Given his ability and how long he has been around for, it is a surprise that Ruben Loftus-Cheek is only starting to make a real name for himself now.
Better late than never, though, and the 23-year-old will undoubtedly be delighted with how things are currently going after some very difficult moments at Chelsea.
Under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, Loftus-Cheek had constantly been overlooked before going out on loan to Crystal Palace, a move that has helped him get to where he is today.
There, when fit, the midfielder got regular minutes on the pitch and really started to strut his stuff.
Be it on the flank, an unfamiliar position for him at the time, or centrally, Loftus-Cheek was able to showcase his full skill set and impact games.
With his sheer power and ability to drive with the ball, the Chelsea academy graduate would often bulldoze past the opposition with ease.
The above were quite clearly qualities Gareth Southgate respected, with the England manager later handing Loftus-Cheek a place in his Three Lions World Cup squad.
Despite missing a chunk of that 2017/18 campaign due to injury, Loftus-Cheek had obviously shown the England boss enough in the appearances he did manage to make.
Fast forward to now, and Loftus-Cheek is a midfielder on the verge of tying down a spot in the starting XI of one of Europe’s elite clubs after helping his country reach a World Cup semi-final.
Since returning to Stamford Bridge, life has not always been easy under Maurizio Sarri, while a recurring back injury has done him no favours.
But for Loftus-Cheek, his future at Chelsea seems bright with that loan spell at Crystal Palace looking like it will go a long way for the England international.
Crystal Palace fans, what are some of your standout memories of Loftus-Cheek’s time at Selhurst Park? Join the discussion by commenting below.
Toby Alderweireld’s departure from Tottenham Hotspur may well fix one of Mauricio Pochettino’s biggest problems at a stroke.
The Belgium international has a £25million release clause in his contract and doubts persist over whether the defender will remain north London beyond the summer.
Indeed, Alderweireld has spent a total of four years in the capital and has emerged as a genuinely world-class centre-back.
But this season he has been at the centre of one of Pochettino’s biggest problems.
The Argentine has continually rotated between a back three and a back four throughout the campaign.
When playing the former, he has partnered Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez with Alderweireld. When using the latter, he has cycled through the three and has occasionally used Juan Foyth too.
It should be no surprise, then, that the uncertainty surrounding the defence has adversely affected the club.
This season, Spurs have conceded 34 goals in the Premier League in 31 games. In 2017-18, Spurs conceded 36 in 38 games. Indeed, they have not kept a clean sheet domestically since February in a 1-0 win over Newcastle.
Since then, Spurs have let in one against Leicester City and Arsenal, as well as two versus Burnley, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool.
Across the club’s last five games, they have played a back three, three times – in the 2-1 losses to Liverpool and Burnley and the 1-1 draw with Arsenal. In those games, Alderweireld, Vertonghen and Sanchez played together twice, but Alderweireld was not involved versus Burnley.
In the two games in which they used a back four, Alderweireld and Sanchez played together against Chelsea but the Belgian was replaced by Vertonghen against Southampton. Alderweireld was not even in the squad that day.
Last season, Spurs utilised a centre-back pairing of Sanchez and Vertonghen because of Alderweireld’s injury-riddled campaign.
The defender missed 23 Premier League games in a row through injury. In that time, Spurs lost just four times.
They beat the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea in that time period, and also recorded Champions League wins over Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund without Alderweireld on the pitch. Indeed, he sustained his injury against the Spanish giants and lasted a mere 24 minutes. When he was substituted, the two sides were level at 0-0. Spurs won 3-1.
Football FanCast quizzed Football.London’s Tottenham correspondent, Alasdair Gold, on this very issue.
He said: “Last year, Pochettino may have been weirdly helped, if that’s such a way of describing Toby Alderweireld’s injury, but Alderweireld’s injury meant he had to play Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez. They formed a very solid partnership and they knew what each other were doing and when it went to a back three, it was purely Eric Dier coming back into that back three. It was very settled.
Soccer Football – Premier League – Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – February 2, 2019 Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier in action with Newcastle United’s Salomon Rondon Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/leagu
“This year, he looks like a man who is thinking ‘I have to play Alderweireld, because he’s class’ but it’s now giving him an issue with Sanchez, who Pochettino absolutely adores, so he’s now got a thing of ‘I really want to play a back three but I can’t do it every match’ and it’s messy. You can see it in the goals conceded tally.”
Of course, much of the furore surrounding his future revolves around the asking price. Alderweireld is not a £25m defender; he is worth at least double that in the current transfer market.
And many believe that whichever club triggers the clause and acquires his signature will receive a genuine bargain. That may be true.
But, by the same token, Alderweireld departing will allow Pochettino to properly bed in a central defensive partnership that has already proved its worth in north London.
John Toshack turned out for Liverpool between 1970 and 1978, finding the back of the net on 96 occasions in 247 appearances for the Reds in all competitions.
The former striker actually started his professional career with Cardiff City, turning out for the Welsh side for five years before the move to Liverpool.
Toshack’s playing career then finished at Swansea City, who he represented between 1978 and 1984.
The Welshman has since gone on to coach a number of sides at club and indeed international level, including Real Madrid and Wales.
Toshack last managed Iranian club Tractor Sazi in 2018, but is currently without a job.
Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…
It was actually the former forward’s birthday on Friday, and Liverpool’s official Twitter account was on hand with a special message for the now 70-year-old.
A expected, that led to a number of Liverpool fans revealing their respect for the Welshman, who had an excellent scoring record at all three of his professional clubs.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Loads of Crystal Palace fans have been running the rule over their defeat against Brighton, and they are not at all happy with former fan favourite Patrick van Aanholt.
As has so often been the case at Selhurst Park this season, Palace dominated Saturday’s match against the Seagulls but barely mustered a single clear-cut chance.
Roy Hodgson’s decision to start three workhorses in midfield backfired again, as superb goals from Glenn Murray and Anthony Knockaert gave the visitors all three points.
The gaffer is taking plenty of stick for his team selections at the moment, but one of the biggest problems has come in an area where he doesn’t really have other options to choose from – left-back.
Van Aanholt is a very popular figure in south London thanks to his passion for the club, ability to add goals and assists from defence, blistering speed and of course his entertaining social media presence.
However, the 28 year-old is enduring a horrific run of form, and scored just a 6.32 on Whoscored’s player rating system on Saturday.
He was way too relaxed in allowing Knockaert to cut inside onto his stronger foot and score the winner, and the Twitter reactions down below are well and truly fed up with the Dutchman…
Liverpool fans are calling for what would be the most audacious transfer move in recent history, after Kevin De Bruyne spoke highly of the Reds’ title charge.
Liverpool and Manchester City have formed a new rivalry over the last year or so, thanks partly to the their intense Champions League clash last campaign and of course even more so due to this year’s title race.
The two are locked in an epic battle that looks certain to go right to the end, and De Bruyne has now had his say on the showdown between the two clubs.
Roberto Firmino has thrown a party themed around the colour of his teeth! Watch the video below to find out what we’re talking about…
“Last year we were 12 points ahead, and now we are one behind,” De Bruyne said. “That shows Liverpool are doing well.
“If we keep winning and they keep winning it goes to the wire, but if we win every game until the end of the season and it’s not enough you just have to congratulate Liverpool, as they will win with 99 points.
“There are still 10 games in the Premier League – a long way to go – and Liverpool are still there, so we try to win game by game.”
De Bruyne has always been a classy contender, but Liverpool fans are reading more into the comments due to past admissions that the Belgian international grew up as a Liverpool fan.
The 27 year-old has quite literally said the words “I want to play for Liverpool” before, and even though Transfermarkt values him at a whopping £135m, fans are calling for a jaw-dropping summer move.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Speaking to Sky Sports’ Match Centre (11:25am on March 7 as per HITC), Danny Higginbotham expects Birmingham City to target Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish in the second city derby at St Andrew’s on Sunday, but believes they can benefit.
What’s the word, then?
The 23-year-old returned to action in the 4-0 win against Derby County last weekend following a three-month injury lay-off, and he made an instant impact with a dynamic display – as captain – that culminated in a stunning volley.
According to WhoScored, the Villa talisman is the most fouled player in the division averaging 4.8 every appearance, and it would be no surprise if the hosts look to take him out of the game at the weekend.
Well, speaking on Sky Sports’ Match Centre, per HITC, ahead of the huge clash between the Championship play-off hopefuls, the 40-year-old pundit said: “There will be no doubt about that [Birmingham targeting Grealish].
“The beauty of it is when you go to try and stop a player like that because there are three players around him. He has got the two central midfielders and the centre back comes out, so all of a sudden he creates space in behind him because you are fearful of a player like Grealish.”
What will happen?
The 23-year-old has got so used to being fouled by opposition players that he now knows how to get up, get on with it and still make a difference.
The great thing for Dean Smith is that if Higginbotham is correct with his predictions, it could give players like John McGinn and Conor Hourihane more space to make a difference in the final third at St Andrew’s.
The latter showed with a brace in the success against the Rams last time out that he has plenty of quality, and he could be given the opportunity to take advantage to ensure Villa take a crucial three points in their play-off bid.
Andre Onana will not be changing his ways at Manchester United, with the confident Cameroonian goalkeeper saying he will continue to “take risks”.
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Big money invested in a new No.1Costly errors have sparked criticismProven performer believes in himselfWHAT HAPPENED?
The 27-year-old shot-stopper has endured a tough start to life in English football following his £48 million ($59m) transfer from Inter over the summer. A number of costly errors have crept into his game, leading to suggestions that United may be tempted to bring David de Gea back to Old Trafford a matter of months after releasing him as a free agent.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Onana has sent a defiant message to his doubters, though, with the African ace eager to point out that he is “not afraid to make mistakes” as he seeks to become the modern day No.1 that United placed so much trust in. Onana has told the series on MUTV: “Now the goalkeeper is like [having] another player more, you know? And when you look at the way most of the teams want to play, now they use the goalkeeper as a plus one. I consider myself as a modern goalkeeper, so I'm not afraid to make mistakes. I'm not afraid to take risks and I would take risks because the way I play is what brought me to Manchester United, one of the best clubs in the world, and I will not drop. I will never drop. I will only go forward. I can make mistakes and mistakes are a part of life.”
WHAT THEY SAID
Onana has big boots to fill as the man chosen to succeed De Gea between the sticks in Manchester. He is also following in the footsteps of illustrious figures such as Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar – with the latter having helped to mould his game while working as chief executive at Ajax. Onana added on learning from all-time great Van der Sar: “He advised me a lot during the game, after the game, especially if I was making mistakes! He was coming through all the way to the dressing room or to the training session to speak with me and he helped me to build that personality, you know? I will always be thankful to him.”
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Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Onana helped United to a clean sheet in his latest Premier League outing – a 1-0 win over Fulham – and will be hoping to figure again on Wednesday when the Red Devils take in a Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen that they desperately need to take maximum points from.
O Guarani perdeu para o Botafogo-SP por 2 a 0, nesta quinta-feira, pela 11ª rodada do Paulistão e aumentou as chances de classificação do Corinthians para as quartas de final da competição. Agora, o time de Tiago Nunes chega para a última rodada da fase de grupos podendo garantir vaga se vencer o Oeste e o São Paulo derrotar o Bugre na Vila Belmiro.
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansCorinthians divulga balanço com superavit no primeiro semestre, mas dívida é de mais de R$ 900 milhõesCorinthians23/07/2020VídeoConfira as imagens dos bastidores da vitória do Corinthians no DérbiVídeo23/07/2020CorinthiansApós o Dérbi, Corinthians volta a treinar, mas só reservas vão a campoCorinthians23/07/2020
Com o revés do time campineiro e o triunfo corintiano no Dérbi, a diferença que era de cinco pontos, caiu para dois, restando ainda uma partida desta fase. O Timão, terceiro colocado no Grupo D, chega no máximo a 17 pontos, enquanto o Guarani, vice-líder da chave, já tem 16. Sendo assim, somente uma vitória contra o Oeste mantém o Alvinegro com chances de vaga nas quartas.
> Veja tabela e simulador do Paulistão clicando aqui
No entanto, mesmo se vencer, o Corinthians ainda vai depender de outros fatores para comemorar a classificação, e um deles é o São Paulo, que neste cenário bastaria vencer o Bugre para colocar os corintianos na próxima fase, mas se empatar, forçará o rival a vencer o Oeste por dois ou mais gols de diferença. Os jogos serão todos no mesmo horário, domingo, às 16h.
Resumo: O que o Corinthians precisa para se classificar?
1) Para continuar vivo é preciso vencer o Oeste. Em caso de empate ou derrota, estará eliminado da competição; 2) Em caso de vitória alvinegra por um gol de diferença em Barueri, precisa torcer para o Guarani não pontuar contra o São Paulo; 3) Se Bugre e Tricolor empatarem, o Timão precisa vencer o Oeste por dois ou mais gols de diferença, por conta do saldo de gols 4) Se Corinthians e São Paulo vencerem, os corintianos estarão automaticamente nas quartas.
Goal rounds up players who have scored hat-tricks on their first league appearances for their clubs in Europe
Sure, it's impressive when a new club signing scores on their debut – but how about when they bag three goals in their first appearance?
Scoring a hat-trick in general is no easy feat, but these players have managed to do so in their full debut over the last 15 seasons across Europe's top-five leagues.
Getty1Martin Fenin | Eintracht Frankfurt | Feb 2, 2008
There was no better way for 20-year-old Martin Fenin to showcase his talents after moving from Czech side FK Teplice to the Bundesliga than with a treble against Hertha Berlin. It was his first ever hat-trick as well, and his three goals secured a 3-0 victory all by his own doing.
It couldn’t have come against a better opponent, either – his Czech Republic countryman Jaroslav Drobny was in goal for the opposing team.
AdvertisementGetty2Johan Audel | Valenciennes | Aug 4, 2007
Fresh Valenciennes signing Johan Audel got off the mark on his debut with a hat-trick against Toulouse, bagging his third goal in the 61st minute.
Audel’s treble was already more than he managed the previous season for Lorient, and the eventual 3-1 victory catapulted Valenciennes to the top of Ligue 1 for the first time since 1978.
Getty3Nils Petersen | Freiburg | Jan 31, 2015
After making his switch from Werder Bremen to Freiburg permanent, Nils Petersen introduced himself to his new club spectacularly by scoring a hat-trick against Frankfurt in a 4-1 victory.
Freiburg came from behind to win against Bremen, with Marco Russ firing Bremen ahead in the first minute – only for Freiburg to fire back, starting with Vladimir Darida’s equaliser in minute 62.
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4Andre Silva | Sevilla | Aug 18, 2018
22-year-old Andre Silva bagged a hat-trick for Sevilla in his full debut, on loan from AC Milan, against Rayo Vallecano in 2018.
After scoring two Serie A goals in 24 games the season before, he matched that tally for Sevilla in the opening 45 minutes for his new side, before adding a third goal to his tally in the second half.
Shahid Afridi has been branded an “absolutely clueless” captain in a report submitted by Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam in the wake of the team’s poor World T20 and Asia Cup campaigns.The document by Intikhab, which follows an equally scathing report by coach Waqar Younis, covers the back-to-back T20 tournaments where Pakistan managed just three wins out of eight matches – with one of those victories coming against UAE. They exited the World T20 at the Super 10s stage following defeats against India, New Zealand and Australia.The five-page report, a copy of which has been obtained by ESPNcricinfo, is hugely critical of Afridi’s on-field tactics and off-field leadership, the lack of skills in all departments of the squad and how they became involved in “needless controversies” during the World T20, though Intikhab said the coaching and support staff performed their duties “most diligently”.”These very same reasons continued to be Team Pakistan’s bugbear, but since this was a global tournament with the top-most competing for honours, the magnitude of the stress, and the pressure was even more pronounced,” Intikhab wrote.”The recent Asia Cup and the ICC World T20 have made it evident that we have critical gaps both in batting and bowling, and our fielding keeps on leaking runs, thus releasing pressure. In bowling, with the exception of Mohammad Amir, we do not have a bowler who can win us matches. Our death bowling also is way below par. And the same goes with our batting line-up, where we do not have reliable pinch hitters and the top and power hitter to clinch us games.”
Intikhab’s recommendations
Strict selection criteria must be formulated, with a marks scale for each (such as form, statistical record, ability to adapt and being a team player).
In order to improve fitness, the free period between now and the England tour, should be used for a training camp to improve fitness and fielding.
“To cap it all, the tournament was being held in India, where the team was under multiple scanners at the same time, pushing the stress and anxiety levels very high,” Intikhab said. “Much to our chagrin [added to the above reasons], was a captain in his farewell event after a career spanning nearly 20 years, yet absolutely clueless in terms of on-field tactics and off-field leadership.”Afridi’s captaincy was a regular topic of debate throughout the two tournaments. His decision-making came under scrutiny when Pakistan controversially dropped Wahab Riaz in favour of Anwar for the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh. Then there was the surprising move when Afridi promoted himself to No. 3 in the World T20 match against India at the expense of Mohammad Hafeez, who had made 64 off 42 balls in the previous match against Bangladesh, with Afridi subsequently scratching around for 8 off 14 deliveries.In the field, too, questions were often asked. Against India, defending 118, Pakistan had made early inroads through Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Sami before a 61-run partnership between Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh for the fourth wicket took the game away. Amir, who conceded just three runs in his first two overs, was taken off and brought back when the game was all but lost, in the 14th over.Intikhab continued: “We were also set back by two absolutely needless controversies, the first emanating from Afridi’s ‘more-loved-in-India-than-in-Pakistan’ statement in his mandatory on-arrival press conference [had he stuck to the detailed briefing given to him by the media manager and myself, this would not have occurred] and Umar Akmal again stealing the limelight in an unseemly manner by seeking Imran Khan’s intervention to fix his batting position at three, when he had done little to inspire confidence at number 4.”Pakistan won their opening game of the World T20 against Bangladesh comprehensively, and regained some confidence after a poor showing in the Asia Cup, when they posted 201 to set up a 55-run victory at Eden Gardens. However, in the high-octane atmosphere against India they fell to a six-wicket defeat and were then comfortably beaten by New Zealand and Australia.Intikhab’s report focused heavily on the game against India where he said “many factors were at play” including Pakistan’s poor record against their “arch-rivals” at ICC events and he highlighted the rain in the lead-up to the match which had a considerable impact on conditions before referring to the invite handed to Imran Khan to address the team.”On the day, the events also conspired against us. For one, the weather didn’t help. On the same square where the Pakistan batsmen gave a commanding performance against Sri Lanka [the warm-up match] and Bangladesh, the weather suddenly turned from sultry and sunny to wet and unpredictable. Intermittent rain during the night prior to the game, followed by further downpours and overcast skies, meant that the pitch and outfield remained covered for more than 24 hours, changing its character from slow in pace to a spitefully turning and gripping one.”To prop up the team’s morale, Shahid Afridi invited Imran Khan (then in India for his own media and other engagements) for a pep talk prior to the game. Imran for his part tried to lift the morale, advising the boys to stay positive till the last ball was bowled, and never allow the possibility of defeat enter their consciousness. It was a pretty decent one as far as pep talks go, but it was evident that Imran – not unlike many outstanding exponents of the game from his time who have not stayed abreast with it – was not too familiar with the demands and tactics employed in this condensed, post-modern format of the game.”I also felt if proper field placing was placed for Shoaib Malik in his initial over may have given us a breakthrough; it was very surprising to see in a low-scoring game there was no attacking field-placing. There was no slip; had he employed a slip cordon for Malik, we may have had Yuvraj as two chances from his blade went through.”Earlier our batting, too, had left much to be desired. Hafeez was not sent in at number three while Sarfraz too did not get a meaningful strike. These two were our best bets, as they were our prime exponents against spin. The Indian spin attack was not challenged at all by our batting, save Shoaib Malik near the closing stages, resulting in a total that was 20 runs short of the average on the Eden Garden turf.”To support his criticisms of the batting order, Intikhab referenced various statistics including that of all the deliveries that Pakistan faced at the World T20, Sarfraz Ahmed only played 17 of them despite having made scores of 41, 25, 58 and 38 in his four T20I innings leading into the tournament. Intikhab termed the use of Sarfraz “a critical waste of talent and form.”He was also highly critical of Umar Akmal’s returns, writing that his figures “are a damning expose on his game awareness and sense of responsibility” and said that Ahmed Shehzad, who had been recalled shortly before the tournament, was “equally poor.”In response to claims of factions forming within in the team, Intikhab said: “The news of groupings in the team only emerged after the team’s loss to New Zealand. It may have been fed from inside the team only to divert attention and shift blame from the captain’s and other boys’ failure.”In my opinion, to alleviate our situation in shorter formats of the game, we have to make a comprehensive plan at the Board level. And this includes improving our selection methods. Pick-up, drop, pick-up routine has not helped us at all, neither has bowing down to player power nor hanging on to the so-called ‘talented mavericks’ who refuse to learn, evolve and deliver.”