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Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that Manchester United should be handling the Paul Pogba situation better.

The midfielder was shot into the spotlight last week when agent Mino Raiola revealed that the World Cup winner’s long-term future does not lie at the club.

The news broke 24 hours before a critical Champions League match with RB Leipzig, which United subsequently went on to lose 3-2.

Pogba, amid a storm of criticism, was left out of the starting XI on that occasion and made a positive impact when he arrived on the field, almost helping his side secure an unlikely point after they had trailed 3-0.

And fellow Frenchman Wenger believes that the Red Devils’ man management of the 27-year-old, who continues to be linked with a move back to Juventus, should have been stronger.

“I believe that you have to explain to a player that no matter what his future plan is, his interest and his job is to perform at the present club,” Wenger told ESPN’s 'Caught Offside' podcast.

“It’s the best way to prepare your future, to play well in the present.

“When I saw Pogba coming on on Tuesday night at RB Leipzig, I was sorry he didn’t start the game because straight away he made a huge impact.”

Pogba, meanwhile, started Saturday’s Manchester derby, which ended in a tame scoreless draw that does the title hopes of neither club any good.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, meanwhile, has praised the attitude of the club’s academy product.

“There’s been other players refusing to train and refusing to play – they’re not here any more, of course – but Paul’s not once done that,” he said.

“He’s got the quality and the desire to do well when he comes on, like he did against Leipzig, when he had a positive impact.”

"I’ve always fought and will always fight for Manchester United, my team-mates and the fans," Pogba said via an Instagram post on Saturday. “The future is far, today is what matters and I am 1000% involved!”

He has been hampered by injury and illness over the course of the last 18 months, including a bout of Covid-19 earlier this season.

Pogba has made 15 appearances for United this season and has scored two goals.

Kuala Lumpur United have made the bold decision of hiring a former player to a top post, when on Saturday the club announced the appointment of ex-player and former Malaysia international Stanley Bernard Stephen Samuel as their chief executive officer (CEO).

The club formerly known as Kuala Lumpur FA made the announcement on their social media accounts, although they added that more details on the appointment will be provided later in an interview with him.

The City Boys were Stanley's first professional club when he turned out for them between 2004 and 2008. He then played for several other clubs, including a stint in the Indian league. He returned to Kuala Lumpur in 2012, but a severe injury in the same year led to the premature end of his professional career.

He then embarked on a career in match broadcasting, and in recent years has developed a reputation as one of the best match commentators, if not the best, in Malaysia, thanks to his insight as a former pro as well as his ability to call matches in both English and Bahasa Melayu.

Malaysian outfits have been regularly criticised for rarely appointing former players to administrative positions, preferring career sports administrators and political appointees instead.

United's decision to appoint the 34-year old Stanley, which followed their privatisation/separation exercise under the Malaysian FA's directive, is a bold step in a promising direction. Next season they will return to the top-tier as the 2020 Premier League second best non-reserve team club.

SC Villa coach Edward Kaziba has blamed fatigue for his team's 2-1 loss in the Ugandan Premier League (UPL) game against URA FC on Saturday.

The Jogoos had taken a deserved lead in the 16th minute through a penalty converted by Derrick Ndahiro but Nyakoojo Benjamin brought the Taxmen level in the 31st minute after jumping the highest to power home a perfectly-weighted Kyeyune Saidi cross from a free-kick. 

With the match headed for a 1-1 draw, Kyeyune scored the winner with a beautifully taken header after an inch-perfect cross from Majewga Brian.

"Yes, we lost and still we did not have a good game generally and it is resulting from fatigue," Kaziba said after the game.

"We really never had enough time for recovery, because surely there was little time between when we last played and Saturday's game.  

"Whereas our opponents played on Tuesday and at least for their case had some time to recover, you could see from the field of play fatigue cost us."

Meanwhile, Police FC coach Abdallah Mubiru was impressed with the way his charges played in a 5-0 win over Kitara FC.

Ben Ocen grabbed a hat-trick while Hassan Muhamood and Yusuf Ssozi scored as well to help the Cops to a deserved win.

"We are now targeting and focusing on our next opponents on Tuesday and we ask God to guide us in that one too," Mubiru said after the huge win.

"Praise goes to Allah, the most gracious and most merciful for everything he has enabled us to do, we thank him for the gift of life, for the effort in that we have played the entire 90 minutes without any injury.

 "We thank him for the results, it has been a very good goal margin and a relatively good performance as we have some areas that still need to be rectified, but at least it is promising. 

"I thank the boys for the effort and commitment they put it in, it has been a very good performance by everyone."  

The 2005 league champions have now managed to collect seven points from the three games played.

They will host Busoga United in their next UPL game.

Mamelodi Sundowns defender Motjeka Madisha has died in a car accident in the East Rand, Johannesburg, in the early hours of Sunday.

Madisha passed away aged 25 and his death comes two days after his former Downs teammate Anele Ngcongca was laid to rest, having also perishing in a car crash in Durban on November 23.

“It happened around 02:00 at Zuurfontein Road, Chloorkop next to ABC Auto parts. A scene of accident of a white BMW… Two occupants in the car were burnt and one of them was beyond recognition and were certified dead by Ekurhuleni Emergency Services,” Police confirmed as per Far Post.

“The car was travelling from the direction of Kempton Park towards Tembisa. Seemingly, driver lost control and the car hit a steel board displaying pole with the backside and caught flame.”

Various reports also confirmed the tragic incident but Sundowns said they will release an official statement "in due course".

"We have become aware of certain media reports concerning Motjeka Madisha and will make an announcement in due course," the club said.

The South African Football Players Union as well as some Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs sent in condolences.

The accident occurred just after Sundowns celebrated their 50th anniversary on Saturday night.

Madisha was a key Downs player this season, featuring in five PSL games and the MTN8 quarter-final defeat to Bloemfontein Celtic.

He was also part of the Bafana Bafana fold.

Coach Livingstone Mbabazi has hit out at Kyetume FC, saying the club is in shambles and there is no respect for anybody.

The team made numerous signings in preparation for the 2020/21 Ugandan Premier League season but are yet to get a win. They have so far managed to get three points from draws against Kitara, Wakiso Giants, and Busoga United.

The tactician has now revealed what the situation is at the club which might be affecting the players.

"The club is in shambles, there is no respect for anybody, somethings I have seen happen here, I have never seen anything like this in my football career," Mbabazi said as quoted by Football256.

"Everything is wrong, there are people at the top who are against the progress of this club and are fighting against me; they are driving us back."

The 40-year-old has further stated the working environment in some teams is not friendly, which contributes to frequent changes, especially on the technical bench. However, he has vowed to soldier on hoping things will eventually change for the better.

"People have judged me for moving from club to club, but they do not know how big a struggle it is to coach at some of these clubs," Mbabazi continued.

"What we are facing right now as a team is challenging, and difficult especially for the players, but I will not throw in the towel just yet.  

"We have a great group of lads and despite the shortcomings, we shall fight on and try to win games and perform well not only for ourselves but for the club’s fans as well who deserve better.  

"What is going on off the pitch has affected us, but the season is still young and only a couple of games old. It is not yet a deep hole, we can climb back."  
 
The team settled for a 1-1 draw with the visitors Kitara FC before drawing 2-2 away to Wakiso Giants.

The recent game against Busoga United ended 1-1.

As a result, Kyetume are placed seventh on the log and will hope for a better outcome when they play UPDF FC in their next league assignment.

Kenya international Clarke Oduor was an unused substitute when Barnsley picked up a second consecutive victory with a 2-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Cauley Woodrow and Dominik Frieser's goals ensured the Tykes got the win away and climbed to the 13th position while the loss means Tony Pulis' men remain at the bottom of the Championship table after 18 games.

The only goal for the Owls was scored by midfielder Josh Windass, who raced to intercept a pass from Barry Bannan and chipped the ball over Jack Walton and into Barnsley’s empty net in the fourth minute.

The visitors fought and equalised in the 14th minute after Matty James’ corner landed on Woodrow’s path and the forward headed a strong shot into the net from close range.

Friesar scored the final goal for Barnsley in the 35th minute when he took aim from close-range and fired home to complete a nice move that involved James, Callum Brittain and Conor Chaplin.

Barnsley manager Valerian Ismael made a change to his starting team as Frieser replaced Luke Thomas, who dropped to the bench as Oduor's wait to return to the first team continues.

Ismael lauded his charges for how they got the win away from home: “It's a big three points,” the coach said after the match as per Sky Sports.

“We are very happy with the performance and we can enjoy, we reacted perfectly to going a goal down. You have to be focused if you make mistakes. The second half was a big fight but we are delighted with the win.

"We had to stay compact and press. We struggled a little at points but Jack Walton did his job but we are in good shape.

“The momentum is on our side and we need to recover for our next game on Tuesday. A big win gives us good confidence. We are a young team and we showed that we have the capability to come back in a game.”

On his side, Sheffield Wednesday's Pulis said his team went down because of lack of confidence.

“It's all about confidence,” Pulis stated.

“We switched off twice and gave two really poor goals away. I really do think the players are giving their best but we just needed a little bit of luck.

“The players are what they are, it took the boys a while to get to grips with the Barnsley team, who play well on the front foot. I thought we were the better team in the second half.

"We changed it around and there was much more positivity. The players responded better. The group needs a little bit of inspiration and we need to bring one or two players in.”

The next game for Oduor and Barnsley will be on December 15 against Preston North End.

Orlando Pirates midfielder Ben Motshwari has hailed Thembinkosi Lorch’s influence in Saturday’s 2-1 MTN8 victory over Bloemfontein Celtic at Moses Mabhida Stadium, but quickly reminded his teammates to turn their attention to the Premier Soccer League campaign.

After Siphelele Luthuli's early opener for Celtic, Pirates hit back via Deon Hotto just after the half-hour mark, before substitute Lorch converted from the penalty spot for the Pirates winner eight minutes into the second half.

Lorch was a surprise inclusion on the bench after the club had given an impression that he still had more time on the sidelines following medical procedure on his knee.

Even coach Josef Zinnbauer had earlier last week totally ruled Lorch out of the match but Motshwari saluted his teammate for an effective outing. 

"We played well, especially in the first half. Coming back from 1-0 to victory. And in the second half, we got an early one and I just want to applaud Lorch for coming in, creating a penalty especially after him undergoing knee surgery,” Motshwari told Pirates media.

“And getting a penalty as well, I think he did well for us today. I just want to applaud him and the rest of the guys. We did well in the second half as well as we scored the goal. I wish they [fans] were here to celebrate with us.

“This one was very much important not only for us players but everyone who was involved; the management, fans, our families and for us players. It had been a long time since the club last won a trophy and for us, this group bringing it home, I think they [fans] would be proud of us.”

For a fourth successive match, Pirates came from behind to avoid defeat and crucially this time, they notched an important victory to clinch their first major piece of silverware since lifting the 2014 Nedbank Cup. 

While Pirates are still in celebratory mood, Motshwari has reminded his teammates of league business.

Fourth-placed Pirates host Chippa United on Wednesday as they seek to recover from points lost in their last two matches that have ended in draws.

“Focus has to shift to the league now and try to get maximum points,” said Motshwari.

AFC Leopards stand-in coach Anthony Kimani has dismissed suggestions their 3-0 win against Sofapaka was a warning sent to their rivals that they mean business to win the FKF Premier League title this campaign.

Ingwe maintained their unbeaten start to the season after they roared past Sofapaka with striker Elvis Rupia notching a hat-trick at Kasarani Stadium to down Batoto ba Mungu.

The result has left Ingwe fans believing it is their year to win the title they last lifted in 1998, but according to coach Kimani, who is working on an interim basis following the exit of Tomas Trucha, the win was not meant as a warning to their rivals in the league and was attained because of hard work from his players.

“It is not a warning to anyone [beating Sofapaka 3-0], it is trying to work hard and play well in every game that comes our way, and always fight to make sure we play according to plans and get the three points,” Kimani told Goal.

“The league is a marathon, we have just won our third match and we still have several matches to play before the season comes to an end, we don’t want to start talking about the title yet, it is too soon, we want to keep winning our matches and see where we can be at the end of the first leg.

“I also thank God because we have won against a very good side, Sofapaka is not an easy team and everyone knows that, but all the teams in the Kenyan league are good so there is no easy game in the league, we must prepare well and strive to win.”

On whether his defence was to earn credit for the team’s two straight clean sheets, Kimanzi said: “I am happy for my backline, they have done a good job in the last three matches, they have tried to shield the keeper and the good thing is that we are playing as a team and attacking as a team.

“So I feel my players are devoted to helping one another, they are working as a team so kudos to all the players for a good job, even those outside the pitch know what to do when they come in, it is teamwork which is carrying us.”

AFC Leopards broke the deadlock in the 48th minute when Rupia, who had scored a brace against Bidco United in the last game, aimed at goal and Kevin Omondi could do little to stop the ball from getting into the net.

It took the former Nzoia Sugar and Wazito FC striker another six minutes to add the second for Ingwe as the league giants looked a solid, resolute, and more determined outfit in the second half.

The day went from good to better for Rupia as he scored the third for AFC Leopards four minutes after the hour mark.

Ingwe are now leading the table on nine points from three matches.

Sofapaka coach John Baraza believes his players did not display the kind of game he was expecting from them when they suffered a 3-0 defeat against AFC Leopards in a KF Premier League match on Saturday.

Batoto ba Mungu came into the match seeking to end their poor run of three defeats against Ingwe and were in control of the game for most of the first half.

However, in the second period, the game turned against them as Ingwe took control of the match played at Kasarani Stadium to score the three goals courtesy of striker Elvis Rupia, and help the team move top of the league table and with an unbeaten run.

The former Harambee Stars striker has now blamed his players for failure to use the chances they created in the first half, and also questioned their attitude, especially in the second period, when they conceded two quick goals which killed their hopes.

“It is true, the two quick goals from AFC Leopards spoilt our plans, because we were on top of the game in the first half, played very well and failed to use our chances and AFC got two good chances in the second half to punish us and spoil our plans,” Baraza told Goal.

“I did not expect my players to play as they did, especially in the second half, that is not my team, I don’t know why they played like that, we had planned well for the match, they started well and created one or two good chances to score but we did not use the chances, in football, it is all about scoring and you see when AFC got their chance and scored, it lifted them.”

Baraza continued: “The first goal gave them [AFC Leopards] the urge to search for another and it demoralised my players and killed our plans, but most of my players have not displayed the kind of football I know they can do, and I don’t know why, I will expect to hear from them later on what was the problem, but they did not play well.”

On managing to secure only three points from the opening three matches, Baraza explained: “It is not a good start, we must get back to the drawing board look at what we have not been doing right and rectify the mistakes then get back to the road of winning our matches.”

AFC Leopards broke the deadlock in the 48th minute when Rupia, who had scored a brace against Bidco United in the last game, aimed at goal and Kevin Omondi could do little to stop the ball from getting into the net.

It took the former Nzoia Sugar and Wazito FC striker another six minutes to add the second for Ingwe as the league giants looked a solid, resolute, and a more determined outfit in the second half.

The day went from good to better for Rupia as he scored the third for AFC Leopards four minutes after the hour mark.

The defeat is now the second Sofapaka, who had earlier lost their season opener by a solitary goal against Bandari but recovered to beat Western Stima 3-1 in their second match.

FC Goa had no right to leave the pitch with only one goal next to their name in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) match against Odisha on Saturday. Goa were the better side from the first minute to the last. They bossed all areas of the pitch, looked solid throughout and secured three points without facing much of an opposition from Stuart Baxter's team. They did it all without key midfielder Edu Bedia who was rested for the game. 

There was a lot to take away for Baxter from his side's poor performance. They had too much respect for Goa and it is puzzling why the approach was not altered either after the break or even towards the end. 

Shubham Sarangi, not for the first time this season, had a forgettable outing as a right-back. The midfielder-turnt-defender lost track of Alexander Romorio who assisted the only goal in the game at the stroke of half-time. 

Romario found Angulo in the centre of the box with a neat pass from the right side and once again he proved why Goa weren't wrong in placing their faith in him to replace the legendary Ferran Corominas. His delightful first touch followed by a simple finish to give his team the lead (and three points) was certainly a moment you can watch on loop.

Lenny Rodrigues bossed the pitch in the first half and Brandon Fernandes kept the ball alive in the final third to deny the Odisha defence time to relax. Even after the restart, Odisha looked a confused side and allowed Goa to play their football. 

Manuel Onwu looked completely ineffective upfront and Diego Mauricio, better known as Drogbinha, was clueless as a winger. There was no spirit in any of Odisha's individual outfield displays. The only player who looked up to the task was goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh who pulled off close to half a dozen stupendous saves to deny the Gaurs a smashing lead. 

After the hour-mark is usually when coaches alter their gameplan and make changes but Baxter seemed to be either equally clueless on the touchline or stubborn enough to stick to his plan A which was clearly not working. It must also be mentioned that Baxter doesn't have much quality on the bench either and whatever he does, they weren't introduced earlier. 

With the likes of Nandhakumar Sekar and Marcelinho on the bench, Odisha remarkably made their first substitution in the 85th minute! And that too was a swap of midfielders as Saurabh Meher replaced Vinit Rai. Although five changes are allowed this season, Baxter made his second and final change by bringing Marcelinho on for Mauricio in the 88th minute. 

Nothing Odisha did against Goa made sense. The management will be hoping it was one of those days or if it isn't, they have a difficult season ahead. 

When former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler was announced as the head coach of East Bengal, the expectations of football fans in the country rocketed. 

It was a piece of welcome news for the supporters of East Bengal following the late announcement that the club would be taking part in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL). However, after four matches this season, things haven't gone according to plan for Fowler and co. 

East Bengal's pre-season training was delayed by a few weeks due to the time taken to complete paperwork at the club as they headed into their first ISL season. But after four rounds of the 2020-21 season, the biggest concern for the former Brisbane Roar coach will be the issues in front of goal.

Fowler has two out-and-out Indian strikers he can use in the squad but neither of them has been able to make a mark so far. He stuck with Balwant Singh for the first three matches before giving Jeje Lalpekhlua a start for the fourth. Jeje started his first match in over one-and-a-half and he looked out of touch against the strong defence of Jamshedpur. Aaron-Amadi Holloway is part of the squad but hasn't been in the matchday squad so far with Fowler claiming that he is yet to get in shape.

It is problematic that East Bengal are winless after four games. And they have not scored a single goal in those games, making their start look worse. 

By going four games without scoring a goal, Fowler's team has matched the record of Mumbai City FC from the inaugural edition of ISL in 2014. The Islanders had gone the same number of games without scoring from November 9-28th. 

There are only two teams who have done worse in this regard. Earlier this year, NorthEast United fired blanks in five matches, from January 8 to February 10, 2020. During what was a wretched 2018-19 season in which they finished at the bottom of the table, Chennaiyin registered multiple draws and defeats without scoring goals. They ended the season with three back-to-back goalless games and continued the run at the start of the following season to extend it seven matches without a goal. 

East Bengal have now matched the second-worst goalless run by a team in a single season and Robbie Fowler will be hoping that his team can get off the mark in their next match to avoid registering the joint-worst goalless run in ISL over the course of a single season. 

The game between Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters in the fifth round of 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) will give fans a picture of how good or bad their attackers have been this season. After four games, Blasters are winless whereas Bengaluru have only won one game. And both teams have issues in front of goal. 

Carles Cuadrat's Blues have been unbeaten this season and that has a lot to do with their defence. Sunil Chhetri, one of the stars in the team, has misfired, partially due to the lack of service or link-up play between the attackers.

The India international, who has 40 goals and eight assists to his name in the ISL, has struggled to influence matches like he usually has done over the last few years. He did however, get off the mark for the season with a penalty in the second half of the game against Chennaiyin FC.

Blasters also have a key player who has struggled in the final third and has one goal to his name from 12 yards. Gary Hooper was brought in as a replacement for the club's all-time top scorer Bartholomew Ogbeche and it's not been bright and sunny for the Englishman in Goa. 

As the team takes its time to adapt to Kibu Vicuna's style of play, Hooper has often looked isolated and lost in games. He is rarely involved in Blasters' build-up play and is not found on the end of balls into the box - a conundrum that Vicuna has to solve quickly. 

Vicuna is open to trying out a two-striker system and it won't be something new for him. He used VP Suhair to good effect last season at Mohun Bagan with Papa Diawara upfront and fans could see something in the final third if Hooper's luck in the final third doesn't change. It will be interesting to see Hooper and Jordan Murray being handed a start on Sunday.

Chhetri and new signing Cleiton Silva have started every single game so far for the Blues but the attackers simply haven't clicked as much as Cuadrat would have liked them to. 

With fellow play-off aspirants starting to find their feet, these two teams need their attackers to rediscover their scoring boots. The sooner they can put them on, the better. 

Gael Kakuta found the net in Lens’ 3-2 home defeat to Montpellier in Sunday’s French topflight clash.

Going into the encounter against Michel Der Zakarian’s men, the Blood and Gold were hoping to consolidate on their 2-0 triumph at Rennes, nonetheless, they were unable to halt the rampaging visitors.

After a cagey opening minute, La Paillade took a 15th minute lead through English striker of Congolese descent Stephy Mavididi. The 22-year-old striker headed Andy Delort’s cross past goalkeeper Jean-Louis Leca having been left unmarked in the goal area.

Ten minutes later, Pedro Mendes doubled their advantage after slotting home from close range as Leca fumbled a well-taken free-kick by Delort.

Lens reduced the deficit in the 36th minute after goalkeeper Jonas Omlin turned the ball into his net – with Seko Fofona’s shot bouncing off his back before sailing into the next.

In the second-half, both teams came out in desperate of more goals, but it was Franck Haise’s side that levelled matters through Kakuta’s penalty in the 50th minute. Following Omlin’s foul on Fofona, referee Jeremy Stinat pointed to the spot and the former Chelsea man stepped up to beat the opposing goalkeeper.

The home team’s ambition of picking all the available points suffered a massive blow as the visiting side took the lead through Gaetan Laborde in the 69th minute after heading home a corner kick by Florent Mollet.

Despite a late rally from the Stade Bollaert-Delelis giants, they were unable to pick up a point from the five-goal thriller.

Kakuta, who now accounts for six goals in 13 French elite division games was on parade from start to finish alongside Malian defender Massadio Haidara, while Cameroon's Ignatius Ganago came in for Arnaud Kalimuendo after 69 minutes. Whereas, Burkina Faso's Cyrille Bayala and Cape Verde's Steven Fortes were not dressed for action.

On the other side, South Africa's Keagan Dolly replaced Teji Savanier with 10 minutes left to play as Cameroon's Ambrose Oyongo and Congo's Beni Makouana were not listed for the game.

Montpellier are fifth in the log with 26 points from 14 games with Lens occupying the eighth position with 21 points.

Mikel Arteta has instructed struggling forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang not to overthink things as he aims to return to form.

Aubameyang has been prolific for the Gunners during his time at the club, scoring 22 league goals in each of the past two seasons. 

This season, though, has been different, as the Gabon striker has only two Premier League goals in 11 games. Just one of those goals came from open play, and it occurred on the season's opening day. 

Ahead of Arsenal's game against Burnley on Sunday, Gunners head coach Arteta told his star forward that he will perform better if he's able to clear his mind. 

"Sometimes, it’s how much you think," said Arteta. "With strikers like Auba that has to be in a natural way. He doesn’t need to think.

"The action is there, he makes the choice in the right moment, with the correct foot, and puts the ball where it needs to be.

"Sometimes, when you are in this sort of spell, you overthink a bit. There is nothing we can teach him to do differently to what he’s done in the past."

Aubameyang's poor run of form has come with his team struggling as a whole. Arsenal have lost three of their last four Premier League matches and enter Sunday's game in 15th place. 

Though Arteta is aware of Aubameyang's importance to his team's cause, he knows that the scoring burden can't only fall on the striker's shoulders.

“Individually, we’re doing a lot to see where he scores his goals, how they get provided, the areas he needs to attack, and the type of finishes he is efficient with," the Spaniard added.

“When you have a player in this spell, you need others to step up. The problem is when there’s two, three or four players in the same way, it becomes unattainable.

“So you need someone there to help him. Then things come more naturally because the pressure is less.“

Heading into the game against Burnley, the Gunners have scored just 10 goals in 11 league matches. Only the league's bottom three sides – Burnley, West Brom and Sheffield United – have scored fewer goals this season.

Hansi Flick feels Bayern Munich paid the price for being too conservative in the first half of their 1-1 draw against Union Berlin and acknowledged his side "can definitely play better" - and has his fingers crossed that star midfielder Leon Goretzka avoided serious injury in the game.

The Bundesliga champions trailed after just four minutes of Saturday's Bundesliga contest at Alte Forsterei as Grischa Promel headed the underdogs into a shock lead.

Robert Lewandowski's 16th goal in as many games this season levelled proceedings just after the hour but Bayern were unable to find a winner in an entertaining clash.

"The first few minutes we were not present on the pitch as we had wanted to be. We could have defended better when we conceded the goal, without question," head coach Flick said in quotes reported by Bayern's official website.

"When the first ball becomes dangerous, our composure is not there. We played the safe pass or a long ball. I wasn't too happy with that. We addressed that during the break.

"We wanted to play with more composure and occupy space better in the second half, to have men over. I was more satisfied with the second half. We can definitely play better.

"Our idea is to put the opponent under pressure. Today we weren't able to implement it as we had planned. It will be a difficult season, we knew that in advance.

"Now we have to take the positives from the situation and improve on the things that didn't go so well."

Bayern, who are top of the table on goal difference ahead of RB Leipzig after 11 games, have now fallen behind in each of their past five Bundesliga matches - a trend forward Thomas Muller is keen to buck.

"We've often gone a goal down recently. It happened very early today. Union fought hard and played man-to-man," Muller said.

"We made life difficult for ourselves, especially in the first 20 minutes. We need momentum again and to bounce back again.

"We have the quality, mentally too, but of course it just happens that we not winning but rather drawing matches. It feels too little given our ambitions."

Bayern lost Leon Goretzka during the match, with Flick hopeful the problem is not a serious injury.

"He felt something twinge during a sprint," Flick said on the club’s official website. "We can't see what it is yet. We'll do more tests in Munich, and we hope it's not a serious injury."

Zinedine Zidane believes his Real Madrid midfield stars have rediscovered their best form after an influential display in their 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid.

Casemiro, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos started together in La Liga for just the third time this season on Saturday and Zidane's team selection proved effective against their city rivals.

Madrid took the lead through Casemiro's header and then extended their advantage courtesy of a Jan Oblak own goal in the second half.

Zidane was particularly taken by the displays of Modric and Kroos, with the World Cup winner completing 87 of 90 passes, the most in a league Madrid derby since at least 2005-06.

"We used [Modric and Kroos] to find the way out, it's true," said Zidane, who is unbeaten in seven games against Atleti. "We had to do it.

"And then playing fast from one side to the other and with diagonals, we found gaps. They're f*cking great, they're exceptional.

"Karim [Benzema], too, and Lucas [Vazquez], he is phenomenal, and [Dani] Carvajal, and our captain [Sergio Ramos], [Raphael] Varane. They are all very good."

The coach was further asked about the trio in the centre of the pitch, who now have competition in the form of Federico Valverde and Martin Odegaard.

"They are at the level of the three Champions Leagues we won in a row," he said. "They are playing at a very high level."

Victory against Atleti brought to an end an extremely successful week, with Madrid having also won 1-0 at Sevilla and 2-0 against Borussia Monchengladbach to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

"We confirmed what we did in the two previous games," said the coach, whose side restricted Atleti to one shot on target across the 90 minutes and no efforts at all before half-time.

"We competed very well throughout the game.

"But we don't have anything to celebrate because we haven't won anything. It's a good week.

"I'm happy for the players because they always believe in what they do. And when they get things done I'm happy. Let's enjoy and think about Tuesday [against Athletic Bilbao]."

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has hit back at his critics after a week in which his agent Mino Raiola made it clear he wants to leave Old Trafford. 

Raiola generated plenty of controversy when he claimed his client’s time with the club was "over" this week and talked up a transfer before his contract expires in the summer of 2022.

Pogba came off the bench and scored against RB Leipzig in midweek, but couldn't prevent United from crashing out of the Champions League. After the game, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer responded to Raiola's comments.

“As soon as Paul’s agent realises this is a team sport and we work together the better," the Norwegian said. 

Pogba would then start in Saturday's derby against Man City, which ended in a drab 0-0 draw.

After that game, Pogba broke his silence on his future with a post on Instagram in which he assured Man Utd supporters that he is "1000%" committed to the cause at Old Trafford. 

"I’ve always fought and will always fight for Manchester United, my team-mates and the fans," Pogba said. "Bla bla is not important. The future is far, today is what matters and I am 1000% involved!

"Always strong together.. all has been clear between the club and myself and that will never change. When you don’t know what’s going on inside don’t talk."

Pogba's future has been the subject of plenty of discussion over the past week, with his former club Juventus considered one of the favourites to land him should he depart United. 

Juventus director Fabio Paratici spoke highly of Pogba this week, saying "we love him very much" in a comment that will do little to quiet the transfer talk.

Former United forward Louis Saha also weighed in on the situation, finding major fault with Raiola making his proclamation one day before United's crucial Champions League match against Leipzig. 

"I’m baffled with the situation with Paul Pogba," Saha told Genting Bet. "I really love Pogba, he’s someone I consider highly, but this communication is a joke.

"I was shocked and I can't believe something like this happened because this game was so important for United. 

"I’m not speaking as a fan, I’m speaking about Manchester United in general, you think that it’s a big game, going into the last 16. You need that focus, but the focus was on one player.

"This is unbelievable, the headlines were about Pogba because of the agent – it wasn’t even Pogba who said anything."