Tag Futebol

MatériaMais Notícias

Invicto na edição de 2016 do Campeonato Paulista com cinco vitórias e dois empates em sete jogos, o Corinthians pode alcançar uma marca expressiva de invencibilidade no torneio caso não perca para o Santos na Vila Belmiro: a última derrota no tempo normal pela competição foi em 9 de março de 2014, ainda com Mano Menezes. Desde então, são 18 vitórias e oito empates (um deles que culminou em eliminação em casa para o Palmeiras nas semifinais da temporada passada).

A marca de dois anos sem perder pode ser celebrada em uma data especial na história do Timão, que hoje completa 2.500 jogos válidos pelo Campeonato Paulista, torneio que venceu 27 vezes, nos seguintes anos: 1914, 16, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 37, 38, 39, 41, 51, 52, 54, 77, 79, 82, 83, 88, 95, 97, 99, 2001, 2003, 2009 e 2013. Nestes até aqui 2.499 jogos foram 1.046 vitórias (56,26%), 613 empates (24,52%) e 480 derrotas (19,22%), com 5.113 gols marcados e 2.724 gols sofridos, segundo estatísticas disponibilizadas pelo Almanaque do Timão.

Além da proximidade dos dois anos de invencibilidade, o técnico Tite também carrega um número especial neste sentido, já que sua última derrota no Paulistão pelo Corinthians foi em abril de 2013, somando até agora 29 confrontos.

Alcance ou não a marca de dois anos sem perder no Paulista, o Timão terminará a oitava rodada da edição de 2016 como líder da classificação geral (hoje a vantagem de quatro pontos pode cair para um) e do Grupo D (seis pontos à frente).

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthians‘Pronto pra outra’, Luciano recupera confiança e volta à Vila após 6 mesesCorinthians05/03/2016CorinthiansTite preserva mais de meio time, mas mantém esquema para duelo na VilaCorinthians05/03/2016CorinthiansEm reestruturação, Corinthians é o time que mais erra passes no PaulistaCorinthians04/03/2016

Tudo sobre

Campeonato PaulistaCorinthians

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former footballer and current pundit Carlton Palmer has been discussing Liverpool transfer target David Alaba.

It has been suggested recently that the Reds have offered the Austrian international a contract in the hope of signing him on a free transfer in the summer, although it seems as if Real Madrid are currently in pole position to complete a deal for the Bayern Munich ace.

Whilst the 28-year-old wouldn’t be able to fix Liverpool’s current defensive crisis if he arrived in the summer, he could be a great long-term addition to Jurgen Klopp’s side and could become a regular alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.

In a previous interview with Football FanCast, Palmer suggested that Alaba is “world-class”, so it is no surprise to hear him urging the Merseyside outfit to sign him in the summer, as he exclusively told FFC:

“If you look at Alaba, who’s going to be free in the summer. The fact that he’s going to be free in the summer, he’s 28 years of age. If Liverpool are looking for cover, he’s a very versatile player. He’s one I’d be looking at, because, I’m thinking, any club would be saying ‘well, we’re not going to give you more than £13/14 million for him, because he’s free in the summer.”

Palmer told us that he believes that the Reds should consider a bid for Alaba now, considering the fact Bayern Munich wouldn’t be able to demand a significant fee, as they are almost resigned to losing him for nothing at the end of the season.

Certainly, the Austrian would significantly improve Jurgen Klopp’s current options if he were to join in January and whilst paying a fee for someone who’s free in a few months time may not bee deemed as too smart from a financial perspective, getting Alaba could prove to be the difference between Liverpool retaining the Premier League title or just settling for a top-four spot, as their recent form has been far from good enough.

Unfortunately for Liverpool supporters, Klopp has admitted that January signings are unlikely, so they may have to wait until the summer to see if Alaba opts to join the Anfield outfit.

And, in other news… Forget Tsimikas: Liverpool can sign Robertson’s true heir in £10.8m-rated wonderkid

Manchester City return to Premier League action with a game against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, and Pep Guardiola can give the Citizens a much better chance if he restores Rodri to his starting line up.

The Spanish midfielder was left out of the squad that comfortably beat Marseille 3-0 on Wednesday, but it seems as if that was a minor fitness issue, so it would be a surprise to not see him make the squad that travels to Old Trafford.

So far this season, the 24-year-old has made 10 appearances in the Premier League, averaging a very solid 6.91 rating, suggesting that he has been a big part of City’s impressive defensive record in recent weeks.

Guardiola’s side have kept eight clean sheets in their last ten fixtures in all competitions and will be hoping for a similarly impressive defensive display when they travel to Old Trafford, especially with United having gotten the better of City in recent seasons under Solskjaer.

If City unleash Rodri in a defensive midfield role against United, then perhaps he could be the man to stop Bruno Fernandes, with the Portuguese midfielder undoubtedly the danger man ahead of the derby, when you consider his incredible start to the season.

In 10 appearances in the Premier League, the former Sporting Lisbon man has contributed an impressive seven goals and four assists, resulting in an average rating of 7.65.

This is enough to see him ranked as the fifth-best player in the top-flight so far this season, suggesting that if City can keep him quiet on Saturday, they give themselves a great chance of winning the game.

However, Rodri, who is valued at £57.6 million by Transfermarkt, has shown on occasions this season that he can bully opposition attackers out of the game using his height and strength, so if he sticks to the Portuguese attacker during the game, perhaps he can prevent him from having much influence.

Back in 2019, Guardiola was full of praise for the Spanish international, saying:

“Rodri was incredible today. We knew it but today I can assure you we have an incredible holding midfielder for the next decade or at least the years he will be here with a contract.”

Therefore, it seems clear that he is highly rated by the City manager, and if he is fit, he should definitely start at Old Trafford on Saturday.

And, in other news… Pep’s latest decision could spell trouble for 23 y/o tipped for a “long career” at City

Writing on Twitter, Sky Sports transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has shared an exciting update involving Christian Eriksen – with Giuseppe Marotta confirming that the Dane has been transfer listed after Tottenham Hotspur were linked with a potential return. 

Eriksen, who left Spurs for the San Siro back in January to the tune of £16.9 million, could now be on the way out in January as the Serie A giants appeal to potential suitors.

Eriksen stance confirmed

Indeed, speaking candidly over his future, Nerrazzuri CEO Marotta has confirmed that the club are actively pursuing a sale mid-season – coming after Tottenham reportedly eye a return to bring their former hero back to north London.

Romano recently tipped that Spurs are ‘still thinking to’ Eriksen, with Football Insider also reporting that Tottenham have the chance to re-sign him in the winter window.

Charlie Eccleshare, writing for The Athletic, also revealed that the 28-year-old is a creative ‘option’ as January looms – and this update from Marotta, as relayed by Romano, could be a boost if Spurs do in fact wish to re-sign him.

“Yes, I can confirm that Christian Eriksen is on the transfer list,” explained the CEO to Sky via Romano.

“He’s gonna leave in January. He’s not functional to our plans and he had difficulty here at Inter. I think it’s right that Christian goes away to find more space”.

Transfer Tavern take

Much has been made of Spurs’ past difficulty to replace the international’s creative influence, but Jose Mourinho has arguably done a fine job of it this season.

Both Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele have thrived in the number 10 role this season, with it potentially being a gamble to throw in an unstable chemical like Eriksen who could disrupt the harmony of this squad.

Time will tell whether Spurs do lodge a pursuit, but it’s unclear whether this could be a good idea after all.

In other news: Tottenham have been dealt a potential Son Heung-min setback, find out more here.

After a crazy start to the new Premier League season, November has provided an element of normalcy.

Manchester United are winning games again, Aston Villa haven’t thumped anybody 7-2 and the teams traditionally at the top of the table are generally proving superior to the ones at the bottom.

Indeed, the Premier League is starting to take shape more in line with logical assumptions, barring the odd exception here and there, and within that some players are beginning to truly thrive.

Honouring those who blossomed the most last month, below is our rundown of the November nominees for the GIVEMESPORT Fans’ Player of the Month award.

All statistics courtesy of Whoscored or Twenty3 – the November period covers games between 2nd and 30th of November.

The Goalkeepers

Nominee: Hugo Lloris

Premier League goalkeepers will be delighted to see scorelines in the top flight calm down somewhat compared to the first few weeks of the season, when every game looked in danger of becoming a multi-goal thriller. It’s got a little easier for the division’s shot-stoppers and clean sheets have become a lot more common, especially for our first November nominee – Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris.

Chelsea supporters are probably scratching their heads wondering why Edouard Mendy hasn’t made the shortlist despite making Frank Lampard’s side suddenly seem like virtually impervious title contenders, but ultimately Lloris finished the month with a perfect record – ten saves made and three clean sheets kept in as many games – whereas the Blues No.1’s returns were blotted slightly by his only concede of the season against Sheffield United.

Kasper Schmeichel, Lukasz Fabianski, Illan Meslier and Sam Johnstone all deserve mentions for impressive saves hauls, but ultimately Lloris was the Premier League’s least penetrable goalkeeper in November.

The Defenders

Nominee: Aaron Cresswell

November witnessed the rise of Leicester City’s action-packed centre-half Wesley Fofana – certainly one to watch at just 19 – while Antonee Robinson’s offensive contributions have no doubt played a part in making Fulham look competitive at Premier League level and West Brom’s Darnell Furlong topped the charts for both aerial duels won and interceptions.

But Aaron Cresswell’s form for West Ham this season has been nothing short of exemplary and after another month that saw him combine solidity in defence with impressive contributions in attack, we had no choice but to acknowledge the Irons stalwart with a nomination.

Cresswell was part of a backline that conceded just one goal in three games throughout the November period, the Hammers picking up maximum points in the process, but he also contributed going forward with five key passes and two shots. In fact, no defender has registered more key passes than the former Ipswich Town man this season.

The Midfielders

Nominees: Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Neto

Jack Grealish continued to delight throughout November but ultimately became a casualty of the time period we’ve looked at, with his goal-and-assist display versus Southampton falling into last month’s remit.

There was no such issue for Bruno Fernandes, however, who powered his way to being the most identifiable candidate for the November award, having finished the month with four goals and two assists to his name. The Portuguese is becoming something of a one-man band at Old Trafford and seems to be involved in virtually every Manchester United goal at the moment.

Meanwhile, we’ve also given the nod to Wolves’ Pedro Neto. A left-field suggestion, perhaps, but it’s often overlooked that the Portuguese attacker is just 20 years old. Despite his youth, November saw Neto score against Southampton and Arsenal in two important games for the Molineux outfit, while completing four key passes, five shots and five interceptions.

Spare a thought for Hakim Ziyech, who has really come into his own after being stuck on the sidelines for the first part of his Chelsea career, and West Brom’s Matheus Pereira, who is never far from doing something magical. Keep up the good work, and they might well make December’s shortlist.

The Strikers

Nominees: Diogo Jota, Jamie Vardy

Edinson Cavani has exploded onto the scene over the last month with three goals and an assist, including an incredible second-half performance against Southampton that inspired Manchester United’s 3-2 comeback, but something just doesn’t feel right about nominating a player who didn’t actually start a single Premier League game last month.

Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy has caught our eye, however, having scored twice and assisted twice throughout November and perhaps most impressively of all spread those goal contributions across three different games. He’s unsurprisingly been well amongst the shots as well, averaging three efforts at goal per match in November.

Meanwhile, we simply couldn’t leave out Liverpool’s Diogo Jota, who is surely the strongest candidate for the signing of the season in the Premier League. November saw him work his socks off to help the Reds clinch a vital point at the Etihad, before scoring in the 3-0 romping of Leicester with a superb header and netting an equaliser in Liverpool’s draw with Brighton.

You can cast your vote for November’s Player of the Month below, or by visiting https://www.footballfancast.com/fan-awards.

Glasgow Rangers have a pretty stacked squad after a hefty summer spending spree, but if there’s one position Steven Gerrard still needs to fill, it’s a goalscoring, box-to-box midfielder.

What was the story?

Reports in recent times revealed that Rangers were interested in signing Lewis Ferguson from Scottish Premiership rivals Aberdeen after Gerrard had identified the former Hamilton Academical academy product as one of his top targets in the summer.

In the end, the Gers signed Bongani Zungu from Amiens on an initial loan deal on transfer deadline day instead. However, Glen Kamara’s future remains uncertain amid interest in the midfielder from Premier League clubs like Leeds United and Newcastle United and European giants such as Borussia Dortmund and Monaco, whilst Steven Davis’ contract is set to expire in 2021, with Gerrard remaining coy over talks of a potential extension.

Coupled with the fact that Scott Arfield also isn’t getting any younger, there may soon come a point where Rangers will have to rejuvenate their aging midfield – they have the second oldest squad in the Scottish Premiership. So, Ross Wilson must return for Ferguson in the near future.

Gerrard’s dream

Gerrard knows a thing or two about being a hardworking box-to-box player, as he carved out a career by playing as a central midfielder, featuring as a second striker, holding midfielder, an attacking midfielder, right back and right winger on several occasions as well – you get the idea.

Whilst we aren’t for one minute suggesting that Ferguson is anywhere near as good as Gerrard right now, as there is still room for improvement in terms of the diversity of his passing, he has been one of the best players for Aberdeen over the past couple of years.

Like Gerrard, the 21-year-old, who is the nephew of Rangers legend Barry Ferguson, prefers to play with his right foot. He has scored 8 goals and supplied 2 assists in the Scottish Premiership this season so far, whilst he is averaging 2.2 shots, 1.8 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 1.2 clearances per game, via WhoScored. In contrast, even Kamara is managing fewer than one tackle, one interception and one clearance per league game, as per WhoScored.

Ferguson famously scored an overhead kick to take the Europa League qualifier against Burnley at Turf Moor to extra time. Whilst his efforts were ultimately in vain, Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes heaped praise on the youngster for his performance, saying he will “only get better.”

Granted, Gerrard isn’t short of options, as he has generally opted for a combination of Kamara, Davis, Scott Arfield, Ryan Jack and Joe Aribo in the middle of the pitch so far this term, whilst Zungu is yet to make his first-team debut for the Ibrox outfit, although he is in contention to start against Hamilton on Sunday afternoon. However, as we all know, that could all change in a matter of months when the transfer market opens again.

Ferguson won’t come cheap, as he is currently contracted until 2024 at Pittodrie, whilst the Dons are keen to keep a hold of him for as long as they can. One thing’s for sure, he’d be a perfect option for Gerrard if the chance to sign him arises once again.

AND in other news, Bassey & Balogun start, no Helander: Glasgow Rangers Predicted XI vs Hamilton…

According to fresh reports this week, Celtic are set to persist with their interest in a prospect from the EFL before next month’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

As per The Sun, the Hoops are poised to bid £800k for Charlton Athletic starlet Alfie Doughty, who is able to play anywhere along the left flank.

They claim that Neil Lennon and Nick Hammond have already failed with two bids but believe a fee just shy of seven-figures will be enough to tempt the League One newcomers into a sale.

The 20-year-old has less than a year to run on his current contract, meaning the Scottish champions could pick him up on a pre-contract agreement as early as January, which could force the Addicks into making a profit now.

Left-back competition

Following the departure of Boli Bolingoli, Lennon is stuck with just one option at left-back whilst it’s not like Moi Elyounoussi has any clear competition up the pitch either.

Therefore a move for Doughty makes a ton of sense and at just £800k, it could prove to be a major coup.

After missing out on Aaron Hickey to Bologna, Hammond can’t afford to falter on another hugely promising sensation.

The versatile starlet has already played a starring role in Charlton’s season so far, playing in all four of their competitive fixtures whilst last season, he provided two goals and four assists, averaging 1.3 dribbles, 1.2 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 0.8 crosses per game, via WhoScored.

Doughty has been lauded as a “tremendous footballer” with a “big future” by former Kingstonian boss Leigh Dynan, who took a punt on him very early on in his career. He added:

“His athleticism caught the eye straight away. He has an eye for goal even playing down the left flank and has a great engine. He does both sides of the game [defending and attacking]. There’s a diamond there to be polished. I can assure you that.”

Whilst ex-Rangers nemesis Alan Hutton told Football Insider that the 20-year-old “ticks all of the boxes,” claiming it would be a good price to get him for under £1m.

He’d certainly be a welcome squad depth option and with such a busy schedule ahead, he would undoubtedly be thrown an opportunity to impress this term.

AND in other news, Celtic could do with adding another centre-back in “phenomenal” colossus…

The future of Jack Grealish has been discussed for a long time now in various ‘will he, won’t he’ transfer rumours that were simply overwhelming Aston Villa and their fanbase. But according to Darren Bent, who talked to Football Insider, there are simply not many teams out there who could actually need the talented midfielder in their squad.

In fact, if Grealish was to move to a different club, Bent can only see him go to Tottenham Hotspur and nowhere else. But the problem is, they are also unlikely to splash the cash on him: “So the only club I can see him at is Tottenham – now they didn’t want to pay the £25million years ago so are they going to pay £60-70million? I can’t see it.”

Bent argues that none of the other top Premier League teams actually have a need of such a player. Manchester United have Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba, Manchester City have Phil Foden and a stacked team, Liverpool’s front three and midfield are all set and Leicester City have James Maddison.

That leaves Spurs as the only viable option for the young midfielder but seeing how he’d likely be quite expensive, that door is already half-shut. But maybe that’s a good thing. Grealish can always choose to stay at Villa, Bent says, and there, he would be a god: “Honestly, at the minute he needs to weigh up and think about where he’s going to go – he could stay at Villa where he’s the captain, the main man and his boyhood club and he knows he’d be a god if he was to stay.”

Verdict

At the moment, Bent seems to be right. Despite his talent and obvious qualities, Grealish might not be so spoiled for choice as many initially thought he would be. If the price was right, however, maybe Spurs could put in a bid and see what happens. After all, Jose Mourinho could use such a creative player in the middle of the park to give them a little push.

But we all know that Daniel Levy isn’t just going to open the warchest and start splashing the cash and as ever, that might be Spurs’ biggest hurdle towards world-class reinforcements.

Chelsea are reportedly eyeing up a move for Premier League goalkeeper Dean Henderson this summer.

According to Football Insider, the Blues are lining up an offer for the Manchester United shot-stopper, who is currently impressing under loan manager Chris Wilder at Sheffield United.

Henderson is enjoying a solid season with the Blades, who are battling for a place in Europe next season. They currently sit seventh in the league table on 54 points, just five adrift of the top four.

Sheffield United originally signed the Englishman on loan in 2018 – he has since helped the Blades clinch promotion from the Championship. This season, he has made 90 saves so far in the Premier League under Wilder. One of those saves was a penalty and he has kept 13 clean sheets, the second highest amount this campaign, behind only Ederson and Nick Pope who both have 14 (via Premier League).

The report from Football Insider doesn’t specify how much Man United would want for Henderson, but his current Transfermarkt value is £13.05 million.

Talks of a potential exit for current first choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga have been circulating ahead of the summer window. It seems the Spaniard has fallen short of Frank Lampard’s expectations and a replacement could be a priority of Chelsea’s once the season ends.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently said: “Dean has had a fantastic couple of years at Sheffield United. Eventually he will end up as England and Manchester United number one.” (via The Express).

Henderson could have a future at Old Trafford but if the right price is tabled for his services, United could choose to cash in and add to their funds for the summer, given they already have David De Gea at their disposal. Indeed, Solskjaer recently stated that the Spaniard could have another decade at the top (Guardian).

Chelsea should deeply consider making an offer for the 23-year-old who would undoubtedly give his all as the first choice for a top Premier League side.

Do you think the Blues should sign Dean Henderson this summer? Have your say in the comments below!

Name: Michael Obafemi

Club: Southampton

Date of Birth: 6 July 2000

Position: Centre-forward/Winger (Right)/Second-striker

Michael Obafemi – his career so far

Michael Obafemi is now already a fully-fledged senior team member at Southampton and given his pedigree and success at youth level, that statement doesn’t really come as a big surprise at this point. But the Irish centre-forward is not exactly a product of the Saints’ academy but has had quite a colourful path towards it.

Before joining Southampton’s own development squads, Obafemi spent some time in revered academies at Chelsea, Arsenal and even Watford as he progressed through the ranks, impressing the right people and turning some heads along the way as well. Still, he would have one more stop after all those spells before he could join his current team.

The now 19-year-old talent played for Leyton Orient for a while before he was scouted and scooped up by the Saints in the summer of 2016, first joining up their U18 squad in the U18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup during the 2016/17 campaign.

But he was quick to impress his new club as well and the following season brought more success his way with Obafemi splitting his time between the U18 and U23 squads and even getting his first senior team exposure as well.

As a whole, however, the now 19-year-old centre-forward would tally a total of 32 appearances for Southampton’s U18s, scoring 15 goals and assisting further two and then recording 21 appearances for the U23s with eight goals and five assists under his belt in the process as well.

Needless to say, his stay in the academy and the development squads was quite successful and was rewarded with his professional debut as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in January 2018, aged just 17 years and 199 days.

Since then, he’s made a total of 27 senior team appearances, scoring four goals and assisting two on the side as well. Interestingly enough, his first goal meant he would become the club’s youngest scorer in the Premier League to date, at 18 years and 169 days old.

Even though he’s already reached the heights of the first-team squad, there is more to come from this talented young centre-forward.

Transfer latest

At the moment, there don’t seem to be any transfer rumours or transfer news surrounding Obafemi and the young player is likely to stay at Southampton at least for the time being. Seeing how his contract is still valid until 2022, the 19-year-old could be looking to impress even further once football finally resumes.

Of course, with the summer transfer window rapidly approaching, no one is really exempt from transfer rumours but so far, it’s been quiet on that front in regards to Southampton news on possible exits from the club.

But that should be a blessing for the Saints since Obafemi certainly has a lot more to offer in the near future and they should do what they can to ensure he stays at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Player profile

Obafemi is clearly far from a finished product but he’s been showing glimpses of his brilliance throughout the stay at Southampton. The youngster’s natural fitness is certainly what immediately catches the eye and his raw pace, agility and strength are definitely one of the highlights of his player profile.

Despite not having a very big frame, the Irish striker has the power to engage and win duels but will mostly use his acceleration to blaze past defenders and get into favourable positions. While he also has a great mentality, the technical side of his player profile could still be improved.

He is decent on the ball but is still far away from a modern striker who regularly links up with his teammates and supports the build-up phase of their attack. But seeing how he’s only 19, there is still time for him to polish some of the traits and keep progressing even further.