Category Uncategorized

Manchester United claimed a third straight Europa League victory last night, beating Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in yet another hard-fought game of little quality.

Ruben Amorim’s side were rescued by substitute Rasmus Hojlund who came off the bench and scored a double, securing the three points for the Red Devils.

The result undoubtedly massively boosts their chances of securing automatic qualification come the end of the league phase, albeit despite the unconvincing display in the Czech Republic.

It’s safe to say that the 39-year-old has his work cut out after his first few weeks in the job, undoubtedly working out his best starting XI in the process.

Last night’s display certainly highlighted numerous players who may no longer have a future at Old Trafford should they continue in the same manner going forward.

Marcus Rashford’s stats for United against Plzen

Attacker Marcus Rashford has scored three goals since the appointment of Amorim but has still failed to recapture his best form from a couple of seasons ago.

The appointment of the former Portugal international has seen him feature in numerous attacking roles, including behind the striker or as the out-and-out centre forward.

Last night, he operated in the former, but like his recent couple of outings, the 27-year-old failed to take advantage of the trust shown in him by Amorim once again.

He featured for just 56 minutes before being replaced, highlighting his lack of impact and failing to offer the attacking threat the fanbase has often desired in recent months.

The Englishman only had 40 touches, achieving an 80% pass completion rate, but failing to register a single effort on goal – with goalscoring Hojlund coming on in his place.

Rashford was also caught offside once and collected a booking for his troubles, resulting in his early withdrawal from the encounter.

However, he wasn’t the only Red Devils player to produce an evening to forget, with one of his teammates also failing to impress after being recalled to the starting lineup.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Man United player who was as bad as Rashford

Striker Joshua Zirkzee arrived with big expectations after his £36.5m move from Bologna in the summer, but up to now, he’s failed to deliver the goods in the final third.

The Dutchman has only notched three goals, failing to add to his tally in the victory in Plzen and handing supporters more of a reason to be discontent with their summer dealings.

He came into the starting lineup for Hojlund, but like Rashford, was taken off early in the second half as United looked to secure the win having being a goal down.

Games played

61

Touches

50

Pass accuracy

22/33 (67%)

Duels won

5/13 (38%)

Possession lost

19x

Shots taken

1

Fouls committed

1

Leaving his manager in “dismay” as quoted by the Mirror’s David McDonnell, Zirkzee featured for just 61 minutes but looked extremely wasteful in possession, completing 22 out of the 33 passes he attempted, a completion rate of just 67%.

He also only won five of the 13 duels he contested, losing the ball 19 times, the most of any Red Devils player throughout the entire contest – undoubtedly leading to his substitution.

As a result of his dismal showing in Europe, Zirkzee was handed a measly 3/10 match rating by the Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst, the joint lowest of any United player.

Given his performance, the Dutchman should be no way near the lineup for Sunday’s trip to face local rivals Manchester City at the Etihad.

Time is certainly running out for the 23-year-old to prove his worth at Old Trafford after his big-money move, potentially facing the chop completely should he not turn around his current dreadful form.

Man Utd need to sell £150k-p/w star who Murtough thought was "outstanding"

The Manchester United ace could find himself on the way out at Old Trafford by the end of the season.

ByEthan Lamb Dec 12, 2024

The Jamaica international looked to have secured victory for Gareth Taylor's side, but the Irons hit back in the final seconds

Manchester City's hopes of securing Women's Champions League football for next season suffered another blow on Wednesday as they were held to a 1-1 draw away at West Ham.

Women's Super League top scorer Khadija Shaw started on the bench as City boss Gareth Taylor made six changes to his starting XI and, perhaps unsurprisingly, saw his team put in a disjointed performance in the first half. January signing Kerolin fired wide early on and Lily Murphy swung an ambitious shot in the arms of goalkeeper Kinga Szemik, but that was about as good as it got for the visitors.

Indeed, City had Ayaka Yamashita to thank for ensuring the scoreline was still goalless heading into the break. The Japan international had to be at full stretch to deny Seraina Piubel and was then alert to keep out Riko Ueki just seconds before the whistle blew for half-time.

City continued to toil after the break, and it was no surprise to see Taylor send on Shaw in a bid to break the deadlock. The substitute made an instant impact and almost scored with an acrobatic overhead kick as the visitors began to ramp up the threat.

Laura Wienroither then went even closer with an effort that hit the woodwork from a corner, before the pressure eventually told with just 10 minutes of normal time remaining, as Mary Fowler swung in a lovely ball for Shaw to knock past Szemik from close range, which looked like being enough to secure the win.

However, West Ham refused to give up hope and equalised in stoppage time as Ueki did well to feed Manuela Pavi down the left, who cut inside and fired past Yamashita to rescue a point.

GOAL rates City's players from the Chigwell Construction Stadium…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Ayaka Yamashita (7/10):

  Made some good saves in the first half. Dived well to keep out Puibel's effort and then had to be alert to deny Ueki before finally being beaten late one.

  Laura Wienroither (7/10):

  Looked strong in defence on her first appearance since joining on loan from Arsenal. Almost scored too, but her effort hit the woodwork.

  Laia Aleixandri (6/10):

  Another solid showing at the back on her 50th appearance for City.

  Gracie Prior (5/10):

  Might have done better for the goal but couldn't get close enough to stop Pavi.

  Kerstin Casparij (5/10):

  Also celebrated a half-century of appearances, but only made it to half-time before being replaced.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfield

  Yui Hasegawa (5/10):

  A typically neat and tidy performance, but took a while to get going.

  Jill Roord (6/10):

  Looked a bit rusty in the first half, but improved as the game wore on. One charge forward almost yielded a goal.

  Jess Park (5/10):

  Looked really lively initially but wasn't as influential as she would have hoped. One good corner almost brought a goal.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Mary Fowler (7/10):

  Had a quiet game, but swung in a lovely cross for Shaw to bag the opener.

  Kerolin (5/10):

  A few bright moments, and fired an early shot wide, but did not provide enough threat.

  Lily Murphy (5/10):

  Had a great chance to open the scoring on the hour, but her shot was far too timid and easily saved.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Subs & Manager

  Leila Ouahabi (7/10):

  Helped City get further up the pitch after being introduced at half-time.

  Bunny Shaw (8/10):

  Sent on with 25 minutes to go and City instantly looked more dangerous. Went on to score, but it wasn't quite enough.

  Laura Coombs (6/10):

  Made her return from injury and replaced Kerolin.

  Vivianne Miedema (6/10):

  Also thrown in with City toiling and was lurking in the box when Shaw scored.

  Gareth Taylor (5/10):

  Freshened up his team but saw City struggle in the first half. Threw on his big names in the hope of getting the win, but Pavi's late strike will be a massive setback.

The Eastern Conference side let half of their team go at the end of the 2024 season, and might be all the better for it

Curt Onalfo watches training every day. The New England Revolution Sporting Director, who has overseen immense change in his 18 months in the role, makes sure to be on the sidelines every time his team – yes, this is now team – goes to work on the practice field. And of course, Onalfo is there. He used to be a head coach himself. He sees it all.

He sees veteran playmaker Carles Gil find pockets of space and orchestrate in small-sided games. He sees winger Luca Langoni, Argentine flair and all, sit-down defenders. These days, he also looks at Leo Campana, his marquee winter signing, do all of the right things — make the right runs, press at the right time, and find the back of the net.

And the man in the middle of it all, leading the session, is Caleb Porter – someone he is aligned with. It has been 18 difficult months in New England. The Revolution were poor at the back end of the 2023 campaign, mired by scandal and the subsequent departure of Bruce Arena. In 2024, they responded by hiring Porter, a coach with an immaculate MLS pedigree, but one who played a markedly different style to the roster he inherited. This wasn't a full rebuild, but changes had to be made.

This winter, they all happened at the same time. Sixteen players were let go. Fifthteen came in. With the transfer window still open, more might yet arrive. New England is a different team altogether, re-energized, rebuilt, and, finally, shaped in the image of a club that looks far more aligned, top to bottom.

"I would call it the end of a cycle. Every roster goes through that… and we felt the group had stagnated a bit," Porter told GOAL.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

• USA Today Images
  

  A rejuvenated head coach

  Porter knows what the world thinks about him. He knows that he is a perfectionist and fiercely competitive — often to a fault. Those things will never go away, he admitted. But it might just be time for change. This has been, in Porter's words, the best preseason of his life. The former title-winning manager with Portland and Columbus endured arguably his worst season as a head coach last year. And now, with a new group, he feels more energized than ever.

  "With this group, I'm already seeing it. It's just more natural for them, the way I work and the things I'm looking for," Porter said.

  There is a real buzz about the side, he said. The refresh has brought not only new talent but also good vibes. The team is working hard, top to bottom. There is a palpable energy. It marks a change from the head coach. Porter, at times, has developed a reputation for being a hard-nosed, intense figure. He has routinely been icy with officials and media members.

  These days, though, he is just trying to have fun.

  "I've probably hated losing more than I've liked winning in some ways. I think I'm just trying to enjoy the little things, and I don't take it for granted," Porter said.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  The situation in 2023

  New England was in an odd spot when Porter took the job following the 2023 season. It was clear from early on, he said, that the squad didn't fit his playing style. Arena has an immaculate pedigree as an MLS and USMNT coach. But he plays a radically different brand of soccer to Porter. The current manager likes creative players, wingers, a reliable No.10, and a high line. Everything here is focused on winning the ball and being expressive when you have it.

  Arena, meanwhile, is different. He has, admittedly, evolved over the years. But his New England played in a diamond with two strikers. That system and its personnel didn't fit Porter's approach.

  "We needed to increase the profile. We didn't have any wingers. It was crazy. We needed a few more, what I would call, soccer players, a bit more creativity in the center of the park," he said.

  The fallout from Arena's resignation, too, had left an impact, Porter said.

  "I felt there was actually quite a bit of scar tissue in the locker room, just with some of the things that went on and everything. So the group needed to be rebuilt completely," Porter said.

  Throw in the fact that New England had one of the oldest squads in the league last season, and changes were needed.

• USA Today
  

  Letting players go

  Porter didn't know all of this when he first joined the club. He had an idea, he said, but wasn't entirely clear on how deep the issues ran. But he and Onalfo have enjoyed a good relationship from early on.

  "When we were in our interview process, immediately we saw eye to eye on players and how the game should be played," Onalfo said.

  The plan was always to move players on and refresh the squad. But the state of the club suggested otherwise. Money was tight in New England, making it difficult to make wide-scale changes in 2024. Following the season, the focus shifted towards moving on the old guard and promising young talents like Esmir Bajraktarevic also needed to go to allow the GM and head coach to reinvest in the squad.

  "Prior to last year, and we had a lot of mature players who were paid a lot of money, and so we were able to obviously free up some cap space with some moves," Porter said.

  The work started in earnest last summer. Langoni was bought from Boca Juniors for a club-record $7 million – an expensive outlay from a club that tends to keep things tight. In Langoni, they immediately had the kind of match-winner they had been missing.

  This winter, they got even busier. New England has found success in recent years selling homegrown talents for significant fees. Djordje Petrovic, Tajon Buchanan, and Matt Turner have all been sent to Europe for big money. They energized that network once again to send Bajraktarevic to PSV for a handsome $6 million. Six players didn't have their contract options exercised. A further five were let go in free agency. By the end of November, they had shed $4.5 million in salary while keeping their best XI mostly intact.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• USA Today Images
  

  Bringing the right ones in

  And then, it was time to go to work. There weren't unlimited funds to work with here, but the Revolution could certainly explore some options. The big outlay came on Campana. Pushed into a reserve role by the arrival of Luis Suarez in Miami, New England thought he could be an excellent value for money signing – and their starting No.9. Porter, in particular, was excited at the prospect of bringing in a player who had always scored goals, and deserved a bigger role.

  "With Leo, we love the fact that he's scored, he's been successful in this league. He scored goals in this league, but he's never been the guy. He really wanted that opportunity to be the guy. And we feel like, with a role where he's going to game in and game out, be highlighted and be given the opportunity to find goals that he'll produce," Porter said.

  Campana should also benefit from the presence of Gil as the team's roaming No. 10. And Porter has been impressed with just how well-rounded Campana is.

  "He's got enough pace, he's got enough work rate. He's got enough, you know, tactical understanding, you know, he's got a little bit of everything. He's pretty complete in a lot of ways," Porter said.

  He represented excellent value for money, too. A player of his age, 24, could easily cost $8 million if the Revolution were to dip into the international market. Using the newly established cash-for-player provision in MLS, New England spent just $2.5 million. Onalfo sees him as potentially one of the best strikers in the league.

  "We felt like if he was playing regularly based on his qualities, he should be a guy who can score 15 to 20 goals. In our league, that's exactly what you want out of your No. 9," Onalfo said.

  But Campana wasn't the only new face. Fourteen others arrived, both via the draft and in other moves. Mamadou Fofana and Brayan Ceballos have offered much-needed center back strength. Ignatius Ganago should provide an extra attacking threat. Jackson Yueill is an ideal veteran depth signing in central midfield. Factor in all of the competition brought about by the additions, and half of the starting XI will be new.

Throughout his time as Aston Villa manager so far, Unai Emery has made some impressive signings. Perhaps the Spaniard’s best has been Jhon Duran, who joined from Chicago Fire. The centre-forward has already scored 16 times in 66 games for the club and has recently signed a new contract.

His most expensive purchase so far has been midfielder Amadou Onana. The Belgian cost the Villans £50m over the summer, making the move to Villa Park from Everton. He is one of four players who have cost more than £30m, along with Moussa Diaby, Ian Maatsen and Pau Torres.

One of the biggest success stories so far under Villa’s Spanish boss has been Morgan Rogers.

Rogers’ stats for Villa

22-year-old versatile attacker Rogers has risen to fame over the past 12 months or so, excelling for Middlesbrough in the Championship before joining Villa last February. The Midlands club paid £8m for the Englishman, with the deal potentially rising to £16m including add-ons.

He has been simply sensational for the Villans this season. He has played 15 times this term, scoring three times and registering three assists. In the Premier League, the England under-21 international has three goals and two assists in 11 games.

That included a well-taken goal away to newly-promoted Ipswich.

However, it is not just Rogers’ goals and assists that have meant he has been so good this season. Former Villans player Tony Cascarino praised his dribbling ability, a key feature of the Villa number 27’s game. Speaking on talkSPORT, he explained the attacker “seems to ride the tackles and not get phased”, likening him to Bayern Munich and Germany star Jamal Musiala.

With that in mind, it may be unsurprising that the exciting young talent has recently received his first England call-up. The attacker was brought into Lee Carsley’s final squad – before Thomas Tuchel takes over in the New Year – following several drop-outs through injury.

He will join a host of exciting youngsters in the squad, but will also link up with a former Villa player who is one of the most experienced members of the Three Lions squad.

The former Villa star in the England squad

The player in question here is Kyle Walker. The 34-year-old, who has 90 caps for his country, played for Villa on loan in the second half of the 2010/11 season, joining from Tottenham Hotspur.

It is a move many fans might well forget ever happened, given the success the right-back has had since moving to Manchester City from Spurs in 2017 for £45m up front, with a further £5m in add-ons.

His time at Villa Park was impressive, Walker played 18 times for the club and managed to score twice and grab three assists.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

In the Premier League, the defender played 90 minutes in all but one of his games, 15 to be exact, scoring one goal and registering all three of his assists in that famous Claret and Blue shirt.

It was also during that stint, ironically, that the now veteran star received his first senior call-up for the Three Lions, during Gerard Houllier’s time at the helm.

It is fair to say that, since leaving both Villa Park and more recently, White Hart Lane, the defender has had great success. He has played 310 games for City, with 29 goals and assists to his name.

Walker has been a pivotal figure for Pep Guardiola, as the Spaniard has led City to complete domination throughout his tenure. He has won 17 major trophies, including the treble in the 2022/23 season, capped off by City’s first Champions League title. Following that historic campaign, football presenter Dougie Critchley described him as a “quality” player.

Premier League

27

1962

Yes

Champions League

5

282

Yes

FA Cup

5

393

Yes

Community Shield

1

90

No

Carabao Cup

1

46

No

Now, Villa fans could be days away from seeing their former loanee right-back lining up for England with their current superstar Rogers.

In many ways, it would be a full-circle moment, with Villans players past and present potentially representing the Three Lions together.

Aston Villa had a gem who wanted to be Grealish 2.0, now he's in League One

The former Aston Villa starlet had hopes of being the next Jack Grealish.

1 ByDan Emery Nov 12, 2024

As Ian Maatsen continues his struggle to break into Unai Emery’s starting side ahead of Lucas Digne, Aston Villa have reportedly joined the race to sign a La Liga defender who would add further competition for places.

Aston Villa transfer news

Those at Villa Park got their transfer window just about spot on in the summer, with fresh faces such as Amadou Onana quickly proving to be a huge success, turning the departed Douglas Luiz into a forgotten man in the Midlands.

Aston Villa ace who earns 6x more than Rogers has been a flop after leaving

The former Villa Park hero is now “struggling” in his new surroundings…

By
Joe Nuttall

Oct 11, 2024

Yet, even after such a strong start, the Belgian is unlikely to go down as Villa’s best business of the summer. Instead, that award belongs to those at the club who managed to keep hold of Jhon Duran. The young striker has started the season in electric form to earn a fresh contract that should see him stay put at Aston Villa until at least 2030.

After handing their frontline a major boost, those in the Midlands have now seemingly turned their attention towards adding to Emery’s defence in pursuit of becoming a consistent top-four side.

According to reports in Spain, NSWE and Aston Villa are now racing to sign Reinildo Mandava from Atletico Madrid in January alongside Manchester United, with the left-back’s contract coming to an end next summer. The report adds that Emery has little confidence in Maatsen so far this season, handing the summer arrival just one start, which came against Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup.

Already struggling for game time over Digne, the arrival of Reinildo could hand Maatsen quite the cause for concern. After struggling for minutes at Chelsea and then starring on loan at Borussia Dortmund, the last thing that Maatsen needs is another spell full of cameos from the bench.

"Gladiator" Reinildo would hand Emery selection headache

Squad depth can quickly make or break certain ambitions in the Premier League, as clubs look to balance both domestic and European action. And that’s no different for Aston Villa, who could hand Emery quite the headache by pursuing Reinildo in either the January transfer window or next summer – the headache that Maatsen is seemingly yet to provide the Spaniard.

League stats 23/24 (via FBref)	Reinildo Mandava	Ian Maatsen
Assists	1	2
Progressive Carries P90	1.23	3.05
Tackles Won P90	2.72	1.46
Ball Recoveries P90	6.54	5.49

On the defensive front, Reinildo would certainly complete the job that Maatsen fails to do, albeit whilst struggling to make an impact as a modern full-back going in the other direction.

At 30 years old too, questions would be asked whether the Atletico Madrid man would have a long-term future at Villa Park. Whilst he has been praised aplenty in the past, including by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig who dubbed the defender a “gladiator”, Reinildo’s time for the Premier League may well have passed.

As for Maatsen, he must find his feet sooner rather than later if he wants to earn Emery’s confidence once and for all this season.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com emoção, o Flamengo se garantiu na terceira fase da Copinha. Na noite desta quinta-feira, no último minuto de partida, Igor Jesus marcou, e o Flamengo venceu o Náutico por 1 a 0, na Arena Barueri. Com o resultado, os Garotos do Ninho voltarão a enfrentar o Oeste por uma vaga nas oitavas de final da competição (assista aos melhores momentos da partida abaixo).

RelacionadasFlamengoReuniões nos bastidores: renovação de Arrascaeta ainda indefinida e reserva disposto a sair do FlamengoFlamengo13/01/2022FlamengoRafael Winicki desabafa após saída do Flamengo: ‘Não estava mais fazendo sentido’Flamengo13/01/2022FlamengoPiris da Motta lamenta ‘não ter dado certo’: ‘Não foi como o Flamengo queria, não foi como eu queria’Flamengo13/01/2022

> Gabigol na Seleção:veja quais jogos do Flamengo o atacante ficará de fora

EQUILÍBRIO

Os minutos iniciais da partida foram marcados por um jogo estudado. Flamengo e Náutico trocavam passes, mas encontravam dificuldades para encontrar os espaços.

ENGRENOU

Depois do começo mais equilibrado, o Flamengo engrenou na partida e fez Bruno trabalhar. A primeira boa chance veio com Victor Hugo, que limpou para a perna esquerda e, de fora da área, soltou uma bomba. O goleiro, contudo, encaixou e não deu rebote.

Três minutos depois, foi a vez de Petterson assustar o Timbu. Victor Hugo encontrou o camisa 28, que cortou a marcação e bateu firme para mais uma defesa do goleiro Bruno.

TUDO IGUAL

O primeiro tempo chegou ao fim sem gols. O Rubro-Negro Carioca teve as principais chances, mas não conseguiu tirar o zero do placar. O Alvirrubro, por sua vez, teve apenas uma chance, que não chegou a levar perigo à meta defendida pelo goleiro Bruno Guimarães.

TIMBU LIGADO

A postura do Náutico na etapa final foi diferente, e, se não fosse por Bruno Guimarães,a equipe pernambucana teria conseguido o gol. Aos 16 minutos, o lateral Luan bateu da entrada da área, a bola desviou em Cassiano, mas o goleiro do Flamengo se esticou todo e conseguiu mandar para escanteio.

Praticamente cinco minutos depois, mais uma boa chegada do Alvirrubro. Depois de uma roubada de bola em cima de Kayke David, Klefferson cruzou rasteiro, Rodrigo Leal conseguiu o desvio, mas Bruno Guimarães afastou o perigo e mandou a bola para escanteio.

FLA ACORDA…

Depois de ver o Náutico ditar o ritmo, o Flamengo voltou a pressionar na reta final do jogo. Uma das principais chances veio aos 33 minutos. Samuel cruzou para Pedrinho, que subiu sozinho na pequena área, mas pegou mal na bola e desperdiçou a oportunidade.

… E SE CLASSIFICA!

A intensidade estabelecida pelo Flamengo na reta final deu resultado. No último minuto do jogo, Richard cobrou lateral na área, mas a zaga afastou. Entretanto, Igor Jesus pegou a sobra, bateu da entrada da área no cantinho e garantiu os Garotos do Ninho na terceira fase da Copinha.

FICHA TÉCNICA
FLAMENGO X NÁUTICO

Data e hora: 13 de janeiro de 2022, às 19h30
Local: Arena Barueri, em Barueri (SP)
Árbitro: Gustavo Holanda Souza
Assistentes: Raphael de Albuquerque Lima e Gabriel Pozzer

Cartões amarelos: Alemão (NAU)
Cartões vermelhos: –
Gols: Igor Jesus (50’/2ºT)

FLAMENGO (Técnico: Luiz Felipe Santos)
Bruno; Breno (Samuel 20’/2ºT), Kayque Soares, Otávio e Richard; Igor Jesus, Kayke David e Pedro Arthur (Carlos Daniel, 20’/2ºT) ; Petterson, Victor Hugo e Cassiano (Pedrinho, 30’/2ºT).

NÁUTICO (Técnico:Adriano Souza)
Bruno; Café (Tagarela 19’/2ºT), Alemão, Diego (Bernardo, 31’/2ºT) e Luan (Jhon Kenedy, 29’/2ºT); Cauê, Luís Felipe e Fernando; Léo (Klefferson, 19’/2ºT), Rodrigo Leal (Kauan Muniz, 29’/2ºT) e Júlio.

Disappointed Carlo Ancelotti admitted Kylian Mbappe was the only Real Madrid player who performed in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Ancelotti praised Mbappe's performance
• Pointed out Real Madrid's flaws
• Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 5-2

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  A helpless Los Blancos side completely surrendered in front of their arch-rivals as they suffered a thumping 5-2 defeat against Barcelona in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah on Sunday. Mbappe opened the scoring for Real with an early goal but they could hold on to their lead for just 17 minutes as Lamine Yamal scored a brilliant solo goal to bring his side back into the game, after which the floodgates opened for the Catalan club.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After the mauling at the hands of their rivals, manager Ancelotti did not shy away from pointing out the shortcomings of his players as he admitted that Mbappe was the only player who had a decent outing in El Clasico.

• WHAT CARLO ANCELOTTI SAID

  Speaking to reporters after the match, the Italian coach said: "You have to defend well to win these games. Barcelona deserved to win, they defended better than us. The team is not looking good, but I’m not going to point the finger at anyone. Mbappe had a good game, he was probably the only one who played well. I’m not going to name names on this, but we were not good from the first minute, and did not perform."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  The reigning Spanish champions will be back in action on Thursday as they take on Celta Vigo in a Cope del Rey round of 16 clash at home.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians está dando sequência ao seu planejamento e negocia o destino de mais um de seus jogadores que não fazem parte dos planos para 2022. Dessa vez a situação é com Janderson, que teve seu empréstimo encaminhado ao Grêmio. A informação é da Rádio Gaúcha e foi confirmada pelo LANCE!.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFutebol NacionalCorinthians e Vasco negociam o empréstimo do meia VitinhoFutebol Nacional22/12/2021CorinthiansCorinthians busca informações sobre ‘medalhões’, mas mantém cautela para evitar frustraçõesCorinthians22/12/2021CorinthiansVeja como fica o valor de mercado do elenco do Corinthians com a chegada de PaulinhoCorinthians22/12/2021

TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2022 clicando aqui

> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

GALERIA
>Veja até quando vai o contrato de cada jogador do Corinthians

Um dos destaques do Atlético-GO na temporada 2021, o jovem da base corintiana estava emprestado ao clube de Goiás até o fim deste ano e despertou o interesse de outros times nas últimas semanas. O próprio Dragão gostaria de ficar com o jogador, mas o Tricolor gaúcho levou vantagem.

Apesar de o Grêmio disputar a Série B do Brasileirão do ano que vem, os representantes do jogador e o Timão acreditam que Janderson ganhará visibilidade e se valorizará ainda mais. No negócio, ainda não ficou definido se os gaúchos terão uma opção de compra ou uma opção de renovação do empréstimo depois do fim do contrato de um ano, até dezembro de 2022.

Segundo apurou o LANCE!, a negociação é dada como certa e alguns detalhes separam o anúncio oficial, que deve acontecer nos próximos dias. Vale lembrar que Janderson trabalhou com Vagner Mancini no Atlético-GO durante a disputa do Brasileirão-2020 e da Copa do Brasil-2020. Atualmente, o treinador está no Grêmio e pode voltar a comandar o garoto de 22 anos na próxima temporada.

Depois de praticamente dois anos (2020 e 2021) no Dragão, Janderson fez 92 jogos, marcou nove gols e deu nove assistências. Pelo Corinthians (entre 2019 e 2020), por sua vez, foram 34 partidas, três gols e três assistências no período.

Leeds United lost a number of their key first-team players from the 2023/24 campaign after they failed to earn promotion back to the Premier League.

Daniel Farke had to watch on as Crysencio Summeville, Glen Kamara, Georginio Rutter, and Archie Gray all departed from Elland Road on permanent deals.

The Whites lost to Southampton 1-0 at Wembley in the play-off final in May and those four players opted to pursue top-flight football elsewhere this season.

One sale that, perhaps, went under the radar was the deal to send Luis Sinisterra back to Bournemouth on a permanent basis, after his difficult spell at Leeds.

Luis Sinisterra's spell with Leeds

The Colombia international was signed from Feyenoord, for a reported fee of £21.4m, by former Whites head coach Jesse Marsch ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

Unfortunately, the former Eredivisie star suffered muscle, ankle, and foot injuries that kept him sidelined for a combined 16 matches that term, which hindered his progress at Elland Road.

Appearances

19

Goals

5

Assists

0

Big chances created

0

Key passes per game

0.5

As you can see in the table above, Sinisterra did provide a decent goal threat from a wide position but struggled to offer much in the way of creativity, as Leeds were relegated from the Premier League.

The 25-year-old forward then seemingly decided that he did not want to play a full season in the Championship with the Whites, as he sealed a move on loan to Bournemouth in the top-flight.

Leeds struck gold with Luis Sinisterra

Leeds completed a deal, which became official this summer, to sell the Colombian flanker to the Cherries for a reported fee of £20m back in February.

The West Yorkshire outfit struck gold with that fee as the winger struggled in front of goal and with fitness issues during the 2023/24 campaign, in which he was outscored by central defender Pascal Struijk.

Sinisterra produced just three goals in 23 appearances for Bournemouth in all competitions last season, with two goals in 20 Premier League games.

Meanwhile, Struijk, who played at the heart of the Leeds defence, racked up five goals in 25 outings in all competitions, with three strikes in 23 Championship outings.

This illustrates how little the Colombia international provided at the top end of the pitch for the Cherries, as he was outscored by a centre-back and former teammate.

Sinisterra's injury issues were also prevalent, once again, as he missed nine of the last ten matches in the Premier League with a hamstring injury, which came after the club had already agreed to pay £20m to sign him permanently.

This means that the 25-year-old flop has only played 40 matches at league level in the last two seasons combined in the top-flight, for Leeds and Bournemouth, and scored seven goals in that time.

More assists than Rutter in 23/24: Leeds must regret selling £1m "animal"

The Whites had a shocker when they allowed the full-back to move on from Elland Road.

1 ByDan Emery Sep 11, 2024

Overall, Leeds struck gold by cashing in for £20m, making a loss of just £1.4m, as they managed to offload a player who has struggled with injuries and form over the last two years, particularly when you consider that Transfermarkt currently value him at just €17m (£14m).

Sinisterra has scored one goal in three Premier League matches so far this season but time will tell if he will be able to maintain a consistent run of form and fitness to ultimately make Leeds regret their sale.

Tottenham Hotspur made up for their opening weekend blunder last Monday with an incredible display of attacking football against Everton at home on Saturday afternoon.

Ange Postecoglou's side were under plenty of pressure, but they rose to the occasion and reminded the rest of the league just how good they can be when at their free-flowing best.

What made it even more impressive was that they were without their new star striker, Dominic Solanke, who could be out until after the international break with an ankle injury.

It's not an ideal situation and highlights how light the club are in certain areas, although with the transfer window still open for another few days, Daniel Levy still has time to strengthen Postecoglou's attacking options.

The club wouldn't even have to look that hard, as they were linked with an ideal signing earlier this month, although the player in question would probably be bad news for Richarlison's game time.

Why Spurs signed Solanke

Now, for as wildly entertaining as Spurs were at points last season and as many goalscoring opportunities as they created through Postecoglou's attacking brand of football, they only scored the seventh most goals in the league.

Worse yet, according to Understat, they underperformed their open-play expected goals figure by a massive 5.55, a problem that needed attention if the team were going to take another step forward this season.

So, once the window opened a few months ago, Levy and Co went to work looking for a new number nine to help them make the most of the chances they create, eventually settling on Bournemouth's Solanke.

They eventually paid the Cherries a whopping £65m for the Englishman. While that is an enormous sum of money, it's probably justified, as in 42 appearances across all competitions last season, he found the back of the net on 21 occasions and provided four assists for good measure.

This would have made him the top goalscorer and the second most productive player overall in the Lilywhites squad last season, so it's easy to see why the North Londoners opted to break the bank to secure his services.

Appearances

42

36

31

34

Goals

21

17

12

5

Assists

4

10

4

10

Goal Involvements per Match

0.59

0.75

0.51

0.44

However, his minor ankle injury now means Postecoglou has to rely on his other attacking options, and that includes Richarlison; although, based on his performances for the club following his transfer two seasons ago, it could be time to move on from him, and the perfect upgrade has already been touted for a move to N17 this summer.

How David compares to Richarlison

Yes, the striker in question is LOSC Lille ace Jonathan David, who has been heavily linked with the Lilywhites all summer and was again linked in an article from football.london's Alasdair Gold late last week.

If Spurs did act on their interest in the Canadian international, it wouldn't require a huge sum of money either, as due to his contract expiring next summer, reports have claimed he could be available for as little as £20m.

With that said, how does he stack up to Richarlison? If he were to move to North London, it would likely be to replace the Brazilian as the backup striker, at least to start with anyway.

Unfortunately for the former Everton man, there isn't much competition at all when it comes to the pair's raw output.

For example, while the Nova Venécia-born forward was reasonably impressive last season, racking up 12 goals and four assists in 31 appearances, equating to a goal involvement every 1.93 games, he was outclassed by the Lille ace.

Appearances

47

31

Goals

26

12

Assists

9

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.74

0.51

In his 47 appearances last season, the "mind-blowing" poacher, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored 26 goals and provided nine assists, meaning that despite playing more matches, he maintained a more impressive average of goal involvement every 1.34 games.

Moreover, like the former Watford ace, the Brooklyn-born goal machine can play in several positions from centre-forward to attacking midfield and even second-striker, suggesting that Postecoglou could supercharge his frontline by playing him alongside Solanke when he's fit again.

Ultimately, Spurs undoubtedly improved their attack by signing the Bournemouth star this summer, but his recent injury has shed light on how thin the striker position is in the squad. Therefore, Levy and Co should go out and make one more signing before the window closes and bring David to North London.

Spurs could take Maddison to new heights with late move for £50m PL star

The incredible midfielder would perfectly balance Postecoglou’s team.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 27, 2024