FC Barcelona Cancel Player's Contract Just 6 Hours After Signing Over Abusive Tweets

Lesson, take your social media profile serious!

FC Barcelona have taken the remarkable step of cancelling Sergi Guardiola's contract mere hours after signing him, after learning of abusive tweets penned by their new recruit.

​​24-year-old Guardiola was signed for Barcelona's B team after impressing on a trial, and the club had posted the standard pictures of the player signing a contract on their website accompanied by the news that he had signed.

However, just hours later, a horde of angry fans had made the club aware of a series of abusive tweets aimed at the club and Catalonia - the region Barcelona are in - as well as snippets praising bitter rivals Real Madrid.

As soon as the club realised, they ripped up Guardiola's contract and deleted the story from their website, before revealing to their fans just what they'd done with Guardiola via the club's website.

"FC Barcelona has decided to terminate the contract signed with Sergi Guardiola, after finding that he had published offensive tweets about the club and Catalonia," Barcelona posted through ​the clubs official site.

 The player himself has since commented on the story, claiming that the tweets posted to his profile were not done by him. Speaking to Onda Cero, as reported by ​skysport , Guardiola begged for forgiveness as well as pleading his innocence.

"I apologise to Barca and to Catalonia," Guardiola said. "It is a misunderstanding. I didn't write [the tweets], it was in 2013 and I didn't even know they existed.

"It was put on my profile, but it wasn't me. I ask for forgiveness a thousand times - I have learned a difficult lesson."

Source: 90min 

Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have today parted company by mutual consent.

All at Chelsea thank Jose for his immense contribution since he returned as manager in the summer of 2013.

His three league titles, FA Cup, Community Shield and three League Cup wins over two spells make him the most successful manager in our 110-year history. But both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways.

The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea. His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge.

The club’s focus is now on ensuring our talented squad reaches its potential.

There will be no further comment until a new appointment is made. 

Chelsea FC official statement

Reports: Chelsea sacks Mourinho

According to Sky sports, Chelsea manager has been sacked! 

We all saw it coming, didn't we?

BREAKING: Chelsea submit planning application for a new 60,000 capacity stadium at Stamford Bridge.

According to Chelsea official website, a planning application of a new stadium at Stamford Bridge with an expanded seating capacity has been submitted.

This application will now be examined by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Here are the main details of the application:

- Stadium seating capacity to expand from 41,600 to 60,000 spectators

- An outstanding view of the stadium from every seat

- An arena designed to create an exciting atmosphere

- Direct access to and from Fulham Broadway Station, making travel more efficient

- Stadium facilities improved for every area

Lionel Messi says Luis Suarez should be on Ballon d'Or shortlist

I thought i was the only one who thinks so.........

Suarez was the only member of Barcelona's famed 'MSN' to fail to make the final shortlist for the award, which recognises the best player on the planet in the previous 12 months.

The Uruguay striker has scored 40 goals in the calendar year so far and starred in the champions’ league final.

The other nomination for the award, Cristiano Ronaldo, has a staggering 48 goals for club and country in the same period, but Real Madrid ultimately went trophyless and his form for the La Liga giants has been criticised in recent weeks.

Now Messi and Neymar have both suggested Suarez would have been a deserving entry for the Ballon d'Or, which is awarded in January.

Speaking at the La Liga awards, Messi said: "I'd have liked to be on the Ballon d'Or podium with Neymar and Luis. Luis deserved it, but Cristiano also did well. We'll have a good time."

Neymar added: "Being nominated for Ballon d'Or means a lot. Suarez should have been there too, but Messi is favourite, he's the number one for me."

Messi enjoyed another victory over his old rival Ronaldo after he was voted the top striker in the Spanish league last season.

It is the sixth time that the Argentinian has won the title in seven editions of the trophy given by the Spanish football league. Messi was selected following a computer analysis of the players' statistics in the championship.

"I'm proud to receive this award ahead of so many important players in La Liga," said Messi.

"This award in particular I want to dedicate to my son Thiago (aged 3) even if he still doesn't understand very well. Every time I leave the house he gets angry and asks me: 'Papa, are you going again to score goals?' This award is for him."

Messi also won the vote for the best striker following a poll of the captains of each of Spain's top flight sides.

Barcelona's Claudio Bravo was voted the best goalkeeper and Luis Enrique top coach while Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez were named best defender and midfielder respectively.

Valencia's Algerian midfielder Sofiane Feghouli was voted the top African player and Barcelona's Brazilian striker Neymar, the best player from the American continent.

Real Madrid's Portuguese star Ronaldo, who scored the most La Liga goals last season with 48, won the public's choice award.

Manchester City's owners have sold 13 per cent stake in the club

Manchester city owners have sold a 13 per cent stake in the club's parent company to Chinese investors.

The City Football Group (CFG), parent company of the two-time Premier League champions, has sold the stake to a consortium of CMC (China Media Capital) and investment company CITIC Capital.

The investment of $400million (£265million), which is subject to regulatory approval in some territories, follows six months of talks and is aimed at expanding CFG's interests in the Chinese football industry.

The deal sees new shares issued in CFG in addition to those owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), the investment and Development Company privately owned by Sheikh Mansour of the Abu Dhabi royal family.

Prior to the investment ADUG was the sole shareholder of CFG which owns Manchester City, New York City FC, Melbourne City FC and is a minority shareholder in Yokohama F. Marinos.

CMC chairman Ruigang Li will represent the consortium at CFG by becoming its seventh board member.

Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of CFG, said: "Football is the most loved, played and watched sport in the world and in China, the exponential growth pathway for the game is both unique and hugely exciting.

"We have therefore worked hard to find the right partners and to create the right deal structure to leverage the incredible potential that exists in China, both for CFG and for football at large."

Li said: "With its unique business model and distinct successes, City Football Group, whom we have come to know well, represents a differentiated systematic approach to building a global platform for football know-how, player development, academy programmes and commercial partnerships that will benefit China's football industry on multiple levels.

"We and our consortium partner CITIC Capital also see this investment as a prime opportunity for furthering the contribution of China to the global football family."

Wenger - Title race too close to call............

Arsène Wenger says the Premier League title race is too close to call.

With just over a third of the season gone, only four points separate the top five - with the Gunners in fourth place.

And Wenger refuses to count out champions Chelsea, despite their struggles this season.

“Mathematically you cannot rule them out - even the bottom teams are in it,” he said. “It is so difficult. It is so tight and I don’t even look at the league anymore because it is very, very tight.

“Last week we had a bad result against West Brom and so did Manchester City [against Liverpool] so it compacted the whole table.

“I believe it is a big opportunity for us but many teams can tell you that. We are in a position where you want to be after 13 games but there are 25 to go.

“If there’s five or six to go and we are in the race, of course [we are contenders]. I think we have a chance but it is very early. I know people always want to know what will happen in the future but let’s take care of the game on Sunday.”

Having lost at West Brom, Wenger is confident his side will bounce back in style at Norwich City on Sunday.

“It was a bad result - but on the day everything went against us,” he said. “They had one shot on target and scored two goals - that will not always happen.

“On top of that we missed a penalty and scored an own goal, so we had a nightmare. It was an unlucky day, that can happen in a season but after it is how you respond to that and we did that well on Tuesday 

According to Arsenal website

Manchester United suffered from a "serious lack of quality", according to Matt Le Tissier.

Man untied fans, No bad feelings o! but i think Matt is right on this one.

United's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League hang in the balance after a tepid affair at Old Trafford. The result leavs United in second place in Group B, just a point above PSV in third and facing a trip to first-place Wolfsburg in the final game. 

A win against the German side would see United finish top of the group but if PSV win at home to bottom side CSKA Moscow, a defeat or draw for United in Wolfsburg would see them drop out of the competition and into the Europa League. 

A win would have seen Louis van Gaal's side through on Wednesday night, but Le Tissier says United ran out of ideas in the second half, and was surprised Juan Mata was not brought on until the 85th minute.

He told Soccer Special: "The amount of chances they created, the amount of shots on target, they had more than PSV but there just seemed to be a serious lack of quality in terms of creating anything, certainly in the second half.

"The first half they weren't bad, they had spells there and created some chances but in the second half they just seemed to run out of ideas and looked like they ran out of energy at the end.

"Morgan Schneiderlin, who I like as a player, had one of his worst games in a United shirt; he gave the ball away more than I've ever seen him give the ball away.

"I was very surprised that Juan Mata was not brought on sooner than he was, six minutes from the end when he finally came on.

"You could see there wasn't a lot of creativity going on in that Man United midfield. You've got a player sat on the bench who's not the perfect player but the one thing he'll do is create things.

"It just amazed me that they went with the [Marouane] Fellaini option before Mata. I would have expected Mata to have come on after an hour or so."

Van Gaal's side were met with boos at the final whistle by the home crowd, with Jesse Lingard's miscued effort from inside the area with 17 minutes remaining the only clear-cut chance in the second half.

Le Tissier added: "United will look at the game and think they created the better of the chances and Jesse Lingard will probably be kicking himself tonight because he probably had the best chance of the whole football match in the second half.

"The United midfield just did not dominate the game like they should do at home against a team like PSV. You'd think they'd be able to impose themselves a little bit more on them.

"PSV looked fairly comfortable, certainly through that second half and as the second half wore on, they looked the more likely side to go on and win the game."

source: skysports

Arsene Wenger has admitted he is prepared to spend in January in order to boost Arsenal’s title challenge.

The Gunners dropped to fourth in the Premier League table after losing 2-1 to West Brom last weekend and will look to bounce back on Sunday when they travel to Carrow Road to take on Norwich.

Much to the dismay of many Arsenal fans, the club's only signing of the summer was goalkeeper Petr Cech, who arrived in a £10m deal from London rivals Chelsea.

Details of the club's accounts released in September revealed cash reserves of close to £200m and Wenger revealed he is willing to spend in January to aid Arsenal's push for their first league title since 2004 - but only if he can get a player he feels will improve his squad.

"We are in a position where we want to do something," Wenger said at his weekly press conference. "If I find the right quality I will do something."

With the impressive Francis Coquelin ruled out for at least three months after limping off against West Brom with an ankle injury, Wenger has been forced to reassess his options in central midfield.

Ahead of 'Black Friday', Wenger was asked if he would be bargain hunting for a replacement but - while admitting he loves a bargain - the Frenchman said Arsenal are willing to spend big for the right player.

Wenger said: "Who doesn't love a bargain? What is for us a bargain is to buy top quality as only top quality strengthens our squad.

"Patrick Vieira cost £2.5 million and was a top bargain, first of all because he was a top quality player.

"We spent £40 million on Ozil and I still consider it a bargain because we got a top quality player."

Arsenal received some positive news on the injury front this week as Aaron Ramsey returned to action as a substitute in Tuesday's win over Dinamo Zagreb.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could return at Carrow Road while fellow England international Theo Walcott is back in training and is close to a comeback.

However Alexis Sanchez and Joel Campbell both sustained minor injuries in the win and Wenger said he will assess their fitness over the weekend to determine their availability against the Canaries.

"Sanchez had a little hamstring alarm but we will see how he recovers from that," Wenger said. "Joel Campbell had a little calf problem so I will assess all that Friday, latest Saturday."

Source: skysports

Check out Manchester untied fans reaction from their Champions league clash against PSV (social media)

Once again Fellaini came under attack from Untied fan on twitter. Man u fans!!!!! una no get chill. Check out the tweets.........

Neymar now just behind Lionel Messi as second best player in the world, says Guillem Balague

In his weekly column, Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague answers your questions and says Neymar is now the second best player in the world behind Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi.

 Neymar was at it again at the weekend, scoring twice, including a spectacular volley as Barcelona beat Villarreal 3-0 at the Nou Camp.

In Lionel Messi's absence, Neymar has become Barcelona's talisman, firing 10 goals in his last seven matches in all competitions and Balague thinks the Brazil international is now just behind his Argentine team-mate in the best player in the world rankings.

Neymar has 10 goals in his last seven games… Would he have to leave to become the world's best? Other than the absence of Messi, what has contributed to his rise in form? -Steve

Neymar was fantastic against Villarreal. If you see him play he starts on the left and comes inside a lot to get involved with the ball and he has doubled the amount of touches of the ball, assists and goals he had in the same period with Lionel Messi in the side as without him.

In the absence of the injured Messi, Luis Enrique needed someone to step up and do at least some of the job that the he does for the team. But Neymar is a striker, while Messi is the more complete player. He can play as a midfielder or a striker and you have to say Barca is a better team with Messi in the side. However, you have to say Neymar has got the ability to challenge to be the No 1 player in the world.

When Messi comes back, and it's not certain he will be ready for the Clasico, Neymar will humbly move back to the wide areas and start running without the ball. He will run in behind the opposition defences to make Messi better. It's only logical because Messi is the best in the world.

However, the next question is how long can Neymar keep doing this when he knows he has the ability to become the best? That's why there has been contact with Manchester United and there will continue being so.

Barcelona wants him to renew his contract this season but the Brazilian forward is not in a rush. That's partly down to the fact he has to decide if he wants to stay with Barcelona or if he wants to move to a club that will make a team for him.

What's interesting is that he is now the second best player in the world, in my opinion. There's Messi in first and now Neymar is in second. Cristiano Ronaldo is at a different level now. Basically he has peaked. I have said this before and got a lot of stick but I think it's pretty obvious to see. He's only scored in one third of the games this season. Ronaldo is now thinking about his future and whether he will be ruled by his heart and go back to Manchester United or be ruled by his head and move to PSG, which is recommended by everyone around him. I think he is getting closer and closer to Paris as time goes by.

If you ask me, Neymar can't be this happy in another team.... 

That's not a team Rafa would pick -Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher has questioned whether Rafa Benitez is being placed under pressure from above over his team selection at Real Madrid.

The former Liverpool manager had gone unbeaten in his first 14 games in charge of the Spanish club, but Saturday's 4-0 thrashing at home to Barcelona was their second loss on the bounce and the home fans vented their fury by waving white handkerchiefs - a Spanish symbol of disrespect - in the closing stages.

Florentino Perez called a press conference on Monday evening to give his backing to his manager, but Carragher has questioned whether the Real Madrid president is getting involved in team affairs.

Carragher worked with Benitez for six years at Liverpool and was staggered to see him leave out defensive midfielder Casemiro in favour of an attacking line-up for El Clasico.

"Either the people above him have got involved or maybe he's bowed to media pressure or the players, I just don't know.

"You look at the team and he's not gone in with a holding midfield player - Rafa would normally play two. His best player this season has been Casemiro and he's left him out.

"No he wouldn't be influenced to pick a certain team, not the Rafa Benitez I knew at Liverpool. He was very strong-willed, no one would ever change him. He was very strong in his own beliefs.

"He wouldn't waiver, even if a player was speaking to him about something he would say 'no, this is what you're doing.' He'd never admit when he was wrong or if he got something wrong."

He added: "I don't know if there's something where he's maybe getting pressure from the owner - 'we've bought these big stars and they need to play' - and he's said 'ok let's play them against Barcelona, that's what happens. You see the results'."

Benitez replaced Carlo Ancelotti in the Real Madrid dugout last summer, but the Italian was popular among the players after winning the Champions League with them in 2014.

And Carragher wonders if Benitez isn't "suited" to Real Madrid and is being pressured to start big names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez.

He added: "I've never worked with Ancelotti but he seems like a manager who's more about man management but Rafa's a coach. He'll be on that training pitch, drilling the players about where he wants them.

"If he can't get those players doing what he wants, the Rafa I know, he would change it. At times this season, he hasn't played those players and they've become frustrated.

"Benzema's been bought off a lot in games and been frustrated. You've seen Ronaldo put his arm around Laurent Blanc when he came off against PSG.

"Rodriguez has been complaining that he's fully fit and asked why is he not playing? But now that they're all fully fit, he's played them.

"We don't know if it's pressure from the board or the media, or the players or just Rafa saying 'ok, you want all of these players to play, they're playing and here's the end result.'

"Because before these last two games, he hadn't lost in 14 games and was doing a great job in terms of results.

"Do the people at Real Madrid think he's not doing a great job because he's not ideally suited?"

Jamie Carragher highlighted the lack of work from Real Madrid's forwards on Monday Night Football

Carragher also argued that the forward players - Benzema, Ronaldo, Rodriguez and Gareth Bale - failed to work hard enough against Barcelona.

"They looked like the team had broken in two," he said.

"There was a big gap between attack and defence and it was a bit like watching a Sunday league game. People just waiting up front, we're talking about world class stars. There was no intensity.

"Your nightmare as a player, as a midfield two is playing against Barcelona and your front four aren't willing to help you out. What can be worse than that?"

-Skysports

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren praises improving Roberto Firmino

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has praised the growing influence of Roberto Firmino on the team.

Brazil international Firmino joined the Reds in a £29m deal from Hoffenheim in the summer and having initially taken time to settle into the team, he has become one of their key performers in recent weeks.

The 24-year-old played a crucial role in Liverpool's 4-1 win over Manchester City on Saturday, setting up their first two goals before scoring the third.

Jurgen Klopp's side take on Bordeaux in the Europa League on Thursday before Swansea come to Anfield on Sunday and Lovren has backed Firmino to continue his run of good form.

Firmino scored in Liverpool's 4-1 win over Manchester City

"Roberto is growing," Lovren told the Liverpool Echo. "We need to give him time as he's settling into a new country.

"But he has great talent. We see it every day in training and now we're seeing it in the matches. He caused City a lot of problems. He's an unbelievable player. He has so much skill.

"Roberto scored one and could even have got a hat-trick. He creates and he scores. He has so much potential and I know he's going to get better and better for us."

-Skysports

Jurgen Klopp wants to replace Simon Mignolet at Liverpool- Bruce Grobbelaar

Jurgen Klopp wants to replace Simon Mignolet at Liverpool, says former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar.

Grobbelaar, who made 440 league appearances in 13 years at Anfield, does not believe Mignolet is of a good enough standard to play for Liverpool and says he has a better goalkeeper at Ottawa Fury, where he is currently a coach.

"I've had my criticism of Mignolet for two or three years, I even got pulled in and asked not to criticise him so openly," Grobbelaar told talksport.

"I've said that he is a goalkeeper who is a great shot stopper, but he is not the overall package. The overall package is good with your feet and coming out and commanding your area.

"I've got a goalkeeper in Canada, a 24-year-old, who does this better than Mignolet does and is just as good of a shot stopper. He is more of a package than Mignolet is.

"I think he is looking at it [buying a replacement for Mignolet. There are a couple of goalkeepers in the German league that he is looking at so I can see that might be one of his first signings."

Mignolet signed for Liverpool from Sunderland in 2013 for a fee of £9m, and he has made 111 appearances for the club. 

 -Skysports.

AM BACK AND BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good morning to all my pundits out there, am sorry, i was out for sometime now but the good thing is that am back, we all can come back to checking out all that opinions, commentary and gist's make the round in this beautiful game of football.

A lot has been going on in the round leather game, but el clasico had to bring back to blogging.... i mean nobody saw it coming, 

In as much as we all want to talk about what Madrid did wrong, i want to talk about want Barcelona did right, a lot of people are asking for Rafa's head, i need Enrique's to put a crown on it, i know you want to say he hasn't won anything yet, but let's go back to the beginning of this season, just couple of months back.  

Everything was going wrong for Barcelona, from fatigue accumulated from the previous season which understandably lead to injuries of key players, Bravo, Dani Alves, A. Inesta, Rafinha and the "King" Messi just to mention a few. So many football commentators are already beginning to cast doubt after the loss to Bilbao in the final of the super cup. Coming into the season with a very shaky start, winning by one goal margin, losing to heavily to Celta vigo and Bilbao with yet another loss to Sevilla and the whole world came rolling, saying Barca can't win without Messi, now is outrageous how barca took the almighty Madrid out with Messi watching from the bench.

Enrique has a way of turning things around you would say, he did last season and he is doing it again. I just want to give this man some credit, how he was able to manage this team through injuries and fatigue is just amazing, it just show how complete he is as coach and as a manager.
        
       

An engagement at Camp Nou ends in a wedding two years on

Do you remember two seasons a young Chinese fans asked his girlfriend to marry him? 

Liu Shutong presented Liu Panqiu with an engagement ring on the sidelines of the pitch at Camp Nou as part of a prize from ‘Action Barcelona’, a competition put on in China by Catalunya Turisme and FC Barcelona that began several years ago.

 In the month of March 2014 the Chinese fans recorded the moment for posterity: “I don’t know when but I will be back, for sure,” commented Shutong last season when he asked his partner to marry him. Eighteen months later he has been true to his word as he came back to the very same stretch of turf to exchange rings with his wife in the first wedding to take place at Camp Nou since the historic treble last season.

The best place to celebrate a wedding

Liu Shutong thought there would be no better place to celebrate his wedding than Camp Nou, the place where he not only asked his wife to marry him, but where there romance began. The two Chinese Barça fans met at the Barça supporters’ club in the city of Wuhan. Panqiu and Shutong share their passion for Barça together and the important events of the last few years in the Club’s history.

“Barça has been part of our love and our life, an important part. Being able to get married at Camp Nou means a lot to us, it’s the dream of any Barça fan and we are very proud of having been able to do it for real.” The bride, unable to hide her joy, took her husband by the hand, showing off the rings standing on the Club badge on the field, exclaimed “Let our love live like our feelings for Barça!”

Awww! This is amazing!!! Sweeeeeeeet! Lol!

Ibrahimovic takes swipe at critics

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has suggested criticisms of his recent performances in the French media do not affect him because he cannot understand the language.
Huh! Ibra! Always has something to say!
The 34-year-old has come under fire for a series of lethargic displays – coach Laurent Blanc called on him to improve after a disappointing showing in the 0-0 draw with Real Madrid in the Champions League last week – but was on target, and provided an assist for Edinson Cavani, in the 4-1 triumph over Saint-Etienne on Sunday.

After being replaced by Lucas Moura in the 70th minute, the Swede stuck his tongue out in a defiant gesture to television cameras.

Ibrahimovic then took his response a stage further in the mixed zone following the game, with a sarcastic comment to media.

“It’s good to win after the defeat against Real Madrid. We didn’t lose? But it looked that way,” he commented.

After being asked to respond to the critics, Ibrahimovic replied: “The problem is that I do not understand French, so I do not give them any importance.”

Arsenal’s senior players let their young team-mates down

Paul Merson thinks Arsenal’s senior players let their young team-mates down during the 3-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

Arsene Wenger made eight changes to the side that beat Everton at the weekend with Alex Iwobi, Glen Kamara, Ismael Bennacer and Krystian Bielik all making their debuts in the Capital One Cup defeat at Hillsborough.

The Frenchman was very critical of his young players after the game saying they were not up to the standard required.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said his side lacked creativity and were naive in their defending
He told Sky Sports: "[The level] was too high for them. They are not ready to play at this level. None of them [are ready]."

A host of first-team stars - including Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla - were left at home but Wenger still named experienced players like Per Mertesacker, Olivier Giroud, Mathieu Flamini and Mathieu Debuchy.

The four or five older pros out there wouldn't get four out of 10 so what chance have the youngsters got? I feel sorry for them.

Paul Merson
Merson criticised Wenger's comments about his young players - and questioned the performance of the older pros.

"I thought it was a bit strong," Merson said of Wenger's post-match analysis.

"I think he should be looking more at his seasoned pros. The more experienced players let the young kids down. They are making their debuts in an away game in front of 30,000 people. It's a very difficult game.

"When I started my career I needed the older players to help me through it. It doesn't matter how good players are or how good you are going to be, you need players helping you through.

"The four or five older pros out there wouldn't get four out of 10 so what chance have the youngsters got? I feel sorry for them."

Source: sky sport

Should Anthony Martial replace Wayne Rooney as centre-forward?

Anthony Martial is Manchester United’s best striker so why is he out wide? It’s an issue, writes Adam Bate.

"I think he has been incredible. You can see what a good player he is and he'll be an important player for us from now until the end of the season." - Wayne Rooney, United Review

Wayne Rooney's recent praise of Anthony Martial is exactly what you'd expect of Manchester United's captain. But it ignores the rather pertinent point that it's the skipper himself whose presence as the team's centre-forward is currently preventing the teenager from making an even bigger impact at Old Trafford. The case for change is growing.

Jamie Redknapp says Martial is the best 19-year-old he's seen since Lionel Messi
It's impressive how Martial has taken on the responsibility of the wide role in recent games, studiously maintaining the width while Juan Mata roams inside on the other flank. United have kept back-to-back clean sheets in the Premier League with Martial on the left and Van Gaal has praised his willingness to listen. This diligence is encouraging.

Wayne Rooney has tipped team-mate Anthony Martial to become one of the best strikers in the world.

But the Frenchman was honest enough to admit earlier this month that he prefers to play as a centre-forward and it's easy to see why. He has already scored goals for United in that position and Rooney's struggles offer a revealing comparison. The now 30-year-old has two Premier League goals in 810 minutes of action - and one of those was bundled over the line following Martial's fine work.

Rooney hardly touched the ball inside the box against Manchester City
It should be the senior men helping Martial. Instead United are worryingly reliant on the youngster. "There was only one attacking player today who could look back on this game and be pleased with his performance - Martial," Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports in reviewing the draw with Manchester City. "Every time the ball comes to him something's going to happen because he's got that pace."

Martial effect
No Manchester United player completed seven dribbles in a Premier League game last season. Anthony Martial has done so in each of his last two appearances.
Van Gaal has been open about this need for speed and Martial is the man charged with making things happen. He is averaging almost eight dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season - more than any other player - and has completed seven of them in each of the last two games against Everton and City. Remarkably, no United player managed that even once last season.

Indeed, were it not for Martial's contribution this term, United would have completed the fewest dribbles of any team in the division. He has added the excitement. The problem for Van Gaal is that this was the role that Memphis Depay was supposed to perform for the team. The manager's deadline day signing cannot cover for everyone.

Van Gaal sick of Rooney questions
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal says he is fed up of being asked about Wayne Rooney's form.
That being the case, the question Van Gaal must surely be asking himself as a matter of priority is where he can get the best from Martial. Against City, it was frustrating to see him restricted to the flank where even a piece of skill to beat Bacary Sagna would see another defender come across to cover. It limited his threat and Rooney was unable to provide even a hint of it in the middle.

Martial diligently stuck to his left-side role against Manchester City
Martial has fared rather better in that central role with his finishing particularly ruthless - scoring with three of his eight shots. The concern would be that he has not had more opportunities in those games but there was a caveat: Rooney had been operating as the No 10. Were Martial's limited number of shots due to a lack of savvy movement or was the captain reluctant to thread passes forwards?

Bastian Schweinsteiger has completed more dribbles than Wayne Rooney this season.
Gary Neville made the point earlier this season that Rooney is not a "safe player" but that's precisely what he has become. "He's not good when he's safe," said Neville in September. "He should be on the half-turn, turning at people. Every time he gets the ball into him, he has to go back." Gone is Rooney the marauder. Even Bastian Schweinsteiger has completed more dribbles than him.

With Manchester United competing on a number of fronts this season and only two points off the top of the Premier League, the situation is far from desperate. But it is bubbling away. And while a striker seems certain to be on the Old Trafford agenda next summer, the unexpected swiftness with which Martial has made the transition has left fans wondering whether the new hero is already here.

Replacement?
That Rooney's replacement could be a player who many - including the man himself - had not heard of until a matter of months ago is extraordinary. But with Ander Herrera offering more energy at the tip of a midfield three and the understandable hope that Memphis's dip is unlikely to last too long, a decision awaits the manager. And the solution would seem inevitable

Source: sky sport

Thierry Henry shares his thought on chelsea's form this season

Thierry Henry analyses why Chelsea's form has nosedived this season as he answers questions on Jose Mourinho, Eden Hazard and the difficulties of defending a Premier League title.

 Henry was speaking at Sky Studios as part of his work as a Sky Academy Ambassador for Sky Academy Confidence Month and he gave his views on the current situation at Chelsea, who have taken just 11 points from their first 10 Premier League games.

Can Chelsea still challenge for the Premier League title?
"You'd like to think Chelsea will come back stronger, but are they going to challenge for the title? I don't think so any more, but weirder stuff has happened.
"I think they are out of it. Every weekend I think 'today will be too much for West Ham' and every single time they win the game. Manchester City and Manchester United are the teams that are going to challenge with Arsenal. Maybe there will be a surprise team in the top four and maybe will push for the title or maybe Chelsea will come back strong at the end?"

Why do teams struggle to win back-to-back Premier League titles?

"Teams find out what you do on the field and they try and come with a different philosophy - that's why it's hard to win this league back-to-back. Mourinho did it in his first spell at Chelsea, it's not an easy thing to do.

"I never did it with Arsenal, so that's how hard it is. Sometimes you step onto the field and think's it's easy because you are the champions but no, the opposition want to beat you more."

What about Mourinho - you've played against his teams - do you see him staying at Chelsea?

"Chelsea are collapsing. We gave them the benefit of the doubt in pre-season, but they still haven't got it back together. However, I do think people are going a bit too far with what is happening.
"They are still the champions. I think they'll bounce back. I don't think Mourinho leaving the club would be a smart move but you never know nowadays.
"You have to give him the respect about what he's achieved in the game. People forget that he won the treble with Inter Milan. Wherever he's been, he's won things. This is one of the first times he's had to deal with a crisis at a club. I think he's smart enough to deal with it. He has the team and the experience to recover. Let's not forget what he's achieved at Porto, at Inter Milan, at Real Madrid. It's amazing."

Why are Chelsea's players under performing in comparison to last season?

"I see a team that is not buying into what Mourinho wants any more.
Jose Mourinho deserves respect for what he's achieved in the game
"Hazard and Nemanja Matic for example. Matic was substituted against Southampton then went to play for Serbia and got sent-off. He then got sent-off again at West Ham. Whether that was right or wrong, you can tell they are all on edge.
"The body language of Hazard suggests that he doesn't want to play in the same way. Maybe Mourinho has to deal with his main players not accepting the way he likes to play.
"It's very demanding for Hazard to track back, tuck in and play on the counter. Mourinho has shown he's been very successful winning games that way but when you win the league and come back the year after you need to do more.

"Can they do more? I don't know at the moment. The players' body language suggests they are fed up with some stuff - although I'm not in the dressing room to find out exactly what it is."

Source: sky sport.

REVEALED: Real Madrid and Barcelona's Player Wages

For the glitz and glamour of the Barclays Premier League, there's one fixture between two clubs in Spain's top flight that is considered the biggest game in world football.

Real Madrid and Barcelona have won the last two UEFA Champions League titles, boast the two best players on the planet and each have a host of football's leading stars on hand to support them. You'd expect that every player on each first team squad earns more money than most of us could ever dream of, and to be honest, that's the case.

We know this now, as a ​report has been published on just how well each player on each side is paid. Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo top the list, though the Argentinian maestro is actually reported to take home more than €4m more than his Portuguese counterpart per year, but when Bartra earns the same as Isco(£1.4m) and even earns higher than Carvajal(£867k), is surprising

Check out the player earnings per annum, starting with Barcelona.

Barcelona
1. Lionel Messi: (£15.3m)
2. Neymar & Luis Suarez: (£7.2m)
4. Andres Iniesta:  (£5.4m)
5. Ivan Rakitic: (£4.7m)
6. Sergio Busquets & Dani Alves: (£4.3m)
8. Gerard Piqué:  (£4.2m)
9. Javier Mascherano: (£4m)
10. Jordi Alba & Arda Turan: (£2.9m)
12. Claudio Bravo & Thomas Vermaelen: (£2.5m)
14. Marc-Andre ter Stegen & Jeremy Mathieu:(£2.2m)
16. Adriano & Aleix Vidal: (£1.8m)
18. Marc Bartra: (£1.4m)
19. Sergi Roberto & Douglas: (£1.1m)
21. Jordi Masip, Munir & Sandro Ramirez: (£723k)

Real Madrid
1. Cristiano Ronaldo: (£12.3m)
2. Gareth Bale: (£8m)
3. Sergio Ramos: (£7.2m)
4. Karim Benzema: (£5.8m)
5. James Rodríguez & Toni Kroos: (£4.3m)
7. Luka Modric: (£3.3)
8. Marcelo: (£2.9m)
9. Pepe: (£2.7m)
10. Alvaro Arbeloa: (£2m)
11. Raphael Varane: (£1.7m)
12. Keylor Navas & Isco: (£1.4m)
14. Jesé, Dani Carvajal & Nacho: (£867k)

UEFA has revealed how much cash teams received last year in Champions League

How come the  "old ladies" made more money than the eventual winner Barcelona, you might want to ask

It is because of the "market pool". Market pool relates to how much a team's domestic broadcaster pays UEFA for TV rights. 

tweet of the day........lol!!!

Now check out the #moreThanArsenal tweet!