Our man Paul Ayorinde is back With the World Soccer Report. Which is a compilation of the latest football stories from across the globe but largely from Europe.
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News from Germany;
– Pep Guardiola says he expects a difficult challenge when Bayern Munich face Hamburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday. “Hamburg is always one of the most important clubs in Germany and has a very aggressive team, I expect a tough game. I remember when his predecessor Slomka came to Hamburg, they had the first game against Dortmund and won 3-0.” He said.
– Borussia Dortmund striker Ciro Immobile has admitted he “suffered” initially following his summer move from Torino. “I am a stranger at Dortmund, I have to acclimatize, fortunately the coach and team-mates are helping me, but I knew that would not be easy – the new language, the new team. I suffered for a while at my new club, but it was not a failure. The standing ovation on Wednesday for me was incredible, I have never received anything like that in Italy.” He said
– Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has backed Robert Lewandowski in the wake of recent criticism aimed at the Poland international. “I am very satisfied with Lewandowski’s performances, He has had two to three chances in each game. He is a very intelligent striker and always finds himself in the right position. He doesn’t have as much space here at Bayern as he was used to at Dortmund. They played on the counterattack more often.”
News from France;
– According to his lawyer, SC Bastia striker Brandão will be appealing the ban he has received from the LFP last night for head-butting Thiago Motta following his side’s encounter with Paris Saint-Germain
– Lille have announced the contract extension of Macedonian central defender Marko Basa until 2019.
News from Italy;
– Chilean star-midfielder Arturo Vidal has been named in Max Allegri 23-man squad for Juventus’ Week 3 trip to Milan. There is no place, however, for Andrea Barzagli or Andrea Pirlo, who continue their recovery work on respective injuries.
– Pippo Inzaghi admits he would rather face Juventus later in the season and says whilst Milan ‘have nothing to lose’, they aren’t already beaten.
– Nemanja Vidic insists Inter have room for improvement, despite kicking off their campaign in the Europa League group stage with a win. “It was important to get the three points. Overall, we are very satisfied with the result, but perhaps we could play better.” He said
– Parma captain Alessandro Lucarelli has assured Jonathan Biabiany,who has Cardiac problem that he has the full support of his teammates. “What happened to Jonathan is one of those things that go beyond the football pitch, His situation is a delicate one, but we want him to know that he has our full support and we are close to him.” He said
– Maurizio Sarri has affirmed that newly-promoted Empoli will not surrender their attacking style when they face Cesena on Saturday.
– CSKA Moscow have released a statement condemning the behaviour of a section of its supporters during their defeat to Roma in midweek. Wednesday evening’s Champions League match at the Stadio Olimpico was interrupted during the second half when a section of fans from the Russian club launched flares at AS Roma supporters and attacked stewards on their side of partitioning.
News from Spain;
– Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has suggested that he would jump at the chance to return to former club Real Madrid. “It was an experience as a coach and as a man, I would again repeat, without thinking twice. If I could go back today, would I go to Real Madrid? Yes. Clearly, yes.” He said
– Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says he is not interested in Jose Mourinho’s relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo. “Mourinho is a great coach who can coach anywhere, I don’t know what his relationship with Cristiano is like, nor am I interested. It is a personal relationship and has nothing to do with Real Madrid.” He said
– Real Madrid star Gareth Bale says he still has a great affinity for former club Tottenham and has hinted that he could return to north London in the future. “I’ll never forget the great European nights at White Hart Lane. They were amazing, Tottenham will always have a place in my heart. I hope the fans still love me even though I’ve moved on.I love Spurs fans; you never know, I could come back one day.”He said
News from England;
– Louis van Gaal admits he would be interested in bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Manchester United, but thinks it is unlikely Real Madrid would sell him. “It is always possible, like what I said with Falcao, players like Ronaldo give a lot of extra to selection or to a team, but I don’t think Real Madrid shall sell him,” he said.
– Championship side Bournemouth have signed goalkeeper Artur Boruc on loan from Southampton. The Poland international, who has been second choice at St Mary’s since the arrival of Fraser Forster, will be at Bournemouth till January
– Wembley has been confirmed as the venue for the semifinals and final of the 2020 European Championship, which will be staged across Europe rather than in one country to mark the 60th anniversary of the first European Championships.
– Louis van Gaal has said there are no automatic choices in his new-look Manchester United team,but revealed Wayne Rooney may get preferential treatment because he is captain. “I don’t think any player is fixed, only the captain has more privileges but no other player has privileges, and every player knows that.” He said
– Arsenal have announced their latest set of financial results, with confirmation that the club was sitting on a cash reserve of £173.3million
– Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Diego Costa will play in Chelsea’s match against Manchester City on Sunday. “Diego is not in the best conditions, but he will start the game. He plays this game, he cannot play against Bolton. It’s as simple as that. I know clearly that we have to try to protect him until he gets completely fit.”He said
– Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is hoping Edin Dzeko is not ruled out of Sunday’s game against Chelsea. “Edin Dzeko has a problem in his back after the game but I hope he will be OK for Sunday. Jovetic and Fernando continue to have injury problems. All the other players are okay.” Pellegrini said
– Jose Mourinho says he “was not expecting” to see Frank Lampard in a Manchester City shirt after leaving Chelsea, but that he respects the player’s decision. “If you’d said that four or five years ago, I would have said it was strange. Even a few months ago, when he signed for the New York team, I was not expecting this, but it was his decision. It’s life.” He said
– Benoit Assou-Ekotto has been suspended for three matches and fined £50,000 by the English Football Association after being found guilty of improper conduct in relation to a tweet about Nicolas Anelka’s quenelle gesture.
News from other part of the World;
– Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff has said that Pep Guardiola is a better coach than Jose Mourinho, crediting the Bayern Munich boss as the key to Spain and Germany’s World Cup triumphs. “To me, it’s clear. Yes, Guardiola wants to make football better, to take his team to another level. Unlike Mourinho, he has also played in front of 100,000 fans. He makes the game the centre of attention; Mourinho only talks about his team, his qualities and his mentality.” Cruyff said
“It’s no coincidence that Spain won the 2010 World Cup with seven of Guardiola’s players, and now Germany with six or seven of his players.” He added
– Serbian club Partizan Belgrade have apologised for the anti-semitic banner displayed by their fans during the goalless draw with Tottenham on Thursday after UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings.
– Argentina legend Diego Maradona believes he would have been a “phenomenal” footballer had he not become addicted to drugs.
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