Year: 2016

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Former United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann lost his job as the manager of the men’s national team on Monday after five years in charge.


The German used to be the golden boy of German, English and American football being a World Cup winner with Germany, a Premier League veteran and successful coach in America taking the national side into the last 16 in the 2014 World Cup.

Klinsmann lost his job as the US record poor results in the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. The 4-0 loss to Costa Rica during the international break was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The sharp decline would definitely make his profile not as impressive.

Klinsmann used to be popular before and during the 2014 World Cup. He preached fitness and aggression, forcing US players to partake in a boot camp before their trip to Brazil for the World Cup finals. His insistence made him leave out star player Landon Donovan from the squad, as he did not reach the required level of stamina. They faced Germany, Portugal, and Ghana in the group stage yet they qualified, earning praises from all quarters. Tim Howard was the national hero even as they lost to Belgium in the knockout phase.

Klinsmann did not build on the 2014 success and it came crashing down. His appointment was in the summer of 2011. He coached the team through 98 games, winning 56 percent and losing 16.3 percent. After the heights of the 2014 World Cup, US Soccer gave him a new four-year deal and the post of technical director but the urge to dictate affairs did not end well. The axing of popular Donovan and the way Klinsmann managed the situation caused tension in the players’ camp.

The poor performances in the Hex forced his sack as the US place last. Three teams get auto qualification with the fourth slugging it out in a play-off. Bruce Arena has been called on to salvage the team.

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Germany manager Joachim Loew has confirmed that the national team will not be chasing goal records when they take on San Marino in the next World Cup 2018 qualification match.


The German national team managed a whopping 13-0 score over San Marino back in 2006. Teams usually switch off after having scored a certain number of goals, but it was not the case against the lowly ranked team. Regarded as one of the minnows in world football, San Marino have suffered plenty of heavy defeats in their history, but the loss against Germany stands out.

There is a good possibility of a similar scoreline occurring a decade after the famous result. It has sparked speculation that Germany would try to break the 104-year-old record of the most number of goals in a single FIFA game, which currently stands at 16. Incidentally, Germany holds the record after having scored this astonishing number of goals against the Russian national team.

Loew, though, has confirmed that goals and records will not be on the minds of the German players. The reigning World Cup champions have made a brilliant start to the qualification campaign for the next World Cup in Russia. They have won all their four matches without conceding even a single goal

“To break the record is not the aim. Our aim is to be focused, not to be arrogant, create chances and score goals and take a clear result back home with us.When you see when they concede goals it is in the 70th or 75th minute onwards. Until then they defend well and they trail 1-0 or so.The San Marino players learned their trade in Italy so they can defend rather well,” said Loew. One of the reasons why records may not be broken is the lack of several key players for selection.

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Germany and Manchester City’s sensational midfielder, IlkayGundogan has high hopes of making his comeback to the international scene.


This was after he was forced to miss out for almost a year due to injuries. The 2018 World Cup isn’t on his mind yet.

On the 8th of October, Germany, who are World Champions will go head on with Czech Republic. In three days after that, they would play host to Northern Ireland in their World Cup Qualifiers match.

Gudongan will be looking forward to win his first cap then since November 2015. He had signed for Manchester City in the close season but ended up missing the 2014 World Cup and the Euro 2016 as well due to injury.
The 25 year old was quoted saying,

“It is great to be here again. I did not realize it was actually such a long time since my last game. But I know the feeling of a comeback well from the past few years. I just want to enjoy the moment and if I am needed, I will be there. I will give it all I can and I cannot ask for more at the moment.” Continue reading →

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There are currently 634 Malaysian students studying in Germany, according to reports. However, the current Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak claims that the country might consider sending more of its student to the European giant for a lot of reasons.

The Prime Minister made the declaration in Berlin, saying: “I take the point that tuition fees are free in Germany and the only barrier is language and if you master a degree of proficiency in the German language, then sending students to Germany is very viable for us to consider.” Continue reading →

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There have been more negative remarks being heard about Pep Guardiola from Germany of late than the positive ones and most of those remarks, surprisingly, have come from the players of the team he managed there which is Bayern Munich.

The most common complaint by the players is that he was never bothered about chatting with them and developing a personal relationship with them and each and every minute that he would get to spend off the field, he would use it thinking about his strategies only. Continue reading →

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Manchester City made their first serious stride forward in the Champions League last season, reaching the semi-finals of the competition. Manuel Pellegrini guided them through a group containing Juventus and Sevilla, finishing top of the table ahead of the Italian giants, despite losing both matches to Massimiliano Allegri’s men.

The Citizens eased past Dynamo Kiev before edging past Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals, securing a last-four berth where Real Madrid awaited them. There was little between the two sides over the course of the two legs, with Fernando’s own goal being the deciding factor in sending Real to the final in Milan.

City scraped into fourth place in the Premier League last season, securing their place in this year’s tournament, although they were forced to see off Steaua Bucharest in their play-off fixture. The draw for the group stage set up a mouth-watering clash between Pep Guardiola and his former team Barcelona in a fierce battle for top spot in Group C, while Borussia Monchengladbach and Celtic will attempt to provide resistance.

With Guardiola at the helm, City will be eyeing a breakthrough on the continent with their first European success, and given the investment poured into the team over the past eight years it is time for the club to become a force alongside Barca, Real and Bayern Munich. The Citizens are backed at 12/1 in the latest Champions League odds to win the crown for the first time, although they will have a major challenge ahead of them to end Spain’s recent dominance.

As expected, City have started strongly under Guardiola’s tenure, winning all three of their Premier League matches thus far this season. However, their victories over Sunderland and West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium were far from convincing. Despite failing to put together a complete performance in the early stages of the campaign, City are top of the table, with Chelsea and bitter rivals Manchester United for company.

Their display in their 5-0 hammering of Steaua was far more straightforward, although the standard of opposition was far below what they can expect for the remainder of the term across all four competitions. Sergio Aguero has hit the ground running in the new season, notching six goals in his opening five matches, including a hat-trick in the away leg in Bucharest. The Argentine holds the key to how far his side will progress in the Champions League this time around.

Should he produce his best form on the continent then City will have a chance to match the firepower of the dominant teams in the competition. The 28-year-old was put under too much pressure last season as Wilfried Bony failed to fire, while Kelechi Iheanacho did not score in his four European matches.New signings Nolito and Leroy Sane will ease the strain on Aguero, while Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne will have benefited from a year to acclimatise to their new club, building a rapport with the Argentine spearheading the attack.

Guardiola has proven that he is not afraid to make big changes at the club, having removed Joe Hart from between the sticks and sent the England international out on loan to Torino. He has now followed that decision by leaving Yaya Toure out of his squad for the group stage. Toure has been a polarising figure at the Etihad Stadium over recent seasons. The Ivorian has displayed brilliance at times on the pitch, but has also had the propensity to put in a number of sub-standard performances. His attitude has also come into question, and the latest development could see his time at the club come to an end.

The 33-year-old’s absence will make Vincent Kompany’s return to action even more pressing for the Citizens given his leadership qualities. His injury problems have played a huge role in City’s struggles to add further trophies to their collection over the past two years. An extended absence this term could be mitigated by the signing of Jon Stones, while Nicolas Otamendi has appeared more comfortable in his second season. However, City’s success could well hinge on how much playing time their skipper can handle on the continent this term.

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Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is reported to have rejected a move to Portugal giants Sporting Lisbon. The recently retired Germany international was set to be released by the club, but he resisted the move. He told the management that he would be staying put at Old Trafford.

The report claims he wouldn’t have had problems with his wages as United were ready to subsidize his salary in the Portuguese league. Coach Jose Mourinho has made it very clear that he does not have the player in his plans. The agent of the player is reported to have been happy with the loan terms, but the midfielder wants to fight for a shirt. Continue reading →

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Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski have been part of the German national team for more than a decade.


After the recent conclusion of the Euro 2016, these two players have also decided to concluded their international careers with immediate effect. Even though this has come as a shock to many of their fans, this decision was expected with both players entering into the 30s. It allows manager Joachim Loew to look at various younger alternatives going into the World Cup 2018 qualification campaign. Prior to the qualification campaign, though, Germany have decided to award both players an opportunity to say their final goodbyes.

Schweinsteiger and Podolski will be featuring in one final game as confirmed by the German national FA. Schweinsteiger made 120 appearances for the national team and helped them win the World Cup 2014 title. However, he faces an uncertain future with regard to club and international career. After just announcing his international retirement, Schweinsteiger found himself training alone at United and is most likely to be sold before the end of the transfer window. Since his debut in 2004, Podolski has made 126 appearances and has also received the World Cup medal. Despite playing in the Turkish league with Galatasaray, Podolski has always been a first-team regular at international level.
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Germany manager Joachim Loew says that he is fully aware of the threat from Slovakia in the last 16 stage of the Euro 2016.


He is aware of the threat because Germany only recently suffered a humiliating defeat just before the start of the tournament. The 3-1 loss in the pre-tournament preparations may not have affected the morale of the squad too much, but it seems to have given Slovakia a lot of confidence. The team has managed to reach the last 16 despite finishing third in the group behind Wales and England.

The presence of quality players like Marek Hamsik and Martin Skrtel makes them a formidable opposition. This combined with Germany not being at the best in recent months makes this a mouthwatering tie.Loew has already been accused of allowing the players to rest on their laurels following a remarkable World Cup 2014. Germany managed to end their long trophy drought by winning the competition in style. However, they have started the Euro 2016 in mediocre fashion and are likely to face a lot of competition towards winning the title itself. Loew has given Germany a major boost by confirming that midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is likely to start the game after recovering from his recent injury problems.
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Samir Khedira and Mario Gomez may miss the semi-finals on Thursday after they left the field injured in the match against Italy.


Germany managed to reach the semi-final after beating Italy in the penalty shootout but may miss out on two important players.

They will be facing the winner of the match opposing France to Iceland in what promise to be an exciting game.

Samir Khedira had to leave the pitch only after 16 minutes after he collided with Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini. It is believed that the Juventus midfielder suffers from a muscular injury, and we will have to wait for medical reports to find out the extent of the injury.

Mario Gomez suffered a similar injury in the 72nd minute and had to be substituted. However, it is believed that Gomez has a higher chance of featuring in the next game than Samir Khedira. Continue reading →