Liverpool still haunted by Suarez loss

Luis Suarez scored two goals for Barcelona on Tuesday night as they despatched Getafe in another hopelessly one-sided La Liga contest. 

The second goal he scored was one of his typical curled finishes from outside the box. Pure class. His first was a piece of genius that has been desperately missed by his former club Liverpool.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers might have pondered, at times, during this tepid 1-0 defeat to Hull City what his old charge might have offered here in place of the players he bought to replace him.

"We did not look like scoring really to be honest," Rodgers said after. "There were some good moments and we had enough of the ball but never threatened the goal as we would have liked."

As Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert toiled in vain again it all came back to what Liverpool are missing. The spectre of Suarez continues to haunt this team. 

Factor in the constant injuries to the devastating Daniel Sturridge and it is pretty apparent that Liverpool are a shadow of the team they were. They have lost over 50 goals, three league places and their hard-earned berth in the Champions League.

"It is about having that reference at the top end of the field that gives the other players the confidence and movement to create opportunities," Rodgers said. "Our struggles tonight were what they’ve been for the big part of the season in terms of that creativity and scoring goals."

Liverpool's season, which promised an FA Cup final and a return to Champions League football only a few short weeks ago, has disintegrated. Rodgers admitted that he has asked his players to maintain their professionalism until the end of the season. They owe the badge that much. After that? Who knows.

Zanetti: Inter close to agreeing Icardi contract

Inter are close to agreeing a new contract for star striker Mauro Icardi, according to vice-president and former captain Javier Zanetti.

Icardi has been a rare bright spark for Inter this season, with the 22-year-old netting 17 goals in Serie A.

The Argentinian's form has attracted attention from across Europe, but Zanetti is confident his compatriot will remain at San Siro.

"We're very close to a renewal, he’s doing really well and will be very important for us in the future," said Zanetti.

"We've reaffirmed our intention of keeping him here. We're building a new team, with a lot of young players who are supported in difficult times.

"Fortunately we're overcoming these difficulties and now we must look to the future and to becoming protagonists again.

"We have to think about the good of the club to become competitive again and bring the club back to where it belongs in the table."

Bayern need Ribery back, says Lahm

Philipp Lahm has highlighted the importance of Franck Ribery to Bayern Munich and hopes to see the former France international return to the pitch as soon as possible.

The 32-year-old has been out of action since picking up an ankle injury in his side's 7-0 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk on March 11 and remains some way off a return.

Lahm, who himself suffered an ankle injury during the middle of the season, admits Bayern are eager for their injured stars to return quickly.

"This is not a nice situation for Franck, that's quite clear," Lahm was quoted as saying by TZ.

"But it's not a good situation for the coach and the team either. We need him back. That is the most important thing.

"Franck still has some fitness issues, though. That's the worst thing for a player, when you are having problems and cannot train with the team.

"When you have an injury and need surgery, you know how long it will be before you can return. But with this kind of injury, you never know how long your recovery will take. That's frustrating for a player.

"The team is doing great at the moment and we still have a lot of quality. But w

Ighalo and Watford moving on to bigger things

Results are the ultimate record of accomplishment, but their greater significance is often glimpsed only through the prism of context. On the face of it, Watford’s 2-0 win over Brighton, two places above the relegation zone and winless in six, was hardly the most stimulating contest. Still, as referee Keith Stroud blew his whistle for full time, he marked the end of a 90 minutes which the Hornets will not forget for a while.

With the win, Slavisa Jokanovic’s side sealed promotion to the Premier League for the first time in eight years; their 88-point haul means they cannot drop lower than second place with one game left in the season. It is a remarkable achievement for a club that has gone through four different managers this term alone, three of those inside the first two months of the campaign.

The manner of the result was profoundly satisfying for Jokanovic as well, with the club’s three highest scorers playing prominent roles: Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo assisted the opener for skipper and leading scorer Troy Deeney, and Deeney returned the favour deep into stoppage time for Czech international Matej Vydra to put gloss on the result.

With the fascination about tactics, it is perhaps easy to forget that football can be as easy as getting your best players to combine in advanced areas where it matters most. In this sense, Watford’s success this season has not been surprising at all; in spite of the early upheaval, they have the second-best attack in the Championship with 90, and Deeney, Ighalo and Vydra have pitched in with 56 of those.

Particularly indispensable has been the contribution of Ighalo to the cause. The 25-year-old only managed four goals for the Hornets before the New Year, but has struck sixteen times in 2015. His goals have been crucial, propelling the club from sixth place at the start of the year to top spot with one game to play.

In the gruelling 46-game season that is the English Championship, player burnout is a very present danger. One can imagine then that Ighalo saving his best for last has effectively given Watford a second wind while others floundered; Derby for example find themselves down in sixth, having led the league for much of the first half and begun the year in third.

The Nigeria international told AfricanFootball of his delight at securing promotion, saying, “I am fulfilled with the EPL ticket.

“My dream has been to play in the EPL, so with this ticket, it is a dream come true for me and I am happy to be part of this with Watford.”

Ighalo has, over the course of his career so far, certainly shown himself useful to promotion pushes. His 17 goals over 28 appearances helped Granada to promotion in Spain back in 2009. The step-up in terms of quality is one which he will have to make though, if Watford have any hopes of surviving in the Premier League; he then proceeded to score just 18 times in 99 appearances in La Liga.

For now though, the striker is not worrying about that just yet.

“My next target is to win our last match and… Championship trophy…,” he stressed.

Ego firmly to the side then for Ighalo, a firm believer in Christianity and the role of God in sporting outcomes. This hopeful, focused outlook has endeared him to the club’s fans in a major way – goals have helped too, naturally – and he is now in an environment and culture where he can be comfortable and express himself freely; a far cry from spending four seasons on loan at Granada.

More than just goals though, there are four assists to the forward’s name this season. Direct contribution to goals sees him as the second-most important player to Jokanovic, and if the Hornets are to avoid the fate of 2007 – where they finished rock-bottom of the Premier League, only managing five wins all season – they will need Ighalo to get going quickly.

They certainly have the potential to hold their own in the rarefied atmosphere of the Premier League, and thanks to being owned by the Pozzo family, they also have quality from sister clubs Italy (Udinese) and Spain (Granada) available. In manager Slavisa Jokanovic, they have a manager that at age 46 has an impressive resume featuring league titles in two different countries, and who enjoyed a brief stint in his playing career at Chelsea.

Without a doubt, 2015 has been a dream year for Odion Ighalo – promoted to the Premier League and recently a part of the Nigeria national team set-up. How he handles the limelight will tell us a lot more about the player, but if his humble demeanour is anything to go by, the Lagos-born striker is set for bigger things.

Kramaric: I rejected Chelsea

Andrej Kramaric turned down the chance move to Chelsea in January in favour of joining Leicester City because he did not want to join another club on loan.

Kramaric was expected to move to Stamford Bridge during the transfer window but the deal fell through as the Blues - who send a number of squad players on loan to Dutch side Vitesse - were unable to offer the striker assurances that he would be part of their first team plans.

The Croatia international instead moved to Leicester in a transfer understood to be worth €9.8 million.

"I never had a chance to meet [Chelsea boss Jose] Mourinho, it is true there was an option for me to join Chelsea," Kramaric told the Vecemji List newspaper.

"It wasn't an easy decision for me, but after I heard I was supposed to go on loan somewhere outside England, I rejected Chelsea and chose Leicester because I wanted to feel real football, I wanted to play in Premier League!"

Kramaric is now set to face the club he could have joined on Wednesday night and has been impressed by the champions elect.

He added: "I've played against Man United, Man City and Arsenal, and I am not impressed at all by their strength. Chelsea is one step ahead of all the others."

Manchester City to offer £30m for Wilshere

Manchester City are set to offer Arsenal £30m for midfielder Jack Wilshere. City are refusing to give up on the England international despite the Gunners insisting he will not be sold.

Giroud: Arsenal will not copy Chelsea style

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has insisted the Gunners will not change their style despite being 10 points behind Chelsea as the Blues close in on the Premier League title.

Despite almost certainly missing out on the title, Arsenal could still end the season with silverware having made it to the FA Cup final for a second year in a row, where they will face Aston Villa.

The Gunners’ 0-0 draw with Chelsea on Sunday led to accusations the Blues were 'boring' and, while Giroud agrees they play a different style to his side, he insists Arsenal will continue to follow Arsene Wenger's philosophy.

"Boring? I don't know but there is the table, which speaks for them," he told reporters.

"It is true maybe they are not [playing] the same game as us but we are not going to change our game and I think they are not going to change their game.

"I think they are pleased with that and if they are champions, what can you say?"

Giroud has scored 18 goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season but has come in for criticism, with club icon Thierry Henry insisting Arsene Wenger needs to sign a "top quality striker". 

However, the France international says he is proud of his record since joining Wenger's side.

"To get second in the league and win the FA Cup would be a great season," Giroud said. "I know we can still improve ourselves and that is what we have been doing since I signed for Arsenal.

"I am proud of what I've done and I'm pleased with that. I just want to carry on like that and I know if we keep our best players and this determination with the team spirit, I am sure we are going to join this championship race next season.

"It has been a few years since we finished second and, if we can do it, we can see an improvement, which is great. Next year, hopefully, we will have fewer injuries, will keep the same group and, with maybe one or two new players, we will have a great season I am sure.

"As for myself, in sport you have to question yourself every week and be ready in your head and you have to be at 100 per cent of determination if you want to keep going and win games; you cannot afford to be at 80% or 90%.

"You have to have faith in your own qualities, that is part of being a footballer: being strong in your head. That is more than half of the quality you need to be a football player."

Mourinho: Chelsea were scared for Oscar

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho admitted that he was “scared” for Oscar after he suffered an apparent concussion during Sunday's 0-0 draw with Arsenal. 

The Brazilian raced through on goal in the 16th minute of the Premier League clash at the Emirates and collided painfully with Colombian keeper David Ospina, leaving him visibly dazed as he lay prone on the turf.

The Chelsea medical staff saw fit to allow Oscar to rejoin the game, but he did return for the second half and was sent to the hospital to undergo further tests.

"He went to hospital to have some scans and see what is going on because at half-time we were a bit scared,” said Mourinho.

“We had to change things because of his injury. We don't know yet if it's concussion." 

New Premier League regulations give the club doctor the final say on whether a player who has suffered a head injury should play on, as well as introducing a ‘tunnel’ doctor, who evaluates the severity of injuries via television monitors.  

Oscar has played a key role in Chelsea's march towards the Premier League title, while the 23-year-old is also closing in on a half-century of appearances for Brazil, with 45 caps and 12 goals to his name since making his senior debut in 2011.

Barcelona to make move for Laporte if Laporta is elected

Joan Laporta is lining up a move for Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte as part of his expected Barcelona presidential campaign.

The former club chief has not officially announced his candidacy for the upcoming elections, but is expected to confirm that he will run at the last minute.

The 52-year-old, who presided over the club from 2003 to 2010 - during which time the Blaugrana won four league titles and two Champions Leagues - is already making moves to invest in the team should he be re-elected.

Barca are closing in on a move for 20-year-old centre-back Laporte and are ready to match his release clause at Athletic, which his believed to be between €30 and €36 million.

The Camp Nou club are currently banned from registering new players after irregularities in the signing of minors, meaning they would buy the player in the summer but he would remain at San Mames until January 2016.

Laporta has a good relationship with Laporte's agent, Jorge Mendes, and sources have told Goal that the club would offer him a five year deal with an annual salary of €3.5 million.

If the deal goes through this summer, Athletic would not play the France Under-21 international in European competitions next season to ensure he is eligible for Barca's Champions League campaign when he completes the move in January.

He's a very talented player' - Rodgers praises Liverpool target Depay

Brendan Rodgers admits that Liverpool target Memphis Depay is a "very talented player" as the club step up their summer recruitment plans.

The Reds have stolen a march on Manchester United in the race to acquire the PSV forward, who has scored 27 goals in all competitions thus far this season.

Depay is understood to have held talks with the Reds last week and Rodgers admits that Liverpool are in the market for more firepower.

"The kid [Depay] is obviously a very talented player," he said.

"It is clear we need a goal threat for next season. There will be a raft of players that will be looked at. Then it will be up to the club to see if they are affordable and available.

"There are targets that have been identified as a priority. We will have to see if they are available."

Liverpool drew 0-0 with West Brom at the weekend and currently sit in fifth in the Premier League, seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, although the Reds do have a game in hand.

Nevertheless, Rodgers is sure the club will be able to acquire ther top targets this summer regardless of whether they qualify for the Champions League.

"That will be more for the players to decide," he said.

"If the project is right for them to learn and develop, even if we are not in the Champions League, players will maybe still want to come here.

"Of course they will want to play in the Champions League, but if they have watched us over a few years – and this is a season we miss out on – if we can regroup, get some quality starters in for the summer, we can go on another great adventure next season and hopefully get back in there."