WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016 SPORTS

McCarthy pulls out of Irish World Cup qualifier

DUBLIN: Ireland midfielder James game time in two 2018 World Cup quali- fiers. However, on Monday the Football squad, while some players will be who scored the equaliser in the 2-2 draw McCarthy withdrew from the squad for fiers last month as he had just returned Association of Ireland (FAI) issued a assessed by the FAI medical staff,” read in their opening qualifier against Serbia, Saturday’s 2018 World Cup qualifier with from a groin operation. statement saying he would not feature the statement. is also a non starter. ending a fiery debate between O’Neill said the Dutchman’s claim was and had been joined on the sidelines by Experienced defender John O’Shea is Ireland-whom O’Neill guided to the national coach Martin O’Neill and his rubbish and accused him of ‘bleating’ three other players. one of the players being assessed and last 16 of Euro 2016 — are presently lev- Everton manager Ronald Koeman over even though McCarthy-who has over 40 “Injury has ruled out , O’Neill will hope he is fit as he has been el on seven points with table-topping his fitness. Koeman blamed O’Neill for caps to his name-has only played just Stephen Ward, James McCarthy and hit prior to Monday by the loss of lead- Serbia as the Irish bid to reach their first giving 25-year-old McCarthy too much over an hour for Everton since the quali- from the provisional ing striker . , World Cup finals since 2002. —AFP Europe no burden for Arsenal, says Wenger

LONDON: Arsenal manager Arsene setting his team out with a back three. Wenger does not believe the teams free of Arsenal winger Theo Walcott said the Champions League commitment have an hosts had been surprised by the move, but advantage in the despite Wenger insisted his players had been pre- both Liverpool and Chelsea outstripping pared for the eventuality. his side. Chelsea’s recent fine form was sparked Liverpool are top after crushing Watford by a second-half switch to a 3-4-3 system 6-1, with Chelsea a point back in second during their 3 POCHETTINO ALL SMILES-0 following a scintillating 5-0 win over defeat at Arsenal in late September, but Everton, and neither side must contend Pochettino said he had not taken their with European distractions. approach as inspiration. Arsenal sit a point further back in fourth “Because Chelsea won 5-0 yesterday place following Sunday’s 1-1 draw with (Saturday), they didn’t discover the system,” Tottenham Hotspur, which followed a 3-2 he said. win away to Bulgarian side Ludogorets “It’s a good system to use depending on Razgrad in the Champions League. the players. But we don’t play like Chelsea. “It’s a bit easier to prepare for games We play with two strikers and Christian because you do not have the intensity of a (Eriksen) behind.” Champions League game, but if you asked Dembele was Spurs’ stand-out player them (Liverpool and Chelsea), both would and hauled them back into the game by like to play in there,” Wenger said. winning the penalty after driving into the “So you cannot complain about that. Arsenal box from deep in characteristic There’s a little physical advantage, for sure, fashion.Pochettino described the Belgium especially after the European weeks, but international as “a genius”. we have to live with that. While Spurs have now gone seven “It’s not an excuse. Even if they’re in games without a win in all competitions, Jose Mourinho front, it’s a small difference after 11 games. they have avoided defeat in their first 11 It’s very tight.” While Wenger did not feel league games for the first time since the Arsenal’s European exertions had weighed Double season of 1960-61. too heavily on his players, he was at a loss Spurs have lost Dele Alli to what Mourinho already showing to explain the drop in their level of intensi- Pochettino termed a “minor” knee injury ty against Tottenham. and he conceded he will need to juggle his After a strong start by Spurs, Arsenal resources skilfully if his team are to repeat signs of strain at United took the upper hand and went ahead in last season’s title challenge. the 42nd minute when Kevin Wimmer “All teams have good and bad moments headed Mesut Ozil’s free-kick into his own during the season,” said the Argentine, net. But Harry Kane equalised with a penal- whose side remained fifth in the table. MANCHESTER: Jose Mourinho has picked the media world who have been critical of his ing echo of the final days of his most recent ty early in the second half after Laurent “If you have bad moments, like we suf- fights throughout his trophy-laden coaching lineup selections and his team’s displays. job. His second stint at Chelsea ended sourly in Koscielny impeded Mousa Dembele, in fered last month, and you are still unbeat- career, typically against soccer authorities, He even said in an interview with British December 2015, when he was fired days after what Wenger felt was a “harsh” decision, en, all I can do is smile. Because I’m happy. match officials, the media and opposing man- broadcaster Sky Sports last month that his liv- saying his players had “betrayed” his work by and Arsenal could not find a second wind. “When you compete in the Champions agers. ing situation - he currently is staying in a defending so poorly in a 2-1 loss at Leicester. “Did we get a little mental blow when League and the Premier League, which for Now, he’s increasingly taking on his own Manchester hotel - “is a bit of a disaster.” Chelsea said there had been a “palpable dis- they equalised? I don’t know,” Wenger said. me are the toughest competitions in the players. The joyless, turbulent opening It’s the personal attacks so early his United cord between manager and players.” It could “But overall when we were questioned in world, you need all the squad fit. months of his tenure at Manchester United tenure that stick out, though, and it’s a worry- be heading the same way at United. — AP the final 30 minutes, we had no physical “We have suffered some issues and have been pock-marked with public outbursts answer good enough to win the game. I maybe we cannot rotate in the way we against the team in general but also against cannot question the spirit, but we looked a want to give freshness and put the players specific individuals. bit flat.” in their best condition, so we have to use England defender Luke Shaw has taken the As well as welcoming Kane back from a the same players. brunt of it. Six weeks ago, Mourinho was Ranieri backs Okazaki seven-week lay-off, Spurs manager “But I’m very happy with the way we fin- openly critical of Shaw’s defensive work in Mauricio Pochettino sprang a surprise by ished now. The feeling is fantastic.” — AFP United’s 3-1 loss to Watford in the Premier League. On Sunday, Shaw was one of two over Vardy at Leicester players - the other being Chris Smalling - criti- BRIEFS cized by Mourinho for failing to play through LEICESTER: Leicester manager Claudio Copenhagen. the pain for a league game against Swansea. Ranieri admits that Japanese international “But we knew it would be a tough match “There is a difference,” Mourinho said, striker Shinji Okazaki is his preferred option for against West Bromwich. It was the same last Coleman haunted by Serbia defeat player was defiant when he refused to “between the brave, who want to be there at : manager Chris Coleman take the breathalyser on September 26, Premier League outings rather than England season in the 2-2 draw. “The first half was not any cost, and the ones for whom a little pain star Jamie Vardy. good. We tried to have a plan but it was diffi- is still rankled by the 2012 memory of telling the two police officers who can make a difference.” Usually, the their 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Serbia stopped him that the president of Las Vardy was left on the bench for the second cult to do this. The second half was much bet- Portuguese coach makes such comments after successive Premier League fixture on Sunday ter but we lost the match. as his team prepare to clash with the Palmas “will fix everything”, according to a loss or poor performance, using them as a same opponents in Saturday’s World Cup the court. Araujo’s lawyer, Lino Chaparro, as the champions were beaten 2-1 by West He added: “Danny has said nothing. Every kind of diversionary tactic in classic Mourinho Brom. Okazaki partnered Islam Slimani who player can make mistake. What can you say to qualifier in Cardiff. Euro 2016 semi-final- said he would study the court ruling. He style. Except on this occasion, United had just ists Wales have five points in Group D and had said in the past that he would appeal scored Leicester’s only goal after James him? “He is one of our best players. It is no won 3-1, meaning the remarks in some Morrison had given West Brom the lead. problem. He will overcome that, of course.” For trail both Serbia and Ireland, who have the ruling if Araujo was sentenced. The respects sabotaged what had been an impor- seven points each after three matches. “It Buenos Aires native was on loan at Las Vardy, last season’s leading scorer, made lit- West Brom, a third victory of the season came tant win for the club after a recent run of poor tle impact after stepping off the bench at half- thanks to Phillips’ first goal for the club. The still haunts me, to be honest,” Coleman Palmas from Boca Juniors in the 2014-15 form. Also, Shaw was a strange target, given told reporters. “There’s nothing worse season, helping the club gain promotion time. “In this moment we play better with summer signing from QPR had been dropped the left back missed most of last season Shinji Okazaki,” said Ranieri. “Today, we didn’t, last weekend but was recalled at Leicester for than when you feel like you’ve let your to La Liga. because of a broken leg and has felt discom- country down-and I did that in a big way... but often we do. I didn’t play Islam Slimani in the suspended James McClean and laid on fort since. the Champions League and I wanted to give a Morrison’s goal before scoring himself. I was hanging on to my job. “We had a Barcelona appeal Messi yellow card There are other examples of Mourinho’s room upstairs (in the dressing room) with BARCELONA: Barcelona have rest to Vardy. “The biggest problem with Matt is that self- attacks. After United’s 2-1 loss to Manchester “But it wasn’t right, they didn’t do what I belief,” said coach , who pursued no lights. I remember sitting in there with announced they will appeal the yellow City in the derby at Old Trafford on Sept. 10, Kit Symons and Osian Roberts (his assis- card given to Lionel Messi during the asked so in the second half I introduced Vardy Phillips for more than a year before signing Mourinho was openly critical of the displays of to attack the defensive line.” Meanwhile, him in the summer. tants) and I didn’t want to come out and team’s 2-1 win over Sevilla on Sunday. The Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard, who talk. It was the worst I’ve ever felt, the Argentinian forward was booked during Ranieri backed Danny Drinkwater to bounce “He’s got all the tools, he’s very quick, he’s were substituted at halftime. He also said his back from the howler that ended their 20- got two great feet and he’s got a good absolute worst.” Wales have never beaten the second half of the La Liga game for center backs, Daley Blind and Eric Bailly, Serbia, and Coleman, who will be without time wasting as he attempted to put his match unbeaten home Premier League record. goalscoring record. appeared to be “trying to do what I told Drinkwater’s dreadful backpass handed “I had a chat with him last week and told defenders Ben Davies and James Collins, boot back on after it had come off follow- (them) not to do.” warned that his team would have to be ing a challenge from Sevilla’s Steven Matt Phillips the winner for West Brom to him he has to start understanding that he’s a Some will argue that there is little wrong inflict Leicester’s first home league defeat for good player and he deserves to be where he on their game to get win. “Serbia are very N’Zonzi. A statement from Barcelona with a manager pointing out a player’s mis- aggressive offensively, they take chances,” read: “The club have presented an appeal more than a year. is.” West Brom triumphed without Saido take, that the pampered modern-day player Ranieri apologised to supporters for the Berahino after the striker was sent to France he added. against the yellow card that Leo Messi needs to have a thicker skin. Yet, a coach rarely received on Sunday n the match against end of the run but insisted England midfielder for a four-day fitness camp, from where he goes down that route, at least in public. Drinkwater will respond positively. “I am very posted a pre-match Instagram photograph Araujo sentenced for Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan, which Even Alex Ferguson, United’s often-volatile refusing breathalyser Barca won 2-1 thanks to a goal from the sorry we lost our unbeaten record at home,” showing off his muscles with the caption “fat managerial great, would protect individual said Ranieri, whose side maintained their boy”. MADRID: Spanish court yesterday sen- Argentine.” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique players from criticism at all costs. tenced Las Palmas striker Sergio Araujo to explained after the game that Messi’s unbeaten Champions League record on Pulis joked: “He’s looking nearly there. “I could criticize my team publicly,” Wednesday with a goalless draw in Nearly!” — AFP nine months in prison for failing to coop- laces were broken due to N’Zonzi’s foul Ferguson said in his recent autobiography, erate with police who asked him to take a and that is why the player could not put “but I could never castigate an individual after breathalyser test. The 24-year-old the boot back on immediately. Barca strik- the game to the media. The supporters were Argentine player is unlikely to go to er Neymar was also booked on Sunday entitled to know when I was unhappy with a prison because in Spain it is customary and is one card away from a ban. Uruguay performance. But not an individual.” Mourinho that offenders of non-violent crimes with forward Luis Suarez will miss the team’s used to abide by this unwritten managerial a sentence of under two years do not home game against Malaga on Nov. 19 code. serve time in jail. Araujo admitted he was after picking up his fifth yellow card of Frank Lampard, one of Mourinho’s disciples guilty of the driving offence during his tri- the campaign during the encounter at from his two spells at Chelsea, explained in al, according to the ruling by the court in Sevilla, resulting in an automatic one- 2013 how the Portuguese coach used his out- Las Palmas on Spain’s Canary Islands. The game suspension. bursts in the media to create a storm deliber- ately. “But he does protect his players,” Lampard said. Nowadays, it seems he does it to protect himself. Before the win at Swansea, United was eighth in the 20-team Premier League and had slipped to third place in its Europa League group following Thursday’s 2-1 loss at Fenerbahce, after which Mourinho attacked his players’ “global attitude” and accused them of being “fragile.” This is United, the record 20- time champion of England which spent about 150 million pounds (about $185 million) on new players in the recent transfer window. Things aren’t going to plan for Mourinho - he still, for example, doesn’t appear to know his best team - and it’s showing in his unravel- ing of his personal discipline. He was recently charged twice by the English Football Association, for commenting about a referee before a game and then ver- bally abusing a match official at halftime of a game. The latter offense meant he had to BURTON-ON-TRENT: England’s defender Michael Keane (L) watches as England’s mid- watch United’s victory at Swansea in the direc- fielder Jesse Lingard (L) vies with England’s striker Daniel Sturridge during a team LA PAZ: Bolivian player Juan Carlos Arce takes part in a training session on Monday, in La Paz. tor’s box rather than the dugout. training session at St George’s Park in Burton-on-Trent on Monday, ahead of their Bolivia will face Venezuela and Paraguay on November 10 and 15 respectively for World Cup He has repeatedly railed at the “Einsteins” in group F World Cup qualifying football match against Scotland on November 11. — AFP 2018 South American qualifier matches. — AFP