Football Blog (Page 220)

[ad_1] Newcastle director of football Dan Ashworth has insisted that while the club want to compete at the top of the Premier League table and for major honours, he doesn’t want to splash out on huge transfer fees to get there. The Magpies’ takeover by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund last year made them one of world’s wealthiest clubs overnight, though Financial Fair Play restrictions have so far limited the free-spending that fans will have hoped for. Nevertheless, Newcastle have seen a major turnaround in results since Eddie Howe became boss towards the beginning of PIF’s reign, and Ashworth – highly rated for hisRead More →

[ad_1] Mid-table Motherwell welcome Rangers to Fir Park in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday lunchtime. Steven Hammell inspired the Steelmen to a strong domestic start after his appointment this summer. However, a grinding sequence of one victory from their last six matches (D1 L4) has punctured the optimism tentatively building in north Lanarkshire. Rangers ended their 12-year wait for a Champions League goal but duly conceded seven against Liverpool in the club’s heaviest-ever home defeat on Wednesday. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side are just two points off the pace set by Celtic – who remain the only Premiership side to beat the Gers this season. Here’sRead More →

[ad_1] Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has spoken positive about the ‘vibe’ that is developing at the club this season, despite a few rocky moments here and there. Ten Hag became the first United boss in a century to lose both of his first two matches in charge in August and was also on the end of a crushing defeat to Manchester City only recently. But United have actually won five of their last Premier League games and are on a run of two successive Europa League wins ahead of facing Omonoia for the second time on Thursday night. The Dutchman has previously admittedRead More →

[ad_1] CONCACAF nations are gearing up for the World Cup in Qatar later this year hoping to make a mark on the iconic tournament. The USA have produced a number of starlets currently playing in Europe, while Canada provided one of the feel-good stories in qualifying as they reached the World Cup for just the second time in their history. Here’s the skinny on the amount of CONCACAF teams heading to Qatar. There will be four representatives from CONCACAF at the 2022 World Cup. Canada were the standout performers in qualifying, coming through three rounds to end the round in first with 28 points. ThatRead More →

[ad_1] Fulham host Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon in a Premier League meeting between two of the division’s newly promoted sides. The Cottagers claimed the second-tier title last season, finishing two points above Bournemouth. However, the Cherries sit above their hosts in the top-flight’s mid-table, embarking upon a five-game unbeaten run after Gary O’Neil replaced the former Fulham player and manager Scott Parker. Here’s everything you need to know about the reunion of these former Championship foes. Fulham: 1 WinBournemouth: 2 WinsDraws: 2 Fulham: WLWLLBournemouth: DWDDW Marco Silva lamented the officiating which appeared to treat the handball rule as optional during his side’s defeat to West Ham last Sunday. However, FulhamRead More →

[ad_1] Wolverhampton Wanderers host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. Both clubs find themselves mired in the relegation zone amid personnel alterations. Former Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui turned down the chance to take charge of Wolves, leaving the caretaker duo of Steve Davis and James Collins at the helm of the side sitting in 18th. Steve Cooper celebrated his contract extension by halting the slide of five consecutive defeats with a draw with Aston Villa last Monday night. After climbing off the foot of the table – all the way up to 19th – Forest dismissed two members of the recruitment teamRead More →

[ad_1] Xavi has admitted being unhappy with his defence and the ‘clear mistake’ made by Gerard Pique in Barcelona’s 3-3 draw with Inter. After losing their first matches to Bayern and Inter, Barcelona really needed to beat the Italian side at Camp Nou to keep their chances of making it to the Champions League knockout rounds alive. They made the ideal start, taking the lead after 40 minutes, but were pegged back at the start of the second half when Pique let a cross go past him, not aware that Nicolo Barella was behind him, allowing the Italian to steal in and score. Inter tookRead More →

[ad_1] Southampton are furious that they are set to lose their head of recruitment Joe Shields to Chelsea, just three months after he joined the club, 90min understands. Shields is understood to have agreed to make the move to west London, despite only joining Southampton in July, although terms between the clubs are not finalised. Shields will have to serve a period of gardening leave, meaning he will not be able to start work at Chelsea until around Easter next year. The Saints had worked hard on a deal to lure Shields to St Mary’s this summer to take charge of their recruitment and heRead More →

[ad_1] From Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – You know how the old saying goes – ‘it’s a game of two halves’. Well, Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt didn’t quite get the fractions right on Wednesday. It was more like a game of nine tenths plus one other tenth. Spurs ran out 3-2 winners to move to the top of Champions League Group D with two games remaining. It was a much-needed victory and they were good value for it. Having fallen behind to an early Daichi Kamada goal – largely in part to Eric Dier’s clumsiness – Antonio Conte’s men responded perfectly. Tottenham pulled their Bundesliga visitorsRead More →

[ad_1] Brandon Vazquez has been a staple for FC Cincinnati throughout the 2022 Major League Soccer campaign, defying odds by leading the team to fifth on the Eastern Conference table. The forward managed 18 goals and eight assists alone, propelling Cincinnati to the playoffs while attracting international attention. But Vazquez, who is eligible to play for the United States and Mexico, has yet to receive a senior team call-up by either country. Despite pleas by supporters, Gregg Berhalter did not include the goalscorer amid a number 9 crisis and Vazquez finally explained why. “I talked to Gregg right before that [September] camp,” Vazquez told MLSRead More →