Tag Futebol

لم يستقر بعد، خوان لابورتا، رئيس مجلس إدارة برشلونة، على المدرب الذي سيقود الفريق الأول للنادي الكتالوني، خلفًا للمدرب الهولندي، رونالد كومان.

ويرغب خوان لابورتا، رئيس مجلس إدارة برشلونة في إقالة، رونالد كومان، من تدريب الفريق، وخاصًة بعد نتائج المدرب الأخيرة المُخيبة للآمال مع الفريق.

واتخذ لابورتا قرارًا لا رجعة فيه بإقالة كومان من تدريب الفريق، وذلك وفقًا لما ذكرته صحيفة “سبورت” الكتالونية، في تقرير لها، مساء أمس الخميس (طالع مزيدًا من التفاصيل).

وحسب شبكة “ESPN” العالمية، فإن لابورتا يدرس إمكانية تسليم زمام الفريق الأول، للمدرب للإسباني، ألبرت كابيلاس، مدرب أكاديمية برشلونة حتى نهاية الموسم.

وأشارت الشبكة إلى أن لابورتا يريد التعاقد مع مدرب من المدربين الكبار، ويعلم أن هُناك إمكانية بأن تتواجد أسماء أخرى كبرى مرشحة لتدريب الفريق، لذا يفكر في كابيلاس كحل مؤقت. 

وأوضحت الشبكة أن هُناك اسم جديد، ضمن القائمة المُختصرة لـ لابورتا، وهو المدرب الألماني، رالف رانكيك، المدير الفني السابق لنادي لايبزيج.

رانكيك في الوقت الحالي، يتولى منصب المدير الرياضي في نادي لوكوموتيف موسكو، ولابورتا يرى أن سيكون خيارًا جيدًا وخاصً بسبب الألقاب التي حققها في ألمانيا مع شالكه وسالزبورج في النمسا.

رانكيك خلال مسيرته التدريبة حقق ثمانية ألقاب، ثلاثة منها مع شالكه، حيق فاز بكأس الدوري الألماني وكأس ألمانيا وكأس السوبر الألماني، كما فاز مع ريد بول بلقب الدوري النمساوي وكأس النمسا في مناسبتين.

Glasgow Rangers have already been busy following the end of the Scottish Premiership season.

The main bit of business is that Ianis Hagi has been signed permanently from Genk. The Romania international joined on loan in January and scored three times in 12 games, which convinced Steven Gerrard and co to part with £3m to take him to Ibrox.

Not only that, six players have also already been released. Wes Foderingham, Jordan Rossiter, Jason Holt, Jon Flanagan, Andy Halliday and Jak Alnwick are those who will soon become free agents.

Now, the 54-time Scottish champions have confirmed that four youngsters have signed new contracts to extend their respective stays at the club. The quartet is made up of Jack Thomson, Brian Kinnear, Robbie Fraser and Alex Lowry.

This news has caught the eyes of the Gers supporters, and it is fair to say that they are delighted with the development, probably because it means that several exciting youngsters are committing their futures to the club. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

The new £1bn Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is impressive, but where does it rank in comparison to the other Premier League grounds?

English football is blessed with some of the best stadiums in the world, filled with history and iconic moments.

It’s not just the design of a stadium that counts – the support and atmosphere is also a key factor.

Premier League supporters will travel week in, week out to watch their team play, whether that is at Old Trafford or Vitality Stadium.

But where do the current Premier League stadiums rank? Find out below…

20. Crystal Palace

Selhurst Park can create an electric atmosphere when Crystal Palace are on song, but the ground is in desperate need of an improvement to the facilities.

For some away fans, there is a pole in-between themselves and the action, so even watching the action unfold can be tricky. The stadium is in need of refurbishing.

19. Burnley

Turf Moor is an old-fashioned ground, but an electric atmosphere is rare.

Often a vast viewing of empty seats, there is no intimidation factor and is somewhat becoming outdated as a ground.

There is no special element to the ground which entices you in. Many stadiums are better in the Premier League and would be more suited to a Championship club.

18. AFC Bournemouth

The Vitality Stadium has the smallest capacity in the Premier League at just 11,329. A trip down to the south-coast for away fans can be an enjoyable day out, but as a stadium, it does not impress.

Another example of a ground that needs improving and increasing capacity could help.

17. Watford

Vicarage Road has endured recent renovations but still struggles to impress spectators.

The Graham Taylor stand has a massive flaw where the first few rows cannot be used, as they divert into the ground and you are too low down for the action.

This leaves many empty seats and dissolves any potential atmosphere that could be created from that stand.

16. Southampton

There is nothing unique about St Mary’s Stadium. Has the potential, but lack of attendance brings the rating down.

They need to find a way to fill the stands. It is good for away fans, packed out behind the goal, but the home support lets it down.

The design is generic and does not capture the ordinary spectator if they don’t have an attachment to the club.

15. Brighton & Hove Albion

It is a unique design with the arch of the Amex Stadium. The modern facilities are impressive and is a very aesthetically pleasing ground.

However, the lack of atmosphere again brings this stadium ranking down. It has potential but needs improvements to generate atmosphere.

14. West Ham United

London Stadium is often mocked for not being a “football” stadium, but fans still manage to create an atmosphere – more often than not.

People often criticise the design for away fans with a large gap between upper and lower tiers.

If West Ham’s owners purchased the stadium, they could potentially make adjustments to change it into more of a “football” stadium.

Not close to the best, but not the worst.

13. Wolverhampton Wanderers

Molineux Stadium is a great example of an old-fashioned ground. The stands are close to the pitch, it’s intimidating to visit as an away fan, and overall, it is a good stadium.

However, away fans are packed on the lower tier, making it very difficult to connect and generate an away atmosphere. Moving the positioning of the away fans would significantly improve the ranking for this stadium.

12. Everton

Goodison Park is filled with emotion, sentimental value and history. It has been an excellent stadium over the years, but it is in desperate need of refurbishment.

Everton should keep in touch with the old, iconic look, but improve the facilities generally and renovate the stands to gain a higher ranking.

11. Norwich City

Carrow Road. A 27,00-seater with excellent traditions and values.

A great trip for the traveling fans, but the use of clappers to generate an atmosphere somewhat tarnishes the reputation. The stands are tight to the pitch and old-fashioned, and overall it is a good stadium.

أجريت فعاليات قرعة كأس الأمم الإفريقية للكرة الطائرة رجال برواندا، والتي أسفرت عن وقوع منتخب مصر في المجموعة الرابعة.

وجاءت مصر بجانب منتخبات المغرب، تنزانيا وكينيا، في البطولة التي تنطلق غدًا الثلاثاء بصالة كيجالي.

وأسفرت نتائج القرعة الإفريقية عن المجموعات الآتية:

المجموعة الأولى: رواندا، بوركينا فاسو، بوروندي، أوغندا.

المجموعة الثانية: تونس، نيجيريا، إثيوبيا، جنوب السودان.

المجموعة الثالثة: الكاميرون، الكونغو الديمقراطية، مالي، النيجر.

المجموعة الرابعة: مصر، المغرب، تنزانيا، كينيا.

وتعد بطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية هي المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2022 والتي ستقام في روسيا.

Newcastle beat Bournemouth 2-1 thanks to a second-half winner from Ciaran Clark, but Federico Fernandez has disputed whether it was in fact his goal.The centre-back pairing both scored last week against West Ham and the former Swansea man got onto the end of Jetro Willems’ cross to head the ball towards goal, with Clark seemingly providing a key touch to prevent Aaron Ramsdale from saving.

It is certainly a contentious one, with Clark’s contact on the ball marginal at best, leading Fernandez to tweet “VAR please I think it’s my goal” alongside ta video of the event.

Whether he means it or not the fans certainly seem to agree with him, suggesting that the Irishman didn’t make sufficient contact with the ball for it to be considered his goal.

No matter, supporters certainly won’t mind that both defenders are contributing at the other end of the pitch, particuarly when they combine for a winner.

Here are some of the reactions on Twitter to Fernandez’s claim.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Looks like it’s full speed ahead to January.

With Leicester City looking like they might pose a serious threat to make a run at European competition this season, currently sitting in the top four, Brendan Rodgers appears to be after some more continental flair to add to his side.

According to reports from ASRomaLive, Leicester are among a number of clubs that are interested in bringing in Ajax’s 21-year-old right-back Noussair Mazraoui.

The report states that they will face some stiff competition for his signature, as the likes of Tottenham Hostpur, Valencia and AS Roma are also circling him.

Mazraoui played eleven times in the Champions League for Ajax last season, scoring an equaliser away to Bayern Munich and the winner at home to Benfica in the group stages.

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the chalkboard

As a right-back, his main rival for a starting spot will be the incumbent Ricardo Pereira, and while Mazraoui may have youth on his side, thus giving Rodgers someone that he can work with for the long-term, the statistical analysis shows that it isn’t really much of a contest when it comes to who is the better player.

Their statistics from WhoScored pretty much tell you all you need to know with Pereira dominating in terms of his tackle count at 4.7 per game compared to Mazraoui’s 1.6.

The Portuguese also has 1.8 interceptions per game compared to the Ajax defender’s 0.8 and 1.3 aerials won each outing compared to 0.6.

In fact, the only area that Mazraoui has the advantage over his Portuguese counterpart is his passing ability, completing 82.1% compared to 79.6%.

That’s not to say that Leicester shouldn’t be going after him, but he’s clearly only going to be useful to them as a backup or rotation player, who can help them out when they choose to rest players in cup games.

As a result, they shouldn’t be trying to break the bank to try and land the £13.5m-rated man. If they end up being gazumped by another team in the process it’s not the end of the world because there are clearly better options out there, someone who might give Pereira a little bit more competition.

According to Football Insider, Leeds United are looking into the prospect of signing Nathan Ferguson from West Brom.

The Whites have apparently begun building a dossier around the Baggies full-back.

While Ferguson has impressed this term, with Slaven Bilic stating that he has an extremely bright future, it’s up for debate as to whether or not this would be a good signing for Leeds.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Whites may lack depth in some areas of their squad, but they’re absolutely stacked at full-back.

The 19-year-old can play on either the right of the left, but he’d have to compete with seasoned Championship veterans such as Ezgjan Alioski, Barry Douglas, Stuart Dallas and Luke Ayling in order to get a spot.

There are positives and negatives in this move for Leeds, and our writers gave their opinion on whether or not it’d be a good move.

Billy Meyers

“Despite the fact that Leeds already have a fair few full-backs, Nathan Ferguson is an exciting prospect who Marcelo Bielsa should not pass up the opportunity to sign.

“The West Brom wonderkid can play in both full-back positions – something that could prove invaluable over the course of a season with injuries and what not – while his value will presumably soar year-by-year seeing as he is a young English talent.

“It is telling that Tottenham are interested in Ferguson as well, with another Premier League side in Crystal Palace also keeping tabs on the youngster, so if there is even a glimmer of a chance for Leeds to get him, then they should jump at it.”

Lewis Blain

“Nathan Ferguson has been nothing short of a revelation for Slaven Bilic and West Brom this season. The Croatian took a gamble on promoting him in pre-season and it’s paid off – in more ways than you may think too.

“For the U23s, he was primarily a centre-back, but he began his senior Baggies career on the right-hand side of the defence, picking up the Man of the Match award in front of the Sky Sports cameras against Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest. That was merely a sign of what was to come.

“He has since filled in at left-back in Kieran Gibbs’ absence and has done well enough to keep the former Arsenal man out of the starting XI entirely. It is this sort of versatility that would make him an incredible signing for any team, Leeds included.

“Given he has been linked to a few European giants in Atletico Madrid and Juventus this week, I can’t see him swapping the Hawthorns for Yorkshire any time soon, if ever. It is also reported that he will sign an extension at Albion, so that would put pay to any form of exit in the foreseeable future.”

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

Vijievan Jeevathayalan

“At just 19-years-old, Nathan Ferguson has the world at his feet at the moment. A full-back flying high at West Brom this season, Leeds would do well to poach him away from their Championship rivals.

“The teenager is in the mould of Manchester United’s £50m man Aaron Wan-Bissaka, in that he is incredibly strong defensively – this campaign, he has averaged 2.6 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game.

“Whilst Marcelo Bielsa’s side may be well-stocked in his position, getting a promising prospect with the best years ahead of him seems like shrewd business. Getting Ferguson on the cheap – his contract expires at the end of the season – would be a major coup for a team looking to get back to the big-time.”

Charles Jones

“Nathan Ferguson would be a fantastic addition to any squad in the Championship, and the fact that teams such as Juventus and Atletico Madrid have looked at him tells you everything you need to know about the full-back.

“However, unfortunately, I think that Ferguson is a case of the right player at the wrong time.

“Leeds already have enough good full-backs to see them through this term, and despite the fact that Ferguson is out of contract this summer he will still cost quite a lot.

“The Baggies are also pushing for promotion so they won’t want to let him go cheaply, and if United signed him on a pre-contract they would still have to pay compensation, and with Fulham demanding £7m for Harvey Elliott after he joined Liverpool, the Whites could end up forking out millions of pounds for the youngster.

“Those funds would be better invested in other areas of Marcelo Bielsa’s squad, so I’d have to say that this isn’t the correct move for Leeds right now.”

Leeds United fans on Twitter have highlighted one tactical switch they’d like to see Marcelo Bielsa make this weekend.

Indeed, Whites supporters have urged the manager to start Tyler Roberts ahead of Mateusz Klich in the near future.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Polish midfielder has been a little bit out of form as the Whites have lacked a cutting edge going forward – failing to net more than one goal in each of their last seven league matches. Klich has also assisted just one goal all term.

Roberts brings about a little bit more of an attacking spark as shown by his substitute appearance against Preston North End last week where he was constantly causing issues for the opposition defence.

Whether or not Marcelo Bielsa opts to make this change in the coming weeks remains to be seen, but there certainly are a section of supporters who believe it’s the right thing to do.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on social media..

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Philippe Coutinho has so far been enjoying his stay in Germany.

Barcelona decided to loan out their big-money signing in the summer and the Brazilian was shipped off to Bayern Munich on a one-year loan deal.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Of course, we still don’t know whether or not he’ll ever be making his return to the Catalan capital but he’s certainly starting to find his footing away from Spain and La Liga.

Still, for all the great performances he’s been mustering so far – he has scored twice and laid on two assists for Bayern in six games – Coutinho has also received his first criticism from the German media.

Sport Bild have come out with a report slamming Coutinho for a lack of any defensive work and his poor involvement in the 2-1 defeat to Hoffenheim.

In that clash, the Brazilian could not turn the tide in his side’s favour and the outlet were quick to state that “two or three magic passes are not enough”.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

Interestingly enough, however, this is actually pretty similar to what Coutinho was criticised for during his stay with Barca.

He didn’t have the right work rate to function in their midfield and was even branded as “lazy” in their 4-0 bashing at Anfield by Sport (via Metro), suggesting he didn’t work hard enough and even questioning his signing.

Other outlets, like Mundo Deportivo (via Metro as well), pretty much echoed that statement by calling the Brazilian “invisible”.

So even though he can definitely muster a great performance and is sometimes a joy to watch when he’s on the ball, he’ll still have to put in some more work if he is to be truly revered.

And granted, these are very much the first criticisms he has received in Germany but it’s a worrying sign since these are the same old cracks that appeared in Catalonia as well.

But who knows, maybe Niko Kovac and Bayern will manage to fix that.

They surely know, however, that Barca couldn’t.

Ahead of this new season, and continuing into its opening weeks, one of the most persistent lines of enquiry concerning the Premier League was whether Wolves might struggle to replicate their fantastic campaign of 2018/19. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men finished seventh to the great surprise of many and they did so by playing an expansive yet sturdy brand of football that impressed. Was that now destined to be a one-off?

The reason for these doubts was no reflection on their summer transfer business or indeed the overall progress being made at Molineux but rather it solely concentrated on Wolves’ participation in the Europa League, the reward for their high achievement that is often seen as a curate’s egg for every club.

On the one hand European football is a thrilling and positive proposition. On the other, its demands deplete squads of their reserves and necessitate a juggling of personnel that when added to any number of rescheduled fixtures can result in a serious disruption to a side’s league aspirations.

We are six games deep into the new season and Wolves have yet to win a game. They have drawn four and lost two and their abject start has left them rooted in the relegation zone. It seems then, at first glance, that the hand-wringing predictions that were so commonplace before the opening day are already coming true with the club’s involvement in continental football proving to be a poisoned chalice.

Except that doesn’t add up. Not at all. In fact common sense decrees that right now – partly due to their European adventures – Wolves should be flying.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

They began their competitive season a full 17 days ahead of their rivals with the taking on of Irish team Crusaders in the tournament’s second qualifying round and by the time Wolves hosted Leicester for the league’s curtain-raiser they had three Europa commitments dealt with. That gave them a significant advantage over the Foxes and others who began their league seasons coming off the back of meaningless friendlies. Furthermore, Wolves won these three games, giving them impetus and confidence to transfer to their domestic duties.

It should be at the tail-end of long, gruelling seasons where Europa participants struggle, when fatigue becomes an issue and the games build up. At the beginning should actually be a plus.

So what can their league form – that contrasts so starkly to that of last year – be attributed to if not the easy scapegoat of European competition?

Could it be something as straightforward as the much-dreaded ‘second season syndrome’ striking, a phenomenon that has a long-standing track record of undermining players or clubs that dare to – supposedly – over-achieve? In 2001 Ipswich Town finished 5th in the top flight after attaining promotion the previous year.  Twelve months later they were relegated. In 2007 Reading reached the promised land of the Premier League and capitalising on momentum finished an extremely impressive 8th. A season later they too went down. Two years later Birmingham City finished a very credible 9th after coming up. Guess what happened the following season?

Are Wolves set to become the new Man City? Find out why in the video below…

It happens and it happens more than is acknowledged: a club is buoyed from promotion and fears nobody and enjoys a successful introduction to the big time. Then a recalibration takes place. Harsh realities set in, the element of surprise over the rest of the league is lost. Teams just seem to work you out.

That is not to say that relegation awaits Wolves, not with the vast quality they have at their disposal. But Europe should not be seen as a distraction or an excuse and with the infliction of ‘second season syndrome’ presently looking the likeliest culprit for their poor start, Santo – so routinely praised for his tactical nous – now must deploy another string of his managerial bow.

It is becoming a psychological issue at Molineux and from that comes a need to get back to basics and remember who they are and what they are capable of. They are not a one-season wonder. They’re better than that.