Miss-it Ozil can't fire Arsenal past Bayern

It had been billed as a big night for Arsenal's record signing Mesut Ozil, and he could have got off to a great start by netting an early penalty against Bayern Munich.

But his languid run-up, never a favourite among British crowds and commentators, was matched by a timid shot straight at Manuel Neuer, a giant in the Bavarians' goal all night.

With all his recent criticism coming to the fore, plus the thousands of fans behind the goal, the pressure proved to be far too much for Ozil.

Thursday, February 20, 2014 12:00

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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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Hooray! The Champions League is back again

It has been a long two months since the Champions League group stages came to a close and the last-16 ties were drawn out of the hat in Nyon. But fear no more!

Tonight signals the return of the top club competition in Europe - if not the world. It's Manchester City v Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen v Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

With Arsenal taking on Bayern Munich on Wednesday, and Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United, Chelsea and a whole host of other top teams in action over the coming weeks, you won't be short of star names and big performances. Rejoice!

Tuesday, February 18, 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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School bully: Mourinho teases 'failure' Wenger

The war of words is well under way between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, with the Chelsea boss labelling his rival as "a specialist in failure”.

Wenger had suggested Mourinho's reluctance to consider Chelsea as title contenders was down to a "fear to fail”, and this spat looks set to last for the remaining 12 Premier League games.

But can Wenger gain the upper hand in the battle of wits and guide Arsenal to their first league title in 10 years?

Saturday, 15 February 2014 12:00

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Kroos warned not to play poker with Bayern over contract

Mehmet Scholl has urged Toni Kroos not to ‘play poker’ with Bayern Munich over his contract situation.

The 24-year-old midfielder has yet to sign an extension to his current deal which expires in 2015, while Manchester United manager David Moyes was spotted with the player’s agent during a scouting trip in January.

"I think it's not wise for Toni to play poker too much with Bayern," Scholl told TZ.

"That's how it seems at the moment. His current wages are enough for him to have warm food on the table twice a day already!"

Friday, February 14, 2014 12:00

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Higuain eyes Maradona's crown

Gonzalo Higuain has set himself quite the task.

In similar fashion to Diego Maradona, the 26-year-old forward wants to help guide Argentina to the World Cup in Brazil before inspiring Napoli to the Serie A title.

"This is an important moment for me and for my career," Higuain told La Gazetta dello Sport.

"I want to do what Maradona did: first win the World Cup and then the Scudetto. He triumphed in Mexico with Argentina in 1986 and, a year later, he made Napoli go crazy.

"If I could do this it would really be the ultimate dream. I want to stay in Naples for a long time - here I'm going to be a king."

No pressure, Gonzalo.

Thursday, February 13, 2014 12:00

New version of the cartoon without Rafa

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