Newcastle will not lose strike pairing Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba to 2013 African Cup of Nations duty in January after Senegal failed to qualify for the tournament.
It will be a relief for Alan Pardew who faced the prospect of losing both of his main strikers for up to six weeks in January and February especially with only Shola Ameobi and Spanish misfit Xisco the only other strikers at the club.
However it is not all good news for the Magpies as they will be without Ivory Coast enforcer Cheik Tiote for a few weeks but the recent arrival of Vurnon Anita which has strengthened an already solid central unit.
The African Cup of Nations decider between Senegal and Ivory Coast was called off in controversial circumstances on Saturday with Ivory Coast leading 2-0 and 6-2 on aggregate.
The decision to award the visitors a penalty in the 76th minute, which Didier Drogba converted after his opener, sparked crowd trouble.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Arsenal will lose the services of Ivorian forward Gervinho while Manchester City face losing brothers Yaya and Kolo Toure to the tournament.
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Nigeria have qualified for the competition thanks to goals from John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses which secured a decisive 8-3 aggregate win over Liberia and West Ham will lose Modibo Maiga after he helped Mali qualify over Botswana.
Fulham’s Mahamadou Diarra and Queens Park Rangers midfielder Samba Diakite could also be involved in the 6 week tournament that takes place in South Africa at the beginning of 2013.
If your team is caught in a relegation dog fight, this Premier League Losers XI is filled with a fantastic array of players that will make your slump out of the top-flight all but certain. These footballers are the relegation specialists who move from club to club in an aid to win a relegation battle but rarely do.
Some have been described as having a relegation fetish, others are clearly omens of bad luck and misfortune and a few are simply not quite good enough to ever play for a team that could escape the perils of relegation.
This Losers XI is a fantastic mix of players past and present who in trying their hardest will inadvertently get what ever team they play for demoted out of the top-flight, and often in ceremonious style.
Click on Ben Thatcher to witness the unholy footballing alliance that is the Losers XI
Adrian and Joe Hart had a job-share at West Ham United during the 2017-18 Premier League campaign.
Indeed, Adrian appeared in 19 of the club’s 38 league fixtures, whilst the same can be said for on-loan Manchester City stopper Hart.
It was a very strange season for Adrian when considering that he started on the bench before winning a spot in December.
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The Spaniard then dropped out of the XI once again in early March before reclaiming the number one position for the final four matches of the season.
Adrian is contracted to West Ham until the end of the 2018-19 campaign, but it might well be that he does not fit into the plans of the club’s new boss.
The West Ham fans absolutely love the 31-year-old, however, and are desperate for him to sign a new contract.
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Adrian, who is valued at £4.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, is closing on 150 appearances for the Hammers following a 2013 move from Real Betis, and it remains to be seen whether he reaches that landmark.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
The defending at the World Cup, coupled with Dejan Lovren’s performances, are making Liverpool fans appreciate the Croatia defender more than ever.
The 28-year-old has played a key role in his nation’s success so far in the tournament, helping keep clean sheets against Nigeria and Argentina.
After a difficult start to the 2017/18 season, the defender eventually flourished alongside January signing Virgil van Dijk, forging a partnership that was the backbone to Liverpool’s exciting second half of the campaign.
Reds fans now feel he is playing at the peak of his game at the summer tournament, impressing more than some illustrious names who have yet to hit their stride defensively in Russia.
With rumours of signings and names arriving at Anfield, many reckon that he does not need to be replaced over the next couple of months.
Should Liverpool be on the hunt for another centre-back, or should they focus on other areas of the team?
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Supporters took to Twitter to share their thought on Lovren’s summer so far…
Since Alan Pardew’s appointment in December 2010, Newcastle have been the Premier League’s most turbulent and unpredictable side. Throughout the last three seasons, the Magpies have finished in 5th, 16th and 10th accordingly, but their final standing in the 2013/14 campaign could have been far more impressive without a run of 13 defeats in their last 19 league fixtures.
Theories as to why Newcastle have struggled for consistency over the last three-and-a-half years are aplenty.
Could it be due to the frosty relationship between the fanbase and the boardroom? The general dislike towards owner Mike Ashley on Tyneside is well known. There have been numerous protests against his ownership throughout the last three years, with tensions further exacerbated by the renaming of St. James’s Park in 2011, allegedly for commercial purposes, as The Sports Direct Arena, and the rehiring of Joe Kinnear as Director of Football in summer 2013, which quickly exploded, via an ad hoc, unsanctioned interview with TalkSport, into a public relations disaster.
The ensuing negative atmosphere on the terraces has often trickled into Newcastle’s performances, and even when the results are promising, the Toon army’s distain towards the Sports mogul eternally bubbles under the surface.
Could it be down to the club’s incoherent transfer policy? From summer 2011 to January 2013, Newcastle spent £49.5million on inward transfers, bringing in 18 players, the vast majority of which were sourced from Ligue 1. That clearly had a debasing effect during the 2012/13 season, which saw the Magpies plummet from Europa League contention into the relegation zone, as the new faces at St. James’s struggled to adapt.
The next 18 months however saw the Tyneside club not make a single permanent first team signing – the only addition throughout the entirety of last season was Loic Remy on a year-long loan. Even after losing the talismanic Yohan Cabaye in January, Alan Pardew was not allowed to reinvest. The Frenchman’s £20million departure to PSG coincided with Newcastle’s 13 losses in 19, including a run of six consecutive league defeats, and the loyalty of the boardroom was once again called into question.
But following a summer window in which Newcastle have conducted some great business, in my opinion, the boardroom and the club’s transfer department can no longer be seen as determining causes of Newcastle’s continuous inconsistency.
This summer, the Magpies have splashed out £37.6million already – Ashley’s biggest spend since officially purchasing a majority share in 2007. And far from the multitude of risky additions from Ligue 1 made in January 2013, such as defenders Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Massaido Haidara, the St. James’s outfit are now attracting well-known, proven names that undisputedly raise the quality of the starting XI.
Right-back Daryl Janmaat for example, has been one of the best defenders in the Eredivisie over the past few seasons and was intrinsic to the Netherlands’ successes at the 2014 World Cup. Remy Cabella has been the top talent in Ligue 1, outside of PSG and Monaco, for two years straight and was previously eyed by Manchester United and Arsenal to name a few. Siem de Jong has been an ever-present member of the Ajax starting Xi since 2009 and boasts 44 career appearances in Europe.
Emmanuel Riviere has found goals regularly for St. Etinne, Toulouse and Monaco and at 24 years of age the potential for further growth is enormous. Jack Colback is a tried and tested Premier League midfielder that adds depth to Newcastle’s squad. And although Nottingham Forest duo Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow will be sent back to the City Ground on loan next season, the £3.5million-apiece signings are considered to be amongst the hottest prospects in English football and are clearly wise investments.
Newcastle’s acquisitions are fantastically well-rounded and Ashley is allegedly prepared to spend even more. So neither transfer policy nor the actions of the boardroom can be used as justifiable excuses if the Magpies struggle next season.The only remaining question mark lingers over the head of Alan Pardew, a manager with more lives than a cat and less common sense than a pencil.
He was given the benefit of the doubt for Newcastle’s relegation-threatened 2012/13 campaign after administering a 5th place finish the season previous. But his role in that demise should not be ignored – there was a point in April 2013 when the Magpies had scored just once from 234 attempted corners, whilst conceded from a multitude through a lack of organisation at their own end. Last summer, Jonas Gutierrez criticised Pardew’s training sessions for lacking intensity. Clearly the former Charlton and West Ham boss had allowed standards to slip at Darsley park.
That may have been an underlying factor behind Newcastle’s sudden drop of form last season too. But it’s influence was not so devastating as Pardew picking up a seven-match ban – including a three-match stadia ban – for headbutting Hull City’s David Meylor. The Magpies went on to claim just three points in his absence; a 1-0 home victory against Crystal Palace.
Rather worryingly, it’s by no means the 53 year-old’s only touchline incident. Two months previous, he was caught on camera calling Manchester City’s Manuel Pellegrini ‘ an effing old lady-parts’, but obviously, much less politely.
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All the while, Newcastle’s philosophy has been largely centred around direct, disjointed football, often dependant on moments of individual quality rather than a collective team performance. These instances were first supplied by Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse, then Yohan Cabaye, and more recently Loic Remy. Whether Cabella, Riviere or de Jong have the quality to take up that mantle remains to be seen, but the danger lies in the Magpies’ successes under Pardew seemingly depending upon the form of a few key players, rather than the team as a whole.
Likewise, team selections have been consistently puzzling, the tactics and formations have been continually unimaginative and explanations for poor performances have verged upon Tony Blair-esque in their feel-good ambiguity.
Indeed, whilst the boardroom and the club’s transfer policy take a step towards redemption this summer, the jury is still out on Alan Pardew. His qualities as a manger have been open to debate for the last two seasons, and until now his reputation spared by factors seemingly out of his control.
Next year however, there can be no more excuses. The board have shown their faith with financial backing and their summer window has been executed to near perfection – the only omission being perhaps a striker who comes with goal-scoring guarantee. If Newcastle find themselves in another rut amid the coming campaign, only Alan Pardew can justifiably be held responsible.
Na última semana, durante o congresso técnico da Federação Paulista de Futebol, Bruno Carbone, membro do Comitê de Gestão do Santos, representou o clube na ausência do presidente José Carlos Peres, que estava fora do país e prometeu regularizar a situação dos salários atrasados em, no máximo, 48 horas. Acontece que o prazo não foi cumprido e nova data foi estipulada ao elenco.
Em entrevista coletiva na tarde desta segunda-feira, no CT Rei Pelé, o lateral-esquerdo Felipe Jonatan falou sobre o tema. O jovem declarou que a diretoria conversou com elenco e tem o voto de confiança quanto ao novo prazo que, segundo o atleta, é nesta semana.
-A gente teve sim uma conversa com a diretoria, eles disseram que nesta semana vão regularizar tudo, então temos um voto de confiança na diretoria, que sempre foi leal com a gente. Eles passaram que neste semana estará tudo resolvido – afirmou o lateral.
Além de salários em atraso, há também necessidade de regularizar o pagamento de direitos de imagem do elenco. Segundo Carbone, também em declaração na última quinta-feira, o Peixe tem alguns recursos a receber e conta com eles para equacionar as dívidas pendentes com jogadores e funcionários.
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Kevin Pietersen has claimed that he almost missed the back-to-back Ashes series due to the knee injury he sustained in New Zealand
George Dobell at Old Trafford03-Aug-2013
Kevin Pietersen made his 23rd Test hundred but said that a knee injury could have forced him to miss the series•Getty Images
Kevin Pietersen has claimed that he almost missed England’s back-to-back Ashes series due to the knee injury he sustained in New Zealand.Pietersen bruised his right knee during fielding practice in New Zealand in the middle of March and, after being forced out of the tour, missed the return series in England, the entire IPL season and the Champions Trophy. He returned, for Surrey, on June 21.Now Pietersen has suggested he considered surgery to combat the injury and that, despite having recovered enough to play, he still suffers pain in the knee and will be obliged to continue rehabilitation on it for the rest of his career.”If I’d had surgery I’d have been out for nine months,” Pietersen said. “It was a big decision. My knee was a shambles. I could have had surgery but the Ashes means too much.”Everyone wants to play in the Ashes. Everyone who has ever played cricket wants to play in the Ashes. It’s the big stage.”I like to perform on the big stage when the team need me. I like to stand up and be counted. As an English or Australian player your career is defined in how you play in Ashes cricket.”I think I’ll be in rehab for the rest of my career with my knee. I still get pain sometimes. I have sore calves; I have sore hamstrings. I’m an old man. But I should be OK if I keep being as professional [with rehab] as I have been over the last three-and-a-half-months.”Pietersen’s comments are something of a surprise. It had been understood that the bruising of his knee, an impact rather than a wear-and-tear injury, had been fully resolved and that it had been decided some time ago that rest was a perfectly adequate solution. But Pietersen’s words suggest the injury may have been worse than previously believed and raise some questions about his long-term future in the game.Pietersen recorded his 23rd Test century during the day – only Alastair Cook, who has 25, has scored more for England – and sustained England’s hopes of salvaging a draw from the game. He also overtook Graham Gooch in the course of the innings to become the highest run-scorer in all formats of international cricket for England.He was unfortunate to be given out, too. While there is little doubt that the delivery from Mitchell Starc that trapped him leg before pitched in line and would have hit the stumps, Pietersen’s review should have seen the TV umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, overturn the on-field decision. There was a suggestion of Hot Spot on Pietersen’s bat and audio evidence to suggest an edge.It left England, by stumps, requiring 34 more runs to avoid the follow-on with only three wickets in hand. But while Pietersen admitted England still had some hard work ahead, he was determined not to moan about the decision and insisted they could still win the game.”It’s all part of the cycle of life,” a phlegmatic Pietersen said. “Some days things are good for you and some days they are not. You just have to accept that.”I don’t like to upset a dressing room by throwing and kicking things as other people have to bat and it doesn’t help them.”We’re still in a spot of bother in the game, but if we can avoid the follow-on anything can happen still. We wanted to keep their fast bowlers in the field all day – we made them work hard – but we can draw or even win this game still. If our engine room apply themselves tomorrow and we get close to their total there is no reason why we can’t.”
تحدث إسلام الشحات وكيل أحمد بلحاج لاعب نادي الزمالك، عن موقف اللاعب مع القلعة البيضاء في الفترة القادمة.
وكان الزمالك قد ضم أحمد بلحاج من فريق أسوان في فترة الانتقالات الشتوية الأخيرة على سبيل الإعارة حتى نهاية الموسم.
وقال الشحات خلال تصريحات عبر برنامج ملعب أون تايم على قناة أون تايم سبورت: “اللاعب إعارته ممتدة لنهاية الموسم، ومن المفترض أن الزمالك يتفاوض مع أسوان إذا كانوا سيفعلون بند الشراء أم لا”.
طالع | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة الزمالك والمقاولون العرب اليوم في كأس مصر
وأضاف: “ننتظر انتهاء بطولة الدوري حتى نحسم موقف بلحاج، اللاعب متبقي في عقده موسمًا مع فريق أسوان”.
وأكمل: “سنرى موقف الزمالك من بلحاج بنهاية الموسم، لا يوجد أي حديث حاليًا بين الزمالك وأسوان بشأن اللاعب”.
O Botafogo está vivo para lutar pela semifinal da Taça Rio – segundo turno do Carioca. Nesta quinta-feira, o Alvinegro venceu por 4 a 1 a Portuguesa-RJ, no Nilton Santos. Um dos destaques da partida, Diego Souza celebrou o seu primeiro gol com a camisa do Glorioso.
– O gol vai para a minha mãe. Um gol gostoso, uma promoção daquela ali, tive a felicidade de fazer o gol, e o mais importante foi sair com a vitória – disse ao “Premiere”, destacando ainda que a classificação do Alvinegro para a semifinal, apesar de difícil, não é impossível.
– A possibilidade existe. Temos que fazer o nosso trabalho. A gente conversou antes do jogo, é difícil mas não impossível. No intervalo, soube do empate em 1 a 1 da Cabofriense. Agora, é torcer para os dois resultados acontecerem e fazer a nossa parte – complementou.
Na última rodada, o Alvinegro precisa vencer o Americano no domingo, torcer para que o Flamengo perca o Fla-Flu e a Cabofriense no máximo empate com o Madureira. Além disso, precisa tirar um saldo de quatro gols do Rubro-Negro.
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After such a tough start to the season, Arsenal have managed to string three consecutive wins together to push them up the table and ease the pressure on new boss Unai Emery.
While Liverpool and Chelsea splashed the cash in the transfer window, Arsenal made some very solid purchases without really spending too much money. The Gunners have often visited France to discover the best talents but also in recent years, some of Arsenal’s best acquisitions have come from Spain.
Cesc Fabregas instantly springs to mind as one of the Gunners’ best steals from La Liga while former Malaga players, Nacho Monreal and Santi Cazorla have also arguably been two of the best the club have signed over the last decade.
So with that in mind, here are two players from Spain that Arsenal could try to sign in January.
Mikel Oyarzabal
At only 21, Mikel Oyarzabal has already played 114 games for Real Sociedad and is regarded as one of the best talents in Spain at the moment. Last year in La Liga, the winger scored 12 goals while also grabbing three assists as he established himself as the key man for La Real.
While Arsenal’s transfer business over the summer was largely successful, what the club didn’t sign was a direct winger who can chip in with goals and assists. While he may not have Walcott like pace, Oyarzabal is a very clever winger who is great at taking on players in one on one situations.
Moreover, with his ability to play on either wing, Oyarzabal would be a great addition although it would take a fairly sizeable bid to take him away from Spain.
Carlos Soler
Linked with Manchester United in the past, Carlos Soler has started the season well and grabbed two assists against Levante at the beginning of the month. Despite only being 21, Soler has already established himself as a constant in the Valencia team and could well make the move up to the Spanish first-team this year.
Similar to Koke, Soler has the ability to play in most positions in midfield and so far this season he has primarily played as a right-midfielder. His best position however is a central midfielder who can join in attacks. With Aaron Ramsey yet to sign a new deal at the club, Soler would be a superb replacement to take up that box-to-box role.
Valued at £27 million, signing Soler could be an excellent signing for the Gunners, and one that could help push them back into the Champions League.