Новости за 22.12.2017

The uncertainty around Ross Barkley's contract situation will not deter Sam Allardyce from playing the England international once he is fit in January, according to the Everton manager. Barkley is yet to play this season due to a long-term hamstring problem, though he has still been strongly linked with moves elsewhere. The attacking midfielder's Everton contract expires at the end of the season and he could depart the club on a free transfer if he does not agree terms on a new deal. Barkley rejected... Читать дальше...

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a suspected hamstring injury. The England international pulled up after attempting to chase down Mesut Ozil in the opening minutes of the Reds' Premier League game at Arsenal on Friday. Liverpool replaced Henderson with James Milner, as the skipper was unable to continue following treatment from the club's medical team. Jurgen Klopp's men are next in action on Boxing Day against Swansea City, with Liverpool... Читать дальше...

Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi is hopeful Sergej Milinkovic-Savic can become "even better than Paul Pogba" after establishing himself as one of Serie A's most promising players. The 22-year-old joined Lazio from Genk at the start of the 2015-16 season and, after a year of bedding in, secured a regular place in the starting XI last term. And he has kicked on in impressive fashion this season, producing a string of standout performances and scoring five goals – one more than he managed in the entirety of 2016-17. Читать дальше...

Ivan Rakitic feels El Clasico cannot be treated like a cup final as Barcelona prepare to take on rivals Real Madrid. Barcelona head into Saturday's meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu on top of LaLiga with an 11-point lead over Madrid, with the city rivals of Zinedine Zidane's side, Atletico Madrid, their closest challengers in the table. Ernesto Valverde and captain Andres Iniesta have insisted a Barcelona win - extending the cushion over the defending champions to 14 points - would not end the title race. Читать дальше...

Gennaro Gattuso says the inability of AC Milan's multi-million pound signings to gel as a team has hindered their progress in recent months. Milan spent heavily during the close season to try to reignite their fortunes after failing to finish in the top five over the past four campaigns. The likes of Leonardo Bonucci, Andre Silva, Andrea Conti and Hakan Calhanoglu all arrived for big money, but Milan have flattered to deceive. After two wins in nine games Vincenzo Montella was sacked and replaced... Читать дальше...

Graeme Murty has been appointed as the new permanent manager at Rangers on a deal that runs to the end of the season. Murty was placed in temporary charge at the Scottish Premiership club following the October sacking of Pedro Caixinha. And after a protracted search for Caixinha's replacement - a long chase of Derek McInnes ended when the Aberdeen boss rejected a switch to Ibrox - Murty's stay is set to continue. The former Rangers development squad coach earned the chance to lead the team on... Читать дальше...

Barcelona's "doors are open" to Philippe Coutinho should the Brazil star opt to leave Liverpool, according to Ivan Rakitic. Coutinho was pursued by Barca during the close-season as the club sought to replace Neymar, with the player even attempting to force the move through himself. But Liverpool held firm and resisted the urge to cash in on the attacking midfielder, prompting Barca to look elsewhere. The Catalan giants may not have given up on the idea of signing Coutinho, though, and Rakitic... Читать дальше...

Mario Gomez is relishing the chance to return to Stuttgart after re-signing with his boyhood club from Wolfsburg on a two-and-a-half-year contract. After coming through the youth system at Stuttgart, the striker went on to score 63 Bundesliga goals for the club, and was integral in their title triumph in 2006-07. Gomez has since reached 155 goals from 281 appearances in the German top flight after continuing his career with Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg, and hopes to add to that tally in the second... Читать дальше...

The disciplinary panel didn’t see the first punch. Neither did Francis Lee. A thudding right hook delivered by Leeds United’s Norman Hunter, it knocked the Derby County forward to his knees, splitting his lip so badly that he could poke his tongue through the gash.Lee, who had enraged the opposition by tumbling over a barely outstretched leg to win a penalty and make it 2-1 in this fierce First Division battle a few days before Bonfire Night in 1975, clambered to his feet, ready to fight back. Team-mate Charlie George... Читать дальше...

Mark Hughes is confident he is not in the last chance saloon at Stoke City despite reports suggesting the club's hierarchy are losing confidence in the manager. Hughes' future has come under increased scrutiny at the bet365 Stadium after a run of one win in eight Premier League matches, a sequence that has seen them fall to within one point of the relegation zone. Defeat to West Brom on Saturday would be a fourth in a row and cause them drop into the bottom three, while also forcing the Stoke owners into action according to some. Читать дальше...

Ernesto Valverde does not expect the election results in Catalonia to add any extra fuel to the Claisco fire when Real Madrid host Barcelona on Saturday. Barca travel to the Santiago Bernabeu 11 points better off than their fierce rivals and have the opportunity to tighten their grip on the title race in LaLiga. However, the latest installment of a fixture that has always resonated beyond events on the field for fans of both clubs comes against a backdrop of political tensions between the capital and Barca's home region... Читать дальше...

Joachim Low expects Manuel Neuer to resume training in February or March and be ready in time to lead Germany at the World Cup. Neuer has not featured for Bayern Munich or Die Mannschaft since September, the goalkeeper having undergone surgery to correct a broken bone in his left foot. The 31-year-old remains on crutches as he continues his rehabilitation, but has previously stated he is confident of making it to Russia. That optimism is shared by national team head coach Low, who believes his... Читать дальше...

Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco has backed striker Edin Dzeko to rediscover top form after a barren spell in front of goal. Dzeko has hit eight league goals in Serie A this season, but the 31-year-old has found the net only once since October, in a 3-1 victory over SPAL on December 1. Saturday's trip to Serie A champions Juventus would be an ideal time for Dzeko to end his dry spell, with Roma fourth in the table, three points behind Massimiliano Allegri's side. Di Francesco feels it is only a... Читать дальше...

Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini could all miss Manchester United's busy Christmas period, Jose Mourinho fears. Saturday's trip to Leicester City is the first of four games for United in the space of 10 days, with Burnley and Southampton visiting Old Trafford just after Christmas, and short the journey to Everton to come on New Year's Day. Carrick looks set to miss all of those matches as he remains unfit after recovering from a heart problem, while Valencia (hamstring) and... Читать дальше...

AC Milan have again dismissed reports suggesting Leonardo Bonucci could leave the club after only half a season, with the Serie A side claiming "dark forces" are at work. For a second consecutive day, Milan used a paper review on the club's official website to deny reports Bonucci could reunited with his coach at former club Juventus, Antonio Conte, by moving to Chelsea in January. On Thursday, Milan hit out at "inadmissible allegations" that skipper Bonucci is seeking a way out of San Siro, having... Читать дальше...

Pep Guardiola has urged referees to protect his Manchester City players after teenage midfielder Phil Foden was ruled out for at least a month with ankle ligament damage. The Premier League leaders found themselves on the end of some robust treatment during last weekend's thumping 4-1 win over Tottenham, with Raheem Sterling the recipient of a studs-up challenge from Harry Kane before Dele Alli went dangerously over the ball on Kevin De Bruyne. Both De Bruyne and Sterling emerged unscathed, with... Читать дальше...

Claims that Inter midfielder Joao Mario wants to leave the club due to a lack of opportunities is news to Luciano Spalletti, who says he would rather hear that the player wants "to win more". The Portugal international has made 11 appearances in Serie A so far this season, but only four of them have been from the start. Inter director of football Walter Sabatini claimed on Thursday the 24-year-old is unhappy with his playing time, amid rumours of a potential January exit to maximise his chances of playing for Portugal at the World Cup. Читать дальше...

A new FourFourTwo Film – The Numbers Game: How Data is Changing Football – investigates the changing way information is being used in the sport. As part of it, FFT sat down with Billy Beane, the man whose success in baseball was partly due to a deep and forensic analysis of different types of data (and he's a subscriber to our mag, no less – a man with taste, y'see).That led to a book,Moneyball,being written about his methods, which was then turned into a film where he wasplayed by Brad Pitt. Even... Читать дальше...

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde agrees with Real Madrid counterpart Zinedine Zidane's belief that the outcome of Saturday's El Clasico will not be decisive in the battle to win LaLiga. Barca travel to the Santiago Bernabeu with a six-point lead over Atletico Madrid at the summit, while they are 11 points better off than their bitter rivals having played a game more. Valverde's men are unbeaten since falling foul of Zidane's side in the season-opening Supercopa de Espana and he feels there are plenty... Читать дальше...

Zinedine Zidane is adamant that regardless of the result in Saturday's El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the LaLiga title race will not be over. Madrid head into the match at the Santiago Bernabeu trailing their great rivals by 11 points, although they have played a game fewer. A victory coupled with a win in their game in hand would bring Madrid to within five points of Barca, but history does not bode well for Zidane's side. No team has ever recovered from a deficit of 10 points or more and gone on to win LaLiga... Читать дальше...

Ryan Giggs claimed he told Manchester United to buy Kylian Mbappe and Gabriel Jesus for a fraction of the price they would now command as emerging global superstars. Mbappe will become the second most expensive player of all time when his loan at Paris Saint-Germain becomes permanent for a reported €180million at the end of this season, having shot to prominence with a series of electric displays last season that steered Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and Champions League semi-finals. Jesus is yet... Читать дальше...

Premier League player of the year: Harry KaneAn unimaginative choice perhaps, but the sheer undeviating consistency of Kane’s no-frills excellence marks him out as the calendar year’s most impressive performer. That he is the talisman of the Premier League's most heartening team – who continue to bother the elite despite not having access to anywhere near the same reservoirs of cash – certainly helps.That he is a likeable, unremarkable, un-glitzy character does too. But what truly elevates Kane above... Читать дальше...

Cristiano Ronaldo has been declared fit to play in Real Madrid's El Clasico clash with Barcelona on Saturday after overcoming a calf problem. Ronaldo sustained the injury during the Club World Cup final victory over Gremio and had trained alone as a "precaution", with the club insisting the 2017 Ballon d'Or winner would be fit for Barca's visit. He was then pictured training alongside the rest of his team-mates as normal on Friday and coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed in his pre-match news conference that Ronaldo is fine and will feature. Читать дальше...

Ronald Koeman is not interested in taking up another role in club management for the time being, with his sights set firmly on the vacant Netherlands job. The former Barcelona and Netherlands international, capped 78 times by the Oranje, has been out of a job since October 23, when he was sacked by Everton after a poor start to the Premier League season. It brought his three-year stay in England to a disappointing end, having impressed with Southampton and during his first season in charge at Goodison Park. Читать дальше...

Newcastle Jets continued their impressive A-League form with a 4-0 thrashing of Western Sydney Wanderers at McDonald Jones Stadium. The Wanderers appeared badly overmatched from the opening whistle and Dimitri Petratos had already seen a header ruled out for offside by the time Johnny Koutroumbis made the most of a backpedalling defence to pick out the bottom corner in the 11th minute. Jason Hoffman was allowed to stride through a shambolic defence with an hour played to double the Jets' advantage... Читать дальше...