African nations set for World Cup 2014 war

Saturday and Sunday sees the first legs of the final qualification round for the African nations as we gear towards World Cup 2014.

The first set of fixtures sees The Stallions (Burkina Faso) host The Desert Warriors (Algeria), while The Elephants (Ivory Coast) welcome The Lions of Teranga (Senegal) in Abidjan.

On Sunday The Black Lions (Ethiopia) take on The Super Eagles (Nigeria), The Eagles of Carthage (Tunisia) face The Indomitable Lions (Cameroon) and The Black Stars (Ghana) draw swords with The Pharaohs (Egypt).

All in all it promises to be colourful and entertaining at the very least.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013 09:49

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Wenger drinking from Arsenal's fountain of youth

Arsene Wenger is on the verge of extending his contract with Arsenal following the club's superb start to the Premier League season.

The Frenchman is in his 18th year at the club but is set to sign a new two-year extension to his £7.5 million-a-year deal taking him to two decades with the Gunners.

Wenger has come under fire from the club's fans after overseeing eight barren years in which the club have failed to win a notable piece of silverware.

However, the deadline day signing of £45m Mesut Ozil and a fine start to their campaign has seen the Gunners arrive at the summit of the Premier League after seven matches and prompt a new deal for the 63-year-old.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013 07:42

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'Perfect' Atletico flex their muscles

Atletico Madrid continued their sensational start to the season with a 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo on Sunday.

The victory sees Diego Simeone’s men maintain their 100 per cent record with star striker Diego Costa again on target, scoring both goals for the hosts.

Simeone described the first-half performance as “near perfect” and in stark contrast to neighbours Real Madrid who fell behind twice at Levante and needed a 94th minute goal from Cristiano Ronaldo to snatch victory.

Monday, October 7, 2013 11:46

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Dream come true for Moyes as another Manchester United star is born

After going a goal down against Sunderland on Saturday, David Moyes and Manchester United were in desperate need of inspiration to rescue three points from the Stadium of Light.

Step forward 18-year-old midfielder Adnan Januzaj, whose well-taken double in the space of six minutes ensured the Premier League champions would not suffer back-to-back defeats in the Premier League.

Sunday, October 6, 2013 07:30

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Cut it out! Wenger soaks smoker Wilshere

Jack Wilshere made headlines after being pictured smoking on a night out earlier this week, and Arsene Wenger has moved quickly to discourage his young midfielder.

In his Friday press conference, Wenger urged Wilshere to cut it out, but may be forced to go one step further if he does it again...

Saturday, October 5, 2013 12:00

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El Matador: Diego Costa switches to Spain

Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa has confirmed he wants to switch national allegiances from Brazil to Spain.

The 24-year-old has never represented the Selecao at any level and now has Spanish citizenship which entitles him to play for La Roja.

While Costa is ineligible for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers he has agreed to link up with the world champions and Vicente Del Bosque for future internationals.

Friday, October 4, 2013 11:49

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Oktoberfest: Bayern celebrate Manchester City thrashing

Bayern Munich are celebrating after enjoying a 3-1 thrashing over Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola’s side raced into an early lead through Franck Ribery before two goals in four minutes in the second half, from Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben, put the German side in cruise control.

Alvaro Negredo pulled a late goal back for Manuel Pellegrini’s men but it was scant consolation on a bad night for City, and goalkeeper Joe Hart in particular.

Thursday, October 3, 2013 11:49

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Don't touch Neymar!

Tuesday's Champions League fixtures saw plenty of action with protesters interrupting Basel's match with Schalke after abseiling into the stadium, while up in Scotland Barcelona inched past Celtic.

Cesc Fabregas was the hero for the Catalans heading home late on to secure victory for the Spanish champions and ensure heartbreak for Neil Lennon's men.

However, the main talking point was not Fabregas' goal but the red card which saw Scott Brown sent off on the hour mark for a kick at Neymar, a decision that did not go down well with the home fans.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013 11:43

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Ghost buster: Wenger hopes to avoid being haunted by Napoli

Arsenal take on Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday with manager Arsene Wenger set to face Gonzalo Higuain, a man he tried, and failed, to sign in the summer transfer window.

The Argentine striker, is not the only familiar face for the Gunners as Rafael Benitez brings his Serie A side to the Emirates Stadium, including goalkeeper Pepe Reina another one-time transfer target of the Gunners.

Wenger's men go into the game in confident mood, two points clear at the top of the early Premier League table, but will be hoping the ones that got away do not return to haunt his men.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013 11:46

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Taco the net: De Gea criticised over diet & training mentality

The reasons behind David de Gea's unsettled start in the Premier League have been explained by Manchester United's former goalkeeping coach Eric Steele.

The 22-year-old was criticised for some of his early performances at United and Steele has revealed the sub-par displays were down to a combination of poor diet and attitude in training.

"There were lifestyle issues," he told United We Stand fanzine. "He'd sleep two or three times a day. He'd have his main meal late at night. He'd eat too many tacos.

"We pushed protein drinks on him straight after training. We had him in the gym a lot. He hated it. They don't do the gym in Spain as much. We needed to build his core strength.

"He would finish training and want to go home. When I told him to come back in the afternoon he'd ask: 'Why?'

"There were times in his first season when he trained poorly. I told him that players made decisions for managers, not the other way around. That he should be first, not last out for training."

Monday, September 30, 2013 12:00

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