Four-time World Cup winners Germany’s defeat to North Macedonia sparked calls on Thursday for coach Joachim Loew to stand down instead of waiting till after this summer’s European Championship.

Goran Pandev had put North Macedonia ahead in Wednesday’s 2022 World Cup qualifier just before half-time and although Ilkay Gundogan equalised from the penalty spot early in the second half, the minnows snatched victory when Eljif Elmas scored a late winner in Duisburg.

Loew, who led Germany to glory at the 2014 World Cup but has suffered a string of poor results almost ever since, had announced last month that he will stand down after Euro 2020.

Bild, Germany’s most-read newspaper, said that decision should be reversed after the loss to the world’s 65th-ranked team.

“It’s over Jogi,” it said in its headline. “The magic that Loew conjured up during the World Cup (in 2014) has unfortunately disappeared. His achievements for German football cannot be questioned but his time has gone,” the paper said.

Loew has tried to forge a young new team without veteran stars such as Thomas Mueller and Jerome Boateng that he discarded after early Germany’s early elimination from the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Kicker magazine said the rebuilding project was not working.

“This newly formed German national team is still looking for direction and trying to find its way… both in the players’ legs and heads,” it said.

Kicker said Loew’s explanation that his players were “tired” simply “does not stand up… against opponents of that level”.

And Sport1 website said the team had “dishonoured itself”, and was particularly critical of Chelsea forward Timo Werner who missed an open goal.

“Some players are not reaching their usual level,” the website said.

The performance will only add fuel to the argument that 31-year-old Mueller, who is again in good form this season after leading Bayern Munich to victory in the 2020 Champions League, be recalled for the Euro finals this summer when Germany face a tough first-round group of reigning champions Portugal, World Cup holders France and Hungary.

The loudest calls came from Uli Hoeness, Bayern’s honorary president.

“Mueller should be in the team, he can still score goals and he can help any team in the world to get out of difficult situations,” Hoeness said.

Loew meanwhile insisted he had not lost faith in his team for the Euro — and he urged Germans not to either. “We must not lose belief,” Loew said. “In the coming days and weeks we will check over everything once again.”

Source: AFP

Sergio Aguero, who will always be associated with a single gilded moment in Manchester City’s history, is starting his long goodbye from the club with his position secure as one of the Premier League’s all-time greats.

Fans in the blue half of Manchester are coming to terms with the impending departure of the 32-year-old striker, who will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Aguero joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2011, three years after the club was taken over by Abu Dhabi owners, and will leave after 10 trophy-laden years as the club’s record goalscorer, with 257 goals in 384 games so far.

“When a cycle comes to an end, many sensations arise,” the Argentine wrote on Twitter.

“A huge sense of satisfaction and pride remains in me for having played with Manchester City for a whole 10 seasons — unusual for a professional player in this day and age.”

Aguero has won four Premier League titles, with a fifth looking almost certain this season for City. Pep Guardiola’s side also remain in the hunt for a historic quadruple.

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has revealed a statue of the striker has been commissioned to stand alongside those currently being made to honour Aguero’s former team-mates David Silva and Vincent Kompany.

“Sergio’s contribution to Manchester City over the last 10 years cannot be over-stated,” said Al Mubarak. “His legend will be indelibly etched into the memories of everyone who loves the club and maybe even in those who simply love football.”

Team-mate Kevin De Bruyne hailed him as a “City legend forever” while City defender Aymeric Laporte described him as a “class act” on and off the pitch.

Aguero has struggled with injuries since having knee surgery in the close season. A hamstring problem complicated his comeback and then he had to sit out a month after a coronavirus infection.

Those factors will have played a part in City’s decision not to offer him a new contract but the player himself is adamant he is far from finished, saying he is ready to face his new challenge with “passion and professionalism”.

– Aguero magic –

Even nine years after the event, it is impossible to separate Aguero from the goal that forever earned his place in the hearts of City fans.

Manchester United were seconds away from celebrating yet another Premier League title, prolonging the agony of their neighbours, who had not been crowned English champions since 1968.

But Aguero had other ideas, receiving the ball from Mario Balotelli and thundering home a finish to secure a 3-2 victory against QPR and send the Etihad into raptures.

There is even a 93:20 lounge at the stadium in a nod to the timing of Aguero’s dramatic title-clinching winner.

The Argentine became the club’s record goalscorer when he overtook Eric Brook’s 78-year landmark in 2017 and is now far out on his own.

He is the highest-scoring overseas player in Premier League history and is fourth on the all-time Premier League goalscoring list, with 181 goals.

Aguero’s problems with injuries and illness this season mean he has made just 14 appearances and he has scored just three times.

But former City defender Micah Richards, who won the title alongside Aguero in the 2011/12 season — believes the Argentine still has a lot to offer.

“Unless you get (Kylian) Mbappe, (Erling) Haaland or (Harry) Kane, what striker are you going to get to replace him? You get another year out of him,” Richards told the BBC.

City have been linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund hotshot Haaland, who is one of the most coveted players in world football, and Kane could be another option.

Aguero himself is adamant his departure does not mean the end of the story for him personally.

Barcelona are reported to be potential suitors and the Argentine has also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Inter Milan.

City, for their part, hope to have thousands of fans back in their stadium as Covid-19 restrictions are eased — in time to say farewell to Aguero and give a fitting send-off to one of their true greats.

Source: AFP

Holders Bayern Munich will take on last year’s beaten finalists Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals while record 13-time winners Real Madrid meet Liverpool in a repeat of the 2018 final.

The draw also pitted Premier League leaders Manchester City against Borussia Dortmund, with Chelsea set to play Porto in the other tie.

Bayern defeated PSG 1-0 behind closed doors in Lisbon last August to win their sixth European Cup and remain the team to beat in Europe, having won 18 and drawn one of their 19 games in the Champions League since the beginning of last season.

The first leg is set to be played in Germany on April 6 or 7, with the return in Paris a week later.

Meanwhile, the meeting of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Real is another re-run of a recent final, with the Spaniards beating the Reds 3-1 in Kiev in 2018 to win the last of their record 13 titles to date.

Liverpool bounced back from that to lift the trophy for the sixth time in Madrid in 2019.

Klopp’s side are due to be away from home in the first leg, but it remains to be seen where that match will be played.

Atletico Madrid’s home leg against Chelsea in the last 16 ended up being moved to the Romanian capital Bucharest due to restrictions imposed on travel to Spain by British authorities.

The winner between Liverpool and Real will go onto a semi-final against either Chelsea or Porto, throwing up the possibility of an all-English last-four tie.

Liverpool beat Chelsea in the semi-finals in 2005 and again in 2007.

Unbeaten in 13 games since the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as coach in late January, Chelsea will be expected to get the better of Portuguese champions Porto, who ousted Juventus in the last 16.

However, that tie could also be relocated given travel restrictions between the United Kingdom and Portgual which prompted both legs of last month’s Europa League clash between Arsenal and Benfica to be played at neutral venues, in Italy and Greece.

Meanwhile City will be strong favourites against Dortmund, with the winner of that tie going through to a semi-final showdown with either Bayern or PSG.

Travel restrictions between the UK and Germany could also have an impact on City’s tie against Erling Braut Haaland’s Dortmund.

Both legs of City’s last-16 tie against Borussia Moenchengladbach were played in Budapest, as were both legs of Liverpool’s tie against RB Leipzig in the last round.

This season’s semi-finals are due to be played in late April and early May, with the final scheduled for May 29 in Istanbul.

(AFP)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will return to Sweden’s squad after an almost five-year hiatus to play in World Cup qualifiers at the end of March, head coach Janne Andersson said on Tuesday.

The player, known for his not-so-humble ways, also announced his return himself by posting a picture of himself on Instagram in the Swedish team kit with the caption “The return of the God”.

The 39-year-old AC Milan striker retired from the Swedish squad after the 2016 European Championship after winning 116 caps and scoring 62 international goals.

Media had speculated about Ibrahimovic’s possible return to the national team, but the Swedish Football Association had refused to comment until Tuesday, when he was announced among the players selected for the qualifiers against Georgia on March 25 and Kosovo on March 28, as well as a friendly against Estonia on March 31.

Ibrahimovic has been nursing a muscle injury lately but hopes to return to the pitch on Thursday when Milan face his former club, Manchester United, in the Europa League round of 16.

The Swede has made headlines over the years with cheeky hints that he could be returning to the Swedish team.

But things took a more serious turn last autumn when he told media in the Scandinavian country that he missed playing for the team.

Ibrahimovic and coach Janne Andersson then met for talks.

Without “Ibra”, Sweden reached the 2018 World Cup quarter-finals and qualified directly for Euro 2020, which have been postponed to June-July 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: AFP

Germany’s World Cup-winning head coach Joachim Loew will step down after the European championships this July, the German football association said on Tuesday.

Loew will leave with a year left on his contract having signed up until the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.

In a statement, Loew said he was “full of pride and enormous gratitude” after nearly 15 years as national coach and that he was “motivated” for his swansong at the rearranged European championships from June 11-July 11.

Fritz Keller, the president of the German football association (DFB), said Loew’s decision “gives us the necessary time to name his successor calmly”.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick, who was Loew’s assistant coach when Germany won the 2014 World Cup, have been mentioned as early frontrunners for the job.

Loew has vowed to go out on a high at the European championships but Germany face a tough task to has been drawn in the same group as world champions France and holders Portugal.

“I still feel the will, great energy and ambition,” Loew insisted.

“I will do my best to make our fans happy and be successful at this tournament.”

– ‘Great triumphs, painful defeats’ –

The 61-year-old nicknamed “Jogi” has been in charge of Germany since 2006. The 2014 triumph in Brazil, where his side beat Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the final thanks to Mario Goetze’s extra-time winner, was the highpoint of his reign.

But Loew has faced three years of criticism since holders Germany crashed out of the 2018 World Cup in Russia at the group stage.

The calls for him to resign grew louder since Germany were hammered 6-0 by Spain in the Nations League last November.

Until the 2014 debacle, the Germans had reached at least the semi-finals of every tournament under Loew.

“I have worked with the best footballers in the country and supported them in their development,” Loew said on Tuesday.

“I have had great triumphs with them and painful defeats, but above all many wonderful and magical moments – not just winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.”

The fallout from the debacle in Russia tainted his legacy as he struggled to rebuild the team.

His decision in March 2019 to end the international careers of veterans Thomas Mueller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels soon backfired.

The assured performances of Mueller and Boateng in 2019/20 helped Bayern Munich win the Champions League title and led to Loew constantly having to defend his decision to sideline them from the national setup.

Recently Loew has hinted that he may recall the exiled trio for Germany’s World Cup qualifiers at the end of March.

His record as coach is an impressive 120 wins in 189 games with Germany as well as 38 draws and 31 defeats.

“I have great respect for Joachim Loew’s decision,” German FA (DFB) president Fritz Keller in a statement.

“The DFB knows what it has in ‘Jogi’, he is one of the greatest coaches in world football.

“Jogi Loew has shaped German football like hardly anyone else over the years and has helped it achieve the highest international reputation.”

Source: AFP

The Whites need to strengthen their defense this summer. Reports in the British and Italian media claim Leeds United are keen to land Nicolas Nkoulou. The 30-year-old has been subject to interest from various European clubs.

The centre-back has banged in one goal in 13 matches for Torino this term on all fronts. The 30-year-old is considered to be one of the best centre-backs in Cameroon.

Nkoulou has also left his mark at the international stage after netting one goal in 72 senior appearances for the Cameroon national team.

The centre-back’s contract at Torino is about to expire and a number of clubs are said to be monitoring his situation, with Leeds showing the most concrete interest in an attempt to lure the player to their team.

Marcelo Bielsa wants to sign a new centre-back and Nkoulou is one of the names at the top of his wishlist.

The report claims that Leeds manager has extensively scouted Nkoulou and is considering a move for the centre-back.

The Whites are desperate to make an impact in the summer transfer window.

Nicolas Nkoulou is a very comfortable defender and has qualities which would improve the Leeds United’s backline. His arrival would give Leeds some much needed tactical flexibility.

According to the report, “Leeds United are eager to sign Torino defender Nicolas Nkoulou. The Whites are looking to establish themselves as a top half club in the Premier League next term. According to CalcioMercato, Nkoulou is interesting Marcelo Bielsa and his coaching staff. The 30-year-old is out of contract in the summer and could arrive on a free. Bielsa coached Nkoulou at Marseille a few years ago.”

Leeds United will have to come up with the right proposal to convince Nkoulou to join the club.

Good signing for Leeds United?

The 30-year-old is a good centre-back, and on a free transfer, he would not be a bad signing for Leeds.

The Cameroon international could be a very good squad player for Marcelo Bielsa over the next few years. He is at the peak of his career right now and Bielsa could bring out the best in him.

Stylistically, he would be a great fit in Leeds.

It will be interesting to see where the player ends up this summer.

Source: Eurofootballrumours

Bundesliga crisis club Schalke sacked almost their entire sporting leadership Sunday, including coach Christian Gross, after an alleged player revolt and a 16th league defeat plunged their nightmare season deeper into crisis.

“The decision had become unavoidable after results against Dortmund and Stuttgart,” said Schalke chairman Jens Buchta in a statement following Schalke’s 5-1 loss to Stuttgart on Saturday, a week after defeat to local rivals Borussia Dortmund.

“The team now owe it to the club and the fans to be as successful as possible in the last third of the season.”

Coach Gross, sporting director Jochen Schneider and team coordinator Sascha Riether were all relieved of their duties in Sunday’s mass clear out.

Gross’ assistant Rainer Widmayer and fitness coach Werner Leuthard were also fired.

The move comes with one-time giants Schalke bottom of the league and nine points adrift of safety, having won just one of their 23 league games this season.

Having been in the Champions League two seasons ago, Schalke are now hurtling towards their first relegation since 1988.

– Player revolt –

Veteran Swiss Gross, 66, had been in the job for only two months, having taken over from interim boss Huub Stevens at the end of December to become Schalke’s fourth coach this season.

Victory in his second game in charge saw Schalke narrowly avoid equalling a 54-year-old Bundesliga record of 31 games without a win, but Gross was ultimately unable to stop the rot.

The 4-0 victory over Hoffenheim remained his only win in 10 league games in charge, as Schalke remained rooted to the bottom of the table.

Reports of a player revolt against Gross’ leadership surfaced in the German media last week in the build-up to Saturday’s defeat.

Team coordinator Riether sought to play down the rumours, saying it was “normal that players are disappointed” but denying there was a “revolution” in the dressing room.

Yet on Sunday, both Gross and Riether were shown the door as Schalke made one last desperate bid to save their season.

The club have already begun to rebuild for the second division, handing over squad planning duties to loan director Mike Bueskens and youth director Peter Knaebel.

Two weeks ago, they announced that sporting director Schneider would leave at the end of the season, a decision which has now been brought forward.

Knaebel will now take on “overall responsibility”, with support from Bueskens, Norbert Elgert and Gerald Asamoah, the club said.

A replacement for Gross as head coach is yet to be announced.

Source: AFP

Ferland Mendy scored late as Real Madrid beat 10-man Atalanta 1-0 on Wednesday to close in on the Champions League quarter-finals.

The French left-back’s strike in Bergamo came four minutes from time in a last 16 first leg game which the hosts played a man down for over 70 minutes as Zinedine Zidane’s side hold the advantage heading into the second leg in Madrid on March 16.

Atalanta had attacked early but the game was transformed when Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler was harshly send off on 17 minutes for tripping Mendy at the edge of the penalty area.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s woes continued with forward Duvan Zapata limping off after half an hour with a muscular problem with midfielder Mario Pasalic coming off the bench.

Spanish midfielder Isco got a rare start up front for injury-hit Real Madrid playing alongside Marco Asensio and Vinicius.

The 13-time European champions were without striker Karim Benzema due to an ankle problem with an injury list also including Sergio Ramos, Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal.

But Zidane’s side failed to make the most of the extra man despite coming closest to breaking through in the first half with a Casemiro header, with Nacho, Isco and Vinícius Junior also threatening and Luka Modric sending over the goal.

Zapata and in-form Luis Muriel lead the Atalanta attack in their first meeting with Real Madrid.

Atalanta continued to attack, with Muriel missing a chance to give the hosts the advantage four minutes before the break with a long-range strike that went just wide.

Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini kept the hosts in the game keeping out a Casemiro header on a free kick before the half-time whistle.

Modric sent wide of the post after the break and sent through for Vinícius but was headed away from the Brazilian.

Josip Illicic came on in place of Muriel after 56 minutes.

The Slovenian scored five goals against Valencia at this stage of the competition last season, but was substituted off four minutes from time after a poor display.

Soon afterwards Madrid broke through thanks to Mendy, who beat Gollini with a stunning curling effort into the top corner.

Real have the advantage going into the second leg having missed out on the quarter-finals for the last two seasons.

Atalanta need a historic effort in the away leg to reach the last eight for a second successive year.

The Bergamo side won their last 16, first leg clash against Valencia 4-1 a year ago on front of 45,000 spectators in Milan’s San Siro.

That match was considered to have been one of the reasons behind the acceleration of the virus in Italy with Bergamo at the epicentre of the country’s outbreak.

The were playing their second Champions League campaign, but the first knock-out match in their home stadium which underwent renovations last season when they reached the last eight.

And thousands of fans ignored the Italian team’s plea to stay away with a party atmosphere outside the stadium with a fireworks display.

Source:  AFP

Mohamed Salah has warned Manchester City that Liverpool will “fight like champions” despite a miserable run that plunged his side’s Premier League title defence into turmoil.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are languishing 13 points behind leaders City after crashing to a 3-1 defeat at Leicester on Saturday.

Salah had given Liverpool the lead with his 17th league goal of the season, but the Reds collapsed in the closing stages.

Klopp conceded the title to City after Liverpool’s third successive defeat.

It is a remarkable decline after Liverpool romped to their first title in 30 years last term.

But, after 24 hours of painful fallout from the loss at the King Power Stadium, with Liverpool fans hanging a banner in support of the German boss on the railings outside the Kop reading ‘Jurgen Klopp YNWA’, Egypt forward Salah made a defiant statement of intent.

“It’s been a tough period for many reasons. We are champions and we will fight like champions, until the very end,” Salah wrote on Twitter.

“We will not allow this season to be defined by the recent results we’ve had. That is my promise to all of you.”

While retaining the title may now be beyond Liverpool, they are still in the Champions League.

Klopp’s team face the Bundesliga’s second-placed side Leipzig in a last-16 first-leg clash on Tuesday.

The match, which has been moved to the Puskas Arena in Hungary due to German government coronavirus regulations not allowing Liverpool to travel to the country, could be pivotal to the rest of the Reds’ campaign.

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold hopes a different competition and scenario will provide the lift they need to get out of their current slump.

“Everyone talks about a bad spell and a dip in form and stuff, but I feel personally we’ve performed well in the last few weeks, in the last two months or six weeks or so,” he told Liverpool’s website.

“It’s just that we haven’t been getting the results and it’s a results business so there’s no excuses for that.

“But I think confidence-wise, we’re not playing badly, we’re not getting battered.

“It’s about turning those performances into results and that’s probably what we need to look at most.

“In situations like this you want the opportunity to put it right as soon as possible.

“Different competition, which always freshens it up, different mentality going into it. It’s going to be a different task for us, a Champions League night.”

Source: AFP