Month: September 2019

The Three Lions have named their squad for their upcoming clashes with Czech Republic and Montenegro at the end of March

Gareth Southgate has named Declan Rice in his squad for England’s upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Montenegro.

Rice only recently switched his allegiance from the Republic of Ireland , with FIFA officially granting the transfer in nationality on March 5.

However, after a string of impressive performances for club side West Ham he has earned his spot in England’s squad for the upcoming games.

The 20-year-old played three times for Ireland, but all three appearances were in friendly matches meaning he is still eligible to play for the Three Lions.

He joins the likes of Tom Heaton, Callum Wilson and Jadon Sancho in a young England squad who will be looking to kickstart the nation’s European Championships qualifying campaign in winning style.

Sancho keeps his place in the squad after a series of impressive performances in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund.

The 18-year-old winger has racked up nine goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season for Lucien Favre’s side.

Elsewhere, Jordan Pickford keeps his place in the squad despite some question marks over his recent form for club side for Everton.

He is joined by fellow goalkeepers Jack Butland and Heaton, who earns a recall having been in impressive form for Burnley in 2019.

There is no place, however, for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse despite being tipped for a call-up in the wake of scoring six goals since the turn of the year for the Saints.

Jesse Lingard, Harry Winks and Joe Gomez are all missing due to injury issues.

Southgate’s side host Czech Republic on March 22, before an away tie against Montenegro on March 25.

These two games are the last fixtures before this summer’s UEFA Nations League finals in Portugal, where Southgate’s men will face the Netherlands in the semi-finals on June 6.

If victorious, they will advance to the final to take on either Portugal or Switzerland on June 9.

Full squad

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Tom Heaton, Jordan Pickford

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Chilwell, Michael Keane, Harry Maguire, Danny Rose, Luke Shaw, John Stones, James Tarkowski, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker

Midfielders: Ross Barkley, Dele Alli, Fabian Delph, Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Declan Rice

Forwards: Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, Callum Wilson.

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Roberto Mancini has named a 29-man squad for the Italian’s two upcoming Euro 2020 qualification matches at the end of the month

Marseille striker Mario Balotelli has been omitted from the Italy squad for their upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Finland and Liechtenstein.

The 28-year-old has been in superb form since he moved from Nice to Marseille in January, where he has netted five goals in just seven Ligue 1 games.

As a result, many believed he may have earned a call-up to Roberto Mancini’s squad, especially given the close relationship between the two from their time with Inter and Manchester City.

Balotelli did manage to end a four-year exile from the national team last year, and he was even played against Poland in the Nations League in September. 

However, this time around he has been left disappointed and has been left out of a third consecutive squad by his former boss.

Another shock name to be excluded from the 29-man squad was Torino captain Andrea Belotti, who has enjoyed another impressive season at Il Toro.

In their place, Mancini has opted for 36-year-old Fabio Quagliarella, who could make his first appearance for the Azzurri in eight years. The attacker has enjoyed a phenomenal campaign for club side Sampdoria and has netted a remarkable 20 goals in 26 Serie A appearances.

Juventus forward Moise Kean has again been selected after he made his international debut in November’s win against the USA.

Other notable inclusions in the squad are the uncapped Alessio Cragno, Armando Izzo, Gianluca Mancini, Nicolo Zaniolo and Leonardo Pavoletti.

There is only one Premier League representative in the Italian side, in Chelsea midfielder Jorginho.

The Azzuri start their Euro 2020 qualification campaign with a home tie against Finland on March 23, before another fixture on Italian soil when they host Liechtenstein three days later.

Full squad

Goalkeepers: Alessio Cragno, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Mattia Perin, Salvatore Sirigu

Defenders: Cristiano Biraghi, Leandro Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Alessandro Florenzi, Armando Izzo, Gianluca ManciniCristiano Piccini, Alessio Romagnoli, Leonardo Spinazzola

Midfielders: Nicolo Barella, Bryan Cristante, Jorginho, Stefano Sensi, Marco Verratti, Nicolo Zaniolo

Forwards: Federico Bernardeschi, Federico Chiesa, Stephan El Shaarawy, Vincenzo Grifo, Ciro Immobile, Moise Kean, Kevin Lasagna, Leandro Pavoletti, Matteo Politano, Fabio Quagliarella

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The midfielder has come under scrutiny amid Chelsea’s disappointing form but the Italy coach has faith in his ability

Jorginho has won the backing of Italy boss Roberto Mancini despite criticism of his debut season in the Premier League with Chelsea.

The deep-lying midfielder was a flagship signing for Maurizio Sarri at the start of his Stamford Bridge reign, having been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City before ending up in London.

However, Jorginho’s performances have come under increasing scrutiny as the Blues have faded after a strong start, leaving them in a battle to secure a top-four finish.

A section of fans at Stamford Bridge cheered his substitution during the recent 1-1 draw against Wolves – Jorginho being selected at the base of the midfield instead of N’Golo Kante has become a considerable bone of contention – and Sarri’s men lie sixth in the table following Sunday’s 2-0 loss at Everton.

Jorginho has now joined up with Italy for their opening Euro 2020 qualifiers against Finland and Liechtenstein and Mancini has no doubt that he has a high-quality performer at his disposal.

“Jorginho is playing very well. He hardly misses any games,” he told a news conference.

“Chelsea aren’t doing as well as usual but he has great quality, like [international team-mate Marco] Verratti, who is key for PSG in midfield.”

Chelsea are through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League alongside Arsenal, while four Premier League representatives make up half of the last eight in the Champions League.

Juventus are flying the flag for Italy in the latter competition, while Jorginho’s old club Napoli are among the favourites for Europa glory.

Chelsea are through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League alongside Arsenal, with four Premier League representatives making up half of the last eight in the Champions League.

Juventus are flying the flag for Italy in the latter competition, while Jorginho’s old club Napoli are among the favourites for Europa glory.

“Juventus are still strong, they played a great game [against Atletico Madrid] it was not easy to overturn that result there,” Mancini added, before acknowledging the boost that club continental success could have as he continues to rebuild a national team that failed to reach the 2018 World Cup.

“Napoli have what it takes to win the Europa League. In the end there are two winners and we hope they are the Italians.”

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Having struggled under Lopetegui and Solari, the defender believes that hopes are sky-high once more thanks to the appointment of the club legend

Alvaro Odriozola is delighted to see Zinedine Zidane back in the Real Madrid hotseat, claiming that the coach’s return feels like another title to the Merengue squad. 

Zidane achieved an unprecedented three straight Champions League titles during his time on the bench, a unique feat since the rebranding of the famous old European competition. 

Madrid subsequently found life without their French legend rather more complicated. 

Both Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari tried and failed to emulate Zizou’s success during the 2018-19 season, a campaign which currently sees Madrid out of the Liga title race and eliminated from the Champions League. 

But Odriozola believes that having Zidane back in the fold can mark a turning point for the Blancos. 

“When Zidane is your trainer, you go in with certain preconceptions. As I have said, I have always admired him. It was beautiful watching him play,” the defender explained to La Galerna. 

“As a coach what I love is his closeness with the players. I think right now, when pretty much everything in the world of football has been already invented, that is the most important thing a coach can contribute. With that closeness he managed to keep everybody motivated. 

“Zizou always tells the truth. I appreciate that honesty a lot. For the fans his return has renewed hope. His return is practically like winning a title. We are very happy.”

Zidane’s comeback less than 12 months after resigning his post following Champions League victory over Liverpool took some observers off-guard, with Solari having been confirmed in his post towards the end of 2018. 

Odriozola, however, maintains that Madrid’s call was impossible to ignore for the club idol. 

“It was a surprise, yes. But I think everybody thought that if Madrid came looking, he could not turn them down because he is a big Madrid fan,” he added. 

“It is true that we are all giving 100 per cent to convince Zizou. It’s clear that it forms part of our motivation to play well in these last 10 games. Not just in the games, in fact, in training too.”

One player who has returned to first-team action is Isco, who had been frozen out under Solari. 

Odriozola, 23, is a long-time fan of the playmaker and hopes that he will make the most of this new opportunity. 

“I have been a huge admirer of his ever since the Under-21 European Championship [in 2013] that he won,” he stated. 

“His performances were tremendous, and I fell in love with him there. He does things that only he can, that’s why we call him ‘Wizard’. 

“Sharing a team with him is just one more positive aspect of this film script.”

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The Albiceleste were outplayed in a 3-1 defeat to Venezuela that raises serious doubts just months before the Copa America kicks off

The long, uncertain wait was over. Just shy of nine months since his last Argentina outing Lionel Messi returned to the international fold in Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano, the Albiceleste legend backed by an entire nation who had begged and pleaded for their prodigal son to end his self-imposed exile.

It then took less than six minutes for the captain to see just how daunting a challenge lies ahead for his national team, and perhaps in the darkest corners of his mind even begin to regret his decision.

Just three players other than Messi, goalkeeper Franco Armani and defensive pair Nicolas Tagliafico and Gabriel Mercado, survived the cull that followed World Cup defeat to France on June 30, 2018, and lined up against Venezuela. That quartet was complemented by a selection of the players coach Lionel Scaloni believes are the key to renewing this national team: Atlanta United’s Pity Martinez the oldest at 25, all of the seven boasting 10 caps or fewer.

Mercado was joined in a three-man central defence by debutant Lisandro Martinez and Tottenham’s Juan Foyth, a set-up that almost immediately fell to pieces. Newcastle United poacher Salomon Rondon smashed past Armani in the first meaningful attack of the match, after connecting with a long ball that caught Mercado badly off-guard and chasing the striker’s shadow.

Even with their talisman on the pitch Argentina looked well under par. Martinez was deputising for the injured Angel Di Maria on the left side of attack and immediately began to send over the same endless, aimless crosses typical of the Paris Saint-Germain man’s volatile Albiceleste career, while the harried midfield duo of Leandro Paredes and Giovani Lo Celso were pinned back by the Venezuela counter threat and ineffective in possession.

In a rehash of the same tired story it was Messi who was obliged to drop deep and create something out of nothing. On two occasions in the first half he broke loose, skipping past his markers with his unique close dribbling and firing perfect crosses to Lautaro Martinez, leading the line on his own. Lautaro made fine contact on both, forcing an equally impressive save out of Wuilker Farinez with his first before heading the second narrowly over.

And that was about as good as it got in the first half. Darwin Machis had exposed Argentina’s frailties by forcing a one-on-one save out of Armani, but there was nothing River’s keeper could do just before the break when Jhon Murillo let loose with a curling effort after yet more shambolic defending.

The five-man defence and the ineffectual Pity were thankfully ditched in a decision that paid dividends when Lautaro converted a slick Argentina counter with class to cut the deficit. The architect of the move, need we add, was the captain. But it proved to be a false dawn.

Lautaro, perhaps the only man alongside Messi to prove he deserves a place in this team, was withdrawn, and yet another Martinez, Atlanta’s Josef, sealed Venezuela’s win by converting a penalty and putting the Vinotinto 3-1 ahead. 

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Prior to kick-off on Friday Argentina’s media department produced a lavish video comparing Messi to 10 national heroes, from writer Jose Luis Borges to Formula One legend Juan Manuel Fangio. What the captain really needs, though, is 10 team-mates capable of forming a fluid, effective unit and harnessing his otherworldly talents. 

From what we saw at the Wanda Metropolitano that is a long way off. Across the pitch and especially in defence the Albiceleste were disorganised, clueless, shambolic at times. Not even Messi’s presence can paper over the cracks of a team in chronic state and, more worrying still, unsure of what to do just three months before the start of the Copa America.

The Red Devils assistant has had a hectic few months

Mike Phelan could just about be the busiest man in world football right now. 

After being brought back into the fold at Manchester United by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as an assistant, Phelan has continued to juggle his role as sporting director with A-League side Central Coast Mariners.

As his Red Devils colleagues briefly put their feet up over the international break, Phelan boarded a plane to Australia as he attempted to make up for lost face time on the Central Coast.

With the Mariners now boasting a new coach in Alen Stajcic and staring down the barrel of consecutive wooden spoons, it’s a club that has demanded plenty of Phelan’s attention. 

But despite a tough few months for the club and a very busy schedule, Phelan is keen to continue his role with both United and the Mariners – even if he was to land a more permanent position at Old Trafford. 

“I’ve got no issue with that, neither club’s got an issue with that and now it’s just about how it will develop over the next couple of months,” Phelan told the Fox Football Podcast. 

“Hopefully the partnership can continue. I think it’s a good one. I think it’s a nice one to be associated with.

“It’s all down to ifs and buts right now, but I’d certainly like to keep my interest at the Mariners going.  

“It doesn’t matter where you are, if you have something to offer you just try to fit it into what is a busy schedule but there’s always a time and a place.

“I put something in place here at the Mariners…and I want to try and pursue that a little bit further.”

With over 10,000 miles between Manchester and the Central Coast, Phelan’s two clubs are forcing him to work some crazy hours.

“My day starts now at 4am. I’m driving into Manchester, getting in for 6am and then starting work on Mariners stuff for an hour or two before I can get wired into United stuff at 8am,” Phelan told the Herald.

“It works, but I’m going to bed at about 3pm now.” 

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The former Dutch star believes the Bundesliga champions should try and sign the in-demand Netherlands international at the end of the season

Rafael van der Vaart has said in-demand Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt should join Bayern Munich this summer.

The Netherlands international is reportedly a target for some of the world’s top sides including Bayern, Barcelona and Manchester City, and Van der Vaart claims De Ligt would be a perfect fit for the German champions.

Speaking to Sport1, the former Ajax, Real Madrid and Tottenham midfielder said: “Bayern must get De Ligt, he is absolutely a player for Munich.

“I would advise him to go there, although I always said that he would be a good match for Juventus. 

“Bayern play in central defence with Niklas Sule, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng, but it is not clear if Hummels and Boateng will remain. So, there would be room for De Ligt. The boy is a great talent, has a lot of quality.”

Van der Vaart is something of an expert on Dutchmen playing in the Bundesliga, having spent six years of his career with German side Hamburg. Like De Ligt, he also came through Ajax’s youth system, and played over 150 games for the club.

The 36-year-old has been hugely impressed with De Ligt’s performances and believes he is showing maturity far beyond his years.

He added: “De Ligt is only 19 years old and has a charisma and self-confidence like a 30-year-old. He gets on really well in interviews, seems very clear in the head, down to earth and grown up.

“This is a player who does not hang his head after mistakes and keeps going. He is already a great role model for many talents in the Netherlands.”

It’s not just De Ligt who has impressed Van der Vaart, but also his centre-back colleague for the national side, Virgil van Dijk.

“He has everything to be the best in the world. He is tall, has charisma and is an absolute leader at Liverpool,” said Van der Vaart. “He is outstanding. He has everything and is well on the way to becoming the best centre-back in the world.”

Van der Vaart was speaking after the Netherlands’ 3-2 defeat to Germany on Sunday night, a game in which the Dutch came from two goals behind only to lose.

“Before the game, of course, we thought again that we will win the game against the Germans. Up front they have enormous quality. They are brutally strong and they showed that again in the first half against Oranje. That was incredible. 

“In the second half, however, you have seen what the Germans still lack a world-class team. On the defensive side, there are extreme weaknesses. Then you realise that they have not been in the formation for so long.”

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The Welshman’s rapid progress has been rewarded with a new contract, keeping him at the reigning Premier League champions until 2023

Wales midfielder Matt Smith has signed a new long-term contract at Premier League champions Manchester City.

The 19-year-old has agreed a new four-and-a-half-year deal after impressing with his progress this season while on loan at Twente.

He’s played 29 times this season for the Dutch side, scoring two goals to help the side sit comfortably at the top of the Ereste Divisie.

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They hold an 11-point gap over closest challengers Sparta as they look to return to the Eredivisie at the first time of asking after suffering relegation last season.

“Matthew was 18 when he arrived, but he plays like a very mature player,” Twente’s technical director Ted van Leeuwen said. “His impact has been very, very big.”

Along with playing an integral part of Twente’s push for promotion, Smith has also been capped five times by Wales including in the nation’s recent win over Slovakia.

Ryan Giggs’ side battled a 1-0 win over Slovakia and Smith himself played the full 90 minutes in the Group E Euro 2020 qualifier.

He first made his international debut for Wales in a friendly 0–0 tie with Mexico back in May 2018 having represented them at U-17, U-19 and U-21 level previously.

Smith was also the youngest player to be loaned out by City having joined the academy at the age of 14 from West Bromwich Albion.

Unlike Jadon Sancho and Brahim Diaz, he’s now opted to remain at the club for the foreseeable future with his preference to remain in England.

“It’s different in England in the Premier League, especially with the resources a lot of teams have,” Smith said previously.

“In some countries they want to buy young players to play them. It is nice to stay in England and play first-team football, but it’s getting a lot harder now just because the levels of the leagues are getting higher.”

Wales’ next international fixture is a Euro 2020 qualifier against Croatia on June 8 before another game against Hungary on June 11.

However, Smith’s attention now returns to club football in the Netherlands with Twente’s next match scheduled for Den Bosch on March 29.

Robert Lewandowski helped his side beat Heidenheim 5-4 in the DFB-Pokal quarter-final, but his head coach not content with their showing

Niko Kovac said he has never seen anything like Bayern Munich’s 5-4 DFB-Pokal quarter-final defeat of Heidenheim but was unhappy with his side’s lack of concentration.

Niklas Sule’s red card after Leon Goretzka’s early header opened the door for the second-tier side, who led at the break thanks to goals from Robert Glatzel and Marc Schnatterer.

Substitute Robert Lewandowski, who was deemed too ill to start, came off the bench at the break and set up Thomas Muller before putting Bayern in front, with Serge Gnabry extending the lead.

But Heidenheim hit back against the 10 men once more, with Glatzel striking twice in three minutes to claim the match ball before Lewandowski’s late penalty settled a breathless encounter.

Bayern would have hoped to expend less energy ahead of Saturday’s visit of Borussia Dortmund, which is likely to be decisive for the Bundesliga title hopes of both sides.

And although Kovac conceded the first red card of Sule’s career put his side in an uncomfortable position, he was frustrated by the errors made by Bayern.

“The red card changed our calculations, so we had to react and change to 4-4-1 to get some compactness,” he said after Bayern booked a DFB-Pokal semi-final spot for the 10th year in a row. 

“With the change in the second half, we got into the game better, then turned it. What annoys me absolutely is that you cannot manage leading 4-2 and then we get into trouble.

“It was wild, an open game, which I do not like in shape. Finally, we have a bit of luck, which you need in the cup. I have never experienced such a game.”

Heidenheim’s coach Frank Schmidt was less surprised the match was such a thriller but felt Bayern’s ability to bring on Lewandowski and Kingsley Coman at half-time proved decisive.

“We imagined it would be such a wild game. That we manage to keep the game open through passion and scary work in the defence,” he said. “Too bad that it was then relatively easy for us to fall behind. The game is different with the red card.

“Nevertheless, it is not obvious that you turn the game at half-time. But we did that with two brilliant offensive actions. In the second half Niko changed again, we could not defend this quality. Nevertheless, we kept our shape in play at all times.

“We have such a mentality that we really only stop playing the game when it’s finished. I’m so sad that we exited. I think, it could have been the other way around in such a wild game.

“Today we have been able to give a business card, which shows Heidenheim. It was fun, it was an awesome evening from our point of view with the wrong result.”

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The Tottenham manager believes the Reds made the right call in making the Netherlands star the most expensive defender in football

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says Virgil van Dijk has proved to be worth more than the £75 million Liverpool spent to sign him.

The Netherlands international centre-back became the world’s most expensive defender when he joined Jurgen Klopp’s team from Southampton last January.

Van Dijk, 27, has been a key figure in Liverpool’s challenge for the Premier League title and has been highlighted as the most important player in the team by Reds legend Sami Hyypia.

And Pochettino has been impressed by Van Dijk’s influence at Anfield, saying Liverpool were right to spend big to get him.

“When a team like Liverpool need to improve their team in a certain area, people said it was crazy to pay £70m for a centre-back,” Pochettino told reporters.

“But Liverpool were right. They picked Van Dijk, because at that moment they believed he was the best centre-back in England who could make them better, and they were right.

“Some people said, ‘Why would you pay £70m for a centre-back?’ But the people who believed other things have now been shown that Liverpool were right.

“If you are going to sign the player who is going to improve your team, then it is not a lot of money.

“Because when you consider what it means to win a Champions League or a Premier League, it is cheaper to spend this type of money.”

While Premier League leaders Liverpool have benefited from investing in the squad with signings like Van Dijk, Pochettino has had to make do with the same squad he had last season.

Spurs have fallen 15 points behind Klopp’s men ahead of their meeting at Anfield on Sunday and the coach is eager to see them bounce back from their run of four league games without a win.

“We have good players. We are good enough, but the problem is that if we are not playing like a team,” he added.

“The first half against Southampton (2-1 defeat) was the perfect example. The first half the performance was good but in the second half we played 11 different games and what happened, happened.

“That’s what worried me a little bit and we need to recover our memories and our feeling that we need to fight altogether and we need to show the real quality altogether like a team.

“That is more important than the individual.”

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