Month: November 2024

Personal animosity is the main source of intrigue as Jose Mourinho s Manchester United host Antonio Conte s Chelsea this weekend.

Manchester City s gallop to the title looks unlikely to falter but, in previous years, this fixture was the game that decided who would be the likely kings of England.

Old Trafford has played host to some unforgettable encounters between Untied and Chelsea and it feels like the right time to take a trip down memory lane.

April 2010 Manchester United 1 Chelsea 2

After claiming three consecutive Premier League crowns, United were in pole position for another as they welcomed second-placed Chelsea to Old Trafford at the start of April.

But Alex Ferguson was left fuming as Didier Drogba s blatantly offside winner saw the Bl…

When he joined Atletico Madrid in the close season of 2014, Jan Oblak became the most expensive goalkeeper in Spanish top-flight history at €16million.

Signed on a six-year deal, the fact that he struggled to dislodge Atletico number one Miguel Angel Moya for the first seven months of his time at the club did not seem too concerning for Oblak, as he was still only 21 and had only managed 60 top-flight appearances in four seasons in Portugal across various loan deals and with his parent club Benfica.

He finally made his LaLiga debut on March 21, 2015, at home to Getafe and has missed just 10 league matches since then for Atleti. On Saturday, he is due to make his 200th appearance in Spain s top flight when Atleti visit Valencia.

Since his debut, Oblak has consis…

Alvaro Morata believes Cristiano Ronaldo is happy at Juventus but says the superstar forward will certainly have been affected by the criticism directed his way.

Ronaldo joined Juve in 2018, signing a four-year deal in Turin.

He has gone on to help the Bianconeri to successive Serie A titles – their eighth and ninth in a row – yet has not been able to propel the team to Champions League glory.

It is a failure that cost both Massimiliano Allegri and Maurizio Sarri their jobs, while latest incumbent Andrea Pirlo will also be unable to count European success among any accolades this season, with Juve falling to Porto in the last 16 earlier this month.

Juve s chances of a 10th consecutive Serie A title also look slim, with a shock defeat to Beneven…

Olympique Lyon are without a manager and their next one could well be Laurent Blanc, according to Le Parisien. The French media outlet are reporting that Blanc is the leading candidate to become Lyon s manager, following the departure of Sylvinho.

The Brazilian and former left-back has been sacked following a 1-0 loss in the big derby against Saint-Ettiene. The loss had meant that Lyon are just one point of the bottom place and equal on points with one of the three teams in relegation zone.

According to Le Parisien, Jean Michael Aulas has been dreaming about signing Arsene Wenger for the position ever since the manager s departure from Arsenal, but Blanc is the most realistic option right now. Amongst candidates are also Remi Garde, who worked as Lyon manager from 2011 …

Ousmane Dembele has been approached by two Premier League clubs with big-salary proposals for a free transfer when his contract with Barcelona expires at the end of the season, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The French winger forced his move from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona in the summer of 2017, following Neymar s departure to Paris Saint-Germain. The Catalan club paid over €100 million for his services at the time, but he s hardly justified that kind of expense through inconsistencies and frequent injury problems.

Barcelona are still hopeful of Dembele s contract being extended, but the 24-year-old and his representatives are believed to be disappointed with the club s reluctance to accept his wage demands, while they re working on signing Erling Haaland from his …

Coventry have been preparing for their Premier League assault as popular Sky Blues kitman Chris Marsh fights sepsis.

The former Walsall defender was admitted to University Hospital Coventry this week with the infection which stemmed from a problem in his neck.

He missed Monday’s final day 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough but will be in the dressing room for Sunday’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg against the same opponents at the CBS Arena on Sunday, although cannot work as he recovers.

The effervescent Marsh credits club doctor Ganeshan Ramsamy for acting quickly and knows there could have been a very different outcome.

He told the PA news agency: “I thought it was a wasp sting but I had a really bad night’s sleep so when I came into the tra…

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli said the signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been really important for the Serie A side.

Ibrahimovic is back at Milan for a second time after returning to the Rossoneri – where he won the Scudetto in 2010-11 – at the end of his LA Galaxy contract.

The 38-year-old star has made an immediate impact, scoring in Milan s 2-0 Serie A victory away to Cagliari last week – only his second appearance.

Ibrahimovic was an unused substitute as Milan eased past SPAL 3-0 in the Coppa Italia last 16 on Wednesday, ahead of Udinese s league visit on Sunday, and Pioli hailed the striker amid the club s struggles.

Spot in the quarter-finals  C mon lads! 

Vittoria e qualificazione: bravi ragazzi

— AC Milan (@acmilan) …

Jurgen Klopp is very wary of the threat posed to Liverpool by Inter ahead of their Champions League last-16 second leg, but he has been boosted by positive injury news.

The Reds head into the second leg at Anfield 2-0 up thanks to a commendable win in San Siro last month, even if the scoreline flattered them.

Klopp suggested the two-goal advantage is somewhat precarious, however, claiming it to be the most overturned scoreline in football.

But only once in Champions League history has a team ever lost the first leg of a knockout tie by two or more goals at home and still gone on to progress, with Manchester United doing so against Paris Saint-Germain at this stage three years ago.

That is the only such example in 41 previous instances of the scenario, mea…

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo would welcome Antoine Griezmann back to the club, though he does not expect Barcelona to sell a player who has not hit the expected heights at Camp Nou.

Griezmann joined Barca from their LaLiga rivals in July 2019, a year after a heavily rumoured move had initially appeared set to happen.

Instead, the France international decided to remain in Madrid for one more season, during which he scored 15 league goals. It was his lowest output for a top-flight campaign while at Atleti, who had signed him from Real Sociedad in 2014.

However, linking up with Lionel Messi at Barca has not quite panned out as hoped.

In two years at Barca, the 30-year-old has managed 34 goals in 98 appearances in all competitions. His second seas…

Bayern Munich superstar winger and the long-serving warrior of the Bavarian side Arjen Robben could be on his way to J-League after he leaves Bundesliga at the end of the season.

The 35-year-old is nearing the end of his glorious Bayern Munich career and could become the latest in a line of high-profile footballers to move Far East after Lukas Podolski, Andres Iniesta and Fernando Torres.

Japanese media outlets suggest Robben is thinking about joining FC Tokyo, adding that his family could play a major part in any decision-making. They appear to be looking at the idea of moving to Japan in a positive light, it’s being said.

I have three children and they also must be happy The family plays a very important role in every decision of mine. , Robben was quoted b…