Month: September 2019

The Concacaf Gold Cup quarter-finals have thrown up a big clash between two sides who did not finish the group stage as they would have liked

Mexico continues its quest for the 2019 Gold Cup on Saturday, when it faces Costa Rica in Houston’s NRG Stadium.

Tata Martino’s side was not at its best as it overcame Martinique 3-2 to continue its winning start to the competition but still maintained a perfect record going into the knockout phase.

Costa Rica, meanwhile, suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Haiti as it finished second in Group B, ahead of Bermuda and Nicaragua.

Their last meeting with Mexico was a friendly match in October 2018, which they lost 3-2. Can the Ticos turn the tables when it really matters?

Game	Mexico vs Costa Rica
Date	Saturday, June 29
Time	3:00am BST / 10:00pm ET
Stream (US)	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

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In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

US TV channel	Online stream
Univision / Fox Sports 1	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on FreeSports.

UK TV channel	Online stream
FreeSports	N/A

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Hector Moreno continues to struggle with injury and may not see any game time in this clash. He is one of just two players in the 23-man squad not to have taken to the field yet in the competition, with Hugo Gonzalez, the third-choice goalkeeper, the other.

Goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco, who featured against Martinique, has this week been given the chance to return home to be with his ill mother but has returned for this match.

Erick Gutierrez is missing with a hamstring problem and Rodolfo Pizarro is out, too.

Mexico starting XI: Mexico XI: Ochoa; Gallardo, Salcedo, Araujo, Rodríguez; Guardado, Alvarez, Dos Santos; Antuna, Jimenez, Pizarro 

Position	Costa Rica squad
Goalkeepers	Segura, Madrigal, Moreira
Defenders	Gonzalez, Fuller, Duarte, Oviedo, Calvo, Gamboa, Waston, Matarrita
Midfielders	Leal, Borges, Bolanos, Ruiz, Cruz, Tejadam Aguilar, Marin
Forwards	Saborio, George, Campbell, McDonald

Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell are set to be the players to watch in the Costa Rica side, with coach Gustavo Matosas having to make a call whether to make changes after the loss to Haiti.

Costa Rica starting XI: Moreira; Fuller, Oviedo, Waston; Ruiz, Cruz, Leal, Borges; Campbell, George 

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Mexico are strong 2/5 favourites with bet365. Costa Rica can be supported at 8/1, while a draw after 90 minutes is 16/5.

Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

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Mexico may have recorded a 3-2 win over Martinique in Tata Martino’s seventh match in charge of the national team, but though he maintains a perfect record, it was not a case of seventh heaven for the coach, who watched his side struggle uncharacteristically against a side they were expected to sweep away.

It was a performance that comes as a warning ahead of the knockout phase of the 2019 Gold Cup, in which slips will be more severely punished against stronger opponents, such as quarter-final rivals Costa Rica.

“We made mistakes and conceded to goals to our opponents, the distractions we had today were serious, in another instance or against better opponents, they might have cost us,” Martino reflected upon the game.

Although the aim is clearly to win the Gold Cup this summer, the former Barcelona boss wants to take a long-term approach to his job in charge of Mexico, as he reflected on the eve of this fixture.

“We’re here to be champions but we’re not only thinking about a month of work, we’re considering a four-year processes,” he said. “The fewer distractions we have during these four years, the better.”

The Argentine, meanwhile, is surprised to face Costa Rica, one of the regions traditional big guns and a country that has never missed the quarter-finals of the competition, at this early stage.

“This was a match that could have been a semi-final,” he said.

Costa Rica counterpart Gustavo Matosas intends for his side to bounce back after their loss against Haiti in an aggressive, attacking manner, doubtless aware that Mexico have kept only one clean sheet in Martino’s seven games.

“We’ll give it everything,” he promised in his pre-match press conference.

He is a man who knows Mexican football inside out, given that he won two Liga MX titles with Leon and a Concacaf Champions League with Club America.

“I don’t think it’s an advantage,” he added. “There are a lot of new players and the manager’s style is always going to change. I think when [Juan Carlos] Osorio was there, I knew a bit more. Now Martino it’s just what I’ve seen.

“I don’t think knowing the players has a lot do with it. What it does have to do with, for me, from my point of view, is all the years I lived in Mexico I learned the characteristics of the Mexican player. This could be an advantage. But, beyond that, a lot of times you know what a player can do but you can’t stop him.”

Martino will certainly hope that proves to be the case on Saturday.

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The former Magpies striker considers some of the decisions being taken at St James’ Park to be ‘diabolical’, with all credibility being lost

Newcastle have become “a laughing stock under Mike Ashley”, says Micky Quinn, with the decision to let Rafa Benitez leave the club branded “diabolical”.

The Magpies have announced that their current manager will be moving on at the end of his contract, which expires on June 30.

An apparent reluctance to meet the demands of a proven coach has been widely condemned by a loyal fan base and former players.

Quinn is among those who consider the current regime to be a “nightmare”, with some baffling decisions being made that do the collective cause at St James’ Park no favours.

The ex-Magpies striker told talkSPORT of Benitez’s departure: “I’m not surprised at all.

“As the days were ticking towards the end of Rafa’s four-year contract and not having anything sorted by this stage, I think it was inevitable he was going to leave.

“He is a world class manager, and this guy was the comfort blanket like a baby has to the fans.

“Benitez put the pride back in the Newcastle shirt after the appointments, and we’ve had some bad ones, we’ve had under Mike Ashley.

“With Rafa leaving, it’s all up in the air again and the fans are devastated.

“The Newcastle fans were proud to say he was their manager and that respect was everything at Newcastle, after almost becoming a laughing stock under Ashley.

“It’s just a nightmare. I can’t believe a club of this stature can let a manager of that stature go. It’s embarrassing.

“It just doesn’t make sense, but it’s Newcastle United.

“I know for a fact he loves it up there and he wanted to take the club to the next level, but he’s had no investment compared to a lot of Premier League clubs.

“The teams that went down – Fulham and Huddersfield – and Brighton as well, they all outspent Newcastle last year. It’s an embarrassment and it’s the fans who miss out because the club’s credibility goes out the window.

“It’s just another farce in the Mike Ashley tenure. The footballing decisions have been diabolical.

“He isn’t good enough for Newcastle, he doesn’t care about Newcastle. All the fans want someone like Rafa, who got Newcastle.

“Rafa wanted to invest in the youth development, and Ashley wouldn’t even do that – it’s just madness.”

The likes of Jose Mourinho, David Moyes and Chris Hughton have been mentioned as potential successors to Benitez, but Quinn is not convinced by any of them, saying: “All the names mentioned, they couldn’t lace Rafa’s boots.”

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The new Blues boss has signed a three-year deal at Stamford Bridge after being named as Maurizio Sarri’s successor

Chelsea need to be realistic about their top four hopes after confirming the appointment of playing legend Frank Lampard as their new manager , according to ex-England international Jamie Redknapp.

The caution comes as Lampard prepares for his first season in charge having lost the services of star plater Eden Hazard to Real Madrid earlier this summer.

Though Christian Pulisic was signed in January and a permanent deal to sign loanee Mateo Kovacic was confirmed on July 1, Lampard is unable to make any further additions to his squad to the FIFA-imposed transfer ban that has been placed on the club.

And ex-Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Redknapp, who is also Lampard’s cousin, believes qualifying for the Champions League would be a successful first season in charge for the 41-year-old.

He told  Sky Sports : “The expectation will be to finish in the top four, but they’ve got to be realistic. I think there’ll be moments in the season where it will be a struggle, because of the Hazard effect.

“It doesn’t matter what manager you have – [Pep] Guardiola, [Jose] Mourinho, anyone – they are going to struggle without that quality of player.

“But if they were to finish in the top four that would be an amazing season considering the transfer embargo and everything else.”

Chelsea finished third in the Premier League last season and won the Europa League but struggled for goals at times and will be unable to add to their firepower unless the ban is lifted.

Redknapp believes that patience, a quality not often on shown at Stamford Bridge in recent years, will be required as Lampard makes the big step up from managing one season in the Championship with Derby County.

“It’s a great move, not just for Frank but for Chelsea too,” he said. “It’s astute, you need someone who can stabilise the club somewhat when you’ve lost your best player and are under a transfer embargo.

“They’ve got one of their own, the fans adore him. He’ll need time, there’ll be a lot of changes; you can’t bring in any personnel to replace a big star name like Eden Hazard. He’ll need to be given time, but he will – because he’s Frank Lampard.”

Questions also remain about whether Lampard is being promoted too quickly having just one season as a manager under his belt, but Redknapp believes the timing is right given the circumstances.

“I know he enjoyed his time at Derby. He had a great rapport with the fans but you can’t turn something like this down.

 “Everyone will have their opinions, some people will say it’s too early, others people will say it’s the right time, but for someone like Frank – he knows the game, he’s worked with some of the best managers in the world, and in terms of timing it is the right time.

“The players will respect him, and patience will be the key,” added Redknapp.

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The forward values his time learning under both Emery and Arsene Wenger but admits the former’s whirlwind personality has been a great help

Arsenal star Alex Iwobi has spoken glowingly of his “energetic and demanding” boss Unai Emery and is determined to return the Gunners to the Champions League in the coming season. 

Emery endured mixed fortunes in his debut season at the Emirates, having stepped in for none other than club legend Arsene Wenger last summer. 

The Gunners missed out narrowly on a top-four place and also tasted disappointment in the Europa League final after going down to London rivals Chelsea. 

According to Iwobi, though, the Spaniard is the perfect man for the job – although his managerial methods are rather different to those of his predecessor.

“If Arsene spoke to you, he speaks with you, with a lot of wisdom and a lot of experience over the years and from the great players he trained,” the Nigeria international explained to Goal from Egypt, where he is involved in the Super Eagles’ African Cup of Nations campaign. 

“Every time I spoke with him I left with knowledge and experience. He helped me a lot to be the man I am now.

“He trained a lot of players during his career so I have to make use of all this experience he gave to me to be the player that I am now.

“Emery is more energetic and also demanding; he always speaking with you and trying to help you. I think this is because of his age, Emery is much younger. I think Arsene was like that when he was the same age.

“Both want to play football and help me to grow and play better.

“As a player I progressed more with more goals and assists this year so I improved hopefully. I could score and assist more in the future.

“[Emery] talked with me a lot to be more composed to shoot and cross more and this helped me in the tournament to score goals and create more chances.”

Having come so close to both the top four and a major European title in 2018-19, Iwobi is in no doubt that he and his Arsenal team-mates must toughen up in order not to let such opportunities slip through their fingers.

“Consistency, We need to play in the same level in all games. We have good quality players and coach so we have to focus more and increase our level,” he added when asked what the Gunners needed to win the title.

“Our mentality in big games is the thing we need to work on to compete with other good teams.

“Liverpool could have won the Premier League but Man City did it last season so we are going to face another hard and tough season. I am concerned more about Arsenal doing better and being in the top four and back in the Champions League.

“This is the most important thing for us because two seasons away from the Champions league is something we do not want to face again.”

Iwobi and Nigeria will be back in AFCON action on Sunday, when they face Algeria in the semi-finals.

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The ex-Red Devil acknowledges that the Belgian might be granted more time on the pitch elsewhere, but is still hoping he decides to stay in Manchester

Romelu Lukaku leaving Manchester United this summer would be a huge loss for the club, according to Kleberson, but the former Red Devils midfielder “understands” why he is considering a move.

The 26-year-old admitted earlier in the year that he would like “to play in Serie A sooner or later”, which has led to a reported approach from Inter during the current transfer window.

It has been widely reported that former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte wishes to link up with the Belgium international at San Siro, after succeeding Luciano Spalletti in the hot seat last month.

Lukaku endured a frustrating 2018-19 campaign at Old Trafford, contributing just 15 goals in total across all competitions amid concerns over his fitness and attitude.

Marcus Rashford ended up as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first-choice striker towards the end of the season and United have been linked with a number of extra attacking reinforcements this summer.

World Cup winner Kleberson, who played for the Red Devils between 2003 and 2005, sympathises with Lukaku’s current plight but also insists his old club can ill-afford to lose such a “great player”.

“If Romelu Lukaku is to leave the club, it will be a big loss for Manchester United,” the Brazilian told us-bookies.com 

“I’m a big fan of Lukaku, he’s a great player. When you think about coaching, everyone wants to take him, he is a very good player to have in the squad. Whether he starts games or is on the bench, he will always help the team to score goals. If he starts up top, you can play off him and help the midfield and other forwards to score more goals.

“He can also drift out wide and cause problems for defenders there, he killed Brazil in the game at the World Cup from doing this and he’s very unpredictable.  
 
“I understand if Lukaku wants to leave and play more games. He didn’t start too many games for Man Utd last season. Strikers survive on goals and statistics, it’s tough. The season changed so quickly for him, if players prepare mentally in the pre-season, he may find his feet again. I hope he decides to stay at Manchester United for one more year and proves his worth.”

United managed to sign Daniel James from Swansea for £15 million ($19m) and add English defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka to their ranks for £50 million ($62m) in June, as Solskjaer prepares for his first full season in charge.

Kleberson went on to praise Wan-Bissaka as a “good signing”, claiming United were in need of a dynamic full-back after shipping 54 Premier League goals last term.

“Wan-Bissaka did a very good job at Crystal Palace,” Kleberson added. “I know when the money is discussed (£50m) it is a lot that has been spent on the player.

“But Manchester United need a player like him. He’s very quick, aggressive and athletic. He’s got a great opportunity at a big club. It’s a good signing, and one which will give great energy to the team.”

Thomas Gronnemark has revealed the details of the conversation that led to him becoming Liverpool’s throw-in coach.

Gronnemark, a former Danish athlete, started working with Liverpool at the start of last season, helping them improve on their throw-ins.

He played a key part in their European success and Premier League title challenge, having joined the Champions League runners-up and fourth-best team in England.

Gronnemark has explained that manager Jurgen Klopp sought his help after finding that their throw-ins “were really bad”.

“I was in the car with my family on our way to visit a chocolate shop so I had the volume on my phone turned down,” he told The Athletic.

“After I parked up I looked at my phone and saw I had missed a call from a +44 number. I listened to the voicemail and it was Jurgen Klopp. I couldn’t believe it. I tried to call him straight back but he didn’t answer.

“Afterwards I thought I best go home to take perhaps the most important call of my life in quiet surroundings. I was driving back, with my wife beside me and the kids in the back, when suddenly the phone rang. My wife took it and said: ‘It’s Jurgen.’

“I drove straight into a grass field and answered it. He said to me: ‘Even though we had a good season last season with fourth place in the Premier League and getting to the final of the Champions League, our throw-ins were really bad. We were losing the ball all the time. We tried to do something about it but it didn’t work.’

“He invited me to Melwood in the middle of July. It was supposed to be just a meeting with a view to making an agreement later if he was interested. But he was so taken by it that he said: ‘Okay, I want you to coach the players tomorrow.’

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“I was working with 21 players – all the ones that weren’t injured and weren’t on vacation after the World Cup.

“The club kept it quiet and I didn’t say anything to anyone. It was only my wife and my kids who knew, not even my mother and brother knew until it was picked up by the newspapers.

“I knew at some stage it would come out and a few people would make fun of it, but it was more important to me to make a good impression with the club.”

 

Former England Women coach Mark Sampson has been placed in caretaker charge of League Two side Stevenage.

The Hertfordshire club, without a win so far this season, sacked boss Dino Maamria on Monday morning and have asked Sampson to fill the void.

“Following a strong run of results at the end of the 2018-19 season, where Stevenage finished the season in 10th place with six wins from the final seven games, missing the play-offs by one point, the club have not recorded a win so far this season and currently sit in 23rd place in League Two,” a statement read.

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“Mark Sampson will assume control of the team in a caretaker role, assisted by newly-appointed under-18s manager Alex Revell, until further notice.”

Thirty-six-year-old Sampson joined Maamria’s coaching staff in the summer, in his first job since leaving the England role.

Sampson was sacked by the Football Association in September 2017 following allegations of “inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour” in his previous role as manager at Bristol Academy.

He had also been the focus of bullying and racism claims, first made by Eni Aluko and then Drew Spence.

The FA said the allegations were investigated and Sampson was cleared of any wrongdoing.

But Sampson, who reached a financial settlement with the FA over his dismissal in January of this year, conceded he should have handled the claims differently, saying it would always be a “big regret” and apologised unreservedly to the two players.

Stevenage lost 4-2 at Cheltenham on Saturday and have three points from a possible 21 this season, with only Scunthorpe keeping them off the bottom of the table.

 

Gareth Southgate believes England’s frontline is as exciting as any other in the world.

World Cup Golden Boot winner Harry Kane grabbed a hat-trick in Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Bulgaria to move him past Stan Mortensen and Sir Geoff Hurst in the Three Lions’ all-time scoring ranks.

The England skipper not only has 25 goals from 40 international appearances but is complemented by the likes of Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford, with teenagers Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi knocking on Southgate’s door.

“I think that they’re as exciting as anything, really,” Southgate said of his attacking unit.

“I remember going to Spain and thinking ‘well, a really tough game, but actually you look at our front three and their front three on the night and I felt that we were strong’.

“And I’ve got to say, we’ve got Sancho and Hudson-Odoi who are going to push, and really push, so I think that it is exciting.

“You need to have players on the field to affect the games, but you need to have players that can come in and have an impact and I think we’re in a healthy position.”

Asked if the players are beginning to recognise they have the potential to be the best, Southgate said: “It’s an interesting comment. I think they have great humility.

“I think they possibly don’t, because they sometimes don’t view themselves as others do.

“We’ve also got to remember that as a coaching team. Very often you work with the team and it’s easy to find what they can’t do well.

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“I think whenever we’re judging games, all of us look at what hasn’t gone well and sometimes we can overlook the brilliant things that they do, that maybe other countries don’t have.”

 

James Maddison admits he wants to play at the ‘highest level’ he possibly can amid talk of a potential switch from Leicester to Manchester United.

Maddison has impressed since joining the Foxes from Norwich in 2018, forcing himself into Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo.

The 22-year-old was widely linked with a move to United over the summer and Maddison has not yet ruled out a future move to Old Trafford, or anywhere else that may be perceived as a step up from Leicester.

The free-kick specialist has now revealed his targets for the rest of his playing career, and how he has managed to work his way into England’s top flight.

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He told the Daily Mirror: “I want to play at the highest level my ability will allow me to.

“I like to think I’ve my head screwed on with the transfers I’ve made.

“I’ve played League One, in Scotland, the Championship and the Premier League.

“I worked my way up.”

JUVENTUS WAITING TO TAKE DE GEA
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Saturday’s whispers suggested Juventus were preparing to hoover up all the Premier League’s free-agent talent next summer, with three Manchester United players and a couple of Spurs stars on their list. The Sunday Express doubles down on one of those links, specifically involving David De Gea.

Juventus are said to be counting down the days until January when they are allowed to talk to De Gea – though let’s not pretend those discussions haven’t already begun – over the prospect of moving to Turin at the end of the season.

United are aware of the prospect of losing De Gea and the Express chuck Jan Oblak’s name in to the mix as a replacement. The Red Devils were said to be close to persuading De Gea to sign a new contract during pre-season but that £350,000-a-week deal remains ominously unsigned.

You could hardly blame De Gea if he is thinking of taking up Juve’s offer. Come next summer, the Spain stopper will have clocked up nine years of service at Old Trafford and Juventus must look an attractive proposition to a keeper who deserves to be playing Champions League football.

 

BARCA’S WHIP-ROUND FOR NEYMAR
Over in Spain, the fall-out continues following a transfer window during which neither of the big hitters signed their primary targets.

Barca failed to persuade PSG to give up Neymar for the loose change down the back of the Catalans’ couch and some of the deadwood in Ernesto Valverde’s squad. According to Marca, Barca’s desperation reached the point when their players will willing to have a whip-round to hep the club re-sign the Brazilian.

Apparently Barca’s board did not entertain the players’ offer and some squad members were not even aware of the proposal. Just imagine Antoine Griezmann’s reaction if his pay slip arrived with a Neymar tax deducted.

 

REAL WANT PSG STAR MORE THAN POGBA
Real Madrid were no more successful in their pursuit of Neymar and their attempts to sign Paul Pogba were even less fruitful. But they want you to forget all that and focus on the fact they are going to sign Kylian Mbappe next summer instead.

Sport claims Zinedine Zidane has already convinced the France striker to make the move, though that was hardly a problem with Neymar. Real will have to come up with the cash to land Mbappe, who won’t come any cheaper than whatever PSG and Man Utd were demanding this summer.

Apparently, Zidane wants Mbappe even more than he wanted Pogba and some reports suggested he might have quit when it began to look like the United midfielder wasn’t going to be signed this summer.

 

AND THE REST
Man City could move for Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar in January… Real are expected to move again for Ajax midfielder Donny van der Beek next summer… Chelsea and Inter Milan are eyeing Fiorentina star Federico Chiesa who could cost £73million.