BBC Sport - Football
Arsenal Women 4-1 Brighton & Hove Albion Women: Gunners win ninth game in a row
Leaders Arsenal overcome an early Ini Umotong goal to ease past Brighton and keep their 100% WSL record intact.
BlameFootball
United Fans Will Love What Victor Lindelof Did Against Crystal Palace
REUTERS/Hannah McKay
Manchester United were unable to break the deadlock against Crystal Palace, with the final scoreline remaining 0-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday.
On the plus side, the Theatre of Dreams was finally able to witness their first clean sheet of the season, although it goes without saying that Jose Mourinho will be thoroughly disappointed with the end result.
The first half was an affair to forget, with Palace almost having scored, only to have their goal ruled offside. That was a woe that graced United as well, as Lukaku’s quick finish too, occurred from an offside position.
Apart from that, the game really came alive in the final minutes, as both sides looked eager to give the crowd their all. In the midst of its dying minutes, the otherwise unremarkable fixture gave an interesting sight.
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Well into the added minutes, United were going all in at trying to gain possession of the ball and muster in a shot in whatever way seemed possible.
During this, Victor Lindelof seemed to have gotten hurt, but that didn’t stop the Swede from rushing back to defend the ball and taking on two Palace players all on his own.
During the entire encounter, the defender kept clutching at his thigh, clearly in pain, but the passionate display that late into the game really won him brownie points with supporters.
Lindelof clutching his thigh while still being able to intercept and beat 2 players. Fantastic commitment 
pic.twitter.com/21iQnOICJ7
— Paul Pogba (@Pogbaology) November 24, 2018
Lindelof played last 5 minutes injured. Put his body on the line for his teammates. He knows what it means to be wear this shirt. Sadly none of the others do. #mufc pic.twitter.com/9i0qyHwdRZ
— Simply Utd (@SimplyUtd) November 24, 2018
Victor Lindelof. New found love for him tonight. Warrior. 
— Ant 
(@Ant_MUFC) November 24, 2018
A hobbling Lindelof just fended off 2 attackers. Lindelof is a damn warrior.
— Kiril Bálor (@BawangPurple) November 24, 2018
This is interesting when one considers the fact that Lindelof wasn’t the most beloved of players during his early days with the club.
In fact, on many occasions, his individual mistakes and shortcomings had directly cost the club points, and his name was slowly becoming the punchline of yet another expensive joke. However, this season, he has settled into the role quite well.
While there is no denying that his defensive showing is not up to par of what Mourinho would desire, he is currently the club’s best centre-back, and antics like the one against Palace prove precisely why.
The post United Fans Will Love What Victor Lindelof Did Against Crystal Palace appeared first on BlameFootball.
Football | The Indian Express
BBC Sport - Football
Football gossip: Rashford, Bolt, Neves, Eriksen, Heaton, Godin
Marcus Rashford ready to talk to Real Madrid, Mauricio Pochettino not worried about Christian Eriksen's contract situation, plus more.
BlameFootball
Mourinho Scouts Two Belgian Stars, Including A Surprise Midfield Target
REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Manchester United could be in for some crucial incomings in the January transfer window as far key signings are concerned.
Manager Jose Mourinho was recently spotted in Brussels, watching Belgium’s Nations League fixture.
The Red Devils’ boss was reportedly scouting Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld, who has been a chief target since the summer. However, the centre-back wasn’t the only player monitored by the Portuguese.
According to a report in Het Laatste Nieuws, Mourinho was also keeping an eye on Alex Witsel. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder is being targeted by Mourinho for the upcoming January window, as United plan to test the German club’s resolve.
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Witsel moved to the current Bundesliga leaders in the summer, and it is highly unlikely that an in-form Dortmund would allow their key asset to depart so soon. But the Mancunian club is expected to give BVB their desired profit, so as to bolster their own squad.
Witsel has turned out to be one of the biggest bargain buys of the summer, having moved to Germany for a paltry £17m in August from Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian.
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Mourinho is said to be regretting his decision of not moving for the experienced player. The decorated manager instead opted to spend fortunes on Brazilian midfielder Fred, who hasn’t found the composure in the Premier League so far.
Witsel has bagged 3 goals in 17 appearances for Dortmund, who are four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. United have a packed midfield with multiple options, but if the 29-year-old arrives, he shall surely ease things out.
His arrival could also lead to Scott McTominay getting loaned out to garner some vital experience.
The post Mourinho Scouts Two Belgian Stars, Including A Surprise Midfield Target appeared first on BlameFootball.
Football - Sports Mole
AC Milan 'lining up January move for Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen'
Serie A outfit AC Milan are reportedly interested in signing out-of-favour Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen during the January transfer window.
Football - Sports Mole
Southampton boss Mark Hughes 'given one match to save job'
Southampton will consider bringing an early end to Mark Hughes's short St Mary's tenure should they suffer defeat to Fulham next weekend, according to a report.
BlameFootball
Football Leaks: How Man United And Monaco Carried Out The Falcao Transfer
REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
Several powerful clubs, footballers, and officials have fallen victims due to the information regarding their illicit activities being made public, with a lot of sources have taken up the responsibility of dishing out the dirty secrets in the game.
Now, French news outlet Mediapart may be on the verge of causing huge trouble for two more European powerhouses: AS Monaco and Manchester United.
Their latest report indicates that the two clubs organized a fake friendly game – one which never actually happened – in order to transfer funds worth €4m, relating to the loan deal of Radamel Falcao.
The €4m sum was added to the initial €6m loan fee, as the Red Devils had to cough up the extra money for having finished in the top 4 of the Premier League that season with Falcao in their squad – a supposedly illegal stipulation, as Ligue 1 rules prohibit performance-based clauses from being inserted into contracts.
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Mediapart‘s investigative report states: “The deal was such that Manchester United would pay €6m plus €4m in bonuses if the English club finished in the top 4 of the Premier League.
“Performance bonus clauses were illegal according to LFP regulations, and thus this clause was left on the second draft of the loan contract. The two clubs found a way of including the €4m in the deal, but excluding all mention of it from the legal paperwork.
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“On 1st September 2014, Manchester United and Monaco signed two contracts together. One was a €6m loan deal for Falcao, and the other was an agreement over a friendly match that Manchester United would pay Monaco €4m for.”
But the friendly encounter never happened, as then United boss Louis van Gaal canceled the fixture, as he “did not want to have another friendly game” following their pre-season summer tournament. However, the fee over the agreement of the game was transferred nonetheless.
If reports of these shady fund transfers turn out to be true, then both clubs could receive heavy fines for having deceived the French football authorities.
Note: The bonus clause was only illegal under the French Ligue 1 rules. United have not broken any Fifa or Uefa rules.
The post Football Leaks: How Man United And Monaco Carried Out The Falcao Transfer appeared first on BlameFootball.
Football - Sports Mole
BBC Sport - Football
What’s the state of play in the Nations League and who needs what?
Who can be promoted and relegated in the Nations League, who has already secured a play-off place and what do Scotland need to do?
BlameFootball
Man United Could ‘Annoy’ Man City By Signing This Star Player
Reuters / Jason Cairnduff
The Premier League is still a few days from returning thanks to the international break. Manchester must still be basking in the afterglow of its most recent derby, when City were able to defeat United 3-1 in a resounding home game.
Despite having much hope pinned onto them on the back of decent form, Jose Mourinho’s men simply weren’t able to do the needful against the table-toppers and defending champions.
However, what they failed to do on the pitch, they may be able to achieve off it, or at least that’s what one pundit opines.
According to Talksport host Adrian Durham, Manchester United must sign former Manchester City starlet Jadon Sancho to annoy their cross-city rivals.
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The 18-year-old had left City and joined Borussia Dortmund earlier this season. Since then, he’s had a splendid spell in the Bundesliga, and was an instrumental presence during his first cap with the English international side against the United States.
Speaking after the game, which England won 3-0, Durham stated: “It is a gargantuan clanger from Pep Guardiola, let’s not dress it up as anything else.”
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Durham adds: “Well we saw last night (against the United States) this is a brilliant player on the ball, he’s direct when he’s on the ball, he has a way of just challenging his opponent. He is another Raheem Sterling waiting to happen. It is pathetic really, it is a massive, massive, monumental error from Pep Guardiola.
“I mean, Man United knocked Liverpool off their perch famously, Man City have now taken over. United have to do all they can to annoy Man City, and if possible, overtake them again. But, how annoying would it be if they signed Sancho.”
It would certainly be an interesting feat, and given the potential brimming within him, a call-back to the Premier League doesn’t seem too far away.
The post Man United Could ‘Annoy’ Man City By Signing This Star Player appeared first on BlameFootball.
BBC Sport - Football
Nations League Wales didn’t take chances against Denmark - Ryan Giggs
Manager Ryan Giggs said there were elements of Wales' performance in the 2-1 defeat to Denmark that he "enjoyed."
Football – The Indian Express
ESPN FC News
Hislop: Scudamore's payoff isn't surprising
ESPN FC's Mark Donaldson and Shaka Hislop discuss departing Premier League chief Richard Scudamore's proposed £5 million payoff from clubs.
ESPN FC News
Qatar's Akram Afif scores as 2022 World Cup hosts stun Switzerland
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Qatar pulled off one of the most impressive results in their history when they won 1-0 away to Switzerland in a friendly on Wednesday.
Qatar, ranked 96th in the world, snatched the win after Akram Afif broke away and rounded Yvon Mvogo to score the only goal in the 86th minute of a lacklustre match played in front of a paltry 4,000 crowd.
The Swiss twice hit the crossbar, with a Michael Lang header in the first half and then a Christian Fassnacht effort after the break, but the visitors also had...
Football - Sports Mole
Five Real Madrid managers who have also played for the club
Santiago Solari is the latest former player to take over as boss at the Bernabeu.
BlameFootball
Why Nemanja Vidic Refused To Criticize Jose Mourinho After Derby Defeat
Reuters / Carl Recine
Just as Manchester United fans were sensing a bit of optimism in what has been an otherwise worrisome season, along came the weekend’s Manchester Derby.
A result that did not go their way, and a city that was left painted nothing but Blue, as Pep Guardiola’s men proved to be too good for United. The hosts ran out 3-1 winners, and took the gap to 12 points between them and their neighbours.
This loss came as a blow to the Red Devils, who had recently shown a good run of form by producing comeback wins, including a sensational one away at Juventus in the Champions League.
The fact that Paul Pogba was out injured did not help Jose Mourinho’s cause, but the final scoreline was still enough to welcome a whole new bunch of criticism.
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While many blamed the manager for the loss and pointed towards the exit doors yet again, a former Manchester United defender had a different opinion.
While doing punditry for BeIN Sports, Nemanja Vidic was evidently disappointed by the side’s result, but he refused to put Mourinho under the bus for the same.
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“To be honest, in the future I would like to be the manager,” said the Serbian, before adding, “I would like to think that I know things.”
He then went on to defend the Portuguese, by saying, “He is the manager, he has won a lot of trophies. It’s not the Manchester we are used to watching, it’s Mourinho’s Manchester, and when he came to Manchester you have to accept that he is the manager who is going to play this kind of football.
“It is the kind of football he played at Inter, at Chelsea more or less, and Madrid maybe it was more open. At the end of the day, that’s Mourinho’s football.”
The post Why Nemanja Vidic Refused To Criticize Jose Mourinho After Derby Defeat appeared first on BlameFootball.
Football - Sports Mole
Premier League Team of the Week - Mohamed Salah, David Silva, Bernardo Silva
Sports Mole selects its Premier League team of the week for gameweek 12, including Mohamed Salah, David Silva and Bernardo Silva.
ESPN FC News
Man United's struggles highlighted by confident, controlled Man City
Craig Burley breaks down Manchester City's 3-1 win over Manchester United, which he says demonstrates the gap in quality between the two rivals.
David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan all scored for Manchester City as they dominated Manchester United in a 3-1 victory.
MANCHESTER, England -- Jose Mourinho was not wrong when he claimed ahead of the 177th Manchester derby that Manchester City are "untouchable."
Off the field, the last week has seen the latest Football Leaks revelations pose questions about how City's rise to the top has been funded by their Abu Dhabi owners, but on the pitch their 3-1 derby-day victory over Mourinho's United hammered home the reality that the blue half of Manchester reigns supreme.
Pep Guardiola's team are two points clear at the...
Tribal Football - Football News, Soccer News, Transfers & Rumours
Man Utd boss Mourinho warns ref Taylor: Watch Aguero's 'little things'
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has turned up the heat on ref Anthony Taylor ahead of today's trip to Manchester City.
Mourinho has called on match officials to watch the antics of City striker Sergio Aguero.
Read more on Tribal Football
Football – The Indian Express
ESPN FC News
Guardiola: Man United are still in the title race
Manchester City's Pep Guardiola believes that whether they win the Manchester Derby or not, Jose Mourinho's side can still win the league title.
Tribal Football - Football News, Soccer News, Transfers & Rumours
Chelsea boss Sarri delighted for matchwinner Giroud
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri was delighted for Olivier Giroud after victory at Europa League opponents BATE Borisov.
Giroud scored the only goal of the game on the night.
Read more on Tribal Football
Football – The Indian Express
Champions League is already a Super League, says Ernesto Valverde after San Siro thriller
Football - Sports Mole
Zlatan Ibrahimovic rules out Manchester United return
LA Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic seemingly rules out a loan move back to Europe in the off-season, despite reported interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid.
ESPN FC News
Uzoho absence reopens door to Ezenwa, Akpeyi vs. Bafana
Nigeria find themselves in a goalkeeping pickle as they prepare to face South Africa in what is shaping up to be one of the biggest grudge matches of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.
It's an unfortunately familiar state of affairs.
Just before the first game of the campaign, the Super Eagles were hit with news of the enforced retirement of goalkeeper Carl Ikeme following his leukaemia diagnosis.
South Africa-based Daniel Akpeyi was called up and leapfrogged Ikechukwu Ezenwa for...
Tribal Football - Football News, Soccer News, Transfers & Rumours
Exclusive: Serbian scout insists Grujic will crack Liverpool first-team 'within two years'
Serbian football scout Goran Milosavljevic believes joining Hertha Berlin will help Marko Grujic play for Liverpool "within two years".
22-year-old Grujic impressed in three consecutive starts for Hertha before suffering a serious ankle injury whilst playing against Borussia Monchengladbach in September.
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ESPN FC News
Transfer Rater: Malcom to Arsenal, Juan Mata to Juventus
Things change in the blink of an eye in football. The Football Whispers Index takes the latest transfer rumours and gives them a score out of five; the higher the score, the more realistic and reliable the Whisper.
Here are today's top five emerging whispers. And keep an eye on Transfer Talk for all the latest gossip.
Declan Rice to Chelsea
The Blues are monitoring the West Ham United star's contract negotiations and could make a move next summer if he hasn't signed a new deal. According...
BlameFootball
Fans Are Not Happy With What Fred Did Against Bournemouth
Reuters/John Sibley
Jose Mourinho is getting used to not breathing easy till the last second. Manchester United waited until injury time for Marcus Rashford’s well-found shot to hit the back of the net before the scoreline could read 2-1 against Bournemouth.
The Cherries were undoubtedly the better side for much of the game, and gave the Mancunian side a large amount of trouble, especially in the first half, where they went up within 12 minutes itself.
Save Anthony Martial’s goal in the first half, not much was there for the Red Devils to be proud of. In fact, minutes before the half got over, the side had to witness a truly embarrassing stunt from one of their players, and it didn’t go unnoticed.
Fred went down quite cheaply after Lewis Cook gave him a simple shove. Clutching his shin as he went down, a biased bystander would have truly felt that United’s expensive summer signing had sustained a horrible injury.
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However, Twitter wasn’t forgiving of the Brazilian’s antics and was riddled with criticism and jokes against the midfielder.
Absolutely pathetic from Fred.
— TeamFA (@TeamFA) November 3, 2018
Fred needs to have a word with himself for that.
— Sam Homewood (@SamHomewood) November 3, 2018
Fred looooool. Need to see a Herrera-Fred midfield soon just for the shithousing.
— Jordan Clarke (@FourFourJordan) November 3, 2018
Incidentally, the game was amongst the few times this season that Mourinho has placed faith in the 25-year-old and gifted him a start. His contribution elsewhere during the game was underwhelming, to say the least, with a potential goal-scoring opportunity being missed by the lad as well.
However, it is this simulation that won’t bode well for him. Fans have shown to be quite unforgiving of divers and classless players, and antics like the one Fred displayed against Bournemouth are right up there.
Further, youngsters, in particular, seem to be quite prone to such behavior. While any repercussions from Mourinho in the form of reduced game-time will arrive only due to his mediocre showing on Saturday, it will be interesting to see if the dive has any role to play in his decision.
The post Fans Are Not Happy With What Fred Did Against Bournemouth appeared first on BlameFootball.
Football – The Indian Express
BlameFootball
Manchester United Identify A Shocking Replacement For David De Gea
Reuters/Anthony Devlin
Manchester United seem to have identified a shock replacement for their star goalkeeper, David De Gea.
The Spanish international has been reluctant to extend his stay at the Theatre of Dreams, and is reportedly prepared to run down his current contract with the Mancunian outfit before making a firm decision regarding his future.
Red Devils’ boss Jose Mourinho himself has admitted that he isn’t confident of holding onto the talented shot-stopper, having recently admitted (via Sky Sports): “I am not confident. I cannot find the word in English, but let’s see what happens.
“Only the club, David, and his people can answer that. My comment is only that everyone knows how good he is, how important he is for Manchester United and, if the club want to be better than it is and not worse, obviously it would be very important to keep David.”
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The 27-year-old has long been linked with a switch to Real Madrid, but with the Galacticos luring in Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea in the summer, rumours of David’s return to the Spanish capital have finally died down.
However, the likes of Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain remain interested in De Gea, with the Parisians especially eager to add the Manchester United superstar to their already world-class roster.
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Meanwhile, United themselves have begun preparing for the worst case scenario. According to The Sun, the Mancunians have identified Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan as a potential candidate to replace De Gea between the sticks at Old Trafford.
Ryan, who was named the best goalkeeper in Belgium during each of his two seasons at Club Brugge, has been just as impressive for Brighton since his £5 million move from Valencia in July 2017.
The 6ft 2in custodian still has 3.5 years left on his current contract with the Seagulls, but Manchester United could surely sign the 26-year-old up if they pursue him seriously enough.
The post Manchester United Identify A Shocking Replacement For David De Gea appeared first on BlameFootball.
Football – The Indian Express
BlameFootball
Ronaldo Breaks A 61-Year-Old Record At Juventus After Just 10 Games
REUTERS/Hannah McKay
Cristiano Ronaldo and breaking records go hand in hand.
Many speculated that when the Portuguese superstar left Real Madrid earlier this summer, his playing days would have peaked, and that the goal-scoring antics that he enjoyed at Madrid wouldn’t be so plentiful anymore.
Indeed, his initial slump did show a sign of worry, and even the most faithful of fans may have thought that perhaps Juventus had erred in making the former Manchester United star their most expensive signing.
Fast-forward to the present day, and CR7 is back on track. In fact, such has been the brilliance of the 33-year-old forward, that he has broken a record that had stood safe for over 60 years.
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With his brace against Empoli on Saturday, Ronaldo brought his league tally to 7 goals in 10 games. This is the best start to life that a forward has had at Juventus since John Charles.
What makes this tally even more special is that Ronaldo has managed to better the starts of some of the biggest names to have graced the Old Lady.
BOOM!
Cristiano Ronaldo now has the best goal-scoring start for Juventus since the great John Charles 60 years ago. 
pic.twitter.com/5IWrbpYQT9
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@TeamCRonaldo) October 30, 2018
Expensive signings like Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez, and Filippo Inzaghi only managed 6 goals in their first 10 games, while on a more shocking note, the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and David Trezeguet were able to net only 5 at that infantile stage.
While this is a feat that is dwarfed in comparison to some of the Portuguese star’s other records, particularly the kinds he broke with Los Blancos, it is a hopeful start to life nevertheless.
Much has been said about Ronaldo losing his spark. However, such numbers seem to indicate that he is merely adjusting to life at a new club, and that the formidable presence that his inclusion in any match-day squad brings is yet to falter.
The post Ronaldo Breaks A 61-Year-Old Record At Juventus After Just 10 Games appeared first on BlameFootball.
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