Month: July 2020

Sheffield United boss, Chris Wilder has appealed to his management that his team needs some bolstering if they must out perform their current status in the just concluded premier league season.

Speaking after the 3-1 loss to Southampton, Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder admitted that if his side want to progress further up the Premier League table then they need to invest in better players.

The Blades finished 9th on the log despite losing 3-1 to Southampton on final match day.

Chris Wilder’s men outclassed other new returnees to the premier league, Norwich City and Aston Villa, Only Villa managed to escape relegation on final match day after getting a draw against Westham United.

Despite missing out on European football for next season, Chris Wilder believes his team needs more bolstering if they must perform better next season.

Kevin De Bruyne is adamant he has broken Thierry Henry’s Premier League assist record.

The Man City playmaker scored twice and assisted one goal in his side’s final-day 5-0 win over Norwich on Sunday.

That assist put De Bruyne level with Henry’s record (20) from the 2002/03 campaign.

In a 3-0 win at Arsenal last December, De Bruyne harshly had an assist taken off him for a Raheem Sterling goal.

The 29-year-old’s cross took a faint deflection off a Gunners defender before reaching Sterling, who tapped the ball in.
Speaking after the Norwich thumping, De Bruyne appeared to reference that goal and another one.

He said: “I have got two more assists. You guys took two away from me.

“I’m still claiming that one. For me I was already there [level with Henry’s record].”

De Bruyne, who also scored 13 league goals this season, came second to Jordan Henderson as the Liverpool captain won the PFA Player of the Year award.

While Henderson’s stats were nowhere near the Belgium midfielder, he led Liverpool to a first top-flight title in 30 years.

Only Barcelona star Lionel Messi (112) has more league assists than De Bruyne (101) since his arrival in England in 2012.

Manchester United secured a place in the Champions League at the expense of Leicester City with victory at King Power Stadium.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side needed a point from this decisive final-day meeting to confirm a place in the top four – and break the hearts of the Foxes, who were in a Champions League spot for so much of the season.

Leicester needed victory once Chelsea took command at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers but their dreams were dashed as Bruno Fernandes scored a 71st-minute penalty after Anthony Martial tumbled under challenge from Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans.

Both sides had their chances, with Leicester City keeper Kasper Schmeichel saving well from Marcus Rashford in the first half and Jamie Vardy seeing a header glance off the frame of the goal after the break.

Leicester pressed but could not break Manchester United down and their misery was compounded when Evans was sent off against his former club for a wild, late lunge on Scott McTominay.

Manchester United confirmed the formalities seconds from time when substitute Jesse Lingard robbed Schmeichel and rolled the ball into an empty net.

It is a result that fulfils the usual minimum requirement of Champions League qualification for Manchester United.

But while Leicester City’s fifth-placed finish is highly creditable and earns a place in the Europa League, this will undoubtedly be a huge disappointment and anti-climax after being in a position to reach the Champions League for so long.

Jurgen Klopp has dismissed any notion his team is arrogant after Frank Lampard’s warning and has told his Chelsea counterpart he needs to learn to not talk about whatever happens on the touchline postmatch.

Lampard was critical of Liverpool’s touchline conduct in their midweek Premier League match, which Liverpool won 5-3 at Anfield. The Chelsea boss later clarified he was not annoyed with Klopp’s conduct, but with the “people behind the bench.”

He warned Liverpool “don’t get too arrogant” with their success postmatch. And speaking Friday, when Klopp was asked about Lampard’s warning, he gave his take on Lampard’s criticism and said the Chelsea manager needs to learn when to stop talking about what happened on the field.

“We are not arrogant. Frank was in a competitive mood, I respect that a lot,” Klopp said. “From my point of view, in this situation [mid-match] you can say pretty much what you want… he came here to win the game, or get a point to help with Champions League qualification and I respect that.

“What he has to learn is to finish it with the last whistle and he didn’t do that. Speaking afterwards about it, is not OK. Frank has to learn this, he has a lot of time to learn as he’s a young coach, but he has to learn this.

“We are not arrogant, we are pretty much the opposite. Final whistle, close the book and he didn’t do that and that’s what I don’t like.”

Klopp clarified his view, adding that he would not have spoken about Lampard, had he not been asked about the Chelsea boss’ postmatch comments in Friday’s news conference teeing up Sunday’s match against Newcastle.

“As he spoke afterwards, it makes sense to speak about what I mean,” Klopp added.

The Liverpool manager was speaking on the day his captain Jordan Henderson was named Football Writers’ Association’s Footballer of the Year.

And he paid tribute to Henderson, saying: “Resilience made him the player he is now. Talent or attitude? It’s a mix and Henderson is the perfect answer to that. If you want to have a guy who has fought his way through to become one of the best players in the league and this year everybody acknowledged that. I am really proud of him and he’s an exceptional captain.”

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has advised that the club need to copy the blueprint of local rivals Liverpool in order to succeed in the future.

Liverpool claimed their first league title in 30 years this season after securing the Champions League last year.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp lost three cup finals in his first three years at Anfield but has guided the club to four trophies over the last couple of seasons.
“First of all, we have to be a little bit patient because it takes time to improve,” “If you consider what Liverpool did, I think Liverpool started the project five years ago and they are at the top” he told newsmen

“We have to try and do the same. We have to keep the high ambition, high motivation and day by day to try to improve.”

Ancelotti also praised Richarlison who is the club’s joint top scorer this season with 15 goals level with Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

“I can talk a lot about Richarlison,” he added. “What I see in him is a fantastic striker, more effective in the box than outside of the box.

“I was joking with him but he can be one of the top 10 in the box, it’s outside of the box where he has to improve.

“He needs to have more confidence outside of the box and to lose the ball less but honestly in front of goal he is really cold. I really like him because he’s a nice, humble guy and all the time he’s happy.”

Ancelotti succeeded Marco Silva at Goodison Park in December with the club four points above the relegation zone.

Everton are in 11th position in the league table with one match remaining and Ancelotti said he is happy on Merseyside.

“I am imvolved in a fantastic project and I think for a manager, the success is not only to take the cup and lift the cup high,” he said.

“Success is to see your team improve, to see your club to have ambition and give to your idea of how you want to play, that is success. It’s not only to finish in the first position.” The Italian concluded.