Category: Sports

Everton must take responsibility for the recurring injury problems of midfielder James McCarthy, who is a doubt ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Wales, according to Ireland assistant coach Roy Keane.

McCarthy was called-up by Ireland despite not featuring for the Merseyside club this season due to a persistent knee injury and an increasingly tetchy stand-off over the fitness of the 26-year-old has developed.

“James seems to be getting a lot of injuries at Everton so I don’t think we’ve anything to be worried about in terms of how much we push James,” Keane told a news conference.

“The medical staff are overseeing all of it and are in contact with Everton and all their scientists. I think they’ve more scientists involved than there needs to be.

“I always think clubs, as much as they look at what we’re doing, they certainly have to have look at what they are doing themselves. But James seems pretty upbeat and we’re glad to have him here.”

Manager Martin O’Neill said his medical staff are evaluating McCarthy’s fitness on a “day-by-day” basis ahead of Friday’s qualifier at home against Moldova.

Ireland are currently in third place on 13 points in Group D, one place and one point behind Wales who occupy the playoff spot with two matches remaining. (Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru)

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho fears that his side could struggle for momentum after a majority of his players left for international duty following their crushing 4-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

United handed Palace their seventh straight loss of the season with Marouane Fellaini’s brace sandwiched between Juan Mata’s opener and Romelu Lukaku’s late tap in.

Mourinho, who saw his side pick up a fourth league win of the season by a 4-0 margin, suggested the international break could upset the team’s rhythm with the potential for injuries an additional concern.

“I don’t welcome the break, it’s bad,” Mourinho, whose side were held 2-2 at Stoke City after the last break in August, told British media on Saturday.

“We had the first break and two days after the players came back we had to play another game. It’s not a good situation for us but moaning doesn’t help. We have to wait for them and hope there are not many problems,” the Portuguese said.

United, without long-term absentees Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo, face a tricky trip to Liverpool when Premier League action resumes on October 14, with games against Huddersfield, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea to follow.

After picking up 19 points from seven league games, United are second in the standings below neighbours Manchester City on goal difference.

Gareth Barry will not be happy with anything other than a positive result at Arsenal in what could be a Premier League record 633rd appearance for the West Bromwich Albion midfielder.The 36-year-old Barry, who equalled retired Manchester United player Ryan Giggs’s record in last week’s 0-0 draw with West Ham United, has also had top flight spells at Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton.

He has played in four out of West Brom’s five league games this season after signing for the West Midlands club in the close season and is set for the milestone during the visit to the Emirates Stadium on Monday.

“The number I’ll achieve is an individual one. Football is a team game. My family will be at the game but there won’t be a smile on my face after anything other than a positive result,” Barry told the club’s website (www.wba.co.uk).

“As crazy as it sounds after all these years, my focus will be on winning the game.

“When you make your debut as a young kid you’re never setting yourself a target like this. Even when you play 500 games you think you’re coming to the end of your career and you’re not expecting to play many more games.

“It’s certainly something that when I do end up finishing I’ll sit back and be really proud of. I’ll try and take in what’s happened in between a little bit more.”

Arsenal, who are 12th in the Premier League with seven points from five games, have not lost to West Brom in the league since 2010.

A year later than expected, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola appear set for a season-long fight for the Premier League title.

Having overseen successful close-season spending sprees after lacklustre first seasons in charge at Old Trafford and Eastlands, Mourinho and Guardiola have put United and City in pole position among the early pace-setters.

After five matches, Mourinho and Guardiola have led their teams to identical records, four wins, one draw, 16 goals scored, two conceded, and only alphabetical order is keeping leaders City above second-placed United.

There is little love lost between old rivals Mourinho and Guardiola and their close proximity in Manchester should make the title race an explosive affair.

Here we look at the key areas that transformed United and City:

LUKAKU POWER PLAY

Aware his most successful teams have always been built around a battering ram capable of combining power and poise at the focal point of his attack, Mourinho is reaping the rewards of splashing out £75 million ($101 million, 84 million euros) on Everton striker Romelu Lukaku.

At Chelsea, it was Didier Drogba and then Diego Costa who fuelled Mourinho’s title-winning teams, while at Inter Milan he used Diego Milito to bully defenders into submission.

Lukaku, prolific but sometimes lacking desire at Everton, is following in those footsteps, scoring seven goals in seven appearances for United to transform an attack that was often held in check too easily last term.

“If you play for a big club, then you have to act like a big player and perform, week in, week out, Lukaku said of his United excellence.

CITY MAKE CASE FOR DEFENCE

When Guardiola splurged £130 million on three full-backs over the summer, some critics suggested the Spaniard would have been better off using the money to strengthen other areas.

But Guardiola was convinced the additions of Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo, from Tottenham, Monaco and Real Madrid respectively, were essential for his purist principles to be successful in England.

Guardiola loves to retain possession as his teams build from the back, while putting stress on opponents by using over-lapping full-backs to outnumber them in the final third.

Walker, Mendy and Danilo have allowed City to do exactly that, with Liverpool, Feyenoord and Watford crushed by a combined score of 15-0 in their last three games.

“They are having a big impact. We create spaces in behind and you need players in those positions,” Guardiola said.

“Without these signings it would have been more complicated.”

MATIC BRINGS STABILITY

Asked how he felt about Chelsea sanctioning Nemanja Matic’s £40 million move to United, Blues boss Antonio Conte gave a terse reply – “You should ask the club” – that left no doubt about his frustration at losing the Serbia midfielder.

Conte’s loss has been Mourinho’s gain as Matic’s astute reading of the game and effective passing have provided the foundation for United’s more creative talents to thrive.

Matic’s presence in the midfield holding role had freed up Paul Pogba to take on the more attacking duties that suit his off-the-cuff style.

While Pogba will be sidelined with a hamstring injury for several weeks, Mourinho has no doubts United remain in good hands with Matic directing traffic.

AGUERO RISES TO JESUS CHALLENGE

Just nine months ago, Sergio Aguero appeared in danger of being the odd man out in Guardiola’s forward line following the arrival of Brazilian sensation Gabriel Jesus, but the Argentine has made himself indispensable with a blistering start to the season.

Despite Aguero’s impressive track record at City, it was the more mobile Jesus who fitted the bill as the prototypical Guardiola forward and the pair played together only three times last season as the youngster took centre stage until suffering a foot injury.

However, Guardiola has unleashed the pair to devastating effect this season, with Aguero scoring six goals in six appearances, while Jesus has netted five times in six games.

Guardiola was especially delighted Aguero showed his creative side by laying on a goal for Jesus at Watford last weekend.

“He’s a guy I encourage to play, not just to score goals,” Guardiola said.

Former England captain Wayne Rooney was Monday banned from driving for two years and ordered to perform 100 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to drink driving.

The Everton forward was stopped by police when driving a woman’s black Volkswagen Beetle at 2:00 am (0100 GMT) on September 1, while his pregnant wife and their three sons were on holiday.

Stockport Magistrates’ Court in the northwest of England heard Rooney was almost three times over the legal drink-drive limit. A breathalyser test showed his alcohol level was 104 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of breath.

The drink-drive limit in England and Wales is 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath.

Rooney apologised for his “unforgivable lack of judgement” after his guilty plea.

“Following today’s court hearing I want publicly to apologise for my unforgivable lack of judgement in driving while over the legal limit. It was completely wrong,” he said in a statement.

“I have already said sorry to my family, my manager and chairman and everyone at Everton FC. Now I want to apologise to all the fans and everyone else who has followed and supported me throughout my career.

“Of course I accept the sentence of the court and hope that I can make some amends through my community service.”

Rooney’s legal team asked the judge to consider not imposing a community order because of his ongoing charitable work.

However, the judge said he was “not convinced” that imposing a large fine “would have the same effect”.

Earlier, Rooney, 31, made no comment as he was confronted by a media scrum outside the court.

Wearing a blue suit with his hands in his pockets, he walked into the court building accompanied by a small entourage.

He has been married to his high-school sweetheart Coleen since 2008 and they are expecting their fourth child.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman said earlier this month the matter would be dealt with “internally”.

United return

Rooney was given a warm welcome at Old Trafford on his return to former club Manchester United on Sunday but it ended in disappointment with a 4-0 defeat for Everton.

Rooney, England and Manchester United’s record goalscorer, made a successful start to his second Everton spell following his return to the club from United in the summer, scoring on his first two Premier League appearances.

His form moved England manager Gareth Southgate to offer him an international recall, but he decided to call time on his England career.

Everton are currently 18th in the Premier League after three successive defeats.

Rooney first burst onto the scene aged just 16 at Everton and went on to score 17 goals in 77 appearances for the “Toffees” before moving to Manchester United, where he won multiple trophies, including the Champions League.

Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to pay tribute to Sergio Aguero when the Argentine “legend” becomes their record goalscorer.

Aguero grabbed a hat-trick in City’s 6-0 rout of Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday and stands just two goals behind Eric Brook’s all-time mark of 177 in the 1920s and 1930s.

City boss Guardiola believes it is now simply a question of when, not if, Aguero claims the record as his own and he hopes his club mark the occasion in style.

“Sergio now needs three goals to beat the record. It will be soon,” he said.

“Hopefully we can make a good celebration because he’s a legend, a part of the history of the club. That’s good for him.

“He’s a guy that I encourage to play, not just to score a goal.”

Guardiola also paid tribute to Aguero’s unselfishness after disobeying Guardiola’s orders and allowing Raheem Sterling to take the 89th minute penalty which completed the rout of Watford.

“Sergio showed again what a good guy he is. I like penalties to be taken by the penalty taker, but I understand that Raheem created the penalty and it was with my blessing that Sergio gave it to him when it is already 0-5,” Guardiola said.

Gabriel Jesus and Nicolas Otamendi were City’s other goalscorers as they leapt over Manchester neighbours United to the top of the Premier League table.

Unlike last season when his side’s thrilling start to the campaign saw them win 10 straight games in all competitions only to end the season without a trophy, Guardiola believes his side are better equipped to maintain their form in this campaign.

FUNDAMENTALS

“Last season we won with the enthusiasm for the new manager and the new players. Some games we won because we were new,” he said.

“I think we are more stable now. The players know me better, I know them better. The fundamentals are the same as last season but we have good players and a good spirit.

“It’s not easy to score 15 goals in eight days. Sometimes you have weeks like that and I am curious how we are going to react to it.

“It doesn’t matter who plays. Hopefully we can keep the same team spirit.”

Watford manager Marco Silva knows his team’s season will not be defined by this result.

But he is adamant his players must learn to handle teams who possess City’s power up front.

“It was not a good afternoon for us, but it is a good match for our team to learn from,” he said.

“City came here to play a strong match. They only changed one player from Wednesday.

“To compete at this level we need to keep our focus and our organisation every time and through the match.We need to look forward. We lost only three points and I repeat it is a good game for us to analyse.

“It is difficult to play against City, not only Aguero. What they did here this afternoon, they did eight days before against Liverpool and then in the Champions League.”

Silva complained that two of City’s first three goals were offside and then that his team were denied a clear penalty.

“When the referees make mistakes, it makes it more difficult. It is clear that the referee made mistakes,” he said.

“I will show my players their mistakes and how to learn from them. I hope the referee does the same thing.”

Floyd Mayweather outclassed Conor McGregor to win their money-spinning superfight by technical knockout here Saturday, securing his place in boxing history to head into retirement with a record 50th straight victory.

Former welterweight boxing champion Mayweather, who had come out of a two-year retirement to take on the Irish mixed martial arts star, bided his time before exerting his superiority from the middle rounds onwards at the T-Mobile Arena.

The end came in the 10th round with a tired McGregor doubled over on the ropes as Mayweather landed two hard left hooks, prompting referee Robert Byrd to intervene as a 14 623 crowd with A-list celebrities roared their approval.

“He’s a lot better than I thought he’d be,” a jubilant Mayweather said of McGregor. “He’s a tough competitor, but I was the better man tonight.”

Mayweather led comfortably on all three judges’ cards when the fight was stopped.

The American said he had deliberately taken his time early on in order to take advantage of a fatigued McGregor.

“Our game plan was to take our time, go to him, let him shoot his shots early and then take him out down the stretch,” he said. “I guaranteed to everybody that this wouldn’t go the distance.”

CLINICAL DISPLAY

McGregor meanwhile suggested the fight could have been allowed to go on, but praised Mayweather’s clinical tactical display.

“He’s composed, he’s not that fast, he’s not that powerful, but boy is he composed,” McGregor said.

“I thought it was a bit of an early stoppage. I was just a little fatigued. He was just a lot more composed with his shots.

“I have to give it to him, that’s what 50 pro fights will do for you.”

It was an explosive finale to their much-hyped contest which proved surprisingly competitive in the early rounds as McGregor managed to land a string of scoring punches.

But once Mayweather began to find his range and McGregor wearied rapidly, there was only going to be one winner.

The 40-year-old American scored at will after the early rounds, snapping back McGregor’s head with a series of stinging blows.

McGregor, 29, somehow survived an onslaught in the seventh round when a right counter from Mayweather staggered him badly.

Finally McGregor’s resistance broke in the 10th when a Mayweather right sent him lurching across the ring.

A hard left put him on the ropes and another hook saw him bent over and helpless, prompting the stoppage.

The fight had followed a largely expected script but McGregor, in his first ever boxing appearance, by no means embarrassed himself.

‘A win is a win’

Mayweather will now head into what he says is a permanent retirement with a perfect 50-0 record, one better than heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano.

He rejected suggestions that his 50th win, against a novice boxer, would be destined to have an asterisk against it.

“A win is a win, no matter how you get it,” Mayweather said. “Rocky Marciano is a legend and I look forward to going into the Hall of Fame one day.

“This was my last fight tonight. For sure. Tonight I chose the right dance partner to dance with.”

Mayweather is also expected to be around $200 million wealthier, taking his career earnings to around $1 billion.

McGregor, who was an unemployed former plumber four years ago before emerging as one of the biggest stars of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is expected to earn around $100 million.

If pay-per-view television targets are met, the fight could become the most lucrative in history.

The start of the bout had been delayed by several minutes as anticipation built to fever pitch and television providers struggled to cope with the surge in demand from pay-per-view customers.

Anticipation had built steadily at ringside as an array of stars from the sports and entertainment worlds took their seats, including Bruce Willis, LeBron James and Mike Tyson.

Ever since the fight was announced in June, it had been dismissed as a farce and a freakshow by the boxing community.

But fears of a one-sided massacre failed to materialise and McGregor finished with some respectable statistics. The Irishman’s 111 landed punches were 30 more than Manny Pacquiao managed against Mayweather in their 2015 “Fight of the Century.”