Switzerland international Xherdan Shaqiri has described his move to Liverpool from Stoke City as a fairy tale. The attacker faced relegation with the Potters during the 2017/18 campaign but just 12 months later, he has managed to win the Champions League title for the second time in his professional career.

Speaking to SRF, Shaqiri described the experience as a fairytale and said that there are many players, who have never tested success in the elite competition. He added that the Reds triumph in Europe has to be credited to manager Jurgen Klopp, who has worked tirelessly to end the club’s seven-year wait for a trophy.

Switzerland international Xherdan Shaqiri has spoken about the belief in the Liverpool side after they made a stunning comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final. The Reds appeared down and out after suffering a 3-0 loss in the first leg but they made a tremendous return at Anfield where they scored four goals without reply to progress.

Speaking in a press conference, Shaqiri acknowledged that the result shocked many in the footballing fraternity and there were tears among the Reds players in the dressing room, he said: “Crazy. Everyone was shocked, like they couldn't believe it. We were celebrating, some of the guys were crying. Me? No! I am just so happy, so happy to have helped. We have achieved something special. The manager didn't change things a lot. He just told us to perform, to keep going. We knew everyone had written us off because of what happened in the first leg. It was an incredible performance. If you believe - if you believe in life - anything and everything can happen.”

Former Premier League star Paul Mariner suggests Granit Xhaka needs more coaching at Arsenal to suit the defensive midfield role. The Switzerland international has been with the Gunners for the past two-and-a-half seasons where he has produced a mixed bag in terms of the performances for the club.

Speaking to ESPN FC, Mariner suggested that the midfielder is more suited to the holding role rather than playing in an advanced position. He added that the north London giants need to offer the midfielder with more coaching in the number six position, if he is to have a long-term future at the club, he said: “I like him in the 6 role. I don’t like him when he plays a little bit further forward or when he plays the 8 role. I don’t like him. What they should do with now is they should coach him a little bit more, so they are going to keep him.”

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has praised the preparations from Qatar for the 2022 World Cup and believes the tournament would provide the fans with a brand new experience. The stadiums in the Middle East nation have been built with a distance of just 55 kms between them and that is expected to reduce the travelling burden for the players as well as the supporters.

Speaking to reporters, Wenger was impressed with the thinking behind the construction of the stadiums where the comfort of the fans and players has been given special attention, he said: “I'm impressed with the quality of the planning for the World Cup, including the thinking that is behind it. This World Cup is integrated in the community and there are a lot of plans to make sure it is not wasted after the tournament.

Switzerland international Granit Xhaka has dropped concerns regarding his long-term future with Arsenal after admitting he could pursue the next step away from the club. The midfielder has transformed into a key performer under Unai Emery this campaign, contributing four goals and three assists across all competitions for the club.

Speaking to Tagblatt, Xhaka has now presented doubts whether he could remain with the Gunners for the long-term after admitting that he is very ambitious and would not want the north London side to be the last stop, he said: "I’m very ambitious, I want to take the next step. Arsenal does not have to be the last stop."

Switzerland international Xherdan Shaqiri has said that Liverpool possess the title-winning credentials with the experience of the players within the first-team squad. The Merseyside outfit are currently trailing Manchester City by virtue of goal difference for the top spot but they can leapfrog them with a positive result against Manchester United in their game in hand.

Speaking to reporters, Shaqiri spoke about his time of winning titles at Bayern and believes the same can be replicated at Anfield with the positive mentality within the squad, he said: “I played in Germany and won titles there, so I have experience of it. It has to be a winning mentality and the players need to be focused.

At this point it’s becoming fairly widely accepted that virtual reality never quite caught fire the way it was supposed to. That doesn’t mean it’s failed. It’s certainly not “the new 3D television,” as some articles were hasty to declare when VR didn’t immediately revolutionize the entire world of technology. But it’s beginning to settle into being more of a niche tech than a new generation in and of itself.

In particular it’s becoming clearer, even through data, that virtual reality gaming isn’t catching on, and as a result some game developers are losing interest. What seemed a few years ago like the natural next iteration in high-end gaming has become a risky investment on the developer side of things, and there appears to be some thinking that continued focus on console and mobile games is wiser, at least for now.

Arsenal legend Martin Keown believes the winter signing of Denis Suarez at the Emirates should provide further competition for Granit Xhaka at the heart of the midfield. The Switzerland international has been lacking the defensive awareness on multiple occasions during the ongoing campaign and Keown feels the arrival of Suarez could spell trouble for Xhaka’s position in the team.

In a report covered by The Star, Keown said that manager Unai Emery is unlikely to consider dropping the likes of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi from the starting XI and this should directly impact on Xhaka’s position, should Suarez be needed on the playing field. He added that he was surprised by the Gunners’ inability to sign a new centre-back in January, although Emery is clear with the mindset to control games after the recruitment of Suarez.
He said: “The arrival of Denis Suarez at Arsenal puts pressure on Granit Xhaka. Unai Emery is not going to drop Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi has showed promise. I am surprised Emery did not prioritise signing a defender. But this move clearly suggests that he wants to improve Arsenal’s ability to control games in midfield.”

Liverpool attacker Xherdan Shaqiri has said that the Reds did not deserve to exit the FA Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers without a replay. Jurgen Klopp decided to field a weakened team over the weekend amid the Reds’ Premier League challenge and the move eventually proved costly with the club being ousted from the FA Cup at the third round.

Speaking after the game, Shaqiri admitted that the players are disappointed by the outcome of the Cup tie and believes the team deserved at least a replay with the effort shown during the backend of the encounter, he told the club’s official website: “Of course, we are disappointed after this game because we lost, first of all, but I think we didn't deserve this result because we tried to play football. We tried to come back. We tried everything until the end and you cannot say the attitude wasn't there until the last minute - we tried everything. Sometimes you need luck also and the free-kick was very unlucky. I saw the ball inside already, but it never went in.”

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has admitted that he is pleased with the commitment shown from Granit Xhaka despite the Switzerland international playing out of position during the recent north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. The Gunners had gone into the game with just one senior centre-back available in the form of Sokratis and this witnessed Xhaka slot into the heart of the defence not for the first time.

Still, the presence could not prevent the Gunners suffering a 2-0 defeat in the League Cup quarter-final but Emery was nonetheless pleased with the Swiss’ commitment in a tough situation for the club, he said: “The players are helping us with their commitment, playing in different positions because the team needs them sometimes like today, because after Sunday it was a lot of minutes on the pitch for Koscielny to play today 90 minutes. He is helping [Xhaka] and I am happy with him and his performance because his commitment to help us is very important.”