Javi Martinez: It hurts to see Bayern play

The Spanish midfielder is struggling to cope with life on the sidelines, but is slowly nearing his comeback after a lengthy spell out of action due to injury

Javi Martinez has admitted that it is not easy for him to watch Bayern Munich from the sidelines due to injury, but he is optimistic about his recovery and hopes to be back with the squad come March.

The Spain international ruptured the cruciate ligament in his left knee in the German Supercup loss to Borussia Dortmund in August and has since been out of action.

The 26-year-old is nearing his return, but he has acknowledged that he's finding it hard not being able to play yet.

"Watching my team-mates play sometimes makes me sad. My exercises are much more boring [than playing a game]. It hurts in the head," the Spaniard was quoted as saying on the official Bayern website.

"Building up muscles again is the most difficult bit. It takes a lot of hard work. But I’m a little bit better with every passing day. I worked hard on my knee every day over the holidays, so I’ve come back feeling good.

"I am already capable of light exercise and jogging and that was good for me mentally. It gives you the feeling you’re getting nearer.

"Guardiola and I talk every day. He’s keeping informed about my recovery and asks me how I am. I’m hoping to be back with the squad in March, but it all depends on the knee."

Martinez joined Bayern from Athletic Bilbao in August 2012 and has since won two Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokals, the Champions League as well as the European Supercup and the Club World Cup.

Source: http://www.goal.com/

Barcelona job would drive Guardiola crazy, says Javi Martinez

The Spain international feels the Bayern coach is not the right man for the position of sporting director, while also insisting he is happy at his current club

Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez believes Pep Guardiola would be driven crazy if he became sporting director at Barcelona.

The current Bayern coach has been touted as a potential replacement for Andoni Zubizarreta, who saw his contract terminated earlier this month.

However, Martinez has insisted that Guardiola is happy at the Bundesliga champions and would not be suited for the position anyway at this stage of his career.

"I have read what people have said, but I know that Pep is really happy at Bayern," Martinez told Sport Bild.

"He loves the city of Munich, the people here and the club itself. 

"Plus, I honestly cannot imagine Guardiola in the role as sporting director. He needs to be on top of things on a daily basis and needs the smell of grass, or he will not be happy. 

"It would drive Pep crazy if he had to watch the training sessions through his office window."

Guardiola left Barcelona at the end of the 2011-12 campaign, before taking charge of Bayern in 2013, where he won the Bundesliga title, DFB Pokal, Club World Cup and European Supercup in his first season in charge.

Source: http://www.goal.com/

Qatar Stars 1-4 Bayern Munich: Ruthless Bavarians show gulf in class

Pep Guardiola's men were as impeccable as ever in a money-spinning friendly in the oil-rich nation, with youngster Mitchell Weiser starring by bagging a double

Bayern Munich showed no signs of rustiness as they kicked off 2015 with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Qatar Stars.

The German champions have not played since beating Mainz 2-1 in the Bundesliga on December 19, but never looked in danger of losing against the Qatari top-flight's representative side.

Mitchell Weiser opened the scoring inside the opening three minutes - Thomas Muller finding himself in acres of space in the Stars' box before teeing up the 20-year-old for a simple finish.

Weiser, who is yet to find the net for the senior team, doubled the visitors' advantage 12 minutes later when he cut in from the right and rifled an effort across goalkeeper Claude Amin.

However, the Stars - coached by Lekhwiya coach Michael Laudrup - reduced the deficit against the run of play after 27 minutes.

Al-Arabi's Pablo Hernandez, who formerly played under Laudrup at Swansea City, beat the offside trap and darted down the right wing, before playing a low cross to Hamdi Harbaoui, who slotted home.

Franck Ribery found the net following a Sebastian Rode cut-back shortly before half-time to re-establish the two-goal advantage, but scoring did not come as easily for Bayern after the interval.

One of the biggest second-half positives for Pep Guardiola was the introduction of injury-plagued Holger Badstuber, who has been out since September with a thigh injury.

Bayern finally added to their haul in second-half stoppage time, when Claudio Pizarro gratefully tucked the ball into the bottom corner after being left totally unmarked at a corner.

Source: http://www.goal.com/

Official: Schalke agree Nastasic deal with Manchester City

The 21-year-old will join the Bundesliga side on loan until the summer, with the option of making the move permanent at the end of the season

Schalke have confirmed that Matija Nastasic has passed his medical and is now officially having previously agreed a deal with Manchester City.

On Sunday Goal revealed that the Bundesliga side had reached an agreement with the Premier League champions to take the centre-back on loan for the rest of the season with a view to a €12.8 million transfer next summer.

Nastasic joined City from Fiorentina in the summer of 2012 but after a promising debut campaign under Roberto Mancini, the Serb has failed to win the trust of Manuel Pellegrini, making just one club appearance this season.

Schalke have agreed to pay Nastasic's €96,000-a-week wages in full for the duration of the loan, clearing one significant obstacle to City completing the €36m signing of Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony - the Premier League champions are unable to increase their wage bill as a result of Financial Fair Play penalties.

Nastasic's departure leaves Manuel Pellegrini with club captain Vincent Kompany, €41m summer signing Eliaquim Mangala, Martin Demichelis and Dedryck Boyata as senior options in the centre of defence.

Source: http://www.goal.com/

[Photos] All 3 Liverpool Shirts For 2015/16 Season ‘Leaked’ Online

These are the ‘leaked’ pictures which are doing the rounds on Twitter today that apparently show Liverpool’s three kits for the 2015/16 season.

The Merseysiders are set to switch kit manufacturers from Warrior to New Balance next season having signed a new big-money deal back in October.

Understandably, fans are eagerly anticipating the new kit launch to see what New Balance can come up with for their debut kits, but it’s safe to say supporters will be underwhelmed if these mock-ups prove to be accurate.

The red home kit and while away kit in particular are extremely basic and lack any features, so Liverpool fans will probably be hoping these ‘leaked’ pictures are fakes.

However, it seems they could be the real deal as sketches [below] were also ‘leaked’ way back in October and they look almost identical to the shirts photoed above. So someone’s either gone to a lot of trouble to make these fakes, or they are in fact genuine mock-ups of the kits for next season.

What do you think? Do you like them?

Source: http://football-talk.co.uk/

[Photos] Two Versions Of Man Utd’s New 2015/16 Home Shirt ‘Leaked’ Online

Is this the Manchester United home shirt for the 2015/16 season? 

The image above has been doing the rounds on Twitter over the past 24 hours and it’s supposedly a mock-up for the new Man Utd home shirt for next season.

It shows the Adidas manufacturers logo on the chest with the three stripes down the shoulders and arms, but it also suggests that United will move away from the traditional solid red look as there is white detailing down the sides of the body in this mock-up.

United signed a record-breaking deal with Adidas last summer which will see the German manufacturer take over from Nike at the end of the current campaign, so fans have been eagerly awaiting a glimpse of their debut kit.

However, it’s safe to say that fans will be somewhat underwhelmed if this turns out to be what’s officially unveilled later this year, as this image hasn’t gone down too well on among supporters social media.

Of course we always get ‘leaked’ pictures coming out around this time of year and the picture above could very-well be a total fake, and judging by the response so far, most fans will be hoping it is.

There has been a second image appear online in recent hours which has been far better received among the fanbase. The image below is a far simpler design with a more understated Chevrolet logo on the front.

It’s not clear whether this is a genuine mock-up or if a disgruntled fan has made a bold attempt at coming up with his own design, but so far this has been the clear favourite among the Red Devils….

What do you think? Which kit do you like the best?

Source: http://football-talk.co.uk/

How Citroen scared Aaron Ramsey

Arsenal and Citroen have a fairly close partnership in recent years, with Arsenal players forming part of Citroens net based advertising campaigns.  Various scenarios have seen the likes of Per Mertesacker washing cars, Szczesny testing the loading capacity of a C4 Grand Picasso, and in the latest campaign, Cazorla, Ramsey and Welbeck being terrified by a stunt driver.

In the latest advert for the C4 Cactus, the Arsenal players are challenged to test out the Cactus’ superior parking capabilities before being duped into taking a drive with a stunt driver after their own personal ‘parking challenges’.

With the ever-personable Danny Welbeck riding in the passenger seat, the Arsenal stars are projected around a track faster than their sports insurance would ever endorse – by a driver they believed was a part of the Arsenal ladies football team. However, unaware were the players that they were actually the stars of a prank, with trained stunt driver Annalese Ferrari in full control.

The advert is primarily designed to showcase Citroen’s new park assist feature which is part of a beautiful dashboard display.  Park assist is becoming commonplace in modern cars and the distinctive Cactus appears to have one of the better versions available.

Citroen is a natural bedfellow for Arsenal given the strong French connections the club have always had; Wenger is a superstar over here and across the channel.   The Citroen adverts are actually very watchable, providing an insight into players who we rarely see on a personal level.

This may seem frivolous but there’s something about seeing stars in their natural environments which is intriguing.  The likes of Welbeck, Cazorla and Ramsey come across highly as likeable in the adverts and far removed from their focused sportsmanlike demeanours.

Other Citroen adverts include the ‘Premier Car Wash’ which showcases the Citroen DS3, and some surprisingly silky skills from Mertesacker.  Then there’s the advert featuring magicianDrummond Money-Coutts who mysteriously summons Ian Wright from under a canvas topped DS3 at the request of the spellbound Olivier Giroud.

Source: http://football-talk.co.uk/

3 potential transfer targets for Manchester City

As the January transfer window opens, it is inevitable that every Premier League team will scour the market for potential signings who could make the crucial difference between winning the title, qualifying for Europe or avoiding the dreaded drop. Managers always run the risk of making panic buys which dramatically backfire, and with clubs often increasing the asking price for their players in the hope of deterring interested parties, there is the danger of failing to receive value for money in the current day market.

Financial Fair Play rules may prevent certain clubs from being as active as they would like to be, but Manchester City have plenty of financial muscle to flex whenever they feel the time is right. Manuel Pellegrini may have injected a more controlled approached to transfers in contrast to the managers he preceded, but with the defending champions showing true quality and character to claw back Chelsea’s lead at the Premier League summit, the Chilean may look for high quality signings to further enhance their charge towards a successful title defence. While Jose Mourinho’s side remain favourites with Coral to finish on top, Manchester City could defy the odds through top quality acquisitions this month.

Wilfried Bony

Swansea’s Ivorian powerhouse striker appears set to be the first arrival at the Etihad during the January transfer window, with a £30 million fee reportedly agreed between the two clubs. The 26-year-old has been in wonderful form ever since arriving in the Premier League in 2013 from Vitesse Arnham in Holland, with Bony utilising his considerable strength and quality to lead from the front and score vital goals that have pushed Swansea into the top half of the table. Garry Monk has reluctantly admitted that he will not stand in Bony’s way should he decide to leave the club, but only on the condition that Manchester City match their valuation of their prized asset. While Bony would represent an excellent coup for Pellegrini, the Ivorian’s participation at the African Cup of Nations would mean City fans may have to wait until February to see their potential new signing perform.

Christian Benteke

Sergio Aguero’s injury problems, combined with Stefan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko’s lack of confidence in front of goal, may result in Manchester City going all out to bring in at least one, if not two or three, strikers to add more firepower. One potential target is Christian Benteke who is rumoured to be unsettled at Aston Villa as they continue to struggle at the wrong end of the table. It may take a considerable bid to convince Paul Lambert to part with his star striker, particularly as they have scored a measly eleven goals in twenty Premier League fixtures. The 24-year-old has begun to find his sharpness in front of goal following a lengthy injury layoff, with the Belgian international likely to find it difficult to turn down Manchester City’s overtures if they make a move for his services.

Alexandre Lacazette

Alexandre Lacazette may be a surprise name on the list of potential targets for Manchester City, but delve further into the 23-year-old’s development in France and it is easy to see why the defending Premier League champions would be more than interested to sign him. The Lyon striker is in the form of his life, with Lacazette finally fulfilling his true potential by developing into one of the leading goal-scorers in European football. Lacazette not only has eight goals in his last five appearances in all competitions for Lyon, but has already surpassed the fifteen Ligue 1 goals he registered last season. Seventeen goals in nineteen league fixtures illustrates just how good Lacazette has been in 2014/2015, with the striker adding clinical finishing to match his blistering speed and acceleration to make him one of the most feared players in French football.

Source: http://football-talk.co.uk/