Blog (Page 250)

Max Allegri has revealed that Juventus hope to have Federico Chiesa back playing before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in December. The Euro 2020 winner suffered a cruciate ligament rupture was back in January during Juve’s dramatic 4-3 win over AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico, and has been out of action ever since. Chiesa was expected to be back at the start of the season but suffered a set back to the injury during a summer training session. Speaking to the press ahead of Juve’s clash with Salernitana on Sunday, manager Allegri gave a positive update on Chiesa’s fitness stating that he expects the playerRead More →

Christian Eriksen has assessed Manchester United’s midfield, insisting that there is a ‘good connection’ building between the club’s central options. Man Utd’s midfield has long been a topic of debate for fans and pundits alike, with the club itself attempting to address the issues in the centre of the park by signing Eriksen, Casemiro and trying to sign Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong during the summer transfer window. Following a shaky start to the season the Red Devils midfield has impressed in recent games – particularly in the win over league leaders Arsenal – and, speaking to the club’s official website, Eriksen has discussed these improvements:Read More →

Brazilian duo Eder Militao and Rodrygo are both expected to receive Spanish passports early in 2023. Vinicius Junior was handed his Spanish documents earlier this month, meaning he no longer needs to take up one of Real Madrid’s limited non-EU spots. La Liga sides can have five non-EU players in their squad, but only three can be named in any one matchday squad, and Real have been operating at full capacity in recent seasons with Vinicius, Militao and Rodrygo. With the former now no longer held to the rules, ESPN report that both Militao and Rodrygo are expected to receive Spanish passports in early 2023.Read More →

A much-changed Barcelona secured a 4-0 victory away to Cadiz on Saturday evening. A slow first half preceded strikes from Frenkie de Jong and Robert Lewandowski, both of whom tapped home from close range to secure the victory, before a lengthy delay due a medical emergency saw play paused for almost an hour. Medical staff managed to evacuate the supporter in question before play resumed, after which Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele added a third and fourth goal. Barcelona looked dangerous early on and Raphinha saw a strike cannon back off the post inside the first ten minutes. The hosts did well to hold onRead More →

Inter returned to winning ways on Saturday as Marcelo Brozovic netted a late winner in a 1-0 victory over Torino at San Siro. The Nerazzurri were indebted to a fine individual display from Samir Handanovic, with Lautaro Martinez and Milan Skriniar going close for the home side after the interval. And their second half persistence was rewarded when Brozovic showed a clinical touch two minutes from time to spare his side’s blushes. Clear-cut chances were few and far between for the Nerazzurri before the interval, with Martinez blazing wide on a couple of ocassions with efforts from distance. Indeed, it was the visitors who engineeredRead More →

Paris Saint-Germain earned a narrow 1-0 victory at home to a struggling Brest side on Saturday afternoon, returning to the Ligue 1 summit. “We can’t take our foot off the gas,” Christophe Galtier declared pre-game. However, his side scarcely found top gear, starting groggily before Neymar gave them the lead in the 30th minute. The wasteful hosts saw their threat dwindle dramatically after the hour-mark – just as it had against Juventus in midweek. Defending deep for most of the match, Brest unsettled their hosts in transition. Islam Slimani had a second-half penalty to level the match saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma as PSG nervily heldRead More →

Bayern Munich drew their third consecutive Bundesliga game as a 92nd-minute penalty from Serhou Guirassy saw Stuttgart earn a 2-2 draw on Saturday. Mathys Tel opened the scoring for Bayern but saw his effort cancelled out early in the second half, although Jamal Musiala restored the advantage for Julian Nagelsmann’s side with a fine strike from inside the box. But Guirassy, who had seen two goals struck off, netted a well-deserved equaliser deep in stoppage time to secure a point. Predictably, Bayern dominated possession early on but chances on goal were few and far between, with the hosts’ first opportunity coming 18 minutes in asRead More →

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has let rip over the treatment he received from Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and Jose Mourinho during their spells in charge of the Old Trafford club. The Frenchman arrived amid much fanfare in Manchester back in 2015, but he has struggled to nail down a permanent place in the starting XI under several managers and spent last season out on loan with Sevilla. Mourinho famously quipped in 2018 that Martial lacked ‘maturity’, with the Frenchman stripped of his No.9 jersey following the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic under the Portuguese. And Martial insists that Mourinho lacked respect in their relationship as heRead More →

Alessia Russo has admitted that she used to watch clips of Thierry Henry goals growing up due to the former Arsenal forward’s ability to cut inside, and is now inspired by the penalty box movement of Erling Haaland. Like Henry, Russo started out as a winger, and has been deployed both out wide and as a central striker during her two years at Manchester United. The 23-year-old was utilised exclusively as a number nine during Euro 2022, and is expected to step into the role of England’s first choice striker following the retirement of Ellen White. When it comes to being lethal in and aroundRead More →

Raphinha has revealed that he was determined to seal a transfer to Barcelona this summer, insisting no other offer could have compared to his ‘dream’ move. The winger was heavily expected to leave Leeds United for Barça for much of 2022, with the Blaugrana lining up a cut-price deal in the event that the Whites were relegated from the Premier League. However, Leeds managed to survive on the final day of the 2021/22 season, with Raphinha scoring in their decisive 2-1 win at Brentford, and so the asking price was raised. Barcelona were always confident of landing Raphinha regardless, though a rival €65m offer fromRead More →