Falcao: I hope to stay at Monaco

The Colombia international is being heavily linked with Liverpool, AC Milan and Juve - but the striker says that, contrary to reports, he has no desire to depart the principality

Radamel Falcao has dismissed rumours linking him with a move away from Monaco, insisting that he wants to stay at the Stade Louis II.

The Colombia international only joined the Ligue 1 outfit from Atletico Madrid last year but it has been reported that he is desperate to leave the principality before the close of this summer's transfer window.

Liverpool, Juventus and AC Milan are among those said to be interested in signing the striker on loan for the 2014-15 campaign but Falcao claims he has no desire to depart Monaco.

"I'm happy here and I hope to stay," the 28-year-old told Canal+ after scoring the only goal in his club's 1-0 win over Ligue 1 rivals Nantes on Sunday night.

Falcao's appearance at the Stade de la Beaujoire represented the forward's first start for Monaco since suffering knee ligament damage in January.

Sunderland vs Manchester United: Sunderland add to United pain but Real Madrid confirm £64m Angel Di Maria move

Angel Di Maria was last night on the brink of completing his £63.9m British transfer record move from Real Madrid to Manchester United.

The Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal, refused to confirm the transfer of the Argentine to Old Trafford had taken place, but he did not hide his admiration of the 26-year-old. Di Maria is expected to sign a five-year deal with a salary of around £180,000 a week. 

“I cannot say anything about transfers, you have to understand that,” said Van Gaal after United’s 1-1 draw at Sunderland yesterday. “When a transfer has been finished then we can say something. But now you have to wait and see. When the moment is there Manchester United shall announce it.

“It is not only Di Maria, maybe Vidal or Messi! We are a big club. The club always has to announce, and when we think it is the right time we will come to you and say, ‘OK, we have bought this player or that player’. At this time we can’t say anything but I like Di Maria.”

 The Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, confirmed that the player had already said his farewells to his team-mates. “Di Maria has not trained with us today [yesterday] and he came in to say goodbye to the players and people at the club,” he said. “There is nothing official yet but it is being sorted out. The decision is his and the club has done what it could to keep him here.”

Real Madrid stunned Manchester United by asking for nearly £75m for the forward. Manchester United had expected to pay nearer the £60m that Paris Saint-Germain had been quoted when they sought to take the player to France.

The compromise figure of £64m is believed to have satisfied both parties and Van Gaal is eager to add the player to a squad that has struggled for form in their opening two Premier League games.

The transfer will top the £50m Chelsea paid Liverpool for Fernando Torres in 2011. United have already spent £72m this summer to sign left-back Luke Shaw from Southampton, midfielder Ander Herrera and defender Marcos Rojo. Di Maria joined Real Madrid from Benfica for £36 million in 2010.

The potential signing of the Argentine was hailed by the club’s former defender Gary Neville.
“He can run and Manchester United haven’t got any pace in wide areas. It is incredible,” said Neville. “That is what the club has been built on for the last 10 to 15 years - being able to get from box to box quickly, being able to spring on teams, having people that can dribble and are quick in the final third. They have Adnan Januzaj but they really have lost that variety.”

That veiled criticism was backed up by Van Gaal’s verdict following another unconvincing display at the Stadium of Light. United could only manage a one-one draw after going ahead through Juan Mata, a result that leaves them with just one point from opening games against Swansea and Sunderland. Van Gaal conceded that is not good enough and also criticised the pace of his team’s passing.

The passing was all too slow, or all too fast, all too hasty. And then you lose a lot of balls and the tempo goes out of the game so that in my opinion was the reason.

“No, I cannot say that (it was a better performance than last week) because last week we created more chances. Football is all about creating chances and scoring goals, and we didn’t create enough chances today.

“We probably had more ball possession and were more dominant than the last match but you still have to win the game and we couldn’t so that is a pity.”

Van Gaal did defend Ashley Young, who was booked once more for diving.

He lifted the ball across the player and the player was kickng him. And after that I think he was jumping too muchbut what counts is that he was kicked by the opponent. And the referee could have given a penalty.

“He could also have given one when when Van Persie. You oculd see Van Persie was already losing the ball but the tackle was coming and htta is why the referee has to give a penalty.

“Nevertheless we have to create more chances than look for penalties.”

Sunderland 1-1 Man Utd: First point for Van Gaal

Jack Rodwell of Sunderland celebrates his goal. Picture: Getty

JACK Rodwell’s first Sunderland goal left Louis van Gaal still awaiting his first Barclays Premier League win although Manchester United collected their first point of the season.

Scorers: Sunderland - Rodwell (30); Manchester United - Mata (17)
The £10million summer signing from Manchester City capitalised on woeful defending to head home Sebastian Larsson’s corner on the half-hour, in the process cancelling out Juan Mata’s opener. But, in truth, the Spaniard’s 17th-minute strike had come against the run of play with the visitors once again misfiring alarmingly as they tried to come to terms with Van Gaal’s 3-5-2 formation.

Even Robin van Persie’s presence could not spark a marked improvement on a day when reports claimed Real Madrid striker Angel di Maria was heading for Old Trafford, and the Black Cats, roared on by a crowd of 43,217 at the Stadium of Light, gave as good as they got.

United lacked both invention and penetration as Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet looked to exploit their frailty at the back by asking Connor Wickham and Will Buckley to utilise the space behind Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia, which they did to good effect.

Buoyed by Van Persie’s return, United emerged looking for a significant improvement on their performance in last weekend’s home defeat by Swansea.
However, what Van Gaal got was a display every bit as dysfunctional as the one which heralded the start of the new campaign.

His decision to field Young and Valencia as wing-backs once again exposed a fragile back three of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett, which was further reduced in terms of experience when Smalling limped off before the break to be replaced by Michael Keane.

But it was not only at the back that the visitors struggled, with Sunderland clearly carrying the momentum of last season’s two victories over United, and skipper Wayne Rooney and strike-partner Van Persie saw little of the ball where it mattered most.

Nevertheless, it was United who took the lead, although they did so at a time when the breakthrough looked more likely to come at the other end.

Young had already put his defence under pressure with an aimless crossfield pass and Lee Cattermole unleashed two long-range efforts when winger Buckley, making his full debut for the Black Cats, cut inside Blackett and crossed for Wickham, who wastefully scuffed his shot straight at keeper David de Gea.

Sunderland were made to pay within seconds as Valencia managed to ease past full-back Patrick van Aanholt and cross low to the far post, where Mata ran off the back of Larsson to score from close range.

The goal visibly settled United and they enjoyed a sustained period of possession as they threatened to take control.

However, they allowed their hosts back into the game on the half-hour when, after Buckley’s direct play had earned his side a corner, Larsson delivered the resulting set-piece to the near post and Rodwell headed firmly home with Valencia having done little to impede his progress.

The home side might have taken the lead six minutes after the restart when Wickham was given time to work himself into a shooting position inside the box and Blackett somehow blocked his effort with De Gea beaten.

But Van Gaal’s men gradually assumed control as they dominated possession, although, with Sunderland defending deep, space was at a premium even with Rooney dropping ever deeper.

They almost found a way through with 62 minutes gone when Van Persie surged into the box only to be halted by Vergini’s last-ditch challenge.
Van Persie departed seconds later as he and Darren Fletcher were replaced by Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj, but Larsson failed to make the most of Wickham’s fine 68th-minute through-ball as United lived dangerously once again.

Poyet attempted to pile the pressure on the visitors’ rearguard with the introduction of battering-ram frontman Jozy Altidore, although defensive confusion inside the Sunderland penalty area very nearly cost them on more than one occasion in a frenetic finish.

Having lost to Swansea at Old Trafford on the opening weekend, Van Gaal feels his side are still lacking the final pass needed to score.

“In the first half we played an equal match with Sunderland. We didn’t create so much but scored a fantastic goal,” he said. “But then we’ve already warned our players they don’t have to give a lot of set-pieces away, and we gave a lot of set-pieces away and they scored out of a set-piece, so that was disappointing.”
Van Gaal was also critical of the decision to book Ashley Young for simulation after going over Wes Brown’s leg in the second half, although did admit the winger’s action was “exaggerated”.

The manager said: “He was tackled in my opinion, but after that he was exaggerating. But it is not diving because he was touched by the opponent.”
Van Gaal was unwilling to confirm whether Angel di Maria is on the verge of joining the club despite reports the Real Madrid winger has already said farewell to his team-mates in Spain.

Real boss Carlo Ancelotti said yesterday that the Argentina international had not taken part in training but had instead “come to say goodbye”, fuelling speculation that Di Maria will sign for United in the next few days.

However, Van Gaal remained coy over the rumours. He said: “I think always the club has to announce it. When we think it’s the right time to form a transfer then we will come to you and say we have bought that player or the other player. At this time we can’t say anything.”

Poyet felt his players gave a good account of themselves against their illustrious opponents. “It was a good game to watch,” he said. “We played a very good first half, going forward taking chances and creating half opportunities after conceding at what was the wrong time really because we were in control of the game. It was a big effort.”

Manchester United F.C. Need Miracle to Win EPL: Louis van Gaal

The image of Manchester United's Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal is seen on scarves being sold during an EPL match.

 

London: Louis van Gaal has conceded it would take a miracle for Manchester United to win the Premier League this season.

After finishing seventh last year, United opened their campaign optimistic that Dutch master-tactician van Gaal could oversee a return to the upper echelons of the Premier League table.

However that optimism was punctured by a shock 2-1 loss against Swansea City at Old Trafford last Saturday - their first home league loss to the Welsh club. (Update: Sunderland hold United to 1-1 draw)
It was also their first opening-day loss at home since 1972 and was enough to convince van Gaal that a successful title challenge would be unlikely.
"Would it be a miracle to win the league this season? I think so but it is also possible, always possible but it would be very difficult," van Gaal said.
"It is possible to win a title in the first year but it is very difficult.
"I think [the Manchester United owners] understand [the size of the task] or I would not have accepted the job.

"I have discussed everything, long discussions where I have shown myself as I am always open.
"It is why we discussed three years and not one year. We discussed the consequences of them hiring me. I told them from my experiences with my former clubs the start was difficult."

Van Gaal won the title in his first season at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich but thinks his current squad lacks balance to do the same.

The 63-year-old has a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal but lacks the defensive strength-in-depth to challenge Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Alexander Buttner all left Old Trafford during the close-season with left back's Luke Shaw and Argentine Marcos Rojo their only replacements.
"When I took over from Bobby Robson at Barcelona he had won three titles so the selection of players was stable at the time.

"When I got to Bayern Munich the selection was not stable. What we did was a miracle.
"The problem I have at United is this selection is not in balance. There are five number nines and six number 10s and so on. And we don't have defenders."

United face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
 

Man Utd FC agree a fee to sign Di Maria

Angel Di Maria on the verge of signing for Manchester United

 

Manchester United fans finally look set to be granted the big name arrival they had been hoping for after it was revealed that the Red Devils have agreed a deal to sign Argentine superstar Angel Di Maria.

According to reports coming out of Spain, United have had a bid in the region of around £48-56million for Di Maria accepted by Real Madrid and it has been suggested that the winger’s agent, Jorge Mendes, is set to soon arrive in England to finalize the deal.

It has also emerged that Di Maria is set to receive a wage package in the region of around £200,000-per-week and that the winger will be handed the iconic number 7 jersey, previously donned by United greats such as Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Bryan Robson and Cristiano Ronaldo among others.

Di Maria set to arrive at Manchester United

Di Maria had been linked with a move away from Real Madrid all summer, with the duo of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United believed to be involved in a head to head battle against each other to secure the services of the winger.

PSG recently pulled out of the race to sign Di Maria after deeming the 26-year old too expensive, which paved the way for United to make their move and the Red Devils were handed a further boost in their hopes of signing the Argentine star after Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti publicly revealed this week that the winger had made his mind up to leave the Santiago Bernanbeu.

Di Maria could help lift the doom and gloom currently surrounding United

While the quoted price for Di Maria certainly seems a bit inflated, Manchester United are desperate for a marquee signing to lift the glum mood currently surrounding the club and the arrival of the Argentine superstar will certainly go a long way in doing exactly that.

Di Maria spent four fruitful seasons at Real Madrid since his arrival to the club from Benfica back in 2010 and perhaps his greatest moment in a Whites’ shirt was his wonderful performance in the Champions League final last year, where he put in a man of the match performance to help his side to victory over Atletico Madrid.

Swansea City will be no soft touch, claims Ashley Williams

Swansea have long been praised for their style, but captain Ashley Williams believes manager Garry Monk is adding substance to go with it.

Their 1-0 victory over Burnley, courtesy of Nathan Dyer’s first-half goal on the winger’s 100th Premier League appearance, made it two wins from two to start Monk’s first full season in charge of the Welsh club.

However, it was by no means a comfortable afternoon as, after being over-run, Burnley responded with a terrific second-half display, which would have merited the point they would have gained had striker Lukas Jutkiewicz converted either of two good opportunities.

It gave Williams the perfect 30th birthday present of a victory and a clean sheet, and the confidence to proclaim that Swansea will be no soft touch this season. “It’s something we are aware of – sides thinking we are only a passing side and that we are a bit weak and a pushover,” said the Wales defender.

Premier League - Bruce fumes after Stoke's equaliser

Hull manager Steve Bruce bemoaned an "injustice" against his side after a wrongly-awarded throw-in allowed Stoke to claim a late equaliser at the KC Stadium.

Bruce was unhappy about a penalty decision in last week's 1-0 win at QPR and was again left frustrated with the officials after the Potters snatched a 1-1 draw against 10-man Hull.

Their goal, bundled in by Ryan Shawcross, came seconds after referee Jonathan Moss had given Stoke the throw, despite an apparent deflection off one of their players.

Nikica Jelavic's poacher's finish had put Bruce's men on the cusp of a second successive league win for the first time in almost a year despite James Chester's 14th-minute sending off.

But instead of celebrating three points, the Tigers boss was left exasperated.

"We feel an injustice because you can see how blatant it is," he said.

"Their player ran away and didn't want to even take the throw-in. Surely that's an indication to the referee or the officials to say, 'hang on a minute, it must have hit him'. It wasn't even a slight deflection either. Everyone in the ground must have seen it except for the officials.

"I expect three officals to get something as blatant as that throw-in right...they're only 30 yards away and I saw it.

"They said to me I was only guessing but when you see it's ridiculous."

Bruce tried his best to stay on the right side of tactful, wary of attracting disciplinary action, but was aggrieved enough after his side's hard-working effort to make his point.

"I got into trouble twice last year so I've vowed I'm not going to give the FA any more money," he added.

"But we've had two shocking decisions in two weeks. Last week it was an awful penalty in the last 10 minutes but it didn't count (against us), it was saved.

"Given the circumstances you would accept a point because we were down to 10 men in 15 minutes. But it's difficult to take and it's difficult for the players because the determination was manful to say the least."

Potters boss Mark Hughes, who saw his side beaten by Aston Villa last week, was disappointed with the way Stoke went about their business but is pleased to have registered a first point of the campaign.

"Given the situation we found ourselves in we didn't take the best from that situation," he said.

"We found ourselves up against a team with 10 men and first and foremost you don't concede a goal. So we found ourselves in a situation entirely of our own making.

"We needed to show a little quality and guile and use our intelligence to understand what was required.

"We didn't do that to a great extent in the second half.

"In the end we've taken an away point and that's something we haven't done too many times on our travels so to get a point in our first away game, I would suggest, is a good sign.

"But we're an honest group and we know we can do better than that."

Malky Mackay risks season-long ban, or worse, for offensive texts, says former FA chairman Lord Triesman

As game's governing body investigates Cardiff dossier, Triesman warns: “If it turns out to be three texts then maybe a season, if it’s more than that it may be much more"

Apology: Malky Mackay his admitted text messages were “unacceptable” and “inappropriate” Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Malky Mackay should face a season-long ban from football for offensive texts he sent to a former colleague at Cardiff City, according to Lord Triesman, a former Football Association chairman. 

Mackay has apologised for sending three messages to Iain Moody, Cardiff’s former head of recruitment, which he admitted were “unacceptable” and “inappropriate”. 

Moody resigned from his post at Crystal Palace in the wake of the allegations. 

The Daily Mail published on Saturday details of four further messages it alleged were of an offensive nature. One of those, the newspaper claimed, made a racist reference to Cardiff’s Malaysian owner, Vincent Tan. The other three were of a sexist and homophobic nature, it was alleged. 

The FA confirmed it is investigating the dossier sent by Cardiff which includes messages involving Moody and Mackay, but may be unable to sanction either man if the messages are deemed to be private correspondence.

Triesman, the FA chairman between 2008 and 2010, believes Mackay should be barred from the game for a season solely on the strength of the three messages the former Cardiff manager admits sending, should the FA have jurisdiction to act. 

“There could very well be a significant period in which he can take no part in football,” Triesman told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek programme. “If it turns out to be three texts then maybe a season [ban], if it’s more than that it may be much more. 

“Assuming that the evidence is stacked up – I can’t pre-try it – I think the FA, in the same sense that it can say to players ‘here is a period in which you can take no part in playing’, could do so with other people in football.” 

The FA said in May that it would not sanction Richard Scudamore, the Premier League chief executive, over emails of a sexist nature which he sent. 

Greg Dyke, the present FA chairman, said at the time: “The FA does not as a matter of policy consider private communications sent with a legitimate expectation of privacy to amount to professional misconduct. The FA has applied this policy on an ongoing basis and in relation to numerous other cases.” 

Mackay will eventually return to management, according to Keith Millen. The Scot was expected to be in charge of Crystal Palace for their game against West Ham at the weekend before the allegations emerged of offensive text messages. 

Millen continued as caretaker manager in place of Tony Pulis, who walked out of Selhurst Park the day before the season started. 

Admitting he was shocked by the revelations, Millen said: “We knew there was something between Iain, Malky and Cardiff when they left but that all looked to have settled down and they’d all agreed to whatever the agreement was. Malky was actively looking to get back into work and Iain was working for us. 

“I don’t know how far down the line we were in terms of agreeing for him to be our manager but obviously it was out there and for all this to come out on Wednesday was shocking. It’s a shame. 

“It’s not right what has been said. Malky is a good football person and a good manager. I’m sure he will be in the future again. Iain is very good at his job but the stuff that’s out there isn’t right and you can’t condone that.”

Armitstead wins World Cup

Lizzie Armitstead missed the sixth leg of the UCI Women's Road World Cup series to win gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow © Getty Images

Great Britain's Lizzie Armitstead has been crowned 2014 UCI Women's Road World Cup champion with a race to spare. 

Armitstead led the nine-race event from start to finish despite missing the sixth leg to compete in the Commonwealth Games road race, which she won in Glasgow. 

The 25-year-old won the opening Ronde van Drenthe race before finishing second on the podium in legs two, three and four. 

Her Open de Suede Vargarda team finished third in in the team time trial on Friday and her title was sealed on Sunday, when second place Emma Johansson could only muster 10th in the penultimate Open de Suede Vargarda in Sweden.

Brian McDermott helps ‘relaxed’ Leeds Rhinos end jinx

Leeds coach revels in that winning feeling after Castleford victory

Leeds’ class of the millennium at last achieved what they have always looked destined to but could never quite grasp.

The team the Rhinos started to put together late in the last century finally got their hands on the Challenge Cup by beating Castleford  23-10 at Wembley on Saturday after losing six finals since they had previously won it in 1999. It was not so much a celebration at the final hooter as a collective sigh of relief. 

“We’ve been here a few times and come away with second prize, so it’s a relief to take away the Cup,” said Kevin Sinfield, the captain in five of those defeats. “We were really relaxed about this one.”

That was a crucial element in the Rhinos’ win, and Sinfield paid tribute to the Leeds coach, Brian McDermott, for keeping the mood light during the build-up. That was the difference from the years of failure.

Much has been said this season about this Leeds side; the long-serving friends in midfield, the veteran but indestructible props, the three-quarter line ranking alongside the club’s best. McDermott picked out another department, which rarely attracts the plaudits, for special mention – the back row of the pack, whose work-rate was the basis  of his game plan.

Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Carl Ablett and Brett Delaney are not the flashiest of players, but they are relentless. The first two are products of Leeds’ wonderful junior system; Delaney, the man his team-mates call “Madness” because of his lack of self-preservation, is a typically well-chosen Australian import.

Between them, they enforced a tempo Castleford could not match. “They were just playing too fast for us,” said the Cas coach, Daryl Powell, who was in the Rhinos’ side when they won the Cup in 1999.

Another key factor was the Tigers’ inability to cope with the England winger Ryan Hall, whose two tries at Wembley were all about raw strength and power, qualities which he has more than any other winger in the game. He was an obvious choice for the Lance Todd Trophy as man of the match, although Zak Hardaker, at full-back, had a virtually flawless game.

Cas, who last won the Cup in 1986, were light on big-match experience. That was why they were so keen to have the influential Craig Huby on the field, despite him dislocating his elbow two weeks earlier. He came through bravely but lacked some of the presence he can bring to a game at his best, Under the circumstances, it was surprising that Powell chose to leave out Garreth Carvell, the veteran of four winning finals. Yet, Lee Jewitt, who would probably have been the man to miss out, was Castleford’s best forward when he came on as a substitute.  

Cas did not have too much to reproach themselves for. They have been called a breath of fresh air so often this season and still have a top-four place to fight for. They know that it would have taken their best for them to have had a chance of preventing Leeds from fulfilling their destiny. “We would have taken some beating today,” said Rob Burrow. After a decade and a half of striving, it was ultimately just about as simple as that.

Fran Halsall and Jazz Carlin win gold as Great Britain finish top of the medal table at European Championships

Pair round off Britain's best ever European Championships as they finish top with nine golds and 24 medals.

Winning smile: Jazz Carlin reacts with joy after winning the 400m freestyle at the European Championships in Berlin, one of nine golds won by Great Britain Photo: BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGES

For a brief moment on Sunday, there was a missing swimmer behind the gold rostrum for the women’s 50-metres freestyle ceremony. Then out came an out-of-breath Fran Halsall, who had forgotten her presentation trousers for the second day running. 

It was the only piece of missed timing Britain produced all week at Berlin’s Velodrome as Bill Furniss’s 21‑strong squad finished top of the medal table, with nine golds and 24 medals. Britain rubber-stamped their best ever European Championship haul thanks to gold medal swims from Halsall, Jazz Carlin and, in the curtain-closer, the men’s 4x100m medley relay. 

This has been a breakthrough year for British swimming after last year’s paltry World Championships, where Halsall’s bronze in the very last event produced the team’s only medal. 

However, Furniss, Rebecca Adlington’s former coach, has inaugurated a series of changes, including more competitive, back-to-back racing against the world’s elite. The home nations’ Commonwealth Games performances – where they posted their best set of results since 1986 – proved the catalyst for several memorable sessions in Berlin. 

Yesterday, Halsall added the European crown to her Commonwealth title when she beat Swedish rival, Sarah Sjoestroem, in a thrilling finish. Second quickest out of the blocks, the Southport swimmer stole clear daylight at halfway and just held on to secure her third gold of the week. She posted 

24.32sec, with the Swede 0.05sec down.

“I’m still making my cake and still to put the icing on,” said Halsall, with a smile as wide as the Mersey. “But mentally for me, to beat the top five girls in the world this year and touch the wall first is a great thing to do. 

“Different people have stepped up after the Olympics and the fact that we have brought a small, close-knit team here and done as well as we have just shows that at the elite, spiky end we are getting the job done. 

“We weren’t awful at London 2012, it is about tweaks and tenths of a second here and there. Bill has come in and changed that.” 

Even in the women’s 400m freestyle tenths proved crucial as Carlin judged her tactics to perfection to double up after her 800m success. 

Her victory against a raft of European champions was world class, especially as she knew her speed was far from watertight. Jostling for the lead with Spain’s Melanie Costa at halfway and with Federica Pellegrini – the Italian star racing in her last 400m race – still in the mix, Carlin dug deep in the final 100m to touch 0.52sec ahead of Sharon van Rouwendaal, Holland’s silver medallist. 

“To end the season with a gold and a best time, we couldn’t have hoped for more with the amount of medals we’ve won,” said Carlin. “This is a really positive step for Rio.
“I’m a racer deep down and even though my confidence has been hit a few times over the last few years [she missed London 2012 with glandular fever], I am feeling myself in races now. Even now I’m not 100 per cent confident. Believing in yourself is a big part of being an athlete.” 

Roberto Pavoni, the 200m medley bronze medallist, went one better over 400m, finishing 1.86sec behind Hungary’s David Verraszto. Just to cap off a fine week, Britain’s quartet of Chris Walker-Hebborn, Adam Peaty, Adam Barrett and Ben Proud then cruised to gold in the 4x100m medley final. 

“We’ve shown a bit of steel. That’s good,” Furniss said of Britain’s performance. Golden steel that is.

England v India: Alastair Cook's battle plan from now until the World Cup must be attack, attack, attack

If they want to make an impact in one-day cricket England must play to their Test strength: taking wickets with the new ball

Key man: James Anderson's bowling with the new ball will be crucial for England as the World Cup looms Photo: GETTY IMAGES

 

Maximisation of the new ball won England the Test series against India. It is also their chief strength in white-ball cricket, the key to their winning the five-match one‑day series against India and, beyond, the World Cup. 

On Monday at Bristol, England therefore have to keep on doing what they did to India at Old Trafford and the Oval: not sit back and contain, but pitch the ball – both of them – up, keep the slips in place, and try to dismiss India within 50 overs. 

India lasted for 46.4 and 43 overs in the fourth Test, 61.1 and 29.2 overs in the fifth, their batsmen all at sea when the ball was deviating. England’s one-day cricket has always erred on the defensive but now is the time for an aggressive mindset. Autumn has come early, pitches are juicy by nature not design, and although Stuart Broad is to be operated on, they can still field a fine hand of four pace bowlers: James Anderson, Steve Finn, Chris Jordan and Ben Stokes, ahead of Harry Gurney, whose chief strength is containing at the end of an innings. 

This has to be the template for England in the World Cup as well. In Australia, especially, and New Zealand, the totals are going to be higher than ever before, as this will be the first World Cup in which only four fielders will be allowed outside the semi-circles. The game-plan is simple if you do not have Mitchell Johnson or a mystery-spinner to bowl mid-innings: knock over the opposition’s top-order batting with the new ball, or else face serious pongo in the last 10 overs. 

By playing to this strength, England can go a long way to camouflaging their weaknesses. The first is that their one-day batsmen are not in the habit of making centuries, which form the basis of 300-plus totals. England’s 15-man squad have made 16 ODI centuries all told – and one of those, by Eoin Morgan, was for Ireland. Virat Kohli has made 19.

^{Power player: Alex Hales can add impetus at the top of the order}
 
This is one reason why Alastair Cook is worth his place in the current one-day team. He does ‘go on’: five centuries in 82 one-day internationals is a good conversion rate by English standards. The problem originates in domestic cricket, in the cul-de-sac of the 40-over game which the counties played from 1969 until last year, when centuries were not essential. 

Only this season has the 50-over game been granted the attention which England must give it if they are to win the World Cup at home in 2019 – and although the Royal London One‑Day Cup has yet to stage its quarter-finals, the new competition has already seen more centuries than last year’s 40‑over competition did. 

Cook is also such a good player of spin that he will not be caught out, as his predecessor was, if England’s opponents open the bowling with a spinner on a tired end-of-season pitch in New Zealand, where England will play most of their qualifying matches. In the quarter-final of the 2011 World Cup in Colombo, Sri Lanka opened the bowling against Andrew Strauss with the flat off-spin of Tillakaratne Dilshan – and England’s innings never got off the ground.

^{Elegant: Ian Bell has the class and technique England need}
 
There is a case for Alex Hales to open with Cook, or to bat No 3 after Cook and Ian Bell. It depends on the quality of the opposing new-ball bowling: if it is high class, you want Bell’s technique; if trashable, you want Hales’s pummelling power that will make opponents panic. The eventuality that England should prepare for is the knockout stages of the World Cup, when the bowling will be high-class. 

England’s other main batting issue is which left-handed batsman, Gary Ballance or Eoin Morgan? There is not room for Cook, Bell, Hales and both Ballance and Morgan, making five batsmen who cannot bowl; Joe Root has made himself essential as the sixth bowler and safety valve. Ballance keeps on accumulating, and can clear the boundary when he has to; Morgan has the knowledge, which Cook needs beside him. 


^{Cool head: Eoin Morgan's experience will be crucial in the middle overs}
 
England’s second main weakness is their lack of a wicket-taking spinner to succeed Graeme Swann. Or can Moeen Ali fill the one-day void as well by beating both edges of the bat, as he did in the Tests against India? He has to be tried ahead of James Tredwell, who can be relied on for containment, but who did not take a wicket in his three one-dayers in Australia last winter. 

It is not as if Tredwell has translated his county batting – three first-class hundreds – into one-day internationals: a total of 64 runs in 36 games. He did not score a run, or look like scoring one, in the Adelaide international last winter when England, six wickets down, had to score 24 at a run a ball and blew it. Ravi Bopara has paid the price for failing to finish that one off. 

It was the same again in the series against Sri Lanka, when England went into the deciding fifth match at Edgbaston in early June. Their tail of Tredwell, Anderson and Gurney made five runs as England were dismissed for 219 in 48.1 overs, when another 20 runs could have made the difference. In the knockout stages of the World Cup England will not win through with such a long tail. 


^{Big chance: Moeen Ali can make the spinning spot his own}
 
To this end David Willey has left his run too late for this series but not for November’s tour to Sri Lanka. England must have a left-arm bowler in their squad, preferably one who swings the new ball more than Gurney, and one who can bat, and field better. Willey last week scored 113 in Northamptonshire’s 50-over game against Essex but, at 24, has work to do on his temperament. 

India’s batsmen are the same as those who failed in the Tests – except for Murali Vijay, the only one who coped with England’s new-ball bowling, who has gone home. He has been replaced in effect by Suresh Raina, known to England as vulnerable against the short ball. But they must not be sidetracked, as they were earlier this season when they became obsessed with bouncing out Asian batsmen, before realising the error and pitching the ball up with the odd bouncer. 

If England do back off and aim to contain rather than dismiss India, the tourists are far more likely to rally. Besides, while ‘The Cloud’ has not lifted, it has been delayed: the investigation into match-fixing ordered by India’s Supreme Court, which had been due for completion by the end of this month, has been held back because several players are to be interviewed when they return home after this tour.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England v India
Monday, Bristol, 10.30am
England (likely) A Cook (capt), I Bell, A Hales, J Root, E Morgan, J Buttler (wkt), Moeen Ali, B Stokes, C Jordan, S Finn, J Anderson.
India (likely) R Sharma, S Dhawan, V Kohli, A Rahane, A Rayudu, MS Dhoni (capt and wkt), R Jadeja, R Ashwin, B Kumar, M Shami, U Yadav.
Head to head
England 35 India 47 Tied 2 NR 3
In England
England 18 India 12 Tied 1 NR 3
329 Highest international total made at Bristol
Weather Cloudy and showery, 17C
TV Live on Sky Sports 2
 

 

Despite seeing Mascherano sent off before half-time, Luis Enrique began his career as Barça coach with a routine win in which Lionel Messi sparkled

Lionel Messi scored twice for Barcelona in an effortless win at Camp Nou. Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

Full-time

Well, that was ridiculously easy for Barça. I shudder to think what would have happened to Elche if Neymar and Suárez had started alongside Messi. Elche were toothless. They had no shots on goal even though they had a man advantage for 45 minutes. That was no more than an extension of pre-season for the home team really. Barça will have learned very little but they will have got fitter, what running around with 10 men for half the match. Anyway, thanks for your emails. Bye.

Updated at 9.55pm BST

2h ago21:51

90+3 min: Messi is denied a hat-trick by a last-ditch tackle and peep! That’s your lot.

Updated at 9.51pm BST

2h ago21:49

90+1 min: An email: “My ex girlfriend’s mother was a witch, didn’t play poker we played Pontoon and she was always the dealer cos her house her rules,” writes John Mc Enerney. “Won a little lost a bit but I was the real winner cos I no longer have any contact with her or her daughter but I’m sure she can see me in her crystal ball & one day she’ll scramble her army of flying monkeys to get me!” 

2h ago21:48

90 min: There’ll be three more minutes of this walk in the park for Barça. Elche are down to 10 men now too. Jonathas has knacked an ankle and Elche have used up their subs. 

2h ago21:47

87 min: Barça fans chant Luis Enrique’s name. This has been a decent first outing for the new coach. Messi has looked surprisingly fresh, his youngsters have impressed, and his side have reacted very well to being reduced to 10 men. That defence though? Vermaelen may well look like Baresi among that lot. 

2h ago21:43

84 min: “One thing that has really disappointed me about Barcelona’s pre-season is the shipping off of Deulofeu on loan. The lad’s the future of football!’ harrumphs Philip Podolsky. Barcelona’s bench is a pick-and-mix of the future of football, Philip. 

2h ago21:41

82 min: Pedro is sent shuffling up the left wing. He works enough space to whip a cross in but it’s a 3/10 effort and cleared easily.

Updated at 10.11pm BST

2h ago21:40

78 min: A couple of hundred Elche fans are sat in the heavens at Camp Nou wondering whether their team has even played as many passes as they have brought supporters. I’d say it’s close.Barcelona are knocking the ball around midfield accurately but with very little purpose, happy to wait for the right moment to spring the killer pass.

2h ago21:36

77 min: A substitute. Iniesta, Barça’s captain tonight, is replaced by Sergi Roberto. Meanwhile, JR in Illinois writes: “Here in the U.S. one of the announcers is (the borderline insane) Ray Hudson. After the last goal he compared Messi to a poker player, then said Messi was like a witch, then said playing against him is like playing poker with a witch ‘because you know you’re going to lose.’ Earlier he also said someone on Barcelona was “’as cool as a polar bear’s backside’.” Readers, have you ever played poker with a witch? Did any of you win?

2h ago21:34

75 min: Rakitic may end up being Barça’s metronomic replacement for Xavi, but more in the mould of Alonso. He has played some very accurate long passes tonight, as well as doing the short and sweet stuff economically too.