Blog (Page 236)

All the confirmed promotions and relegations from the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League. Credit: 90min.comRead More →

Virgil van Dijk has praised Netherlands teammate Jurrien Timber and claims the youngster is further ahead in his development than the Liverpool star was at his age. Timber has quickly established himself at Ajax, having previously worked under Erik ten Hag in the Eredivisie. The 20-year-old was a primary target for Manchester United, Ten Hag’s new club, over the summer but Ajax stood firm and eventually kept him at the club. Van Dijk and Timber played together in a back three alongside Nathan Ake in the Netherlands’ 2-0 victory in Poland on Thursday night and the Liverpool defender praised his teammate ahead of their nextRead More →

Any clubs hoping to sign Brazilian starlet Joao Gomes will have to trigger his €60m release clause. Liverpool and Real Madrid have both been linked. (Mundo Deportivo) Manchester United are still mulling over whether to offer goalkeeper David de Gea a new deal. The 31-year-old is one of the Red Devils’ biggest earners and United’s wage bill reached a whopping £384m last season. (Telegraph) Manchester City are ‘convinced’ they will sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund next summer, though Liverpool, Chelsea and Man Utd remain in the hunt for the England international. (The Sun) However, Dortmund want an £83m fee paid up front if theyRead More →

The Nations League continued on Saturday with no fewer than nine games taking place across Europe. We’re at the point of the campaign where wins and losses can dictate the final standings, and there were some major results in this latest batch of fixtures. Here’s a rundown of the night’s biggest clashes. Spain’s eight-game unbeaten run came to an end in surprising fashion as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Switzerland. Manuel Akanji headed Switzerland ahead midway through the first half, setting the tone for the remainder of the game. The visitors sat back and gifted Spain possession – Luis Enrique’s sideRead More →

Scotland moved to the top of their Nations League group on Saturday evening with a 2-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland. An enthralling affair saw the visitors take the lead through John Egan, before a rip-roaring second half from the Scots saw goals from Jack Hendry and Ryan Christie to secure the three points. It looked like first blood to Ireland when Troy Parrott thundered home 11 minutes in, but the offside flag that everyone was waiting for came up eventually to rule the strike out. There was no ruling out Egan’s thunderous volley soon after, however. A corner led to some penalty boxRead More →

Paris Saint-Germain owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi has questioned how Real Madrid could celebrate last season’s Champions League triumph given they are one of three clubs determined to keep the breakaway Super League alive. Real, Barcelona and Juventus have all refused to accept defeat in their quest to form a Super League, despite significant resistance from UEFA, who have threatened to ban the three teams from the Champions League as a result of their plot. With all that rumbling on in the background, Carlo Ancelotti’s men went on to win last season’s Champions League, prompting celebrations from those in charge of Real Madrid – something Al-Khelaifi, whoRead More →

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey was withdrawn from the Ghana squad to face Brazil on Friday amid concerns over a possible injury. The 29-year-old has played just four times for his club this season, with a thigh problem limiting his involvement, but he made his return with 78 minutes under his belt in the 3-0 win over Brentford just before the international break. The fit-again Partey jetted off on international duty with Ghana and was billed to start Friday’s meeting with Brazil, only to be withdrawn from the squad at the last minute. Local reports suggested Partey had complained of pain in his knee, prompting hisRead More →

Eden Hazard has revealed his frustration over a lack of playing time at Real Madrid, insisting he feels ‘good’ but is not satisfied with his opportunities. Hazard has struggled for fitness throughout his time at Real since a €100m transfer from Chelsea in 2019 – he has managed just seven goals in 70 appearances in more than three years in Madrid, compared to 21 goals in 52 games in his final season alone in London. Having previously missed games through injury, the 31-year-old has not had the same issues so far in 2022/23 and has been included in every matchday squad. But he been aRead More →

A new WSL attendance record has been set at the north London derby, with a crowd of 47,367 in the stands at the Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal play Tottenham on Saturday. The figure smashed the previous WSL attendance record, far eclipsing the 38,262 mark set at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November 2019 for the WSL’s first north London derby. Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners on that occasion. The game fell just short of becoming the all-time highest attendance for a domestic women’s club match in England, which remains the estimated figure of 53,000 who saw Dick, Kerr Ladies play St. Helens at GoodisonRead More →

England will play in the second tier of the UEFA Nations League for the first time when the competition returns in 2024/25. The Three Lions have had a dreadful 2022/23 campaign, failing to win any of their first five games – including a heavy 4-0 home defeat to Hungary, and cannot now catch third place Germany even with one more game against them still left to play. It means England are guaranteed to finish bottom of their League A group and so will drop down into League B regardless of what happens against Germany on Monday. The likes of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Netherlands andRead More →