Newcastle must make 'right decision' on Gordon fitness, says Howe
Eddie Howe said that Anthony Gordon could feature for Newcastle United in their EFL Cup clash with Chelsea on Wednesday.Gordon missed the trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday after picking up a groin injury in the build-up to the game, but has since had a scan that has revealed no serious injury. Eddie Howe said that Anthony Gordon could feature for Newcastle United in their EFL Cup clash with Chelsea on Wednesday. Gordon missed the trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday after picking up a groin injury in the build-up to the game, but has since had a scan that has revealed no serious injury. Howe is hopeful that the setback is not long-term, but said that Newcastle would make the right decision if he features in midweek, with Arsenal next up in the Premier League. Gordon's presence was missed against Chelsea, with Newcastle falling to a 2-1 defeat after Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer scored either side of Alexander Isak's equaliser. "We have to make the right decision (Chelsea tomorrow). We have Arsenal coming up very quickly (Saturday) & have to make sure we don't do any damage to it," Howe said. The England international has created more chances (18) than any other player for the Magpies in the Premier League this season, with only Bruno Guimaraes (14) completing more dribbles than Gordon (13). Howe also praised Chelsea's Palmer, who was once again the difference for Enzo Maresca's side on Sunday. Palmer has continued his goal-scoring form following his sensational debut year for the Blues, registering a division-high 12 goal involvements (seven goals, five assists), so far this season, including his strike against the Magpies. The 22-year-old has two goals and one assist against Newcastle in five appearances against them in all competitions, and Howe stressed the importance of keeping Palmer quiet when they return to Stamford Bridge in midweek. "It's a difficult question to answer, I thought he played really well. You can see he's playing really well," Howe added. "We didn't do enough to stop him in transitions. He set up the first goal in that fashion, scored the second goal in that fashion. We've learned from that. "We will pass that on to the players and aim to do better. As a team, we will aim to collectively do better. "The last 60 minutes, we defended a lot more securely, albeit we conceded a second."
Vinicius 'lost votes because of two players' claims Ballon d'Or organisers
Ballon d'Or organisers have been quick to respond to the controversial absence of Vinicius Jnr and Real Madrid stars from Monday's ceremony.Despite being billed as one of the favourites to win football's greatest prize for solo achievements over the past year, the Brazilian forward came second place to Manchester City's Rodri. Ballon d'Or organisers have been quick to respond to the controversial absence of Vinicius Jnr and Real Madrid stars from Monday's ceremony. Despite being billed as one of the favourites to win football's greatest prize for solo achievements over the past year, the Brazilian forward came second place to Manchester City's Rodri. After reports had emerged earlier in the day that Vinicius would not be lifting the iconic golden ball, Real Madrid reportedly were not left too pleased by the decision, while ESPN Brazil claimed club sources called it a 'historic robbery'. Given Rodri was the key figure in arguably the best club team and the best national team of 2024 in City and Spain, it would appear to be a justifiable call to hand the award to him, however Vinicius Jnr seemingly remains unconvinced. Yet after the gala in Paris, the editor-in-chief of France Football - who are in charge of the award - gave his verdict on why the Brazilian missed out, and commented on his controversial absence. 'Obviously, Vinicius surely suffered from the presence of Bellingham and Carvajal in the top 5 because, mathematically, that took away some points from him. This also sums up Real Madrid's season, which took between three and four players and the judges shared their decisions between them, which benefited Rodri,' explained Vincent Garcia. He added: 'I had a lot of pressure from Real Madrid but, as with other clubs, I was always clear, fair and perhaps my silence pushed them to the limit. 'But it was the same as with the others. I was very unpleasantly surprised by his absence.' On any other evening it would have been considered nothing short of a massive success for the Spanish side. Real Madrid picked up awards for the best team of the year, as well as men's manager of the year for Carlo Ancelotti. However, in addition to the fact that their star man missed out on the individual men's gong, arch nemesis Barcelona had a successful evening too. Their universally acclaimed La Masia academy produced yet another Kopa Trophy winner in Lamine Yamal, and superstar Aitana Bonmati earned a second successive women's Ballon d'Or award as well. Meanwhile, Vinicius had been the overwhelming favourite to win the Ballon d'Or this year, having scored 24 goals and registered 11 assists during a stellar campaign last time out. RMC reported that Madrid president Florentino Perez was furious with the decision. Journalist Jose Luis Sanchez claimed a 50-strong party was scheduled to jet out, only for them to cancel after discovering Vinicius would not win. Sources at the club told ESPN Brazil that the snub was 'historic robbery'. Marca also reported that Madrid insiders have furiously declared 'the Ballon d'Or no longer exists for us'. A statement from Madrid to AFP said: 'If the award criteria doesn't give it to Vinicius as the winner, those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner. 'As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d'Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.' In response to Madrid's boycott, the organisers of the Ballon d'Or said in a statement: 'No player and no club knows the winner of this year's Ballon d'Or yet.' Vinicius and Jude Bellingham were set to take their seats in the front row at the Theatre du Chatelet but their name tags were swiftly removed after it was confirmed they would not be in attendance.
The country that didn't have Vinicius Jr in the top 10 Ballon d'Or ranking
As we wait for the full list of Ballon d’Or votes, one country did not have Real Madrid’s Brazilian winger in the top 10.Real Madrid‘s anger at Vinicius Jr not getting the 2024 Ballon d’Or has set everything alight. The fans, the press, the pets in your house, they‘re all apparently fuming about Rodri, Manchester City’s best player, taking home to golden trophy. As we wait for the full list of Ballon d’Or votes, one country did not have Real Madrid’s Brazilian winger in the top 10. Real Madrid‘s anger at Vinicius Jr not getting the 2024 Ballon d’Or has set everything alight. The fans, the press, the pets in your house, they‘re all apparently fuming about Rodri, Manchester City’s best player, taking home to golden trophy. If they are apoplectic with rage and fury,don’t mention El Salvador. How does the Ballon d’Or work? For the men’s award, 100 journalists—one from each of the top 100 countries in FIFA’s world rankings—vote for the winner from a shortlist of 30 players. They also cast their votes for the Yashin Trophy (awarded to the best men’s goalkeeper), as well as the Men’s Coach of the Year and Men’s Club of the Year awards. In contrast, thewomen’s Ballon d’Or is determined by a panel of 50 journalists,one representing each of the top 50 countries in the FIFA women’s world rankings, who select from the same 30-player shortlist. Thispanel also decides on the winners of the Women’s Coach of the Yearand Women’s Club of the Year awards. Each jurorranks their top 10 candidates for the Ballon d‘Or, assigning points in a descending order:15 points for their top choice, followed by 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point for their remaining selections. TheBallon d’Or is awarded to the player with the highest total pointsfrom all jurors’ votes. According to various reports in Spain, the El Salvador journalist did not include the Real Madrid winger in their top 10 players for the Ballon d’Or. While nothing has been confirmed, reports suggest that Bellingham, Haaland and Kroos were in the top 3 of the person in question. Of course, nothing has been confirmed and when we get the news we will have it over at AS USA.
How Arteta’s Arsenal dominated Liverpool with Havertz stealth trick
ARSENAL'S 2-2 draw with Liverpool really was a game of two halves - both in terms of the scoreline and in terms of tactics.Mikel Arteta's Gunners came out on top in the first 45, going in at the break leading 2-1. ARSENAL'S 2-2 draw with Liverpool really was a game of two halves - both in terms of the scoreline and in terms of tactics. Mikel Arteta's Gunners came out on top in the first 45, going in at the break leading 2-1. Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino scored either side of Virgil van Dijk's header. But genius Arne Slot delivered a masterclass in the second half to get the Reds back into it. And he got his reward when Mo Salah fired in the equaliser late on as it finished honours even. SunSport's tactical guru Dean Scoggins broke down all the tactics and tricks from the Emirates in the latest episode of Tactics Exposed... 1. ARTETA BAMBOOZLED SLOT'S DEFENCE It was the way Arteta decided, 'We're going to make the pitch massive.' And that's a surprise against Liverpool because we know how good they are at covering ground. And we've talked before about their 4-2-4 press and how the monsters in midfield really go for it. But basically, with Thomas Partey playing at the back for Arsenal, as we expected him to do, that also meant that Rice and Merino had an enormous amount of ground to cover. But Arteta's backed them to do it and they've done it. FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS But the really intriguing thing came with what they did with Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz. Never mind false nine, this was no nine. No nine whatsoever. It was really strange that Ibrahima Konate and Van Dijk took quite a long time, as did the Liverpool midfield and the Liverpool dugout, to work out what was happening here. Havertz was drifting out to the right-hand side. His touch map for basically the whole game was effectively inside right, which meant him and Saka were doubling up down that right-hand side. Then on the left-hand side, Trossard was going over to where Gabriel Martinelli was. There were occasions where when they were lined up, Trossard and Havertz were actually in line with their own full-backs, where Partey was pushing up one side and Jurrien Timber was pushing up the other. Then you've got your strikers, who are not really strikers, in that line. That was because of what we talked about before in creating that space behind the Liverpool back four. But also it made this enormous gap. So Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch got a bit lost in midfield. https://img.allfootballapp.com/www/M00/59/86/720x-/-/-/CgAGVmcgzOWAc_C1AAIyd8sxTos105.jpg Are they sitting in front of their back four for no reason because there's no strikers there? Or are they going, 'OK, we'll follow them out wide', which means there's this enormous gap down the middle. Or do we gamble and go? They got a bit stuck in between all those things. And so did Van Dijk, so did Konate. But you've got to give kudos to the Arsenal midfield too. Merino and Rice, the ground that they covered was just phenomenal. That's Declan Rice's best performance since well before the Euros. He was fabulous. And in a two with Merino to the left and him to the right, they dominated that first half. https://img.allfootballapp.com/www/M00/59/86/720x-/-/-/CgAGVWcgzDKAYcvlAAHp6HhaPsQ834.jpg 2. HAVERTZ'S UNSEEN ROLE FOR SAKA GOAL Havertz was doing this move to the right-hand side. The defender wants to mark. Van Dijk and Konate want to go head-to-head with their man. They want to win the duel. They love 50-50 duels and that's what they want. Obviously it was an instruction from Arteta but Havertz just went over to that right-hand side and it did two things. First of all, it meant that Liverpool pushed up and left that space in behind because they felt they could. And also because, not as often as I thought they might, they went direct from David Raya. But what they did more often was play into the full-back areas where Ben White played the pass from originally and also from the other side. But what it means again is Liverpool push up slightly. And then Havertz and Saka are almost looking at each other. And you can see in the build-up to the goal, Saka's pointing to Ben White because it's the moment. It actually happened on four minutes and they didn't quite score because the pass was over-hit. That should have been the warning for Liverpool, for Andy Robertson and Van Dijk, that this is what they're trying to do. They're bringing us up. You would think, why are they distracted by Havertz? Why are they bothered about him? It's simply because he's neither deep enough for a midfield player to pick him up, but he's not high enough for a centre-back to pick him up. He's in this no-man's land in between. All he's doing is doing it for his mate Saka. Ben White hits this gorgeous pass over the top. What a pass that was. Obviously, Saka's still got a lot to do and it's an absolutely sensational finish. But one thing I spotted as well in the replays after the goal was that Ben White goes up and taps Havertz on the face and congratulates Havertz because they know that that's the plan before the game. They just did it brilliantly. Kai Havertz is this tactical genius and for Germany, he does it as well. For Germany, he often plays in different positions. He's played left wing-back. He plays inside left. He plays off the front and he's played the front man as well. These managers, these tactical groups of coaches know that Kai Havertz can do exactly the role that they want to do. 3. LIVERPOOL'S CORNER KICK TRICKS Mac Allister and Luis Diaz out-Arsenal'd Arsenal. It's normally Ben White doing it at the other end, fiddling with goalkeepers' gloves or getting in the way of people. But this time he got done by Mac Allister. You're expecting Arsenal to want those collisions in a six-yard box and dominate those collisions. Liverpool did it with two of the players who you wouldn't expect to dominate. Luis Diaz makes this fabulous run from inside the goal to the front post for the flick-on. Arsenal don't communicate well enough. But what Mac Allister does is he leans on his man, who's Ben White, and he's just holding him. It's not a foul, as we've seen time and time again with Arsenal. He creates chaos and it should be Ben White who clears up after the flick. He doesn't because he's more concerned about Mac Allister, then it goes through to Van Dijk. They did it slightly earlier as well, again, Liverpool. So there was another warning for Arsenal there. They didn't heed it. Van Dijk flicked on the first one, this time it was Diaz. So Liverpool have worked on two or three variations of the same thing. Van Dijk's very strong at the back post. Partey does lose him a little bit. Credit to Liverpool and to Mac Allister because he carries out his little dirty role in there perfectly. Set pieces in the Premier League at the moment. It's so key. Tony Pulis and Sam Allardyce must be thinking, 'Well, when we did it, lads, nobody gave us any credit for it. They just said we were route one.' 4. 'MIND THE GAPS' SET-PIECE TECHNIQUE Arsenal are lining up with four or five players at the back post, all in offside positions. So not offside because the ball's not being played but in offside positions. Then as Declan Rice puts his hand up - let's give him credit for the sensational delivery - the four or five players move into the line and then come back in between the Liverpool players into onside positions. That does two things. One, obviously you're onside. Two, it creates collisions. And so because they're bouncing off each other, it also means the Arsenal players are going towards the goal and the Liverpool players are going away from the goal. They did it twice. Merino actually should have scored before then. I think it actually was Partey who blocked him because it was so chaotic in there. Liverpool had a couple of warnings to sort it out, and they didn't sort it out. They can do this by just stepping up. And that's very difficult to think about in a game situation. But they have got Virgil van Dijk there. They should have got a message on, especially after the second one. But what Arsenal do is obviously very clever because it creates two things. It creates that thing about offside. But the uncertainty it creates as well is because if those two groups of players come together in between each other, who are you picking up as a defender? You don't really know. What Arsenal actually got right was they put two players in between two Liverpool players instead of one. Instead of it alternating in a line, on the goal they put two players in between, which means if Konate's picking up the first man, he can't pick up the second one and then the next Liverpool player's got his back to him. That was when Merino scored. https://img.allfootballapp.com/www/M00/59/86/720x-/-/-/CgAGVWcgzDGAMALvAAL7PqJgZ8o418.jpg It was genius by Arsenal. But I would like to think that Liverpool have a chat and step up to give them four more yards to get to the edge of the box, four yards further away from the goal. Because then they'd almost have to run out to get back onside by the time Rice kicked it. And then also they're further away from the goal. It is fascinating to watch. Set pieces are such a massive part of the game now. And one of the Liverpool problems in the first half that shouldn't be overlooked as well was the number of fouls that they made. They kept giving them free-kicks in those areas. 5. SLOT'S MIDFIELD SWITCH TO SAVE THE GAVE The focus here should be on Slot. It wasn't actually at half-time that they made the switch, Dominik Szoboszlai came on around the hour mark. But at half-time, they definitely made a move where Curtis Jones wasn't playing as a No10 anymore, he was playing on the right of the three so that Mac Allister and Gravenberch had a bit more help when Trossard and Havertz dropped in and when Merino and Rice pushed on. Because Arsenal made the pitch so big and the midfield area so large, Jones was sort of caught between. Am I the second striker? Darwin Nunez gets through so much work, he was coming back into that midfield zone as well, which on one hand is huge credit and on the other hand is, 'Mate, just stay up front and lead the line.' Liverpool sorted that out at half-time. Nunez led the line much better and Jones started in his position. But it was when Szoboszlai came on. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Szoboszlai have got this really, really great understanding. Szoboszlai was on the field about 35 seconds and Trent was already playing centre midfield. He just went and played in there, knowing that Szoboszlai's got the legs and the sense of mind to be covering him going back the other way. They also took a risk that Martinelli was very tired. Timber was patched up to play and then obviously got taken off. But all of a sudden Alexander-Arnold was picking the ball up in those central-midfield areas again. Szoboszlai was stretching the game in both directions. https://img.allfootballapp.com/www/M00/59/86/720x-/-/-/CgAGVWcgzDGAY1a6AAHmMb90tqg648.jpg I get the impression that at 2-1, Liverpool felt like they had enough to get back in the game and score the goal. In the end, they were probably disappointed they didn't go on and win the game. Because as dominant as Arsenal were in the first half, there was a period from when Szoboszlai came on until about the 80th minute where it was one-way traffic. All of a sudden Trent was dictating play from midfield. He hit a couple of poor passes before his fabulous pass for the goal. Because he was now occupying this space where he knew Szoboszlai was there for a little bounce pass, give and go. Szoboszlai was covering him as well and then he was freed up to go and play. So credit there to Arne Slott again. Credit there to Szoboszlai - he knew exactly what he's being asked to do and he carried it out perfectly. From a tactics perspective, I think it was a mistake not to start Szoboszlai. But Curtis Jones had played so well the week before. How do you leave him out? And Gravenberch and Mac Allister have been so, so good all season. It's a nice problem to have. It came down to a couple of pieces of genius to get the equaliser. Trent's pass over the top then the quality of Salah and the IQ to know from the pass he was offside then to loop round the back of Nunez for the second pass. There's not many players who late on in an intense game - and he'd been very frustrated a few times before - would have that state of mind and calmness in that situation. Then obviously the finish at the end, is really, really high-level stuff.
Ten Hag forced to give press conference for match he’ll never manage
ERIK TEN HAG gave a press conference to preview Manchester United’s Carabao Cup tie with Leicester on Wednesday - even though he was sacked today.The Dutchman spoke to the media directly after his press conference following Sunday’s controversial 2-1 loss away to West Ham. ERIK TEN HAG gave a press conference to preview Manchester United’s Carabao Cup tie with Leicester on Wednesday - even though he was sacked today. The Dutchman spoke to the media directly after his press conference following Sunday’s controversial 2-1 loss away to West Ham. Yet bizarrely, Ten Hag found himself axed more than TWO DAYS before the Leicester game. Unfortunately, club staging press conferences directly after games - to preview a match a few days later - is something which has crept into the game. It is actually a bad idea. And it is only to save club media staff and the manager from staging a press conference the day before the game, which has always been the case. But if a manager attempts to preview a game three days later, there is always a danger that the situation could change such as a key player getting injured or something important happening at the club in general. Yet this situation was particularly unusual - and the manager who delivered a pre-match press conference ended up getting the boot. At the conference, which was due to be released at 1.30pm tomorrow, Ten Hag revealed his frustration with Luke Shaw’s injury nightmare. Ten Hag also stressed that he would consider it a success if he won the Carabao Cup for United, meaning he would have won a trophy for a third season in a row. He stressed that the most important thing was to win silverware, above anything else - and pointed out the fact that United still had the chance of winning four trophies - even though he has been sacked with United 14th in the table. The Dutchman certainly did not come across like someone who knew they were about to lose their job. Ten Hag's final Man Utd press conference in full... QUESTION: Erik, do you expect any players to be available for Wednesday after coming back from injury? Ten Hag: "No, I don’t think so." Q: Luke Shaw has been out for more than two months now. Originally it was suggested he was going to come back in September, then October and now November. Has he had setbacks? A: "The process is not going as we expected. That is the truth. But a setback, if you want to call it like this, yes, but we also want to do it carefully because we don’t.. when he is now dropping again and we have made the wrong process so we want to be very careful. "We know his past and we have to do things right because we want him to be available because he will have a big impact on our performances and so also our levels. So we cannot have it that he plays for some games and drops out again so we do it very carefully." Q: You won the Carabao Cup a couple of years ago and you take great pride in winning trophies in both seasons. If you win a trophy in your third season, does it make this season a success again? A: "Definitely. It is about trophies. I don’t want to go on about this debate again but I think it is the truth. There are not so many trophies you can win and if you win a trophy it tops them all. "That is the most important thing because that is what the fans expect and what we expect, to win the trophy and you have.. We have had five opportunities and one we missed but that was the Community Shield but there are still four to go." Q: After the European game, you said Manuel Ugarte was still developing but there are still parts of the game model you are looking to build into his game. What are you looking for from your midfielder? A: "My midfielders... I have different types and we have, of course, the holding midfielders, the box-to-box, the 10s. "Most of the time we have four midfielders there and we rotate them and specifically for Manuel Ugarte, most of the time he will be in a holding position and yes, what we expect from him is holding but also linking, building the attack and making the links into attack and then, very importantly, he is in the defensive position." Q: Is this linking the build you want to build with him? A: "I think every player can do better but I was very happy with his performance in Fenerbahce. It was definitely a step forward." Q: How do you think the players will respond to this setback today. They have obviously performed well but not taken their chances and the injustice of the penalty call but if you look at the table, 14th in the Premier League. Do they look at that and think ‘this is not good enough, we need to be better.’ A: "First of all, we have to do better. I will tell them the ranking is not reflecting our performance or levels but at the end of the season, we have to get this right but of course, it is not easy when you have so many setbacks at the start of the season and to overcome this but we have to fight back. "It will always help when you have a good start. You get motivation, you get belief. The confidence will grow and we are now in the process of the other side when we are disappointed but we have to deal with setbacks and now we have to find the fuel from setbacks and disappointments."
Liverpool sign teenage talent to first professional contract ahead of goalkeeping shake-up
17-year-old goalkeeper Kornel Misciur signs professional contract with Liverpool Uncertainty is growing over Alisson's future as the Reds' number one Giorgi Mamardashvili set to arrive in 2025; Caoimhin Kelleher could leave Liverpool have signed teenage goalkeeper Kornel Misciur to his first professional contract, handing him the opportunity to prove himself worthy of a future first-team place. Misciur turned 17 in April of this year, having joined the club's academy ranks from Hull City in 2023. He is already Liverpool's starting goalkeeper at Premier League 2 level after being promoted to the Under-21 squad this season, even captaining the side last time out against Manchester United. The young stopper holds the same status for UEFA Youth League games. Misciur was born in England, in Scarborough to be precise, to Polish parents in 2007, which makes him eligible to represent both national teams. Already ahead of fellow academy goalkeepers Harvey Davies and Reece Trueman in the junior pecking order, his progress appears to be good and Liverpool's senior goalkeeping department is set for a shake up in the not-too-distant future. Alisson is currently sidelined with a hamstring problem, his fourth muscle-related injury absence within the last 11 months alone. It has brought uncertainty to the 32-year-old Brazilian's long-term place at the club, especially with a degree of future-proofing already carried out in the form of a pre-arranged £29m transfer for Valencia and Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. Caoimhin Kelleher has again been filling in for Alisson during the latest absence. But there is an acceptance now with Mamardashvili on his way in 2025 that the Republic of Ireland international will never be Liverpool's number one goalkeeper. Kelleher recently acknowledged that as he is given more opportunity to shine in Alisson's absence, it has the potential to increase what Liverpool will expect for him in the transfer market. The Republic of Ireland international was resigned to leaving during the summer because his situation was "never going to change" and he wasn't going to "be happy sitting on the bench", but a move never materialised. Equally, however, he also insisted there are worse things than staying "at a club like Liverpool". The Reds additionally have Vitezslav Jaros in the first-team squad this season. The 23-year-old Czechia international was catapulted into the spotlight earlier this month when he made his senior Liverpool debut as a 79th minute replacement for the injured Alisson in a win over Crystal Palace, with Kelleher already unavailable for that game due to illness. Jaros spent the second half of last season impressing on loan at Sturm Graz, which earned him a Euro 2024 call-up. But it was his first game in English football in two years, since a League Two loan spell at Stockport County that saw him lose his place due to a minor injury and then fail to reclaim it.