Новости за 21.12.2018

Sheffield Wednesday have sacked manager Jos Luhukay after less than a year in charge of the club. Luhakay, who was only appointed by the Championship side last January, departs Hillsborough with a record of 16 wins and 19 losses from 49 matches. The pressure had been growing on the 55-year-old following a run of one win in 10 games, culminating in last weekend's 2-1 loss at Swansea City. Wednesday sit 18th and five points above the relegation zone ahead of their home match against Preston North End on Saturday. Читать дальше...

Watford have terminated the contract of Younes Kaboul by mutual consent, bringing an end to the defender's two-and-a-half-year association with the club. Kaboul joined Watford from Sunderland in a reported £4million deal in August 2016 and featured heavily in his debut campaign at Vicarage Road. The former Tottenham and Portsmouth centre-back has struggled with injuries since then, however, and has not been used since a 2-0 Premier League win over Southampton 15 months ago. Watford have now taken... Читать дальше...

Billy Sharp (Sheffield United)At the age of 32, Sharp has always been known as a worker but not always a prolific goalscorer. His most fruitful seasons - 2005/06, 2006/07, 2015/16 and 2016/17 - had all come in the third tier. Sharp has never scored more than 15 times in a Championship season, and that was back in 2010/11.So it is indeed surprising that the 'fat lad from Sheffield'has scored 11 Championship goals in just 1,400 minutes. The only four players to have scored more have taken at least five more shots than Sharp... Читать дальше...

Zoran Mamic believes his Al Ain side can cause a huge upset against Real Madrid in the final of the Club World Cup. Al Ain beat River Plate in the semi-final to book Saturday's clash against holders Madrid, who are seeking a third straight title in the competition and a first trophy under new coach Santiago Solari. Mamic's men were 3-0 down to Team Wellington in the first half of their tournament opener but fought back to win on penalties, also knocking out Copa Libertadores winners River in a shoot-out. Читать дальше...

Virgil van Dijk has been named as the world's best centre-back inFourFourTwo's 100 Best Players in the World 2018list.The Dutchman's £75m transfer from Southampton raised eyebrows last January, but he has helped tighten up a previously-leaky Reds backline to the point that Liverpool currently top the Premier League having shipped just seven goals all season.Van Dijk helped the Reds reach the Champions League final in May,and in October was evenon hand to score the last-gasp goal which took Holland... Читать дальше...

Ernesto Valverde would not be drawn on reports Barcelona are planning to move for Paris Saint-Germain's wantaway midfielder Adrien Rabiot. The France international, who declined a place on the Les Bleus standby list for the World Cup, has pulled out of contract talks with the Ligue 1 champions and looks set to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. PSG sporting director Antero Henrique said the 23-year-old was "indefinitely benched" after the breakdown in negotiations and suggested... Читать дальше...

Manchester United trioDavid de Gea, Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku were all included in the 2018 edition of FourFourTwo's 100 Best Football Players in the World.The annual list takes calendar year performances for both club and country into account, as well as recognising a player's overall class.De Gea was the highest-ranked Red Devil at 16th,with Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak the only goalkeeper who placed higher.Pogba's World Cup displays contributed far more to his 50th-place finish than his recent showings for United... Читать дальше...

Claudio Ranieri is desperate for Fulham to shore up defensively, saying "I need a clean sheet like I need pasta" after the club's poor start to the season. Fulham sit rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table after 17 matches, conceding 42 times already, more than any other side in the division. The Cottagers' woes come despite a pre-season of significant spending, and Ranieri is yet to have much of an impact since replacing the sacked Slavisa Jokanovic in November. None of Fulham's league... Читать дальше...

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are Arsenal's representatives inFourFourTwo's100 Best Players in the World 2018list.Aubameyang is the highest-ranked Gunner in the list at No.45 following a bright start to life at the Emirates Stadium, and 2019 will likely see the Gabonese speedster leap higher should he continue his impressive scoring feats for Unai Emery's team this season.The 29-year-old currently joint-tops the Premier League scoring charts alongside Liverpool's Mo Salah, and... Читать дальше...

First, an apology. We’re about to do the one thing Pep Guardiola hates most.“Don’t try to write about him, don’t try to describe him,” Guardiola once said about his protege Lionel Messi. “Just watch him.”We don’t mean to irritate Pep, but it’s precisely because we’ve done the latter, often at misty-eyed length, which compels us to do the former. Putting one word after another may be a curious way to describe the most naturally gifted footballer to have ever drawn breath, but the human psyche has always sought to make sense of genius. Читать дальше...

If Ronaldo invites you to his place for dinner, say no. The advice comes from Patrice Evra, who once visited him after training when the two were playing for Manchester United. Evra expected a feast, but to his horror, the only food Ronaldo had on offer was salad and plain chicken. “And water, not any juice,” Evra recalled this year. “We started eating,” Evra continued, “and I was thinking some big meat would be coming after that. But there was nothing. He had just finishedand he stood up, thenstarted playing with a ball... Читать дальше...

Alexis Sanchez has angrily denied a newspaper report that he bet Manchester United would sack manager Jose Mourinho. The Sun claimed the former Arsenal forward sent a message to a players' WhatsApp group to suggest he had won a wager with team-mate Marcos Rojo over Mourinho's future at the club. The report emerged just three days after Mourinho was relieved as United boss and replaced by interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, Sanchez, who has missed United's last six games due to a hamstring injury... Читать дальше...

Santiago Solari feels defending the Club World Cup title would be another "extraordinary" achievement for Real Madrid. Solari's side face Al Ain in Saturday's final having triumphed against Kashima Antlers in the semis and won each of the past two editions of the competition. A third consecutive Club World Cup would follow a third straight Champions League sealed by Madrid in Kiev against Liverpool this year. It is Solari's first chance to claim silverware after being appointed Julen Lopetegui's... Читать дальше...

Sergio Ramos has called for respect to be shown towards Real Madrid head coach Santiago Solari amid talk of a possible return to the club for Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese coach has been tipped to take over at the Santiago Bernabeu, where he spent three seasons in charge from 2010 to 2013, having been sacked as Manchester United manager. Mourinho is thought to be the popular choice for president Florentino Perez to become a long-term successor to Solari, who was appointed initially on an interim... Читать дальше...

Unai Emery insists Arsenal need Mesut Ozil, despite the former Germany international's recent absence from the Gunners' first team. Ozil has struggled to earn a place in Emery's XI in recent weeks and he was left out of the matchday squad all together for the midweek EFL Cup clash with rivals Tottenham for "tactical" reasons. The former Real Madrid man will return to the group against Burnley on Saturday, however, and Emery is keen for him to play a key role in the coming weeks. "I want every... Читать дальше...

He only reached the end of his teens at the end of a stellar 2018, and plenty are still pinching themselves at just how much Kylian Mbappe has already achieved. Not the man himself, though.“I knew I wanted to do this since I was four years old,” he said in a television interview in April 2017, just before Monaco’s Champions League semi-final with Juventus, referencing his first memories of visiting local club AS Bondy where his father Wilfried played and coached.Whatever comes next for Mbappe, this year will always be special. Читать дальше...

Pep Guardiola has rejected Jurgen Klopp's observation that his Manchester City side are showing "no sign of weakness" in the Premier League title race. Klopp's Liverpool remain unbeaten in England's top flight this season and lead City by a point at the summit ahead of Friday's trip to face Wolves at Molineux. It means City could be facing a deficit of four points by the time they kick-off against Crystal Palace on Saturday. The top two will conclude their festive schedule with a blockbuster clash... Читать дальше...

Les Reed is to return as the Football Association's (FA) technical director, replacing Dan Ashworth in the role. Former Southampton vice-chairman Reed worked for England and the FA between 1986 and 1995 and again from 1998 until 2004, taking on the position he is now set to reprise for the final two years of his second spell. The 66-year-old subsequently worked for Charlton Athletic and Fulham, joining the Saints in 2010 before leaving the club just last month. Reed will begin his new role in February 2019... Читать дальше...

Yerry Mina will not be affected by a controversial song created by Everton supporters, says Marco Silva. Everton are working with anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out to investigate a social media video. In the clip, Everton supporters are depicted singing a song that refers to Colombia international Mina being a drug user. The song also refers to the player's genitals in a similar way to a chant Manchester United fans sang about Romelu Lukaku last year, which led to the club issuing supporters with a warning over the song. Читать дальше...

Manchester United players have come to the gradual and terrifying realisation that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s presumed nickname, ‘the baby-faced assassin’, is in fact not a nickname at all.The 45-year-old’s first meeting with United players was largely a positive one as Solskjaer outlined his playing philosophy, detailed his expectations of the players in training and then harpooned Phil Jones, gutting him like a kipper.“Ole flashed his trademark impish grin and said that he was a caretaker manager,... Читать дальше...

Maurizio Sarri hailed Gonzalo Higuain as a "wonderful man" amid reports Chelsea might try to sign the striker who thrived under his guidance at Napoli. Higuain amassed a record-breaking haul of 36 Serie A goals for Napoli during the 2015-16 season – paving the way for a €90million switch to Juventus. Back-to-back Scudetti followed but the Argentina international found himself surplus to requirements following Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival this year, prompting a loan move to AC Milan. The Rossoneri... Читать дальше...

Roy Keane believes the Manchester United players "get away with murder" and Jose Mourinho was "thrown under the bus" by some squad members. Mourinho exited Old Trafford this week after two-and-a-half years in charge, with Keane's former team-mate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer duly coming in as manager on an interim basis. The departed boss had public disputes with numerous star players - most notably Paul Pogba, who was left on the bench at Liverpool last week - and Keane believes these issues contributed heavily to Mourinho's departure. Читать дальше...

There might be an understanding that Luka Modric is neither the best player in the world, nor will he ever be.What is indisputable, however, is that years of bubbling appreciation for the midfielder’s quiet genius has reached boiling point in 2018, and there are few fans of the game who would deny him the accompanying accolades.As we possibly come to the end of an era in which extraordinary statistical feats are sometimes the only accepted measure of individual greatness, Modric represents something else on the pitch ... Читать дальше...

Carlo Ancelotti does not foresee any movement in or out of Napoli when the transfer window opens in January. Napoli are second in Serie A, but they remain eight points behind Juventus, and Ancelotti has already outlined his intention to attack the Europa League after the side tumbled out of the Champions League. There have been reports of some potential transfers, with France's World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard linked, but Ancelotti is happy with his squad as it is. Asked of any plans for January deals... Читать дальше...

Jose Mourinho still has a bright future in football and could succeed again in the Premier League, according to Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri. Mourinho was sacked by Manchester United this week following a fractious and dispiriting start to the season that leaves them 19 points shy of Premier League leaders Liverpool in sixth. The apparent breakdown in relations within the Old Trafford dressing room repeated a pattern from Mourinho's second stint at Chelsea and his time with Real Madrid – leading... Читать дальше...