Germany international Mesut Ozil admits that he has become a bigger player during his time with Arsenal. The 29-year-old joined the Gunners from Real Madrid during the summer of 2013, and he has since established himself as the go-to man in the starting lineup.

In an exclusive with Sky Sports, Ozil revealed his pleasure at playing for the north London side, whilst highlighting the growth he has made during his five-year stay, he said: “Because of the history and the amazing players. I’m here to learn, to grow up and to show my talent for this club. This club has made me bigger. I’m so proud to play for a big club like Arsenal.”
Continue reading

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has praised the showing of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez during Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby. The Gunners dominated the proceedings from the off, and their urgency in the forward department caught Spurs off guard as they conceded two first-half goals.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side tried to make their comeback during the second period of the game, but they could not make the most of their possession owing to some poor finishing at the end. Following the game, Wenger heaped praise on both Ozil and Sanchez, who alongside Alexandre Lacazette stood out in the Gunners attack.
Continue reading

Arsenal legend Lee Dixon insists that the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil would have been shown the exit door if they had played in the Premier League in his era. The pair have just eight months of their contracts, and they are expected to leave the club in January or at the end of the season.

In a report covered by Sky Sports, Dixon feels there was no room for such kind of players during his time at the club, he said, “We’d have just shown them the door. If you don’t want to play, then go. That’s not changed. If a player doesn’t want to play for you: it happened with Michael Thomas 18 months after he scored [the title-winning goal against Liverpool] in ’89, he was in dispute with the club or George about money. He ended up going in similar circumstances and signing with Liverpool.”
Continue reading

Bayern Munich caretaker manager Willy Sagnol feels the Bavarian giants no longer hold a supremacy in the Bundesliga after they gave away a two-goal lead at Hertha Berlin this weekend.


The German champions endured a tough week which involved a 3-0 Champions League defeat at Paris Saint-Germain, and this paved way for the dismissal of Carlo Ancelotti.

Despite this, Sagnol named a strong starting line-up which included the likes of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng – all of whom were left on the bench at Parc des Princes. Hummels and Robert Lewandowski gave Bayern a 2-0 lead before 50 minutes, but Hertha fought back with goals from Ondrei Duda and Salomon Kalou and held on for a valuable point.

In the absence of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Bayern have had to adjust with Sven Ulreich between the sticks, and the 29-year-old has not looked comfortable with his mistake costing his side three points in the 2-2 draw against Wolfsburg last month. Continue reading

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that the club have not made progress in contractual negotiations with Mesut Ozil.


The Germany international has less than 10 months left on his present Gunners deal, and this has led to suggestions that he could leave the club on a free this summer.

Prior to the Gunners’ Europa League opener against Koln, Wenger revealed that the club have slowed down talks with the World Cup winner, but he is hopeful of committing his attacker to a fresh contract, he said: “Yes, of course (I am hopeful). The contract talks have slowed down a little bit since August 31. We need a little breather and to focus on the competition. But we will slowly get back into that.”

Ozil has received a lot of stick for his performances this season with the likes of Ian Wright and Martin Keown questioning his desire to play for the club. The 28-year-old has since come up with a personal request urging the club’s legends to ‘stop talking and start supporting’, but this has not gone well with Wright, in particular, who has hit back at the German for stalling on an extension. Continue reading

Germany defeated Russia 2-0 to lead Group B as Sweden fell to a shock defeat in the hands of Italy at the ongoing 2017 Women European Championship.

The Germans would now face Denmark in a quarter final pairing while Sweden are set to trade tackles against Group A leaders the Netherlands.

The thrilling duel between the Swedes and the Italians happed in Doetinchem. LottaSchelin opened scoring through a penalty kick before Daniela Sabatino leveled. StinaBlackstenius scored in the 47th minute to send the Italians back ahead but Sabatino equalized again. With minutes left to play Cristiana Girelli added the third to seal victory for the Italian women side. The loss meant Sweden finished second in the group to face another group winner. Had they won the game as expected they would likely have ended up leaders and face a second place team from another group.

The Germans too advantage of the situation to lead the pack. The reigning champs dominated their opponents in the game played in Utrecht. The Russians rarely got a shot on target but the Germans had to rely on two penalties to win the game. Babett Peter and DzseniferMarozsan converted the spot kicks, beating keeper Tatyana Shcherbak.

The Germans had seven points in total while Sweden finished with four points. The last eight games are set to happen on July 29th.

In other results, England and Portugal qualified from their group. The Lionesses defeated Spain 2-0 to book their spot in the knockout stage while Portuguese side defeated Scotland 2-1.

The Bundesliga is one of the most entertaining and exciting domestic leagues in the world, and with it getting underway this week, fans all around the world will be extremely pleased. The German league has some of the best and most enthralling teams in the world and they have some of the best players on the planet, and like every season, there will be a lot to talk about, discuss and debate as the 2017-18 campaign develops.

One topic that will probably not be discussed too much is where the title will go. Bayern Munich have won the Bundesliga for the past five seasons, and there are no signs that their domination is going to end anytime soon. Carlo Ancelotti’s side have the best players in Germany and, during the summer transfer window, they have strengthened their squad. Defender Philipp Lahm and midfielder Xabi Alonso have retired and winger Douglas Costa has left for Juventus, but central defender Niklas Sule and attacking midfielder James Rodriguez have arrived. Continue reading