Author: JB

Feb282018 by JBNo Comments

Courtois slams Conte for substituting Hazard vs Man Utd

Thibaut Courtois says he was shocked to see Eden Hazard substituted in 2-1 loss against Manchester United on Sunday.Chelsea slipped out of top four after goals from Romelu Lukaku and Lingard earned the full points for United.The winner from Jesse Lingard came two minutes after the substitution of Eden Hazard by Conte."I have no explanation for the substitution," Courtois told Play Sports . "I did not expect it, but it’s the manager’s choice. He’ll explain it. I can’t look into his head.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});"Of course, you want players like Eden 90 minutes on the pitch. He can always bring something extra."Conte has been under pressure in recent weeks at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues struggling in the League. Chelsea are current...

Feb282018 by JBNo Comments

Mourinho blames board for ruining squad harmony

Premier League

Jose Mourinho is reportedly angry at Manchester United board for the way in which they are handle contract negotiations and believes its affecting his squad harmony.Several players under the Portuguese are unhappy with their current contractual situations, with several key players' futures now unclear.Anthony Martial and Marcos Rojo held talks with United in December but have not received proposals from them over a new deal.Mourinho is not impressed with how long it takes the club officials to offer new deals to his first-team players.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Both Martial and Rojo’s contracts will expire at the end of next season, though Martial has a one-year extension option – and both players have being linked with moves away from Unite...

Feb272018 by JBNo Comments

UEFA confirm Premier League top four will qualify directly into Champions League from next season

Premier League, UEFA

UEFA has confirmed the top Premier League top four will automatically qualify for the Champions League group stages starting from next season.The changes also affects the top four sides in Spain, Italy and Germany with them also skipping the qualifying rounds.The fourth-placed teams in these leagues previously had to go through a two-legged qualifier to enter the group stages of the competition.Uefa officially announced the changes on Tuesday, along with the ones to the Europa League.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The new rule will now see 26 European teams qualify directly to the Champions League group stages compared to the 22 of the old format.As it currently stands, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham would qua...

Feb272018 by JBNo Comments

Antonio Conte set for Chelsea exit talks

Premier League

Antonio Conte has emerged as Italy's first choice to become new coach in a role he left just in 2016.The Italian coached his team for two years between 2014 and 2016 and even guided them to a quarter-final finish at the Euros.Conte joined Chelsea where he won the Premier League title in his debut season but his second season has been disappointing.Italy sacked Gian Piero Ventura in November after they failed to qualify for the World Cup.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});‘I haven’t chosen yet but I think Conte is the one who could do the best,’ Costacurta, the Italian football association’s vice-commissioner said.‘I’ll definitely talk with him in a couple of months.’However, Roberto Mancini and Carlo Ancelotti have also been tipped for the ...

Feb272018 by JBNo Comments

Confirmed: Neymar to miss Real Madrid clash

Ligue 1, La Liga

Paris Saint-Germain have Confirmed that Neymar will not be available for their second leg clash against Real Madrid in the Champions League and the Brazilian faces a month on the sidelines with an ankle injury.The Brazilian suffered a late injury in Sunday's Ligue 1 clash with Marseille, in which PSG won 3-0.Neymar was in tears as he left the pitch after tangling with Marseille's Bouna Sarr, with all signs show a damaged ankle.And while preliminary tests ruled out a serious sprain in the joint on Sunday evening, the subsequent examinations have revealed that he has also damaged a metatarsal bone in his foot.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});"Complementary examinations performed today [ultrasound and CT] confirmed an external sprain of the right ank...

Feb272018 by JBNo Comments

Eden Hazard is Europe’s best dribbler ahead of Lionel Messi and Neymar

Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1

Chelsea's Eden Hazard is the best dribbler in Europe's top five leagues, ahead of Neymar and Lionel Messi, according to the recent research by the CIES Football Observatory.The Belgium international was on top when calculations were made that multiplied the average number of dribbles per game with the percentage of successful dribbles.According to the data, Eden Hazard averages 6.4 successful dribbles per game in Premier League fixture, with 75 per cent of his dribbles ending with a successful results such as a pass to a team-mate, a goal or a shot.Hazard has already scored 15 goals in all competitions for Chelsea this season and has also created 11 goals.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The overall score placed Hazard just above Paris Saint-Germa...

Feb262018 by JBNo Comments

Zidane hits back at Alvaro Morata’s decision to join Chelsea

La Liga, Premier League

Zinedine Zidane has hit back at Morata after the Spaniard said he moved to Chelsea due to lack of enough playing opportunities for high-profile games at Real Madrid.Earlier this month, Morata talked on why he left Madrid, saying: ‘I played lots of games but always with the second choice side. I never asked to be a regular starter, Madrid is another planet,’ said the Chelsea striker.‘But I didn’t play in any of the Champions League knock-out games, or against Barcelona, Atletico, Sevilla and Valencia.’But Zidane says Morata is ‘wrong’ to have that kind of mindset and insists that the Spain international played an important role in Madrid’s success last season.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});‘They might think some games are more important than othe...

Feb262018 by JBNo Comments

I deserve more respect for my goalscoring record, says Lukaku

Premier League

The Belgium international has been in spectacular form for Manchester United this season but thinks the criticism he receives is too much.Romelu Lukaku feels he has proved himself as a striker and believes he deserves more respect for his goalscoring record.The 24-year-old has netted 22 goals in 40 games in all competitions for Manchester United this season following his £75 million move from Everton.Lukaku is now two goals short of a century in the Premier League in his career, having also played for Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion before a spell at Everton.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});His strike against Chelsea was his first against a top-eight side in the Premier league this season.“I started playing when I was 16. Year in, year out...

Feb262018 by JBNo Comments

Neymar posts picture update of his injury

Ligue 1, La Liga

Neymar has posted a picture of his injured right ankle after Paris Saint-Germain’s win over Marseille on Sunday evening.Paris Saint-Germain sealed a comfortable victory with goals from Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and an own goal from Rolando.But PSG suffered a scare in the closing stages of the match as Neymar was forced off on a stretcher with an ankle injury.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The Brazil international escaped a challenge from Marseille’s Bouna Sarr but as he landed his foot into the turf he rolled his ankle.Neymar was in tears as he left the pitch and he is now very unlikely to partake in PSG’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Real Madrid on March 6.Despite how severe the injury was, PSG boss Unai Emery expects th...

Feb252018 by JBNo Comments

Mourinho aims sly dig at Chelsea

Premier League

Jose Mourinho has aimed a sly dig at Chelsea after Manchester United's 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Sunday.Willian had given Chelsea the lead but Lukaku leveled the game before half-time.However, United took the lead with 15 minutes to go through Jesse Lingard.After the win, Mourinho appeared to question how Chelsea won the League last season and Conte's tactics against Barcelona.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});‘We beat a fantastic team, for some reason they were the champions last season,’ Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports.‘For some reason, they played the way they did against Barcelona.‘For some reason, they start the game so well as they started here.‘We beat a very good team, to beat a very good team you need to be organised but you a...