Month: January 2023

Italy will be “hungry for revenge” following their World Cup absence when they meet Spain at the Nations League Finals in June, Roberto Mancini’s assistant Alberico Evani has told Stats Perform.

The European champions missed out on a second consecutive edition of the global tournament last year after falling to a shock qualification play-off defeat against North Macedonia in March.

However, the Azzurri bounced back to top a competitive Nations League group containing Hungary, Germany and England as they qualified for the competition’s final four for the second edition in a row.

Italy will face Spain – who beat them in the 2021 semi-finals at San Siro – on June 15 following Wednesday’s draw, while hosts Netherlands will meet Croatia.

Evani, who was a World Cup runner-up as a player in 1994 before joining Mancini’s backroom team in 2018, knows Spain will be tough opponents but hopes Italy can prove a point.

“We’ve struggled against them in the past because of their style of play,” Evani said of the threat posed by La Roja. 

“We would have preferred to avoid them, but it’s also nice to have to play against them, as we can see if we have improved. 

“We are the only two teams who reached the final four in the last two consecutive editions. Let’s see if we can change the result. 

“We are hungry for revenge and to take back what we have left in London two years ago [when winning the delayed Euro 2020]. 

“We have the skills to do it and we are doing all we can to be competitive again, we are working to be in the best possible conditions in June.”

Mancini recently called for coaches to be braver in giving top-level experience to young Italian players, something Evani is also keen to see. 

“We had a camp right before Christmas and we called up all these young players. There is a lot of quality, they are interesting players with big futures ahead of them,” he said.

“We hope their respective clubs will let them play more and more so they can gain the right experience. We have the talents, I think the future is bright.”

Evani was speaking less than a week after Serie A giants Juventus were issued with a 15-point deduction following an investigation into the club’s past transfer dealings.

Italy won the 2006 World Cup amid investigations that saw several of Serie A’s top clubs punished in the aftermath of the Calciopoli scandal, and Evani hopes the Azzurri can again find motivation from a crisis affecting the country’s domestic league.

“Our country always find strength in hardships,” he said. “We didn’t qualify for the World Cup and we now have this issue with the entire Italian football system. Who knows, we might be able to find the right boost to reach new heights.”

Erling Haaland is closing in on another Premier League record as he seeks to become the player with the most hat-tricks in a single season.

Since the division’s rebrand in 1992, Alan Shearer currently tops the charts having notched five trebles in the 1995-96 campaign but he is now closely followed by Haaland, who already has four this term.

And with Manchester City set to play 18 more matches in 2022-23, there is a real possibility that the Norwegian could take his crown.

There is even a chance that Haaland could challenge George Camsell’s incredible record of nine hat-tricks in the 1925-26 season — the most ever recorded in a single campaign in England.

We take a look at some of the other prolific hat-trick hitters from the Premier League era.

Ruud van Nistelrooy (3 — Manchester United)

Ruud van Nistelrooy scored more than 20 goals in four of his five Premier League campaigns, with his three hat-tricks in 2002-03 accompanied by the Premier League title and Golden Boot.

His nine goals against Newcastle, Fulham and Charlton earned him the top spot in the goalscoring charts ahead of Thierry Henry, while the Dutchman was also named the Premier League’s player of the season.

Alan Shearer (3 — Blackburn)

We know that Shearer went on to score five hat-tricks in 1995-96, but his three across the 1994-95 season were crucial in helping him win his only league title at Blackburn.

This was also the year that the Newcastle-born marksman would go on to score 34 domestic goals, a number that no other player has been able to beat in the Premier League era.

Dimitar Berbatov (3 — Manchester United)

The other Red Devils player to bag three hat-tricks is Dimitar Berbatov, who managed the feat during a 20-goal campaign in 2010-11. He too walked away with the Golden Boot award in May of that season.

His hauls against Liverpool, Blackburn and Birmingham were enough to help United win the league in 2011, though they lost out in the Champions League final to Barcelona at Wembley.

Luis Suarez (3 — Liverpool)

Liverpool were fearsome with Luis Suarez leading their line and the Uruguayan went on a rampage in December 2013, scoring 10 goals and one of his three hat-tricks of that campaign.

Despite serving a ban earlier in the season for biting Branislav Ivanovic, Suarez returned to score three goals against each of West Brom, Norwich and Cardiff as the Reds went on to a second-place finish.

Sergio Aguero (3 — Manchester City)

Sergio Aguero is a modern-day footballing legend and managed to score three Premier League hat-tricks in both 2017-18 and 2018-19.

His first set came the year that City became centurions, recording 100 points in the league for the first time in their history, before repeating his feat and equalling Shearer’s overall total of 11 Premier League hat-tricks in 2019.

Harry Kane (4 — Tottenham)

Harry Kane was once dubbed a one-season wonder but will soon become Tottenham’s highest ever goalscorer after he levelled Jimmy Greaves’ record in the recent win over Fulham.

In 2016-17, the England captain bagged four hat-tricks against West Brom, Stoke, Leicester and Hull to win the Golden Boot for the second time in his career.

Erling Haaland (4 — Manchester City)

There is a real possibility that City’s No9 could hit a total of six hat-tricks by the end of the year and level Greaves’ post-war record.

Haaland already has 25 goals in the current Premier League year and his four hat-tricks were scored in just 19 games — Van Nistelrooy is the next quickest player to achieve this feat, scoring four sets of three goals over 65 games.

His performances against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Wolves have ensured that City are well placed to challenge Arsenal for the title in the second half of the season.

Alan Shearer (5 — Blackburn)

Shearer scored 15 of his 31 goals in 1995-96 across just five games against Coventry, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Bolton and Spurs.

His first treble of the campaign took him over the 100-goal mark for Blackburn, before he became the first inductee of the Premier League’s 100 club in December 1995.

With Kane coasting towards his goalscoring record and Haaland just one hat-trick away from equalling another of his impressive achievements, Shearer is at risk of losing part of his legacy — though he shall always remain a top-flight legend.

Mikel Arteta is not enjoying battling Pep Guardiola for honours, describing the “challenge” he faces in taking on someone he considers a close friend.

Arteta spent three and a half years as Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City before taking the manager’s job at Arsenal.

After finishing eighth, eighth and fifth in the Premier League in his first three seasons in charge at Emirates Stadium, only now has Arteta put together a team capable of matching City.

Arsenal are five points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand over Guardiola’s second-placed side.

Seeing City suffer is not easy for Arteta, however, given his attachment to his former boss.

Ahead of an FA Cup tie between the two sides, their first meeting this season, Arteta said: “I would prefer to do it with someone else, to be fair.

“I want the best for him, genuinely the best for him, and when you’re challenging like this, something comes in between.

“It’s a strange feeling. It is what it is, and that’s our challenge.”

However, with City the standard-bearers in English football, Arteta knew this day would come if he was going to turn Arsenal into contenders again.

“I always hoped that was going to be the case one day, and it’s happening this season,” he said.

“Obviously that’s not going to change any friendship, the moments we had, how important he is in my life, how important he is in my profession.

“We’re both wanting to win and defend our clubs the best possible way. That’s always been the case since day one.”

Mikel Arteta expects to learn a lot about Arsenal from their FA Cup clash with Manchester City, even if that match is “very, very different” from next month’s Premier League encounter.

Leaders Arsenal are yet to meet second-placed City in the league this season, but Arteta’s men have forged a five-point gap to the defending champions with a game in hand.

It means their first meeting of the campaign will come instead in the fourth round of the cup, where the Arsenal manager plans to measure his team against elite opposition.

“It’s a big test for us against, in my opinion, the best football team in the world,” Arteta said.

“We’re looking forward to it, because it’s going to tell us a lot about where we are.”

That tie will take place at the Etihad Stadium, before the teams do battle in the league at Emirates Stadium next month.

Asked how one result might impact on the other, Arteta was dismissive.

“I think they’re going to be two very, very different games,” he said. “The context is extremely different. Let’s see.”

The numbers bear that out, with Pep Guardiola winning 13 of his 16 matches against Arsenal as City manager but suffering his only two defeats in this fixture in their two FA Cup clashes. Arsenal have won four in a row against City in this competition.

Arteta added: “Obviously it’s important to play well and to win; that gives you more momentum, more confidence and prepares you better for the next match. That’s our focus, to do that on Friday.”

Tottenham have beaten Everton to land Netherlands forward Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal.

The managerless Toffees were on the brink of sealing a deal for the versatile attacker but missed out after the North Londoners launched a last-minute move.

After sealing his switch until the end of the season, Danjuma tweeted: “To dare is to do. Let’s get to work!”

In a post on Tottenham’s official Twitter feed, the new arrival added: “Hi guys, Arnaut Danjuma here. I’m very excited to be here and can’t wait to see you all in the stadium. Let’s go.”

Spurs are chasing Champions League qualification and sit just three points off the Premier League’s top four following Monday night’s victory at Fulham.

They had been linked with Leandro Trossard and Mykhailo Mudryk before the duo joined Arsenal and Chelsea respectively.

Antonio Conte has now turned to the Dutchman, 25, as he looks to bolster his attacking options for the second half of the season.

Heung-Min Son, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison and Lucas Moura have all struggled with injuries and the signing will provide valuable depth.

Danjuma has Premier League experience from his time with Bournemouth but struggled to make an impact as the Cherries were relegated in 2019-20.

Spurs will hope he shows the same form as the following season, when he struck 15 times in 33 Championship appearances to earn a move to Spain.

He was one of the standout performers as the Yellow Submarine reached the Champions League semi-finals last season, netting six times in 11 appearances.

Danjuma can play through the middle or out wide and has two goals in six international caps, although he missed out on a trip to the Qatar World Cup.

Conte’s men are next in action on Saturday, when they make the trip to Preston in the FA Cup fourth round.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more details become available. Please keep refreshing the page.

Diego Simeone warned Atletico Madrid against focusing all their energy on stopping Vinicius Junior in Thursday’s Copa del Rey quarter-final against rivals Real Madrid.

Vinicius is enjoying another standout campaign for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, leading his team-mates for goal contributions (16 – 11 goals, five assists) across all competitions as they bid to follow up last season’s LaLiga and Champions League double.

The last Madrid derby was marred by racist abuse being directed towards the winger, who responded by dancing in front of Atletico’s supporters after Los Blancos took the lead in a 2-1 win.

The Brazil international will look to guide Madrid to their first Copa del Rey semi-final since 2019 on Thursday, but Simeone is aware he will not be the only threat for Atleti to deal with.

“They have very important footballers, highlighting just one falls short,” he said at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference.

“We think of Real Madrid as a team, they have a lot of very good tools to compete, we’ll try to take the game where we feel most comfortable to hurt them.

“They’re a competitive team, and when they decide to compete, they do very well. We must show our strength, enthusiasm and desire to play an important game.”

Atleti have won five of their seven games since the World Cup, only losing to Barcelona in that run, and Simeone is pleased with the progress displayed by his team.

“I see us better since we returned from the World Cup, with more offensive options to create danger and working very well as a group,” he said.

“I see the group as committed and enthusiastic, and we are going to play an important game, a tie against a very strong team with a coach that I greatly admire.”

For Madrid, Thursday’s game represents their first at the Santiago Bernabeu since a 2-1 win over Cadiz in November, and Ancelotti hopes returning to their iconic stadium will provide his side with a boost.

“It may be that we are favourites because we play at home, but both teams have motivation and enthusiasm,” the Italian said.

“The illusion of going home, I think, will help us. Playing in front of our fans will help us. Going back to the Bernabeu will be special.”

Asked whether the opportunity to effectively end Atleti’s hopes of lifting a trophy this season provided additional motivation, Ancelotti added: “We don’t think about that. It’s an important opportunity to reach the semi-finals of an important competition, nothing more. 

“We take into account the strength of the rival and we know that it takes a lot [to win]. It’s a special game, and it’s going to be an entertaining game because Atletico are improving.”

Ronald Koeman believes Cody Gakpo has a “great future” and made the right choice in signing for Liverpool.

After impressing at the World Cup, Gakpo joined Liverpool from PSV last month, with the Reds reportedly paying an initial £37million (€42m).

Since the start of last season until his move to Anfield, no player had more goal involvements in the Eredivisie than Gakpo’s 46 (21 goals, 25 assists). Indeed, no other player in Europe’s top 10 leagues tallied at least 20 goals and 20 assists over the same timeframe.

However, after four games – all starts – for Liverpool, Gakpo is yet to score or set up a goal. He has had 12 shots, with three hitting the target, and only 18 touches in the opposition penalty area.

While it has been a slow start for the 23-year-old, new Netherlands coach Koeman, back in charge for a second time, is confident Gakpo will develop into a top player.

“I think it’s important that he’s playing and that’s really important for a young kid like Gakpo, [to be] struggling,” Koeman told Stats Perform at the Nations League Finals draw, with the Oranje, who are hosts for the mini-tournament in June, having been pitted against Croatia in the semi-finals.

“It’s difficult because Liverpool is not in the last few months at that [high] level. That’s always difficult for a new signing, to come in during the season.

“You have to give him that time to develop and to adapt to the Premier League because it’s a different level.

“The intensity is much higher than he used to play in Holland but he’s young and he will learn and he will be better. But he has a great future.”

As the Netherlands look beyond the Nations League Finals and towards Euro 2024, Koeman will be hoping to build on a young core of players.

“We have a great history, we have always creating good young talent and let’s hope that they will develop as star players, and that will be really important for the national team,” he added.

The Netherlands lost to Portugal in the final of the inaugural Nations League in 2019, and Koeman is hoping to make home advantage count this time around.

“We are looking forward, we play at home,” he said. 

“We saw Croatia during the World Cup and they’re a really experienced football team.

“It’s an extra [boost] that we play in front of our crowd in Holland. We know what the difficulty is when you play away.

“We have that experience in 2019 against Portugal in the final that we lost 1-0. Let’s hope that the crowd will push the team.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes Kylian Mbappe should be confident of winning another World Cup but does not expect Argentina to do likewise after their disrespectful title celebrations.

Mbappe’s France lost on penalties to Argentina in December’s Qatar 2022 final despite their talisman scoring a hat-trick.

Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Lionel Messi instead added the final major medal he was waiting for to his collection.

Despite Mbappe matching Messi almost stride for stride, he was the subject of taunts from the Argentina players both immediately after the game and in their celebrations back home.

PSG great Ibrahimovic criticised the Albiceleste’s lack of class and suggested it was “a sign” they will not repeat their win.

“I said Argentina will for sure win the World Cup, because if you want to remember the Qatar World Cup for the rest of history, who needs to win? Messi,” he told France Inter.

“Messi is considered the best player in history. If you want to remember the Qatar World Cup, Messi needs to win. I was 100 per cent sure he would win.

“But I felt sorry for Mbappe, because if you score three goals in a final and don’t win the World Cup, that is very sad.

“What will happen? He will win another World Cup, and he already won one, so I’m not worried about Mbappe. I’m worried about the other players in Argentina, because they will not win anything more.

“Messi has won everything and he will be remembered, but the rest, who behaved badly, that you cannot respect. That’s coming from me as a professional football player at a high level.

“That is a sign you will win one time and you will not win any more. Mbappe will win again.”

David de Gea is said to be willing to take a pay cut to stay at Manchester United, should the club decide to retain him. 

The 32-year old arrived at Old Trafford way back in 2011 under the leadership of the great Sir Alex Ferguson. 

De Gea has helped the team to win several honours and has amassed a number of personal accolades, but the qualities expected from a top goalkeeper have shifted in recent years.

Ahead of Manchester United’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg against Nottingham Forest this evening, we take a look at what the future holds for the Spanish shot-stopper. 

Still confident

Before the Red Devils’ trip to Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend, De Gea was in a confident mood regarding his performance levels. 

De Gea said: “I don’t have to show anything, I have shown already for many years my qualities. I know people love to talk, but I’m used to that. 

“I’m just performing as well as I can, helping the team and trying my best all the time. Experience makes it easier to block out the noise.”

De Gea’s subsequent performance highlighted where his game remains strong, while also revealing the weaknesses which could eventually prompt his club to seek a replacement.

With the score at 2-2, he showed that his reflexes are still sharp with a late low save to deny Eddie Nketiah from point-blank range.

Yet the Arsenal striker would ultimately score a late winner, with the experienced keeper singled out for criticism following the defeat. 

Distribution issues

The biggest flaw in De Gea’s game these days is unquestionably his distribution — and that was highlighted on an afternoon when the Gunners put United under sustained pressure. 

Erik ten Hag’s team often found themselves having to pass the ball back to their goalkeeper, showing up how uncomfortable the La Roja international can be with the ball at his feet. 

Arsenal’s first goal followed an ill-conceived pass out from De Gea to Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The hosts won a corner and from the resulting possession, levelled the scores at 1-1. 

Another issue the No1 suffers from is a failure to deal with crosses. 

This was demonstrated late in the game when the ball hit the defending Bruno Fernandes and looped up in the air, presenting De Gea with a seemingly easy opportunity to catch the ball and regain possession. 

Instead he punched the ball in an unconvincing manner and put more pressure on his team, despite there being no opposition attackers challenging him. 

Contract situation

De Gea is on a bumper £375,000-a-week contract that was signed in 2019 and will expire this summer. 

The club had the option of automatically extending that contract by a year but passed up the chance, even though they did just that for Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw, Fred and Marcus Rashford in December. 

If De Gea wants to stay in Manchester, he will have to do so on a significantly reduced salary — though he is said to be willing to take a pay cut. 

This demonstrates how the power dynamic has changed between club and player. Once linked with huge moves to the likes of Real Madrid and PSG, the Premier League giants had to offer a vast salary to just to keep hold of their keeper.

Now, even with the option of reducing their wage bill, United are considering whether it is time to bring in a new face between the sticks.

End days

De Gea has won the Premier League, Europa League and both domestic cups during his lengthy stay at Old Trafford. He ranks tenth for the most appearances for the club and has been named in the PFA Team of the Year on five occasions.

His legacy is secured, but it could also be soured if the club keep him beyond his time, which arguably was some years ago. 

Though his shot saving ability remains intact, De Gea does not possess the distribution skills of the likes of Alisson, Ederson or Aaron Ramsdale. 

With Ten Hag committed to playing out from the back, he may opt to sign a stopper with a different skillset such as Brentford’s David Raya, who could be available on a free transfer this summer. 

The game has evolved and what is considered to be important attributes for a goalkeeper, have altered. 

De Gea’s last cap for Spain came in 2020 and his final appearance for Manchester United could well come in 2023.

Carlo Ancelotti says Luka Modric and Toni Kroos understand the need to refresh Real Madrid’s midfield after the duo found themselves on the bench for last week’s win at Athletic Bilbao.

Modric and Kroos were introduced as late substitutes during Madrid’s impressive 2-0 win at San Mames on Sunday, with the former Germany man making the points safe with a fine long-range finish.

Modric’s tally of 17 starts in all competitions this season has been bettered by team-mates Federico Valverde (24), Kroos (21) and Aurelien Tchouameni (18), while no Madrid midfielder has made more total appearances than Eduardo Camavinga’s 27.

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s Copa del Rey quarter-final against rivals Atletico Madrid, Ancelotti said the experienced players in his squad understood the nature of Los Blancos’ transition.

“They are professionals and understand the quality of this team,” he said of Modric and Kroos. “I don’t need to explain why they don’t play. 

“They understand it very well, we talked about it in pre-season. Now is a time of transition for this team. 

“The veterans must have understanding and young players must have patience. That has been key to success in the squad. They are all motivated.

“They [Modric and Kroos] can still play together, I don’t have a single doubt. They contribute a lot and will continue to contribute during this season. They are always decisive.”

Ancelotti is yet to decide who will start in the engine room against Los Colchoneros, who triumphed in a two-legged tie when the rivals last met in the domestic cup back in 2015.

Asked about possible changes in midfield, the coach said: “It could be a part of the rotation that we have to take on for this game. Tomorrow we have to put together the best possible team, and that’s what we’ll try to do.”

The last meeting between the clubs was marred by racist abuse directed towards Vinicius Junior, audible before and during Madrid’s 2-1 win at the Civitas Metropolitano in September.

Vinicius was on the receiving end of several heavy challenges against Athletic last time out, and Ancelotti wants the winger to be afforded greater physical and mental protection. 

“It is a subject that we are concentrating on,” Ancelotti said. “The player is in good physical condition, and mentally you have to protect him. 

“It’s very important. Football needs Vinicius, who has an extraordinary talent. You have to protect the physical and mental aspects. He is very motivated and eager to contribute.”

Meanwhile, with reports continuing to suggest Ancelotti is a contender to coach Vinicius in international football by taking the vacant Brazil job, the Italian insisted he had not received any proposal from the Selecao.

“So far, we haven’t been in touch,” he said. “If that contact ever takes place, I will let you know.”