a midfielder and can also play fullback. He didn't get called up today either but I included him in case some of you might recognize him. He left the Azkals, sadly. :( Because of a row with our coach.


This is Rob Gier, a defender. Half-English. He's 33 fucking years old. I watch it for the plot.


This is Mark Hartmann, the love of my life and fire of my loins, and he is half-English as well. He didn't get to play today but when I saw him play last time, he managed to score a poker against Papua New Guinea! He's an attacking midfielder/striker.


Quite possibly the reason why Filipino football became popular again!! James Younghusband is an English-Filipino. He spent his youth career in Chelsea.


LASTLY, one cannot talk about the Azkals without talking about our capitano, Phil Younghusband. He's James's brother and I'd consider him as sort of a talisman for our team. He played in the Chelsea youth system, too.

That's also SOME of the members of our team. For more info, you can read our Wiki page or go to the official website of the Azkals.


THAT'S ALL. Hope I didn't take too much of your time. :D We are a problematic but beautiful little country with a lovely little football team. Hopefully this post could get some Filipino lurkers come out of the darkness. >:D (Then maybe mrscrapbag and I wouldn't have to feel so alone. </////3)
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Champions League 2014-2015: Matchday #5

November 25, 2014, 6:42 am
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Article 2

November 26, 2014, 12:47 am
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Final results excluding Sporting vs Maribor-- will update when I get the other graphic, k?


News Round Up
Messi breaks Raúl's Champions League goal record

Lionel Messi has surpassed Raúl González's record as the top scorer in UEFA Champions League history in FC Barcelona's game at APOEL FC.

The forward scored his 72nd goal in the competition proper, group stage to final, 38 minutes in at APOEL to put Barcelona 2-0 up, diverting Rafinha's effort past goalkeeper Urko Pardo. He subsequently added two more.

While it took Raúl 142 UEFA Champions League outings to run up his 71 goals, Messi's appearance against APOEL was his 91st in the competition. Cristiano Ronaldo, set to face FC Basel 1893 on Wednesday with Real Madrid CF, has 70 strikes in 107 tournament matches.

Messi's goal also ensured he overtook Raúl and Ronaldo, until tonight the joint-top European Cup scorers alongside the Argentinian. Whereas Messi and Raúl's goals all came in the competition proper, Ronaldo found the net for Manchester United FC in the third qualifying round back in 2005. In terms of UEFA club competitions, Raúl remains out in front with 77 strikes, two ahead of Messi and four of Ronaldo.who is better? this will run and run

Manchester City v Bayern Munich: five talking points

1) Manuel Pellegrini at the crossroads

Sergio Agüero’s late, late show has given the Manchester City manager a lifeline but whether or not his team qualify for the knockout stage he should still be under serious scrutiny for going into the final group match with only five points and this victory being their sole win.

The Chilean professed contentment with a summer strengthening drive that added Eliaquim Mangala, Fernando, Willy Caballero, Frank Lampard and Bacary Sagna, so he cannot use the excuse of poor recruitment cited by Roberto Mancini when his City outfit failed in the term after they became champions.

In the final analysis, City contrived to rescue a last-gasp victory after being 1-0 up against Bayern Munich’s 10-men. This is just not good enough. But then neither has Pellegrini’s management throughout the phase.

2) Bayern Munich more than a class above the English champions

The Germans may have been hampered by having to play nearly 70 minutes with only 10 men following Mehdi Benatia’s red card, yet Pep Guardiola’s men actually improved following his dismissal.

Quite how Joe Hart – the still questionable City No1 – allowed Xabi Alonso’s pea-roller from a 20-yard free-kick to beat him is a mystery.

There may be further argument about the keeper’s positioning for Robert Lewandowski’s header that went beyond him from the range of the penalty spot. In little doubt, though, is the sheer class of Bayern and how far below is the strata City continue to occupy in comparison to the continent’s finest sides.more here
In defence of Manchester City and their European nights, it's not really a team that has supporters who have grown up being used to them, compared to say, Manchester United or Liverpool who crave those things. I really think they have to 'grow' into it. That point was petty, tbh. If I lived in Manchester, I'd go

Clinical Chelsea sweep Schalke aside

Ramires came on as a substitute

Chelsea FC will go through to the round of 16 as Group G winners after equalling their record UEFA Champions League away victory at FC Schalke 04.

The Premier League leaders scored with virtually their first attack of the game as Eden Hazard threaded the ball through for Diego Costa. The Spain striker cut inside before seeing his attempt well saved by Ralf Fährmann, but the resulting corner proved fatal for the hosts as John Terry rose to head in Cesc Fàbregas's delivery.

Conceding just two minutes in had an obvious effect on Schalke, who allowed the visitors to stroke the ball around at will. It took an important challenge from Felipe Santana to prevent Costa from racing through again and, though Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting's deflected effort looped onto the bar at the other end, Chelsea's second was only a matter of time.

It arrived on 29 minutes as the result of a sharp move involving Willian and Hazard. The Belgian's return pass afforded the Brazilian time to drive his finish under Fährmann.

The Blues might have had four or five by the break had Costa not slipped at the vital moment after seizing on a Marco Höger back pass and rounding Fährmann, who showed good reactions moments later to foil Oscar. Instead they had to settle for three as Jan Kirchhoff rose to nod firmly into his own net from another Fàbregas corner.read more here

Sporting 3-1NK Maribor


Slimani made it 3

Sporting Clube de Portugal moved up into second place in UEFA Champions League Group G by easing past NK Maribor on an eventful evening in Lisbon.

Sporting began the evening third in the standings but quickly seized control and Carlos Mané handed them an early advantage that Nani increased just past the half-hour. However, they were given a jolt just before the interval when Jefferson put through his own goal but, after a lengthy delay to the start of the second half, sealed the win through Islam Slimani's composed volley.

Sporting had already tested visiting goalkeeper Jasmin Handanović through Nani's free-kick by the time they broke the deadlock in the tenth minute. Jefferson was the architect, advancing from left-back to deliver a perfect low ball across the face of goal for Mané to tap in at the far post.

Sporting's other full-back then almost got in on the act, Cédric unleashing a fierce shot from the edge of the area. Handanović dived to his left to tip the ball behind, but could do nothing as Nani extended the lead in the 35th minute. Mané danced along the box and found Nani, who cut inside three tackles. Though his initial effort was blocked, the ball dropped kindly for him to beat three more players at close quarters before smashing in.read more

Champions League: PSG remain top of Group F with 3-1 win over Ajax

Paris St Germain maintained their edge over Barcelona at the top of Champions League Group F with a comfortable 3-1 win over Ajax at the Parc des Princes.

Edinson Cavani opened and completed the scoring with Davy Klaassen making things interesting midway through the second half, cancelling out the Uruguayan's opener before Zlatan Ibrahimovic restored PSG's lead.

With Barcelona also victorious in Cyprus, the winners of the section will now be decided in a head-to-head in Spain in the final round of matches, when Ajax need to avoid defeat at home to APOEL to secure third.

Although they could not catch either their opponents or Barca, the stakes were still high for Ajax, who are in contention for a place in the Europa League.read more

Hector Herrera scores golazo as Porto sails to 3-0 win over BATE Borisov

sex games on the field -idek
BORISOV, Belarus (AP) — Hector Herrera scored one goal and set up two more as Porto eased to a 3-0 win over BATE Borisov in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Mexico midfielder scored with a spectacular shot from the edge of the box on 56 minutes before setting up Jackson Martinez for Porto's second goal nine minutes later.more here


Shortlist for 2014 UEFA Team of the Year:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern), Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Beto (Sevilla).

Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Miranda (Atletico Madrid), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Medhi Benatia (Bayern Munich), David Alaba (Bayern Munich), Ezequiel Garay (Zenit St Petersburg), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid).

Midfielders: Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Angel di Maria (Manchester United), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), James Rodriguez (Real Madrid), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Yaya Toure (Manchester City), Arda Turan (Atletico Madrid).

Attackers: Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Diego Costa (Chelsea), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris St Germain), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Jonathan Soriano (Salzburg), Carlos Tevez (Juventus), Neymar (Barcelona).read more

Chatter from the Sidelines


Social Media

When you're right, you're right. But still go, Agüero!

I hope this is not true, but Neuer can be sassy to the point of rude. I can believe he said this.

Jones says stuff

Pic Spam

I'm pretty neutral re: Neuer but I dig this picture

Dortmund training for their match today. Good luck

Ajax goalkeeper, Jasper Cillenson, with a face that says FML

Lavezzi, Zlatan and um... Cavani!

Chelsea yellow kits are so fug. I am cheering for them to get to the Champions League final- or anywhere close- these damned rent boys

Hey, I just met you and this is crazy...

Celebration time - come on! Or a prompt for fanfic

GTFO Ledwosk- Lewandowski off the field for time wasting

Respect to these players from Atlético Madrid. Idek what they breed in them over there, but they have the grit to just power through everything. From Agüero to (baby) Manquillo, you do that, Atléti, you do that

This referee was throwing down cards as if he were playing blackjack at a casino. But fair play to the ref, the game play flowed smoothly, and his decisions were quick and sure.

Hugs time now. Lampard and Sch- Schweinsteiger

Neuer and um... the name I can't spell - Schweinsteiger. Praise C+P

Schalke 04- still rubbish. Especially with that overrated di Matteo (sp) guy you have as manager.

Uchida vs Hazard

Schalke 04- this guy here? Overrated

di Matteo managed Chelsea for a year, won a trophy and hasn't won anything since. Mourinho- well, we know about him, don't we?

Right. I'm going to need a Xanax to get over Schalke's form- and I don't even follow the team that closely!

Awesome picture of Schalke 04 vs Chelsea FC

Because I hate leaving things on a bad note, look at Moreno and Manquillo- Liverpool's Spanish lads

No to Racism

No to racism
Cheers for reading! As usual, corrections and news and pictures are welcome in this post! See you same time, same bat channel
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Champions League 2014-2015: Matchday #5 (Contd.)

November 26, 2014, 6:41 am
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Serious sports news here!

November 26, 2014, 10:29 am
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Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez accused of texting former Miss Chile Camila Andrade behind girlfriend Laia Grassi's back

It’s turning out to be a few days to forget for Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez.

After failing to help his side beat Manchester United in their Premier League encounter on Saturday, the forward has now been accused of texting a former Miss Chile behind his girlfriend’s back.

Ahead of the Gunners’ crucial Champions League tie at home to Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, Camila Andrade claims the 25-year-old’s messages include holiday snaps and invitations to dine with him.

Andrade has explained how she turned down the £30million signing when he invited her out to dinner during Chile’s World Cup preparation this summer before he was pictured on a romantic beach holiday in Mexico with his current girlfriend Laia Grassi.

MailOnline has been unable to verify whether Miss Andrade can support her claims and attempts to contact Sanchez for comment have failed to elicit a response.

In reports which have made headlines across the media in Chile, Miss Andrade, 23, told an interviewer in her home country how he asked her out earlier this year.

She said: ‘Alexis invited me out for a meal while he was back in Chile preparing for the World Cup.

‘I was between boyfriends at the time and it was the first time that he’d asked if we could meet up.

‘I turned him down because he wasn’t my type and I knew that many of the times he’d messaged me he was with his girlfriend and I liked that even less.

‘When he was in Disneyland Paris with Laia in February he sent me a picture of himself on his own.

‘I knew he was with her because I’d seen pictures in the paper and I really couldn’t stop laughing.

‘I messaged him to say: “How nice, you’re with your girlfriend, I’ve love to be where you are with my boyfriend” and he replied: “No I’m with my little nephew or young cousin or some young relative”, I can’t remember exactly.

‘He never said he was with his girlfriend and the following day there was a big picture in the paper of the two of them. It was very strange.

‘All these starstruck young girls need to see all these footballers are the same and are not to be believed.’

It’s not the first time Sanchez has made headlines off the pitch.

Spanish art director and designer Laia stuck by the Premier League marksman, who has scored six goals in his last four games, when an old squeeze claimed she was pregnant with the football star’s child.

The day after Barcelona-based Mary Plaza, 28, made her pregnancy claim in April Laia posted a picture of her and Alexis on her Instagram page with the message: ‘Amor Verdadero’ - Spanish for ‘True Love.’

Another ex, Brazilian model Michelle Carvalho, claimed last year the blue-eyed Spanish blonde, who posed in an Arsenal shirt on her Instagram page after Alexis joined the Gunners in July, was fooling herself if she thought she was the love of his life.

She said: ‘I don’t think it’s anything stable, I think it’s a passing thing. He only wants a good time.’

Miss Andrade, who narrowly missed out on the Miss World finals after being chosen as her nation’s most beautiful woman in July last year, said the footballer sent her a WhatsApp message out of the blue just after she won Miss Chile.

She revealed: ‘I was with an ex-boyfriend when he sent his first message.

‘I’d never met him in my life so when he said he was Alexis Sanchez, I replied saying: “No, you’re lying, you know what, Ciao.”

‘He responded by phoning me straight away. I didn’t answer him. I rejected the call.

‘Why am I going to answer him if I don’t know him? And then he sent me a message saying I phoned you so you’d know it was me.’

She added: ‘I’ve no idea how he got my number but he did what a lot of footballers like him do which is to speak to girls via WhatsApp.

‘I don’t want to go into so much detail, but I have to say he seemed very kind and very funny.

‘It makes me laugh how all the young girls speak to him. I could never ever have taken seriously some of the things he said to me.

‘We never had regular conversations but I stopped answering him about two months ago after I turned down his meal invite.

‘I found it tasteless he’d ask me out while he was with someone else so I gave him the red card.


‘When someone doesn’t answer you, I think the other person normally gets it and understands that you don’t want to speak with them.

‘Nothing happened between Alexis and me and I’m doing nothing wrong by revealing how he’s been messaging me.

‘But if I had said “yes” that time he phoned me and invited me out for a meal, I can assure you nobody would have found out.’

Sanchez has not yet responded to a request for comment from MailOnline.

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UEFA Champions League (SIGH)

November 27, 2014, 12:59 am
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The team scores as they stand




Real Madrid is the only team to make it through with 100% wins


The last sixteen await

Mario Mandzukic scores a hat-trick as Atlético Madrid crush Olympiakos

Mandzukic did that. He took a price cut to go to Atlético, because he wanted to work with Diego Simeone

A fired-up Atlético Madrid swept into the next round of the Champions League with a game to spare when Mario Mandzukic scored a hat-trick in a crushing 4-0 win at home to Olympiakos.

Last season’s beaten finalists secured a fourth straight victory since falling 3-2 to the Greek side in their opening game in September and have 12 points from five matches, three ahead of second-placed Juventus, who won 2-0 at Malmo.

After a typically intense start from the Spanish champions, Raúl Garcia struck in the ninth minute following a howler from the Olympiakos goalkeeper, Roberto Jiménez Gago, and another defensive error, this time from Roberto’s Spanish compatriot Alberto Botía, let in Mandzukic to tap home seven minutes before the break.

The Croatia forward made it 3-0 in the 62nd minute when he nodded in an Arda Turan cross and he completed his treble with another header, this time from Gabi’s free kick three minutes later as Atlético progressed from the group stage of Europe’s elite competition in two consecutive seasons for the first time. Altético Madrid, roar

Arsenal 2-0 Dortmund

Alexis Sanchez's shot made it two
Arsène Wenger can call off the search for the dictionary, at least for now. The Arsenal manager had said that he might have to delve for the tome to reacquaint himself with the meaning of crisis. After so many years and so many crises, he joked that he had forgotten how one could be qualified.

Many Arsenal supporters felt that the club was flirting with one as they took to the field here, on the back of three sobering results – the Champions League draw against Anderlecht, when they had led 3-0, and the Premier League losses to Swansea City and Manchester United. Per Mertesacker, the defender, said that the players had “dropped mentally”. This, he said, was a psychological challenge. oh my poor Dortmund

Carlo Ancelotti: 'Basel better than Liverpool'

That says it all, really

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti believes that Basel are performing better than Champions League rivals Liverpool.

Los Blancos made sure of top spot in Group B with a hard-fought victory over the Swiss side, but the Italian is admant that the RotBlau has cause for optimism when they visit Anfield next month.

Ancelotti is quoted by UEFA.com as saying: "We have not played as we always do, a little slower, but good defending and we were concentrated. The most important thing was the victory.

"Basel played with a lot of heart and has appeared with another system. They showed an intense game and could therefore put us under pressure in the second half.

"I think Basel is currently better than Liverpool. I see a small advantage for Basel for the last round [of matches]."

Basel now know that a draw against Liverpool at Anfield next month will be enough to knock the Merseysiders out of the competition.Liverpool doesn't deserve to go through, tbh

Jurgen Klopp visibly angered by Borussia Dortmund's display in loss to Arsenal as he appears to berate Adrian Ramos... who only came on as a 61st-minute substitute

Whooo chile... because Klopp can go the eff awf when he has a full head of steam

Jurgen Klopp was furious with his Borussia Dortmund players following their 2-0 Champions League defeat to Arsenal - and even appeared to berate Adrian Ramos following the final whistle.
Goals from Yaya Sanogo and Alexis Sanchez saw Dortmund lose their first European match of the season, although they do sit third-bottom of the Bundesliga having won just three times during their league campaign.
And manager Klopp was visibly incensed by his side's performance, barking instructions at his players and displaying his anger on the touchline during the match - before wandering on to the pitch at the full-time whistle and taking particular issue with Ramos. Klopp goes HAM

Simon Mignolet needs to be taken out of the Liverpool team, insists Jamie Carragher as Martin Keown says keeper 'must do better


Simon Mignolet's fumble allowed Ludogorets to open the scoring on Wednesday night, and adds to a catalogue of unsure performances from the Belgian between the sticks this season.
Former Reds ‘keeper Bruce Grobbelaar has put the blame for Liverpool’s poor start to the season on Mignolet, who he says is 'worse than Dracula'.
'He doesn’t command his area,' Grobbelaar told BBC this week. 'I’ve likened Mignolet to worse than Dracula because at least Dracula comes out of his coffin now and then.'
Here's what Sportsmail's Martin Keown and Jamie Carragher think about Mignolet's situation.
read more
To be fair to Mignolet, everyone looks shaky and shot. Manquillo is one of the few steady ones. Atlético, man

Real Madrid lose Christian cross from club crest to appease Abu Dhabi bank


The second picture shows it clearly it is the little cross on top of the crown

Real Madrid have removed the cross from their club crest as part of a lucrative three-year deal with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi.
It is believed the European champions' new crest, minus the Christian cross, was created so as not to offend Muslim sensibilities in the United Arab Emirates, where a marketing drive will take place.
Club president Florentino Perez labelled the deal as a "strategic alliance with one of the most prestigious institutions in the world".
But the redesigning of the famous club badge shows, according to Spanish sports paper Marca, how far top clubs are willing to go, including sacrificing part of their famous identity, to generate new revenue streams.
A new credit card, which doubles as a Real Madrid membership card, was paraded by Perez where the new design is clearly seen.Allah Madrid


Chatter from the sidelines


Social Media

Poldoski trying to hitch a ride. Uh oh...


No lies told, Dortmund weren't switched on


James serving up some team love in his Instagram. "Equipo siempre," he whispers, thoughtful brown orbs sheened with tears of reverence as he looks at his comrades. "Siempre"

Pic Spam


Lukasz Piszcek leads Dortmund players shake hands with travelling support. They're like... the German Liverpool up in this - like their English counterparts, they need to win the last match handily to go through. You do it to yourselves, you do- and that's what really hurts


Lallana, Coutinho, Moreno and Can. I can't believe that Rodgers didn't use a first substitute until the 82 minute and---yeah, that says it all really. Gerrard isn't getting younger, we need to build around the 'potential' we've bought.


On the bright side, like a diamond in a sea of poo bright- Lambert is getting match fit and looks keen. He's scored a goal in the top four English divisions, Champions League, PL and the NT.


I'll be glad to see the back of Glen Johnson, in January tbh. No industry, always gives away the ball and... Right, let me stop venting my spleen and move on


Dortmund line up against Arsenal. Probably it was a mistake to take this match as a holiday, Klopp?


Arsenal line up- oh! No Lucas Polksi? All right, then


Dortmund trained in Regent's Park before the match. I like the pictures, so there.


A local jogger had some company on her path! Man, if I had been there- I'd have glomped Klopp


I had to include the plane! Don't judge!


Atlético Madrid. If only my team had half your industry, intensity and conditioning, we'd be awesome!


Three goals by Mandzukic! Goddamn3


A dance, a celebration - of teamwork, self belief, industry and intensity. You go Atlético, play with the knives between your teeth


A couple of tourists wandered on to the field for the Basel vs Real Madrid match. "How quaint," observed one, "we're on a smooth, green field, with people surrounding it, as if waiting for something. What is this ancient and tribal ceremony?'


Isco is on it! Bless his cotton socks - sponsored by Adidas- and his boots by Nike


Ronaldo scored the only goal in the match. Ramos collected his 11th yellow card of the Champions League over the years. Eh, sounds legit.


A goal is an aria of victory in the physical sense- Fernando Llorente celebrates as he should


Juventus celebrate Llorente's goal with a group hug!They look like jumping petit pois


Pogba being cheered on. All right now, player of the future!


Yuri Lodygin of FC Zenit. He either saw his favoured deity, or his team won. In football, it can be both at times


Hulk showing skin. It's buttery smooth for living in cold Russia, tell a sister your secret, Hulk


Anderlecht pictures are thin on the ground. Like hen's teeth thin. Have a look at Chancel Mbemba Mangulu. Scored two goals. There's a joke running around about Chelsea and youth academies but not this time


Mangulu putting one past Galatasaray's goalkeeper Fernando Muslera the during the Group D Champions League match between Anderlecht and Galatasaray at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday Nov. 26, 2014.

Corrections, news, views, leave them all here. The post will be updated with said corrections when I'm not so frustrated with my teams
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Diego Simeone and the Atletico Madrid train roll on in Champions League

November 27, 2014, 4:34 am
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mandzu

MADRID, Spain -- If familiarity breeds contempt, then nobody told Atletico Madrid. The Estadio Vicente Calderon saw it all and then some last season, and it bounced and boiled again as their side tore apart Olympiakos to secure safe passage to the last 16 of the Champions League, the competition which they came within a heartbeat of winning last May in Lisbon.

While performances since the start of the season have shown the spirit instilled by Diego Simeone is alive and well in a considerably tweaked squad, then the emphatic results of the last five days (taking in this recital and Saturday's impressive win over Malaga) suggest they have nurtured and maybe even developed the brutal side of their character. This was certainly the way the evidence pointed on another heady night at this noisy arena.

Atleti were relentless, enterprising and pitiless to the extent of continuing to steamroll the visitors even after they were well beaten. Unlike another recent shooting star of the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund, this side built on counterattack showed it has little problem taking the game to opponents.



They were, admittedly, aided and abetted by a limp challenge from the perennial Greek champions. Olympiakos arrived in fair fettle, having pushed Juventus every step of the way in Turin last time out. They also beat Atleti in an anarchic group opener, thus coveting reasonable hopes of progression. If their Champions League flame is not quite extinguished, then it is flickering nervously. Michel and his men must cling to the hope that Simeone and his merry band will do them the sort of favour that was never on offer here when they visit Juve on the group's closing night.

The early feeling was that Olympiakos goalkeeper Roberto -- a product of the Atletico academy who referred to the Calderon post-match as "my home" -- might be about to have one of his Champions League superhero nights. His old club Benfica and Juventus were recent victims of his temporary metamorphosis into a goalkeeping demigod under the lights. Instead, he produced the sort of blunder early on that blighted his time in Lisbon, with terrible miscontrol in front of the Fondo Sur gifting Juanfran possession.

The effervescent right-back seized on it, supplying Raul Garcia with the chance to give the locals the lead inside 10 minutes. Roberto did partly redeem himself later with a sharp parry from a Cristian Ansaldi piledriver, but then again shot-stopping has never really been his problem during an unpredictable career trajectory. He may have prevented his teammates from being buried under a Rojiblanco avalanche, but it was cold comfort on an increasingly frosty night in the capital.

Garcia, meanwhile, needs little encouragement to be a menace. His tirelessness should not detract from his game sense. As box-to-box midfielders go, he doesn't have the craft of a Cesc Fabregas, but he does have an uncanny ability to arrive late into the penalty box undetected, a la David Platt. He came close to a second with a flying volley, after again finding space, before Mario Mandzukic benefitted from more sleepy defending from the visitors to extend the lead with some comfort before the break.

That pause did little to change the course of events, even if Tiago -- more than ever, Simeone's on-field director of operations -- was withdrawn after complaining to his coach of pain in a thigh muscle. The losses of Diego Costa, Thibaut Courtois and Felipe Luis must be recognised as significant ones, but resources are hardly thin on the ground. Mario Suarez replaced Portugal midfielder Tiago, and stepped into the rhythm of the match without missing a beat.

In the game's closing quarter, Simeone was able to introduce the energetic Antoine Griezmann to further pummel a dispirited rearguard. The closest the visitors got to relief was when the Frenchman's flying header (inevitably, from another set piece) was ruled out for offside just before full-time.

Olympiakos simply didn't know which way to turn. Young left-back Arthur Masuaku has been one of the revelations of the competition so far, but he was stretched all over the place by Juanfran and Arda Turan, working in tandem. Pajtim Kasami, having presumably been introduced at the interval by Michel to provide a little more attacking threat, spent much of his time back in his own half covering an exposed Omar Elabdellaoui on the right side of defence.

Having made a considerable impression on Mandzukic's cheekbone in the pair's previous meeting in Piraeus, the former Fulham man watched the Croatia striker have the last laugh here, completing his hat-trick with a pair of emphatic headers in the space of three second-half minutes.

As a Real Madrid player, Michel had won 15 out of 25 meetings over a dozen years of confrontations with their local rivals. The boot was firmly on the other foot here. While he anxiously hugged the touchline of his technical area throughout, his opposite number Simeone was relatively passive. Used to acting as the lightning conductor that makes a raucous stadium crackle, the Argentine was safe leaving his hungry team to simply get on with it.

So Atleti, again, are flying under the Champions League radar, showcasing all the organisation and brio with which the continent became familiar last season. The only question over their future in this competition is whether they can still -- second time around -- justify the title of underdogs. They clearly still feel that Europe is an itch worth scratching.

I really believe we can win this time tbh. *fingers crossed*

SRC: http://www.espnfc.us/blog/the-match/60/post/2166751/champions-league-diego-simeone-and-atletico-madrid-train-roll-on
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Europa League 2014-15: Match day #5

November 27, 2014, 7:37 am
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Tranmere say no to Ched Evans over playing for the club

November 27, 2014, 10:55 am
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The Tranmere chairman, Mark Palios, said he had turned down an approach from associates of Ched Evans about the possibility of the convicted rapist playing for the club.

Palios said he had twice been contacted by people on behalf of Evans about possible talks but refused to pursue the idea.

Evans, 25, wants to return to football after being released from prison last month. He served two and a half years of a five-year sentence after being found guilty of raping a 19-year-old woman in 2011.

Evans continues to protest his innocence and has lodged an appeal with the Criminal Case Review Commission.

He was initially given permission by his former club Sheffield United to return to train with the club at the request of the players’ union, the Professional Footballers Association.

But following a backlash from Blades supporters, sponsors and patrons opposed to Evans’ return, the club retracted its offer last week.

Palios, a former chief executive of the Football Association, and his wife Nicola took control at Tranmere in August.

He said in a statement released to the Liverpool Echo: “Tranmere has not been approached by Ched Evans or his management team to discuss him joining the club.

“However, on two occasions persons with a connection with Ched Evans offered to facilitate a discussion if I wished to pursue that.

“I strongly believe in the general principle that people have a right to rehabilitation after serving a sentence for a crime.

“However, I also take the view that whether any particular club would wish to employ someone who has been convicted of a very serious crime is a subjective decision for the club to take after considering all the circumstances, and that there is no simple right or wrong answer.

“Nicola and I are trying to re-establish the brand of Tranmere as a family-friendly club and bringing Ched Evans in would clearly have alienated a significant number of supporters.

“It would also have inevitably embroiled the club in much controversy and distraction, at a time when we need to keep a complete focus on rebuilding the club and setting firm foundations for the future.

“I therefore took the view that it would not be in the best interests of the club to seek a dialogue with Mr Evans, notwithstanding his undoubted footballing talents.

“Neither I nor the club will be making any further comment on this matter.”

Tranmere allowed Clayton McDonald, who was acquitted of rape when tried alongside Evans, to join the club on non-contract terms earlier in the season, but he was released after just one appearance.

source.

In case you forgot: Ched Evans had his permission to train with his old club Sheffield United withdrawn when 160,000 people signed a petition against it.
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Rooney Rule likely to be introduced in English football, says Greg Dyke

November 27, 2014, 11:29 pm
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Greg Dyke said the FA cannot force clubs to adopt rules or appoint candidates but he believes the situation will change. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images

The Football Association chairman, Greg Dyke, expects to see some form of the Rooney Rule introduced in English football to help boost the number of black and ethnic minority managers and coaches. The rule, which was established in the United States in 2003 and requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching positions, has been widely hailed as a successful model.

There have been many calls for it to be introduced in England to try to address the persistent lack of black and ethnic minority managers in the Football League. Currently only three of the 92 league clubs in England have black managers, while the numbers are similarly stark among top-level coaches.

Speaking at a lecture addressing the issue of discrimination in football and the media at the University of Manchester, Dyke said: “The FA inclusion advisory board is looking at it and it might be a good way forward. But the last thing we want is for it to end up as tokenism.

“Everybody’s got to agree. I think there will probably be the equivalent of the Rooney rule, then we’ve got to say, ‘Are we seeing change?’ The people running football all recognise there’s a problem and that was probably not where they were two years ago.”

Dyke stressed the FA cannot force clubs to adopt rules or appoint candidates but believes a combination of “talent and pressure” will see the situation change.

Earlier this month it was announced the Premier League will fund an initiative that every year will see six of 23 coach apprentice places reserved for coaches from minority backgrounds. One proposal from Dyke’s Chairman’s Commission was radical reform of coach education and he believes increasing the numbers going through programmes will have an effect at the top.

Dyke hopes in five years’ time between 50 and 100 of the top-level coaches in England will be black or ethnic minority. He said: “We know there’s a need, we know there’s a supply, we just have to make sure we act to facilitate that supply.

“I think we will succeed. The issue is now in the public arena. Over time it will change, probably not at the speed some people want it to. Football has been through the first stage of dealing with this problem by getting rid of overt racism. Now we’re in the institutional phase where we know there’s a problem and we have got to find the solutions.”

Dyke’s mantra is action rather than talk, with the former director general of the BBC saying: “It’s easy to come up with supportive words that change nothing. Earlier this week I received a text from a senior figure in football urging me to bring leaders in football together and talk about this issue.

“I said I would only do it if we also commission someone to research the area and draw up a plan for change. The last thing we want is a bunch of people talking and nothing happens.”

SOURCE

Also related: Scum of the earth Dave Whelan has been charged by the FA over comments about Jews and Chinese people.
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Europa league titbits

November 28, 2014, 1:29 am
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Because there are better ways to advertise -_-




results from 27.11.2014

All the matches and scores for 27/11/22 are here if the above image doesn't load.

Everton vs Wolfsburg 2-0 Romelu Lukaku, Kevin Mirallas.
Everton are through to the Europa League knockout stage as Group H winners after victory at Wolfsburg.
A 1-1 draw in the other group game between Krasnodar and Lille meant the Toffees progressed regardless of the result in Germany.
Three points ensured top spot, however, as Romelu Lukaku powered home before half-time after Wolfsburg's Ivan Perisic had a goal ruled out.read more here

Tottenham 1-0 Partizan Belgrade


Tottenham booked their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League with a 1-0 victory over Partizan Belgrade, although the game was overshadowed by a series of pitch invasions that eventually forced a temporary suspension of play at White Hart Lane.

Benjamin Stambouli got the game's only goal shortly after half-time to clinch the three points for Mauricio Pochettino's side, although it is the succession of first-half interruptions that are likely to have the greater long-term implications for Spurs, who will now almost certainly face a UEFA investigation.

On three separate occasions fans entered the field of play, halting the game as stewards struggled to catch up with and apprehend the culprits. All three individuals appeared to be wearing T-shirts carrying the same company logo—with the stunt believed to be a form of guerrilla marketing.I heard about this, wtf

Celtic 1- 3 FC Redbull Salzberg

Grins all around for Salzberg but Celtic still makes it through to the next round
Celtic qualified for the knockout stage of the Europa League despite falling to defeat at home to Salzburg.
Salzburg's win secured the Austrian's top spot in Group D, with Alan scoring twice in the first-half and Naby Keita adding another late on.
Celtic's riposte came from Stefan Johansen and they played more assuredly after the break, but they were undone by Salzburg's initial zeal.
Astra defeat Dynamo Zagreb in Romania to ensure Celtic finished second.
Celtic were immediately swamped. If Ronny Deila had not been so grim-faced and concerned at the alarming lack of resistance amongst his own players, he would have admired Salzburg's accomplishment.
The visitors were everything the Celtic manager would wish his own side could be: swift of thought and movement, incisive, quick and precise in their passing, and capable of winning the ball back effectively. The home side were overwhelmed.read more here

Feyenoord 2- 0 Sevilla
Feyenoord's Karim El Ahmadi scored a superb goal to help them into the Europa League last 32 with a 2-0 win over Sevilla that left the holders facing a winner-takes-all final game to stay in the competition.

The former European champions led nine teams - Everton, Napoli, Trabzonspor, Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur, Dynamo Kiev, Besiktas and Inter Milan - into the knockout stage of Europe's second tier competition, setting up a nervy finale for others.

However, Feyenoord can take it easy in their final outing after they scored early in the second half through Jens Toornstra and wrapped up the points when El Ahmadi received a bouncing ball and struck a precise, looping finish.UGH, Sevilla has it all to do now

St-Étienne 1-1 Internazionale background

Match report here

Newcastle United Women’s goalkeeper plays on with suspected broken neck

Laura Wareham broke her neck for a second time playing for Newcastle United Women. Photograph: Iain Buist/ncjMedia
A goalkeeper for Newcastle United Women played on after suffering a suspected broken neck in a collision with a team-mate.

Laura Wareham suffered the injury after only 15 minutes of Newcastle’s match against Bradford City on Sunday after she and the defender Kate Brooks combined to stop a Bradford forward scoring.

Wareham, 21, played on for five or six minutes of the eventual 3-2 defeat before being substituted but only because pain in her ribs had left her unable to kick the ball, she said.

She then collapsed twice, once after coming off and once in the dressing room at the end of the game at Northumbria University.read more


Chatter from the sidelines


Social media & Miscellany

No, see, you have to see this. Ramos and Navas from back in the day

A young van Persie

Happy with their win against Sevilla


Pic Spam

My partner's been following Europa league b/c of Everton


But really, he just likes their manager. Thinks he's generous, charming, handsome, etc. would love to see him manage Arsenal. Has admitted that Martinez would be his 'one night'. SMH


Howard and Lukakou- in the spirit of fairness, I'm trying not to make this post British teams heavy, okay?


Let me take a selfie--- at the Spurs match


Inter 2- 1 DNIPro


Osvaldo Trying to hear you over the sound of his awesome. Really - scream louder, section in the back


Back of the net


KSC Lokeren vs Legia Warszawa [UEFA Europa League], Belgium (27.11.14)- look at the flares


Feyenoord celebrates!

Feyenoord goal scorer. Someone tell me who!


SSC Napoli 0-0 Sparta Praha


Hamsik for Napoli


Dynamo Kiev 2-0 Rio Ave - the photo shows Kiev's players


Looked for Fiorentina match pics and Mario Gomez came up. :/


And this one for Gomez - sorry Fiorentina fans


PSV Eindhoven - Depay and Narsingh

Sorry! Pictures have been thin on the ground for the sides. The match reports can be read here, the UEFA Europa League's website is pretty comprehensive


Arsenal players getting ready for the season. The usual applies: news, corrections, oversights, point them out here. Will amend when time is to be had :)'
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FIFPro World XI Shortlists

November 28, 2014, 5:32 am
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Here's what we know so far...

5-man Shortlist for Goalkeeper

Manuel Neuer (Germany / FC Bayern München)
Claudio Bravo (Chile / FC Barcelona)
Thibaut Courtois (Belgium / Chelsea FC)
Iker Casillas (Spain / Real Madrid CF)
Gianluigi Buffon (Italy / Juventus FC)


20-man Shortlist for Defenders

David Alaba (Austria / FC Bayern München)
Jordi Alba (Spain / FC Barcelona)
Dani Alves (Brazil / FC Barcelona)
Jerome Boateng (Germany / FC Bayern München)
Daniel Carvajal (Spain / Real Madrid CF)
David Luiz (Brazil / Paris St-Germain FC)
Filipe Luis (Brazil / Chelsea FC)
Diego Godin (Uruguay / Atlético Madrid)
Mats Hummels (Germany / Borussia Dortmund)
Branislav Ivanovic (Serbia / Chelsea FC)
Vincent Kompany (Belgium / Manchester City FC)
Philipp Lahm (Germany / FC Bayern München)
Marcelo (Brazil / Real Madrid CF)
Javier Mascherano (Argentina / FC Barcelona)
Pepe (Portugal / Real Madrid CF)
Gerard Pique (Spain / FC Barcelona)
Sergio Ramos (Spain / Real Madrid CF)
Thiago Silva (Brazil / Paris St-Germain FC)
Raphael Varane (France / Real Madrid CF)
Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina / Manchester City FC)


15-man Shortlist for Midfielders

Xabi Alonso (Spain / FC Bayern München)
Angel Di Maria (Argentina / Manchester United FC)
Cesc Fabregas (Spain / Chelsea FC)
Eden Hazard (Belgium / Chelsea FC)
Xavi Hernandez (Spain / FC Barcelona)
Andres Iniesta (Spain / FC Barcelona)
Toni Kroos (Germany / Real Madrid CF)
Luka Modric (Croatia / Real Madrid CF)
Mesut Oezil (Germany / Arsenal FC)
Andrea Pirlo (Italy / Juventus FC)
Paul Pogba (France / Juventus FC)
James Rodriguez (Colombia / Real Madrid CF)
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany / FC Bayern München)
Yaya Toure (Côte d’Ivoire / Manchester City FC)
Arturo Vidal (Chile / Juventus FC)


15-man Shortlist for Forwards (to be added on December 1)

They are fielding a 4-3-3 so that's one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders, and three forwards. They will be voted by over 20,000 football players around the world.

Predictions? Protests? Write-in entries? Post away!

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Oh Hello Weekend!

November 28, 2014, 1:00 pm
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Saturday news round-up. Spoiler alert: injuries.

November 29, 2014, 3:39 am
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VAN GAAL SAYS SHAW IS OUT FOR A FEW WEEKS, MAKES FUN OF THE CLUB'S TWITTER IN THE PROCESS


There was confusion last week when United's official Twitter account, having misunderstood Van Gaal, said that Blind would miss six months with a knee injury.

To avoid a repeat performance, Van Gaal was at pains to point out that he was relaying a message from the medical staff, pulling a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and putting on his spectacles to read the message to the assembled press.

"Last time I said something and it was not so good interpreted, so I have asked my medical advisor, maybe Manchester United’s twitter account can pay attention to it, eh?" he said. (NGL, I cackled)

The Dutchman read: "Luke sustained an ankle ligament injury but with no serious complications, and he will be out for the next few weeks because of this. Point."

Van Gaal, who coached the Netherlands to third place at this summer's World Cup, also revealed that he has given Blind a week off as he looks to recover from his knee injury.

"I give him a holiday because in the first week it’s more rest than exercise and he didn’t have so much holiday because of the World Cup – maybe you remember that the Netherlands were there until the end– so I gave him a holiday."

source


WENGER TALKS ABOUT ARSENAL'S INJURIES



"[Walcott] has a groin problem that he came back from England with. He's not available," Wenger told reporters.

"We have so many knocks I can only sort it out this morning. Szczesny has not practiced, Arteta is out, Sanogo has problems. Welbeck will be checked. He had a swollen knee so he wasn't available for Dortmund. [Debuchy] is about two weeks away. We have been unlucky with injuries. What can you do about it? Not a lot."

Jack Wilshere was also recently sidelined for three months after injuring ligaments in his left ankle, but Wenger has backed the youngster to not dwell on the setback despite the repeat damage.
"We knew he would have surgery. He's focused to come back and finish the season well. I think he will be back at end of February, beginning of March," he added. "His injury is a consequence of a very bad tackle that was not malicious. He deals very well with tackles and kicks but nobody would've dealt with that tackle. If he has no problems with his joints he will make a massive career. He loves the game but he has also learnt to deal with adversity at a young age. He's determined."

source

Since most are expected to be back in January, he is looking at bringing in (at least) one player in January.


VERMAELEN OUT FOR 4-6 MONTHS



Barcelona have announced that Thomas Vermaelen has been ruled out of action for between four and six months. The Belgium international has yet to make a competitive appearance for the Catalan club since joining from Arsenal in August for a reported €19 million (he did get a new Audi despite that, tho xD), having signed while still recovering from a hamstring problem sustained at the World Cup.

Vermaelen was declared fit to return to action at the tail end of September but his comeback was postponed for a further two months before he was finally given the all-clear to make his debut in Tuesday's Champions League clash with APOEL. However, the versatile centre-half pulled up in training with a recurrence of his hamstring problem and it has now been announced that the 29-year-old requires an operation that could even end his season.

"Thomas Vermaelen will undergo surgery on his right semitendinosus muscle by doctor Sakari Orava next Tuesday in Finland," read a club statement released on Thursday evening. "The estimated recovery time is four to six months."

source


KROOS SAYS HE'S TIRED, CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER

Kroos has featured in a total of 19 matches for Real Madrid this season, starting 18 of them.

"I can't wait for summer to arrive! I've never played this much before," he joked to Kicker. "This year I've played the entire second half of the season with Bayern, the World Cup and the Super Cups with Real Madrid onwards. I haven't played more in my life, and I'm getting tired. To make matters worse, in Spain there is no break in January, like there is in Germany, so I have to get by. I guess I will be rested at some point."

source


BALOTELLI'S STRUGGLES DOWN TO THE ABSENCE OF HIS DAUGTHER



Mario Balotelli is struggling to adapt to life at Liverpool because he misses his young daughter, according to his agent. Balotelli became a father to daughter Pia in December 2012 and agent Mino Raiola has stated his client is missing regular contact with the child who lives in Italy with her mother.

Rickie Lambert has assumed the lead striking role in the Liverpool team as Balotelli nurses an injury, with his agent stressing he remains committed to finding his feet and proving his worth at Anfield.

"It's wrong to criticise him," Raiola told newspaper Il Corriere dello Sport. "He needs to be given time to adapt at Liverpool. His difficult time is not connected to football, but to the fact he can't see his daughter as much as he would like."

There are already suggestions in the English media that the forward Brendan Rodgers paid 16 million pounds to sign last summer will be heading back to Italy in the next transfer window, but his agent has insisted such a move will not transpire.
"Balotelli will never go back to an Italian team," added Raiola. "I've already made that mistake once, because I listened to him."

source


BRANDAO CONVICTED TO ONE MONTH JAIL FOR HIS ASSAULT ON THIAGO MOTTA

SC Bastia forward Brandao has been sentenced to one month in jail for his assault on Thiago Motta while an on-going case in Switzerland raises more legal questions

The Brandao affair is a reminder that football players are not above the law in regard to what occurs on or around the field of play. While sportspeople in general offer a certain degree of consent to physical contact, Brandao's assault on Thiago Motta was off-the-ball, outside the laws of the game and would have been construed as a criminal act had it taken place anywhere else.

The Bastia striker has been sentenced to one month in jail and fined €20,000 for the assault on Paris St Germain's midfielder on August 16. Brandao was substituted in the 72nd minute of the 2-0 defeat after a fruitless day. Frustrations in his game were evident as he suffered at the hands of Motta throughout, who allegedly provoked him with references to a 2011 incident when he was remanded in police custody on allegations of sexual assault. Rather than take to the bench and calm down, Brandao instead plotted vengeance on his compatriot. He stood in wait following the final whistle in the Parc des Princes tunnel until Motta appeared. He then lunged violently at his tormentor, breaking his nose with a savage headbutt before fleeing to the sanctuary of the away team's dressing room. This was all confirmed by CCTV images from the tunnel while Motta appeared on the French television broadcast of the game with his face bloodied."On the pitch he [Brandao] said he'd be waiting for me afterwards, but I never thought he'd actually do it," the 32-year-old midfielder Motta wrote in his police report.


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Nonetheless, it is likely that Brandao will not see a day in jail and, instead, serve community service. However, he did not do himself any favours in the eyes of the judges with regard to alternative punishments as he did not turn up in person.

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GALATASARAY PART WAYS WITH PRANDELLI, OFFERS HAMZA HAMZAOĞLU

Galatasaray have parted ways with Italian manager Cesare Prandelli following a string of poor results, the club's Vice Chairman Abdürrahim Albayrak announced late Thursday. The blame for the club's poor performance this year has been squarely put at the feet of the Italian, who joined in the summer after being knocked out of the World Cup with Italy.

The Istanbul giants have offered the top job to their former player and current Turkey assistant manager Hamza Hamzaoğlu. Having confirmed the offer, Hamzaoğlu said "It's not official yet but I accepted the offer. The administration will still discuss the matter. However, I have a contract with the Turkish Football Federation. If they approve my leaving, I can work with Galatasaray."

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BALLON D'OR



There is some Real Madrid vs Platini drama going on that I'm not posting, because I don't like shit-stirring. However, I found this quote by Mourinho interesting:

"This kind of trophy is not good for football. This is why I don't care about it. Sometimes it looks like we are looking for stars, we are looking for some people to be more important than others. I don't care about it. But it's there. It's there as a consequence of the good work the team is doing. And, if they feel that, okay. It's good for them. And this is not the culture we want in this club. I don't care about it. The mentality here is not to be worried about that. Even less being obsessed with that. When I see these two names, Fabregas and Hazard, I think clearly they don't think about it. They think about the team, about playing well and trying to win matches."

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GAME WEEKEND #13!

November 29, 2014, 3:41 am
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GAME WEEKEND #13! (Contd.)

November 30, 2014, 2:00 am
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THIS IS THE BVB-Post - aka ... (not) everything is lost.

November 30, 2014, 1:15 pm
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Because today was just so ...

And they lost again.

And Klopp had no answers whatsoever!

So come and talk. I know you want to.



And to remember good times (and yes, I am posting this with a wince through narrowed eyes LOL)

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