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Giroud: Gunners will only get better
Striker Olivier Giroud has warned the rest of the Barclays Premier League that Arsenal can only get stronger over the course of the season.
The FA Cup winners dismantled defending champions Manchester City 3-0 to win the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.
However, City boss Manuel Pellegrini selected something of a makeshift side, with Willy Caballero starting ahead of England’s Joe Hart, several other regulars missing after World Cup duty and summer signings Bacary Sagna and Frank Lampard, brought in on loan from New York City FC, watching on from the stands.
Of course, much sterner challenges will lie ahead for the Gunners, but Giroud – who cracked home a sublime third goal from 25 yards in the second half – believes the additions of £30million Chile forward Alexis Sanchez, France international Mathieu Debuchy and promising young defender Calum Chambers, as well as Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina, can stand them in good stead to finally last the distance over the next nine months.
World Cup winners Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil have all now returned to Arsenal’s Hertfordshire base ahead of the opening Premier League match at home to Crystal Palace, after which Arsenal travel to Istanbul for the first leg of what is a crunch Champions league play-off against Besiktas.
“When our Germans join us, we will be stronger for sure and hopefully until May,” said Giroud, whose fine strike helped the substitute collect the sponsors’ man of the match award.
“That (the championship) is the target. Last year we did well until March. We had a bad run after, but we really wanted to come back and be stronger than last year,”
Giroud, 27, believes the arrival of Sanchez from Barcelona will add another attacking dimension to the Gunners’ already formidable frontline.
“Like Mesut when he signed for Arsenal, it is always easy to play with these kind of players,” said Giroud.
“I think he will maybe need some more games to adapt his game to the Premier League, but that is normal.
“He is a fantastic player, so I think he will [have] a great season.
“He has different qualities to me, Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell. He can bring his pace and his technique in the centre of the park and he is a great finisher.
“We have a good quality squad and now the quantity, so that is why I think we will be stronger this year.”
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, meanwhile, knows Arsenal must also retain a sense of perspective heading into the new season.
He said: “Obviously we are enjoying the win, but what is important is that we are ready to start the season. We are looking strong, but we are not reading too much into it.
“Rather than talking about their lack of threat, I talk about our good defensive performance and the whole team shape as we limited them to a couple of chances.”
Szczesny added: “Hopefully it (squad) will be the most successful one but looking at it on paper, yeah it probably is the strongest one we have had.
“Except for Thomas (Vermaelen), we have not lost any key players, even if someone did leave on a free, we have managed to replace them with good players.
“As I said, we are looking stronger and stronger and we are very happy with that.”
Ospina was brought in to provide some healthy competition for the number one jersey following the departure of Lukasz Fabianski to Swansea.
Szczesny said: “I am going to enjoy that. At such a big club you expect very strong competition, so I am sure it will make us both better goalkeepers.”
According to Foxsports

Ancelotti won’t rest stars for Super Cup
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is ready to unleash the full might of his enviable playing resources in Tuesday’s UEFA Super Cup clash against La Liga rivals Sevilla.
World Cup stars James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos, signed from Monaco and Bayern Munich this summer, are set to feature in Ancelotti’s starting line-up at Cardiff City Stadium.
They will be paraded alongside the likes of Wales star Gareth Bale and goal machine Cristiano Ronaldo as Real target more European silverware just under a fortnight before their domestic campaign begins.
“Kroos has done well in the last five days, and I think he is ready to face this match,” Ancelotti said, during his pre-match press conference in Cardiff. “He is up to the task, and I think he will play tomorrow.
“Rodriguez is a fantastic player. He ran a lot in the World Cup, and he can help the team to be better. He will start.
“It’s true we have had players who have come late to the team, with not a lot of training, but we are pleased with the state of preparation.
“Cristiano is well, he has no problem. I feel he’s in good physical condition and has done everything to participate in this game. He is facing this game in good spirit.
“It’s an honour for me to be the manager of Real Madrid. I have a fantastic squad, and the club has worked hard this summer to have a better squad. The squad has plenty of confidence to have a good season.”
Despite 32-time Spanish champions Real going into the game, which will be played in front of a 30,000-plus capacity crowd, as clear favourites, Ancelotti is taking nothing for granted.
“We are facing a hard team who beat us last season,” he added.
“We have to put up a fight, and if we do that it will be a very positive outcome for Real Madrid for the whole season.
“This is a final of the Super Cup, the start of the season, and we need to start with a win, but the real start of the season will be when we start La Liga and the Champions League.”
And if Real’s newcomers needed reminding of what it means to wear one of world soccer’s most famous shirts, then goalkeeper Iker Casillas knows the script off by heart.
“You need to carry the pressure of the jersey,” the Spain international said.
“In Madrid, every year you have the obligation of going to the fountain to celebrate with fans what happened that year. If you have a season without a title, it’s called a failure.”
According to Foxsports

Tavecchio elected new FIGC president
Carlo Tavecchio, the candidate at the centre of a racism controversy, has been elected as the new president of the Italian Football Federation.
The 71-year-old beat former AC Milan player Demetrio Albertini after three rounds of voting in Rome, the governing body announced through its official Twitter account on Monday afternoon.
Tavecchio drew heavy criticism last month by making an allegedly racist comment about “eating bananas” during an address to a summer assembly of Italy’s amateur leagues.
But despite the fact Serie A clubs including Fiorentina and Sampdoria withdrew their backing in the weeks leading up to the elective assembly, Tavecchio was confirmed as Giancarlo Abete’s successor at the FIGC when polling 63.33 per cent of the third-round votes after the first two rounds proved inconclusive.
He polled 60.20 per cent to Albertini’s 35.46 per cent in the first round, which had required a quorum of 75 per cent, and had 63.18 per cent of the votes to his opponent’s 34.07 per cent in a second round requiring a quorum of 66 per cent.
The delegation was comprised of 278 representatives from Serie A, Serie B, the Lega Pro, the Amateur League, the Players’ Association, the Coaches’ Association and the Referees’ Association.
The Lega Pro, which represents 60 third and fourth division teams, last week said nearly all of its members would back Tavecchio, who had been vice-president of the FIGC since 2009.
The campaign against his candidacy began when he made an allegedly racist comment when using a fictional example to try to make a point about the number of foreign players in the Italian leagues.
Quoted in La Repubblica, Tavecchio said: “England identifies the players coming in and, if they are professional, they are allowed to play.
“Here, on the other hand, let’s say there’s (fictional player) Opti Poba, who has come here, who previously was eating bananas and now is a first-team player for Lazio.
“In England he has to demonstrate his CV and his pedigree.”
He subsequently apologised but FIFA has since asked the FIGC to conduct an investigation into the comments and to report its findings back to the world governing body.
Following his election Tavecchio pledged to prove his doubters wrong.
He told FIGC.it: “I will be a president for everybody, and especially for those who have legitimately expressed their dissent about me taking the job.
“I wish to thank those who have confirmed their confidence in me and who have made me feel supported even during some difficult times.
“Reforming the system can only be done if we work together, there are no magic wands.
“Let us embrace a culture of hard work. I invite all members to abandon feelings of division and to get to work.
“By August 18 I will be able to present to you a list of the things I will have worked on this week.”
Among his first tasks will be selecting a new head coach for the Italian national team.
Cesare Prandelli resigned following a disappointing World Cup, with former Juventus boss Antonio Conte and ex-Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini reportedly leading the race to replace him.
According to Foxsports

Mangala: Ambition took me to Man City
Manchester City’s new £32million signing Eliaquim Mangala has joined the Premier League champions to bolster their quest for trophies.
The 23-year-old central defender has finally completed a move which originally began seven months ago and he is keen to settle in and help the side build on a second Barclays Premier League title in three years.
City first tried to secure the Frenchman in the January transfer window, but complications with the player’s third-party ownership meant it was impossible to complete within the month.
However, given the additional time for negotiations, the champions have been able to thrash out a solution to a complicated deal, the details of which have not become much clearer following its completion.
Former club Porto released a statement to the Portuguese securities market commission indicating they were paid 30.5million euros (£24.4million) for 56.67 per cent of the rights of the player.
However, Press Association Sport understands City have paid a total of £32million (40million euros) for the transfer.
The intricacies of who paid what to whom is of little interest to Mangala, however, who just wants to begin a new chapter in Manchester.
“City is a top club in Europe. For me, it was an important step to leave Porto and join Manchester City in order to continue my progress,” said the central defender, who has signed a five-year contract.
“I want to win titles and I believe I can do this. I am ambitious and this is why I am here.
“I’m very happy to come to England because for me the Premier League is the best league in the world.”
Mangala brings much-needed strength to City’s defence, which was exposed in their 3-0 FA Community Shield defeat to Arsenal at Wembley on Sunday.
With captain Vincent Kompany and Martin Demichelis, City’s established centre-back pair last season, sitting out the match as a result of their World Cup exertions with Belgium and Argentina, the makeshift pairing of Dedryck Boyata and Matija Nastasic looked less than comfortable.
Kompany and Demichelis are likely to return for City’s Premier League opener at Newcastle on Sunday, but Mangala will provide important cover which was lacking last season but still did not derail their title triumph.
Mangala believes he will adapt quickly and hopes the presence of former Porto team-mate Fernando, who City signed in June, and some other familiar faces will make the settling-in process easier.
“It is a very intense and very aggressive competition. There are plenty of goals, so it is also really nice to watch and I can’t wait to get started,” the new signing told mcfc.co.uk.
“The fact that Fernando is here is better because I played with him at Porto, but there are also other players that I know like (Bacary) Sagna, (Gael) Clichy and (Samir) Nasri.”
Mangala is manager Manuel Pellegrini’s sixth signing of the summer having brought in full-back Sagna, goalkeeper Willy Caballero and midfielders Fernando, Frank Lampard (on loan) and Bruno Zuculini.
He may be another foreign import – City had no English player in their starting line-up at Wembley – but the City boss is not concerned about where his players come from.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re English players, American players, Spanish players. For me it’s exactly the same,” he said in the aftermath of the defeat.
“In every competition we play I’ll play the team that I think is best to win that game.”
On the arrival of Mangala, he said: “I’m delighted to have added a player of Eliaquim’s quality in the squad ahead of the new season.
“He is already a fine player but in my opinion, he has all of the mental, physical, technical and tactical attributes to become one of Europe’s very best defenders.
“Eliaquim is a player I believe will make an immediate impact in the Premier League, thanks to his physicality, his reading of the game and quality on the ball.
“I think he will prove to be a great signing for us.”
According to Foxsports

Malaysia overcome Viet Nam at Hassanal Bolkiah tournament
Malaysia yesterday beat Viet Nam 2-0 in the second round match of the Hassanal Bolkiah ASEAN U-22 Football Championships in Brunei.
Both goals were scored in the first 15 minutes of the second half at the Berakas Sports Complex.
Defending champions Indonesia were trounced 1-3 by hosts Brunei in another match at the same time in the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.
In an earlier match of the group, Singapore lost 1-3 to Cambodia.
After two matches, Cambodia jumps to the top of Group B’s ranking with six points. Malaysia comes second with four points followed by Viet Nam, on three.
In the next fixtures tomorrow, Viet Nam will play Indonesia, while Malaysia will meet Cambodia and Singapore will face the hosts.
Source VNN
VN footballer banned from competition for doping violation
Doan Ngoc Hao of the Vietnam national futsal team has been hit with a two-year ban for a doping offence, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced.
Hao, a midfielder, tested positive for levo-methamphetamine following Vietnam’s match against Iraq at the 2014 AFC Futsal Championship on April 30, and is suspended until May 25, 2016.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has received the AFC’s announcement and is responsible for assisting in the imposition of the punishment.
Another Asian player Avchiev Takhir of Kyrgyzstan has also been suspended for two years for a doping violation.
Defender Avchiev failed a doping test following Kyrgyzstan’s match against Palestine on May 19 during the AFC Challenge Cup.
Both players can make appeals against their ban.
Source VOV/VNN
Thanh Hoa secure third spot in V-League
Thanh Hoa suffered their humiliating loss yesterday in the capital city, but still managed to win the bronze medal as the V-League season came to an end.
Their 2-5 defeat to hosts Ha Noi T&T was their second worst loss in the season, following their losing 0-8 to Dong Nai in round 12 on April 12.
However, their nearest rivals, SHB Da Nang, could not take advantage of their failure to occupy third place in the final ranking.
Da Nang had two points less than Thanh Hoa prior to the last round match. They needed a win over newly crowned champions Becamex Binh Duong to enter the top three. However, the former winning team, despite great efforts, only earned a 1-1 draw as Binh Duong was on a song after taking the triumph cup one round earlier than scheduled.
Thanh Hoa players started the game as if in a dream, when Le Quoc Phuong opened the score at the 19th minute. Phuong, from the left wing, received a ball and broke through T&T’s defence. His straight shot into the far corner was out of goalkeeper Nguyen Van Cong’s reach.
However, their nightmare began in the second half. Just two minutes after the break, T&T levelled the result.
Corner-kick expert Phan Thanh Luong dropped the ball to the box where teammate Bui Van Hieu jumped up and his sharp header found the net.
It was then 2-1 for the hosts from a counter-attack. Defender Cyrus Daneil Nicholas, in an attempt to mark his presence, sent the ball to the net from a straight header at the 51st minute.
The score board changed continuously every three minutes with goals by Nguyen Van Quyet of T&T and Le Thanh Binh from the visiting side.
Also, Hoang Vu Samson pocketed his 23rd goal of the season, 15 minutes before the end. It was 4-2 for the hosts.
The naturalised striker of T&T became the best scorer of the year. It is the second time in a row Samson leads the scoring list of V-League.
Anjembe Timothy of Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Abass Cheikh Dieng from Binh Duong were his runners-up, respectively.
Thanh Hoa was previously warned that they would suffered a fine of 50 per cent of their salaries for the last two months cut in case of failing to protect their third position.
But they could not do anything else to stop T&T’s attempts.
Pham Van Thanh had his goal at the 88th minute, sealing a beautiful revenge for the capital representative, who lost 1-3 in the first leg match six months ago.
At the same time at Go Dau Stadium in Binh Duong Province, Da Nang went ahead with the opener at the 15th by Doan Hung Son, but they just kept their lead 20 minutes before host player Dang Van Thanh levelled with a crazy back-heel to the net.
The result meant that there was no change in the ranking, with Binh Duong topping the tournament for their third time in its history with 49 points.
Yesterday they received the cup from the organisers on their home turf.
T&T came in second with two points less, and Thanh Hoa maintained at third place on 40 points.
The two runners-up were also awarded their medals at the Hang Day Stadium in Ha Noi.
In other activities, Quang Ninh Coal beat Quang Nam 2-0; Dong Nai lost 0-1 to Dong Tam Long An; Hoang Anh Gia Lai defeated Hai Phong 2-1; and Hung Vuong An Giang suffered their 16th loss of the season.
An Giang will have to compete in a playoff match against V-League 2’s third-placed Can Tho. The winners will compete at V-League next season. The schedule for the playoff has not been announced.
Source: VNS/VNN

Thanh Hoa secure third spot in V-League
Thanh Hoa suffered their humiliating loss yesterday in the capital city, but still managed to win the bronze medal as the V-League season came to an end.
Their 2-5 defeat to hosts Ha Noi T&T was their second worst loss in the season, following their losing 0-8 to Dong Nai in round 12 on April 12.
However, their nearest rivals, SHB Da Nang, could not take advantage of their failure to occupy third place in the final ranking.
Da Nang had two points less than Thanh Hoa prior to the last round match. They needed a win over newly crowned champions Becamex Binh Duong to enter the top three. However, the former winning team, despite great efforts, only earned a 1-1 draw as Binh Duong was on a song after taking the triumph cup one round earlier than scheduled.
Thanh Hoa players started the game as if in a dream, when Le Quoc Phuong opened the score at the 19th minute. Phuong, from the left wing, received a ball and broke through T&T’s defence. His straight shot into the far corner was out of goalkeeper Nguyen Van Cong’s reach.
However, their nightmare began in the second half. Just two minutes after the break, T&T levelled the result.
Corner-kick expert Phan Thanh Luong dropped the ball to the box where teammate Bui Van Hieu jumped up and his sharp header found the net.
It was then 2-1 for the hosts from a counter-attack. Defender Cyrus Daneil Nicholas, in an attempt to mark his presence, sent the ball to the net from a straight header at the 51st minute.
The score board changed continuously every three minutes with goals by Nguyen Van Quyet of T&T and Le Thanh Binh from the visiting side.
Also, Hoang Vu Samson pocketed his 23rd goal of the season, 15 minutes before the end. It was 4-2 for the hosts.
The naturalised striker of T&T became the best scorer of the year. It is the second time in a row Samson leads the scoring list of V-League.
Anjembe Timothy of Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Abass Cheikh Dieng from Binh Duong were his runners-up, respectively.
Thanh Hoa was previously warned that they would suffered a fine of 50 per cent of their salaries for the last two months cut in case of failing to protect their third position.
But they could not do anything else to stop T&T’s attempts.
Pham Van Thanh had his goal at the 88th minute, sealing a beautiful revenge for the capital representative, who lost 1-3 in the first leg match six months ago.
At the same time at Go Dau Stadium in Binh Duong Province, Da Nang went ahead with the opener at the 15th by Doan Hung Son, but they just kept their lead 20 minutes before host player Dang Van Thanh levelled with a crazy back-heel to the net.
The result meant that there was no change in the ranking, with Binh Duong topping the tournament for their third time in its history with 49 points.
Yesterday they received the cup from the organisers on their home turf.
T&T came in second with two points less, and Thanh Hoa maintained at third place on 40 points.
The two runners-up were also awarded their medals at the Hang Day Stadium in Ha Noi.
In other activities, Quang Ninh Coal beat Quang Nam 2-0; Dong Nai lost 0-1 to Dong Tam Long An; Hoang Anh Gia Lai defeated Hai Phong 2-1; and Hung Vuong An Giang suffered their 16th loss of the season.
An Giang will have to compete in a playoff match against V-League 2’s third-placed Can Tho. The winners will compete at V-League next season. The schedule for the playoff has not been announced.
Source VNN

Third place still up for grabs as V-League ends
The third-place position in the V-League is still up for grabs as the season comes to an end tomorrow with the champions and runners-up already decided.
Becamex Binh Duong won the league with a 3-1 win over Dong Tam Long An last week and Ha Noi T&T failed to defend its title and had to settle for second place after suffering a 2-1 defeat by SHB Da Nang.
The third place position, however, has not been decided yet as the current third-place team, Thanh Hoa, are just two points ahead of Da Nang, with both teams playing their last game of the season tomorrow.
Both Thanh Hoa and Da Nang visit the two top teams tomorrow. While the former will travel to Hang Day Stadium to face the home team Ha Noi T&T, the latter will have to face the hosts and newly-crowned champions Binh Duong at Go Dau Stadium.
Teams whose position might change on the ranking table will be Quang Ninh Coal, Dong Nai and QNK Quang Nam, who have the same points or are just one away.
Hoang Vu Samson, Ha Noi T&T’s striker, who is a naturalised citizen of Viet Nam, has all but won the award as best striker of the season as he has accumulated 22 goals, four goals ahead of Nigerian striker Anjembe Timothy and Senegalese striker Abass Cheik Dieng. The latter two have scored 18 goals each
Source VNN