₦airaland Forum

Who dey lie now?

LOUIS VAN GAAL
Louis van Gaal caused a stir by claiming last week that it
would take three years to "fix" Manchester United. Many
people immediately pointed at the three-month mark he
originally suggested would be a turning point for the club -
just like at Bayern Munich when, after a woeful start, he won
the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and finished runners-up in the
Champions League.
MANCINI
Who can forget Roberto Mancini and Carlos Tevez's fallout at
Manchester City? Well, Mancini apparently. After the striker
refused to come off the bench in a European clash with
Bayern Munich, Mancini insisted he'd never play for the club
again, something Tevez denied in between rounds of golf. But
the anger subsided, an olive branch was extended and the
pair put their fallout behind them.
SIR ALEX FERGUSON
Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Real Madrid was a drawn-out
affair that left Sir Alex Ferguson - a manager used to getting
his own way - bitter towards the Blancos. After keeping the
Portuguese forward at Manchester United in 2008, he fumed
that he "wouldn't sell a virus" to Real Madrid...only to accept
what was then a world-record transfer bid from them the
following summer.
CARLO ANCELOTTI
Cristiano Ronaldo has a habit of triggering angry reactions
from his coaches! Just last month Carlo Ancelotti blasted Fifa
president Sepp Blatter for backing Manuel Neuer, not
Ronaldo, for the 2014 Ballon d'Or. But the Italian was forced
to apologise shortly afterwards once it was pointed out to him
that Blatter was talking about the World Cup's Golden Ball,
which had left Ancelotti lost in translation.
JOSE MOURINHO
Last season, Jose Mourinho blasted West Ham for their
"football from the 19th century" to nullify his Chelsea side.
However, he was quickly reminded on social media and in the
press of his own love of "parking the bus" - ironically, a term
he championed himself. He used this tactic to scupper
Liverpool's Premier League title hopes.
ALAN PARDEW
While in charge of West Ham a decade ago, Alan Pardew took
a memorable dig at Arsene Wenger for not "flying the flag for
Britain" due to fielding so many foreigners. But whereas
Wenger has tried to implement an English core in his modern
Gunners team, Pardew has turned to the continent - most
notably France - for success with Newcastle. "It's a world
market now," was Pardew's defence.
HARRY REDKNAPP
When Harry Redknapp was asked if he'd join Southampton
after leaving their bitter local rivals Portsmouth in 2004, he
replied: "I'd never go down the road. No chance." But he did
exactly that a few days later, which was followed by a
disastrous relegation season and a return to Fratton Park.
BRENDAN RODGERS
"Look at Tottenham: you spend over €100 million, you'd
expect to be challenging for the league." Brendan Rodgers
must regret having uttered those words last season as his
Liverpool side are now facing the very same dilemma that
Spurs did in 2013-14. Having sold Luis Suarez to Barcelona
and invested heavily, the Reds are floundering in the Premier
League - just as Spurs did following the sale of Gareth Bale.

The forward thinks he was treated "like a criminal" this
summer and compared his moments of madness favourably
to boxer Mike Tyson's infamous bite
Luis Suarez has defended his history of biting players in
matches by insisting it's "relatively harmless".
The forward received a four-month ban from competitive
football for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup and only
made his debut for new club Barcelona, who paid Liverpool
€86 million for his services, late last month.
The lengthy Fifa ban was because of his history of biting
players, something very few other professional footballers
have ever been caught doing - the incident with Chiellini was
the third time in the past five years that the Uruguayan has
been caught attacking an opposition player with his teeth.
Although Suarez admitted he could see why people are
scared about being bitten, he compared his own moments of
madness favourably to when boxer Mike Tyson infamously bit
off part of Evander Holyfield's ear.
"They treated me like a criminal," he admitted in his
autobiography, which Marca published part of on Wednesday.
"[But] it was my fault.
"It was the third time something like that happened to me and
I needed help, although I was an easy target.
"Biting scares a lot of people, but it's relatively harmless, or at
least it was in the incidents I was involved in.
"None of my bites were like Mike Tyson's on Evander
Holyfield, but nobody cares about that.
Suarez made his unofficial debut for Barca in the Gamper
Trophy back in the summer and he has revealed his head
coach compared the striker's sentence to that of a high-
security terrorism prisoner in Cuba.
"'They've finally released him from Guantanamo Bay to be
with us,'" the 27-year-old claimed Luis Enrique said after the
match. "Everyone applauded the newly-released prisoner and
I tried not to blush."
Suarez was linked heavily with Arsenal last year but,
ultimately, Liverpool clung on to the former Ajax forward for
one final season. He conceded that the decision was made in
part because Steven Gerrard convinced him that a bigger club
from abroad would want him sooner or later.
"He was spot on," the striker said of the Anfield skipper. "He
said: 'Stay, play well for Liverpool, and Bayern, Real Madrid
or Barca will soon come calling, because you're good enough
to play anywhere.

Na only God go punish dis man we dey call president.... Wen pple never see chop.... Boko haram dey do there own nepa Wan kill us inside heat... Him dey make new money

Lol.. With no d'out na witch she be

Story of the gods...... Body no be fire wood except him joy stick no dey stand

The big boss has revealed that his main focus is to secure a
place in 2015 Afcon rather than his fate as the Super Eagles
handler
Nigeria head coach Stephen Keshi has stated that his priority
is to see the country qualify for 2015 Africa Cup of Nations
rather than worry about his job as Super Eagles coach.
Keshi was surprisingly replaced by Shaibu Amodu after
Nigeria defeated Sudan 3-1 in 2015 Africa Cup of Nations
qualifying Oct. 16 before getting the nod by the Nigeria
Football Federation to continue in charge of the African
Champions.
According to the former Mali and Togo head coach, there is
life after managing the Super Eagles should he not be handed
a contract at the end of the 2015 Afcon qualifying series.
"I don't think it is proper to say my fate is tied to this job. My
concern right now is the game against Congo, and not
whether I will still be in charge of this team after the match
against Congo or South Africa,” Keshi told journalists on
Wednesday.
"I think you all need to stop this because my destiny is not
tied to Nigeria. I came from somewhere.
"It is wrong to say my destiny is tied here because this
country is bigger than any individual. If I am not the Super
Eagles head coach today, my life will still go on. Also there
are other places where I can go if I stopped being the coach
of this country,” he continued.
"But right now, I have a job to do and that is to ensure that
the team qualifies the country for the Nations Cup. God forbid
if we don't qualify what will happen? It will not only affect
Stephen Keshi, it will also affect you and every other Nigerian
who love this sport.
"So I think this is not about Stephen Keshi but about Nigeria.
All I want from my countrymen is to pray for the team and not
me because I am just one man," he concluded.

Abeg kon run 4 president

The Portuguese talked down his recent achievements by
saying his 2014-15 statistics "aren't so bad" and claims he'll
never tire of winning awards
Cristiano Ronaldo claims he is in the best form of his life after
a blistering start to the season.
The 29-year-old has scored 23 times in 17 games this term
as Real Madrid have romped to the top of La Liga and
already reached the last 16 of the Champions League.
Having enjoyed a stellar 2014 - blighted only by a World Cup
group stage exit with Portugal - the Champions League
winner and Copa del Rey victor was humble about his record-
breaking efforts.
"Perhaps this is the best form I’ve ever been in but every year
I try to improve on the previous one," he told reporters as he
picked up Marca's Pichichi award for top goalscorer and the
Alfredo Di Stefano award for best player in 2013-14.
"There will come a time when I cannot improve but I will at
least be able to step up in terms of my figures. My statistics,
in goals and assists, aren’t so bad.
"I want to keep learning and working hard in the same way I
have been doing up until now."
Ronaldo is favourite to beat the likes of Germany and Bayern
Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Argentina and Barcelona
forward Lionel Messi, and Netherlands and Bayern winger
Arjen Robben to this year's Ballon d'Or award in January,
which would see him claim the accolade for the third time in
his career.
"Winning an award for a second or third time is always
good," the Seleccao skipper added. "My objective is always to
win collectively, with the team, but also individually.
"I work very hard to be able to reach the level needed to win
every kind of trophy. Playing football is what I enjoy and I will
never tire of winning things."
Ronaldo has been selected in Portugal's squad to face
Armenia in Friday's Euro 2016 qualifier before they clash with
Argentina - and Messi - in a friendly at Old Trafford on
November 18.

The Frenchman has admitted his side face more immediate
problems than chasing down the Premier League leaders
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists that he has "different
worries" than being concerned about Chelsea 's progress at
the top of the table.
After the midweek draw with Anderlecht, the Gunners were
again guilty of throwing away points against Swansea City on
Sunday as goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Bafetimbi Gomis
secured a 2-1 win for the hosts at the Liberty Stadium.
The result leaves Arsenal 12 points behind Premier League
leaders Chelsea although Wenger is more concerned with
winning games than worrying about Chelsea and their lead at
the top.
He told Sky Sports : "At the moment we have different worries
than that. We just lost a game that we feel we shouldn't have
lost. We have to live in a realistic world, in football you have
to win the games you can win and today was one. If you want
to challenge for the Premier League, you have to be a bit
more realistic than we were today."
Quizzed over the reasons his side lost to Swansea from a
winning position, Wenger added: "We had the lead, it's difficult
to explain how we lost the lead because we were in control.
"You could see that they didn't give up and I felt we lost some
decisive challenges in the middle of the park in the last 20
minutes and we paid for that. That's where we lost the battle.
"We were not in too much trouble and we had the best
chances. It's a place where it's always tight, it was a very
tactical game and I felt when we were 1-0 up we lacked some
spark and killer instinct to win it. They didn't give up and we
couldn't get the second goal.

A goal on the counterattack from Alexis Sanchez looked to
have the Gunners back on track before Garry Monk's men
riposted with two in three minutes at the Liberty Stadium
Arsenal endured another embarrassing collapse, this time
squandering a second-half lead to lose 2-1 to Swansea City
in the Premier League.
After a turgid first half, the Gunners broke through just past
the hour when Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez combined
for the Chilean to finish off an incisive counterattack.
But two goals in three minutes for the Swans - first a Gylfi
Sigurdsson free kick and then a header by Bafetimbi Gomis -
turned the match on its head at the Liberty Stadium, leaving
the Gunners once again dejected after their midweek mishap
against Anderlecht.
Victory for Swansea was only their second in eight Premier
League matches and moved them above Arsenal into fifth,
with Wenger's men slipping a place further back heading into
the international break.
Tottenham loanee Tom Carroll replaced the suspended Jonjo
Shelvey in Swansea's midfield, with the returning Leon Britton
on the bench to enhance Garry Monk's options, while Kyle
Bartley and Marvin Emnes replaced the injured Federico
Fernandez and Wayne Routledge.
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta was ruled out due to a
hamstring injury so Mathieu Flamini came into the starting
line-up.
The visitors were accused of being naive for the manner in
which they allowed Anderlecht to fight back on Tuesday and,
perhaps as a result, made a cautious start.
Calum Chambers was in the thick of the action, with Wilfried
Bony going down in the penalty area, claiming that the
England defender had pushed him in the back, after 20
minutes but referee Phil Dowd saw nothing amiss.
Jefferson Montero's pace was causing right-back Chambers
problems and the Ecuadorian winger forced a save from
Wojciech Szczesny at his near post. The Arsenal goalkeeper
was called into action again to deny Emnes after Bony had
picked out the former Middlesbrough man.
Lukasz Fabianski was finally called into action a minute
before the break against his former club to save from Welbeck
after the England international had played a one-two with
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as Arsenal finished the first half
strongly.
Oxlade-Chamberlain had a chance of his own just after the
break when Alexis played him in but the midfielder got the ball
stuck under his feet before his scuffed shot was easily saved
by Fabianski, who was up to the test to deny Santi Cazorla's
shot that skidded off the wet surface as rain lashed down.
It came as no surprise when the London club the lead 64
minutes in. Alexis was on hand to apply a simple finish after
Welbeck had raced down the right and squared the ball to the
red-hot Chile international.
Swansea came roaring back, though, and Sigurdsson gave
Szczesny no chance with a moment of class 15 minutes from
time as his long-range free kick found the back of the net.
And worse was to come for Arsenal, with Gomis rising to
head home Montero's cross soon after replaced Bony to stun
the visitors.
Arsenal had a shout for a penalty when they felt that Neil
Taylor had handled in stoppage time but referee Dowd waved
play on as the visitors suffered only their second top-flight
defeat of the season.

The former Netherlands boss says he has received
encouragement from the public for the style of play that he
has implemented but admits that their start has not been
good enough
Louis van Gaal says that he "feels lousy" over Manchester
United 's start to the season but claims that it could take up to
three years to get the club back on track.
United have taken 13 points from the first 10 games in the
Premier League and were eliminated from the League Cup at
MK Dons in August.
And although Van Gaal admits that their start has not been
what he had hoped, the Dutchman is confident that United will
get back to winning ways.
He told reporters: "I feel for the fans and also the board
because they have belief in me, my staff, and my players.
Thirteen points from 10 matches, you are not doing well, but
we are in a process.
"As I have said from the beginning, even when we won five
games in the US [in pre-season], the process shall take more
than one year. It shall take three years, I hope, though that is
dependent on lots of things but I think we will make it happen,
that we will win a lot of matches."
United host Crystal Palace on Saturday, looking to bounce
back from defeat in the Manchester derby, and Van Gaal says
that he is happy with the football that his side are playing.
However, the former Netherlands boss did also lament the
team selection problems that he has faced, something further
exacerbated by the shoulder injury due to keep Marcos Rojo
out for up to six weeks.
"I have the experience that people have great belief in what
we are doing now, in the way we are playing football," he
continued.
"When I am in the streets I am surrounded by very positive
things and, when I'm in a car from United, there are lots of
positive people.
"I'm feeling lousy for everyone that we have 13 points from 10
games. When I want to select the same lineup, I cannot. It's
the same every week.

campusflavour:
Can u guess what was in jonathan's mind as the soldier presses his hand? to me its 'o boy, this guy fit coup me na away match be disooo? Abeg make i force smile for am' who sew this kind big cloth? U are fired

na black monkeys I talk. Wetin bad inside

The Blues boss says his side were impressive in the final 30
minutes of the 1-1 Champions League draw with Maribor, but
paid the price for a disappointing first-half showing
Jose Mourinho admits he was not happy with Chelsea's first-
half performance in their 1-1 draw with Maribor.
The Blues would have qualified for the Champions League last
16 had they won in Slovenia, but must now wait until match
day five at the earliest when they play Schalke in Germany.
Eden Hazard missed a late penalty and Diego Costa had a
goal wrongly ruled out for offside, but Mourinho says the poor
performance in the first half ultimately proved costly.
"In the first half we didn’t play well," he told Sky Sports . "After
their goal we played very well and normally we should win
the game, but when you don’t play well for 90 minutes you
risk, and in the last 30 minutes when we played really well,
intense, and creative and with a big desire to win and had
many chances to do it their goalkeeper was magnificent."
Mourinho brought on Costa and Oscar at half-time and
believes his decision to change the make-up of his team was
vindicated.
"I was not happy with the team and I was not happy with the
performance, I changed at half-time with the conviction that
the team was going to improve and I was proven right.
"They scored and their belief was high and the pressure on
our team…the players start feeling it a little bit but as I say we
created a lot of chances and the goalkeeper was really really
good."
The Portuguese was also delighted with Hazard, who was
foiled by keeper Jasmin Handanovic in a one-on-one situation
before seeing his spot-kick saved.
"When a player plays as well as Eden Hazard did, for me he
was absolutely fantastic, by far the best player of my team. A
player with a performance like this can miss a penalty and
can still be the best player on my team. We paid the price for
a not good first half, and their goalkeeper was fantastic."
Replays showed that Costa's disallowed goal should have
stood as Cesc Fabregas was level with the last defender, but
Mourinho would not be drawn on referee Daniele Orsato,
though he did hint at his unhappiness.
"I think we deserve to win but with this referee I have a long
story from my Italian times but I don’t want to go in that
direction. It’s also important to praise a team with a different
power than we have, they gave everything and played very
well for their point.

The race is almost over - and Lionel Messi is set to win it.
Barcelona's brilliant forward scored twice at Ajax on
Wednesday night to move above Cristiano Ronaldo in the
Champions League scoring charts and draw level with Real
Madrid icon Raul on 71 goals in the continental competiton.
And he is now in pole position to pip the Portuguese to the
outright record as well.
Messi, who is on the verge of breaking Telmo Zarra's record
for goals in La Liga, netted once in each half to make it 71
Champions League strikes on Wednesday and eclipse
Ronaldo, who failed to convert in Madrid's 1-0 win at home
to Liverpool the previous night.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ronaldo had picked up his Golden
Shoe for finishing - level with Luis Suarez - as Europe's top
goalscorer in league football in 2013-14 and announced: "I
want to be remembered as the best player ever."
Ronaldo also hinted he would beat his rival to Raul's record
when he said after scoring in his side's 3-0 victory at Anfield
last month: "I'm not worried about that. I know I'm going to
break the record. Messi is very close too.
Now he is even closer. The Argentine headed home in the first
half to give Barca the lead after Ajax goalkeeper Jasper
Cillessen had come rushing off his line and Marc Bartra's
clever cross picked out the 27-year-old. Messi then made it
2-0 after Ajax had been reduced to 10 men, sliding home to
convert from close range after he had played a neat one-two
with Pedro.
The four-time Ballon d'Or winner came close to a hat-trick
late in the game as he sought to claim the record outright, but
he will have the opportunity to surpass Raul on November 25,
when Barcelona travel to APOEL in the fifth round of group
matches.
Although the Argentine failed to score in the home game
against the Cypriot side, he will be expected to convert in the
return - especially with the record at stake.
Ronaldo will have to wait a day more for his opportunity to
overtake his former club colleague and will also fancy his
chances as Madrid host Bulgarian side Ludogorets at the
Santiago Bernabeu.
"We are happy for Leo [to get the record]," Xavi said after the
match. "He has worked very hard for the team. He is the one
that makes the difference, the number one."
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique echoed Xavi's comments:
"Messi is without doubt the best player I've seen as a player
and a coach.

This season’s Champions League has been a bit of a trip
down memory lane for Ajax. The Eredivisie champions
welcomed Zlatan Ibrahimovic back to the Amsterdam ArenA
on matchday 1 as they recorded a 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-
Germain, and on Wednesday former captain Luis Suarez will
return to the club he excelled at between 2007 and 2011.
The Uruguay international started his professional career at
Nacional before joining Groningen in the summer of 2006, but
it was at Ajax that he really made a name for himself.
Unsurprisingly, Suarez’s time in Amsterdam both started and
ended in controversial fashion.
After netting 10 goals in 29 Eredivisie appearances for
Groningen, Ajax were keen to lure the attacker to the Dutch
capital. The Euroborg side, however, had no intention of
selling their star forward and turned down a number of offers
from the ArenA outfit.
Suarez reacted furiously and took the matter to court, yet the
arbitration committee ruled that Groningen were under no
obligation to sell the forward. The case inevitably led to the
relationship breaking down between club and player, and the
Euroborg side eventually agreed to a transfer after all when
Ajax upped their offer to approximately €8 million just hours
after the verdict came in.
If there were any questions over whether Suarez was worth
that kind of money, the attacker instantly answered them with
a blistering start to his Ajax career. Six goals in his first five
Eredivisie games for the Amsterdammers were enough to
highlight his enormous potential – and things would only get
better.
During his three-and-a-half years at Ajax, the Uruguay
international was involved in no less than 179 goals in 158
appearances in all competitions and he scored an impressive
nine hat-tricks. He won the Eredivisie top scorer title once,
was voted Eredivisie player of the year in 2009-10 and was
elected Ajax Player of the Season twice.
It all ended on a sour note for Suarez in Amsterdam,
however.
One of his last actions for the current Dutch champions was
biting Otman Bakkal on the shoulder during a scoreless draw
with PSV at the Amsterdam ArenA on November 20, 2010.
The incident escaped the attention of referee Bjorn Kuipers,
but the cameras were less forgiving and he was handed a
seven-game suspension. On top of that, his reputation took a
hammering, with leading newspaper De Telegraaf infamously
referring to Suarez as “The cannibal of Ajax”.
Former team-mate Nicolai Boilesen – the only member of the
current Ajax squad who was a first-team player during
Suarez’s time at the club – has largely fond memories of the
prolific forward but acknowledges the extra baggage he
brought with him.
"Luis scored a lot of goals, but he was a bit special, too,"
Boilesen told Tipsbladet earlier this week.
"He got plenty of attention in the Dutch press after the incident
with Bakkal. But the press only really had a go at him when
he did it again in England. That incident probably got four or
five times as much attention as the one in Holland.
"But he also took on a lot of responsibility on the pitch. He
was incredibly important for the team. He was always very
dangerous inside the opponents' area.
There have been several notorious incidents involving Suarez
since he left Ajax for Liverpool in January 2011. There was
the racism row with Patrice Evra, another biting incident with
Branislav Ivanovic and a third biting case involving Giorgio
Chiellini at the World Cup this summer.
But there have also been numerous moments of brilliance on
the pitch. There were the three hat-tricks versus Norwich City
and the wonder-goal against that same opponent. There was
the 31-goal season in 2013-14 that earned him the Premier
League top scorer trophy and the Premier League player of
the year award. There was also the achievement of becoming
Uruguay’s all-time leading goal-scorer.
And on Wednesday, Suarez gets the chance to shine in the
Champions League for the first time since December 2010.
A wonderful night lies in store as he returns to European club
football's elite competition on a familiar ground. Suarez has
never made a secret of his love for Ajax and he is delighted to
play in Amsterdam once more almost four years after he left.
"It is destiny to go back after so much time and to play
against the first team I played the Champions League with,
Ajax, and for the team I have dreamed of all my life, which is
Barcelona," Suarez told Barcelona Magazine.
"It will be a very special game for me."
Irrespective of the outcome of Wednesday’s encounter, it will
indeed be a special evening for a special if somewhat
controversial player.

The Gunners were 3-0 up inside the hour mark but a double
from Anthony Vanden Borre gave the visitors hope before
Aleksandar Mitrovic snatched a dramatic equalizer.
Arsenal must wait to secure their place in the Champions
League knockout stage after letting a three-goal lead slip at
home to Anderlecht.
A Mikel Arteta penalty and brilliant Alexis Sanchez volley put
the Gunners firmly in command inside the first half-hour, and
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looked to have sealed the points
when he made it 3-0 on 58 minutes.
But Anderlecht were far from finished, and former Portsmouth
star Anthony Vanden Borre struck twice - the second from the
penalty spot - to give them hope before Aleksandar Mitrovic
snatched a dramatic equaliser at the death.
The Belgians almost opened the scoring after eight minutes
when Dennis Praet's effort deflected off Per Mertesacker and
into the side-netting, but the hosts responded as the returning
Aaron Ramsey - in for Mathieu Flamini – saw a strike blocked
and Alexis struck a post before Chancel Mbemba clumsily
brought down Welbeck having found himself the wrong side of
the Arsenal man.
Skipper Arteta calmly lofted the ball past opposing captain
Proto to give Arsene Wenger's side the lead and Alexis made
it 2-0 with a fifth goal in his last three games soon after.
The former Barcelona man's long-range strike beat Proto at
the near post to leave the visitors in real danger.
Arsenal's dream half ended with a scare as Ramsey sustained
a knock to his lower back, but the Welshman emerged
apparently unscathed after the interval.
Oxlade-Chamberlain made it three soon after with his first
European goal of the season after some slack play from
Sacha Kljestan in midfield.
The England international robbed the American and surged
past Vanden Borre before slamming the ball beyond Proto,
although the experienced full-back then did his best to sour
things for Arsenal as he hit back within three minutes from
close range.
Vanden Borre was on the end of Andy Kawaya's delivery to
pull a goal back for the visitors before reducing the deficit to
one from the spot following Nacho Monreal's foul on Mitrovic.
And Mitrovic proved to be Anderlecht's hero, capping a
remarkable comeback by heading home Andy Najar's delivery
to salvage the Belgians' second point of the group and gain
some revenge for Arsenal's last-gasp 2-1 win in Brussels.

The Gunners midfielder is full of praise for the Chilean, who
has been prolific in front of goal since moving to north London
from Barcelona this summer.
Mikel Arteta has been surprised and impressed with how
quickly Alexis Sanchez has adapted to life in the Premier
League.
Alexis has scored 10 goals in 16 outings in all competitions
since joining the Gunners from Barcelona this summer, most
recently netting braces in back-to-back games against
Sunderland and Burnley.
Arteta has praised the work ethic of the Chilean and labelled
him a 'bull' for his energy.
"I don't think we are surprised by his performances, but we
are with how he's adapted to the Premier League," Arteta told
reporters ahead of the Champions League clash with
Anderlecht.
"As the boss [Wenger] said, he found it a bit hard in the first
few weeks but now he's found the platform, the confidence
and physically he is the level he needs to be at because his
game is very demanding as well. The way he's contributing
to the team and the spirit of the group as well is very good.
"It makes our job easier when you have a player in his form
scoring goals for the team. It's very helpful, but as well, how
he looks after the people around him and [the hard work] he
does in every game is something we need to highlight.
"He gets more highlights with his goals, assists and his tricks,
but his hard work and his ethic in every game is very
important as well.
"South Americans in England normally find it a bit hard. When
you're an attacking player and people are expecting a lot from
you, sometimes it's even more difficult. He's a bull - he goes
again and again. That's the only secret with Alexis. He wants
to get better and better. That's the way he is.

The defender was sent off for two needless bookings in the
first half and incurred the wrath of his manager after the game.
Louis van Gaal slammed Chris Smalling and labelled him
"stupid" after he was given a red card for two bookable
offences in the first half of Manchester United's 1-0 defeat to
Manchester City.
The England international, who started the game at centre-
back, picked up his first caution for needlessly charging down
Joe Hart's goal-kick before hacking down James Milner
before half-time.
That meant United had to play the remaining 52 minutes with
10 men and a makeshift back four of Antonio Valencia,
Michael Carrick, Paddy McNair and Luke Shaw after Marcus
Rojo also exited the game after dislocating his shoulder.
Sergio Aguero ultimately made the extra man count by firing
home a 63rd minute winner for City, though United did at
least display an admirable spirit in the second period and
could even have snatched a point, with Robin van Persie,
Angel Di Maria and Fellaini all going close.
After the game, Van Gaal spoke of his anger at Smalling and
said the defender was guilty of failing to control his
aggression, while hinting he had had words with the 24-year-
old.
"In a derby you have to be careful - the second yellow card is
a stupid yellow card," Van Gaal told BBC Sport.
"The sending off is not one of those things. As a player you
have to control your aggression. I didn't see the first yellow
but with the second, you know you already have a yellow, so
have to handle it differently. I said that to the players."
The result means United have picked up just 13 points from
the first 10 Premier League games of the season, but Van
Gaal is convinced his side are just as good as City and
Chelsea after facing both in the space of seven days.
"We are very close. You saw it against Chelsea and now
against Manchester City. They are the two best clubs in this
league and the difference is zero I think."
Next up for United is a clash with Crystal Palace at Old
Trafford on Saturday as they look to close the four-point gap
between themselves and the top four.

The Etihad Stadium outfit have won two of the last three
Premier League titles but the Dutchman says that the Red
Devils remain the bigger club.
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has claimed that
Manchester City are still not on the same level as the Old
Trafford outfit.
The two sides have won the last three Premier League titles
between them, with City triumphing in 2012 and 2014, either
side of the Red Devils' historic 20th championship in what
was Sir Alex Ferguson's final season at the helm.
Aleksandar Kolarov claimed earlier in the week that City have
been "superior" to their cross-town rivals for past "five or six
years" now - but Van Gaal has now hit back, arguing that
City remain the smaller club.
“Abroad we have more fans and followers on social media,"
the United boss told reporters on Saturday.
"Also Bayern Munich is the biggest club of Germany. The
same thing for Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain.
"It [would take] a long time for Manchester City to reach that
level.”
Van Gaal also rubbished the suggestion that a United victory
at the Etihad Stadium would somehow be diminished by the
fact that City with will be without key midfielder David Silva,
who has been ruled out of action for at least four weeks with
knee ligament damage.
“We are used to having injured players because we have [had]
seven players injured all season," the former Netherlands
boss countered.
"So what can I say? They have one player injured and they
are out of the match?
“We have also had [Wayne] Rooney away for three matches.
He is my captain; he is also a playmaker; he can score.
"I haven’t mentioned that, not in any interview. It is no
excuse.”
City currently third in the Premier League table, nine points
behind leaders Chelsea, but four ahead of United.

The honeymoon period is well and truly over for Luis Enrique.
Life as Barcelona boss had started so well for the 44-year-
old, but defeat in the Clasico last weekend followed by this
latest loss at home to Celta Vigo means alarm bells are
already ringing for the Asturian coach.
After conceding their first goals in La Liga at the Santiago
Bernabeu in last weekend's 3-1 reverse, Barca looked likely to
bounce back on Saturday and the Catalans created chances
aplenty to win this game. Instead, however, they lost it - and
they only have themselves to blame.
Luis Suarez worked well on his home debut and popped up
on both flanks, setting up Lionel Messi for one opportunity
and seeing a second-half shot superbly saved by Sergio
Alvarez. But the Uruguayan looked over-eager to impress at
times and too desperate to score. He needs a goal, but it
failed to arrive.
Neymar's decision-making also hindered Barca and the
Brazilian - twice on target in this fixture last season - was
guilty of some poor passing late in the game, as well as
wasting a wonderful chance as he shot wildly against the
crossbar from close range.
Messi came closer still. The Argentine attacker saw one effort
miraculously cleared - via the bar - by Jonny and watched in
frustration as Sergio somehow saved another shot that had
looked destined for the top corner. Chasing Telmo Zarra's
Liga goalscoring mark of 251 goals, the 27-year-old is still
stuck on 250 and his influence decreased as he dropped
deeper in the second half.
He had to. Because Barca's midfield - their strongest sector
in recent years - has struggled this term and was found
wanting again on Saturday. Ivan Rakitic hasn't been the same
since the defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in late September,
while Rafinha is far from the player who shone under Luis
Enrique at Celta last season, Sergio Busquets is still
struggling to find form and Andres Iniesta is injured.
The defence hardly helped here, either. Dani Alves and Jordi
Alba were wasteful in possession and Barca missed the
distribution of Gerard Pique, who was left out of the squad
altogether and watched the game alongside his old central
defensive partner Carles Puyol and the injured Thomas
Vermaelen in the directors' box.
Lacking the service they usually receive, Barcelona's forwards
eventually lost their way and Luis Enrique sent on Xavi and
Pedro to try and rescue the game after Joaquin Larrivey had
given Celta the lead. But how he would have liked to have
been able to count on either Cesc Fabregas and Alexis
Sanchez, both sold in the summer and on fine form in the
Premier League earlier on Saturday.
As it was, the changes made little difference and Messi was
restricted to free-kicks late in the game. Lacking help from his
middle men, the Argentine cannot do it all alone.
"I'm not concerned," Luis Enrique said. "I'm just angry." And
sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta backed the man he hired
from Celta in the summer. "There are no doubts about the
manager," he said. "We have to congratulate Celta."
It was hardly a vote of confidence, however, and the wisest
words came - as they invariably do - from Javier
Mascherano. "We weren't comfortable all night and we
weren't able to play our normal game. That's worrying," he
said.
Barca fans can only hope their coach was paying attention.

The visitors found the net 10 minutes after half time and it
was enough to give them all three points as Luis Enrique's
side lost for the second time in a row.
Luis Enrique was stunned by his former side as Joaquin
Larrivey gave Celta Vigo a shock 1-0 win over Barcelona on
Saturday.
The Barca coach - who arrived at Camp Nou from Celta in
the close-season after the ill-fated Gerardo Martino reign -
had been looking to get his side back to winning ways after
their 3-1 El Clasico humbling to Real Madrid last weekend.
However, despite dominating throughout, the Catalans were
ultimately left to rue missed chances as Larrivey struck in the
second half to send them crashing to another potentially-
costly defeat.
Luis Enrique handed a home debut to Luis Suarez following
the completion of his much-publicised ban and although the
Uruguayan was generally quiet, Barca still created a host of
opportunities.
They hit the crossbar four times - twice each for both Neymar
and Lionel Messi, the latter of whom continues to chase a
record-equalling 251st La Liga goal.
Celta, by contrast, were clinical and after a mix-up in the
Barcelona defence, Larrivey slotted home in the 55th minute to
settle matters.
Despite Barcelona's late pressure, Celta held on to claim a
memorable victory, leaving the early title tussle at the top of
La Liga wide open.
Barca began the match brightly as Neymar went close twice
inside the opening 15 minutes, first heading straight at Sergio
Alvarez, before rattling the crossbar with an audacious effort
from 25 yards.
The hosts failed to build on that early momentum, however,
and gave Celta a period of respite, but they soon burst into life
again in the 30th minute, with Messi unsurprisingly proving
pivotal.
The Argentinian forced Sergio into a fine acrobatic save after
collecting a well-placed cut-back from Neymar.
Messi then saw a goal-bound effort knocked onto the
crossbar by Jonny Castro.
Barca's playmaker went close for a third time in the 34th
minute, heading Suarez's left-wing cross over despite being
unmarked.
Celta did well to frustrate their hosts, but it was Sergio who
continued to be the hero for Eduardo Berizzo's men, denying
both Messi and Neymar as the first half drew to a close.
Barca started the second half in determined fashion and they
hit the crossbar for the third time just two minutes into the
period, as Neymar met Jordi Alba's well-placed pass.
And Celta soon capitalised - Larrivey pouncing on uncertainty
in the home defence after he had linked up with Nolito to slot
past Claudio Bravo.
Luis Enrique's side almost found themselves two goals down
with 12 minutes to play, as Bravo palmed away a Nolito effort
and substitute Charles headed the rebound over from eight
yards.
Messi then hit the woodwork again with a long-range free-
kick, but Celta held on to take all three points and make it
three games without defeat for them and two losses in a row
for the Catalan giants, who now trail Real Madrid and Atletico
Madrid in the league.

Everything in the Chelsea garden appears to be rosy.
Four points clear with over a quarter of the Premier League
season gone, supplemented by smooth progress in the cup
competitions. Moreover, the football in these parts has been
at times some of the most sublime witnessed in Jose
Mourinho's two Stamford Bridge spells.
But the message from the manager after a 2-1 victory over a
tenacious and combative Queens Park Rangers is that there is
room for improvement. Considerable room, in fact.
"I'm not happy," were the first words from Mourinho when
asked to reflect on a victory sealed by a late penalty that
Harry Redknapp deemed to be "harsh" and "soft".
Mourinho continued: "My team didn't play well enough. We
had periods of good football, but not consistently. I expected
more. We deserved to win but one thing is to deserve and
play well. We did not play very, very well."
This has been a theme of the Portugese this season. In the
first year of his second Chelsea spell, he painted his charges,
not particularly convincingly, as the underdogs or "little
horses", as he quaintly called them.
Now, they are everybody's title favourites, the team to beat.
With Manchester City and Liverpool suffering early season
blues, Manchester United up and down, and Arsenal
seemingly stuck in a perpetual state of good-but-not-quite-
good-enough, Chelsea look nailed on for their fourth title of
the Roman Abramovich era.
Which brings its own dangers, most principally that of
complacency. On the back of a splendid start to the
campaign, Mourinho's 2014-15 media strategy is not to play
down his team's chances, but challenge them to greater
heights.
The returning Diego Costa, who delivered 76 rather rusty
minutes of centre-forward skirmishing after a four-match
absence, was hardly given the cotton wool treatment.
"He didn't have a very good performance, like the team," was
Mourinho's withering assessment. "After injury, it is not just
your body, but your brain. The next match for him will be
better."
Oscar, scorer of a first time, outside-of-the-boot opener, was
praised for "today being our best player" but it felt like a
back-handed compliment.
Mourinho knows a big part of his job is to motivate his
millionaires and drive them on. It is why he always recalls his
2005 and 2006 title winners so fondly. They might not have
been the prettiest team to watch, but their beauty came in
their consistent effectiveness.
Handed a squad who had won the Europa league, Champions
League and FA Cup in the few seasons before, Mourinho has
tweaked it to his own specifications.
In 2014, the landmark signings of Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas
and Nemanja Matic have arrived. So instant has their impact
been that former Chelsea manager and captain John Hollins
went to the length in the programme of naming them, along
with John Terry, in his all-time Chelsea X1.
That is quite a testament to the resources available to
Mourinho.
The Portugese will know better than anyone the expectations
on his team. The fans expect, Roman expects, and so does
the watching football world.
Anything other than the league title will be perceived as
failure.
Mourinho will not be satisfied until the Chelsea juggernaut
has crushed everything in its path. Only then will the Chelsea
flower show be in full bloom.

The Chile international made the breakthrough for Arsene
Wenger's side and Calum Chambers notched his first goal for
the club in a strong second-half showing against the Cherries
Alexis Sanchez continued his fine run of form for Arsenal as
Arsene Wenger's side put in an impressive second-half
display against Burnley to win 3-0 at the Emirates on
Saturday afternoon.
The Gunners had failed to collect a Premier League win on
their own turf since the opening day against Crystal Palace
and they appeared set for another afternoon of frustration
against the bottom side in the division.
Burnley winger George Boyd was fortunate not to concede a
penalty before half-time, while Alexis – who scored both goals
in the 2-0 triumph at Sunderland - drew two fine saves from
Tom Heaton.
But it was the former Barcelona man who sparked relief
around the Emirates Stadium in the 70th minute.
Impressive right-back Calum Chambers crossed for Alexis to
score with a header, and the teenager added a second himself
two minutes later with his first goal in senior football.
Alexis fashioned space from Kieran Gibbs' low centre to net a
10th goal in 12 appearances in the final minute and add gloss
to the scoreline, as Arsenal moved above West Ham into
fourth, while Burnley are three points adrift at the bottom and
five from safety.
Arsenal were unchanged from the team that beat Sunderland
last weekend, while Burnley recalled midfielder Dean Marney
following a hamstring injury and striker Marvin Sordell.
The hosts dominated possession but made little impression
on Burnley until Kieran Tripper produced a vital clearing
header to deny Danny Welbeck in the 21st minute after Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain had raced away down the Burnley left.
From the resulting corner, Boyd – already booked for an
earlier foul on Santi Cazorla - flicked the ball with a stray
hand but the officials remained unmoved.
Arsenal found a way through down the right again in the 26th
minute, but Cazorla smashed a shot wide from Oxlade-
Chamberlain's pullback after good work from Alexis.
The visitors enjoyed a rare foray into the opposition penalty
area five minutes later, only for Mathieu Flamini to make an
important interception by prodding Scott Arfield's pass away
from Danny Ings.
Alexis then twice went close, first cutting in from the left and
forcing Heaton to push away his rasping drive before arching
another 25-yard effort narrowly past the right-hand post.
Heaton proved Alexis' equal once more when the livewire
forward raced into the box five minutes before the interval, as
Burnley managed to reach the break unscathed.
Ings was unable to capitalise on a moment of confusion
between Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and Per
Mertesacker in the 50th minute as Sean Dyche's men made a
more assertive start to the second period.
The right flank remained fruitful for Arsenal but Alexis and
Gibbs were unable to scramble the ball home from Oxlade-
Chamberlain's latest cross.
Michael Duff produced some remarkable defensive heroics for
the visitors as he flung himself to ground to deny Cazorla
with the goal gaping after Chambers' cutback.
The pressure eventually told, though - almost inevitably from
the Burnley left - as Alexis got ahead of Trippier to net a fine
header from Chambers' cross.
The creator then became the goalscorer two minutes later,
with Chambers on hand to steer home after a combination of
Heaton and David Jones had denied Welbeck.
The Arsenal faithful warmly welcomed back Theo Walcott
from his lengthy injury absence soon afterwards and the
England man and fellow substitute Lukas Podolski drew
magnificent saves from Heaton in the closing minutes as
Burnley’s resistance faded, allowing Alexis to have the final
word with a third goal.

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