Tag Futebol

Having gotten his first win of his fledgling reign as interim head coach against West Ham last Monday night, Freddie Ljungberg will be hoping for an early Christmas miracle when his Arsenal side take on Premier League champions Manchester City.

The Gunners proceeded to draw their next game after the Hammers result when they travelled to Belgium to face Standard Liege in the Europa League on Thursday, but they did achieve their main objective by finishing top of their group. And having rested several of his key first-team stars for that clash, Ljungberg will no doubt be looking to recall as many of them as possible for Sunday afternoon.

Below is a look at just how the Gunners might line up to face Pep Guardiola’s side.

When Arsenal arrived at the London Stadium last Monday to take on West Ham, they had both Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney pencilled in to start. By the end of the night however, both would be injured, with the latter reportedly out for the next three months with a dislocated shoulder. That will mean Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sead Kolasinac keep their places at full-back, with Sokratis and Chambers in-field of them.

Granit Xhaka no doubt would have expected to have featured against City, but an injury update earlier in the week has ruled him out of the contest with concussion, thus allowing Matteo Guendouzi to reclaim his place in the Premier League side.

Can you name all of these obscure Arsenal signings? Give it a go now!

And whilst Nicolas Pepe was also noted down to be a doubt for the contest, Ljungberg will surely wait until the last moment before definitively deciding on the Ivory Coast international who scored his first goal from open play for the club last time out. Having publicly hailed his performance in the Hammers win, Gabriel Martinelli appears to also be nailed on for another Premier League start, meaning the Gunners’ front-four could be unchanged.

Meanwhile, Arsenal fans are buzzing with David Ornstein’s update on the club’s search for a new manager.

[ad_pod ]

Arsenal and Spurs both recorded big wins at the weekend over Bournemouth and Chelsea respectively, and are now entering a busy week of fixtures that is finished off by what will surely be a heated contest between themselves.

On Tuesday the Premier League announced the match officials for the next round of fixtures and it’s safe to say Arsenal fans were less than pleased with what they saw.

Mike Dean has been appointed the man in the middle – a referee whose critics will tell you historically favours Spurs, particularly after a strange moment in 2015 in which the 50-year-old appeared to celebrate a Lilywhites goal versus Aston Villa.

Fans must not be so quick to write off the Gunners, though, as they are currently 18 games unbeaten in all competitions as of Sunday’s 2-1 triumph over Bournemouth and seem to have found a good balance under Unai Emery.

However, this good run of form did little to comfort the Emirates faithful on Twitter as they went into meltdown.

Playmaker FC’s Theo Ogden was at the Emirates to witness Arsenal’s qualification for the Europa League last 32. Check out his match diary in the video below…

Loads of Leeds fans have been discussing their lack of defensive depth, and over half of fans would like to see a late deadline day move for free agent Glen Johnson.

I can’t give you a positive answer and I can’t give you a negative one”, was Marcelo Bielsa’s coy response when asked about transfers on Wednesday.

This comes after a report earlier this month claimed Leeds still want to sign some midfielders and defenders before the window closes.

Of course, Izzy Brown joined on a season-long loan on Thursday, meaning Bielsa now has plenty of options to choose from in midfield.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”288170″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Fixture in Focus West Ham v Wolves”]

He is still a little light at the back though, where Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson both tend to pick up little injuries throughout the season.

Johnson is of course a right-back by trade, but the 34-year-old free agent can play anywhere across the defence if needs must, meaning players like Luke Ayling and Jamie Shackleton could stick to their more natural positions.

[ad_pod ]

59 per cent of fans think it would be a shrewd acquisition, and you can find the full poll results down below…

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is perhaps the only player at Manchester United Jose Mourinho allows to shirk his defensive responsibilities at times. The 68-cap Armenian isn’t gifted the off-the-ball apathy he showed during his first few appearances for the Red Devils, but there is nonetheless an acceptance that he doesn’t always have to be as relentlessly industrious as the rest of the team.

The trade-off, though, is that Mkhitaryan should be United’s talismanic spark – the go-to guy who can provide a moment of glistening creative magic when they need it most. In big games like Manchester United’s Premier League clash with Chelsea on Sunday, those players can be all the difference.

In fact, with Mourinho adopting such a pragmatic and defensive strategy against such opposition on the road, United need that flash of genius more than most sides in the top six.

And yet, barring a winning goal against Tottenham at Old Trafford last season followed by a strike against Ajax in the Europa League final, we’re yet to see Mkhitaryan truly deliver on the most important occasions. The defeat to Chelsea last weekend provides the most recent example of not only Mkhitaryan failing to provide a much-needed telling moment, but also going completely missing just when you’d expect a player of his calibre to come through.

Indeed, Mkhitaryan failed to produce a single shot or created chance before being subbed off in the 61st minute. But perhaps most damningly of his modest contribution, he had just five more touches of the ball and completed only three more passes than Marouane Fellaini – the man brought on to replace him with less than half an hour left to play.

Some may question Jose Mourinho’s tactics and it’s certainly true his United team have struggled offensively in away games against the big six. But that’s because he expects players with Mkhitaryan’s attacking quality to muster up a moment brilliance that will decide the game or at least give United a chance of doing so. Since his move from Borussia Dortmund, that simply hasn’t happened on a consistent enough basis to justify how little Mkhitaryan offers off the ball.

Most would expect a Premier League clash between Stoke City and West Ham at this point in the season to be a bit of a nothing game, between two mid-table sides who have little to play for.Yet, both sides have cause toÂaim for all three points today; although they’re pretty much safe, the Hammers and the Potters both need another victory to get themselves over the magic 40-point mark.Slaven Bilic’s Irons will be particularly eager to get some points on the board this afternoon; they’re stillÂin danger of being sucked into relegation reckoning at the last minute and will have to face Tottenham and Liverpool in the coming weeks – so today’s game is their best chance of making safety a mathematicalÂcertainty.The Potters, meanwhile, have won just one of their last six, and Mark Hughes will be determined to end the season with a much richer run of results.So, who’ll come out on top in today’s 3pm clash at the Bet365 Stadium? Perhaps a look at the confirmed starting XIs will give us an insight into the likely result…

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

We’re only five weeks into the new Premier League season, yet already a template is emerging for Fantasy Premier League teams.

Seemingly everyone has Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Sergio Aguero (or both), while most sides are littered with players from Arsenal, Chelsea and the Manchester clubs.

Guardiola’s Manchester City will expect to comfortably beat Swansea City and rack up the goals, but a lot of the other top sides face trickier fixtures.

With Chelsea and Arsenal facing each other and United having a potentially difficult clash against champions Leicester City, the chances of FPL’s most popular picks scoring highly are greatly reduced.

As a result, some of the big point scorers this weekend are likely to come from more obscure sources – namely those sides a little further down the league table.

Football FanCast looks at three differentials to get in your team for Gameweek 6 and hel you move up your mini-leagues.

CHARLIE AUSTIN

Currently the most in-form Southampton player, Charlie Austin with be licking his lips at the prospect of facing a West Ham side in dire straits.

Austin followed up a brace in the Europa League against Sparta Prague with goals against Swansea in the league and Palace in the League Cup.

There have been question marks over Austin’s game time this season, with the former-QPR man only starting one Premier League fixture thus far. Austin was substituted on 57 minutes in midweek however, and therefore should start this week. His stock is boosted by being first in line for penalty kicks.

ISLAM SLIMANI

Islam Slimani announced himself with a bang on his debut against Burnley.

The powerful Algerian scored twice in a 3-0 win, picking up maximum bonus points to deliver a monster 13-point haul.

At the start of the season, a fixture against a Mourinho-led Manchester United wouldn’t inspire much confidence. But with the Red Devils conceding three against Watford and failing to shut out League One Northampton on Wednesday, Slimani and Leicester will be fancying their chances.

ANDRE GRAY

After scoring only once in the opening five gameweeks, the Burnley striker now sits in just 7.8% of fantasy teams.

But after finding the net 23 times in 41 games in the Championship last season, Gray has shown he knows where the net is. The former Brentford man may well get his chances against a Watford side expected to attack from the kick off.

Former Chelsea star Eden Hazard took a shot at Tottenham Hotspur as he claimed that the north London side are not better than the Blues this season.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Hazard savagely trolled TottenhamAdmitted Liverpool and Man City are better than ChelseaThe Blues are 12 points behind SpursWHAT HAPPENED?

The Blues legend, while speaking to former colleague John Obi Mikel on his podcast, admitted that clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool are currently performing better than Chelsea but dismissed Tottenham Hotspur's name.

AdvertisementWHAT HAS BEEN SAID

Speaking on , Hazard said, "But the Premier League is so hard. You see now, I think, Manchester City, they are better than Chelsea. You see Liverpool, they are better than Chelsea."

Obi Mikel then briefly interrupted the Belgian to bring up Tottenham's name to which he mockingly replied, "No, no, Tottenham no. They play good football, yeah but you know Tottenham. As a Chelsea legend, you can't say that man."

The Nigerian then stated, "I'm not saying they gonna win the league though. For sure, they are not going to win the league."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Since Todd Boehly took the reins from Roman Abramovich ahead of the 2022/23 season, Chelsea have seen their performance go downhill. Despite spending close to £1 billion (€1.1 billion) to set up the squad, the Blues did not see much success in the past one and a half years. After finishing 12th in the 2022/23 campaign, they currently find themselves 10 in the Premier League, 12 points behind fifth-placed Tottenham.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

Mauricio Pochettino's side, who held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw in the last game week, will be next seen in action in the final of the Carabao Cup against Liverpool on Sunday.

The teenager had a hand in three late goals as Xavi's side came from behind to win 4-2 after a dismal first-half display against Spurs

Barcelona pieced together a markedly poor 60 minutes against a makeshift Tottenham side, before the introduction of 16-year-old Lamine Yamal turned things around in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Tuesday. The youngster assisted one, and was vital in the build up for two more, as the Blaugrana ran out 4-2 winners.

Spurs arrived in Catalunya without some of their main attacking options, with Son Heung-Min benched and Harry Kane not even in the matchday squad. However, they dominated for long spells, and probably could have won this one with some more clinical finishing.

Things started well for the home side, though. With Ousmane Dembele almost certain to leave the club, Raphinha was charged with filling the vacant spot on Barca's right wing, and the Brazilian created the home side's opener, his angled pass perfectly meeting Robert Lewandowski's left foot for an early 1-0 lead.

But Barca swiftly lost control. A Kane-less Spurs created chance after chance throughout the remainder of the first half, with Oliver Skipp the unlikely beneficiary. He grabbed his first on 24 minutes after ghosting in at the far post to turn home a rebound. His second was more impressive, a well-timed run and fine header to give Spurs a much-deserved 2-1 lead which they held until nine minutes from full-time.

Yamal's introduction changed things. The teenager led Barca to victory with a wonderful 15 minute cameo, teasing Sergio Reguilon on the right-wing and giving Barca the dynamism and thrust they have lacked there for some time.

The 16-year-old assisted the equaliser, feeding Ferran Torres from close range. And he started the move for the third and fourth, with two other La Masia products — Ansu Fati and Ez Abde — grabbing stoppage-time goals. And so while there were plenty of concerns for Barca, this game will now be remembered for the arrival of the academy's latest wonderkid.

GOAL looks at what we learned during the clash at Barca's new temporary home, the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium…

• Getty Images
  

  Yamal is ready for the big time

  'The new Lionel Messi'. Again. To play right wing at Barcelona is a curse of sorts. The Messi comparisons are inevitable, and Yamal was slapped with that tag well over a year ago. He made his debut last season, and looked dangerous in brief instances on the pitch.

  This might just have been the game he pushed for regular inclusion, though. Barcelona were out of ideas when the winger came onto the pitch. They lacked dynamism and quality in the final third, and needed an injection of pace and trickery. And that's exactly what Yamal brought to the side.

  The 16-year-old twisted and turned his way around Reguilon for 15 minutes, having a direct hand in all three second-half goals. Yes, he was playing against some tired legs, but he still looked frightening while operating against a player 10 years his senior.

  There is a dangerous tendency for overreaction here, especially given the Barcelona badge and lineage at the position. For now, call it an encouraging start to what Barca fans will hope is a long career.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Barca don't need Neymar or a Dembele replacement

  Is the latest iteration of the Neymar to Barcelona rumour to be taken seriously? That's unclear, but the interest is certainly there from the Paris Saint-Germain forward, who, not unreasonably, wants out of Parcs des Princes. This would be an expensive and messy investment for the Blaugrana, the kind of deal that would mean tearing up their transfer strategy for an aging, erratic player.

  Barca might not need him, anyway. And they certainly don't when Raphinha is playing like he did on Tuesday. The winger set up Barcelona's first with a wonderful curled ball into Lewandowski, and looked dangerous all night. His pace and trickery was, at times, too much for a makeshift Spurs defence, while his diligence off the ball was also valuable.

  Ansu Fati did his bit, too. The forward enjoyed a turn in form after Christmas, last year, and looked far more of a threat in the New Year. He only built on that here, operating through the middle and bagging the winner for the Blaugrana. Fati might not be in for a start every week — Raphinha probably did enough to justify consistent inclusion — but he certainly showed his value.

  Given Yamal's performance, Ferran Torres' goals in pre-season and Vitor Roque's arrival to come in January, Xavi doesn't seem short of forward options, even with Ousmane Dembele on his to PSG. Signing a replacement such as Neymar, then, wouldn't be a wise move.

• Getty Images
  

  Spurs don't need Kane when they have… Skipp?!

  The Harry Kane transfer saga has been dragged out at this point. Bayern Munich clearly want him, while Spurs are predictably reluctant to sell. Club chairman Daniel Levy has always been a stickler in the market, and hasn't ditched his principles for the club's most valuable asset.

  Kane looks more likely to stay in north London with every day that passes. Still, he wasn't in the squad on Tuesday, with Tottenham presumably looking to avoid injury so close to their Premier League opener against Brentford.

  Richarlison started up front in his stead, but it was holding midfielder Skipp who grabbed the headlines. Largely a forgotten man last year, Skipp has been given a fair look this pre-season. And while he is not a regular goalscoring threat — and likely won't ever be — his double was valuable, if only to momentarily take Tottenham's minds away from the other homegrown player who has been making the headlines of late.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  No place for Gundogan in Barca's diamond

  Xavi hasn't flexed his modified 4-4-2 this pre-season, instead opting to play something of a more traditional 4-3-3. That changed on Tuesday, though, with the manager reverting back to the system that helped Barca lock up the La Liga title in the first few months of 2023.

  And it certainly had its moments. Alejandro Balde pushed up on the left, Pedri pulled the strings centrally, and Raphinha offered support to Lewandowski. But Oriol Romeu, a very much imperfect replacement for Sergio Busquets, looked uncertain — and lost his man in the build up for Tottenham's first. Gavi, meanwhile, picked up a rash booking within the first 15 minutes, and was lucky to avoid a sending off.

  Notably, though, there was no place for Ilkay Gundogan. The German was presumably brought in as a sure-fire starter for Barca. However, he doesn't seem the right type of player to fit any of the midfield roles in the system. He can, and undoubtedly will, learn how to secure one of the starting spots here, and he did enjoy 30 effective minutes off the bench. Still, he might have to fight for his place in Xavi's side.

MatériaMais Notícias

Nem todas as pessoas dentro do Botafogo são favoráveis à ideia da chegada de mais um astro de calibre mundial. Carlos Eduardo Pereira, por exemplo, é uma delas. Em entrevista ao “Canal do Nicola”, na última terça-feira, o atual vice-presidente geral do Alvinegro afirmou que o momento do clube não é para buscar outro atleta, e sim resolver as questões internas.

– Isso é mais um assunto do Comitê do Futebol. Na minha opinião pessoal, depois do Honda, não deve haver nenhuma contratação desse montante. A prioridade deve ser pagamento de salários e recolhimento de impostos. Eu não cogitaria nenhuma grande contratação desse porte. Nem Yaya Touré, nem Obi Mikel – afirmou.

O Botafogo vai sentir a pandemia do coronavírus. Com a paralisação das competições estaduais, o clube não vai receber a última parcela das cotas de televisão do Campeonato Carioca. Além disto, o Alvinegro também teve o contrato rompido com o Azeite Royal. Carlos Eduardo Pereira fez um panorama da situação.

RelacionadasBotafogoMikel afirma que está em conversas com o Botafogo: ‘Temos negociado’Botafogo08/04/2020BotafogoBotafogo espera R$ 4 milhões do Flamengo por ação de Willian Arão: ‘Vai ter que pagar’, diz dirigenteBotafogo08/04/2020BotafogoA saga de Alexander Lecaros: ainda sem jogar no Botafogo, atacante busca evoluir fisicamenteBotafogo07/04/2020

– A diferença entre funcionar e a asfixia. O Botafogo, infelizmente, tem um perfil de receita que é extremamente calcado nos contratos da TV, os contratos de patrocínio nós temos poucos. Tivemos a questão do Azeite Royal que acabou rompendo com todos os outros clubes do Rio. Era nosso patrocinador master – analisou o dirigente.

O dirigente relembra que, assim como acontecia durante a sua gestão como presidente – entre 2015 e 2017 -, a maior parte da receita do Botafogo vem dos contratos com a Rede Globo.

– Nossa renda ficou concentrada na TV. A Globo já deixou claro que não vai pagar a última parcela do Carioca, provavelmente também não a primeira do Brasileiro. Isso é grave para o Clube. (A Cota de TV) Continua na mesma dependência do que era quando entramos no clube, algo em torno de 70%, 80% – completou.

MatériaMais Notícias

A tarde de sábado terá fortes emoções no Beira-Rio. A partir das 16h30 (Horário de Brasília), Internacional e Grêmio disputam o Gre-Nal 423, válido pela semifinal do turno do Campeonato Gaúcho.

RelacionadasFutebol InternacionalGiuliano entra e Al Nassr vira o jogo contra o Al ShababFutebol Internacional14/02/2020Fora de Campo‘FlumiFogo da Gama’: ESPN escala time ideal juntando rivais do FlaFora de Campo14/02/2020CorinthiansTiago Nunes fecha o treino e faz mistério no Timão para o MajestosoCorinthians14/02/2020

Na primeira fase os dois times tiveram desempenhos distintos. O Colorado foi bem e terminou na liderança do seu grupo, com 13 pontos. Já o Tricolor fracassou em dois confrontos e ficou na segunda colocação do grupo B, com 9 pontos.

Como chega o Inter?

Embalado pela classificação na Libertadores da América, o Internacional chega para o primeiro clássico do ano em alta. A favor de Eduardo Coudet, conta o retrospecto de boas atuações e uma defesa segura, que não foi vazada nos últimos quatro jogos.

O principal desfalque é o volante Patrick, que por conta de lesão no abdomen, ele fica fora de combate por três semanas. O meia Gabriel Boschilia deve entrar no time titular.

Como chega o Grêmio?

Se pelo lado Colorado o clima é de otimismo, pelo lado Tricolor a história é bem diferente. O técnico Renato Gaúcho não terá Walter Kannemann, lesionado, e vai apostar na dupla Paulo Miranda e David Braz para segurar o ataque rival.

No ataque, a esperança de gols é Everton Cebolinha, que tem se tornado a referência do time, já que o coletivo pouco apareceu neste início de temporada.

Prováveis Escalações:

Internacional: Marcelo Lomba; Rodinei, Rodrigo Moledo, Victor Cuesta e Moisés; Musto, Rodrigo Lindoso, Edenilson, D’Alessandro e Gabriel Boschilia; Paolo Guerrero. Técnico: Eduardo Coudet.

Grêmio: Vanderlei; Victor Ferraz, David Braz, Paulo Miranda e Cortez; Maicon, Lucas Silva e Matheus Henrique; Everton, Alisson e Luciano. Técnico: Renato Gaúcho.