Новости за 23.08.2018

A dominant Rangers were forced to settle for a 1-0 home win over Ufa on Thursday that left their Europa League play-off tie finely poised. Connor Goldson's close-range finish in the 41st minute put Steven Gerrard's side within touch of group stage qualification, but they may feel as though the two-legged affair should already be over. The match-winner himself headed over a good opportunity prior to his goal while Alfredo Morelos was repeatedly frustrated in his attempts to increase the margin. Rangers will... Читать дальше...

Slavisa Jokanovic is focused on getting Fulham up and running in the Premier League rather than his own future at Craven Cottage. The Serbian manager's current deal is due to expire at the end of the season and talks to extend his stay have been ongoing since their Championship play-off final victory in May. Terms have yet to be agreed, though, but Jokanovic is not concerned, instead putting an emphasis on his side gaining their first points of the 2018-19 campaign – Fulham having lost both of their opening two matches. Читать дальше...

Arturo Vidal has not taken long to aim a dig at Barcelona's fierce rivals Real Madrid by claiming Los Blancos would have not won the previous two Champions Leagues had VAR been in use. The Chile international swapped Bayern Munich for Camp Nou earlier this month and after only two competitive appearances for the Blaugrana he has taken a swipe at Madrid. Vidal was part of the Bayern squad that was beaten by Real Madrid in the latter stages of the previous two editions of the competition. Bayern... Читать дальше...

Jack Rodwell has signed a deal with Blackburn Rovers until the end of the Championship season following his release from Sunderland. The much-maligned midfielder struggled to hit the heights of earlier in his career in four years at the Stadium of Light, a torrid run of injuries hampering his progress. Rodwell's contract with the League One club was terminated by mutual consent following their relegation to the third tier last season, the 27-year-old opting to continue his career away from Wearside. Читать дальше...

Marco Silva anointed Ademola Lookman as the "present and the future of Everton" as he urged the young forward to rebuff interest from RB Leipzig. Lookman, 20, scored five goals in 11 league appearances during a successful loan spell with Leipzig last term. The Bundesliga side are believed to be interested in signing him on a permanent basis and reportedly had a £22million offer rejected this week. Lookman is yet to feature in either of the Toffees' opening two Premier League matches, but Silva insists he has a role to play. Читать дальше...

Unai Emery expects Arsenal supporters to give Jack Wilshere a warm welcome when he returns to Emirates Stadium as a West Ham player, while opposite number Manuel Pellegrini questioned why the midfielder was allowed to leave North London. Wilshere is set to line up against Arsenal for the first time when the Hammers visit the Gunners in search of their first points of the season on Saturday and Emery said the 26-year-old remains a well-respected figure around the club. The midfielder made 125 Premier... Читать дальше...

Brentford supporters can now prove their loyalty lasts even into the afterlife with the Championship club signing up an official funeral partner. Clients of Wembley-based G Saville Son Funeral Directors have the chance to purchase a "bespoke coffin in club colours and sporting the Brentford FC badge" as part of the arrangement. A long-standing Bees fan, business owner Graham Saville could be in for a lively reception on his next visit to Griffin Park. Brentford are free of any grave concerns... Читать дальше...

Manuel Pellegrini has warned that off-field problems cannot be any excuse if West Ham's results fail to improve quickly. The Hammers lost their opening two Premier League games of the season, going down 4-0 to Liverpool before a 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth last week. The poor run of form under their new manager has coincided with continued problems regarding London Stadium, which is continuing to create headlines and cause friction among fans. The club's honours board, highlighting past triumphs... Читать дальше...

Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny could return to first-team action against West Ham this weekend after head coach Unai Emery commented on his "very good progress" in training. The France international has not played competitive football since he ruptured his Achilles tendon in the 12th minute of Arsenal's 1-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid in May, but Emery confirmed he is back in action at the club's training centre. The Gunners have made a poor start to the season in Koscielny's absence, conceding... Читать дальше...

Milner left Leeds in 2004 after their relegation from the Premier League, joining Newcastle for an initial £3.6m as an 18-year-old.But the midfielder, now 32 and enjoying life in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool midfield, says his Whites departure came as a surprise when he was suddenly informed of an impending medical at Newcastle the following day.Speaking in the September 2018 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, in shops and available online, Milner says: “It was a very tough time to get relegated and there were a lot of financial things going on ... Читать дальше...

1. Daniel Sturridge, Chelsea to BoltonRemember when Sturridge used to play week in, week out? The injury-prone centre-forward may be struggling to reignite hisLiverpoolcareer at present, but he was a mainstay in Owen Coyle’sBoltonstarting XI at the Reebok Arena in 2011. Sturridge bagged eight goalsin 12 league encounters – including a last-minute winner on his debut against Wolves – and became only the sixth player to score in each of his first four games for a Premier League club.His fine form persuadedChelseato... Читать дальше...

Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac has defended striker Robert Lewandowski after he hit out at the club's management. The Poland star accused the Bundesliga champions' hierarchy of failing to stand by him when he was criticised for his form towards the end of last season. Lewandowski, who has been heavily linked with moves to the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, admitted the perceived lack of support made him want to leave the club. The 30-year-old appears likely to stay at the Allianz Arena... Читать дальше...

Real Madrid defender Nacho said his team-mates have "great confidence" in their ability to succeed this season without Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo, while admitting the duo had been "essential" to the club's success in recent years. Head coach Zidane left the club after guiding Madrid to a third consecutive Champions League title in 2017-18 and was replaced by Julen Lopetegui. The Frenchman's departure preceded Ronaldo's €112million transfer to Juventus, leaving Los Blancos without their... Читать дальше...

"He has nothing to do with the price, we have nothing to do with the price, it’s the market, that’s how it is and we will not think a lot about it.”The words of Jurgen Klopp after Liverpool stumped up a whopping £65m for Brazil goalkeeper Alisson this summer. The phrase "we will not think a lot about it" is striking – and that approach is probably for the best, considering that Roma paid Internacional just £6.6m for Alisson only two years ago.The new Liverpool net-minderis one of a long list of Brazilians... Читать дальше...

Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere refuted the suggestion that Mario Balotelli only stayed at the club because he failed to secure a move to Marseille, saying: "He has shown us his desire to stay." Balotelli was expected to leave Nice following the club's failure to qualify for European football last season, which Rivere explained prompted a reduction in the Italy striker's salary. Rivere revealed that the 28-year-old received a "very, very large financial offer" from a club in the Chinese Super... Читать дальше...

First a caveat: most of the players to total a sky-high foul count in the Premier League doneed to have played a significant number of games. If you come in like a bull in a Mike Dean shop, kicking everything you see, you won’t even get a chance to reach 50 fouls, let alone the 160+ this crew have totalled.Also, thereare different types of fouls. You may be picturing a grizzled centre-back ormidfield destroyer. Yet a striker who tussles with defenders or a diminutive winger who presses too eagerly... Читать дальше...

Manager: Sergio BatistaA decade since guiding Argentina to the 2008 Olympic gold medal, Batista will look back to the Beijing Games as his finest moment in the dugout.Having started his coaching career with Bella Vista in Uruguay in 2000, the former World Cup winnerreturned to Argentina the following year to coach several domestic sides before joining the Argentina Football Association in 2007.Two months after winning gold, Batista linked up with his 1986 team-mate and captain Diego Maradona as part... Читать дальше...

Manuel Neuer has named Borussia Dortmund, Schalke, Hoffenheim, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig as the likely challengers to Bayern Munich's Bundesliga title. Niko Kovac's side begin the defence of their crown on Friday, when Julian Nagelsmann's Hoffenheim visit the Allianz Arena. Bayern are going in search of a seventh league title in a row, having finished 21 points clear of second-place Schalke last season despite a troubled start that saw Carlo Ancelotti sacked as head coach. Neuer thinks Schalke... Читать дальше...

Felipe Anderson has revealed he received support from fellow Brazilian Neymar over his move to West Ham. The 25-year-old midfielder became the club's record signing when he joined for a reported club-record £36million fee from Lazio, penning a four-year contract. Having played together for Santos and Brazil, with the pair part of the 2016 Olympic squad that won the gold medal in Rio, Felipe Anderson discussed the switch with Neymar, who knows all about the pressure that comes with a big transfer... Читать дальше...

Chelsea should be fighting for the Premier League title under Maurizio Sarri this season, according to Ashley Cole. The 2016-17 champions have started the campaign in strong fashion, following up a 3-0 win away at Huddersfield Town with a 3-2 victory at home to Arsenal. Cole, who was part of Chelsea's title-winning side of 2009-10, thinks his old club should be aiming to topple Manchester City this term, even if many do not feel they are clear candidates. "Chelsea have gone about their business... Читать дальше...

Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio has refused to rule out a future move away from the club, although he insists he is happy at the Santiago Bernabeu. The 22-year-old has developed into one of the European champions' most important attacking players in the last two seasons, winning eight trophies in that time, including the LaLiga title and two Champions Leagues. Asensio was linked with a possible move to Liverpool in the close season, despite having five years left to run on a contract he signed only last September. Читать дальше...

A new coach and a new era but fans should expect more of the same in the Bundesliga this season.  Niko Kovac steps into the Bayern Munich dugout to replace iconic boss Jupp Heynckes and inherits a team eyeing a seventh successive German title. The Bundesliga trophy stayed in Bavaria for the sixth season in a row as Bayern won the league at a canter last season - 21 points to be exact, in further proof of their stranglehold on domestic proceedings. With Robert Lewandowski opting to remain at Allianz Arena... Читать дальше...

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce is hopeful of signing Yannick Bolasie on loan from Everton. Bolasie joined Everton for a reported fee of £25million in August 2016 after impressing at Crystal Palace. The forward suffered an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury in December 2016 and struggled for regular playing time upon his return to action last season. Villa lost the Championship play-off final to Fulham in May, and Bruce is seeking to bring in attacking reinforcements as he attempts to guide... Читать дальше...

A-League premiers Sydney FC have signed Siem de Jong on a season-long loan from Ajax. The 29-year-old attacker will link up with the Sky Blues as they begin life under Steve Corica, who has succeeded new Socceroos boss Graham Arnold as the team's head coach. Capped six times by the Netherlands, De Jong won the Eredivisie title four times with Ajax, but failed to convince during a three-year stay at Newcastle United in the Premier League from 2014 to 2017. He spent 2016-17 on loan at PSV, before returning to Ajax last year. Читать дальше...

Arjen Robben says leaving Real Madrid for Bayern Munich was the best decision of his career, as the veteran forward prepares for the 2018-19 Bundesliga season to get underway. Robben, 34, retired from international duty last year and had been considering his future at club level before agreeing a one-year extension to remain at Allianz Arena. The wide forward has retained much of the pace while running with the ball that has made him so difficult for defenders to deal with throughout his impressive career. Читать дальше...