Chelsea boss Sarri on Brighton win: We could’ve played betterby Paul Vegas10 months agoSend to a friendShare the loveChelsea boss Maurizio Sarri felt they weren’t at their best for victory at Brighton.Eden Hazard set up Pedro’s opener and then scored the second in a deserved victory at Brighton, which ended in a closer game than it looked like it would for much of the afternoon after Solly March pulled a goal back.”We could have won better because we played very well for 60 minutes,” said Sarri.”We conceded a goal in a moment in which we were in full control of the match. My mind was clear in that moment that we had to suffer in the last five minutes with long balls into our box. We are not a physical team.”With the substitutions I tried to have more physical impact in the last five minutes, but it was clear it was really very difficult in the last five minutes. But we could have won better.”Sarri added: “When we have the feeling of being in full control of the match, we are dangerous to ourselves. We know that we suddenly lowered the level of application and attention.”Their goal was the first situation in our box for 30 minutes. We were a bit unlucky, but the feeling when we have confidence and are sure we are in control of the match, is that we are dangerous to ourselves.” About the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say
Month: October 2019
10 months agoDONE DEAL: Leeds send Samuel Saiz to Getafe
TagsTransfersLoan MarketAbout the authorCarlos VolcanoShare the loveHave your say DONE DEAL: Leeds send Samuel Saiz to Getafeby Carlos Volcano10 months agoSend to a friendShare the loveLeeds United have announced midfielder Samuel Saiz is returning to Spain at Getafe.Saiz travelled to Spain for a medical at the weekend and will not be returning to Yorkshire.He will instead stay in the country before his stint with high-flying Getafe begins, Leeds confirmed on Monday.Saiz will join LaLiga side Getafe on loan in January, with a view to a permanent deal in the summer.The 27-year-old joined the Championship club from Huesca in 2017. 
10 months agoLiverpool striker Mane avoids FA action after Lichtsteiner clash
About the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say Liverpool striker Mane avoids FA action after Lichtsteiner clashby Paul Vegas10 months agoSend to a friendShare the loveLiverpool striker Sadio Mane has avoided action after grabbing Stephan Lichsteiner around the throat during victory over Arsenal.Mane put his hands around Lichtsteiner’s neck during the first half of Saturday’s 5-1 home win at Anfield.However, The Sun reports referee Michael Oliver saw the incident at the time and duly awarded a free-kick which means there will be no further action.The clash summed up a feisty, frustrating evening for the Gunners as they fell five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.There was even a tunnel bust-up involving Arsenal defender Sokratis and Liverpool top scorer Mo Salah. 
10 months agoMan Utd academy chief Butt: We must blood youngsters under Solskjaer
About the authorAnsser SadiqShare the loveHave your say Man Utd academy chief Butt: We must blood youngsters under Solskjaerby Ansser Sadiq10 months agoSend to a friendShare the loveNicky Butt believes that his Manchester United youth players must make the step up to the first team.Butt is of the belief that a United youth player should always get a shot with the first team.And with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in charge until the end of the season, Butt hopes the likes of Angel Gomes will get their chances.”If you ask any Manchester United fan, or Ed Woodward, or the owners, or the manager, they want players in the first-team,” Butt said to the Daily Express.”That’s my job. That’s the job of the academy coaches – to get players into the first-team.”I think it’s something that fans will demand, the club will demand, the owners and the board will demand and the manager as well.”The academy is the lifeblood of the club and the home-bred players are the ones that help the superstars all around the world embed themselves into our culture and become Manchester United people.”I think that’s the most important thing.” 
a month agoMan Utd scout Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali
TagsTransfersAbout the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say Man Utd scout Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonaliby Paul Vegasa month agoSend to a friendShare the loveManchester United have been linked with Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali.Tonali, 19, has been dubbed ‘the new Andrea Pirlo’, although the Brescia star himself has expressed that he’s trying to emulate his idol Gennaro Gattuso.Fiorentina negotiated for the Italy international last summer, but Brescia eventually chose to keep the midfielder.Now, Calciomercato.com says Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax scouted Tonali for Sunday’s meeting with Bologna.The three clubs are interested in acquiring Tonali for the upcoming January transfer window. 
a month agoChampions League final was world’s biggest annual sporting event on social media
TagsPremiership NewsAbout the authorIan FerrisShare the loveHave your say Champions League final was world’s biggest annual sporting event on social mediaby Ian Ferrisa month agoSend to a friendShare the loveThis year’s all-English UEFA Champions League final has broken a record of over 1 billion social media interactions, cementing its place as the world’s biggest annual sporting event, reports www.fcbusiness.co.ukAvailable and comparable data showed that the final of the world’s premier football club competition outperformed all other major events in 2019 by more than 30%, while according to the video optimisation and online video analytics company Conviva, “the UEFA Champions League final is now the biggest sports event ever on Instagram stories from a single account” with 177 million impressions. The stand-out figure of 1.09 billion social media interactions includes all engagements (likes, shares and comments) and video views, 110% up from the final a year ago. Interactions were tracked across all of UEFA’s social accounts as well as the official accounts of the participating teams, players and various media organisations around the world. Almost half – 486 million – of the interactions were generated from UEFA’s social media platforms, with the remaining 604 million coming from other sources. “For years, the UEFA Champions League final has been the biggest one-day sporting event in terms of the media coverage it gets, and the results from the Madrid final corroborate that this is also true on social media,” said UEFA marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein.The UEFA Champions League competition itself – from group stage to semi-finals (1 September 2018 to 9 June 2019) – drew over 6.5 billion interactions originating from UEFA’s own social media channels, including 3 billion cross-platform video views. 
a month agoSheffield Utd manager Wilder leaps to defence of McGoldrick
About the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say Sheffield Utd manager Wilder leaps to defence of McGoldrickby Paul Vegasa month agoSend to a friendShare the loveSheffield United manager Chris Wilder has leapt to the defence of David McGoldrick.The 31-year-old was criticised for his wastefulness in front of goal during last weekend’s loss to Southampton.He missed Saturday’s win over Sheffield United with a groin strain, and Wilder stuck up for the 31-year-old when speaking after the game.He said: “So what does he do? He has a finishing session on his own and then goes back out to have another finishing session, because he’s trying to improve his skills and get that aspect of his game out of his system. It was then, he tweaked his groin. “But that tells you what kind of boy he is. An international player. Any sort of negativity or criticism towards him is ridiculous, because he gives everything for this football club and is brilliant for us.”I think we’ve got to be careful as a football club, because of the results and the way we’ve played, that we don’t put too much pressure on our players.”A couple of things got flagged up to me (after losing to Southampton). This team, where they’ve come from, they don’t deserve 70 per cent report. They deserve 100 per cent support.” 
a month agoCrouch: Spurs just suffering blip
Crouch: Spurs just suffering blipby Paul Vegasa month agoSend to a friendShare the loveFormer Tottenham striker Peter Crouch insists their poor start to the season is just a “blip”.He wrote for the Daily Mail: “(Mauricio) Pochettino is the best thing that has happened to Tottenham in 20 years. I say that as someone who was at the club in the late 1990s and, again, 10 years later when Harry Redknapp took charge: I’ve seen good and bad times first hand and I know what I’m seeing now.”This is a blip, nothing more. I was at Leicester seven days ago and I didn’t see too much wrong with their performance. “They should, really, have won that game and I will argue with anyone who thinks VAR was brought in to decide offside calls like the one which went against Son Heung-min.”
16 days agoChelsea send Makelele to check on Gallagher at Charlton
Chelsea send Makelele to check on Gallagher at Charltonby Freddie Taylor16 days agoSend to a friendShare the loveChelsea have been stunned by the form of Conor Gallagher at Charlton.The midfielder was shipped out on loan after featuring for the Blues over preseason.He has starred for the Addicks since then, having added four goals and one assist to his name.The Sun says youth loan coach Claude Makelele has been making regular visits to watch the 19-year-old in action.Manager Lee Bowyer has confirmed Makelele’s presence at the Valley and believes he is one to watch for the future. About the authorFreddie TaylorShare the loveHave your say
15 days agoBournemouth boss Howe excited over Diego Rico contribution
About the authorFreddie TaylorShare the loveHave your say Bournemouth boss Howe excited over Diego Rico contributionby Freddie Taylor15 days agoSend to a friendShare the loveBournemouth manager Eddie Howe is pleased with the progress that Diego Rico is making at the club.The Spanish star is starting to show his quality for the Cherries in the Premier League.He played 90 minutes in four of the past Bournemouth league games.He was disappointing last term, but Howe believes the penny has dropped with Rico.Asked about Rico’s recent impact, Howe told reporters: “I have been very impressed in recent weeks.”He’s had a decisive say in a lot of games. If you look at the assists he has made for the team, his corners and free-kicks have been really valuable to us.”You look at the Southampton game, the Everton game and the West Ham game. He has played a key role in goals for us which have changed the game at that moment.”Tight games have been swung in our favour because of it.”I think he has grown into the position, is growing in confidence all the time. The challenge for him is to maintain that progression.”If he does with his qualities, he is going to be an important player for us.” 