Barcelona players have been banned from tackling Lionel Messi too hard during trainings, one of the club’s former defenders, Jean-Clair Todibo, has revealed. Messi has struggled with occasional injury in recent years, and the LaLiga champions have put in place restrictions, to protect the 32-year-old from suffering more injuries.
Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has called for patience as he looks to rebuild his squad and believes rivals Liverpool are an example to follow. According to Sky Sports News, Solskjaer is under increased pressure at Old Trafford after back-to-back defeats to Liverpool and Burnley left them six points off the Champions League places.
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has praised his side's never-say-die spirit after they twice fought back from behind to claim a dramatic 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge despite having David Luiz sent off in the first half. Luiz was shown a straight red card when he brought down Tammy Abraham following an under-hit backpass from Shkodran Mustafi, with Jorginho converting the resulting penalty.
Manchester United and Chelsea may be frustrated in their attempts to sign Edinson Cavani from Paris Saint Germain this January, with the player’s father Luis stating he wants his son to sign for Atletico Madrid. With Cavani’s contract running down with the Ligue 1 giants this summmer, there are growing questions on where his next move will be. The prolific striker is attracting plenty of interest from a number of clubs in the January transfer window.
English giant, Tottenham Hotspur are looking to strengthen their side and that has led them to consider a move that would see Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale return to the north London club. According to Marca.com, the Welshman has featured sparsely this season, mostly due to injuries, and Los Blancos could be tempted into selling the forward for the right price.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been drawn in Group C where they will battle it out for the next round Cape Verde, Central African Republic and Liberia.
