Month: October 2019

While the compaint has been raised that the club fielded an ineligible player, the Barca manager insisted he was right to pick Chumi

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde insisted he is unconcerned over Levante’s official complaint regarding their selection of Chumi in the first leg of their Copa del Rey clash.

Young defender Chumi started last week’s 2-1 loss to Levante despite being due to serve a suspension after picking up five bookings while playing for Barcelona B in the Segunda Division B.

Barca won the reverse fixture at Camp Nou 3-0 on Thursday – Ousmane Dembele scoring twice and Lionel Messi adding the third – to advance to the quarter-finals courtesy of a 4-2 aggregate success, with the draw for the last eight due to take place on Friday.

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However, speaking prior to kick-off on Thursday, Levante president Quico Catalan had stated his club’s intention to lodge a complaint to the Royal Spanish Football Federation, reportedly over Chumi’s involvement in the first encounter.

Yet Valverde is confident Barcelona will not be kicked out of the competition and that Chumi was eligible to feature in the Copa del Rey.

“We have no doubt about Chumi,” he told reporters in his post-match news conference.

“Not before, not after, or during.

“We believe that tomorrow we must be in the draw. We are sure that we did it well.

“We knew perfectly well that Chumi was sanctioned, he could not be used in the match against Eibar [in La Liga].

“We are convinced of what we have done. We have acted in an absolutely correct way. We have won where we had to win. It is very clear.”

Barcelona will be looking to avoid the fate suffered by their rivals in the competition in 2015, when Real Madrid found themselves expelled for fielding an ineligible player.

Madrid had played forward Denis Cheryshev in a first-leg victory over Cadiz, with the Russia international ineligible due to a suspension earned in the previous year of the competition while on loan at Villarreal.

Los Blancos were forced to forfeit the second leg, and though they appealed, were bounced from the competition.

The Blues face competition from the French champions for a key transfer target, but the bigger issue may be his club’s valuation

Leandro Paredes is keen on a move to either Paris Saint-Germain or Chelsea and has agreed with both clubs on the terms of a proposed move but Zenit are holding firm on a fee of around €40m (£36m/$46m), Goal understands.

PSG have long held an interest in the Argentina international, who emerged as a Chelsea target this month when Cesc Fabregas left the club on a free transfer to join Monaco.

As reported on Goal earlier in the week, Zenit are yet to allow talks between Chelsea and their player over around a €10m (£9m/$11m) difference in valution of him. 

The Premier League club’s initial approach for 24-year-old was €30m (£27m/$34m), but there is caution over Zenit’s position to encourage a bidding war.

Maurizio Sarri was once again clear ahead of his side’s match away at Arsenal that he would like to see a replacement come in for Fabregas.

“You know my opinion about the replacement of Cesc,” Sarri said.

“We need a replacement, in my opinion. Marina knows very well my opinion. So I’m not frustrated at the moment.”

Chelsea are also working on a deal to bring in Gonzalo Higuain and have reached an agreement with Juventus. Their deal hinges on Milan getting a replacement in for Higuain, which is expected to be the €40m (£36m/$46m) rated Krzysztof Piątek.

They also need to offload Alvaro Morata, who has an agreement with Atletico Madrid, but the Blues have yet to agreed the deal on their side.

Meanwhile, they are also hoping to resist a £35m ( €40m/$45m) approach from Bayern Munich and agree a contract renewal with Callum Hudson-Odoi.

PSG are also targeting Dortmund midfielder Julian Weigl but they believe they could accommodate both players in their squad.

Additional reporting from Sabrina Belalmi, Ruben Uria and Romeo Agresti.

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The former Red Devils striker believes the Chilean has been too eager to impress at times but remains convinced that a proven performer can contribute

Alexis Sanchez has not “become a bad player overnight”, says Andy Cole, with Manchester United still expected to get value from a player who has been “like a kid with a new football” in his eagerness to impress.

The Red Devils were considered to have pulled off quite the transfer coup when taking the Chile international from Arsenal in January 2018.

Sanchez has, however, mustered just four goals across 32 appearances during his time at Old Trafford, while also struggling with a series of niggling knocks.

Cole believes the 30-year-old forward could be accused of having tried too hard to prove himself in new surroundings, with there still every chance that he will come good now that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has breathed new life into a United side which had stagnated under Jose Mourinho.

The former Red Devils striker told ESPN: “You never become a bad player overnight.

“When he left Arsenal for Man United, he joined a team which was totally different. You have to change as a player, which is difficult.

“His work ethic is the same, but while he has given the ball away too much, it has been because he’s been trying things because he wanted to produce a pass or score goals.

“He will improve because everyone else has improved since Ole took over.

“Alexis has got good pace and he never stops running or closing down. He’s like a little kid with a new football who wants to show how good he is. He was like that at Arsenal where he scored goals.”

While backing Sanchez to rediscover his spark, Cole is also looking for the likes of Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard to play at their full potential.

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Both men are held in high regard, with their creative qualities considered to be key attributes for the Red Devils.

“He’s a flair player who needs to have the opportunity to express himself,” Cole said of Martial.

He added on Lingard and conversations he once had with Sir Alex Ferguson about the England international: “He would say that [Lingard] is going to be like Jean Tigana.

“Jesse was a late developer who had many loans, but he’s said himself that he plays better for England than for Manchester United.

“Maybe he was getting more freedom for England, but now under Ole Gunnar he’s getting more of that. You have to play with freedom. Manchester United have always played with freedom and creativity.”

Under Solskjaer, United have enjoyed a run of six successive victories across all competitions, with a home date against Brighton on Saturday set to present them with an opportunity to stretch that run to seven games and close further on the Premier League’s top four.

Axel Tuanzebe says the only way Newcastle United were able to score against Manchester United was when they “weren’t really there”.

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 Manchester United last tasted victory on the road, with the side entering the international break 12th after managing two wins from their eight league games.

Despite that, Tuanzebe doesn’t think Newcastle posed many problems for the Red Devils’ defence and reckons they struggled to play through United.

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“Yeah, you can see we shut them out for a long period of time,” Tuanzebe told MUTV.

“The only way they were able to score was a counter when we weren’t really there. The goal, it is what it is: a 20-yard shot, it wasn’t like they played through us or anything like that.

“We go back to the drawing board, the international break [is] now time for us to regroup. We believe in what we’re doing, in time it will come.

“Now it’s just that tough phase. Next game we look forward to is Liverpool. [We] definitely want to get a result in that game.”

On their next match against Liverpool, Tuanzebe said: “It’s always a big game. Through my academy stages, Liverpool is a must-win. It’s a brutal game. It wasn’t a tippy-tappy game; no matter what age group.

“Obviously coming here to the first team, I expect more of the same. It will be a game where we need to grind it out and stick together and produce a result.”

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are paying the cost for the board having “cocked it up” over recruitment.

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

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.

Neville, who was at St James’ Park in his role as co-commentator and pundit, felt it was a tough performance to stomach – and one which had been a long time in the making.

“Away from home, they’re not set up to win in a sense of the mentality. They let games drift, I think they play OK in games, but they’re not ruthless, they’re not clinical,” he said on Sky Sports.

“The quality is not right, the depth of their squad is not good enough and they have taken a step back.

“Their recruitment has been bad now and woeful for many years, they have been all over the place, with different styles of managers and ways of playing.

“They need five or six top players into that squad, and they are going to cost a lot of money.”

Neville added: “(The board) have cocked this up over many years. They cocked it up, they are responsible for this. Poor recruitment, poor selection of managers, going with them and then pulling off them.”

The former United full-back accepted the process was going to be painful.

He said: “Manchester United are now getting the pain they deserve for poor decisions at board level.

“They have got to make sure they get high-quality players into the club, the players out that remain in that dressing room who don’t want to be there and do it as quickly as possible – there is no quick fix.”

Former Liverpool captain Graeme Souness believes the current United crop fall well short of past teams.

He said on Sky Sports: “This is Man United – one of the biggest football clubs in the world.

“Where they are now to where they have been, up to the past four years, for the last 25 years prior to that, they are a world away from that.”

 

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he has not seen a sloppier Manchester United since he took charge than the one that lost to Newcastle on Sunday.

This could have been a major opportunity for a faltering Man Utd side to turn things around, but it was Newcastle who got the much-needed win to erase the memories of last weekend’s painful 5-0 defeat to Leicester and climb out of the relegation zone.

It was far from the most entertaining game of all-time, but that won’t have mattered one bit to Matty Longstaff – making his first ever league start in professional football alongside brother Sean in midfield for the Magpies – when he powered home from outside the box midway through the second half.

With just one point separating the two sides in the table now, the pressure is mounting on Solskjaer – who admitted that his team are lacking mental fortitude.

“We’re disappointed,” he told Sky Sports. “We did lack quite a few key players but that’s no excuse. The players worked hard and ran their socks off but at the moment we’re in a place we’re not used to.

“Some of the boys lack a little bit of composure and we don’t create enough chances to win a game of football. They stay together as a team but we don’t create.

“Luckily for us it’s now the international break. We get time to evaluate what’s gone on over these eight games. We will sit down, hopefully we’ll get a few players back.

“It’s my responsibility. I need to sort their heads out. Young boys lacking confidence – they need some help from experienced players and staff.

“They’re human and they want to do well. They need to see the results of their hard work and we’re not getting those results so that’s going to affect them.

“The first half was the sloppiest we’ve been. In the second half we dominated but we didn’t create.

“We’ve not changed a lot. We’ve played the same way and stuck to our principles. The players are working hard. We’ve had six out from the Chelsea game and that’s going to affect results. But we’ll work hard and get the quality back.”

The Hornets are keen to bring the centre-back to Vicarage Road this month despite him currently being away representing his country at the Asian Cup

Watford are in talks to sign South Korea international defender Kim Min-jae as Javi Gracia looks to bolster his squad during the January transfer window.

The 22-year-old is currently representing his country at the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates where he has scored two goals during his side’s passage to the last 16.

But he could yet seal a move to the Premier League over the next few days, with his current club, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, confirming an offer – reported to be in the region of £6 million ($7.7m) – has been received from the Hornets.

“Watford have made an offer,” revealed general manager Baek Seung-kwon to SPOTV News. “I cannot give many details about the deal, but it will be like how Lee Jae-sung [who joined Holsten Kiel in July] went to Germany.

“Kim also knows that Watford’s proposal has come in. The player and Watford are in negotiations and he is doing it through his own channels because he is away at the Asian Cup.”

Nicknamed ‘Monster’, Kim has been likened in his home country to England defender Harry Maguire due to his strong physical presence and threat from set-pieces.

He has won 15 caps for South Korea, though he missed out on the 2018 World Cup with a back injury, and has previously held talks with Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan regarding a transfer.

He has now recovered, however, and will line up in a team set to contain Tottenham forward Son Heung-min when South Korea take on Bahrain on Tuesday.

Should he complete a move to Vicarage Road he would battle with the likes of Christian Kabasele and Craig Cathcart for a place in Gracia’s first team.

The Spanish coach has earned praise this season, with his side sat seventh in the table heading into the Premier League weekend.

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Barca will be without Lionel Messi as they try to shrug off Copa del Rey controversy in Sunday’s La Liga clash against Leganes Camp Nou

Barcelona can turn their attentions back to La Liga on Sunday after successfully progressing in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, thanks to a 3-0 win over Levante at Camp Nou.

Leganes are next up for Ernesto Valverde’s side, who command a two-point advantage over Atletico Madrid at the summit of the standings, having played one game fewer.

They are expected to stretch that back to five points against opponents who are only three points clear of the relegation zone – though will have to do it without Lionel Messi.

Game	Barcelona vs Leganes
Date	Sunday, January 20
Time	8.30pm GMT / 3.30pm ET
Stream (US only)	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
NBCSN	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be streamed live on Eleven Sports One.

UK TV channel	Online stream
N/A	Eleven Sports One

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Position	Barcelona squad
Goalkeepers	Ter Stegen, Cillessen
Defenders	Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, Miranda, Gonzalez, Chumi
Midfielders	Rakitic, Busquets, Vidal, Denis Suarez, Arthur, Alena
Forwards	Messi, Suarez, Coutinho, Dembele, Munir, Malcom

Samuel Umtiti remains the foremost injury problem for Ernesto Valverde, who is without Rafinho and Sergi Samper, but Thomas Vermaelan is fit to start

Ousmane Dembele retains his spot in attack alongside Luis Suarez, but there is no Lionel Messi or Ivan Rakitic so Arthur Melo and Carles Alena start.

Barcelona starting XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Vermaelen, Alba; Alena, Busquets, Coutinho; Arthur, Suarez, Dembele

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Position	Leganes players
Goalkeepers	Lunin, Cuellar, Serantes
Defenders	Siovas, Omeruo, Dos Santos, Tarin, Silva, Nyom, Juanfran
Midfielders	Oscar, Recio, Vesga, Gumbau, Eraso
Forwards	Arnaiz, Merino, Ojeda, El Zhar, Braithwaite, Santos, En-Nesyri

Leganes were hit with severe injury problems before beating Real Madrid in midweek and those issues have not eased much since.

Midfielders Alexander Szymanowski and Ruben Perez are the most notable absentees, but they are also bereft of attackers Guido Carrillo and Diego Rolan, meaning the midweek matchwinner Martin Braithwaite will start once more.

Ezequiel Munoz is struggling to be fit in the defence and Unai Bustinza, who would typically fill in, is banned.

Leganes starting XI: Cueller; Nyom, Tarin, Omeruo, Siovas, Silva; Oscar, Vesga, Recio, En-Nesyri; Braithwaite

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Barcelona can be backed at 1/6 to win with bet365. A draw is priced at 7/1, while Leganes are 16/1 to cause a major upset.

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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Barcelona’s progress to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey has been mired in controversy, despite a thumping 3-0 success over Levante in midweek.

Two goals from Ousmane Dembele and another from Lionel Messi gave them a resounding midweek success, though it was the 2-1 loss a week earlier that fell under scrutiny as their opponents claimed they had fielded an ineligible player in the form of Chumi, who should have been banned.

The Spanish FA (RFEF) ultimately threw out the claims of their opponents but head coach Ernesto Valverde was still forced to step in and voice a defence of the club.

“We acted correctly,” he affirmed. “If you look at the competition rules we did nothing wrong. Some people may interpret the rules a different way.

“It needs to be made clear – not for the person who is writing the rules but for the people who are reading it.”

More pressing for Barca, though, is a fixture against opponents who shocked them 2-1 in September.

“We played very badly,” he remembered. “It was good during the week and we all had the feeling that we were going to win it but in a minute they scored two goals.

“We have to learn from that. For us it is essential to get the points and start the second round of the season well.”

Leganes, meanwhile, come into this encounter heartened by a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in midweek, although it was insufficient to knockout the capital giants from the Copa del Rey. 

An organised defensive side, they will hope to disarm Barcelona with their direct approach, which they have already shown this season can get the better of even the biggest teams.

Leicester have said they are “appalled” at racist comments directed towards midfielder Hamza Choudhury on social media this evening.

The 22-year-old has been hit with a torrent of racist abuse following a tackle that injured Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah during the Foxes’ 2-1 defeat at Anfield.

A Leicester spokesman said: “We are appalled by these comments, which the club has reported to the police and to the social media platform on which they were made.

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“Discriminatory behaviour has no place in football or in society and we will seek the strongest possible course of action to be taken against those responsible.”

The abuse belied legitimate criticism of the tackle on Salah, with the incident following another made by Choudhury in August that saw him injure Matt Ritchie.

After the game on Saturday, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “It’s a challenge I really don’t understand. It’s dangerous as hell.

“I don’t want to cause the boy any problems but he has to calm down. This is not the first situation like this.”

Salah hobbled out of Anfield after the match with the club still awaiting news on the extent of his ankle injury.

Marco Silva accepted hostility from Everton fans was justified as the Toffees suffered a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat.

Jeff Hendrick’s 72nd-minute goal was enough for Burnley to secure a 1-0 win at Turf Moor, with the visitors reduced to 10 men with more than half an hour remaining when Seamus Coleman was shown a second yellow card.

It is Everton’s worst run in the league for nearly five years and the visiting fans directed their anger at Silva after the final whistle.

The Portuguese labelled the next game against West Ham in a fortnight as a must-win, and said of the supporters: “They will keep supporting us, I have no doubts about that but, if you are asking if they should be angry with the team and with myself, then of course, that is normal.

“In the last four games we didn’t get the results and they have all the reasons to be angry with us. It is up to us to work harder, to be braver, to be more clinical and our attacking players need to be more aggressive and assertive in these type of games.

“We had so many dangerous moments around their box and we have to make better decisions. Our confidence is not the best at the moment.

“I understand 100 per cent why they (the fans) are angry with us but we have to stick together and the next game is a must-win game for us. Last season we had a worse moment than this one and we reacted fantastic. I have no doubts we are able to do that again. We must win the next game.”

Silva confronted referee Graham Scott after the final whistle and felt Coleman’s second yellow, for jumping into Dwight McNeil, was questionable.

“The second yellow had a big impact on the game,” the Everton boss said. “It looked a harsh decision, a really harsh decision in my opinion. After that the game was more difficult for us but our opponent didn’t have big chances. In one set-piece they scored and that detail made all the difference.”

Burnley boss Sean Dyche argued that Coleman was fortunate not to see red for his first offence, when he caught Clarets left-back Erik Pieters with his studs low on the Dutchman’s leg.

“He’s not that type of player at all but the first one, it’s not a great challenge, let’s put it that way, and probably in the modern way that the game is, it’s a red,” said Dyche.

“By the time the second one’s come round, the ref’s really got no choice.”

Pieters initially carried on but hobbled off 10 minutes into the second half.

“It’s a sore one, that’s for sure,” added Dyche. “Hopefully it’s not too serious.”

The victory made it four games unbeaten for Burnley, who found themselves in the top four after Saturday afternoon’s matches.

Dyche acknowledged this was not their finest footballing performance, saying: “From a management point of view, credit to Everton because they opened up the pitch even more than they were trying to do, threw caution to the wind and it kind of put us out of kilter a little bit, and that sometimes happens with 10.

“It’s a strange thing with 10, sometimes you completely dominate and sometimes it becomes tricky, and today was a tricky one.

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“We’ve got to find moments but equally we’ve got to do all the hard stuff, all the ugly stuff like all teams have, but sometimes we have to do it more.

“We had to show grit, determination, organisation and still find the moment to win a game.”