Football Blog (Page 142)

[ad_1] Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has challenged Marcus Rashford to score 20 Premier League goals this season as his search for a consistent frontman at the club continues. The Red Devils are threadbare up front since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in November, with the injury-prone Anthony Martial the only other option in the central striker position. Rashford is United’s top scorer so far this campaign with nine goals in all competitions, although just four of them have come in the Premier League. Even so, the 25-year-old’s tally represents a major return to form after a hugely disappointing campaign in 2021/22. Speaking aheadRead More →

[ad_1] Chelsea are in talks with Monaco over a deal for French centre-back Benoit Badiashile, 90min can confirm. A left-sided centre-back is a top priority for Chelsea and the Blues have been locked in discussions with RB Leipzig over Croatian star Josko Gvardiol since the summer, but his outstanding World Cup has seen the 20-year-old’s stock rise. With Gvardiol’s asking price flying up and teams from across the globe voicing their interest in the defender, Chelsea’s attempts to strike a quick deal have so far proven fruitless, with the German side happy to wait until the summer to agree to a sale. Chelsea are lookingRead More →

[ad_1] Arsenal once again underlined their Premier League title credentials by coming from behind to beat West Ham 3-1 at the Emirates. The Gunners were the better side for much of the contest, but they were made to do it the hard way after a toothless first-half showing. Despite dominating the ball in the opening 45 mins, Arsenal found themselves behind when Jarrod Bowen was felled in the penalty area on a breakaway. Said Benrahma converted from the spot to give West Ham an unlikely half-time lead. The Gunners came out fighting after the break, though, and showed the kind of ruthlessness that has takenRead More →

[ad_1] Andy Robertson set the Premier League record for most assists by a defender during Liverpool’s 3-1 victory at Aston Villa on Boxing Day. The former Hull left back set up Mohamed Salah for the Reds’ first at Villa Park, squaring across the box having been brilliantly found by Trent Alexander-Arnold. That cross to Salah was Robertson’s 54th assist in the current iteration of England’s top flight, taking him clear of former Everton and Wigan defender Leighton Baines, who is now second with 53. Robertson has achieved the feat in almost half Baines’ career games, though will face some competition from a current teammate forRead More →

[ad_1] Goals from Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Stefan Bajcetic helped Liverpool hold off a comeback from Aston Villa and close the gap on the Champions League places to five points. Salah finished off a flowing move before he set up Van Dijk following a set piece as the Reds threatened to run away with the contest. Villa shook off their first-half blues to reduce the deficit as Ollie Watkins headed in just before the hour mark, but Jurgen Klopp’s side resisted the late pressure and made things easier with ten minutes remaining as substitute Bajcetic cooly finished to make it 3-1 just momentsRead More →

[ad_1] Fulham had a very enjoyable Boxing Day runout as they easily swatted aside nine-man Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. It looked like we would be in store for a tight and edgy London derby, and it certainly started out that way. Fulham grabbed the lead just past the half-hour, with Bobby Decordova-Reid heading home after good work by Aleksandar Mitrovic. Palace might have thought that things could only get better from there, but they almost immediately got worse. Just three minutes after falling behind, Tyrick Mitchell was shown a straight red card for a poor challenge, and it was tough to see them gettingRead More →

[ad_1] From Gtech Community Stadium – ‘Insanity’, doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. For Tottenham followers, the pattern of starting dreadfully before pulling off great escapes will have driven them to madness this season alone, a plot that is even a shade dumbed down from that of Groundhog Day. Antonio Conte’s men had to try and come from behind for a ninth straight match in their 2-2 draw with Brentford on Boxing Day. The glaring faults of a squad in need of reinvigorating was as evident as the top-end quality that keeps bailing them out. Tottenham were missing core figuresRead More →

[ad_1] Legendary Spain manager Vicente del Bosque has revealed that he tried to get Lionel Messi to commit to La Roja before Argentina, while he believes the forward is the best player in football history. Adulation for Messi is at an all-time high after he led Argentina to World Cup glory this winter. Del Bosque oversaw the most successful period in Spain history, guiding his country to their first World Cup in 2010 and retaining the European Championships in 2012. Speaking to Radio Marca, Del Bosque revealed his admiration for Messi and admitted he attempted to convince him to play for Spain instead of Argentina.Read More →

[ad_1] Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has backed Eddie Nketiah to replace Gabriel Jesus in the starting lineup over the next few months. Jesus picked up a knee injury while at the World Cup with Brazil and is expected to be out for a couple of months, though a timeframe has not been put on his recovery. That leaves Nketiah as the Gunners’ last remaining natural option at centre-forward, and while Arteta has previously suggested that Gabriel Martinelli could fill in at top, he has full confidence that Arsenal’s number 14 is up to the task. “We have more faith in Eddie every single day,” ArtetaRead More →

[ad_1] Jurgen Klopp has refused to be drawn on whether Liverpool could be priced out of a move for Jude Bellingham, but could not hide his admiration for the midfielder. 90min recently reported that the England World Cup star will decide his future at the start of 2023, with Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool all believing they have a good chance of signing the teenager. Klopp was quizzed about the Reds’ pursuit of Bellingham ahead of their return to Premier League action on Boxing Day, though when asked about the lofty price it would take to secure the Dortmund star’s services, he was immediatelyRead More →