Новости за 05.08.2018

Pep Guardiola hailed Bernardo Silva's Community Shield performance as "a masterpiece" and suggested the Portuguese is currently one of the first names on his Manchester City team sheet. Silva was instrumental in City's 2-0 success over Chelsea at Wembley, setting up Sergio Aguero to score the second goal and operating in a more central berth with Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva not involved. Only De Bruyne and Ederson appeared in more Premier League games than Bernardo Silva last season - though... Читать дальше...

Manchester City will push to give Pep Guardiola another specialist defensive midfield option before the transfer window closes on Thursday The Premier League champions scarcely looked in need of new recruits as they breezed to a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley in Sunday's Community Shield. Indeed, Jorginho struggled in the beaten XI on his competitive debut for Chelsea having opted for a swift reunion with ex-Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri, despite being courted at length by City. Since the Italy international moved to Stamford Bridge... Читать дальше...

Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri has praised Ross Barkley's ability and backed him to go from unrefined outsider to disciplined midfield figure. Barkley, 24, endured a torrid start to life at Stamford Bridge last season as a combination of injury and poor form restricted him to just two Premier League appearances following his January arrival from Everton. But the former England international has come in from the cold under Sarri and played a full 90 minutes in the 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday. Читать дальше...

Marcelo Bielsa began life at Leeds with a win as England goalkeeper Jack Butland made an error in Championship favourites Stoke City's 3-1 loss at Elland Road. The Whites impressed in their first game under former Argentina, Chile and Marseille boss Bielsa as Mateusz Klich, Pablo Hernandez and captain Liam Cooper all scored. Hernandez struck just prior to half-time to make it 2-0 when Butland allowed a shot from long distance to squirm beyond him and, though Benik Afobe pulled one back from the penalty spot... Читать дальше...

Maurizio Sarri intends to hold face-to-face talks with Thibaut Courtois after his agent urged Chelsea to let the goalkeeper join Real Madrid. Belgium international Courtois has been on an extended break after helping his country to the World Cup semi-finals, though his future has remained a topic of discussion with his contract up next year. Courtois' agent Christophe Henrotay has claimed his client, a former Atletico Madrid loanee, wishes to return to the Spanish capital where his children live... Читать дальше...

Pep Guardiola says Phil Foden is ready for a prominent part in Manchester City's title defence following his stellar display in the Community Shield. Foden, 18, earned just his fourth competitive start in the straightforward 2-0 win over Chelsea and looked at ease, laying on the first of Sergio Aguero's double at Wembley Stadium. It was a timely show of reliability with Guardiola weighing up whether to move for another midfielder before the transfer window closes on August 9. The City boss now seems convinced Foden... Читать дальше...

Shots of Harry Kane and his England team-mates celebrating deliriously dominated the big screens as blazing hot sun throbbed down upon those in attendance. At Wembley - the place the Three Lions play when the literally do come home - the pre-match video montages of Russia 2018 before the Community Shield suggested no one is quite ready to draw a line under the English summer when a country fell back in love with its national team. The sense surrounding Gareth Southgate's England is that the best is yet to come... Читать дальше...

AC Milan's record appearance holder Paolo Maldini has returned to San Siro having been appointed the team's sporting strategy and development director. One-club man Maldini made 902 appearances across 24 years with the Rossoneri and won five European Cup/Champions League trophies as well as seven Serie A titles. He retired in 2009 and rejected a behind-the-scenes position two years ago due to concerns over the role, but Maldini has now taken up a post at the club owned by Elliott Management. Milan's... Читать дальше...

Sergio Aguero finally reached 200 goals for Manchester City as his double saw Pep Guardiola's side overcome Chelsea 2-0 in the Community Shield at Wembley. Argentina international Aguero had been stuck on 199 since he notched in the EFL Cup final victory over Arsenal on February 25, but he finally added to his tally in the first half to put Chelsea on the path to defeat in their first competitive match under Maurizio Sarri. The 30-year-old looked sharp and slotted home his second after the restart... Читать дальше...

Rumoured Inter target Luka Modric is happy at Real Madrid and is unlikely to leave anytime soon, according to team-mate Lucas Vazquez. The Nerazzurri are believed to have identified Modric as a potential marquee signing for the new season and head coach Luciano Spalletti has admitted his interest in the Croatia star. However, Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui responded with a firm denial of reports the European champions are open to offers. Vazquez, who has played alongside Modric for the past three seasons... Читать дальше...

Steven Gerrard came within seconds of engineering a hugely impressive victory for Rangers at Aberdeen on the opening weekend of the Scottish Premiership season. Former Liverpool hero Gerrard watched as his side were reduced to 10 men after 12 minutes at Pittodrie, striker Alfredo Morelos harshly sent-off for kicking out at Scott McKenna, before they took the lead 18 minutes later thanks to a James Tavernier penalty. Rangers wasted numerous chances to increase their advantage and paid for their... Читать дальше...

Germany striker Mario Gomez has announced he is followng Mesut Ozil in retiring from international footballl at the age of 33. Gomez revealed in a post on his official Facebook account that he is calling time on his Germany career having appeared for his nation at the 2018 World Cup. It means manager Joachim Low will be without two of the players he took to Russia after Arsenal midfielder Ozil confirmed he no longer wished to be considered in a statement that criticised German Football Federation (DFB) president Reinhard Grindel. Читать дальше...

Sergio Aguero brought up 200 goals in Manchester City colours when he found the net against against Chelsea in Sunday's Community Shield clash at Wembley. The Argentina striker became City's all-time record scorer when he was on target last November's 4-2 Champions League triumph at Napoli, surpassing Eric Brook's previous best mark of 177 that stood unchallenged for 79 years. Since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2011, the 29-year-old has firmly established himself as a crowd favourite on the... Читать дальше...

Manchester City's all-time leading scorer Sergio Aguero reached 200 goals for the Premier League champions by converting against Chelsea in the Community Shield. Aguero opened the scoring after 13 minutes at Wembley with a fine low finish into the bottom-right corner from 18 yards after a probing run from Phil Foden created the opportunity. The striker passed Eric Brook's long-standing club record of 177 last season when he scored in November's 4-2 Champions League win at Napoli – another team coached by Maurizio Sarri. Читать дальше...

Real Madrid star Toni Kroos has been named Footballer of the Year by sports writers in Germany. The Association of German Sports Journalists (VDS), in conjunction with football magazine Kicker, gave the midfielder 185 of the 475 votes cast to ensure he won the award, which he was beaten to by Philipp Lahm in 2017-18, for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old was a key member of the Madrid side that claimed a third successive Champions League title by beating Liverpool 3-1 in Kiev in May... Читать дальше...

Major summer signings Jorginho and Riyad Mahrez were named in the starting line-ups for the Community Shield clash between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley. Mahrez became City's record signing following his £60million arrival from Leicester City but the Premier League champions also engaged in a lengthy pursuit of Jorginho. The Italy midfielder opted for a swift reunion with former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge, however, leaving the Serie A club in a £57million deal. Pep Guardiola has opted for a strong City line-up... Читать дальше...

Burnley have made Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson their first signing of the transfer window in a deal that has equalled their club-record fee. The 25-year-old has signed a four-year deal at Turf Moor in a move that will reportedly cost the Clarets in the region of £15million, which Sean Dyche's side previously spent last summer to sign striker Chris Wood from Leeds United. Gibson played in each of Middlesbrough's Premier League games during the 2016-17 season and stayed with his boyhood club when they were relegated out of the top flight. Читать дальше...

Chelsea's Olivier Giroud has dismissed speculation linking him with Marseille as the World Cup winner has no immediate plans to return to France. The 31-year-old was the focal point of the French team that won the World Cup earlier this summer, but there is no guarantee he will regularly lead the line for Chelsea given new boss Maurizio Sarri also has Alvaro Morata and Michy Batshuayi in his squad. Though Giroud only moved to Stamford Bridge from Arsenal in January and started just six Premier League games for them last season... Читать дальше...

Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Mario Gotze plans to use his World Cup snub as motivation to push himself to new heights. Gotze scored the extra-time winner as Germany overcame Argentina 1-0 in the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil, but his career has since tailed off due to injuries and "metabolic disturbances". The 26-year-old managed 23 Bundesliga appearances in 2017-18, just two fewer than he accumulated across the previous two campaigns. However, he was unable to earn a place in Joachim... Читать дальше...

Toby Alderweireld's signature may be sought after in the transfer window's final days, but one fan has gone a step further by getting a tattoo of it. A supporter had recently declared her intention to ink Alderweireld's autograph onto her skin and, upon seeing that, Tottenham's 29-year-old Belgium international defender appealed to his Twitter followers to find her and make it a reality. Alderweireld then revealed he had granted her wish in a video uploaded to his Twitter account that showed his name being tattooed onto the fan's back. Читать дальше...

The scale and impact of Mesut Ozil's international retirement is unprecedented, according to German Football Federation (DFB) vice-president Reinhard Rauball. Ozil called time on his career Germany career after their defence of the World Cup came to a surprise end in the group stage in Russia. The build-up to Die Mannschaft's campaign was overshadowed by the fallout from the Arsenal playmaker and Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan meeting with controversial Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.... Читать дальше...

Ernesto Valverde hopes Jasper Cillessen remains at Barcelona after the Netherlands goalkeeper suggested his future is unclear. Barca paid an initial €13million to sign Cillessen from Ajax in 2016 and he made just four appearances in LaLiga and the Champions League over his first two seasons, with his main usage being in the Copa del Rey. The 29-year-old has started all three of the Catalan giants' International Champions Cup fixtures but was replaced by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who only returned from a post-World Cup break this week... Читать дальше...

Alessio Romagnoli is confident AC Milan can cope with the abrupt departure of Leonardo Bonucci and has welcomed the capture of Gonzalo Higuain, labelling the striker "one of the strongest players in the world".  The signing of Bonucci from Juventus last year represented a major coup for Milan, but the Italy international defender failed to produce his best form at San Siro. The 31-year-old this week returned to Turin as part of a deal that saw Higuain and Mattia Caldara move in the opposite direction. Читать дальше...

San Jose Earthquakes upset Western Conference leaders FC Dallas 3-1 on the road in MLS on Sunday, as Orlando City snatched a point in a dramatic 3-3 draw with New England. Valeri Qazaishvili gave the visitors the lead in the 19th minute at Toyota Stadium, rounding goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez to slide the ball into the far corner of an unguarded net.  Roland Lamah got on the end of Michael Barrios' pass to cap off a neat move with the equaliser just four minutes later. But a delightful forward pass... Читать дальше...

Ernesto Valverde has sought to temper the expectations of Barcelona supporters after another encouraging performance from Ricard Puig, who was among a group of players to leave AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso gushing over the "beauty of football". Puig has been introduced as a substitute in each of Barca's three International Champions Cup matches, and impressed again in the 1-0 loss to the Rossoneri in Santa Clara on Saturday. Still only 18, there have been calls for the midfielder to feature in... Читать дальше...