CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho in line to be sacked?

CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho in line to be sacked?

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CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho has seen his odds of becoming the next Premier League manager to be sacked slashed following his team’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.

Odds released by Betfair Sportsbook on Monday show the Portuguese tactician is now 7/1 second favourite – previously 25/1 – to leave his post behind Sunderland coach d*ck Advocaat.

Mourinho had to also deal with heavy criticism in the build-up to the clash on Sunday for demoting first-team doctor Eva Carneiro after she had attended to Eden Hazard in the dying minutes of the draw against Garry Monk’s side last Saturday.

Despite the Portuguese manager only signing a new four-year dealearlier this month, odds from Betfair suggest Mourinho could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge if Chelsea do not get their title defence back on track in the coming weeks.

Football Trader for Betfair, Michael Bowers, said: “Jose is struggling to get off on the right foot this season, after a poor game against Swansea and an even poorer game against the new title favourites

Manchester City, he has gone from 25/1 to 7/1 second favourite as the next manager to leave the market after heavy backing.

“The club will remain loyal to Mourinho for the time being, but if the blues don’t start picking up some points after four or five games, even The Special One could face the chop.”

-vanguardngr

Sunday Oliseh Drop Mikel, Victor Moses In Super Eagle’s List

Sunday Oliseh Drop Mikel, Victor Moses In Super Eagle’s List

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Chelsea players John Mikel Obi and Victor Moses have been ignored by Sunday Oliseh for the Super Eagles 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania.

Oliseh today, Monday, August 17 released a 18-man foreign based players for the qualifiers that will be played in Dar es Salaam.

Captain and first choice goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama leads the list which include few returnees like Joel Obiand Emmanuel Emenike.

It seems Oliseh has chosen to leave out players who have not been playing regularly for their clubs.

Brown Ideye and Victor Anicheibe have also been left out.

All the 18 players invite are expected who will join up with the 23 home boys in Abuja on Monday, August 31.

See The Full List Below:

Goalkeepers:

Vincent Enyeama (Lille OSC, France); Carl Ikeme (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England)

Defenders:

Leon Balogun (FSV Mainz 05, Germany); Kingsley Madu (AS Trencin, Slovakia); Godfrey Oboabona (Caykur Rizespor, Turkey); William Troost Ekong (FK Haugesund, Norway); Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa SK, Turkey)

Midfielders:

Joel Obi (Torina FC, Italy); Izunna Ernest Uzochukwu (FC Amkar Perm, Russia); Obiora Nwankwo (Coimbra FC, Portugal); Lukman Haruna (Anzhi Machatsjkala, Russia); Rabiu Ibrahim (AS Trencin, Slovakia)

Forwards:

Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Emem Eduok (Esperance ST, Tunisia); Emmanuel Emenike (Al Ain, UAE); Anthony Ujah (Werder Bremen, Germany); Sylvester Igboun (FC UFA, Russia); Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium)

Arsenal To Move For Cavani?

Arsenal To Move For Cavani?

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With a move for Benzema seeming more and more unlikely, Arsenal could be set to move in for Paris Saint-Germain forward, Edinson Cavani.

Arsenal are currently in the market for a top cla$$ forward as they look to challenge for the Barclays premier league title this season and Real Madrid forward, Karim Benzema was reported to be Arsene Wenger’s top choice. In recent weeks however, Arsenal’s chances of signing the former Lyon man have reduced as Rafa Benitez seems unwilling to let the forward go. According to Fichajes.net Arsenal could be set to move for Edison Cavani. While Cavani would make a good acquisition for Arsenal, the deal might not happen as the Uruguayan forward has emerged as a key player in Laurent Blanc’s side and the French champions might be unwilling to let the forward go especially now, when the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still uncertain. Arsenal still have some money to spend according to Wenger and they might look to invest it in Cavani.

While PSG are not going to be willing to let Cavani go, it is believed that a bid of about 40 million Euros could bring them to the negotiation table

[Video]: Crystal Palace 1 – 2 Arsenal (August-16-2015) EPL Highlights

[Video]: Crystal Palace 1 – 2 Arsenal (August-16-2015) EPL Highlights

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It wasn’t the prettiest Arsenal victory, but Wenger will be particularly pleased at the fight his team showed at a bouncing Selhurst Park. Mesut Ozil and Cazorla were probably the Gunners’ best players, although special mention should go to Mertesacker at the back (for winning the aerial battle with Wickham) and for Giroud, for his quite brilliant opening goal.

Crystal Palace can feel aggrieved not to get something from this game. For starters, they should have been playing against 10 men – Coquelin was extremely lucky on two occasions to escape a second yellow card. Mutch and Lee wasted excellent late chances but the team lost their bite when Pardew withdrew Bolasie (at half-time) and Zaha (mid-way through the second half).

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Manchester City 3 – 0 Chelsea (August-16-2015) EPL Highlights

Manchester City 3 – 0 Chelsea (August-16-2015) EPL Highlights

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City were excellent for long spells, apart from probably a bit in the middle of the second half, but they were ruthless in putting their floundering opponents to the sword. That already leaves Chelsea five points off the pace, although it is obviously ma$$ively early days.

Pedro Is What Manchester United Need – Van Gaal

Pedro Is What Manchester United Need – Van Gaal

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The Dutchman refused to be drawn on the status of the deal to sign the unsettled Barcelona star but re-a$$erted his admiration for the 28-year-old Louis van Gaal admits Pedro is precisely the kind of player Manchester United need as speculation mounts that the unsettled Barcelona star is set to complete a summer move to Old Trafford.

The 28-year-old was omitted from Luis Enrique’s starting XI for Barcelona’s Uefa Super Cup clash with Sevilla, with technical secretary Robert Fernandez claiming the player had informed the club that he wanted to leave.

Pedro came off the bench to score an extra-time winner in a 5-4 victory for the Catalan giants and afterwards rebuked Fernandez for his comments, though he appeared to distance himself from his team-mates during the trophy celebrations.

Speculation is now mounting that Pedro will imminently complete a £21 million move to Old Trafford and whileVan Gaal refused to shed any light on the status of the deal, he re-a$$erted his admiration for the Spaniard.

“You have to ask Pedro, not me,” Van Gaal insisted when asked about the deal. “My answer is it’s a process – a club, a player and we are there also. I don’t mention anything to you until he has signed. Then I come to you and say ‘Pedro is here’. But it’s still not the case and we shall wait and see.”
When asked if Pedro was the kind of fast, direct striker United are looking for, Van Gaal replied: “Pedro is a player like that… so write it!”

[Video]: Craziest Skills Ever, C.Ronaldo, Neymar, Messi, Ronaldinho

[Video]: Craziest Skills Ever, C.Ronaldo, Neymar, Messi, Ronaldinho

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Craziest Skills Ever, C.Ronaldo, Neymar, Messi, Ronaldinho

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[VIDEO]: Top 20 a$$ists Ever in Football History

[VIDEO]: Top 20 a$$ists Ever in Football History

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Best Football a$$ist Skills and Goals Ever featuring Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Diego Maradona.

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BREAKING NEWS: Messi, Ronaldo & Suarez nominated for Uefa Best Player in Europe award

BREAKING NEWS: Messi, Ronaldo & Suarez nominated for Uefa Best Player in Europe award

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Last year’s winner will battle against the Barcelona duo for the award, which will be handed out on August 27 at the draw for the Champions League group stage

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luiz Suarez have been announced as the final three candidates for the 2014-15 Uefa Best Player in Europe award.

Ronaldo, who picked up the trophy last year, earns another nomination after a season in which he scored 61 goals in 54 appearances and claimed the Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup.

Messi and Suarez, meanwhile, formed a fearsome attacking partnership with Neymar that helped inspire Barcelona to the treble in Luis Enrique’s first season in charge.

Ronaldo and the Barca duo finished ahead of Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, Neymar and Chelsea star Eden Hazard in the running for the award.

The Uefa Best Player in Europe prize is voted for by journalists from all 54 of Uefa’s member a$$ociations. Each journalist provides a five-man shortlist who they believe should win the award, with each of those players receiving a points tally based on the ranking and number of votes they receive.

The winner will be announced at the Champions League group-stage draw on August 27, where a jury will vote for one of the final trio.

-Goal.com

Mourinho Banned Chelsea Team Doctor Eva Carneiro From Sitting On The Bench On Matchdays

Mourinho Banned Chelsea Team Doctor Eva Carneiro From Sitting On The Bench On Matchdays

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Carneiro was heavily criticised by the Mourinho on Saturday after she treated Hazard on the field late in their 2-2 draw at home to Swansea in the EPL on Saturday, leading to Hazard being forced off & putting already 10-man Chelsea down to 9 men for a short time


Carneiro will continue her role only @Cobham.

[Video]: Manchester United 1 – 0 Tottenham (August-8-2015) EPL Highlights

[Video]: Manchester United 1 – 0 Tottenham (August-8-2015) EPL Highlights

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Jon Moss brings the contest to a close with three long blasts on his whistle and Manchester shoot three points clear of the chasing pack at the top of the Premier League table. It was a reasonably entertaining match, which Tottenham dominated in the opening 20 and closing 10 minutes, but were second best in the middle hour. A Kyle Walker own goal after 22 minutes settled the game, but Spurs had several decent chances to take one or all three points.

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Top 10 Reasons The Premier League Isn’t The Best League In The World

Top 10 Reasons The Premier League Isn’t The Best League In The World

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There’s a common misconception that the Premier League is the best domestic competition in the world simply because it’s by far the most watched. This isn’t the case in the eyes of many football supporters, regardless of the country or even continent in which they reside.

Whatever reason one attends or watches a match, every fan of the beautiful game appreciates it for a different reasons. One of the most appealing characteristics of football is the varying tempo at which the game is played around the world.

The Premier League is widely hailed as the fastest competition with the likes of Theo Walcott, Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez burning players at will and most clubs employing a counter-attacking style. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Spanish La Liga spectators are mesmerized by watching Andrés Iniesta, James Rodriguez and Arda Turan stroke the ball around and pick out pa$$es no ordinary person can see.

Of course, fans and crowd atmosphere are also important characteristics of the essence of football. The electric aura of sitting inside Old Trafford, home to one of the most iconic and successful clubs of all-time, is an entirely different experience to watching the Boca Juniors ultras let off flares at La Bombonera.

However, regardless of what goes on in the terraces or the result of a single match, many supporters treasure the notion of competitiveness throughout the league table, from top to bottom. With no hardline salary caps imposed on the biggest competitions in Europe, financial muscle is often a significant determinant of the final standings come the end of the season.

The Premier League is widely considered the leading player for all of these factors, but here the top 10 reasons the English top-flight isn’t the best league in the world.

10. Gulf Between Lower Leagues

Even though competitiveness is widely regarded as one of the most attractive qualities of the Premier League, this doesn’t apply throughout the entire competition, namely around the foot of the table. Largely due to the gulf in wealth and player quality compared to the 17 other clubs, newly promoted teams often struggle to avoid relegation in their first season in the English top-fight. At least one promoted side has suffered the drop to the Championship since the Premier League’s inception in 1992. Although relegated clubs receive £60m over a four-year period, the FA must ensure Premier League minnows have a better chance of staying up to begin with.

9. English Player Price Inflation

Exorbitant transfer fees are part and parcel of the modern game, but the premium clubs pay for an Englishman is utterly staggering. The combined cost of bringing Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana, Andy Carroll, Luke Shaw to their current teams amounts to more than £115m, and none of them have come close to justifying such enormous fees (except for Sterling, though it’s likely he won’t be able to match his enormous fee). Homegrown player requirements naturally increase the value of English players, but that’s no excuse for clubs to pay through the teeth in order to sign them. With this in mind, it’s no surprise so few Premier League clubs boast a core of local talent within their ranks.

8. Sub-par Crowd Atmospheres

The iconic Kop signing You’ll Never Walk Alone at Anfield is undeniably one of the most spine-tingling sights in world football, but what else does the Premier League offer in terms of crowd atmosphere? The homely soul Everton fans bring to Goodison Park is special in its own right, although it hardly compares to the Yellow Wall that engulfs the entire south stand of Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park or the vibrant surroundings of Galatasaray and AS Roma’s arenas. Flairs and intricate choreography isn’t for every football fan, but there’s no question nearly all Premier League grounds lack the fierce intensity of many European counterparts.

7. Foreign Player Overload

Another trend impacting the growth of English talent is the overwhelming presence of foreign players in the Premier League. Premier League squads were made up of just 35% Englishmen during the 2014-15 season, a modest figure in comparison to the 60% German cohort in the Bundesliga and 59% Spanish contingent in La Liga. As local talents compete for minutes with starlets hand-picked from abroad, it’s no wonder English youngsters struggle to cement a place in the first team. However, the FA has taken action by tightening work permit restrictions in a move to encourage clubs to blood homegrown players instead of fielding international recruits.

6. Ludicrous Transfer Decisions

Di Maria joins PSG From Man United

Di Maria joins PSG From Man United

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Angel Di Maria has completed his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, signing a four-year contract after moving for a fee of €63 million (£44m).

Both clubs confirmed the deal on Thursday, with United wishing the player “all the best for the future” in a statement.

PSG revealed in news release that the player will be presented to fans before their Ligue 1 opener against Gazelec Ajaccio on Sunday, Aug. 16.

The Argentina international passed a medical in Doha, Qatar, bringing his Old Trafford career to a conclusion after one season and at a loss of almost £16m in transfer fees.

ESPN

[Video] Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (Community shield 2015) highlights

[Video] Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (Community shield 2015) highlights

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Arsenal took the lead in the Community Shield against Chelsea with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain netting a sensational individual effort which flashed past Thibaut Courtois.

Our record against Jose Mourinho has been widely documented and it seems as though the players are intent on putting an end to that at Wembley today.

We seemed congested in our play throughout the first half and Oxlade-Chamberlain needed to stay wide if we were to get any joy against this Chelsea rearguard.

The 21-year-old did exactly for the goal and after receiving the ball, he attacked Cesar Azpilicuata before firing a left-footed effort into the top corner.

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Highlights From Manchester United’s 3-1 Win Over Barcelona

Highlights From Manchester United’s 3-1 Win Over Barcelona

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Manchester United beat Barcelona 3-1 in the Friendly match in San Jose, USA.

Goals from Wayne Rooney, Jesse Lingard and Adnan Januzaj secured the comfortable victory for the Premiership side, while Rafinha grabbed the lone goal for Barcelona.

United have only one more friendly match against PSG, before they return to England for the kickoff of the Premier League.

Bartomeu Elected As Barcelona President

Bartomeu Elected As Barcelona President

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The 52-year-old will be in power for the next six years after seeing off the challenge of Joan Laporta, who finished in second place

Josep Maria Bartomeu has been re-elected as Barcelona president for the next six years after claiming 54.63% of the vote in Saturday’s election, with nearest challenger Joan Laporta getting 33.03%.

Bartomeu, who resigned last month as an interim board took charge during the election period, will return to office and begin to implement some of the promises made in his campaign after fighting off the competition.

The 52-year-old, who took over in 2014 following Sandro Rosell’s resignation, had placed a lot of importance on keeping the current sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways in place, despite being seen as controversial by many.

Bartomeu was the only one of the final four candidates to make such a pledge, with the others all in favour of bringing the deal to a close, despite the €50 million it generates for the club per season.

Despite overseeing one of the most successful seasons in the club’s history during the 2014-15 campaign, with Luis Enrique’s men winning the treble, Bartomeu has been a figure of controversy at Camp Nou.

The entrepreneur previously worked alongside Rosell during a turbulent time for the club, as they were accused of various indiscretions involving the Neymar transfer, before Barca were also hit with a transfer ban for breaking regulations regarding signing youth players.

However, it has been his closeness and working relationship with Luis Enrique that supposedly encouraged many fans to vote for Bartomeu, with the likes of Laporta reportedly looking to sign players that the coach may not have wanted in the first place.

Barca confirmed that 47,270 votes were cast in total.

Sunday Oliseh To Get N15M Advanced Salary As Super Eagles Coach

Sunday Oliseh To Get N15M Advanced Salary As Super Eagles Coach

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Sunday Oliseh will be getting a 3-month advance payment of salary as the new Super Eagles coach, the President of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Amaju Pinnick announced today during the unveiling of the former Super Eagles player as the new coach of the team.

Apart from Oliseh, NFF president also announced that all his assistants, Alloy Agu, Belgian Jean Francois Losciuto and Salisu Yusuf would also get three months salary in advance. This, according to the president is to show how serious the NFF wants Oliseh and his coaching crew to succeed and as a source of motivation

Official! Sunday Oliseh Now Nigeria National Coach

Official! Sunday Oliseh Now Nigeria National Coach

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Former player, Sunday Oliseh has been officially unveiled by the Nigerian Football Federation(NFF) as the New national football team head coach(Super Eagles).

According to NFF president Amaju Pinnick,  “We have just signed the Pep Guardiola of Africa. And I believe he will succeed”. Sunday Oliseh signed a 3-year contract with option of a year extension based on performance in Abuja today. More photos below..

List: Forbes’ World’s Most Valuable Sports Team 2015

List: Forbes’ World’s Most Valuable Sports Team 2015

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1. Real Madrid

Value: $3.26 billion
1-year change: -5%

Owner: Club members

Real Madrid won the Champions League for a record tenth time last year and is the most valuable sports team in the world for the third straight year.

2. Dallas Cowboys

Value: $3. 2 billion

1-year change: 39%

Owner: Jerry Jones

3 New York Yankees

Value: $3.2 billion

1-year change: 28%

Owner: Steinbrenner family

4. Barcelona

Value: $3.16 billion

1-year change: -1%

Owner: Club members

5. Manchester United

Value: $3.1 billion

1-year change: 10%

Owner: Glazer family

6. Los Angeles Lakers

Value: $2.6 billion

1-year change: 93%

Owners: Jerry Buss Family Trusts, Philip Anschutz

7. New England Patriots

Value: $2.6 billion

1-year change: 44%

Owner: Robert Kraft

8.New York Knicks

Value: $2.5 billion

1-year change: 79%

Owner: Madison Square Garden

9. Los Angeles Dodgers

Value: $2.4 billion

1-year change: 20%

Owner: Guggenheim Baseball Management

10. Washington Redskins

Value: $2.4 billion

1-year change: 41%

Owner: Daniel Snyder

The NFL landed the most teams in the top 50 with 20 franchises, followed by MLB (12), NBA (10) and soccer (7). Formula One’s most storied squad, Ferrari, made the cut at No. 32 worth $1.35 billion and the NHL landed one team on the list with the Toronto Maple Leafs tied for No. 37 at $1.3 billion. There are 51 teams this year thanks to a three-way tie at No. 49 with the Atlanta Braves, Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Vikings all worth $1.15 billion by our count. 

Premier League Fixtures Released For 2015/16 Season!

Premier League Fixtures Released For 2015/16 Season!

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The full list of fixtures for the 2015/2016 season in the Premier League wwas announced this morning at 9am.

It’s an interesting opening day in the Premiership, with 2 promoted clubs (Bournemouth & Norwich) being handed home ties, Watford travel to Everton.

While, Chelsea will kick off their Premier League title defence against Swansea City and Liverpool facing a nightmare return to Stoke City, the scene of their 6-1 humiliation on the final day of last season.

And things will get no easier for their new coach, Rodgers, who faces trips to Arsenal and Manchester United within the first five games of the new season followed by Everton, Tottenham, Chelsea andManchester City in his next away matches.

Manchester United host Tottenham Hotspur in the most mouthwatering fixture of the opening round on August 8.

Here’s the full first day lists for the Football League:

Opening Day: August 8

Bournemouth v Aston Villa

Arsenal v West Ham United

Chelsea v Swansea City

Everton v Watford

Leicester City v Sunderland

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur

Newcastle United v Southampton

Norwich City v Crystal Palace

Stoke City v Liverpool

West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City

Championship

Birmingham City v Reading

Blackburn Rovers v Wolverhampton

Bolton Wanderers v Derby County

Brentford v Ipswich Town

Brighton v Nottingham Forest

Cardiff City v Fulham

Charlton Athletic v Queens Park Rangers

Hull City v Huddersfield Town

Leeds United v Burnley

Preston North End v Middlesbrough

Rotherham United v Milton Keynes Dons

Sheffield Wednesday v Bristol City

League 1

Burton Albion v Scunthorpe United

Chesterfield v Barnsley

Colchester United v Blackpool

Coventry City v Wigan Athletic

Crewe Alexandra v Port Vale

Doncaster Rovers v Bury

Fleetwood Town v Southend United

Gillingham v Sheffield United

Rochdale v Peterborough United

Shrewsbury Town v Millwall

Swindon Town v Bradford City

Walsall v Oldham Athletic

League 2

A.F.C. Wimbledon v Plymouth Argyle

Accrington Stanley v Luton Town

Bristol Rovers v Northampton Town

Cambridge United v Newport County

Exeter City v Yeovil Town

Hartlepool United v Morecambe

Leyton Orient v Barnet

Mansfield Town v Carlisle United

Oxford United v Crawley Town

Portsmouth v Dagenham & Redbridge

Stevenage v Notts. County

Wycombe Wanderers v York City