Leicester City Humble Manchester City At Etihad Stadium To Maintain Top Position

           

Leicester City outplayed and defeated Manchester City at Etihad Stadium to move six points clear off Manchester City. The match which ended 1-3 in favour of the foxes showed determination on their part to win the Premier League title.

The visitors mounted pressure on their host, making Manchester City goalkeeper Hart, the busiest player on the pitch. Robert Huth scored a brace for Ranieri's men while Riyad Mahrez scored the third, before Aguero scored a late minute goal for Manchester City  which had little or no effect in the match.

The celebration mood which the announcement of Pep Guardiola as new manager of Manchester City gave the club, was immediately buried by this defeat and the mood in Etihad turned sober.

Pellegrini had before the match likened Leicester as Villareal who eventually came second while he was in charge in La Liga, but got a shock in the match, as Manchester City now trail Leicester with six points

Manuel Pellegrini expected that news of his departure at end of season will boost the team to winning ways if made public, but the reverse was the case as it had a negative effect on the team.

Former Boxing Champion Mike Tyson Is Gone

Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has been confirmed to be dead. According to report, his son Amir Tyson came back home and saw his father lying on the floor with blood coming out of his mouth.

He quicly called 911 EMT and they came and took him to West Chester Hospital where he was confirmed to be dead.

Mike Tyson was former World heavyweight Champion,  and would be missed by many who know him, he made significant contribution towards the growth and development of boxing.

Tyson was going to play a major role in the upcoming Hong Kong film called according to Holly Wood reporter.

Hazard Sent Jose Mourinho An Apology Text Message

               

Eden Hazard has admitted he sent an apology text message to the former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho who was sacked barely seven months after winning Chelsea's fifth Premier League title for the club. This the Belgian told the Guardian.

Hazard who was named the PFA Player of the year in 2015 under the former Chelsea boss, suddenly dropped in his performance.

In fact, he failed to to score a penalty against Championship side MK Dons, but admitted he had to apologise.

Hazard told the Guardian that I sent him a text message to tell him I am sorry, he had gone but I just had to admit because I felt guilty.

We enjoyed the success together last season, but this time it did not work and I felt a bit guilty because I had been a player of the year. I'd been one of the most decisive players in the team.

I haven't been at the same level with my performance last season so I sent the text to José and he came back to me wishing me all the best in my career.

Manchester United Will Travel To Stamford Bridge Hoping To Spoil Hiddinks Party

             

Manchester United will be travelling to Stamford Bridge on Sunday with the hope of sustaining their winning ways which they recovered in their last match against Stoke City at Old Trafford.

United are currently in the fifth position with 40 points, while Chelsea who are yet to lose any match since the arrival of Hiddinks are seated on the thirteenth position with 29 points.

While Hiddinks men will aim at keeping their unbeaten record since his arrival, Van Gaal's side will aim to win with the intention of making management happy and possibly consider extending his contract.

Statistics of past meetings is in favour of Chelsea with both teams having 40 games, Chelsea winning 16 Manchester United winning 13 and 11 draws stands between both teams. The defending champions will do every thing possible in this match to extend their lead and possibly climb up the Premier League table.

War In England As Manchester City Plans To Dethrone Leicester City

           

Two cities shall battle to make a declarative decision on who shall remain on top of the English Premier League today, as the match will be the first match to be played this Saturday.

Manchester City will be hosting Claudio Ranieri men at Etihad, and will aim at getting the maximum three points which will make them equal Leicester City who are currently 50 points, but Pellegrini men will remain on top if eventually the match goes in their favour on grounds of goal difference.

However, inform Leicester City who are currently on top with 50 points will need a draw or outright win to remain on top of the Premier League. Leicester will also try to score a single goal, to break the jinx they are having with Manchester City, as they have not yet scored a goal in their last three meetings.

Both teams will be coming out with two strikers who are on score sheets of the EPL, while Jamie Vardy is currently top scorer with 18 goals, Kun Aguero has 13 goals with 12 out of it coming in nine matches out of the last ten matches of Manchester City.

Pellegrini had earlier likened Leicester's City feat to Villareal, while he (Pellegrini) was in charge, but eventually finished second in the Spanish La Liga and got to the semifinal of the Champions League. If what the Chilean said is anything to go by, then Manchester will win the match.

On the other hand,Claudio Ranieri side are focused on the Premier League title, and have so far refused to be distracted, a win at Etihad will be a bold step towards declaring their intention to win.

 

Jose Mourinho May Go To China As A Football Consultant

     


Officials of the Chinese Super League (CSL) are making serious effort to get the former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho to China, where he is expected to work as a consultant and develop the game according to Daily Mail.

Mourinho is currently out of job and the CSL are hopeful that they can lure the former Madrid and Porto manager to be part of their team, having gotten Alex Teixera, Jackson Martinez and Ramires to mention a few to the CSL.     

Mourinho will be given a consultancy role, where he will be charged with the responsibility of analysing the Chinese Super League football and mapping out strategies on how best to improve the general and quality of play with the intention of making it gain global acceptance.

The former Chelsea boss is aware of the interest alongside the mouth watery package that will come with it. However, he still has interest in Manchester United job, but with Van Gaal's improvement in their last match against Stoke City, that may be a bit difficult, unless Van Gaal under performs.

Will Kelechi Iheanacho Play Under Pep Guardiola?

                

The arrival of Pep Guardiola is no doubt a boost for Manchester City and management will give all the necessary support needed for him to do well in his job. Pep is arguably one of the world's greatest coach his pedigree in Barcelona and Bayern speaks for him, having played in all semifinals of the champions league since his coaching career started.

Kelechi Iheanacho the young Nigerian wonder kid, will for the first time in his football career play under one of the world's biggest coach. He has proved himself at the age-grade level in UAE 2013, where he won the MVP award and eventually found his way to Manchester City. The 19 years old will have to do all he can to face the challenge of impressing his new boss who is known as an accomplished football manager.
    
First, Manchester City key players are ageing, the likes of Yaya Toure, Pablo Zableta, David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Aleksandr Kolarov to mention but a few are either close to 30 or above it, this means so much for the coach who is coming in, as he has to work hard to build a formidable Manchester City team that could match the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona and so on with what is available. Kelechi Iheanacho happens to be one of the youngest players available but he will really have to impress his new manager to get into the main team.

Pep Guardiola is an attacking coach and has the qualities to get the best out of any good attacker, his role with the like Pedro Rodriguez in Barcelona is a clear evidence, where he put confidence in the forward player and got the best of him. Pedro was part of the Barcelona team that achieved success with Pep during his sojourn in Barcelona. For Thiago Alcantara, Pep gave him the needed confidence in Barcelona, and moved along with him to Bayern Munich when he went to have a stint there.
               Guardiola giving instruction to Pedro


Pep is a manager that adopts the 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 formation, this style of play requires players that are skillful and attacking-minded in all the department on the field of play. Players that fits into this style of play most be able to hold unto the ball, dribble, be able to handle one-on-one situation as well as know when it is right to shoot. Iheanacho must make himself available to change to this style of play and improve on his use of both legs, as this happens to be one thing Lionel Messi was able to do under Pep Guardiola.

Interestingly, when John Mikel Obi was converted into a defensive midfielder by Jose Mourinho, Nigerians immediately concluded that Mourinho killed Mikel's style of play. Mourinho is a more defensive coach, while case here is the reverse. Pep loves to attack, dribble and knock the ball around. His arms will be wide open for Iheanacho who will no doubt be expected to rise to the occasion and become the first Nigerian to contend for the Ballon D'or in the nearest future.

Happy Birthday Neymar Da Silva Santos Junior

                 

As You Turn 24 Today, We Wish You A World Of Happiness And Memorable Celebration.       
Happy Birthday!!!!!!
             Neymar having a nice moment with his earphone

 
                                    Neymar about to sign autographs

Celebrating For Brazil
 
Many More Years Ahead in Life As you celebrate Today

Kelechi Iheanacho Is Set To Get Champions League Action

Super Eagles and Manchester City young striker Kelechi Iheanacho has been included in the Manchester City UEFA Champions League team.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini included him ahead of Samir Nasri who is out of the team due to hamstring injury which he sustained since October last year.

Iheanacho has given a good account of himself by scoring eight goals in 18 appearances, and that for Pellegrini was good enough to give the young striker an opportunity to prove himself at the Champions League stage.

Nasri who last featured in the 5-1 over Bournemouth has undergone surgery on the problem and is expected to be back in March.

Manchester City will be taking on Dynamo Kiev in the round of 16 stage. Hence the team need to be in good shape to enable her go beyond the round of 16 stage, which has been Manchester City's best performance so far in the history of Champions League.

Lagos Marathon Race 2016 May Slow Down Traffic In Lagos

                

The 2016 Lagos Marathon Race which is expected to start off in Lagos on Saturday February 6 may slow down the pace of movement of cars and Lagosians. Athletes are expected to take-off from the National Stadium Surulere Lagos and end at the Eko Atlantic.

Movement of Athletes will be through Ojuelegba, Ikorodu road, Anthony, 3rd Mainland Bridge, Charly Boy busstop Gbagada, 3rd Mainland Bridge to Ikoyi, Osborne Road, Kingsway Road, Falomo, Ikoyi Bridge, Admiralty Way, Ozumba Mbadiwe, 1004 Apartment, Law School, Under bridge Falomo, Akin Adesola Street, Bishop Oluwole Street, Ahmadu Bello Way, and ends at Eko Atlantic.

Motorists will have to exercise patience, use alternate route, or stay away from the route entirely while the event is on. This is to ensure that the Sporting event is not disrupted. Security agencies will be available to ensure that law and order is maintained.

NFF Gave Me A Bounced Cheque When I Was In Charge Of Eagles -Onigbinde

          

Former Super Eagles and First Indigenous Coach to lead the Super Eagles to the FIFA World Cup has reiterated the unfair act which the NFF melted on him while in charge of the team in 2002.

Chief Onigbinde stated this while commenting on the early exit of the CHAN Eagles in the group stage of the ongoing African Cup of Nations Championship holding in Rwanda. Onigbinde said, the same complain that Sunday Oliseh gave on non-payment of bonuses was the same challenge I had then.

Prior to the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup, I was promised N2 million to prepare and take the team to the World Cup and that was when Taiwo Ogunjobi was the Secretary General of the NFF. The then NFF could not pay the money despite participating at the finals.

He stated that he threatened not to lead the team to the final group match, but they brought a bank cheque in naira equivalent and promised that when I get back to Nigeria after the tournament, i can cash the cheque. But when I eventually got back to Nigeria, the cheque was a bounced one.

Chief Onigbinde also blamed the  current NFF for employing Sunday Oliseh whom they know had no experience of handling a national team, and noted that the NFF had a share in the ouster at the CHAN tournament. 

Super Eagles Climbed Up In FIFA Ranking Despite CHAN Fallout

               

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have moved up in the current FIFA ranking to 63rd position, despite the ouster of the CHAN Eagles at the African Nations Championship.

CHAN Eagles finished third in her group with four point, winning one match drawing one and losing one to Guinea.

Nigeria were initially at 66th position but moved three steps forward in the world and 12th position in Africa behind Cote d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, Algeria, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Congo, Egypt, DR Congo, Guinea and Cameroon.

In the world ranking, Belgium still remain on top, with Argentina in the second position while former world champions Spain, are in third position and Germany dropping to fourth position. Host for the Euro 2016 tournament France have moved to the 24th position.

School Inter-House Sports: A Panacea For Sports Development In Nigeria

Pupils of St.Catherine Model School Surulere Lagos, Preparing for her 15th edition of Inter-House Sports scheduled to hold on 25th day of February, 2016 at the Abalti barracks Sports pitch Surulere. 

Messi And Suarez Slaughter Valencia At Camp Nou,Scores Seven Goals In First-Leg To Bury Valencia's Hope Of Qualifying

          

It was a harvest of goals yesterday when the duo of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez opened up their goal-tank and showered their visitors by scoring seven goals against Valencia in the first-leg of the Copa del Rey Semifinal match.

This is arguably one of Valencia's heaviest defeat in the hands of Barcelona. The Catalans opened scoring in the first 7 minutes through Suarez, five minutes later Suarez scored the second goal, before Messi scored the third goal of the match in the 29 minutes.

Valencia got a red card through Mustafi in the injury time of the first half, making things more difficult for them.

Luis Enrique's men returned in the second half more fortified, as though Valencia was three goals ahead. Messi struck in the 58 minutes scoring the fourth goal and another in the 74 minutes completing a hat-trick.

Suarez converted his brace to a hat-trick in 83 minutes of play, before scoring a final goal in the 84th minutes.

Barcelona may not need to play their first team in the second leg, as the result is capable of seeing them through. Valencia will however need more than a miracle to scale in the second leg of the match.

Barcelona are now faced with the opportunity to win five trophies this season, getting to the final of the UEFA Champions League will make their opportunity six.   

Brazil Insist On Neymar For Rio De Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games

Preparations are ongoing for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and Brazilians are calling for the inclusion of Barcelona forward, Neymar to be part of the team.

Although clubs are not obliged to release players for the games, but request is been made to include the Brazilian star in the squad.

There is provision for inclusion of three over-age players in the tournament, Neymar who is already 23 may be considered for the slot if included.

However, Coach Dunga is yet to name the three over-age players that will be included in the squad.But he will be expected to meet with the three players first before making it public.

Although clubs will be on holidays then,Barcelona may not release Neymar for the summer games due to the fact that it will be taking place a few weeks before season begins again.

I Have Plans For Victor Moses In The Super Eagles - Oliseh

                                    

Super Eagles are second behind Egypt in Group G of the African Cup of Nations qualifier, with both teams billed to meet in March this year.

Coach Sunday Oliseh has disclosed that West Ham forward Victor Moses has not gotten a call-up from him since he took over as Super Eagles Coach, but he (Oliseh) has plans for him particularly in the must-win match against the Pharaohs of Egypt.

Moses has so far scored seven goals for the Super Eagles after twenty-four appearances since his debut in 2012, the 25 year old player is very eligible to play for Nigeria, since he has not retired from football. 

Oliseh also noted that the team have played 14 games under him and Super Eagles have lost her first official game against Guinea in the African Nations Championship to Rwanda.

Guardiola's Move To Manchester City Will Determine The Fate Of These Coaches

                                            
No doubt a lot of clubs were not being in a haste to make a decision about choice of manager until City finally announced that Pep would move to Etihad at the end of the season. Guardiola had earlier announced last year that he was coming to England but the uncertainty in which club he was going, made it difficult for decision to be made by managements.

MANUEL PELLEGRINI
He is the man exiting City for Pep to come in, no one can tell exactly where he would be going from here, but his performance with the team will to a large extent determine what to do and where to go. Pellegrini currently has four titles which he is pursuing, and the result of his performance could influence his next move, although it has been rumoured that Chelsea want him at Stamford Bridge.

JOSE MOURINHO
The special one as he is popularly called was rumoured to be considered by United, but the fact that United also wanted Pep was one of the reasons his case was kept pending. Mourinho had a terrible encounter in Chelsea after he was sacked barely seven months after he won Chelsea's fifth Premier League title. He is currently out of job and is looking up to an opportunity to play against Chelsea and get his pound of flesh. He may be considered for United's job if for any reason the Red Devils part way with LVG.

LOUIS VAN GAAL
United has been under performing in their last five matches. The announcement of Pep as City's new manager on the first of February made LVG rise to the occasion two days after, trashing  Stoke City 3-0 at Old Trafford as if management may have a rethink about his stay. LVG will be the architect of his future as he must do well with United to determine if he will stay or exit at the end of the season.

Manchester United Have Rediscovered Their Scoring Ways

           

Manchester United are back to their winning ways after they demolished Stoke City by 3-0 at Old Trafford to move close to the top four with Arsenal being five points ahead of them.

Van Gaal's men opened scoring in the 14th minute with goal coming from Lingard before Martial doubled the lead in the 23rd minutes. United played with passion and showed winning zeal as though a win in that match would see them through to the Champions League stage.

Wayne Rooney's 53rd minutes goal sealed the match for United, with about 37 minutes to go, it was however clear that Van Gaal's men have done the needful required of United, reminiscent of United during the hey days of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Manchester United are fifth on the Premiership table with 40 points, they will need to be firm with this rediscovered way, to enable them hope of finishing top four in the premiership this season.

Prodigal Arsenal Play Barren Draw To Go Back To Traditional Fourth Position

                 

Arsenal have once again gone back to their traditional fourth position after failing to score a goal at Emirate in a match against Southampton.

So far, they have failed to get a maximum three points in each of their last four Premier League matches and have also failed to score a goal in their last their games, with the recent against Southampton making thins more difficult for them.

Yesterday's result puts Gunners in the fourth position on the Premier League table, a position which seem to have become their traditional position.

Arsenal created series of chances in the match against Southampton but lacked the tactical finishing to bury the ball inside the net, this has put Arsene Wenger's men in a tight position where they now trail behind Tottenham who share same point with them but are at third position due to goal difference.

If the situation continues like this in their next three matches, they may find themselves in the fifth position provided Manchester United win her next three matches.

Tottenham Maul Norwich City To Climb To Third Position

          

Tottenham Hotspur are the surprise movers in the Premiership, after defeating Norwich City 3-0 to climb to the third position in the Premier league table.

Early goal from Alli in the first two minutes put them ahead, before Harry Kane scored a brace in the second half to seal the match for them.

Tottenham have now moved to the Champions League spot at the detriment of Arsenal who played a barren draw with Southampton. Both teams have 45 points each both goal difference has given Tottenham an edge of Arsenal.

Tottenham will need to be more focused by sustaining winning and ensuring that they score more goals to keep them ahead of Arsenal.

Norwich City who were severely beaten at home by Tottenham will remain in the seventeenth position with two points close to the relegation zone.

Determined Leicester City Trash Liverpool To Maintain Topspot In The EPL

                     
Leicester City trashed Liverpool 2-0 at Kings Power Stadium to remain on top of the Premier League table after week 24, with goals coming from Vardy in the 60th and 70th minutes respectively.

Leicester are three points ahead of Manchester City who have climbed to the second position after beating Sunderland 1-0.

The visitors were in control of ball possession in the first-half, but made nothing out of it. Liverpool have so far won one game in their last five games, witnessing another significant defeat in the hands of a more focused Leicester side.

A draw in this match would have put Liverpool in the seventh position but with this loss, they remain in the eighth position.

Claudio Ranieri men are determined to win the Premiership title as they have maintained the top position in their last five games.                       

SPORTS INTELLIGENCE NOW IN 91 FOREIGN LANGUAGES INCLUDING HAUSA, IGBO AND YORUBA

                                             

In a bid to have a wider reach, our blog has been improved to reach 91 foreign languages including Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. This is to ensure that stories and adverts placed on this blog can be read across Geo-political boundaries.
     
                                              

Oliseh Blames NFF Over CHAN Eagles Performance At Rwanda

                                               

Super Eagles Head Coach Sunday Oliseh has blamed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for the poor performance of the CHAN Eagles at Rwanda.

CHAN Eagles crashed out of the tournament after Guinea defeated them 1-0 and they finished third on the table, with Tunisia finishing top and Guinea second.

Oliseh insisted that their early exit was as a result of lack of motivation from his employers who failed to adequately take care of the boys. How can you expect a car to move without fuel in the tank? It is impossible he said.

The former Juventus midfielder told media that he may be forced to review his role in the team. It will be recalled that Oliseh was once described as the "Pep Guardiola" of Nigeria at the wake of his appointment, but things seems to have gone sour between him and the federation following the exit of the team.

Guardiola's Move To City Shocked Manchester United and Chelsea

                                                      

The mood in England seemed to be a that of celebration when Manchester City disclosed to the public that Pep Guardiola has been confirmed as the next manager of Manchester City.

However, it was a different thing for United who had made frantic effort to get the Spaniard at Old Trafford. This is the third time Guardiola would turn down offer from Sir Alex Ferguson, who had worked tirelessly to get the Spaniard to Old Trafford.

Guardiola was approached by Ferguson to come and assist him in 2008 with the hope of handing over the club to him but he rejected. In 2013 while on sabbatical, Ferguson had told him to give him a call before making a final decision of his next club, but Ferguson was shocked to hear it on TV that Pep has moved to Bayern.

The third being recently while Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea were all after the signature of the Spaniard only for Pep to go for City. Manchester United close rival.

It will be recalled that Pep won the Champions league on two occasions against Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge of the club.

Chelsea owner had also made frantic effort to get the Spaniard to Stamford Bridge, but all effort did not yield the desired result as Pep has finally settled for Manchester City.    

QUOTE OF THE DAY- "He is one of the best managers in the world, no doubt about this. He had two big, big clubs where he has worked at and now he will do his job at Manchester City.' ---Jurgen Klopp Liverpool Manager

                                          

Breaking News: Pep Guardiola Will Join Manchester City

                                                    

Manchester City has confirmed the appointment of Pep Guardiola to replace Pellegrini at the end of the 2015/2016 season. The 45 year old had earlier announced in December that he will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season.

In a statement communicated by Manchester City, they confirmed that "Out of respect for players and Pellegrini, Manchester City have decided to make the information public, to avoid rumour"

The former Barcelona manager has signed a three year contract with City that will make him take over the club on July 1, 2016.

Manuel Pellegrini confirmed that he was aware of the situation one month ago, and it was an agreement between him and the club that at any point in the course of the contract, any of the parties involved can decide to walk away.

According to BBC Sports, Pep Guardiola has lost only 19 of his 239 league games as a manager. Pep is arguably the most successful manager Barcelona have ever had, winning 14 trophies in four years.

Neymar Dragged To Court For Tax Invasion

                                                      

Barcelona forward Neymar Jnr. will appear in court on Tuesday, following a case of tax invasion which came up in his transfer from Santos to Barcelona.

The 23 year old has disclosed that the court case is actually distracting him from playing football which is his main focus, but also thanked God for giving him the grace to concentrate in football while the legal issue last.

Neymar is expected to appear in court after a Brazilian investment company (DIS) filed against him on grounds that they suffered financial damage when Barcelona failed to disclose the true value of his transfer.

Neymar's parent is also expected to come and give evidence on the transfer alongside former Barcelona President Sandro Rosell, the incumbent president Josep Maria Bartomeu. All of them have stated that their role in the transfer was genuine and were not in anyway involved in any illegal transaction.

Kelechi Iheanacho's First Hat-Trick For City Sinks Aston Villa

                                                               
Kelechi Iheanacho's first hat-trick made him the hero tonight as Manchester City maul Aston Villa 0-4 in the round 4 of the ongoing FA Cup.

Manchester City took the lead in the first half through Iheanacho's brace which came through a strike in the 4th minutes and a penalty which came later in the 24th minutes, giving City a comfortable lead with two goals before going into half time.

Iheanacho completed the hat-trick process in the 74th minutes, giving Manchester City a more relaxed condition to operate before Sterling scored in the 76th minutes to seal up winning for City.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellgrini was full of praise for the former UAE 2013 MVP award winner who proved his worth in the match against Aston Villa.