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Weekend News and Gossip in European Football

Uruguayans loves Suarez; Period.
Weekend News and Gossip in European Football

Weekend News and Gossip in European Football

Luis Suarez is on his way to becoming a Barcelona great and scored again in their 4-0 rout of Real Sociedad.

But his fame will not be forgotten back home in Uruguay thanks to plans for a statue of the former Liverpool striker.

Looking less solid are Bundesliga strugglers Stuttgart as their season continues to crumble around them thanks to a record haul of own-goals.

Elsewhere, the Super Farmers of Dutch football enjoyed a rich harvest over the weekend but what else might you have missed across Europe’s leagues? BBC Sport has a look.

A statue for Suarez?

Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez – a popular man in Uruguay

Luis Suarez, for all his brilliance, has long been a divisive figure – just ask Otman Bakkal, Patrice Evra, Branislav Ivanovic or Giorgio Chiellini.

A hero in his native Uruguay, though, Suarez could soon have a statue in his home town of Salto, in the north west of the country.

Sculptor Alberto Morales Saravia has told Spanish newspaper AS that the statue, to be unveiled on 18 December, will feature Suarez in a Uruguay shirt “with his left arm resting by his side and his right raised with his trademark three fingers with a ball by his foot”.

Suarez, though, has played no role in the sculpting process – because Morales Saravia does not want to bother him. “I’m doing it by looking at photos,” the sculptor said.

Westermann finally sees red

Real Betis defender Heiko Westermann

Heiko Westermann has been capped 27 times by Germany

For a number of defenders at Europe’s top clubs it’s an occupational hazard. Red cards are just part of the deal. Just ask Sergio Ramos.

Not so for Real Betis centre-back Heiko Westermann, who had an unblemished disciplinary record – until now.

Westermann had clocked up a total of almost 500 games for clubs in Germany – including Schalke and Hamburg – and at Betis without being sent off.

But that proud boast came to a sad end this weekend when was dismissed in Betis’ 1-0 La Liga win over Levante.

The 32-year-old, who had not even served a ban for the totting up of yellow cards since 2012, picked up two bookings to receive his marching orders.

Apparently the second one was harsh.

Stuttgart not helping themselves

Stuttgart defender Georg Niedermeier

Georg Niedermeier was making his first appearance of the season for Stuttgart

Stuttgart are again struggling against relegation in the Bundesliga and they are hardly helping themselves with a string of self-inflicted blows.

A 10th defeat of the season at Borussia Dortmund left Stuttgart in the league’s relegation play-off place after a possible comeback was nullified by Georg Niedermeier’s own-goal.

The defender sliced into his own net to register the Reds’ fourth own-goal in 14 league games this season, which constitutes an unwanted Bundesliga record.

Conceding 35 goals at the this stage of the season is also a club record as caretaker coach Jurgen Kramny got off to a losing start after replacing Alexander Zorniger, who was sacked after just 13 games in charge.

Also on Stuttgart’s own-goal roll of shame are Adam Hlousek, Christian Gentner and Timo Baumgartl with the trio netting in defeats by Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Monchengladbach and Augsburg respectively.

De Graafschap delight

De Graafschap

De Graafschap had failed to win any of their previous 13 Eredivisie matches following promotion

Few teams in European football have developed a yo-yo reputation quite like that of De Graafschap in the Netherlands. The Superboeren – or Super Farmers – have a superb nickname, but also a habit of flitting between the country’s top two divisions.

When they came up from the Eerste Divisie via the play-offs in May, it was the fourth time in 20 years that they had moved up from the second tier to the Eredivisie.

But if they hoped to establish themselves in the top flight this time, they were soon brought back to earth – collecting just two points from their opening 13 games this season.

Sitting bottom of the table, De Graafschap made a Friday night trip to Cambuur – the only other team in the division without a win all season.

The Superboeren lost a two-goal lead, then went down to 10 men – yet still won 3-2 thanks to Karim Tarfi’s superb 88th-minute free-kick.

“All the supporters have been living for the moment that we would win,” said head coach Jan Vreman following the dramatic first victory of the season. His team are still bottom, though.

Shevchenko to turn to coaching

Andriy Shevchenko

Andriy Shevchenko scored 48 goals in 111 appearances for Ukraine between 1995 and 2012

Ukraine are looking forward to Euro 2016, and could have their greatest player back on board for the finals – as a coach.

That man is former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko – surely the only man whose life achievements include both opening a boutique with Giorgio Armani and scoring in the League Cup against Wycombe.

Andriy Shevchenko, Kristen Pasik and Giorgio Armani

Shevchenko – pictured with his wife Kristen Pasik and fashion designer Giorgio Armani – opened two boutiques in Kiev

Shevchenko, a Ballon d’Or winner and Ukraine’s record scorer with 48 goals in 111 matches, is set to work under the country’s head coach Mykhaylo Fomenko, according to local media.

The 39-year-old retired in 2012, making a brief and unsuccessful foray into politics. He was offered the Ukraine head coach’s role later that year, but was unable to take it because he did not have the right coaching qualifications. Could this be his time?

Goalkeeper to the rescue

AEL Larissa are still unbeaten at the top of the Greek Football League – thanks to a dramatic late goal from goalkeeper Gennadios Xenodochof.

Trailing 1-0 at Panachaiki, Larissa’s record was under threat as they chase promotion to the Greek Super League.

But with 95 minutes gone, Xenodochof came up for a corner and the 27-year-old powered in a header to bag a point.

That goal may yet help Larissa – who played Everton and Blackburn in the 2007 Uefa Cup – in their bid to regain former glories which saw them become Greek champions in 1988 as well as two-time Cup winners.

 

 


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