By DAN KARELL
Germany has found their successor to Philipp Lahm as the team looks into the future.
Coach Joachim Löw has named Bastian Schweinsteiger as Germany’s new captain, taking the place of the retired Lahm. Germany plays their first post-World Cup match on Wednesday in a friendly match against Argentina in Dusseldorf, before opening up their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign on Sunday against Scotland in Dortmund.
“Bastian is an absolute leader, he has always taken responsibility for the national team, on and off the field,” Löw told the German Football Federation website. “In Bastian I have great confidence, and not only myself but also our entire sports management staff. Above all, he unites all the players behind him – no matter what age, no matter what club they play for. I know Bastian is always there when we need him. Bastian Schweinsteiger will be a great and worthy captain of our national team.”
Schweinsteiger is still recovering from an injury, and therefore goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will be the interim captain for the match against Argentina. Meanwhile Mesut Özil, Mats Hummels, and Jerome Boateng have all been ruled out of Wednesday’s friendly match.
Here are some more stories to kick off your Tuesday:
MONACO VP REGRETS FALCAO SALE
Just one year after a spending spree that brought in the likes of Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez, and Joao Moutinho, the project at AS Monaco is in ruins.
While it was likely hard to reject the offers, after securing a place in the UEFA Champions League by finishing second in Ligue 1 last season, Monaco sold Rodriguez to Real Madrid earlier this summer for a reported €80 million and on the final day, let Falcao leave for Man United on loan with an option to buy.
“I regret Falcao’s departure, particularly for our fans,” Monaco vice president Vadim Vasilyev told reporters. “However, we felt that from the moment the player had expressed his desire to join Manchester United, it would have been wrong to block his transfer.”
The departures leave Monaco with an aging squad including Dimitar Berbatov, Ricardo Carvalho, and Jeremy Toulalan, in addition to Moutinho and Lucas Ocampos.
XOLOS HIRE GUZMAN AS MANAGER
Club Tijuana have quickly found a new man to lead their team.
Just two days after parting ways with coach Cesar Farias, Tijuana announced that they’ve appointed Daniel Guzman to be the club’s new head coach. Guzman most recently coached Atlante but hasn’t had much success as a manager since winning a title with Santos Laguna in 2008.
Guzman, a Guadalajara native, has extensive coaching experience in Liga MX, managing Tigres UANL, Chivas de Guadalajara, Atlas, Queretaro, Puebla, and Santos Laguna in his coaching career.
QUICK KICKS
Borussia Dortmund have re-signed left back Erik Durm to a new contract through 2019. (REPORT)
Aston Villa are still interested in signing Man United’s Tom Cleverley on a season-long loan, despite the transfer window having closed. (REPORT)
Fabio Quagliarella has been recalled to the Italian National Team as a replacement for Dani Osvaldo. (REPORT)
Former Maccabi Tel Aviv boss Oscar Garcia has been appointed head coach at Watford, a day after claiming that he left Israel after failing to guide Maccabi into the UEFA Champions League. (REPORT)
———–
What do you think of these reports? Do you like the choice of Schweinsteiger as captain? Do you believe Monaco should have held on to Falcao? How do you expect Guzman to fare as Tijuana coach?
Share your thoughts below.