Jose Mourinho urges Manchester City not to sack old foe Pellegrini [Sun]

Jose Mourinho had some words of support for under-fire Manuel Pellegrini in his meeting with the written press on Friday.

According to the Sun, the Chelsea boss launched a strong defence of the Man City boss, who looks to be fighting for his job after a disastrous season, which will see them finish empty-handed.

Mourinho said that though Man City may not win the title this year, it would be ‘criminal’ of the City chiefs to get rid of the Chilean, considering his overall record.

It’s an interesting one from Mourinho, considering that Pellegrini is an old foe of his, dating back to their time in Spain.

With Mourinho having taken over from Pellegrini at Madrid and the Chilean having gone down south to manage Malaga, Mourinho had patronizingly said he would find himself in the position of having to join such a modest club.

That rankled with Pellegrini, but he’ll surely appreciate the support from Mourinho on this occasion.

If it was indeed genuine, that is…

Man City's Pellegrini: Forget the sack - I want a new deal

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini says he does not fear being dismissed by the Blues and wants to extend his stay at the Etihad Stadium.

Manuel Pellegrini claims he is not fearing the City sack - and is even eyeing talks over a new contract!

Speculation over the 61-year-old’s future has intensified this week following the news that highly-rated coach Jurgen Klopp is set to leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season.

Despite the Blues’ disappointing Premier League title defence and failure to improve on last season’s European performance, the club’s hierarchy were thought to be prepared to stick with Pellegrini.

However, the availability of one of Europe’s top bosses in Klopp has given Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain a difficult decision to make come the summer.

Pellegrini is unconcerned by rumours regarding his job security, however, and when asked whether he would like to extend his stay at the Etihad Stadium, he replied: “Of course - I’m very happy.

“This is one of the most important clubs in the world, I’m very happy with the fans, the owner, the players. I’m unhappy with the results, especially this year. But i’m very happy here.

“[There have been] no talks - I have one year more I don’t need to.

“I am not thinking about next year. I have a contract for one more year and I continue working because I know I have the support of the owners, the players, the fans, everyone.

“We need all of them behind the club for these last games so I don’t feel any pressure about that. I am not thinking about the future.”

LFP reduces Ibrahimovic suspension to three matches

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has seen his suspension for a foul-mouthed rant reduced to three matches by the Professional Football League (LFP).

The Paris Saint-Germain striker was initially handed a four-game ban for comments towards a referee following a Ligue 1 defeat to Bordeaux, a decision that was criticised by his club.

Ibrahimovic appeared to say: "[I've] played 15 years I've never seen a referee this s*** country. Don't even deserve PSG to be in this country. F****** too good for all of you."

He later apologised and PSG have welcomed the decision to reduce his ban, while aiming an attack against other Ligue 1 clubs.

"Paris Saint-Germain is happy that the LFP has accepted the 17 April proposition by the French National Olympic and Sport Committee's conciliators, concerning the striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

"The player also confirms he has accepted the conciliatory proposition to reduce his suspension to three matches.

"The capital club takes this opportunity to invite the other actors of French football: club presidents and players, to focus on the end of the season rather than meddle in the matters of Paris Saint-Germain.

"Paris Saint-Germain respects all clubs and refuses to pass comment on their affairs and asks the same in return."

Marseille's Dimitri Payet has also seen a ban trimmed. He was suspended for two games after directing angry comments at the dressing room of the match officials following a 0-0 draw with Lyon, but will now sit out a solitary match.

Nigerians will be upset if i score against Arsenal in FA cup semi-final - Yakubu

Yakubu will make himself public enemy No.1 in his beloved Nigeria if he helps Reading shock Arsenal in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final.

Royals’ striker, who scored the winner in the fifth round tie at Derby, has been inundated with requests for tickets ever since Steve Clarke’s set up their meeting with the Gunners.

His friends back home have all been on the phone, asking him to get them into Wembley.

But it’s not so they can see the 32-year-old make his first ever appearance at the famous stadium, it’s so they can cheer on Arsene Wenger’s side.

“All my friends back home support Arsenal,” said Yakubu.

“Whenever I play them I always give them tickets to come and watch and they say to me they want me to lose. They say I can score one, but that’s it.

“They never want me to win. But that’s normal.

“Back home in Nigeria, 60 per cent of the country supports Arsenal. They love them.

                          Yakubu celebrates scoring for Blackburn against Arsenal.

“Arsenal fans are all over the place. Even when the Nigerian players are playing against Arsenal, they want Arsenal to win. It’s strange but you have to accept it.”

Yakubu has enjoyed a good record against Arsenal over his long career, scoring five times.

He did, however, miss a golden chance to score a goal which would have toppled the famous Invincibles side of 2004.

And he admits if he had stuck that chance away while playing for Portsmouth at Fratton Park, he would probably never been able to return to Nigeria.

“It’s always been the same,” he said.

“When I was at Middlesbrough or Portsmouth, they always want me to lose.

“My friends always do that to me. So I always tease them whenever Arsenal lose. I do it a lot.

“Whenever I beat Arsenal I say to them, did you guys win today? And they go crazy with me.”

Terry ´no chance´ of England return - Capello

Former England manager Fabio Capello believes there is "no chance" of John Terry making an international return.

The Chelsea captain has helped his team to the top of the Premier League, but has been retired from England duty since September 2012.

Capello resigned as manager of England in February of the year, days after the Football Association stripped Terry of the captaincy.

Despite Terry's form, Capello said the 34-year-old had no hope of playing for England again.

"John Terry has no chance of playing with the national team again," the Italian said.

"There are some young players who played with me who are improving. [Chris] Smalling is playing. [Phil] Jones is playing. I'm happy because they are players that I brought into the national team and they are playing now.

"Also Ashley Young is playing really well."

Capello also spoke about another former England captain, Steven Gerrard, who is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season to join the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The 68-year-old said he understood Gerrard's decision.

"Steven Gerrard, I have really good memories of him. He was a fantastic player. He played really well for Liverpool. He played well for the national team," Capello said.

"He has retired from the club. I understand why. A lot of English players are going to the USA."

Balotelli most-targeted player for hate crimes on social media

Mario Balotelli is subjected to more hate crimes on social media than any other Premier League player, while Chelsea are the club most-affected, a new survey has found.

Research undertaken by anti-racism organisation Kick It Out revealed that Liverpool striker Balotelli had been the target of discriminatory posts over 8,000 times between August 2014 and March this year.

More than half of the messages aimed at the Italian were racist.

Approximately 19,000 discriminatory posts were directed at Balotelli's club, although Chelsea were the team most affected – receiving roughly 20,000.

The findings of posts on Facebook, Twitter, club forums and blogs suggested that over 134,000 offensive messages had been sent this season, averaging out at one "abusive mention" every two-and-a-half minutes.

"This is a huge amount of awful abuse," Kick It Out's chief executive Roisin Wood said. 

"A lot of it is vile, and something needs to be done. We are really frustrated by the police response but we also understand that they cannot investigate all of this. 

"We have to take it seriously and that is why we are inviting the relevant bodies and authorities to work together to find ways of addressing it."

Kick It Out also outlined their intention to form a group including football chiefs, social media managers and the police in an attempt to stamp out incidents.

CHELSEA STAR ON HIS WAY TO PSG THIS SUMMER

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has been linked with a Stamford Bridge exit for the past few months and it now looks as though he will be moving to France with Paris Saint-Germain, as former Blues player and coach Ray Wilkins has claimed the move is done.

Cech has struggled to see regular action under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea this season following Thibaut Courtois’ return from Atletico Madrid and the Czech Republic international has said he is not willing to spend another season sitting on the bench.

At 32, Cech still has several years ahead of him, and PSG look to have beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and Inter Milan to his services if Wilkins is to be believed.

Wilkins made his comments regarding Cech’s future while speaking on beIN Sport during PSG’s 3-1 Champions League loss to Barcelona on Wednesday night.

Current PSG ‘keeper Salvatore Sirigu could be on the way out of the club after some disappointing displays, while the signing of Cech would mean that Spurs star Hugo Lloris would be unlikely to leave White Hart Lane this summer, as he has also been linked with a move back to France with Paris Saint-Germain.

It was reported last week that Cech was close to agreeing a deal to join Roberto Mancini at Inter Milan but it now looks as though PSG will be his next club after making 331 appearances for Chelsea during his 11 seasons at the club.

Lionel Messi shocks the media

When the best player in the world talks about his football preferences, the sports media sits up and pays attention. And, having played against all of the best players in the world of his generation, it has come as a shock to many to see who he has chosen as the best goalkeeping performance that he has ever faced. British news outlet, The Scotsman quotes Messi as saying:

“There was one game in Scotland where he (Fraser Forster) was not human, it is the best goalkeeping performance I have seen.”

Looking back now it seems impossible that Celtic beat this pre-eminent Barcelona side in The Champions League. But, just a couple of years ago they did indeed win 2-1 against Barcelona in an atmosphere which will take some beating. Messi said of the fixture:

“The games against Celtic were special and I want to remember them. We know we would get a tough game if we drew them in the Champions League, but everybody involved in those Barcelona v Celtic games wants to go and play there again.

Forster was incredible that night and is a very highly regarded goalkeeper who has been competing seriously with Manchester City keeper Joe Hart for the number one jersey at international level for England.

But having faced the likes of Casillas, Van der Saar, Cech and Neuer in their prime, it’s still something of a surprise to hear the Barcelona man mark this game as the best goalkeeping performance that he has seen.

And it’s high praise indeed for Forster, who has been a big hit in England since his move to Southampton.

Let’s see the lad in action. Barcelona fans: could you see Forster playing for Barca one day?

Gomis out for four weeks

Swansea City striker Bafetimbi Gomis has been ruled out for around four weeks with a hamstring injury sustained during last weekend's 1-1 draw with Everton.

The French forward picked up the problem as he turned to shoot in the 15th minute of the Premier League clash at the Liberty Stadium.

Without a recognised striker on the bench, manager Garry Monk turned to Marvin Emnes to fill the void on the day.

Gomis' absence leaves Nelson Oliveira, on loan from Benfica, as the only out-and-out frontman in the Swansea squad.

The Portugal international has made little impact since arriving in January, though, failing to find the net in eight appearances and making just one start.

Swansea visit bottom club Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.

Hazard the best in Premier League - Oscar

Chelsea midfielder Oscar believes clubmate Eden Hazard deserves to be seen as "the best player in England".

Hazard is tipped by many to sweep this season's player of the year awards, as Chelsea close in on a first Premier League title since 2010.

And Oscar says such accolades would be entirely justified for a player who has chipped in with 12 goals and eight assists in the league this term.

"In my opinion he is the best player of Premier League at this moment," the Brazilian told Perform. "It's very hard pointing out who's the best here or there, especially here with so many good players.

"But Hazard has been so consistent and he deserves to be considered as the best player in England.

"Obviously we have other good players like Willian, he is only 25, or Diego Costa.

"We still have room for improvement, [but] if we keep this winning mentality I can't see why not other stars can't rise here."

Chelsea sit seven points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and host third-placed Manchester United on Saturday.

Ideye a concern for Palace clash

West Brom have an injury concern over Brown Ideye ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash at head coach Tony Pulis' former club Crystal Palace.

The Nigeria striker suffered a knock in training, which may prevent him from taking his place in the starting line-up at Selhurst Park.

Pulis said: “Browny has got a little bit of a knock so we're not sure if he will be fit to start or not. We're hoping that he will be okay."

Ex-Palace boss Pulis was able to deliver better news of winger Callum McManaman, who played just over an hour of a Birmingham Senior Cup game against Nuneaton in midweek after recovering from a heel problem.

"Callum has come through a reserve game and has trained really well these last 10 games, so he gives us an option which will be great for us.” said the Welshman.

Albion will be out to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat at the expense of a Palace side full of confidence after winning four in a row.

Webb re-elected as CONCACAF president

Jeffrey Webb was thankful after being re-elected as CONCACAF president for a second term on Thursday.

Webb took over as president in 2012 and will continue in that role, with reports saying he was re-elected unopposed.

The 50-year-old from the Cayman Islands was delighted to be given the opportunity to continue as president.

"Thank you for allowing me to represent you for another term," Webb tweeted.

"I am sure that with your support this leadership will continue to advance the game. What is great for the game, must be great for all.

"Let's ensure that the game is bigger than any single one of us."

Benitez praises 'spectacular' Napoli

Napoli coach Rafael Benitez lauded his "spectacular" team after their 4-1 win at Wolfsburg on Thursday.

Marek Hamsik netted a brace and Gonzalo Higuain and Manolo Gabbiadini were also on the scoresheet in the huge UEFA Europa League first-leg quarter-final win.

Benitez was full of praise for his team, but was unwilling to describe it as their best of the campaign.

"A spectacular performance. I've said for a long time this squad has quality, character and professionalism, all of which were on show tonight," he told Mediaset.

"We put in great games against Roma and Lazio, yet played worse against Fiorentina and won 3-0.

"Tonight we combined the performance with the result, showing players who work for each other and this attitude can make the difference."

Napoli's players were put into a training camp after their loss to Lazio in the Coppa Italia on April 8.

Benitez has accepted that decision, but believes some of the criticism of his players has been unfair.

"We all know where this team started from and there was a bit of a slow down this year, but we did play well and just made some individual errors," the Spaniard said.

“What I do not like is hearing people say the players are unprofessional or undisciplined."

KESHI RETURNS WITHOUT AMOKACHI

The Nigeria Football Federation is  set to announce Stephen Keshi as the ‘new’ Super Eagles coach – but without Daniel Amokachi serving as assistant.

The two parties have been in talks over a new contract, with the NFF offering him a two-year contract extension in March.

National Team Goalkeeper Trainer, Ike Shorunmu; Assistant Coach, Daniel Amokachi, and Super Eagles Chief Coach, Stephen Keshi during a media parley in Abuja

And sources at the NFF have informed that Keshi will sign the contract in the next ‘few days’, with reports having it that it might be as soon as today, Friday, April 17.

The contract will see Keshi remain on the N5m monthly salary he earned in his previous contract, but he will now report directly to the NFF technical director and the NFF technical study group.

The announcement will see the Glass House name a substantive coach for the Super Eagles for the first time in nine months – since last July when Keshi’s initial contract expired.

The announcement also comes ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers which starts in June, with Nigeria in the same group as Egypt, Tanzania and Chad.

Meanwhile, it is also understood that Keshi’s return will mean the end for former Super Eagles striker, Daniel Amokachi, who has been Keshi’s first assistant since November 2011 when he replaced another former Nigeria international, Samson Siasia as the Super Eagles head coach.

Neither the NFF, nor Keshi, have directly confirmed or denied this development, but it is strongly believed that Amokachi may have done his last bit with the team when he took them to Nelspruit, South Africa for that 1-1 draw in friendly in March.

Thursday soccer best and worst defensive teams

According to Betexplorer: Best and worst defensive teams are deduced based on the average number of goals conceded per match.  This statistics helps in Over/under prediction.

G    - Games played
Gls - Total goals conceded
R    - Goals conceded average 'per match

Best defensive teams

Team		G	Gls.	R	Next match	1	X	2
	Sparta Prague U21	28	17	0.6	Sparta Prague U21 - Mlada Boleslav U21	2.20	3.91	2.51
	Naft Tehran	25	19	0.8	Zob Ahan - Naft Tehran	2.48	2.79	2.84
	Foolad	25	20	0.8	Foolad - Naft Masjed Soleyman	1.48	3.48	6.62
	Al Ain	22	18	0.8	Al Ain - Ittihad Kalba	1.20	5.80	9.57
	Vendsyssel FF	24	20	0.8	Vendsyssel FF - Vejle	2.17	3.11	3.27
	Petrolera	14	12	0.9	Millonarios - Petrolera	1.52	3.68	5.77
	Alajuelense	41	37	0.9	Alajuelense - U.C.R.	1.34	4.32	7.93
	Zob Ahan	25	23	0.9	Zob Ahan - Naft Tehran	2.48	2.79	2.84
	Libertad Asuncion	12	11	0.9	Libertad Asuncion - Deportivo Santani	1.21	5.19	12.56
	Sepahan	25	24	1.0	Persepolis - Sepahan	2.99	2.80	2.37
	Aarhus	23	22	1.0	Koge - Aarhus	3.49	3.20	2.04
	Saipa	25	24	1.0	Tractor - Saipa	1.69	3.19	4.86
	Lakhwiya	25	25	1.0	Al Sailiya - Lakhwiya	5.43	4.32	1.43
	Curzon	43	44	1.0	Curzon - Ramsbottom	1.43	4.38	5.59
	Al Ahli Dubai	22	23	1.0	Al Ahli Dubai - Al Nasr	1.99	3.29	3.29
	Deportivo Santani	13	14	1.1	Libertad Asuncion - Deportivo Santani	1.21	5.19	12.56
	U.C.R.	40	43	1.1	Alajuelense - U.C.R.	1.34	4.32	7.93
	Saprissa	43	47	1.1	Saprissa - CS Uruguay	1.40	4.21	6.50
	Necaxa	32	35	1.1	Necaxa - Merida	2.06	3.23	3.21
	Tractor	25	28	1.1	Tractor - Saipa	1.69	3.19	4.86
	Al Nasr	22	25	1.1	Al Ahli Dubai - Al Nasr	1.99	3.29	3.29
	Pribram U21	29	33	1.1	Pribram U21 - Plzen U21	1.26	5.62	7.15
	Persepolis	25	29	1.2	Persepolis - Sepahan	2.99	2.80	2.37
	Brno U21	29	34	1.2	Brno U21 - Jihlava U21	1.73	4.16	3.42
	Koge	23	27	1.2	Koge - Aarhus	3.49	3.20	2.04
	Monmouth	26	31	1.2	Pontardawe - Monmouth	3.75	4.75	1.57
	Naft Masjed Soleyman	25	30	1.2	Foolad - Naft Masjed Soleyman	1.48	3.48	6.62
	Geylang	5	6	1.2	Geylang - Brunei DPMM	4.17	3.56	1.70
	Millonarios	14	17	1.2	Millonarios - Petrolera	1.52	3.68	5.77
	La Equidad	14	17	1.2	La Equidad - Atl. Nacional	3.28	3.07	2.10

MORE STREAKS

Worst defensive teams

Team		G	Gls.	R	Next match	1	X	2
	Mas Taborsko U21	29	112	3.9	Mas Taborsko U21 - Ceske Budejovice U21	2.41	3.99	2.24
	Varnsdorf U21	29	93	3.2	Varnsdorf U21 - Ostrava U21	4.63	4.86	1.45
	Znojmo U21	29	80	2.8	Znojmo U21 - Slovacko U21	2.01	3.88	2.81
	Slovacko U21	30	75	2.5	Znojmo U21 - Slovacko U21	2.01	3.88	2.81
	Shamal	25	60	2.4	Al-Sadd - Shamal	1.13	7.17	12.08
	Ceske Budejovice U21	29	66	2.3	Mas Taborsko U21 - Ceske Budejovice U21	2.41	3.99	2.24
	Pontardawe	26	59	2.3	Pontardawe - Monmouth	3.75	4.75	1.57
	Ittihad Kalba	22	50	2.3	Al Ain - Ittihad Kalba	1.20	5.80	9.57
	Dukla Prague U21	30	66	2.2	Jablonec U21 - Dukla Prague U21	1.71	4.18	3.46
	Al-Shahaniya	25	55	2.2	Al Ahli Doha - Al-Shahaniya	2.52	3.64	2.28
	Hradec Kralove U21	29	62	2.1	Trinec U21 - Hradec Kralove U21	2.15	3.97	2.54
	Al-Gharafa	25	52	2.1	Al Wakra - Al-Gharafa	1.66	3.78	4.12
	Al Wakra	25	51	2.0	Al Wakra - Al-Gharafa	1.66	3.78	4.12
	Trinec U21	29	58	2.0	Trinec U21 - Hradec Kralove U21	2.15	3.97	2.54
	Al Sailiya	25	49	2.0	Al Sailiya - Lakhwiya	5.43	4.32	1.43
	Jablonec U21	29	56	1.9	Jablonec U21 - Dukla Prague U21	1.71	4.18	3.46
	Rubio Nu	13	25	1.9	Nacional Asuncion - Rubio Nu	1.69	3.44	4.46
	Liberec U21	29	53	1.8	Bohemians 1905 U21 - Liberec U21	2.60	3.91	2.11
	Teplice U21	29	53	1.8	Teplice U21 - Slavia Prague U21	2.41	3.87	2.27
	Jihlava U21	29	52	1.8	Brno U21 - Jihlava U21	1.73	4.16	3.42
	Ramsbottom	41	73	1.8	Curzon - Ramsbottom	1.43	4.38	5.59
	Al Khor	25	44	1.8	Al Khor - Umm-Salal	2.67	3.43	2.25
	Al Ahli Doha	25	40	1.6	Al Ahli Doha - Al-Shahaniya	2.52	3.64	2.28
	Kashima	5	8	1.6	Kashiwa - Kashima	2.65	3.32	2.44
	Qatar SC	25	39	1.6	Qatar SC - Al Arabi	1.44	4.41	5.18
	Merida	26	40	1.5	Necaxa - Merida	2.06	3.23	3.21
	Nacional Asuncion	13	20	1.5	Nacional Asuncion - Rubio Nu	1.69	3.44	4.46
	Ostrava U21	30	46	1.5	Varnsdorf U21 - Ostrava U21	4.63	4.86	1.45
	CS Uruguay	40	60	1.5	Saprissa - CS Uruguay	1.40	4.21	6.50
	Slavia Prague U21	29	43	1.5	Teplice U21 - Slavia Prague U21	2.41	3.87	2.27