Tag Futebol

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Manchester United meet with old foes Barcelona for the first time since the 2011 UEFA Champions League final on Wednesday night, at the quarter-final stage of this year’s competition.

What was the key to defeat on that night?

United won’t want to remember that May evening at Wembley but the reason they were defeated eight years ago holds the key to how they can avoid lightning striking twice this time around.

On that night a much younger Lionel Messi absolutely ripped apart Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, like he had done in the same final two years earlier.

The Argentine may have only come away from the huge match with one goal to show for his efforts in a 3-1 win, but everyone knew he had pulled the strings of the whole Barca team throughout.

Nearly a decade later and not much has changed in the Catalan capital as the man considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time is still doing it week-in-week-out at the Camp Nou.

So, similar to how he had been in 2011, Messi is the one the Red Devils have to stop and if they can they will severely cripple their opponent’s capabilities. Though there’s one obstacle, how that’s much easier said than done.

Learning and stopping Ernesto Valverde’s men

Man United may not have been able to stop Messi’s Barca freight train eight years ago, but they can now if they learn lessons from Ferguson’s failure and taking another step towards lifting the famous trophy for the fourth time.

In the 2011 final, the Manchester side failed to recognise the importance of going back to the basics of man-marking to drown “The Magician” out from the defence, lining up with a back four.

The United of today have it in their power to switch to a formation of three centre-backs within a back-five without disturbing any defensive harmony.

Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video below and they didn’t disappoint…

If United single out Messi, of course Barca do have other key players, they can keep a lid on him with a trio of centre-backs and worry about the others after.

He creates as well as scoring goals with most of Valverde’s men’s play often flowing through the Argentina legend, so if Solskjaer fields Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones in defence together he can severely weaken Barcelona’s supply line.

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James McClean has urged any players hoping to follow in the footsteps of Declan Rice to “*** off and play for someone else”, per RTE.

Rice won three caps for the Republic of Ireland, all of which came in friendlies, but declared his international allegiance to England and made his Three Lions debut in the 5-0 win over the Czech Republic last week.

What’s the word?

McClean, a controversial figure who has regularly hit the headlines due to his refusal to wear a poppy around Remembrance Sunday, played with the West Ham star for Ireland.

Indeed, he has won 63 caps for Ireland, and he says that Rice should not have switched allegiance, having previously expressed his pride at playing for the Boys in Green.

McClean, though, made a similar decision when he was younger. He won seven caps for Northern Ireland’s Under-21 side, having been born in Derry.

Speaking in an interview with RTE, he said: “He said he was a proud Irishman. Then he said he was a proud Englishman.

“If he’s both… good luck to him but I don’t buy it. I think you’re either one or the other.

“I was with Derry City when I got the call-up to play for the North, and I turned it down because it’s not my country, it’s never been my country. I’m an Irishman.

“It’s not just Declan, it’s anyone else. If you’re not proud to be here and we’re a stepping-stone, then *** off and play for someone else.

“I’m an Irishman. I grew up on the island of Ireland, simple as that. We only want players here who want to play for Ireland, who feel Irish and are proud to be Irish.”

Raging hypocrite

This is rank hypocrisy from McClean.

He is uniquely positioned to be aware of how difficult a decision Rice faced.

He chose England, of course, and explained why in an eloquent statement thereafter, claiming, per Football London: “Like so many people around the world, I consider myself to be of mixed nationality. I am a proud Englishman, having been born and raised in London. However, I am just as proud of my family’s Irish heritage and my affinity and connection with the country.”

McClean is clearly deaf to that. He does not even claim to understand what Rice has been through despite his own personal experience in playing for a different nation at youth level.

Perhaps he is merely trying to buy himself some goodwill among Ireland’s fans. If so, this is a shameful way of going about it.

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John Hartson was left mystified by Alex McLeish’s decision to leave Celtic’s James Forrest out of Scotland’s starting XI against San Marino on Sunday.

What’s the word, then?

Scotland limped to a 2-0 win over the European minnows, a result which heaped further pressure on the manager after the Scots lost their opening qualifying match 3-0 away at Kazakhstan.

With goal difference already becoming an issue the trip to San Marino offered an opportunity to move back into the black with a thumping victory, but a winning margin of just two goals left them in the red.

It was a game which did little to inspire the Scotland fans and convince them of McLeish’s credentials, and his decision to omit Forest from the starting line-up was met with bewilderment by Hartson.

The former Celtic man and regular BT Sport pundit published a column in the Evening Times discussing the peculiar decision, with the attacking midfielder’s heroics in the UEFA Nations League still fresh in the memory.

‘The Celtic man is a class act, one of the best Scots around, and should be the first name on Alex McLeish’s team-sheet.’

Hartson later went on to add: ‘This guy has to start.’

Forrest key to Euro 2020 qualification

The 27-year-old underlined his importance to the Scottish national side shortly before the turn of the year.

Forrest had never notched at international level prior to Scotland’s trip to Albania, and he went on to score five goals in the space of three scintillating days as they moved into top spot in the group.

Perhaps McLeish felt the trip to San Marino offered an apt opportunity to afford his star player some rest after the defeat at Kazakhstan, but his absence proved that he will be vital in his nation’s bid to qualify for Euro 2020.

The electric midfielder’s form at both club and international level has been outstanding this season so it’s easy to sympathise with Hartson’s standpoint, even if the Scotland boss had legitimate reason to leave him on the substitutes bench on Sunday.

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Tottenham Hotspur host bitter rivals Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. A win for the Gunners would move them to within just one point of Spurs, and would compound the home side’s recent miseries, having had their title hopes all but ended by Chelsea last time out.

However, this is still a north London derby, and despite their recent disappointments Mauricio Pochettino’s side will still be desperate to beat their rivals.

On the chalkboard

Arsenal have been in decent form recently, but Unai Emery’s side are far from flawless. Going forward they have lots of quality but defensively they are fallible. Pochettino must send his side out to exploit their weak points, whilst also taking measures to fend off their attack.

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This match could easily come down to being a battle of the full-backs. Left-back Sead Kolasinac offers the Gunners lots of quality in the final third but lacks diligence and awareness defensively. Spurs can look to attack Arsenal on his flank in an effort to catch the 25-year-old out of position.

For both sides, taking advantage of the opposition full-backs could be the most effective route to goal.

Protecting their frailties

Pochettino must also recognise that his own side are weak defensively on the flanks. Kieran Trippier has been particularly error-prone recently and should probably be dropped for this match in favour of Serge Aurier.

Regardless of who starts for Spurs though, their midfield contingent must do more to protect and cover the wide defenders. The likes of Harry Winks, as long as he is fit, and Moussa Sissoko have the energy and mobility to fulfil this duty and so must be diligent, focused and deliver. 

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Spurs travel north for their battle with Burnley at Turf Moor, buffed by the news that Harry Kane is back and ready for action having recovered from his recurring ankle injury.

Fortunately for the Lilywhites, they have hardly missed the England captain’s absence due to the electric form of Heung-min Son who, should Mauricio Pochettino do the maths ahead of a busy run of fixtures, should be dropped for the Clarets clash.

On the chalkboard

Spurs have proved in the last month that they aren’t the one man team many football fans label them as being – instead, the likes of the aforementioned Son and even Fernando Llorente have stepped up to the plate and delivered the vital goals that have kept the north London outfit in the title race.

Kane’s immediate recall for this weekend’s clash would surely be a no brainer for many Spurs fans and, while it may be a risk to thrust the only-just-recovered number 9 back in against one of the Premier League’s most physical sides, Pochettino must think about what his team needs and when, in a period where they have three games in seven days.

Why, then, should Son, who has scored in three consecutive games, be dropped against Burnley instead?

Kane loves scoring against Burnley

The 25-year-old has chalked up five goals and an assist in seven games against the Clarets and will be keen to add to that stellar record in their next meeting.

Meanwhile, Son is in desperate need of a rest having played 89 minutes or more in the last four Premier League games and the full 90 minutes against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. The clash with Burnley seems like the perfect time to give him a break.

Plus, Pochettino has plenty of other attacking midfielders to choose from so there is no need for Son to be restored in his left-wing role so soon, and Llorente might be a better partner for Kane up front this game anyway – Sean Dyche’s side are adept at dealing with balls into the box and sit very deep so the Spaniard’s height may be more useful than Son’s pace.

Chelsea next up

A battle with the Blues is just around the corner – Wednesday, to be precise – and a different approach will be required for that game. Starting Kane in two games so close to each other after the striker has just returned from injury should not be considered by Pochettino, who would be better served bringing Son back in for the Blues clash.

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Maurizio Sarri’s side struggled to break down teams who sit deep so perhaps Spurs’ joy will come – like it did the last time the two London clubs met – on the counter, where 26-year-old Son’s pace will be crucial.

After all is Arsenal, where Pochettino will hopefully be able to unleash a fully recovered, fully rested Kane and field his strongest side against their bitter rivals. Leaving Son out this weekend might be an unthinkable decision to make but, considering how hectic the fixture schedule is in the next seven days, it would be an extremely smart decision for the Spurs boss to make.

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After he scored his first goal in red and blue in 799 days against Tottenham, as per ITV, Connor Wickham is surely more likely to start ahead of Christian Benteke for Crystal Palace against Southampton on Wednesday,  but the big Belgian’s skill-set is precisely what the Eagles need if they are to succeed at St Mary’s.

On the chalkboard

Until a few weeks ago, Roy Hodgson had just Ayew and the recently-loaned out Alexander Sorloth as natural strikers to choose from – some may argue the former is not suited to playing there, though – and, more often than not, the 71-year-old would opt for a fluid partnership of Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha up front.

Townsend showed during his side’s 2-0 FA Cup victory on Sunday that he is becoming adept at arriving in the box to take a shot at goal – indeed, the journeyman winger is the Eagles’ top scorer, with seven to his name in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt – but Zaha doesn’t seem to thrive in such a role.

The timely returns, though, of Benteke and Wickham mean that Hodgson finally has some depth up front; the former England boss’ new-found luxury means he can approach a game in many different ways but there is one clear, perfect choice to tackle Ralph Hassenhuttl’s men.

Big Ben

While he may have struggled to find a lethal touch this campaign and the one previous, there is no debating 28-year-old Benteke’s physical and aerial ability. The former Aston Villa striker is one of the most dominant hitmen in the league – as long as the ball is off the ground, that is.

Southampton might have been reinvigorated by Hughes’ departure and Hassenhuttl’s subsequent arrival, but question marks still remain over the defence in terms of their positioning and ability to deal with crosses – 6-foot-3 Benteke can capitalise on this if supplied well by Palace’s threatening wide-men and, while he may not break his scoring duck, will prove a handful for the Saints’ back-three.

It’s also evident that Zaha loves having the number 17 in the team – the speedster currently does most of his side’s hold up play but would be relieved of such duties if Benteke starts – and would perhaps find himself running at full-backs a lot more often.

The Ivorian is one of the most dangerous players in the league when he gets into full flow but such a sight has been a commodity this season as he is shifted out of position – will Wednesday be the return of the partnership that was so effective in the 2016/17 season?

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Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to react after the club tweeted out a letter written by Neil Lennon.

The message is an emotional one, in which the former Bolton manager expresses his love for the club and how he has always had Celtic in his heart as a player, captain and now as boss of the Hoops.

It is primarily a plea for supporters to renew their season tickets for next term, rather than Lennon wearing his heart on his sleeve just for the sake of it, which adds a cunning nature to the post – something that some supporters below have picked up on.

Peter Lawwell has picked a very good time to convince the Celtic Park faithful.

The Bhoys are into the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup and are also 13 points clear of Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership, so times are good at the club which will obviously help persuade fans to dig into their pockets and sign up for next season.

However, because of that, and the fact that Lawwell hasn’t invested much money into the playing staff recently – the Hoops supremo spent over £17m back in the summer, but had sold Kieran Tierney for £25m – a few fans below aren’t happy with this PR stunt.

Let’s see what they’ve been saying on Twitter…

To kick off the reaction, these three supporters were all saying what we had previously mentioned above.

They accuse Lawwell of tugging on the heartstrings of emotionally-invested supporters, while not investing in the squad.

While – as aforesaid – over £17m was spent in the summer, Lawwell has overseen the departures of Virgil van Dijk, Moussa Dembele and Stuart Armstrong in recent years, while Odsonne Edouard has arguably been the only signing to have significantly made a groundbreaking impact.

Elsewhere, another told the club to calm down with the “nonsense” as it’s only March.

Two other fans mocked the way in which the letter is portrayed – the club did a video of a magnifying glass-type effect enlarging the message, scrolling down the page very, very slowly while playing dramatic music in the background, for some reason.

The Celtic marketing team has been working into overdrive amid the calls for season ticket renewals, and while they were busy making the graphics look nice with a striped-effect across some tweets, a bunch of fans took that as a subtle hint towards Adidas’ potentially imminent arrival.

Only real Celtic fans will get 100% on the Ultimate Hoops quiz. Test your knowledge below…

In other news, this pundit was left stunned by Neil Lennon’s decisions in a recent nightmarish moment for Celtic…

Jack Clarke is set to meet Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho for the first time this weekend, per Football Insider.

What’s the word?

The winger was signed from Leeds United in the summer before he was loaned back to the Elland Road club.

He has struggled for game time with the Championship side, however, and has made just three first-team appearances. He has played a mere 19 minutes in the Championship.

And Football Insider reports that he is poised to discuss his future with the ex-Chelsea boss, ahead of a possible recall.

Watch Spurs vs Brighton Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

Spurs are said to have included a clause that allows them to recall Clarke in January and he could then be loaned out again; the report states that Fulham, Middlesbrough and Derby County are all interested.

A mistake to correct

Sources suggested to Football FanCast in the summer that Mauricio Pochettino wasn’t keen on the signing of Clarke.

Indeed, chairman Daniel Levy was forced to restructure the deal at the last minute, sending him back to Leeds, after Pochettino made it clear he did not see a place for the 19-year-old in the first-team.

Mourinho, though, could well give the teenager some agency over his future and allow him to make a decision.

After all, Spurs were essentially forced to send the England youth international back to Elland Road but, here, Mourinho can ensure that all parties get what they want.

Forever a Spurs legend: Honour Pochettino by getting 100% on this all-Poch quiz…

One has to assume that is Clarke playing regular football; he will be hoping that he can pick a club that is going to utilise him properly, unlike Leeds have done.

Then, if he impresses in the second half of the season, he could well return to Spurs with the intention of breaking into the first-team.

Meanwhile, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has lifted the lid on Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking.

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According to The Guardian, West Ham United are willing to delay contract negotiation talks with Declan Rice until the end of the season.

As per the aforementioned report, the 19-year-old still has 18 months remaining on his current deal, but is eager to see his weekly wage rise from £3,000 to £30,000. His impressive performances so far this season could also encourage the Hammers’ rivals to offer the defensive midfielder even more lucrative terms.

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A pay rise would certainly reflect Rice’s value to Manuel Pellegrini’s squad, but the east London club appear to be in no mood to be bullied. Though, they are perhaps taking a risk in allowing the in-form youngster’s contract run down even further.

If Rice’s demands are not met then he may grow disenchanted at the London Stadium in which instance it could become much easier for him to be prised away by another club.

However, if it did come to selling Rice then the Irons would certainly be able to raise significant funds. The teenager’s Transfermarkt valuation of £13.5 million falls far short of his true worth when his vast potential is taken into account. If Pellegrini opted to cash in on the versatile ace, then he could expect to receive a fee in excess of £30m.

What do you think, Hammers fans, how much is Rice worth?

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Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground is fairly bare at the moment, with a number of the club’s players away on international duty.

However, those not included are currently working hard as Tottenham build towards their next Premier League match against Liverpool on September 15.

Harry Winks, Victor Wanyama and Erik Lamela have all had their injury problems, but all three were present in the training-ground pictures posted on the club’s official Twitter account.

Winks might have been in with a shout of making the England squad had be been fully fit, but the midfielder is still recovering from an ankle problem.

Wanyama’s knee troubles are a concern, meanwhile, and he has been ruled out of Kenya’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ghana.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”288872″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafas Pub Facts Murray The Magician & Desperately Seeking Zaha”]

Lamela has also only played once for Tottenham this season due to injury, but the Argentine was present during training on Thursday afternoon.

The Spurs fans have been on social media expressing their views on the images, and a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: