Month: October 2019

After a draining week in which the French champions went out of the Coupe de la Ligue, two attacking stars are struggling with fatigue

Thomas Tuchel is keen to see a response to Paris Saint-Germain’s Coupe de la Ligue defeat this weekend, but they could be without Neymar and Kylian Mbappe against Amiens.

PSG suffered a rare setback in midweek as they dramatically lost 2-1 to Guingamp after conceding three second-half penalties.

Neymar and Mbappe both played the full 90 minutes, with the latter taking a blow to the head late in the first half, and Tuchel revealed on Friday that the pair are tired and may be rested as Ligue 1 action returns for 2019.

“For Mbappe and Neymar, we must see after training if they will play,” he told a news conference. “It is uncertain.”

Gianluigi Buffon and Prisnel Kimpembe are among those also out, yet the PSG coach sees an opportunity for the league leaders to move on swiftly from the Guingamp defeat.

“Everyone in the squad was a little sad after the defeat to Guingamp,” Tuchel continued. “No matter how much you win, you still feel this pain.

“But now it is necessary to show a reaction so we can forget about this match. For this, it is good to have another game straight away.

“The defeat against Guingamp cannot influence my team selection, though. [It looked like] we did not want to play that game, but I understand the players.

“We cannot play 60 matches with the same emotional state, the same concentration. It is not easy to always be 100 per cent motivated throughout the season. We ran out of energy.”

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Ending their recent woes and practicing for Europe are Juventus’ aims against AC Milan

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri believes their Supercoppa Italiana clash with AC Milan will serve as practice for the knockout rounds of the Champions League as they bid to avoid a repeat of recent disappointment in the annual showpiece. 

The Bianconeri, again runaway leaders in the Scudetto race, take on the team they beat 4-0 in last season’s Coppa Italia final in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Despite having won both Serie A and the Coppa Italia in each of the previous three seasons, Juve have failed to triumph in the Supercoppa in three of the last four years and lost to Milan on penalties in 2016. 

“It’s difficult to figure out why, as we lost both on penalties to Napoli and Milan. I hope tomorrow will be different and that we can be more concentrated,” Allegri said on Tuesday.

“There are 22 points separating the teams in Serie A, but those don’t matter here and it’ll be an important test for us. We must learn that playing a one-off match is different to a league situation.

“The main hope is that we don’t go to extra time, as we want to get it done within 90 minutes. This is good practice to prepare for elimination rounds.”

Juve will face Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League as they bid to win the competition for the first time since 1996.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined from Real Madrid in a €112million move in July, has lifted that trophy five times in his glittering career.

Asked if Ronaldo has brought a winning mentality to Juve, Allegri replied: “He’d have to win something first to prove that. Cristiano is accustomed to winning, he has won four of the last five Champions Leagues and many more trophies.

“Ronaldo is the best player in the world and an added bonus for us. The situation has certainly improved with his presence, although Juve already had great strikers.

“However, let’s not forget that Juve have played two Champions League finals in the last four years and they were against what at the time were the best teams in the world. When it comes to that tournament, you need good luck too.

“The Scudetto is one of our objectives, as are the Coppa Italia, the Supercoppa and the Champions League. We want to reach the end of the season with as many trophies as possible.”

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey is reportedly poised to agree a deal to join Juve at the end of the season. However, Allegri refused to talk about the Wales international.

“I won’t talk about the transfer market, because Ramsey is an Arsenal player and I cannot discuss him at all,” he said. “The Juventus squad is fine as it is.”

The experienced Czech has announced that he is to hang up his gloves at the end of the season, much to the surprise of former Gunners star Bob Wilson

Petr Cech’s decision to head into retirement at the end of the season has left Arsenal legend Bob Wilson stunned, with the 36-year-old told he may be walking away too soon.

Having enjoyed a 20-year career in which he exceeded all of his personal expectations, an iconic figure of the modern Premier League era has revealed that he is to hang up his gloves.

That decision has been taken after slipping behind Bernd Leno in the pecking order at Emirates Stadium.

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He will head out of the Gunners fold with fond memories of his time in north London, and across the capital at Chelsea, but Wilson believes he could have still had many seasons left in him.

The former Arsenal keeper told talkSPORT: “I’m absolutely shocked, I’m truly in shock.

“Three weeks ago I went up to the training ground and I went over to see Bernd Leno and Petr, I watched the two of them and was very impressed. You could see no difference whatsoever between him and Leno, his reactions were absolutely up there.

“In my opinion, at his age it quite shocks me.

“Petr Cech is still capable of playing at the very highest level of the game, without any question.

“Of course he’s a modern day player so he’s not like Peter Shilton at 43, Pat Jennings retired on his 41st birthday, David Seaman was in his 41st year.

“He’s won a multitude of things with Chelsea and won the FA Cup with Arsenal as well, so the players of today are often in a position to retire and maybe not work for the rest of their lives.

“I’m really surprised he’s going as early as he is.”

Wilson believes there is a case to be argued for Cech still being first-choice for Arsenal, with Bernd Leno still adjusting to the demands of the Premier League and struggling to iron out faults when it comes to dealing with crosses.

“The sad thing for me is this: Due to the speed of the modern ball, modern goalkeepers are really, really dodgy when it comes to crosses,” added Wilson, who made over 300 appearances for the Gunners.

“But Petr Cech remains the best Premier League goalkeeper in helping out his defence by catching crosses.

“Leno is learning and he’s a tremendous shot stopper, but on crosses he punches, punches, punches.

“I’m at all the Arsenal home games and I’m pulling out my hair in that situation.

“What your defence needs is to kill that move and Cech does that with authority.”

Cech will be walking away as a four-time Premier League title winner and with five FA Cup winners’ medals, three League Cup successes, a Champions League triumph and Europa League victory to his name.

The versatile midfielder is set for a reunion with former Sevilla boss Emery in north London after failing to win over Ernesto Valverde in Catalunya

After two-and-a-half immensely frustrating years at Barcelona, Denis Suarez looks set to make a fresh start in the Premier League.

The versatile midfielder will have the chance to relaunch his flagging career at Arsenal, with a January loan move now close. It is a fantastic opportunity for Suarez, who has failed to fulfil his potential since moving to Camp Nou.

But why did the 25-year-old fail to impress alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez? And can he show his best side for an Arsenal team that is also struggling to meet expectations after such a promising start to the season under new manager Unai Emery?

Emery, of course, played a bigger part than most in Suarez’s Barca move. After unsuccessful early stints at Manchester City and the Catalans ended, the then-Sevilla coach brought him to Andalusia in 2014.

In his only season at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Suarez made 25 starts and 46 appearances in all competitions as the Rojiblancos won the Europa League and finished fifth in La Liga, with their loan signing from Barcelona contributing six goals and five assists to the cause.

That form earned Suarez a permanent move to Villarreal in 2015 and he performed even more impressively at El Madrigal, helping the Yellow Submarine qualify for the Champions League by scoring five goals and creating 11 others.

As a result, Barca decided to re-sign the former B team player the following summer by exercising their buy-back clause.

The youngster initially held his own in the Blaugrana’s immensely competitive midfield. Indeed, Luis Enrique started Suarez 12 times in La Liga in 2016-17, while he also featured 14 times off the bench.

With Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic Barca’s undisputed midfield trio and the likes of Arda Turan, Andre Gomes and Sergi Roberto also battling for first-team places, becoming a regular was never going to be easy.

However, Luis Enrique had the utmost faith in Suarez’s ability, even touting him as “Iniesta’s long-term replacement”.

“Why not? Players have to evolve. He has to improve. Iniesta is Harry Potter, he makes magic, and it is difficult to find another. But Denis is on the right path and I hope he can be Iniesta’s heir.

“Denis is the youngest player in the squad and one of the few players to leave Barca B and be able to return. That is because of taking care of the ball but also working hard off the ball, which some players forget about.

“You have the ball for a minute or a minute-and-a-half in the game, so if you do not do well without it, you have no chance at this level. Denis understands that and he is well loved by his team-mates.”

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Suarez wasn’t loved by Luis Enrique’s successor, though. After racking up over 1,000 minutes of action in his debut season at Camp Nou, he saw his on-field time halved in 2017-18 under new coach Ernesto Valverde and things have only gone from bad to worse this term.

Suarez has managed a paltry 17 minutes of Liga action so far, with both Arturo Vidal and Arthur having leapfrogged him in the Barca pecking order.

Valverde has publicly insisted that Suarez “has a future” with the Blaugrana but also admitted that he will only be called upon when there is a need for rotation, admitting that he is just “one more player in the squad”.

Consequently, a reunion with Emery at Arsenal – who are in the market for midfield reinforcements given the imminent exit of Aaron Ramsey and the uncertainty surrounding Mesut Ozil – seems the perfect move.

Suarez is seen as a strong option out wide, where he played so well under Emery at Sevilla, given with Barca he more often than not floundered occupying a more central attacking role.

There are certain financial complications, however. Having spent heavily last summer, the transfer kitty is all but empty at the Emirates, forcing the manager to exclusively pursue loan deals.

“We cannot sign anyone permanently,” Emery said prior to Arsenal’s defeat at the hands of West Ham last weekend. “Only loan players this January.”

Barcelona, on the other hand, logically favour a permanent deal that would include yet another buy-back clause.

But negotiations are beginning to bear fruit.

A six-month loan and non-binding purchase option now appears to be an acceptable compromise for both buyer and seller, while Suarez has made it clear that, having brushed off interest from other clubs, Arsenal’s style of play and his pre-existing relationship with Emery make north London the perfect destination to kick-start his career.

If the deal does go through prior to the close of the January transfer window, the Gunners will have pulled off a transfer coup.

Suarez may not have had what it takes to establish himself at Camp Nou but he has shown fleeting glimpses of his true talent – most recently against Levante in the Copa del Rey – that make it more than clear that he is not just another run of the mill player.

At just 25, he is entering his prime, and will come to the Emirates with more motivation than ever to prove his doubters in Catalunya wrong.

Suarez and Emery did great things together at Sevilla, and despite the disappointment he has endured at Barcelona, there is no reason to think lightning cannot strike twice in north London.

The Milan boss praised the Portuguese star ahead of his side’s Supercoppa Italiana clash against Juventus

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has developed into the “perfect machine”, according to AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso.

Gattuso’s men meet Ronaldo and Juve in the Supercoppa Italiana in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

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Ronaldo, 33, has settled in well in Italy, scoring 15 goals in 25 games since joining the club from Real Madrid in July.

Gattuso said the Portuguese star had changed in recent years after initially being too focused on “doing a lot of show”.

“I think Cristiano has become an incredible player over the last seven or eight years,” he told a news conference.

“When I met him a few years ago he was doing a lot of show but now he stopped doing it a while ago. Now, he does everything with vehemence, attacking with depth.

“He wants to score and wants to give you hard times and put the ball into the net.

“He has changed in the last seven or eight years, now he is the perfect machine. The older he gets the more he sprints.

“He seems a bloke without age, here you understand what kind of top player he has been over the last eight years.”

Juventus and Milan are bidding to win a record eighth Supercoppa crown when they meet in Jeddah.

Manchester United midfielder Fred has responded to recent criticism of himself and the team by accepting it is justified.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men slumped to a 1-0 loss at embattled Newcastle, where 19-year-old Matty Longstaff’s goal on his Premier League debut sent the visitors into a tailspin.

It is now 11 matches in all competitions since United last tasted victory on the road, with the side entering the international break 12th after managing two wins from their eight league games.

The likes of Gary Neville and Roy Keane have been critical in recent weeks of the performances of the players but also the overall situation at United.

And despite having a dig at some pundits, Fred respects the opinion of many Red Devils legends that have been negative.

“They’ve won many titles with this club,” Fred is quoted in The Sun. “We have to shut up and work on the pitch.

“Some critics are pointless — but many can offer me lessons.

“I like to read what people are saying about my performances. With that, I can try to get better.

“Every day when I arrive at the training ground, when I see those big letters with the name of the club, I pinch myself.

“So I know this club is gigantic. I like to read about its history, best players and historical moments.

“It hasn’t been great times for us — our rivals are winning titles and we’re not even in the Champions League. It makes our fans sad and I feel sad as well.

“This club deserves silverware and we’re going to fight to get better. We have to put United back in the place it should never have left.”

 

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The new Super U20s Championship will help give young players a glimpse of professional Rugby life, Australian U20s coach Adrian Thompson says.

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The championship replaces a week-long national U20s competition and will give teams the opportunity to play in Super Rugby curtain-raisers in many of the matches.

Thompson said the competition would be a more  accurate reflection of the Rugby landscape.

“We’ve had in the past last couple of years a national championships taken place in Canberra and it’s only been Queensland, NSW and a joint team from the other states,” he said.

“Now we’re actually trying to make it realistic with each of the teams to play each other once and a lot more like a professional system.”

The competition will feature a mix of  contracted Super Rugby players and emerging youngsters, with teams linked to the five senior franchises.

Thompson said all the states were working to bring through their talented youngsters now.

“All Super Rugby teams have the access that Queensland and New South Wales do and that’s driven some recruitment,” he said.

“All three of those states (ACT, WA and VIC) have actively recruited and they’ll be providing plenty of competition.”

Reds duo Campbell Magnay and James Tuttle will be ones to watch, Thompson said, along with high school prodigy Nick Jooste and Jordan Jackson-Hope.

Western Force U20s back Angus Taylor, speaking at the launch of the Super U20s Championship on Wednesday, said the competition would be a welcome addition to the pathway.

“I think it’s pretty vital in building that bridge between Schoolboys and professional Rugby,” he said.

“Before 20s you had schoolboys and then you went off and played club rugby and hope to get picked up.

“Now you’ve got that little bridge and this gives an opportunity to play Aussie U20s as well.”

As for what his state can bring, Taylor said they could surprise a few teams.

“We might be a bit smaller than the other sides but that’s not going to take away from our physicality,” he said.

“We’re going to take it to them up front and we’ve got some exciting gas outside to expose those edges and get some tries.”

The Western Force has worked hard on bringing youth to its backline but experienced flyhalf Peter Grant hopes to add some valuable experience to the side.

Grant first considered a move to the Force some six years ago, when the franchise was searching for a replacement for Matt Giteau, but still in the frame for South Africa selection he opted to stay at home.

The 31-year-old had his first pre-season training session with the team in Perth on Monday and said he had learned a lot since then.

Among eight years and 104 Super Rugby caps at the Stormers, Grant has also had stints in Japan’s Top League, before one season with La Rochelle, whom he left for family reasons.

Then the Force came calling once more and this time the choice was a simple one.

“I wanted to (come) back then, it was a close call as well but… Springbok (selection) was still in the picture,” he said.

“I’ve travelled a lot and matured a lot since then so I look forward to things going forward.”

Grant will bring his worldly experiences to the Force, to team up with a back line that has added players like former Queensland Red Ben Tapuai and Jono Lance ahead of the 2016 season.

The veteran said he had spoken to Force coach Michael Foley from France and felt he could fit in with the side’s attacking game plan.

“I’ve got to fit in with that program and that style of play, which I’m excited about because I love attacking, flowing kind of rugby,” he said.

“I’m not the quickest man on the park but I’ll hopefully move the ball around quick enough to the speedy guys.”

Grant said he hoped to bring a cool head to the young team.

“That was part of the plan,” he said.

“Foles wanted me to come in and provide a little bit more experience.

“(We’ve) got a lot of exciting young players in the back line especially.

“Hopefully I can provide a little bit of experience and rub off a bit on the younger boys.”

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Michael Hooper is starting to feel it.

The creaks, the cracks of joints that never made a noise before, a need to be more cautious with a body that has served him well so far.

Hooper played 2276 minutes out of a possible 2400 of rugby this season, missing Australia’s win over France, rested with a handful of regular starter and a yellow card against Argentinathe only other time he sat on the sideline.

“Just things crack that didn’t crack a couple of years ago. Your knees crack and your shoulders hurt but it’s just rugby,” he says.

“I’m speaking for all of [the] rugby players across the world. It’s a tough game and it’s a demand on your body but one that’s all worth the end result and all worth what a good win with good mates can do for your spirits and your mind.”

At 25, he has 65 Tests, two John Eales Medals and 13 international tries and a stint as the youngest Wallabies captain ever to show for the minutes of rugby he has tallied for the Wallabies and there have been plenty.

Only Bernard Foley featured in more Tests than Hooper in 2016, playing in each of Australia’s 15, but the flyhalf missed the first month of Super Rugby with injury.

It would be too far a bow to draw to say a lighter week was welcomed by Hooper when it came in mid-November, but he admits it’s something he might have to adjust to.

“I love playing as much as possible but sometimes the body doesn’t agree and you’ve got to be able to do the right things around that and I’m starting to learn that, getting a bit older.”

“You just cherish the days that you could just run and back up and train and train and not have any niggles, not have to go to do any physio and things like that.”

The pragmatic Hooper doesn’t spend much time lamenting his situation, though,

“You see why guys like Scott Fardy are so sour,” he jokes.

“They’ve just been toiling, working hard and their knees creak and all these sort of things but he does it he gets up every day and does it because he loves it and wants to contribute most to this outfit and this team.

“It’s guys like that, that you try and look at and go, ‘It can’t be too bad and if he can do it, then a lot of us can’.”

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Hooper has never done things by halves – every Wallabies training session is punctuated by his calls of encouragement or admonishment, when required, a reflection of an enthusiasm that hasn’t wavered.

“I’ve always been competitive in and around training and things like that and it’s [about] wanting to be a part of a successful team,” he says.

“Like so many of the guys here now, and I’m speaking on behalf of most of them, we want to be a part of winning teams.

“There’s only a certain amount of time you can do this, if not much at all.

“You want to do the best you possibly can and do it with a bunch of guys, who you’re trying to build something with and this team is on the track to doing that.”

The Northern Beaches native has always held a competitive hunger, playing a variety of sports with and against older brother Richard.

“I was a younger brother, so my older brother, you always try and beat them don’t you?,” he says.

“I think the opportunity we have growing up in Australia. and I know I loved where I grew up down on the Northern Beaches, there’s so much to do, there’s so [many] fun things to do growing up. You get your hand at a bit of cricket, surf a bit, get in the water, play rugby.

“There’s so much to do that you develop a competitive nature being around this lifestyle.

“I feel pretty lucky that you get given these things in life and get given this opportunity to play rugby for your country.” 

He’s had little time to reflect on a remarkable journey thus far but nostalgia isn’t really up Hooper’s alley.

“It’s such a whirlwind when you first come into this fold and this setup and go overseas and travel for half a year,” he says.

“It’s so much fun and there’s so many good things and so many tough times, that it just moves so quick.

“You never really have a chance to look back on seasons and go back and delve into it.

“I’m just glad that I can keep moving forward.”

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward could sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer if they lose to Liverpool, according to reports.

Matty Longstaff’s goal on his Premier League debut for Newcastle United saw the Red Devils beaten 1-0 on Sunday.

United boss Solskjaer was left facing more questions following an 11th successive game without an away win which leaves his side in 12th place – just two points above the bottom three.

And the Daily Mirror claims that Woodward is ‘understood to be losing patience with the team’s woeful form’ despite giving the former Cardiff City boss a three-year deal in March.

Woodward only gave Solskjaer his full backing a couple of weeks ago but the team’s performances have become concerning.

The report adds that ‘several of United’s senior players have begun to question Solskjaer’s tactical acumen’ and that his post-match comments after the Newcastle defeat – which were heavily criticised by Robin van Persie – have ‘not gone down well within the dressing-room’.

In his post-match interview, Solskjaer said: “It’s my responsibility. I need to sort their heads out. Young boys lacking confidence, they need some help from experienced players and staff.”

And it’s the “sort their heads out” comment that the players are reportedly annoyed about.

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