Aguero Return Lifts City After Kompany Injury
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CRICKET| Page 8 IICECE HHOCKEYOCKEY Page 5 Kiwis post Canada to strong reply face Russia, To Advertise here against India Sweden to take Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 at Kanpur on Europe Saturday, September 24, 2016 FOOTBALL Dhul-Hijja 22, 1437 AH Rangers brace GULF TIMES themselves for tinderbox clash SPORT Page 4 FOOTBALL EPL Fossati set to Wenger marks milestone in coach Qatar aft er Chelsea clash AFP the back-to-back FA Cup triumphs of London 2014 and 2015. Arsenal’s quest to end their 12-year league title drought got off to an in- rsene Wenger celebrates his auspicious start this season with a 4-3 20th anniversary as Arse- home defeat by Liverpool followed by a Carreno sacked nal manager this weekend 0-0 draw at champions Leicester City. against opponents who have But they have won their last three Acaused him more anguish than almost league games, against Watford, South- The Uruguayan will meet top football off icials today to discuss terms of his any other team. ampton and Hull, and victory over a The Frenchman has won only fi ve familiar foe on Saturday will raise hope contract after Carreno was fired following Qatar’s loss to Iran and Uzbekistan of his last 31 meetings against Chelsea that Wenger could yet lead Arsenal to and had his last major milestone — his the title again. AFP 1,000th match as Arsenal manager — Whereas Wenger spent last season Doha spoilt by a 6-0 thrashing at Stamford jousting with his old rival Jose Mour- Bridge. inho, he has never previously crossed But having seen a second-string swords with Chelsea’s new manager, orge Fossati is set to take team win 4-0 at Nottingham Forest in Antonio Conte. over the reins of the Qatar the League Cup in mid-week, after a Conte’s season to date has been the football team after fellow 4-1 success at Hull City last weekend, almost exact opposite of Wenger’s, Uruguayan Jose Daniel he is feeling chipper about the depth of with three Premier League wins fol- JCarreno was sacked yesterday, his squad. lowed by a 2-2 draw at Swansea City just a fortnight ahead of a crucial “We have four days to prepare for the and a 2-1 home defeat by Liverpool. 2018 qualifi er in South Korea. game, let’s focus on that now,” Wenger But Chelsea go into the London der- Qatar football authorities said after Tuesday’s victory at the City by buoyed by a 4-2 League Cup win at decided to end Carreno’s asso- Ground. Leicester in which they came from 2-0 ciation with the team following “The performance shows that the down. recent back-to-back defeats players who played at Hull need to be One player desperate to feature at the against Iran and Uzbekistan on their toes and that’s what we want Emirates is Cesc Fabregas, who made which left Qatar’s hopes of — competition for places. his name as a player under Wenger making the World Cup in Rus- “The performance (against Forest) during an eight-year Arsenal career of sia in two years’ time in serious shows that competition exists.” dizzy highs and crashing lows. trouble. Thursday marked 20 years to the day The Spain international is yet to Fossati, who has had a short since Wenger, now 66, was presented start in the league this season, but stint as Qatar’s head coach a few to the media as Arsenal’s new man- having scored twice in extra time at years ago, is currently in charge ager after arriving from Japanese side Leicester, he is hopeful of forcing his of defending Qatar Stars League Jorge Fossati is set to take over Nagoya Grampus Eight to succeed the way into Conte’s starting XI. champions Al Rayyan. He is ex- the reins of the Qatar football sacked Bruce Rioch. “It’s a new situation for me in my pected to meet top offi cials of team. Wenger was a near-unknown in career after 13 years of basically play- the Qatar Football Association England and few who witnessed his ing all the time for my club and na- today to discuss terms and con- played as a goalkeeper for sev- unveiling at Highbury — blue blazer, tional team,” Fabregas told the London ditions of his contract. eral clubs in South America, has red club tie — could have predicted Evening Standard. “Qatar is a special country for had a long and varied career. He he would be the man to redefine the “And it’s been tough, I’m not going me and I cannot refuse an off er coached the Uruguayan national club. to deny it. But the last thing I will do is (to coach the team) if it is made team for two years from 2004. The Wenger era at Arsenal divides complain or put my hands up and give in. to me,” Fossati said after yes- In case, Fossati fails to come neatly into two 10-year parts. “Something from inside is coming terday’s QSL match between Al to an agreement with the QFA, From 1996 to 2006 almost every- out stronger than ever and I just feel Rayyan and Umm Salal which the other leading candidate is thing he touched turned to gold as Ar- like a little boy in training trying to win ended in a goalless draw. French-born Algerian Djamel senal won three Premier League titles, my spot back as I used to do at Arsenal Fossati was coach of the na- Belmadi. four FA Cups, went a season unbeaten when I was 16. Hopefully I will achieve tional team in 2007-8 but had The former Southampton in 2003-04 and reached the Champi- it again. to leave after it emerged it would player coached the national ons League fi nal. “My coach deserves respect because take a long time for him to re- team in 2014-15, when Qatar But the years since, during which I know he wants to win and if he doesn’t cover from an operation. won the Gulf championship. He Wenger’s transfer spending was curbed play me, there is always a reason. A Qatar Football Associa- currently coaches QSL side Le- by the cost of constructing the Emir- “Hopefully I can open his eyes and tion spokesman told AFP yes- khwiya. ates Stadium, were entirely fallow until make him see that I deserve to play.” terday that there would be an Completing the managerial announcement of a new coach merry-go-round, Carreno is ex- shortly. pected to become the new man- “The new coach will be some- ager of Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, one from Doha, a coach from after they fi red their Uruguayan Doha,” said the spokesman. coach Gustavo Matosas on Asked if Carreno had lost his job Thursday. because of World Cup qualifying Carreno’s fate was sealed fol- results, the spokesman replied: lowing a meeting on Thursday. “For sure.” Despite serene progress Qatar are desperate to reach through the AFC’s second its fi rst fi nals in 2018. round of qualifying, where Qa- If Qatar fail to do so, they will tar topped their group and won become the fi rst team to host a seven of their eight games, the World Cup fi nals without previ- 53-year-old has paid the price ously qualifying since Italy way for the Gulf country’s disastrous Sacked: Jose Daniel carreno back in 1934. Fossati, 63, who start to Round 3. BOTTOMLINE Wenger plays down Mourinho ‘face break’ threat AFP a new biography of Manchester Unit- fuel to the fi re, told a news confer- “I do not want to especially com- London ed boss Mourinho being serialised in ence: “Look, I haven’t read the book ment because we play Chelsea tomor- the Daily Mail newspaper. and I certainly won’t read it. row. I have no personal problem with Wenger, celebrating his 20th an- “I cannot comment on that. I talk anybody, I respect everybody in our rsene Wenger said yesterday niversary with the Gunners, clashed about football and that’s all I do. I’m game and I don’t feel I comment a lot that he preferred to avoid a repeatedly with Mourinho when the not in a destructive mode, ever. I’m on other teams. “destructive mode” as he Portuguese was in charge of London more constructive and I cannot com- “Sometimes I just say what I think, played down claims that rivals Chelsea. ment on that because I’m focused on but that is part of the way I am.” Aadversary Jose Mourinho had once According to the new biography, tomorrow’s game and how we want to Wenger added that the rivalry be- wanted to “break his face”. Mourinho allegedly once told the au- play football.” tween Arsenal and Chelsea — where The Arsenal manager said he was thor, football journalist Rob Beasley, The Frenchman added: “What is Antonio Conte is now in charge — was concentrating solely on the Gunners’ when discussing Wenger: “I will fi nd amazing is that has nothing to do with about more than his fractious rela- Premier League clash with Chelsea him one day outside a football pitch our game tomorrow. I personally am tionship with Mourinho, who was today and did not want to linger on and I will break his face.” just focused on doing my job well and sacked last season by Chelsea and This file photo taken on April 5, 2008 shows Arsenal’s French manager Arsene the controversial quote, contained in But Wenger, 66, keen not to add any respecting everybody else.