Home Blog Page 294

James Milner: Playing In Front Of A Full Crowd Was ‘Incredible’

Liverpool midfielder James Milner told Liverpoolfc.com after the game against that playing in front of a full crowd once again was “incredible.”

Milner wore the captain’s armband in his side’s opening day victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road – a confident and assured 3-0 win.

It was the first time the team had played in front of a capacity crowd in 17 months, their last such experience being a 3-2 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Milner said that the players knew they would thrive in front of the packed Carrow Road stands.

“It’s incredible,” Milner told Liverpoolfc.com post-match. “I remember the first few times I stepped out when there was nobody there and coming out of the tunnel it was the first time it really hit you because normally when you step out of the tunnel you either get the roar or booed or something, anything would have done, but it was just quiet and that’s what really hit you.

“But having our fans here today singing all the way through and seeing them at the end, amazing to have them back and obviously it will be special next week at Anfield as well.

“We’ve missed them and hopefully we can keep putting in performances and getting results like today for them.”

Diogo Jota, Bobby Firmino and Mohamed Salah got the goals for the side and they kept a clean sheet, courtesy of some heroics from goalkeeper Alisson late in the game.

Salah’s goal was a new Premier League record as the Egyptian scored on the fifth opening weekend in a row.

“The result is pretty much perfect obviously with a clean sheet and different goalscorers, obviously it’s always nice for those guys to get off the mark,” said the captain on the day.

“The performance could have been better, we know that, but that’s pleasing that there is plenty to work on and it was a good day’s work.”

Liverpool will face Burnley in their first home fixture of the weekend on Saturday, August 21st at 12:30 pm in front of a full crowd.

Bielsa with lessons to learn after Man Utd defeat

Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds United did not get off to the right start in their opening game of the season in Manchester

For the first time in over 6000 days, Whites fans were able to see their team play a Premier League match. A massive 3,000 supporters traveled to Old Trafford for a day that they would ultimately want to forget.

What started evenly suddenly got out of hand. Manchester United’s masterful performance was mainly down to their two stars, Bruno Fernandes who scored a hat-trick, and Paul Pogba who assisted four of the five goals.

Although Leeds defended admirably in the first half, they rarely looked like scoring. Luke Ayling took the only meaningful shot at goal, a 30-yard pile driver that hit the top corner past a helpless David De Gea.

Once that goal went in, the Reds moved to top gear. They ran away with the game in the final 40 minutes, scoring another four past Ilan Meslier.

This was a tough day for the French shot-stopper who played his first game since signing a new long-term deal with the club.

As Leeds looked witless, Man United brought on a few substitutes, Nemanja Matic, Anthony Martial, and Jadon Sancho. The Reds were a different class and are beginning to look like the all-conquering side of the early Millenium.

As for Bielsa, he will need to look hard at this game. His side is no longer the unexpected surprise that it used to be, the Premier League has figured them out. The tactician will need to rework and train his team hard to have a different result in their next game.

The Whites will face Everton next Saturday, 21st of August, at 15:00 in Elland Road.

Match Facts

Man Utd

De Gea (GK), Shaw, Maguire, Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka, Fred, McTominay, Pogba, Fernandes, James, Greenwood.

Goalscorers

Fernandes 30′, 54′, 60′

Greenwood 52′

Fred 68′

Leeds Utd

Meslier (GK), Dallas, Cooper, Struijk, Ayling, Koch, Harrison, Klich, Rodrigo, Raphinha, Bamford.

Goals

Ayling 48′

Aubameyang or Lacazette linked with move to Barcelona

Barcelona are still looking to offload some of their dead weight as they try to recoup the money they lost in recent years

The club has already parted ways with Junior Firpo, Carles Alena, and unintentionally Lionel Messi. Now the club wants to be rid of two of their expensive mistakes, Phillipe Coutinho and Martin Braithwaite.

The Brazilian Coutinho was an inspired signing after great seasons for Liverpool as their creative master. Now after an over £105 million transfer sum, it seems like more money down the drain.

Braithwaite was a panic buy two years ago after the injury of former striker Luis Suarez. Two seasons and nine goals later and it was clear this was a mistake.

Reports have circulated that the Barca higher-ups have already made out a shortlist of possible swap deals. Arsenals two veteran goalscorers, Aubameyang and Lacazette have been named as possible replacements.

After both players missed Arsenal’s humiliating opening game with illness and the reports have only grown stronger.

Is this a good deal for Arsenal or Barcelona?

For Arsenal, this could be great. After a terrible season in front of goal for the club, they should be happy to part ways with Aubameyang, especially if that means that Coutinho could come to the club.

The Gabonese striker is three years older than Coutinho who recently won a Champions League while on loan at Bayern Munich.

Braithwaite on the other hand, would not be as promising of a swap deal. Both Lacazette and the Dane are the same age but Braithwaite has never shown any quality that warranted the move to Barcelona.

The Gunners will be looking to get the French forward off their services, with 13 goals in 31 games last year, but only to make way for younger talent.

Arsenal has also got strong links with a move for Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez. The Argentine was an important part of their Serie A success last year and after the departure of Romelu Lukaku, do not expect Martinez to go for cheap.

These are worrying times for Arsenal fans and the sooner they can sign new players, the better.

 

Everton v Southampton – Preview, Team News, Betting

Everton will begin another Premier League season at home to Southampton this afternoon. Both sides are looking to start the year off with a bang

This match will kick-off at 15:00 today, 14th August in Goodison Park.

Everton will be playing their first game at home in front of a full stadium of fans in nearly a year and a half. The club had a very tumultuous start to the transfer window, losing their well-respected manager Carlo Ancelotti on short notice to Real Madrid.

Now the club looks ready for another attempt at finishing top 10 with a new head coach Rafael Benitez and new signings, Demarai Gray, Andros Townsend and Joshua King.

Southampton have had a similar transfer window as they lost their main attacking threat, Danny Ings to Aston Villa.

The signings they have made so far do not seem like great replacements with Chelsea youngsters and Championship stalwarts some of their signings.

Neither of these sides will make a valuable challenge for the European places and in the Saints case, they may be fighting to stay up this year.

Predicted Starting 11

Everton

Formation

4-2-3-1

Starting Team

Pickford (GK), Digne, Keane, Godfrey, Coleman, Doucouré, Allan, Iwobi, Rodriguez, Townsend, Calvert-Lewin

Injuries

Gomes, Branthwaite, Gbamin, Kean

Southampton

Formation

4-4-2

Starting Team

Forster (GK), Perraud, Salisu, Bednarek, Walker-Pieter, Redmond, Romeu, Armstrong, Walcott, Tella, Adams

Injuries

Smallbone

Betting

Everton are favourites with odds of 21/20 to win.

A Draw has odds of 11/5.

Southampton are the underdogs with odds of winning at 11/4.

 

Score Prediction

This is a transition period for Southampton who are starting the league without their talismanic striker, Danny Ings. With 34 goals in his last two seasons, it is hard to see the Saints replacing him with Che Adams and Nathan Tella.

Everton with Benitez will be full of vigor to impress their manager. Expect Everton to win this match 3-0.

Furious fans react to embarrassing Brentford defeat

The story continues, Arsenal lose again but this time to Brentford, in their first game in the top flight in over 70 years

Last season the Gunners had a record low of finishing in ninth place, outside of the European places and without any cup silverware. It was their worst year in the entire history of the Premier League and this season has started off badly.

Yesterday Arsenal travelled to Brentford for the opening game of the season. Before kick-off, they were already on the back foot as captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and striker Alexandre Lacazette were ruled out with illness.

With Eddie Nketiah already injured, Arteta was forced to start young forward Folarin Balogun. Arsenal’s starting team had an average age of 24.

The highlight of the match from Arsenal’s point of view was the return of young English winger Bukayo Saka who was given a standing ovation when he was substituted on.

Brentford was comfortably the better side as they won 2-0. First, there was a smart finish Sergi Canos and then a Christian Norgaard header to seal the tie.

Although the Gunners finished the game with 65 per cent possession and 22 shot, only four needed to be saved. Nicolas Pepe nearly scored in the final few minutes but every other shot landed easily in the keeper’s gloves.

Naturally, former players and fans have shown their frustration towards the side. Arsenal legend Ian Wright released a tweet about the disgust he felt towards the performance.

Many fans have already begun the shouts for manager Mikel Arteta to lose his job. He will have questions to answer in the coming days, and if he cannot improve then he might be given as warm of an exit as his predecessor Unai Emery.

Things do not get much easier for the Gunners as their next two games are against the Premier League winners and the Champions League winners.

Arsenal will next face Chelsea at home at 16:30 on Sunday the 22nd of August.

Donegal v Tyrone Ulster MFC Final – Preview, Lineups, Where To Watch

The Donegal and Tyrone minors face off on Friday night in this year’s instalment of the Ulster Minor Football Championship Final at Brewster Park.

Both sides are looking for their first provincial crown at minor level in several years after wins from Monaghan and Derry in recent years.

Tyrone lead the way on the Ulster Minor roll of honour with 23 Fr Murray Cup’s to their name and will look to add another for the first time since 2012.

Donegal sit on a tally of eight Ulster minor titles in total and have been crowned champions twice in 2014 and 2016 since Tyrone’s last victory.

The counties met in the 2020 Minor Quarter Final which took place in December and saw Tyrone come out on top 0-8 to 0-7 in a tight battle in Ballybofey.

Five players who played in that fixture will take to the field for the minor sides once again on Friday night.

Michael Rafferty, Callan Kelly, Ruairi McHugh and Cormac Devlin represent Tyrone again, while Luke McGlynn remains for Donegal.

Tyrone have made it look easy on their way to Brewster Park after impressive wins over Down and Fermanagh.

Gerard Donnelly’s side scored 9-37 while only conceding 1-15 in their two previous games and will enter Brewster Park as a well-oiled machine.

Captain Cormac Devlin has led the attack in both games with 0-13 to his name including six frees.

Ronan Cassidy had a magnificent 2-3 performance against the Ernesiders in the semi-final while Gavin Potter and Eoin McElholm round out a strong attacking unit.

Half-back Shea O’Hare adds an extra attacking threat with his runs from deep and Ruairi McHugh has been a huge presence in midfield.

Donegal have had to play an extra game on the way to the final – a preliminary round victory over Antrim – and have had closer games.

Low-scoring battles against Monaghan and Armagh have seen the side into the Ulster minor final after a one-sided victory against Antrim.

McGlynn, captain and corner forward, has been their main threat in the final third with the responsibility of placed balls being his.

Donegal have had a good spread of points but there has been no clear standout in attack so far this season.

Sean Ward and Conor Reid provide a strong and dynamic midfield foundation for the side and the defence has held all opponents to no more than ten points each.

Tyrone’s blitzkrieg will go head-to-head against the hardworking Donegal side coached by Luke Barrett.

The winner will progress to the All-Ireland semi-finals where they will play Cork on Saturday, August 21st.

Lineups

Donegal: Aaron Cullen; Donal Gallagher, Cormac Gallagher, Karl Magee; Sean Martin, Ethan Friel, Oisin Caulfield; Sean Ward, Conor Reid; Cathal McGeever, Kevin McCormack, Conor McGinty; Daniel Marley, Paddy McElwee, Luke McGlynn C.

Subs: Damien McGowan, Eoghan Kelly, James Doherty, Cormac McColgan, Michael Callaghan, Karl Joseph Molloy, Gary Kelly, Oisin Harkin, Ryan Barrett

Tyrone: Niall Robinson; Michael Rafferty, Ronan Fox, Callan Kelly; Hugh J Cunningham, Shea O’Hare, Matthew Mallon; Ronan Donnelly, Ruairi McHugh; Ronan Strain, Cormac Devlin C, Gavin Potter; Ronan Cassidy, Gavin McCann, Eoin McElholm.

Subs: Conor McAneney, Conan Devlin, Barry McMenamin, Brian Hampsey, Conor Owens, Noah Grimes, Caolan O’Hagan, Fiachra Donnelly, Odhran Bolly.

Where To Watch

Donegal and Tyrone’s Ulster minor final clash will be streamed live on TG4 Sport’s Youtube Channel. Throw-in is at 7:30 pm.

Republic of Ireland Star Could Miss Liverpool Clash

Republic of Ireland defender Andrew Omobamidele could miss out on selection for Norwich City in their clash against Liverpool due to a bout of tonsilitis.

The 19-year-old from Leixlip broke into the Norwich squad in the second half of last season as they won the EFL Championship in their first season after relegation from the Premier League.

His side host Liverpool at Carrow Road for the season opener with a capacity crowd expected to attend.

Head coach Daniel Farke said that the decision to include the uncapped Irish defender in the matchday squad or omit him will be made late.

The Kildare native made nine appearances for Farke’s side in the Championship in 2020/21, including eight-in-a-row at the end of the season.

The defender only failed to complete ninety minutes once in that span which saw him earn a place at the heart of the Norwich defence.

Omobamidele played in the Canaries’ final pre-season game against Newcastle United and was set to earn his first Premier League appearance this weekend against the 2019/20 champions.

Daniel Farke will also be without winger Przemyslaw Placheta and Sam Byram as well – the latter is recovering from a long-term injury.

Liverpool will be without Andy Robertson and Curtis Jones for the clash after he damaged ligaments in a pre-season clash with Athletic Bilbao at Anfield.

It is expected that the Greek full-back will step in for Robertson in competitive fixtures in his absence.

Tsimikas only made seven appearances for Liverpool in his debut season in England as a result of early-season injury problems and Robertson’s ever-presence in the squad.

However, the 25-year-old has had an impressive pre-season this summer and will look to carry over his form into the new season and get more appearances for the club that signed him last summer.

Norwich will host Liverpool in their Premier League season opener on Saturday, August 14th at 5:30 pm.

Leicester City v Wolves – Preview, Lineups, Betting, Where To Watch

Leicester City will kick off their third full Premier League season under Brendan Rodgers when they welcome Wolves to the King Power Stadium on Saturday at 3 pm.

The side will want to improve upon two fifth-place finishes in their last two seasons and look to break into the top four, with that journey starting against Bruno Lage’s Wolves.

Lage will coach his side for the first time in competitive football after an inconsistent pre-season.

New goalkeeper José Sá is set to make his debut for Wolves but the side has several injuries heading into the opening weekend of the season.

Striker Raul Jiménez is expected to play for the club in the Premier League in his first game after recovering from a fractured skull that ruled him out for the majority of last season.

Leicester are without Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans and Timothy Castagne for the game but still have a strong side in their absence.

Nampalys Mendy and James Justin are also out for the foreseeable future through injury.

New signings Boubakary Soumaré and Patson Daka will add excitement to the side – the pair impressed in the FA Community Shield win over Premier League champions Manchester City.

Ryan Bertrand will also give the side a recognised presence at left-back and his experience in the Premier League may prove useful.

Soyuncu and Pereira will be the only first-choice defenders available for the side against Wolves but Daniel Amartey is a capable back-up at centre-back.

The established presences of Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans offer fans of the Foxes recognisable and trusted midfield – Soumaré is expected to be involved in the game too.

James Maddison may play while transfer speculation about a move to Arsenal continues to gain traction.

Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho will be the likely duo in attack, with Daka coming in place of Vardy later on in the game.

Leicester have injuries but their quality will persevere unless Lage can make a statement.

Predicted Lineups

Leicester City (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel; Pereira, Amartey, Soyuncu, Bertrand; Tielemans, Ndidi; Iheanacho Maddison, Barnes; Vardy.

Wolves (3-4-3): Sá; Saiss, Coady, Kilman; Semedo, Neves, Moutinho, Ait Nouri; Traore, Jiménez, Trincao.

Betting

Leicester City 4/6

Draw 27/10

Wolves 4/1

Where To Watch

Leicester City v Wolves will not be broadcast on TV. You can follow the game live on social media through both clubs’ accounts or through Talksport.

Liverpool Defender Virgil van Dijk Signs New Contract

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has signed a new long-term contract with the club that runs until 2025.

The centre-back put pen to paper at Anfield on Friday morning and committed his future to the club.

Van Dijk has spent three-and-a-half years at the club, joining the side from Southampton in January 2018 for £75 million.

Asked how it felt to have inked the fresh terms, Van Dijk told Liverpoolfc.com: “Amazing. It is something to be very proud of, that I am very proud of, that my wife and my kids are very proud of and obviously my agency.

“All the hard work we’ve put in so far continues and I am looking forward to what the future brings together with Liverpool. I’m delighted, very happy and proud.”

Van Dijk has been an established figure in the side’s defence and has made 130 appearances for the club.

In that time, the defender has scored 13 times for Liverpool and has picked up winner’s medals in the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Individually, he was voted the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year and UEFA Defender of the Season for 2018-19, while he finished second in the 2019 Ballon d’Or and The Best FIFA Men’s Player in 2019.

“Since day one when I joined the club, I felt so much appreciation from the fans and from my teammates and the staff, that I could be a very important member of this football club,” Van Dijk continued.

“It has been going well; unfortunately last season for me personally has been a season to forget, to learn from and take with me, but I have enjoyed my time here and will keep enjoying it in the next couple of years altogether with all of you.”

Van Dijk is currently working his way back to full fitness after knee surgery last October curtailed his 2020-21 season prematurely.

The 30-year-old heads into the new campaign – which begins on Saturday for the Reds at Norwich City – with a full pre-season under his belt and three friendly runouts.

Van Dijk said: “I feel good. Obviously [they were] friendlies, you get your match fitness up, get into repetitions of doing things again and again.

“I feel like I am ready for the weekend, so we’ll see what the manager decides. It is going to be a totally different atmosphere and mindset for me personally as well. It is something we fight for, for the points, and hopefully we can get a positive result out of it.”

Five Chelsea players nominated for Champions League awards

This Friday, UEFA announced the 12 nominees, three for each position, that could receive awards based on last years performances

The 12 players were decided by a voting system. The jury was made up of coaches from the 32 clubs and 55 journalists representing UEFA’s member associations.

The five players that were nominated for champions Chelsea were Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Antonio Rudiger, and N’Golo Kante.

This has been an unpredictably amazing year for Jorginho who struggled for game time at the start of the season. He has now become the driving force that won Chelsea a Champions League and Italy win the Euro 2020.

Many are claiming that the Italian maestro deserves to be in with a shout for the Balon d’Or award this year for his achievements.

Runners-up Manchester City who lost the final 1-0 to a Kai Havertz finish also has three players named on the list: Ederson, Ruben Dias, and Kevin De Bruyne.

The beaten semi-finalists Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain each have one player on the list, Thibaut Courtois and Kylian Mbappe.

Two Bundesliga strikers finished the list, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland. The young Norweigan forward finished as last years Champions League top goalscorer.

Some notable exclusions from the nominees’ list are Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar.

Messi finished in fourth place in the voting as Barcelona was knocked out by Chelsea in the quarter-finals. Ronaldo did not even manage to finish in the top 10 as Juventus crashed out to Porto in the quarters.

Neymar on the other hand was considered to not have made a major impact on PSG’s season. He did manage six goals and two assists for the club in nine games as he neglected to play in the French league.

The winners of the best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, and forward award will be announced at the Champions League group-stage draw in Istanbul in two weeks’ time.

List of nominees

Goalkeeper: Ederson (Man City), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid).

Defender: Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea), Cezar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Ruben Dias (Man City).

Attacker: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich).

 

1...293294295...584Page 294 of 584

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

SportsNewsIreland is an Irish website launched in 2009 to offer sports fans in Ireland an alternative and independent source to keep them up to date with all the news from around the country. Every week we bring you live score updates from all levels of GAA, rugby, soccer, racing and athletics. Contact

Contact us: Email: info@sportsnewsireland.com

FOLLOW US

Design by SportsMediaIreland.ie