Football Blog (Page 20)

[ad_1] While an obviously talented midfielder, Frank Lampard became one of his generation’s best players thanks in no small part to an unwavering fitness level which he painstakingly honed over the years. Chelsea’s record goalscorer got the call that he would be making his professional debut for West Ham while he was performing sprint exercises at the local park. Presumably, his father – Frank Lampard Snr., who was on the coaching staff and made the call – had grown weary of his son endlessly sprinting the length of his back garden in running spikes. Possessed by this maniacal work ethic, it’s unsurprising that Lampard Jr.Read More →

[ad_1] The United States men’s national team will take on Mexico for the 75th time in the inaugural edition of the Allstate Continental Clásico on April 19th in Glendale, Arizona. The USMNT will be heading into the match looking to continue their winning streak, which includes two back-to-back victories in the CONCACAF Nations League against Grenada and El Salvador. But though they are in the midst of a rebuild, Mexico will not be an easy opponent. New Head coach Diego Cocca has called up a Liga MX-heavy roster in hopes of stunning their North American rivals. When is kick off? Wednesday, April 19th, 2023, 10:09 PMRead More →

[ad_1] Paris Saint-Germain have enquired about the availability of Inter’s Nicolo Barella ahead of a potential summer bid, 90min understands. Barella arrived from Cagliari in 2019 and has quickly become one of Inter’s best and most important players, winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana trophies to date. The Italian international was on the scoresheet recently as Inter coasted past Benfica 2-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie, and his consistent performances have alerted some of Europe’s top clubs. Indeed, 90min understands that Ligue 1 giants PSG, whose wait for a first Champions League crown goes onRead More →

[ad_1] Manchester United outcast Phil Jones is yet to complete a single training session under new manager Erik ten Hag due to injury concerns. Jones has been a peripheral figure at Old Trafford for a number of years due to a mix of poor form and a number of injuries. The defender has made just five appearances in all competitions for the club in the last three seasons, without any of those outings coming under new boss Ten Hag. The Athletic have reported that, not only has Jones not played under Ten Hag, he hasn’t even completed a full first-team training session under the ex-AjaxRead More →

[ad_1] Adriana Leon left Manchester United on loan for Portland Thorns with ‘no issues’ in the words of manager Marc Skinner, who insists he wants to see the forward ‘smash’ the next two months. Leon was one of seven new arrivals at United last summer as the club attempted to build the kind of squad depth that had been absent and detrimental in previous seasons. The Canadian already had three years of WSL experience with West Ham under her belt and had played extensively in the NWSL prior to that. Also a veteran international, she regularly appeared off the bench as Canada won Olympic goldRead More →

[ad_1] Chelsea must overturn a 2-0 deficit if they are to save their season when Real Madrid come to town on Tuesday for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie. The Blues are on a historically ugly run of form and confidence could hardly be lower heading into the visit of the reigning European champions, but Frank Lampard has warned the doubters that ‘special things can happen at Stamford Bridge’. Here’s the lineup Lampard may call on for this attempted miracle. GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – Lampard has kept his faith with Kepa, who may be the only Chelsea favour feeling good after hisRead More →

[ad_1] Barcelona president Joan Laporta has hit out at rivals Real Madrid for their ‘cynical’ response to the controversy surrounding the Negreira case. Laporta held a lengthy press conference on Monday in which he launched a strong defence of the club’s payments to former referee chief Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, insisting the criticism was part of a ‘smear campaign’ against Barcelona. Among those to catch stray bullets from Laporta were La Liga president Javier Tebas and the entire organisation of UEFA, but the Barcelona president also went out of his way to question Real Madrid’s response to the matter. “I would like to make aRead More →

[ad_1] Barcelona president Joan Laporta has defended the club’s controversial payments to former refereeing chief Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, insisting allegations of bribery and corruption are simply part of a ‘smear campaign’ against the club. Payments between Barcelona and a company owned by Negreira from 2001 until 2018 have prompted all sorts of questions over the club’s conduct and the validity of their La Liga title victories. Barcelona have always maintained their innocence, insisting the payments were for nothing more than advice from referees and certainly not to influence any decisions from the officials, and Laporta reaffirmed that stance during a lengthy presentation on Monday.Read More →

[ad_1] 90min rounds up the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip circulating around the world… Real Madrid and Manchester City target Jude Bellingham, who was of interest to Liverpool, would rather stay at Borussia Dortmund this summer as he does not believe the right move is out there for him at this point. (The Times) Despite backing away from Bellingham over cost concerns, Liverpool could try to strike a club-record €130m deal to sign Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. (Fichajes) Liverpool have also been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, with Los Blancos determined toRead More →

[ad_1] With the promise of an enticing Euro 2024 just a year away, let’s take a trip down memory lane and focus on those older bunch who have defied all expectations and produced some form of magic on the Euro stage. From oldest appearance maker to oldest scorer, let’s delve in! Gábor Király (40 years, 2 months and 15 days) Gábor Király in action vs eventual winners Portugal / Clive Brunskill/GettyImages Commonly known as ‘Pyjama Man’, Gábor Király is the only 40-something player to feature at a Euros. Though many will instinctively remember him for his peculiar – but solid – trouser choice, he wasRead More →