Month: March 2023

Manchester United have enough goalscorers alongside star man Marcus Rashford, according to manager Erik ten Hag.

Rashford has scored 27 of United’s 88 goals this season in all competitions, with Bruno Fernandes their next-highest scorer with just 10.

Anthony Martial’s time on the pitch has been limited by injuries, while January acquisition Wout Weghorst has failed to prove prolific, having scored just twice since arriving at Old Trafford.

Yet, the Red Devils ended their six-year trophy drought by beating Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final in February and look on course to finish in the Premier League’s top four and achieve Champions League qualification for next season.

Despite Rashford’s superior contribution in the goals department in relation to his team-mates, Ten Hag feels his side carry enough of a threat to support the 25-year-old, though he did not rule out bringing in more attacking talent ahead of next season.

“I think we have players like Bruno, like Jadon Sancho, like Anthony Martial, like Scott McTominay, like Antony,” Ten Hag said. “We have enough players with the capabilities to score goals, definitely.

“I work in the back [behind the scenes] on next season. But we’re working now on this season, so first of all make sure everyone is available and keep improving the way of play and that’s the best chance of scoring more goals.”

McTominay enjoyed a brilliant international break with Scotland, scoring four goals as his national team beat Cyprus 3-0 before stunning giants Spain 2-0 at Hampden Park on Tuesday.

Considering his great form in front of goal and the fact he played as a striker for United’s youth teams, McTominay could be a potential option to start up front for the Red Devils with Weghorst failing to fire since joining on loan from Burnley.

But Ten Hag feels the 26-year-old is better playing as a midfielder, while he defended Weghorst’s overall impact on United.

“Scott can play in many roles,” Ten Hag said.

“It’s clear he has scoring capabilities for Scotland but also this season for us. He’s a really good finisher, but I see him as a midfielder.

“I think I’m happy with what Wout is doing because when Wout is in the team, the team is performing better.”

As his team prepare to face top-four rivals Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Sunday, Ten Hag looks set to be boosted by the return of Martial after his recent injury problems.

“He’s training for two weeks now,” Ten Hag said. “I think he can be in the squad.”

Abdoulaye Doucoure admits Everton must find their shooting boots quickly to avoid Premier League relegation.

The Merseysiders are the top tier’s joint-lowest scorers this term, having found the net only 22 times in 28 outings.

Richarlison’s departure to Tottenham last summer and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury woes have left the Toffees short of a prolific marksman for much of the campaign.

But Doucoure — who netted in a morale-boosting 2-2 draw at Chelsea prior to the international break — is making no excuses for his side’s poor season in front of goal.

The midfielder, 30, told the club’s official website: “We have to score more. Everyone.

“I include myself, of course. Sometimes I blame myself because I’ve had a couple of chances that I didn’t score.

“We have to be more ruthless in the box and it is not the responsibility of any one person. We have to look at ourselves and take the responsibility to score more goals that will win us games.”

Team effort

Although results have improved since Sean Dyche replaced Frank Lampard two months ago, Everton are still in real danger of the drop, only two points from safety in 15th place.

Demarai Gray tops the Toffees’ scoring charts this season with four league strikes, followed by Dwight McNeil and the now departed Anthony Gordon on three.

Dyche has confirmed that Calvert-Lewin, who bagged 29 top-flight goals across 2019-20 and 2020-21, is back in light training but will not feature against Tottenham on Monday evening.

Yet Doucoure remains confident that the club’s other forwards will step up to the plate in the coming weeks.

He added: “Dom has had his injury problem and we have to give him the right time to recover and be strong.

“We can’t wait around for him to come back and even when he is back we can’t put all the pressure on him. There are no excuses.

“We have good players. Neal Maupay is a good player, Ellis Simms has done great with us since he’s been back and we all have to take responsibility. 

“Then, when Dom does come back that is great for us.”

Graham Potter has confirmed Chelsea and Bayern Munich are in talks over assistant coach Anthony Barry.

But a potential switch from London to Munich might well be delayed until a potential Champions League meeting between the sides.

Thomas Tuchel, who was appointed as Bayern coach after the sacking of Julian Nagelsmann last week, worked with Barry during his time at Chelsea and is keen to get the 36-year-old on his staff.

Barry is away from the Chelsea training ground while negotiations take place but Potter hinted that any agreement may be delayed until after a potential semi-final Champions League clash.

“Obviously that delay is something I’m pretty sure is in the conversation for obvious reasons,” Potter said at a press conference on Friday.

“I have spoken to Anthony, he’s someone I respect a lot and he’s given everything for Chelsea. I understand that people have aspirations and it’s about respecting that.

“He’s away from us for the moment. It’s between the clubs, it’s not something I get involved in.

“I have huge respect for what he’s done, here. He’s a fantastic coach and a fantastic person.”

Chelsea face reigning champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, as they did last year, but could be tasked with a semi-final face-off with former boss Tuchel if Bayern beat Manchester City.

Speaking to reporters in Germany on Friday, Tuchel was positive about the move for Barry.

“It’s a matter between the clubs. It’s still my absolute wish for him to come. The clubs have to reach an agreement. But I’m optimistic,” he said.

Wendie Renard and Eugenie Le Sommer were recalled to the France squad on Friday as new coach Herve Renard began his Women’s World Cup planning.

Long-serving captain and centre-back Renard indicated in February she would not play on for France under the Corinne Diacre regime, and forwards Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto followed suit.

That public boycott by the trio triggered the end of Diacre’s five-and-a-half-year spell in charge.

Diani and Katoto are unavailable for selection due to injury at present, but the change of leadership has led to an immediate recall for Wendie Renard, although it has yet to be decided whether the 32-year-old will skipper the team.

Coach Renard – not related to defender Renard – said the pair would talk about that issue, and he would also consider the squad’s feelings when they meet for friendlies against Colombia on April 7 and against Canada on April 11.

Talks have taken place with Katoto already, with boss Renard assuring the striker she is a big part of his future plans, while he has also delivered a positive message to Amandine Henry, the experienced Lyon midfielder who dropped off the international group during Diacre’s reign.

Forward Le Sommer, who has won 175 caps but last featured in April 2021, had also been cut out of Diacre’s plans.

She missed the Euro 2022 finals, but ahead of her 34th birthday in May the Lyon forward finds herself back in favour with Les Bleues and has a chance to majorly revive her international career.

“She has incomparable experience,” said coach Renard. “We really need her experience and her intelligence in the game. It was a pleasure to chat with her and I can’t wait to meet her and see her at work.”

Looking at the wider picture, Renard indicated he had been given carte blanche regarding squad selection.

The French Football Federation previously criticised the manner of the players’ boycott, affirming that acting in such a way “to express their criticisms was no longer acceptable in future”.

For the greater good, however, misgivings have been set aside, with coach Renard saying: “It was very clear to me. The FFF gave me a very extensive list of pre-selected players with all the players.

“I felt the FFF gave me the green light to select all the players from this list. For me, what happened [in the past], it does not concern me,” the coach said. “We can pay tribute to Corinne Diacre who obtained good results. But now the page turns.”

The appointment of Renard as Diacre’s successor came on Thursday, after he resigned as coach of the Saudi Arabia men’s team.

He oversaw the team’s stunning 2-1 victory over eventual winners Argentina at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, and now another World Cup awaits, with Australia and New Zealand co-hosting the women’s tournament in July and August.

His contract with Les Bleues will run until August 2024, meaning he is also set to be in charge of France at next year’s home Olympic Games in Paris.

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw is Manchester City’s biggest weapon in their bid to win a four-way title battle. 

One of the stars of the Women’s Super League, her rise to the top is all the more remarkable for the challenges that she has faced along the way. 

Ahead of City’s crucial match at Arsenal on Sunday, we take a look at Shaw’s journey and what she might be capable of in the future. 

Goal glut

City are second in the WSL, only behind leaders Manchester United on goal difference. Fourth-placed Arsenal are three points behind the pair, with a game in hand.

Shaw has been the driving force behind the team’s title bid, topping the scoring charts with 15 goals in 16 league games. 

Across all competitions, she has netted 26 times in 24 games, the most that any women’s player has scored in a single season for the club. 

Signed from Bordeaux in 2021, the 26-year-old has taken massive leaps this season, having scored 19 goals in her first campaign.

Shaw has become one of the deadliest strikers in the world and unlike many of her contemporaries, the pathway has been lined with obstacles. 

Culture change

The women’s game is still developing in every country in the world, but some are further down the line than others. Shaw’s home nation of Jamaica is a case in point, as the lethal forward recently explained. 

Shaw said: “If I were in Jamaica right now, I wouldn’t waste my time trying to play football. There’s nothing going on. 

“There’s not a lot of opportunities for females in Jamaica. And I have to be vocal about this, because people need to know about what’s happening and what needs to be done. 

“My mum would say, ‘You’re wasting your time, female football isn’t going anywhere’. And looking back, it was definitely pointless. 

“There wasn’t even a senior team. The challenge was to convince my mum that I could actually be the one to make a change in Jamaica.”

Shaw has certainly done all she could, even if it has yet to result in a change in culture, firing her country to qualification for both the 2019 World Cup and the 2023 tournament. 

World’s best

As much as Shaw has already achieved for club and country, City team-mate Alex Greenwood thinks that there could still be more to come. 

The England defender said: “Her goal record speaks for itself, but Bunny is so much more than goals. What she brings to the team in terms of play, her work off the ball and off the pitch. She is a top person. 

“I’m not surprised she’s doing what she is doing and she still has so many levels to go to, which is quite frightening to be honest. 

“I think she can be the best in the world if she wants to be. She has all the attributes to be the best in the world, I know how hard she works in training.”

Shaw will play a crucial role for Gareth Taylor’s side as they seek to end the season with a league and FA Cup double.

And with group stage games against France, Brazil and Panama to come at the global showpiece in Australia and New Zealand, her star could yet rise even higher.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen faces a race against time to play any part in the Champions League quarter-final against AC Milan after suffering an injury.

Osimhen played both games in the international break for Nigeria but has returned to the Italian club with a left thigh problem.

The club announced on their website he will be assessed next week, with president Aurelio De Laurentiis hopeful the star striker will soon be back in action.

De Laurentiis said, according to Tuttomercato: “He should be out a couple of weeks, we hope.”

Napoli host Milan in Serie A on Sunday before travelling to face Lecce on the following Friday, with Osimhen likely to miss both fixtures.

The Champions League quarter-final first leg in Milan comes on April 12, with the return fixture taking place in Naples on April 18.

The 24-year-old Osimhen has enjoyed a prolific season, scoring 25 goals in 29 games in all competitions, with Luciano Spalletti’s 19 points clear of second-placed Lazio in Serie A and through to their first-ever Champions League quarter-final.

Argentine striker Giovanni Simeone will likely deputise in Osimhen’s absence, with the striker having netted eight times in all competitions this season.

– Roy Hodgson returns to lead a Crystal Palace side on a 12-match winless run 
– Leicester only a point above drop zone after winning just two of last 12 league games 
– Recommended bet: Draw

The sacking of Patrick Vieira at Crystal Palace seemed harsh given the Eagles’ tough run of recent fixtures and replacement Roy Hodgson returns to find that eight of Palace’s remaining 10 games will come against teams placed 13th or lower.

Indeed, their current 12-match winless run took in seven meetings with the big six and four games against highflying Newcastle, Brighton and Brentford. 

Their weakest opponent in that run was 11th-placed Aston Villa.

Life should get easier now, starting with the visit of a Leicester side who go into the weekend hovering just a point and a place above the relegation places after taking just eight points from 12 games since returning from the World Cup break.

Another defeat for the Foxes would likely see them slip into the bottom three and they will be wary of a Palace side potentially benefiting from a new-manager bounce.

Team news

Hodgson takes charge of a squad returning to full fitness, with goalkeepers Vicente Guaita and Sam Johnstone back from injury, centre-back Joachim Andersen expected back from a calf problem and James McArthur returning from illness.

However, injury-plagued defensive pair Chris Richards and Nathan Ferguson are again set to miss out this weekend.

Brendan Rodgers has a number of absentees, with full-back James Justin and midfielder Youri Tielemans injured, Jannik Vestergaard no longer part of the manager’s plans and Ryan Bertrand short of match fitness.

However, Wout Faes returns from suspension and while fellow centre-backs Jonny Evans and Harry Souttar are slight injury doubts, both could be available this weekend.

Full-back Victor Kristiansen and midfielder Dennis Praet also face late fitness tests.

The stats

While Leicester go into this match having taken just one point from a possible 15 , Rodgers will feel his team deserved more from those games given they outperformed each of Brentford, Chelsea and Southampton by at least 0.5 expected goals in their last three.

Palace do not have quite such a hard-luck story to tell but have had far tougher fixtures than most teams in the bottom half and have lost only five of 14 home games this term, winning each of just four against visitors from the bottom half.

Crystal Palace have kept just three clean sheets in 14 home games this season while Leicester have kept just three clean sheets in 14 away games, with only two other Premier League teams conceding more goals on their travels.

Prediction

Leicester have generally been playing far better than their results suggest of late and will feel their luck must turn at some point.

In a 1-0 defeat at Southampton, Kelechi Iheanacho missed three excellent chances and Harry Souttar hit the bar. 

They also restricted Arsenal to relatively few chances in a 1-0 defeat and gave at least as good as they got against Chelsea despite losing 3-1.

But they visit a Palace side who are also not as bad as a run of 12 consecutive winless matches would suggest and who will expect some sort of bounce following the return of Hodgson to the helm.

Given the poor defensive record of both Palace and Leicester, adding both teams to score looks a sensible approach to Bet Builders.

However, a bet on the stalemate looks attractive given neither team is as bad as results suggest but neither has done enough to demand support.

Back the draw, available at 11/5 with LiveScore Bet.

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Chelsea have been handed a boost as head coach Graham Potter prepares to welcome Reece James and N’Golo Kante back from injury for their Premier League game against Aston Villa.

Having played the last six minutes in England’s 2-1 away win against Italy, James withdrew from the England squad with an injury but has been training with Chelsea since.

Kante has not featured since August after suffering a hamstring injury that required surgery, but is in line to feature against Villa after playing in a series of behind-closed-doors friendlies during the break.

“Reece has had the last two training sessions with us so providing there is no reaction he should be available,” Potter said at a press conference on Friday. 

“N’Golo has had some time on the pitch, some game time, so that’s good for him.

“We have to manage that because he’s been out for so long but I’m pretty sure he will be out on the pitch at some point.”

Potter also confirmed that Saturday’s fixture will come too soon for defensive trio Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta and Wesley Fofana, while Raheem Sterling is also set to miss the game. 

“Silva and Azpilicueta are still away. Raheem and Fofana are coming back but will miss the game, they have more of a chance for Tuesday [v Liverpool],” Potter said.

Mason Mount was another forced to pull out of the England squad with a pubic bone injury and has endured a tough season with just three Premier League goals so far.

The 24-year-old’s contract expires at the end of next season but despite rumours over his future at the London club, Potter was full of praise for Mount’s attitude.

“Mount has trained and is available, probably not for the start,” he said.

“It’s been tough for him because he’s had niggly injuries and noise off the pitch. He’s a top professional, how he’s acted with me and around us has been top. 

“Sometimes if things in your career aren’t optimal, you’ve got to act well and he has.”

Chelsea sit in 10th place in the league and look to bounce back from their disappointing 2-2 draw with relegation-threatened Everton.

Unai Emery’s Villa are level on points with the Blues in 11th and are unbeaten in their last four league games.

Jurgen Klopp likened Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Manchester City to a Champions League tie ahead of a crucial game for both teams.

While this fixture in previous years was a potential title decider, Liverpool have fallen behind their rivals this season and face a stern fight in order to secure a top-four finish.

City, meanwhile, can temporarily close the gap upon leaders Arsenal to five points with a victory, with the Gunners hosting Leeds United later on Saturday, in their bid for a potential treble.

Although the two sides have different objectives heading into the final stretch of the Premier League season, it remains a match where tempers could flare given the rivalry that has developed in recent years.

Sat seven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, with two games in hand, Liverpool face a battle to return to Europe’s elite competition next season but Klopp feels this fixture has the same feel to it.

“It’s a super important game. That’s the one thing not different to all the other years,” he said in Friday’s press conference.

“We know it’s a massive game, a massive week coming up. For tomorrow they deserve all the attention – we can’t think about the other games.

“It is like a Champions League week. I’m super excited. We are not dumb. We know the last game against Real Madrid wasn’t a good game, before that at Bournemouth wasn’t a good game, the one before [a 7-0 win over Manchester United] was world-class.

“We have to pick up from there and react to the other two games.”

City could be without Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland for the clash at Etihad Stadium, with Pep Guardiola staying tight-lipped on the striker’s fitness, but Klopp knows the defending champions boast a threat even without their leading man.

“When you prepare a game, you prepare all things to avoid the final pass – which is where Erling really comes into the game,” he added.

“He is a proper striker, but they became champions without a striker. That’s how it is; you never know 100 per cent who can play.”

Liverpool face a decisive week in their top-four push, with the trip to face City followed by a clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before hosting league leaders Arsenal at Anfield next Sunday.

Erik ten Hag has “good hope” that star man Marcus Rashford will be available for Manchester United’s vital Premier League clash with Newcastle United on Sunday.

Rashford has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career so far, netting 27 goals in all competitions to help the Red Devils to end their six-year trophy drought by lifting the EFL Cup in February, beating Newcastle in the final.

However, Rashford was forced to withdraw from the England squad for the recent international break after picking up a knock late on in the FA Cup victory over Fulham.

With Ten Hag’s men travelling to play the Magpies again on Sunday in a crucial encounter in the race for the Champions League spots, the Dutchman believes Rashford is in with a strong chance of featuring.

“I’ve good hope,” Ten Hag told reporters at his pre-match news conference. “He trained but he had to do some treatment, he had to do some individual training. Today he joined in with the group.

“We have one more day. I have a good hope he will be available.”

Rashford’s impressive season comes after a disappointing 2021-22 campaign, in which he scored just five goals in all competitions as the Red Devils recorded their lowest-ever Premier League points tally.

When asked about the influence he had exerted on Rashford’s much-improved form, Ten Hag pointed to the 25-year-old’s enhanced mentality as well as coaching, while revealing talks were going on behind the scenes to extend the forward’s deal with the club, which is set to expire at the end of next season.

“I’m not Harry Potter,” Ten Hag said. “It’s like a process. There are many tools you’re putting in your management to let people get to [their] best form and best shape. It’s about line-up, way of playing,

“Especially it’s a lot about himself because he’s the one and he has the skills. So when he is in the best attitude, best mentality, then he will score goals.

“It’s [new contract talks] an internal process. We focus on winning games. Of course, [we are] also planning for the future so in the back we’re working on that. It’s about agents, it’s about football director John Murtaugh. Rashy and I are focusing on performing.”

Following his withdrawal from the England squad, Rashford was pictured in New York after flying out to the United States for a holiday.

Having played 44 games for United already this season, Ten Hag has no problem with the forward getting away to rest ahead of a busy end to the campaign.

“I think it’s positive that he was on a break,” Ten Hag added. “I think Rashford, I think with Bruno [Fernandes], he was playing the most games of the whole squad.

“Our players are playing the most games in this crazy season. They need a breather to collect energy. For me, it’s positive he took that time to turn off from football.

“I have seen him back this week and he has shown a lot of energy, a lot of motivation, it was a good spirit and a lot of focus.”