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27 Sports Thursday, September 6, 2018 Defence is name of the game for Germany against France ‘We want to show a different face, play a good game against champions’ MUNICH: Germany must defend with all their players leaving the team exposed at the back as a major reason when they host world champions France today if they for their shock World Cup exit. are to get some measure of redemption for their The Germans must now settle into the role of under- World Cup flop and make a fresh start, coach Joachim dogs against France who deserved the world title after Loew said. having been the world’s best team in the past few years, Germany, 2014 world champions, crashed out of the he said. “We are not the favourites when the new world World Cup in Russia in June champions play their first at the group stage, their ear- game since winning the liest exit in 80 years in the title,” Loew said. “We were tournament. Their inaugural favourites for years and now Nations League encounter we have to start from a dif- against France is the first We need to ferent position. game for both teams since “Logically we will try to the World Cup. rebalance contain them and independ- “We want to show a dif- ently of the result we want to ferent face, play a good game our game show a different face and a against the world champi- different attitude.” Loew ons,” Loew told reporters also ruled out the return of today. “Of course it is a midfielder Mesut Ozil, who chance for us for some redemption.” “You can feel that retired from international football after the World Cup the team knows it needs to rectify things. We must have claiming he was the victim of racism following a furore the confidence to defend and all players must partici- over a photograph with him and Turkish President pate in defending.” Tayyip Erdogan. “No matter what the system is, it is important for all “He announced his retirement, he gave his reasons so MUNICH: Germany’s players warm up during the training session of the German national football team in players to work in defence, not only those in the back. the case is closed,” Loew said of the Arsenal player. Munich, southern Germany, yesterday. Germany will play in the UEFA Nations League against the France in We need to rebalance our game.” Loew in recent “When someone announces their retirement like that, Munich, southern Germany, today. — AFP weeks blamed his risky attacking tactics that ended up you don’t bring them back eight weeks later.” — Reuters The annual meeting included Massimiliano Allegri cry from today where it is considered routine. European coaches (Juventus), Carlos Ancelotti (Napoli), Unai Emery Marchetti said the coaches felt the rule was also (Arsenal), Paulo Fonseca (Shakhtar Donetsk), Julen counter-productive and that, as much as encouraging Lopetegui (Real Madrid) Jose Mourinho away teams to attack, it induced home teams to ask UEFA to review (Manchester United), Thomas Tuchel (Paris St defend to avoid conceding a costly goal. World Cup finalists Germain) and former Arsenal manager Arsene “This is one of the points that needs to be looked away goals rule Wenger. at,” he said. On the transfer window, he said the Croatia face Portugal “The coaches think that scoring goals away is not coaches wanted more countries to follow the exam- as difficult as it was in the past... so they think the ple of England and Italy and close them before the NYON: Europe’s top club coaches have asked UEFA rule should be reviewed and that’s what we will do,” start of the season. The transfer windows in England but look to the future to review the use of the away goals rule in continen- Marchetti told reporters. “They consider the situa- and Italy were changed this year in response to com- tal competitions because scoring away from home is tion in football has changed and the weight of the plaints last year that they had overshadowed the not as difficult as it used to be. They also want the away goals is not the same as many years ago when action on the pitch and made it difficult for coaches Zagreb: Still riding the wave of their historic World transfer window to end at the same time in all the the rule was introduced.” to plan. However, in Spain, Germany and France, they Cup run, Croatia are heading for a potential reality region’s major leagues. The rule was first introduced in the former continued until the end of August as before. check as their new season starts with a friendly UEFA’s deputy general secretary Giorgio European Cup Winners’ Cup competition in 1965 as “The coaches are of an opinion that there against Portugal in Faro today. It will be the tiny Marchetti confirmed that the European soccer body an alternative to tossing a coin or staging a replay on should be a unified window and the window Balkan nation’s first match since the side led by star would “open a discussion” on the use of the away a neutral ground. At the time, playing away in Europe should close before the competition starts,” said midfielder Luka Modric succumbed to France in the goals rule which is used to determine the winners of was a huge challenge which involved difficult travel Marchetti. “The idea would be to try and bring World Cup final in July-a loss celebrated like a victo- ry by underdogs who had never made it so far on the knockout ties when the aggregate score is level. and intimidating, unfamiliar conditions abroad, a far them into line.” — Reuters world stage. That fairytale glow took the spotlight off controversies plaguing football in Croatia, from the unsavoury ultra-nationalism of its hardcore support- ers to a litany of legal problems. But fans will be VAR disrupts flow reminded of the former when Croatia face England in its first Nations League home match on October 12. The game will be played in an empty stadium- of game, says punishment by UEFA for the swastika drawn on a pitch in Split, on Croatia’s Adriatic coast, ahead of a Barca’s Suarez Euro 2016 qualifier with Italy. The perpetrators were never found, but it was not the first time Croatian fans have tainted the team’s image by using fascist slogans and symbols. BARCELONA: Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has criti- That darker side of Croatia’s football fairytale also cised the introduction of the video assistant referee reared its head during the World Cup celebrations, (VAR) in Spain this season, saying it disrupted the nat- when the players invited a singer known for pro-Nazi ural flow of games and that he would prefer to see the sympathies to join them on the bus and stage at their use of goal-line technology instead. welcoming party in Zagreb. Suarez scored a goal in Barca’s 8-2 win over Huesca LEGAL WOES on Sunday which was initially ruled out for offside but later awarded after the referee consulted VAR, leaving Even during the euphoria of the World Cup one the Uruguayan unconvinced by the system. local paper warned that “after showering in the “VAR stifles celebrations,” Suarez said in an inter- champagne of victory, not only cosmetic but deep changes should be made” in the sport. It may be only view with radio station RAC1 broadcast yesterday. a matter of time before fans resume calls for the “Defenders are now asking for something the whole departure of the federation’s president, Davor Suker, time. I would prefer to just have goal-line technology. accused of being a puppet in the hands of Zdravko With VAR, the game can lose naturalness,” he added. Mamic, the self-exiled strongman of Croatian foot- “Perhaps a play starts with an involuntary handball, ball. Mamic, the former head of the Dinamo Zagreb you counter-attack and score, then they review the club, fled to Bosnia after being sentenced in June to a play and rule it out.” Spain has joined top-flight leagues six and a half years in prison for corruption and in Italy and Germany in implementing VAR after having embezzling funds from players’ transfers. “His influ- no form of technology last season, when Suarez was MADRID: Spanish referee Santiago Jaime Latre (C) checks the VAR screen during the Spanish league football ence on Croatian football maybe did not disappear denied a goal against Valencia despite television show- match between Real Madrid CF and Club Deportivo Leganes SAD at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid overnight, but now he cannot influence Dinamo or ing the ball had clearly crossed the line. on September 1, 2018. — AFP even less the federation as he used to,” prominent The English Premier League has used goal-line sports journalist Davorin Olivari told AFP. technology since 2013 but is yet to introduce VAR, The controversy also ensnared Modric, who was which was widely hailed as a success when used at the Champions League quarter-final second leg at AS Liverpool in 2014. charged with giving false testimony during Mamic’s 2018 World Cup. Suarez, 31, scored for the first time in Roma, where Barca slumped to a 3-0 defeat to go out “It happened to me last season against Leganes, just trial over his transfer from Dinamo. For now Modric, five games in all competitions in Sunday’s win over on away goals after winning 4-1 at home. before the game against Roma.

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