Month: April 2023

Everton manager Sean Dyche hopes captain Seamus Coleman’s return will help bring some much-needed leadership to his relegation-threatened side.

The Republic of Ireland international has missed the last three matches with a hamstring problem and during that time the Toffees have picked up just one point, conceded seven times and even in the goalless draw at Crystal Palace looked over-exposed at right-back.

Coleman is expected to be fit to regain his place in the team and bolster a flank on which has seen stand-ins Mason Holgate, who was sent off for two yellow cards at Selhurst Park, and Ben Godfrey look out of their depth.

The 34-year-old is also the most progressive option of the three when it comes to being confident enough to overlap in attack but it is his experience which may be most needed as they head into a must-win game against fellow strugglers Leicester.

“He’s a very important player with his history and understanding of the club,” said Dyche.

“He has been a loss for us so we do look forward to him being back. Until the second goal (in Thursday’s 4-1 home defeat by Newcastle) it was a very good performance but after the second goal that’s the big challenge for me.

“Where did the mentality go? How quickly did that change? Who re-grips it? Who in our team goes ‘right, OK, let’s re-grip what we’re doing here’ because we weren’t a million miles away? You can’t wait for it to happen.”

The Newcastle defeat was hugely-damaging, not only because it left them with just two more home matches – one of which is against Manchester City – to extend their 69-year top-flight stay, but because of the effect it had on morale.

Players looked shot at the final whistle, at which time Goodison Park was half-empty as the supporters who had lined the streets to greet the team coach with their pyrotechnics and flags had headed for the exits after Newcastle’s third went in.

Asked whether he thought the team had lost the fans, Dyche added: “I don’t think so. I think they will be backing the club to the end.”

Tottenham midfielder Oliver Skipp has warned his team-mates they cannot afford to start poorly away to Liverpool.

Spurs bounced back from their humiliating 6-1 thrashing at Newcastle last weekend by earning a 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Thursday.

Cristian Stellini lost his job after Tottenham conceded five times in the opening 21 minutes at St James’ Park and his replacement Ryan Mason watched Jadon Sancho break the deadlock in the seventh minute in midweek.

While Spurs were able to hit back from 2-0 down to salvage a point at home to the Red Devils, it further dented their slim top-four hopes, but Skipp insists they can win at Anfield on Sunday.

“Every game you have to start strongly in the Premier League, so this one will be no different,” the Tottenham academy graduate admitted.

“I hope we can use that second half to build on but we know it is a new game, with new challenges so we have to be on it from the first minute. We know what Anfield is like.

“For sure (we can win) because of that second half and performances throughout the season. We’ve beat Man City, beat Chelsea, there are performances that show we are definitely capable.

“It is just about finding that team spirit, the togetherness that we showed in the second half especially and to go to difficult places and know moments will be difficult but to push and dig in.”

Despite being only 22, Skipp is highly respected in the Spurs dressing room and repeatedly referenced the importance of being unified following the draw with Manchester United.

Mason had preached similar before and after the midweek fixture after the 6-1 thrashing at Newcastle was the latest low of a poor campaign for Tottenham.

Skipp added: “Second half I think everyone upped their levels five to 10 per cent and that shows when we are together, a collective and everyone ups their game, what we can do.

“Now we really need to build on that. We are not getting carried away because we’ve had second halves like that before, but we really need to use that as a positive.

“Everyone was disappointed: the whole club, staff, players. We were all really disappointed and we massively let everyone down with our performance at Newcastle.

“We knew we had no choice but to react and to show the togetherness that we know is in there. It is really about enhancing and finding that.”

Mason’s first big decision after he replaced Stellini was to revert back to Spurs’ favoured 3-4-3 formation but he stated Thursday’s second-half rally was more about sticking together.

However, Skipp revealed Tottenham’s third manager of the season made key tactical tweaks during half-time that helped change the course of the match.

“Ryan has been brilliant in just reinforcing and trying to get belief back into the players,” Skipp said of Mason.

“He has been brilliant in terms of small details he has changed. Obviously he hasn’t had as long as he’d want (in training) but there are things that helped everyone.

“At half-time everyone was aware of what we needed to do and also a few tactical things we changed, perhaps stopping their midfield getting easy possession because at times they had easy possession.

“A few tactical changes really helped us push up the pitch and stop worrying about what was behind us.

“I think we started the second half really strongly, so that gave everyone the belief but it would have been easy after the (Newcastle) performance for people to hide but I don’t think anyone did.

“It was really about showing everyone that we have got a team that is capable of fighting.”

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has warned his team not to “destruct” by listening to people saying the title race is already over.

City are now firm favourites to win the Premier League for a fifth time in six years following their convincing 4-1 win over leaders Arsenal in midweek.

The champions trail the Gunners by just two points with two games in hand and they could move top with victory over Fulham on Sunday.

Guardiola acknowledges City, who are also bidding for Champions League and FA Cup glory, have a chance to achieve something special this season but he insists it is far from done yet.

The Spaniard said: “At the end of the season, fighting for the title is the best feeling that we can have and the Premier League is in our hands.

“It doesn’t matter what happens in London, at the Emirates, it depends on us.

“We must just look at ourselves, perform every single game like we’ve performed the last two, three, four months, do everything and we’ll be closer and closer to the something exceptional.

“We cannot deny, winning another Premier League, how exceptional it would be.

“When you have that depending on us – you can drop it because you are not good, but not because you destruct or you start to listen to the wrong messages that it is already done. It is done when it is done and still, it is not done.”

Guardiola is building an extraordinary legacy at City having already won nine major trophies since taking charge at the Etihad Stadium in 2016.

He has also had a transformative impact on English football as a whole with the style of play he has introduced and the high standards he has set.

His impact is likely to be felt long after he moves on but he claims leaving behind happy memories, rather than trophies or a redefined game, is what matters most to him.

The 52-year-old said: “The legacy will be, I’ve said many times, if in 10-25 years people in the UK or Great Britain, or here in Manchester especially, still remember that period. What happened would be the legacy.

“That people enjoyed watching us – that’s enough, that people remember in 10-15 years with a smile and say, ‘How nice was that period of seven, eight, nine years when we were together’?

“Come on, that is the biggest compliment, better than any trophy or things you can give.

“Honestly I don’t know (how I’ll be viewed). I’m not concerned about that. My concern is to live the moments and now it’s Fulham – the rest doesn’t matter.

“In life, when it’s gone it’s gone. When you pass away, you pass away and they remember you, your close family for a few days and after it’s gone. It’s sad but it’s true. The manager will be replaced.

“The nicest things are what you leave and I don’t want to leave history. I want to leave them what we live now.

“That’s why I like to be here because still we have the chance to continue to do something to make people happy.”

Xavi believes Lamine Yamal will go on to achieve great things after the teenager made Barcelona history with his LaLiga debut against Real Betis on Saturday.

Yamal was introduced as a late substitute at Camp Nou as Barca cruised to a 4-0 victory over Betis, restoring their 11-point lead at the summit.

The La Masia academy product, aged 15 years and 290 days, became the Blaugrana’s youngest player in LaLiga history.

Yamal almost teed up a late goal for Ousmane Dembele, only for the winger to falter in front of goal, and Xavi believes the midfielder has the talent to make his mark.

The Barca coach said: “I’ve told him to try things. At 15 years old, he is a talent and a special player. 

“He has been able to score, he has assisted and when you see him in training you see that he can be very great.”

Raphinha scored one goal and assisted another in the thrashing of Betis, with Andreas Christensen and Robert Lewandowski also on target and Guido Rodriguez scoring an own goal.

The Brazil winger echoed Xavi’s sentiment on Yamal, saying: “When I was 15 years old, I played for my neighbourhood team.

“It’s incredible. It would have been incredible to score a goal.”

Raphinha suggested Barca must repeat performances such as the one against Betis, which was in stark contrast to their showing in Wednesday’s surprise 2-1 defeat to Rayo Vallecano.

He added: “The Rayo game was very tough. We needed to respond with a victory.

“Xavi warned us, we knew we needed a better attitude and be better on the ball. If we want to win the league, we have to play like this.”

Raphinha scored one goal and assisted another as Barcelona restored their 11-point lead at the LaLiga summit with a comfortable 4-0 victory over 10-man Real Betis.

Real Madrid cut the gap at the top to eight points with a 4-2 victory over Almeria before Saturday’s kick-off at Camp Nou, but Barca reclaimed their significant advantage in style.

Andreas Christensen’s early header from Raphinha’s delightful cross set the Blaugrana on their way before Robert Lewandowski struck after a mindless first-half dismissal for Betis substitute Edgar Gonzalez.

Raphinha added a third goal soon after, before a Guido Rodriguez own goal sealed a dominant victory for Barca, who introduced 15-year-old debutant Lamine Yamal in the closing stages.

Barca raced into the ascendancy after 14 minutes when Raphinha delivered a pinpoint right-wing cross for Christensen, who headed down past the helpless Rui Silva from close range.

A needless Gonzalez foul on Pedri then saw the Betis defender, brought on for the injured Luiz Felipe, dismissed for two quickfire cautions in the 33rd minute.

Lewandowski capitalised just three minutes later when firing a right-footed strike into the bottom-left corner from Jules Kounde’s low cross.

Raphinha inflicted further damage by smashing past the onrushing Silva following Sergio Busquets’ disguised throughball, with the goal given after the VAR overturned an on-field offside decision.

Lewandowski rattled the right post when one-on-one with Silva after the break but Betis suffered further punishment when Rodriguez turned Ansu Fati’s low cross into his own net.

Xavi took the opportunity to hand teenager Yamal his debut as Barca eased to victory.

What does it mean? Barca get back on track as title awaits

With just one win in their past five games in all competitions, Barca appeared to be stumbling – rather than cruising – to their first title of the post-Lionel Messi era.

Yet Xavi’s side got back on track with their eighth win in nine league games against Betis, maintaining their unbeaten record at Camp Nou this season in LaLiga (W13 D3).

Bayern Munich and Union Berlin are the only other two clubs to boast such unbeaten runs across Europe’s top five leagues this term, with Barca’s home form proving the difference in their quest for the title.

Rampant Raphinha

Raphinha seemed simply unplayable at times as left-back Juan Miranda and the Betis defence were unable to cope with the Brazil winger on the right-hand side.

The Barca attacker’s glorious cross for Christensen took his assists tally to 11 for the season, as many as Neymar managed in his first Blaugrana campaign in the 2013-14 term.

Poor Pellegrini

Manuel Pellegrini must be wondering what he must do to defeat Barca, the Betis coach losing 13 of his past 14 games in LaLiga against the Blaugrana.

Pellegrini will still have European hopes for Betis this term, with his side in sixth – three points clear of the chasing pack and Europa Conference League qualification.

What’s next?

Barca host Osasuna on Tuesday, while Betis visit Athletic Bilbao two days later.

Carlo Ancelotti compared Karim Benzema’s relationship with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo to the one the striker shared with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, after his first-half hat-trick helped Real Madrid down Almeria.

Benzema needed just 42 minutes to complete another treble in a 4-2 win over the LaLiga strugglers, benefitting from fine assists from Vinicius and Rodrygo before converting a penalty.

Rodrygo then added a spectacular fourth from range, while goals from Lazaro and Lucas Robertone ensured Almeria kept the scoreline respectable at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

After the game, Ancelotti was asked whether Madrid’s current forward trio could match the talents of those who fired Los Blancos to four Champions League titles in five seasons between 2013-14 and 2017-18.

“It’s a good question,” the Italian said. “They are similar in effectiveness and quality, with different characteristics of the players. 

“It’s a different trio, but they are both very good. The 2014 trio was very dangerous and the trio now is also very dangerous.”

Having also scored hat-tricks in resounding wins over Real Valladolid and Barcelona this month, Benzema has three trebles in eight games for Madrid – as many as he hit in his previous 120 club matches.

Asked about the Ballon d’Or holder’s display, Ancelotti said: “Benzema is in good shape and he has shown it. 

“In attack we are very good, we are dangerous. Even while we are well behind [in LaLiga], the team comes out very well in offensive terms.”

Logan Costa and Thijs Dallinga both scored twice as Toulouse thrashed holders Nantes 5-1 in a one-sided Coupe de France final, handing Les Violets their first major trophy in their current guise.

Nantes never looked likely to defend their crown at the Stade de France, falling behind within four minutes as centre-back Costa climbed to head Branco van den Boomen’s corner home.

Toulouse’s dream start continued as they capitalised on another set-piece six minutes later, Stijn Spierings crossing for Costa to nod in from close range after Nantes half-cleared a free-kick.

Nantes almost got one back as Gabriel Suazo denied Mostafa Mohamed with a goal-line clearance, but Toulouse had a third 23 minutes in, Dallinga racing onto Suazo’s pass to beat Alban Lafont with a dinked finish.

Any slim hopes of a Nantes comeback were then crushed as Dallinga tapped in his second after Lafont saved from Fares Chaibi, stunning Les Canaris’ supporters into silence.

Nantes captain Ludovic Blas got one back from the penalty spot when Rasmus Nicolaisen scythed down Fabien Centonze with 15 minutes remaining, but Zakaria Aboukhlal swiftly blasted into the top-left corner to round off the scoring for Toulouse.

While Toulouse can celebrate lifting a first major trophy since predecessors Toulouse FC won this competition in 1957, Nantes must recover quickly as they battle to preserve their Ligue 1 status.

York confirmed National League survival after Shaq Forde’s late equaliser earned them a 1-1 drew at Notts County.

Macaulay Langstaff’s 42nd goal of the season put County in front as the division’s top-scorer got on the end of Ruben Rodrigues’ ball just before the break.

York had goalkeeper Ryan Whitley to thank for keeping the deficit to won as he made a series of impressive saves, notably denying Sam Austin and keeping out Cedwyn Scott’s deflected header.

And Forde levelled in the 88th minute, sending a cool finish past Sam Slocombe at his right-hand post.

Whitley still had to be alert to deny the dangerous Rodrigues in added time as York, already all but safe, ensured they would be staying up.

Second-placed County’s next assignment is a play-off semi-final against either Barnet or Boreham Wood.

Stefano Pioli feels Milan dropped two points against Roma despite Alexis Saelemaekers snatching a draw with a 97th-minute equaliser at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.

The Rossoneri headed into the match in the Champions League places but above fifth-placed Roma on just goal difference, and it appeared the Giallorossi would leapfrog Pioli’s men as Tammy Abraham scored in the 94th minute with the match’s first shot on target.

But with Roma seconds away from a huge win, Saelemaekers turned home from Rafael Leao’s deep cross to break the hosts’ hearts and keep Milan in the top four.

Despite his team snatching a draw at the death, Pioli still felt Milan dropped two points, with city rivals Inter just three points behind and with a game in hand.

When asked if Roma had dropped points, Pioli replied: “For us too, it means that tonight we all go home unhappy. It’s not the result we wanted.

“We didn’t play badly, we lacked the right decisions in the last 30 metres. It’s a shame we didn’t exploit situations. We knew that the difficulty was to unlock the match, we didn’t succeed.”

Roma may have seen a crucial three points slip through their fingers with seconds to play, but head coach Jose Mourinho remained appreciative of his players’ efforts, telling reporters: “I’m sad, but I’m more proud than sad. 

“Only we can do what we’ve done, only us with all our limitations, only us with all the players we’ve lost, could play this match against Milan. Milan have two teams, one on the pitch and one on the bench. I’m not envious of Pioli; he is always fair and nice to me.

“I’m super proud and I’m sure Roma fans go home like I do, sad but proud.”

Carlos Corberan praised West Brom’s resilience as they ended a gruelling week by coming from behind to beat Norwich 2-1 at The Hawthorns and keep their play-off challenge alive.

Josh Sargent opened the scoring for the visitors in the 41st minute, but Conor Townsend equalised with a fine free-kick on the stroke of half-time and Jed Wallace fired home the winner in the 56th minute to ensure the Baggies would head to Swansea on the final day of the regular Championship season with something still to play for.

“I was very pleased, especially considering the physical challenge,” Corberan said. “We were playing against a team who had had one week to prepare for this. They hadn’t played since last Saturday, and we played Sunday, Wednesday and today again, with not many positives to rotate players.

“For me, the effort they put in is why I must give credit to the players.

“We created good chances, they are a dangerous team. When they broke through our initial press they had a good transition – that’s how they scored their goal. They brought danger to the game, but it’s true that if you analyse the first half, the normal score might’ve been 2-1 for us, or 3-2 because both teams had big chances.

“The players put in a lot of energy and desire. I cannot tell you that the performance and three points were as a consequence of any tactical organisation – it wasn’t. The result was the consequence of a high level of energy, commitment and strong mentality from the players.”

Norwich hit the front when Dimitris Giannoulis swept a pass into the path of Sargent, who sent a low strike fizzing into the net.

West Brom’s reply was swift as Townsend curled home a free-kick after Karlan Grant was brought down on the edge of the area.

And they completed the turnaround soon after the interval, good work from Brandon Thomas-Asante down the left freeing up Townsend on the overlap and his low delivery was turned home at the back post by Wallace.

Defeat ended Norwich’s lingering top-six hopes and manager David Wagner, whose side face relegated Blackpool in their final game of the season, is looking forward to a summer of change at Carrow Road.

He said: “For a few weeks we’ve planned and the plans are totally independent from the division.

“This is exactly what excites me for next season. It was going to excite whatever division we were in, because we know we have a lot to change and we will do. The good thing is that the key people at the club are committed and this is why everything we’ll build for next season excites me.”