Messi happy at Barca Says; Bartomeu

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has insisted Lionel Messi is happy at the club and blamed outsiders for suggesting he is seeking a move.

Messi this week told Ole he wanted to finish his career with Barca, but added "sometimes everything does not always go as you want", a remark which sparked plenty of speculation when combined with a comment from his father Jorge, who said a move would be considered if Barca ever wanted to sell.
However, Bartomeu claimed such speculation was being drummed up by Barca's opponents, and there was nothing to Messi's remark.
"Leo is under a lot of pressure off the field," Bartomeu told 8TV. "I have spoken with his father, Jorge, two days ago and my impression is that nothing has changed, he is happy at Barca, and his comments say that clearly - he wants to win everything.
"He has not asked us for a new contract. No, no. He is happy. From inside the club we will always help the player. [Former Barca coach Pep] Guardiola already said it a few years ago, Leo must be happy at Barca."
Messi and his father face a trial over alleged tax fraud, while others have claimed the four-time Ballon d'Or winner feels unappreciated by his club when compared with Real Madrid's support of Cristiano Ronaldo's candidacy for the top awards in football.
But Bartomeu claimed there was an anti-Barca agenda in sections of the media, seeking to unsettle Messi.
"Another thing is that he is sensitive about things from outside," Bartomeu said. "There is more talk about his vomiting on the pitch, for example, than on [Telmo] Zarra's record. And although other players have other situations, there is only talk about Leo and the taxman. They want to beat him off the pitch. On the pitch he is number one."
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed reports in a book published earlier this month, that he tried to sign Messi as a teenager from Barcelona.
Wenger wanted to bring the Argentina striker and Spain central defender Gerard Pique to the club from the Barca Academy at the same time as Cesc Fabregas.
In the end, only Fabregas moved, and a recent biography suggests the potential deal for Messi broke down because Arsenal were unable to purchase accommodation for his family, who were keen to join him in London, although the South American would still have needed to secure a work permit.
Despite all of their efforts, Arsenal boss Wenger - who also scouted the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Didier Drogba when they were raw talents - believes the player just felt settled in Spain and was not prepared to take a chance on moving to England.
"I think in the end, he was not so keen to move. It was at a period where Fabregas came, and Fabregas and Messi played together in the same team at Barcelona Academy,” Wenger said.
“We wanted to take Fabregas, Messi and Pique. It worked only for Fabregas.
"It was not completely down to a flat in the end. It was down to the fact that, in the end, Messi was comfortable at Barcelona."

Nigeria: The End of the Road

The Super Eagles needed to beat South Africa in Uyo, but could only manage a draw, and paid the ultimate price

FEATURE
By Destiny Okeowo
Almost two years ago, Nigeria stood triumphant on South African soil, having vanquished all comers.
It was quite the change from failing to qualify for the previous edition in Equatorial Guinea, and went completely against the grain of performances at continental level. In the grander scheme of things, that win should have marked a resurgence. It will instead look like some freakish spike in the graph; Nigeria are back at the foot of the mountain, on the outside looking in.
The game that dealt the death blow was supposed to be the most benign of fixtures: home against South Africa. No matter how low it got through the years, Nigeria could always count on a favourable outcome against the Rainbow Nation. Allied to this was that Bafana Bafana had secured qualification already, in theory there was nothing to play for.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, everything did in Uyo.
Nigerians are a deeply superstitious people, and the outcome may forever taint what is a truly magnificent ground, at least in the mind of the population. The support could not be faulted either, it was a full house who watched on as the horror unfolded before their eyes.
Stephen Keshi made the expected alterations, all enforced: Raheem Lawal replaced Hope Akpan, stricken by injury, and Kenneth Omeruo came straight into the side for the suspended Godfrey Oboabona. The Middlesbrough man did not look at all fit, and was caught in possession for Bafana Bafana’s second.
Broadly like-for-like introductions, but the set-up was different. John Obi Mikel played as a No.10, while Ogenyi Onazi and Lawal held behind him in a 4-2-1-3, though neither is a natural holder. The Chelsea man has played increasingly advanced roles throughout the qualifiers: this was escalation at its most extreme, the most complete opposite of his club persona.
The surprise was that he did it quite well. He caused Dean Furman problems repeatedly, drawing the Bafana captain out of position and forcing him into clumsy fouls. The problem was no one was moving into the space vacated; Uche came short a couple of times, but his touch was persistently poor.

Uche | Touch found wanting
The natural solution would have been for either of Lawal or Onazi to advance, but both seemed to over-compensate for their unsuitability to their deep roles by sitting too deep, even after possession had been consolidated. The team was often broken as a result, and could not build moves cohesively.
The Super Eagles had three excellent opportunities in the first half, all of which fell to Ahmed Musa. The first from when he won the ball in the centre circle, the second after a harmless ball was allowed to run through, and the third after Mikel turned quickly in midfield and slid him in. Tellingly, none came from any sustained possession or incisive build-up.
The CSKA Moscow man failed to capitalise, but all three came from runs no one else in the team would have made. Even on a bad day, Musa is invaluable to the team.
The South Africans were not particularly impressive either defensively or going forward. Too much relied on the fearless running of Tokelo Rantie. Shakes Mashaba instructs his team to defend in two very narrow banks of four, but it is as much a trap as a weakness: by encouraging the opposing full-backs forward, his two strikers can isolate the centre-backs and run at them.
It is a risky strategy up against full-backs proficient in attack, but it was Efe Ambrose and Juwon Oshaniwa, not Cafu and Roberto Carlos, so he just about got away with it. The Ashdod left-back in particular had a poor game, slowing down attacks with poor control; the less said about Ambrose, the better.
If ever there was a time to bemoan Nigeria’s options at full-back, this was it. Elderson Echiejile twiddled his thumbs on the bench.
The opener predictably came via this route: Rantie pulled into the channel, shrugged off Lawal, sped past Azubuike Egwuekwe and finished beautifully. It was coming, the forward had wasted an opportunity earlier in the half when Omeruo gave away possession cheaply, firing over when a square pass was on.

Rantie | A Nigerian's Nightmare
After the break, Rantie and Bongani Ndulula worked a lot harder to close the ball down. Whereas the Super Eagles were able to fire the ball into Mikel to tempt out Furman in the first half, they now struggled to play the initial pass out of defence, with the two forwards blocking passes into Onazi and Lawal.
The second goal was a direct consequence, seeking to play out from the back, Omeruo was muscled off the ball by the Bournemouth striker, who went round Vincent Enyeama to complete his brace.
As in the last two games, the introduction of Sone Aluko made an impact with a brace off the bench. The Hull City man picked the perfect time to open his goal account for the Super Eagles, but it was all too late. In other circumstances, the fight-back to tie at 2-2 would be applauded, but the news that Congo had done the business in Khartoum put paid to the ambitions of the African champions.
‘African champions’. It will not be long till we can no longer call them that. At the “Nest of Champions” in Uyo, all that 25,000 eager fans went home with was rotten eggs.
Keshi has run his course as coach now, surely. Nothing is impossible when Presidents wield the prerogative of veto, but there are no grounds now. Had Amodu Shaibu taken charge of the team as initially decided, there would have hung over the team the tantalizing ‘what if?’
We had to know, and now we do.
He took over a team that had failed to qualify for the 2012 Afcon in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, and took it to the pinnacle of the continental game in just over a year. The Big Boss’s tenure has been the perfect heroin trip, a mind-bending high, and now a low even more crushing than the one he picked the team up from in 2011.

United plan RVP sale

• Manchester United are planning for life without Robin van Persie and look certain to part company with the Dutch striker in the summer with a year remaining on his current contract.
• Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal for Croatian forward Andrej Kramaric, according to one of the Italian clubs chasing him.
• Arsene Wenger insists Danny Welbeck has nothing to prove against his former club despite Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal implying he was not good enough to remain at Old Trafford.
• Tottenham face yet another defensive reshuffle at Hull on Sunday as Mauricio Pochettino will be without his three best full-backs.
• Representatives of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust held a "positive" meeting with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and other club officials last night.

• Manchester City are set to intensify their efforts to extend Frank Lampard's loan after Yaya Toure's New Year absence was confirmed.
• Fresh doubts have emerged over the future of Yaya Toure after the Ivorian's latest comments about Paris Saint-Germain.
• Wayne Rooney believes Danny Welbeck made the right decision to leave Manchester United in the summer.
• Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao is out for another two weeks and is "disappointed" to miss the Premier League trip to Arsenal, says Louis van Gaal.
• Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany has an outside chance of facing Swansea after returning to training on Thursday.

• Mario Balotelli insists he will soon hit a scoring streak as he shrugged off criticism about the slow start he's made to his Liverpool career.

• Joey Barton admits the mere thought of his time in a black and white shirt brings an "overwhelming smile" to his face.

• Sunderland will make contingency plans to sign a new left-back in January - in case Patrick van Aanholt's rehabilitation encounters any obstacles.
• Sunderland's crowded striker options led Gus Poyet to rule out a summer reunion with Leonardo Ulloa.

• Modest Birmingham City signing Guy Moussi played down his generosity after it emerged he will give every penny he earns at his new club to charity.

• West Brom boss Alan Irvine today told Jose Mourinho "we are no Mickey Mouse club" as the Baggies prepare to take on Chelsea.
• Wolves will hit the transfer market to cover the absence of Bakary Sako and Nouha Dicko to the African Cup of Nations.
• Wolves boss Kenny Jackett admits Nottingham Forest's £5m striker Britt Assombalonga was too expensive to pursue.

• The Football Association has charged Stoke City chairman Peter Coates with misconduct.

• Jay Rodriguez is set for a New Year return to the Saints side after having to undergo a second operation on his injured knee.

• Tom Huddlestone has received the full support of captain Curtis Davies, who insists the midfielder is still Hull City's main man.

• Sam Vokes is back in training with the Clarets first team as he nears a return from the knee injury which has kept him sidelined for eight months.
• Sean Dyche believes the international break has given his side a good rest 'mentally' after spending the previous month fielding questions on when they would end their winless start to the season.
• Blackburn Rovers boss Gary Bowyer believes promotion to the Premier League has become even harder after Wigan Athletic's appointment of title-winning manager Malky Mackay.

• Matt Upson could step up his return from injury with a run-out in Leicester City's under-21 side.
• Ipswich striker David McGoldrick has admitted he was interested in moving to Leicester City during the summer.

• Garry Monk will go in search of a striker in the January transfer window after Wilfried Bony's Ivory Coast reached the African Cup of Nations.

• Huddersfield Town manager Chris Powell has given a clear hint that Steve Thompson is in line to become Neil Redfearn's assistant at Leeds United, saying Thompson's switch to Elland Road "could happen."

• Nottingham Forest boss Stuart Pearce is hoping for a happy Christmas - as he looks to secure a deal to keep Jack Hunt and also hopes to see two key figures return, over the festive period.

• Neil Adams remains adamant that he did not sever his ties with Mark Robson as a result of Norwich City's tumble down the Championship table.

• Joe Mason will be returning to Cardiff City in January, says manager Russell Slade.

• Bolton have blown the door wide open for a new striker after sending star man Jermaine Beckford packing to Preston North End.
• Mark Davies has been told he requires knee surgery which will rule him out of action for four months.

• A contrite Dave Whelan last night strenuously denied he was either anti-Semitic or racist, and issued a heartfelt apology for any recent comments 'that may have caused offence'.

• Blackpool are hoping to add at least two new faces ahead of tomorrow's game against Bolton.
• Lee Clark has added two new faces to his coaching staff at Bloomfield Road.

• Brighton have agreed to let on-loan keeper Ali Al-Habsi stay put in Saudia Arabia on Gulf Cup duty with Oman.

• Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy has a message for the queue of Premier League big guns that are closely monitoring rising star Tyrone Mings - "good luck".

• Sheffield United have withdrawn their offer to allow former player Ched Evans to train with the club following his release from prison.
• Stuart Gray claims Sheffield Wednesday beat off strong competition to land Watford midfielder Lewis McGugan.

• Scott Brown last night signed a four-year contract extension with Celtic - and signalled he's poised to end his career at Parkhead.
• Sandy Easdale wanted a guarantee that he and his brother would keep their power base at Rangers if Dave King's consortium won control of the club.

Keshi's gamble caused Nigeria's Afcon failure - says;Garba Lawal

The ex-international believes the unnecessary changes made by the Super Eagles trainer cost the African champions a place at Afcon 2015

Former Nigeria international, Garba Lawal, has blamed coach Stephen Keshi for the country's inability to participate at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.
A second half brace from Sone Aluko of Hull City only averted epic defeat to South Africa, but failed to qualify Nigeria for the finals after the game ended in a 2-2 draw at the Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo.
The 40-year-old insists that the failure of Keshi's men to reach the finals was as a result of the non-result oriented play and lack of clear-cut tactics paraded by Keshi.
He lamented the decision of the manager to consistently field players who have failed in quality and creativity in the national team.
"Of course, the coach, not players should be held responsible for the failure of the team to qualify the country. The coach picked the players, if he didn't invite them they won't play,” Lawal told Sportmasta.
“The players he paraded could not bring result for us, when we have a pool of talents who could have done better.
"In football, you cannot appreciate any player when a team fails to get results. It is a team failure. For the game against South Africa, all the players did not do well because he had no tactical game plans.
"I have no bias or grudge against Keshi as many purport, but I can’t keep quiet from saying the truth about what affects our game.
“If we must move forward as a country, we must tell ourselves the obvious. Keshi is a great coach, but we must come out clean.”
Lawal, who is currently the team manager of relegated Kaduna United, urged the Nigeria Football Federation to appoint a coach that will transform the national team if Keshi fails to continue.
"What the future holds for the Super Eagles is very unclear. We don't know who is likely to be the new coach. You never can tell if Keshi will be removed or retained. Whether foreign or local coach, I don't have any choice," he said.
"The important thing is for the coach to have the technical know how and do the right thing. He should invite players that can bring results for the country without sentiments and personal interest," Lawal concluded.

Newcastle United                                                 Liverpool Fc

Live Commentary

Commentary Main events

• It's been a very subdued first half in which neither side have had too many chances on goal. Liverpool have enjoyed the vast majority of possession but are finding it difficult to penetrate a resolute and well-organised Newcastle defensive line, whilst their passing in the final third of the pitch has let them down on several occasions. Both sides will have to up their game in the second half if they are to come away with all three points today.
• HALF-TIME: NEWCASTLE UNITED 0-0 LIVERPOOL
• 45' + 1'

  After plenty of pushing and shoving and arguing with the referee, the free kick is finally taken by Cisse but he ends up blasting it over the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick.
• 45'

  Yellow Card Steven Taylor
  Steven Taylor tries to put off Mignolet by standing in front of the Liverpool goalkeeper to block his view but ends up earning himself a yellow card as a result.
• 45'

  The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.
• 44'

  Yellow Card Martin Skrtel
  Sissoko breaks away through the middle of the pitch and embarks on a driving run forward. He makes it to the edge of the penalty area before he is brought to the ground by Skrtel, who is then awarded a yellow card by the referee.
• 42'

  Again, Liverpool try to push forward down the right wing through another lofted ball forward, but the pass is poor and gifts possession back to Newcastle, who are finding it easy to deal with the visitors in the final third of the pitch.
• 40'

  What a header by Skrtel! Liverpool push forward and earn themselves a corner, which is curled into the penalty area by Gerrard. His cross finds the head of the Slovakian defender, who is completely unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box, but his effort ends up flying just wide of the near post.
• 38'

  Great chance for Newcastle! The hosts win a corner and it's fired in towards the back post where it finds Cisse, who is just about able to get a touch on the ball. His shot seems to be heading for the back of the net but it's headed away off the line by Johnson.
• 36'

  Abeid decides to fire a shot from the resulting set-piece, but his effort is blocked by the Liverpool wall and goes out for a corner. The Algerian youngster then sends the corner in low but his cross is poor and it's cleared away by Gerrard.
• 35'

  Aarons embarks on a marauding run through the middle of the pitch and is brought down by Allen just outside of the penalty area, resulting in a free kick for the hosts in a very dangerous position.
• 33'

  Again, Gerrard launches a long pass forward from deep inside the Liverpool half of the pitch, and this time it finds Sterling on the right flank. The youngster brings the ball down well and tries to beat Dummett, but the Newcastle left-back ends up winning possession back with a wonderful tackle.

Manchester derby, Burnley and Leeds

It has already been a bad week for Manchester City and their manager Manuel Pellegrini, and things could easily get even worse on derby day.

The people saying they are a club on the brink of a crisis are not far wrong - this is a pivotal moment for City's season and, possibly, Pellegrini's future too.
I am expecting Chelsea to beat QPR on Saturday and, if they do, City will go into Sunday's derby with Manchester United nine points behind Jose Mourinho's side.
After two defeats and a draw in their last three games, the defending Premier League champions will be under massive pressure to find some form, beat their neighbours and stay in touch at the top.

Pellegrini's side have not won any of their three Champions League games this season

If they don't get three points against United then, with their hopes of Champions League progress also in the balance, there could be serious questions asked about Pellegrini's future for the first time since he arrived in English football in the summer of 2013.
In that time, the spotlight has usually been on the manager on the other side of Manchester - firstly David Moyes, and now Louis van Gaal.

Would winning the FA Cup be enough?

Pellegrini, who is very much the quiet man anyhow, has rarely made the headlines other than by winning the Premier League title in his first season in charge.

Continue reading the main story

“It is a mystery why City have failed to find the electric attacking form from last season”

That was a superb achievement, and he did it playing some brilliant attacking football, but now he is finding out how hard it is to deliver the dominance that is the long-term goal for City's owners.

For City to become as big as they want to be, which is a worldwide force in the same bracket as Manchester United and Real Madrid, they have got to win the Champions League.
That is almost certainly not going to happen this season - they might not even get out of their group.
City have another must-win game against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday but even then they face a fight to reach the knockout stage.
Another Premier League title this campaign already looks a huge ask and, for me, defeat by United would all but finish their hopes - I do not see Chelsea losing three times all season and that nine-point gap would be too big to make up.
Wednesday's defeat by Newcastle means their defence of the Capital One Cup is already over too so, by Bonfire Night, they could be realistically down to being in the hunt for one trophy - the FA Cup.
The worry for Pellegrini is whether winning that would be enough to keep him in his job.

Mancini left City in 2013, a year after taking them to the Premier League title

A run in that competition did not seem to help his predecessor at the Etihad Stadium, Roberto Mancini, very much.
Mancini's departure appeared to have been decided before the 2013 final, which City lost to Wigan. If that is true, then even winning the FA Cup would not have saved him.

What is wrong with City?

City's struggles this season already remind me of what happened under Mancini after he won the Premier League in 2012.
They failed to improve their squad, flopped in Europe and ended up finishing a distant second in the title race.
This time around, their early-season form has not been disastrous, just not very good.
Their defensive problems are obvious and, on the face of it, most worrying.
But it is a mystery why they have failed to find the electric attacking form from last campaign that saw them become the quickest team to score 100 goals in a season in the Premier League era.

Toure scored 20 Premier League goals last season, but has managed just one so far this campaign

Yaya Toure seems to be getting a lot of the blame but, while he has not been at his best, City's problems are clearly not all down to him.
Ignoring domestic cup games against non-Premier League teams, they scored 37 goals in their final 14 games of last season.
In the same period at the start of this one, and again ignoring games against lower division opposition, they have found the net only 22 times.
I don't know what has gone wrong and why they are missing their spark, but the worrying thing is that Pellegrini does not seem to know either.
It is not beyond him to turn things round, however.
This time 12 months ago, City were smashing teams all over the place at home but shipping goals badly on the road and had lost four away games in the league by mid-November.
Pellegrini adapted his tactics, added some defensive solidity to their attacking flair and did not lose again away until the middle of April.
He needs to do something similar again now, starting on Sunday.

Rock-bottom Burnley will not be worst ever

Things look pretty grim for Burnley right now - they are bottom of the table without a win from their first nine games, and look unlikely to break their duck when they play Arsenal on Saturday.
Even so, I do not see the Clarets rivalling my old Derby side as the worst team in Premier League history, which we were when we sank like a stone in 2007-08.

Savage did not win a game in his first season with Derby after joining at the start of January 2008

We were the first Premier League side to be relegated as early as March and went down with only 11 points and just one victory, going 32 games without a win - all unwanted Premier League record lows that still stand.
The Rams had picked up that win before I joined them from Blackburn in January of that season, so I didn't even win one game with them.

Continue reading the main story

“I knew going into every game that we would get beaten, and most of the time that is what happened”

I can laugh about it now but it was a horrible time.

Derby were eight points adrift at the bottom of the table when I moved to Pride Park so I knew there was a good chance they would go down.
But they had just made a few signings to try to stay up - players like Laurent Robert, Hossam Ghaly and Danny Mills - and, as far as I was concerned, they were still fighting. The worst case scenario was going down, and then helping them get straight back up.
Any positive thoughts had disappeared within a week of me going there, though, just from what was happening in training.
The players had no confidence and we ended up going into games every week looking at the opposition and thinking 'how are we going to get anything here?'
I learned a big lesson about how big a part self-belief plays in sport.
I knew going into every game that we would get beaten, and most of the time that is what happened.
I would still do my best but for the first time in my career I did not think that would be enough to make a difference.

Derby's Premier League record 2007-08
P38	W1	D8	L29	F20	A89	PTS 11

I think things are different at Burnley, though.
Yes, they are the only team without a victory in the top four divisions in England but they are not playing like a beaten team.

Burnley's Premier League record 2014-15
P9	W0	D4	L5	F5	A16	PTS 4

Their manager Sean Dyche is a big believer in positive thinking, and his players are responding to that, despite their results.

Goals are the key to Burnley revival

On the pitch, Derby's big problem was goals. There just were not enough of them in that Rams team, and we only scored 20 in 38 league games.
Kenny Miller was our top league scorer with four. Then came Emanuel Villa, a £2m Argentine who was new to the Premier League and scored three times after signing in January.
Our other strikers, Steve Howard and Robert Earnshaw, scored one apiece.
I wasn't going to score any from midfield and neither was David Jones who, ironically, is now playing for Burnley. He is probably worried that he is going through a repeat of that 2007-08 season all over again.
Their statistics do not look good, with Burnley near the bottom of the rankings in most attacking categories, particularly shots on target and their ratio of goals to shots.

Burnley in the Premier League 2014-15 (and rank)
Data: Opta
Goals	5 (19th)
Average shots per game	8.78 (12th)
% Shots on target	34% (19th)
% Shots to goals	6% (20th)
% Pass completion	73% (19th)
% Possession	43% (17th)

I still think that is an area they will improve in when Sam Vokes returns from injury and can partner Danny Ings again.
Even if they do find the form that won the Clarets promotion, the bottom line is that it is a huge step-up from the Championship and Premier League, as Burnley are finding out.
But they will not go down without a fight and, sadly for Derby, I think that means their records are safe.

Leeds need stability, Redfearn needs time

I have not forgotten that Leeds fans pelted me with hot-dogs when I was working as an on-pitch TV pundit at Emirates Stadium before an FA Cup tie against Arsenal in January 2012.
It was the first time I had been attacked with fast food.
Despite that, I still feel sorry for them with the managerial circus that is going on at Elland Road right now.

Redfearn earned 10 points in four games as Leeds caretaker boss earlier this season

Academy boss Neil Redfearn is set to become Leeds' third head coach of the season after the club's owner Massimo Cellino sacked Darko Milanic after just 32 days in charge.
I had a great call from a young Leeds fan on 606 on sportmasta Radio 5 live on Saturday, who said that he still thinks they can finish in the top six in the Championship with Redfearn in charge.
But, realistically, survival has to be the target for Leeds. To achieve that, stability has to be the main aim for Redfearn and Cellino.
I don't think Leeds will go down but it is sad to see such a massive club with a great history and a fantastic fanbase face such an uncertain future.
The only way that is going to change is if Cellino gives Redfearn time.
Robbie Savage was speaking to Sportmasta's Sam Praise

Newcastle United                                                       Liverpool fc

• 27'

  SubstitutionGabriel ObertanRolando Aarons
• 27'

  18-year-old Aarons has come on for Obertan, who is still being looked at by the Newcastle medical staff by the side of the pitch.
• 26'

  After receiving medical attention on the pitch for a few minutes, it looks as if Obertan, who seems to be in some discomfort, will play no further part in the game.
• 24'

  Obertan and Lovren battle for the ball down the right wing but the Frenchman pulls up just as he is about to win possession before crashing to the ground holding his thigh.
• 22'

  Ameobi sprints down the left wing before sending a great cross into the heart of the Liverpool penalty area that Lovren is just about able to head away from danger. The ball ends up with Janmaat, who tries to break into the box but is stopped by Skrtel.
• 20'

  Again, Liverpool are enjoying a lengthy spell of possession in the middle of the pitch, but they are unable to turn it into a chance on goal and Newcastle win the ball back near the halfway line.
• 18'

  Moreno picks up the ball on the left flank and sends a wonderful cross towards Gerrard on the edge of the six-yard box. The captain heads it into the path of Coutinho, whose control lets him down, before Balotelli needlessly fouls Colback to gift a free kick to Newcastle on the edge of their own penalty area.
• 16'

  Johnson tries to chip a lofted pass over the top of the Newcastle back line and into the path of Sterling, but Dummett is there to put the youngster off and make sure that the ball goes out for a goal kick.
• 14'

  Liverpool win a throw-in near the corner flag, which Sterling sends short. It's played back to him but his control lets him down and Newcastle regain possession once again.
• 12'

  Liverpool slowly try to work their way towards the Newcastle box but find it difficult to find a way through the sea of black and white shirts in front of them. Gerrard pushes forward slightly before trying to tee up Sterling on the right wing, but his pass is too heavy and the youngster is unable to control the ball, resulting in a throw-in for the hosts.
• 10'

  Obertan beats Lovren and sprints down the right wing before cutting the ball back to Sissoko in the penalty area. Just as the Frenchman is about to shoot, he is brought crashing to the ground by Allen, but, despite the cries for a penalty from the Newcastle players and fans, the referee shakes his head and waves play on.
• 8'

  Newcastle push forward down the right flank and Cisse sends a looping cross towards the back post. It's overhit, however, and ends up missing everybody in the box before bouncing out for a Liverpool throw-in.
• 6'

  Liverpool deal with the corner well and break away on a swift counter attack. Sterling darts into the Newcastle penalty area and twists and turns around Dummett before firing a low cross towards the six-yard box, but it's unable to find Balotelli and the hosts can clear the danger easily.
• 5'

  The throw-in is taken quickly and Dummett launches a wonderful cross into the box. It finds Obertan, who tees up Cisse to launch a shot on goal, but his effort takes a wicked deflection that sends it over the top of the crossbar and out for a corner.
• 4'

  Liverpool spend too long on the ball in the middle of the pitch and lose possession near the halfway line thanks to a great tackle by Ameobi on Johnson. The Newcastle winger breaks away and beats Gerrard before heading towards the left hand side of the penalty area, but Skrtel is there to dispossess him and send the ball out for a throw-in near the corner flag.
• 3'

  It's been all Liverpool since the kick off as they patiently try to work their way towards the Newcastle penalty area.
• 1'

  And we're off! Liverpool get us underway, attacking from left to right.
• The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
• Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers has also decided to make three changes to the Liverpool side that were held to a 0-0 draw by Hull last Saturday, with Glen Johnson, Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho coming in to the squad to replace Javi Manquillo, Emre Can and Adam Lallana, all of whom drop to the substitutes' bench.
• Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has made three changes to the side that started last weekend's win against Tottenham, with Vurnon Anita, Yoan Gouffran and Ayoze Perez all making way for Mehdi Abeid, Papiss Cisse and Sammy Ameobi. Today's game is the first league appearance for Algerian youngster Abeid, who impressed on loan at Greek side Panathinaikos last season.
• Liverpool substitutes: Jones, Toure, Manquillo, Can, Lallana, Borini, Lambert.
• Liverpool XI (4-3-3): Mignolet; Johnson, Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno; Henderson, Gerrard, Allen; Coutinho, Balotelli, Sterling.
• Newcastle United substitutes: Elliot, R. Taylor, Haidara, Aarons, Gouffran, Perez, Cabella.
• Newcastle United XI (4-3-3): Krul; Janmaat, Coloccini, S. Taylor, Dummett; Abeid, Colback, Sissoko; Obertan, Cisse, Ameobi.
• There's just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let's have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon...
• Liverpool also suffered a disappointing start to the new campaign, picking up only seven points from their opening six games, their worst run in the league since September 2012, but have steadied the ship slightly in recent weeks thanks to back-to-back wins against West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers and a goalless draw at home to Hull City last weekend. Both of their most recent victories were less than convincing, however, and today's clash against a determined Newcastle side could prove to be a real test of Liverpool's character and resolve.
• After a disappointing start to the season in which they were unable to pick up a win in any of their opening seven games, Newcastle have found their form recently, with last weekend's 2-1 victory away to Tottenham Hotspur being the pick of the bunch, whilst the 1-0 win against Leicester City the previous Saturday was only their second in the league since the end of March. As a result, they head into this afternoon's clash in 14th place with 10 points, two clear of the relegation zone, and full of confidence after their fantastic 2-0 win against Manchester City in the Capital One Cup during the week.
• Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today's Premier League clash between Newcastle United and Liverpool. My name is Okeowo Destiny and I will be keeping you up to date with all of the action from St. James' Park.

'Bayern success down to Van Gaal' - Rummenigge

The CEO of the reigning German champions believes the current Manchester United boss's impact is still being felt at the Allianz Arena

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says the club owe much of their current success to former coach Louis Van Gaal.
The current Manchester United coach led the Bavarians for two years from 2009, coming within a Champions League final of sealing a famous treble.
He was sacked in 2011 following a third-place Bundesliga finish, but Rummenigge believes his impact is still being felt at the Allianz Arena.
“If you see our ball possession today, I would say the first steps were the benefits from Louis van Gaal,” Rummenigge told The Times.
“We hired him to bring a new philosophy and I believe — I still believe — that from the technical and tactical point of view, he’s a very good coach.
“He changed the system here and I’m convinced he will do it as well at Manchester United.”
The reigning German champions sit four points clear at the summit of the Bundesliga ahead of Saturday’s clash with Dortmund, well on course to claim what would be their third straight league title.
It would make it two league titles in two season for coach Pep Guardiola, from whom Rummenigge says is still learning.
“Even now, I have learnt a lot from how he interprets football, which is totally different to what I had in my mind before,” Rummenigge continued.
“He has a fantastic philosophy. The main basis is the midfield, ball possession, controlling the ball in midfield. He is doing that, I would say, in a different style to how he did it at Barcelona.
“Here we come a bit quicker to the conclusion, which maybe takes in part of our culture in Germany.”

Manchester derby A-Z: Backheels, noisy neighbours & X-rated

It's the derby which has everything - two sides with a simmering rivalry, rich histories and, in recent years, a similar appetite for trophies.

When Manchester City and Manchester United meet on the football pitch, there's generally plenty of goals, drama and even the odd 'Why always me' T-shirt.
The two teams clash at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, and BBC Sport has compiled an A-Z of one of English football's biggest games.

A is for Ardwick

The club now known as Manchester City. What about United? Well they were known as Newton Heath.
Those teams met for the first time in the league on 10 October 1891 at Newton Heath's old home in Clayton - which is actually just 700 yards from where the Blues now play at the City of Manchester Stadium. The score in October 1891? 3-1 to Newton Heath.
Newton Heath did draw Ardwick in an FA Cup first qualifying round tie seven days earlier and won 5-1.

B is for backheel

Law (second from left) did not celebrate after his backheel helped relegate his old club

You know, the Denis Law one for City against United which helped to send the Reds down in 1974.
"Denis has done it," proclaimed commentator Gerald Sinstadt. Yet there was no celebration from the former King of Old Trafford, who scored 237 goals in 404 games for the Old Trafford side. For a goal barely celebrated by the protagonist, it has been replayed over and over again down the years.

C is for comeback

Look away now Manchester City fans. Your boys were 2-0 up at half-time at Maine Road in 1993, only to lose 3-2.
Eric Cantona netted a brace - the first following a Michel Vonk mistake - and Roy Keane slid in at the far post for a late winner. United won the league with 92 points that season, City finished 16th - three points clear of relegation.

George Best scored 179 goals in 470 appearances for Manchester United and is widely regarded as one of British football's greatest ever players

D is for diving

Did George Best dive in that thrilling 3-3 draw at Maine Road in 1971?
Francis Lee, who was booked for a tackle on Best on the halfway line, certainly thought so - the City forward theatrically throwing himself to the floor after seeing yellow.
D is also for distance. Just 4.7 miles separate United's home at Old Trafford and City's Etihad Stadium.

E is for an early bath

And one which was enforced by a police officer! That's what happened to United midfielder Lou Macari at Maine Road in 1974.
Macari's on-field clash with City hardman Mike Doyle saw both players shown red. With both men refusing to leave the pitch, the referee, Clive Thomas, took both teams from the field and escorted two policemen into the dressing rooms to ensure Macari and Doyle did not return to the action. The match ended 0-0.

Lou Macari talks about his infamous sending-off:
"It was a bit different from these days where players tend to either stay down or roll about. I hit the deck after Mike Doyle, surprise, surprise, chopped me down. That was one of the most predictable things about derbies in those days that Mike would chop you down! "I bounced straight back up again and threw the ball in his direction. It hit him on the shoulder or the side of his ear."
Read more on the Manchester Evening News website

F is for Fergie

Ten draws, 11 losses, but 26 wins - Sir Alex Ferguson lorded it over City during his 26 years at United.
The most successful manager in Manchester United's history coincided with some bleak times for their local rivals.
His record might have been even more impressive had City not spent seven seasons outside of the top flight during his reign.

Fergie's day off
Sir Alex Ferguson missed a Manchester derby at Maine Road - which United won 1-0 in his absence - in November 2000 to attend son Mark's wedding in South Africa.

G is for Goater

Shaun Goater scored 103 goals for Manchester City - including this famous derby one

'Feed the Goat and he will score' the City fans would sing… and the Bermudan certainly did that in the final derby to be played at Maine Road in 2002.
The striker set City on the way to their first victory over United in almost 13 years when he dispossessed Gary Neville to put the Blues 2-1 up before scoring a second to complete victory.

H is for head-to-head

United are well clear - amassing 68 wins to City's 48 - but it has not always been the case.
At the start of the Premier League era, United's advantage over City was far narrower at 45 wins to 36.

Tame in comparison
There have been six red cards in 34 Premier League meetings between these two sides, compared to 20 in 45 games in the Merseyside derby, 15 in 44 when Liverpool meet Manchester United and 13 in 41 when Aston Villa and Newcastle clash.

I is for injuries

It's not just Alf-Inge Haaland (see 'X') who suffered serious injury in a Manchester derby. Just ask Glyn Pardoe and Colin Bell.
City defender Pardoe, a one-club player, had his leg broken in a tackle with George Best in 1970 - the injury being so bad, doctors feared his limb might have to be amputated.
More famously, Bell - who was voted City's greatest ever player - suffered a horrific knee injury, akin to that of a car crash according to doctors, in a challenge with United's Martin Buchan in a League Cup derby at Maine Road in 1975. He did play again, but was never the same player.

Colin Bell, nicknamed Nijinsky, scored 117 goals in 394 games - winning the league, FA Cup, League Cup (twice) and European Cup Winners' Cup in his time at Maine Road

J is for James Ernest Mangnall

Ernest to his friends, the legendary manager who took charge of both teams for a combined 821 matches.
He won two league titles and an FA Cup in nine years with the Reds, before moving directly to City - where he would stay for another 12 years. With World War One interrupting competition, his biggest success at City was a second-place finish in the top tier in 1920-21.
It is believed Mangnall was the instigator behind United's move to Old Trafford and City's move to Maine Road.

K is for 'King' Eric

Who made his United debut in the Reds' derby victory of December 1992 - netting eight derby goals in the next four seasons.
Among the important goals he scored against the local enemy were two in United's comeback of 1993, a brace in a 2-0 win later that season and one in a famous 5-0 win at Old Trafford in 1994.

L is for late winners

Is Michael Owen's late winner in a 4-3 victory for United at Old Trafford in 2009 the most dramatic Manchester derby goal ever?

The most famous being Michael Owen's last-gasp strike in United's 4-3 victory at Old Trafford in September 2009.
But that was just one of three 90th-minute winners for the Reds in that 2009-10 season. The two teams met in a two-legged semi-final of the League Cup which was settled in the last minute of normal time by Wayne Rooney. Then, in the return league fixture, Paul Scholes popped up to give United all three points with the last header of the game.

M is for Matt Busby

The architect of United's first European Cup victory in 1968, but, lesser known, a player for their two fiercest rivals.
Before rebuilding United in the wake of the Munich air disaster, Busby had played more than 200 times for Manchester City.
When he left Maine Road it was for Liverpool where he was made captain during his four-season stay.

Sir Matt Busby's trophies at Manchester United
European Cup: 1968
Football League titles: 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967
FA Cup: 1948, 1963

N is for noisy neighbours

Coined by Sir Alex Ferguson to describe City following their takeover by Sheikh Mansour and subsequent big spending.
Ferguson said in 2009: "Sometimes you have a noisy neighbour. You cannot do anything about that. They will always be noisy. You just have to get on with your life, put your television on and turn it up a bit louder."

O is Old Trafford

Manchester United's home from 1910 to the present day. Except for eight years when they shacked up at City's place.
Located perilously close to the city's industry and ship canal, Old Trafford was almost entirely destroyed in March 1941 in a German air-raid.
Maine Road, City's home at the time, was United's unlikely base until Old Trafford was rebuilt in 1949.
United's record attendance for a home league match remains the 83,260 spectators they drew to Maine Road for their league meeting with Arsenal in 1948 - 7,000 more than Old Trafford's current capacity.

P is for Peter

Peter Schmeichel was never on the losing side in a Manchester derby - and he played for both clubs

Andy Cole, Denis Law, Carlos Tevez - several big names have crossed town but none with Peter Schmeichel's derby-day record.
The Danish goalkeeper never lost to City during his eight-season spell with United and maintained his unbeaten run in his single season in the blue half of Manchester as City beat United at home and picked up a point at Old Trafford.

Q is for Quinn

Niall Quinn scored in two Tyne-Wear derby wins for Sunderland, but also has derby-day form from his days at Manchester City.
Four of the towering Republic of Ireland international's 66 league goals for City came against their local rivals.
A song celebrating his "disco pants" is still popular with fans of both clubs. 

R is for Rooney

Wayne Rooney's bicycle kick against City in 2011 was named goal of the season and, subsequently, the goal of 20 Premier League seasons

The shinned screamer. Wayne Rooney's late bicycle-kick winner at Old Trafford in 2011 ensured his place in derby history.
It was the most famous of 11 goals that the 29 year-old has scored against Manchester City.
He has found the net in the fixture than any other player from either side. City's top scorers are Joe Hayes and Francis Lee with 10 each.

Joe Hayes - who scored 10 derby goals for City - scored in their 1956 FA Cup final win over Birmingham

S is for Schadenfreude

'Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others' - a term used to describe the people of the city by Blues fan Mike Holden.
"Mancunians are specialists in Schadenfreude, never happier than when they are bringing people down a peg or two," said Holden. "So the jokes that follow a derby defeat can be incessant and brutal on those who don't go into hiding. It's not an experience you ever want to be on the wrong side of.
"It's traditional for United fans to act as though the derby doesn't matter, that they have bigger fish to fry, but it's a pretence they have struggled to keep up in recent years. Some City fans are now trying to take over that role but such attempts are lame and fool nobody."

T is for thrashings

Derbies are traditionally tight, cagey affairs. Not always in Manchester.
Whether Blue or Red there are scorelines to haunt and laud.
City's 6-1 wrecking job at Old Trafford in October 2011 confirmed them as title, as well as local, rivals.
United's 5-0 home win in 1994 featured an Andrei Kanchelskis hat-trick against a City side slipping south fast.
That result in turn was seen as long overdue pay-back for City's famous 5-1 win over United in 1989 - a result dubbed the Demolition Derby that heaped pressure on a relatively recently installed Alex Ferguson.

U is for Uwe Rosler

The T-shirt on Rosler's wall. Old Trafford was hit on 11 March 1941, but not by his grandad

"Rosler's Grandad bombed Old Trafford." So reads the T-shirt framed on the wall of Uwe Rosler's house.
The now Wigan manager's ancestors were not part of the Luftwaffe squadron that bombed United's home ground (see O for Old Trafford) - but Rosler did do some damage on his visit in February 1996.
The former East Germany international scooped a cool finish over Peter Schmeichel to give the visitors the lead in the teams' FA Cup fifth-round meeting.
It didn't last though. Goals from Eric Cantona and Lee Sharpe carried United through and on their way to the Double.

V is for Vincent

If the teams' April 2012 clash was the Premier League's biggest-ever game, Vincent Kompany's must be one of its biggest goals.
United were three points clear of City in the title race with three games to go as they travelled to the Etihad Stadium for a much-hyped derby.
Kompany powered home a header for the only goal of the game to move the Belgian's side top on goal difference. Thirteen days later Kompany became the first City captain in 44 years to lay hands on the domestic title.

Balotelli scored the first two goals in City's 6-1 success at Old Trafford in October 2011

W is for 'Why always me?'

Who could forget Mario Balotelli's iconic celebration after scoring in City's 6-1 win at Old Trafford in 2011?
Balotelli had been in the news after fireworks were set off inside his bathroom in the build-up to the derby and provided the spark on the pitch with a brace in City's biggest derby-day win.

X is for X-rated

Roy Keane's pre-meditated brutal challenge on Alf-Inge Haaland left Keane with an eight-game ban and a £150,000 fine.
Keane was sent-off for the lunge on Haaland in April 2001, and later admitted in his first autobiography that he had intended to injure the Norwegian.

Alf-Inge Haaland played only a handful of games for City and Norway after this injury, retiring in 2003

Y is for Yaya Toure

The man who scored the winner against United in the 2011 FA Cup as City reached the final for the first time in 30 years.
Toure went on to score the winner in the final against Stoke as Roberto Mancini's side won their first major trophy since 1976. The Ivorian was big news last summer when he kicked off at not receiving a good enough birthday cake from City - but appears to have laid that feud to rest for now.

Z is for Zzzzzzzzzzz

Benjani Mwaruwari fell asleep at an airport as he attempted a deadline-day move to City in 2008. But he beat the clock and scored on his debut in a derby win at Old Trafford.
His flicked header completed the first league double for City over their arch-rivals for the first time since the 1969-70 season in a poignant game which marked the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster.

David Silva: Man City midfielder to miss Man Utd derby

David Silva is expected to be out for three weeks with a knee injury and will miss Sunday's Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City's Spanish winger, 28, was hurt in their 2-0 League Cup defeat by Newcastle United on Wednesday.
"Maybe he (Silva) will be out for three weeks so he will not be available," said manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure, who also picked up a knock on Wednesday, is expected to be fit.
Pellegrini, whose side lost 2-1 at West Ham United in their last Premier League outing, said: "Yaya has a small problem. We will see him tomorrow - I think he will not have any problem."
The Chilean, whose side are six points behind leaders Chelsea, admitted the loss of playmaker Silva was a blow but believes the reigning champions will cope without him.
"He's a very important player but I always say the same thing - we have the squad and we have to replace him because everyone has different problems with their players," he added.
When asked if he was worried about City's form and if he had considered changing their attacking style, Pellegrini said: "No. I think they (the players) know perfectly what we are doing. I am absolutely sure we will return to our normal performance."

Gotze is every striker's dream. says Lewandowski

Bayern Munich star Roberto Lewandowski says every striker in the world dreams of playing alongside a passer of the quality of team-mate Mario Gotze.
The pair developed a profitable understanding at Borussia Dortmund before both departed the club for the Allianz Arena over the past two years, where they have resumed their partnership.
BVB are Bayern’s opponents in the Bundesliga on Saturday and ahead of the game Lewandowski spoke highly of Gotze’s qualities on the back of the Germany international’s fine start to the campaign.
 “I love to play with Mario. His technical skills are incredible, every striker in the world can only dream of his passing,” he said.
Earlier this week, Marco Reus refused to commit his future to Dortmund and has been tipped to become the third player to leave the club for Bayern in as many summers in 2015.
His former Signal Iduna Park team-mate, Lewandowski, spoke of his friendship with the 25-year-old – whose release clause drops to €25 million in June – but did his best to avoid talking up a possible move.
He added: “Marco is a super player with whom I've always got on very well… But I should not say too much on the topic - otherwise there will be a lot more speculation and I still get in trouble with my ex-team-mates.”
Dortmund and Bayern go into Saturday’s game in contrasting frames of mind. BVB have won just two of their opening nine games and sit 15th in the table, while Bayern top the league having made an unbeaten start to the season.
However, BVB did get the better of their rivals in the German Super Cup back in August, with goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan sealing a 2-0 triumph.

Wayne Rooney fit but Radamel Falcao out of Manchester derby

Wayne Rooney is fit and will start for Manchester United against Manchester City on Sunday but striker Radamel Falcao remains out through injury.

Manager Louis van Gaal confirmed his captain will play after serving his three-game suspension and said reports he was injured this week were not true.
Colombian Falcao missed the 1-1 draw with Chelsea after receiving a kick in training.
Winger Antonio Valencia is back available after a hamstring injury.
Van Gaal dismissed reports claiming Rooney was a doubt because he had been seen hobbling at a sponsor's event at Old Trafford on Monday.
"The media was writing that but he was never injured," he said.
"Maybe his shoes were too tight, that is possible. But he was never injured and he shall play. He is my captain.
"He has scored a lot of goals against City, the most of any player, so I am very happy that he can play, and he shall."
Dutchman Van Gaal admitted he was looking forward to his first experience of management in the Manchester derby.
"It is difficult, because in Spain we had only a derby against Espanyol," he added.
"In the Netherlands, we had hardly a derby, or you had to call Ajax and Feyenoord one.
"In Munich, we didn't have a derby because 1860 Munich weren't a first division club, so I think this is the biggest derby that I shall manage.
"It's one of 38 matches, but for the fans it is unbelievably big as a rivalry."

Eto'o vs. Drogba: Who will be the more valuable this season?

Two African legends found the net in the Premier League last weekend to help their sides to valuable points.
Ivory Coast icon Didier Drogba rolled back the years to open the scoring against Manchester United in Chelsea 's 1-1 draw with Louis van Gaal's side. At Turf Moor, meanwhile Samuel Eto'o scored Everton 's first and last goal to help the Toffees to a 3-1 victory over beleaguered Burnley.
Over the subsequent days, teammates of the pair have spoken to the media about the veterans' role for their respective teams. Nemanja Matic believes that Drogba will be a key figure for the Pensioners this term, while Romelu Lukaku and Leighton Baines have both spoken about the positive impact Eto'o is having in the Toffees dressing room.
In this feature, two of Sportmasta Nigeria's finest debate whether the ex-Elephant or the former Indomitable Lion will be the most valuable performer for their respective side this season.

Drogba: Class shines through

“Hopefully Drogba will be good for the weekend [against Queens Park Rangers] but we’ll have to see cos right now his character is stronger than his body,” – Jose Mourinho was quoted as saying in a press conference by Sportmasta.
Didier Drogba returned home this summer after spending two years in China and Turkey, and though his status as one of the all-time greats for the London club never waned, there were fears over his relevance at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho brought in Spanish striker Diego Costa to provide the much-needed goals, which let the Blues down in their title pursuit last season. And as far as the Portuguese manager is concerned, the former Atletico Madrid forward, who has taken to life at the Bridge with relative ease, is the main man at Chelsea.
The Spanish striker is joint top-goal-scorer in the league along with Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero on nine goals. In fact, French international Loic Remy, who signed from QPR, is arguably ahead of Drogba in the pecking order.
However, Drogba has shown that he’s not just all about the past. The 36-year-old has showed no signs of ageing with his brilliant performances so far.

Drogba | Three goals in a week - not bad for a 36-year-old
With injuries to the first and second choice strikers in the team, an episode that seemed to have put the Blues in some trouble, there was bit of a panic about Drogba’s durability and level of productivity.
But the former Galatasaray forward has shown outstanding professionalism and an unflinching eye for goal that made him such a fearsome player in years past.
77 minutes against Maribor (one goal), 90 minutes against Manchester United (one goal), and 90 minutes against Shrewsbury Town (one goal): Three games and three goals in just one week; how’s that for a stat from a 36-year-old!?
Drogba’s role for the team this season is clearly defined: step into the fray when needed and maintain the high-standards and goal-scoring form expected of a Chelsea forward. Simple. And Drogba has so far flourished in this new role. You couldn’t really ask for more.
His admirable attitude and professionalism on and off the pitch, which have drawn plaudits from all and sundry, is an inspiration to players even outside the badge he represents.
Value is measured by relevance. And in the case of Drogba, his relevance for Chelsea this season is immeasurable.

Eto'o: The fire burns brighter than ever

So, how do you motivate a 33-year-old who has won league honours and three UEFA Champions League titles in Spain and Italy, and has four times been named African Footballer of the Year?
The answer is you don’t.
Winners are born, not made. There is no bigger winner than Samuel Eto’o. Possessed of a powerful will and strong determination; he is undoubtedly not the player he was four years ago, but the old fire still flickers.
His decision to sign for Everton hinted at this. Having previously insisted on playing Champions League football, he quickly embraced the reality of his situation. Unplayable at his peak, he faces another challenge to prove himself in the twilight of his career. He has taken up the gauntlet like a man possessed.
Everton team mate Leighton Baines said of Eto’o to the Daily Star , “The great thing is that he still looks hungry. He works hard and he seems to really enjoy coming in (to training).”

Eto'o | As hungry as ever
Jose Mourinho’s oblique dig at his age last season lit a fire in Eto’o. It was textbook Mourinho: he baited the Cameroon striker, and he got a reaction. The pace and mobility may be gone, but Eto’o is eager to show that none of the ruthlessness and quick thinking that made him so lethal in his heyday is gone.
Already, he has scored four times for the Toffees, in a short career that has to date featured mainly substitute appearances. His brace at the weekend won the tie for Everton against strugglers Burnley, underlining the difference that extra bit of quality can make in the Premier League.
His arrival has been particularly opportune, as Belgian club record signing Romelu Lukaku has struggled to replicate the sparkling displays of last season. The Belgian endured a difficult summer, and found himself dropped mid-tournament for Belgium at the World Cup in favour of Divock Origi.
His confidence seems to have taken a hit, and he has not asserted himself as he usually does. In this respect, there is no better player to perk him back up than Eto’o. The Belgian international will doubtless improve his all-round game under the keen eye of the Cameroonian.
Everton will reap the rewards beyond this season and the next, when Eto’o is done and gone. In the present though, there is no more decorated and hungry back-up striker to have. That brace against Burnley will not be his last.

Man City v Man Utd: Louis Van Gaal keen to exploit City form

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes his team can capitalise on Manchester City's recent dip in form in Sunday's derby at the Etihad.

City squandered a two-goal lead in the Champions League at CSKA Moscow on 21 October and then lost at West Ham and to Newcastle.
"What we have seen in the last matches was not so good," Van Gaal said.
"We have a good feeling about this match. We need a good result and it could be against Man City."

Recent Manchester league derbies
25 March 2014: Manchester United 0-3 Manchester City
22 September 2013: Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United
8 April 2013: Manchester United 1-2 Manchester City
9 December 2012: Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United
30 April 2012: Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United
23 October 2011: Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City
Overall record since 1894: United wins 69, City wins 48, 50 draws

City are in third place in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Chelsea.
Since losing 5-3 in a remarkable match at Leicester on 21 September, Van Gaal's United are unbeaten and would move within a point of their local rivals with victory at the Etihad.
However, a win for Manuel Pellegrini's City would be their fourth successive derby win - a feat not achieved for 44 years.
"It is one of the 38 matches we have to play but, for the fans, it is unbelievably big as a rivalry," said Van Gaal, 63, who said assistant manager and United's appearance record holder Ryan Giggs had left him in no doubt about the fixture's importance.
''I have felt that, also with a lot of the players in the squad but especially with Ryan Giggs," the Dutchman said before his first Manchester derby.
''He presented the analysis of Manchester City, and I felt more tension with him. It was good to see that."
United brought in six new players this season at a cost of £150m, including Angel Di Maria for a British record £59.7m and Van Gaal believes they can match City's impressive galaxy of talent.
"I am not jealous of the squad of Manchester City," he said. "I am proud of my players and that is the most important thing and when we play like a team then we have a big chance to win."