Category: News

Editor’s Column: This season is so much fun and the pessimists/moaners need a massive reality check

I try to avoid social media after bad results, because it sucks the life out of me and draws me into slanging matches with teenagers – but when Liverpool win – it’s nice to revel in the positivity that follows…

So after our 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, which was hard-fought and at times, nervy, I had a little Twitter scroll to lap up some jaw-dropping stats on James Milner’s right-back performance and check out the jokes on Naby Keita’s hilariously cool goal celebration.

The first thing I saw though was a run-of-the-mill, congratulations post from Linda Pizzuti Henry, the wife of Liverpool owner John W. Nothing wrong with that, right? Nice collage of the players from the game, with a sweet message invoking the Red spirit…

Yet the response was nothing short of horrible. I’m not going to share it – you can look it up yourself, if you … Read the rest

“He will not be summoned” – Colombian ace wonders if James Rodríguez’s decision to leave Everton for Qatar affects national team status

James Rodríguez has linked to a departure from Everton FC all summer, and now the 30-year-old is leaving the Premier League for Qatar as the midfielder signs with Al-Rayyan. 

Many have questioned this move as he looks to return to the Colombia national team. A fellow compatriot in Jeison Medina who plays in Qatar spoke with Gol Caracol (via Marca) to discuss what it means for the former Everton midfielder’s chances to see national team football.

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“He will not be summoned” – Colombian ace wonders if James Rodríguez’s decision to leave Everton for Qatar affects national team status
Sep 23 2021, 6:06
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“I wouldn’t adapt abroad” – Former World Cup Winner discusses why he turned down Arsenal
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This summer, Rodríguez was left off the Colombia … Read the rest

Report: Two candidates in race to take over managerial job at Barcelona

If the latest scuttlebutt surrounding Barcelona is to be believed, Ronald Koeman could be on his way out of Camp Nou imminently. The 58-year-old has been under immense pressure of late, which only ramped up following the tame surrender to Bayern Munich last week.

The 1-1 draw against Granada, during which Barcelona seemed to lack any clear-cut plan of attack, and resorted to becoming cross merchants, seems to have pushed him over the edge. The decision to axe Koeman has already been taken.

Now, Mundo Deportivo comes up with a fresh report claiming that Barcelona president Joan Laporta is already hard at work to find a replacement for the former Netherlands head coach, with two names currently being linked the strongest.

The first one, unsurprisingly, is that of former midfielder and club legend Xavi Hernandez. A revered figure within Barcelona, the diminutive ex-Spanish international has made his forays into the … Read the rest

SST Long Beach entry list features 13

For the second straight round, thirteen drivers will make up a Stadium Super Trucks field (though there would have been more if additional trucks were available) as they head to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach for the eighth season and the first time since 2019 after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to COVID-19. The thirteen-person entry list is the second largest at Long Beach behind the fourteen in 2018, which itself is the most for an SST street circuit event.

Matt Brabham, Bill Hynes, Max and Robby Gordon, and Robert Stout continue their full-time campaigns. Brabham enters Long Beach as the points leader with thirty-two points over Robby Gordon, and both drivers are three-time winners at Long Beach including claiming the most recent races in 2019. Hynes’ best finish at Long Beach is sixth in Race #1 in 2019 while this will be Max’s … Read the rest

(Video) Minamino puts Liverpool ahead inside five minutes with clinical finish in EFL Cup

Liverpool star Takumi Minamino struck early on for the Reds away at Norwich City on Tuesday night.

The Japanese forward was handed a start in the EFL Cup in a heavily rotated squad and made an impression early on.

MORE: (Photo) Kaide Gordon’s brother hits social media with lovely post as LFC starlet makes debut

A Liverpool corner was whipped in which found the head of Divock Origi, who played the ball into a dangerous area.

With pure striker’s instinct, Minamino swivelled on the spot where he was stood and slotted home through the Norwich goalkeeper’s legs.

Footage via ESPN / Sky Sports.

… Read the rest

Arsenal and West Ham linked with star who has failed to live up to €60m transfer fee

Arsenal and West Ham could reportedly be potential transfer suitors for Real Madrid misfit Luka Jovic as his future at the Bernabeu looks in doubt.

The Serbia international looked a hugely exciting talent during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt, but has totally flopped since moving to Madrid for big money in the summer of 2019.

According to Eurosport, the €60million flop is now attracting interest ahead of a possible departure, with Arsenal and West Ham named as possible destinations, though the player himself would supposedly prefer a move to Germany or Italy.

Jovic could end up being a great asset for the likes of Arsenal and West Ham if he can get back to his best, but that seems a big if at this point.

Luka Jovic has struggled at Real Madrid
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Arsenal and West Ham linked with star who has failed to live up
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Three lessons learned from Barcelona 1-1 Granada

If the draw to Athletic Bilbao and the defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich were not enough to put Ronald Koeman under pressure, the Catalan’s draw against Granada will not help the manager’s cause.

The Dutchman’s dismissal has been journalists’ favourite topic over the past week, and speculation of his sacking will now completely take over the headlines of Spanish media outlets.

Barcelona’s performance against Diego Martinez’s side was shocking. The injuries and lack of key players like Jordi Alba, Pedri, Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele undoubtedly has put the Catalans in a difficult situation.

However, the approach adopted by the team and some decisions taken by the manager were mind-boggling. Here are three takeaways from Barcelona 1-1 Granada.

1. Crosses as the newfound weapon

Luuk de Jong Barcelona
Luuk de Jong was very poor in the air vs Granada – Photo via Imago

When Barcelona signed Luuk de Jong on the manager’s … Read the rest

Stefan Parsons to run full 2022 Xfinity schedule for McLeod

Throughout the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, Stefan Parsons caught the cryptocurrency world’s eye by driving a car sporting sponsorship from Dogecoin. For 2022, he will see the race track more frequently as he has joined B.J. McLeod Motorsports for the full schedule. His number was not revealed.

“I’m extremely grateful to have the opportunity to drive for B.J. McLeod Motorsports again next year, and full-time,” Parsons stated. “We have built a ton of momentum over the last few years working together as a team and there’s a really good foundation for a strong season next year off that alone.”

The son of former team owner and driver Phil Parsons and nephew of NASCAR Hall of Famer Benny Parsons, he has raced in the Xfinity Series for BJMM since 2019. In twenty-four career starts, he has eight top-twenty finishes with a best run of twelfth in his début … Read the rest

Ex-refereeing chief urges Klopp to instruct Salah to stop worrying ‘habit’

Former Premier League referee Kieth Hackett has advised Jurgen Klopp to discourage Mo Salah from taking off his jersey when celebrating future goals.

The Egyptian international earned his sixth yellow card in a red shirt for his shirtless celebration against Crystal Palace – his third caution for such an act.

“Taking your shirt off is an automatic yellow card offence,” the Englishman told Football Insider.

“We might be amused by it and love the goals, I do, I think he’s a brilliant player

“Surely his manager ought to have a word with him and say ‘You’re heading towards five yellow cards which is a suspension, I want you to avoid that’.

“You don’t want to take the elation away from a player but you’ve got to have a degree of self-control.

“He’s got into that habit. It’s his way of saluting his own goal.”

The 77-year-old did note that the … Read the rest

Manchester United star’s agent working to engineer shock transfer

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial could be on his way out of Old Trafford in the near future as his agent reportedly tries to engineer a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.

This would be a bit of a surprise move given that PSG already have Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to choose from up front, though Mbappe’s future is in serious doubt as he heads towards the end of his contract.

Reports claim Martial’s agent is keen to get his client a big move away from Man Utd following the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, which will almost certainly signal the end of the Frenchman’s Old Trafford career.

MORE: Man Utd identify wonderkid to replace Pogba

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… Read the rest