World Soccer Talk: December 2018

Monday 31 December 2018

Where to find Arsenal vs. Fulham on US TV and streaming

If you’re trying to find out how you can watch Arsenal vs. Fulham on US TV in the Premier League, you’ve come to the right place.

For viewers in the US, Arsenal vs. Fulham will be shown on TV and streaming (more details below).

Match: Arsenal vs. Fulham

Kickoff: Tuesday, 10am ET

Looking to watch Arsenal vs. Fulham online from your work, home or on the go? If you live in the USA, there are several options to catch all the action.

We Recommend:

US Only.

Here are all of the details of where you can watch it on television and via legal streaming:

Who: Arsenal vs. Fulham
What: Premier League, gameweek 21
When: Game kicks off at 10am ET / 7am PT; Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Where: Live on NBCSN, fuboTV, Sling Blue and PlayStation Vue (free trial)

With fuboTV, you can watch Arsenal vs. Fulham and tons more Premier League games with a 7-day trial. With the legal streaming service, you can watch the game on your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, Apple TV or hook it up to your TV with Google Chromecast.

Now with fuboTV, you can stream NBCSN, FS1, FS2 as well as beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español, beIN SPORTS Connect, NBC (in select cities), CNBC, USA, FOX (in select cities), FOX Soccer Plus, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports Net, RAI Italia, Telemundo, Univision, Univision Deportes, UniMas, Eleven Sports, CBS, CSN, RAI Italia and YES.

Plus fuboTV, the legal streaming service, also streams Serie A, La Liga, Liga MX, World Cup, Women’s World Cup, MLS, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Primeira Liga, Ligue Un, World Cup qualifiers, Bundesliga, select USMNT games, select USWNT games, select Mexico games, select England games and Euro 2020 qualifiers.

The fuboTV app is available for Windows PC, Mac, Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Apple TV, Android smartphones, Android tablets, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Kindle.

Here are the steps to take to watch the Arsenal vs. Fulham game with your free fuboTV trial:

1. Click on this link for the fuboTV 7-day trial.

2. Click on the red ‘Start for free’ button (see screengrab below)

3. On the login page, enter your e-mail address to sign up (or you can use your Facebook or Google logins) (see screengrab below)

4. After entering your login details and signing up for the free trial, you’ll be taken to the fuboTV main screen (see screengrab below)

5. From here, you can either scroll down the page to see the TV listings which include the Arsenal vs. Fulham game (see screengrab below)

6. Or you can click on the ‘Guide’ button at the top to see all of the channels available to you, which will include NBCSN featuring Arsenal vs. Fulham (see screengrab below)

SEE MORE: Schedule of Premier League games on US TV and streaming

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2R2nJD9

Where to find Derby vs. Middlesbrough on US TV and streaming

If you’re trying to find out how you can watch Derby vs. Middlesbrough in the US, we have all of the details for you about the Championship match.

Both Derby County and Middlesbrough are well positioned in the Championship (in sixth and seventh position respectively) to climb up the table, but which club will be victorious?

The match will be shown live on US streaming (and you can watch it on your TV too).

League: EFL Championship

Genre: Sports

Looking to watch Championship matches online from your office, home or on the go? If you live in the USA, there are several options to catch all the action.

We Recommend:

US Only.

Here are all of the details of where you can watch it via legal streaming:

Who: Derby vs. Middlesbrough United
What: EFL Championship
When: Game kicks off at 10am ET / 7am PT; Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Where: Live on ESPN+ (free 7-day trial)

With ESPN+, you can watch Derby vs. Middlesbrough and tons more Championship games with a 7-day trial. With the legal streaming service, you can watch the game on your computer, smartphone, tablet, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 and XBOX One.

Now with ESPN+, you can stream Serie A, UEFA Nations League, Championship, League One, League Two, FA Cup, League Cup, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, Eredivisie, Danish Superliga, Chinese Super League, Indian Super League, Australian A-League, Sweden’s Allsvenskan, MLS out-of-market games and USL.

ESPN+ is only $4.99/month after a free 7-day trial.

In addition to all of the soccer coverage, ESPN+ also includes a selection of live games from MLB, MLS, NHL, select PGA TOUR golf, Top Rank Boxing and Grand Slam tennis from Wimbledon to the US Open and Australian Open. Plus you get instant access to your favorite college sports like football, basketball, lacrosse, softball and more.

There’s also the daily ESPN FC show, 30 For 30 documentaries, exclusive access to studio programs and more.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2R3CrKa

Where to find Cardiff vs. Spurs on US TV and streaming

If you’re trying to find out how you can watch Cardiff vs. Spurs on US TV in the Premier League, you’ve come to the right place.

For viewers in the US, Cardiff vs. Spurs will be shown on TV and streaming (more details below).

Match: Cardiff vs. Spurs

Kickoff: Tuesday, 12:30pm ET

Looking to watch Cardiff vs. Spurs online from your work, home or on the go? If you live in the USA, there are several options to catch all the action.

We Recommend:

US Only.

Here are all of the details of where you can watch it on television and via legal streaming:

Who: Cardiff vs. Spurs
What: Premier League, gameweek 21
When: Game kicks off at 12:30pm ET / 8:30am PT; Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Where: Live on NBCSN, fuboTV, Sling Blue and PlayStation Vue (free trial)

With fuboTV, you can watch Cardiff vs. Spurs and tons more Premier League games with a 7-day trial. With the legal streaming service, you can watch the game on your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, Apple TV or hook it up to your TV with Google Chromecast.

The fuboTV app is available for Windows PC, Mac, Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Apple TV, Android smartphones, Android tablets, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Kindle.

Here are the steps to take to watch the Cardiff vs. Spurs game with your free fuboTV trial:

1. Click on this link for the fuboTV 7-day trial.

2. Click on the red ‘Start for free’ button (see screengrab below)

3. On the login page, enter your e-mail address to sign up (or you can use your Facebook or Google logins) (see screengrab below)

4. After entering your login details and signing up for the free trial, you’ll be taken to the fuboTV main screen (see screengrab below)

5. From here, you can either scroll down the page to see the TV listings which include the Cardiff vs. Spurs game (see screengrab below)

6. Or you can click on the ‘Guide’ button at the top to see all of the channels available to you, which will include NBCSN featuring Cardiff vs. Spurs (see screengrab below)

SEE MORE: Schedule of Premier League games on US TV and streaming

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2EZPmWa

Where to find Nottingham Forest vs. Leeds on US TV and streaming

If you’re trying to find out how you can watch Nottingham Forest vs. Leeds in the US, we have all of the details for you about the Championship match.

With Leeds United atop the Championship table, Marcelo Bielsa’s side has a chance to increase their lead if they can get a vital win against Nottingham Forest.

The match will be shown live on US streaming (and you can watch it on your TV too).

League: EFL Championship

Genre: Sports

Looking to watch Championship matches online from your office, home or on the go? If you live in the USA, there are several options to catch all the action.

We Recommend:

US Only.

Here are all of the details of where you can watch it via legal streaming:

Who: Nottingham Forest vs. Leeds United
What: EFL Championship
When: Game kicks off at 10am ET / 7am PT; Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Where: Live on ESPN+ (free 7-day trial)

With ESPN+, you can watch Nottingham Forest vs. Leeds and tons more Championship games with a 7-day trial. With the legal streaming service, you can watch the game on your computer, smartphone, tablet, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 and XBOX One.

ESPN+ is only $4.99/month after a free 7-day trial.

There’s also the daily ESPN FC show, 30 For 30 documentaries, exclusive access to studio programs and more.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2F1gEfs

Kante growing into new role with Chelsea

London (AFP) – N’Golo Kante insists he is finally growing into his new role in Chelsea’s midfield as the France star prepares for Wednesday’s clash with Southampton.

Kante earned a reputation as the world’s best defensive midfielder after playing a key role in Chelsea and Leicester’s Premier League title triumphs, as well as France’s World Cup victory.

But the 27-year-old has had to adapt to a change of position this season under new Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri.

Sarri, who replaced Antonio Conte in the close-season, brought Jorginho with him from Napoli to play the pivotal midfield role in front of the defence that used to be Kante’s domain.

Sarri believes Jorginho’s superior passing makes him more suited to launching Chelsea’s attacks than Kante, who is now operating in a slightly more advanced role on the right of midfield.

Kante has sometimes looked out of sorts in his different position this season, but he showed signs of getting to grips with it on Sunday, scoring the winner at Crystal Palace with a well-timed run and cool finish.

“This role is something I am enjoying and in a game I try to make that run sometimes,” Kante said.

“David (Luiz) gave me a good ball and I am happy to score with my left foot and give something to the team.”

Away wins at Watford and Palace made it a happy Christmas for Chelsea.

But with the Blues still trailing 11 points behind leaders Liverpool, their title ambitions have been put on the back burner as they focus on securing a place in next season’s Champions League via a top four finish.

Currently in fourth place — five points ahead of fifth placed Arsenal — Sarri’s side will be expected to consolidate that position against a Southampton team struggling to avoid relegation.

Yet Chelsea shouldn’t be complacent after some inconsistent displays of late, including a surprise 1-0 defeat in their last home match against Leicester.

– Work in progress –

They could be hampered by fitness problems, with Olivier Giroud, Cesc Fabregas, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Pedro and Callum Hudson-Odoi all suffering injuries over Christmas.

Sarri has questioned Chelsea’s mental strength and cutting edge at various times this season and it would be no surprise to see new faces arrive in the January transfer window.

Blues defender David Luiz admits Chelsea are still a work in progress, but he believes Sarri’s philosophy is starting to take hold.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2R1h9gg

EPL commentator assignments on NBC Sports, Gameweek 21

Getting ready to record NBC’s EPL coverage

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 1, NBC Sports presents a packed Premier League slate of midweek matches, highlighted by second-place Manchester City v. first-place Liverpool on Thursday, Jan. 3 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN and Universo. Defending champions Manchester City aim to close the seven-point gap between the league’s top two teams, while Mohamad Salah and Liverpool look to take one step closer towards winning their first-ever Premier League title. Arlo White calls the match, joined by Lee Dixon.

This week’s live TV coverage begins tomorrow at 7 a.m. ET with Premier League Mornings, followed by a triple header on NBCSN. At 7:30 a.m. ET, Everton host Leicester City. Both teams look to rebound in the New Year after narrow 1-0 losses last weekend. At 10 a.m. ET, Arsenal host Fulham in a London derby, followed by Cardiff City v. Tottenham Hotspur at 12:30 p.m. ET. Cardifff City aim for their first win against Spurs in the Premier League, while Tottenham look to reclaim second place with a win after a 3-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers. White calls the match, joined by Dixon.

Wednesday’s match coverage begins at 2:45 p.m. ET with fourth-place Chelsea v. Southampton on NBCSN and Universo. Chelsea currently sit two points outside the top-3, while Southampton are out of the relegation zone on goal difference alone.

Also at 2:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Gold presents four exclusive matches: Bournemouth v. Watford, Huddersfield Town v. Burnley, Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Crystal Palace and West Ham v. Brighton & Hove Albion.

NBC Sports Gold presents an additional exclusive match on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET with Newcastle v. Manchester United. Newcastle come off a 1-1 draw with Watford, while Manchester United look to extend their three-game winning streak under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Rebecca Lowe hosts Premier League Mornings, Premier League Live, and Goal Zone, joined by former U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Kyle Martino, and former Premier League footballer Robbie Mustoe.

Here’s the schedule of soccer commentators for the midweek Premier League matches (all times Eastern):

Tuesday, January 1

Everton vs. Leicester, 7:30am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Sling Blue and PlayStation Vue — Jon Champion and Jim Beglin

Arsenal vs. Fulham, 10am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Sling Blue and PlayStation Vue — Rob Palmer and Keith Andrews

Cardiff vs. Spurs, 12:30pm, NBCSN, fuboTV, Sling Blue and PlayStation Vue — Arlo White and Lee Dixon

Wednesday, January 2

Bournemouth vs. Watford, 2:45pm, NBC Sports Gold — Guy Havord and David Phillips

Chelsea vs. Southampton, 2:45pm, NBCSN, fuboTV, Sling Blue and PlayStation Vue — Gary Taphouse and Andy Walker

Huddersfield vs. Burnley, 2:45pm, NBC Sports Gold — Jonathan Beck and Danny Higginbotham

West Ham vs. Brighton, 2:45pm, NBC Sports Gold — Paul Gilmour and Davie Provan

Wolves vs. Crystal Palace, 2:45pm, NBC Sports Gold — Ian Crocker and Don Goodman

Newcastle vs. Manchester United, 3pm, NBC Sports Gold — Peter Drury and David Prutton

Thursday, January 3

Manchester City vs. Liverpool, 3pm, NBCSN, fuboTV, Sling Blue and PlayStation Vue — Arlo White and Lee Dixon

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2VmCFuk

Nasri joins West Ham on return from doping ban

London (AFP) – Former French international midfielder Samir Nasri returned to football on Monday following a doping ban by joining English Premier League side West Ham.

Nasri will reunite with West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini, with whom he won one of his two Premier League titles at Manchester City, after joining the Hammers on an initial contract until the end of the 2018/19 season with an option to extend his stay.

“Coming back to the most competitive league in the world, with a team full of ambition with a manager that I know… I’m really excited about it,” said Nasri.

Nasri, 31, is free to play again from January 1 after being suspended in February while playing for Turkish side Antalyaspor for taking a multi-vitamin booster in contravention of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.

An initial six-month ban was extended to 18 months by UEFA in August, but backdated to July 1, 2017.

“He is a player I obviously know well from our time together at Manchester City and I am happy to be working with him again,” said the Chilean coach.

“He has been working very hard here in recent weeks to build up his fitness and condition after a long period without playing, and he is now very determined to return to his best.”

Former City and Arsenal midfielder Nasri made 41 appearances for France before retiring from international football in 2014, aged just 27, after not being picked for the World Cup in Brazil by Didier Deschamps.

West Ham sit 11th in the Premier League having recovered from four straight defeats at the start of Pellegrini’s reign.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2LGGMgn

Chelsea break £400m turnover barrier, post £62m profit

London (AFP) – A return to Champions League football and prominent player sales allowed Premier League giants Chelsea to record a record £443.4 million ($562 million) turnover and £62 million profit for the 2017/18 season, the club announced on Monday.

Revenue rose 22.7 percent on the previous season thanks in large part to a profit on player sales of £113 million and a run to the Champions League last 16 which boosted TV income by £47.1 million.

Commercial revenue was up £32 million, helped by a new Nike kit deal worth a reported £60 million a year, while matchday revenues also increased by £8.4 million.

“The club has now posted a series of record-breaking revenue figures and our profit margin has increased in consecutive years,” said chairman Bruce Buck in a statement.

“This has occurred against a backdrop of varying participation in European football, and different degrees of achievement in the Premier League, which demonstrates we have built a sound business footing to support our on-pitch quest for success.”

The latest figures for the season ending June 30, 2018 include the sales of Diego Costa to Atletico Madrid, Nemanja Matic to Manchester United, Nathan Ake to Bournemouth and the permanent transfer of Juan Cuadrado to Juventus.

However, the accounts do not include the severance pay for Antonio Conte or his coaching staff.

Conte was sacked in July after the Blues’ finished fifth and failed to qualify for this season’s Champions League.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2F09J6h

Emery fined £8,000 for kicking water bottle towards fans

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Unai Emery was fined £8,000 ($10,000) on Monday for kicking a water bottle into the crowd during his side’s Boxing Day draw at Brighton after admitting to a Football Association charge.

“Unai Emery has been fined £8,000 after he admitted an FA improper conduct charge and accepted the standard penalty,” English football’s governing body announced said in a statement.

The FA had announced on Thursday that the Spaniard had been charged over the incident — which took place at full-time of the Gunners’ 1-1 draw on the south coast — although Emery himself had initially hoped his apologising to the home supporter would have been enough to see him escape punishment.

“I hope so, yes,” the former Paris Saint-Germain boss had said when asked whether his apology should be the end of the matter.

“But I have to respect the decision because it is a circumstance of my action but not another intention from me with the supporter. I say to them my apology.”

Emery has however escaped a touchline ban and will be free to take charge when Fulham visit the Emirates on New Year’s Day.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2F2zC4X

Maradona shows support for racism victim Koulibaly

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Diego Maradona has given his backing to Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly after the Senegalese international was subjected to racist abuse by Inter Milan supporters last week.

Argentina great Maradona, who won the Serie A title with Napoli in 1987 and 1990, posted a picture of himself on social media holding up Koulibaly’s No.26 shirt with a message of support for the player, who was targeted with monkey chants by Inter fans during Napoli’s 1-0 defeat at the San Siro on Wednesday.

“I played for Napoli for seven years and I also suffered from racist chants from some fans,” said Maradona, who is coach of Mexican second division outfit Dorados and adored by Napoli fans.

The 58-year-old, currently on holiday in Buenos Aires as the Mexican league is on a break, said he feels “even more Neapolitan today and that he wants “to be close to” Koulibaly.

“I hope this incident signals a turning point to eliminate, once and for all, racism from football.”

Maradona’s gesture of solidarity comes after thousands of Napoli fans wore Koulibaly masks in support of the 27-year-old during their side’s 3-2 win over Bologna on Saturday.

On Friday, European football governing body UEFA said its anti-racism protocol had not been followed during the match in which Koulibaly, who was also sent off, was abused.

Fans were asked three times over the loudspeaker to stop the abuse, but they ignored the pleas.

According to UEFA’s protocol, the match should have been suspended then but instead the game was allowed to continue.

The Italian league subsequently ordered Inter to play two home matches behind closed doors as punishment.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2EXrVgV

Afghan football boss denies sex abuse claims

Kabul (AFP) – Afghan football boss Keramuddin Karim on Monday rejected allegations he sexually and physically abused members of the women’s national team, suggesting his accusers may have invented the claims to help their applications for asylum in Europe.

Karim has been accused of punching, raping and threatening female players, including holding a gun to one’s head, in allegations first reported by Britain’s Guardian newspaper in November.

An investigation into the claims is ongoing, but in an interview with AFP he was confident his name would be cleared.

“I strongly deny these allegations,” said Karim, who has been suspended from his position as president of the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) pending the outcome of the investigation.

“This is a conspiracy. There has been no evidence or proof provided, only a number of unidentified voices, anonymous identities have made the allegations.”

Karim said his accusers might be using the serious allegations to “seek asylum in Europe”.

Or they might be people who are “conspiring to defame us, hurt us in the federation”.

“They are inside and outside the country plotting against us,” Karim said, refusing to name the people he was referring to.

Karim told AFP he was cooperating with investigators from Afghanistan’s attorney general’s office, which on Friday slapped a flight ban on five federation officials after suspending them from their positions.

Football’s world governing body FIFA has also suspended Karim for 90 days.

“The attorney general will investigate to find out if there is any truth to the claims,” Karim said.

“I personally am not aware of such things taking place.”

– ‘Beautiful and tight’ –

One player has accused Karim of holding a gun to her head after punching her in the face and raping her in a secret bedroom near his office, the Guardian reported Friday.

Another accused the father of 11 of threatening to cut out her tongue after she escaped his unwanted sexual advances.

The Guardian previously cited what it described as senior figures associated with the women’s team who said the abuse had taken place in Afghanistan, including at the AFF headquarters, and at a training camp in Jordan last February.

“As a father and a husband I have been affected (by the allegations), it has been painful,” said Karim, who has two wives.

Karim said the allegations emerged after a dispute with former captain and now programme director Khalida Popal over clothing worn by some of the Afghan players in Jordan, which the AFF considered inappropriate.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2F0Et7r

Warnock wary of diving Spurs stars for Cardiff clash

London (AFP) – Cardiff manager Neil Warnock has warned his players “not to breathe” on some of Tottenham’s stars in a New Year’s Day clash between the sides over fears of playacting.

England captain Harry Kane was booked for diving in Spurs’ shock 3-1 home loss to Wolves on Saturday, while Dele Alli has been repeatedly accused of going down easily.

“I say to my players about the top players ‘try not to breathe on them’,” said Warnock, whose side conceded a controversial penalty in a 5-1 home defeat by Manchester United last weekend.

“I said that before the Man United game, ‘if they get in the box don’t breathe on them at all because they’ll be down’. That’s how it is nowadays.”

Warnock also had a go at Kane during the first meeting between the teams this season at Wembley.

Kane reacted furiously to Joe Ralls’ wild challenge on Lucas Moura and Warnock accused the Tottenham striker of influencing referee Mike Dean’s decision to show a red card to the Cardiff midfielder.

“I didn’t like him confronting Rallsy but I can understand why he did it,” added Warnock. “He’s looking after his own player in that respect.”

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2EZzsfq

Fulham to take action over Kamara racist abuse

London (AFP) – Fulham have vowed to take the “strongest possible action” after striker Aboubakar Kamara was racially abused on social media following his penalty miss against Huddersfield on Saturday.

The Frenchman was strongly criticised by his manager Claudio Ranieri for disobeying orders to hand over penalty duties to Aleksandar Mitrovic.

“It is unbelievable, he did not respect me, the club, the team and crowd. I spoke with him, it is not right. I want to kill him,” said Ranieri, despite Mitrovic’s stoppage time winner in a 1-0 victory for the Premier League strugglers.

However, Fulham have promised to support Kamara after he was abused online.

“The club will provide all necessary support to Aboubakar and will take the strongest possible action against those identified and responsible for these posts,” a club spokesman said in a statement.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2EZdkkj

Lewandowski envisages ending career at Bayern

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski says he envisages finishing his career with the Bavarian club after this summer’s talk of a possible transfer for the prolific Pole.

“I’m not thinking of changing club. I admit it, this summer it could have been a subject for debate but that’s now all finished,” Lewandowski said in an interview with German sports daily Bild.

“It’s very likely that I’ll stay here for a long time. I identify totally with Bayern,” added the 30-year-old who joined Bayern in 2014 but who was on the radar of both Real Madrid and Chelsea in the summer.

Bayern bosses, however, averted a transfer, insisting that last season’s top Bundelsiga scorer, with 29 goals, was not for sale.

“I have the feeling that since all these rumours and problems were buried, I am once again with all my heart with Bayern, at 100 percent.”

Lewandowski, however, did urge Bayern to sign up some stars to help their bid for a first Champions League trophy since 2013.

The German champions have been linked with a big money move for French World Cup-winning defender Lucas Hernandez from Atletico Madrid.

“It would help us more if one or two world class players join us rather than five good-level players,” he said.

Bayern face a tough draw in Champions League last 16, where they will play Premier League leaders Liverpool, away on February 19 and home on March 13.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2EZzmEA

Wounded City ready to fight Liverpool, insists Kompany

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany admitted the Premier League champions’ pride has been wounded by a recent shock run of three defeats in four Premier League games to fall seven points behind league leaders Liverpool.

But ahead of the visit of Jurgen Klopp’s men to the Etihad on Thursday, Kompany issued a rallying cry to the City squad and fans to keep fighting to become the first side in a decade to retain the Premier League.

“We shouldn’t focus too much on points at the moment, we know if we can play to our potential we are a good team,” Kompany told City’s website.

“Our pride has been hurt over the last few weeks but we have everything to play for and it depends on us.”

City bounced back from consecutive defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester with a 3-1 win at Southampton to move back into second above Tottenham.

However, City have only won one of seven meetings with Liverpool during Pep Guardiola’s three seasons in charge.

Kompany, though, called on his side to avenge a painful Champions League quarter-final exit to Liverpool last season.

“It’s one of those key games you live for. Every living soul that comes into the stadium on Thursday has to be ready to fight and give it to them,” added the Belgian.

“And we should be able to pull everything out of the locker for that game.”

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2SotN5s

Ronaldo ‘not obsessed’ by individual trophies

Lisbon (AFP) – Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted that he is “not obsessed” by individual trophies, having missed on this year’s Ballon d’Or after winning it five times.

The Juventus striker also missed out on FIFA and UEFA’s player of the year trophies as former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric, a World Cup runner-up with Croatia, swept all before him.

“I’m not obsessed by individual prizes,” Ronaldo told Portuguese sports daily Record.

“The most important thing is to win collective trophies and help the team. The rest comes naturally.”

Ronaldo added: “I don’t think all the time of beating records. I work above all to help the club and be at my best level.

“The technical, tactical and physical level of all teams is better today,” he said. “It’s increasingly tough to win so I have to keep working hard to stay on top.”

Having missed the start of Portugal’s Nations League campaign to better adjust to life with Juve, Ronaldo said that in 2019 he “envisages being at the disposal of the national coach”.

Portugal will host the inaugural Nations League finals in June, meeting Switzerland in the semi-finals.

In the wide-ranging interview, Ronaldo also dubbed as “revolting” allegations of rape made against him dating back to 2009, something he strenuously denies. He added that he had a “calm conscience” and was “confident that everything will very soon be clarified”.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2AxWWED

Football: Dijon sack coach Dall’Oglio

Dijon (France) (AFP) – Struggling Ligue 1 club Dijon on Monday sacked Olivier Dall’Oglio as coach after more than six years at the club.

Dall’Oglio oversaw Dijon’s return to the top flight in 2016 and had started this season with three wins.

But 12 matches followed without victory before the club’s fourth win of the season, against rock-bottom Guingamp on December 5. That was followed, however, by three straight losses that has seen the club plummet to 18th in the 20-strong league.

Assistant coach David Linares will take over until a new coach is named, the club said.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2GMOTZZ

Sunday 30 December 2018

Arsenal’s season at crossroads as Fulham await

London (AFP) – Riding high until two weeks ago, Arsenal’s season has taken a sudden downturn that has thrown the focus firmly onto the club’s plans for the January transfer window.

Prior to the visit to Southampton in mid-December, the Gunners had gone 22 games without defeat and while form had been more patchy since the end of October, the trajectory of Unai Emery’s side was undeniably on the up.

Defeat at St Mary’s Stadium, however, triggered a run that has brought just one win in five games, including Saturday’s humiliating 5-1 defeat at league leaders Liverpool.

With Chelsea winning at Crystal Palace a day later, Arsenal now sit five points off the top four and anything less than three points in the home meeting with fellow London side Fulham on Tuesday will further undermine the club’s hopes of reclaiming a place in the Champions League.

Arsenal have started to appear increasingly vulnerable at the back, a weakness that was ruthlessly exposed by Jurgen Klopp’s side at Anfield.

– ‘Injuries not the problem’ –

The sight of his defenders chasing shadows and failing in their attempts to constrain Liverpool’s thrilling front three will have made painful viewing for Spanish manager Emery and came just three days after Stephan Lichtsteiner’s mistake had gifted Brighton an equaliser in the 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium.

Injuries haven’t helped with defenders Nacho Monreal, Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi all missing the trip to the south coast, while Laurent Koscielny is still feeling his way back to form and fitness after an extended lay-off.

Mustafi returned for the Liverpool game yet while the changes to the back-line have done nothing to help the team establish some stability, Bernd Leno insists injuries cannot be used as an excuse following the Liverpool defeat.

“I don’t think that was the difference,” said the goalkeeper.

“Of course we conceded five goals but I think we as a team made too many mistakes. We have enough quality, even when somebody is injured…injuries were not the problem.

“We have to look forward because we have another important game on Tuesday. It’s the first game of the year and on Tuesday we want to beat Fulham at home. We need to win.”

Arsenal’s problems have not been restricted to their back line, but the frailties suggest Emery needs to bolster his defence in the transfer window.

It’s not a new problem for the club but with Lucas Torreira now offering more steel in front of the back four, there is the possibility to develop a more convincing defensive core.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2AoU78w

Tottenham facing prospect of all-too familiar collapse

London (AFP) – As Mauricio Pochettino offered an explanation of why Tottenham Hotspur’s emerging Premier League title challenge had stalled so quickly, it was hard to avoid the view their bid for success on four fronts could once again leave the club empty-handed.

The 3-1 home defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday was utterly deflating for Pochettino’s side, who had thrillingly moved into second place on the back of a 6-2 defeat of Everton and a 5-0 thrashing of Bournemouth.

Their time spent as the nearest challengers to leaders Liverpool, however, lasted just four days and they travel to Cardiff City on Tuesday desperately seeking a win to revive the belief they can last the pace in the title race.

Pochettino, the Spurs manager, cited mental fatigue as a possible reason for his players’ lethargic second half display against Wolves and you could see his point.

– World Cup letdown –

The north London club had more representatives in the semi-finals of the World Cup than any other and it would be hardly surprising if the effects of a draining, exhilarating but ultimately disappointing summer campaign for eight of those nine players — France’s winning captain Hugo Lloris being the exception — lingered.

They certainly haven’t returned to a straightforward season with their club.

The delays to the opening of their new stadium means Wembley has unexpectedly remained Spurs’ temporary home.

And the drama that accompanied the Champions League group stage means Pochettino’s players have already endured more than their fair share of nerve-jangling cliffhangers as they qualified despite claiming just one point from the opening three games.

Tottenham’s progress into January’s two-legged League Cup semi-final with capital foes Chelsea was hardly sedate given they had to overcome a quarter-final visit to north London rivals Arsenal to claim a place in the last four.

Next Friday sees Spurs start their FA Cup campaign with a visit to fourth-tier Tranmere Rovers, a further addition to an already-congested holiday fixture schedule.

The counter to all that is that a club with ambitions of challenging for major trophies must expect to face those kinds of demands.

And that is where criticism of Tottenham’s failure to bring in any new players during the pre-season transfer window resurfaces.

Squad depth is so often the key to success and while Tottenham’s success in keeping the current group of players together was admirable, right now it appears as though fresh additions would be welcome.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2SrUAOf

Solskjaer tells two-goal Pogba to cut out showboating

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer encouraged Paul Pogba to cut showboating from his game to recreate the “efficient” display that saw the Frenchman score twice for the second straight game in a 4-1 thrashing of Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

A third consecutive victory since Solskjaer took caretaker charge until the end of the season keeps United eight points adrift of Chelsea in the fight for a top-four finish.

Pogba has been key to all three wins, but this was arguably his best display as he also teed up Romelu Lukaku’s fourth goal and struck the post late on to just miss out on a first career hat-trick.

“That is a top, top performance for a midfield player because it’s all-round: work rate, dangerous in the box, no showboating. It’s touch, pass, move,” said Solskjaer.

“It’s an efficient game and Paul knows he’s at his best when it’s an efficient game.”

The change in mood around United in the 12 days since Jose Mourinho was sacked is palpable, no more so in the performances of Pogba, who was discarded from the Portuguese’s starting line-up for his final three league games in charge.

“We are Manchester United and we need to be at the top of the league. It is just a reaction of all of the players and everyone is enjoying themselves,” said Pogba.

“It is different, we still won games with the old manager but it is just a different style of playing, we are more offensive and we are creating more chances and that is how we want to play.”

United have now scored 12 times in three games under the Norwegian, but Solskjaer insisted he has just tried to instill what he learned under Alex Ferguson during 11 seasons as a player at Old Trafford.

“This is how it was. I’ve just gone about the job as I experienced it as a player, and a coach,” added Solskjaer.

“We want to go attacking. We’ve been at home two games and we have to entertain the fans. I love working with good players and good people.”

Pogba played a part in four of United’s five goals at Cardiff last weekend to get Solskjaer off to a flying start before scoring twice against Huddersfield on Boxing Day.

Solskjaer has spoken of his desire to see Pogba break into the box more regularly and he had the simplest of tasks to prod the ball into an empty net after Marcus Rashford had bewildered the Bournemouth defence.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2AlzSsm

Dinnage turns her back on Premier League chief exec role

London (AFP) – Susanna Dinnage has shocked English football by deciding she no longer wants to be the chief executive of the Premier League despite previously accepting the post.

Dinnage, a television executive, was announced as the successor to the long-serving Richard Scudamore in November, with her appointment hailed as a major step forward for women in sports administration.

It was planned that Dinnage, currently the global president of Discovery’s Animal Planet brand, would take over from Scudamore, in charge for 19 years, early in 2019.

Quite why she has rejected the high-profile position remains unclear, with a Premier League statement issued Sunday simply saying: “Despite her commitment to the Premier League in early November, Susanna Dinnage has now advised the nominations committee that she will not be taking up the position of chief executive.”

This was a far cry from Dinnage’s comments following the initial announcement of her appointment last month, when she said: “With the support of clubs and the team, I look forward to extending the success of the League for many years to come.

When Scudamore took over as chief executive in 1999, the Premier League’s domestic television rights deal was worth around £670 million.

The latest deal for rights between 2019 and 2022 sold for more than £4.5 billion.

While the vast majority of that money still comes from television giants Sky and BT, it also includes the sale of 20 matches to retail giant Amazon’s streaming service for the first time.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, Burnley chairman Mike Garlick and Leicester chief executive Susan Whelan led the recruitment process, with Buck describing Dinnage as “the outstanding choice” from a “very strong field” of candidates.

Now, however, the Premier League will have to re-open the search for Scudamore’s successor.

“The committee has reconvened its search and is talking to candidates,” the Premier League statement issued Sunday also said.

“There will be no further comment until an appointment is made.”

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2EVRQ7U

Guardiola warns defeat against Liverpool will mean title race is ‘over’ for City

Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City side a failure to beat Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday will effectively mean their title challenge is “over”.

Reigning champions City revived their bid to retain the Premier League trophy with a 3-1 win away to Southampton on Sunday that followed shock defeats by Crystal Palace and Leicester.

Victory at St Mary’s, however, still left City seven points behind leaders Liverpool and for a while it seemed Guardiola’s side might drop more points on the south coast.

David Silva put City ahead after 10 minutes but they then squandered several chances and gifted Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg a 37th-minute equaliser.

But the uncertainty that crept into City’s play was ended by a James Ward-Prowse own goal and a Sergio Aguero header just before half-time that left City 3-1 up.

Saints’ frustrations boiled over with a red card for Hojbjerg after a wild challenge on Fernandinho late in the game.

“We knew it, that with the position of Liverpool, if we drop points then it is over, it (the title race is finished,” Guardiola said.

“It would be almost impossible. Of course they are going to drop points but not too many. If you want to be there as far as possible until the end we have to remember what happened last season and this as well –- apart from the last few days,” the City manager added.

Guardiola was adamant he had not lost confidence in his side, despite the Palace and Leicester reverses.

“How can I doubt them?,” he said. “Football is like this. We make 30 exceptional minutes again, especially without the ball, we create chances to go 2-0 or 3-0, we concede one goal.

“Against Crystal Palace and Leicester they were happy with 1-1 and they found a second one, I always judge our intentions of the game and always our intentions are to try.”

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss added: “We won a lot of games but unfortunately we lost two and we have a rival (Liverpool) who at the moment is the best team in Europe, or in the world.

“That’s why it’s a challenge for us next Thursday, to try and win and sustain this position as far as possible to arrive at the end of the season fighting for the title.”

– ‘Know what we have to do’ –

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2GN7d54

Man City bounce back as Pogba shines again for Man Utd

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City cut Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points with a 3-1 win at Southampton as Paul Pogba shone again for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United by scoring twice in a 4-1 victory over Bournemouth on Sunday.

City’s shock run of three defeats in four league games has allowed the unbeaten Liverpool to close in on a first title since 1990 with the sides set to meet at the Etihad on Thursday.

But after Jurgen Klopp’s men thrashed Arsenal 5-1 on Saturday to open up a nine-point lead, the champions responded despite an early scare at St Mary’s.

“We knew it, that with the position of Liverpool, if we drop points then it is over, it is finished,” said City boss Pep Guardiola.

“It would be almost impossible. Of course they are going to drop points but not too many.”

Charlie Austin wasted a great chance to give Southampton the lead before David Silva slotted home Bernardo Silva’s cross to put the visitors in front.

However, just as in defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester, City surrendered the lead when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg blasted high past Ederson eight minutes before half-time.

The game swung back in back in City’s favour just before the break as James Ward-Prowse turned Raheem Sterling’s cross into his own net before Alex McCarthy couldn’t keep out Sergio Aguero’s header.

Guardiola’s men should have added to their advantage as Aguero hit the bar and McCarthy made amends by denying Gabriel Jesus.

Fernandinho had been badly missed in City’s recent defeats, but his return from injury made a huge difference in midfield and Southampton ended with 10 men after Hojbjerg was shown a straight red card for scything down the Brazilian five minutes from time.

– Pogba doubles up –

Pogba had scored just one goal from open play in the Premier League this season under Jose Mourinho, but continues to flourish since the Portuguese’s departure with his second double in four days.

The Frenchman’s opener on five minutes owed much to the brilliant skill of Marcus Rashford who dribbled beyond two Bournemouth defenders before crossing for Pogba to tap into an empty net.

Pogba then powered home a header from Ander Herrera’s inviting cross before Rashford’s outside of the boot finish put United 3-0 up.

Nathan Ake reduced Bournemouth’s deficit before half-time, but Pogba turned provider for substitute Romelu Lukaku to make it 4-1 and only the post denied Pogba a first ever hat-trick.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2EWSfHg

Three and easy for Solskjaer as Pogba stars again in Man Utd win

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Paul Pogba scored twice for the second time in five days as Manchester United’s revival since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced the sacked Jose Mourinho continued unabated with a 4-1 thrashing of Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

A third consecutive victory since Solskjaer took caretaker charge until the end of the season keeps United eight points adrift of Chelsea in the fight for a top-four finish.

Marcus Rashford also shone as the England international’s stunning run and cross teed up Pogba’s opener before he scored United’s third.

Nathan Ake pulled a goal back for Bournemouth just before half-time, but Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to round off the scoring before Eric Bailly was shown a late red card to leave United to finish with 10 men.

The change in mood around United in the 12 days since Mourinho was sacked is palpable, no more so in the performances of Pogba who was discarded from the Portuguese’s starting line-up for his final three league games in charge.

The French World Cup winner played a part in four of United’s five goals at Cardiff last weekend to get Solskjaer off to a flying start before scoring twice against Huddersfield on Boxing Day.

Solskjaer has spoken of his desire to see Pogba break into the box more regularly and he had the simplest of tasks to prod the ball into an empty net after Rashford had bewildered the Bournemouth defence.

Ake and Diego Rico were left beaten by Rashford’s combination of fleet-footed dribbling and pace before his cross perfectly picked out Pogba’s run.

The roles were reversed 10 minutes later when this time Pogba’s header teed up Rashford for a powerful strike that was deflected just behind.

However, in stark contrast to the final days of Mourinho’s tenure, it seemed only a matter of time before United struck again and once more it was Pogba who provided the finish with a bullet header from Ander Herrera’s cross.

Unlike Pogba, Nemanja Matic was one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants but the Serbian has also epitomised the change in tack orchestrated by Solskjaer with the former Chelsea midfielder much more willing to look for a forward rather than sideways pass.

And Matic began the move for United’s third when he picked out Anthony Martial’s run and the Frenchman’s cross with the outside of his boot was turned home by Rashford.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2Rn6Gek

Iran national stadium to host women’s football team: official

Tehran (AFP) – Iran’s largest stadium will host the women’s national football team for the first time since the Islamic revolution, the semi-official news agency ISNA reported on Sunday.

The team will face Russia at Tehran’s Azadi stadium in a friendly match as part of the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, football federation chief Mehdi Taj told ISNA.

Only female spectators will be allowed to attend, though no date has yet been fixed for the match.

Women were barred from attending matches after the 1979 Islamic revolution, with clerics arguing they must be protected from the masculine atmosphere and sight of semi-clad men.

They have also worried about inadvertent touching as dense crowds of men and women leave stadiums.

There has been some relatively loosening of the rules in recent months, with a select group of around 850 women allowed to attend the the Asian Champions League final between Iran’s Persepolis FC and Japan’s Kashima Antlers in November.

The women were seated in a separate stand and entered two hours before the game to avoid the crush.

Some women were also allowed to watch screenings of Iran’s World Cup matches at Azadi (which means “freedom”) in June.

The first time women attended a post-revolution football match is believed to be November 2001 when around 20 Irish women were among the crowd for an Iran-Ireland World Cup qualifier.

Iranian women had to wait four more years, until June 8, 2005 when a few dozen were allowed to watch an Iran-Bahrain match, also a World Cup qualifier.

There have been other rare occasions when women were allowed to watch matches, but the issue continues to sharply divide the authorities.

After women attended an Iran-Bolivia friendly in October, the prosecutor general warned it would not happen again, saying it would “lead to sin”.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2CGROze

Manchester City stop the rot against Southampton

Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City showed they are willing to accept the challenge of Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title with a 3-1 win away to Southampton on Sunday.

Following shock defeats by Crystal Palace and Leicester, reigning champions City cut the gap between themselves and Premier League leaders Liverpool to seven points ahead of their meeting with the Merseysiders at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday.

But they allowed a limited Southampton side back into the game after a dominating start, which suggests there are still frailties for Liverpool to exploit.

David Silva put City ahead after 10 minutes but they passed up a number of chances to add to the lead and gifted Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg an equaliser in the 37th minute.

For a period, Pep Guardiola’s side looked fragile, but a James Ward-Prowse own-goal and a header by Sergio Aguero just before half-time restored their confidence.

Saints’ frustrations boiled over with a red card for Hojbjerg after a wild challenge on Fernandinho late in the game.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl sprang a surprise in his team selection by giving a debut to 18-year-old former Chelsea starlet Kayne Ramsay at right-back.

City should have gone ahead in the fifth minute when Jack Stephens allowed Raheem Sterling to steal possession and set up David Silva.

But the City man tried to be too deliberate, with his shot blocked by goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

But Saints could also have taken a more surprising lead after eight minutes when Mohamed Elyounoussi’s clever flick over the City defence sent Charlie Austin clear.

Austin’s first touch, however, was dreadful and sent the ball into Ederson’s grateful arms.

Instead of being a goal up, the home side were behind within a minute.

The left side of their defence was opened up with ease by a simple one-two, leaving Bernardo Silva clear of full-back Matt Targett and free to advance down the right. He had all the time he wanted to pick out the unmarked David Silva, who hit the ball first-time past McCarthy.

Riyad Mahrez then shot wide after a move that began with City playing a series of passes inside their own penalty area.

And Aguero squandered an excellent chance in the 25th minute, hitting his shot against McCarthy after Sterling had accelerated past the hapless Targett.

But overplaying at the other end almost proved City’s undoing.

Ederson was nearly caught by Austin before dribbling round the striker. But he showed a mastery of the more conventional goalkeeping arts on the half-hour with a diving save to keep out Austin’s glancing header from a corner by Ward-Prowse.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2QcWz79