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Post by Webster on Feb 17, 2023 18:48:20 GMT
(The Guardian) A fitness update from Moyes before West Ham’s meeting away against Tottenham (Sunday 4.30pm): “Lucas Paquetá is not available … Nayef [Aguerd] has got a chance, but we’re not sure … it’s great that Gianluca [Scamacca] is back [in training] but he’s nowhere near ready to be selected … I might try and involve him, but I’ve got to say, it’d be minimum minutes. “We are looking forward to getting him [Maxwel Cornet] back … we’ll have to build him up to get him back ready to play. “There’s never a good time to play Tottenham. They have got a host of good players. They are a really good team … we’ll try and go into the game really positive …” Do Antonio Conte’s health issues put things in perspective? “I’m more thinking about Antonio … he’s a top manager … he’s had a lot of success wherever he’s been … he’ll be a miss, obviously, but they’ve got a really good group of players and I am sure they’ll get on with the job. Obviously he’s an elite manager. I’ve got great respect for him.” Has Moyes got a plan for containing Harry Kane? “I’ve tried a lot of times to negate him, I’ve got to say. He’s a top player … we’ll do everything we can to try and contain him. “We are starting to be a bit more resilient, which is good … there wasn’t a bad atmosphere when we were losing if that’s what you’re suggesting … but we’ve had some good results. There’s signs of players getting back to their best form … there’s a lot of good things coming through. We want to maintain that.”
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Feb 17, 2023 18:49:14 GMT
(The Guardian) Tottenham assistant coach Cristian Stellini speaks, regarding the fact that Antonio Conte will remain in Italy while recovering from surgery for the time being: “His feeling was that maybe he underestimated the procedure … coming close to the game, the stress and tension he lives normally, before the game, creates some problems … the doctor said he needs to take it easy … he will come back soon, but not like he hopes. “We speak probably three times a day … every time he wants to come back. Every time he asks – how was the training, we have to organise the team … he wants to come back. “Health is more important than football … that’s why the doctors and the club decided to leave Antonio in Italy … we don’t know [the exact time frame] … it’s really a feeling from Antonio. It was emergency surgery … he needs time to be 100%. Antonio, not at 100%, is not Antonio. This creates stress, and that is dangerous, after surgery like that.”
Stellini, continued: “Against West Ham, every time is a tough game. It’s a derby, and they are a good team. They have great skill in some situations … they are a team strong in set-pieces and on the counterattack … we have to be careful. They had a good season last season and they didn’t change many of their players. They are a good team. It’s a derby, and that creates a good feeling for us, and also a good feeling for them. “I want to see a reaction from the start. The first minute is important for us. We have to show the desire to show the best game we can.”
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Feb 17, 2023 18:49:46 GMT
(The Guardian) The Chelsea manager, Graham Potter, is asked about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: “Of course, Pierre is in our squad. He remains an important player for us ... He’s worked hard and he knows the situation at the moment. But nothing is set in stone. His attitude has been really, really good and we’ll make an assessment as we go forward.” Potter is asked about VAR following the controversy during the 1-1 draw with West Ham last week and Tomas Soucek’s “save”. “I have no problem with VAR, necessarily,” Potter says. “I don’t think I’d have had it in the first place, I’m a bit of a romantic, traditionalist … I quite like that the referee and the linesman are there to make the decision, and whatever happens, happens. That’s good, but I understand that we want to make it so all the decisions are correct. “Then I go: do we really want every single decision to be correct? Because there’s an element of human error, there’s an element of that, that happens in the game, that’s something for us all something to talk about, and get annoyed about. That’s part of the game. It would be boring … Are we going towards, eventually, computers making the decisions? … The only way to be consistent is humans don’t make the decision, because every human being will see it in a different way. The football action will be so different. “This drive for consistency is strange, when you consider that humans are taking part in the game. I would like the referee to mostly referee the game. Apart from that I’m just trying to support the process. “I don’t think it’s so easy to be a VAR ref, we’re still in the early stages … it must be different to go on the pitch, feeling the game … to then referee the game in this room, for example … so that’s something they are inevitably going to get better at, I think. Apart from that, I have enough problems myself to worry about VAR.”
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Feb 17, 2023 18:51:39 GMT
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Feb 17, 2023 18:54:44 GMT
(The Guardian) Leicester manager Rodgers, whose team have scored eight goals in their past two matches, is asked what has “clicked” in attack. “It actually starts with the defending … the way the team played defensively. [Against Spurs] we stopped a very dangerous team getting the ball into the areas they wanted … and that always is the foundation to attack well. And we were very aggressive in attack. A good balance in the team, people scoring from different areas. The last numbers of games have been really good. On Kelechi Iheanacho’s strong form: “I’m delighted for him playing so well. The thing now is consistency, keeping it going.”
Brentford’s Thomas Frank on last week’s VAR drama against Arsenal: “It’s very important of course that the referee department get the VAR situations right. No doubt about that. We would have been disappointed if it happened towards us. It was a human mistake which I completely understand, we have seen human mistakes in football over the last 100 years … in a way I hope it happens in the future as well, because that’s why we’re human. “I think that question massively overshadowed our performance against Arsenal, which was more than good enough to get a well-deserved point, and if there should have been a winner I think it easily could have been us. “Our overall performance was good … I was happy … you can see it in the players’ faces. We talked about the good place we are in. We need to continue. The 10-match unbeaten run is deserved … we could have hoped for a bit more, according to our performances. Now it’s all about: do it once more against a good Crystal Palace team.” Would he be in favour of semi-automated offside tech in the Premier League? “To be fair, I don’t know enough about that. I heard about it. I am for everything that will make the game better and make it more … how you say, not correct, but as fair as possible. It’s a physical sport, a contact sport … offside is a hugely important rule … if it can help, I am open for it. “[Quaifiying for] Europe is not a “target” … we are allowed to dream … we are very, very aware that if we don’t perform tomorrow against Crystal Palace we will get nothing … we are in a good place, we have an almost fully-fit squad. We are in a top place but we need to continue. If we do [make Europe] I would love to give you answer but right now my only focus is to get three points against Crystal Palace.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 17, 2023 18:55:50 GMT
(The Guardian) More from Stellini at Spurs here, courtesy of Reuters: The assistant said that it has been “strange” to receive such a warm response from Tottenham fans during the period in which he has taken over Conte’s first team responsibilities.
“It’s strange for me,” the Italian said. “Not many people know the assistant. Who knows the assistant? This is a strange thing for me. I repeat that I’m not alone though, there are many people who work with me.
“[First team coach] Ryan Mason was important every time and will be this weekend. He is important for me and all the staff, [Constantino] Coratti, [Stefano] Bruno [fitness coaches] and [Marco] Savorani for the keepers.
“What we are learning now is that Antonio takes responsibility with great character. He asks the assistants but he takes the decisions. Now we have take responsibility together. We’re more like a team. When Antonio is here, he will take decisions, he takes the responsibility and sometimes doesn’t explain why.”
And a bit more from Graham Potter at Chelsea: Asked if Chelsea’s lack of goals could be down to poor luck, Potter said: “I don’t like to use luck as something to wait for as you can’t control it.
“The Dortmund game, in terms of chances created, was a positive for us. With the quality of players we have in the attacking positions, we can score,” the 47-year-old added.
“The criticism for us and the fair criticism is that we haven’t attacked as well as I would have liked us to. It was closer against Dortmund.
“The hardest thing to do in football is to put the ball in the net ... The final third is an area where we can improve and we need to do better.”
And finally from Potter, on facing Southampton, for whom Rubén Sellés will take caretaker charge following the dismissal of Nathan Jones: “It’ll be a big challenge but we are at home and we’ll look to taker three points,” Potter said. "Anything can come at you, pretty much. They’ve got a caretaker manager, they’ve had a week to prepare... We’ve got to focus on ourselves.” (Quotes via Reuters)
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Feb 19, 2023 6:00:47 GMT
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Feb 22, 2023 20:06:47 GMT
...from Sunday's two matches(BBC Sport) Marcus Rashford scored twice to continue his hot streak and help Manchester United overcome Leicester in the Premier League. Rashford is in the form of his career and is leading United's resurgence, taking his tally to 24 goals for the season with strikes in each half at Old Trafford. Both efforts were clinical finishes, latching on to passes from Bruno Fernandes and Fred before bearing down on goal and coolly slotting past Danny Ward. Substitute Jadon Sancho finished off a fine team move to seal all three points for Erik ten Hag's side, but it could have been a very different story. Leicester created the better chances when it was goalless and their failure to find a way past David de Gea proved costly. The Spaniard made a stunning reflex save to deny Harvey Barnes from close range and kept out Kelechi Iheanacho's diving header with another superb stop. West Ham boss David Moyes wants to see which of his players are "up for the fight" after the Hammers ended the weekend in the Premier League relegation zone following defeat at Tottenham, who themselves moved into the top four. The Spurs wing-backs linked up for the first goal of the game, with Ben Davies releasing Emerson Royal to shoot into the bottom corner. West Ham had an immediate chance to equalise but Jarrod Bowen's powerful effort, after he outpaced Cristian Romero, was well saved by home goalkeeper Fraser Forster. Spurs substitute Son Heung-min scored four minutes after coming on when he raced onto Harry Kane's through ball and slotted a finish past Lukasz Fabianski. The Hammers would have moved above both Bournemouth and Everton with a draw, but instead remain 18th after a first defeat in five matches in all competitions. "We've only got ourselves to blame for it, and overall the players did a lot of good things as well," Moyes told Match of the Day. "We've been here before so I'm sure we can do it again, but I'm looking forward to the players who are joining me in the fight because that is going to be noticeable in the weeks to come. They're all for it." Speaking to Sky Sports, he added: "There are bits of it I want to build on and hope that we take it in. The players have been challenged, now let's see who's up for the fight." Defeat ended Leicester's three-game unbeaten run and an inconsistent season sees them remain in 14th place in the table. (BBC Sport)
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Post by Webster on Feb 24, 2023 19:01:22 GMT
(The Guardian) Arsenal: Mikel Arteta has got his pre-match media duties out of the way early doors, telling reporters that Thomas Partey is back from injury and in contention to feature in the Arsenal squad travelling to Leicester this weekend. He also said Gabriel Jesus is nearing a comeback having been out since the World Cup, but had no further updates on the contract negotiatians between either Bukayo Saka or William Saliba and the club. “We want to create a long-term project here and to do that we need our best players to be committed to the club,” he said. Arsenal: During his press conference, Mikel Arteta took time to reflect on his team’s hard-fought win against Aston Villa last Saturday. Arsenal were forced to come from behind twice before scoring two goals in added time to secure all three points. “There is a much better better mood, much more positive,” he said. “The confidence is much better, the environment around training is much better. The fact the team showed the capacity in an adverse situation; when you are 2-1 down and played less than 72 hours before and everyone is expecting you to be tired mentally - to be able to come back and win the game is a real big boost for us.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 24, 2023 19:03:05 GMT
(The Guardian) Jordan Pickford signs new deal with EvertonThe 28-year-old England goalkeeper has committed his future to the club by signing a new four-and-a-half year deal. “It’s massive to sign this new contract at such a special club for me,” he told Everton TV. “The support I’ve had from everyone at the Club since I joined as a 22-year-old has been so important to my family and me. I’m happy here and so are my family. We love it at Everton. “Everton is a massive club. The past few seasons have not been what we wanted but we now have a manager who I believe will point us in the right direction and get us up the table. It’s definitely my aim to be successful at this club. The fans, the staff and my teammates have been great with me from the moment I joined and I want to be great for them. “I just want to keep working hard and performing for Everton. We know we are in a tough place at the moment in the league but I’m eager to help the team improve this season and then aim for success in the future, which will include playing in our new stadium. “This contract will take me to more than 10 years at Everton and I want to build a legacy here to put myself up there with the likes of Neville Southall to be one of the best keepers to have played for Everton.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 24, 2023 19:06:46 GMT
(The Guardian) Miguel Almiron signs new deal with NewcastleThe 29-year-old from Paraguay, who asrrived at St James’ Park from MLS side Atlanta in 2019, has signed a new three-and-a-half year deal with the Carabao Cup finalists. “I felt at home at Newcastle from the beginning,” he told the club website. “I’ve felt very welcomed and I feel like part of the family, so I am very happy to stay here and I am going to keep giving everything on the pitch to thank the people of Newcastle. “The truth is that I’ve worked really hard since I came to Newcastle to improve my level and to be where I am at the moment, and I also thank the staff and my team-mates, who have helped me a lot during these four years. I think this is a reward for that hard work and I am very happy. “On Sunday, we have a very important match and while the new contract makes me really happy, the most important thing is that we celebrate this contract with a victory on Sunday.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 24, 2023 19:10:31 GMT
(The Guardian) Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag does not yet know if in-form Marcus Rashford will be available for the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. The striker was substituted in the 88th minute of his side’s Europa League win over Barcelona last night and was seen limping down the Old Trafford touchline. . “I don’t know,” said Ten Hag, upon being asked if Rashford would be fit for Wembley. “So, players now are coming in. We have to do investigations, medical of course. Yesterday we did but so straight after the game most of the time you can’t say. We have to wait for a 100% diagnosis, so we have to wait.”
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper says his side’s poor Premier League away form has been a sunject of discussion among his squad. Forest have picked up just six points on their travels this season, compared to 19 at the City Ground, with their solitary win coming against Southampton at the start of the year. “It is something I will always openly talk about as one of the things we need to improve on,” he said ahead of Saturday’s trip to West Ham. “If you don’t you are shirking away from the demands of what the Premier League is. It’s no secret and I don’t want any elephants in the room, our away from is something that needs to improve. “I am talking about it more with the players and they are with each other more than I am with you guys. It is something we really want to turn around and we need to turn it around. We have an opportunity, like every away game, to improve it and we have focus and commitment in doing that.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 24, 2023 19:12:01 GMT
(The Guardian) Sean Dyche has been talking to the press in advance of Everton’s match against Aston Villa at Goodison Park tomorrow afternoon. Everton have won two games out of three under Dyche’s watch but remain deep in the relegation mire, sitting 16th in the table, just one point above the thick black line. “I’ve walked into an environment where people work hard which is a great start,” he said. “With the players equally there’s an open-mindedness to it and that’s a great start. It’s not about easy or hard – no job is easy, it’s always about hard work. We’ve got a way of working that can develop between the people here and my mini-group that has come in, then working with the players. “That’s the end product that you want, to get the players in the best shape mentally, physically and tactically to give performances. So far it’s been very enjoyable. Yes, it’s a big challenge but it’s very enjoyable.”
Miguel Almíron has signed a new contract with Newcastle. He’s been one of the best players in the Premier League this season so well deserved. That’s three more seasons of Miggy beyond this one. -- I felt at home at Newcastle from the beginning. I’ve felt very welcomed and I feel like part of the family, so I am very happy to stay here and I am going to keep giving everything on the pitch to thank the people of Newcastle.
The truth is that I’ve worked really hard since I came to Newcastle to improve my level and to be where I am at the moment, and I also thank the staff and my team-mates, who have helped me a lot during these four years. I think this is a reward for that hard work and I am very happy.
On Sunday, we have a very important match and while the new contract makes me really happy, the most important thing is that we celebrate this contract with a victory on Sunday."
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Feb 27, 2023 16:29:58 GMT
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Mar 2, 2023 19:11:02 GMT
(BBC Sport) Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points as they thrashed struggling Everton at Emirates Stadium. Sean Dyche's side, who remain in the relegation places, frustrated Arsenal until five minutes before half-time, when Oleksandr Zinchenko's pass played in Bukayo Saka for a thumping finish. The contest was effectively over in first-half stoppage time when Saka robbed the dawdling Idrissa Gueye to play in Gabriel Martinelli. The flag went up for offside after he drove past Jordan Pickford but the decision was overturned after a VAR check. Everton had no answers and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard wrapped up their third successive league victory when he side-footed home Leandro Trossard's cross after 71 minutes. It was now simply a question of how many Arsenal would score to improve their goal difference, Martinelli adding his second and the Gunners' fourth from Eddie Nketiah's cross ten minutes from time. (BBC Sport) Goals from Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah earned Liverpool a hard-fought Premier League win against Wolverhampton Wanderers that boosts their hopes of finishing in the top four of the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp's side looked to be facing a frustrating evening at Anfield when Darwin Nunez's strike was ruled out by VAR. However Reds captain Van Dijk made the breakthrough with a close-range header from Diogo Jota's cross and four minutes later Salah turned in a Konstantinos Tsimikas cut-back. The victory moves Liverpool up to sixth in the table, six points behind fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand. Wolves remain 15th, three points above the relegation zone, having offered minimal threat going forward.
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