Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expresses delight with his team’s performance in their 3-0 triumph at Girona on Saturday which saw them return to winning ways following recent disappointing displays. Los Blancos had suffered a midweek 2-1 loss to Athletic Bilbao, a fourth defeat in seven games across all competitions. Real’s win over Girona reduced the gap to leaders Barcelona to just two points, as they also have a game in hand, regaining control of the title race with a lengthy injury situation which includes key player Vinicius Jr and with Kylian Mbappe under immense pressure. “[Jude] Bellingham has scored…
Author: Somto Isaac
Jose Mourinho has hit back at Pep Guardiola, responding that he won his English top-flight titles at Chelsea fairly after the Manchester City manager’s comments that he has lifted six Premier League titles, while the Portuguese coach has only three. Guardiola, whose City side were defeated 2-0 at Liverpool on Sunday, held up six fingers to the Anfield crowd, responding to chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” while indicating the number of league titles he has won. While managing Manchester United, Mourinho had similarly held up three fingers to opposition fans during a disappointing league season before being…
The travelling Chelsea supporters in the 5-1 dismantling of Southampton in the Premier League on Wednesday were chanting the name of head coach Enzo Maresca. The Blues were 4-1 ahead late in the contest when the away end sang his name as they enjoyed seeing ther team move up to second on the log and when Maresca applauded the chants, it became louder. “It was a very good feeling. You can see they are happy, that is our target, we work every day to keep them happy,” Maresca said in his post-match presser. “Tonight was a very good feeling. “They…
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted his side desperately had to snap their habit of losing as they ended their seven-game winless run with a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday. The English champions’ woeful run included six losses, which was the worst run of Guardiola’s managerial career. With injuries to Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake, however, it seemed the victory came at a cost. “We needed it. The club, the players needed to win but it is just one game,” said Guardiola. “The problems continue with Manu and Nathan. “In general, the most important thing was to break…
Two set-piece goals was the trick to Arsenal getting an important victory against Manchester United on Wednesday, with manager Mikel Arteta praising his side’s determination to win after a troubling situation. Jurrien Timber and William Saliba were both on the scoresheet from corners in the 2-0 win — a fourth straight win for Arsenal in all competitions, following a draw and successive losses before the international break. Despite the absence of first choice centre back Gabriel due to injury, the Gunners were still a threat from set pieces and could have scored more than two goals. Arteta, who cut a…
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick admitted that the return of teenage star Lamine Yamal helped the side in their 5-1 dismantling of Mallorca. The 17-year-old has been on the sidelines for four weeks due to an ankle issue as the table-topping Catalan giants could only pick up one point from a possible nine in three league games, providing an opening for the chasing pack to capitalise, with Real Madrid closing the gap to just one point. The dominant performance on Tuesday finally brought an end to their three-game winless run and Flick understood the result was aided by the return of…
The 2023-24 Premier League campaign entered matchday 13 as league leaders Liverpool overcame champions Manchester City who suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in the league. The Reds extended their lead at the top to nine points, ahead of the chasing pack, thanks to goals in each half from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah. The results sees Pep Guardiola’s champions sit 11 points adrift the top spot as they sit fifth in the league with 23 points. Arsenal jumped to second following their 5-2 London derby triumph at West Ham United — with all seven goals in the contest amazingly scored…
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah put on another brilliant display in the 2-0 won against Premier League champions Manchester City, to establish a nine-point lead at the summit of the log but more concerns over his future was a hot topic after the game. The 32-year-old creatively picked out Cody Gakpo for the Reds’ opener and ensured a seal of the maximum points after slotting a penalty in the second half to equal Wayne Rooney’s of scoring and assisting in 36 league games. Although, Salah will be without a contract at the club at the end of the season and the…
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglu blasted critics for looking for “easy targets”, pointing at his side’s inefficiency to follow up their dominant performance against Manchester City as they were held to a one-all draw by 10-man Fulham. The North London club were superb when they thrashed the champions 4-0 but could only manage a point as they returned to their home ground to face Fulham, despite taking the lead and having a man advantage later in the game. Also, a frustrating share of the spoils against Roma in the Europa League as they dropped two points following a stoppage time…
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are in a dire situation and one of their biggest challenges as they are gripped in a six-game winless run ahead of their battle against Liverpool on Sunday. The Spainard is also insistent he is up for the challenge to steady the ship. A loss at Anfield this weekend would see Guardiola’s charges fall 11 points adrift of the table-topping Reds in the Premier League title race, but he has reiterated he is looking at the total scale as opposed to the implications attached to the game. “Of course, I am thinking what I can do…