City ready for improved Everton bid
Manchester City Manchester City are understood to be preparing an improved offer for Ross Barkley and are prepared to go as high as £35million. The Everton starlet was the subject of a failed £25million bid from the Premier League champions last summer and signed a lucrative new contract at Goodison Park for the beginning of the season. City continue to hold a strong interest in the 21-year-old although Everton have suggested he won't be leaving Merseyside for anything less than a British record £60m transfer. An incident in Saturday's game between the two teams at the Etihad saw the City fans turn on the England international, following his arrival on the pitch as a second-half substitute. Barkley was roundly booed by the home support after failing to earn his side a free-kick during the 1-0 defeat for the Toffees. The midfielder was then forced to take a corner in the dying minutes and could be seen holding an apologetic hand as he approached the crowd. - See more at: http://www.sportinastorm.com/Premier-Le ... WXYtK.dpuf
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany 'ready to return against Roma'
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany could reportedly make his return from injury in Wednesday night's crucial Champions League clash against Roma in Italy.
The Belgium international has been out of action since suffering a hamstring problem during City's 3-0 victory over Southampton almost a fortnight ago.
Kompany was expected to sit out of the clash in Rome, but according to the Daily Mail, the defender has told manager Manuel Pellegrini that he is ready to play if called upon.
The 28-year-old reportedly trained with the team on Monday
Argentine accelerates English lessons to prepare for Manchester City move
Spain's El Confidencial report on Tuesday that Diego Simeone is preparing to leave the country by accelerating his learning of the English language. There have recently been many reports about the future of Atletico Madrid's manager and he's done little to rubbish those, other than insisting he's not distracted by exit talk.
El Confidencial say that Simeone is now convinced that his future is in British football, he's just not entirely sure where or when. The Spanish outlet reckon Manchester City are keeping an eye on the situation and will appoint Simeone should Manuel Pellegrini be 'liquidated prematurely', which sounds unnecessary painful.
They reckon that Atletico Madrid are aware Manchester City have a strong interest in their manager and know, if it came to a battle, there is little they could do to keep their man. All is not well in the paradise of Atletico Madrid, it's stated that Simeone fell out with the club this summer over a failed move to bring Fernando Torres back to Spain. Torres isn't exactly setting the scoring charts on fire in Italy with AC Milan, but Simone must have felt he could get goals out of the player.
The idea of Simeone taking a sabbatical like Pep Guardiola did in the United States is not ruled out to help him improve his English skills. It sounds like Simeone is more keen on Manchester City than perhaps they are on him right now. He'd be an abrasive opposite to the calm of Pellegrini
How has Frank Lampard adjusted to life at Manchester City?
Frank Lampard has been firing on all fronts for Manchester City lately having scored three goals since he has come to the club. He has brought his attacking and aggressive playing style to Manchester City, scoring some goals and being a menace to the opposition’s defence. He has also been good in possession and provided a lot of experience both in Europe and domestically.
Assessing how he has done compared to his fellow teammates highlights his strengths and weaknesses:
Appearances Goals Scored Chances Created Passing Acc (%) Avg. Defensive Actions
Frank Lampard 10 - 3 - 1 - 85 - 1
Yaya Toure 14 - 4 - 15 - 90 - 2
Fernandinho 13 - 0 - 10 - 89 - 3
Fernando 10 - 0 - 8 - 91 - 3
What is visible first of all is the fact that Manchester City possess two very good box-to-box midfielders and two very proficient defensive midfielders. This fits right in with Manuel Pellegrini’s philosophy of having two players for every position in his team. Lampard has the worst passing accuracy of all of City’s central midfielders but that is more likely due to the fact he plays the highest up the pitch out of all of the CMs and he attempts more long balls too. Lampard has the joint lowest appearances alongside Fernando, but that is expected as they are both second choice central midfielders. During the start of the season, it was Lampard who took Toure’s place as the scoring CM and this allowed City to retain their relatively good start to the season. One of the three goals he scored in the Premier League was against Chelsea, earning a vital point for City and even more importantly stopping Chelsea from gaining 3 points at the Etihad. What is most surprising is that Lampard has created very few chances for his new teammates which is surprising considering he is supposed to be quite a creative player. Hopefully this trait becomes better as he continues to play more matches and grows in confidence. He did come on against Everton at the weekend and provide a number of penetrative passes though.
All in all, Frank Lampard has done well considering this is his first season for Manchester City and his first transfer since 2001! He has done well to adapt to a completely new style of play under Pellegrini and he continues to perform well even at the age of 36. Lampard has adjusted well in sky-blue colours and hopefully he will continue to do so at least until the winter transfer window. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if Manchester City work hard at trying to increase the length of his loan spell.
Arsenal Ready To Go Head-To-Head With Manchester City For French Defender
Arsenal are planning to do battle with Manchester City to sign Monaco defender Layvin Kurzawa in January.
City have been heavily linked with the 22-year-old with Alexsandar Kolarov out injured, leaving Manuel Pellegrini with just Gael Clichy at his disposal in the left-back position.
But according to the Daily Star, Arsenal want to beat City to the Frenchman who is rated at around £17million.
Arsene Wenger wants to add some competition for places to his defence, and with Kieran Gibbs proving to be susceptible to injuries he sees Kurzawa as an ideal player to bring in.
The Gunners back four produced another horror show at Stoke on Saturday, going in at half-time 3-0 down and leaving their attack to much to do in the game that ended 3-2.
Many supporters are already calling for Wenger’s head, and the man-in0charge knows he has to turn things around quickly if he wants his team to finish in the top four once again.
Man City Star Samir Nasri Admits He Faces Uncertain Future At The Club
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has admitted that he will call time on his career at the club if they ever decide that it is time to move on without him, according to the DSSC.
The Frenchman expressed concerns over his future before City’s 3-2 win against Bayern Munich last month, stating there would be ‘new players’ next season if the club failed to progress in the Champions League.
Nasri expressed no doubts in backing City to get the right result against Roma this week, but is apparently less sure about his own place in Manuel Pellegrini’s team.
“I do not know if I will leave the club. If they come to me and they tell me to pack my bags, I will leave.”
Looking ahead to the crunch clash with the Italians, Nasri added: “If we play our game, we will win against Roma. The greatest risk is to play with pressure and to have this apprehension.
“If we don’t ask questions, and we play our game, then we will do it. We have more qualities.
“If we are eliminated from the Champions League, this is not the fault of the coach, it is the players who are on the pitch.”
FIFA will not act against Croatian club over Man City racism claim
FIFA will take no disciplinary action against Croatian side HNK Rijeka following Manchester City's allegation of racism during an under-21 friendly in July, world soccer's governing body said on Monday.
"There were not enough elements to justify the opening of disciplinary proceedings," FIFA said in a statement.
"The chairman of the FIFA disciplinary committee was pleased to observe that Davor Suker, the Croatian Football Federation president, and Patrick Vieira engaged positively to work through the issue," added FIFA.
Vieira, City's development coach, took his side off the pitch after French teenager Seko Fofana, 19, complained he suffered racial abuse in the friendly played in Novigrad, western Croatia.
Fofana was sent off for an off-the-ball challenge shortly before half-time, and then made the allegations which led to the match being abandoned.
Rijeka youth coach Ranko Buteka vehemently denied any of his players racially insulted any City player, saying Vieira may have led his team off at halftime because Rijeka were too strong for them. They were leading 1-0 when the incident happened.
Manchester City's £200m training complex officially opens
Player accommodation with decor designed by sleep experts and a 56-seat auditorium to view video clips are just two key elements of Manchester City's new £200m training complex.
It also boasts a 7,000-capacity stadium, education facilities and medical and sports science services.
The 80-acre site was officially opened on Monday and attended by Chancellor George Osborne.
"I have never seen anything like it," said City defender Pablo Zabaleta.
The project, funded by City's owners and built in partnership with Manchester City Council, was conceived following the takeover of the Premier League club by Sheikh Mansour in 2008.
Built on the site of a former chemical works, it includes:
•16.5 pitches, including a full-size synthetic indoor pitch
•A 56-seat TV auditorium for players to review video clips
•Four-star accommodation with king-sized beds and bathrooms
•A 7,000-capacity arena for use by academy and women's teams
•40,000km of artificial turf on 5.5 pitches, each one different so the team can tailor match preparations for away games
City's first team has been based there since October and already stay in the hotel-standard rooms before home games.
The complex is connected to the Etihad Stadium by a bridge and houses all of the club's teams, from age-group sides to men's and women's senior squads - a total in excess of 450 individuals weekly.
Patrick Vieira thinks the facility will help the club attract the best young players in the world.
"If we go into the market and we compete to bring young players or first-team players in, having a facility like this can only help," said the former City midfielder, who runs the club's elite development squad.
"When you are a young, talented player from Manchester - or worldwide - you want the best possible facilities to challenge and improve yourself."
A World Cup winner with France who also played club football for Arsenal, AC Milan, Juventus and Inter Milan, Vieira, 38, believes City's new complex is like no other.
"Arsenal was really good, Inter was really good, but I think this training facility takes it to a different level," he said.
City visited venues around the world to get ideas for their own academy, parts of which will also be used by the local community.
City's new facility has more pitches (16.5) than Real Madrid's Ciudad training complex (13.5), the Football Association's National Football Centre at St George's Park (12), and Barcelona's Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper (9).
The building that houses City's first-team squad contains a hypoxic chamber where players can run at altitude or in extreme temperatures, a hydro-therapy area for treating injuries and even a hydro treadmill with underwater cameras to monitor a player's movement.
There is also a lounge, a refectory and a 56-seat TV auditorium where coaching staff and players can review video clips from training.
There is also accommodation that includes king-sized beds and en-suite bathrooms, with the decor designed specially by sleep experts.
There is also a department solely dedicated to advising players on such matters as tax, mental health, drinking, drugs and social media.
"Our aim is to see young footballers realise their full potential both on and off the field," said City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
The changing rooms at the new Performance Centre
Zabaleta says Lionel Messi and the rest of the Argentina squad were impressed with the facility when they trained there ahead of last month's friendly against Portugal at Old Trafford.
"Everyone was impressed," said the Argentina full-back. "When you come here and see the buildings and stuff, it is fantastic."
Osborne hailed the complex as a model example for others to follow.
"I am a strong believer in improving sporting facilities for young people," said the Chancellor, who used the event to announce a £50m five-year government investment in grassroots football.
MCF.net THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=49391
Man City Women hail "spectacular" CFA
Manchester City Women teammates Steph Houghton and Izzy Christiansen had plenty of positive for the new training facilities.
England captain Steph Houghton believes Manchester City's inclusive new training complex is another step forward for the women's game.
Houghton and her fellow Manchester City Women's players will use exactly the same facilities at the new £200million City Football Academy as Manuel Pellegrini's first team squad.
In fact, more than 450 players, including the under-seven's side and the disability squad, will utilise the state-of-the-art base and Houghton is delighted to see such unity of purpose in action.
She told Press Association Sport: "It's a spectacular facility and provides a great opportunity to bring all the club's teams together under one roof.
"There are exciting times ahead for City and it's great that the women are part of that and continue to feel part of the Manchester City family.
"The progress of women's football is a massive deal. It's important that we have the same facilities as the men and that everyone is together here, from the seven-year-old Academy boys all the way up.
"It's a special feeling to be part of it.
"We are very lucky to have such massive support from the club and a great pleasure to be involved in something that brings the community together."
Team-mate Izzy Christiansen added: "We have an identity as a club that is instilled through all the teams, male and female.
"We want one brand of football to run through the club that we develop together."
Manchester City are lining up a move for 21-year-old Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, with the ex-Manchester United player and France international seen as a replacement for 31-year-old Yaya Toure. (Sun)
Alvaro Negredo recorded his first strike in Valencia colours on Sunday, helping Los Che earn a valuable point against Granada.
The forward had a difficult start to his loan career, with injury restricting him to just six appearances to date for the La Liga outfit. However, Negredo revealed he wasn’t worried about his first goal and was duly rewarded on the 83rd minute of the away clash, firing into the top corner to send Los Che into the lead.
High spirits after his goal were dampened somewhat when Granada equalised in the dying minutes, but Valencia remain fifth in La Liga after 14 matches.
Bruno Zuculini played no part in the game.
Elsewhere, and John Guidetti continues to feature heavily in Scotland’s football headlines, chalking up another 88 minutes this weekend and helping Celtic to a 1-0 victory over Motherwell.
The Swedish striker had the ball in the net himself with an acrobatic bicycle kick, but the linesman’s flag cut short any celebrations. TV replays suggest the decision was harsh.
Paris St Germain striker Edinson Cavani, 27, wants to move to Arsenal in January. (Metro)
Manchester United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin, with the Spanish champions insisting the 28-year-old is not for sale. (Daily Star)
Alternatively, Atletico Madrid have told Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal that he must meet Godin's £28.5m buyout clause if he wants to land the defender in January. (Daily Express)
West Ham's 26-year-old defender Winston Reid, who is out of contract in the summer, is demanding a huge wage rise to remain with the Hammers and could be sold in January, with Arsenal and Liverpool among his suitors. (Daily Mirror)
Arsenal scout Gilles Grimandi has been watching Monaco's £15m-rated left-back Layvin Kurzawa, 22. (DSSC)
West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho, 24, who has scored eight goals since joining the Hammers in the summer, has emerged as a Liverpool target as the Reds look to offload their own 24-year-old summer signing Mario Balotelli. (Metro)
Liverpool will have to pay £4m if they want to sign Benfica's Uruguayan right-back Maxi Pereira, 30. (Daily Mirror)
Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal look set for disappointment in the race for Paulo Dybala's signature, with the 21-year-old Argentine striker set to sign a new deal at Palermo. (Daily Star)
QPR manager Harry Redknapp is keen on signing former Tottenham and Liverpool striker Robbie Keane, 34, on a three-month loan deal from LA Galaxy following the end of the MLS season. (Daily Express)
Cruzeiro have rejected Real Madrid's first offer for Lucas Silva, with Bernabeu manager Carlo Ancelotti publicly admitting that the club has been tracking the 21-year-old Brazilian midfielder. (AS)
Manchester United midfielder Daley Blind, 24, is making good progress in his comeback from a knee injury after his dad confirmed a scan revealed everything is as it should be. (DSSC)
Danny Murphy is convinced his old club Liverpool would never turn to former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas to replace current manager Brendan Rodgers. (Evening Standard)
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is considering starting Diego Costa, 26, in Wednesday's final Champions League group game against Sporting Lisbon as he seeks to improve the Spain forward's match fitness after his progress was interrupted by injury. (Guardian)
Manager Louis van Gaal has cast doubt over Radamel Falcao's long-term future at Manchester United by claiming he is "not interested" in the 28-year-old Colombia forward's reaction to being held back from first-team action at the club. (Daily Telegraph)
Tottenham defender Kyle Walker, 24, is set to be included in Spurs' squad to face Besiktas in the Europa League this week after a nine-month injury lay-off. (Daily Mirror)
Malcolm Glazer bought Manchester United in May 2005 and his ownership of the club was passed on to his six children following his death. His son Edward has now put three millions shares in the Old Trafford club up for sale. (Evening Standard)
Former Manchester United and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez, 30, who is now with Juventus, has tweeted a picture of his new tattoo, which covers his back.
The England team Twitter account has listed Roma defender Ashley Cole as one of the candidates for the national side's player of the year award, despite him winning just one cap in 2014 - his 107th in the 1-0 friendly win over Denmark.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has taken to Instagram to voice his frustration at being asked to undergo a more thorough doping procedure than four other players prior to Barcelona's Champions League tie with Paris St Germain.
Chelsea captain John Terry has downsized by buying the £4.35m seven-bedroom mansion of golfer Colin Montgomerie. (Sun - subscription required)
Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic admits he is running out of things to write on the match-day balls won by team-mate Lionel Messi, after the Argentina forward claimed his 21st hat-trick in the 5-1 win over Espanyol at the weekend. (AS)
MORE BOLLOX SHORTLY
