Klopp: Arsenal deserved their win...The Borussia Dortmund coach concedes that his team were not good enough to get anything from Wednesday's Champions League encounter, in which they lost 2-0 to the Gunners...

Yaya Sanogo gifted the Premier League side an early lead before Alexis Sanchez made it two after the break, with the German side, Klopp admits, simply not good enough.

"It was the worst possible start to concede such a quick goal," he told reporters. "There were situations and moments when we did what we wanted but those periods were very short.

"Too many times we were not that great and Arsenal were the deserved winners. We just weren't good enough. 

"We could have done better; we were not courageous. There are 1000 reasons why we were not that good. We have to work.

"That's the plan. Work always works in life. We don't party between the, we always try to improve things.  

"We have to admit we are not as confident as in positive periods but you can work hard to get to deserve the luck in life. We will get it back. We don't need the perfect football, we just need good results."

Dortmund remain first in Group D with 12 points from five matches, with Arsenal occupying second spot with 10 points.

Post titleLiverpool braced for another great escape as Champions League campaign continues to falter....

Lambert spoke of the hurt he felt at seeing his first goal for Liverpool – his boyhood club - rendered almost entirely pointless by the second half capitulation at the hands of Crystal Palace on Sunday. His second will mean a whole lot more to the team he holds so dear.

The tempo was slow and there were individual errors perhaps indicative of a team low on confidence, but the second Liverpool goal was one of quality.
 Lambert was involved again as he pressed to regain possession in the Ludogorets half. Raheem Sterling collected the ball and delivered a pass of the standard we have come to expect but have seldom seen in recent weeks from the exciting teenager, and Jordan Henderson had the pace and energy to meet it precisely where he had pointed for it to be delivered.

After the interval Liverpool simply held on, attempting to graft their way to three vital points and only occasionally threatened to counter through Sterling, who had a chance to all but end the game as a contest with 10 minutes remaining but saw his shot saved at close range.

And they were made to pay. The problems at the back continued as Rodgers’ charges failed to deal with a late corner which Ilkov Terziev nodded home unmarked after a Svetoslav Dyakov flick-on.

The late goal means little to Liverpool in terms of their ultimate objective. A victory for Real Madrid away to Basel, courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo, means the Anfield side still need a victory over the Swiss outfit to see them finish second in Group B.

"Obviously we’re disappointed with the goal at the end but it is irrelevant," Rodgers said after the match.

The failure to win a fifth successive game is likely to take its toll, however. The scrutiny Rodgers and his players will face is only set to intensify in the wake of this draw and anything less than nine points from the next three league fixtures against Stoke, Leicester City and Sunderland will see Liverpool again placed under the microscope.

Readers to vote for Goal Tanzania Player of the Year Award . . .

The world's biggest football website Goal.com launched their Tanzanian edition in April 2014. Before the end of the first year, Goal Tanzania has already established itself as the country's number one English soccer website and is growing from strength to strength.
With the end of 2014 fast approaching, the time has come for the very first Goal Tanzania Player of the Year Award, which will be voted for by the readers of the site at the beginning of December.
The winning player will be announced in January 2015. We will provide our readers with exciting features dedicated to the best players in the country, along with news stories and exclusive interviews of former top Tanzania players tipping who they believe the contenders should be for 2014. Once the Goal staff has decided on the top five stars of the year, readers will be given the opportunity to select the winner from that group.
All Tanzania players from the VPL and abroad will be eligible to win this award, whether they currently play for Taifa Stars or not. The selection will be based on their performances over the course of this year only.
Readers are encouraged to discuss who they believe the contenders should be on our Goal Tanzania Facebook page here, and on our Twitter page here, with the unique hash tag #GoalTZPOTY.
Our journalists will produce a number of features dedicated to all the best Tanzania footballers over the year 2014. Then on Monday, December 1 we will reveal Tanzania's top five players, and the voting can then begin.
May the best man win!

Manchester City 3-2 Bayern Munich: Incredible Aguero rescues qualification hopes...

Hat-trick hero Sergio Aguero turned the game on its head to keep Manchester City's hopes of Champions League qualification very much alive with a turnaround 3-2 victory over 10-man Bayern Munich at the Etihad Stadium.

Manuel Pellegrini's men took the lead from the penalty spot through the Argentine midway through the first half, the spot kick won in an incident that saw Mehdi Benatia given his marching orders.

But Bayern made it look as if City were the team at a disadvantage, with Joe Hart at fault when Xabi Alonso's free kick found the net before Robert Lewandowski struck a second German goal just before half-time.

However, the hosts - who looked short of the required level for much of the game - pounced on a rare misplaced pass from birthday-boy Alonso for Stevan Jovetic to set up Aguero near the end of normal time.

And the striker again punished a defensive error as the game ticked over into stoppages to complete an unexpected comeback for his hat-trick.

A win away at Roma would now secure City's passage in second place behind Bayern, provided that the already-qualified German champions beat CSKA Moscow at home.

Samir Nasri had a first-minute shot blocked and Frank Lampard, starting due to suspensions for fellow midfielders Yaya Toure and Fernandinho, looped a header over before Bayern established an ominous rhythm.

A chipped pass from Arjen Robben caught out City defenders Eliaquim Mangala and Gael Clichy and meant that Hart had to be out sharply to deny Sebastian Rode.

It was an otherwise assured start by Mangala, who made a vital 19th-minute block to thwart Rafinha as City looked to pin Bayern back with some fine long passing - an approach that soon handed them a major advantage.

Aguero got the better of Benatia chasing a lofted ball from Lampard and referee Pavel Kralovec had little option but to dismiss the defender when he hacked his man to ground. City's top scorer stroked the resulting penalty past Manuel Neuer and, from there, the home team played with increasing confidence - often orchestrated by the evergreen Lampard.

But Bayern brilliantly turned the game on its head in the five minutes before half-time. Some trademark slick passing drew a foul from Mangala on Lewandowski and Alonso marked his 33rd birthday by guiding a 20-yard free kick into the bottom corner, as Hart left himself unsighted.

Making light of their numerical disadvantage, Bayern then controlled possession, culminating in Lewandowksi stealing in between Vincent Kompany and Bacary Sagna to send Robben's cross looping into the net.

Alonso pounced on a slack pass from Mangala to Fernando and scooped a return ball from Robben over as City stumbled into the second half.

Jesus Navas's pace down the right flank continued to prove a useful outlet for the hosts and Neuer was down well to turn a 49th-minute strike from the Spain winger behind, while James Milner arched a curling strike over as City probed for the equaliser.

But Pellegrini's men frustratingly struggled to mount sustained pressure, with a rasping 30-yard drive from Lampard offering Neuer further fleeting involvement with 20 minutes to play.

Clear chances remained elusive for the English champions until an uncharacteristically slack pass from Alonso was intercepted by Jovetic. Aguero still had plenty to do but he darted in on goal to slide the ball past Neuer before he stepped up again to provide even more late drama.

Aguero found Boateng to be in similarly charitable mood in stoppage time to net the decisive third, ensuring that all roads in City's Champions League destiny now lead to Rome.

COMMENT: The Argentine forward now leads the Primera Division's all-time scoring charts after surpassing a mark set in 1955. Spain's top-flight has never seen anything like today...

When Telmo Zarra passed away at the age of 85 in February 2006, his long-standing Liga goals record appeared unbeatable. Back then, Lionel Messi was in only his second season at Barcelona and had scored just seven times in La Liga. But eight years on, he has eclipsed the brilliant Basque and is now not only the Primera Division's greatest goalscorer, but also the finest footballer to ever grace Spain's top-flight.

Messi surpassed Zarra's magical mark of 251 Liga goals with his hat-trick in the 5-1 win against Sevilla at Camp Nou on Saturday and, at the age of 27, could go on to smash the record over the next few seasons at Barcelona. Even though he has adopted more of a playmaker role this term under Luis Enrique, there are plenty more goals still to come from the four-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Zarra watched Messi before his death, yet the legendary Athletic Club striker never witnessed the Argentine in all his goalscoring glory. Back then, Leo was a winger with plenty of promise, but far from the finished article.

It was in 2006-07 that the forward made the world sit up and truly take notice as he scored a carbon copy of Diego Maradona's famous World Cup goal against England by beating a series of defenders in a remarkable run and finish at home to Getafe in the Copa del Rey.

But it was in 2008-09 that his goalscoring really reached new heights as Pep Guardiola took over and the Catalan club went on enjoy the most glorious era in its entire history, amassing 14 out of a possible 19 seasons in four fantastic seasons. And Messi was the undoubted star.

The Frenchman rues his side's missed chances and defensive naivety after they fell to a 2-1 Premier League defeat by Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday...

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claimed that his side "dominated 80 per cent" of their 2-1 home defeat by Manchester United that marked the north London club's worst start to a season since 1982.

An own goal from Kieran Gibbs and a dinked finish from Wayne Rooney put United two goals ahead before Olivier Giroud grabbed a goal back in a game that ended with vocal boos from the home crowd.

Arsenal are already 15 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea and sit eighth in the Premier League table, having made their worst start to a league campaign in 32 years, but Wenger was left grasping for positives and rued several missed chances in the first-half.

"It's a game that we dominated for 80% of the time," he told reporters. "We have not had many
"Their keeper [David de Gea] is man of the match and that's the story of the game. We had plenty of opportunities to finish the game off.

"When we were 1-0 down we had a lot of possession in the final third. We missed a lot of opportunities but you have to be efficient in a top-level game.

"We are very disappointed. There is a discordance between our possession and chances and our results."

Wenger, who was unsure of the severity of the ankle injury that forced off Jack Wilshere, was particularly frustrated with the sequence that led to Rooney racing through on goal to clip home United's second.

He added: "Defensively we were a bit naive. We were not cautious enough.

"I don't know why we had two against one at the back in our own half. You will get punished by these players.

The World Cup winner is backing the Portugal international's bid for a second successive Ballon d'Or award - even though he also feels Manuel Neuer would be a deserving recipient...

The midfielder spent five years playing alongside the Portugal international at the Santiago Bernabeu before leaving for Bayern Munich this summer, meaning Alonso can now count several members of Germany's World Cup-winning squad as colleagues.
Consequently, when it comes to picking a deserving winner for this year's Ballon d'Or, the 32-year-old is somewhat torn.
However, Alonso is edging towards titleholder Ronaldo, admitting that he has never come across a more talented individual.
"I said recently if Manuel Neuer or another German player won the Ballon d'Or, it would be fair as they won the World Cup," the former Liverpool ace told the Daily Mail.
"But if Ronaldo wins it again, it would also be fair for the season he had, winning the Champions League.
"He is the best player I have played with."
Meanwhile, Alonso admitted that he had expected to extend his stay at the Bernabeu until he learned that Pep Guardiola wanted him at the Allianz Arena.
"My idea was to stay in Madrid," he explained. "Then, when I heard of Munich's interest I said 'Xabi, think what you want and where you will be happy.'
"I had been at Madrid for five years. We had won the 10th European Cup, we had been chasing it for a long time and it felt like the business was done.
"It was either a case of continuing for a few more years in Madrid or trying something different.
"Having experienced La Liga and the Premier League, it was a great chance to come here.
"The Bundesliga is getting better and this is one of the top clubs in the world.
"I needed a fresh start somewhere. This might be my last experience in football.
"I came from my hometown team, Real Sociedad, to the best team in England, to the best team in Spain, to the best team in Germany.
"It is a beautiful career. I wanted a nice football script."

The Germany international has been out of action with a knee problem since the World Cup final in July but is now poised to make his first club appearance of the 2014-15 season...

The Germany international has been struggling with a knee problem since helping his country to victory in July's World Cup final against Argentina.
However, Schweinsteiger returned to training a fortnight ago and Guardiola revealed on Friday that the midfielder is finally available for selection again.
"It’s good news," the Catalan coach enthused on the eve of the meeting with Hoffenheim at the Allianz Arena. "He's fit and he can help us a lot."
Indeed, Schweinsteiger's return is a timely one for Bayern, with captain Philipp Lahm having been ruled out for three months after fracturing his ankle in training earlier this week.
Lahm joins centre-back Holger Badstuber, full-back David Alaba and fellow midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Javi Martinez on the sidelines, meaning Bayern's squad is stretched to breaking point at the moment.
However, Guardiola says that there is no point in Bayern feeling sorry for themselves, arguing that they simply have to work with what they have got until the winter break.
“We mustn’t go looking for excuses," the former Barcelona boss stated. "we need to keep going and find solutions, ways to compensate for the missing players.
“We still have six Bundesliga and two Champions League matches before Christmas. It’s an important period and we can take another step forward."
Bayern go into Saturday's game against Hoffenheim four points clear of second-placed Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga standings, while they have already booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League ahead of next week's trip to Manchester City.

MOURINHO REVELS IN DIEGO COSTA'S SPAIN SNUB…THE 26-YEAR-OLD WAS NOT INCLUDED IN VICENTE DEL BOSQUE'S SQUAD AND THE CHELSEA MANAGER IS CONFIDENT THAT A PERIOD OF REST WILL BENEFIT THE PLAYER, HIS CLUB AND LA ROJA…

 

Jose Mourinho has expressed his delight that Diego Costa has been omitted from Spain's latest squad, though insists he had nothing to do with the decision.

The Chelsea boss has frequently lamented the Brazilian-born forward's selection when not fully fit, and is thrilled that the former Atletico Madrid striker - who will start against Liverpool on Saturday - is finally being given an extended period of rest.

When asked if Costa would feature at Anfield despite not being picked for Spain, Mourinho told reporters: "Fit to play, yes. Hopefully everything goes well. Yes, he starts the game.

"I’m pleased [that he isn't part of Vicente del Bosque's squad], but I want to make it clear that I did nothing to make that happen.

"As you can see, he was protected in the Champions League match, but, because the result was not good, I couldn’t protect him [throughout the match] and I had to play him for 45 minutes.

"As a consequence of the work we are doing with him, we think he’s ready to start the match tomorrow – but obviously not to join the international team.

"Now he has 15 days to finally rest, work, rest and work, properly. It’s fantastic news for us. We are thankful for the decision the Spanish federation made, but I want to make it clear I did nothing to make it happen."

During the international break, Mourinho intends for Costa to recharge his batteries and is confident both Chelsea, and Spain, will benefit from the striker being fully fit and firing again.

"The plan is, immediately after the match [against Liverpool], to have a period of complete rest," the Portuguese boss continued.

"No training, no treatment, not even a massage on his muscle. Let him rest a few days. And after that to continue the specific work he is doing without having a specific match to play, even on the next weekend.

"It’s very good news for him, it’s very good news for us, and it’s very good news for the national team. It’s better for the Spanish federation to have a good Diego, rather than a so-so Diego."