It was a warm August morning in 2018 when Jurgen Klopp, fresh-faced and full of life, made the analogy. Surveying the size of the task in front of Liverpool, he said they were ‘like Rocky Balboa, not Ivan Drago’ and had to fight with all they had to reach the top. Liverpool’s rivals, primarily Manchester City, did not like the idea Klopp was in charge of some plucky upstarts, but the imagery was colourful and the narrative was set. This group of players was going to run through brick walls and nothing, not even the might of City, would stop them. Like the…
Author: t1006
Bayern Munich’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has confirmed that the club will not pay a loan fee for Portugal star Joao Cancelo, according to reports. Cancelo joined the German giants on an initial loan deal with a £61million buy option at the end of the season after falling-out with City boss Pep Guardiola. And it’s now been revealed that the Bundesliga champions will not have to pay a single penny during Cancelo’s temporary spell in Germany. According to Bild, Salihamidzic confirmed that the Cancelo deal had been agreed without a loan fee. The 46-year-old said: ‘The fact that Cancelo worked without a fee is…
Didi Hamann claims Erling Haaland was never wanted at Manchester City by Pep Guardiola… Erling Haaland has been scoring for fun at an unprecedented rate. However, the impact he’s had on Manchester City has been a controversial topic for discussion, with Jamie Carragher’s point at the weekend showing great insight and balance. His own personal goal scoring record is something that can’t be argued against, it is simply phenomenal, however, where does that leave City? Well they aren’t any better off in terms of team goals than this time last season, suggesting whilst Haaland gets all the goals, the players around him suffer. That’s something…
Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has said that he is “very sceptical” of people “pointing fingers” at the club after they were charged with breaching numerous financial rules by the Premier League. It was announced on Monday morning that the Premier League have charged the Citizens with breaking more than 100 financial regulations following a four-year investigation. Alleged breaches are said to have been committed between 2008-09 and 2017-18 and relate to financial information regarding revenue, details of manager and player remuneration within the relevant contracts, UEFA regulations, profitability and sustainability and co-operation with Premier League investigations. Man City released a statement shortly after the charges were…
There can only be one generational talent. Some would strongly argue otherwise, but England’s is Phil Foden. Nobody else owns his natural gifts, all bundled together to make — on the surface, at least — the perfect elite attacking midfielder. A game-changer, one who should run World Cup knockout matches in the future. Peers always talk him up using words such as mad, crazy and joke. His Manchester City team-mates appreciate his ingenuity. Foden is the youngest player to score 50 goals under Pep Guardiola, top of a list that includes Lionel Messi. The Gen Z Gazza is rather good. Yet 22-year-old Foden finds himself…
Inter Milan are hoping to keep Romelu Lukaku at the club with a meeting with Chelsea planned to discuss the striker’s future. After a dreadful first season back in the Premier League during the 2021-22 season, the Belgium international returned to Inter last summer with the Serie A side paying €8million plus €3m in add-ons for the loan deal. The 29-year-old has endured a difficult season back in Italy, scoring just two goals in 11 appearances in a campaign where he has struggled with injury and form. Inter however are still keen to extend his stay with the club next season, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. Lukaku…
Chelsea will hope to come away with a win against West Ham this weekend as they hope to build some momentum for the second half of their season and to find some improved performances There’s no getting away from the fact Chelsea have endured a poor season thus far. There has been little reason for optimism on the pitch over the course of the first 21 matches of the Premier League season, with Graham Potter’s side ninth in the table having already been knocked out of both domestic cups by Manchester City. The club has undergone some transformation since the…
AC Milan are in desperate need of a new winger and have reportedly set their sights on USMNT star Chrisitasn Pulisic ahead of the summer. Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic is attracting interest from reigning Serie A champions AC Milan, who are said to have already started the groundwork for a deal this summer. According to PianetaMilan, the club were able to brush many issues within the squad under the rug last campaign when they stormed to a 19th Italian top-flight title. These were not dealt with last summer, which has resulted in Milan sitting in sixth, 18 points off current leaders…
Malo Gusto made the switch to Stamford Bridge in January before returning to Lyon on loan, and has now suffered what looks to be a hamstring injury in the Coupe de France Chelsea January signing Malo Gusto has received a potential injury problem as the youngster was substituted in the first half of Lyon’s clash with Lille on Wednesday. The full-back came off after the half hour mark in the match, appearing to hold his hamstring as he exited the pitch. It remains to be seen how severe the injury is to the 19-year-old, though if it is diagnosed as an issue with…
Erik ten Hag is striving to bring back the glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson to Manchester United. Rather like Fergie, the Dutch coach also often chews gum during games and it can be a pretty effective prop for expressing frustration. It was spotted that Ten Hag was so annoyed by something Fred did during Wednesday night’s draw with Leeds United, he took the gum out of his mouth and hurled it to the floor. There was also a mad minute at Old Trafford when the Brazilian midfielder conceded a free-kick, misplaced a pass and lost possession in a duel, raising his manager’s…
Fans were left fuming after Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez escaped punishment after his boot twice made contact with the head of Leeds striker Patrick Bamford on Wednesday night. The pair got into a tangle just before half-time with Leeds leading thanks to Wilfried Gnonto’s first minute strike. Both players fell to the ground, but as Martinez attempted to get up, his studs made contact with Bamford’s face. Then as he lifted his boot over the stricken Bamford, his studs then made contact with the back of his head. The incident was checked by VAR, but no further action was taken. Another added: ‘Lisandro Martinez should have been sent…
Marcus Rashford’s impressive season hit another milestone on Wednesday night when the Manchester United striker matched an 11-year club record held by Wayne Rooney. Rashford found the net during United’s 2-2 home draw with Leeds, keeping up his scoring streak with a sixth consecutive Premier League goal at Old Trafford. Rooney was the previous player to achieve the feat when he netted against Everton in April 2012 during an incredible 4-4 draw. United’s own title bid took a major hit on Wednesday against Leeds after they could also only grab a point but Rashford’s goal started a comeback, with Erik ten Hag’s side 2-0 down…