England and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has expressed his excitement towards the future of the England midfield after a 5-0 win in Moldova.
Tom Cleverley and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain stood out as boys reforming into men as the game went on, and Lampard clearly feels that this England team has potential.
The in-form Chelsea midfielder scored twice for his country in a comfortable win at Moldova that is certain to prove any doubters wrong over his own personal selection. Lampard played alongside Gerrard in a mythical paring that was deemed impossible by former managers, and the two combined well to allow the youngsters to enjoy the occasion that Lampard and Gerrard thrived in.
“They’re brilliant; of course they’re good enough. Tom is a pleasure to play with and with him being at such a young age, he’s going to be right in the middle of the team for years to come,” Lampard told the Daily Mirror.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was brilliant. He lit up the first half and it’s great to see players like that coming through,” he added.
It is no secret that Manchester United are in the market for a centre-back this summer having finished second behind neighbours Man City last season.
What’s the story?
Last month, according to the Manchester Evening News, United opened negotiations with Tottenham over a deal for Toby Alderweireld. The Red Devils’ offer of £55m would be the most the club have ever spent on a defender, but the offer is still said to be £20m short of what Spurs are asking for.
The 29-year-old looks to be on his way out of the North London club this summer as Mauricio Pochettino looks to free up funds for more transfers.
Alderweireld only featured in 21 matches in all competitions for Spurs last season after a long lay-off for a hamstring injury meant he lost his place to Colombian Davinson Sánchez.
Now it seems Jose Mourinho’s sights are set on a different defender. Gazzetta Sport have reported that Inter Milan have rejected a €65m bid for Slovak centre-back Milan Skriniar.
Is this the best World Cup ever? Give us your thoughts here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.
Milan from Milan
Skriniar signed for Inter from Sampdoria just one year ago and is adept at building attacks from the back with his range of passing and quality on the ball.
Much like Alderweireld, Skriniar isn’t blessed with pace but his reading of the game more than makes up for this. The 23-year-old could be the perfect partner for Eric Bailly after Victor Lindelof struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford.
Skriniar played 38 times in Serie A last season, chipping in with four goals for Inter and would be a much better option for United in the long-run than Alderweireld.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
[brid playlist=”4766″ player=”12034″ title=”World Cup 2018″]
Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal will continue to challenge at the top for many years to come, despite struggling to compete with the financial resources of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, The Daily Mail reports.
Gunners fans have often been left frustrated with the lack of activity in the transfer market in recent years, especially as key players seem to leave every year with the promise of greater wages and better prospects of winning trophies.
But Wenger believes they will be rewarded for their careful spending, insisting that the big-spending of their rivals could come back to haunt them.
The Financial Fair Play rules are coming into force, meaning clubs are now restricted on how much of a loss they can make each season.
“We are run in a very responsible way. We make a profit every year and I think that’s where nearly everybody is struggling in Europe. We find ourselves in the situation of Germany in Europe.
“They ignored it until now, but finally we see that they are getting concerned,” Wenger said.
Arsenal fans may take some comfort from being in a stable financial situation, but they will not be happy to see their former star players succeeding elsewhere, especially now that Robin van Persie has made a cracking start to his time at Manchester United.
Wenger admits it was difficult to watch van Persie scoring for their bitter rivals and noted how disappointed he was to lose a player of such quality.
“It felt a bit strange. I was thinking, ‘He has the wrong shirt on. Why does he jump around like that in that shirt?’ Deep down I knew but I didn’t like it too much.”
Arsenal have invested in the likes of Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud to help fill the goal-scoring berth left by Van Persie.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
After two goalless matches, the North Londoners finally broke their duck to beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield, with Cazorla and Podolski scoring their first goals for the club.
Wenger however, still believes he has enough firepower to challenge for the title: “The aim is to win the title. I’m the first to be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. But we have a fantastic squad with fantastic quality and I think it’ll work out.”
With Arsenal signing Danny Welbeck on Transfer Deadline Day, fans were treated to at least a glimmer of hope on what is normally a quiet time for the Gunners, but their shrewdest bit of business actually could’ve been done in the early stages of the window.
Along with the multi-million pound upgrades to Arsenal’s London Colney training ground, fitness guru Shad Forsythe has joined the ranks. And this addition to the Arsenal backroom staff should hopefully be even more beneficial than the signings Arsenal have managed to make.
His arrival is all part of an attempt to combat the puzzling injuries the Gunners have been plagued with for season upon season. A long list of stars have seen long term injuries halt their progress at the Emirates – something that has had a serious knock-on effect.
During the 2013/14 season Arsenal led the top flight for 128 days only to falter due to a number of injuries to the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere, etc. With a newly found appreciation for success (trophies!) Arsene Wenger will surely want to eradicate any likelihood of history repeating itself.
With Theo Walcott out and the most injury prone of all Abou Diaby, Shad Forsythe will be brought in to help aid them back to full fitness. This three game old campaign has already seen Kieran Gibbs sidelined due to a hamstring pull, Olivier Giroud lost to a broken tibia and Mikel Arteta endure ankle problems.
Wenger has a tendency to throw players back into games a little too early resulting in an extended stay on the sidelines, so along with the job of managing fitness, Forsythe will also need to manage recovery from injuries.
Having been a part of the German national team’s triumphant World Cup win, Forsythe knows how to get the best out of his players. Working with the team for a decade also means he has vast experience in the game.
En route to winning the World Cup the Germans looked impressive, not just for their style of football but for the constant high pace they played at. Power, pace and consistency… The Gunners lacked all three throughout most of last season.
Historically, Arsenal’s players are always out through injuries for lengthy spells of time. Robin van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen, Tomas Rosicky, to name but a few. Now it looks as though Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs will be added to that list.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
We’ll have to wait and see, but let’s hope that with Shad Forsythe, the Gunners can look forward to a return to full fitness for some of the club’s best players. If it all goes to plan we will not have to worry about new signings in defensive midfield and attack, instead we should be revelling in how consistent Diaby has become and amazed at Walcott’s 30+ goal season. We can dream right?
It’s no secret that there will be a changing of the guard in Tottenham’s dugout this summer.
Geezer-gaffer Tim Sherwood boasts a better win percentage – 58% – than any of his Spurs predecessors and if his side beat Aston Villa on Sunday he’ll also equal the North London outfit’s third-best points total of the Premier League era.
But initially brought in to steady the ship after the abrupt sacking of Andre Villas-Boas back in December, Mirror Football’s labelling of the gillet-throwing 45 year-old as the Premier League equivalent of a supply teacher, regardless of his 18-month contract only issued in January, summarises the current situation at White Hart Lane permanently.
To label Sherwood as ‘lucky’ in his debut management spell would be rather harsh, but he’s not the experienced and inspiring model of manager Daniel Levy is searching for. The Tottenham chairman’s silence over the issue of Sherwood’s future – whilst the Lilywhites are relentlessly linked with Southampton’s Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax’s Frank de Boer – is incredibly telling.
During this afternoon’s press conference, a club representative had to step in to stop questions over where the former midfielder will be next season. For me, that’s enough evidence alone that Sherwood will be collecting his P45, not to mention the fact midfielder Sandro told ESPN Brazil earlier this week that Spurs will have a different manager next season. Everybody knows this will be the case, even if nobody from the Spurs camp has officially announced it.
De Boer and Pochettino are undoubtedly leading the pack. One harking back to the Eredivisie-inspired philosophy and club structure Tottenham enjoyed under Martin Jol, in addition to offering significant experience in the Champions League, the other boasting proven Premier League credentials and a commitment to hard-working, high-velocity football.
But in my opinion, both are huge risks. They’re equally as risky as the hiring of Andre Villas-Boas in summer 2012, which took just 18 months and two poor results against Manchester City and Liverpool for Daniel Levy to talk himself out of. In fact, many of the Tottenham chairman’s appointments have failed to live up to expectations – he’s sacked seven permanent managers since taking over at White Hart Lane in 2001, and Sherwood is set to become his eighth. By no coincidence, the Lilywhites’ best league finishes under Levy’s leadership have come via the two longest serving managers, Martin Jol and Harry Redknapp.
There’s no more room for Hail Mary appointments – if Tottenham’s flirtatious relationship with the Premier League’s top four is ever to become more than that, Levy needs a long-term solution in the dugout that he won’t get cold feet about a couple of transfer windows later.
With that condition in mind, the club’s first choice should undoubtedly be former Liverpool and Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez. Admittedly, the players at his disposal have often been luxurious, but from six seasons at Liverpool the 54 year-old finished just twice outside of the Champions League standings. Likewise, he recorded a third-place finish with the Blues last season and won a Europa League title despite the endless burdening pressures of his ‘interim’ job title. In a nutshell – the current Napoli boss knows exactly what’s required to get into the Premier League’s top four – for Pochettino and de Boer, it will all be educated guess-work.
The Spaniard’s pragmatic approach may not go down too well at White Hart Lane, considering the Lilywhites’ traditional tendency towards fast-paced attacking football. But Liverpool shared that tradition too – through his consistent results and progress in cup competitions, Benitez was able to win over one of the most militant supporter groups in the country.
Likewise, he has experience with big-name foreign players and, in my opinion, that will be the ultimate test of the next Tottenham manager – summer signings Paulinho, Roberto Soldado and Erik Lamela, all arriving in North London for record-breaking fees at the start of the season, have to start producing next year, and that responsibility will eventually be buck-passed back to the dugout.
Well acquainted with La Liga and Serie A, on paper at least, Benitez has a better chance of getting Soldado and Lamela to start paying back their price-tags than De Boer or Pochettino do. Southampton is the largest club the Argentine has worked at, and although de Boer has fought finite resources and funding to continually nurture impressive talents from Ajax’s academy, the days of the Dutch side being laden in star quality are far behind them. When it comes to prior history of getting the best out of top players, Benitez is in a different league.
Not only is the Spaniard’s record in the Premier League incredibly consistent, but he’s also a master of the other front Tottenham will be fighting in next season – the Europa League. The Lilywhites have put more emphasis than most English sides on the second-tier tournament over the past two years, but have eventually come up short in its latter stages, knocked out by Basel in the semis last term and Benfica in this season’s quarter finals. They’ve lacked the experience and insight to get them over the line, but Benitez offers both in abundance; he’s twice won the Europa League – including in its previous format with Valencia in 2004 – and famously claimed a Champions League title with Liverpool in 2005.
Not only is Benitez a manager capable of guiding Tottenham into Europe, but he’s furthermore a manager who can make something of it once they get there. They won’t be simply making up the numbers.
Admittedly, whether the former Valencia, Liverpool, Inter Milan and Chelsea boss would be willing to quit Napoli after a single season remains to be seen. Mirror Football claim he’s interested in returning to London after living there for the second half of last season. But the Spaniard’s last three jobs have all been with Champions League clubs – he may view qualifying for Europe against the odds as a challenge he’s mastered enough times before.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Furthermore, although Napoli may have slipped a place in the league standings from last year, the Italian side are impressed with how Benitez has coped with the loss of star striker Edinson Cavani. He’s also finished his first season in Naples by clinching silverware, following his side’s victory in the Coppa Italia final last week. Without further meaning to blow smoke up the 54 year-old’s proverbial, that means he’s won a trophy in each debut season at his last five clubs.
But the Premier League comes with an allure that has enticed Benitez twice before. He must feel he has unfinished business in England too, considering his Liverpool tenure ended in disappointment and his Chelsea stay soon became a complete farce. Furthermore, Benitez is a manager Levy will know he can trust – de Boer and Pochettino have shown great promise but proved nothing concrete yet in their dugout careers, whilst the Spaniard has seven major trophies to his name and is a two-time winner of the UEFA Manager of the Year award.
In my opinion, that’s the most crucial factor – a manager the chairman can put his faith in to provide relative stability, without a sour patch immediately making him think twice. But whether Tottenham’s ambitions and aims appeal enough to convince Benitez to quit Napoli remains to be seen.
Political tensions between India and Pakistan have put a cloud over Faisalabad Wolves’ participation in next month’s Champions League Twenty20
Amol Karhadkar13-Aug-2013
A Pakistan team featured in the Champions League T20 for the first time in 2012•AFP
Political tensions between India and Pakistan have put a cloud over Faisalabad Wolves’ participation in next month’s Champions League Twenty20. An incident on the border has inflamed emotions in India and left administrators wary of the public response to a Pakistan team’s presence for a sporting occasion.The BCCI has, as in the past, thrown the ball in the government’s court. “When it comes to any team from Pakistan featuring in a tournament in India, the final decision rests completely in the foreign ministry’s hands. And we will follow the ministry’s advice,” a senior BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo.The Ministry of External Affairs – the foreign ministry – has been non-committal. “We have been approached by a cricket team from Pakistan to participate in the Champions League Twenty20 event,” a spokesperson in the MEA was quoted as saying by . “It does not start for a month. We will carefully examine (the situation) before we take a decision in this regard.”The CLT20 governing council is likely to arrive at a final decision regarding the Wolves’ participation before the month end; the tournament itself starts on September 17. Rajiv Shukla, a BCCI representative on the CLT20 governing council and a junior minister in the federal government, didn’t respond to ESPNcricinfo’s query.The PCB, on the other hand, has said it “remained concerned” about the security of Faisalabad Wolves’ cricketers. Despite processing the visa applications of the Wolves’ squad members on Monday, the PCB is monitoring the situation closely.
SLC have named the Sri Lanka A squad for the series against New Zealand A and the side includes Nuwan Pradeep, Kusal Perera, Kaushal Silva and Kithuruwan Vithanage, among others
ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2013
Nuwan Pradeep has been picked for the A team after recovering from a back injury•AFP
New Zealand A’s schedule in Sri Lanka
1st 4-day match: September 17-20, Pallekele 2nd 4-day match: September 23-26, Dambulla 1st one-dayer: September 29, Pallekele 2nd one-dayer: October 1, Pallekele 3rd one-dayer: October 3, Dambulla
Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep has been named in Sri Lanka’s A team for the forthcoming series against the touring New Zealand A side. Pradeep, who last played for Sri Lanka in January this year, had been sidelined with a back injury he suffered in March. Wicketkeeper-batsman Kaushal Silva, batsmen Kusal Perera, Kithuruwan Vithanage and Angelo Perera, and slow bowlers Seekkuge Prasanna and Akila Dananjaya are among the other high-profile inclusions in the 22-man squad.Pradeep has played four Tests and two ODIs for Sri Lanka, his most recent game being the New Year Test against Australia. One of the fastest bowlers on the island, Pradeep’s career has been constantly plagued by injury and he missed the A team’s tour of West Indies after suffering an injury during Sri Lanka’s first-class season.Dimuth Karunaratne, who captained the side during that West Indies tour, has not been named in this squad, though he is part of Sri Lanka’s preliminary squad for the tour of Zimbabwe. Silva, Vithanage and Prasanna are the other Test cricketers in the squad, while Dananjaya, Angelo Perera and Mahela Udawatte have played limited-overs matches for Sri Lanka.Twenty-year-old offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, who took 55 wickets at 19.56 in his debut first-class season, is also in the A squad. He was a part of the Test squad for the last two home series in Sri Lanka but was not given a chance. Kaushal was also omitted from the 27-man preliminary squad for the Zimbabwe tour.Sri Lanka A will play two four-day matches and three one-dayers against New Zealand A. The first-class matches will start on on September 17, and all five games on the tour will be split between Pallekele and Dambulla.Sri Lanka A: Kithuruwan Vithanage, Kusal Perera, Kaushal Silva, Udara Jayasundera, Shehan Jayasuriya, Mahela Udawatte, Ashan Priyanjan, Angelo Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sachithra Serasinghe, Niroshan Dickwella, Madura Lakmal, Lahiru Gamage, Nuwan Pradeep, Vimukthi Perera, Lahiru Jayaratne, Malinda Pushpakumara, Tharindu Kaushal, Chaturanga de Silva, Seekkuge Prasanna, Akila Dananjaya
O goleiro Jean deverá ser reintegrado ao elenco do São Paulo nos próximos dias. Esse é o plano do clube, que gostou do comportamento dele durante o período de afastamento.
O jogador, que ainda não foi comunicado da decisão, não treina com os companheiros há dez dias, desde que se desentendeu com Vagner Mancini. Após a derrota por 1 a 0 para o Palmeiras, o interino reuniu os atletas para fazer cobranças e reclamou do fato de alguns deles, incluindo Jean, que havia ficado no banco, terem ido tomar banho logo após o apito final, sem esperar a roda de vestiário. O goleiro não gostou e abandonou a reunião.
RelacionadasSão PauloPato leva a família ao Morumbi, sobe na trave e se joga no símboloSão Paulo28/03/2019São PauloJogadores do São Paulo rejeitam ‘bicho’ por vaga na semifinalSão Paulo28/03/2019São PauloPato não inviabiliza outros reforços no São Paulo; veja valoresSão Paulo27/03/2019
Desde então, Jean tem ido ao CT em horários diferentes do restante do grupo. Ele é supervisionado pelos preparadores de goleiros do clube, que têm gostado de seu empenho e de seu rendimento. Não houve um pedido de desculpas ou uma nova conversa com a diretoria, mas o clube entende que Jean percebeu seu erro.
A crise com Jean estourou após o atrito com Mancini, mas ele já vinha irritando a diretoria há algum tempo. Antes do jogo contra o Red Bull, por exemplo, pediu para não ser relacionado ao descobrir que Tiago Volpi seria mantido na equipe após falhar contra o Corinthians. O clube ameaçou multá-lo em 40% do salário, e o jogador voltou atrás.
O São Paulo pagou R$ 6 milhões ao Bahia para ter Jean no início de 2018 – o valor poderia chegar a R$ 10 milhões se ele tivesse atingido um determinado número de jogos, o que não tem mais chance de acontecer. O clube o trata como uma promessa para o futuro, mas chegou perto do limite da paciência com os episódios recentes de indisciplina – e alguns excessos no ano passado também, como uma discussão com Sidão e um cartão vermelho recebido contra o Vitória. Agora, espera que o período de afastamento tenha servido para deixá-lo mais consciente.
O São Paulo continua esperando que Cuca inicie o seu trabalho como técnico da equipe em 15 de abril ou, em caso de disputa de título do Paulistão, depois da final, prevista para o dia 21 de abril. Mas o técnico tem se mostrado tão bem de saúde que o clube já não descarta a possibilidade de que ele assuma antes.
Tudo depende do cardiologista Constantino Constantini. Foi ele quem operou Cuca em dezembro do ano passado e foi em consentimento com ele que o técnico definiu a metade de abril como a época ideal para voltar a trabalhar – embora o médico recomendasse um período até maior de descanso.
RelacionadasFutebol NacionalSão Paulo insiste por Calazans a pedido de Cuca e Flu avança por NenêFutebol Nacional21/03/2019São PauloEverton não treina com bola, mas Liziero vai bem e pode reaparecerSão Paulo21/03/2019São PauloLugano minimiza caso Jean: ‘Sem essas discussões não seria futebol’São Paulo21/03/2019
O São Paulo não vai pedir a Cuca que inicie seu trabalho antes do tempo, mas também não vai se opor se o técnico conseguir a liberação médica e já quiser ir para a beira do campo.
Já é certo, porém, que Vagner Mancini estará à frente do time no jogo de ida das quartas de final, às 16h de domingo, contra o Ituano, no Morumbi. A volta será na quarta-feira, 19h15, no Novelli Júnior.
Cuca tem mantido contato com a diretoria e com Mancini por telefone e esteve em São Paulo para duas reuniões de planejamento, uma no Morumbi e uma no CT da Barra Funda. Nesses encontros, indicou jogadores como Tchê Tchê, Keno e Marquinhos Calazans, além de ter definido que alguns atletas sairiam – Diego Souza e Araruna já foram.
Cuca tem passado seu período de repouso com a família, em Curitiba. Ele não tem nenhuma limitação clínica, tanto que tem jogado as costumeiras peladas com o Flamengo de Santa Felicidade, time de seu bairro.
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed during his Crystal Palace pre-match press conference, via Sky Sports, that Charlie Austin could leave the club before the end of the January transfer window.
What’s the story?
Hasenhuttl told reporters on Monday, as quoted by Sky Sports:
“Sometimes you get to a point when you as a club can’t give a player what he expects us to give him so in this situation we are trying to find a win-win situation for both sides.
“I think he has played two times from the beginning since I have been here. He is a fantastic striker who can score for every team. He is 100 per cent professional, he shows the team that if we need him he is here.
“But like every player he wants to start from the beginning and if there is not the option here in Southampton then maybe he will be looking for another club where he has this option.
“Then we have to talk about these things. We don’t send any player away but if there is a different option for him it can be he is an option for another club.”
Austin joined Southampton from Queens Park Rangers in January 2016.
The centre-forward has managed 20 goals in 72 appearances in all competitions for the Saints, as per Transfermarkt, but has netted just two Premier League goals this season.
Hasenhuttl has admitted that he will be unable to give Austin the football that he wants in the second half of the season, which could lead to an exit.
The 29-year-old has actually only started two Premier League matches since Hasenhuttl replaced Mark Hughes as head coach at the start of December.
Should Southampton fight to keep him?
Austin’s Premier League record is 34 goals in 97 appearances, suggesting that the striker certainly knows how to find the back of the net at the top level.
Southampton recorded a 2-1 win over Everton in the Premier League last time out, but the Saints are far from safe in the top flight.
Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…
Austin – valued at £9m by Transfermarkt – will only have 12 months left on his Southampton contract this summer and a move at the end of the 2018-19 campaign makes sense for all involved.
For now, the Saints, who face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Wednesday night, must fight to keep hold of a player who is certainly capable of coming off the bench and scoring some vital goals before the end of the season.
That said, Austin is understandably desperate to secure regular football at this stage of his career and a move away this month is looking increasingly likely.