Tottenham leave out Danny Rose for visit to Partizan Belgrade
The Tottenham left-back Danny Rose has been spared an uncomfortable return to Serbia after being left out of the Europa League squad to take on Partizan Belgrade, two years on from being subjected to racial abuse there with England Under-21s.
Spurs kick off their Group C campaign in the Serbian capital on Thursday evening with emotions still raw from the European Championship play-off 120 miles south in Krusevac.
A mass confrontation on the pitch marred England Under-21s’ progress to the finals in October 2012, when Rose, at the time on loan to Sunderland, was sent off for his reaction to racist abuse.
Nikola Ninkovic was banned for a year by the Serbian Football Association for his part in the melee and claimed in the immediate aftermath that Rose provoked home supporters with “inappropriate gestures”.
Two years on, the winger is set to start for Partizan as Spurs are welcomed to Belgrade for on Thursday evening - a match Rose will not feature in, having been left in London.
The recently appointed captain Younès Kaboul, Emmanuel Adebayor, Mousa Dembélé and Nacer Chadli have also stayed at home. Tottenham’s head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, said Rose’s absence had nothing to do with the disturbing scenes of two years ago.
“No, it’s not for that reason that he did not come,” the Argentinian said.
“I know about the problems two years ago but they are not the reason he is not here now.
Michel Vorm may make his Spurs debut at Partizan Stadium, as could Federico Fazio after winning the Europa League with Sevilla last season. Milos Veljkovic will also be hoping to play some minutes against his countrymen. The 18-year-old defender represented Serbia Under-21s last week and has played a part in Spurs’ preparation for the match in Belgrade.
Pep Guardiola warns Bayern players about threat of Manchester City
• Bayern coach emphasises need to maintain possession
Pep Guardiola has told his Bayern Munich players they should be wary of Manchester City, warning his team they must dominate possession if they are to win Wednesday’s Champions League match at the Allianz Arena.
Guardiola will have to do without Franck Ribéry, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Holger Badstuber, Javi Martínez, Thiago Alcântara and Rafinha, while Arjen Robben is a doubt.
The clubs met in last season’s group stage, when Bayern beat City 3-1 before Manuel Pellegrini’s side won the reverse fixture in Bavaria 3-2. Asked about that defeat, Guardiola said: “The 3-2 defeat? We also won 3-1. We have learned how good teams are. We have learned a lot. That if not everyone defends we have big problems and they have so much quality which means we have to run a lot.
“Fernandinho, Silva, Nasri, Agüero, Dzeko, Demichelis, all these players are absolutely great, extraordinary, and we have to be in the position to dominate the game. If we don’t have the ball, then we have to run, run, run. The first game is important but it’s a tough group. We want the three points but now is not the time to think about the opponents and what’s going to go on in the group. We have to think about our style.”
With Roma and CSKA Moscow the other clubs in Group E, Pellegrini – who serves the first game of a two-match ban at the Allianz Arena after criticising the referee in the last-16 defeat by Barcelona in February – knows his City team must get off to a good start .
Of Robben and Ribéry, Guardiola said: “Arjen is here. Franck is [out]. Robben could play. It’s his first training. We’re going to try it. Ribéry – definitely not, he’s at home. The physio told me after that Franck has to go to the doctors and today told me he can’t play, that’s all.”
Bayern’s captain, Philipp Lahm, made light of the injury list. “It’s been difficult as people came late after the World Cup,” he said. “We have had injured players. It’s not the best but we have to accept the challenge. We are at home. We are not afraid and are not concerned.”
Guardiola said none of his players wants to join Manchester United despite the club reportedly being interested in Thomas Müller, Schweinsteiger, Robben and Toni Kroos during the summer.
When it was put to him that he might have had to say “no” more than once to Louis van Gaal, the United manager, who is understood to have been keen on Kroos, Guardiola said none of the squad was interested in moving and United do not have the funds left to buy them.
“They didn’t have enough money. I saw they spent a lot of money,” he said of United’s £150m-plus close-season outlay. “It’s good for my friend Louis. It’s part of the game. All of the clubs in the world want the players of another club. It depends on the player. If he wants to play he will play. If he wants to stay, he will stay. Manchester [United] want these kinds of players.”
United are not in the Champions League for the first time since 1995-96, after finishing seventh in the Premier League last season. “It’s a good lesson for the big clubs,” Guardiola said. “They think ‘we are unbeatable and strong’ and they are not here. That’s why football is magnificent. Every single week you have to be ready. Every week you have got to show you are ready.”
