Real Madrid draw Barcelona in Copa del Rey semis

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid will face defending champions Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.

The draw made on Friday means there will be back-to-back Clasicos, with the second leg due to take place in the last week of February, before Madrid host Barca in La Liga on March 2.

The first leg will be played at the Camp Nou next week before a return at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Betis will play Valencia in the other semi-final.

Real Madrid’s club director Emilio Butragueno said after the draw: “Madrid against Barcelona is one of the best matches that can be seen all over the world today. It will be a great knock-out match.”

Barca are chasing a record fifth Copa del Rey success in a row while Madrid are into the last four for the first time since they won the competition in 2014.

Two Clasico games in a week will crank up the pressure on both teams at the end of the month but Real also have a testing schedule around the first leg, sandwiched between a city derby against Atletico in La Liga and their Champions League last-16 first leg away to Ajax.

Real reached the Copa del Rey semis after completing a 7-3 aggregate victory over Girona on Thursday while Barcelona pulled off a brilliant comeback to beat Sevilla, overturning a 2-0 first-leg deficit by winning 6-1 at the Camp Nou.

Valencia scored two late goals to overcome Getafe on Tuesday and Real Betis needed extra time to knock out Espanyol.

Betis have added motivation in this year’s competition after their own stadium, the Benito Villamarin, was confirmed as the venue for the final on May 25.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2S0Xbm1

Transfer window slim pickings expose tensions at PSG

Paris (AFP) – Despite being one of the biggest spenders in Europe in the January transfer window, Paris Saint-Germain have lost Neymar to injury at a crucial point in the season and risk being undermined by tensions behind the scenes.

In what was a quiet window on the whole, the capital club spent a reported 47 million euros ($54 million) to sign Argentine international Leandro Paredes from Zenit Saint Petersburg and provide a much-needed extra option in midfield.

However, PSG remained light in that area with contract rebel Adrien Rabiot frozen out, and sporting director Antero Henrique spent the final days of the transfer window trying to add another signing.

Nevertheless, a move for Everton’s Idrissa Gueye failed to materialise after the English club rejected their initial offer, and an approach for Lille’s Thiago Mendes did not come to fruition either.

Meanwhile, PSG reportedly pulled the plug on a move for Argentine playmaker Luciano Acosta of DC United.

The latter would have been another creative option for coach Thomas Tuchel, who will be without Neymar until early April after the world’s most expensive player succumbed to a metatarsal injury last week.

“The winter window closed amidst total confusion for Paris Saint-Germain,” said Le Parisien on Friday.

– Wenger rumours –

PSG’s prospects of beating Manchester United in the Champions League last 16 — the first leg is set for February 12 — now appear to hang very much in the balance.

Reports in France have highlighted friction between Tuchel and the Portuguese Henrique, and Arsene Wenger is now being touted as a possible successor to the current sporting director.

“It is a position that could really interest him,” a source close to Wenger told AFP.

None of those issues should prevent PSG from retaining the Ligue 1 title, as they come into a weekend that will see them go to Lyon on Sunday with a lead of 13 points over Lille in second, and with two games in hand.

PSG have won on just one of their last five visits to Lyon on league duty and this could be the biggest obstacle yet to their unbeaten record in Ligue 1 under Tuchel.

Elsewhere, Saint-Etienne in fourth host fifth-placed Strasbourg, who made it through to the League Cup final in midweek by beating Bordeaux in the last four.

– All change at Monaco –

They will play Guingamp in the final in Lille in March, after the Brittany side beat Monaco on penalties.

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

Qatar players cleared in eligibility row before Asian Cup final

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Asia’s football body dismissed a protest claiming two Qatari players, including Asian Cup top-scorer Almoez Ali, were ineligible to play just hours before the final on Friday.

The decision, which follows a protest lodged by Asian Cup hosts the United Arab Emirates, was announced as Qatar prepared to take the field against Japan in Abu Dhabi.

“The Asian Football Confederation disciplinary and ethics committee today dismissed the protest lodged by the United Arab Emirates Football Association over the eligibility of two Qatar players,” an AFC statement said.

No further details were given about the reasons for the protest or the dismissal, and the two players were not identified by the AFC.

But widespread reports named Sudanese-born Ali, 22, who has a record-equalling eight goals in the tournament, and 21-year-old defender Bassam Al-Rawi who was born in Iraq.

The UAE made its protest after the home side were thrashed by Qatar, their arch-rivals, in a stormy semi-final that saw the winning team pelted with shoes and plastic bottles.

According to the AFC’s Disciplinary and Ethics Code, teams who field an ineligible player can be made to forfeit the match in question and pay a fine.

Ali has played in all six games of Qatar’s run to their first Asian Cup final, matching the record held by Iranian legend Ali Daei with his eight goals so far.

Both players were named in Qatar’s starting line-up for the final at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2S4NqUb

Why were Premier League clubs so careful with their cash in January?

London (AFP) – Premier League clubs were reluctant to plunge into the inflated January marketplace this season — in stark contrast to last year, when they splashed out a record £430 million on transfer fees.

Just £180 million ($235 million) was spent last month, according to finance experts at Deloitte, with the “Big Six” notably restrained.

Chelsea spent around £55 million to sign US international Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund but he was loaned back to the German club for the rest of the season.

Other than that, loan deals bringing Gonzalo Higuain to Chelsea and Denis Suarez to Arsenal were the only moves that caught the eye for the top teams. 

All six clubs, also including Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham, are ranked in the top 10 of Deloitte’s Money League so why are they being more careful with their cash?

Contenders content with what they have

Liverpool led the way in the summer transfer window, spending more than £160 million and that business has proven to be shrewd, with Jurgen Klopp’s men five points clear at the top of the table and on course to end a 29-year wait to win the league.

Liverpool have committed to eight new long-term contracts, including deals for Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane since April to help keep their current crop together.

Manager Pep Guardiola repeatedly said champions Manchester City were not in the market for new players over the past month.

And any plans for arrivals at Manchester United may have been put on ice as the club waits to appointment a new permanent manager and reportedly also a director of football at the end of the season.

Money problems for Arsenal, Spurs

For north London’s two giants, money has been tight for differing reasons.

Arsenal are feeling the pinch following two campaigns without Champions League football, the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette for club-record fees in the past 18 months and highly lucrative contracts dished out to Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Tottenham have enjoyed the riches of the Champions League for three consecutive seasons for the first time in their history.

However, the costs associated with the club’s new 62,000-capacity stadium and delays in moving in meant that despite an injury crisis, Spurs did not add to their squad for a second consecutive window.

Summer spending

The summer transfer window is when most clubs believe the best business is done, with January often a seller’s market.

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

Martial can take inspiration from Ronaldo, says Solskjaer

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has challenged Anthony Martial to fulfil his potential at Manchester United by following Cristiano Ronaldo’s example.

United announced on Thursday that the France striker had signed a new contract that commits him to the club until at least June 2024, with the option for a further year.

Martial, who is expected to recover from a minor training injury to play at Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday, has scored 10 goals this season, although he had gone more than a month without one before striking in the 3-1 FA Cup win at Arsenal on January 25.

Solskjaer, United’s caretaker-manager, witnessed Ronaldo’s transformation from raw teenager to world-class talent while at Old Trafford.

The Juventus forward, who joined United from Sporting Lisbon as an 18-year-old in 2003, spent six years with the club before joining Real Madrid.

Martial moved to Old Trafford from Monaco in 2015, aged 19, and has shown flashes of talent, without ever establishing himself as a consistent goalscorer.

Solskjaer believes the France forward has plenty of room for improvement and has urged him to look at the way Ronaldo developed.

“Cristiano was the best, the way he’s changed to now, that’s part of any player’s development,” said the interim United boss.

“You’ve got to model yourself on someone and you’ve got to have more challenges ahead of you. You can’t just rely on what you do now.

“I speak about my experience at this club with Cristiano and what Anthony can achieve. I talk about Cristiano’s career, what he’s made, how he’s got there.”

Martial scored 17 goals in his first season with United, but has not matched that total since.

He endured a difficult campaign under Jose Mourinho last season, missing out on France’s World Cup squad, and it seemed at one stage as if he might leave Old Trafford.

– Martial confidence –

He appears to be playing with more confidence now, and Solskjaer sees the new contract as a sign of the club’s faith in the forward.

“He’s had some ups and downs at the club, he’s been top scorer, he’s been developing,” said Solskjaer.

“Of course as a young lad moving abroad it’s not easy but now he knows he’s going to stay here for the coming future and I believe in him, I certainly believe in him.

“He’s a fantastic finisher, with great ability. He’s young, but he’s intelligent, knows his football.”

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2Rum9oT

Resurgent Real Madrid bring no guarantees for fit-again Bale

Madrid (AFP) – Gareth Bale is back but returns not so much to a hero’s welcome but a Real Madrid team doing rather well without him.

When Cristiano Ronaldo left last summer, 45 days after Bale’s brilliant double in the Champions League final, the belief was they had their ready-made successor. The club’s president Florentino Perez was convinced.

It started well, with three goals in as many games, but the team shrivelled under Julen Lopetegui and Bale, like the rest of the squad, faded. Then his fitness broke down too. 

There was a groin strain in October and an ankle problem in December. Both were minor but a calf injury at the start of January proved more serious and Bale was out for three weeks. 

In that time, Madrid rebounded off a defeat by Real Sociedad to beat Leganes, Real Betis, Sevilla and Girona. They lost a second leg to Leganes in the Copa del Rey, but the tie was all but won. 

Results were good but performances even better. Their 2-0 victory over Sevilla was probably their most complete display of the season while in last weekend’s 4-2 win against Espanyol, when Bale came on and scored, Madrid seemed to have their swagger back.

“We are showing we haven’t forgotten how to play,” said Luka Modric. “This is the Madrid we want to see.”

Chasing down Barcelona and a 10-point gap in La Liga will likely prove impossible but with the Champions League knock-out stages just around the corner, this gathering of momentum is timely.

The dilemma now for coach Santiago Solari is whether to restore his marquee players, like Bale and the fit-again Marco Asensio, or remain loyal to those that have sparked his team into life.

“Decisions are always made in the moment,” Solari said, when asked if Bale would come back in. “We will choose according to each game and take various factors into account.”

– Benzema scaling new heights –

Karim Benzema has been Madrid’s stand-out player this season and scaled new heights in recent weeks. He scored twice against Espanyol and then two more against Girona on Thursday in the Copa del Rey. He has five goals in his last three games, a return he last managed in January 2016.

Benzema will never get close to Ronaldo’s numbers but hopes that he might be liberated by the Portuguese’s departure are coming to fruition.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2Wz1vI1

Premier League January transfer spending plummets

London (AFP) – Premier League spending in the January transfer window fell for the first time since 2012, with clubs paying a total of £180 million ($235 million) for new players, according to football finance experts at Deloitte.

Nearly a third of the total expenditure was accounted for by Chelsea’s outlay of around £55 million for Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund, according to the figures.

Last year’s winter transfer window saw top-flight clubs spend £430 million, with big-money moves including defender Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool for £75 million.

However, most of the major transactions this January saw players leaving Premier League sides, with Brahim Diaz moving from Manchester City to Real Madrid, Mousa Dembele moving to Guangzhou R&F from Tottenham and Schalke buying Manchester City’s Rabbi Matondo.

Tim Bridge, director in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: “As we approach a decisive phase of the season, Premier League clubs’ January transfer spending has been relatively muted in comparison to what we have seen in previous years.”

January spending was at £225 million in 2011 but fell to £60 million in the following year.

It doubled the following year, and remained steady at £130 million in 2014 and 2015, before jumping significantly.

The £180 million transfer bill means total gross spending by Premier League clubs in the 2018/19 season is an estimated £1.4 billion, the second-highest season ever following record spend of £1.9 billion in 2017/18.

Other findings from Deloitte included the so-called “Big Six” clubs accounting for 43 percent of the January expenditure, lower than last year, when this figure stood at 62 percent.

Newcastle United’s signing of Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron was the biggest deal to go through on deadline day on Thursday, for a reported £20 million.

Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi, who spent the first half of the season on loan at Valencia, returned to England on a temporary deal with Crystal Palace.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2G2Rduv