FOOTBALL HEADLINES ***Juventus coach Antonio Conte has said that he is convinced by Napolis title credentials following Sunday nights clash in Turin. The Bianconeri marched to a 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Fernando Llorente, Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba. ***Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has the quality and desire to keep playing until whatever age he likes, according to teammate Luis Enrique. ***Cruzeiro players celebrated winning the Brazilian league in front of a packed house on Sunday even though they still need two points to guarantee their first title since 2003. (Reuters) ***A third division Italian derby was called off on Sunday after visiting side Nocerina, having allegedly received death threats from their own fans, were reduced to six men by injuries after only 21 minutes. (Reuters) ***Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that the Premier League improving as a whole has contributed to an open start to the campaign, citing last weekends results as a prime example of a wide-open title race. ***Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul has declared that keeping Tottenham Hotspur at bay om Sunday afternoon was the highlight of his career to date, after helping the Magpies earn all three points at White Hart Lane. ***Barcelona strengthened their position at the top of La Liga, taking advantage of Atletico Madrid’s slip-up by easing past Real Betis with a 4-1 victory, despite a first-half injury to Lionel Messi. (Eurosport) ***Atletico Madrid were denied a couple of hours on top of La Liga when Juanfran put the ball in his own net late on in a 1-1 draw at Villarreal on Sunday. ***Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino is worried injuries could affect Lionel Messi mentally after he was substituted in their win over Real Betis. ***Egyptian clubside Al Ahly lifted their eighth CAF Champions League title as a 2-0 win secured a 3-1 aggregate victory over Orlando Pirates on Sunday. ***Sunderland matchwinner Phil Bardsley described their 1-0 victory over Manchester City as a massive achievement. The 28-year-old netted his second goal in five days to secure the hosts second win of the season and close the gap to safety to just three points. ***Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney described Uniteds 1-0 win over league leaders Arsenal as a massive lift after the champions cut the deficit on the leaders to five points, with Robin van Persie greeting his winner by celebrating for a first time against his former club. It was a good day for United as two of their title rivals, Manchester City and Tottenham, both lost. (The Guardian) ***Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger could to make a shock £15million bid for Chelsea striker Demba Ba in January. Wenger is desperate to get back-up for Olivier Giroud in attack. His options are currently so limited that he has had to call upon out-of-favour Nicklas Bendtner to deputise. (DailyStar) ***Manchester City forward Alvaro Negredo loves life in Manchester and reckons Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi would feel the same if he gets bored of La Liga. (Daily Star)
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 22:03:48 +0000