Sports
Arteta: I failed with Ozil
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he feels he has “failed” with midfielder Mesut Ozil after leaving him out of his 25-man Premier League squad.
The German, who had also been omitted from the Europa League squad, can now only play for Arsenal Under-23s until his deal expires in summer 2021.
The 32-year-old, who joined Arsenal for a then club record £42.4m in 2013, has not played for the club since 7 March.
“My conscience is very calm because I have been really fair,” said Arteta.
“What I can say from my side is that it is just a football decision. My level of communication with him has been really high and we know what to expect with each other.
“Obviously a player of that dimension, with the career he has had, everything that happens around him has a big impact. It has been the case for the last eight years; it is nothing new that is just happening now. A lot of things have happened over these eight years.
“My job is to get the best out of every player, to contribute to the team performance.
“Here I feel at the moment, today, that I have failed. I want the best possible for Mesut and for the team. And in some moments, I was able to get close to that, and at the moment, I have not been able to do it because I have to make the decision to leave him out of the squad.”
‘Loyalty is hard to come by nowadays’ – Ozil
Earlier, in a message to Arsenal fans, Ozil said, “Loyalty is hard to come by nowadays.”
“I’m really deeply disappointed by the fact that I have not been registered for the Premier League season for the time being,” Ozil wrote on social media.
He also said, “Upon signing my new contract in 2018, I pledged my loyalty and allegiance to the club that I love, Arsenal, and it saddens me that this has not been reciprocated.
“I’ve always tried to remain positive from week to week that there’s maybe a chance to get back in the squad soon again. That’s why I kept silent so far.”
Since joining from Real Madrid seven years ago, Ozil has scored 44 goals in 254 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners.
He fell out of favour under previous manager Unai Emery before returning to the side under interim boss Freddie Ljungberg.
After Arteta’s appointment in December 2019, Ozil started all 10 of Arsenal’s Premier League games immediately before the coronavirus pandemic forced a three-month suspension of the top-flight in March.
Earlier in October, he offered to pay the salary of Jerry Quy, the man who plays the role of club mascot Gunnersaurus, who was one of 55 redundancies at the club.
“Before the coronavirus break I was really happy with my development under our new coach Mikel Arteta – we’ve been on a positive way and I would say my performances were on a really good level,” Ozil added.
“But then things changed, again, and I was no longer allowed to play football for Arsenal. No matter what, I will keep fighting for my chance and not let my eighth season at Arsenal end like this.
“I can promise you that this hard decision won’t change anything in my mindset – I will continue to train as best as I can and wherever possible use my voice against inhumanity and for justice.”
Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright said he was “gutted” for Ozil.
“Football will never stop surprising me,” he said on Twitter.
“The fact that whatever has gone on couldn’t be resolved between the club and Mesut is sad. Sad for everyone involved and I can only send him strength for what will be a difficult few months knowing he won’t even have a chance to play.”
Sports
Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star
Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star
AC Milan midfielder, Tijjani Reijnders, has shared the reason behind naming his dog after Argentina football legend, Lionel Messi.
The 26-year-old Dutchman, who joined AC Milan from AZ Alkmaar in 2023 for a reported €20 million, said Messi had always been his idol.
Reijnders explained that he made the decision to name his dog Messi due to his admiration for the legendary player.
“My dog’s name is Messi, when I was young I always said if I got a dog I would name him Messi, because for me [he] is the best player in the world,” Reijnders said in an interview with All About Argentina.
“Then we decided we would get a dog, and the first thing I said to my wife is if we got a dog we would name him Messi.”
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Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the US after an illustrious career at Barcelona, is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
He has won the Ballon d’Or record eight times and is the highest goalscorer in the history of European football, with 704 goals and 303 assists in 853 games. Additionally, he has scored 112 goals and assisted 58 in 191 matches in the US.
Reijnders’ dog is a Pomsky, a crossbreed between a Pomeranian and a Husky, as he had previously revealed in an interview with Sempremilan.
The midfielder’s deep admiration for Messi has now extended to his furry companion, making the dog’s name a tribute to the football icon.
Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star
Sports
Gakpo, Salah score as Liverpool beat Leicester, extend lead by 7 points
Gakpo, Salah score as Liverpool beat Leicester, extend lead by 7 points
Leaders Liverpool strengthened their grip at the top of the Premier League after coming from behind to defeat struggling Leicester City and move seven points clear.
Leicester had lost five of their previous seven matches but stunned Anfield by taking the lead through Jordan Ayew’s sharp sixth-minute finish.
Liverpool endured a frustrating half as Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah hit the post and crossbar respectively before Cody Gakpo levelled right on the stroke of half-time with a lovely curling finish from the edge of the box.
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That lifted the hosts who took the lead for the first time just four minutes into the second half, Curtis Jones marking his 100th Premier League appearance by turning in Alexis Mac Allister’s cross.
Leicester, who dropped into the relegation zone after Wolves’ win over Manchester United earlier in the day, missed a golden opportunity to equalise when Patson Daka mis-kicked in front of goal before Mohamed Salah made sure of the points when he swept home the third goal – his 19th of the season.
While they are one point from safety after a third straight defeat, Liverpool are in a commanding position at the top, with a game in hand on the two teams immediately below them.
With Liverpool next in action on Sunday at West Ham (17:15 GMT), they have an opportunity to open up a 10-point lead on nearest rivals Chelsea, who are not in action until the following day at Ipswich (19:45).
Gakpo, Salah score as Liverpool beat Leicester, extend lead by 7 points
Sports
Cunha scores from corner, Wolves beat Man United
Cunha scores from corner, Wolves beat Man United
Manchester United’s set-piece curse struck again as Matheus Cunha became the second player in three games to score directly from a corner against them as Wolves defeated them to climb out of the bottom three.
Ruben Amorim’s men were already up against it at at Molineux following the 47th-minute dismissal of skipper Bruno Fernandes for a second yellow card.
However, just as Son Hueng-min did for Tottenham a week ago, Cunha found the net with a corner that sailed over Andre Onana’s outstretched arm in a crowded six-yard box.
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The points were sealed in the eighth minute of added time when, as United chased an equaliser, Wolves broke and Cunha squared the ball for Hwang Hee-chan to make it 2-0.
In recent weeks, Amorim has tried and failed to make his side more secure but Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have also capitalised from United’s frailty at defending balls pumped into their box during a run of five defeats in seven games in all competitions.
Amorim has now collected seven points from his six league games in charge. By contrast new Wolves boss Vitor Pereira has six from two as he followed up the weekend win at Leicester with a first home victory over United since 2019.
If life was not bad enough for United, they will now be without Fernandes for the home game with Newcastle on 30 December and also midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who picked up his fifth booking of the season.
Cunha scores from corner, Wolves beat Man United
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