Author: Admin

Categories
football Sports News

Arsenal defeat Liverpool

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 15: Sadio Mane of Liverpool is challenged by Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at Emirates Stadium on July 15, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Paul Childs/Pool via Getty Images)

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said his side “have to learn” after the champions’ hopes of setting a new Premier League points record ended as they suffered only their third defeat of a stellar campaign at Arsenal.

Jurgen Klopp’s side – who will receive the trophy after the game with Chelsea at Anfield next week – needed to win all of their remaining games to eclipse the tally of 100 points set by then champions Manchester City two seasons ago.

And they looked on course when Sadio Mane gave Liverpool a fully deserved lead after 20 minutes as he slid home Andrew Robertson’s cross.

Arsenal were then allowed back into the game before the interval after uncharacteristic errors by two of Liverpool’s most reliable performers, Alexandre Lacazette taking advantage of a dreadful back-pass by Virgil van Dijk to equalise before goalkeeper Alisson’s poor clearance gave Reiss Nelson the opportunity to score with a composed finish.

The second half was almost an exercise in attack against defence as Liverpool laid siege to Arsenal’s goal but Mikel Arteta’s side showed real resilience and determination to close out the win and receive a real morale boost before this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley.

“We have to learn from it, 100 per cent. We’ve had sloppy moments before and not been punished for it but this is good because we have to learn from it. Credit to Arsenal for being there and using it,” Klopp said.

“I can’t make something negative from something so positive, we get the points we deserve and we will see how many that will be. These boys played an exceptional season, nobody can take that away from them.

“I’m disappointed and angry about a few things but the game was good, the attitude was good, but we took a break and that is why we lost the game. That is football, someone is surprised these boys are human beings – I am not. From time to time they are not perfect.”

Categories
football Sports News Transfer News

England set transfer window date

The Premier League and English Football League summer transfer windows will be open for 10 weeks between 27 July and 5 October, subject to Fifa approval.

In addition, the Premier League and EFL say there will be a domestic-only window between 5-16 October.

“During this window, clubs will only be able to trade with EFL clubs (either loans or permanent registrations),” said a Premier League statement.

“No transfers can take place between Premier League clubs in this period.”

The EFL also said any new signings by its clubs could not play until the start of the 2020-21 season.

“This is applicable to clubs involved in the Championship play-offs,” it explained in a statement.

The EFL added: “The window for international registrations closes at 23:00 BST on Monday, 5 October, with an agreement in place with the Premier League for an extended two-week domestic-only window, which will close at 17:00 on Friday, 16 October.”

There has not yet been any announcement on a start date for the 2020-21 season.

Launching the new season on 12 September remains the most likely option, but that comes immediately after September’s round of international games.

The Football Association and EFL are concerned the reduced number of match dates will have an impact on their respective cup competitions

Categories
football Sports News

Rashford to get honorary doctorate

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford will become the youngest person to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester for his campaign against child poverty.

Rashford, 22, campaigned for the government to allow about 1.3 million children to claim free school meal vouchers in England’s summer holidays.

The award is the highest honour the university can bestow.

England forward Rashford said it was “a proud day for myself and my family”.

United legends Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton have previously received the award from the university.

Rashford said: “When you look at the great names that have been awarded this doctorate in the past, it’s humbling.

“We still have a long way to go in the fight to combat child poverty in this country but receiving recognition from your city means we are heading in the right direction and that means a lot.

Categories
Golf Sports News

Tiger Woods eyes Record

Tiger Woods says there is “no reason” why he cannot make PGA Tour history this week with a win at his first competitive event since February.

The 44-year-old goes into the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio chasing an 83rd PGA Tour win that would eclipse Sam Snead’s mark of 82, set in 1965.

“I would like to say that I’m going to win the event,” said Woods, who has won the tournament a record five times.

“That’s my intent coming in, that’s my intent going into every event.”

Woods, who tied Snead’s record by winning the Zozo Championship in Japan last October, added: “Whether that plays out come Sunday, hopefully that will be the case.

“There’s no reason why I can’t do it again this week.”

Masters champion Woods missed tournaments prior to golf’s coronavirus shutdown in order to deal with back issues.

At his last Tour event in February – the Genesis Invitational – he finished last among the players to make the cut.

The 15-time major winner played in a charity event during the official coronavirus shutdown but has since chosen not to compete in behind-closed-doors PGA Tour events.

“I just felt it was better to stay at home and be safe,” said the American. “I’m used to playing with lots of people around me and that puts not only myself in danger but my friends and family.

“That’s something that I looked at and said, ‘I’m really not quite comfortable with that whole idea, let’s see how it plays out first’.”

When Woods does compete at Muirfield Village Golf Club from Thursday he will do so without the usual mass of cameras and spectators that follow his every move at events.

He admits he has been intrigued by events without fans and took to watching in order to process what golf may feel like in the near future.

“To have no one yelling, no one screaming, no energy, the social distancing, no handshakes, there’s nothing to feed off of energy-wise,” said Woods.

“It’s just a silent and different world.”

Categories
football Sports News

Mourinho wants clarification of FFP rules

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho says the “circus” of Financial Fair Play should end after Manchester City overturned a European ban.

On Monday, City had a two-year European ban for “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Play quashed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

Managers including Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and Mourinho have since questioned the clarity of Uefa’s rules.

“Consistency I like, clarity… I don’t like doubts,” said Mourinho.

“That is the only thing that disturbs. My opinion about FFP doesn’t change, like my opinion on VAR.

“When I said a few years ago I like the concept, I like the concept. What I don’t like is the interpretation of it, the people with the tools they have at their disposal.

“And Financial Fair Play is the same thing. When I say it should finish, it is not because I do not agree with the basic principle. It’s because I don’t agree with the circus.”

Categories
football Sports News Transfer News

Psg want Rashford

Paris Saint-Germain have had an awful lot of time to plan for next season, but manager Thomas Tuchel has been absolutely unwavering on one view. There’s been no second-guessing himself, or mulling it over.

The German sees Marcus Rashford as a top target. Tuchel has been even more emphatic when discussing it with key figures around the club. He thinks England “don’t realise how good a player Rashford actually is”.

The Old Trafford hierarchy, however, greatly value Rashford. It may take quite the offer to see how much. Even in this Covid-19 deflated market, United would want over £100m. Tuchel would probably be willing to pay it.

The PSG boss adores Rashford’s directness and versatility. He feels that willingness to run, as well as some of the more selfless aspects of his game, can greatly complement Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Rashford could even represent a long-term alternative to Mbappe, if Real Madrid can eventually make their move there.

This is also what Tuchel prizes. He feels Rashford can play in a number of positions, without his level dropping in any of them. That versatility is of particular value to Tuchel because of the variety he loves in his team’s attacks, as well as the desire for them to interchange and offer a whirlwind of movement.

He sees Rashford as “the perfect model of the modern dynamic attacking player”, who you can see fitting into most elite teams. ✕

It isn’t the only interest Rashford has had from major continental club, after all. Barcelona were very keen last year, at the time when they were trying to increase their points of attack, and trying to figure out who best to sign. They felt Rashford would have been perfectly suited to La Liga. They were also particularly impressed with his England form, and felt these showed that bigger games bring out even more in the 22-year-old.

Barca didn’t act at the time, both because they believed it would be too difficult to do a deal with United, and because there was an existing dialogue with Antoine Griezmann. What is true is that Rashford probably would have suited Barca’s 4-3-3 better than the French star, especially when producing that “wide raider” form that Gareth Southgate has so lionised.

Categories
football Sports News

Lampard wants more as chelsea Defeat Norwich

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard says he “wants more” from his team but it “can wait” as their pursuit to secure a Champions League spot was given a boost by a narrow victory over relegated Norwich.

Striker Olivier Giroud guided a header past Tim Krul on the stroke of half-time after Christian Pulisic created space for the cross on the right.

The Chelsea pair almost combined again in the second half but Pulisic could not guide Giroud’s chipped ball past Krul.

Victory strengthens Chelsea’s hold on third place in the Premier League, where they sit four points above Leicester and Manchester United, who both play on Thursday.

“At this stage of the season results are critical and we didn’t concede any chances of note to let them score,” Lampard told Sky Sports.

“Where we are at as a team and where we are in the table, it is all about the result.”

Norwich, who were relegated following a 4-0 thrashing by West Ham on Saturday, failed to record a shot on target during the match.

But Lampard said his team “can improve” despite showing “a bit more personality in our game”.

“We need to move the ball quicker and be more mobile with our rotations,” he added. “We have done it in parts this season but if we want to move on, it needs to be better. But I don’t want to be too critical after a win.

“We didn’t give them anything to worry us. We had 10-15 minutes in the second half where we were slow and I didn’t like it but after that we got it back.”

Categories
football Sports News

AHEAD TITLE VICTORY: REAL MADRID WANTS FANS TO CELEBRATE LA LIGA TITLE INDOORS

Real Madrid are on the vouch of winning the 2019/2020 La Liga title, but after seeing what happened after Liverpool’s Premier League triumph, the Bernabeu side wants its fans to celebrate indoors.


Real Madrid issued a public statement on Tuesday urging fans not to gather to celebrate any potential title considering the coronavirus concerns that still persist in Spain and its capital city. It’s been customary for the club’s supporters to celebrate its many successes at the Cibeles fountain, but Real Madrid strongly prefers that tradition to be put on hold.


“Real Madrid C.F. calls on its club members and supporters not to gather in Cibeles in the event that the team secures the La Liga title,” the club wrote. “We are all aware of the difficult situation that we are experiencing and the efforts being made across society to counter the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Football is also playing its part in this and, with everyone’s help, we managed to resume the competition in extremely complex circumstances.”


Real Madrid will win the league Thursday if it beats Villarreal or Barcelona loses to Osasuna. Real leads Barça by four points with two games remaining and holds the tiebreaker vs. Barcelona by virtue of a better head-to-head mark this season. When Liverpool won its first English title in 30 years, fans flocked to Anfield and drew the ire of the club and local law enforcement. Real Madrid doesn’t want a repeat.


“In the event that Real Madrid are crowned champions, our players will not visit the usual points of celebration, in particular, the Plaza de Cibeles and we therefore also ask our club members and supporters that, in the event that we secure the title, they did not gather in these places. In this regard, all of us must make a contribution, as has been the case to date, and show the utmost responsibility to avoid the risk of contagion,” Real Madrid’s statement continued. 


“Real Madrid thanks our members and supporters in advance for their understanding. All of the effort and work put in by our players, coaching staff and the club towards this possible title success has always been done with a view to sharing the triumph with our fans, but we are aware that the current situation obliges us to maximize the necessary precautionary measures. 

“Real Madrid feels the duty to issue this important call in a show of utmost responsibility and with the firm belief that any possible triumph involving our team must not give rise to a massive backward step in the battle we are all waging against this pandemic.”


Real Madrid and Barcelona have simultaneous kickoffs on Thursday. Should Real Madrid lose and Barcelona win, the title would go down to the final day of the season on Sunday.

Categories
football Sports News

REAL MADRID’S LUKA JOVIC REJOINS TEAM AFTER TESTING NEGATIVE TO CORONA VIRUS FOR THIRD TIME

Real Madrid attacker Luka Jovic rejoined the squad in training on Tuesday after testing negative for Covid-19 for the third straight time.

Jovic had been in touch with a friend who tested positive recently and had to miss the last week of training even though he had been testing negative since the very beginning.


It has not been an easy time for Jovic after the quarantine. The attacker needed to recover from a foot fracture and lost his spot as Benzema’s backup to Mariano Diaz.


Reports from the Spanish press suggest that Real Madrid are willing to sell the attacker even after spending €60 million to sign him away from Eintracht Frankfurt just a year ago, meaning that Jovic’s return to the squad will not mean much for coach Zinedine Zidane right now.

The striker has had a very tough season and should not make a big impact for Real Madrid this season.

Categories
football Sports News Transfer News

EVERTON SWEATING ON DEFENSIVE INJURIES AHEAD VILLA CLASH

Everton are sweating over the fitness of their major defenders with Mason Holgate bring the fresh victim after the defender missed training again today.


The Blues have been without the 23-year-old defender for the past two matches because of a shin injury picked up at Spurs over a week ago.
Holgate, who has become Everton’s first-choice centre-back since Carlo Ancelotti came to the club, has been sidelined for the games with Southampton and Wolves – and remains a major doubt for Thursday’s visit of relegation threatened Aston Villa.


Carlo Ancelotti will provide an update on Holgate’s chances of facing Villa, when he holds a virtual press conference on Wednesday afternoon. 
The Blues boss will also give greater clarity on the fitness of Andre Gomes who was ruled out of the Wolves game after picking up a knock on his ankle.


Yerry Mina was forced off after just 31 minutes of Sunday’s game at Molineux with an unspecified muscle injury and it remains to be seen if he will be fit for the Villa clash or given the time to fully heal and not rushed back.


Following the Wolves game, Ancelotti said: “Yerry had a muscular problem.
“Unfortunately, when you only have two days to recover, the player doesn’t recover properly and to have an injury like this can happen.