SCHWEINSTEIGER: MAN UTD WILL BE MY LAST CLUB IN EUROPE

Bastian Schweinsteiger has addressed concerns over his
club future by releasing a statement that assures he will
remain with Manchester United.
The World Cup winner had been linked with a summer exit
after rumours surfaced that he would not be part of Jose
Mourinho's plans, but he German has remained professional
throughout.

"MUFC will be my last club in Europe," Schweinsteiger wrote
on Twitter. "I respect other clubs, but Manchester United
was the only one which could make me leave Bayern
Munich.
"I will be ready, if the team needs me. This is all I can say
about my current situation.
"I want to thanks the fans for the amazing support over the
recent weeks."

IBE, IWOBI, IHEANACHO IN ACTION: NIGERIANS ABROAD REVIEW

Vincent Enyeama: FC Metz sent a strong signal upon their
return to Ligue 1 when the Grenats twice came from behind
before bagging an 88th-minute winner to see off LOSC Lille.
Enyeama was guilty of a late fault to give away the decisive
penalty from which Yann Jouffre sealed all three points. It
was a miserable start for Frederic Antonetti’s side and a
rarity to see Enyeama and Les Dogues breached three times
in one contest. They conceded three goals on just two
occasions last term—including a shock loss at ESTAC
Troyes—to finish with the second best defence in the division

IHEANACHO SALUTES MANCHESTER CITY’S HAT-TRICK HERO AGUERO

Nigeria international Kelechi Iheanacho has applauded Sergio
Aguero’s breathing taking performance in Manchester City’s
Champions League play-off victory.
Aguero shrugged off two firt half penalty misses to fire a treble
in the Citizen’s 5-0 demolition of Steaua Bucharest in the first
leg played at the Stadionul Național.
The Argentine began the exploit after 41 minutes with a cool
finish. He added his second in the 78th minute before netting his
third in the closing stages of the game to add further gloss to
the scoreline.
And Iheanacho through his Instagram handle acknowledged the
Albicelestestar performance against Laurențiu Reghecampf’s team



“Great win today, and congrats to Sergio Aguero on his hat-
trick,” he wrote.
Great win today, and congrat to @aguerosergiokun16 on his
hat-trick.
hoto posted by Kelechi Iheanacho (@kelechi72) on Aug 16, 2016 at 2:43pm
Iheanacho alongside Joe Hart, Jesus Navas, and Fabian Delph
were on the bench for the entire duration of the game with
Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Fernando thrown into the fray in
the second half.
He would be hoping to be given the nod when Manchester City
travel to Stoke City for an English Premier League on Satur

ARSENAL’S IWOBI RULED OUT FOR FOUR WEEKS WITH HIP INJURY

The Gunners’ forward will face a month on the
sidelines after picking up an injury in Saturday’s defeat
against the Reds
Alex Iwobi has been ruled out for four weeks after suffering hip
injury in Arsenal’s defeat to Liverpool in Saturday’s English
Premier League game.
The Nigerian made way for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 59th
minute as Arsene Wenger’s men bowed 4-3 at the Emirates.
Iwobi will now miss Arsenal's league games against Leicester
City and Watford before the international break, though he will
definitely miss Super Eagles’ 2017 Africa Cup of Nations
qualifier against Tanzania.
He also faces a race against time to be fit to face Southampton
on October 4.
During this period, Weneger would also be without the services
of Aaron Ramsey who joins Per Mertesacker and Gabriel
Paulista on the sidelines, with Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud and
Laurent Koscielny expected to feature against Leicester game.

WHAT TIME WILL THE DREAM TEAM VI PLAY GERMANY U23?

Nigeria U23 are the verge of winning their second Olympic
football gold medal, but they must scale the German hurdle
on Wednesday.

Hrubesch Horst’s side reached this stage after dispatching
Portugal 4-0 in the quarter final, while Samson Siasia’s
wards were 2-0 better than Denmark.
Unlike the Dream Team VI, Germany have not lost a game in
this competition and a win for them in the South American
nation will place them in the final.
        The Nigerian team are going to meet with the Germans on August 17 by 8:00pm(West African Time).....Goodluck to them though,BRING BACK THE GOLD

STEAUA BUCHAREST 0-5 MANCHESTER CITY ;AGUERO HAT-TRICK SEALS EASY WIN

The Argentina international scored three goals and
missed two penalties as Pep Guardiola's men took
a commanding lead in the first leg of their
Champions League play-off tie
Sergio Aguero shook off two first-half penalty misses to
score a hat-trick as Manchester City all but sealed their
place in the Champions League group stage with a 5-0 away
win over Steaua Bucharest in the first leg of their play-off
tie.
The Argentina international had his first attempt from 12
yards saved by goalkeeper Goalkeeper Florin Nita, before
blasting a second spot kick over the bar after David Silva's
opener.
Aguero eventually made amends when he doubled City's
lead late in the first half with a calm finish, with Nolito piling
even more misery on the hosts in the second half to make it
3-0.
City rounded off an easy win and it was Aguero who had the
final say with a late double to complete his treble.
The fourth came in the 78th minute as Aguero converted at
the end of an intricate passing move by firing into the
bottom-left corner, and he hit home his third in off the post
to add further gloss to the scoreline a minute from time.
City survived an early scare when Nicolae Stanciu nearly
took advantage of some sloppy play from Fernandinho, but
they were in full control from there on and should have gone
a goal up in the eighth minute when referee Daniele Orsato
awarded them a penalty following Muniru Sulley's foul on
Sterling.
Nita pulled off a superb save to deny Aguero from the spot,
though, blocking his low shot, before Nolito crashed the
rebound against the crossbar.
The Premier League side eventually did get the early goal
they were after in the 13th minute when Silva found the net
after some great work from Sterling.
Sterling stole the ball off Alin Tosca, charged forward and
set up Silva inside the area, with the Spaniard coolly firing
past Nita for the opener.
Aguero's poor fortune from the spot continued in the 21st
minute as he shot high off target after Gabriel Enache had
brought down Aleksandar Kolarov inside the area.
City were nearly made to pay for Aguero's profligacy when
Jugurtha Hamroun popped up in a dangerous area after a
quick counter-attack, but shot-stopper Willy Caballero -
again selected ahead of Joe Hart - showed his class as he
thwarted the winger.

Guardiola's men pushed hard for a second goal in the
closing stages of the first half and it was Aguero who made
it two in the 42nd minute. Goalkeeper Nita first frustrated
Kolarov and Sterling, but there was nothing he could do to
stop Aguero 's placed shot from the edge of the box as
he atoned for his previous penalty woes.
Nolito then all but put the tie to bed early in the second
half, rounding the goalkeeper after a wonderful pass from
Kevin De Bruyne before making it 3-0 to the visitors.
City and Aguero poured even more salt in the
Steaua wounds courtesy of an excellent team goal 12
minutes from time, with the hat-trick and an emphatic rout
then completed with yet another clinical finish.

PRISTINE RAHEEM - STERLING SHRUGS OFF SUMMER STRUGGLES AS MAN CITY IMPRESS

The England winger, or 'Raz' as Pep Guardiola calls
him, has had a rough few months but he looks a
different player on the right-hand side for the Blues
COMMENT
If Manchester City's Premier League opener provided
evidence of slow progress under Pep Guardiola, Tuesday's
Champions League play-off victory was much more like it.
City did just about enough to squeeze past Sunderland at
the weekend. There were signs of Guardiola's influence -
most notably the full-backs coming into central midfield -
but things did not quite click, which is to be expected at this
stage of the Catalan's reign.
Their dismantling of Steaua Bucharest, though, was far
more impressive. The passing was more crisp, the
movement looked more fluid and the chances flowed. It
must be said that the opposition were far less dogged than
the Black Cats, but City thrived in the space they were
afforded.
Sergio Aguero missed two first-half penalties but, incredibly,
he scored a hat-trick anyway.
His first, City's second of the night, was laid on beautifully
by Raheem Sterling. The man pilloried by sections of the
British press (though, it must be said, usually not the sports
sections) during and after the European Championship
showed why City paid upwards of £45 million for him a year
ago.
It is said Guardiola gave that move the go-ahead last
summer, several months before his move to the Etihad
Stadium was confirmed.
The boss admits he, as well as his backroom team, had been
won over by "Raz" - as he calls him - long before he was
thinking about a move to Manchester.
READ MORE | REPORT: Aguero hat-trick seals
easy City win
"He can play right and left, he can go byline or go inside, and
that is so important," Guardiola said on Saturday after
Sterling had impressed. "He is a fighter and of course we
want more of him, but we are so so happy.
"We are happy for him because he's a very nice guy, and
from the beginning I had a feeling - maybe it will be a
mistake, maybe for the rest of the season Raz is not going
to play good - but from the beginning I had that feeling that
this guy is good.
"I saw many times in England, when playing Liverpool, I
said, 'Wow this guy is good'. Not just me, all the staff, all
the physios, and my assistant, wanted to have him, wanted
to have him to see the real Sterling."
The real Sterling, City fans will be increasingly hopeful, is the
one we are seeing now, rather than the young man who
struggled at the back end of last season and carried those
problems into the Euros.
Things got so bad for Sterling in France that Guardiola called
him personally in a bid to keep his spirits up. There was no
immediate improvement, even if he did produce a fine run to
win England's penalty in that fateful game against Iceland,
but he looks much better now.

Indeed, he's won two more penalties already this season.
He also picked up two im pressive assists; before teeing up
Aguero, he set up City's opener in Romania, turning his
marker inside out before cutting it back to David Silva.
Sterling had been used in a variety of roles by Brendan
Rodgers at Liverpool but it seems the right-hand side could
become his home under Guardiola. Nobody would have seen it, but the Catalan was said to be impressed by the
Englishman's performance there in a behind-closed-doors
friendly against St Johnstone. He has played there ever
since.

He started last season in fine form, of course, but his
campaign petered out along with most of his team-mates.
The atmosphere at City these days is increasingly positive.
There are signs that the players are tuning in to Guardiola's
wave length. John Stones, in his second appearance, was
imperious at the back. He was signed because of his
penetrative passing and it was on display here on numerous
occasions.
Kevin De Bruyne looked lost at the weekend but there was a
marked improvement against Steaua, Silva looked
something like his old self in a more advanced role, and
Nolito picked up his first goal for the club.
Claudio Bravo will be another piece of the puzzle when he
joins from Barcelona.
Things, then, are falling into place, and especially for
Sterling.

RIO 2016 BADMINTON:KIDAMBI SRIKANTH MOVES INTO QUARTERS AFTER THRILLING WIN

Kidambi Srikanth booked his place in the quarter finals of the badminton men's singles event at Rio Olympics 2016,after a close 21-19,21-19 win over Denmark's Jan Jorgensen in his


round of 16 match.Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth began well in the first game and took an early lead,but Jorgensen came back immediately as both fought toe-to-toe for most parts of the game.
     However,Srikanth opened up a two point lead to earn game points.He failed to convert the first of those points,but did so in the second to win the first game.

TRANSFER MARKET UPDATE 2016

European leagues has started and more sales, purchases are
expected at the transfer market. From the Selhurst Park,
Yannick Bolasie has said his goodbyes to his Crystal Palace
team-mates ahead of his move to Everton. He will cost the
Toffees £25 million plus add-ons taking the deal to £30m.


More transfer news for Monday below:
- Everton are considering a move for Joe Hart after the change
to his situation at Manchester City. The England goalkeeper was
left on the bench against Sunderland. (Daily Mail)
- Inter are trying to sign Alexis Sanchez as his contract talks at
Arsenal continue to stall. The Chilean would cost €80 million and
command an €8m-a-year salary, the highest in Serie A.
(Fichajes.net)
- AC Milan have joined Valencia in the race to sign Man City
defender Eliaquim Mangala. The Rossoneri prefer a one-year
loan deal with the option to buy, while the Liga side are willing to
spend £18 million outright. (Daily Star)
- Manchester City have agreed personal terms with Claudio
Bravo as Pep Guardiola looks to find a goalkeeper better suited
to his tactics and philosophy than England No. 1 Joe Hart.
(Sport)
- Pep Guardiola has lined up Sporting goalkeeper Rui Patricio as
a potential replacement for Joe Hart as Barcelona refuse to sell
Marc-Andre ter Stegen. (Daily Mirror)
- Tottenham are considering a £13 million bid for Adrien Silva as
they look to further strengthen their midfield. The Sporting star
played for Portugal at Euro 2016. (The Sun)
- Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, 33, has agreed terms with City, casting further doubt over Hart's future. (Mundo Deportivo- in Spanish)
- Arsenal target Alexandre Lacazette, 25, says he might leave Lyon this summer. The Premier League side have had £29m bid rejected for the France international. (Canal)
- Crystal Palace are ready to bid for West Ham striker Andy
Carroll, 27, if they fail to sign Liverpool forward Christian
Benteke, 25. (Daily Express)
- West Brom are also interested in Benteke, but Liverpool will not accept anything less than £32.5m for the Belgian. (SkySports)
- Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said midfielder
Juan Mata, 28, had a future at the club after scoring in their
Premier League opener against Bournemouth.(Sky Sports)
- Liverpool could sign 17-year-old Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard but West Ham are also interested in the Norwegian.
(Ouest France - in French)
- Former Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo, who now plays for
New York City, says the Italian club are "still laughing" about
signing Paul Pogba, 23, from Manchester United for £1.5m in 2012. The France midfielder has rejoined the Red Devils for
£89m. (Daily Telegraph)
- West Brom manager Tony Pulis is worried his team is
'stagnating' and wants to invest in new players quickly.
(Guardian)
- Chelsea continue to be interested in Napoli defender Kalidou
Koulibaly, 25. (Gazzetta World)
Finally…
- Blues boss Antonio Conte says Diego Costa is staying at
Chelsea and wants the 29-year-old striker to continue with his
aggressive style of play. (Daily Mail)

LIVERPOOL SHARP SHOOTING EDGES ARSENAL IN SEVEN-GOAL STUNNER

The 24-year-old tuned in as Jurgen Klopp’s side
were victors at the Emirates before going on to
triumph himself in thrilling style
South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk, who broke Michael
Johnson's 17-year-old 400m world record to win Olympic
gold at Rio 2016, prepared for his amazing race by watching Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Arsenal.
The Reds supporter clocked an incredible time of 43.03
seconds, 0.15 quicker than the previous best recorded in
1999.

And before he could achieve his success, van Niekerk tuned
into Liverpool’s thrilling Premier League triumph over
Arsenal.
"I was losing my mind because it was quite a tight match,"
he said.
"I was so excited that we got the win over Arsenal. And my
brother's an Arsenal fan.
“Now I've got the world record and Liverpool beat Arsenal.
I've got a lot to brag about."

JAMAICAN SPRINTER 'THOMPSON' EMERGES AS THE FASTEST FEMALE SPRINTER ON EARTH

The women's 100m final initially appeared impossible to call after all eight women qualified in sub-11 second time.But as it turned out,Thompson emerged as a comfortable winner in 10.71secs after hitting the front at halfway

2016 OLYMPICS:-NIGERIA DEFEATS DENMARK 2--0,CLASH WITH GERMANY IN SEMI-FINAL

Dream Team VI have proceeded to the Semi Final of the 2016 Olympics men's football competition after beating Denmark 2 - 0 in the Quarter finals.
Mikel Obi struck in the 15th minute to put Nigeria ahead before setting up Aminu Umar in the second half to make it2.The team will play Germany in the semi final on 17th of August.Germany beat Portugal to reach the semis. They also scored 15goals while qualifying from their group. Overall, they've scored19 goals in 4 games, the only team to have done so in the competition.

They've done well so far in the ongoing olympic in Rio,Brazil.kudos to them though

WHERE'S YOUR BBC NOW? CONTE FACING DEFENSIVE CRISIS FOR WEST HAM CLASH

The Italian manager faces using a below par
defence for the first time in his career in his first
ever Premier League match

As Antonio Conte gears up for his first Premier League
match in charge of Chelsea, there is no doubt the Italian will
be frustrated with the state of his defence.
The former Juventus boss has built his successful
managerial career on the foundations of a strong backline,
which has almost always contained the fearsome trio of
Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli.
Conte has already been critical of his new defence during
pre-season. With Kurt Zouma injured, the gaffer goes into a
fresh campaign with only John Terry, Gary Cahill and
Branislav Ivanovic.
Terry is a club legend, but he is not supposed to be going
into this season as a first choice centre-back after having
accepted a pay cut and a lesser role as part of his new deal.
The club's defensive problems extend to the full-back
positions, too, with Ivanovic looking like a liability last
season after losing a yard of pace and a lot of confidence.
Ola Aina, who has yet to make his Chelsea debut, is
deputising for both Ivanovic and Azpilicueta after a
breakthrough pre-season campaign, jumping ahead of Baba
Rahman in the pecking order to see the Ghanaian loaned out
to Schalke.
To add to the Blues' pain, their rivals have strengthened at
the back with John Stones - who was courted by Jose
Mourinho last season - joining Manchester City, while
Manchester United have added Eric Bailly and Arsenal look
set to sign Shkodran Mustafi.
Chelsea have put all their transfer eggs in one basket, with
their focus on Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly. But despite
the player being keen to force a move, the club's president
Aurelio de Laurentiis has been extremely difficult to deal
with and commands a very high fee for his star defender.
There are signs that Conte's team are increasing in
confidence regarding the signing of Koulibaly, but if the deal
falls through they will be left desperately short - especially
having sent Michael Hector, Rahman, Nathan Ake, Andreas
Christensen out on loan, with Matt Miazga and Kenedy to
follow, as first revealed by Goal .
Chelsea have also been linked with Victor Lindelof
and Lamine Kone but any interest seems to be casual
compared to their intentions over signing Koulibaly, who
they have made bids for.
The former Azzurri boss has gone from having the best
defence at Euro 2016 to one in severe decline which
conceded 21 more goals last season than the year before,
leading to increased pressure to have his team defend well
as a unit and to get his tactics right.
N'Golo Kante will have a big influence on Chelsea
defensively, but with only him and Michy Batshuayi arriving
into the club so far it will be a disappointing transfer window
for the second year running if no further business happens.
The panic is starting to set in amongst the fan base who
have grown frustrated that the club has only two serious
transfer targets, with Romelu Lukaku being chased for an
expensive return to Stamford Bridge after leaving for Everton
for £28m.
Conte will echo that frustration with his side light on
numbers and quality at the back, but he is communicating
every day to offer support to Chelsea's transfer chiefs - to
make sure his club give him at least two more players
before the British transfer window shuts on August 31.

FARAH BATTLED BACK FROM A FALL TO RETAIN HIS 10,000M CROWN

Farah will now seek to retain the 5,000m too, hoping to
emulate Finn Lasse Viren, the only man to defend both titles
in 1976. Every one of Farah's Olympic triumphs have come
in virtually the same way as he sits in behind a group of
Ethiopians and Kenyans before blasting out an unstoppable
final lap.

There was a twist on this occasion, however, as he tripped
and fell early in the race when he tangled with his American
training partner Galen Rupp with 16 laps remaining.
He bounced up quickly though and with the East Africans
failing to test him by pushing the pace, there was an air of
inevitability about the outcome as he swept past Kenya's
Paul Tanui and roared home.
“It's hard mentally when you go down,” a tearful Farah
admitted. “I got emotional because you put so much work in
and in one moment it's gone. That one moment could be it.”

JAMAICA'S SPRINTER AND WORLD'S FASTEST MAN ON PLANETH EARTH WON HIS THIRD CONSECUTIVE OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN THE 100M RACE WITH A TIME OF 9.81SECS

The win took the sprinter a step closer to his goal of defending his combination of gold in the 100m,200m,and the 4*100m relay from London 2012.

    American sprinter Justin Gatlin in 9.89secs and Canada's sprinter Andre de Grasse won bronze in 9.91secs.Usain Bolt being the fastest sprinter is truly a world record breaker and he has done it again at the face of everyone at the ongoing Olympic in Rio,Brazil

ZLATAN AT HIS PEAK SAYS JOSÉ MOURINHO

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is at the top of his game despite
his age and can spearhead Manchester United's
trophy drive both at home and in Europe, says Jose
Mourinho.

United boss Mourinho was thrilled with his team's 3-1
win at Bournemouth on the Premier League's opening
weekend, with Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and
Ibrahimovic scoring at the Vitality Stadium.
Some have questioned whether Ibrahimovic can thrive
in the fast and furious Premier League at the age of
34.

JOE HART FEARS EXIT AT MANCHESTER CITY CLOSE IN ON CLAUDIO BRAVO

Pep has insisted publicly that the England No.1
could yet work his way back into the first team, but
a move for the Barca keeper has thrown his future
into doubt
Joe Hart fears his time at Manchester City is coming to an
end as the club step up their efforts to sign Claudio Bravo
from Barcelona, Goal has learned.
Hart was left out of Pep Guardiola's starting line-up for their
Premier League opener against Sunderland on Saturday and
faces a fierce fight to hold onto his status as City No.1.
Guardiola has publicly insisted that Hart may yet win back
his place, but the Catalan is thought to have his doubts
about the England keeper's ability to adjust to his complex
tactical demands.
READ MORE | Caballero: Stones was a 'f***ing
player'!
Sources close to Hart also believe that the player will
struggle to get a look in if Bravo arrives at the Etihad
Stadium.
It is understood that City are confident of signing Bravo
before the close of the transfer window, as reported by Goal

on Sunday evening.
Although City and Barca are yet to agree on a transfer fee,
the Chilean is keen to link up with Guardiola and talks are
expected to intensify after the conclusion of the Spanish
supercopa on Wednesday.
Hart is extremely popular with City supporters after playing
a pivotal role in the club's recent success, having won two
Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup in
the last five years.
But it has become clear that he does not suit Guardiola's
gameplan and, with Bravo's arrival set to be confirmed this
month, he may yet decide to seek a new club in order to
guarantee first-team football.
"I am pretty sure he is not happy," Guardiola said of Hart
after he was left out of Saturday's game. "Players when they
do not play they are sad, of course, I would not like them to
be happy when they don’t play."
Guardiola insisted on Friday that Hart could adapt to his
methods given time, and after the Sunderland game he once
again was at pains to point out that his decision to pick Willy
Caballero did not necessarily spell the end for the England
keeper.
"Today he was the first choice," he added. "I don’t know. I
don’t know. It was today. Maybe the next game I'll change
or maybe not. Today I needed the build-up, to use the
goalkeeper to play quicker, to arrive the balls behind the line,
and Willy had this quality.
"First of all he had more time, he arrived on the first day, in
the first training session we worked on that. That’s the
reason why, nothing else.
"I know Joe’s quality, he’s an amazing goalkeeper, he’s the
goalkeeper with the national team, the last years he was so
important to win the two Premier Leagues, the cups, and
titles, the personality, the character, I know that. But today I
have to decide and today I decide in that way."

MIKEL REIMBURSED BY SPORTS MINISTRY

Having saved the country from embarrassment in
Sao Paulo financially, the midfielder has been
refunded by the ministry
John Obi Mikel has been reimbursed with the sum of $4,600
by the federal ministry of youth and sports, the Nigeria
Football Federation has confirmed.
The Dream Team VI were held to ransom by management of
a hotel in Sao Paulo over unpaid bills, but the Chelsea star
bailed the team out before the left for Salvador where they
defeated Denmark 2-0 in the quarter final.
“I am happy to be a Nigerian, because in spite of all the
challenges, you have taken the world by storm; you have by
your performance given happiness to more than 160 million
Nigerians,” said Chinyeaka Ohaa who addressed the team
on behalf of sports minister, Solomon Dalung.
“Football is the biggest unifying factor in Nigeria today.
From Mr. President to the average Nigerian you have made
everyone proud [against Denmark].
“I am humbled by your efforts, your commitment, your
patriotism. I want to assure you that your sacrifices will not
be in vain. Aside whatever the NFF have for you, we will as
much as possible make you happy, if only you will be patient
with us. With your performance [against Denmark], I am
convinced that you will get that gold.”
In his response, Mikel thanked the ministry while urging
them to do more in terms of motivation.
“We want to thank you for your fatherly support. In truth,
there have been a lot of challenges, but every time we go
onto the field, we forget about everything and make sure our
fatherland comes first. We have done that so far and we will
continue to do that, but we need more motivation,” he said.
Nigeria face Germany in the semifinal of the Olympic Games
on Wednesday at the Corinthians Arena.

STRENGTH IN DEPTH ALREADY IMPORTANT FOR BARCELONA

Luis Enrique's side saw two starters limp off within
the first half an hour but were able to call upon
quality replacements - unlike this time last year - to
seal victory
COMMENT
What a difference a year makes. On August 14, 2015, Barca
lost 4-0 to Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Supercopa. Having
played extra time against Sevilla just days earlier in the
UEFA Super Cup, Luis Enrique's side looked tired on their trip
to the Basque Country and their transfer ban meant there
was little in the way of quality back-up options.
This time, though, it was Sevilla who had played extra time
in the UEFA Super Cup, having lost 3-2 to Real Madrid on
Tuesday. With more rest time and at home where they are
always strong, however, this was always going to be a big
test for Barca.
And the Spanish champions came through it despite some
ominous signs early on. First of all, many were surprised to
see the hapless Jeremy Mathieu in the team at left-back
instead of summer signing Lucas Digne. As it turned out,
the former Valencia defender only lasted 25 minutes before
limping off with a thigh problem. And six minutes later,
Andres Iniesta went off with a blow to his knee. Barely half
an hour into the new season and Barca had already lost two
players.
But that is why clubs have big squads. A year ago, Luis
Enrique did not appear to have much faith in his
replacements, while Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal were unable
to make their debuts until January due to the transfer ban
handed to the club for infringements in the recruitment of
young players.
Following a productive summer in the transfer market, that
has now changed. Digne came on for Mathieu and barely
put a foot wrong all night, even though he is behind in terms
of fitness following France's run to the final of Euro 2016
and an extended break. And another summer signing, Denis
Suarez, stepped into Iniesta's shoes in midfield. He too
impressed and it was his pinpoint pass which was chipped
into the path of Arda, who in turn chested down for Luis
Suarez to give Barca the lead.

With Neymar and Rafinha still away at the Olympic Games in
Brazil, there was another opportunity for Munir El Haddadi
from the bench as well. And the Spanish Under-21 forward
showed that his development has continued as he netted his
side's second with a fine finish. The club's top scorer this
summer, he may yet go out on loan if the club can bring in
another forward this summer. But if not, he already looks
like he can be a more prominent player than he was in
2015-16.

None of the summer signings featured in the starting XI,
with Andre Gomes and Samuel Umtiti unused substitutes.
The message is clear: the new guys will have to win a place
in the team on merit - and that will not be easy to do.
But Digne and Denis played their part in a victory which
means the Spanish Supercopa is likely to be heading back
to Barcelona as the Catalans take a 2-0 lead to the return at
Camp Nou on Wednesday night.
"I liked all the players," Luis Enrique said afterwards. "The
ones who played, the ones who came on and the ones on
the bench. Because we will need all of them."
It is an attitude and also a situation very much in contrast
with a year ago as Barca lost Xavi and Pedro and were
unable to bring in replacements, while Arda and Aleix Vidal
were made to wait until January and the Barca boss rarely
trusted the other substitutes at his disposal.
The new season is underway and what looked like being
another potential banana skin, was expertly averted by
Barca on Sunday. The Catalans have a real squad this time
around, not just a top team, and that strength in depth
proved important even in the very first game of the
campaign.