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    Watch Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo suffer wardrobe malfunction and get penalised for diving as Jose Mourinho is sent off

    NICOLO ZANIOLO endured a wild couple of minutes after he was booked for diving and then suffered a major wardrobe malfunction. The Roma star had been playing alongside Tammy Abraham up front for Jose Mourinho’s side for Atalanta’s visit to Rome.
    Jose Mourinho has been SENT OFF at the Stadio Olimpico 🟄The Roma boss is given his marching orders after protesting against the referee’s decision not to award his side a penalty. pic.twitter.com/lliYiR62t4— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 18, 2022

    Nicolo Zaniolo was furious as the referee didn’t award him a penaltyCredit: Getty
    Jose Mourinho was sent off and forced to watch from the stands moments laterCredit: Getty
    Zaniolo then suffered a wardrobe malfunction in the next attack
    However, with the team 1-0 down early in the second half Zaniolo then found himself bearing down on goal with a defender on his shoulder.
    The 23-year-old then tried to win a penalty as he grappled with the defender, but was instead guilty of giving away a foul for diving, a decision which left Mourinho furious on the touchline.
    Consequently, the hot headed Mourinho was sent off by the referee and was forced to watch the rest of the game at the Stadio Olimpico from the stands.
    But the drama was not finished there, as Zaniolo was involved once again moments later.
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    This time he was grappling with the defender, but as the defender grabbed at his shorts Zaniolo suffered a major wardrobe malfunction.
    The Italian will be thankful he chose to wear some pants today, after the defending player fell to the ground during his grab and revealed Zaniolo’s tighty-whities.
    He then fell to the floor and pleaded once again for a penalty to be awarded, but the referee repeated his earlier decision.
    Despite, having the superior chances – as proven by Roma’s xG of 2.44 to Atalanta’s 0.17 – Roma went on to lose the game against the Serie A table toppers.
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    With today’s result, Atalanta move back to the top of Serie A having been overtaken by Udinese after their 3-1 win over Inter.
    Meanwhile, Roma missed out on the chance to move into second place and instead remain in sixth, four points off of top spot. More

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    ā€˜The loss is my fault’ – Angel Di Maria apologises to Juventus fans after red card for elbow leads to shock Monza defeat

    ANGEL DI MARIA has apologised for getting sent off and inadvertently causing Juventus to fall to a shock defeat to AC Monza.The former Manchester United star was given a straight red card in the first half after swinging an elbow into the midriff of an AC Monza player.
    Angel Di Maria elbows an AC Monza player
    Di Maria shown his marching orders after being given a straight red cardCredit: Alamy
    Monza players surround the afflicted Fabio Maresca as he lies hurt following the elbowCredit: Getty
    Juventus went on to lose the game, with Chris Gytkjaer grabbing a second half goal to open the deadlock.
    The goal subsequently gave them their first ever Serie A victory, with the club earning promotion from Serie B last season.
    It also compounded a stuttering start to the season for the ‘Old Lady’.
    After the game Di Maria, 34, took responsibility for his actions and wrote a grovelling apology to the fans.
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    On his Instagram he wrote: “The defeat is my fault. I’m very sorry.
    “I’m a professional, but also a human being who makes mistakes and knows how to recognize them.”
    While the visit to Monza was their first league defeat of the season, they currently sit down in eighth in the table having won just twice in the Serie A.
    In the Champions League Massimiliano Allegri’s side have fared even worse, losing their first two games.
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    Di Maria joined Juventus in the summer after his contract at Paris Saint-Germain expired.
    He has scored and assisted once each in five games so far. More

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    Jose Mourinho never praises Tammy Abraham at half-time for Roma – but ex-Chelsea ace reveals brilliant reason why

    TAMMY ABRAHAM has revealed that he NEVER receives praise from Roma boss Jose Mourinho.The 24-year-old joined Roma in a £34million transfer from Chelsea last summer.
    Abraham scored 27 goals for Roma last seasonCredit: Getty
    He capped off his first campaign in Italy with an impressive total of 27 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions.
    And he played an integral role in helping Roma claim the inaugural Europa Conference League title.
    But, Abraham recently revealed that he does NOT receive any praise from Mourinho.
    When speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “He (Mourinho) is one of the best for man-management.
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    “He knows how to speak to players, the best way to deal with each one. In my case, he never tells me how well I am doing.
    “At half-time, I never get a ‘Well done’ even though in the back of my mind I am thinking, ‘You know I’m playing well’. He always wants you to do better.

    “Before the Europa Conference semi-final against Leicester last season, he dragged me into a room and said: ‘Tam, I don’t think you have been good enough’.Ā 
    “I was surprised because I had scored in the previous game! I asked what he meant and he said he wasn’t seeing the Tammy he saw play against Lazio for example.
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    “It was motivating and I did end up scoring the winner against Leicester.”
    Abraham has scored two goals in six Serie A appearances so far this season.
    He was called up to the England squad by Gareth Southgate earlier this week for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Italy and Germany.
    Roma currently sit sixth in the table, but they will jump into the top four if they win their upcoming clash with Atalanta. More

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    Man City join Chelsea and Tottenham in Milan Skriniar transfer race with his Inter Milan deal expiring at end of season

    MANCHESTER CITY have joined Tottenham and Chelsea in monitoring Inter Milan’s highly rated defender Milan Skriniar.The Slovakia international’s contract expires at the end of the season and the 27-year-old is set to be one of the most-wanted free agents available next summer.
    Milan Skriniar looks set to leave Inter Milan with his contract up at the end of the seasonCredit: Getty
    He been at the San Siro since 2017 and he has featured 223 times for the club.
    Skriniar played an integral role in the squad that won the Serie A title back in 2020/21.
    City’s priority for 2023 is reinforcing their midfield in the future but the ex-Sampdoria man remains a target.
    But boss Pep Guardiola has publicly spoken about how his centre-backs have struggled to stay fit and Nathan Ake almost left the club in the summer.
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    City snapped up Manuel Akanji towards the end of the recent window but they are open to the idea of buying another centre-back.
    Skriniar has long been on the radar of Chelsea and despite opting for Wesley Fofana they could be in the market again for a defender if Graham Potter wishes.
    Spurs have also shown an interest in Skriniar too as he has worked under boss Antonio Conte at Inter.
    Paris Saint-Germain wanted him too but the Italian giants rejected approaches from them in the summer.
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    The Ligue 1 champions reportedly saw a £43million bid turned down.
    But unless Simone Inzaghi’s side can persuade Skriniar to sign a new deal, they could lose him for nothing as he will be free to discuss pre-contract agreements with non-Italian clubs from January.
    Inter Milan could be set for a busy transfer window come next summer with reports suggesting they could look to loan Romelu Lukaku again. More

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    Chelsea could send Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan for ANOTHER season-long loan transfer in £9m deal

    CHELSEA could again send Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan on loan next season, according to reports.Lukaku is currently back at the San Siro for just this season after being desperate to return after an underwhelming year at Chelsea.
    Romelu Lukaku has said he was unhappy at ChelseaCredit: Getty
    The Belgian was signed by the Blues in the summer of 2021 from the Serie A side for £97.5million.
    But soon after he expressed his desire to go back to Inter Milan and journalist Gianluca di Marzio has revealed the two clubs will hope to find a solution to the Lukaku saga that could involve another loan.
    DI Marzio stated: “He [Lukaku] did everything to return to Inter.Ā I think Chelsea and Inter will find the best solution, maybe another loan, but I see his return unlikely.
    “In this deal, Inter paid Ā£7million for the loan and would pay another Ā£9million for a new loan next year.Ā The price would then go down more and more if Inter decided to buy him back.”
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    Reports also suggest that under Chelsea’s previous ownership where director of football Marina Granovskaia was in charge, she wouldn’t have allowed the 29-year-old striker to leave.
    But as Lukaku is not a Todd Boehly buy he was willing to let him go out on loan.
    The ex-Manchester United man is having a tough start to the season in Italy scoring just once so far as he battles ankle injury that has ruled him out recent matches.
    His overall record for Inter is exceptional though having netted 65 times in 98 matches.
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    Lukaku formed a deadly partnership with Lautaro Martinez and the duo fired Inter to a title win in 2020/21.
    His form last season in West London was less impressive scoring 15 goals in 44 appearances as he complained that Thomas Tuchel’s tactics didn’t suit him.
    It remains to be seen if he will be part of new Chelsea boss Graham Potter’s long-term plans. More

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    AC Milan and Inter ā€˜agree to DEMOLISH San Siro’ with new stadium, dubbed The Cathedral, to be ready for 2027

    AC MILAN and Inter have reportedly agreed to completely knock down the San Siro.The Italian giants have played at the famous old ground since 1926.
    The San Siro is set to be completely demolished once the new stadium is builtCredit: Getty
    ‘The Cathedral’ could be ready for the 2027-28 seasonCredit: Instagram @wearepopulous
    The new stadium will have a capacity of 65,000Credit: Instagram @wearepopulous
    But the clubs are ready for a new modern arena called ‘The Cathedral’.
    Both Milan and Inter approved plans for the new stadium at the end of 2021.
    Initially the project only planned a partial demolition of the San Siro – but both clubs now accept no trace of the Stadio Meazza will be left, report Gazzetta dello Sport.
    The demolition is due to take place between 2027-2028, once construction of the new stadium is complete.
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    The clubs have reportedly agreed to a complete bulldoze of the stadium in order to make the project “greener” and more sustainable.
    And they still hope to build The Cathedral on the same site as the San Siro, although that is dependent on public approval.
    The new stadium is set to have a capacity of 65,000 – a reduction from San Siro’s 80,000.
    The Italian clubs opted for Populous’ carbon neutral vision – the same company responsible for the construction of Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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    Both clubs share the same vision for the stadium: To capture Milan’s identity, and to ‘facilitate the growth of the clubs and their global competitiveness.’
    AC Milan’s president Paolo Scaroni said: “The new San Siro will be the most beautiful stadium in the world for its strong identity and recognisability.
    “An attractive arena, accessible and sustainable for the city of Milan that will facilitate the growth of the clubs and their global competitiveness.”
    Inter CEO Alessandro Antonello added: “The New Stadium of Milan will be in an extra-contemporary green area that can be lived all year round.
    “The new district for sport and leisure and its 50,000sqm park will make San Siro the go-to neighbourhood for sport and entertainment.ā€ More

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    Jose Mourinho claims Roma striker Belotti has a ā€˜disease’ after performing ā€˜four or five heel flicks’ in wacky interview

    JOSE MOURINHO channelled his inner David Brent when describing Roma striker Andrea Belotti.The ex-Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss is well known for his wacky interviews, and his latest effort was no different.
    Andrea Belotti scored his first Roma goal on Thursday nightCredit: Reuters
    Jose Mourinho has claimed Belotti is suffering from a “disease”Credit: Reuters
    The Roma gaffer hilariously claimed striker Belotti is suffering from a “disease” that means he can’t put the ball in the back of the net.
    Summer signing Belotti scored his first goal for the club in last night’s 3-0 Europa League win over HJK Helsinki.
    But Mourinho still reckons Belotti is trying too hard to score the perfect goal, and hit out at him for his fancy “heel touches”.
    The Portuguese icon said: “Belotti also seems to be suffering from this disease we have up front, today I saw him do four or five heel touches. This is not him.”
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    “He has to score, with his knee, with his ass, with his head.
    “He has the virus of a playmaking wizard, whereas he just needs to score. That’s it.
    “We need to improve in terms of execution, the average of shots and goals made is not good.”
    Belotti finally broke his duck against Finnish minnows HJK, after Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini had struck for the Italians.
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    Mourinho snapped up Italy striker Belotti on a free after his Torino contract expired, but the 28-year-old is behind England ace Tammy Abraham in the pecking order.
    And Belotti has also found himself victim to a classic Mourinho line.
    In the last week the Portuguese manager has also hit out at Abraham, publicly calling for the ex-Chelsea striker to drop deeper on the pitch to affect the play.
    Mourinho toldĀ Sky Sports Italia: “He has to do it – he has to drop deep when the team needs him.
    “Maybe he can struggle more mentally to do it, but that is also the mission.” More

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    Arsenal wanted to seal Tammy Abraham transfer last summer before England striker quit Chelsea for Roma move

    ARSENAL wanted to sign Tammy Abraham before the England striker quit for Roma.The ex-Chelsea forward had thrived under Frank Lampard’s management as he finally got first team opportunities at Stamford Bridge.
    Abraham has thrived in Serie A, but things could have been different if Arsenal had made a moveCredit: Rex
    But he fell out of favour after the arrival of Thomas Tuchel.
    Before Jose Mourinho and Roma swooped for their man, Abraham was being targeted for what would have been a sensational London switch.
    Caught Offside report Arsenal were in for the 24-year-old before his move to Italy in August 2021.
    Abraham was part of a shortlist drawn up by the club – but they did not make an approach.
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    Instead Roma were quick and pounced in a £34million move.
    Speaking to Caught Offside, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano also shut down rumours linking Abraham with a move away from the Stadio Olimpico any time soon.
    He said: “Abraham is more than happy in Rome, with the club, the city, and with Jose Mourinho.”
    His comments come after the former Real Madrid manager appeared to take a swipe at the striker despite him scoring a late winner in their last game.
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    The England international began his career in Chelsea’s academy and progressed through the age groups.
    He thrived out on loan at the likes of Bristol City and Aston Villa, thrashing in goals at Championship-level with regularity.
    His big break came in 2019 under Lampard when he netted 15 Premier League goals and helped Chelsea to a top-four finish.
    While he struggled after the Blues legend was sacked, his move to Mourinho’s Roma gave him a new lease of life.
    Last season he impressed in Serie A and scored 17 league goals, and helped the club win the inaugural Europa Conference League. More