Blog (Page 245)

Dani Alves has named Cristiano Ronaldo as the toughest opponent he’s ever played against, singing his praises in a new interview. Alves tussled with Ronaldo for several years during his illustrious first spell at Barcelona where he won six La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns, among countless other honours and accolades. Establishing himself as one of the greatest full backs in the game’s history, Alves has shared the pitch with plenty of football’s biggest stars and had to defend against some incredible players. Now plying his trade in Mexico with Pumas UNAM, the 39-year-old sat down with ESPN journalist Hugo Sanchez, and whenRead More →

Manchester United registered their first Europa League win this season with a 2-0 victory away to Sheriff Tiraspol. A cool finish from Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo’s 699th career club goal were enough to see the Red Devils bounce back after losing their opening group stage contest to Real Sociedad last week. Sheriff had their tails up early on having won their opening game in the competition last week, and knowing they managed to beat Real Madrid in the Champions League last season. But they were unable to prove giant killers again, succumbing to a professional United performance in the two clubs’ first competitive meeting.Read More →

If you want to make the most of FIFA 23’s new dribbling mechanics, you’ll want to get one or two 5-star skillers into your team. In total, there are 48 5-star skillers in FIFA 23, including 13 who have received upgrades to their skills moves from last year. Kylian Mbappe is the game’s highest-rated option at 91 overall, with Cristiano Ronaldo just behind at 90. Neymar, at 89, comes in third. La Liga’s top skiller is Real Madrid starlet Vinicius Junior, before new additions Christopher Nkunku and Kingsley Coman lead the way for the Bundesliga. The trio are all 86 overall, as are Thiago andRead More →

The 2022/23 WSL season kicks off on Friday evening as Arsenal welcome Brighton to Borehamwood. The Gunners narrowly missed out on the title by a single point last term, and – buoyed by boasting three members of England’s Euro 2022 winning squad – will be attempting to end Chelsea’s run of domestic dominance and finish top of the pile for the first time since 2019. Arsenal face a Brighton side who have comfortably established themselves in the WSL after years of shrewd investment, but have lost a number of key players during the summer transfer window. When is kick off? Friday 16 September, 19:30 (BST)Where isRead More →

Raheem Sterling stated he enjoyed playing as a wing-back in Graham Potter’s first match as Chelsea manager. After joining Chelsea at the start of the season, Sterling played in the forward line under Thomas Tuchel, either as a winger or a false 9, but Potter gave him a new role for the match against Red Bull Salzburg, deploying him as a left wing-back. The 27-year-old was able to make an impact, being given a license to get forward and scoring his side’s only goal of the night. Sterling was asked about his new position after the match, explaining to BT Sport: “I played in aRead More →

Gareth Southgate has named his 28-player squad for England’s September internationals, with Ivan Toney receiving a maiden call-up. The Brentford striker has not represented the Three Lions at any level before but will have a chance to in their upcoming Nations League fixtures away to Italy and at home to Germany – any appearance would make him just the third player in Bees history to play for the England senior side. Jarrod Bowen has started the season slowly at West Ham but retains his place in the squad after making his senior England debut over the summer, while Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi returns too. WithRead More →

Brentford striker Ivan Toney is expected to be named in England’s squad for the first time ahead of the September internationals. The 26-year-old is yet to represent the Three Lions in any capacity, having been a relatively late bloomer at the highest level, but is set to be rewarded for a terrific start to the 2022/23 Premier League season. Toney has scored five goals and contributed two assists in six outings to date, following on from a strong first season in the Premier League that saw him bag 12 goals for Brentford – helping them stay up in the process – and set up aRead More →

Erling Haaland has praised Borussia Dortmund for how they defended against Manchester City, but was keen to point out that they still couldn’t find a way to stop him. Man City struggled to break the Bundesliga side down in what was an eventual 2-1 Champions League win on Wednesday, not having a single shot on target until John Stones’ 80th minute effort. That shot on target was also their first goal, and their second one was the winner, with Haaland volleying his team to victory. The Norwegian praised the way his former team played and defended but issued a reminder that it wasn’t enough toRead More →

Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the “exceptional” Jude Bellingham after he impressed in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League. The 19-year-old had put Dortmund on course for a surprise win at the Etihad Stadium when he headed home Marco Reus’ centre just before the hour mark, but the Bundesliga giants were unable to hold on as late goals from John Stones and Erling Haaland turned the tide in City’s favour. Nevertheless, Dortmund were impressive in their defensive shape throughout the 90 minutes, as well as causing problems on the counter, and Bellingham was one of the more impressiveRead More →

Manchester United will look to bring Kylian Mbappe in from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024 if the forward chooses to walk away from the final year of his contract. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has warned Mbappe that he has missed his chance to move to the Santiago Bernabeu and has privately told those close to him that he does not want the Frenchman anymore. Before that, however, United and PSG may do business over Marcus Rashford. The Red Devils are confident of extending the striker’s contract but PSG continue to push with his representatives over a future transfer. Manchester City are keen to join theRead More →