Goal Zone

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Brendan Rodgers: "Confidence is high" in Liverpool camp

Brendan Rodgers has insisted that the only way is up for his in-form Liverpool side following a fifth league win on the bounce.

The Reds overcame Swansea City 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Monday night to maintain their recent impressive form, closing within two points of fourth-placed Manchester United in the process.

Following a slow start to the campaign, Liverpool are now in a strong position to oust their great rivals for a place in next season's Champions League, with the two set to face off at Anfield this weekend.

"It's step by step," Rodgers told club's official website. "It was always going to be a process for us. We were so far behind and to be looking to make up the points was just going to take time.

"But we've put ourselves in a really good position now with nine games to go; the consistency and confidence of the team is really high."

Liverpool's last league defeat came back in December against United at Old Trafford.

Leighton Baines "desperate" for Everton to reach final eight of Europa League

Everton left-back Leighton Baines believes that it would be "massive" for the club to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

The Toffees have struggled in the Premier League this season, but they have shone in Europe as they prepare to take on Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine for the second leg of their last-16 tie.

Roberto Martinez's side have a 2-1 advantage from the first leg at Goodison Park, but Baines is wary of their opponents' away goal.

"It would be massive and there would be some big names in the hat so we are desperate to a part of the draw and be in the mix," Baines told the Liverpool Echo.

"There are some real good teams left in the competition. We know we have a big task in front of us and it is really in the balance with them having the away goal but I fancy us."

In the league, Everton are just six points above the relegation zone.

Manchester United to use Angel di Maria sale to fund Gareth Bale move

Manchester United are reportedly ready to offload Angel di Maria this summer in a bid to fund a move for Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale.

The Argentina international made a positive start to life at Old Trafford following a £60m switch from the Spanish giants, although having failed to impress in the second half of the campaign it is claimed that Louis van Gaal is willing to allow the British-record signing to move on.

That could pave the way for United to cough up the large sum required to land Bale, who is also thought to be on a hefty £300,000-a-week contract at Madrid.

Van Gaal refused to rule out a move for the Welshman earlier this week, and the Daily Star suggests that the wheels are now in motion to allow the move to go through ahead of next season.

Paris Saint-Germain are among those to have previously been linked with Di Maria, although it is unknown whether they are willing to reignite their interest should he be placed on the transfer market.

Bale, who has come under fire from Los Blancos supporters in recent weeks due to his perceived greediness on the ball, scored both goals as the European champions eased past Levante 2-0 last weekend.

Wolfsburg's Andre Schurrle blames Chelsea's training methods for lack of fitness

Andre Schurrle believes that Chelsea's training methods have contributed to his failure to gain maximum fitness in Germany.

The World Cup winner signed for Wolfsburg from the Premier League club in January for a reported £27m fee, but he has struggled to make a significant impact.

"At top English clubs during the season, the players are hardly loaded with any training, since it's almost all about regeneration and tactics," the London Evening Standard quotes Schurrle as saying.

"In England you can get your fitness through the season with the games. I'm still missing the last per cent. In January, I almost had no training between the change of clubs because of back problems."

Wolfsburg are currently second in the Bundesliga table, 11 points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

Simon Rolfes: 'Bayer Leverkusen did not take enough risks'

Bayer Leverkusen captain Simon Rolfes has claimed that a more positive approach may have given them a better chance in the Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid.

Mario Suarez scored the only goal of the game to take the last-16 tie to penalties, and after suffering disappointment in the shootout, Rolfes admits that he was frustrated by Bayer's performance.

"Overall, they were the more active team and we were not so confident from the first minute," the 33-year-old told Sky Deutschland.

"If we had scored here, it would have been incredibly difficult for Atletico but we did not manage to do that and that was how it was for a major part of the match.

"Atletico pressured us. When we had possession we were never able to increase the speed of our play. They played long balls and were able to keep them better, meaning the match was often in our half."

Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt refused to be critical of his side's display when reflecting on the disappointment.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone: 'Fans gave us strength'

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has praised the club's supporters following their penalty-shootout win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

The Spaniards prevailed 3-2 on penalties after the last-16 tie finished 1-1 on aggregate, and their coach was quick to highlight the role the fans played in the victory.

"I loved it. As I watched the match ending I could see we were back again among the best eight teams in Europe with Atletico Madrid in a stadium that was erupting. It left me with goosepimples," BBC Sport quotes him as saying.

"The fans delight me. The supporters don't realise the strength they give the players."

Mario Suarez scored the goal that levelled the tie in Spain and Stefan Kiessling missed what proved to be the decisive penalty in the shootout to put Atletico into the quarter-finals.

Yaya Toure: 'We owe fans a result against Barcelona'

Yaya Toure has claimed that Manchester City owe the club's supporters a memorable European night ahead of their Champions League clash with Barcelona.

City head into the second leg at the Camp Nou trailing 2-1, and Toure insists that Manuel Pellegrini's squad can handle the pressure of being criticised for their displays in Europe in recent seasons.

"We all know what we have to do," the Ivorian told reporters. "The owners have spent a lot of money to make us one of the top clubs in Europe.

"We'll try to do it for the fans and the club and the people who continue to help us.

"Last year we were brilliant, with everyone saying we were a top team in Europe. Then all of a sudden we have some problems and we're the worst team in the world. We can deal with that."

Toure is expected to start on his return from suspension on Wednesday.

Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim blasts 'disrespectful' Arsene Wenger

Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim has criticised Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger for not shaking his hand during the first leg of the Champions League last-16 clash between the teams.

The Ligue 1 outfit progressed to the quarter-finals on away goals after losing the second leg 2-0, and Jardim was quick to accuse Wenger of being "disrespectful" to his team afterwards.

"I think it was disrespectful. Right now we're celebrating and we think Arsenal did not show enough respect during the first leg," The Mirror quotes him as saying.

Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey found the net for Arsenal in France, but it did not prove enough to overturn the 3-1 deficit from the first leg.

Roberto Mancini: 'Manuel Pellegrini lucky with my Manchester City squad'

Roberto Mancini has claimed that Manuel Pellegrini is lucky to have inherited his squad at Manchester City.

The Italian led City to their first Premier League title in 2012, but was sacked in May 2013 after failing to pick up any trophies the following season.

With the current league champions heading to Barcelona tomorrow evening for a vital Champions League clash, Mancini piled the pressure on current manager Pellegrini.

Speaking to CNN, Mancini said: "I think that Pellegrini was really lucky, because he got this team that is a strong team and he had the chance to put inside other good players.

"I miss the Premier League because I worked there for three-and-a-half-years and I built the team that now is in second position, because I think that they play the same players and I'm very proud of this."

Mancini, currently in charge at Inter Milan, added that he believes City are still in the title race, despite being six points behind Chelsea who have a game in hand.

Jose Mourinho praises Mohamed Salah's good form at Fiorentina

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has praised the impact that Mohamed Salah has made while on loan at Fiorentina.

The 22-year-old winger was loaned to the Serie A giants in January as part of the deal that saw Juan Cuadrado head to Stamford Bridge.

Salah has since gone on to score six goals in just eight appearances, which led to him being named one of the best January signings in a Gazzetta dello Sport poll.

Mourinho is quoted by the Daily Star as saying: "[Salah] is doing well with La Viola, let's hope that continues because it is just what we wanted when we wanted to send him to Florence."

The Egyptian joined Chelsea from Swiss club Basel for £11m in 2014.

Bayer Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt: 'We gave our all against Atletico Madrid'

Bayer Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt has expressed his disappointment following his side's penalty-shootout defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, but insists that he was satisfied with the effort his players put in.

The Germans lost the shootout 3-2 after the last-16 tie finished 1-1 on aggregate, and Schmidt concedes that his team lacked composure taking penalties.

"We are a young team with little experience and it is not easy to hang in there at a stadium like Atletico's," BBC Sport quotes him as saying.

"In the shootout we lacked concentration and calm. After fighting so hard we are very disappointed. But the players gave their all and so we leave feeling satisfied."

Stefan Kiessling missed what proved to be the decisive penalty kick as Atletico marched on to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Simon Mignolet: 'We can't get carried away'

Simon Mignolet has warned his Liverpool team-mates that they cannot afford to get carried away despite their recent Premier League form.

The Reds are unbeaten in their last 13 league games and host fierce rivals Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.

Belgian goalkeeper Mignolet insists that his side must focus on chasing a Champions League spot, which appeared to be a distant dream back in December.

"We know there will be a huge build-up, but as professional football players we can't get carried away," Mignolet was quoted on the Mirror.

"Yes, we were 10 points behind, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We are very pleased to be close to second, but there are still a lot of games to play."

Mignolet kept a clean sheet in Liverpool's 1-0 win over Swansea City on Monday, which was their fifth consecutive league win.

Laurent Koscielny frustrated by Arsenal's Champions League exit

Laurent Koscielny has admitted that Arsenal left themselves with too much to do against Monaco last night following a "catastrophic" first-leg performance.

The Gunners trailed 3-1 heading into the Stade Louis II showdown, requiring three unanswered goals to overcome the Ligue 1 outfit.

A solid performance from Arsenal saw them come close to achieving that feat as goals from Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey sealed a 2-0 win on the night, but in the end it was too little too late.

"We say the same thing every year," Koscielny is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. "Our first game is catastrophic. We have to put it right - play well in two games."

Arsenal have now exited the Champions League at the last-16 stage for the past five years running.

Inter Milan youngster Mateo Kovacic on Arsenal radar

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Inter Milan midfielder Mateo Kovacic this summer.

The highly-rated Croatia international is also said to have been tracked by Real Madrid in the past, while it was previously rumoured that Everton had made a £14.6m bid for the youngster.

It is now suggested by The Metro that the 20-year-old, who has bagged five goals in 31 games for Inter this season, could be on his way to the Emirates Stadium for a fee in the region of £17m.

Kovacic joined the Nerazzurri from Dinamo Zagreb in 2013 where he has developed into one of the highest-rated talents in the game.

Manchester City to consider Edin Dzeko offers

Manchester City officials have reportedly started to consider the possibility of selling Edin Dzeko in the summer.

Struggles with form and fitness has seen Dzeko struggle to make an impact this season, and the arrival of Wilfried Bony in January has increased competition for places in attack.

According to the Daily Star, the club's hierarchy are believed to be frustrated with the doubts that surround his long-term future and would be willing to sell him for close to £20m when the transfer window reopens.

Inter Milan have been linked with a move for the Bosnian in the past, and that move could be of interest to the 29-year-old, who thrived under former City boss Roberto Mancini.

Dzeko is believed to be earning around £140,000-a-week after signing a new four-year contract last summer.