Month: November 2024

Ronaldinho believes Barcelona can chase down LaLiga leaders Real Madrid after his former Blaugrana team-mate Xavi restored hope at the club.

Barca have surged up the table after appointing Xavi as boss last November, climbing from ninth to third following a 14-game unbeaten run in the Spanish top flight, including a 4-0 Clasico thumping of Madrid.

That undefeated streak is the longest ongoing run in Europe s top-five leagues, and Barca have won six LaLiga matches in a row, keeping a clean sheet in the past three games.

Barca s next task will be a trip to Levante on Sunday as the Catalan club search for four straight wins in the competition without conceding for the first time since December 2018.

And Ronaldinho, who played with Xavi during his five-…

Olivier Giroud joked he will treat Zlatan Ibrahimovic to dinner if the Swedish striker agrees to a new contract with Serie A champions Milan.

Ibrahimovic, who turns 41 in October, officially became a free agent last week after his existing deal at San Siro expired.

Despite his age and fitness issues that restricted him to only 12 starts in all competitions last season, the veteran is reported to have been offered a one-year deal by Milan.

Only Rafael Leao and Giroud (both 14) scored more goals than Ibrahimovic s eight last term, and the latter is hopeful of spending another season with the much-travelled striker.

When he signs the renewal, I will pay for dinner, Giroud told Tuttomercatoweb. We want him to sign, but there is obviously no pressure. 

…

Thomas Tuchel accused his Chelsea team of showing a lack of hunger after their poor away form continued with a 1-0 Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb.

After making a below-par start in the Premier League, Chelsea were hoping for some respite from their first European outing of the campaign, but Mislav Orsic s well-taken goal condemned them to a dismal defeat on Tuesday.

The result leaves Chelsea playing catch-up in Group E after losing their first game of a Champions League campaign for just the third time (also against Basel in 2013-14 and Valencia in 2019-20).

Meanwhile, the Blues have lost three successive away games for the first time under Tuchel, enduring their worst run on the road since December 2020 under Frank Lampard.

Having cut a fru…

Chelsea will host Milan on Wednesday in what could well be a must-win fixture for the Blues, who sit last in Champions League Group E.

England has not been a happy hunting ground for Milan, but the group leaders and reigning Serie A champions will be hoping for a change of fortune when they roll into Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Mykhaylo Mudryk will get a chance to show why he is considered one of the top young talents in Europe as Shakhtar Donetsk head to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on Real Madrid.

Paris Saint-Germain will look to change their poor historical record against Benfica, with Kylian Mbappe on the brink of becoming the club s record European goalscorer.

Stats Perform has dug up the most interesting facts and angles for each contest on Wednesd…

Erik ten Hag has 100% belief that Marcus Rashford will return to form for Manchester United after the forward endured a disappointing 2023-24 campaign.

Rashford scored seven goals in 33 games last season as United finished eighth in the Premier League, having netted 17 times in 2022-23 when the Red Devils finished third.

The forward was subsequently left out of England s squad for Euro 2024, also being disciplined by his club for missing training to go to a nightclub in Belfast in January.

With former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy returning to Old Trafford in a coaching role, Ten Hag feels his presence can help Rashford get back to his best.

The reason Ruud is here is clear, he can help the strikers, but he is much more than this. With Rashford, he can onl…

Vahid Halilhodzic feels he has been left out in the rain watching Morocco progress to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Halilhodzic secured Morocco s qualification for the finals in Qatar with a 5-2 aggregate win over DR Congo in the third round of CAF qualifying in March.

However, Halilhodzic was sacked in August, marking his third dismissal from a national team post before a World Cup having led a team to qualification.

The Bosnian suffered the same fate with Ivory Coast in 2010 and Japan in 2018, though he did lead Algeria to the last 16 in 2014.

Morocco have enjoyed a stunning World Cup without him, reaching the last eight for the first time by beating Spain on penalties on Tuesday.

Asked about the Morocco team by So Foot, Halilhodzic said:…

Emma Hayes said she sees so much of herself in legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Hayes, who left her role at Chelsea at the end of last season, took charge of the United States women s national team in May, with her first test being the Paris Olympics.

She guided the USWNT to their fifth gold medal in the French capital, defeating Brazil 1-0 in the final thanks to Mallory Swanson s 57th minute goal.

After the triumph, Hayes revealed that Ferguson was the first person to congratulate her on the win, going on to say she sees similarities between herself and the Scot.

“I see so much of myself in him. His was the first text I received when we won gold, Hayes said in an interview with The Telegraph.

Hayes spent the early part o…

Newcastle United are interested in signing Jonathan David in the summer transfer window, according to . David is out of contract at Lille at the end of the season, and Premier League club Newcastle are keen on securing the services of the 24-year-old Canada international forward on a free transfer.

David has been on the books of Lille since 2020 and has established himself as one of the better forwards in Ligue 1. The Canada international has scored one goal in three appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season. David scored 19 goals and provided four assists in 30 Ligue 1 starts last season and scored 24 goals and gave four assists in 36 league starts in 2022-23.

Lille finished fourth in the Ligue 1 table last season and are sixth in the league standings at the moment wit…

Gary Lineker admits he is concerned for Tottenham this season regardless of whether or not Harry Kane makes the “fantastic” move to Bayern Munich.

Kane – Tottenham and England’s all-time record goalscorer – has been heavily linked with a move to the Bundesliga champions this summer and Bayern have already had two bids knocked back in their efforts to land the striker.

Reports on Friday claimed the Bavarians had made a third – and final – bid for the striker of more than 100 million euros (£86million), also setting Spurs a midnight deadline to accept or reject the offer.

The 30-year-old is out of contract at the end of the upcoming campaign and is reportedly keen on a move to Germany.

Spurs finished eighth last season – their lowest placin…

Alex Morgan is a global superstar and it would be very silly if she was left out of the United States Women s World Cup squad, according to former team-mate Carly Telford.

The Stars and Stripes head to Australia and New Zealand in July aiming to land a third successive world title, having triumphed in 2015 and 2019, with 33-year-old Morgan hoping to feature at her fourth finals.

The San Diego Wave forward, who was also part of the side that were beaten by Japan in the 2011 final, will be desperate to be included in Vlatko Andonovski s squad, and add to her impressive tally of 121 goals in 206 caps.

Former England goalkeeper Telford, who was part of the Lionesses squads that reached consecutive semi-finals in 2015 and 2019, knows Morgan well, having played alongsi…