Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko ready to fill Sergio Agüero void at Roma

Manchester City's Edin Dzeko says: 'I’m happy to be back because I was never actually injured so long [a month].' Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
Edin Dzeko has vowed to fill the void left by the injured Sergio Agüero and be the hero in Manchester City’s final Champions League group game against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday night.
If City win against Rudi García’s side and better CSKA Moscow’s result at Bayern Munich then next year’s knockout phase will be reached. But they will be without Agüero, who has scored 19 goals in 21 appearances, after the Argentinian suffered knee ligament damage in Saturday’s win over Everton.
Manuel Pellegrini said at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference that Agüero would be out for four to six weeks, although City’s manager later voiced fears that the layoff could be as long as eight weeks.
Dzeko is not 100% match-fit following a calf injury but should start and has a history of important strikes. When City claimed the title in 2011-12 he scored a 90th-minute equaliser in the final match against Queens Park Rangers before Agüero’s added-time winner. Last season Dzeko registered nine goals in City’s last 11 matches to help push the team to the championship.
Asked if he could again be the hero for Pellegrini’s side against Roma, the Bosnian said: “I’m there when the team needs me and first of all I’m happy to be back because I was never actually injured so long [a month] – it was a bit hard for me but now I’m back and I’ll do my best to try and score the goals and bring something good to the team.
“I did [score big goals] but that’s past now and we have to look to the future, and like I said I always try to do my job and my job is to score goals and I will keep scoring them I’m sure if I keep healthy.”
Dzeko’s first appearance since 8 November was as a substitute on Saturday, after 63 minutes. “I expected even less than 30 minutes; I was saying 15 minutes would be OK for me just to get back on the pitch and I already played 30. The feeling was OK but I still need some more games to come back,” he said.
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On whether he can play all of the match against Rome, Dzeko said: “Against Everton definitely not but Wednesday, who knows? We still have days [of] training so I will be better by Wednesday.”
Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Stevan Jovetic and Fernandinho, who had been doubtful, trained on Monday morning so they should be available to Pellegrini on Wednesday night. Dzeko believes the high-pressure stakes in Rome can bring the best out of City who defeated Bayern Munich in Group E’s previous round which had also been a must-win game.
He said: “It’s kind of a special situation, in the league and Champions League because we were just trying to play but when we were eight points behind [Chelsea] we knew: ‘OK, now we have to start playing.’ And in the Champions League as well, we lost the game at home to CSKA and then you have to win the next game, and we won it, so maybe we need that pressure: I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.
“We will definitely try to go there and score goals because if you don’t score the goals you can’t win the games. It will be a big game for them as well – I think the atmosphere will be amazing and that’s what’s football’s about, and those kind of games we want to play.
“I played many games with the good atmosphere but actually I’m looking forward to that game because they have great fans with a big stadium so it will hopefully be a night to remember.
“Definitely confidence is high – we won five in a row. It’s better confidence, better atmosphere in the team when you’re winning the games and I think we’re coming back to our normal performances especially after our national teams’ break and hopefully we can be even better in the next week. There will be some big games, crucial games.”
Of Agüero’s injury, Dzeko said: “That was a big blow for us – you can see how he played recently for us. [But] I’m back now, Alex [Kolarov] is back now, hopefully David will be back.”

Arsenal progress to the last 16 after Yaya Sanogo stuns Borussia Dortmund

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Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez wheels away after his low curling shot made it 2-0 against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

Arsène Wenger can call off the search for the dictionary, at least for now. The Arsenal manager had said that he might have to delve for the tome to reacquaint himself with the meaning of crisis. After so many years and so many crises, he joked that he had forgotten how one could be qualified.
Many Arsenal supporters felt that the club was flirting with one as they took to the field here, on the back of three sobering results – the Champions League draw against Anderlecht, when they had led 3-0, and the Premier League losses to Swansea City and Manchester United. Per Mertesacker, the defender, said that the players had “dropped mentally”. This, he said, was a psychological challenge.
But on a dank night in north London, the players showed their mettle, albeit against a Borussia Dortmund that looked like a shadow of the team that had stormed to the final of the competition in 2013. Jürgen Klopp, the manager, lamented a lack of confidence and courage.
Arsenal were occasionally vibrant, almost always solid – which was arguably the biggest boon, after the well documented, recent lapses – and thoroughly deserved victors. The reward was a 15th consecutive qualification to the second round of Europe’s elite tournament. Whisper it, but they are not yet out of the running to nick top spot in Group D from Dortmund, which would increase their chances of a more favourable last-16 draw.
It was a game that will go down as the one in which Yaya Sanogo broke his scoring duck for the club on his 19th appearance and it was illuminated by the thrusting performances of Alexis Sánchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Sánchez scored again; Oxlade-Chamberlain was denied only by the woodwork.
But above all, it was defined by a more balanced feel to the performance. As Wenger put it afterwards, Arsenal were “more urgent to defend”. He has regularly stressed his confidence that there is something special in his squad and there was evidence here to support him.
The opening goal always stood to be decisive and, from a Dortmund point of view, Arsenal plundered it with indecent haste. For Sanogo, it was the stuff of dreams. The 21-year-old owed his selection to Danny Welbeck’s knee injury and Olivier Giroud’s ineligibility, and a penny for the thoughts of Lukas Podolski and Joel Campbell might have been worth the investment. The World Cup winner and World Cup star respectively could not have taken kindly to being overlooked for a callow rookie. Sanogo has looked almost painfully raw during his injury-scarred Arsenal career but Wenger’s faith in him has never wavered. “Sanogo will surprise you,” the manager has said. One minute and 15 seconds were on the stadium clock when Sanogo did just that.
There was a maverick quality to his hold-up work from Calum Chambers’ throw-in, as he played a bit of keepy-uppy before executing an extravagant back-heeled flick to Santi Cazorla. Sanogo span away, then he got the ball back and, suddenly, there he was, with only Roman Weidenfeller to beat. His first touch felt heavy but with the second Sanogo poked the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs. The delirious celebrations were underpinned by an element of collective amazement. Sanogo had looked to have been marginally offside from Cazorla’s pass but the flag stayed down. The linesman was a romantic at heart.
Dortmund’s travelling fans banged their drums and bellowed their anthems throughout. Their team came to flicker on the counter in the second part of the first half and Henrikh Mkhitaryan was at the heart of their best moments. He was denied an equaliser on 39 minutes by Emiliano Martínez. Mkhitaryan’s first touch following Lukasz Piszczek’s header was perfect and the second was struck at goal from close range. Martínez diverted it past his near post. Arsenal’s third-choice goalkeeper emerged with credit, and his reflex block at the very end from the substitute Adrián Ramos was of the highest order.
Arsenal played good football in patches and they might have taken a two-goal lead in the 10th minute, when Aaron Ramsey sprang Sanogo through the Dortmund back line. This time, Sanogo opted to jink inside only to run into Marcel Schmelzer. He battled to win the ball back and, when he shot, he was denied by Matthias Ginter’s block.
Klopp had said that this engagement had represented a holiday for him; a welcome break from the nightmare that has been the Bundesliga season so far. Almost implausibly, Dortmund languish third from bottom. Klopp must be an angry tourist. He roared at the fourth official and he berated his players when they erred. If Dortmund had been poor at the outset, it was a similar story at the beginning of the second half. With the onus on them, Klopp’s team pressed onto the front foot but Arsenal, and Sánchez in particular, simply revelled in picking them off.
Sánchez barrelled through to extend Weidenfeller with a low drive while Oxlade-Chamberlain, on his 100th appearance for the club, hit a marvellous looping shot from Sánchez’s pass that rattled the crossbar.
Not unusually, Sánchez provided the champagne moment. From Cazorla’s pass, he darted inside Piszczek to open up the shooting chance at the far corner. It has become his trademark and the bend on the right-footed shot from 20 yards was beautifully judged. Sánchez had his 13th goal for the club and Wenger was out of his seat, smiling broadly and pumping his fists. It was a night for him to enjoy.

These Football Equipments For Safety Are Actually Needed

To be able to excel in football game, players will need to have a separate way of safety plus must work tirelessly. Good preparation is always one of many keys to be success and create a better player. Therefore, training, paying attention to coaches and built with football equipments for safety are actually needed.

Here is listed some equipment considered essential. The equipment inside a safe manner will protect the ball player in addition to allow the player to learn using a higher a higher level confidence and intensity. They vary in lots of styles and sizes.

First, helmets include the must for American football. They could protect your mind at these dangerous moments like collision. Lineman should wear helmets with extra caging to prevent opposing player from reaching their fists in the breathing filter, many players wear helmets with open helmet for better vision through the football field.

Shoulder pads, which could are the most identifiable hanging around of football, are essential in assorted sizes based on the position. Lineman and linebackers usually wear bigger shoulder pads with neck rolls. The defensive backs and wide receivers usually wear smaller should pads. And also the quarterbacks shoulder pads must protect the quarterback all angels, specially when he or she is hit from his blindside.

Then so that you can protect the quadriceps and hip areas, most football player must wear thigh and hip pads. Also professional players can decide regardless of whether wear these things according to their positions.

Appropriate football shoes can really make a player play better. However, the standard matters. There are several hoe heights to pick from, for example the low, three-quarters, and high versions. And also the entire actual cleat on the base of the shoe can also vary with the position. The more time cleats will give you lineman the leverage contrary to the opposing player. The shorter cleats will allow the wide receivers and defensive backs to generate quick movements with speed. Furthermore, the fitness of the grass or turf would even be one big key to determine the cleat size. Usually players will lengthen their cleats to realize more traction.

Although football gloves are often optional, the wide receiver or even the defensive back usually wear gloves to acquire a better grip. And lineman must wear padded gloves to protect their fingers from damages in the combat inside the trenches too.

These essential football equipments are usually noticed in the football game. Obviously it really is significant to equip effortlessly these fashion accessories for safety inside the football game. Regardless if you are new or sophisticated in football game, safety should be the first.

There Are Different Types Of Soccer Shoes

Soccer shoes are item of footwear worn by player who are playing association football. These shoes are designed for grass pitches have studs on the outsole to aid grip. They are also named as football boots or cleats. Soccer shoes are a pivotal piece of equipment for any soccer player. Without cleats, player will be slipping and sliding around the field. Therefore,88, soccer shoe is meant to provide a comfortable cleat that gives player traction and the ability to handle and shoot the ball proficiently.

Depending on the type of surface, different types of soccer shoes are applied. Generally speaking, there are three types of soccer shoes, which are indoor shoes, outdoor shoes, and turf shoes.

Indoor soccer shoes are designed for playing indoor soccer on indoor courts and fields, like gym or indoor soccer facilities. They are actually flat-surfaced, low-cut shoes with a slightly harder surface area than a traditional sneaker.

Outdoor soccer shoes are intended for playing outdoors. One of the most important purposes of these cleats is to provide the player with enough amount of traction preventing him/her from slipping and giving an opportunity to turn, stop and accelerate with ease. According to different types of outdoor surfaces, there are Hard Ground Cleats, Firm Ground Cleats and Soft Ground Cleats.

Hard Ground (HG) cleats are for playing on hard fields. These soccer shoes have short studs,120, these studs are made of hard rubber to provide player with enough amount of traction, but and won't apply too much pressure on the feet.

Firm Ground (FG) cleats are playing on firm fields. They are molded cleats. This kind of soccer shoes are the most popular shoes worn by soccer players. And they are more expensive than other cleats in tag prices.

Soft Ground (SG) cleats are for playing on soft fields. These soccer shoes have detachable studs designed in circular or blade shape.

Turf soccer shoes are designed for use on harder outdoor surfaces and on artificial turf. These shoes contain various raised patterns on the bottom.

How To Improve Your Soccer Skills

Did you know there's a way to learn how to improve football skills? In fact, training is the right way to sharpen a player's skills, allowing them to perform better during a sport. In other words, if you are seriously interested in becoming a great soccer player, you need to practice a lot to allow your soccer abilities to improve over time.

Taking the time to improve your soccer skills does a number of things. For one, you'll learn how to improve soccer health and fitness. Fitness is important because it can determine how a player's body operates during a soccer game.

Soccer fitness in general consists of a player's pace, endurance, agility, speed, balance, stability and even flexibility. A player that works to improve every aspect of soccer fitness eventually becomes one of the best soccer players within their season.

If you want to improve your soccer skills, there's several activities you can begin undertaking everyday to find the best results. Remember that you can develop your football fitness as long as you keep practicing techniques each day. To start off, you can begin finding out how to improve soccer footwork.

The most basic soccer footwork skills involve working with the ball by itself. As an example, you can practice your touch football skills. It's just a matter of controlling the ball with your feet, so you can gain a better quantity of control over how you work the ball inside a soccer game.

It's recommended to learn how you can juggle the golf ball in stages at a time, starting with the smallest amount to a bigger amount each time you practice. Start with the smallest amount first and then move to a larger amount once you can maintain a lot more than three at a time. In addition, soccer turns are also important to know; such as controlling the ball, you will have to know how to turn, therefore the ball won't depart your possession during the game.

Incorporate passing and shooting into your practice regimen. Managing, passing and shooting the soccer ball just about all correlate with each other, since you will be using all three abilities at once to play the game.

Like with most sports, it's always suggested to rehearse playing during your down-time. You won't have to worry an excessive amount of about securing equipment, since you'll just need a ball and some space to practice to start. If you don't practice, you'll have a difficult time adjusting to actively playing the game on a regular basis.