Milner wants less burden on Salah
Mohamed Salah is capable of delivering another season chock full of goals at Liverpool but his supporting cast must pick up the slack to ease the burden on the Egyptian forward, midfielder James Milner has said.
Salah scored 44 goals in 52 games for Liverpool as they reached the Champions League final and finished fourth in the Premier League. “He is more than capable of doing that. There is pressure when you have had one good year to deliver again but he is a top player. He’s going to keep on improving,” Milner said,
“We need to keep improving as a side with him as well, and make sure that all the pressure is not on his shoulders to deliver goals and get us out of tough situations. “
‘NO CONCRETE CHELSEA OFFER FOR HIGUAIN’
TURIN: Giuseppe Marotta said there has been “nothing concrete” from Chelsea and AC Milan regarding Gonzalo Higuain, though the Juventus chief executive admitted the striker could be sold following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Higuain has been linked with a reunion with former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri at Premier League side Chelsea, while the Argentina international’s name has emerged as a possible makeweight in a deal for AC Milan defender Leonardo Bonucci.
“We’ll evaluate things with Higuain, but nothing concrete has arrived from Chelsea and Milan,” Marotta said.
OZIL THANKS FANS AFTER RACISM ROW
SINGAPORE: Mesut Ozil thanked Arsenal fans for their “love” at a pre-season friendly after a week following his racism allegations against Germany’s football body.
Ozil watched Arsenal’s penalties defeat to Atletico Madrid on Thursday from the bench but he received one of the biggest cheers of the night when his image was flashed up on the big screen.
“Thanks to the Gunners in Singapore for showing so much love tonight,” he tweeted.
SWISS COURT REJECTS VALCKE’S APPEAL
ZURICH: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed former FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke’s appeal against his 10-year ban for breaching the world soccer body’s code of ethics. The court in Lausanne, Switzerland, said the ban and the 100,000 Swiss franc ($100,290) fine was “wholly appropriate”.
TUCHEL BACKS NEYMAR TO BOUNCE BACK
SINGAPORE: New coach Thomas Tuchel dismissed concerns about dealing with Paris Saint-Germain’s “big personalities” on Friday, as he pledged to help Neymar bounce back after a difficult World Cup. The German is taking on a star-studded squad including Neymar, the world’s most expensive player, with a mandate from PSG’s Qatari owners to land a coveted European title.
SCOLARI NAMED PALMEIRAS COACH
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian World Cup winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has been named as Palmeiras boss for the third time at the age of 69, the Brazilian giants announced. Scolari, who led Brazil to 2002 World Cup glory in Japan and South Korea, was hired just hours after the Sao Paulo based side fired Roger Machado yesterday, a day after his side lost 1-0 to Fluminense.