With the shocking resignation of Sunday Oliseh as the Super Eagles coach, Nigerians are still in the state of confusion, and are asking questions on why the gaffer resigned at the ‘eleventh hour’. The former Juventus and Borrussia Dortmund player called it quits with the national team sighting breach in contract by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and lack of support. Here are five major reasons that led to Oliseh’s resignation
1. Early exit from CHAN 2016: The shocking early exit of the Super Eagles at the 2016 edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda was a major set back for the former national team captain. Sunday Oliseh’s men failed to reach the knockout stages of the competition having succumbed 0 – 1 to Guinea in their last group game. The early exit at the competition encouraged Nigerian football fans to question the coach’s competence.
2. Reactions after Oliseh’s controversial video: The overwhelming condemnation of Oliseh by Nigerians after the controversial video is also a major factor.
It would be recalled that Oliseh in a two-part video called his critics insane and suggested that some set of people in the media asked him to pay bribe so they would write favorable reviews about his tenure.
Nigerians feasted on the the coach, with the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria giving him a seven-day ultimatum.
3. Uncertainty over AFCON qualification: With the crucial AFCON qualifyiing double-header against Egypt fast approaching, Sunday Oliseh may have decided to call it quits in order to prevent ‘being lynched’ in Kaduna if the Super Eagles fail to fly against the Pharaohs.
4. Incessant clashes with NFF over contractual terms: It is no news that both the NFF and the former coach have been having clashes as regards the contractual terms. Oliseh has on several occasions publicly criticized the football body for their failure to follow the statutes in the agreed contract. The 41-year-old complained severally that he is being owed and was not given a place to stay in the country, adding that he can no longer afford pay for his hotel bills.
5. Family pressure: During the Social Media Week Day-4, on the topic ‘Managing the Super Eagles in the Social Media Age with Sunday Oliseh’, which was anchored by Colin Udoh, the coach complained that his wife and children are not happy with him spending his personal earnings on the job. The former coach lamented he can no longer afford to travel with his personal money to see how his players are doing abroad.
– Arsenal lost ground – Jamie Vardy scored twice to keep Leicester top – United found their mojo again – In-form Tottenham trashed hapless Norwich Naij.com Sports
reviews the Round 24 of the EPL which was full of fine performances by
the main protagonists with Leicester recording a superb victory against
the tired Anfield side after their recent exertions, courtesy of Vardy’s
brace.
Manchester United rediscovered their passing game with a stunning
victory against Stoke to further ease the pressure on their beleaguered
manager.
In-form Tottenham also won their match emphatically against a docile
Norwich side while Manchester City maintained the pressure on Leicester
with their first victory since the appointment of Pep Guardiola as the
new manager.
Wayne Rooney celebrates his goal against Liverpool at Anfield
Manchester United 3-0 Stoke
United found their mojo back on a night of entertaining performance,
full of rythm and tempo – a throwback to the team under Ferguson. Easing
the pressure on the manager Louis van Gaal further.
Jesse Lingard opened the floodgate when latching onto Cameron
Bothwick-Jackson’s superb cross into the box with a planted header from
close range.
Anthony Martial showed a brilliant composure inside the box when put
through by Wayne Rooney to plant a stunning curled strike into the net
to double the advantage.
Wayne Rooney slotted home an easy finish from close range when
Martial returned the compliment to complete an emphatic victory for the
Old Trafford outfit.
West Brom 1-1 Swansea
Both teams tried to control the game but unsuccessfully, with their overall performances more or less similar.
Gyfil Sigurdsson put the away side in front in the 64th
minute with a clinical finish from a rebounded effort. Jose Rondon came
to the home side rescue in extra time with another rebounded strike to
share the points.
The new Swansea manager Francesco Guidolin will be happy with four
points in his first two matches but gutted not to have taken all the
three points on offer here.
West Ham player celebrates goal
West Ham 2-0 Aston Villa
The away side is as good as doomed for relegation, visibly lacking
confidence and composure. The plight not helped by the early send-off of
their main talisman Jordan Ayew.
It was not until the 58th minute that the home team were able to take advantage of the extra man.
Mark Noble’s lofted cross into the box found Michail Antonio in space
to head in off the post to open the scoring. The Hammers wrapped up the
points in the 85th minute when Cheikhou Kouyate slams the ball into the roof of the net.
West Ham was the better of the two sides with masterful control and movement.
Sergio Aguero
Sunderland 0-1 Manchester City
Neither team was able to control the flow of the game in the first
half, but the opposition’s slow build up play won the day in the end.
The decisive moment of the match came when Jesus Navas played a
square ball to Sergio Aguero who slotted home brilliantly into the right
corner of the net to beat Vito Mannone.
Aguero’s winner keeps the Etihad outfit in the hunt for the EPL
title, their first victory since Pep Guardiola was named the new manager
from next season. Meanwhile, Sunderland have to buckle their act
quickly to prevent relegation.
The magic moment when Jamie Vardy became a #BPL record-breaker
Leicester 2-0 Liverpool
Jamie Vardy single handedly won the match with a magnificient brace
to maintain Leicester’s three points lead at the top of the EPL.
The first half was full of thrilling moments and spectacular
opportunities with both teams having somewhat equal chances. The home
team stepped it up in the second, taking advantage of recent Liverpool
exertions.
The first goal by Vardy was a gloriously wonderful strike worthy of
winning any match, a potential goal of the season. The second was a
rebounded tap in from close range to maintain Leicester’s lead and dream
of winning the EPL.
Tottenham players. Credit: Getty
Norwich 0-3 Tottenham
The in-form Tottenham dominated the match with some beautiful and
attractive football while the home team attempts to beat the opposition
defence using mostly counter attack with no end result.
Harry Kane grabbed another brace in this one-sided affair. The first
goal of the match came courtesy of Dele Alli pouncing on Chritian
Eriksen’s rebounded effort. Kane doubled the tally from the spot with a
smoothly taken penalty after Sebastien Bassong’s foul.
Kane’s brace came from a break in the last minute to enhance Spurs
push to win the Premiership, disposing their fierce north London rival
to move to third place.
Arsene Wenger, Arsenal head coach
Arsenal 0-0 Southampton
The Gunners lost further ground on the leaders in their quest to win
the Premiership in this stalemate, putting their aspiration for the
title in doubt.
The Emirates club have now been overtaken by their fierce north
London rival, Tottenham. They dominated possessions without any telling
penetration to make it count, with all of the home side’s passes coming
to nothing.
Paul Merson has rated each Premier League club's transfer deals
The transfer window has closed - and every Premier League club must make do with what they have until the end of the season.
Did your club get the players they needed? Did they get good value for those that left?
We asked Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson to review the signings that each club has made and grade their January transfer business... ARSENAL: C-
Arsenal signed Mohamed Elneny in the January transfer window
In:Mohamed Elneny - Basel, £5m Out: Mathieu Debuchy - Bordeaux, Loan, Glen Kamara - Southend, Loan MERSE SAYS: They
get a C because they didn't do enough. Mohamed Elneny is nowhere near
enough. They definitely needed a defensive midfield player, but also a
forward. If Olivier Giroud gets injured then can Theo Walcott come in
and score enough goals in the last 15 games? ASTON VILLA: Z-
Philippe Senderos was allowed to leave Aston Villa
In:None Out:Callum
Robinson - Preston, Loan, Joe Cole - Coventry, Free, Gary Gardner -
Nottingham Forest, Loan, Joe Bennett - Sheffield Wednesday, Loan, Jose
Angel Crespo - Rayo Vallecano, Loan, Philippe Senderos - Released MERSE SAYS: What's the lowest I can give? How about a Z-?They've
done nothing. They've let some players go and I think they're just
preparing for the Championship. Even so, why not start buying players
now? Why not go and get Jordan Rhodes? They are virtually waving the
white flag and saying goodbye to the Premier League. BOURNEMOUTH: A-
Benik Afobe was a big arrival at Bournemouth
In:Juan
Iturbe - Roma, Loan, Benik Afobe - Wolves, £10m, Lewis Grabban -
Norwich, £7m, Marius Adamonis - Atlantas, Loan, Rhoys Wiggins -
Sheffield Wednesday, £200,000 Out:Jayden
Stockley - Exeter, Loan, Elliott Ward - Blackburn, Undisclosed, Yann
Kermorgant - Reading, Undisclosed, Lee Tomlin, Bristol City, Loan, Ryan
Allsop - Wycombe, Loan MERSE SAYS: I like what
they've done. They brought in Afobe and Grabban and they've said 'right,
we need to score goals' and fair play to them, they've had a go.
They've spent money and I do like the business they've done. CHELSEA: C-
Alexandre Pato poses with his new Chelsea shirt
In:Alexandre Pato - Corinthians, Loan, Matt Miazga - New York Red Bulls Out: Ramires
- Jiangsu Suning, Undisclosed, Papy Djilobodji - Werder Bremen, Loan,
Alex Kiwomya - Fleetwood, Loan, Charly Musonda - Real Betis, Loan,
Patrick Bamford - Norwich, Loan, Christian Atsu - Malaga, Loan, Mitchell
Beeney - Newport, Loan, Marco van Ginkel - PSV, Loan MERSE SAYS: Pato?
What's he done other than one good year in Milan? He must've thought it
was a joke when Chelsea rung him up! And how can you give Branislav
Ivanovic another year and not John Terry? You give him one because he's
John Terry, just to get the fans back on side. They're not going to be
playing Champions League football next year and it's going to be rocky -
especially with Pep Guardiola coming in at Man City - so why not give
him another year? CRYSTAL PALACE: B-
Emmanuel Adebayor signed for Crystal Palace
In: Emmanuel Adebayor - Free, Randall Williams - Tower Hamlets, Undisclosed Out: Jack Hunt - Sheffield Wednesday, Undisclosed, Jonny Williams - MK Dons, Loan MERSE SAYS:
With Emmanuel Adebayor, it could end up being a B+ signing or a D-
signing. That's what he's like. I'll give them B- for now because he
does have the potential to rip it up. EVERTON: C
Shani Tarashaj has joined Everton
In: Oumar Niasse - Lokomotiv Moscow, £13.5m, Shani Tarashaj - Grasshoppers Zurich, £3m, Matty Foulds - Bury, Undisclosed Out: Shani
Tarashaj - Grasshoppers Zurich, Loan, Steven Naismith - Norwich, £8.5m,
Liam Walsh - Yeovil, Loan, Jonjoe Kenny - Oxford Utd, Loan, Aiden
McGeady, Sheffield Wednesday, Loan MERSE SAYS: I
like Steven Naismith, I thought he was a good player for them. If I'm
being honest I don't know much about Oumar Niasse because I've never
seen him play. They've brought in players who are not proven, so they
could be really hit and miss. LEICESTER CITY: B
Leicester snapped up Demarai Gray
In: Demarai Gray - Birmingham, £3.75m, Daniel Amartey - FC Copenhagen, £5m, Daniel Iversen - Esbjerg, £200,000 Out: Andrej
Kramaric - Hoffenheim, Loan, Joe Davis - Fleetwood, Undisclosed, Jak
McCourt - Barnsley, Undisclosed, Alie Sesay - Barnet, Undisclosed, Joe
Davis - Fleetwood, Undisclosed, Tom Lawrence - Cardiff, Loan, Ritchie De
Laet - Middlesbrough, Loan, Yohan Benalouane - Fiorentina, Loan MERSE SAYS: I like what they're doing at the minute. They're having a good go, they're
looking and thinking 'right, we're going to need to score goals to win
the Premier League' and they play with a high tempo and work hard so you
do need players who are going to be 100 per cent. I like their business
and Demarai Gray is one for the future.LIVERPOOL: D
Steven Caulker joined Liverpool during the window
In:Marko Grujic - Red Star Belgrade, £5.1m, Steven Caulker - QPR, Loan Out: Marko Grujic - Red Star Belgrade, Loan, Ryan Fulton - Portsmouth, Loan MERSE SAYS: Their
business will be done in the summer. I think Jurgen Klopp's come in and
thought 'let's get this season out of the way now' and will be thinking
'this is a lot harder than I thought it would be'. I think they'll do
more business than anybody in the summer and there'll be more ins and
outs at Liverpool than at any other club. I think he's just waiting for
next season. You can't really give them a mark because they haven't done
anything, so it's just a D. MANCHESTER CITY: C
Anthony Caceres was a surprise arrival at Man City
In: Anthony Caceres - Central Coast Mariners, £150,000 Out: Shay
Facey - Rotherham, Loan, George Evans - Reading, Undisclosed, Ian
Lawlor - Bury, Loan, Patrick Roberts - Celtic, Loan, Enes Unal - NAC
Brada, Loan, Bruno Zuculini - AEK Athens, Loan MERSE SAYS: Pep
Guardiola to City was the worst kept secret in the world and I wonder
if they announced it on Deadline Day as a cover-up so that they don't
have to go and buy anybody. I think they've tried to pull the wool over
the fans' eyes by announcing Guardiola and not signing anybody. For me,
they still needed players this season. MANCHESTER UNITED: D
Victor Valdes finally departed Old Trafford
In: None Out: Victor
Valdes - Standard Liege, Loan, Ashley Fletcher - Barnsley, Loan, Ben
Pearson - Preston, Undisclosed, Liam Grimshaw - Preston, Undisclosed MERSE SAYS: I'm
very surprised they haven't signed anybody and now with Pep Guardiola
going to City, and Liverpool and Man City reaching the Capital One Cup
final, it doesn't get any better for them. You have to give them a D
because they haven't done anything. If a kid doesn't do his homework
then he's going to get a D - and they haven't done their homework. NEWCASTLE UNITED: A+
Steve McLaren was happy with new signing Jonjo Shelvey
In:Henri
Saivet - Bordeaux, £5m, Jonjo Shelvey - Swansea, £12m, Andros Townsend -
Tottenham, £12m, Seydou Doumbia, CSKA Moscow, Loan Out:Mike
Williamson - Wolves, £200,000, Shane Ferguson - Millwall, Undisclosed,
Florian Thauvin - Marseille, Loan, Gael Bigirimana - Coventry, Loan,
Kyle Cameron - York, Loan MERSE SAYS: They've had
a right go in the transfer market and it was 100 per cent the right
thing to do. I like what they've bought; Andros Townsend and Jonjo
Shelvey have played in the Premier League, they've played international
football, they always want to get on the ball and I really like that.
I'd be shocked if Newcastle went down now. NORWICH CITY: A
Steven Naismith scores on his Norwich debut
In: Steven
Naismtih - Everton, £8.5m, Timm Klose - Wolfsburg, £7.6m, Patrick
Bamford - Chelsea, Loan, Ivo Pinto - Dinamo Zagreb, Undisclosed, Matt
Jarvis - West Ham, £2.5m, Ben Godfrey - York City, Undisclosed, Ebou
Adams - Dartford, Undisclosed, James Maddison - Coventry, Undisclosed Out:Elliott
Bennett - Blackburn Rovers, Undisclosed , Lewis Grabban - Bournemouth,
£7m, Conor McGrandles - Falkirk, Loan, Gary Hooper - Sheffield
Wednesday, Undisclosed, Harry Toffolo - Peterborough, Loan, Jake Kean -
Colchester, Loan, Jamar Loza - Southend, Loan, James Maddison -
Coventry, Loan MERSE SAYS: I like Norwich and
I'll give them an A for effort as well for having a go in the market. I
like teams who have a go, I don't like people who sit there and think
'oh, I don't know, should we do this or that?' Why not try to keep
yourself in the division? SOUTHAMPTON: B
Ronald Koeman snapped up Charlie Austin
In: Charlie Austin - QPR, £4m Out: Sam McQueen - Southend, Loan MERSE SAYS: I
think they've nicked Charlie Austin at a good price. They've made one
signing and it depends how he carries on but I do like him. STOKE CITY: B+
Niall Quinn and Paul Merson give their reaction to Giannelli Imbula's Stoke move
In: Giannelli Imbula - Porto, £18.3m Out: Steve Sidwell - Brighton, Loan, Eddy Lecygne - Doncaster, Loan MERSE SAYS: It's
been a hard week for them, going out of the FA Cup and out of the
Capital One Cup but they've brought in a new £18m signing on Deadline
Day to lift the spirits of the fans. You have to wonder why they left it
to the last minute when they had the whole month? SUNDERLAND: C
Lorient defender Lamine Kone joined Sunderland
In: Lamine Kone - Lorient, £5m, Dame N'Doye - Trabzonspor, Loan, Jan Kirchhoff - Bayern Munich, Undisclosed, Steve Harper - Free Out: Steven
Fletcher - Marseille, Loan, Costel Pantilimon - Watford, Undisclosed,
Will Buckley - Birmingham, Loan, Danny Graham - Blackburn, Loan, Lynden
Gooch - Doncaster, Loan, Charis Mavrias - Fortuna Dusseldorf, Loan,
Sebastian Coates - Sporting Lisbon, Loan MERSE SAYS: This
is a hard one but you can't doubt Sam Allardyce because he does his
homework. He's got to bring defenders in who are going to keep them in
touch for the next five games because their next five fixtures are a
joke. Then after that, when they've got to win games, are they going to
have enough to win them because they haven't bought strikers? It could
go horribly wrong. If they do get draws and a few points in the hard
games then they've got to go and win games and I don't think he's got
the firepower to win them, apart from Jermain Defoe. SWANSEA CITY: C
Alberto Paloschi was a new arrival at Swansea
In: Alberto Paloschi - Chievo, £8m, Leroy Fer - QPR, Loan, Ryan Blair - Falkirk, Undisclosed Out: Jonjo Shelvey - Newcastle, £12m, Eder - Lille, Loan, Dan Alfei - Mansfield, Loan MERSE SAYS: I
didn't understand them letting Jonjo Shelvey go to a rival. It was good
money but it's not £100m, which is what you'll get if you stay up and
finish bottom of the Premier League next year. I don't think they've
done clever business and they've sold to the wrong people. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: D
Andros Townsend was allowed to leave Tottenham
In:Shilow Tracey - Ebbsfleet, Undisclosed Out: Andros
Townsend - Newcastle, £12m, Kenny McEvoy - Released, Shaquile
Coulthirst - Peterborough, Undisclosed, Federico Fazio - Sevilla, Loan,
Milos Veljkovic - Werder Bremen, Undisclosed, Grant Ward - Rotherham,
Loan, Alex Pritchard - West Brom, Loan MERSE SAYS: They
had to let Andros Townsend go and they've got a settled team so I
understand the lack of signings. It's been hard for them because the
same team has played virtually every week and if you bring someone in
and they don't play then you could look at it and think it's a waste of
money - but they're a couple of injuries away from being blown away. I
would probably have tried to get a world-class centre-half… but
everybody is looking for them. WATFORD: C
Mario Suarez made the move to Watford
In: Abdoulaye
Doucoure - Rennes, Undisclosed, Costel Pantilimon - Sunderland,
Undisclosed, Nordin Amrabat - Malaga, £6.1m, Mario Suarez - Fiorentina,
Undisclosed, Adalberto Penaranda - Granada, Undisclosed Out:Diego
Fabbrini - Birmingham, £1.5m, Alessandro Diamanti - Loan cancelled,
Connor Smith - AFC Wimbledon, Released, Uche Ikpeazu - Blackpool, Loan MERSE SAYS: I
think at the moment, we have to wait and see what these new signings
are like but they've had a go and I like that from teams who are trying
to stay in the league. WEST BROMWICH ALBION: A-
Saido Berahino is still a West Brom player
In: Sandro - QPR, Loan, Alex Pritchard - Tottenham, Loan Out: Anders Lindegaard - Preston, Loan, Adil Nabi - Peterborough, Undisclosed MERSE SAYS: I
think they've done all right, even though they haven't done much
business. People might think this is weird but I'm going for A- simply
for keeping Saido Berahino because he will score goals. He's a very good
player. WEST HAM UNITED: B+
Sam Byram signed for West Ham for a fee of £3.7m
In: Sam Byram - Leeds, Undisclosed, Emmanuel Emenike - Fenerbahce, Loan Out: Matt
Jarvis - Norwich, £2.5m, Diego Poyet - Charlton, Loan, Mauro Zarate -
Fiorentina, £1.6m, Lewis Page - Cambridge United, Loan, Elliott Lee -
Colchester, Loan, Stephen Hendrie - Southend, Loan MERSE SAYS: I
do like Sam Byram, I think he's good for the future and he has come in
at a good time with the injury to Carl Jenkinson. I'll give them a B+
because they've brought in a couple of solid players.
Super Eagles midfielder, Osas Okoro insists victory against Guinea
in today’s third preliminary game against Guinea at the ongoing 2016
African Nations Championship (Chan) is non-negotiable.
The Sunday Oliseh-tutored side will go toe to toe with the Syli
Nationale at Umuganda Stadium, Gisenyi with the victor progressing to
the last eight of the tournament.
Osas says the Super Eagles must take their destiny into their own hands by going for an outright win against the Syli.
“We will give our best against Guinea to make sure we come out
victorious at the end of the game,” Okoro told reporters in Kigali.v
Okoro has been impressive at the tournament; netting in Nigeria’s
opening 4-1 win over Niger and playing a starring role in the side’s
second game -a 1-1 draw with Tunisia which saw him being named man of
the match. GETTING SET: Super Eagles train ahead of today’s cracker against Guinea
The 25-year-old Enugu Rangers man says determination has been key to his consistent performances at the CHAN.
“My level of determination and seriousness plus the motivation given
to us by the coach (Sunday Oliseh) before matches have been important.
“I felt so excited when I was named man-of-the-match for the game
against Tunisia.
“I was not disappointed that we did not win the game against Tunisia because the game was not an easy one.
“Getting a point against a side as strong as Tunisia is a good result,” he said.
Swansea's Andre Ayew is a transfer target for Sunderland
Sunderland have offered £10m and striker Fabio Borini for Swansea City forward Andre Ayew, Sky sources understand.
The Black Cats have been pursuing Ayew for several weeks and
are understood to have made an initial approach for the player 10 days
ago.
The Ghana international has been one of the better performers
in an otherwise disappointing campaign for Swansea, scoring eight
Premier League goals.
Fabio Borini has been offered as part of a deal to sign Ayew
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce confirmed last week that he still wants to sign a defender and an attacker, having already brought in Bayern Munich defender Jan Kirchhoff and Trabzonspor striker Dame N'Doye this month.
Allardyce
had refused to comment publicly on using Borini as part of an offer for
Ayew, saying: "I can't speculate on that. Me saying I'm willing to use
Fabio would upset Fabio; me saying that Ayew is definitely someone I
want for this club means that Swansea could say I have upset this player
by saying that I actually want him."
Swansea manager Alan Curtis has previously confirmed his interest in Borini but had spoken of his reluctance to allow Ayew to leave the club as part of the transfer.
"Fabio
would be one of a number of players whose name has been mentioned,"
said Curtis. "But the talk of Andre going there as some sort of part of
the deal is wide of the mark.
"I spoke to the chairman just to
clarify the situation and he assures me that there is no way that Andre
will be allowed to leave during this window.
"On that basis, whether Fabio was part of a deal involving Andre I don't know, but certainly Andre is out of the deal."
But
Sky sources believe Shakhtar are holding out for £35m for Teixeira, and
are in no rush to sell their biggest asset as they continue to press
for their domestic title.
Shakhtar are currently in the United States as part of a winter training camp. Jurgen Klopp has so far refused to comment about Teixeira,
who would give Liverpool's striking options a boost in the absence of
the injured Daniel Sturridge, Danny Ings and Divock Origi.
Is Ryan Shawcross solution to Liverpool's defensive problems?
Phil Thompson admits he is
relieved to see Stoke's Ryan Shawcross ruled out of the Capital One Cup
semi-final second leg against Liverpool on Tuesday - and believes the
defender would be an "ideal" signing for the Reds.
The
Soccer Saturday pundit believes the 28-year-old would be a perfect
solution to his former side's defensive vulnerability, having seen them
concede more goals than any other side in the top half of the Premier
League this season.
Jurgen Klopp's side have also conceded a
league-high eight goals from corners and Thompson believes Shawcross
would be the perfect solution to Liverpool's defence.
Thompson told Sky Sports:
"When Liverpool evaluate at the end of the season and look at the sort
of goals they conceded, I wouldn't be averse to see them looking towards
Shawcross as a solution.
Shawcross is out of the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg with a back injury
"In
fact I think he would be absolutely ideal and he's been one of the most
underrated centre-backs over the last five seasons. You just have to
look at Stoke's stats with and without him."
Liverpool take a 1-0
lead back to Anfield thanks to Jordon Ibe's strike at the Britannia two
weeks ago, but Thompson is wary that Jurgen Klopp's side have struggled
with the favourites tag this season.
He
added: "I would think it's still going to be difficult. It's like that
with Liverpool at the moment. Stoke were perhaps a bit complacent in the
first game and didn't expect Liverpool to be as dominant as they were.
"Being
1-0 up, you'd usually be thinking Wembley is close, but with this side
it seems to be the bigger the challenge the better you going to get from
them.
"The boot might be on the other foot this time, and while
Liverpool won and Stoke lost badly at the weekend, it's certainly not
over and I'm expecting an extremely tight tie."
Arsene Wenger labelled Diego Costa 'clever'
after the striker was involved in the incident which saw Per
Mertesacker sent off during Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.
Mertesacker was shown a straight red by referee Mark
Clattenburg after just 18 minutes at the Emirates for bringing down
Costa when he was in on goal.
The forward, who was involved
Gabriel's red card against Chelsea earlier this season, gave the
visitors the lead five minutes later with a strike that eventually
handed the visitors all three points, leaving Arsenal boss Wenger
frustrated.
"We had a mountain to climb with 10 men but even then, I believe
there was enough there to come away with a 1-1 draw," Wenger told Sky Sports.
"We cannot influence the decision of the referee. Costa got two player sent off in two games on our side so he's clever.
"Mertesacker made the challenge but I said he got Mertesacker sent off. You cannot say it's not true."
He added: "In the first game he got Gabriel sent off and today he got Mertesacker sent off.
"Did
he touch him or not? I will have to watch it again but the fact is the
fact. I do not accuse him of anything it's just what happened."
Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger says the defeat will cause 'emotional damage'
Defeat
means Arsenal have now not beaten Chelsea in their last nine Premier
League meetings, but Wenger was pleased with his team's efforts.
"It's such a shame to put so much energy into a game and come away with nothing," he said.
"Overall
I felt we gave absolutely everything until the end and we should come
out of the game with at least a 1-1, even though we were down to 10 men.
"We
had many opportunities, maybe not clear cut but you think one of them
we should take. That's our regret that the team put so much effort in
and you come out without any points. "
Arsenal are third in the Premier League, level on points with Manchester City but three points adrift of leaders Leicester.
However, Wenger still believes his side are in what he thinks will be a tight race until the end.
"The
emotional damage is there because of the disappointment but what is
important is the points more than emotional damage," he said.
"It hasn't changed. It will be very tight until the end and that you have many teams involved in it."
Louis van Gaal concedes he is not living up to the
standards demanded by Manchester United supporters
Louis van Gaal has accepted that he is failing to match the expectations of the Manchester United fans.
On Saturday, Charlie Austin's 87th minute header condemned United to a 1-0 defeat against Southampton at Old Trafford, with Van Gaal targeted by a certain section of supporters at the final whistle.
The
defeat has left United in fifth place in the Premier League table, five
points off Tottenham in the fourth and final Champions League spot.
points off Tottenham in the fourth and final Champions League spot.
Van Gaal saw his side slump to a 1-0 defeat at home to Southampton
With
only 15 matches remaining in the season, pressure is mounting on Van
Gaal and the Dutchman admits he is struggling to live up to standards
demanded by the United faithful.
"I'm very disappointed that I cannot reach the expectations of the fans," the United manager said.
"They have - or they had - great expectations of me, and I cannot fulfil them, so I am very frustrated because of that."
United
have scored just 28 times in the Premier League this season and the
blank against Southampton was the eighth time they have failed to score
in a league match.
When asked about the jeering he received at
the final whistle, Van Gaal added: "I agree with them, so it doesn't
have any impact [on me].
"They have also knowledge of football, of entertaining football, and you have to play football to entertain the fans.
"[On Saturday], I don't think we have entertained the fans, so they can be very angry."
Van
Gaal has spent in excess of £250m since being appointed as United's
manager in 2014, but bridled at the suggestion he has been wasteful in
the transfer market.
Charlie Austin (centre) celebrates scoring the Saints' winning goal at Old Trafford
"We have also sold a lot of players. I never read that," he said.
"You
know when Manchester United is coming, we have to pay much more than
another club, so that's also an analysis, and it is not rubbish what I
am saying.
Jamie Vardy and Leicester beat Chelsea 2-1 at the King Power Stadium
Goals from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez helped Leicester to a 2-1 win over champions Chelsea on Monday Night Football.
Leicester 2-1 Chelsea
Leicester moved back to the top of the Premier
League with a stunning 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
The result took the Foxes back to the top of the Premier League but how are they doing it?
With
Jamie Carragher and Frank Lampard suggesting that Leicester could have
the three best players in the Premier League right now, Adam Bate takes a
look at their standout stars…
Leicester moved back to the top of the Premier League table
More magic from Mahrez
"He's brilliant," said Carragher on Monday Night Football.
"Some of the things we are seeing. He's doing things with that left
foot that I only see Messi do." High praise but understandable given
Mahrez's stunning performances so far this season.
Mahrez
dispossessed Cesar Azpilicueta in the opening minutes and promptly
nutmegged Eden Hazard for the game's first shot on target. He hit the target again before delivering the assist for the opening goal - an early cross that outfoxed the Chelsea defence.
His goal was even better. Azpilicueta has been one of the finest
full-backs in the Premier League but he had no way of dealing with the
Algerian winger. Mahrez is now the third highest scorer and ranks second
for top-flight assists this season - meaning he has directly
contributed to more goals than any other player.
Premier League 2015/16 - Goal contributions
Player
Team
Goals
Assists
Total
Riyad Mahrez
Leicester
11
7
18
Jamie Vardy
Leicester
15
2
17
Romelu Lukaku
Everton
12
4
16
Mesut Ozil
Arsenal
2
13
15
Vardy outperforming Costa
"Jamie
Vardy, he's scored more than you." The Leicester fans weren't quite
correct but the point stands. Vardy has scored 15 Premier League goals
this season, while Chelsea have 18. However, given that three of them
were own goals, he does have as many as the entire Chelsea squad.
There's
no mystery to it. Once again, Vardy impressed with his work rate from
the outset, winning a block as he rushed Kurt Zouma and prompting a
panicked clearance from Thibaut Courtois soon after. There was the
quality to match with his fine finish for the opening goal.
Diego
Costa couldn't match that quality with his finishing - he was denied by
Kasper Schmeichel with a one-on-one opportunity. The Chelsea forward's
aggression in leading the line was a significant part of his team's
success last season but now it's Vardy scoring goals and defending from
the front.
N'Golo Kante (14) started the move for Leicester's opening goal
Kante crucial for Leicester
All
aboard the N'Golo Kante bandwagon. There can be no denying that Vardy
and Mahrez have been the heroes of Leicester's season but it simply
isn't possible to drag a team to the top of the table without efforts
from elsewhere - just ask Willian.
Kante set the tone by twice
dispossessing Willian in the first minute of the match and he's been
doing stuff like that all season. No player in the Premier League has
made more interceptions and he's among the top three for tackles too.
Kante's running stats
N'Golo Kante covered 12.2 kilometres, more than any other player on the pitch.
Against
Chelsea, Kante won possession of the ball more times than anyone else
on the pitch. He also covered more ground than any other player and did a
job on the right flank in the latter stages. But it's not all
destructive. Kante's forward pass started the move for the game's
opening goal.
Premier League 2015/16 - Interceptions
Player
Team
Interceptions
N'Golo Kante
Leicester
66
Yohan Cabaye
Crystal Palace
60
Laurent Koscielny
Arsenal
52
Dogged defensive display
Just
as Chelsea are a team seemingly crippled by a crisis of confidence,
Leicester's success is spreading with the efforts of these three players
proving inspirational to others. The defenders know that if they do
their job then they will win games and that seems to be having a
galvanising effect.
Wes Morgan relished his battle with Costa and even when the back-line
was breached, Schmeichel saved from Costa and soon after there was a
corner cleared off the line by Christian Fuchs. "Leicester look like a
team who should be at the top of the table," said Carragher afterwards.
Clearly,
there are some standout performers - "I think they've got the best
three players in the Premier League at the moment in Mahrez, Vardy and
Kante," added Carragher - but team is the key word at the
moment. Ranieri promised them a pizza if they kept a clean sheet earlier
this season. There may be bigger prizes ahead if Leicester continue
along this path.
Ferrari have warned they
could leave Formula 1 in protest against the new rules expected to be
proposed by the sport's supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, and FIA president
Jean Todt.
After Ferrari vetoed proposals to place a cost-cap on customer engines,
the World Motor Sport Council have appointed Ecclestone and Todt 'to
make recommendations and decisions regarding a number of pressing issues
in Formula One such as governance, Power Units and cost reduction' by
the end of January.
But with Ferrari adamantly opposed to the
introduction of budget engines, the battle lines appear to have been
drawn for an epic power struggle to determine F1's future direction -
with the Scuderia, the sport's most famous team, warning they are
prepared to quit F1 if their concerns aren't mollified.
"Ferrari
would find other ways to express its ability to race and to win," said
president Sergio Marchionne during the team's annual Christmas media
briefing.
"It would be a huge shame [if Ferrari quit F1], but Ferrari cannot be put in a corner on its knees and say nothing."
Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene in discussions
with his Mercedes counterparts at the Malaysia GP
Marchionne,
whose avuncular appearance defies a reputation for ruthlessness, also
revealed that Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault - three of the four existing
engine manufacturers in the sport - objected to Ecclestone and Todt
being given such a sweeping mandate to dictate F1's next step.
"We
go to the track to prove to ourselves and to everyone our ability to
manage the power unit. If we begin to undermine this advantage, Ferrari
has no intention of racing," he continued.
"I understand very well
the difficulties that smaller teams face, but this is something that
FOM [Formula One Management] has to solve. It is not something Ferrari
has to solve."
For his part, a defiant Ecclestone has shown no
sign of backing down by accusing Ferrari and Mercedes of threatening to
"destroy" the sport.
"We're trying to save the sport and these people are trying to save it for their own good," he complained to the BBC.
According
to Ecclestone, Ferrari have already written to the FIA declaring that
the governing body had breached its contract with the teams by giving him and Todt a mandate to rewrite the rules.
While Mercedes and Ferrari are expected to be in close
combat on track in 2016, they have become formidable allies off it
While esoteric to most fans,
the escalating war of words in the fight to control the future of F1 is
poised to overshadow the build-up to the new 2016 season when, somewhat
ironically, it is hoped that Ferrari and Mercedes will put the sport
back on track with a head-to-head in a battle for the world
championships.
Off track, however, the stage has been set for a contest equally fierce - and difficult to predict.
'The
whole engine saga will run and run these next few months, and in
reality it's just a political football while we have an arm wrestle
about who now controls F1. Mercedes and Ferrari have become all powerful
with the only decent engines on the grid,' wrote Sky F1 pundit Martin
Brundle after last month's Brazilian GP.
'Toto Wolff at Mercedes,
like his engine, has plenty of horsepower, and is a smart and pragmatic
racer but one who also has to report to a more senior board. The man who
intrigues me is Sergio Mar-chionne of Ferrari (and many other
organisations). He is a more in-dividually empowered but much less
experienced F1 player, who at the same time can be rather brutal I'm
told. He's not going to run away from a fight or be intimidated.
'Those
two against a relatively passive FIA and an ageing Bernie Ecclestone
with plenty of other things on his desk to sort out day by day, minute
by minute, will be an interesting battle. You still have to get up very
early in the morning to outsmart Bernie on an F1 issue.'
Jose Mourinho says he felt "betrayed" by his players in Chelsea's dramatic 2-1 defeat by Leicester on Monday Night Football.
The Blues have now lost nine of their opening 16 games and
sit just one point off the relegation zone in the Premier League after defeat at the King Power Stadium.
Clearly unhappy with his side's performance, Mourinho told Sky Sports:
"They deserved to win because they were better than us during a longer
period of time. I think we were the best team, I will say for 20 to 25
minutes, maximum 30 minutes. They were the best team for one hour.
"They were very consistent and very focused. They didn't make any
mistakes. They were aggressive with everybody playing high intensity,
high tempo with a great mentality. It was difficult for us and then we
conceded two goals that are unacceptable to me because I know one of my
best qualities is to read the game for my players.
"It is to read
the opponent and identify every detail about the opponent. These two
goals, the movement of Vardy between the two central defenders then the
cross with the left foot. Then Mahrez in the box one against one - I
want one against two because I want the midfield player to close the
best foot.
"[The] two goals are difficult to accept because I feel like my work was betrayed."
With
his side now 14 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, many
believe Mourinho's side will be unable to secure the Champions League
place they so crave.
Lampard on Chelsea
The Blues legend on troubles at the Bridge
And it appears the Chelsea boss feels the same. When he was asked if the top four has "gone", he replied: "Yes. Clearly, yes."
Most Chelsea fans still believe Mourinho is the man to take the club forward, but something needs to change.
The Blues boss asked what is needed to get the team going, and he
replied: "Well, I don't know another way than work at the top level
which is what I do every day and again I have to be honest and say
day-by-day in training, I have no complaints with the players.
"If
I look to some matches, I feel frustrated with the difference between
what they do in training and what they do in matches. I have to be
honest with them and say that every day in training, I enjoy to work
with them because they want to work."
