Tag Futebol

Charlton Athletic bolstered their promotion hopes with an emphatic victory over Plymouth Argyle earlier this week, with the three points moving the side up into the playoff zone.

It also stretched their unbeaten run to ten games, which could prove to be a game-changer when the post-season swings around as they are proving to be undefeatable right now.

And Nigel Adkins deserves plenty of credit as he has continued that run of form despite taking over from Lee Bowyer last month.

On Tuesday night, he made a bold call to axe – or rest – one of his star performers, Ryan Inniss and evidently, it paid dividends as they kept a clean sheet on their way to a storming 6-0 victory.

Having signed in the summer, the 25-year-old has endured a campaign blighted by injury and after missing 27 straight league games, including Adkins’ first match in charge against AFC Wimbledon.

But he stepped in to keep a clean sheet against Doncaster Rovers, looked just as solid against promotion rivals Sunderland and Ipswich struggled to score past him, too.

Therefore to drop him in midweek was certainly a major call to make with him rounding back into form himself.

Speaking after clinching the 6 foot 5 titan in the summer, Bowyer waxed lyrical about his ability to the club’s official website, he said:

“It has been difficult as there are not many right-footed centre-halves out there but we have managed to get a very good one. Ryan is a winner, it is important when you have players like that at the back, and he’s a leader, an organiser and in that centre-half position that is what we were looking for.”

As per WhoScored ratings, the 25-year-old colossus (7.33) is only second to Jayden Stockley (7.48) and is also proving to be a huge aerial threat in this side, again ranking behind the target man striker (9.8) for aerial duels won (6.8) this term.

In his place, Adkins opted for Norwich City loanee Akin Famewo and he delivered alongside skipper Jason Pearce.

The 22-year-old gem was graded amongst the Addicks’ star performers with a 7.6 rating, better than the rest of the backline and only bettered by the goalscoring Stockley.

Famewo was a commanding presence, recording a game-high three blocks, putting his body on the line to deny Argyle a goal despite his side romping to an easy victory.

Whilst the young defender also put in four clearances and two interceptions, on top of winning 100% of his battles in the air, as per SofaScore.

The decision to rest Inniss for Famewo certainly turned out to be a blinding call from Adkins, and that’ll be good to know should the former Palace graduate pick up another injury or if further rotation is needed.

AND in other news, Addicks outcast fired Nigel Adkins a timely reminder this week…

قرر الجهاز الفني لنادي الزمالك بقيادة الفرنسي باتريس كارتيرون، ضم 7 لاعبين جدد إلى قائمة الفريق الإفريقية استعدادًا للمشاركة في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وكانت قرعة دور المجموعات لبطولة دورى أبطال إفريقيا أسفرت عن وقوع الزمالك في المجموعة الرابعة، بجانب الوداد المغربي، وبترو أتليتكو وساجرادا الأنجوليين.

ووفقاً للموقع الرسمي للزمالك، قام مسؤولو القلعة البيضاء بقيد 7 لاعبين جدد في القائمة الإفريقية للفريق خلال الساعات الماضية، بعد التشاور بين إدارة الكرة برئاسة أمير مرتضى منصور، والجهاز الفني بقيادة باتريس كارتيرون.

وأنهى النادي إجراءات قيد كل من عمر السعيد، والإيفواري رزاق سيسيه، والمغربي محمد أوناجم، والحارس الصاعد السيد عطية، وحسام أشرف، وماجد هاني، ومحمد طارق، في القائمة الإفريقية.

طالع | رابطة الأندية تعلن مواعيد مباريات الزمالك في الدور الأول لـ الدوري المصري

وكان الاتحاد الأفريقي لكرة القدم حدد يوم 12 فبراير الجاري موعدًا للقاء الزمالك وبترو أتلتيكو في الجولة الأولى لمباريات دور المجموعات، وستقام المباراة باستاد القاهرة في الساعة السادسة مساءً.

وحدد “كاف” يوم 19 فبراير موعدًا لمباراة الأبيض أمام ساجرادا الأنجولي، والتي ستقام في أنجولا ضمن مباريات الجولة الثانية لمباريات دور المجموعات.

يرى المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مونتيري، خافيير أجيري، أن مواجهة كروز أزول في الدوري المكسيكي في الوقت الحالي أهم من الأهلي في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2021.

ويلتقي الأهلي ومونتيري في الدور الثاني من البطولة التي ستقام على أرض دولة الإمارات العربية الشقيقة يوم 5 فبراير المقبل في تمام الساعة السادسة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة”.

وسبق ودرب أجيري منتخب مصر ولكنه رحل بعد الخروج من بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2019 والتي أقيمت على أرض الفراعنة عقب الخسارة أمام جنوب إفريقيا 0-1 على ستاد “القاهرة” الدولي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. قنوات أبو ظبي تعلن حصولها على حقوق بث مباريات كأس العالم للأندية

وتحدث المدرب المكسيكي على مواجهة الأهلي المرتقبة في تصريحات نقلتها موقع ناديه الرسمي، وقال: “هناك أشخاص يحللون ويعملون على تقارير وفيديوهات للمنافس”.

وتابع: “محظوظ لأنني دربت منتخب مصر، أعرف الأهلي جيدًا، لديهم خمسة لاعبين في كأس أمم إفريقيا الآن وأعرفهم جيدًا”.

وأضاف: “لكنني لست منخرطًا في تفاصيل أكثر في الوقت الحالي، أركز على مواجهة كروز أزول، فهم يستحون احترامنا، وبعد مباراة الغد سأركز على الأهلي”.

طالع | الأهلي يعلن التشخيص النهائي لإصابة محمد محمود.. وتطورات حالة صلاح محسن

وسيلتقي مونتيري وكروز أزول صباح الغد، الأحد، في تمام الساعة 5:06 صباحًا بتوقيت “القاهرة، ويحتل منافس الأهلي المركز السادس من مباراتين فقط برصيد 4 نقاط.

وعن انضمام لاعبيه لمنتخبات بلدهم قبل كأس العالم للأندية قال: “ليس هناك فخر أكبر من تمثيل بلدك، الاستماع إلى النشيد الوطني في بطولات مختلفة يجعلك فخورًا، ليس هناك هدف أسمى، لن أقدر على منعهم أو طلب عدم سفرهم”.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ young star Max Kilman has recently been linked with a move away from Molineux.

Kilman out?

Football Insider recently revealed that the Black Country club were strongly considering offloading the 23-year-old next season, whether it be a permanent transfer or loan move.

This comes after Kilman put pen to paper on a new five-year deal back in October with his contract not due to expire until 2025.

Kilman is adored by his teammates at the club, particularly by skipper Conor Coady who told the club’s official website that he was “outstanding” who is “brilliant to have around.”

Responding to a fan on Twitter, Spiers revealed that manager Nuno Espirito Santo was exploring the option of a possible season-long loan spell at the start of the season, but added it could be too late for such a move now.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

The jury is still out as far as Kilman is concerned, even though the 2020/21 campaign is the most first-team football he has played so far in one season.

The Englishman is yet to score a goal for Wolves but has provided one assist, averaged 1.3 tackles and 2.2 clearances (Whoscored).

Whether his performances will force the Wolves hierarchy to reconsider keeping him at the club, remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Kilman’s future seems to be out of his hands at this point.

In other news, Wolves star who is ‘hard to stop’ on brink of setback amid exit rumours – Report.

West Ham visit Manchester United on Sunday looking to stake their claim to Champions League qualification, but David Moyes has revealed there are a number of injury concerns.

The Irons are six points behind the Red Devils, albeit with a game in hand, and can put the pressure on fourth-placed Chelsea with a win after the Blues’ goalless draw with Leeds United on Saturday.

Manchester United have beaten West Ham in each of their previous two meetings this season, but required extra time to eliminate the Irons from the FA Cup last month. However, their Premier League form has been underwhelming, with five draws in their last eight fixtures.

Moyes will be without Jesse Lingard at Old Trafford, with the on-loan midfielder ineligible to face his parent club. With that in mind, here’s a potential line-up the Hammers may field…

Moyes confirmed on Friday that West Ham are facing a number of injury concerns ahead of travelling to Manchester United this weekend, but hopes that those facing late fitness tests will be able to feature.

“We’ve got a couple of slight doubts behind the scenes on a couple of players, who have just picked up slight injuries which I’m hoping will be okay,” he said. “I won’t know until tomorrow [Saturday] to see how a couple of them are going.

“That’s just something I’m nursing behind the scenes a little bit. It might be that they’re all okay, it might be that they’re not okay – that’s where it is.”

Lingard will be one who cannot feature against the Red Devils due to the terms of West Ham’s loan agreement, depriving Moyes of a four-goal, two-assist option who has been involved in more goals than any Hammers player since his arrival at the London Stadium.

“He’ll be a big loss because he’s had a big impact on the team and how we’ve played. He’s been a positive signing for us, coming in in January, so it is a loss to us, but we’ve got other people,” Moyes added.

Lingard is likely to be the only player who started Monday’s 2-0 win over Leeds to be withdrawn from the West Ham line-up against Manchester United, barring a tactical shift from the east London outfit or a late injury.

Jarrod Bowen will be expected to take over the England international’s place in the team and replace Pablo Fornals on the right wing, with the Spaniard changing sides and Said Benrahma moving centrally.

Bowen has not started either of West Ham’s last two Premier League games after falling out of the team which beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 last month, although the £25m-rated maestro has won plaudits this season, with Dean Windass telling Football FanCast that “he’s proved me wrong”.

Sunday’s trip to Old Trafford will be a big test for Benrahma after Moyes vocalised his desires to see a better end product from the Algerian after beating Leeds.

Benrahma is yet to score in claret and blue since his initial arrival on loan from Brentford last summer, while providing five assists in 22 appearances, of which he has started 12, across all competitions.

Moyes could look to reduce his forward options in Lingard’s absence, which may open the door for Ben Johnson to feature at left-back in a return to a five-man defence, or Mark Noble to start in a more congested engine room to try and thwart the dangerous Bruno Fernandes.

In other news, West Ham are keen to sign a “special talent” who his manager feels “privileged” to have in his squad…

Sunderland were halted in their tracks in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon.

A 2-2 draw felt like daylight robbery for a Mackems side severely off the pace when they travelled to Gresty Road to face Crewe.

On the chalkboard

This was a performance that was completely out of tune with how the last few weeks have been.

Lee Johnson has made this Sunderland side a force to be reckoned with, recently seeing off fellow promotion hopefuls, Doncaster.

He has made the Black Cats’ attack infinitely better with Charlie Wyke and Aiden McGeady among the most prolific in their position in the league. The former is League One’s second top scorer while nobody has more assists in the entire division than McGeady. That stat defies belief when you consider he didn’t play until December.

Though, there are still issues lingering. McGeady’s utterly anonymous performance last weekend proved that when he’s not providing chances for Wyke, Sunderland really struggle.

The fact that Sunderland’s left winger was not his usual self was made all the more worse by Callum McFadzean’s performance. He completed a woeful 54% of his passes and lost possession 26 times.

The solution

So, how does Johnson solve a problem like this one? It’s been a difficult area for him to try and paper over.

McFadzean has shown plenty of times that he can be a liability this season; namely giving away a penalty against Wimbledon back in December. Though, the arrival of Jake Vokins has hardly helped proceedings either.

He was beaten time and time again on his debut in the 2-2 draw with MK Dons and he’s looked sluggish since. With Sunderland also struggling for creativity last Saturday, the case for Jordan Jones to start on the left has become even more appealing.

The Rangers loanee has started just one league game since his arrival in January but he’s shown with vibrant cameos off the bench in recent weeks that he simply has to be part of the XI.

Jones gave us a brief glimpse of what he could offer when he was brought on against Burton. The winger was only on the field for 23 minutes but managed three key passes – the second-highest number of anyone in a Black Cats jersey – and finished the clash with a pass success rate of 100%.

A mazy dribbler, he then truly burst onto the scene in a Sunderland shirt a few days ago. Alongside Chris Maguire, the 26-year-old formed part of a rescue act, scoring a tremendous strike from long range that helped Johnson’s men come back from 2-0 down to draw the match.

His performances should hardly be a surprise, though, especially to Glasgow Live reporter Mark McDougall who spoke about Jones when he first arrived at the Stadium of Light: “In all honesty, he should stroll League One if his attitude is right when he goes down there.”

The journalist added: “He can be a joy to watch when he’s on his game because of how direct and tricky he is.”

Indeed, supporters have already seen glimpses of that tricky nature. It’s now down to Johnson to unleash those qualities on a regular basis. He has to start more often; Vokins and McFadzean cannot be trusted.

AND in other news, Sunderland flop who lost possession 26x is becoming a huge problem…

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s injury problems at Southampton look to have grown after youngster Will Smallbone was forced off against Leicester City on Saturday night.

The 21-year-old was making just his third appearance of the season, and his first since September, in the 2-0 defeat against the Foxes, but he was forced off through knee injury in the second half.

The youngster tried to play on following a collision with Timothy Castagne but it was clear that he could not continue when he went down again just a few minutes later.

Hasenhuttl spoke to the BBC following the game about Smallbone’s injury, saying:

“We have again injured players. Will is not looking good, his knee – and now are coming a lot of games. I hope that players are coming back as soon as possible.”

The Austrian manager’s squad is looking extremely thin at the moment, following injuries to Moussa Djenepo, Nathan Redmond, Oriol Romeu and Jannik Vestergaard.

Youngsters Nathan Tella and Michael Obafemi are also injured, whilst Danny Ings was self-isolating for the game at Leicester, meaning Smallbone was selected out of position on the left-wing.

His injury represents a real issue for Hasenhuttl now, as he is seriously lacking midfield options and he may well be forced to play a similar side on Tuesday night against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup, due to the lack of depth currently available to him.

The Austrian suggested before the transfer window that signings were unlikely in January but following this latest injury setback, it seems clear that chief executive Martin Semmens must act to bring in some more midfield options during the current transfer window, otherwise he risks leaving Hasenhuttl with a threadbare squad.

You would also imagine that, given Southampton’s hectic schedule, Smallbone’s injury will not be the last, and if replacements are not brought in, then the Saints’ impressive start to the season could well be undone.

And, in other news… Lost possession 25x: Sloppy Southampton ace was nowhere near his best vs Leicester

Christmas is here, which means 2020 is quickly drawing to a close, and what a year it has been for West Brom.

The Baggies clinched promotion from the Championship after a two-season absence from the Premier League, though since, things haven’t really gone to plan…

Captain of the ship Slaven Bilic received his P45 earlier this month with Albion second from bottom on just seven points.

The West Brom hierarchy have turned to Sam ‘the firefighter’ Allardyce in their time of need for yet another survival bid despite the 66-year-old being out of the game for two-and-a-half years.

In his first game in charge, the Midlands outfit were thrashed 3-0 by arch-rivals Aston Villa, so Big Sam has it all to do if they are to remain a top-flight team in 2021.

But forget those worries for now, and take a look back at some finer moments with this tricky quiz.

We bet only die hard Albion fans will get close to 75% on this one! Go on, give it a go…

AND in other news, West Brom Exclusive: Sam Allardyce tipped to sign former star in January swoop…

Everton striker Moise Kean risks making a blunderous decision over his career by deciding to re-join Juventus at the end of his loan spell with Paris Saint-Germain.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, Juve will resume their efforts to take Kean back to Turin in the summer after accepting defeat last year when the Italian’s wages proved an issue.

The Serie A heavyweight pulled out all the stops but matching the forward’s demands in hope of making Kean the fourth striker in Andrea Pirlo’s squad, and continue to believe the role is missing at the Allianz Stadium today.

PSG ultimately signed Kean on loan but do not hold an option or obligation to purchase the £53,000-per-week gem, and will have to hold negotiations with Everton should Mauricio Pochettino wish to retain his services after a strong season on loan.

Ancelotti has stated that he will not stand in Kean’s way should he wish to leave Everton in the summer, having made clear the Toffees will make the striker available for offers in excess of £30m as they look to make a profit on the £27.5m paid to Juve in 2019.

Kean has been in terrific form in France so far, netting nine goals in 13 Ligue 1 appearances to earn the praise of Thomas Tuchel, who claimed the 20-year-old is “hard to play against” prior to his sacking at Les Parc des Princes.

Think carefully

Kean must think carefully before deciding where to play his football in the latter half of 2021, as a return to Juventus could prove horrific for his future if the only role he will occupy will be as Pirlo’s fourth-choice striker.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata have often held down the attacking duties at the Allianz Stadium this term with the pair starting 12 and 10 of Juve’s Serie A fixtures to date, in which they have returned 15 and four goals respectively as Pirlo’s top-two scorers.

Paulo Dybala would likely be ahead of Kean in the pecking order in Turin, too, having opened eight of his 11 outings thus far in the central forward role to offer the second-most shots-per-game (2.6) behind only Ronaldo (4.8) to show his attacking threat.

Kean, meanwhile, is proving he can be a first-choice option at a title-chasing, Champions League side alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at PSG, where he has only failed to start one Ligue 1 fixture since departing Merseyside on a temporary deal.

The 8-cap Italy international has also scored four goals in his last five top-flight outings to help the French side enjoy their longest unbeaten run all season, so it would be hard for Pirlo to argue the benefits of the 20-year-old now sitting back on the bench.

A potential return to Everton cannot be ruled out yet, either, as Kean’s return to form after a challenging 2019/20, having scored just twice in 33 games, will have offered Ancelotti reason to believe the forward can rival Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park next term.

Ancelotti has no challenger to Calvert-Lewin following his decision to sanction Kean’s temporary spell, with Cenk Tosun clearly not favoured having played just 43 minutes of Premier League football this season after being overlooked against Wolves on Tuesday.

Going toe-to-toe with Calvert-Lewin for minutes in England will be far more beneficial for Kean’s long-term future than a seat on the bench at Juventus, so his decision must surely fall down to a return to Everton or permanent switch to PSG than a return to Turin in 2021.

AND in other news, Everton must refrain from making a knee-jerk decision to sign a £9m-rated target.

Bruno Fernandes spared Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s blushes as Manchester United struggled to break down West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford in their first Premier League fixture after the international break on Saturday night.

VAR has been heavily scrutinised ever since its introduction in the World Cup 2018 and last night was no exception as referee David Coote overturned his decision to award West Brom with a penalty, much to the chagrin of Baggies boss Slaven Bilic, only for the video assistant referee to then order Fernandes to retake his penalty after Sam Johnstone was clearly off his line to save his first attempt.

The former United goalkeeper was outstanding upon his return to his old club, making a string of fine saves to deny Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, but even he was powerless to prevent the Portugal international from firing home on the second occasion, whilst the result ensured that the Red Devils won at Old Trafford in the Premier League for the first time this season.

By all accounts Solskjaer’s side were mostly lacklustre, a fact which didn’t go unnoticed by the club legend, who defended the manner of their performance in his post-match interview.

“After the international break, we said it in the dressing room after, it’s difficult,” he told BT Sport (via Sky Sports). “We’ve not worked together, we’ve waited until this morning to get the prep for this game done, and that’s never easy when everyone’s been away for 10 days.”

For the most part Fernandes was impressive, Fred comfortable with the ball, but David de Gea was the real standout. It’s not very often we say that, as any regular reader of this column will know, but there’s no denying his near-faultless performance between the sticks.

SofaScore gave De Gea a high grade of 7.3 out of ten for his efforts – he made two saves from inside the box, one clearance and completed one successful run out, whilst he took 22 touches of the ball, made 16 out of 19 passes (84%), and kept his second clean sheet of the campaign, having played the full 90 minutes.

The 30-year-old received a similar score from Sky Sports for his performance, whilst 90min went one better, claiming he ‘made a smart save to tip a low strike round the post in the first half’ before he pulled off a ‘fantastic second-half stop with his feet from Townsend to keep the scores level.’

Once lauded as a “fantastic” talent by former United midfielder Darren Fletcher after he made a number of crucial saves to deny Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, it’s fair to say that De Gea has suffered from an inconsistent run of form in recent years, as he has often been criticised for disappointing results.

But the Spain international, who’s market value is estimated at up to €50m (£44m) via CIES, seems to have started to turn things around at Old Trafford. 

Solskjaer will need his first-choice shot-stopper to be at his very best when the Red Devils travel to St Mary’s to take on Ralph Hasenhuttl’s high-flying Southampton next week, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Marlon Harewood baffled by Paul Pogba’s Manchester United situation…