Conte urges Chelsea to seize moment in Arsenal crunch…See full details

Chelsea's Italian head coach Antonio Conte / AFP PHOTO / BEN STANSALL /

Antonio Conte says Chelsea must seize the chance to move a step closer to winning the Premier League when the leaders face Arsenal in Saturday’s crucial summit meeting.

Conte’s side are nine points clear at the top with 15 games remaining and victory over title rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge would be a significant moment in the race to replace Leicester as English champions.

Beating the third-placed Gunners would move Chelsea 12 points clear of Arsene Wenger’s side, as well as sending a message to the chasing pack that the Blues are determined to hold onto their lead.

Conte would dearly love to see off Arsenal after the north Londoners’ 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium in their previous meeting this season.

That was the most chastening moment of Conte’s first season at Chelsea and the Italian, whose side have lost only one of their last 17 league games, said: “There are 15 games remaining and 45 points. Now we must focus on Arsenal.

“They are a great team who can fight for the title. Don’t forget we lost 3-0 away.

“This could be a good chance for us to show that the second part of the season we are a totally different team if you compare us to the previous game.

“It is a good chance for us. We play at home, which is very important, but it will be a really tough game.”

With Chelsea held to a 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Tuesday, Arsenal squandered an opportunity to close the gap as they crashed to a shock 2-1 home defeat against Watford.

Wenger’s side haven’t won at the Bridge since 2011 and they must end that barren run to remain in the title hunt.

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech, who won four league titles during his time at Chelsea, said of the Watford defeat: “It was a huge setback because we wanted to put ourselves in a better position going into the weekend.

“I always say that at this level you cannot play 80 minutes, or 85. You have to play 90 minutes with full concentration and everybody on top of their game.”

– Foul mood –
Second-placed Tottenham host Middlesbrough as they try to regain ground on Chelsea after drawing their last two matches.

“With the mentality we have here, we would be upset to finish in the same position as last season,” said Tottenham’s Eric Dier, whose team lost out to Leicester in the title battle last term.

“We want to be better and we want to show it. Everyone wants to reach the very top.”

At the King Power Stadium both managers will be in the spotlight as troubled Leicester and spluttering Manchester United clash.

United manager Jose Mourinho was in a foul mood after Hull held on for a goalless draw in midweek that left his team four points adrift of the top four.

Ranting about decisions by the officials and a perceived lack of fair treatment by football authorities, Mourinho cut a paranoid figure.

United defender Phil Jones admitted the atmosphere among the United players was at a low ebb.

“We said before the game that this was our chance to put some pressure on the teams above us. We knew that teams around us would slip up and they have done, but we couldn’t capitalise on it,” he said.

“We’re bitterly disappointed. The lads are down in the dressing room, as you’d expect.”

Leicester’s fairytale title triumph already seems like a distant memory as Claudio Ranieri’s team find themselves just two points above the relegation zone after three successive defeats.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola likened the early success of Gabriel Jesus to opening a tasty watermelon following the teenage Brazilian forward’s goal in the 4-0 win at West Ham in midweek.

With City 10 points behind Chelsea, Guardiola will hope his decision to select Jesus just weeks after his arrival from Palmeiras bears more fruit against lowly Swansea.

Fourth-placed Liverpool travel to second-bottom Hull aiming to end a four-game winless run in the league.

Fixtures (1500 GMT unless stated)

Saturday

Chelsea v Arsenal (1230 GMT), Crystal Palace v Sunderland, Everton v Bournemouth, Hull v Liverpool, Southampton v West Ham, Tottenham v Middlesbrough (1730 GMT), Watford v Burnley, West Brom v Stoke

Sunday

Leicester v Manchester United (1600 GMT), Manchester City v Swansea (1330 GMT)

Neuer warns misfiring Bayern to be wary of Schalke…See full details

Bayern Munich's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer reacts during the German first division Bundesliga football match of Werder Bremen vs FC Bayern Munich in Bremen , nothern Germany, on January 28, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has warned misfiring Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich that they must rediscover their form against Schalke on Saturday following lacklustre back-to-back displays in 2017.

Bayern laboured to 2-1 league wins at both Freiburg and Werder Bremen in the last fortnight to stay three-points clear of RB Leipzig.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern have failed to fire since flooring Leipzig 3-0 at home in December.

Neuer says the Bavarian giants must step up before their last 16, first leg, of the Champions League at home to Arsenal in two weeks — starting against his ex-club Schalke, who are 11th.

“We know we have important games ahead,” said Neuer, who was born in Gelsenkirchen.

“We’re determined to play better football and want to show it in our first home game of the year.”

Mid-table Schalke are struggling for form with just one win in their last six games with coach Markus Weinzierl under pressure.

“Schalke are standing with their backs against the wall. This is a dangerous match as, from Schalke’s point of view, a win over Bayern would make a lot of things good again,” warned Neuer.

Bayern could face their Germany defender Holger Badstuber, who is on loan to Schalke, but has been on the bench so far.

Bayern are set to welcome back captain Philipp Lahm and midfielder Arturo Vidal after injury, but are without defender Jerome Boateng (shoulder) and Franck Ribery (thigh).

– Tension in Dortmund –
Tensions will be high for Borussia Dortmund’s home clash against second-placed Leipzig.

Leipzig, who were only founded in 2009, are sponsored by Austrian energy drinks giants Red Bull.

Dortmund’s hardcore ‘Ultra’ supporters are planning protests during the match against the commercialism RB represent.

Leipzig’s chairman Oliver Mintzlaff has upped the ante by saying he is ‘not sad’ Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel turned Leipzig down in mid 2015.

At the start of the season, Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Jaochim Watzke described RB as ‘performing cans’, created to sell drinks, words he later had cause to regret as Dortmund lost 1-0 at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena in September.

“If that was true, then 11 ‘cans’ beat 11 ‘bottles’, which in German (slang) means ‘someone who played poorly,” Leipzig’s director of sport Ralph Rangnick retorted in December.

Leipzig will be without top-scorer Timo Werner, who has netted 11 goals this season. He is laid low with flu, while coach Ralph Hasenhuettl has recovered after also contracting the virus.

Dortmund have told star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to tone down any talk of leaving in June after giving interviews when he said he may quit to take his career ‘to the next level’.

– Wolfsburg’s new recruits –
Having spent 33 million euros ($35.7m) on new recruits in January’s transfer window — the most in the Bundesliga — Wolfsburg are hoping to see some return at home to Cologne on Saturday to climb up from 14th.

Coach Valerien Ismael hopes to have ex-Fulham midfielder Ashkan Dejagah, who signed from Doha-based Al-Arabi, available if the necessary paperwork is done in time.

Wolfsburg also signed goal-scoring attacking midfielder Yunus Malli from Mainz, central midfielder Riechedly Bazoer from Ajax and France forward Paul-Georges Ntep, but stumbled to a 2-1 defeat at home to Augsburg last weekend.

Having been the last team in a European league to lose their unbeaten record with a 2-1 defeat at Leipzig last weekend, fifth-placed Hoffenheim host Mainz on Saturday.

Hoffenheim are without suspended striker Sandro Wagner, who was sent off at Leipzig, while Mainz’s new signing, ex-Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic could make his debut having signed on loan from Stoke City,

Fixtures (all times 1430 GMT unless stated)

Friday

Hamburg v Bayer Leverkusen (1930)

Saturday

Bayern Munich v Schalke, Borussia Moenchengladbach v Freiburg, Hertha Berlin v Ingolstadt, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim v Mainz, Borussia Dotmund v RB Leipzig (1730)

Sunday

Augsburg v Werder Bremen, Eintracht Frankfurt v Darmstadt (1630)

I am treated differently, complains Mourinho…See full details

Manchester United's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho / AFP PHOTO / OLI SCARFF /

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has risked a new run-in with the English football authorities by claiming he is judged by a different set of rules to rival managers.

He hit out at perceived inconsistencies in a cryptic post-match press conference after seeing his side held to a goalless draw by Hull City at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Mourinho seemed angry at referee Mike Jones’s failure to clamp down on what he saw as Hull’s time-wasting or show visiting striker Oumar Niasse a second yellow card for a high challenge on Marcos Rojo.

But when asked for his views on the officiating, Mourinho replied: “Don’t ask me questions that I cannot answer.”

He went on to allude to his own stadium ban last season, during his time as Chelsea manager, and the recent behaviour of his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger and Liverpool rival Jurgen Klopp.

Wenger was hit with a four-game touchline ban for pushing the fourth official, while Klopp revealed he had apologised after screaming in the fourth official’s face during his side’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

“You know clearly that I am different,” Mourinho went on. “I am different. The rules for me are different.

“I am different in everything. I watched my team play in a hotel (when banned), I was forbidden to go to the stadium, my assistant had a six-match stadium ban and he didn’t touch anyone.

“Yesterday (Tuesday), one fourth official told a manager: ‘I enjoy very much your passion, so do what you want to do.’

“Today I was told sit down or I have to send you to the stands, so everything is different for me.

“So don’t ask me questions that put me in a difficult situation. To end the story, I just want to say the simple: 0-0, a great point for them, congratulations.

“It’s a bad point for us. We have to keep going because we have another game for the weekend.”

Mourinho then walked out of the Old Trafford press room without taking questions about defender Phil Jones, who limped off in the second half with an apparent hamstring injury.

He had earlier walked out of a television interview after less than two minutes.

– Silva ‘happy’ –
“I’m not happy with the result,” said Mourinho, whose side were left four points off the top four in sixth place.

“I won’t criticise the opponents because they are fighting for their lives. Every point for them is golden.

“They have to fight with everything they have. They tried to see what they were allowed to do.

“The referee gave them feedback and then they were comfortable doing what they did for 90 minutes.

“I’m not critical of the opposition because they are fighting for their lives.”

Hull collected an important point in their battle for survival under new manager Marco Silva, with goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic making several vital saves.

“I am happy,” said Silva, whose side were beaten by United in the League Cup semi-finals last week.

“The performance showed a good organisation in many moments again. We played as a team and when we needed to suffer, we were ready to suffer.

“The team showed good character, which is important for me, and I am happy.”

Hull might even have emerged victorious had Lazar Markovic’s late shot not come back off the post, but Silva conceded victory would have flattered the visitors, who remain in the relegation zone.

“In the second half we improved when we changed to put three centre-backs in and we had good chances,” he said.

“The first was for Lazar Markovic and then when Abel Hernandez went into the box, but we didn’t score. United also had good chances during the match, but I think we deserved the result.

“It’s important for us. It gives confidence for our team and our players, but it is only one point.”

Wenger confused after Watford sink Arsenal…See full details

Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger / AFP / ADRIAN DENNIS

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was at a loss to explain his side’s appalling first-half display during their surprise 2-1 defeat by Watford at the Emirates Stadium.

His side mustered just three wayward efforts on goal in the opening 45 minutes as they allowed Watford to canter into a two-goal lead and damage further their tilt at the Premier League title.

“It was not good in the first half, especially in the first 20 minutes. We were beaten in the duels and Watford were sharper than us,” Wenger admitted after Tuesday’s match.

“Did we think subconsciously that we just had to turn up? I don’t know. Honestly we prepared well for the game. Looking at the preparation, I have no basic regret.

“We knew that Watford would make it very physical and we prepared for that.

“You do not make 47 points after 23 games in the Premier League if you don’t have physical power, but you have to switch it on 100 percent all of the time in the Premier League.

“We didn’t start the way we wanted, but in the second half it was all us and let’s be fair, we didn’t deserve to lose this game.

“We hit the bar and (Watford goalkeeper Heurelho) Gomes made fantastic saves as well, so I still think that if you look at the chances, we were unlucky to lose.

“On top of that we were a bit unlucky with the free-kick for the first goal and then a deflected shot on top of that.”

Younes Kaboul’s deflected free-kick gave Watford a 10th-minute lead and Watford added a second three minutes later when Troy Deeney tucked in the rebound from Etienne Capoue’s shot.

Arsenal, who replied through Alex Iwobi, travel to leaders Chelsea on Saturday and Wenger insisted his team will not suffer from a hangover from this result.

Nor was he comforted by draws for Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, which limited the ground Arsenal lost.

– Taylor tribute –
“We want to respond against Chelsea and win the game, of course. But we first have to analyse why we didn’t start well in this game,” said the Frenchman, whose team now trail Chelsea by nine points.

“I’m responsible for the results of the team so I am very frustrated that we did not win the game. We are playing at home, we had a great opportunity and we had a start like we did.

“We have to learn from that and respond very quickly and in a very convincing way. What the other teams do doesn’t matter.”

Wenger confirmed that Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey had limped off with a calf strain.

For Watford manager Walter Mazzari, the result justified his decision to rest almost his entire first team for Sunday’s FA Cup defeat by third-tier Millwall.

The Italian made a point of dedicating the victory to former Watford manager Graham Taylor, who passed away on January 12.

“My objective is for Watford to stay in the Premier League and to make my team grow game by game, week by week,” said Mazzarri, whose side sit 13th.

“Of course the players need this victory to work better with me and also to believe that they can achieve great things.

“I was very happy at the end because recently we deserved to win some games, but didn’t because luck was not on our side. We needed a big win, especially for the morale of the team.

“Of course I would have liked us to play the whole 90 minutes like we did in the first half.

“But we had at least four or five players coming back from injury and who hadn’t played 90 minutes for a long time, so they weren’t in condition to play the full 90 minutes at the same level.

“Today was a great game and I want to dedicate this victory to a great person in Graham Taylor.”

Watch Video: Miyonce and TBoss finally gets down on Big Brother Naija (#BBNaija)

Seems like Miyonce is finally making head-ways with Tboss in the Big Brother House.

After Tboss showed off her pierced breast on live TV, Miyonce has become the first housemate to feel those breast. Last night, they were videoed spooning on the bed with Miyonce romancing Tboss. However, they used a duvet to cover themselves.

Watch the video after the cut..

In S Korea: South Korea’s acting president urges ‘swift’ THAAD deployment

South Korea's acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn speaks during a New Year's press conference at the government complex in Seoul on January 23, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / AHN Young Joon

North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities are accelerating at an “unprecedented” pace, the South’s acting president said Monday, urging the swift deployment of a US anti-missile system that has infuriated Beijing.
Seoul and Washington agreed last year to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in the South after a string of North Korean nuclear and missile tests — prompting strong objections from China, which fears it will undermine its own ballistic capabilities.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn said the North had conducted two nuclear tests and fired multiple ballistic missiles last year, averaging two per month.

“Its nuclear and missile capabilities are developing at an unprecedented pace,” Hwang said. “They are real and obvious threat.”
A “swift” deployment of the THAAD system “is necessary to protect the lives and safety of our people”, he added.
Within South Korea, voices opposing the installation have grown louder, with some opposition candidates pledging to scrap the agreement if they win a presidential election due this year.
The plan has also angered Beijing, which has imposed a string of measures seen in the South as economic retaliation, including effectively barring K-pop stars from performing on the mainland and not authorising South Korean airlines to operate charter flights between the countries.
“There are various concerns about economic retaliation from THAAD but the relationship between South Korea and China did not happen in just one or two years,” Hwang said.
He took over President Park Geun-Hye’s sweeping executive powers after she was impeached in December, becoming the de facto leader of Asia’s fourth largest economy.
Park is accused of colluding with close friend Choi Soon-Sil to strong-arm companies into handing over tens of millions of dollars to dubious foundations which Choi controlled.
The case is now being considered by the Constitutional Court — which has up to six months to reach a ruling — but hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have joined weekly protests calling for Park’s immediate departure from office.
If the court confirms the impeachment, a presidential election will have to be held within 60 days.

South Korea’s acting president urges ‘swift’ THAAD deployment

Mourinho wants United wins rather than Rooney records (Read full details)

Manchester United's English striker Wayne Rooney (C) celebrates scoring his 250th goal to make him the club's all-time record goal scorerer in the English Premier League football match between Stoke City and Manchester United at the Bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, central England on January 21, 2017.<br />Lindsey PARNABY / AFP

Jose Mourinho wants record-breaker Wayne Rooney to help Manchester United solve a familiar problem after they failed yet again to turn their dominance into three points in a battling 1-1 draw with Stoke City.

Juan Mata’s own-goal gave Stoke a 19th-minute lead at the Britannia Stadium before Rooney rescued a point for the visitors deep into stoppage-time by becoming United’s all-time leading scorer with his 250th goal for the English giants as he broke Bobby Charlton’s longstanding club record.

While quick to acclaim Rooney’s “amazing achievement”, Mourinho cut a frustrated figure once again as he reflected on two more Premier League points lost and the fact that any chance of United mounting a belated title challenge is receding fast.

Rooney’s well-struck free-kick was small consolation for a performance in which United failed to make the most of the chances they created after Mata’s own-goal.

“It’s an amazing achievement, but the record is broken and now just let him (Rooney) be a normal player again and try and score more goals for us,” said Mourinho.

“It was a great goal, and in a team where you lose incredible goals week after week, to get a phenomenal goal like he did is even more astonishing.”

The United manager added: “Obviously in the Premier League, we have drawn too many matches, and today you saw why we draw too many matches.

“The opposition scored without creating one single chance, and for us to score a goal we have to create six, seven chances, so it’s hard.”

United could find themselves 14 points behind Chelsea if the Premier League leaders win at home to Hull on Sunday and Portuguese boss Mourinho would dearly love an end to his side’s drams in front of goal.

– ‘Bit of magic’ –
“Sometimes I’m on the bench and I’m tired of seeing my team play so well, create so many chances and it’s always dramatic to score a goal,” he moaned.

“I think for a long, long time that one day we will score every chance. Somebody will go home with six or seven in the basket.”

He added: “In spite of keeping a phenomenal unbeaten going, showing an amazing character by the team, showing an amazing empathy between the team and the fans, it is not a good result. I think we lost two points.”

Mourinho, however, praised Stoke’s resilience by saying: “It was a very difficult match, I have to say that Stoke started strong and after they defended with absolutely everything, with grit, emotion and aggression, but good aggression, not a negative one.

“They did everything to defend their goal.”

Meanwhile, Stoke manager Mark Hughes, himself a former United striker, paid his own tribute to Rooney.

“It’s unbelievable,” said the Welshman. “Sir Bobby’s record stood for over 40 years and a lot of very good strikers have come and gone in that time and not got near the record.

“For Wayne to do it, we clearly didn’t want it to happen today, but with top, top players, you only have to give them one opportunity to produce a ball that’s right on the money. A little bit of magic from him has got them something out of the game.”

Yet for all his disappointment at the draw, Hughes was proud of mid-table Stoke’s performances against United this season.

“When you concede that late in the game, it feels like a defeat,” he said. “When we wake up in the morning though, we’ll realise we’ve had two games against United home and away and we haven’t been beaten, so we can take a lot of credit from that.”

Mourinho wants United wins rather than Rooney records