Emery finds it hard to put case for Gunners defence

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Unai Emery was happy with his team’s attacking play after Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over Fulham but admitted their defending has plenty of room for improvement. 

The score suggests a straightforward win against a Fulham team who performed as poorly on the road as they usually do but it was exactly what Emery’s men needed to restore confidence after their 5-1 thrashing by Liverpool.

But Emery knew the score did not tell the whole story.

Ryan Sessegnon missed two good chances to give the visitors the lead in the first 20 minutes and had either gone in, Arsenal’s resolve would have been sorely tested.

Instead, typically slack Fulham defending allowed the unmarked Granit Xhaka to score from Alex Iwobi’s measured cross after 25 minutes, and Arsenal were rarely troubled after that. 

“Our challenge now is to improve defensively,” Emery admitted. “Today was the first time we could play with Sokratis, (Skhodran) Mustafi and (Laurent) Koscielny.

“We are very happy with the attacking players, scoring lots of goals like today.

“But we need more balance defensively, we need to work, to prepare for the second half of the season and we need to do better tactically and we are going to.”

His three-man defence, though, was disrupted by a hamstring injury that forced Mustafi off the field at half-time.

Rather than replace him with Stephan Lichtsteiner, Emery changed formation and went to a back four, which suggests the search for balance is both tactical and one of personnel. 

Emery hinted signings are possible this month as the transfer window reopens.

“It’s not easy to improve our team in the market but the club is working. Maybe we can sign one or two players,” said the 47-year-old Spaniard.

The scale of Arsenal’s defensive difficulties is illustrated by their failure to keep a clean sheet since beating Huddersfield Town at the Emirates Stadium on December 8, but a second victory in six matches was welcome.

“We needed to win today,” added Emery whose decision to take off goalscorer Alexandre Lacazette in the second-half sparked a chorus of boos.

However, it was a moved which proved fruitful when his replacement Aaron Ramsey scored soon afterwards.

“We are behind the first four teams in the table but we want to stay close and in the near future there can be opportunities to be in the top four,” said Emery.

Swiss midfielder Xhaka set Arsenal on their way with his fourth goal of the season. Lacazette added the second after 55 minutes with their momentum temporarily halted as Aboubakar Kamara pulled one back after 69 minutes.

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

Arsenal bounce back to rout feeble Fulham

London (AFP) – Arsenal responded to their thrashing by Liverpool in the best possible manner reeling off a routine 4-1 humbling of struggling Fulham in their Premier League clash on Tuesday.

Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka had set Arsenal on their way with his fourth goal of the season. Alexandre Lacazette added the second after 55 minutes with their momentum temporarily halted as Aboubakar Kamara pulled one back after 69 minutes.

However, Welshman Aaron Ramsey came off the bench to make it 3-1 eleven minutes from time and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added a fourth.

Arsenal have yet to keep a clean sheet since beating Huddersfield Town on December 8, but a second win in six matches saw them move on to 41 points two points off the Champions League places.

Fulham have shown little sign of a recovery under Claudio Ranieri since he took over from the sacked Slavisa Jokanovic and are second from bottom.

The visitors did have their chances early on to break the deadlock. 

First Fulham captain Tom Cairney sent Ryan Sessegnon clear of defenders with the simplest of passes only for the England under-21 star to sidefoot his shot wide of Bernd Leno’s goal.

Then Andre Schurrle hit a dangerous low cross from the left and Sessegnon ran in behind Sead Kolasinac only to miskick with the goal at his mercy.

Fulham paid dearly for that miss in the 25th minute as Arsenal exposed the defensive frailties that have blighted their season.

Alex Iwobi spotted Xhaka advancing unmarked into the penalty area and flighted the ball into his path.

The midfielder had all the time he needed to control the ball and poke it past Fulham goalkeeper Sergio Rico.

Arsenal relaxed and created a series of chances, Xhaka and Sokratis having shots blocked, Aubameyang heading wide and Lacazette seeing a shot hit Rico’s trailing leg.

A second goal arrived ten minutes into the second half.

It was Arsenal at their intricate, quick-passing best.

Iwobi, on the left, touched the ball forward to Aubameyang, who saw Kolasinac advancing inside him and rolled it into his path. The defender unselfishly squared for Lacazette to hit the ball past Rico from ten yards.

Kamara briefly gave Fulham hope when he made amends for Saturday’s controversial penalty miss at home to Huddersfield — he had insisted on taking the spot kick himself — by arriving at the far post to convert Sessegnon’s low cross.

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

Vardy rings in New Year with acrobatic display

Liverpool (AFP) – Jamie Vardy rescued a dire match with an eye-catching celebration as his goal secured Leicester City a 1-0 win away at Everton in their New Year’s day Premier League fixture on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old showed remarkable agility after scoring in the 58th minute for a result that sees The Foxes move into seventh, seven points adrift of Arsenal who occupy the Europa League fifth-placed spot. 

Vardy has been rumoured to have strained relations with Leicester manager Claude Puel and was taken off in the defeat by Cardiff last Saturday and said the acrobatic display had not been a spontaneous one. 

“I have had it in my locker for a while,” he told Sky Sports.

“I saved it for a special occasion, what better one than New Years Day. New year, new me.”

Despite the rumours surrounding their relations Vardy has been the most effective goalscorer since Puel took over in October 2017 taking his Premier League tally to 22, double the number of the next highest Foxes scorer.

Whilst Leicester have found a rich vein of form — this was their third win in four matches with the other two the prized scalps of Manchester City and Chelsea — Everton are going in the opposite direction.

Hopes that Portuguese manager Marco Silva would lead to a revival and a genuine challenge for European football have foundered of late with four defeats in their last five Premier League matches.

Silva, whose side are 10th, 11 points adrift of Arsenal, admitted their performance fell well short of what he or the fans desired.

“Disappointing result, poor performance to be honest,” he told Sky Sports.

“In this moment we have to be honest and look clear at the game.

“Poor performance since the first minute.”

pi/iwd

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

United defender displays Shaw-fire generosity

London (AFP) – Manchester United defender Luke Shaw entered in the Christmas spirit of giving in grand style by spending £10,000 ($12,800) on hampers from luxury London store Harrods for Manchester United staff the Daily Mail reported on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old — whose own fortunes have taken a turn for the better with interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer restoring him to the first team since the sacking of Jose Mourinho — bought 40 hampers worth more than £250 apiece.

The hampers included fudge, mince pies, a Christmas pudding, tea, coffee and champagne among other luxury items.

It is not the first time the England international who earns a reported £165,000 a week has displayed such generosity, having ordered hampers from the equally famous Fortnum and Mason store last year.

The former Southampton star also paid a visit to a children’s hospital, alongside fellow defender Chris Smalling, and invited four of his former school teachers to the 4-1 home win over Bournemouth on Sunday.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2R0ZKnD

Winning Nations League can be launching pad for Euros: Kane

London (AFP) – Harry Kane believes if England can lift the inaugural Nations League later this year in Portugal it will instil the confidence required to add the European Championship title in 2020.

The 25-year-old England captain told The Daily Telegraph inflicting Spain’s first competitive home defeat in 15 years and avenging their defeat in the World Cup semi-finals by Croatia in the Nations League group stage had maintained the momentum. 

Kane, who finished top scorer in Russia with six goals to win the Golden Boot, said should England win their first continental trophy since the 1966 World Cup it will give them the ideal launching pad for further success.

England play the Netherlands in the semi-finals in the northern Portuguese city of Guimaraes on June 6 with the winner playing either Switzerland or hosts Portugal in the final on June 9.     

“Now the Nations League is an opportunity to win a trophy and if we win one then hopefully it will be easier to win another,” he said.

“It will give us a real confidence and belief going into the Euros.”

Kane, who scored 42 goals in 63 appearances for his club Tottenham Hotspur and country last year, said the wins over Spain and Croatia showed they had learnt lessons from the World Cup.

“When we look back at the World Cup then there were performances in which we could have done better and the next motivation, the next step is putting that right,” he said.

“We’ve put in some big games -– beating Spain away, Croatia at home.

“It feels like we are still ticking those boxes, as we were doing in the summer, that will make us better.”

Kane on a personal front admits it may seem odd but he has never felt he has completely won people over despite his remarkable goalscoring feats for both club and country.

“My whole career I have had to prove people wrong almost play with a chip on my shoulder,” he said.

“That motivation is just something that’s been inside me, instilled in me, wanting to do my best.”

Those doubts he has had to overcome were sewn when after coming through the Spurs academy he was sent out on loan to the unglamourous duo of Leyton Orient and Millwall.

He continued his learning curve with further loans to Leicester City and Norwich.

He says that New England Patriots legendary five-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady offered inspiration in showing how you can blow away the sceptics.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2F1zEul

Hosts unknown, but Cup of Nations to take centre stage in Africa

Johannesburg (AFP) – An Africa Cup of Nations with new dates and an expanded 24-team line-up will take centre stage this year in the continent, but the hosts have still to be decided.

CAF will announce next Wednesday whether Egypt or South Africa stage the June 15-July 13 tournament after Cameroon were dropped over preparation delays and security concerns. 

The date switch from January/February should end club-versus-country rows after a growing number of African stars were reluctant to leave their European teams in mid-season.

Increasing the number of finalists from 16 has already had an impact with former whipping boys Madagascar and Mauritania qualifying for the first time.  

AFP Sport looks at what lies in store at national team and club levels during 2019 for the most popular sport in Africa.

Player of the Year

Egypt and Liverpool scoring sensation Mohamed Salah is set to retain the title in Dakar on January 8 with fellow Red Sadio Mane from Senegal his closest challenger.

If Salah continues to score consistently he could challenge the record of former Ivory Coast and Manchester City star Yaya Toure, who was voted number one four consecutive times.

Cup of Nations hosts

There is little to choose between Egypt and South Africa ahead of a fourth straight Cup of Nations to be held in a country not originally chosen as hosts.

But one marked difference would be the weather with Egypt experiencing northern hemisphere summer heat in June and July while South Africa shivers in the southern hemisphere winter.  

Cup of Nations

Should Egypt be named hosts, the record seven-time African champions would be favoured to go one better than 2017 when they lost the final to Cameroon in Libreville.   

Were South Africa to get the nod, the chances of Senegal and former champions Tunisia, Morocco and Nigeria lifting the trophy would increase.  

Champions League

Holders Esperance of Tunisia, TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Al Ahly of Egypt have won seven of the last 10 finals and are among the favourites again.

Ahly, under new Uruguayan coach Martin Lasarte, will be desperate for a first success since 2013 having lost the last two finals to Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and Esperance.  

Confederation Cup

North African clubs have won 10 of the 15 finals in the second-tier competition and trophy-holders Raja Casablanca of Morocco head a powerful challenge from the region.  

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2F0s0Qo

French World Cup champions awarded Legion of Honour

Paris (AFP) – The players in France’s football team which last year won the World Cup, on Tuesday were awarded the the Legion of Honour in the new year’s honours list.

The 23 players, including star strikers Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, each received France’s top medal for their part in beating Croatia in the World Cup final in Moscow.

The French team that won the 1998 World Cup also received the Legion of Honour.

A total of 402 people — half men, half women — were on this year’s list, including French writer Michel Houellebecq, whose latest book “Sérotonin” is to be published later this month.

Houellebecq became a pin-up of France’s far right after publishing “Submission”, with its vision of a France subject to sharia law after electing a Muslim president in 2022.

Others included Marin Sauvageon, a student who was badly beaten up in Lyon in November 2016 after standing up to a gang that was insulting a kissing couple.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2SChum0