New Liverpool manager Arne Slot has insisted he will build on the foundations laid by Jürgen Klopp as he looks to achieve the same measure of success his predecessor had at Anfield. The 45-year-old was announced as manager to replace Klopp – who departed the Merseyside outfit after more than eight brilliant years at the dugout. Slot, while speaking in an interview with the Reds’ media published on their website, admitted Klopp exited the club leaving behind a good structure.”I think we have a lot of quality and the way they played last season was already impressive, so we are…
Author: Somto Isaac
Gabriel Martinelli is adamant Arsenal will not rest on their laurels and until they are crowned Premier League champions despite coming up short in the last two seasons. Arsenal were bested to the league title once again by Manchester City last season, however, taking the title race to the wire – after losing out in the race way before the last match day in the season prior. The Brazilian forward however believes Arsenal will be right in the mix once the 2024-25 season kick-starts, stating the feeling and desire to be champions among the squad is high. Speaking to AS,…
Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo has expressed delight following the closure of speculation over the future of manager Erik ten Hag – who gave him a maiden opportunity with the first-team. The 19-year-old had a brilliant season with United, most notably scoring in the FA Cup final victory against league champions Manchester City. Mainoo’s exploits and performances with the Red Devils in the 2023-24 campaign also earned him an invite to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the 2024 European Championship. However, after winning a second trophy in two campaigns, Ten Hag’s future was still carrying big question marks after an…
Leicester City suffered despair in the 2022-23 Premier League campaign after relegation to the Championship but a superb 2023-24 season saw them waste little time as they lifted the Championship title to secure promotion ahead of the 2024-25 season. Crucial to Leicester’s exploits was Enzo Maresca who took charge at the start of the season. The former Man City assistant coach, under Pep Guardiola, introduced a new system and entertaining football which delighted the King Power faithful. Ultimately, Maresca attracted interest from Chelsea — who sacked Mauricio Pochettino — and was announced as new head coach of the Blues. Maresca’s…
Portugal defender Ruben Dias has stated the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the team can aid them to great things ahead of their Euro 2024 opener against Czech Republic on Tuesday. Portugal lifted Europe’s biggest international prize in 2016 and are led and captained by Ronaldo – who is set to play in his record-extending sixth European Championship. The 39-year-old is the highest goalscorer in men’s international football with 130 goals and is also the all-time top scorer in the tournament with 14 strikes — with France’s Michel Platini in second after registering nine goals. The Manchester City centre-back said…
Erik ten Hag stated Manchester United settled with “the best” solution in their pursuit of contacting potential manager, ending speculation of a new name coming through the door. Before the FA Cup final, widespread reports circulated of the new club board, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, to relieve the Dutchman of his duties as head coach of the side. However, after the Red Devils’ win against neighbours Manchester City – which many believed was the turning point – a club review took place. After United reportedly met with possible replacements, with names like Thomas Tuchel, Kieran McKenna, Mauricio Pochettino and…
ylian Mbappe has addressed the situation involving himself, Real Madrid and the French Olympic Team – confirming he will not represent his country in Paris for the games. The 25-year-old — who was always keen on playing in his homeland for the Olympic tournament — stated that his new club are not in support of the idea. The Olympic Games is not on FIFA’s calendar and clubs are not obligated to release their players for the the football tournament of the event. Head coach Thierry Henry excluded Mbappe in the preliminary 25-man squad for the tournament earlier this month, though…
Portugal defender Joao Cancelo is aiming to make up for lost time as he plans to channel his frustration on missing out on Euro 2020 in the 2024 European Championship. Ahead of Portugal kickstarting their journey in the competition, the 30-year-old missed out on the previous tournament due to COVID-19. Speaking in press conference, the Barcelona defender (on-loan from Manchester City) said: “It was unfair, because I had a great season, I felt like I should have been there but life didn’t want it that way. “Maybe I had to wait for this moment to be the right one to…
Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has stated the shameful state of the Volksparkstadion pitch ahead of his team’s 2024 European Championship opener against Poland on Sunday. Both sides have voiced concerns about the state of the turf and none of them held their past pre-match training session at the stadium in Hamburg. Speaking at a press conference, Van Dijk said it was similar to the pitch used for the Dutch’s friendly against Germany in Frankfurt in March. “We don’t know exactly yet whether the pitch is very bad. “It looks like the pitch is the same as for the match…
Luka Modric has stated that Croatia “don’t mind being dark horses” in the 2024 European Championship despite punching above their weight in previous international tournaments. Zlatko Dalic’s side kickstart their Euro journey against Spain at Olympiastadion in Berlin on Saturday, seeking to reach the knockout stage of a major tournament for a fifth successive time. After reaching the FIFA World Cup final in 2018, and then finishing third in Qatar two years ago, Croatia have not yet been widely acclaimed to be in the same bracket as the likes of France, England, Portugal and Germany as favourites. This is something…