Football Blog (Page 204)

[ad_1] Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that he sees Manchester United ‘finally coming back’ after almost a decade of struggling to be competitive in the Premier League. United haven’t won, or even seriously challenged for, the Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. In nine full seasons since then, they have finished outside the top four and failed to qualify for the Champions League on five occasions. The Red Devils did finish as high as second under Jose Mourinho in 2017/18 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020/21, but each time Manchester City were well clear and there was no titleRead More →

[ad_1] Reigning champions Real Madrid host promoted Girona in the Spanish top flight on Sunday afternoon. A rotated Real Madrid side lost their first match of the season in midweek, succumbing to a 3-2 reverse away to RB Leipzig in the Champions League. The bitter twang of defeat is a far more familiar taste for Girona. The Catalan side have lost four of their last six matches and trudge into the weekend inside the relegation zone. Here’s everything you need to know about the meeting between two sides at opposite ends of La Liga’s standings. Real Madrid: 4 WinsGirona: 1 WinDraws: 0 Real Madrid: DWWWLGirona: LLDLD Luka Modric, Dani CeballosRead More →

[ad_1] The Seattle Sounders have signed  midfielder Sota Kitahara from the Tacoma Defiance as the club’s 20th Homegrown Player in history. He joins on a two-year deal with club options in 2025 and 2026.  “It’s always nice to bring young players up to the first team who have earned their way through our system,” said head coach Brian Schmetzer. “I’m excited to see how Sota contributes to the squad when we begin preseason camp.” Kitahara first joined the Sounders Discovery Program in 2014 before moving to the Academy, where he made 14 appearances in his first year at the U-16 level. He signed for TacomaRead More →

[ad_1] Manchester United welcome West Ham United to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. Brendan Rodgers once likened football management to “trying to build an aircraft while it’s in flight”. United’s Erik ten Hag also leaned upon the theme of construction when he recently described his side’s improvement. “You need to construct it downstairs,” the inscrutable Dutchman explained: “You need development before you go to the top, to the roof. Unfortunately, it takes time.” Here’s the XI Ten Hag may line up with to continue building this weekend. David de Gea has lost just three of his 21 career meetings with WestRead More →

[ad_1] Manchester United manager Marc Skinner addressed the media on Friday ahead of his team’s WSL clash with Everton on Sunday. Skinner, who has seen his team get off to a flying start in the WSL but struggle in the Conti Cup, revealed the latest team news, spoke about Everton strengths, as well as individual players like Alessia Russo, Ella Toone and Vilde Boe Risa. “Ona won’t make this game. We get her again on Monday, she’s having her [concussion] symptoms looked at, but should be good. We’re just maybe over cautious with her, quite rightly for the safety of the player. “Aoife [Mannion] isRead More →

[ad_1] Fresh from their emphatic midweek Champions League victory on Wednesday evening, Chelsea return to WSL action on Sunday with the visit of Aston Villa. The Blues ran out 8-0 winners over Vllaznia in their group stage fixture, with Sam Kerr on target with a record-breaking four goals and Pernille Harder also netting a hat-trick. Chelsea face a Villa side who came agonisingly close to taking points off them on both occasions they met last term, each time ending in narrow 1-0 score-lines. When is kick off? Sunday 30 October, 14:00 (BST)Where is the match being played? KingsmeadowTV channel/live stream? FA Player (UK & international)Referee? Martin Woods Chelsea continueRead More →

[ad_1] Barcelona travel south to face Valencia in La Liga on Saturday night in a managerial meeting between two of the most successful midfielders of the 2000s. Xavi Hernandez won everything there was to win while patrolling the central slice of the pitch for Barcelona before becoming the club’s manager last November. Gennaro Gattuso will host the Catalans as Valencia boss. The World Cup-winning duo faced off five times in their playing career at international and club level. Xavi’s Spain and Barcelona earned three wins to one for Gattuso’s Italy and Milan. Here’s the lineup Xavi may deploy from the dugout against his former midfieldRead More →

[ad_1] The first things to do in a Chelsea save on Football Manager 2023. Credit: 90min.com[ad_2]Read More →

[ad_1] Wolves travel down to Brentford on Saturday as part of their ongoing quest to get the goals flowing. The visitors have scored just five times in 12 games this season – none of which have been scored by a striker – and their goal difference is perilously close to seeing them fall to the bottom of the Premier League table. They’re up against an unpredictable Brentford side who have recently shipped nine goals to Newcastle and Aston Villa, either side of clean sheets against Chelsea and Brighton. It’s tough to know what to expect from the two teams, but here’s how to keep upRead More →

[ad_1] Josef Martinez’s time with Atlanta United finally appears to be coming to an end. The Venezuela international is a legend for the Five Stripes, arriving ahead of their inaugural 2017 campaign and going on to score a club-record 111 goals in 158 games across all competitions. Martinez has won MLS Cup, US Open Cup, and Campeones Cup titles with Atlanta United, while he won the MLS MVP and Golden Boot awards in 2018. As such, he transcended the sport to become an iconic figure around the city of Atlanta. However, the player’s relationship with the club has soured over the past 18 months sinceRead More →