Month: May 2019

Christian Benteke has ranked Jurgen Klopp above all his other managers despite the German selling him to Crystal Palace after just a few months.

Benteke was bought by Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers for £32.5m but the Northern Irishman was sacked a few months later.

The Belgian played fitfully in his one and only season with the Reds before being sold by Klopp to Palace.

“Klopp is still the best manager I worked with, although I didn’t play a lot,” Benteke told HLN.

“He wanted fast players up front. I understood his decision.”

Benteke has meanwhile dismissed the idea that he will leave Palace for China this summer, saying: “I don’t want to run away like a thief in the night.”

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Denmark coach  coach Age Hareide has suggested that Christian Eriksen may not have to leave Tottenham to achieve his ambitions.

Eriksen has been heavily linked with Real Madrid as he enters the final year of his contract at Spurs.

The playmaker knows his next contract will take him through his peak years but Hareide has suggested the 27-year-old has already achieved iconic status at Spurs.

“Michael Laudrup became an icon after playing in both clubs in Spain,” explained the Denmark coach.

“But Christian is perhaps an icon already. Tottenham is in the Champions League final – and not Real Madrid.”

Real are known to have been tracking Eriksen, but the signings of Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba and a striker appear to be greater priorities to the La Liga giants.

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Shkodran Mustafi believes Wednesday’s Europa League final between Arsenal and Chelsea will be won and lost in defence.

The showpiece in Baku between the two Premier League contenders will feature some of Europe’s finest attacking talents as Eden Hazard, Pedro, Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang compete to win a major trophy – and in Arsenal’s case to also qualify for the Champions League.

Mustafi and his team-mates convincingly outscored Chelsea, whose total of 63 league goals was 10 less than Arsenal’s amid accusations they had become one dimensional in the final third, but they conceded 12 more and instead finished outside of the top four.

Regardless of whether Unai Emery starts with Bernd Leno or Petr Cech in goal, there is an over-reliance on Laurent Koscielny, 33, but even with that instability and their being so potent up front, it is at the back where defender Mustafi is convinced their season will be defined.

The 27-year-old German is still to justify the fee Arsenal paid in recruiting him in 2016, but with them at risk of following their disappointing fifth-placed league finish with defeat in a major final, he said: “It is about how we start the game and which team is going to be more organised.

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“We know each other very well and we play a lot of games against each other. They know our weaknesses; we know their weaknesses and it is about who is going to make the fewest mistakes. It is going to be very tight.

“But I believe in my team and every single player and I believe we are good enough to beat them.

“Even when you play against Chelsea, it’s the Europa League, it’s a final so it’s going to be different than the games we played in the Premier League.

“It’s going to be a game where one mistake punishes you and that’s why we’ve got to be very careful.

“Our job as defenders is to try not to concede but if you make 90 per cent of your job and in the 10 per cent the opponent scores, people forget about the 90 per cent.”

Aubameyang’s strike partnership with the similarly prolific Alexandre Lacazette has been an increasing strength for Arsenal, and at a time when the on-loan Gonzalo Higuain’s struggle for consistency has contributed to Chelsea’s lack of goals.

That they still finished in the top three and ahead of Arsenal, and when their defence has also had problems, arguably further demonstrates where Emery’s team remains weak, but Mustafi said: “If in the end of the season you made 70 points it is for a reason.

“If you go into the game without the defence and only with attacking players I am not sure you are going to make 70 points.

“For us defenders, if you make one mistake and they score, even if in five minutes you save something on the line, people still won’t talk about it.

“We didn’t reach the position we wanted to reach. That is a disappointing fact. But we still have the opportunity in the Europa League to reach the goal we wanted – and a trophy as well.”

Newcastle are refusing to comment on claims that owner Mike Ashley is ready to agree a £350million sale of the club.

A report has suggested the sportswear tycoon’s protracted search for a buyer is close to coming to an end amid suggestions that Dubai-based billionaire Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan has negotiated terms to take the club off his hands.

However, Press Association Sport understands that while there has been an expression of interest from Sheikh Khaled, no deal has yet been finalised.

The official line from St James’ Park on Monday morning was a firm “no comment” amid of flurry of excited speculation on Tyneside.

There was no word either from the Bin Zayed Group, of which Sheikh Khaled – the cousin of Manchester City owner Sheik Mansour – is chairman.

It is understood that there has been renewed interest in the club from several parties in recent weeks, although given the public glare in which Amanda Staveley and Peter Kenyon conducted their failed bids to seal a takeover were played out, potential buyers have been warned that secrecy is of the utmost importance.

Newcastle has been up for sale for much of the current owner’s 12-year tenure, but was last placed on the market in October 2017 with the Sports Direct supremo admitting he could not afford to take it to the next level.

In the meantime, the club has stabilised in the Premier League under manager Rafael Benitez, who is currently in negotiations with the hierarchy over a new contract with his existing deal due to expire at the end of next month.

Sheikh Khaled attempted to buy Liverpool last year, but the proposed £2billion deal was ultimately not viewed as credible.

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Jose Mourinho says that Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay “will always be my boy” following the appointment of a new Scotland manager.

The Portuguese coach gave McTominay his debut for the Red Devils and seemed to play a big role in his development as a player.

And speaking after Steve Clarke – who used to be his assistant at Chelsea – was made the new Scotland boss, Mourinho insisted that the 22-year-old “will always be my boy” despite being sacked by United in December.

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“I think he’s more than ready,” Mourinho told Sky Sports News.

“First of all, he feels his country deeply, I know that.

“And second you have an accumulation of experience during all these years.

“Assistant manager in top clubs, first-team manager in many others.

“Now the last couple of years in Scotland, I think this challenge comes in the right moment for him.

“And I just hope that my boy can help him because Scott McTominay will always be my boy.”

 

Arsenal will reportedly rival Manchester United for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot as a replacement for Aaron Ramsey.

Midfielder Rabiot has not played for the French champions since December after telling them he would not be interested in extending his contract, which expires next month.

The 24-year-old has been linked with Juventus, Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, with reports from Italy suggesting that the former are in pole position.

However, nothing is confirmed yet, and another Premier League side have entered the battle to sign him, in the shape of Arsenal.

According to The Sun, the Gunners are ready to make a move for the French international, as they look to replace Juventus-bound Ramsey.

If Arsenal can secure Champions League qualification by beating Chelsea in the Europa League final, then they could be handed a further boost, as that is something that United are not able to offer next season following their sixth-placed finish this season.

Rabiot’s agent and mother Veronique is reportedly insistent upon her son moving to a club who will compete in the tournament, so the clash in Baku could be make-or-break for Arsenal’s hopes of signing him.

Former Arsenal striker Charlie Nicholas recently suggested that Rabiot would be a good purchase for Unai Emery’s side, due to his playing style.

“We [Arsenal] need a box-to-box style midfield player and a player that can pick a pass too, so it is a matter of bringing in the right ones,” Nicholas told Sky Sports. “I think you need to know your system, fit them in and see where it takes you.

“Adrien Rabiot will be a free agent and been linked with different clubs, but I would take him. He has the quality and is of decent level, which Arsenal need.”

 

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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher thinks the scheduling of the Champions League final benefits Tottenham “more than” Liverpool.

Carragher’s former club Liverpool reached the final with an unbelievable comeback victory over Barcelona in the semis and they will play Mauricio Pochettino’s side in the Madrid finale on June 1.

The ex-England international has already admitted that he is “worried” that Spurs are “going to do a Liverpool 2005″ and in the same interview he reckons Tottenham will benefit the most from the scheduling of the final.

“It’s a weird one really. You normally go away and that’s what Liverpool have done – going to Marbella,” Carragher told The Anfield Wrap.

“No-one’s been able to give me a reason why the Champions League is three weeks after the league campaign.

“It’s normally two weeks, where you have the FA Cup then the week after is the Champions League.

“That’s p***ed me off a little bit that to be honest. I think it probably helps Spurs more than us, I would say.

“I think they’ve got bigger injury problems than us, certainly with Harry Kane, Harry Winks, other little knocks they had towards the end of the season.

“It gives you an extra week to be fit. I think we’re in much better form than Tottenham in 2019 and a longer break will not help that, really, in some ways.

“You do worry because you lose a bit of that rhythm that Liverpool have had the way they’ve been playing.

“I don’t think Tottenham are in great form. I know they got through and it’s unbelievable what they’ve done, I love Pochettino…

“But they’re not in great form so a longer break will help them forget the bad form and focus on this one game.”

 

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Sadio Mane has revealed that “not even” Jurgen Klopp believed that Liverpool could overcome their three-goal deficit against Barcelona.

The Reds went into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Barca having lost the first leg 3-0 but an unbelievable display blew away the Catalan giants as Liverpool won 4-0 to go through to the final.

And Mane claims that despite encouraging his players before the second leg, Klopp didn’t think they would go through.

“Before the game [against Barca], I had never seen the boss like that,” Mane recalled to Telefoot.

“Klopp encouraged us but, honestly, not even he believed it.

“He is exceptional, he makes you want to fight for him and give everything for him.”

Liverpool will now face Tottenham in the final in Madrid on June 1 where they will be looking to win their sixth European Cup.

On the final against Spurs, Mane added: “The final is a one-off game, it will be different from the league, you cannot hide, I think we are favourites.”

 

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Wayne Bridge has backed Chelsea for Europa League glory but fears his former club is hampered by unhappiness and facing a bleak short-term future.

The Blues have endured a tumultuous first season under manager Maurizio Sarri and, unless an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport is successful, will be under a transfer embargo until the summer of 2020.

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Italian Sarri appeared on the verge of being sacked in February but recovered to secure Champions League qualification and progression to Wednesday’s Europa League final against Arsenal in Baku.

Retired left-back Bridge, who claimed the winner in the only previous European tie between Chelsea and the Gunners, feels a top-four Premier League finish and the potential for silverware masks the true extent of problems at Stamford Bridge.

“When you talk about it like that, it’s probably not too bad because it probably could have been a lot worse,” he told Press Association Sport.

“They’ve been really inconsistent. You can see the fans aren’t really happy. I don’t think the players are happy, and then probably the manager isn’t either.

“I’m surprised he’s still there. And with the transfer ban and everything, what are they going to do?

“With Chelsea at the moment, it could end up going through a pretty bad spell.

“They can still achieve Champions League football (for the 2020/21 campaign) because when you look at the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and (Manchester) United, they haven’t been great either.

“But will they compete (for the title) with Liverpool and (Manchester) City? I don’t think so, unless there is no transfer ban and the manager gets to buy the players he wants, or a new manager comes in and changes it up a bit because it has been a poor season.”

While Chelsea – who may also lose star man Eden Hazard this summer – have already secured Champions League qualification by finishing third in the top flight, Arsenal must win the final in Azerbaijan to join them.

Bridge says condemning the fifth-placed Gunners to a third-successive season in the Europa League should serve as an added incentive for Sarri’s men.

“I think Chelsea will do it,” he said. “I think they’ll be (thinking) along the lines that Arsenal aren’t going to get Champions League football if we win – well that’s where I would be.

“And obviously you want to win a trophy as well.”

It is 15 years since the only previous European encounter between the London rivals.

Bridge was the Highbury hero in April 2004 when the Blues shocked their near-neighbours in the Champions League quarter-finals during the first season of the Roman Abramovich era.

The 38-year-old has fond memories of his 87th-minute winner, which earned a 3-2 aggregate success against Arsene Wenger’s side.

“I just remember running into the crowd, it was like the best buzz ever,” said Bridge.

“The changing room was rocking afterwards. I remember (manager, Claudio) Ranieri crying on the side of the pitch.

“That for me was one of the highlights of my career. I don’t score many goals, so to do it in the quarter-finals and against Arsenal when no one thinks we are going to win…”

Although Arsenal ended that campaign as unbeaten Premier League champions, they have not won the title since.

Chelsea have replaced them as the dominant force in the capital, winning five titles, the Champions League and the Europa League.

“People always talk about it being a turning point because then Chelsea kind of leapfrogged Arsenal. I don’t think it was,” continued Bridge.

“I just think we got the result and then Chelsea got to spend a bit more money after that.”

 

Mauricio Pochettino wants all 23 of Tottenham’s squad players in the pre-match Champions League team photo and says the rules can “f*ck off”.

Spurs will face Liverpool in the Champions League final on June 1 in Madrid after they staged an extraordinary comeback in the semi-final against Ajax.

Pochettino, who recently escaped a touchline ban for the final, has taken Tottenham further in Europe than any other man before and he has insisted that his full squad will be in the pre-match team snap.

Pochettino said: “In the Bernabeu [in 2006 when Espanyol beat Real Zaragoza] we did that. I was one of the captains and I said: ‘I want it so that everyone is on the wall, on the picture, if this team win the final. Not only eleven. That is completely unfair.’

“I say: F*** off! What I want is all the players before the start of the game 22 or 23 in the picture on the pitch. That is the team that won or lost.”