Category Archives: Football News

Paul Pogba’s Flirting with Real Madrid Not Serious, claims Higginbotham

April 17, 2019

Danny Higginbotham says that Paul Pogba appears very happy at Manchester United and it is not correct to read too much into the recent comments about playing for Real Madrid. The French midfielder recently admitted that it would be a dream to play for a club like Real Madrid – especially when they are managed by Zinedine Zidane. This has increased speculation that Pogba may be set for a move to Real Madrid in the summer. It was only a few months ago that the midfielder was linked with a switch to Barcelona. The midfielder made these comments ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifiers for France – against the likes of Moldova and Iceland.

However, Danny Higginbotham says that the comments from Pogba were merely harmless flirting and that it would be unwise to read too much into those comments. Pogba has been a player everyone since the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and he is the second top scorer at the club behind Romelu Lukaku. A major part of the revival under Solskjaer has been done to the form of Paul Pogba, who has been given more freedom by the Norwegian manager than by Jose Mourinho. Zinedine Zidane is back at Real Madrid for a second spell and he was immensely successful in his first by winning three successive Champions League titles.
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ESPN pundit heaps praise on Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku

March 15, 2019

ESPN pundit Shaka Hislop has heaped praise on Romelu Lukaku, who has transformed his fortunes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this term. The Belgium international was disappointing with his performances during the opening half of the season under ex-boss Jose Mourinho but he has managed to turn a concern with the Portuguese’s dismissal from the helm.

Lukaku initially started on the bench this year with Marcus Rashford leading the line but multiple injuries have meant that he has got the chance to impress upfront. Speaking on ESPN FC, Hislop said that Lukaku was unfairly getting the stick from the United fans earlier in the season when Mourinho was responsible for the tactics and formation.
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Unai Emery rules out Arsenal’s chances of selling Matteo Guendouzi

March 12, 2019

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has been left surprised by the ongoing speculation which has associated Matteo Guendouzi with a move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. The Frenchman only joined the Gunners from French minnows Lorient last year but he has since become a fundamental figure in the centre of the park with more than 30 games across all competitions.

Amidst, there have recently been reports suggesting that the midfielder could be the subject of a £60m bid from Les Parisiens in the summer but Emery has decided to dismiss the speculation by stressing that the club are looking at the long-term with the midfielder, he said: “I am surprised. I don’t want this.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appreciates Harry Maguire’s performance against Manchester United

February 23, 2019

Manchester United’s interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has highlighted the performance of Leicester City defender Harry Maguire during the Red Devils slender 1-0 Premier League on Sunday. The Mancunian giants scrapped through the game with the solitary first half goal from Marcus Rashford but things could have been quite different, had it not been for their defensive resolve throughout the game.

Speaking after the game, Ole was pleased with the performance from the Red Devils, who secured their eighth win in nine league matches under his tutelage. He added to praise the qualities of Maguire, who was a constant threat for their defence especially from set-pieces, he said: “When you’re only 1-0 up, anything can happen in that box. And I think that Harry Maguire has got a magnet on his head because it nearly always drops to him. A fantastic player in the box. So we knew we had to defend against him and out lads, they blocked, put their bodies on the line so it was a fantastic effort and they were fighting for each other.”
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Christian Pulisic excited after signing for Premier League side Chelsea

January 21, 2019

Chelsea’s new signing Christian Pulisic has admitted that he is really excited after committing his long-term future to the west London side. The United States international became the Blues’ first winter signing after joining them from Borussia Dortmund but he has since been loaned back to the club for the season.

Speaking at Dortmund’s training camp in Marbella, Pulisic acknowledged that he is excited by the new challenge next season, given he had dreamt of playing in the Premier League during his childhood days. However, he added that his commitment remain fully with Dortmund for the second half of the current campaign where the club are seeking to beat Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga crown.

He said: “It’s good now that it’s out and people know about my future but I’m really excited I have the chance to be here for the rest of the season. The only thing I can say is I hope people understand my decision and I also hope they understand that I am here 100 per cent and very focused to finish out the season with Dortmund. I am really excited. It’s been a dream of mine [to play in the Premier League] and I am really excited for this move and I feel like it was just the right time for me.”

The speculation linking Pulisic with Chelsea had first emerged during the month of December but Dortmund thereafter clarified that the American won’t be leaving the club at the halfway stage of the campaign. Despite this, the Blues have managed to push through a winter move for the attacker, though the German club seem to have won the battle after managing to retain the youngster’s services for the rest of the season. Dortmund are currently six points ahead of Bayern in their league standings and they have the opportunity to cease the latter’s seven-year dominance in the division.

Unai Emery reveals January transfer plans for Arsenal

January 3, 2019

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has admitted that the Gunners may spend during the forthcoming transfer window only if the current set of players struggle to perform with the consistency required. The Gunners have already witnessed Rob Holding and Danny Welbeck suffer season-ending injuries and this has recently triggered the speculation of them bolstering the squad next month.

However, speaking to Sky Sports, Emery has said that he would prefer to give opportunities to some of the young and fringe players first before deciding the need to add more competition for places, he told: “Only if we think the players can’t help us with a good performance. January is not a good transfer window for this reason, but we are going to look and the club is working for transfers in January, but also we are in a [good] way. We are making progress with young players and giving them chances, and when we need to give them more chances to play and show their progress we are going to do that.”

Arsenal suffered their first defeat after four months during the recent Premier League clash at Southampton where Emery was forced to play a makeshift central defence of Laurent Koscielny, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Granit Xhaka featured. However, the Spaniard should have some relief for the League Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur with both Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos returning from one-match domestic suspensions, though Hector Bellerin remains sidelined for the year after sustaining a minor injury during the first period of the weekend game.

The Gunners have fared impressively during their debut season under Emery but they are nevertheless playing catch up to the Champions League positions with three points the gap to fourth-placed Chelsea. Arsenal are scheduled to face Spurs once more during the midweek League Cup quarter-final and they will be hoping to replicate the performance from the 4-2 triumph earlier in the month.

Chelsea manager has no issues with misfiring Olivier Giroud

November 10, 2018

Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri has indicated that he has no issues with Olivier Giroud despite the Frenchman’s failure to find the scoresheet for the club this season. The France international has got his chances to lead the line in every alternate game for the Blues but he has unfortunately not been able to break his goaldrought which has now extended to 10 matches.

Speaking after the 3-1 Europa League win over BATE Borisov, Sarri admitted that Giroud is not having the best of time upfront but there is no need to worry with Alvaro Morata finding the net every now and then. He added to focus on the markman’s main strength of linking-up play selflessly which has helped the Blues secure valuable results this term.
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Riyad Mahrez’s reacts after his penalty miss against Liverpool

October 25, 2018

Manchester City attacker Riyad Mahrez has said that he won’t be affected despite missing a key penalty during the Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday. The clash was hyped as the one of the most important games of the campaign but ultimately, there was an anti-climax with the teams settling for a goalless stalemate after Mahrez booted his 87th-minute penalty kick over the bar.

Speaking after the 0-0 draw, Mahrez suggested that the missed spot-kick won’t hamper him in the forthcoming games for the Citizens, who put a strong performance at Anfield, he said: “It’s football, it’s life.It won’t affect me at all. Everyone misses penalties, even big, big players. Of course I wanted to score to help the team to win.It is part of football, you have to go forward and stay strong. Sometimes you score, sometimes you miss. But the most important thing is the performance was very good.”
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Harry Maguire refutes Manchester United transfer link

September 28, 2018

Leicester City defender Harry Maguire has indicated that he was never really close to joining Manchester United during the summer transfer window. The centre-back had a strong World Cup with England where they managed to reach the semi-final stage and he was thereafter associated with a potential move away from the King Power Stadium.

Unlike the speculation, however, a transfer to Old Trafford never came to fruition and Maguire has now clarified that a switch away from the Foxes was never on his mind, he said: “No, I don’t think so. There was a little bit of interest there and then but it was always on my mind [United move] when I spoke to the owners [of Leicester], who wanted to keep me at the club and extend my contract, that I wanted to play for this club. The last two years have been remarkable for myself. I obviously got relegated with Hull and then joined such a great club in Leicester last season. “I played every game in the Premier League and to make a World Cup squad and to reach a semi-final is something that I am really proud of.”
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Arsenal legend urges Mesut Ozil to expand his performance

September 8, 2018

Arsenal legend-turned-pundit Ian Wright has urged Mesut Ozil to ignore the criticism and put in strong performances on the playing field. The Germany international had a disappointing World Cup where the team were ousted before the round of 16 and he has since started with an average display for the Gunners in the season opener against Manchester City.

Speaking to ESPN, Wright said: “Mesut Ozil has started the season, he’s come off the World Cup, a disappointing World Cup for Germany. He’s somebody that is always getting a lot of criticism.It’s up to Mesut Ozil to rise above that and try to perform in the way that people know he’s capable of performing. It’s going to be difficult, because he is a marked man. People know what he’s capable of if you give him time and space. So they’re not going to give him that, they’re going to deny him that.”
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