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.

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.

The Estonian defender has been allowed to move on by Jurgen Klopp, with strength in depth at Anfield blocking his path to a regular centre-half berth

Ragnar Klavan has completed a £2 million ($2.5m) move to Cagliari, with Liverpool having deemed the defender surplus to requirements.

Goal revealed earlier this week that the Reds would consider offers for the 32-year-old after seeing him slip down the pecking order.

Cagliari have now seen off interest from Germany to land the experienced centre-back, with a medical passed and terms agreed on a two-year contract prior to the closure of the Serie A transfer window.

Jurgen Klopp has personally sanctioned the sale – having made it clear that he will have the final say on any exits at Anfield – with Klavan in the final year of his contract and keen to play regular first-team football.

He turns 33 in October and Klopp is keen to be fair to the player, who has been a consummate professional during his time at the club. 

With Joel Matip fit again after a thigh problem, and Dejan Lovren expected back at the end of the month, Klopp feels his options at centre-back are sufficient, especially with Nathaniel Clyne’s return enabling Joe Gomez to move inside from right-back.

Gomez started for Liverpool against West Ham last weekend, and is seen as a centre-half, long term. That has been a key factor in the decision to allow Klavan to leave.

Klavan joined the Reds for £4m ($5m) from Augsburg in 2016 and went on to make 53 appearances, scoring twice.

His sale is likely to the be the first of a number in the next fortnight, with Simon Mignolet, Lazar Markovic, Pedro Chirivella, Marko Grujic and Divock Origi all facing uncertain futures.

Exits for all, either on loan or permanently, could be sanctioned.

BEIJING – Japanese public impressions of China remain “unfavorable,” an annual survey showed Thursday, amid a lingering territorial dispute, a U.S.-China trade war and unrest in Hong Kong.

The survey, conducted by the Japanese nonprofit think tank Genron NPO and the China International Publishing Group, found that 84.7 percent of Japanese respondents have an “unfavorable” impression of China, down 1.6 percentage points from a year earlier.

The survey was conducted amid a recent thaw in Sino-Japanese ties that had previously grown frosty over wartime history and territory.

The Asian neighbors say that bilateral relations have returned to a “normal track,” and the two sides are preparing for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first state visit to Japan next spring.

But that contrasts with the opinion of the Japanese public, with a 5.8 percentage point increase to 44.8 percent among those who believe the current status of bilateral ties is “bad” or “relatively bad,” with a “lack of trust between governments” cited as one of the primary reasons.

Yasushi Kudo, the head of the think tank, explained that “although the Japanese government has begun to strengthen relations with China and began exchanges with its leaders, the purpose and future vision of this has not been explained to the Japanese people.”

Furthermore, Japanese news outlets, from where the majority of the respondents said that they receive information about China, “aired discussions of economic conflict between the United States and China and violent images of anti-Beijing protests in Hong Kong on a daily basis” during the surveying month of September, Kudo wrote in an analysis.

Despite the two governments’ pledges to make efforts to build a “new era” in Sino-Japanese ties, the survey results indicate that the Japanese public’s impressions of China have been negatively influenced by those major issues.

Since June there have been protests almost every weekend in Hong Kong, many turning violent, which were initially triggered by a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kong citizens to be sent to mainland China for trial.

Indeed, there was a noticeable rise in those who cited China’s “one-party rule by the Communist Party” and “entrenched nationalism of the Chinese people” as a reason for their “unfavorable” impression of the country, amounting to 43 percent and 8.3 percent of respondents respectively.

While “continuing territorial issues over the Senkaku Islands and Japanese water/airspace” remained the most cited reason, 12.2 percent named China’s “incomprehensible response to the China-U.S. trade war” as a reason for an “unfavorable” impression.

In contrast, “favorable” Chinese public impressions of Japan were at their highest level since the joint survey began in 2005. Chinese respondents of that view rose to 45.9 percent, nearly 40 points higher than in 2013 when the two governments came to loggerheads over the Senkaku Islands, administered by Japan but claimed by China.

Kudo believes a rapid rise in the number of Chinese citizens traveling to Japan, as well as an increased use of social media services, are major factors for the improvement.

The survey found that the majority of Chinese respondents who have traveled to Japan had a “favorable” impression of the country, whereas the majority of those who had not been to Japan had an “unfavorable” impression.

The survey was conducted in September and valid responses were collected from 1,000 people in Japan and 1,597 in China age 18 or older.

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Lucas Moura claims that none of the Tottenham players have discussed leaving the club in the dressing room.

Spurs‘ wretched start to the season, where they have won just three Premier League games, has been dogged by reports of dressing room unrest and players unhappy at Mauricio Pochettino’s methods.

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They moved one step forward with a 5-0 demolition of Red Star Belgrade, though they took a step back again over the weekend as they lost 2-1 at Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.

Despite that, Lucas has insisted that the atmosphere in the dressing room is “normal” and that nobody has been talking about leaving the club.

“Inside the locker room, there’s nothing. The locker room is normal, the atmosphere has always been very good, the group is very united,” Lucas told ESPN Brasil (via Sport Witness).

“This matter of speculation about any player wanting to quit is hard to answer. I think it’s personal for each one. I know nothing was leaked in the locker room, nobody said anything about wanting to leave. I think the atmosphere is very good.

“The proof that the atmosphere is good was the good game we played today, the last game was very good in the Champions League, now we were able to play against Liverpool.

“Of course, the moment isn’t the best, the last irregular results, but it’s part of football. We have to stay together and focus on working to reverse this situation.”

Unai Emery is worried that he could face a ‘backlash’ if he strips Granit Xhaka of the captain’s armband at Arsenal, according to reports.

The 27-year-old told Gunners’ supporters to “f*** off” as they reacted to his substitution during Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw at home to Crystal Palace.

Arsenal had flown out of the blocks and were two goals ahead inside 10 minutes as defenders Sokratis Papastathopoulos and David Luiz struck 106 seconds apart.

However, Palace would leave the Emirates Stadium with a point as Luka Milivojevic converted a penalty awarded by the video assistant referee after Wilfried Zaha had initially been booked for diving, with Jordan Ayew’s second-half header pegging Arsenal back.

But the talking point came after 61 minutes as Xhaka, a decisive figure among Arsenal supporters was substituted for Bukayo Saka.

Xhaka‘s withdrawal was initially greeted by large cheers, which soon turned to jeers as he took his time to leave the pitch despite the score being level.

He reacted by waving his arms, cupping his ears and mouthing expletives as he pushed away a handshake from Emery, took off his shirt and headed straight down the tunnel.

And now The Sun claims that Emery ‘fears a dressing-room revolt’ if he strips the Switzerland international of the captaincy.

Xhaka has so far refused to issue an apology over the incident at Palace despite Arsenal’s attempts to ‘persuade their skipper’.

Emery ‘plans’ to take the armband away from Xhaka but The Sun says he is ‘facing an angry backlash from his squad’.

The report added: ‘A number of senior Arsenal players are appalled at the brutal treatment which Xhaka has received from the club’s fickle supporters.’

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Fiorentina forward Franck Ribery has apologised after shoving an assistant referee following his side’s defeat against Lazio.

The 36-year-old former France international could be facing a lengthy ban after the incident on Sunday night.

Fiorentina were beaten 2-1 at home by Ciro Immobile’s last-minute goal in the Serie A clash.

Moments before, La Viola felt they should have been awarded a free-kick for a foul but the referee waved play on and Ribery let his frustrations be known after the final whistle.

He was seen on camera in a heated exchange with the linesman, who was forcefully shoved twice as Ribery protested. Serie A officials have since confirmed that the Frenchman was shown a red card following the game.

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On Monday, Ribery said sorry for his actions, posting on Twitter: “I apologise to my teammates, the coach, the fans. I apologise to (linesman) Mr. Passieri.

“I was very upset and sad after the end of the match. I hope he can understand my state of mind.”

 

Former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart thinks Ajax star Hakim Ziyech would be a “sensation” in north London.

The Moroccan has five goals and five assists in ten Eredivisie matches this campaign to help Ajax move clear at the top of the table.

Working as a pundit on Studio Voetbal, Van der Vaart said: “I really hope he goes to Tottenham Hotspur. I sent a message today to Levy, I said ‘get Ziyech after this season’. I am convinced that he will become a sensation in London.”

Van der Vaart is not the first former Premier League player to recommend Ziyech as a good signing with Marc Overmars saying recently that Arsenal should sell Mesut Ozil and buy the Ajax midfielder.

Overmars told Voetbal International: “I am a bit surprised that it is still so quiet around Hakim.

“I think he has played better every year and his statistics are exceptionally good.

“Many clubs are increasingly looking at that. They look more at the numbers than at what he shows and what is happening around him.

“I think Hakim Ziyech is better than Mesut Ozil. I would tell Arsenal: sell him and you will get Hakim for half the price. But they didn’t listen to me. So it could just be that he stays with Ajax.”

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In June, De Telegraaf claimed that Ajax had stuck a tempting €35m (£31m) price tag on the Moroccan’s head, with Liverpool and Arsenal the frontrunners for his signature.

The Blues defender is fed up with comparisons, with the Germany international preferring to focus on the present after a fine start to the season

Antonio Rudiger is fed up with comparisons between Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea and that of former manager Antonio Conte, with the Blues’ class of 2018-19 currently sat among the Premier League pacesetters.

A 2-1 win away at Newcastle on Sunday means that Sarri has overseen a perfect start to life in English football – with three victories collected from as many games.

The Italian has made several changes at Stamford Bridge following his arrival over the summer, with fresh faces drafted in to encourage a new style of play.

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Rudiger is among those to have been ever-present in Sarri’s starting XI so far and is happy with the progress being made, with the Germany international eager to keep focus locked on the present and not dwell on the past under Conte.

“Stop comparing. I don’t want to speak about the past. As you can see, we do a lot of ball possession and try to press high,” Rudiger said at St James’ Park. “Yeah, that’s a good sign [to come back]. It meant we are ready – it was a difficult game but in the end, with a bit of luck, we fully deserved this win.

“But if you saw the whole game, I wouldn’t say that it’s luck. Game-by-game I think it’s getting better and that’s our target. Before the internationals, we’ll try to win all of our games and then come back after and go on. At the end of the day, the three points are more important because the performances will come definitely.

“If I saw this game and the game against Arsenal in the first half and the last 20 minutes, we’re improving. But, for me, especially for everyone, three points are important.”

Chelsea started against Newcastle with what could be their first choice line-up, with Sarri calling on Eden Hazard from the off for the first time, while Mateo Kovacic came in ahead of Ross Barkley.

Hazard was influential once again on Tyneside and his performance was rewarded with a goal, as his confident penalty made it 1-0.

Rudiger was quick to praise the Belgian forward afterwards and thinks that Sarri now boasts huge depth to a star-studded squad.

“I think for the coach it isn’t an easy choice because at the front we have really good quality players and of course Eden is one of them,” he continued. “But we had Willian on the bench. It’s not easy for the coach but it’s good to have many, many options. Competition brings out the best in everyone. It’s good like that.

“For the attackers, it’s good because we mostly have the ball. It’s good for those players. To make those players defend is not their strength, especially Eden. But players like N’Golo [Kante] and Mateo are a good mix. Those two players can attack and also defend as well.

“Ok, it’s a good thing to always have the ball but it’s normal that you lose it. So we need big players to come to the back and I think N’Golo and Kovacic did very good.”

Kepa Arrizabalaga and Jorginho also played their part against the Magpies as Chelsea looked to involve all of their summer signings, except for Rob Green, who was signed to be the club’s third choice goalkeeper.

Jorginho took many plaudits as Chelsea controlled the game against Rafael Benitez’s side. He touched the ball 186 times, matching the record set by Manchester City’s Fernandinho since Opta started taking records in 2003-04. He also made 173 passes, which was just one short of the record set by Ilkay Gundogan last season. 

Rudiger says that Chelsea’s players are always looking to the Italy international, who has already proven himself to be pivotal in Sarri’s overhauled system.

“I don’t know about statistics but of course he is one of our target players and he is very comfortable on the ball, which is good,” he concluded.

The Chelsea boss believes certain players on his books can still show more, including a left-back nominated for the Player of the Month award

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Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri believes in-form Marcos Alonso can still improve on the defensive side of his game.

The left-back is one of seven players to have been nominated for August’s Premier League Player of the Month award, having claimed a goal and an assist in his side’s opening three wins of the season.

Alonso has also earned a recall to the Spain squad, having been overlooked for the World Cup this year.

Sarri, nominated for the Manager of the Month prize, is happy with Alonso’s form but insists he can still sharpen up when the opposition have the ball.

“Alonso played very well in three matches,” Sarri told a news conference. “I think he’s a very good player and he can improve in the defensive phase. He’s a very good player but I think he can do more.

“He has physical qualities at the top level, so I think he can do more in the defensive phase but I’m not worried. He’s a very good player in the offensive and defensive phases, but I think he can do more.”

Another player Sarri wants to see more from is midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who has not played since the 3-0 win at Huddersfield Town on the opening day.

“I can say I’m very happy with him, because in the last 10 days he has improved a lot,” he said. “I’m really very happy with him. I think he will be important for sure. Starting in September, we will play every three days. He will be very important and very useful for us.

“I think so [he can push for a start]. It’s not easy to play here because there are 25 very good players, so it’s not easy to play in the starting line-up, but I think he will improve more.

“He has to improve, just in order to play my football. He has great qualities from a physical point of view, and technical point of view. I think he needs to improve from the tactical point of view, nothing else.”

Sarri also expects Victor Moses to contribute more to the team once he has adjusted to being a winger rather than wing-back in the current system.

“He changed position on the pitch. We are trying to get him to play like a winger. We changed the position and in the new position; I think he needs to improve,” Sarri added.

“I’m very happy with nine points from three matches, but now it’s important to work, to improve more. We have the potential to improve more.”

Chelsea host Bournemouth on Saturday.

The striker netted just 15 goals in two years at Camp Nou but he was afforded just 22 starts and could easily revive his career at Borussia Dortmund

At the end of his first season at Barcelona, Paco Alcacer was pretty happy with his lot.

Granted, he had spent the most of the 2016-17 campaign serving as the main back-up for Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar, but, as the striker was quick to point out, where was the shame in that?

“I have the best striker in the world ahead of me, to the right the best player in the world and on the left the best in the near future,” he reasoned.

“It is very complicated and I have to work day to day to be prepared when [I have] the opportunity to play. I feel privileged to participate and I hope I will be here for many years. I’m very happy.”

Just over a year on, though, and everything has changed.

Alcacer was no longer happy at Camp Nou because he was no longer Barca’s first-choice reserve striker, so he left, joining Borussia Dortmund on loan for €2 million on Wednesday, with a view to a permanent transfer at the end of the season for an additional €23m.

The man who had been Valencia captain at the age of 22 had fallen behind Munir El Haddadi in the pecking order in Catalunya, even though the latter is not a natural forward, and Alcacer didn’t even make the bench for Barca’s Liga opener against Alaves.

Of course, this was hardly a new experience for him under Ernesto Valverde, whose arrival as coach last year effectively meant the beginning of the end of the Spain international’s stay in Catalunya.

He had joined from Valencia in 2016 for €30m but initially struggled to replicate his exploits at Mestalla, where he had become a hero by bagging 43 goals in 124 games for los Che.

Indeed, it took him until February 2017 to get off the mark for Barca in La Liga but he slowly but surely improved, even netting after playing all 90 minutes in the Copa del Rey final triumph over Sevilla.

Certainly, Luis Enrique had nothing but admiration for Alcacer’s ability and attitude.

“We do not have any doubts about him,” the former Barca midfielder insisted. “I am content with Paco’s performances and I’m very proud of him.

“I’ve been praising his attitude all season because he’s always there for the team. He’s been sublime.”

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However, when Valverde replaced Luis Enrique at the helm, Alcacer found himself on the fringes of the first-team squad. Last season, there often wasn’t even room on the bench for him.

There were still flashes of what he could do when given game time, though, most notably a decisive double in a 2-1 win over Sevilla in November, and he still finished the season with seven goals to his name, despite only being afforded 11 starts.

In announcing his arrival at Signal Iduna Park, BVB sporting director Michael Zorc enthused, “We’re absolutely delighted that Paco Alcacer has chosen to join Borussia Dortmund and we’re firmly convinced this type of player will be a good fit for our style of play.”

And that was the thing: Alcacer just wasn’t a good fit for Valverde’s style of play. Indeed, it is telling that Barca haven’t signed a direct replacement for him, meaning they remain without a Suarez understudy, presumably because Valverde doesn’t want one.

The Barca boss’ preference is and always was to deploy Messi as a ‘false 9’ whenever the Uruguay international is injured or in need of rest, which must have been galling for Alcacer.

In addition, given Valverde persistently implemented a 4-4-2 last term, and Alcacer still wasn’t trusted as a viable alternative to fulfil one of these roles, it’s easy to understand why he ultimately decided that he would have to leave Barca in search of regular football.

Alcacer remains a clinical finisher with intelligent movement and, at just 24, his best years are still ahead of him. Indeed, there is no reason why he cannot excel at BVB, particularly as he’ll be playing under a coach like Lucien Favre, who has previously reinvigorated Mario Balotelli’s career at Nice.

Given the way he conducted himself, and the fact that he netted 15 times during a two-year stay in which he made just 22 starts from 50 appearances, Alcacer rightly left Barca on Wednesday with his head held high.

“I do not regret joining Barcelona,” he declared. Barcelona could yet regret letting him go, tough.

The Blaugrana have, tellingly, retained the right to block his permanent transfer to Dortmund at the end of the season should he rediscover his goalscoring touch at Signal Iduna Park, but if Alcacer also rediscovers the happiness he lost at Camp Nou, it is difficult to see him wanting to come back.