Новости за 13.12.2017

Jose Mourinho used his programme notes before Manchester United's game against Bournemouth to complain about the penalty decision that went against his side in the Manchester derby. United midfielder Ander Herrera was booked for diving after he went down under a challenge from Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi in the penalty area in the second half, when the home side were already trailing at Old Trafford. Mourinho admitted his side were not at their best as they lost 2-1 courtesy of goals from David Silva and Otamendi... Читать дальше...

Monaco star Fabinho is expecting to leave the reigning Ligue 1 champions before the start of next season. The Brazil international was strongly linked with moves elsewhere before the current campaign started, with Manchester United among those reportedly interested. But Monaco opted to retain the services of the versatile midfielder, with Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Benjamin Mendy and Kylian Mbappe all allowed to leave. Fabinho has not been quite as impressive this term as he was last season... Читать дальше...

Gareth Bale questioned the merits of VAR after rescuing a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid against Al Jazira in the Club World Cup semi-finals. The Wales international came off the bench to score with his first touch in the 81st minute in Abu Dhabi, after Cristiano Ronaldo had cancelled out Romarinho's shock opener. But both sides had goals disallowed via video review during the match, with Casemiro denied the opening goal for a push before Mbark Boussoufa was pulled up for offside after appearing to have doubled the Emirati club's lead. Читать дальше...

Manchester United youngster Angel Gomes has penned his first professional deal with the Premier League club. London-born Gomes, 17, has been involved in United's academy system since the age of six and made his first-team debut at Old Trafford against Crystal Palace on the final day of the 2016-17 campaign. And Gomes, who was part of the England Under-17s' World Cup-winning side, is determined to grasp the opportunity. "Manchester United has always been a big part of my life," he told the club's official website. Читать дальше...

Long benched by the ‘BBC’ forward trio, Isco has been handed more chances this year –and replied with his most prolific form at Real Madrid to date.The playmaker got jeered by the Santiago Bernabeu in October last year, his future in doubt amid interest from Juventus. That he has turned it around is owed to his own brilliance... and a bit of luck.As last season neared its end, injuries to Gareth Bale led Zinedine Zidane to giving Isco his favoured free role behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Читать дальше...

Cristiano Ronaldo is the top goalscorer in Club World Cup history, taking the record away from Lionel Messi. Ronaldo beat Messi to the Ballon d'Or crown last week, proclaiming himself the best player in history - ahead of Messi - after picking up his fifth Golden Ball. And Ronaldo was in the mood to justify his own hype with a decisive goal in Wednesday's Club World Cup semi-final against Al Jazira, hauling his side level after they had surprisingly fallen behind. Ronaldo was played through on... Читать дальше...

Whether he is still at Old Trafford by luck or judgement is open to question, but there is no doubt that Manchester United have provided a platform for David de Gea to establish himself as a truly elite goalkeeper.During a half-decade of wild flux at United, aconstant has been the spider-like presence at the base of their team, repelling all but the truly unstoppable attempts into his net.Indeed, it’s possible that his team’s ailing fortunes have even aided De Gea’s development: his steep rate of... Читать дальше...

Al Jazira could be on course for a monumental upset after taking a shock 1-0 lead over Real Madrid in the Club World Cup semi-finals. Goalkeeper Ali Khaseif was predictably kept busy in the early stages and was equal to everything Madrid threw at him, producing a string of spectacular saves to keep the scoreline goalless. Madrid had two goals disallowed - one for a push by Cristiano Ronaldo and the second for offside against Karim Benzema, a decision arrived at via VAR. Al Jazira attacks were rare... Читать дальше...

During the FUTMas promo, expect to see a ton of Squad Building Challenges with very specific requirements, lightning rounds and Happy Hours.EA could even deliver some free packs straight to your FUT account (with the help of some reindeer of course).The sheer amount of things to do on FUTMas makes it a great period for traders, sowithout further ado here are fivetypes of playeryou should invest in ahead of FUTs most wonderful time of the year.Note: More players will be keen on building up their trade pile as the event draws nearer... Читать дальше...

Toni Kroos’sstyle means he can often go unnoticed. But in a Real Madrid squad packed with quality and flairthere must be a support network which allows key men to feel liberated, and the Germany international offers just that.Kroos helped form the intricate midfield structure that enabled the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Isco to run amok last season en route to glory in La Liga and the Champions League. It'sa job he has been doing for three full seasons now, and continues to do with... Читать дальше...

Manchester United and Manchester City have been given extra time to provide their observations regarding the alleged incident that followed Sunday's derby clash at Old Trafford. City extended their advantage at the top of the Premier League to 11 points with a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Nicolas Otamendi and David Silva, the leaders becoming the first side to win 14 consecutive top-flight games in a single season in the process. Reports suggested players and staff from both sides clashed in... Читать дальше...

He may no longer have Xavi by his side, and Andres Iniesta is on the decline, but Sergio Busquets remains as key as ever at Barcelona.If anything he's picked up the baton dropped by those two players, and at times holds up Barça’s fabled passing values on his own. Every midfielder in La Masia can look up to Busquets as an exampleto follow, and he is a player now firmly among the club's all-time greats.Barça are a different team altogether when Busquets isn't around, so much so thatthey seem obviously more vulnerable and lost... Читать дальше...

It’s a nightmare scenario for a player: your manager – Rafa Benitez in this case – is watching on as you’re about to drive right into your team-mates before the biggest game of the season. Not that Peter Crouch was at fault. When his brakes failed him during a team go-karting break in a training camp in 2007, he took the sensible decision and avoided the Spanish international.“It was before the Champions League final,” Crouch tells FFT in a new video. “We were in Portugal, we had a week before the game and went to a go-karting track. Читать дальше...

Paulo Dybala should heed Pavel Nedved's advice if he wants to become one of the leading stars in world football, according to Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon. Speaking at the Champions League draw earlier this week, Juve vice-president Nedved advised Argentina international Dybala to "focus on his football and make lots of sacrifices in his private life" after being dropped to the bench for the 0-0 Derby d'Italia draw with Inter. The former Czech Republic international won the Ballon d'Or in 2003... Читать дальше...

It’s one thing to remain the centrepiece of a supremely talented and ambitious club side for the best part of a decade. It’s another thing to do so when that club has a blank chequebook at its disposal, a tendency to stockpile players in your position and has gone through three managers during your time there –each with their own priorities and playing style.David Silva, though, endures as perhaps the only remaining constant from Manchester City’s imperial era. He joinedin the summer of 2010, earnedhis... Читать дальше...

There is a stat that had Manchester City all but doomed before the start of the season. In the last eight years, the Premier League winners have never topped the possession ranking.Since at least 2009, the busiest passers have never lifted the trophy. As Spain and Germany have been dominated by teams who keep the ball, the Premier League has belonged to sturdy back lines, powerful engine rooms and lethal counter-attacks.No wonder Pep Guardiola drew scepticism when he arrived last year. Whatever you... Читать дальше...

One football stats sage recently declared on Twitter that Kylian Mbappe is “the best teenager we’ve seen in the data era”. This is no time for another Proper Football Men vs Analytics Geeks debate – and in this case there’s no needanyway, as it's astatement with which all parties can surely agree.Mbappe’s 2017 feats beggar belief. Twelve months ago, he’d made seven Ligue 1 starts for Monaco. A year on, he’s won the Golden Boy award – the annual gong for Europe’s best U21 footballer – and will become... Читать дальше...

EA SPORTS™, the Lead Partner of the Premier League, has teamed up with FourFourTwo to offer one lucky reader a pair of tickets toStoke vs West Ham on Saturday, December 16.EA SPORTS delivers the most authentic gaming experience for fans engaging with Premier League clubs and players within EA SPORTS FIFA 18.To enter, all you have to do is answer the simple question we’ve put out on Twitter(winner will be selected at random from correct entries).Terms and conditionsAll entries must be received by 10:00on 14/12/2017One entry per household. Читать дальше...

What stands out the most about Courtois is that he never tries to stand out: he’s just doing his job, minute after minute, game after game, season after season.Even the most outrageous saves look easy and effortless for him. We’d hate to play poker against him: his face is always impassive, his movements always secure. His team-mates trust him wholeheartedly.It’s tough to think of a more consistent performer, and that is exactly what every elite team like Chelseaneeds. Ever since arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2014... Читать дальше...

Willian has no desire to leave Chelsea during the January transfer window and insists his team-mates must fight to the end in the face of fading title hopes. The Brazil international celebrated his return to Antonio Conte's starting line-up with a goal in Tuesday's stylish 3-1 beating of Huddersfield Town – a return to winning ways for Chelsea after going down to a surprise 1-0 London derby loss against West Ham last Saturday. Alvaro Morata's absence at the John Smith's Stadium due to a back injury... Читать дальше...

Alexandre Lacazette says the Premier League title was not a primary target for Arsenal and that it would take a "miracle" to stop Manchester City becoming champions at this stage. France striker Lacazette arrived as a club-record £52million signing from Lyon during the close season and has scored eight goals in 16 Premier League appearances to date. Nevertheless, the Gunners lie sixth in the table heading into Wednesday's London derby at West Ham, 17 points behind Pep Guardiola's runaway leaders. Читать дальше...

It’s been a heartbreaking 2017 for Gigi Buffon. In June he lost in the Champions League final for the third time in his career as Juventus were beaten 4-1 by Real Madrid. That woe was compounded by Italy’s failure to qualify for what would have been his last World Cup, with play-off defeat to Sweden ending his dream of retiring from international football on its grandest stage.And yet, the 39-year-old was perhaps the only Italian player whose stock went up amid nationwide humiliation. He enthusiastically... Читать дальше...

Like all good goalscorers, the first thing we do is acknowledge the assist – so a saluted celebration in the direction ofTransfermarkt, who made it simple for us to find the highest scoring strike partnership for each Premier League season.The diversity is interesting too. On two occasions, a pair of team-mates have worked together to score 50+ goals in a season – for Liverpool in 2013/14 and for Newcastle back in 1993/94.Other seasons have had lower totals, with one player carrying most of the load.Take 2003/04... Читать дальше...

Luis Suarez followed a curious pattern in the first half of 2017. At one point he struck in six games in a row – then drew blank in four of the next five. Next came a goalscoring run of five games, followed by a drought lasting just as long. He left on a high note, hitting five goals in his last four outings.Those efforts only yielded a Spanish Cup in a disappointing season, but at least Suarez was scoring regularly. That much cannot be said this season. The Uruguayan is usually so clinical, buthas... Читать дальше...

Twenty-four days, (more than) 24prizes to be won! Fromthe latest football booksto a 12-month subscription forFourFourTwo (we had to include ourselves in this bumper giveaway, of course), plusmemorabilia signed by some of the world's best footballers, there's truly something for everyone in our Instagram Advent Calendar giveaway.To be in with a chance of winning a prize, head to our Instagram page (@fourfourtwouk) and follow the post's instructions on how to enter. Each day will be slightly different... Читать дальше...