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MADRID — Cristiano Ronaldo has been rested along with other key players for Real Madrid’s match at Las Palmas on Saturday. Coach Zinedine Zidane left out his 22-goal top scorer ahead of Madrid’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg away to Juventus on Tuesday. Zidane also rested center half Sergio Ramos, midfielder Francisco “Isco” Alarcon, left […]
The post Madrid rests Ronaldo and other key players for league game appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
United have upped the ante in their pursuit of Celtic full-back Kieran Tierney, as Jose Mourinho attempts to solve the club’s defensive crisis once and for all, reports the Daily Record.
Mourinho is satisfied by the wide range of options and quality he now has in his attacking positions, but has been underwhelmed by the midfield and defense.
As a result, he is looking to splash big in the summer for the third season running to strengthen the weaker areas of his squad, as he attempts to put up a stronger challenge for the title next season.
Tierney is only 20 years old, but is already well known amongst Europe’s elite clubs. Having made his breakthrough into the Celtic first team as a teenager, the defender’s reputation continues to grow every year.
WATCH: Who Will Be United’s Next Number 10?
Mourinho is eager to get rid of the deadwood and make wholesome changes at the back, and it is likely that Matteo Darmian, Daley Blind, and even Luke Shaw will leave the club in the summer, to allow Tierney to come in.
Despite his young age, Tierney has already captained both Celtic and Scotland, displaying leadership qualities that are sorely lacking at United at the moment, and will be required even more so now that Michael Carrick is set to retire at the end of the season.
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Manchester United’s Top 10 Targets For The Summer Transfer Window
The defender is also capable of playing anywhere along the back-line, having operated on either flank and also on the left of a back three for his country.
Mourinho values versatility, considering the number of times he has been forced to tinker with formations, and that will work in the Scotsman’s favour.
United have also been linked with a move for Alex Sandro, but Tierney would be a far younger and cheaper option at just upwards of £20 million compared to the €70 million Juventus are asking for their Brazilian full-back.
The post Jose Mourinho Plotting £20m Move For Sensational Talent appeared first on BlameFootball.
Jose Mourinho is a gem of a manager, and his resume and relationship with players is out there to prove that. However, the Portuguese gaffer has had the habit of being critical of his players.
Anyone in the competitive sports will know just how important criticism is, and how it often goes a long way into turning the performances of talents around. Only, there is a major flaw in Mourinho’s technique, and that is in his choice to criticize them publicly and often in heated and sour press conferences.
The most recent victim of this is Luke Shaw, whose half-time substitution after Manchester United’s FA Cup encounter culminated in a post-match bashing on part of his manager.
But the young left-back isn’t the only one under his leadership to have been subjected to a public humiliation, and here are some instances:
1. Quaresma
Starting all the way back during his Inter Milan days, Mourinho’s knack for being a hard leader was obvious. Having joined with much hopes pinned on him, Quaresma’s days didn’t go as well.
And Mourinho didn’t mince words when he attributed the winger’s fall from grace and eventual loan departure: “Quaresma is likely to come back, but he will have to present himself with a different mentality in order to do what he hasn’t done for Inter yet.”
Incidentally, the Portuguese player himself seemed to have had his fill as he later went on to remark: “My biggest regret was joining Inter.”
2. Kevin De Bruyne
Currently one of Premier League’s most dangerous midfielders, the De Bruyne under Jose Mourinho’s leadership at Chelsea was a sorry sight to look at. Deprived of game time, his frustration was added to due to Mourinho’s constant critical comments.
In fact, when his frustration came to a head and he started expressing a desire to leave, Mourinho didn’t leave him there either, stating: “With De Bruyne, if you have a player knocking on your door and crying every day he wants to leave, you have to make a decision. He was not ready to compete. He was an upset kid, his training very bad.”
3. Eden Hazard
While KDB’s case was that of a youngster struggling for game time, Hazard’s situation was even direr. Mourinho’s season after a brilliant Premier League win was one to forget. Nothing seemed to be going well for the London Blues, and the big man was swiping at targets left, right and center to account for his side’s dismal showing.
For Hazard, he had choice words: “Eden is the kind of player who is not so mentally ready to look back at his left-back and live his life for him. Today we’re playing with 10.”
Even before, a similar wrath was wrecked onto Romelu Lukaku and Juan Mata, both of whom are incidentally happy players under him at Old Trafford.
4. Iker Casillas
Despite his largely successful career, it goes without saying that Mourinho will consider his time at Real Madrid as one that was futile, and where he didn’t achieve what he set out to do.
At the La Liga side too, he found many a chance to school his players in public, but perhaps none was more outright and blunt than the spar with his goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Several spars preceding Clasicos occurred between the duo, including a major one where the Spaniard was accused of leaking a lineup in the build-up to a high-profile encounter.
This was in addition to him dropping the world-class goalkeeper, and later remarking: “Would I do anything differently if I had the chance to do the past three years over again? I should have brought in Diego Lopez after my first year. We didn’t do enough to sign him. It’s a real shame.”
Clearly a dig at Casillas, the saga also ensured that he had issues with Pepe and Sergio Ramos on the subject.
5. Bastian Schweinsteiger
Brought to United to much acclaim, the German’s sole contribution during his years at the side seemed to be the shirt sales he brought along. And much of it can be attributed to how Mourinho didn’t really do his playing style much justice.
In fact, when the former Bayern Munich star eventually moved onto Chicago Fire, Mourinho himself expressed regret over his treatment of the midfielder, saying: “He’s in the category of players that I feel sorry for something that I did to him. I feel sorry for the first period with him, he knows that. I am happy that he knows because I told him.”
Players like Mkhitaryan have also faced his wrath at Old Trafford later on, and as of now, the manager is yet to be as apologetic.
It now remains to be seen who is next on his public hit list, and whether or not it will have the intended effect of motivating them to perform and excel.
The post 5 Times Mourinho Publicly Lashed Out At His Players appeared first on BlameFootball.
Jonathan Tannenwald of The Philadelphia Inquirer joined Sportsnet 650’s On Point to discuss Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s signing with the LA Galaxy, and what his arrival means for Major League Soccer.
[radioclip id=3950617]
Toni Kroos won’t be too happy with EA Sports.
The Real Madrid star, and his fans, have long been asking the FIFA 18 developer for a pace upgrade – believing his 50-rated score is too low.
The Los Blancos midfielder once even tweeted footage of him sprinting – in a bid to get his plea noticed.
this is 90 pace LoooL pic.twitter.com/MwGDOeKSaZ
— راكان (@rekko_7) December 11, 2017
Well, EA listened and, in an earlier Team of the Week, gave Kroos a pace upgrade – of one point.
Ouch.
That brought Kroos’ speed rating to a shocking 51 – in what can only be described as one of the most pointless upgrades we’ve ever seen.
But it gets worse for the German, when you look at the latest Team of the Week.
Despite a string of wonderful performances, the 28-year-old gets just one more point added to his speed – taking it to underwhelming 52.
Kroos joins the likes of Salah in this week’s TOTWAnyone who plays FIFA will know this is utterly meaningless.
Bumping him up to 60 would have a real impact, but one point won’t do him any favours in a game that notoriously relies on pace.
It’s not all bad news.
His new card boasts 86 shooting, 92 passing and 85 dribbling – making it his best so far by some distance.
If he were to get a speed boost, he’d be almost unstoppable – so maybe it’s a way of EA trying to keep things ‘fair’.
Kroos’ standard cardKroos shouldn’t give up asking, though.
EA finally gave Yannick Bolasie the ability to pull off the El Tornado skill move – after the Everton winger bombarded them on Twitter.
The 27-year-old, who spent much of last year injured, claimed the move was nothing more than his own Bolasie flick.
READ MORE
Manchester United eye £90m Eden Hazard deal as Jose Mourinho eyes reunion Mohamed Salah once saved Egypt’s entire economy from going tits up QUIZ: Can you guess these European stadiums from the sky?Is there enough room on the internet for a few more words about the brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo?
Four months ago, the vultures were circling over the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Memes about him having more kids than league goals flooded the internet (and we admit we posted a couple of our own) were supplemented by more earnest discussions about whether he was suffering an irreversible decline.
“He’s finished,” they saidReutersThe stats made for brutal reading.
Ronaldo’s conversion rate made him the least clinical finisher in Europe’s top five leagues and by mid-November he had just one La Liga goal to show for his efforts.
Most players would have kept their head down in training; many would have suffered a crisis of confidence.
But Ronaldo is not like most players.
According to Marca, at the height of his struggles, the Portuguese forward made a bet with his team-mates that he would win the Pichichi award (Spain’s equivalent of the Golden Boot).
At that stage, he was ten goals behind his long-time rival, Lionel Messi.
A cakewalk for Leo. Or is it?REUTERSIf it was anyone else, you’d think he was joking.
Ronaldo doesn’t joke about scoring goals — that’s serious business to him.
Now here we are, mid-March, and despite the fact Messi has continued to find the net with regularity, Ronaldo is just three goals behind Barcelona’s No10.
Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer has scored 17 goals in his last eight games.
Even by his standards, that is a phenomenal streak of goalscoring.
50 career hat-tricks. 50. Count to 50 right now and tell us that’s not utterly obsceneGetty - ContributorWith Ronaldo in particularly devastating form, the race for the Pichichi is is set to be a key feature for the remainder of the season.
Real Madrid’s hopes of defending their league title may have died long ago but and Ronaldo may well win his bet with his team-mates, as the smallest of consolations.
While some may have accused Ronaldo of being arrogant, or possibly even delusional, at the time of the wager, it’s his unbridled self-confidence which has led to his resurgence in form.
Go on, do the noiseAFP OR LICENSORSRonaldo believes he is the greatest player to ever play the game, he’s said it openly many times.
Such unwavering belief has allowed him to prove his doubters wrong, again.
It’s this same attitude, encouraged by Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United, that led to him transform from a skinny, stepover-obsessed winger, to the most insatiable goalscorer of his generation.
The fire still burnsPA:Press AssociationMost of us would have mocked Ronaldo’s bet because it seemed impossible at the time.
Ronaldo has never recognised the word impossible.
He may not overtake Messi by the end of the season but, at the age of 33, he’s reminded everyone that he is not to be underestimated in any capacity.
PLAY DREAM TEAM WEEKENDER Pick seven players to win £10k!READ MORE:
Egypt are the World Cup dark horses to be feared… and not just because of Mo Salah What do the last 20 seasons of Player of the Year tell us about Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah’s chances? US Soccer chief scout honestly believes that Lionel Messi ‘lacks soccer IQ’Luke Shaw was involved in an amazing training ground bust-up with Jose Mourinho before he was humiliated during the FA Cup win over Brighton.
Shaw has no future at Old Trafford after Mourinho suggested the left-back wanted to be subbed during the 2-0 victory against Chris Hughton’s side.
CLAIM YOUR FREE £20 BET Sun Bets have this brilliant offer when you sign up and bet a fiver Luke Shaw was hauled off at half-time against Brighton in the FA Cup at Old TraffordAP:Associated Press The Manchester United left-back has been criticised by Red Devils boss Jose MourinhoAFP or licensorsVs WATFORD, SEPTEMBER 2016
“For the second goal, Amrabat receives the ball and our left-back is 25 metres from him instead of five metres. But even at 25 metres, you have to jump and go and press, but no, we wait.
“This is a tactical but also a mental attitude. It’s something that doesn’t become perfect in a couple of weeks.”
Vs WEST BROM, APRIL 2017 (Shaw left out of squad)
“It’s difficult for him to be on the bench because I cannot compare him with Ashley Young, with Darmian, with Blind.
“I cannot compare the way he trains, the way he way he commits, the focus, the ambition. He is a long way behind.”
Vs SWANSEA, APRIL 2017
“Luke Shaw must be a big injury, because to leave the pitch after 10 minutes I am expecting a very big injury.”
Vs BRIGHTON, MARCH 2018
“I wanted to defend better. I wanted my defensive line to be more solid in relation to a few offensive movements they made.
“And I want more personality in the team because many, many times I felt that Matic was an island of personality, of desire, of control surrounded by not water but surrounded by lack of personality, lack of class, lack of desire.”
Shaw, hauled off after 45 minutes against Brighton, had earlier demanded to see the Special One in a training ground meeting.
The 22-year-old wanted assurances from the Manchester United chief about his future at Old Trafford.
But Mourinho flew off the handle at him in an extraordinary outburst that convinced Shaw he has no chance of repairing his relationship with the manager.
Shaw, desperate to break into Gareth Southgate’s plans for the World Cup, went to see Mourinho after United’s stirring comeback at Crystal Palace where they were 2-0 down and eventually won 3-2.
PLAY DREAM TEAM WEEKENDER Pick seven players to win £10k! The 22-year-old’s future at the Theatre of Dreams appears to be in doubt once againGetty - Contributor Luke Shaw has endured a frustrating time at United under MourinhoPA:Press AssociationMourinho had sent him on with 23 minutes left, but he was then an unused sub for the win over Liverpool and excluded altogether from the squad which lost to Sevilla in the Champions League.
The Special One told Shaw he would play in the FA Cup tie against Brighton, but it was designed to be a shop window ahead of a summer move away from United.
But Mourinho was furious with Shaw’s performance and replaced him with Ashley Young at the start of the second half.
United have drawn Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-finals, with Chelsea to face Southampton.
READ MORE:
After successfully raiding Chelsea for the import of Nemanja Matic, Manchester United are set to lure yet another Blues’ fan-favourite to Old Trafford in the shape of Marcos Alonso.
The Spaniard was an integral part of Chelsea’s game-changing back five system last time around, when they were crowned champions of England.
Alonso’s tireless work as a reliable defender on the left flank and as a support during attacks has earned him 13 goals in 74 games.
Moreover, consistency is an admirable trait of the left-back. Naturally, the talented defender has managed to catch some eyes.
WATCH: What Salah Said To Watford Goalkeeper After Scoring 4 Goals
According to Don Balon, Jose Mourinho is prepared to go in pretty hard in order to make this happen. The Portuguese is reportedly urging his club to make an incredible bid of £70 million.
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It definitely seems like a price tag that is blown out of proportion, but considering rivals Man City’s exploits in the transfer market for defenders, it is certainly understandable.
It’s fairly evident that Mourinho is a fan of using wing-backs, and the Spanish international would definitely fit into that role at United seamlessly. Moreover, it would certainly be a rather good upgrade on Ashley Young, who lacks reliable defensive ability.
Further, with the 27-year-old’s versatility and consistency as a left-back and wing-back, it is not too hard to see why the former Real Madrid boss would want the star man in his squad.
The post Mourinho Urges Club To Bid £70 Million For Chelsea’s Spanish Star appeared first on BlameFootball.
Philippines Football League champion Ceres Negros overcame Shan United for the second straight week, this time recording a 1-0 away victory at Thuwunna Stadium to inch closer to the knockout phase of the AFC Cup. The Busmen leaned on an early penalty conversion from Spanish striker Bienve Maranon and needed some stellar goalkeeping from Toni […]
The post Ceres nips Shan United anew, nears AFC Cup KO stage appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
Here’s what happened in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, in case you missed it…
READ ALL ABOUT IT• Manchester United 1, Sevilla 2: Match report || Scoresheet
• AS Roma 1, Shakhtar Donetsk 0: Match report || Scoresheet
It’s about Sevilla – not Man United
A lot of the post-match analysis of Sevilla’s win over Manchester United will no doubt focus on the English side, and why they exited European club soccer’s biggest stage at the round of 16 in complete disgrace. Questions will be asked of United manager Jose Mourinho, and why he didn’t set his team up to attack with greater vigour against the Spaniards in the second leg after battling to a 0-0 draw in the opener a few weeks ago.
But that misses the point. Tuesday’s contest wasn’t so much about what Manchester United didn’t do, but rather what Sevilla did do. Full credit must be given to manager Vincenzo Montella’s side for marching into Old Trafford and dictating the pace of the match right from the opening kickoff. The duo of Steven Nzonzi and Ever Banega combined to dominate midfield play, reducing so many of Manchester United’s players as onlookers who tried in vain to chase them down and win back the ball.
And it was Montella, and not Mourinho, who made the decisive adjustment in the second half. While the United manager introduced Paul Pogba for Marouane Fellaini (a switch that did little to affect the Red Devils’ attacking aspirations), Montella brought on Wissam Ben Yedder for the ineffective Luis Muriel.
Immediately, the speedy Frenchman linked up with Banega and attacking cohort Pablo Sarabia, scoring the opening goal less than two minutes after stepping onto the pitch. Sarabia played a defence-splitting pass for Ben Yedder, who finished it off with aplomb, driving a low shot inside the post. Moments later Ben Yedder doubled Sevilla’s lead when his header at the far post handcuffed goalkeeper David De Gea.
There was no way back at that point for United, who was neutralized by Sevilla’s midfield on the night.
BEST GOAL OF THE DAYThe winning goal for AS Roma came out of nothing in the 52nd minute when Dutchman Kevin Strootman played a wonderfully-weighted through ball down the left side that split open the Shakhtar Donetsk defence. Edin Dzeko timed his run to perfection, latching onto the ball and beating onrushing goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov through the legs with an exquisite finish.
BEST MOMENT OF THE DAYTFW you make your first Champions League quarterfinal in club history. pic.twitter.com/ECckWKIc6r
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 13, 2018
Struggling to think of a partnership that has a greater contrast in quality than Bailly and Smalling. Maybe Jake and the Fat Man.
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) March 13, 2018
Mourinho has said some things in his post match press conference that Manchester United fans may not be happy with. #MUNSEV #UCL #TV3UCL pic.twitter.com/Z93WMJzlBX
— TV3 Sport (@TV3SportIreland) March 13, 2018
Manchester United never managed to get a firm hold on the game. One of the main reasons why was the play of Banega, who served as Sevilla’s chief organizer and orchestrator, especially in the first half when he was far more productive than any United player. Banega and Nzonzi effectively controlled the midfield through the opening 45 minutes, allowing Sevilla to stay in the game before hitting United with a sucker punch in the second half in the form of Ben Yedder’s brace.
49 – Ever Banega completed 49 of his 52 passes in the first half, at least 21 more than any Manchester United player. Dreamer. pic.twitter.com/CDViEmCTVl
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 13, 2018
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SIX PACK OF STATS• Sevilla’s Ben Yedder scored the fastest goal (87 seconds) by a substitute in this season’s Champions League.
• AS Roma’s Dzeko has scored four goals in this Champions League campaign, equaling his best single-season tally in the competition (four goals in 2009-10 with Wolfsburg).
• Ben Yedder is the first substitute in Champions League history to score a brace against Manchester United.
• AS Roma have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four Champions League home games (with three wins)
• Sevilla will play in the Champions League/European Cup quarter-finals for only the second time, the first since 1958.
• Two Italian teams have reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2006-07.
Stats courtesy of Opta
1) Wissam Ben Yedder, Sevilla: The super sub broke the deadlock at Old Trafford by scoring a pair of goals a mere six minutes after entering the game.
2) Edin Dzeko, AS Roma: Scored the lone goal, and was the reference point for a Roma attack that unnerved Shakhtar Donetsk for most of the match.
3) Ever Banega, Sevilla: The diminutive Argentine served as Sevilla’s midfield general, and he played a part in setting up Ben Yedder’s first goal.
BERLIN — Stuttgart held Leipzig to a 0-0 draw on Sunday to stay unbeaten in six Bundesliga games under new coach Tayfun Korkut.
Leipzig, which hasn’t won in four games, remains sixth and is two points behind Borussia Dortmund in the last place for Champions League qualification.
Dortmund hosted Eintracht Frankfurt later Sunday, when both sides can go third.
Timo Werner had the best chances for Leipzig on his return to his former side. The Germany striker missed a great opportunity before the break when Stuttgart ‘keeper Ron-Robert Zieler got a foot to his shot.
Arguably the best chance of an uninspiring game fell to Mario Gomez, who headed wide for hosts Stuttgart with 10 minutes remaining.
MADRID — One is keeping Barcelona in contention for a treble, and the other is putting Real Madrid in position to clinch a third straight Champions League title. Of course, it’s Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo — and it’s not the least bit surprising that they are stepping up at just the right time for […]
The post Yet again, Messi and Ronaldo thriving when it matters most appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
PARIS — A former Barcelona and Juventus defender, Dani Alves has all the credentials required to speak about what makes a club great. Signed by Paris Saint-Germain last year as part of the French club’s plans to win the Champions League, the 34-year-old Brazil right back believes his new team is at a crossroads. After […]
The post PSG at crossroads of history against Real Madrid appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
NYON, Switzerland — Tributes will be paid before Champions League and Europa League games this week to honour Italian player Davide Astori, who died over the weekend.
UEFA said Monday there will be a minute’s silence in memory of the Fiorentina captain before all games.
Three Italian clubs are playing this week, including AC Milan, where Astori began his professional career.
Juventus plays at Tottenham in the Champions League on Wednesday, and Milan and Lazio host Europa League games on Thursday against Arsenal and Dynamo Kyiv, respectively.
The 31-year-old Astori was found dead in his hotel room on Sunday after a suspected cardiac arrest before his team was set to play an Italian league match at Udinese.
His funeral will take place on Thursday at the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence.
“He did what he had to do in this chaotic world and left for a better world,” Paris Saint-Germain defender Dani Alves said Monday. “We are sad because we lost a colleague. The whole team wants to send its support to his family and friends.”
A criminal investigation has been opened but Udine prosecutor Antonio De Nicolo stressed that it was normal procedure and there is no current reason to suspect any wrongdoing.
An autopsy will take place on Tuesday and Astori’s body will be brought back to Florence the following day and taken to Italy’s national training centre, on the outskirts of the city, for people to pay their respects.
Astori played 14 teams for Italy, including at the 2013 Confederations Cup.
He leaves behind his wife and a 2-year-old daughter.
Copyright @ 2013 Football prediction .:BTTS Prediction:. Football Picks.