Sports update

[Edoman]

Real Madrid 2-0 Celta Vigo: Vazquez and Asensio send Zidane's side top



2 January 2021, 







Real Madrid went top of LaLiga for the first time since October after a 2-0 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday thanks to goals from Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio.


Vazquez headed Madrid in front six minutes into the game and Asensio added a second after the break with a fine finish.


Celta rarely threatened Thibaut Courtois' goal as their six-game unbeaten run came to an end.
The result helped Zinedine Zidane's side move a point clear of city rivals Atletico Madrid, who will have the chance to return to the summit when they face Deportivo Alaves on Sunday.


Celta almost stole an early lead when Iago Aspas chased a ball behind the defence and chipped an effort over Courtois as he raced off his line, but Nacho chased back to hook it away.


From the resulting counterattack, Madrid went ahead when Asensio broke down the left and his cross picked out Vazquez, who headed in at the back post.


Celta's players claimed for a penalty after Jeison Murillo's volleyed effort struck Ferland Mendy, but the referee dismissed the visitors' appeals.


Madrid went close shortly before the break as Dani Carvajal saw an audacious volley from the edge of the box fly just past the post.


Zidane's side ruthlessly punished some sloppy Celta play soon after half-time, which allowed Vazquez to slide in Asensio to clinically fire past goalkeeper Ruben Blanco.


Fine play by Toni Kroos opened up the Celta defence again on the hour but Madrid captain Karim Benzema lost his footing at the critical moment and flashed his shot past the upright.
Madrid brought on Eden Hazard with 16 minutes left as the Belgian forward continued to build up his match fitness following a long-term injury.


Benzema squandered another late chance when he lifted a shot over the crossbar, while former Los Blancos youngster Miguel Baeza was denied at the death as Madrid saw the game out without conceding.


What does it mean? Home comforts Madrid
Madrid have scored in each of their last 29 home LaLiga games against Celta (76 goals in total), their current longest scoring run at home against a single team in the competition.


They have also won 13 of their last 15 home LaLiga games (lost two), with 14 of them played at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano inside their training ground, which is proving a handy home away from the Santiago Bernabeu.


Atletico still have three games in hand on Madrid, but if Zidane's side can continue to churn out these types of results on home turf then they will be the main challengers for the title.


Toni in Kroos control
Kroos has scored six goals in 12 LaLiga appearances against Celta, and although he did not find the net on this occasion, he was at the heart of everything Madrid did well. The German midfielder made 64 passes – more than any other player – with a pass completion of 94 per cent, while his two key passes was bettered by only Vazquez among those in white.
Aspas fluffs his chance


Aspas has been involved in five of Celta's eight goals away from home in LaLiga this season (four goals and one assist), but he managed just one shot on target before he was substituted six minutes into the second half. Had the Spain striker been able to score from that early chance, it might have given Celta a foothold in the game. Thereafter they hardly worried Courtois at all.
Key Opta facts


- Vazquez has scored and assisted in a single LaLiga game for Real Madrid for the first time since February 2018 against Leganes.


- Asensio has been involved in three goals in his last three games for Madrid (one goal, two assists), just one fewer than in his previous 31 matches for them in all competitions (three goals, one assist).


- Asensio scored and assisted in a single game for Los Blancos for the third time in all competitions, the second in LaLiga after doing so in June 2020 against Valencia (the other one was versus Melilla in the Copa del Rey in December 2018).


- Madrid had their smallest share of the possession in a single home match in all competitions under Zinedine Zidane on Saturday (41 per cent).


- Madrid have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four LaLiga home games after doing only once in their previous five at the Alfredo Di Stefano in the competition.


What's next?

Madrid travel to Pamplona to face Osasuna in LaLiga next Saturday, while Celta go to Ibiza in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday, before hosting Villarreal in LaLiga three days later.

[Edoman]

Lampard Records The Worst Point-Per-Game of any Manager Under The Abramovich Era

Frank Lampard has the worst points per game of any Chelsea manager under Roman Abramovich �

https://twitter.com/ESPNUK/status/1345822375309434880?s=19

[Edoman]

Cristiano Ronaldo passes Pele to become second-highest goalscorer of all-time for club and country








Cristiano Ronaldo has passed Brazil's Pele to become the second-highest goalscorer ever with his double against Udinese.
 
The Juventus and  Portuguese forward, 35, scored twice, his 757th and 758th goal of his illustrious career in the 4-1 win for his club to keep the pressure on the top four in Serie A.
 

 
Pele registered 757 goals during his career for Santos, New York Cosmos, and Brazil between 1956 and 1977, but now sits third in the all-time list with Ronaldo now one goal behind Josef Bican's total of 759. 
 
Ronaldo will now be looking for the opportunity to equal and then eclipse Bican when Juventus visit AC Milan on Wednesday night. 
 
Meanwhile, Barcelona and Argentina captain Lionel Messi is behind Ronaldo in the all-time record for club and country with 742 goals.

[Edoman]

See what the English Premier League table looks like (photo)







The English Premier league was in full swing over the weekend with some very interesting results most remarkably Chelsea's 1-3 loss to Manchester City which condemned the London club to 8th in the table.

Liverpool, Manchester United, Leicester City, and Tottenham are the top four teams in the table respectively with all teams except Liverpool experiencing wins which pushed them further up the table.

Arsenal, experiencing a resurgence in fortunes have also climbed from 15th to 11th following successive wins that have safeguarded Mikel Arteta's job in the meantime.

At the bottom of the table, Sheffield United reign supreme with just two points glueing them to the bottom of table.
 
Fulham and West Brom are in 18th and 19th position respectively, and with Crystal Palace, Brighton and Burnley all having fluctuating results, the EPL relegation battle is surely going to be an interesting one.
 
See the full EPL table below.

[Edoman]

EPL: Graeme Souness blasts Chelsea star after 3-1 defeat to Man City


 
on
 January 4, 2021



Former Liverpool midfielder, Graeme Souness has slammed Chelsea star, Hakim Ziyech for failing to sprint back during the Blues’ Premier League 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday night.


Ziyech was seen walking in the middle of the pitch after taking a free-kick for Chelsea as Pep Guardiola’s side counter-attacked and eventually scored through midfielder, Kevin de Bruyne.


But Souness believes “big players don’t act like that”, adding that Ziyech needs to track back as fast as he can.

Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden also scored for Man City as Callum Hudson-Odoi’s late consolation goal was not enough to give Frank Lampard’s men a point at Stamford Bridge.


“Just watch Ziyech. He wanders in, watch him! Big players don’t act like that,” Souness told Sky Sports.
“He needs to sprint back as fast as he can. They don’t stand and watch the game like this.


“It’s not my problem. It’s someone else’s problem. I am not saying he’s going to race back and make the difference, but he needs to get back. Kevin de Bruyne has followed up. He still wants to be part of it.

“I am sure when Frank sees that he will point it out to Ziyech that he just cannot do that.”


The defeat means Chelsea now sits in the 8th position on the Premier League table with 26 points from 17 matches

[Edoman]

‘You won’t get much time at Chelsea’ – Lampard warned after 3-1 defeat to Man City


 
on
 January 4, 2021



Former Manchester United star, Roy Keane, has said that Chelsea boss, Frank Lampard is running out of time at Stamford Bridge.


Lampard saw Chelsea slip to eighth on the Premier League log after a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.


The Blues performed woefully on Sunday as the defeat continued a concerning run of form for the Stamford Bridge outfit.


Lampard spent more than £200 million on new recruits last raising expectations of the club’s supporters in 2020-21.

“Frank will be concerned for what he saw,” Keane told Sky Sports.


“I don’t think Frank’s going to get much time. There’s huge pressure this year, you have to give players time to settle coming from foreign countries,” Keane added.
“Chelsea don’t give managers time. It’s in their DNA and history not to give them time.


“Last year he had a free pass, but they’ve spent money and it brings added pressures, no matter who the manager is.

“Every team has injury problems; he’s got to get ready. He won’t get the time Klopp got.”

[Edoman]

Klopp blames loss at Southampton on missed penalty appeals and Alexander-Arnold error



5 January 2021, 



Jurgen Klopp felt Liverpool's loss at Southampton was down to an early mistake by Trent Alexander-Arnold and a failure to award his side penalties.
A goal from former Reds striker Danny Ings in just the second minute was enough to secure a 1-0 win for Saints at St Mary's Stadium on Monday.


James Ward-Prowse chipped a free-kick into the penalty area and, after Alexander-Arnold failed to intercept, Ings looped a clever finish over goalkeeper Alisson.


Liverpool pushed hard in the second half but only hit the target with one of their 17 shots, while they had penalty appeals waved away when Sadio Mane tangled with Kyle Walker-Peters and when a Georginio Wijnaldum shot struck the arm of Jack Stephens.


Those incidents rankled with Klopp, even though he accepted their poor start gave the champions a difficult task.


"It made life massively difficult," he told Sky Sports.
"The idea was nice but we have a player there who is able to hit the ball, and he misses it. All these things can happen to human beings, but as great as the set-piece is, we knew they would do it, we had a player there and missed the ball and then of course the next one is the finish.


"The possession we had, with the way we played, Fraser Forster should have had much more to do, but that's the situation we put ourselves in. We had a long, long spell in the second half where Southampton had nothing to do with the game, no counter-attacks, so that's good.


"But the best situations we had were when Sadio has the ball and then... if anybody will ever say again that Sadio Mane is a diver, it's the biggest joke in the world. This boy tries to stay on his feet.
"Other teams will get a penalty for it, let me say it like this. Then the handball, I don't know who will explain that to me.


"That doesn't make our performance better and doesn't take anything away from Southampton, but in these situations we were unfortunate, at least."
The result ended a run of six consecutive league defeats for Southampton against Liverpool and marked the first time Ralph Hasenhuttl has ever taken points off Klopp in a league fixture.


The Saints boss, who was clearly emotional at full-time, said: "I've never taken a point against Jurgen so far, so, I think I started believing we could do it in the 92nd minute and not earlier!


"The way we defended was amazing. The effort the guys put in, everybody, was key to winning. The mentality was maybe even better than this mentality monster team.


"It was an important step forward, I think."
Liverpool have taken just two points from their past three games and will be overtaken by Manchester United at the top of the table if the Red Devils win their game in hand.


"It's a rather rusty moment and we have to admit that," said Klopp. "Only if you know the problem can you solve the problem, and we are not blind to our problems.


"We just have to fight through this and play through this. That's with proper opponents around, they want to have points, I have to say the attitude of Southampton was exceptional. That's why we lost tonight and didn't have the results in the last few weeks that we wanted."

[Edoman]

Rumour Has It: Shevchenko lined up if Chelsea move on from Lampard



5 January 2021, 

Andriy Shevchenko is in the conversation to take over as Chelsea manager if the Blues decide to part ways with manager Frank Lampard.
With Chelsea languishing in ninth place in the Premier League table, Le10sport reports the Ukrainian's name is on the Blues list of possible replacements.

Shevchenko played for the club between 2006 and 2008 and has since forged a managerial career with the Ukraine national team, moving through the under-19 and under-21 teams to the senior dugout.


TOP STORY – SHEVCHENKO BEING CONSIDERED AS NEXT CHELSEA MANAGER
Chelsea are studying their options to replace Lampard and his former Blues team-mate Shevchenko is part of the shortlist, reports Le10sports.


The 44-year-old led Ukraine through an undefeated Euro 2020 qualifying campaign to reach the finals, drawing 0-0 in Portugal and beating the European champions 2-1, in Kiev.


Shevchenko remains close to the club as his 14-year-old son, Kristian, plays in the Blues academy and is well liked by club owner Roman Abramovich, say Le10sports sources.


ROUND-UP

- Manchester City are closely monitoring Real Madrid stalwart and soon-to-be-free agent Sergio Ramos, who has spent 15 years in the Spanish capital, multiple sources have told ESPN.


- Ramos may be on his way out but Bayern Munich's out-of-contract defender David Alaba will arrive at Madrid, after Barcelona pulled out of the race to sign the Austrian, reports the Daily Star and Daily Mail.


- Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Norwich City playmaker Emiliano Buendia, according to Football London. The Independent reports Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson will be offered in a swap deal.


- But the Gunners may be out of luck, reports Sky Sports, as the Canaries will refuse to sell sought-after stars Buendia, Max Aarons and Todd Cantwell in a bid to book their Premier League return.


- LaLiga title contenders Atletico Madrid are aiming to replace the departed Diego Costa with Real Sociedad's goalscoring ace Willian Jose, say reports in Spanish media outlet AS.


- Everton and Roma will battle it out for the signature of Lille right-back Mehmet Zeki Celik, with the Serie A club's bid for FC Dallas' US ace Bryan Reynolds on the rocks, reports Fabrizio Romano.

[Edoman]

Huesca 0-1 Barcelona: Messi marks 500th LaLiga game with victory



3 January 2021, 

Barcelona moved into LaLiga's top five after Frenkie de Jong's goal clinched a 1-0 victory over bottom club Huesca in Lionel Messi's 500th league appearance for the club.


Blaugrana boss Ronald Koeman, who warned before the game that defeat would all but end his side's title challenge, saw a much-improved Barcelona performance as he earned back-to-back LaLiga away wins for the first time in his tenure.


Messi came back into the side after missing Barca's disappointing 1-1 draw with Eibar due to an ankle injury and was at his talismanic best, deftly assisting De Jong's volleyed goal after just before the half-hour mark.


Huesca did open the visitors up on occasion and it remains to be seen whether Koeman can restore some consistency and style to this team, but they did enough here to climb above Sevilla in the table.


Barcelona's early pressure paid off after 27 minutes when Messi played an exquisite chipped pass into the box, where De Jong evaded two defenders and guided the ball into the corner of the net from six yards on the volley.


Messi would have capped a fine first-half performance with a superb goal five minutes from the interval had Alvaro Fernandez not pulled off a spectacular save, palming his dipping 20-yard free-kick over the crossbar.


The six-time Ballon d'Or winner flashed a fierce effort narrowly wide from the edge of the box early in the second period, before Marc-Andre ter Stegen got down well to prevent Rafa Mir's close-range shot from becoming the equaliser.


Ousmane Dembele should have put the game beyond doubt when he went one-on-one with Fernandez 13 minutes from time, but the Huesca goalkeeper saved at his feet and then denied Messi again before full-time.
What does it mean? Six without defeat for Koeman's men


Barcelona's last LaLiga defeat came on December 5 against Cadiz and they have only lost two of their last 11 in the league – an improvement on their early-season form.


But it will take more than a narrow win over the division's strugglers to convince an unhappy fan base that Koeman has the answers to Barcelona's problems.


Fit-again Messi finding form
Messi looked desperate to mark his 500th LaLiga appearance and his 750th club outing for Barcelona with a goal but only two of his eight shots hit the target and none found the net. Nevertheless, the Argentinian was incredibly lively, as evidenced by his assist, match-high 16 duels and 113 touches of the ball, which was behind only Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
Wasteful Dembele misfires


Dembele saw plenty of the ball and some of Barcelona's better chances fell to him, but of his six shots one was blocked, three were saved, and two missed the target. While it is certainly a positive to see him getting opportunities, he will be disappointed not to have converted at least one of them given the quality of some of those openings.


What's next?


Barcelona travel to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday in the second of four consecutive away games in LaLiga, with the Basques looking to get off to a winning start under new coach Marcelino Garcia Toral. Huesca go to Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey a day later.

[Edoman]

Rumour Has It: Lampard's position under threat, Tottenham begin Kane contract talks



4 January 2021, 






Frank Lampard's position as Chelsea head coach is under threat, while Tottenham have started talks to extend Harry Kane's deal.


Lampard is under increasing pressure at Stamford Bridge after just one win in their past six Premier League games.


Sunday's 3-1 loss to Manchester City has only put further pressure on the Chelsea boss.


TOP STORY – LAMPARD'S POSITION AS CHELSEA BOSS UNDER THREAT

Lampard's job as Chelsea head coach is under serious threat, according to The Athletic.
The report says the Premier League club, who are eighth in the table, have started looking at replacements.


Lampard took charge of Chelsea in July 2019, but they sit seven points behind Liverpool and Manchester United – who have both played one game fewer – despite spending heavily in the close season.


ROUND-UP

- Kane's impressive form for Tottenham has seen him linked with the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. The Independent reports Spurs have started talks with the forward, who has 10 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League this season, over a contract extension, even though his current deal runs until 2024.


- With Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez sidelined with long-term injuries, Liverpool continue to be linked with defenders. But The Athletic reports the Premier League champions are not considering a move for Lille defender Sven Botman.


- Struggling for game time at Tottenham, Dele Alli is linked with a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino at PSG. Foot Mercato reports Pochettino has spoken with Alli, who is open to a move.


- Staying at PSG and Sky Sports reports the Ligue 1 giants are in negotiations with Everton to sign Moise Kean on a permanent deal worth around €34.6million (£31m). Kean has scored nine goals in 16 games in all competitions on loan at PSG.


- Samuel Umtiti's Barcelona future is uncertain. Todofichajes reports Nice have a strong interest in the defender on an initial loan deal.


- Patrick Bamford has scored 10 Premier League goals this season and the Leeds United forward is out of contract next year. The Sun reports Leeds are set to reward the 27-year-old with a lucrative new deal.

[Edoman]

Vardy still firing in his 30s, Carroll ends long wait - the Premier League weekend's quirky facts



4 January 2021, 





A familiar pairing helped Tottenham return to winning ways in the Premier League this weekend.
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were both on target as Jose Mourinho's side ended a four-match winless streak in the competition with a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Leeds United.


Their rapport has been one of the defining stories of the season but, away from north London, several other games produced some interesting statistics.


With the help of Opta data, we take a look at some of the quirkiest stats from the weekend's action, with Leicester City's win at Newcastle United a source of a couple of fascinating facts.
Kane and Son combine again
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min's almost telepathic understanding was on show again in Tottenham's defeat of Leeds.

The South Korea international swept in Kane's pass to become the 18th Spurs player to score 100 goals for the club in all competitions on what was his 253rd appearance.


Kane has now assisted nine goals for Son in the Premier League, while the South Korean has laid on four for the England captain in the 2020-21 season – no two players have linked up more in a single season in the competition.


They have plenty of time left to leapfrog Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, who combined 13 times during Blackburn Rovers' 1994-95 title-winning season.


Evergreen Vardy keeps on going
Jamie Vardy might be 33 but the Leicester striker is showing no signs of slowing down.


His assist for James Maddison's opener in the 2-1 win over Newcastle at the weekend means he has been directly involved in 98 Premier League goals since turning 30 (80 goals and 18 assists).
He leapfrogged Paolo Di Canio to move joint-sixth with Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs in the all-time list for most Premier League goal involvements aged 30-plus.


He is now within touching distance of Gianfranco Zola (101) and Shearer (102), with Ian Wright in third with 110 involvements.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is second with 118, while Teddy Sheringham leads the way with 127 (77 goals and 50 assists).


Tierney waves tartan flag for Gunners
Arsenal do not have a rich lineage of Scottish players during the Premier League era, but left-back Kieran Tierney is doing his best to change that.


The former Celtic man became the first Scottish player to score an away Premier League goal for the Gunners in their thumping of West Brom and the first to do so in the top flight since Charlie Nicholas in March 1986.


The 23-year-old cut inside from the left flank and curled a brilliant finish beyond Sam Johnstone to open the scoring, before then going on to tee up Alexandre Lacazette's second goal in the rout of Sam Allardyce's woeful Baggies.


Tierney – who has been tipped as a future Arsenal captain by boss Mikel Arteta – only needs one more goal to join Paul Dickov (three) as the Gunners' top-scoring Scottish player in the Premier League.


Carroll ends lengthy wait for Magpies goal
Newcastle tasted defeat against the Foxes but they could at least toast a return to the scoresheet after an almighty break for Andy Carroll.

Only Wayne Rooney has had a longer gap between Premier League goals for the same club than Carroll, who netted for the first time of his second Magpies spell.


Carroll's goal was his first for Newcastle since he re-joined the club in 2019-20. The former Liverpool and West Ham forward had last netted for the Magpies on Boxing Day 2010, in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City.


With a gap of 10 years and eight days between his strikes for Newcastle, Carroll is behind only Rooney for the largest stretch of time between two goals for the same club in the Premier League.
Rooney scored on the opening day of the 2017-18 season for Everton, 13 years and 121 days after his last goal for the Toffees in the 2003-04 season.

[Edoman]

Everybody gets disrespected and underrated' - Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud reflects on constant criticism he's received during career







France World Cup winner and Chelsea striker, Olivier Giroud feels he has been “disrespected” and “underrated” during his career, but accepts that he is never going to win favour with everybody.

Giroud, who has scored over 100 goals for Arsenal and 37 for Chelsea, has also won major silverware with club and country.
 
Aged 34, Giroud now a veteran, says he has learnt to accept criticism.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, everybody gets disrespected,” Giroud told Stadium Astro.

“There is nobody who will be praised by everybody. You know it is part football, part of the game.

“Sometimes people want other players to play. I understand that with that experience and I’m okay with that.

“Maybe sometimes I am underrated but the most important thing is the numbers. For a striker that is what matters.

“As long as I am efficient for the club team and Les Bleus and making my family proud, the rest I concede.”

Giroud with 9 goals to his name this season says he is enjoying working under Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge.

“It’s nice to have a younger manager,” said Giroud.

“He is still learning through his career but has already got a lot of qualities to manage a team. He has got good ideas.

“It’s always nice to have a manager who was a big player and who has won a lot things and can help you to improve.”
 

[Edoman]

Tyson Fury: I Will Knock Anthony Joshua Out Within Two Rounds

Tyson Fury said on Monday he can knock out fellow British world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua inside two rounds due to his recent form.

WBC belt holder Fury said following Joshua’s past two bouts — a unanimous points decision over Andy Ruiz Junior in December 2019 and a ninth-round stoppage of Kubrat Pulev last month — the fight would be a no contest.

Fury gained a unanimous points decision over Swede Otto Wallin in September 2019 before an impressive seventh-round knock-out to take the WBC title off Deontay Wilder last February.

“I don’t believe he’s (Joshua) as good as people crack him up to be, or he doesn’t believe he is in his own self,” Fury told Sky Sports.

“He’s got a confidence issue. He’s coming off two shaky performances and boxing is all about who is in form and who isn’t. In his last two fights, he’s not in form.

“On mine, I am, so momentum is with me and I just believe take him out early, very early, maybe even one round or two rounds.”

Fury is optimistic about the fight, which would be one of the biggest in British boxing history, will take place as soon as possible.

Potential hurdles in the way of the super-fight include Joshua’s WBO mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk and another possible meeting between Fury and Wilder.

– ‘One-on-one combat’ –

Fury, 32, said now was the time for Joshua to back up his words by finally fighting him.

“Whenever the world gets back to normal, whatever normal may consist of after this pandemic, then that’s when this fight is going to happen,” he said.

“This fight has been brewing for a long time. They’ve been avoiding me for a long time and now it’s finally got to happen.

“They either run away from the fight and announce it publicly or they take the fight. Either way, it’s a lose-lose situation for him.”

Fury believes there is an imperative for the fight to happen sooner rather than later, comparing the bout to the one between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao that finally took place in 2015.

Mayweather won it on a unanimous decision.

“Boxing is one of those sports where rarely do you see the best fight the best,” said Fury.

“It’s always the champion picks his opponents and you never get the two top guys fighting each other.

“We saw the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, we were waiting for that fight for 10 years. When it finally happened, I believe Pacquiao was past his best. It maybe should have happened four or five years earlier.

“So hopefully we get to go one-on-one combat with not only the two best heavyweights out there but two heavyweights who are in their prime and not past it.”

https://punchng.com/ill-knock-joshua-out-within-two-rounds-says-fury/

[Edoman]

Transfer: Pochettino welcomes Dele Alli to PSG


on
 January 6, 2021


Paris Saint-Germain new manager, Mauricio Pochettino, has said that Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli is welcome at the club.


Pochettino said this at a press conference on Tuesday ahead of his side’s away Ligue 1 clash with Saint-Etienne on Wednesday, while responding to speculation linking Alli with a move to PSG.


The Argentine, who replaced Thomas Tuchel at the Parc des Princes, coached Alli during his time at Tottenham.


Alli has been strongly linked with a move to PSG since Pochettino took charge of the French Ligue 1 champions last Saturday.

“I think every single club is different,” Pochettino said when asked about a possible move for Alli.
“I know very well that Paris Saint-Germain is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and of course Tottenham today is too. It’s an amazing club and of course, we [had] unbelievable memories there.


“It’s difficult to compare because we are in France and Tottenham is an English club, and it is difficult to be objective with Tottenham.

“It’s still in our heart, and we love Tottenham, and I think it’s a relationship that is never going to stop. Always we are going to think [about the club].


“But I think now it’s time for us to be focused 200% on Paris Saint-Germain and of course the situation like you are asking me, to be honest, we are not talking about that, because we haven’t had time since the second of January when we came to Paris.”

“It has been a crazy period for us, trying to adapt to a new club – a lot of meetings, training sessions and to prepare for the game tomorrow,” Pochettino added.


“That is the principle objective – to win tomorrow and perform in the way that we want.


“There are a lot of things that we have done, but I think we will have time to talk [about transfers] in the future.

“Like I said before, this is one of my first press conferences and, for sure, we are going to have time.


“But any big player in the world, I think, in Paris Saint-Germain, always is welcome.”

[Edoman]

Chukwueze becomes youngest Villarreal centurion


on
 January 6, 2021



Villarreal winger, Samuel Chukwueze, has become the club’s youngest-ever player to feature in 100 games.


The Super Eagles star reached this milestone having starred in their 4-1 win over Zamora in Tuesday’s Copa del Rey encounter.


Chukwueze has now played 79 times in LaLiga, 13 in Europa League and eight in the Copa del Rey for the Yellow Submarines.

At 21 years, seven months and 11 days, Chukwueze eclipsed Mateo Musacchio’s record which stood at 21 years, 11 months and 20 days.

“A record-making centenarian. Samuel Chukwueze has reached 100 games with Villarreal’s first team after starting the Copa del Rey game against Zamora CF.


“The Nigerian forward has reached the 100-game mark (79 in LaLiga, 13 in the Europa League and eight in the Copa del Rey), aged just 21 years, seven months and 11 days, becoming the youngest player to reach this mark in official games for the Villarreal CF first team,” Villarreal said in a statement.

Chukwueze marked his achievement with an assist, as Unai Emery’s sent the fourth tier side out of the competition.

[Edoman]

Tottenham vs Brentford: Mourinho reacts to Carabao Cup 2-0 win, singles out three players

on
 January 6, 2021



Tottenham Hotspur manager, Jose Mourinho has reacted to his side’s Carabao Cup 2-0 win over Brentford on Tuesday night.


Mourinho also singled out three Tottenham players for praise following Spurs’ qualification for the Carabao Cup final where they will face the winner between Manchester United and Manchester City

Two goals from Moussa Sissoko and Heung-Min Son ensured Mourinho’s side defeated Brentford at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“Defensively was good. We were always in control with the ball, we scored two goals, and we could have scored a couple more,” Mourinho was quoted by Football London as saying after the match.

“But I’m not happy. I think we have to play better. Sometimes bad decisions, sometimes technical mistakes.


“I think we have to do better but great respect for the opponent, for the game, for the responsibility, for the ambition. but job done, we are in the final.”
He added: “The final says a lot. Tottenham against Manchester City or Tottenham against Manchester United.


“That’s the humility of a player [Son]. That’s Sonny. He’s like that [talks about the team coming first before him]. Some other guys are not like that. For him, it’s the team.

“For him, for Kane, for Lucas, for many the team is first, and of course we depend a lot on the characteristics of some players. Sonny is one of them. So a special player but also a special human being.”

[Edoman]

Rashford Is Now The World's Most Valuable Footballer At £149 Million 

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford is the world's most valuable player and worth a staggering £150million, according to the lates calculations by CIES Football Observatory.[/b]

While Rashford's value has skyrocketed on account of a free-scoring season for United, Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe has slumped to fifth place on their list as he enters the last 18 months of his contract.

They value Mbappe at £135m now, below Rashford, Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland (£137.3m), Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold (£137m) and United attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes (£135.1m).

The CIES survey takes into account recent player performances as well as their age, contract situation and career progression plus their club's wealth and success.

Rashford's value has soared this season on account of the 14 goals and seven assists he has racked up for United and the fact Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team can be considered Premier League title contenders for the first time in a while.

The England forward is also young at the age of 23 and is contracted to the Old Trafford club until 2023 with the option of a further year.

France international Mbappe, 22, actually has an identical goals and assists record to Rashford this season but his value has ebbed away because he hasn't yet committed to a long-term PSG contract.

Haaland, 20, continues to see his stock rise fast after 17 goals for Dortmund so far this season. The Norwegian will be in demand in the summer with Manchester United and Chelsea among a number of heavyweight clubs linked with him.

Alexander-Arnold, 22, is ranked as the world's most valuable defender off the back of an outstanding couple of years in which Liverpool won first the Champions League and then the Premier League.

Fourth-placed Fernandes, meanwhile, has been a revelation for United since he arrived from Sporting Lisbon almost a year ago, contributing 27 goals and 17 assists in 46 matches to transform United into title challengers.

Dortmund's Jadon Sancho makes the top 10 despite stuttering form at times this season and is valued at £134m, ahead of Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix on £127.9m.

Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies, Manchester City's Raheem Sterling and Chelsea's Kai Havertz close out the top 10 on the CIES list.

Manchester City's Ederson Moraes is ranked as the most valuable goalkeeper at £71.9m.

With his Barcelona contract into its final six months, Lionel Messi only just scrapes into the top 100 with an estimated value of £48.8m.

But that's still higher than Cristiano Ronaldo, 35, ranked 131st at £42.5m because of his age and the relatively short time left on his Juventus contract, which runs until June 2022.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9118257/Marcus-Rashford-worlds-VALUABLE-footballer-149m.html

[Edoman]

AC Milan finally lose as Chiesa fires Juventus to thrilling win

 January 7, 2021



Juventus inflicted a first Serie A defeat of the season on league leaders AC Milan on Wednesday.


A Federico Chiesa double led the Italian champions to an exhilarating 3-1 win at San Siro.


Chiesa fired home a superb opener before makeshift midfielder Davide Calabria equalised for AC Milan at the end of an eventful, end-to-end first half.
But the visitors pulled away after the break as Chiesa curled in his second.


Substitute Weston McKennie swept in from close range to consign Milan to their first league defeat since March 8 of 2020, a run of 27 games lasting 304 days.
Stefano Pioli’s side remain top of the table on 37 points, one ahead of second-placed Inter Milan, who lost to Sampdoria earlier on Wednesday.


Juventus rise to fourth place on 30 points, but have a game in hand over the three teams above them.


AC Milan coach Pioli was forced to play right-back Calabria in midfield after Rade Krunic and Ante Rebic were ruled out on matchday following positive COVID-19 tests.


This had added to an absentee list which included Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer, Alexis Saelemaekers and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Juventus had issues of their own, with Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro in isolation and Alvaro Morata injured.
But the selection problems did not impact the quality of an action-packed opening period.


Chiesa blasted a powerful half-volley off the post before finding the breakthrough in the 18th minute.
A clever backheeled pass from Paulo Dybala sent the Italy international through on goal to finish.

Rafael Leao curled a shot narrowly wide and Chiesa had another effort saved before Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny’s diving save stopped an Aaron Ramsey clearance from flying into his own net.


AC Milan hit back four minutes before the break when Leao picked out Calabria in the penalty box and he fired into the top corner.


The tempo dropped slightly in the second half and Juventus took control on 62 minutes when Chiesa curled a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
The winger was forced off after hurting himself in the process, but the strength of the Juve bench showed when two replacements combined for their third.


Dejan Kulusevski weaved into the box from the wing and laid off a pass to McKennie, who was left with a simple finish from six yards.

[Edoman]

Milan 1-3 Juventus: Chiesa at the double as champions go fourth



6 January 2021, 


Federico Chiesa scored a brilliant brace as Juventus ended Milan's unbeaten start to the season and clinched a crucial 3-1 victory that moves the Serie A champions up to fourth in the table.


Andrea Pirlo's men produced a scintillating attacking display to become the first team to beat leaders Milan in the league in 28 matches and did so without leading scorer Alvaro Morata.


Ably assisted by Paulo Dybala on both occasions, Chiesa scored with confident finishes in either half and Milan's waves of attacking pressure found Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in fine form before Davide Calabria found the net.


The Bianconeri, who added a third through substitute Weston McKennie, will hope this was a turning point in a tumultuous season, having played with the guile and poise they have lacked for so much of it, while Milan will reflect on a missed opportunity to extend their lead at the top to four points after Inter lost to Sampdoria.


Juventus' high press overwhelmed Milan early on and Paulo Dybala tested Gianluigi Donnarumma from six yards before Chiesa crashed a thunderous shot onto the post.


With 18 minutes played the Old Lady's superb start paid dividends, Dybala's smart back-heel sending Chiesa into the area and the Fiorentina loanee sent a low shot bouncing into the far corner of Donnarumma's net from 12 yards.


Juve had Szczesny to thank for keeping them ahead with a string of saves but he was powerless to stop Calabria's shot from finding the top corner after the lively Rafael Leao teed him up – although Juventus claimed Adrien Rabiot was fouled in the build-up.


Szczesny got down well to save Diogo Dalot's powerful 20-yard shot as Milan came out firing after the interval but Juve weathered the storm before Aaron Ramsey missed a golden chance to give them the lead, shooting wide from close range with just Donnarumma to beat.


Just after the hour mark, Chiesa struck again, Dybala picking him out on the edge of the box where he bent a superb left-footed shot into the far corner.


Chiesa then left the field with an injury and was replaced by McKennie, who swept home Juventus' third in the 76th minute after a jinking run through Milan's defence by fellow substitute Dejan Kulusevski.


What does it mean? The fightback is on
Juventus have now won three of their last four Serie A matches and are playing with real verve.
Having had such a short pre-season with his side, Pirlo has been playing catch-up but his expansive, fast-attacking style of play seems to be finally bearing fruit as his players cut out defensive errors.


Dybala at his best

Dybala's two assists were as incisive and spectacular as Chiesa's finishes and the Argentina international also won six duels to help Juventus stay on top.


Leao rues missed chances
Milan could have been ahead at half-time had Leao made more of the clear-cut chances that fell to him and, despite his assist for Calabria's goal, he will remember this game for his three unsuccessful shots at goal.

Key Opta Facts
- Juventus have won 14 of their last 16 Serie A games against AC Milan (L2).


- AC Milan are enjoying the third-longest streak of Serie A consecutive matches with a goal: 36. In the history of the competition, the only two longer streaks have both been by Juventus: 43 in 2014 and 44 in 2017.


- Federico Chiesa has been involved in six Serie A goals against AC Milan (3 goals, 3 assists).
- Prior to Wednesday, the last time a player twice assisted the same Juve team-mate was in February 2018 against Sassuolo (Federico Bernardeschi to Gonzalo Higuain).


What's next?
Milan are at home against struggling Torino on Saturday, and Juventus entertain in-form Sassuolo a day later.

[Edoman]

Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City: Stones ends goal drought as holders reach another final



6 January 2021,


John Stones ended his long goal drought as holders Manchester City secured a 2-0 derby win over Manchester United to set up an EFL Cup final showdown with Tottenham.


Stones has been outstanding at the heart of the City defence since forcing his way back into the side this season and he scored his first City goal in 1,162 days at Old Trafford on Wednesday.


The in-form centre-back had earlier put the ball in his own net early on but Marcus Rashford was offside, summing up how his fortunes have changed.


United were unable to respond following Stones' goal early in the second half and Fernandinho doubled City's lead seven minutes from time with an excellent finish.


Pep Guardiola's side were worthy winners, dumping their neighbours out at the same stage they did 12 months ago as they aim to win the competition for a fourth consecutive season.