Blog (Page 56)

[ad_1] Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has been back in training this week, although his star has significantly fallen little more than a year since being named Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper. Mendy was named the top male goalkeeper on the planet for 2021 off the back of his role in Chelsea’s unexpected Champions League triumph, in addition to helping Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time ever. But the 31-year-old lost his place at Chelsea to the resurgent Kepa Arrizabalaga earlier this season and, although he briefly won it back, hasn’t played at club level since the World Cup. Mendy underwent fingerRead More →

[ad_1] Optimism has been rife on the red half of north London since pre-season, but very few projected Arsenal to be in their current position with 11 games to go in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign. Liverpool and Chelsea’s unexpected demise combined with Erling Haaland’s arrival convinced many that it’d be a procession for Man City on their way to a third consecutive league title. However, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have upset to odds to not only emerge as the Citizens’ primary rival, but force Pep Guardiola into an unfamiliar state of chasing. An array of factors have coalesced to facilitate a staggering improvement this season,Read More →

[ad_1] Just in case you weren’t aware, football at the elite level is bloody difficult and it doesn’t get much tougher than the UEFA Champions League. This competition is the apex of club football, where the best-of-the-best collide in a bid to further enhance their legacies in the sport. Scoring goals in the Champions League is not easy. Sure, the level of defending in the modern day may occasionally cause Franco Baresi to shed a tear or two, but those tasked with shutting out the folk that seek to entertain are far from incompetent. Nevertheless, despite the best efforts of defenders and opposing managers, thereRead More →

[ad_1] Manchester United have provided a hilarious response on social media to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s weird rant featuring Julia Roberts. The Catalonian coach was in a strange mood following his side’s 7-0 win against RB Leipzig in the second leg of their Champions League. Guardiola stressed that he would always consider himself a failure in the Champions League as he was previously unable to get iconic actress Roberts to come and watch a game at the Etihad Stadium, instead heading across town to Old Trafford. READ NEXT “I am a failure in the Champions League. If I win the Champions League three timesRead More →

[ad_1] Carlo Ancelotti has stated that Real Madrid’s second leg clash with Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League is ‘more complicated’ for his side than the Reds. Real Madrid head into the game with a commanding 5-2 aggregate lead thanks to their win at Anfield a few weeks ago. Braces from Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema, and a goal from defender Eder Militao, earned the win for Ancelotti’s side after they’d initially gone two goals down in the opening 15 minutes of the game. READ NEXT Despite Jurgen Klopp stated that he believes Liverpool have a ‘one percent’ of qualifying for the next round, duringRead More →

[ad_1] Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola went off on a Julia Roberts-inspired tangent when describing his and the club’s inability to win the Champions League. The Cityzens advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for a sixth successive season on Tuesday night after hammering RB Leipzig 7-0 at the Etihad Stadium, securing an 8-1 win on aggregate in their last 16 tie. Erling Haaland grabbed five goals on the night – just the third time that’s happened in the history of the competition – to break Man City’s record for goals scored in a single season. The Champions League remains the only major trophyRead More →

[ad_1] A combination of misfortune, miracles and overthinking mean Pep Guardiola is yet to claim club football’s ultimate prize during his time at Manchester City. The Citizens have had their hearts broken time and time again in the Champions League. First it was the quarter-finals hoodoo, then Thomas Tuchel oversaw a masterplan in the 2021 final before the miracle workers of Real Madrid staged the latest of comebacks in last season’s semi-final. They’re ready to do it all over again in 2023 after steamrolling RB Leipzig in the round of 16. This is where the competition really hots up, with most of the favourites stillRead More →

[ad_1] Orlando City hope to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals as they host Tigres UANL in the second leg their draw. Starting off their 2023 MLS campaign with five points in three games, Orlando City will now look to continue that form in the CONCACAF Champions League. However, Tigres won’t be easy to dispatch. Currently sitting 3rd in the Liga MX table, just seven points off first place, the Mexican side is looking to grab their second CCL title in three years. If the first game of the tie was any indication of how the second might go, then both sides have aRead More →

[ad_1] Following Tottenham Hotspur’s disastrous exits from both the Champions League and FA Cup in recent weeks, Harry Kane has once again been linked with a move away. The two clubs with the most rumoured interest in the England captain are Bayern Munich and Manchester United and, with just one year left on his current contract, there seems to be every possibility that this season could be Kane’s last in north London. But will he actually leave? Or will he stay put? We’ve enlisted the crew on Talking Transfers, part of 90min’s podcast network, to discuss. LISTEN HERE On this edition of Talking Transfers, partRead More →

[ad_1] Arsenal will welcome Sporting CP to the Emirates on Thursday for a battle to decide which side advances to the quarter-finals of the Europa League. A 2-2 draw from the first leg means it’s all to play for here and Mikel Arteta will be determined not to slip up and lose the chance to add more silverware to Arsenal’s cabinet. Here’s how the boss could set up. GK: Matt Turner – It’s Turner who gets the minutes in the Europa League and the American will hope for a more convincing showing this time out. RB: Takehiro Tomiyasu – Tomiyasu has had to be incrediblyRead More →