General Football News
‘Incredibly satisfied’: Pep Guardiola heaps praise on £90,000-a-week star after Norwich City rout
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hailed the performance of Gabriel Jesus following the club’s 5-0 win over Norwich City in the Premier League. The Cityzens bounced back from successive defeats with a convincing performance against the Canaries. Jesus was adjudged the man of the match. The Brazilian started from the right-wing instead of his regular centre forward position. He was at the top of his game throughout the 90 minutes. Jesus cross led to the own goal scored by Tim Krul in the seventh minute. He went on to add two more assists for Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling. It was one of his best performances for the club in a long while, and Guardiola was immensely pleased with the forward’s goal contributions. He told Mancity.com: “He’s a player who likes to be in more of a wider th...
Pep Guardiola provides fresh fitness update on five Manchester City stars
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has provided a fitness update on five players ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Norwich City. The Cityzens have started their season in a poor fashion with a Community Shield defeat to Leicester City followed by a Premier League loss at Tottenham Hotspur. They had the vast share of possession in both of those matches, but the lack of cutting edge in the final third cost them successive 1-0 defeats. Ahead of Saturday’s afternoon kick-off at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola has provided a mixed update regarding the fitness of five players. Kevin De Bruyne was a surprise inclusion in the matchday squad against Spurs despite being initially ruled out with an ankle injury. He played just a 10-minute cameo against Spurs off the bench. He is now deem...
‘Getting fitter and fitter’: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirms double Manchester United fitness boost
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has provided an update on his players ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash at Southampton. The Red Devils started their league campaign in stunning fashion with a thumping 5-1 win over Leeds United in front of their supporters. They are scheduled to face the Saints in their next encounter. United have had plenty of joy playing against the south coast outfit in recent seasons. The Saints were on the wrong end of an embarrassing 9-0 defeat at Old Trafford earlier this year, and they face another tough test this weekend. Speaking in a press conference today, Solskjaer confirmed that Edinson Cavani and Raphael Varane are available but refused to confirm whether they will make the trip. He said: “With regard to team news, that’s a boost as well. Edi...
Pep Guardiola to make five changes, Predicted Manchester City line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Norwich City
Manchester City will be eyeing their first victory of the new season when they entertain Norwich City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Cityzens recently suffered a 1-0 defeat to Leicester City in the Community Shield and lost by the same scoreline in the Premier League opener at Tottenham Hotspur. They will be keen to make amends against the Canaries. The English champions could be missing a couple of key players, but they are still fancied to win comfortably. Formation: 4-2-3-1 Predicted Line-up: Ederson had a mixed performance against Spurs last week, where he needed a goal-line clearance from Ilkay Gundogan. The Brazil international is expected to start between the sticks and will be aiming for a clean sheet this time around. There could be multiple changes to the defenc...
Mikel Arteta provides fresh Arsenal team news plus update on transfer plans
In a press conference ahead of the Chelsea game, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provided an update on player availability and the club’s transfer plans. The Gunners recently confirmed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Alex Runarsson and Willian missed the season opener due to COVID-19. Out of those, Aubameyang and Willian have tested negative, but Arteta acknowledged that he has no idea whether they will be able to train in the lead-up to the derby. He said: “It’s still very uncertain. I cannot give you any answer today because I don’t know if they are going to be able to train in a few hours – if they can compete at the weekend, I don’t know.” Meanwhile, Saka was only a second-half substitute in the curtain-raiser at Brentford. Arteta hinted that he could be fit enough to...
Thomas Tuchel confirms double Chelsea injury boost but Christian Pulisic ruled out
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has provided a fitness update on three players ahead of the Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday. The Blues were without N’Golo Kante (muscle injury) and Hakim Ziyech (dislocated shoulder) for the season opener against Crystal Palace. It was confirmed that the setbacks were only minor. Ziyech did not require surgery for the shoulder concern. The pair have now returned to training. In his press conference, Tuchel confirmed that the duo will have intense physical sessions tomorrow, but there are positive signs that they could be involved on Sunday. He told football.london: “Hakim and N’Golo both trained yesterday, so we need to have a more physically intense session tomorrow and decide tomorrow. “Right now, it seems very positive that both can be in th...
Three Premier League stars nominated for UEFA Men’s POTY
The three-man shortlist for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award has been revealed. The award is given to the player who performed the best in UEFA competitions over the last year. This includes the Champions League, Europa League, European Championships and the Nations League. There wasn’t any room on the shortlist for Ballon d’Or frontrunners Lionel Messi or Robert Lewandowski, nor for Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament winner Gianluigi Donnarumma. Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo were also among the big names to miss out on the top three. Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City & Belgium He’s already scooped one huge individual prize with the PFA Player of the Year award, and now he’s back for another. De Bruyne was one of the stars of the Champions League knockout stages. He netted...
UEFA proposes new Financial Fair Play rules similar to Major League Baseball
UEFA is planning to revamp the Financial fair play rules applicable to clubs, according to The Telegraph. The stakeholders of European football, its biggest clubs, and UEFA will meet in Nyon during September to discuss future plans. UEFA would have the power to make Champions League clubs change their squads immediately, under plans to operate in real-time rather than dish out punishments retrospectively as with the current system. The new president of the Europan Club Association is Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. He succeeded Andrea Agnelli of Juventus and is one of football’s most influential people. The end of FFP most likely came with UEFA’s defeat to Manchester City at the Court of Arbitration for Sport last year, a governing body defeated on appeal on the very...
The Athletic reveal how much Leeds must pay to sign Rangers star this summer
Rangers attacking midfielder Ryan Kent has a buyout clause of £20 million amid interest from Leeds United, according to The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell. Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa admires the Light Blues star, but the best offer the club have made is £12m plus future payments. They tried to sign Kent from Liverpool in 2019, but he opted to move to the Scottish Premiership. They remain keen but will need to activate his buyout clause to have any chance of landing him this summer. Sportslens View Missing out on the Champions League group stage has dealt a blow to Rangers finances, and they are expected to sell some of their stars. However, the Scottish Premiership champions will not be doing so on the cheap. Kent is the Light Blues’ most valuable player, and someone manager Steven Gerr...
Sky Sports: 26-goal hitman allowed to speak with Celtic as club drops asking price
VVV-Venlo striker Georgios Giakoumakis is weighing up a move between Celtic and Werder Bremen this summer, according to Sky Sports. The Dutch club are allowing the Greece international to speak directly with interested clubs and have dropped their asking price to £3 million following relegation from the Eredivisie. The Scottish Premiership giants have made initial contact with the player’s representatives and the club, while Bremen have already had a bid of £1.7m rejected by Venlo. Sportslens View Celtic need to strengthen their attack, with manager Ange Postecoglou already preparing for life without Odsonne Edouard. Giakoumakis ended last season with 26 goals and an assist in 30 league games to top the goalscoring charts. The chance to link with his compatriot at Parkhead could be appeali...
Report: Rangers star agrees terms on new deal, expected to sign extension
Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara is expected to sign the new deal he has already agreed terms on, according to The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell. The Finland international has just two years left on his current contract, but he is now set to pen an extension on improved terms. It hands Rangers a boost in their bid to hold on to Kamara, and that means a summer exit is ruled out. Sportslens View The 25-year-old is one of manager Steven Gerrard’s most important players, and he has continued to attract interest from the Premier League in recent seasons. Kamara was in splendid form for his country at Euro 2020 in the summer and during the qualifiers, and that would have alerted some of the continent’s biggest clubs. Everton and West Ham United are some of the English top-flight teams interested in b...
‘I’m ready’: Chelsea star sends message to Thomas Tuchel ahead of Arsenal clash
Chelsea’s record signing Romelu Lukaku has said that he is ready to make his second debut when they face Arsenal on the road on Sunday. The Belgium international rejoined the Blues from Inter Milan for £97.5 million earlier this month, but he has been absent for recent games due to quarantine. He has been involved in full training with his teammates this week, and he could at least make the matchday squad for the London derby against the Gunners. Speaking in a special press conference, Lukaku said that he is delighted to have joined the European champions, and he has the hunger to keep winning trophies at the club. He said: “I’m really happy to be here, and it’s a good feeling to be joining the European champions. The guys are hungry for more, and they want to keep winning.” “In train...
