Showing posts with label football news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football news. Show all posts

Tuesday, 2 February 2016

Bold Pato picks legend Didier Drogba's iconic jersey number as Chelsea announce squad numbers for new signings

  /   1 comment   
Chelsea's newest Brazilian Alexandre Pato has chosen the shirt number of former striker and club legend Didier Drogba in a very bold move.

Drogba is arguably considered as the best striker the club has ever had, scoring the wining penalty as they won their first and only champions league trophy in 2012. He now has a big reputation to live up to donning the iconic No 11.

American new boy Matt Miazga opted for the No 20 jersey that was last worn by academy player Josh McEachran.


Pato is preparing for his Barclays Premier League bow and on Tuesday picked one of the squad formalities, a number, while fellow

Fiorentina coach Paulo Sousa bizarrely sent off after intercepting the ball during play against Genoa

  /   No comments   

Fiorentina coach Paulo Sousa was involved in what is probably the most bizarre dismissal for a manager in recent times following his Sunday sending off during the game against Genoa.
Sousa was sent off after he intercepted the ball while it was still in play, although he later claimed after the game that it was 'an honest mistake'.

The Portuguese coach, standing on the touchline, saw that a Fiorentina clearance was going out of play, stopped the ball with his foot and handed it to a Genoa player to take a throw-in.
But television replays clearly showed that the ball was still in play when Sousa stopped it and the Portuguese was then ordered from the touchline much to his bemusement.


I think a yellow card should have been fair enough especially as it was not as if he intercepted the ball when Genoa had the advantage.

Arsenal legend Ian Wright told to "shut up" by angry Chelsea fan live on air. Lool...

  /   No comments   



One would have thought that all Chelsea fans would be in a good mood after their thumping 5:1 win over MK Dons in the FA Cup on Sunday. However, the news of John Terry's likely exit from the club come the end of the season seemed to put off a good number of them, that one even had to vent it on unlucky Arsenal legend Ian Wright.
The episode started when the Chelsea fan called BBC 606 to air his views on the FACup, suggesting that the oldest cup competition in world football is "pointless" and "outmoded" and should be scrapped forthwith.
However, he was challenging an Arsenal legend that won it twice during his career. And it definitely did not go down well as both parties argued.

After being questioned about Chelsea's impressive love affair in the cup, the supporter quickly loses his temper. Disregarding the counter-argument that the FA Cup is a much-loved tournament which still springs up some magical and surprise upsets.

Consequently, he tells Wrighty to "shut up and listen".

Rumour: Chelsea line up deal for Manchester City’s Manuel Pellegrini

  /   No comments   
Chelsea ready to hire this veteran coach as their new manager this summer

Chelsea are lining up a deal to hire Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager, according to reports.
Pellegrini is leaving City at the end of the season after they agreed a deal to hire Bayern Munich chief Pep Guardiola.
A host of clubs are keen on the Chilean, and now the Daily Express says Chelsea are looking at hiring him as their new boss.
The Blues are on a world-wide hunt for a new manager for next season and Pellegrini is seen as a quality option.
He turns 63 in August but wants to continue his management career, and prefers to stay in the Premier League rather than move abroad.

Rumour: Manchester United close in on deal to hire Jose Mourinho

  /   No comments   
Man Utd close in on dream manager after deciding to sack Van Gaal
Manchester United are closing in on a deal to hire Jose Mourinho after deciding to sack Louis van Gaal, according to reports.
Van Gaal’s future has been subject of major speculation following another disappointing season at Old Trafford.
And now the Daily Star says United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has decided to get rid of the Dutchman and move for Mourinho.
Van Gaal would leave at the end of the season, despite having a year left on his contract with the club.
jose
The Daily Star has the full story on the deal (Picture: Daily Star)
They would then grab ex-Chelsea boss Mourinho, who is seen as the best option after Pep Guardiola moved to Manchester City.

Chelsea injury news: Willian gives Blues boost, Alexandre Pato needs time to adjust

  /   No comments   
Chelsea injury news: Willian latest, Alexandre Pato not yet ready
The FA Cup might have lost its romance, respect or whatever else, but winning it will paper over a lot of cracks.
Arsenal have benefited in recent years and snoozing dinosaurs Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea would happily dust the cobwebs from the trophy cabinet doors.
No team has a better record over the last decade than Chelsea and so far the draw has been very kind. Scunthorpe United at home, then MK Dons away were plum ties, although both prompted full strength teams. Another Wembley win for Chelsea – and Guus Hiddink, who has already lifted the trophy on interim duty back in 2009,  would go a long way to scrubbing this annus horribilis from the record.
However, hosting Manchester City in the fifth round was not in the script, especially as tie falls just a few days after their Champions League appointment with Paris Saint-Germain. It still remains the most realistic route to silverware this season, however.

No major worry for Willian

Chelsea’s soon to be player of the season, Willian, will be assessed after ‘someone stepped on his foot.’
A slightly concerned Hiddink told to the press post-match on Sunday that he hoped it would not be too serious.
‘I asked him and he said it is no big worries,’ he said. ‘But we have to see in the upcoming time because we are playing a lot of games and I hope he will recover in two days.’

Pato no gamble

Alexandre Pato arrives at Stamford Bridge on-loan to help ease the increasing burden on striker Diego Costa. The 27-year-old has been asked to play through the pain-barrier this term as Loic Remy struggles to overcome a persistent calf complaint and Radamel Falcao recovers from a ‘significant’ muscular strain following a setback in January.
However, Pato needs time ‘to settle’ and adjust to the rigours of a ‘very demanding league.’ The Brazilian ‘is likely to need more work on his physical condition before he can take part in games,’ Hiddink revealed.

Chelsea injury news

Radamel Falcao
Injury: Muscular Strain
Estimated return date: Progressing. February.
Loic Remy
Injury: Calf Strain.
Estimated return date: Minor. Assessed this week.
Willian
Injury: Foot Injury.
Estimated return date: Hopeful for Wednesday.

These ignorant American Madrid fans say Real would win the World Cup...watch to see more hilarious reactions from them. Lol...

  /   No comments   

I guess when something isn't happening around you it just doesn't matter and isn't important.

So this football fan took to the streets of New York to ask American football/ soccer fans questions ahead of the 2014 Brazil World Cup and while some responses are just hilariously unbelievable, we just can't blame them.
Two young fans spotting Real Madrid jerseys were asked who they thought would win the tournament and they said REAL MADRID! Another said England won the world cup in 2010. They seem so uninformed of what's going on outside the US...but before you crucify them, arene't we all??? :( Watch below...

Chicharito voted Bundesliga Player of the Month for the third time in a row!

  /   No comments   

The Mexican superstar polled 63 per cent of the votes to win by a landslide, ahead of Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Claudio Pizarro. He also won the award in November and December.
One would wonder if Manchester United regret selling him off.


  • Against Hannover on Matchday 19, Chicharito demonstrated how clinical he is, scoring twice from his only two shots on goal.
  • That was his third Bundesliga brace and took his goalscoring tally to 13 in 16 league outings. No other Bayer player has more than four goals.

  • His penalty against Hannover was the first scored by a Leverkusen payer in the league since Sefan Kießling's spot-kick against Eintract Braunschweig in March 2014.
  • The Mexican has now had a direct hand in almost 45 per cent of his team's goals this term.
  • Chicharito is the most prolific Mexican in Bundesliga history. He scored his first brace at Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 13 and grabbed his first hat-trick on Matchday 17. His 13 goals are now more than the total scored by the five Mexican players that preceded him combined.

Lionel Messi 'wants to do something' for the little Afghan boy with plastic bag jersey

  /   No comments   
Stories that melt your heart! Barcelona star Lionel Messi is hoping to arrange a meeting with an Afghan boy who shot to fame after pictures of him dressed in a striped plastic bag jersey went viral (read storyhere), Kabul’s football federation said Monday, February 1.

Five-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi idolises Messi but a jersey of his favourite player is beyond the means of his poor family in the volatile province of Ghazni near Kabul.
His elder brother Homayoun, 15, made him the blue-and-white-striped plastic shirt with Messi’s named scrawled in marker pen and posted the photos of Murtaza wearing it on Facebook in mid-January.

Jorge Messi, Lionel’s father, told AFP on Saturday that the footballer was aware of the photos that made waves on social media and "wants to do something" for his young fan.

The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) on Monday said Messi was keen to meet Murtaza as soon as possible, though no date or venue has so far been finalised.

"Messi has been in communication with the federation to set up a meeting with the young boy," AFF spokesman Sayed Ali Kazemi told AFP.
"We are working to see whether Messi will come to Afghanistan or the five-year-old will travel to Spain or they will meet in a third country."

The Spanish embassy in Kabul told AFP it would do whatever possible to facilitate a meeting in a European destination. Murtaza’s father, a poor farmer in Ghazni’s Jaghori district, said he could not afford to buy him a replica jersey, and that Murtaza only had a punctured ball to play with.

Photos of Murtaza wearing a plastic striped bag with improvised Messi 10 written on it has touched a chord with football fans around the world.

Source: AFP

Chelse reject stunning Atletico last minute bid for Costa

  /   No comments   

Chelsea have rejected a surprise late bid by Atletico Madrid to take Diego Costa back to Spain.
The £32million striker, 27, has scored six goals in his last six games and has returned to form since Jose Mourinho was sacked and replaced by interim manager Guus Hiddink in December.
Madrid boss Diego Simeone signed Jackson Martinez from Porto last summer but the Colombian forward has struggled to meet up to expectation, scoring just three goals in 22 appearances.

Atletico are understood to have tried to take advantage of Chelsea’s interest in 29-year-old Martinez by offering a swap deal.

Chelsea dismissed it and were then offered a cash-plus-player deal but rejected it out of hand with the Blues insistent that they do not want to sell their Brazil-born Spain striker.

Iheanacho rewarded for his performance, included in champions league squad

  /   No comments   

Kelechi Iheanacho has been included in the Champions League squad for Manchester City. He now replaces Samir Nasir who has been out for most of the season through injury.

His inclusion means the Super Eagles striker's success on the pitch has definitely not gone unnoticed by the manager. He scored a hat-trick last weekend in the FA Cup against Aston Villa. With Wilfried Bony injured, manager Manuel Pellegrini has sufficient confidence in the 19-year-old that he can help the team through the last 16 of the Champions League against Dynamo Kiev.

Luke Shaw could make Manchester United return in March

  /   No comments   
Huge boost: Vital Man United star set to return from injury months ahead of schedule
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw is in line to return from injury ahead of schedule after his possible return date was reportedly moved forward to March.
Shaw has been sidelined since breaking his leg during United’s Champions League clash with PSV in September, with many expecting that the injury would rule the 20-year-old out until next season.
But according to the Independent, the England international could return as early as March after stepping up his rehabilitation.
A March return could give Shaw a chance of taking part in United’s season-ending fixtures, potentially putting him in contention for England’s Euro 2016 squad.
Any good news concerning Shaw would be a huge boost for Louis van Gaal, with United extremely stretched in the full-back positions at the moment.

Manchester City confirm signing of much sort after Pep Guardiola

  /   No comments   

Manchester City have confirmed the capture of former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.

The Spaniard had in December confirmed he would be moving to the Premier League at the end of the season, causing Manchester United and Chelsea to raise their hope despite the fact he had long been linked with a move to the blue side of Manchester.
'Manchester City can confirm that in recent weeks it has commenced and finalised contractual negotiations with Pep Guardiola to become MCFC head coach for the 2016-17 EPL season onwards.
'The contract is for three years. These negotiations were a re-commencement of discussions that were curtailed in 2012.
'Out of respect for Manuel Pellegrini and the players, the club wishes to make its decision public to remove the unnecessary burden of speculation.
'Manuel, who is fully supportive of the decision to make this communication, is entirely focused on achieving his targets for the season ahead and retains the respect and commitment of all involved with the leadership of the club.'
He would now replace current boss Manuel Pellegrini who had until 2017 to stay after he had signed a 1-year extension from his original date of 2016. Last week, the Chilean announced that he would be departing the club and insisted they had not gone behind his back in pursuit of Guardiola.
‘Before I finish, I want to tell you I have talked with the club and I will finish my contract on the original date,’ he said.
‘I signed for one year more, but with the clause, the club or me can choose not to use that stuff now so I finish here on the original date, June 30, so there is not the speculation.
‘The club are not doing anything behind me, I knew this one month ago, but I don't think it's good to have rumour or speculation about these things, so I prefer to finish today, which is why I have told the players and I have told the press. I also spoke to the club two weeks ago and said that I would do it.’
Good for City, but its a shame how Pellegrini has just been treated irrespective of the club's statement. Although I understand that they are gunning for Europe, I think its a slap in his face.

Hat-trick hero Ronaldo makes more goalscoring history

  /   No comments   
Hat-trick hero Ronaldo makes more goalscoring history

The 30-year-old has been criticised for his form this season, but responded in perfect fashion with three goals on Sunday night to rack up another record
If you listen to his critics, Cristiano Ronaldo's best days are behind him, but the Real Madrid star showed he still has plenty left in the tank after scoring yet another hat-trick on Sunday.

Prior to the 6-0 win over Espanyol, the 30-year-old had scored 16 goals in 21 La Liga appearances this term - a commendable tally but still some way short of his usual exploits in front of the target.



But Ronaldo struck three times to draw level with Luis Suarez at the top of the division's goalscoring charts and create yet more history in front of goal.

In the two games meetings with Espanyol this season, the Portugal captain has scored eight goals, the first time any player has achieved that feat against the same opponent in a La Liga campaign this century.



One of his strikes came from the penalty spot - meaning he has converted from 12 yards seven times this term - more than any other player across Europe's five biggest leagues in 2015-16. 

He's also won 14 penalties in the league, at least five more than any other player since 09-10.



Ronaldo was joined on the scoresheet by Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez as Madrid took their tally for the season to 64 league goals. No other club has scored more in Europe's major divisions.

Chelsea fan’s petition to get John Terry a new contract gathers momentum

  /   No comments   
Petition to get John Terry a new Chelsea contract gathers momentum

A Chelsea supporter’s petition to get John Terry a new contract at the club is gathering momentum.
Terry announced that he will not be offered a new deal in the summer and many Blues fans have rallied in support of the legendary defender.
The Change.org petition saw a surge in the number of signatures following the centre-back’s comments on Sunday, amid speculation he may be following Frank Lampard to the MLS.
Suraj Patel, the petition’s founder, explains: ‘I believe that John Terry, the greatest defender to grace the Premier League and the captain of Chelsea Football Club, deserves a new contract at the end of the season.
petition
‘He is arguably the greatest player in the club’s history and to let him leave at the end of the season, possibly without a trophy, would be a catastrophic mistake by the club.
‘He is Mr Chelsea, give him what he deserves.’
So far, the page has garnered support from 2,878 supporters and is beginning to gain some traction among the Stamford Bridge faithful.