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Post by Webster on Aug 6, 2023 5:32:55 GMT
The 2023-2024 Premier League is now amongst us....
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
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Post by Webster on Aug 11, 2023 8:04:24 GMT
(BBC Sport, 6 August 2023) Arsenal gave their hopes of beating Manchester City to the Premier League title a psychological boost as they defeated Pep Guardiola's side on penalties to win the Community Shield. After a largely forgettable 70 minutes in the season curtain-raiser, Cole Palmer looked to have won it for City when the substitute curled home a stunning strike. But Leandro Trossard equalised in the 101st minute when his shot deflected into the back of the net. That took the game to spot-kicks, where substitute Kevin de Bruyne struck the crossbar before Rodri saw his effort saved and then Fabio Vieira converted to secure the silverware for Arsenal. Arsenal led the Premier League for 248 days last season but their challenge fell apart in the closing stages as City overtook them to claim the title as part of a Treble, along with the Champions League and FA Cup. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta admitted in the build-up to this game that the end of last season still hurt, and was clearly desperate to get one over City, who beat his side home and away last season. Arsenal's big summer signings Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber were all handed their competitive debuts at Wembley, but it looked like it was going to be a familiar story as Havertz failed to convert two big opportunities in the first half, before Palmer's stunner put City ahead. But Arteta's side showed impressive spirit to battle to the end and got their reward when substitute Trossard struck before keeping their cool to come out on top in the shootout.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 11, 2023 16:12:48 GMT
(The Guardian) Jürgen Klopp likes to do his press conferences nice and early. And there’s only one thing the journalists want to know from the Liverpool manager today and that’s the C word … Caicedo. Klopp said: “I can confirm that the deal with the club is agreed. With the player, we will have to see. Let’s see.” No word yet on a medical for the £111m man from Brighton.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 11, 2023 16:13:56 GMT
(The Guardian) Chelsea to answer Caicedo raiseJacob Steinberg has the latest on the Moisés Caicedo transfer saga, with Chelsea set to raise their offer in a last-ditch attempt to snatch the midfielder from under Liverpool’s noses. The Reds want to wrap things up swiftly after having an enormous bid accepted and booking the player’s medical … but it’s not quite done and dusted yet.
More from Klopp, on his ‘reloaded’ Liverpool side. He’s in bullish mood this morning: We have a new start with this Liverpool FC reloaded - it’s an exciting thing. People wanted changes because we’d been together for a long time. Did it happen at the right moment? That’s difficult to answer. But now it happened and that’s good. We have a new leadership group and if you look at the players not in that group then they also offer a lot, they are exceptional. Cody [Gakpo] is great, Dom [Szoboszlai] is 23 and the captain of Hungary, Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] is also outstanding. We all share responsibility, let’s take that responsibility and see where we go. Don’t try to be like someone just be the best version of yourself.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 11, 2023 16:16:05 GMT
(The Guardian) Newcastle’s Eddie Howe is the latest to face the media’s glare as press conferences return to numb our brains with footballspeak. On his new boy Tino Livramento: “He’s very athletic, incredibly quick, dynamic, he’s got really good endurance levels and is technically very good. He’s back after a long injury but he’s done all of pre-season with Southampton so he looks in a good physical condition but we need to look after him. A really exciting player.” On his other new boy Sandro Tonali: “When you’re bringing players in from abroad I think it’s really important you try to get them early. There’s a settling-in period you need to navigate, so I have to compliment Sandro on how he’s handled the move and how he’s adapting to those changes.”
Fulham are hopeful of clinching a deal to sign Callum Hudson-Odoi after making a new bid for the Chelsea winger. Hudson-Odoi has been waiting for permission to leave his boyhood club and wants to join Fulham, who have already had one offer turned down. The 22-year-old was not involved in Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the USA and has not been training with the first team. It is understood that Chelsea have been looking for around £8m for Hudson-Odoi, who has a year left on his deal. The size of Fulham’s bid is unknown and there has been no confirmation on whether it has been accepted. Two other clubs are interested in Hudson-Odoi but Fulham are favourites. Hudson-Odoi was targeted by Bayern Munich in 2019 and 2020. His development stalled after he suffered a serious Achilles injury in 2019 and he spent last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 11, 2023 16:17:57 GMT
(The Guardian) Pep Guardiola did his presser yesterday, in preparation for tonight’s BIG ONE against Burnley. He’s not entertaining thoughts of back-to-back trebles, understandably.
Talking of Manchester City and Burnley (as we have been doing, extensively), Nick Smith has weighed in on email: Funny how they [Burnley] seemed to get condescending comments from the southern press when lesser clubs without even a league title get a free pass.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 11, 2023 16:19:20 GMT
(The Guardian) Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is next up. He’s been asked about the Cherries’ two latest additions, Alex Scott and Max Aarons, from Championship clubs Bristol City and Norwich respectively. The former will have to wait a while for his debut because he's carrying a knee injury. On Scott: “He had a fantastic season in the Championship last year, the first impressions are really nice.” On Aarons: “I think for his age, he has already got a lot of Premier League games under his belt. He has been playing at this level and he has international experience.”
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 11, 2023 16:39:08 GMT
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 11, 2023 23:35:04 GMT
(BBC Sport) Erling Haaland was back in the old routine with a devastating display of finishing as Manchester City opened the defence of their Premier League title with a comfortable victory at Burnley. The goalscoring phenomenon, who hit 52 goals as City won the Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League last season, took only 185 seconds to open his account for the new campaign, striking a blow from which the newly promoted Clarets never recovered. Haaland pounced in the area when Rodri headed down Kevin de Bruyne's cross, then curled in a magnificent left-foot strike into the top corner beyond Burnley keeper James Trafford after 36 minutes to effectively end the contest. Burnley, roared on by a passionate home crowd, never gave up but City's control grew more emphatic as the game went on, Rodri turning home the third with 15 minutes left after the home defence failed to clear a free-kick. It all ended very comfortably for City, their night only marred by another injury for De Bruyne, who limped off after only 23 minutes to be replaced by summer signing Mateo Kovacic. Burnley had Anass Zaroury sent off in injury time, after a the video assistant referee review, for a dangerous lunge on Kyle Walker.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 13, 2023 17:56:34 GMT
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 14, 2023 15:29:38 GMT
(BBC Sport) Tottenham began life after Harry Kane with an entertaining draw against Brentford on the opening weekend of the Premier League season. Kane's move from his boyhood club to Bayern Munich was confirmed on Saturday, and goals from Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal earned new Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou a point on Sunday. Brentford, who began the league campaign without talisman Ivan Toney, had taken the lead through Yoane Wissa after Bryan Mbeumo's penalty cancelled out Romero's opener. Spurs have now failed to win on their three visits to the Gtech Community Stadium, where kick-off was delayed by six minutes because of a water supply issue. When play did begin, Argentina defender Romero opened the scoring with a guided header from debutant James Maddison's fierce free-kick. It proved to be Romero's final contribution as he was replaced by Postecoglou as a precaution after appearing to complain of a knock to the head in the celebration. The Bees recovered and won a spot-kick when Spurs' new captain Son Heung-min brought down Mathias Jensen for Mbuemo to convert and stretch his goalscoring run to four consecutive top-flight games. Wissa was then the beneficiary of Rico Henry's blistering surge down the left-hand side before side-footing the cutback past Guglielmo Vicario, via a deflection off the boot of Micky van de Ven, to dampen their debuts. Royal scored the pick of the goals with a guided finish in the fifth minute of 11 added on at the end of a thrilling first half. (BBC Sport) Chelsea and Liverpool played out a thrilling draw at Stamford Bridge as both sides delivered a prime example of why they are doing battle over £110m Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo. Liverpool agreed a British record deal for the Ecuador player but Caicedo's preference means he is likely to complete a move to Chelsea. A highly entertaining encounter showcased the attacking quality of both sides while the defensive deficiencies illustrated why Caicedo has become a prized target. Liverpool dominated the early stages, Mohamed Salah striking the bar before the Egypt forward delivered a stunning pass for Luis Diaz to slide home the opening goal after 18 minutes. Chelsea, in their first Premier League game under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, rallied and drew level with an equaliser from new signing Axel Disasi, who scored from six yards after Liverpool failed to clear a set-piece. Both sides had further chances - with Liverpool keeper Alisson saving well from Ben Chilwell and Nicolas Jackson - but neither could find a winner.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 14, 2023 23:03:43 GMT
(BBC Sport) Raphael Varane scored the winner 14 minutes from time as Manchester United gained a fortunate win against Wolves in their opening game of the new Premier League season. Erik ten Hag's side hardly created a chance of note until Bruno Fernandes found Aaron Wan-Bissaka with a superb pass inside the area. The right-back calmly lifted the bouncing ball to the edge of the six-yard box, where Varane used his height to get above Nelson Semedo and head home. It was extremely harsh on Wolves, who made light of last week's change of manager to produce a superb performance in Gary O'Neil's first game in charge. O'Neil was booked for his protests in claiming for a late penalty as United clung on for a fortunate victory. United's debutant goalkeeper Andre Onana avoided punishment in added time for charging into Sasa Kalajdzic as he clattered into the Wolves striker when he came for a cross without making contact with the ball. Matheus Cunha should have given Wolves the lead before then as Pablo Sarabia's low cross found him unmarked just beyond the far post but despite steadying himself, the Brazilian hit the outside of the upright. Cunha fizzed a low shot wide just before the break and Pedro Neto fired straight at Onana before Varane's decisive effort while Fabio Silva had two goal-bound efforts saved as Wolves pressed for an equaliser.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 18, 2023 16:25:37 GMT
(The Guardian) Theo Walcott announces his retirementThose of us who already felt old when Sven-Goran Eriksson included the whey-faced 17-year-old Arsenal winger in England’s squad for World Cup 2006 will be weeping salty into our Ovaltine tonight now it’s been revealed Theo Walcott has retired from football. Calling it quits at the ripe young age of 34, Walcott had offers to continue his career in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, Walcott has decided the time is right to hang up his Nike Phantom GTs. “It’s very scary, I can’t lie,” he told Gary Neville in an episode of the Overlap podcast. “It’s scary because football’s all I’ve known from the age of 16 or even younger. I want to try new things I never experienced as a kid – I missed out on a lot. I just feel like I want to experience life – things [usually] revolve around football for me.” We wish him well in his dotage. Romeo Lavia is en route to ChelseaHaving snubbed overtures from Liverpool, even after Chelsea signed Moises Caicedo from Brighton, Romeo Lavia has gone to Chelseas for £35m and will be unveiled at Stamford Bridge today after signing a seven-year deal. The Belgian midfielder has bid farewell to Southampton and their fans on his Instagram page. “As I saw goodbye, I want to say a big thank you for everything you have given me during my time here,” he wrote. “I’ve instantly felt the love from you all despite us not achieving our shared goals. I’ll never forget the belief the club and Saints all around the world showed me and I hope I was able to repay the faith you put in me. “I would especially like to thank all my teammates and all staff members within the club involved closely or not for putting your arms around me since the day I walked through the Staplewood Campus and for all the daily work and help behind the scenes making me become a better person, athlete and football player. You have all played a massive part into making my integration into real professional football easier. “I will forever be grateful to you. For those reasons, this club will always remain close to my heart. Good luck this season and I look forward to seeing the club marching back to the Premier League where it belongs very soon.”
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 18, 2023 16:28:52 GMT
(The Guardian) Newcastle United: Eddie Howe takes his side to Manchester City for one of the weekend’s more mouthwatering games tomorrow night and Eddie Howe has already spoken to the press. He told reporters that if Newcastle’s reported deal to sign 18-year-old Chelsea left-back (and occasional midfielder) Lewis Hall is signed sealed and delivered, he expects that to be the club’s last bit of transfer business in the current window. Newcastle have already added Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento and Yankuba Minteh to their squad this summer. “It’s a loan deal,” said Howe of Hall. “He’s a player I like — very versatile with really good potential. Let’s see what happens today. If we do bring a player in, that will be our transfer business concluded, unless we suffer injuries.” Eddie Howe: During his press conference, the Newcastle manager was asked if he felt comfortable with the news that St James’ Park will be hosting two Saudi Arabia friendly internationals against Costa Rica and South Korea next month. “I found out, like you, in the media,” he said. “I had no pre-knowledge of what was happening. All I’d say on that is I think Newcastle is an incredible venue to play not just football, but we’ve had bands, rugby, lots of different people, sports at the stadium and it is a truly iconic place to play.” A number of Newcastle fans have voiced disquiet at the manner in which their club and it’s ground is apparently being used as, what they see as a sportswashing machine for Saudi Arabia, while plenty of others, including Howe, see no problem whatsoever in the iconic local cultural asset staging these friendlies. With Mohammad Bin Salman due to visit England for the first time since being implicated in the 2018 murder of the journalist Jamaal Khashoggi, the Saudi football team are unlikely to be the most controversial visitors to the country from the sovereign state in the coming months.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on Aug 18, 2023 16:33:31 GMT
(The Guardian) Newcastle sign Lewis Hall from ChelseaNewcastle have agreed to sign Chelsea’s Lewis Hall on loan with an obligation to make the deal permanent for £28m plus £7m in add-ons, reports Jacob Steinberg. It is understood that the deal to sell the 18-year-old weeks after handing him a new six-year deal was negotiated by Chelsea’s co-owner, Behdad Eghbali. Hall made 12 appearances last season and his departure means that 14 players have left Stamford Bridge this summer. Hall, who can also play in midfield, was initially set to join Crystal Palace on loan. That deal collapsed, though, and the teenager emerged as a target for Newcastle, who can offer him Champions League football. His path into the first team at Chelsea was blocked by Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella and Ian Maatsen. There will be some disquiet over Chelsea’s decision to sell one of their brightest academy products. However the club need to raise funds because of theirs frenzied spending and money received for academy players goes down in the accounts as pure profit in Financial Fair Play terms.
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