Jose Mourinho mocks Arsene Wenger ahead of Manchester United vs Arsenal

It's fair to say Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger haven't always seen eye-to-eye throughout their career.
The pair came to blows at Stamford Bridge two years ago during Chelsea 2-0 victory over Arsenal but their war of words stems back a lot further than that.
And the two managers will clash once again in the Saturday lunch-time kick-off as Arsenal travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in what is sure to be a pulsating affair.
In 2005, Wenger blasted Mourinho in a rant branding him 'disrespectful' and 'stupid' after the Portuguese boss claimed the Frenchman had an obsession with Chelsea.
Wenger said: “He's out of order, disconnected with realistic and disrespectful. When you give success to stupid people, it makes them more stupid sometimes and not more intelligent."
Nine years later, in February 2014, Mourinho called the Arsenal manager a "specialist in failure" after he had gone several years without a trophy.
Just two examples of the duo bad-mouthing each other in the media.
And one of them was always going to make a comment ahead of the big match this weekend, weren't they?
That man was Mourinho who seemingly mocked Wenger for his lack of a league title in recent years.
The 'Special One' claimed that journalists respected his counterpart more than him, despite his recent Premier League record.
"Mr Wenger has that respect from all of you. I don't think I have it," he claimed
"My last league title was 18 months ago, not 18 years ago."
Of course, Mourinho is fully aware that Arsenal's last league success was 12 years ago, rather than 18 years ago, but he was just emphasising his recent Premier League success compared to Wenger's.
It's understandable that Mourinho is maybe feeling a bit of pressure on his shoulders ahead of the match. United are already eight points off league leaders Liverpool and know they must beat Arsenal to haul themselves back into a title race.
As for Wenger, his Arsenal side are in a fantastic position to end their long top-flight drought.
The Gunners are unbeaten in 10 league matches and are six points ahead of the Red Devils in fourth. A win against their rivals on Saturday will certainly silence Mourinho but Wenger will need to end his Premier League drought if he is to shut him up for good.
 

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Jose Mourinho

Arsene Wenger

EPL

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Arsenal tried to sign Manchester United star Paul Pogba in 2012

PAUL POGBA is expected to feature for Manchester United against Arsenal - but could easily have been plying his trade for the north London side.

Paul Pogba could have joined Arsenal after leaving Manchester United in 2012

Arsene Wenger tried to land the midfielder when he left Old Trafford the first time four years ago.
Instead of opting for north London, the then 19-year-old opted to chance his arm in Serie A with Italian giants Juventus.
"Things happened very quickly. We were interested in him,” Wenger said in 2014.
“We tried to get him to come here. But he very quickly signed for Juventus.”
Wenger wanted to bring Pogba to the Emirates Stadium to numb the pain of losing several stars to both domestic and European rivals.
Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song both left for the lure of La Liga giants Barcelona.
And Samir Nasri jumped ship to Manchester City - following in the footsteps of Emmanuel Adebayor who had made the move the previous year.
Pogba will be aiming to score in consecutive league games for the first time at Old Trafford, having scored the opener in the 3-1 win against Swansea before the international break. 

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Arsenal

Paul Pogba

EPL

 

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino targets 32-team Club World Cup by 2019

FIFA president Gianni Infantino thinks the mostly unloved Club World Cup could expand to a 32-team tournament played in June.
Infantino said in interviews published on Friday in Italian and Spanish newspapers that a revamped club competition could start in 2019.
A 32-team event played in the last three weeks of June would be more balanced and more attractive to broadcasters and sponsors, Infantino said in comments reported by Gazzetta dello Sport and Mundo Deportivo.
The existing seven-team Club World Cup format in December has been seen as vulnerable in a FIFA review of spending and tournament plans since Infantino was elected president in February.
Currently, the Club World Cup is a little-watched event featuring the champions of FIFA's six continental confederations, plus the host nation's league winner.
Typically, it leads to a final between the champions of Europe and South America. But European fans have shown little interest in a competition that also clashes with their domestic leagues.
The 2015 Club World Cup in Japan earned a little over $20 million in commercial revenue, according to FIFA's most recent financial report. The 2014 edition hosted by Morocco earned $40 million.
Japan hosts next month's edition featuring Real Madrid and Atletico Nacional of Colombia.
The latest FIFA tournament expansion plan comes after Infantino promoting a 48-team World Cup to start in 2026. That decision could be taken by FIFA's ruling council at a Jan. 9-10 meeting in Zurich.
Infantino's latest suggestion also follows speculation that China wants to host more international football as part of a wide-ranging plan to invest heavily in the sport. Last year, Chinese retailer Alibaba E-Auto signed as the Club World Cup title sponsor through 2022.

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Gianni Infantino

Club World Cup

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Carlo Ancelotti vs. Thomas Tuchel: the contrasting styles in charge of Germany’s two heavyweights

This Saturday it's once again time for Der Klassiker as Bayern Munich take on Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.
Despite being Germany's two biggest clubs, this match actually sees a side that is joint-top take on a team in fifth. Six points separate the two sides and Bayern could be in second place three points behind hotshots Red Bull Leipzig come kick-off.
But no matter the league situation, this is a match between Germany's undisputed heavyweights. All seven of the last Bundesliga wins belong to them and they have played out some tensely fought contests over the years under the guidance of various managers.
Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Jupp Heynckes, Louis van Gaal; just some of the stellar names that have managed Bayern and Dortmund recently. But now, it's the turn of young coach Thomas Tuchel, and veteran cup king Carlo Ancelotti. Two managers with vastly different ways of doing things.
Formation
Ancelotti isn't a great tactician when it comes to formation, tending to pick a system to line his teams up in and then running that into the ground. He rarely adjusts things as his time with a club winds on; his only major change at Milan (his longest tenured job) for instance was switching from a 4-1-2-1-2 to a 4-3-2-1 and that decision was enforced on him by injury.
Tuchel, meanwhile, is a coach that believes in fluidity. With Dortmund his side line up in an incredibly fluid 4-1-4-1. When they don't have the ball, Dortmund retreat into a solid defensive shape but with the ball, they expand and become open - central players split wide, wide players drift central, and just Julian Weigl holds a firm position in a central zone. The central axis Tuchel's wheel spins around.
Tactics
Tuchel's tactics revolve around passing and fast movement both on and off the ball. Everyone is encouraged to play, even the centre-backs regularly push up into midfield zones, allowing the team to stay as compact as possible and always have numerical superiority.
Using passing triangles to penetrate the opponent's defensive lines, Dortmund also overload one side of the pitch to not only create a numerical superiority but also open up the switch-of-play to a free man on the opposite flank. It's extremely Guardiola-esque as his side even press-and-harry much as Pep's Barcelona and Bayern did (you can see why the Catalan wanted Tuchel to succeed him in Munich).
Ancelotti is a totally different type of coach. He doesn't tend to change too much from whatever team he has inherited, only to make his players more comfortable with the ball at their feet.
If there is one thing all Ancelotti teams have in common, it's that they want to be protagonists in every game they play. Otherwise he has managed teams that are very direct, whilst some were very patient. At Bayern he is, through the lineups he selects, slowly pulling the Bavarians away from a full-on Guardiola style.
Style
Tuchel is a tactical coach. He's no Andre Villas-Boas, a tactical brain who cannot connect. He seems to be jovial with his players, and none who leave his charge have a bad word to say about him. But tactics and his system come first and foremost.
That is how they have been able to lose so many key players but keep on playing wonderful football. Replacing Ilkay Gundogan with Gonzalo Castro and not losing too much of a step is only possible through system play.
As explained above, Ancelotti doesn't have a system. His management style is pure charm. He was a world-class footballer and became a coach from a young age. Tactics were never his strong suit, instead he chose to be friends with his players (perhaps because when he first started coaching, a lot of the players were his ex-teammates and friends, like Paolo Maldini).
Youth
Finally, what kind of players do they use? With Ancelotti it tends to be whatever he has at his disposal. His trust in youngsters is largely non-existent, with Pato and Marco Verratti being notable exceptions. Carlo's big brother nature of coaching would make it difficult for him to bring through young talent that need teaching things, because really he doesn't teach, he just massages. He's the substitute teacher you had at school who would just put a film on to while away the lesson. You liked him a lot, but you didn't learn anything.
Tuchel, on the other hand, is an avid believer in young talent. Under his watch Borussia Dortmund have been hoovering up youngsters from around Europe.
Ousmane Dembele, Christian Pulisic, Raphael Guerreiro, Emre Mor and Weigl have all joined the club under Tuchel - and the coach has shown no hesitancy in bringing through players like Felix Passlack either. Tuchel's tactical focus makes him the perfect coach for young players - and he will be hoping that youth can carry him by the brilliant Bavarians this weekend.

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Carlo Ancelotti

Thomas Tuchel

Bundesliga

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Competition hots up for prolific £43m-rated striker: Three Prem clubs are in the race

EVERTON have joined the race for Torino sensation Andrea Belotti, according to reports.

Andrea Belotti has been linked with Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton

Italian news outlet TuttoMercatoWeb claim the Toffees have sent scouts to watch the 22-year-old striker.
But Ronald Koeman could face a serious battle for his signature.
According to another Italian publication, Il Messagero, his performances have caught the eye of Liverpool.
It's suggested Arsenal and German giants Borussia Dortmund are also keen.
Belotti has been in prolific form for Torino and has bagged eight goals in 10 top-flight appearances.
He only joined the club last year, arriving in a £7m deal form Palermo.
The gifted attacker still has three-and-a-half years left to run on his contract in Turin.
And potential suitors will need to splash the cash if they want sign the coveted star.
Belotti is reportedly valued at an eye-watering £43m.
Koeman is expected to bolster his squad in January as the Toffees eye a spot in the top four.
The Dutchman has also been linked with a move for Manchester United outcast Memphis Depay.

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he would never set a sex curfew

MANCHESTER -- Pep Guardiola joked that his Manchester City players wouldn't be playing as well if he had introduced a sex ban.
The City boss responded to claims from French midfielder Samir Nasri, who said that Guardiola had put a ban on sex after midnight.
Nasri, who is now on a year-long loan at Sevilla, claimed that the Catalan coach had introduced the curfew at former clubs Barcelona and Bayern Munich because it helped top players like Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski to avoid injuries.
But the 45-year-old dismissed suggestions that he interfered with the love lives of his squad and said sex helps their performances on the pitch.
"It's impossible to play good football if you don't make sex with your partner," Guardiola said at his news conference ahead of City's game with Crystal Palace on Saturday.
"I never did that and I would never ban that. If you are doing it, better players!"
Guardiola has made a major changes since he took over at the Etihad in the summer, cutting junk food, banning WIFI during team meals and stopping hotel stays on the night before home games.
However, he insists his meticulous attention to detail only goes so far.

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Pep Guardiola

Manchester City

EPL

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Conte: Hazard can do great things in his career

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has declared that Eden Hazard is capable of doing "great things" in his career after the winger was crowned the Premier League player of the month for October.
Hazard has been hugely impressive for Chelsea of late and has been especially effective following Conte's decision to switch to a 3-4-3 formation which has meant that the Belgian no longer has to track back with as much regularity as he previously did.
As reported by the club's official website, Conte said: "I'm pleased for Eden because he's playing fantastic football. He's working very well in the sessions, showing great attitude and commitment. He's a fantastic player, he's working a lot for the team and it's fantastic when a player with his talent puts it in for the team.
"It's important Eden is showing his talent and playing well, it's not right to compare him to others but he has the potential to do great things in his career."
Hazard is an excellent distributor of the ball, as demonstrated by the fact that he has an average pass accuracy of 85% in the Premier League this season, while he poses a major threat in front of goal and has scored seven times in eleven top flight appearances.
Chelsea face Middlesbrough away on Sunday, with Conte's side seeking to extend their winning run in the Premier League to six games as they look to put pressure on league leaders Liverpool.

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Antonio Conte

Eden Hazard

EPL

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REVEALED: Neymar wants Barcelona to sign Liverpool ace Coutinho

Liverpool ace Philippe Coutinho has a lot of fans inside Barcelona.
However, there's no plans to bid for the midfielder, claims Spanish pundit Guillem Balague.
He told Sky Sports: "Barcelona love Coutinho but they have no strategy to sign him at the moment.
"Neymar would like them to sign him and Coutinho himself is interested in the fact that Barcelona have followed him.
"That's because he's a forward and he can play where Lionel Messi and Neymar play but they are both there. Coutinho can't be a substitute of those.
"He's also going to cost around 70 million euros (£60m) and there is no buyout clause. This would mean a lot of negotiating with Liverpool. I don't see it happening. Barcelona will spend their money somewhere else."

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Philippe Coutinho

Barcelona

La Liga

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Hamsik claims he snubbed Juventus, Milan and Inter

Juventus, AC Milan and Inter have all been turned down by Marek Hamsik, according to the Napoli star.
Napoli captain Marek Hamsik has claimed that he rejected approaches from Juventus, Milan and Inter in favour of remaining at the Stadio San Paolo.
The 29-year-old has become a hugely influential figure at the club since his switch from Brescia in 2007, only failing to reach 32 Serie A appearances in a season once in 2013-14.
Hamsik has been club captain since January 2014 and despite consistently performing at a high level, he has never been tempted away from Naples.
That is not for a lack of interest, however, as the Slovakian confirmed he has turned down offers from Italy's biggest clubs, though he did not reveal when these approaches were made.
"Yes, I can confirm this [offers from those clubs]," he told Corriere dello Sport.
"I think it is clear that in Italy there will only ever be Napoli for me, and I also believe that there is a chance that I will finish my career here. It's a serious possibility."
Although Hamsik reaffirmed his commitment to the Napoli cause, he does not believe they will be able to challenge for the Champions League title any time soon.
"[To win] the Champions League means that you are the strongest team in the world, in theory," he added.
"It would give Napoli an international stature that makes your head spin. It's nice to think about it, but I don't think it's possible.
"I do not think that Napoli can be considered strong at that level, in the Champions League final we would take on the giants.
"But I think this Napoli is a great team, capable of a wonderful style of play, for which I’m grateful to [coach Maurizio] Sarri. We are able to compete with Juventus, but we just need a few wins in a row."

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Marek Hamsik

Juventus

Serie A

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San Marino 0-8 Germany: Former Arsenal striker Gnabry hits hat-trick on debut

San Marino 0-8 Germany: Former Arsenal striker Gnabry hits hat-trick on debut

 The former Arsenal forward struk thrice, with goals from Khedira, Volland, an own goal and a double from Jonas Hector concluding the scoring 

A hat-trick from debutant Serge Gnabry helped Germany breeze past minnows San Marino 8-0 to extend their lead at the top of World Cup qualification Group C.

Gnabry's trio, a brace from Jonas Hector, Sami Khedira and Kevin Volland strikes and a late own goal sealed victory for the world champions in a game which often resembled a training exercise against a country ranked 199 places below them.

The win means Joachim Low's men remain top of Group C with a perfect record from their opening four games.

The absence of key players and weak opposition allowed Low to hand international debuts to Gnabry and 19-year-old Bayer Leverkusen right-back Benjamin Henrichs.

The 21-year-old Werder Bremen winger enjoyed a first appearance to remember and will cherish the hat-trick, despite the standard of Germany's opponents.

Germany inflicted San Marino's heaviest defeat when the two sides last met here in 2006, emerging 13-0 winners, but only a flurry of late goals saw them inflict a similarly emphatic victory.

San Marino did their best to frustrate their visitors by sitting incredibly deep early on, but it took just seven minutes for Germany to carve them open.

Stand-in skipper Khedira rounded Aldo Simoncini to slide home, before Gnabry grabbed his first moments later with a neat finish after a poor clearance.

San Marino could have pulled a surprise goal back when a corner bounced off Marco Berardi inside the Germany six-yard box.

 

It took until the 32nd minute for Germany's third despite a string of further chances, coming after a neat interchange between Hector and Mario Gotze on the edge of the box, with the Cologne full-back eventually slotting into the bottom corner.

Two Mario Gomez strikes on the stroke of half-time were chalked off for offside as San Marino strove to keep the deficit at three.

Gomez and Ilkay Gundogan blazed over the top as the second half began in much the same fashion, with San Marino camped in their own half leaving sole striker Mattia Stefanelli isolated and unable to influence play despite his best efforts.

Gnabry swept home in the 58th minute when left unmarked in the box for his second and Germany's fourth, though he looked marginally offside when Joshua Kimmich crossed.

A toe poke through the legs of the unfortunate Simoncini at the near post gifted Hector his second of the night with 25 minutes to play to make it 5-0.

Gnabry's hat-trick arrived as he met Thomas Muller's cross from the right on 76 minutes with a lovely cushioned volley beyond the diving Simoncini.

The unfortunate Stefanelli then diverted a cross into his own net as the hosts visibly tired for the seventh, and Volland twisted and fired home the eighth and final goal of a comfortable evening for the 2014 World Cup winners.

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No police action against former England boss Allardyce

SAM Allardyce will not face a police investigation over the newspaper sting operation that saw his time as England manager brought to an end after just one game in charge, it was announced Friday.

 

 

Allardyce, 62, was sacked following the publication by the Daily Telegraph in September of controversial comments made to undercover reporters.

He was secretly filmed discussing loopholes in third-party ownership transfer rules and mocking England predecessor Roy Hodgson.

Appointed England manager on a ￡3 million-a-year contract ($3.9 million), Allardyce also agreed to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong as an ambassador for their fictitious firm for a fee of ￡400,000.

The Telegraph report into Allardyce, which led to his sacking by the Football Association, was part of a wider investigation into alleged corruption in English football.

City of London Police said Friday that they had opened a criminal investigation into a single suspected case of bribery following the Telegraph's reports.

But the force made it clear Allardyce was not involved.

"I welcome today's confirmation from City of London Police that I will not be the subject of a police investigation, Allardyce said in a statement.

"I was always confident that this would be the case as there was no evidence against me. I now ask that the Football Association deals with this matter as quickly as possible."

The former Bolton, Newcastle, West Ham and Sunderland manager added:

"I would like to thank my friends and family who have stood by me during this difficult period. The position of England head coach is the pinnacle of any English manager's career and it was my dream job.

"While I am sad that my tenure came to an end early, I am nonetheless proud to have been chosen to manage the England football team and hope that today's confirmation from the police will give me the opportunity to move on."

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Allardyce

Sunderland

 

 

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Chelsea set to send even more players out on loan in January

The Blues currently have 38 players out on loan, and look certain to add to that astonishing figure when the January transfer window comes around.

 

Chelsea could potentially send even more of their youth players out on loan in January, the club's development coach Adi Viveash has told the Evening Standard.

The Blues already have 38 players on loan across Europe, but that will not stop them sending more out on loan to gain vital first team experience come the opening of the next transfer window.

Chelsea's development coach Viveash has said that he would not be surprised to see some of his players, including Marco van Ginkel, sent out in January to get the competitive minutes that they don't see at Stamford Bridge.

He also noted that the example Tammy Abraham has set for Chelsea youngsters is important. His success at Championship side Bristol City has shown the importance of playing regularly at a competitive standard, and has been replicated by Kasey Palmer at Huddersfield Town.

"This is a different group, we have a couple from this group that in January will probably be looking [to move on loan] at the older end," Viveash told the Evening Standard.

"The reality is, that when you go out there, it is what you do, and you could have envisaged Tammy hitting the ground running, but what Tammy has is a massive enthusiasm for the game."

Viveash added: "It is not just Tammy, Kasey Palmer is playing in the Championship as well, at Huddersfield, a team that are flying very high so those boys are ready for the next stage of their development."

Chelsea also have a number of high-profile players out on loan. Loic Remy at Crystal Palace and Juan Cuadrado at Juventus are just two examples.

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Chelsea

Loic Remy

 

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Poyet sacked by Betis

After fans threatened to boycott Real Betis games, the LaLiga club sacked coach Gus Poyet.

 Gus Poyet has been sacked as Real Betis coach after the club's recent struggles, replaced by former Real Madrid midfielder Victor Sanchez.

Poyet, the former Sunderland and AEK Athens boss, had overseen four losses in Betis's past five games.

The form slump had seen the club fall to 14th in LaLiga and supporters vowing to boycott games until Poyet's dismissal, which arrived on Saturday.

The Uruguayan had signed a two-year deal with Betis in May.

Sanchez, whose last job was at the helm of Olypiacos, played for Madrid during the 1990s and was an eight-time Spain international.

His first game in charge will be a clash at home to Las Palmas on Friday.

 

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Gus Poyet

Real Madrid

La Liga

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Fire connected with German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger

The first juicy rumor of the Chicago Fire's offseason has come out.

It's not exactly a new rumor, but the Fire are reportedly talking to German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger. The 32-year-old World Cup winner has not played for Manchester United since Jose Mourinho took over as manager at the start of the current English Premier League season and Schweinsteiger is looking to get out of Manchester even though he is under contract through June 2018.

One report says Schweinsteiger is currently in talks with MLS teams. Further, a report out of England shows a meeting between Paunovic and Schweinsteiger in Greater Manchester. It's fair to be wary of reports when it comes to the murky waters of the British football press, but the photos do show Paunovic and Schweinsteiger at the same location.

For an interesting, and perhaps even relevant, sidenote: Schweinsteiger's wife, tennis star Ana Ivanovic, is Serbian like Paunovic and sent an encouraging message to Paunovic's U-20 Serbian team when he coached that group to an U-20 World Cup title before taking over at the Fire.

The Fire have Schweinsteiger's Discovery rights in MLS, which basically equates to the Fire having first dibs on the German. All of this adds up to the move being plausible, although a player with Schweinsteiger's resume (eight-time Bundesliga winner, 2013 Champions League winner, 2014 World Cup winner) will have multiple suitors from both within MLS and around the world.

The bigger question may be what kind of player Schweinsteiger would be in MLS. At 32, he's not too old to think he can't still be productive at a high level. However, this is a player with 342 career appearances with Bayern Munich and 121 caps with Germany before he was basically frozen out at Manchester United. Mileage could be a concern more than age. Knee injuries last season limited him to 18 appearances, 13 of which were starts, in the Premier League last season.

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Schweinsteiger

Manchester United

EP

 

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Klose excited to learn from Low

After retiring from playing earlier this month, Miroslav Klose begins his coaching education with Germany in San Marino on Friday.
Miroslav Klose hopes to glean as much as possible from working with Joachim Low having joined the Germany coaching staff following his retirement.
The 38-year-old announced the end of his illustrious playing career earlier this month following the expiry of his contract with Lazio in June.
Klose made 137 appearances for Germany during his career with an impressive 71 goals making him his country's all-time goalscorer - while also becoming the leading World Cup marksman with 16.
As part of the next stage of his career, Klose took up a coaching position with the national team and will get his first experience alongside Low when Germany travel to San Marino on Friday.
"I am really happy to be again a part of this big family, and to have the chance to work here," Klose told a media conference.
"I thought about it for a long time. As a player, I was always interested in tactics and how I can get better. Now I've decided to get a new view on football as a possible coach in the future.

"To have the chance to work with a World Cup-winning coach is special and not everybody gets that opportunity. I want to soak up as much as possible that will help me in the future.
"I've been accepted wonderfully into the coaching team. They integrated with me from the first second and it's a big honour for me."
Low, meanwhile, believes Klose's experience can bring a new dimension to the national team set-up.
He said: "We are happy to have Miroslav Klose with us. He is not only a role model for the younger players, he can take on an area of specialisation. For example running as a striker and movement etc.
"Therefore we will use him in these processes, he will analyse our attack and offer some tips to our players.
"Now we will start with the initial work, and in March he will be with us. We will have meetings with him and there will be the Confed[erations] Cup, too."

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Cristiano Ronaldo: Managing Real Madrid one day not out of the question

Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted that he is open to the idea of managing Real Madrid after he hangs up his boots.
Ronaldo, 31, signed a new contract at Madrid earlier this week which will keep him at the club until 2021, when he will be 36.
The Portugal captain said upon signing the deal that he plans to end his career at the Santiago Bernabeu, and has now suggested that coaching Madrid after he retires is not out of the question.
"I've said before that I think I'll always be linked to Real, as a player and also when I finish my career," Ronaldo told Marca. "We'll see what happens, if I'll be a coach or something else. I can't think of that right now, but we'll see.
"I don't know, we'll see. There are people who seem like they will be very good as a coach and then they are not, and the other way around -- nobody trusts them then they become great tacticians. I don't worry too much about this, I want to enjoy the present."

 Cristiano Ronaldo signed a new contract with Real Madrid this week.

Ronaldo has had a hugely successful 2016, winning the Champions League with Madrid and Euro 2016 with Portugal, while off the pitch he has recently signed a big-money contract with Nike on top of his extension at the Bernabeu.
"I have no doubt that it is the most important year of my career," he said. "Winning the Champions League with Real Madrid and the European Championship with Portugal for the first time in history.
"Individually it's also been spectacular, the best of my life no doubt. Renewing with Real, renewing with Nike, I am 100 percent sure it's the most important of my career. The best ever. I couldn't be happier."
Despite enjoying such a fruitful 2016, Ronaldo says he still does not know if it will be enough to win this year's Ballon d'Or.
"The votes don't depend on me so I cannot be obsessed about whether I'm going to win or whether I deserve to win," he said. "If you ask me if I want to win, of course I do. I will not lie, but it's not up to me.
"I don't obsess over it. Things come naturally, the captains and coaches vote and we'll see what happens, but I'm calm because what I did last season was incredible and I'm very comfortable with my performances. It was my best year, so I'm happy."

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Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid

La Liga

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