Category: Football

Former Juventus man ‘struck’ by gulf in Real Madrid clash

Fabio Capello has revealed how ‘struck’ he was in the difference between Juventus and Barcelona this week, after we were defeated 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium.

The Italian managed in both Serie A and La Liga, but spent his entire playing career in Italy, and he admits that he was shocked by the difference between the two sides on Wednesday.

Juventus were defeated 2-0 at home, and may well have to give up hope of winning their respective Champions League group, but the dismay is in how far behind our rivals we appear, despite being Italian champions, and having been a force in the Champions League for a number of years.

“Juventus suffered a lot against a Barcelona in crisis,” Capello told Sky Sport Italia(via AS). “I was struck by the difference between a team under construction that also lost the Clasico and one at the top in Italy.… Read the rest

Arteta on Saliba, Nelson, and Auba up top as Dundalk come to town

It’s Europa League action tonight as we face Dundalk at the Emirates. Given the obvious gulf in quality between the Premier League and the League of Ireland, this is a game that Arsenal will be expected to win comfortably, even if you can nothing for granted with this team these days.

Mikel Arteta is likely to rotate considerably for this one, but does have a bit of an issue at centre-half where the only two fit and available players are Shkodran Mustafi and Gabriel. For the former, it’s a chance to regain some match fitness having been out for such a long time with his hamstring injury, but with David Luiz, Rob Holding, Pablo Mari and Calum Chambers all injured, and Sokratis and William Saliba ineligible, he’s got to think very carefully about using the Brazilian this evening.

It’s weighing on his mind, for sure, and he said pre-game:… Read the rest

'Unreal talent'- Man United fans praise young defender's performance abroad

Manchester United fans were thoroughly pleased to see their loan star Diogo Dalot perform so well for AC Milan.

The Italian giants were playing in the Europa League on Thursday night and overcame their opponents thanks to the young full-back.

Dalot was sent to Milan temporarily in the hopes he would get regular minutes at a high level so he can continue his development.

The Portuguese defender saw his progress at United stall after a series of injuries coupled with Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s arrival at Old Trafford.

Many thought Dalot’s loan meant it was the end for him and he’d have no future with the Red Devils but that’s proven far from it.

… Read the rest

LFC target teen from Swedish top flight with bags of potential; chief confirms scouting – reports

Liverpool are reportedly keeping tabs on Icelandic starlet Isak Bergmann Johannesson, who is currently playing in the Swedish top flight for IFK Norrkoping.

Jurgen Klopp is said to be keen on recruiting a new centre-half this winter, but a move for the 17-year-old midfielder could be on the cards.

Johannesson has already shown versatility, playing both on the wings and more recently in central midfield against Swedish giants AIK.

The Reds had scouts in attendance at Norrkoping fixtures earlier this month, according to the Chronicle. This report has seemingly been confirmed by IFK chief scout Stig Torbjornsen. “Everyone has been here for him, they are all curious. Liverpool is a club, there are ten others as well,” he told Swedish outlet Expressen.

MORE: Divock Origi tipped to sign for top Belgian club in January with eye on Red Devils – report

It’s unclear when – or … Read the rest

“I’d start him”: These Arsenal plans push for youngster to play against Man United and impressive showing vs Dundalk

In some ways tonight was a bit of a lose/lose situation for Arsenal because they were expected to win and even then it’s easy just to write off anything good because they were playing an inferior team.

The truth is that Dundalk are a decent Europa League side who were well organised and gave Arsenal a stern test, so some of the younger players can be very pleased with how they played.

Reiss Nelson was probably the pick of the bunch, and he was so impressive that a few fans are calling for him to play against Man United this weekend:

… Read the rest

Juventus get a boost as experienced star is back in training

Juventus have been handed a boost on the injury front after the club announced that Giorgio Chiellini has returned to full training.

The Italian defender was one of the important players that missed the 2-0 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League last night.

His absence had been one that the club felt especially after it emerged earlier that Leonardo Bonucci may miss the game before he was passed fit to play.

Chiellini also missed the draw against Verona at the weekend and it was simply a case of the team hoping that he would be back sooner rather than later.

Although it was confirmed early on that he won’t be out with injury for a very long time, it will still have surprised some fans that he is back and it is good news.

After their loss to Barcelona last night, they haven’t rested with the club releasing a … Read the rest

Hurdles

I have written a lot about Arsenal’s attack recently and the need for Arteta to enact “phase 2” of his rebuild. After two scoreless games in the Premier League and an offensively moribund display in the Europa League in Vienna, the subject of Arsenal’s attack has become central to discussion.

I know I have certainly done a lot of complaining about the issue so I wanted to take a step back and consider some of the obstacles Mikel Arteta is facing in this area. Most of the issues are ones he has inherited and he, understandably, made tightening the defence and the tactical structure his priority upon taking the job.

His most obvious issue is one of historically poor recruitment- especially in attack. In the summer of 2017 Arsenal spent £50m on Alex Lacazette, a transfer Arsene Wenger passed up on a few times previously before pulling the … Read the rest

Confirmed: The reason why Telles was absent from RB Leipzig drubbing

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed why Alex Telles has been absent from the matchday squad after the 5-0 victory over RB Leipzig.

The legendary Norwegian revealed the Brazilian defender’s absence had nothing to do with injury as some fans had feared.

Telles impressed in his debut appearance and supporters were keen to see him more often in action.

However, since that match vs PSG, Luke Shaw has played at left-back instead vs Chelsea and now Leipzig.

It turns out there was no way for Telles to feature, even if it meant coming off the bench as he has recently tested positive for coronavirus.

Shaw played well vs RB Leipzig so Manchester United aren’t desperate for Telles but his presence would add more edge to the team.… Read the rest

Anonymous Reddit user claims some LFC staff are relying on hand-outs from colleagues

An anonymous Reddit user shared a concerning post – which you can read in full here – on Monday morning which garnered a lot of attention.

‘u/LFCStaffThrowaway‘ explained how some employees at Liverpool FC are relying on hand-outs from their colleagues to get by in the ongoing pandemic.

In the post, it is claimed the club have several workers on zero-hours contracts and that some have seen their typical shift patterns stripped.

LFC have denied they have anyone on zero-hours contracts, but do have colleagues on ‘casual contracts’ who supplement their core staffing.

The club also say they’ve offered casual contract workers as many shifts as possible, but the up-take on these opportunities has been low thus far.

Back in April, Liverpool announced they would be utilising the UK Government’s furlough scheme and placing non-playing staff on leave, while supplementing their wages.

Heavy criticism from supporters led to … Read the rest

Video: Classy Rashford lets Martial score 1st of the season despite penalty offer during Man United vs RB Leipzig

It really wasn’t any surprise to see national hero Marcus Rashford show his humble side during Manchester United’s emphatic win against RB Leipzig in the Champions League tonight.

The forward came off the bench in the 63rd minute and went on to make the biggest impact in the game, as Rashford scored two quick-fire goals in the 74th and 78th minute.

In the 86th minute though, Rashford was presented the chance to seal a hat-trick after teammate and strike partner Anthony Martial won a penalty.

Despite the Frenchman’s apparent offer to let the 22-year-old seal the remarkable feat from the spot, Rashford showed his class as he turned it down, letting Martial score his first goal of the season.

Everything went perfectly for everyone in the end, as Martial assisted Rashford in the 91st minute, helping the England international secure a remarkable hat-trick as a substitute.

… Read the rest