Former Everton manager, Sam Allardyce, has slammed Paul Pogba for his performance in Manchester United's 4-0 win over Chelsea.
Allardyce, speaking to talkSPORT, claims Pogba was causing his own side more problems than the opposition.
Marcus Rashford netted twice, while Anthony Martial and Daniel James also found the back of the net, as United won their Premier League opener.
Pogba played in a midfield three alongside Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira. But Allardyce believes the 26-year-old should be played in a more advanced role, as he is too wasteful in possession.
"How much has he learned since he's been at Manchester United?
"Unfortunately for me he hasn't improved his game.
"We've seen the best from him sometimes when he's playing behind the front two, like at Man City away when he scored two goals.
"For me that looks like the position best for him, best suited to the tricks and the abilities he wants to pull off.
"Doing in central midfield in a two, it just doesn't work for Man United and it doesn't work for him.
"When Pogba plays the ball simply he looks very effective.
"But when he tries to do drag backs and step overs he's lost the ball every time.
"He needs to cut it out in the position he's playing in.
"If he was playing in behind the front-man, then I could understand it a little bit more.
"But he was causing Man United more problems than he was causing Chelsea on the ball," Allardyce said.
Boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn, has said Anthony Joshua has not decided to "cash out" in the Andy Ruiz Jr rematch, but has taken a greater risk by agreeing the world title fight in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua will fight Ruiz Jr again in Diriyah on December 7, as he attempts to avenge his shock stoppage defeat in June.
The Mexican had previously spoken about his reluctance to travel to Britain and Hearn insists Joshua was more interested in repairing his reputation, than any financial reward on offer in the Middle East.
"He [Ruiz Jr] didn't want to fight in the UK, felt it was unfair. I don't think AJ wants any excuses. He wants to make sure that he wins this fair and square and to do it on a neutral territory made sense.
"I don't think Anthony Joshua needs to cash out. I think he's doing alright. In terms of the risk, there is greater risk for him in this fight, doing it in a neutral venue, than over in the UK.
"I think that's just common sense, but I admire him for that, he doesn't fear a challenge," Hearn told Sky Sports.
Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi, has privately urged Neymar to reject Real Madrid and push for a return to the Camp Nou, according to reports in Spain.
Neymar has made it clear that he wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain, before the end of the transfer window.
And the Ligue 1 champions are now open to allowing the Brazilian forward leave.
Barcelona's hierarchy are set to meet with PSG chiefs on Tuesday to discuss Neymar's transfer and are willing to offer Philippe Coutinho as part of the deal.
Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, is also a huge fan of Neymar and has tried unsuccessfully to sign the 27-year-old on many occasions in the past.
Messi has now intervened by calling Neymar, to advise him against a move to Madrid.
Neymar spent four seasons alongside Messi at Barcelona and the pair won two La Liga titles, the Champions League and the Club World Cup.
Former England player, Darren Bent has attacked Super Eagles forward, Alex Iwobi, saying that player lacks quality.
Brent questioned the quality of the Nigerian playmaker following his move from Arsenal to Everton this summer.
Iwobi had moved to Arsenal on a five-year deal for an initial fee of £28 million, rising to £34 million.
Bent, who played for Aston Villa and a self-professed Arsenal fan, said that Everton already had a better player than the Nigerian in Richarlison.
"I'm an Arsenal fan and I've never been Iwobi's biggest fan," Bent told Football Insider.
"My thing with people has always been quality on the ball. Whether it was his final cross or his shot on goal, it was always under-hit or there was never really any quality there.
"He'd do the hard stuff, go past someone, and you'd want him to make the right decision, but he never seemed to get it right.
"I wouldn't say he's better than Richarlison because he gives you goals, he's got a bit more quality."
Barcelona defender, Gerard Pique, has said any news on
Neymar’s intention to return to the Camp Nou, will have to come from the
Paris Saint-Germain star himself, rather than his former team-mates.
Neymar has been consistently linked with a move back to the Spanish giants this summer.
The Brazilian is keen to leave the Ligue 1 champions, just two years after his world-record €222million move from Barca.
And while Barcelona have made it clear that they believe Neymar
is unhappy with PSG, Pique says his friends on the Spanish side will not
be offering any private information, about his intentions of making
another move.
“Of course I talk to him, but he has to be the one to speak out. “We have private conversations and I don’t think it’s correct to talk about them here. “He’s a star on and off the pitch. We hope something will happen. “He is a great player, who knows the dressing room, the city and the club. “I am convinced that there are many people [at the club] who were very happy with his output. “I know that it would be a very complicated operation, that
he plays for PSG and that we have a great squad that can challenge for
every trophy. “You already know about my relationship with Ney and we would
be happy to have him here [but] he plays for PSG and my opinion doesn’t
change anything,” Pique told a press conference ahead of Barca’s
friendly with Napoli.
Former Manchester United striker, Diego Forlan has announced his retirement from football after 21 years as a professional.
The former Uruguayan professional footballer, 40, who also played for Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, revealed his decision on Twitter.
Diego Forlan, who last played for Kitchee in Hong Kong in 2018 wrote: ‘After 21 years I made the decision to end my career as a professional footballer.
‘A beautiful stage closes full of great memories and emotions but
another of new challenges will begin. Thanks to all who in one way or
another accompanied me on this path!’
Forlan’s former Uruguay team-mate Luis Suarez posted a tribute to him on social media.
“Historic for Uruguayan football. Grateful for all the unforgettable
moments you made all Uruguayans live, both in the national team and in
all the teams you played,” said the Barcelona forward.
“I will always be grateful for what you taught me, both on and off
the field. A dream to have played with one of my idols. You will always
be a legend in Uruguay.”
Forlan, scored 36 goals in 112 games for Uruguay,
helping them to the Copa America title in 2011. He won the Premier
League in 2003 with United and the Europa League while at Spanish side
Atletico in 2009.
Nicolas Pepe has revealed how he started his football career including the sacrifices made by his parents. Pepe was last week announced as an Arsenal player for a reported club-record fee of £72 million.
The Ivorian moved to the Emirates Stadium from French side Lille – where he honed his skills as a forward – scoring 35 times from 74 appearances. However, the 24-year-old started out in goal at local side Solitaire Paris Est, before going on to become an outfield player.
“My family emigrated from Ivory Coast to France in 1995 and used to tell me about how difficult that was, especially when we were at school. They used to tell me that we had everything and they used to have nothing,” Pepe told Arsenal’s official website.
“They would tell us stories of how they’d walk 10 kilometres barefoot and we were lucky to be able to go to school by bus. When we grew up, my mother and father stopped working and came to live me just because of football, and just to make sure my dreams came true.
“They were there during the toughest times and the best times and they are still here right now. That is what they have done to this day. They helped me make this dream come true and they will continue to be by my side to support me.”
Pepe, who can play as an inverted-winger or as an outright winger and also as a forward, stated how he got bored as a goalkeeper.
“Let’s go right back to the start, when I used to play in goal. When I was a goalkeeper, I think we used to win six or 7-0 and I asked if we could change it so I could play on the pitch because I was bored in the goal. So then I swapped and moved on the pitch and I would even score,” the 24-year-old revealed.
“Playing in goal back then helps me a lot now. I know how a goalkeeper moves in relation to the position of the ball. That means I have a different way of analysing the position of the goalkeeper perhaps in comparison to others who might not understand how a goalkeeper moves. I know very well how they think and move in relation to the position of the ball.
“I loved playing in goal when I was really young but when I was 13 years old, I moved outfield. That’s when I started to imitate Drogba and his celebrations. He began by playing for Marseille and we would watch him there. That or when he played for the Ivory Coast squad where he did the coupé-décalé, a type of dance. That is something we would often do with my friends. It is something I will never forget.” The forward, who represented Ivory Coast at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, sat out Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Barcelona last Sunday. He is expected to be in action when the Gunners travel to Tyneside to take on Newcastle in the Premier League this Sunday.
Real Madrid have agreed personal terms with Manchester United midfielder, Paul Pogba, according to Don Balon. Pogba has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford for most of this summer and has until 5pm on Thursday (today) to leave.
The Red Devils superstar has agreed a five-year deal with Los Blancos, that will see him take home around €17million-a-year, a total which equates to around £300,000-a-week.
United want €170m for Pogba, while Real are not willing going to go past €150m. The Frenchman was arguably the club’s most important player last term, and should they sell him to Real in the coming days, Solskjaer’s side will have very little time to bring in a replacement ahead of Thursday’s transfer deadline.
Brazilian forward, Gabriel Jesus, has been handed a two-month international ban by CONMEBOL, for his behaviour during the Copa America final last month.
The 22-year-old scored and provided an assist, before being sent off in Brazil’s 3-1 win over Peru at the Maracana on July 7.
Jesus remonstrated with Chilean referee, Roberto Tobar after receiving a second yellow card for barging into Peru’s Carlos Zambrano, before pushing the VAR monitor and crying in the tunnel.
CONMEBOL announced a two-month ban for Jesus on Wednesday, in a statement saying, “the player is suspended to play official and friendly matches with his national team in that period of time.”
They decided that Jesus broke Articles 7.1 and 7.2 of the Disciplinary Rules for “behaving in an offensive, insulting or defamatory manner of any kind.”
Jesus was also fined $30,000 and is set to miss friendlies against Colombia and Peru in September, but has seven days to appeal the sanctions.
DC United will hold talks this week with representatives of Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil, ESPN reports.
The Major League Soccer (MLS) club are interested in signing Ozil, although any deal will take place during the January transfer window, which coincides with their offseason.
The German playmaker has struggled to hold a regular place under manager Unai Emery at Arsenal.
Ozil featured for just 1,741 minutes in the Premier League last season, his lowest number of appearances since the 2007/2008 campaign, when he made his breakthrough with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.
Since joining the Gunners in 2013, Ozil has made 231 league and cup appearances, scoring 43 goals while winning three FA Cups and a Community Shield.
Former Arsenal captain, Laurent Koscielny, has explained that he decided to leave the club months ago after much consideration, following his €5million move to Bordeaux.
Although Unai Emery tried to convince Koscielny to stay for the final year of his contract, the 33-year-old opted to return to his homeland after nine seasons with the Gunners.
The Frenchman's move caused controversy among fans, as he had refused to travel with the squad for their pre-season tour of the United States.
His actions prompted the club to open disciplinary proceedings.
Koscielny has however taken to his Instagram account, to give his version of the event.
"As you know I engaged with [Bordeaux]. After nine years spent at Arsenal, I took the decision to leave.
"I have spent wonderful years with this club, nine years during which I learned, evolved, grew up.
"This experience made me the player I am today. My decision to leave has been discussed for months with my club, my team-mates, my coach, and it has been a well thought decision.
"I see this departure like a new turning point in my life as a player but also in in my life as a man and a family man.
"However I hope you understand, and in any case I cannot be thankful enough for these years past at Arsenal.
"I am aware of everything that the club and you supporters have brought to me. But it is time for me to go home so today my will is to join [Bordeaux]. This is a new challenge that I count on taking with determination," he wrote.
Koscielny joined the Premier League side from Lorient in 2010 and made 353 appearances in all competitions, winning the FA Cup three times and reaching a Europa League final in his time at the club.
Napoli manager, Carlo Ancelotti, expects Barcelona to contend for a first Champions League title since 2015, after their signings this summer.
The five-time European champions have fallen short in competition in recent seasons, including extraordinary losses to Liverpool and Roma in the knockout rounds over the last two seasons.
They however have remained a dominant force in Spain, having won the league in four of the last five seasons.
But Barca have only reached the final of Europe's premier club competition once in the last seven years.
Ancelotti, whose side face Barca in a friendly in Florida on Wednesday, feels Ernesto Valverde's men should be contenders once more this season, after seeing the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong arrive to bolster a squad that still includes Lionel Messi.
"I believe that Barcelona is always a candidate to win the Champions League.
"It has a player like [Lionel] Messi and many others, so I think they always compete to win the maximum and the maximum is the Champions League.
"I think that with the signings they have done, this year will be very competitive," he told a news conference
Manchester United have opened talks with Christian Eriksen over a summer move from Tottenham Hotspur, The Independent reports.
The London club would now prefer to sell the 27-year-old in this window in order to bring in longer-term reinforcements such as Bruno Fernandes and Paulo Dybala.
Eriksen's contract is up next year and he does not want to sign a new deal.
He initially only wanted to go to Real Madrid, but they have cooled their interest, leaving United as the only serious bidders.
Spurs will hold out for upwards of £50million for Eriksen.
United are confident of getting a deal over the line, before the transfer window closes at 5pm on Thursday.
Barcelona defender, Gerard Pique, has said any news on Neymar's intention to return to the Camp Nou, will have to come from the Paris Saint-Germain star himself, rather than his former team-mates.
Neymar has been consistently linked with a move back to the Spanish giants this summer.
The Brazilian is keen to leave the Ligue 1 champions, just two years after his world-record €222million move from Barca.
And while Barcelona have made it clear that they believe Neymar is unhappy with PSG, Pique says his friends on the Spanish side will not be offering any private information, about his intentions of making another move.
"Of course I talk to him, but he has to be the one to speak out.
"We have private conversations and I don't think it's correct to talk about them here.
"He's a star on and off the pitch. We hope something will happen.
"He is a great player, who knows the dressing room, the city and the club.
"I am convinced that there are many people [at the club] who were very happy with his output.
"I know that it would be a very complicated operation, that he plays for PSG and that we have a great squad that can challenge for every trophy.
"You already know about my relationship with Ney and we would be happy to have him here [but] he plays for PSG and my opinion doesn't change anything," Pique told a press conference ahead of Barca's friendly with Napoli.
Crystal Palace are said to be on the verge of signing former Chelsea captain, Gary Cahill.
According to the Telegraph, Crystal Palace emerged favourite after
winning the race ahead of Arsenal to sign the 33-year-old experienced
defender.
The newspaper reports that Crystal Palace manager, Roy Hodgson
persuaded the former England international to join his squad at Selhurst
Park.
Cahill has been available on a free transfer after leaving Chelsea at the end of last season.
The 33-year-old also drew interest from West Ham United and Aston Villa in the past few of weeks.
Barcelona have confirmed that Lionel Messi has suffered a calf injury
and will not travel to the United States for their two friendlies
against Napoli.
Messi was on the bench as Barca beat Arsenal on penalties in the Joan Gamper trophy, but did not come on as a substitute.
He is now a doubt for the Catalan giants' first game of the season against Athletic Bilbao next Friday.
"First team player Leo Messi, who had returned from his summer break
for training on Monday, withdrew from the session due to discomfort in
his right leg.
"Tests carried out have diagnosed a Grade 1 calf strain for the Argentine.
"Messi will remain in Barcelona and will now not travel to the USA
for the club's tour. His availability to come back to action will be
dictated by his recovery from the injury," an official statement read.
Former Ajax and Real Madrid player Rafael van
der Vaart has said that "it is an ideal time" for Donny van de Beek to
make the move to the Bernabéu.
As talk intensifies linking Donny Van de Beek with a move to Real Madrid
should the club fail to secure Paul Pogba, former Ajax and Madrid
player Rafael van der Vaart has spoken about the prospect of his young
compatriot at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Real Madrid are making every effort to sign
Pogba, while Van de Beek has become the top 'Plan B' option. Here AS
looks at six factors to compare the players.
Yesterday, Donny van de Beek confirmed the reports. “Yes, Real Madrid are interested in me,” the Ajax midfielder told Fox Sports.
Van de Beek is Real Madrid’s ‘Plan B’ should they fail to execute ‘Plan A’: Paul Pogba.
The young Dutch player has been on Madrid’s agenda for some time. But
up to now, all efforts this summer have focused on Pogba, the number one
priority for Zinedine Zidane. Here, AS takes a look at six factors to compare the two Real Madrid targets.
Price/complexity of operation
The first and the most obvious one to look at, of course, is price. While Van de Beek could be picked up for between 50 and 60 million euros, Manchester United are looking for offers from 200 million for Pogba, more than triple the price of the young Dutchman.
Madrid is not willing to pay more than 150 million euros for the French midfielder. But that is still 90-100 million more than what they would have to pay for Van de Beek,
money which could be used to invest in more reinforcements. Ajax coach
Erik Ten Hag has admitted that there is little Ajax can do if Madrid
make a move for him. Thus due to the price difference and the simplicity
of the operation, Van de Beek would be the winner on these factors.
Zinedine Zidane
The demands and conditions Zidane had stipulated upon his return to
Real Madrid have so far been fulfilled, but there is one name that he
has written in capital letters, and that is Paul Pogba. “We know what we want; we are working on it,”
Zidane said when asked about the United player. The French coach’s
standing on Van de Beek is clear, he is a ‘Plan B’. As such, Pogba comes
out as the clear winner of the Zidane factor.
Experience
The differences between both players on this front is more than obvious. Paul Pogba is a World Cup winner, while Van de Beek just made his entrance onto the world footballing stage last season.
The Dutchman has accumulated 139 games for Ajax at the age of 22, while the 26-year-old Frenchman already has 320 games
under his belt for two of Europe’s biggest clubs in Manchester United
and Juventus. While it is true that the Ajax midfielder showed maturity
and capability beyond his age in the Champions League knock-out stages
last year, Pogba wins out on this front.
Profile
One of the biggest musts of a central midfielder at the Santiago Bernabéu is scoring ability.
But between them, all the players who occupied the centre of the field
for Madrid last season scored a total of just 12 goals in LaLiga. Those
numbers are in stark contrast to the 13 goals scored by Pogba (16 in all competitions) and the 9 goals scored by Van de Beek (17 in all competitions).
The profiles of both players is quite different, with Pogba a much
more leisurely player than the pupil of Ten Hag. Pogba has a big
physical presence in the centre of the field, is always a threat in
attack and has a phenomenal shot form distance, as we have seen
throughout his career.
Van de Beek, meanwhile, is a much livelier player who likes
to come forward to join the front line as a supporting attacking
midfielder or even as a second striker. It remains to be seen
if he could fit a formation with two central midfielders or if he would
need two players behind him doing the ‘dirty work’, as Frenkie De Jong and Lasse Schöne did last season.
If we look at it in terms of the profile most required by Madrid, Pogba also wins this battle due to both his goal-scoring ability and physical presence.
Adaptation
In terms of adaption, Pogba wins hands down. He already shares the same mother tongue as the head coach, as well as with Courtois, Varane, Mendy, Hazard and Benzema.
Pogba has already gone through the adaption of playing in another
country twice. Furthermore, he will have one, if not both of his older
brothers close by: Mathias Pogba signed with Spanish third division side
Manchego CD recently, while Florentin Pogba has been offered to Madrid-based second division club Fuenlabrada.
On the other hand, young Van de Beek would be making his first career venture out of his native Holland and would not have the support of a compatriot to help him with his integration into the group.
Media presence
Again Pogba wins on this factor. Pogba is one of the most popular players on social media, which is evident from his 36.7 million followers on Instagram,
a figure well above the 809,000 who follow Van de Beek. The Frenchman
also has experience of playing for Juventus and Man United – clubs that
are heavily under the global media spotlight, much like Real Madrid and
much more so than Ajax.
The jump to Madrid would be much more pronounced for the young Dutchman than for the French international,
who is significantly more accustomed to the trappings of the media. The
media pressure that Madrid players live with is very high and the
ability to cope with it is a fundamental part of the development of any
player at the club.
Lionel Messi has been suspended from Argentina's next three matches
and given a $50,000 (£41,000) fine by CONMEBOL, for his controversial
comments made during the Copa America.
The Barcelona superstar accused South America's football governing
body of corruption, following the red card he received in his country's
2-1 third-place playoff win against Chile.
Messi will miss friendly matches against Chile (September 5), Mexico
(September 10) and Germany (October 10) in addition to the one-match
World Cup qualifying ban for being sent off.
It had seemed that the one-game suspension for the red would be all Messi was given.
But CONMEBOL has now punished the 32-year-old for his scathing remarks too.
Leo Messi accused the organisers and referees at the Copa América of “corruption” when he spoke in the mixed zone after Argentina beat Chile 2-1 to take third place in the tournament being held in Brazil.
Messi
had refused to collect his third-place medal and said that “the Copa is
set up for Brazil, hopefully the referees and the VAR won't influence
things and they let Peru compete, but I think that's unlikely.”
The Argentina and Barcelona star had previously talked of “bullshit refereeing” after Argentina had been knocked out by Brazil in the semi-final, and he made reference to his comments, saying he thought it was possible that what he’d said might have influenced his sending off.
Messi’s comments could now see him face a severe punishment from
CONMEBOL, whose rules prohibit insulting in any means or manner
CONMEBOL, its institutions or personnel. Where the governing body do decide to take action, Messi could face a ban of up to two years,
which would see him miss not just the qualification for World Cup Qatar
2022, but also the Copa América 2020 in Argentina and Colombia.
CONMEBOL were clearly stung by Messi’s comments, releasing a statement in response to Messi’s comments, in which they branded them ‘unacceptable”.
The CONMEBOL statement continued: “Said accusations represent a lack
of respect for the competition, all the football players involved and
the hundreds of professionals of CONMEBOL, institution that since 2016 has been tirelessly working to transparent, professionalize and develop South American football."
What remains to be seen is if the organisation would want to ban the region’s most high profile player for a significant length of time…
Brazil star Thiago Silva was one of the many critical voices on what Messi had said, and pointed to a sense of hypocrisy after what the Argentine had done during Barcelona's comeback against PSG.
Sao Paulo have confirmed the signing of former Paris Saint-Germain full-back and Brazil star Dani Alves.
Alves has signed a contract with the Brazilian giants until December 2022, it was announced on Thursday.
The 36-year-old – who first moved to Europe in 2002, joining Sevilla
from Bahia – was a free agent following his PSG departure after two
years with the Ligue 1 champions.
Alves had been linked to former club Barcelona and the Premier
League, however, the veteran has opted to return home to Brazil as he
eyes the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“Daniel Alves is the embodiment of what this management envisions
for Sao Paulo – one of the leading players in the world and recognised
for his immense professionalism, his fierce determination and his
endless thirst for titles and victories,” club president Carlos Augusto de Barros e Silva said in a statement. “He is also a socially engaged citizen and passionate about our country. Sao Paulo, therefore, wins on every possible front. “One day I told Daniel that he would come to play at Sao Paulo, the club of his heart. Today I have the immense joy and pride to have kept that promise.”
Alves captained Brazil to Copa America glory on home soil in July – taking his career haul to 40 trophies.
The veteran’s transfer was announced in a video
on Sao Paulo’s Twitter account, with the defender expressing his
excitement to be back in his native country playing for the club he
supported as a child.
“I could’ve picked any other team to play for,” Alves said. “But I chose to come back to Brazil, to my country, to my people. To the club I love. “It’s unreal, but I’m here!”
Sao Paulo also posted on Twitter that Alves would wear the No. 10 jersey at his new club.
Last week, Alves took to Instagram in a tongue-in-cheek post, asking where he should send his CV as he looked for a new team.
But Alves has now landed back in his home country, where he will play at the club level for the first time in 17 years.
