General Football News
Sven Mislintat questions Mikel Arteta’s handling of two Arsenal stars
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Stuttgart sporting director Sven Mislintat said that he would like to hold talks with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta over the handling of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi. Mislintat was the Gunners’ head of recruitment for a 14-month spell between 2018 and 2019. During this period he brought the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Sokratis, Guendouzi and Torreira to the club. Among the above-mentioned players, only Aubameyang has established himself with the north London giants. Mkhitaryan and Sokratis have already left the club, while Torreira and Guendouzi are on loan at Atletico Madrid and Hertha Berlin respectively. Both Torreira and Guendouzi had impressive debut seasons with the Gunners in 2018/19, but they dropped down the p...
Juventus legends slam Cristiano Ronaldo after Champions League exit
Juventus legends Fabio Capello and Alessandro Del Piero have hit out at Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo following the club’s exit in the Champions League round of 16 at Porto’s hands. The Old Lady lost the first leg 2-1, with Ronaldo performing well below his usual standards. He was expected to be the one to lead a second leg comeback, but was unable to prevent the game from going to extra-time while teammate Federico Chiesa struck twice. Then, with a penalty shoot-out looming, the 36-year-old turned his back on Sergio Oliveira’s low free-kick, resulting in Porto netting a crucial second to lead the tie on away goals. Adrien Rabiot’s late header two minutes later was not enough to salvage the tie, and the Italian giants were eliminated. Ronaldo was visibly frustrated in a quiet nigh...
Arsenal attacker becomes second PL star after Sadio Mane to sign New Balance deal
Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has become the second high-profile player after Liverpool’s Sadio Mane to sign with global sportswear brand New Balance. The 19-year-old has been a revelation for the Gunners since making his debut more than two years ago and has managed 74 appearances to date. His performances on the field have led to plenty of appreciation from the club’s faithful, and he has now signed a multi-year deal with New Balance. Now with @NBFootball , officially 😜🌶#NBFootball pic.twitter.com/OH1ymaY14l — Bukayo Saka (@BukayoSaka87) March 9, 2021 Earlier last year, Saka was wearing Adidas footwear, but the change was visible from September when he was exclusively spotted with New Balance boots (Furon v6). After several months, there has been official confirmation. New...
New Champions League format set to be agreed “within weeks”
European Clubs Association Chairman Andrea Agnelli has claimed that a shake-up to the Champions League format is close to being agreed. Agnelli, who is also Chairman of Italian giants Juventus, has proposed several reforms to UEFA, including a new “Swiss system” format to European football’s biggest competition. This may involve expanding the tournament to 36 teams instead of 32. Agnelli has been at the heart of Champions League restructure negotiations As quoted by the Guardian, Agnelli said: “I think we’re very close to my ideal Champions League – I think the Swiss system is beautiful. “I think it will provide great opportunities for those teams participating in that competition. It will provide the knockouts that are the essence of any competition. “It’s very, very close to an ideal Cha...
Kingsley Coman rejects Bayern Munich contract offer
Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman has turned down the club’s first contract extension offer, reports Kicker. Coman joined Bayern Munich in 2015 as a teenager, initially on loan from Juventus before arriving permanently two years later. Despite high competition for places and several injury problems, he has made 188 appearances for the Bavarians, scoring 39 times. The peak of his career at the Bundesliga giants came in August 2020, when he headed home from Joshua Kimmich’s cross for the only goal in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. Coman’s header secured a treble for Bayern Munich The winger is currently enjoying his most productive season yet at Bayern, scoring three and assisting nine in the Bundesliga while recording another five goal contributions in the Champio...
Key issues to address for Barcelona’s Joan Laporta: Lionel Messi, wage bill, new signings
Joan Laporta was officially elected as the 42nd president of Barcelona yesterday after receiving 54.28 percent of the votes in his favour. The 58-year-old has taken over the position for the second time, having previously held the role between June 2003 and June 2010. One of the election highlights was Lionel Messi, who was pictured casting his vote alongside Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba. Laporta was full of praise for the Argentine after he took over as the new president, and his main focus will now lie on convincing the captain to stay put. Messi’s current deal with the club expires in June this year, and it is reported that Laporta will make it a priority to convince the 33-year-old to sign a fresh deal. However, this may not be the only objective for Laporta in the sho...
‘Pure class’, ‘Determination’: Some Man United fans react to 25-year-old’s display vs Man City
A selection of Manchester United fans on Twitter heaped praise on Luke Shaw following his sublime display against Manchester City on Sunday. The Red Devils produced another impressive showing in the derby and they ended up as deserved 2-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium. Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring within the second minute through a penalty. Anthony Martial was fouled by Gabriel Jesus in the box after just 34 seconds. The Red Devils held onto the lead until the break. Shortly the interval, Shaw produced a moment of brilliance which gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson delivered an accurate throw for Shaw, who was at the half-way mark and the Englishman managed to ride off the challenge from Joao Cancelo. He then ran nearly 25 yards before passing to Marcus Rashford....
‘Here comes trouble’ – Robbie Fowler reacts to what agent of Liverpool star has done
Liverpool lost to Chelsea at Anfield on Thursday, suffering a fifth consecutive Premier League defeat at home for the first-ever time. Mason Mount’s 42nd-minute goal made all the difference, and Jurgen Klopp’s men could not find a way back into the game in the second half. The German manager was forced to withdraw Mohamed Salah with 28 minutes left as the Egyptian appeared too tired to help out with the defensive duties on his flank. The Liverpool forward was not particularly pleased with the decision, shaking his head as he walked off the pitch, and his agent’s post on Twitter right after the incident did not help matters. . — Ramy Abbas Issa (@RamyCol) March 4, 2021 It is unknown whether the cryptic post has anything to do with Klopp’s decision to withdraw Salah early in the game, but it...
Roy Keane reacts to Rangers winning the Premiership, sends message to Celtic
Rangers are the Scottish Premiership winners for the 2020-21 season after Celtic were held to a goalless draw by Dundee United today. The Light Blues stopped the Hoops from winning a 10th consecutive title in impressive style, going unbeaten since the start of the campaign and landing the league’s coveted prize with six games to spare. Celtic will hope to bounce back next year, and they have to get the perfect manager to succeed Neil Lennon to have a chance of stopping their Old Firm rivals. Rangers boss Steven Gerrard will also be more than keen to defend his side’s first title in a decade, and plenty of fireworks can be expected next term. Premier League legend Roy Keane was asked for any words of celebration for the Ibrox outfit, and he took the opportunity to send a message to the Park...
‘NUFC could actually win the title in four years’ – Harry Redknapp comments on Magpies’ potential
Newcastle United are looking to secure a victory against West Bromwich Albion today in order to boost their survival chances, and they could go six points clear of the relegation zone with a win and should Fulham lose to Liverpool. Magpies head coach Steve Bruce is under a lot of pressure, and the leak of a fallout with Matt Ritchie during training on Tuesday has not helped his unpopularity with the fans. Not even leading Newcastle to safety would change how the club’s faithful view him, and chairman and owner Mike Ashley cannot wait to sell the club himself. The businessman will hope that the Premier League finally approves the £300 million takeover bid by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and a lot of people believe the St. James’ Park outfit would start challenging for silverware a...
Kovacic and Pulisic start, Predicted Chelsea line-up (3-4-2-1) vs Everton
Chelsea host Everton in Monday’s Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge. The Blues recently ended a two-match winless league streak with a comfortable 1-0 triumph over holders Liverpool on the road. With the victory, they have gone unbeaten for eight league games since Thomas Tuchel took charge as the manager in January. Their next challenge will come up against the Toffees, who have beaten them in three of the previous four top-flight encounters. The Blues are currently fourth in the standings with 47 points, just one ahead of the Toffees, who have a game in hand. Formation: 3-4-2-1 Predicted Line-up: Edouard Mendy had a comfortable game in goal against the Reds with just one shot on target. The Senegalese will be aiming for his 13th clean sheet of the campaign. The back three has remain...
Granit Xhaka sends message to Arsenal fans after howler vs Burnley
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka posted an apology on his Instagram account after he cost the Gunners a victory over Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday. The Gunners made a fantastic start against the Clarets in the early Premier League kick-off and scored after just six minutes through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. They were handed a couple of chances to double their lead through Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka, but were unable to make the most of those opportunities. The Clarets eventually levelled the scores in the 39th minute and it was a pure gift by Xhaka, who was the centre of the attention against Sean Dyche’s side again. The Swiss was sent off during the reverse meeting at the Emirates Stadium in December before the Gunners suffered a 1-0 defeat via an Aubameyang own goal. This time around, X...
