Champions League back with a bang as Barcelona leave old foes fuming

Barcelona's 2-0 win against Manchester City left Manuel Pellegrini in a rage and Jose Mourinho eating humble pie.

The City boss was furious at the Swedish referee who awarded Barca a penalty and sent off Martin Demichelis. Pellegrini let fly in his post-match press conference, saying the ref was not up to the job of officiating a Champions League clash.

And it was a bitter result for Mourinho, who had earlier called out "the worst Barca side in many, many years". Cesc Fabregas issued a stinging rebuttal at full-time, saying Barca's detrctors should "shut up for a few days".

All the while, Paris Saint-Germain were marching towards the quarter-finals with a 4-0 away win against Bayer Leverkusen, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoreing twice, one of which an absolute rocket.

The Champions League is definitely back in full swing!

Wednesday, February 19, 2014 12:00

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Mourinho a 'specialist in failure' against Manchester City

Jose Mourinho hit the headlines on Friday after labelling Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger a 'specialist in failure'.

"He's a specialist in failure. I'm not," Mourinho said in response to suggestions from Wenger that he fears defeat.

"The reality is he's a specialist because eight years without a piece of silverware, that is failure."

But it was Mourinho and Chelsea who flirted with failure on Saturday, as Manchester City dumped the Stamford Bridge side out of the FA Cup.

Stevan Jovetic and Samir Nasri were on the scoresheet for Manuel Pellegrini's men, who took some revenge for their Premier League defeat to Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.

Sunday, 16 February 2014 07:30

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Chelsea bus transforms into title-chasing juggernaut

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was expected to 'park the bus' against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Monday night.

Manuel Pellegrini's free-scoring side have notched a staggering 68 goals in the Premier League this season, and nobody had kept them from finding the back of the net at home.

But rather than setting up Chelsea to sit back, soak up the pressure and play for the draw, Mourinho abandoned the bus and went all out for victory.

The Blues harried and pressed the hosts and were more than good value for their 1-0 victory courtesy of a Branislav Ivanovic strike.

The win leaves Chelsea level on points with City, just two adrift of league leaders Arsenal with 14 games still to play.

Tuesday, 4 February 2014 07:30

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When it rains it pours on struggling Sam Allardyce

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce was afforded no respite by Manchester City in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday night.

The Hammers are struggling in the relegation zone having failed to win a Premier League game since beating Fulham on November 30.

And Allardyce was forced to face questions about his future at the club after a 5-0 humiliation at the hands of Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Sunday.

To make matters worse, City were in typically ruthless form in the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg and put another six past the hapless Hammers at the Etihad Stadium.

"You can't keep losing football matches as a manager, that's for sure," Allardyce acknowledged after the game. "We know the reasons why but even those reasons will not save you in the end."

Thursday, 9 January 2014 11:30

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No winter break for Pellegrini and Manchester City

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists he does want the Premier League to implement a winter break with his side currently on a superb run of form.

The Chilean’s men have beaten title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool in recent weeks to move to just a point from the top of the table.

City face Crystal Palace and Swansea in the coming days as part of a busy festive schedule but Pellegrini is happy with life in England saying it is the same for all teams.

Saturday, December 28, 2013 11:04

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Storylines aplenty after Champions League draw

The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League was completed on Monday, with some intriguing fixtures emerging to create a number of story-lines.

Didier Drogba will get his return to Chelsea and what is sure to be an emotional reunion with Jose Mourinho, after the Blues were drawn with Turkish side Galatasaray.

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping to draw upon all his knowledge of La Liga for the clashes with Barcelona, while Arsene Wenger's Arsenal were arguably handed the toughest tie of them all after they were paired with holders Bayern Munich.

Tuesday, 17 December 2013 09:45

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Higuain in tears as Napoli miss out on last 16

Napoli agonisingly missed out on a place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Despite beating Arsenal 2-0 with goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon, the Italian side were eliminated after Borussia Dortmund defeated Marseille, meaning the Bundesliga outfit progressed top of Group F, with the Gunners finishing second by virtue of a superior goal difference.

And it was all too much for goal scorer Higuain, who could not hide is disappointment after the game.

"Not going through is incredible," he said. "It is an injustice, really.

"Going out with 12 points – winning four games in such an immensely difficult group with two sides as strong as Arsenal and Dortmund - when you see teams going through with only one or two wins, with six or seven points, it's disappointing.

"It cannot be anything else but bad luck because to win four games out of six and be eliminated is not something that happens often."

Thursday, December 12, 2013 12:00

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Pellegrini charms Nasri back to form

Manuel Pellegrini can be fairly pleased with his start to life as Manchester City manager - and arguably his biggest achievement is getting Samir Nasri hitting top form once again.

The former Arsenal midfielder had struggled under former boss Roberto Mancini but, if his man-of-the-match display against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday was anything to go by, he's back to his best.

Pellegrini's charm is clearly working wonders with Nasri and with Sergio Aguero also firing on all cylinders, City look well-equipped to challenge for the major honours in the 2013-14 campaign.

Friday, November 8, 2013 12:00

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Head & Shoulders above Hart: Pantilimon in at City

The England goalkeeper may have a lucrative shampoo sponsorship deal but he'll be tearing his hair out after being dropped for Manchester City's game against Norwich on Saturday.

Costel Pantilimon, the 6'8" Romanian, will get his chance between the sticks after Hart committed a string of errors in the opening weeks of the season.

Saturday, November 2, 2013 11:00

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Donkey derby for Moyes & Manchester United

David Moyes' first taste of a Manchester derby ended in defeat on Sunday as his United side were thrashed 4-1 by rivals City at the Etihad Stadium.

Moyes' men were never at the races as Manuel Pellegrini's City stallions raced ahead after just 16 minutes through Sergio Aguero.

The home side had a second goal on the stroke of half time as Yaya Toure stabbed home from close range, before Aguero added a third after the interval.

Samir Nasri scored a fourth to put the game well and truly beyond doubt and, despite Wayne Rooney's sublime free kick late on, Moyes and United were left with very little to cheer about.

Monday, September 23, 2013 11:45

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Premier League ready for more fairytales in 2013-14

IT'S BACK!!! After a summer off, the Premier League returns with 10 fixtures over the weekend. 

Sir Alex ended his time at Old Trafford in fitting fashion, securing his 38th trophy as Manchester United manager, while past seasons have seen dramatic title races, narrow brushes with relegation and unlikely heroes. 

The footy is back and that means a fresh slate ready for a whole host of new fairytales in 2013-14!

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'Killer' weather rains on Asia Trophy parade

 

Paolo Di Canio described the pitch at the Hong Kong Stadium as a "killer" before the final day of the Barclays Asia Tropy - stereotypical Italian hyperbole right?

Wrong. After another session of furious rainfall, Manchester City's 1-0 win over Sunderland resembled a fixture from the 1970s as both sides skidded around a drenched, sandy surface.

It had bigger repurcussions for City as Matija Nastasic was stretchered off with an ankle injury, though Manuel Pellegrini refused to blame the pitch, stressing that it could have happened on any surface.

Andre Villas-Boas was less amused with the ankle problem Jan Vertonghen picked up in Tottenham's 3-1 semi-final loss to Sunderland though, adding: "We've lost one player through injury - and if I can be sincere I would prefer not to go ahead, but that's the reality."

Tottenham did go ahead though and escaped further problems as they trounced South China 6-0 in the game preceding the final.

As frustrating as it was for the managers and players involved, the nostalgic pitch provided plenty of entertainment for the observer.  
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Premier League managers shop at La Liga supermarket

 

Premier League managers are filling their squads with top Spanish talent this summer.

17 players have left La Liga for England already this summer, with Manchester City signing Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo, while Brendan Rodgers has brought Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto to Liverpool.

The spending appears unlikely to stop, as Manchester United continue to pursue Cesc Fabregas, and Arsenal remain in the hunt for Argentina international Gonzalo Higuain from Real Madrid.

And with Tottenham in talks to sign Roberto Soldado from Valencia, there could still be more Spanish flavour heading to the Premier League this summer. 
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De Laurentiis warns Cavani over leaving Napoli 'cradle'

 

Edinson Cavani is a transfer target for some of Europe's biggest clubs this summer, but Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is not convinced the striker should leave the club.

Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City all want the Uruguay international, though none of the interested parties are yet to activate his £53.7 million release clause.

And De Laurentiis has warned the 26-year-old against leaving Napoli for a club where he may not take centre stage.

"Napoli is a true cradle for Cavani, allowing his inner child to express himself and fulfill his potential," De Laurentiis said at a press conference.

"He knows that he is the star of the show here at Napoli and you never know whether this will also be the case at Real Madrid or anywhere else.

"We have already seen how [Diego] Forlan and [Luis] Suarez have outshone him for Uruguay and how this has affected his goalscoring record.

"I have little doubt that he will take all of this into consideration before making a decision. He will make a decision on his future and we will follow his direction." 

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Another target bites the dust as Man City snap up Fernandinho

 

In a stark contrast to last summer, Manchester City are stepping up their efforts to get their business done in good time before the new campaign gets underway.

The Premier League runners-up announced the signing of Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho from Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday, and the club are close to confirming the arrival of Jesus Navas from Sevilla.

Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, Malaga's Isco and Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara remain City's summer targets, while the club are still to confirm the appointment of Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager. 
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Dortmund - Malaga given Hollywood finale

 

In one of the most enthralling endings to a Champions League tie, Dortmund secured a place in the semi-finals after two injury-time strikes saw off Malaga.

Joaquin and a superb Robert Lewandowski effort set up a tense second half but it was the Spanish club who looked set for a semi-final spot after Eliseu struck in the 82nd minute.

But there was more to come from the match as Marco Reus netted in the 91st minute before Felipe Santana popped up with the decisive goal just moments before the final whistle.

"Up until now, our story has been like a Hollywood movie - hopefully it will have a Hollywood ending," Dortmund defender Neven Subotic told Uefa.

"This is the craziest moment in all of my footballing career. It has been a special match for everybody - for us and the fans." 
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Pellegrini's farewell

Real Madrid 7-0 Malaga

All your enemies are happy now

After the humiliation defeat against Barcelona, for sure all of Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinhorivals are happy and satisfied now, as he always used to criticize and mock other managers

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