West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic will shift the club’s training sessions from Chadwell Heath to Rush Green ahead of schedule in a bid to halt injuries to his squad.
Defender Winston Reid has been ruled out of tomorrow’s Premier League visit of Stoke after picking up an injury in training and Bilic suggested that the surface at Chadwell Heath was to blame.
“We were planning on moving the training ground to Rush Green at the end of the season, now we are moving that forward,” he said.
“The pitches here at Chadwell Heath are soft on top, but hard underneath which is the worse combination. So I have made the decision to go to Rush Green where pitches are better.”
Barcelona suffer loss in trademark case
Barcelona lost a bid to trademark the shield-shaped outline of their club crest yesterday when EU judges ruled that was not distinctive enough to be linked only to the Catalan club.
The crest itself, based on a design in 1910, is familiar to Barca’s fan base. It features the letters FCB and a football over the flags of the city and Catalonia and the blue and red stripe of team’s strip.
But Barcelona also sought to protect the empty shield shape to use on merchandise.
The EU said: “None of the characteristics of the sign at issue contains any striking feature which is liable to attract the attention of consumers.
“Crests are commonly used in business for purely decorative purposes without fulfilling the function of a trademark.”
Sterling studying Messi, Ronaldo
Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has said he studies Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo in his bid to become one of the top players in the world.
“I look at the biggest players in the world and try to see what they’ve got. I try to learn as much as I can from everyone around me,” Sterling, who scored eight goals in 22 matches, said.
“Definitely Messi and Ronaldo. They’ve got massive self-belief and know they’re the best players in the world.”
Valencia lacked spark says Neville
Valencia lacked spark and were too vulnerable to counter-attacks in Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to Olympique Lyon that ended their hopes of advancing to the Champions League knock-out round, according to coach Gary Neville.
Neville had a disappointing first game in charge as Valencia finished third in Group H to drop into the Europa League.
“We have to work harder to prevent counter-attacks, I think that was the main problem,” he said.
“And not having that spark, that thrust that we had against Barce-lona. It’s something we have to work on.”
Morata pens new Juventus contract
Striker Alvaro Morata has pledged his future to Juventus, signing a new contract which runs until the summer of 2020.
The Spanish striker’s previous deal ran until 2019.
The Serie A champions announced the news of the deal on their website.
“Alvaro Morata has extended his relationship with Juventus,” a statement said. “The Spanish striker, whose previous agreement expired in 2019, has signed a new contract with the club for another season at Juventus, expiring on June 30 2020.”
The Spain international has scored 18 goals in 65 appearances since joining Juve last year, although he has only three goals in 19 outings this campaign.
Ferdinand praises Arsenal’s Koscielny
Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny is the best defender in the Premier League, according to former England and Man. United centre-back Rio Ferdinand.
Ferdinand also praised the Gunners backline in Wednesday’s impressive 3-0 Champions League win over Greek champions Olympiakos, which sealed their progress to the knock-out stages for a 16th successive year.
“Laurent Koscielny, when he’s on form, he’s the best defender in the league for me. He’s one of those you don’t want to play against – he’s quick, he’s aggressive,” Ferdinand said.
“You need a platform at the back, you need intensity. They showed a few things today – composure, focus, and management of the game. They’ve got to show this more often.”
Hareide named new Denmark coach
Former Malmo boss Age Hareide has been appointed as Denmark’s new national team head coach, the country’s football association (DBU) said yesterday.
The 62-year-old Norwegian, whose final game in charge of the Swedish side ended in an 8-0 drubbing away to Real Madrid in the Champions League this week, takes over from Morten Olsen.
Olsen stepped down after over 15 years in the job following Denmark’s 4-3 aggregate defeat to Sweden in their Euro 2016 play-off last month.