Month: October 2019

The Wales international forward is being backed by his manager to play an influential role for the Blancos in the 2018-19 campaign

Gareth Bale is going to get “much better” for Real Madrid, says Julen Lopetegui, with more focus being placed on the Welshman in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.

Having operated in the shadow of a five-time Ballon d’Or winner for five seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Wales international hinted at the end of the 2017-18 campaign that he was ready to move on.

It was, however, to be Ronaldo who left the Spanish capital, with a €112 million (£100m/$127m) deal taking him to Serie A giants Juventus.

More is now expected of Bale as he seeks to fill a sizeable attacking void in Madrid, with Lopetegui convinced that the 29-year-old is up to the task.

He told reporters after seeing Bale draw a blank in a 4-2 UEFA Super Cup defeat to Atletico Madrid: “Gareth Bale played very well, but I’m expecting he will get much better.

“It is normal in this moment of the season that the players are not in their peak physical shape so we know there is a lot more to come from Gareth and all the others.

“We are very happy with his performance and we hope he will continue to improve to make a decisive impact in the next matches.”

Bale has been among the goals in pre-season for Real, suggesting that he is ready to play a prominent role for the Champions League holders.

He also provided an assist for Karim Benzema’s opener against Atletico in the Super Cup, with his creativity set to be as important as his end product.

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Questions have, however, been asked of his form and fitness for a number of years and there is still plenty for the former Tottenham star to prove now that he no longer has Ronaldo to contend with.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Monday that the House will vote to formalize its impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Above, she speaks to reporters earlier this month.

Updated at 6:30 p.m. ET

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced in a letter to Democrats on Monday that the House will vote to formalize the procedures in the ongoing impeachment inquiry of President Trump.

The resolution will outline the terms for public hearings, the disclosure of deposition transcripts, procedures to transfer evidence to the House Judiciary Committee and due process rights for Trump.

Senior Democratic aides said the resolution will be released on Wednesday, with a House vote on Thursday.

“We are taking this step to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump Administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representatives,” Pelosi wrote.

House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff confirmed that the resolution will establish a format for open hearings.

“The American people will hear firsthand about the President’s misconduct,” Schiff said in a statement.

So far the White House has refused to comply with the inquiry because the House has not voted. It is unclear if passage of the resolution will change the White House’s strategy as the investigation intensifies.

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham responded briefly in a statement Monday, saying “We won’t be able to comment fully until we see the actual text, but Speaker Pelosi is finally admitting what the rest of America already knew – that Democrats were conducting an unauthorized impeachment proceeding, refusing to give the President due process, and their secret, shady, closed door depositions are completely and irreversibly illegitimate.”

The White House and congressional Republicans have criticized Democrats for not conducting a full House vote at the onset to authorize the impeachment inquiry, as Congress did for Bill Clinton’s impeachment. Neither the Constitution nor House rules require that, but it has given Republicans a unifying talking point to attack the inquiry so far.

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Republicans were quick to move the goal posts following Pelosi’s announcement. “We will not legitimize the Schiff/Pelosi sham impeachment,” tweeted Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff is leading the impeachment investigation.

Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham said he believes Democrats were “forced to change course” because Senate Republicans and the American people demanded a vote. Still, he said the vote now is like “un-ringing a bell as House Democrats have selectively leaked information in order to damage President Trump for weeks.”

“I look forward to reviewing their proposal,” Graham said, “and ensuring it provides President Trump with the rights and privileges Republicans afforded former President Clinton during the 1998 impeachment process.”

Congressional Republicans have largely focused their lines of defense on the process and not on the substance of the allegations against Trump that he abused his office to pressure Ukraine to advance investigations that would help him politically. House GOP strategy will also have to evolve as the investigation takes a more public turn.

So far the inquiry has taken place behind closed doors. Schiff has promised public hearings, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., has said he would like the House to wrap up its work on impeachment by the end of the year. The House is currently scheduled to be in session just 19 more days this year, putting Democrats under an ever-increasing time crunch.

If the House approves any articles of impeachment against Trump, it will trigger a near immediate trial in the Senate to decide whether to remove him from office. The most recent impeachment trial, of Clinton in 1999, lasted five weeks. Many lawmakers say they would like to conclude the impeachment process before ballots start being cast in the 2020 presidential primary season, which kicks off Feb. 3 with the Iowa caucuses.

Premier League side Liverpool are part of the race to sign Spanish winger Ferran Torres from Valencia, according to reports.

The right winger was promoted to Valencia’s first team in 2017 after working his way up through the youth ranks at the Mestalla.

Torres has made 14 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring one goal and creating one more for his team-mates.

And SportBild (via Sport Witness) claims that there is a three-way fight between Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool and Barcelona for the 19-year-old’s signature.

The Reds are understood to be ‘providing serious competition’ for Dortmund in the race for Torres, who has a contract at Valencia until 2021.

With time ticking down on his current deal, and no extension in sight, SportBild claims that Valencia will be looking to strike a deal in the region of €20million.

Torres would face a tough task to make it into Liverpool‘s forward line if he did move with Mohamed Salah blocking his path into the starting XI.

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Jose Mourinho is targeting a return to the Premier League as he eyes up his next managerial job, according to a report.

Mourinho has been out of a job since December when he was axed by Manchester United after overseeing a dismal start to the campaign at Old Trafford, and it has previously been reported that the Portuguese already has his next job lined up.

The latest link came from German newspaper Bild, who claimed Jose Mourinho was learning German as he eyed up the Borussia Dortmund job.

Current Dortmund boss Lucian Favre is not understood to be in any immediate jeopardy – but the German giants have made an inconsistent start to the campaign.

However, The Sun claims on Wednesday that the Portuguese coach ‘has set his sights on becoming the first boss to win major trophies at three English clubs.’

The report adds that with Unai Emery under pressure from supporters at the Emirates Stadium, Mourinho’s desire could be of ‘huge interest’ to Arsenal.

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Mourinho is understood to be keen on a Premier League return so he can ‘leave a lasting legacy’ in English football.

The Sun continues: ‘No manager has delivered league titles or European trophies for three clubs in England before, and if Mourinho could do that his status in the game would be hard to ignore.’

And the managerial role at Arsenal could be the one to get Mourinho’s ‘juices flowing’.

Ray Parlour has hinted at three players who could replace Granit Xhaka as captain of Arsenal, with Mesut Ozil the front runner.

The Arsenal legend believes Ozil should be given the nod to captain Arsenal against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, if Unai Emery decides to select the playmaker.

 

 

Ozil has made just two starts for the Gunners this season but could come back in with Emery admitting the captain’s armband could be handed to the mercurial German.

Granit Xhaka is under fire after swearing at Arsenal fans in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday.

“It might be Ozil. It’ll be interesting,” Parlour told The Debate.

“Bellerin will probably come in, he’s been there many years now. Whether he can be captain material, I’m not too sure.

“Rob Holding is another one at centre-half, can he be captain material? We’ll have to wait and see.

“It’ll be interesting to see who is captain. I think if Ozil starts, I think he’s the one who will probably get the captain’s armband.”

 

Pep Guardiola had no doubts about handing Tommy Doyle his Manchester City debut on Wednesday night as the 18-year-old impressed in a 3-1 Carabao Cup win over Southampton.

Nicolas Otamendi opened the scoring before Sergio Aguero marked his 350th City appearance with a brace, but in a relatively routine win for City against a Southampton side still reeling from Friday’s 9-0 home defeat to Leicester, Doyle looked composed in an unfamiliar role.

The teenager, grandson of City greats Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe, was deployed in the centre of a midfield three and, though not naturally a holding midfielder, kept things neat and tidy.

Southampton did not manage a shot on target until the 65th minute, showing life late on with Jack Stephens heading in a 74th minute consolation.

“Tommy played well in a position that isn’t his natural position,” Guardiola said. “Usually he is further forward. He played really good, so congratulations to him on his debut.”

Guardiola turned to Doyle with Ilkay Gundogan given a much-needed night off. With Rodri injured and Fernandinho, deployed in defence this season, suspended, Guardiola said he had little option, but also a trust in Doyle.

“I didn’t have another alternative, but he was with us in the pre-season and I saw him a few times in the academy, and I didn’t have any doubts he would play to a good level,” Guardiola said.

 

The win was City’s 14th in a row in the competition. Having lifted the trophy in each of the past two seasons, they have not lost since being beaten by rivals Manchester United three years and three days ago.

“It’s a good competition,” Guardiola said. “We are already in the quarter-final so we will see the draw. You cannot win four titles in one season when you don’t play games seriously.

“For the players who haven’t played it’s good for them to find their rhythm and for myself to see them, that they are fit and they are good.”

Though Southampton suffered another defeat just days after Friday’s thrashing, Ralph Hasenhuttl was happy to see his players show a response as they finished the better of the two sides.

“It’s a defeat but also a reaction,” he said. “After a very, very difficult night on Friday, to come here and play against one of the strongest sides on this planet, you can think about easier challenges.

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“It was important we showed a reaction for this game and we had this. That was the main goal for this game.”

Things get no easier for Southampton, however, and they are due back at the Etihad for a Premier League meeting on Saturday afternoon.

“We will have a lot of very interesting video to watch from this game,” Hasenhuttl said. “But we know they have a few players to come back so the side will not be weaker.

“Let’s have a look. We want to be as nasty an opponent as we can be.”

The Spanish striker says he is determined to change things following Maurizio Sarri’s arrival

Alvaro Morata wants to establish himself as Chelsea’s main man after insisting he never considered leaving Stamford Bridge.

Morata only scored one top-flight goal after the turn of the year as speculation over his Chelsea future intensified amid links with Serie A and La Liga.

But the 25-year-old Spain international, who was left out of the country’s World Cup squad, was on target in Chelsea’s 3-2 win over London rivals Arsenal in Premier League action on Saturday.

Former Real Madrid and Juventus forward Morata is determined to change things at Chelsea following Maurizio Sarri’s arrival.

“There was never a thought for me to leave. For me, it’s easy. I could have gone back to Spain or Italy, all the people believe in me there but I want to change all the things here,” Morata said.

“I want to, not for all the haters, but for me and for Chelsea.”

“I am looking forward to buying a house and I can’t wait for the babies to grow up to put them into school,” Morata added.

“I am very happy and it’s just the beginning of the new season. Why would I not be happy? I want to change all the thinking from the people who say I’m not.

“It’s the only reason I stay here, otherwise if Chelsea said, ‘You are not in our plans’, I move.”

He continued: “The most important thing is the way we play. Last season it was direct balls and for me to protect the ball in the air is not my best quality. Now I can attack the space, I can play one touch and go in the area for the crosses. It’s better for me.”

 

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The Catalans might not be optimistic of signing the France international, but they certainly aren’t ruling anything out

Barcelona director Guillermo Amor has suggested that the club haven’t given up on signing Paul Pogba.

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The World Cup winner has hit the headlines throughout the summer due to his apparently strained relationship with manager Jose Mourinho, despite being named captain for the Red Devils’ opening league match of the season – a 2-1 victory over Leicester.

After that game, the France star told reporters that he could not say what he really felt about the situation for fear of being fined , sparking further suggestions that he could depart for Barca. Mourinho, though, has denied such reports as “lies” .

The Camp Nou side have typically distanced themselves from an immediate move for the former Juventus man in recent days, and Goal understands United are unwilling to sell the midfielder this summer .

Amor took an alternate stance, however, refusing to rule out the prospect of the 25-year-old arriving before the close of the transfer window on August 31.

When asked specifically about Pogba following the 3-0 win over Alaves he told reporters: “We have a good squad now in order to face our objectives, we don’t know what will happen but we have a strong squad.

“The debutants have been positive, they have performed to their ability, they are good footballers.

“Alaves worked a lot, maybe more defensively and they were well positioned. They didn’t want to score and that the minutes went by and it needed to be Leo with a set-play to get the breakthrough.”

Lionel Messi scored twice in that clash, bouncing back impressively after a disappointing World Cup, in which Argentina crashed out in the last-16 stage in a thrilling 4-3 defeat to France.

He will not feature for his country in the forthcoming international matches, but Amor does not see it as a big positive for Ernesto Valverde’s squad.

“If you look at it like that then maybe but we’ve never had problems that Messi plays for Argentina,” he said.

“Messi’s level has not dropped after returning from Argentina. Leo has been here since he was 13 and knows our style of play, he is happy, enjoying himself and surrounded by quality.”

Barca have made an encouraging start to their title defence and also won the Spanish Super Copa thanks to a 2-1 victory over Sevilla in Tangiers. 

They have completed four signings this summer, having swooped for Bayern Munich’s Arturo Vidal and a pair of Brazilians in the form of Arthur Melo and Malcom, who have arrived from Gremio and Bordeaux respectively. 

Clement Lenget joined up from Sevilla, and it still seems the door remains ajar for Pogba to arrive if the opportunity arises. 

The European Champions prepared for the new season in North America and without the services of star striker Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid won their third successive Champions League trophy against Liverpool but are a club who have been shaken with major changes to their team – with manager Zinedine Zidane having resigned from his post soon after the European victory and star striker Cristiano Ronaldo leaving to Juventus in a big-money move . 

Julen Lopetegui has taken the reigns of the European Champions ahead of the new season and will look to improve on the Spanish side’s league showing after they finished third in La Liga – two places behind winners Barcelona.

Fresh off the back of an eventful World Cup, where the likes of Luka Modric and Raphael Varane starred, Madrid have battled in the International Champions Cup (ICC) and closed out their preparations against local rivals Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup. 

Goal  brings you a complete guide to Real Madrid’s 2018 pre-season tour as well as dates, venues and all you need to know about the preparations for the new campaign.

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Date	Match	Time (UK / US ET)	Venue
Jul 31	Real Madrid 1-2 Man United	1:05am / 8:05pm	Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida
Aug 4	Real Madrid 3-1 Juventus	11:05pm / 6:05pm	FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
Aug 7	Real Madrid 2-1 Roma	1:05am / 8:05pm	MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Aug 11	Real Madrid 3-1 AC Milan	8pm / 5pm	Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Aug 15	Real Madrid 2-4 Atletico Madrid (AET)*	9pm / 6pm	Lillekula Stadium, Tallinn

*UEFA Super Cup fixture.

Madrid got their pre-season started with a massive fixture against Manchester United at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. In a meeting between managers of Real Madrid new and old – with Jose Mourinho’s side taking a 2-1 win over his former side and their new boss. 

They then faced off against Juventus in Maryland in another high-profile European clash, with Los Blancos rolling to a 3-1 victory. 

Lopetegui’s then faced Roma in New Jersey to cap off their Stateside tour with a 2-1 win. Los Blancos concluded their pre-season preparations with a 3-1 win over AC Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu before losing their first competitive fixture against Atletico Madrid in Estonia to hand their rivals the UEFA Super Cup.

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Squad number	Position	Player
1	GK	Keylor Navas
2	DF	Dani Carvajal
3	DF	Jesus Vallejo
4	DF	Sergio Ramos
5	DF	Raphael Varane
6	DF	Nacho
8	MF	Toni Kroos
9	FW	Karim Benzema
10	MF	Luka Modric
11	FW	Gareth Bale
12	DF	Marcelo
13	GK	Kiko Casilla
14	MF	Casemiro
17	FW	Lucas Vazquez
18	MF	Marcos Llorente
19	DF	Alvaro Odriozola
20	MF	Marco Asensio
21	FW	Borja Mayoral
22	MF	Isco
24	MF	Dani Ceballos
30	GK	Luca Zidane
–	GK	Andriy Lunin
–	FW	Vinicius Junior
–	MF	Martin Odegaard
–	DF	Fabio Coentrao
–	MF	Federico Valverde
–	FW	Raul de Tomas
–	GK	Thibaut Courtois

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Real Madrid pocketed a €100 million (£88m/$117m) windfall following Ronaldo’s sensational move to Juventus, and they will be expected to dip into the transfer window for a suitable replacement before it closes on August 31.

They have already been linked with the likes of Belgium duo Eden Hazard  and recently had to deny that they inquired about the services of ex-Barcelona forward Neymar .

Mauro Icardi, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski have all been tentatively linked to the Blancos since the start of the summer, and attacking reinforcements are assured.

One long-rumoured target who has landed in Madrid is former Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who joined from Chelsea for €35m, with Mateo Kovacic heading in the opposite direction on a season-long loan.

Transfer activity in

Position	Player	Transferred from	Fee
GK	Andriy Lunin	Zorya Luhansk	€8.5m
DF	Alvaro Odriozola	Real Sociedad	€30m
FW	Vinicius Junior	Flamengo	€45m
GK	Thibaut Courtois	Chelsea	€35m

Transfer activity out

Position	Player	Transferred to	Fee
FW	Cristiano Ronaldo	Juventus	€100m
DF	Achraf Hakimi	Borussia Dortmund (loan)	Free
MF	Mateo Kovacic	Chelsea (loan)	Swap
DF	Theo Hernandez	Real Sociedad (loan)	Free

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Date	Time (BST)	Match
19/08/2018	17:30	Real Madrid vs Getafe
26/08/2018	17:30	Girona vs Real Madrid
02/09/2018	17:30	Real Madrid vs Leganes
16/09/2018	17:30	Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid
23/09/2018	17:30	Real Madrid vs Espanyol
26/09/2018	17:30	Sevilla vs Real Madrid
30/09/2018	17:30	Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
07/10/2018	17:30	Alaves vs Real Madrid
21/10/2018	17:30	Real Madrid vs Levante
28/10/2018	17:30	Barcelona vs Real Madrid
04/11/2018	17:30	Real Madrid vs Real Valladolid
11/11/2018	17:30	Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid
25/11/2018	17:30	Eibar vs Real Madrid
02/12/2018	17:30	Real Madrid vs Valencia
09/12/2018	17:30	SD Huesca vs Real Madrid
16/12/2018	17:30	Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano
22/12/2018	17:30	Villarreal vs Real Madrid
06/01/2019	17:30	Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad
13/01/2019	17:30	Real Betis vs Real Madrid
20/01/2019	17:30	Real Madrid vs Sevilla
27/01/2019	17:30	Espanyol vs Real Madrid
03/02/2019	17:30	Real Madrid vs Alaves
10/02/2019	17:30	Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid
17/02/2019	17:30	Real Madrid vs Girona
24/02/2019	17:30	Levante vs Real Madrid
03/03/2019	17:30	Real Madrid vs Barcelona
10/03/2019	17:30	Real Valladolid vs Real Madrid
17/03/2019	17:30	Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo
31/03/2019	17:30	Real Madrid vs SD Huesca
03/04/2019	17:30	Valencia vs Real Madrid
07/04/2019	17:30	Real Madrid vs Eibar
14/04/2019	17:30	Leganes vs Real Madrid
24/04/2019	17:30	Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao
28/04/2019	17:30	Getafe vs Real Madrid
05/05/2019	17:30	Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid
12/05/2019	17:30	Real Madrid vs Villareal
19/05/2019	17:30	Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid
26/05/2019	17:30	Real Madrid vs Real Betis

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Had Melbourne Victory not convinced him to extend his playing career in the A-League, Keisuke Honda could have retired this year.

Keisuke Honda claims the offer to play for Melbourne Victory encouraged him to postpone retirement, and the Japanese star insists he will not be distracted by his additional duties with the Cambodia national team.

Honda was last week announced as Victory’s marquee signing ahead of the new A-League season, the former CSKA Moscow and AC Milan player following in the footsteps of countryman Shinji Ono, who starred for Western Sydney Wanderers from 2012 to 2014, in moving to Australia.

Having retired from international football after the World Cup, the attacking midfielder credited Victory coach Kevin Muscat with convincing him to play on in Melbourne.

“I’m so glad that I can try a new challenge in my career,” he told a news conference at AAMI Park.

“I’m 32 years old, I was thinking to quit my career after the World Cup, but luckily this club offered me the great offer that changed my mind … so I appreciate it.

“To be honest, I changed my mind after I spoke to Kevin … He said to me he really wants to succeed as a club for not only the fans, for the A-League. So he’s an ambitious person, I’m an ambitious person as well. I am inspired by him. I think that’s a big, big meeting for me.”

In the days after Honda’s signing was confirmed, it emerged he had also agreed to take on a management role with the Football Federation of Cambodia, prompting questions to be asked about the sincerity of his commitment to Victory. 

Responding to queries about how he will juggle both roles, Honda said: “It was about four months ago, I spoke to the Cambodian association. I asked them, ‘may I become a manager of national team at the same time I’m a soccer player?’ and they said ‘yes’.

“I feel pressure, because I have a lot of responsibilities. I have to play well here, so now I need to train well after this press conference.

“First, I am a player of Melbourne Victory right now, from today. So I have to focus for playing well, for the fans, for the team-mates, and for everyone here.

“I can’t wait, I look forward to playing as soon as possible. I also am doing a lot of things besides soccer, but that’s not a big issue, and I have a lot of my colleagues in Japan and the US and everywhere and they are helping my activities and that’s why I can focus on playing soccer.”