Tag Futebol

Mason Holgate delivered an error-strewn performance as he badly let Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti down by gifting Tottenham Hotspur a draw on Friday night.

Ancelotti opted to field Holgate as part of a three-man defence beside Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey for the visit of Jose Mourinho’s Spurs to Goodison Park, as the Italian sought to manage an adductor injury for Yerry Mina.

The Toffees were badly in need of a positive result against the north Londoners after a run of two defeats and two draws, but were forced to settle for a third straight stalemate after goals from Harry Kane either side of a brace from Gylfi Sigurdsson.

The result meant that Everton remained eighth in the Premier League table and a point behind Tottenham, who have played a game more, and they now trail the top four by six points ahead of West Ham visiting Newcastle on Saturday.

Everton will have felt that the win was there for taking having controlled every department of the pitch after Sigurdsson converted a penalty to equalise in the 31st minute, and they firmly deserved the lead when the Iceland international clinically volleyed home just after the hour mark.

However, defensive mistakes proved costly for the Toffees as a mix-up between Holgate and Keane gifted Kane an opening for his second of the night, which the England captain refused to waste by rifling an unstoppable effort past Jordan Pickford.

Kane had fortuitously opened the scoring midway through the first half after Keane failed to make purposeful contact with Tanguy Ndombele’s cross before Holgate’s slip left the 27-year-old unchallenged to lash home.

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Neither Keane nor Holgate will have been pleased with their efforts to prevent Kane from moving two clear at the top of the Premier League’s Golden Boot race with his 20th and 21st goals of the season.

Everton’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are now in relative tatters and must rely on results going away from West Ham, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs if they are to claim a spot for UEFA’s premier club competition.

Ancelotti will have been particularly disappointed by Holgate’s display, having seen the £16m-rated centre-back – who the Liverpool Echo’s Sam Carroll has previously dubbed as “Mr Dependable” – struggle more than Keane throughout.

Holgate could have done better to prevent both of Kane’s goals, having been in the perfect position to intercept Ndombele’s delivery despite Keane’s attempted clearance, only to slip at the crucial moment.

A communication breakdown later led to Kane bagging his brace despite Keane appearing to call for Holgate to leave Erik Lamela’s cross as he stooped to head clear the danger, only for the ball to ricochet into the forward’s path.

Kane’s double meant that Everton had to settle for a point, but the result could have slipped through the Toffees’ fingers were it not for Keane, who blocked two shots and made three clearances while Holgate ended the night with two clearances to his name, per SofaScore.

With Mina set to miss the next few weeks through injury, Ancelotti faces tough decisions over sticking with an unchanged backline or dropping one of his three centre-backs when Everton visit Arsenal next Friday.

AND in other news, a rarely-seen Everton outcast is wanted in a £10.5m summer transfer…

David Moyes will hope to see an instant response from his players following last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Newcastle when West Ham United host Chelsea on Saturday evening.

The Hammers fell two goals and a man down at St. James’ Park before mounting a second-half comeback, only to leave Tyneside without a point after Joe Willock headed home in the closing stages.

Chelsea then compounded the misery by retaking fourth spot in the Premier League table when held to a goalless draw by Brighton & Hove Albion in midweek, but only sit above the Irons on goal difference due to a superior defensive record.

Craig Dawson’s first-half red card will ensure Moyes is forced to make changes from the side that lost at Newcastle. So, with that in mind, here’s a potential line-up the West Ham boss could field featuring three alterations…

Dawson being unavailable for his first Premier League fixture since his West Ham debut on December 29 leaves Moyes with a decision to make, over sticking with a five-man backline or adapting his system with the inclusion of an additional midfield option.

Fabian Balbuena will expect Moyes to favour continuity and start the Paraguayan – who journalist Sam Delaney believes was “brilliant” last season – for his first opening call in 17 top-flight games, having come on for Aaron Creswell when leading against Leicester City.

Moyes decided against calling on Balbuena at Newcastle with West Ham going a goal behind in the move that led to Dawson’s sending off, but may now opt to recall the centre-back with Creswell potentially available to retake the left-back position from Ben Johnson.

Cresswell was unavailable in the North East due to the hamstring injury he sustained at home to Leicester, but Moyes confirmed on Friday that he is closing in on a return and will take a late fitness test to see if the 31-year-old has recovered sufficiently to face Chelsea.

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Michail Antonio (hamstring), Arthur Masuaku (knee) and Declan Rice (knee) have been ruled out of Saturday’s London derby, while Jesse Lingard is expected to be fit after being withdrawn at Newcastle due to cramp.

Rice being unavailable will likely see Mark Noble and Tomas Soucek anchor the engine room once again, while Antonio’s absence will be expected to see Jarrod Bowen and Lingard lead the attack for the third successive Premier League game.

Pablo Fornals has started each of West Ham’s last three fixtures after overcoming a groin injury during the March international break, but struggled to shine at Newcastle where his influence fizzled out and his loose backpass led to Dawson receiving his initial caution.

Moyes could now look to bench the Spaniard – who he lauds for having “incredible” energy and enthusiasm – and replace him with Said Benrahma, who has offered one more assist than Fornals despite playing 964 fewer minutes in the Premier League this term.

AND in other news, a £34.5m West Ham target has confirmed clubs are in contact with his agent over a summer switch…Mo

According to reports, Aston Villa are interested in signing Bournemouth starlet Ajani Burchall in this upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

The 16-year-old has burst onto the scene with the Cherries this campaign, making his first-team debut at the back end of December when he came on as a second-half substitute in a 5-0 win over Huddersfield. The occasion was even marked by former Manchester City striker Shaun Goater, who lauded his fellow Bermudan, calling him “the future”.

Now, Football Insider claim that Villa have joined the race to sign the teenage starlet this summer, with the likes of West Ham and Arsenal also said to be interested in the winger.

The report adds that Burchall has rejected a scholarship deal with Bournemouth, with a move to a Premier League club now very much on the cards.

A new Jack Grealish?

Bournemouth’s official club website has written that Burchall is “predominantly plays wide and is an exciting forward player who likes to take opponents on and has an eye for goal, while also being a hard-working, tough-tackling winger”.

Meanwhile, Burchall’s teammate at the Vitality Stadium, Steve Cook, said after his debut: “You could see how special a player he is. His first involvement was checked his shoulder, cut across a player and won his foul. For a 16-year-old, that awareness, that knowhow, I think the club have produced a really good player.

“On Saturday we had a few players who have come through the youth system, so it’s terrific. The club’s been known for that and I think Ajani has got great talent. He obviously can’t train with us day-to-day because he’s at school! But I’m sure he’s got a very good future and a very proud moment for his family.”

Given his ability to beat players one on one, his “eye for goal” and also predominantly playing off the left flank, there’s a lot of similarities between Burchall and Villa talisman Jack Grealish.

At just 16, Burchall has got the world at his feet and has got all the time in the world to grow and develop, and there’s surely no better place than Villa Park, and no better person to learn from than Grealish.

Meanwhile, Villa struck gold with this player signed by Suso…

Many fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter which featured “brilliant” footage of former Irons striker Marlon Harewood going through the motions while commentating on the Hammers’ weekend thriller against Leicester City.

In the footage, Harewood was commentating on West Ham’s 3-2 victory over Leicester for Sky Sports and appeared to be extremely stressed during the final moments of the fixture, pleading for the referee to “blow the whistle” for the end of the game.

Indeed, this must have been a similar reaction to many other West Ham fans had around the country, as the Foxes missed a golden opportunity to equalise with what was the last action of the game when an unmarked Wesley Fofana headed wide.

After one West Ham fan shared the footage of Harewood on Twitter, many more flocked to have their say on the clip, with plenty suggesting that their ex-striker’s reaction sums up what it is like to be a West Ham fan.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to the footage of Marlon Harewood?

“We’ve got the best ex-players of any club! Love this!”

@DEPtones

“That is brilliant.”

@Blowmonkey1

“Pretty much every West Ham fan today.”

@DaveJBurgess

“That’s what it means.”

@bmoorewhu82

“Absolutely love this. His face was all of us in the last 5 minutes, and a West Ham legend as well.”

@jeffers4045

“If anything typifies being a Hammer this is it.”

@JimmyReg10

In other news: West Ham make approach for £12.6m-rated ace; GSB could get him for nothing this summer – find out more here!

كشف المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، بيتسو موسيماني، سبب ابتعاده عن الدخول ضمن الأسماء المرشحة لجائزة أفضل مدرب في العالم في جوائز “ذا بيست”.

تم ترشيح جمال بلماضي مدرب الجزائر قبل 3 أعوام كذلك مدرب ريفر بليت، مارسيلو جاياردو، ومدرب منتخب بيرو، ريكاردو جاريكا، ولكن لم يحصلوا على أي جوائز.

اقرأ أيضًا | فيوتشر: لا نخشى الأهلي والزمالك في كأس الرابطة.. ونطمح في المربع الذهبي بالدوري

وعلق موسيماني في حواره مع صحيفة “نيويورك تايمز” الأمريكية عن سبب ابتعاده وابتعاد الكثير من المدربين الذين يحققون نتائج جيدة عن جوائز الأفضل في العالم، وقال: “ليست إفريقيا وحدها التي يتم تجاهلها”.

وتابع: “يبدو الأمر كما لو أنه لا يعني نفس القدر عندما تفوز بالبطولات التي لا تدر أكبر قدر من المال والتي لا تحظى بأكبر عدد من المتابعين”.

وعن تعيينه كمدرب للنادي الأهلي في أكتوبر 2020: “كانت الإدارة تريد مدربًا يعرف قارة إفريقيا جيدًا وخصوصا بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا وهزم الفرق التي احتاجوا إلى هزيمتها”.

وأضاف: “كان هناك استقبال كبير عند وصولي إلى القاهرة، وعندها فقط أدركت حجم المهمة التي تنتظرني في الأهلي، لا أعرف ما إذا كان هناك نادٍ آخر في العالم عليه الفوز بكل شيء مثل الأهلي، اعتقدت أن جماهير جنوب إفريقيا يحبون كرة القدم لكنهم لا يحبونها بقدر ما يحبها المصريون”.

وواصل تصريحاته: “قبل تدريب الأهلي، كان هناك أشخاص قد سألوني إذا كنت أرغب في تدريب أكبر فريق في إفريقيا والأكبر في الشرق الأوسط، وهذا أمر طبيعي لأن القارة الإفريقية مليئة بالمدربين الأجانب والفريق كان يدربه المصريون أو المدربون من أوروبا وأمريكا الجنوبية”.

واستمر: “لكن عندما تكون الإمكانيات متساوية ولدى الفريقين نفس قوة اللاعبين، فإننا نتغلب عليهم، لذا ربما يمكنني الحصول على مهمة لتدريب فريق في الدوري الأمريكي أو أعلى من ذلك، إذا دربت برشلونة أو مانشستر سيتي لن يكون سيئًا”.

وأكمل: “لكن التدريب في أوروبا ما زال حلمًا بعيدًا للمدربين أصحاب البشرة السوداء، ما بالك بالأفارقة، لقد تحدثت مع لاعبين سابقين ومميزين لكنهم يشعرون بأنهم محرومون من تلك الميزة ولا توجد فرص متاحة بسهولة عكس نظائرهم أصحاب البشرة البيضاء، هذه هي الحقيقة”.

وعن طموحاته مع الأهلي بعد فوزه ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا مرتين وكأس السوبر الإفريقي مرتين، ألمح لرغبته في الفوز ببطولة كأس العالم للأندية، مضيفًا: “لم تتبق أي بطولة قارية في إفريقيا لم أفز بها”.

وعن مواجهة بايرن ميونخ في البطولة السابقة: “لقد هزموا برشلونة 8-2، كنت قلقًا من مواجهتهم لأنه كان هناك ليونيل ميسي ولويس سواريز، إذا كان بإمكانهم فعل هذا بهم، فماذا سيفعلون معنا؟”.

وتابع: “لقد نجحنا في الفوز على بالميراس وحصدنا المركز الثالث، حصلت إفريقيا على ميدالية، لأنها في نسخة 2019 لم تفعل ذلك وهذا يعتبر إنجازا”.

وعن وجهته المحتملة بعد انتهاء عقده مع الأهلي: “ربما لن يكون توقيتًا مناسبًا لتدريب جنوب إفريقيا، ولكن ربما تكون هناك السنغال، نيجيريا، كوت ديفوار أو منتخب مصر، هذه هي المنتخبات القوية المعروفة في القارة”.

Leeds have been handed a major blow before their Premier League clash against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, with the news that Pascal Struijk will not be available for Marcelo Bielsa.

Ahead of the game against the Blues today, The Athletic’s Phil Hay confirmed that the midfielder will once again be missing from first team action after his absence against West Ham last time out.

While Struijk has faced some criticism from certain sections of the Leeds support this season, he still offers some strong defensive qualities which would have been perfect for a game against an in-form side like Chelsea.

As per Whoscored, he averages an impressive two tackles and two interceptions per game in the Premier League this season, ranking him sixth and second respectively among his Leeds teammates.

The 21-year-old is also one of the rare Leeds players who’s dominant in the air, winning 1.8 aerial duels per match, and scoring a thumping header from a corner against Arsenal earlier this year – no surpise given he stands at 6 foot 3.

Former Leeds man Dominic Matteo is seemingly a big fan of him, saying: “He reads the game a lot better than he’s credited for. He’ll get even better too. Struijk is one to look out for.

“There’s plenty of work to be done but, with the size of him, his physicality, his passing, he’s got it all and can step into midfield. He looks very calm on the ball, players who are a bit erratic are not for me but he looks comfortable in possession.”

While Leeds have been boosted by the recent return to fitness of the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Rodrigo, having Struijk out against Chelsea – who are unbeaten in their 11 games under new manager Thomas Tuchel – will surely have Bielsa concerned and worried.

Meanwhile, Leeds are facing a potential transfer mistake with this man…

أعلن الألماني يورجن كلوب المدير الفني لـ ليفربول، وجود إصابات جديدة بفيروس كورونا بين لاعبي فريقه والطاقم الفني، قبل المباراة أمام تشيلسي، المقرر لها الأحد المقبل بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويضرب فيروس كورونا اللاعبين في منافسات البريميرليج وقد تم تأجيل عدد كبير من المباريات بالفعل.

وتحدث كلوب خلال مؤتمر صحفي خاص بمباراة تشيلسي وليفربول، وأوضح أن الثنائي تياجو ألكانتارا وتاكومي مينامينو غير جاهزين لمباراة الأحد.

وقال كلوب: “تياجو ومينامينو غير جاهزين، تاكي أقرب – إنه يركض في الخارج – تياجو ليس بعد، إنها مشكلة في الفخذ ولا نعرف من أين أتت”.

وأضاف: “لدينا ثلاث حالات كورونا أخرى في الفريق والمزيد في فريق العمل، الوضع ليس رائعًا في الوقت الحالي، لا أستطيع أن أقول من المصابين، لأنه لا يزال يتعين علينا إجراء مسحات، والحصول على PCR مناسب وكل هذه الأنواع من الأشياء، ولكن الأمر سيكون واضحًا جدًا في قائمة الفريق والتشكيل بعد غد”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. توخيل قبل مواجهة ليفربول: نعصر نفس الليمونة ونتوقع منها عصيرًا طازجًا

وردا على سؤال عما إذا كان الموقف قد يجبر ليفربول على السعي لتأجيل المباراة في تشيلسي: “ليس بعد لكننا لا نعرف”.

وأستطرد كلوب: “لم نكن قريبين من تأجيل المباراة حتى الآن، لم نلحظ تفشي المرض بشكل مناسب حتى الآن ولكنه يحدث أكثر وأكثر، لم نشهد مطلقًا هذا النوع من التفشي حيث كان 10، 15، 20 لاعبًا”.

وأكمل مدرب ليفربول: “بالنسبة لنا كل يوم أكثر من لاعب آخر، أصبح الموظفون الآن أكثر فأكثر، لذا كما قلت من قبل يبدو الأمر وكأنه يانصيب في الصباح عندما تقف هناك وتنتظر النتيجة، لقد كانت الآن إلى حد كبير يومًا بعد يوم دائمًا حالة واحدة، اليوم تظهر حالة أخرى”.

وأتم كلوب: “علينا الانتظار، فالأولاد لم يصلوا بعد، في هذه اللحظة، ربما لا ولكننا لا نعرف كيف سيبدو في غضون ساعات قليلة”.

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed an encouraging boost after it was confirmed that two players returned to training this week…

What’s the word?

Ahead of the second leg of their Europa League Round of 32 clash with Wolfsberger AC tonight, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho delivered a positive update in his pre-game press conference, where he revealed that both Serge Aurier and Giovani Lo Celso were nearing a comeback.

On Aurier, he said: “Serge is almost there, I believe for the weekend and if not the weekend, Fulham next week, but Serge is coming.”

And on Lo Celso, Mourinho added: “Gio is not coming back, but coming back to training with the team, which is a big step and a very important one. Even today, he was training for the first time, of course, with lots of protection in relation to what he could or could not do.

“It’s good news. It’s maybe a couple of weeks to play, but let’s say if everything goes well, we are on the countdown.”

Mourinho will be delighted

Given the run of form Spurs find themselves in at the minute – six defeats in eight – it will be a welcome boost to have two players back capable of making an impact for the rest of the campaign.

At right-back, it is becoming increasingly clear that Mourinho does not trust £15m summer signing Matt Doherty and reports have surfaced, via ESPN, suggesting that his future past the summer could be in serious doubt.

Indeed, Aurier has usurped the Irishman despite all of his own worries. The Spurs boss revealed during their Amazon ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries that he was scared of the former PSG star’s defending, so it speaks volumes that he’s started more times (13) than Doherty (nine).

Japhet Tanganga was preferred to the 29-year-old on Sunday, too.

Whilst Lo Celso is capable of injecting much-needed influence further up the pitch. As we’ve seen in recent matches, Mourinho has given chances to wide duo Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura in the no.10 role, with Tanguy Ndombele playing a little deeper.

This surely means the Argentine playmaker could slot right back in, eventually.

On the face of it, a return of only one goal and one assist in the league isn’t anything to scream about but Lo Celso’s importance shouldn’t be understated.

He sits third to the impressive partnership of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son for key passes per game (0.8), which means he’s creating more chances than everyone but Spurs’ two biggest goal threats.

Whilst of all players to play ten or more league games this term, Aurier (0.24) and Lo Celso (0.21) are only behind Kane for expected assists per 90 minutes, via Understat, only reinforcing their importance to this side picking up results.

In the two games without Aurier, Spurs have scored just once, whilst since the turn of the year, the north London outfit have only surpassed two goals in one game on two occasions, which isn’t good enough for a side that was sitting top of the table in mid-December.

Clearly, the return of the pair will be a major boost for Spurs, and that should ultimately have Mourinho absolutely delighted.

AND in other news, Forget Alli: Jose must unleash “special” £18m-rated Spurs star who’s “full of quality” TONIGHT…

Liverpool earned successive 3-1 away wins in the capital as they triumphed against West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

A brace from Mohamed Salah and a goal from Georginio Wijnaldum were enough to seal the win before Craig Dawson’s late consolation earned a touch of credibility for David Moyes’ side.

Whilst Salah will rightly get a lot of credit for his two world-class goals in the second half, it was perhaps Jordan Henderson’s performance that will delight Klopp the most, as he produced another solid display in an unfamiliar position.

As per SofaScore, the Liverpool captain would earn a strong 7.0 rating for his display, with only Wijnaldum, Xherdan Shaqiri, Thiago and Salah rated higher.

The 31-year-old was featuring as a centre-back once again on Sunday, following the injuries to Joel Matip and Fabinho earlier in the week, but he showed that he can be relied upon when needed.

During the game, Henderson would contest four duels with West Ham players. He would win all of them.

This is even more impressive when you consider the physical nature of Moyes’ side, which boasts the likes of Tomas Soucek, Dawson and Michail Antonio, to name just a few.

The 30-year-old would enjoy 95 touches of the ball against West Ham, which was 55 more than Hammers centre-back Angelo Ogbonna, whilst 80/89 of his passes would find a Liverpool shirt, resulting in a solid 90% pass accuracy – more than his season average of 87.2%.

Despite playing at the back, Henderson was still able to showcase his passing ability, as he contributed one key pass, which was more than both of West Ham’s central midfielders and more than his average of 0.6 in the Premier League so far this season.

Last year, Klopp was full of praise for his captain, saying:

“He is exceptional; he is outstanding.”

Therefore, whilst Salah was the hero for Liverpool with his brace, Henderson’s near-perfect display against an in-form West Ham side means that he should earn a lot of plaudits too.

And, in other news… LFC dealt big transfer blow as reported bid for “natural leader” CB rejected

Sunderland are currently stuck in limbo, unable to train and also unable to take to the playing field.

They have had their next three games postponed because of an outbreak of COVID-19 and the Academy of Light has been shut until at least the 27th December.

Therefore, perhaps a dose of transfer news could bring supporters some light relief.

What’s the word?

It’ll be interesting to see how Sunderland go about their business once the January transfer window rolls around.

Of course, this is the first market that both Kristjaan Speakman and Lee Johnson have had to attack as a duo. They will, however, need to keep in mind the potential takeover that may happen within the next few weeks.

Irrespective of that, Speakman and the manager will have their own targets, one of which has now been revealed.

According to Gloucestershire Live, Sunderland are interested in signing Barnsley winger Luke Thomas. They face competition from Oxford United and several other League One clubs so it won’t be a straightforward pursuit.

It’s not known whether a permanent or temporary switch would be preferred but Thomas is valued at just £720,000 via Transfermarkt. He also currently earns a wage of £6k-per-week at the Tykes.

Bye-bye McGeady

The Irishman’s future at the Stadium of Light remains unclear since the new manager came in. Under Phil Parkinson he looked destined to leave but Johnson threw the experienced winger into his starting XI at the first time of asking.

However, Sunderland have a tight EFL salary cap to contend with and considering McGeady is still on £31k-a-week, he could be one of the first out the door. Signing another winger in Thomas, therefore, won’t help his cause at all.

Though, this shouldn’t be a bad thing, particularly because the 21-year-old would help give the Mackems something they desperately lack – pace.

Speaking last week about Jack Diamond and the upcoming transfer window, Johnson said: “When I was at Yeovil with my dad, he needed a stretch player and he signed a lad called Adam Stansfield for what turned out to be a bag of footballs, and he just enabled the rest of the players to play.”

Johnson continued: “That was the attribute I was looking for in our team, and it is well-known that we are looking for that type of player but, at the same time, if we have already got it in our ranks then there’s no need to sign one.”

Diamond has already scored under the new coaching team but it would be foolish to ignore the fact that Thomas is available.

He hasn’t netted this season but registered a haul of four goals and five assists in League One for Coventry in 2018/19. Crucially, however, is the youngster’s ability to stretch defences.

During that spell, Mark Robins noted: “He has got a lot of ability, with a lot of pace as well.”

Enough said, Sunderland need to sign Thomas next month. He could be game-changing in the race for promotion.

AND in other news, Sunderland ace with “fantastic strength” is the biggest winner from Johnson’s arrival…