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Jedvaj: Leverkusen know everything about Mandzukic
Feb 25, 2015 09:00:00
EXCLUSIVE: The defender is excited about facing the Croatia striker but will have to wait until the second leg due to injury
By Andrija Vukovic
Bayer Leverkusen defender Tin Jedvaj wants to test himself against fellow Croatian Mario Mandzukic but must wait until the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid as he recovers from injury.
Jedvaj, 19, was looking forward to facing the former Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich forward until he suffered a thigh problem. He is now targeting the decider in Madrid.
"It is very boring when you are not playing, but luckily my treatment is approaching the end," Jedvaj told Goal. "On Monday I underwent a scan and I'll begin training later in the week. I will be ready to face Mandzukic in the second leg (on March 17).
"Bayer know everything about Mandzukic, even more than they need to. They don't need me telling them about his qualities!"
Last season's beaten finalists boast the in-form Antoine Griezmann and a rejuvenated Fernando Torres as well as Mandzukic, but Jedvaj is adamant his team are not afraid.
"Who do we fear most? No one! Atletico has very powerful attack, everyone can score but we will not fear them, only show respect," said the 19-year-old.
"They play similarly to us: running a lot, aggressive play. I would even say they're rough, with many challenges. It will surely be open match, there's no chance it will be boring. We're playing at home and have a chance to get a good result.
"Playing the first leg at home can be an advantage, but also a disadvantage. If we win, it will be very difficult for Atletico to chase the result in front of their fans."
Jedvaj arrived at Leverkusen on loan last summer, having only made two appearances for Roma in his debut season since joining from Dinamo Zagreb. That loan was converted to a permanent move in January, with the Croatia international impressing in the first half of the season.
Jedvaj believes his more difficult spell in Italy has enabled him to find things easier in Leverkusen.
"What did I learn in one year in Rome? To eat Italian food! I'm joking, but it was a good schooling for me," he added. "Every player has to sit on the bench at some point and I hope that will be the last time for me. I am very happy at Bayer.
"I've adapted well. I was not first player from our region to come here, nor am I the first Croat in Leverkusen's history, as you can see with the photos of Croatian players in the stadium.
"The atmosphere is great. I am with [Bosnia-Herzegovina defender] Emir Spahic, [Croatian goalkeeper] Dario Kresic and even Josip Drmic – although he's Swiss, we consider him ours! They have helped me a lot at Bayer."
The Barcelona ace will not face any sanction despite the emergence of footage of the striker putting his mouth towards the hand of the Manchester City defender
Uefa has announced no action will be taken against Luis Suarez after the Uruguayan was embroiled in another bite storm on Tuesday.
The Barcelona striker was the centre of controversy after he was pictured appearing to attempt to bite the hand of Manchester City’s Martin Demichelis during a Champions League round of 16 clash.
Grainy footage of a coming-together in the second half of Barca’s 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium showed Demichelis extending his arm in the direction of Suarez, with the striker responding by thrusting his face towards the Argentine’s hand.
Still Image 1 | Suarez approaches Demichelis during the game at the Etihad
However, Uefa has confirmed to Goal that referee Felix Brych made no reference to the incident in his official report on the game in Manchester.
“Nothing was mentioned in the reports, and no action is taken,” said a spokesperson for the European game's governing body.
Still Image 2 | Suarez appears to make a move for Demichelis' arm
Suarez, who scored both of Barca's goals in their victory at the Etihad, was handed a four-month ban from football in 2014 after biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup match having already been suspended for two previous bites at club level.
Still Image 3| Suarez then appears to lower his head towards Demichelis' hand
The 28-year-old initially denied having sunk his teeth into Chiellini but later admitted to the offence before signing for Barca from Liverpool for €94 million.
Suarez eventually made his Blaugrana debut in October, against Real Madrid, and has since netted nine times in 22 appearances in all competitions for the Catalan club.
Still Image 4 | Demichelis then appears to use his arm to get away from Suarez
Pellegrini: No regrets over Barcelona tactical gamble
By Liam Twomey
Feb 25, 2015 00:18:00
Manchester City lined up with Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko up front but it was the visitors who dominated and created the clearer chances, with Luis Suarez scoring twice
Manuel Pellegrini insists he has no regrets over Manchester City's tactical approach after Barcelona ran out comfortable 2-1 winners at the Etihad Stadium.
City lined up with an attack-minded 4-4-2 system but it was the Catalan side who dominated the opening 45 minutes of Tuesday's Champions League round of 16 first-leg, with Luis Suarez scoring twice on his return to English soil.
An improved City pulled a goal back through Sergio Aguero in the second half, but Barcelona continued to turn their superiority into chances and Lionel Messi wasted the opportunity to finish the tie when he saw a penalty saved by Joe Hart and missed the rebound in injury time.
The Premier League champions now face an uphill task to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time but Pellegrini is adamant his team approached the first leg in the correct manner.
When asked if he harboured any regrets over City's set-up, Pellegrini replied: "No, I was very happy. It was the way we must play against Barcelona.
"We played two different games; the first half and the second half. Before the first goal it was a very normal game. After that we conceded a very easy goal and after that we played very bad.
"In the second half we did what we talked about before the game. We played well. It's not easy to play against Barcelona. We conceded two goals but we discount one goal and two or three chances more to score.
"It's not the best result here at home and I hope we are going to try to do it at least, with a normal performance in Europe and a good performance as a team. We will try to do it there in the next game.
"It was a very important save from Hart for Messi's penalty but a very unnecessary penalty, we must control our emotions inside the box. Three-one is a very difficult score to try to reverse but I think we can have more chances."
The attacker is confident that his side can overcome a 2-1 first-leg deficit in the second leg, but admitted that the loss could have been even worse
Borussia Dortmund attacker Marco Reus says he is not at all worried about the prospect of a Champions League exit at the hands of Juventus despite losing the first leg 2-1.
The Germany international scored to put his side back on level terms after Carlos Tevez broke the deadlock, only for Alvaro Morata to give the Bianconeri a narrow first-leg lead.
Reus feels that his side could have got more from the Turin clash but is still confident they will progress.
"Maybe we could have got something more out of this," he told Sky.
"After it was 1-1 we were better in this match and the 2-1 was stupid. In the second half, both teams wanted to continue their way.
"Now we have to settle this in the second leg. We have to be more determined. I am not worried at all. Everything is possible in the second leg."
Reus' goal came about after an error from Giorgio Chiellini and the attacker says he and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were both planning to put Juventus' defenders under pressure from the start.
"You could see it. Auba and I always try to run at defenders, while Ciro Immobile attacked Pirlo, then Chiellini slipped. These situations happen only once or twice.
"Unfortunately that goal did not give us as much safety as I would have thought. In the second half we could have conceded a third."
The Bianconeri overcame Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on Tuesday, leaving their coach with "a few doubts but many certainties"
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri believes that Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund was a coming of age performance from his team and believes they can hold onto their lead in the second-leg and progress to the quarter-finals.
Carlos Tevez gave the Italian champions the lead in Turin but the visitors hit back through Marco Reus before Alvaro Morata struck to secure a narrow first-leg lead.
The former AC Milan boss feels that his side will have chances to cancel out BVB's away goal in the second leg and says his side's showing left him with few doubts.
"We will have chances to score more goals," he told Sky.
"In the defensive zone, we were very ordered, we were probably wrong on some passages but I am very satisfied with my guys.
"Jurgen Klopp positioned his strikers in a different way but we contained them. After this game, I have a few doubts and many certainties. Juventus were confirmed today.
"You must have good technique and speed against teams like Dortmund. We set up the game, we did not want to leave them space.
"In the Champions League, it's impossible to think of dominating the opponents. We had a good second half."
Juventus travel to Dortmund for the second leg on March 18.
The Argentine has missed from the spot three times this term but still his coach remains confident in his ability from 12 yards
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique insists that Lionel Messi will continue taking penalties for his side, despite missing his third spot kick of the season against Manchester City.
The Argentine had the chance to put his side 3-1 up late on at the Etihad Stadium, but Joe Hart saved his effort from 12 yards.
He also missed penalties against Levante in September and Brazil, while playing for his country, in October, but Luis Enrique is confident that the attacker is still reliable from the spot.
"Those who miss penalties are those who dare to take them and our penalty taker is undoubtedly Leo Messi. We have the utmost confidence in his capacity to take them," he told reporters.
Luis Enrique went on to say that his side can be very proud of their efforts in Manchester and the performance to go with it.
"The result is deserved and we must be proud of it. It is difficult to close out the result in these matches, but we had a lot of chances.
"In the first half we were very good. We created a lot of chances from midfield and we defended very well. We were very good in all aspects of the game.
"In the second half, our opponents also showed their quality and we had to suffer, but this result is deserved.
Arsenal have individuals but Monaco are a team - Jardim
By Joe Wright
Feb 26, 2015 00:05:50
The Portuguese coach believes his side got the balance spot on in their win at the Emirates - but says it was not their most important of the season
Leonardo Jardim says Monaco's team ethic was key to their shock 3-1 Champions League win away to Arsenal in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday.
Geoffrey Kondogbia's deflected strike put the Ligue 1 side in the lead before Dimitar Berbatov doubled their advantage, and though Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pulled back a late goal, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco struck a third in the dying moments.
Jardim praised his side for nullifying the threat of the Gunners' attacking stars - but says the victory was not the most important of their season so far.
"It's not our biggest Champions League win. We also beat Zenit and [Bayer] Leverkusen. The one in Germany was most important as it allowed us to qualify for the second round," he told reporters after the match.
"Arsenal were very strong in the first half and then they suffered a little. In the first half, we were very strong defensively and then took advantage of the spaces.
"Arsenal have excellent individuals, but this is a team sport and we were able to render them harmless. We were very organised, but also able to attack with quality.
"Nobody thought this was possible, and we did it. But the task in the second leg still remains.
"We've won nothing yet, we just took an advantage. Football is also art - you have to know how to attack, how to defend. My team is very balanced."
Jardim reserved special praise for the all-round efforts of Berbatov - a player who has attracted criticism throughout his career for his languid style.
"In terms of positioning and defensive work, Berbatov was tremendous," he added.
Kompany: I'm not bothered by criticism after Barcelona loss
By Gill Clark
Feb 25, 2015 17:53:00
The Belgium international was scrutinised over his role in both of Luis Suarez's goals at the Etihad but he says he pays no heed to what the press thinks
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany says that he is not bothered by criticism of his performance following Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League defeat by Barcelona.
Two goals from Luis Suarez put the Catalans in charge of the last-16 tie, although a second-half strike from Sergio Aguero gave the Premier League titleholders hope ahead of the second leg at Camp Nou.
Kompany has come under scrutiny for his role in both of Barca's goals but the Belgium international defender refuses to pay any attention to his critics.
"It is simple: when the results go [well], everybody will say I am performing well; as long as the results don't go our way, people will say there are several players on the team not performing. All this is part of the game and it doesn't bother me at all,” the centre-half told The Guardian.
"You [the media] are going in with an angle. For me, I cannot pay attention with it – it is what I have said.
"[In the] first half we were very disappointed, everyone, and in the second half it was so unfortunate we ended up with 10 men as I am curious to see what kind of game it would have become. It looked like we were back in the game."
City were also indebted to goalkeeper Joe Hart, who kept the score at 2-1 by saving a stoppage-time penalty from Lionel Messi, who also headed the rebound wide, and Kompany says that his side still have a chance.
The skipper added: "For us, who knows? You score first goal over there and more pressure drops as you can afford to concede one more goal and just have to score one more."
'We were suicidal defensively' - Wenger bemoans 'horrible' night for Arsenal
Feb 25, 2015 22:49:00
The Gunners were made to pay for a lack of organisation at the back and their boss admitted they have a mountain to climb if they are to reach the quarter-finals
Arsene Wenger described his side's defending as "suicidal" after Arsenal slumped to a 3-1 defeat at home to Monaco on Wednesday.
Goals from Geoffrey Kondogbia, Dimitar Berbatov and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco secured a convincing win for the Ligue 1 outfit despite Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's late strike.
The result leaves the Gunnners' Champions League hopes hanging in the balance, with the north London outfit needing to score three times in the second leg to have any chance of progressing to the quarter-finals.
Wenger admitted his side did not defend well enough, though he did praise his former side's organisation.
He told Sky Sports: "It was a horrible night but congratulations to Monaco. They fought, defended very well and caught us on the break.
"We had both aspects wrong. We had the chances we didn't take and we were suicidal defensively. We knew at half-time it was important to keep our nerve.
"We are very guilty. At 2-1 how can we, with one minute to go, leave open the whole half?
"We controlled the game quite well. With their first shot on goal they scored. Everything went for them tonight.
"On top of that you see as well why Monaco have done well in the group stage. They're very well organised and physically very strong."
Despite the defeat, the Frenchman refused to rule out his team's chances of reaching the last eight of the competition - a feat they have not managed in the past four seasons.
But Wenger was under no illusions as to the magnitude of the task ahead after a showing that was not of the required standard.
"The task is massive now," he added. "The third goal makes it even more difficult. We'll have a go of course and see what we can do there.
"It's very, very disappointing but the Champions League is down to performance on the day and when you don't perform at the level that is required for 90 minutes you're punished.
"We knew before the game they absorb you and get you on the break. What happened? Exactly that."
The former Manchester United striker scored the second as Monaco ran out 3-1 winners at the Emirates to seize control of the tie
Dimitar Berbatov believes Arsenal were made to pay for a lack of desire as Monaco shocked Arsene Wenger's men in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Bulgarian scored his side's second as the Ligue 1 side ran out 3-1 winners in the first leg of their last-16 tie in north London to take advantage of a dismal Gunners display.
And the former Manchester United and Tottenham striker feels his side simply wanted to win the game more than the hosts, telling Sky Sports: "Nobody expected that probably, but we are confident in our ability, we deserved to win.
"We scored our chances, and it’s a great win for us. Nobody expected it, [but] it’s not over, we have one more game and Arsenal are still a dangerous team.
"Arsenal are a good team but today we wanted to win more than them. We were fighting all over the pitch, winning our challenges and scored the goals. Football is about goals and today we scored three and we won.
"For a team like Arsenal I don’t think they can allow themselves to underestimate, but if they did it then it’s bad for them because you can see in the pitch that we won."
Despite the healthy first-leg advantage, Berbatov has warned his side not to allow themselves to become complacent ahead of the second leg at Stade Louis II.
"I don’t think like this because Arsenal is Arsenal, they have great players. Anything can happen, we have a comfortable lead but in football anything can happen."
Both the defender and club captain Gabi acknowledged they were outfought by Bayer Leverkusen as they suffered a 1-0 defeat in Germany
Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin admitted his side lacked their usual intensity in their Champions League loss to Bayer Leverkusen.
The Spanish champions struggled to find rhythm or create many chances against Roger Schmidt's side, who sealed a 1-0 win courtesy of a brilliant second-half strike from Hakan Calhanoglu.
Godin conceded his side were outfought at the BayArena on Wednesday but is confident they can deliver an improved showing in the return leg at the Vicente Calderon.
"It's not a great result but the tie is still open. We have to play at the Calderon and do things very well there," the Uruguay international told Canal Plus.
"I think we were lacking a bit of intensity without the ball. We're not a team with great fluidity on the ball but we're usually the favourites in the game without it.
"The opposition were also very intense - it would have been easy otherwise. They played very well. We would have liked to be better but we couldn't do it.
"This is the Champions League. It's the second round, it's not going to be easy. We'll try to do a great job at home. We have confidence."
Club captain Gabi, meanwhile, says he has faith in Atleti's squad depth ahead of the second leg after Guilherme Siqueira and Saul Niguez were forced off with injuries, while Tiago picked up a red card.
"I think they played with a lot of intensity, they were comfortable pressing and that's how they won today. It was a very tough game," the 31-year-old said.
"The result is difficult but I have confidence in this team. We have players to spare."
The Barcelona striker insisted he did nothing wrong despite TV footage appearing to show him moving his head towards the hand of Martin Demichelis
Luis Suarez has denied biting Martin Demichelis during Barcelona’s Champions League win at Manchester City on Tuesday – and accused the English media of “making trouble”.
Suarez scored twice at the Etihad Stadium to put the Catalans in control of their last-16 tie but later found himself at the centre of another biting row following the clash with the Argentine defender.
Television footage showed Demichelis extending his arm in the direction of Suarez, with the striker responding by thrusting his face towards the former Bayern Munich defender’s hand.
Uefa confirmed to Goal that “nothing was mentioned in the [referee’s] report, and no action is being taken,” and Suarez also insisted he had no case to answer, instead claiming he was the victim.
He told Uruguayan radio station Sport 890: “He [Demichelis] put his hand on my throat.”
Suarez then rounded on the English media and accused them of stirring following his two goals which helped Uruguay to a 2-1 win against England in June and effectively eliminated Roy Hodgson’s side from the World Cup.
He added: “I do not understand why they [the English media] want to do this. They want to make trouble. They must be hurt after what I did to them in the World Cup but they forget that I played in England and they should show me some respect.”
Suarez was handed a four-month ban from football in 2014 after biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini later in the World Cup having already been suspended for two previous bites at club level.
The 28-year-old initially denied having sunk his teeth into Chiellini but later admitted to the offence before signing for Barca from Liverpool for €94 million.
Suarez eventually made his Blaugrana debut in October, against Real Madrid, and has since netted nine times in 22 appearances in all competitions for the Catalan club.
Ferreira Carrasco: My goal's left Arsenal with it all to do
By Mark Doyle
Feb 26, 2015 13:10:59
The Belgian winger netted in the dying seconds in north London to put Monaco in complete control of their last-16 tie
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco is relishing how his debut Champions League goal for Monaco has left Arsenal with a mountain to climb in the second leg.
Despite being the seeded side going into the last-16 tie and boasting a defence that had been breached just once during the group stage, Leonardo Jardim's side were expected to struggle against the third-placed team in the Premier League.
However, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Dimitar Berbatov helped Monaco into a 2-0 lead and, even though Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pulled a goal back for the Gunners in the closing stages, Ferreira Carrasco broke away in the dying seconds to put the seal on a stunning away win for the Ligue 1 side.
"It's my first goal in the Champions League," the winger told his club's official website. "It made me feel great because I do not score often.
"But this is a victory that made the whole team feel good. Because we have a two-goal advantage now, it will be more difficult for Arsenal to come back."
Midfielder Nabil Dirar was just as enthused by Monaco's shock win in north London, but warned that the tie is far from decided.
"We could not have got a better result here," the midfielder added. "We had a little luck but we claimed a great win for Monaco.
"Qualification for the quarter-finals is not yet sorted, though. We must stay focused and certainly not underestimate this Arsenal team."
The return leg at the Stade Louis II takes place on Tuesday March 17.
The veteran Juventus midfielder will aim to be fit for the return leg against Dortmund, but will definitely miss the crucial Serie A contest with Roma
Juventus have confirmed Andrea Pirlo is likely to be out for close to three weeks with a calf strain.
The veteran playmaker was withdrawn in the 2-1 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday and has since undergone tests on the problem.
The Serie A champions have now stated that Pirlo has suffered a first-degree strain of his right calf and is likely to be sidelined for 20 days.
He is therefore expected to miss Juve's next four matches, including the top-of-the-table clash with Roma and the Coppa Italia semi-final with Fiorentina on March 5.
However, the 35-year-old should be in contention to feature in the last-16 second leg in Dortmund on March 18.
Goals from Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata gave Juventus their slender advantage to take to Germany, although Marco Reus' away goal means the outcome of the tie remains in the balance.
Clichy: Man City have not improved since last season
By Tom Maston
Feb 26, 2015 11:42:00
The former Arsenal defender - who was sent off against Luis Enrqiue's side on Tuesday - feels the Blues need more experience if they are to compete with Europe's best sides
Gael Clichy does not believe Manchester City have improved in the last year following a second home defeat to Barcelona in the space of 12 months.
The left-back was sent-off during the Premier League champions' 2-1 defeat to Luis Enrique's side on Tuesday as they lost at the Etihad Stadium to the Catalans for the second time in consecutive seasons.
Manuel Pellegrini's side have also slipped behind Chelsea in the Premier League as they look to defend their title, but Clichy has backed the team to learn from their mistakes.
"It’s hard to say that City have improved," he told reporters. "If you look at this game they had more possession, created chances and we ran after the ball a lot. I don’t know if we have improved since last year.
"We are privileged to be in a club that wants to improve year after year. And to improve is to go further in the Champions League. Twice in a row we have played Barcelona. They are a big team and know how to play those kind of games. Eventually we will get there.
"Those clubs have been built for several years — 20, 30, 40 years — and this is only the sixth season for us but that’s no excuse. The owner wants to improve quickly, so we have to improve quickly.
"If we play as we did in the second half, everything is possible. It’s not going to be easy, but we are going to try really hard."
City travel to Camp Nou for the second leg of the tie on March 18 as they look to overturn the 2-1 scoreline from the first encounter.
The ex-Barcelona coach, who is now in charge of Argentina, says the forward will be fuming at his missed penalty against Manchester City
Former Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino says Lionel Messi will be furious after missing a penalty against Manchester City.
Messi was in exceptional form in the first half at the Etihad Stadium but missed from the spot - and the resulting rebound - in the dying minutes as Barca won 2-1 in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie.
The Argentina boss believes his international captain is far happier at Camp Nou after clearing the air with head coach Luis Enrique, but he has no doubt the 27-year-old will be livid with his late miss.
"I can imagine his anger. I didn't think the referee was going to allow the rebound as time was up," he told Depor TV .
"Messi has been fine in 2015. To determine what happened before without being in the dressing room is difficult.
"Now he is getting the ball, competing, creating goals, and is involved, which helps everyone. Barcelona won well, they played a great first half and have a great advantage for the return leg."
Martino was in charge of Barca from July 2013 to May 2014, failing to win any silverware other than the Supercopa de Espana and he continues to admit that he underestimated the magnitude of the job after moving from Argentina.
"These are the feelings one has after 10 months of work and analysing everything," he said.
"I felt I couldn't improve this fantastic team and I wasn't able to be happy at having come to one of the best clubs in the world.
"[The current Barca] is a much improved version. They don't create as much as a team but they have a very high level of attackers who can decide a game.
"The team evolves over time and players need replacing."
