46 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2019 ONE CHANCE: Sarri begs Chelsea for one more chance <strong>to</strong> deliver title MAURIZIO SARRI has <strong>to</strong>ld Chelsea and his critical fans he will deliver a title challenging side if he is given one pre-season <strong>to</strong> work with them. Sarri’s future at Stamford Bridge is in doubt amid growing unrest among supporters who have turned on their manager this season. The 60-year-old has <strong>to</strong> deliver Champions League football next season or face the axe - with the club looking at Nuno Espiri<strong>to</strong> San<strong>to</strong> or Frank Lampard as potential replacements. But the Italian insists he CAN get the Chelsea squad firing - if he is finally given the chance <strong>to</strong> impose his methods on them on the training ground over one preseason. Chelsea’s bungling last summer in deciding the fate of ex-boss An<strong>to</strong>nio Conte meant their new manager had just two weeks with his players before the start of the season. He insists that was not long enough <strong>to</strong> overhaul the cautious tactics his stars were used <strong>to</strong> playing under Conte. And he is convinced he has the players <strong>to</strong> be able <strong>to</strong> fight for major honours. Sarri said: “I need <strong>to</strong> work, I think. And in the first season, it was impossible <strong>to</strong> work. “I think that, at the moment, we are not playing very well our football. We need <strong>to</strong> improve playing our way of football. So we are trying <strong>to</strong> do this, but it’s not easy. Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has hailed the man management skills of his former coach at Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane.Under the Frenchman, the Portugal international won three consecutive Champions League trophies, before departing <strong>to</strong> The Old Lady last summer.”I think Zidane knows how <strong>to</strong> handle the team in an intelligent way,” Ronaldo said in the documentary called ‘Zidane, Realement Madrid’ that RMC Sport 1 will broadcast on Wednesday.”it’s not an easy situation because all “It’s not easy, especially in the first season because we started <strong>to</strong> work only in the middle of July. “At the beginning of August, we played the first official match. Then we worked for a couple of weeks and then we started <strong>to</strong> play every three days. “So it’s not easy for me <strong>to</strong> play my football. “I think this squad can fight for honours next season, Pele, 78, admitted <strong>to</strong> hospital in Paris BRAZILIAN legend Pele was admitted <strong>to</strong> a hospital in Paris last night after he attended a promotional event with Kylian Mbappe. According <strong>to</strong> RMC Sport, the 78-year-old was taken <strong>to</strong> hospital with a strong fever “as a precaution”, but his condition is not believed <strong>to</strong> •Pele & Mbappe be lifethreatening. They state that he will continue <strong>to</strong> be observed by doc<strong>to</strong>rs over the next few hours. Both Pele and Mbappe were speaking in the French capital at an event organised by Swiss watchmaker Hublot. Pele is widely regarded as one of the best footballer’s of all time - helping Brazil win three World Cups between 1958-1970. It’s not the first time the Ronaldo: Zidane knows how <strong>to</strong> handle Madrid in an intelligent way the players like <strong>to</strong> play a lot, but he knows how <strong>to</strong> work intelligently and he manages <strong>to</strong> involve all the team.”Sergio Ramos is an<strong>other</strong> player that praised his current coach in the documentary, highlighting Zidane’s success over the years.”Zidane’s career speaks for itself, both what he did as a player and what he does as a coach,” he noted.”He found a way <strong>to</strong> transfer the talent he had as a player <strong>to</strong> his role as coach and manage a dressing room.”He does a fantastic and unique job, and the results are not a coincidence.” Super Falcons in Spain for two games A delegation of the Super Falcons of <strong>Nigeria</strong>, including 24 players, have fully settled down in Spain as the African champions continue their preparations for the 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Spain this summer. A number of the players left on Monday night while the rest of the delegation departed <strong>Nigeria</strong> on Tuesday. Having already taken in two matches at the China Tournament in Meizhou in January and four matches at the Cyprus Women’s Cup in February, the Falcons will play two matches in Spain, including a high-profile clash with the Canada Women National Team. They first play a first division club, UMF Selfoss <strong>to</strong>day before the potentially –explosive encounter with the Canadians on Monday, 8th April. The matches will hold in the city of Murcia. •Sarri San<strong>to</strong>s icon has h a d health scares, after he w a s •Hazard because we have a lot of young players who can improve a lot in the future. “Callum, Ruben, Christensen... and so if they are able <strong>to</strong> improve, we will be able <strong>to</strong> improve as a team. •Pele placed in intensive care in 2014 after picking a urinary tract infection following surgery <strong>to</strong> remove kidney s<strong>to</strong>nes. While he was also forced <strong>to</strong> withdraw from the opening of the Rio Olympics in 2016 over his health, as well as collapsing through exhaustion in 2017 ahead of the Football Writers’ Association dinner in London. Speaking of Mbappe at the social function, Pele - who netted over 1,000 goals in his career - joked that the Paris Saint-Germain winner is trying <strong>to</strong> emulate him. He quipped: “I think he is envying me, that’s why he is trying <strong>to</strong> emulate me. “His style, the way he is playing, is Latino. Even Brazilian I would say. It’s a shame he did not play for San<strong>to</strong>s. But it’s not <strong>to</strong>o late.” While Mbappe said of Pele: “Even with the goals in the playgrounds, goals on the PlayStation, I could never equal 1,250 (sic) goals. “It’s really a long way off. I’ll try and get as close as I can, but I think it’ll still be a long way off by the end of my career.” •Paul Bassey, receiving the Fair Play award at the NFF Awards Night. Messi leads Golden Shoe race with 64 points Following his brace against Espanyol last Saturday, Lionel Messi has reached 32 LaLiga Santander goals and <strong>to</strong>ps the Golden Shoe rankings with 64 points.The Argentine has netted five times more than Paris Saint- Germain’s forward Kylian Mbappe, who is placed second in the race for the European <strong>to</strong>pscorer award.The Frenchman and the Barcelona captain are followed by Sampdoria’s striker Fabio Quagliarella, who •Messi has sent the ball in<strong>to</strong> the back of the net 21 times in the Serie A this season. Rohr: My Eagles’re <strong>Nigeria</strong>’s most talented squad Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has said that the present bunch of players in the Super Eagles team for the Africa Cup of Nations are about the most talented <strong>to</strong> have come out of <strong>Nigeria</strong> in the past few years. Since his appointment as coach, Rohr has twice qualified the Super Eagles of <strong>Nigeria</strong> for two major <strong>to</strong>urnaments with a game <strong>to</strong> spare although many will argue that the •Rohr team should have done well at World Cup in Russia. So far the Super Eagles have been beaten once by an African team under coach Gernot Rohr and that was the 0-2 loss against South Africa in their first AFCON 2019 Qualifiers, a little over a year ago. They presently boast of an unbeaten run since after the World Cup with back <strong>to</strong> back wins against Libya and Seychelles in the AFCON Qualifiers and a draw against South Africa. They also defeated Egypt 1-0 in an international friendly ahead of the Cup of Nations. Speaking on the talent at his disposal, Rohr said they are about the most talented <strong>to</strong> have come out of <strong>Nigeria</strong> but adviced that they should continue <strong>to</strong> work hard for club and country in order <strong>to</strong> fufill their potentials. “We all know that <strong>Nigeria</strong> once had big stars like Kanu Nwankwo and Austin Okocha. Since they retired, <strong>Nigeria</strong> has not found a replacement. But I can assure you that we have very talented players among the young people who are currently playing, but there is still a lot <strong>to</strong> be done <strong>to</strong> make the Eagles become stars. This team has quality, but you have <strong>to</strong> work on it <strong>to</strong> become big stars”, Rohr said. 2019 AFCON: Amuneke dreams Taifa Stars, Super Eagles clash Former Super Eagles winger and now coach of Tanzania’s Taifa Stars, Emmanuel Amuneke hinted that his team would not be pushovers if they cross paths with the Super Eagles at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations billed for June in Egypt. Amuneke spear-headed Tanzania’s qualification for the AFCON <strong>to</strong>urnament after a 39-year absence and now he says the Taifa Stars will not be intimidated by the <strong>to</strong>p rated teams. ‘If Tanzania is paired along side alongside <strong>Nigeria</strong>, then we would play <strong>Nigeria</strong>,” Amuneke <strong>to</strong>ld www.brila.net. ‘If Tanzania can qualify for the Nation’s Cup, that means we are capable of playing any team in the continent of Africa,’ he said. Odemwingie retires from football Former West Brom and S<strong>to</strong>ke striker Peter Odemwingie announced his retirement from football at UEFA’s Equal Game conference at Wembley yesterday. The 37-year-old was capped for <strong>Nigeria</strong> more than 60 times, scoring at the 2014 World Cup, and scored 36 goals in 129 Premier League appearances between 2010 and 2016. Odemwingie was the subject of a peculiar s<strong>to</strong>ry on Deadline Day in January 2013. Believing he was moving <strong>to</strong> QPR from West Brom, the striker drove <strong>to</strong> Loftus Road, only <strong>to</strong> be refused entry <strong>to</strong> the stadium after both clubs said that no fee had been agreed. On his retirement, Odemwingie said: “It’s an emotional day, so many memories go through your head. “I didn’t know how <strong>to</strong> do it or where <strong>to</strong> do it, but I think this is the right place <strong>to</strong> do it. “Wembley is a place with a lot of his<strong>to</strong>ry in football.” Odemwingie, whose last professional appearances came for Indonesian side Madura United in 2017, said he intends <strong>to</strong> embark on a coaching career.
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