Новости за 14.10.2018

Laurent Koscielny has retired from international football and detailed how France's World Cup success had more of a negative impact on him than the injury that ruled him out of contention. Arsenal defender Koscielny was unavailable for selection for the competition in Russia after tearing his Achilles in the Europa League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid last May. The 33-year-old, who made 51 appearances for Les Bleus, wrote a letter of support for each member of Didier Deschamps' World Cup squad. Читать дальше...

Leon Bailey's long-awaited debut for Jamaica has been put on hold after the Bayer Leverkusen winger refused to play on Sunday. The 21-year-old had appeared to end speculation about his international future by accepting a call-up to Jamaica's squad for their clash with Bonaire. He has now pulled out of that game after the Jamaican Football Federation reportedly went back on an agreement to call up his younger brother, Kyle Butler, instead making him go through a trial first. "Obviously, I came... Читать дальше...

Sergio Ramos has described Jordi Alba as one of the world's best full-backs as he continues to be overlooked by new Spain head coach Luis Enrique. One surprising element of Luis Enrique's tenure following his post-World Cup appointment is his treatment of left-back Alba, a player he worked with at Barcelona. Alba is yet to be called up by the 48-year-old, despite previously being a key member of Spain's defence, and captain Ramos says the coach is leaving out one of the world's best. "Myself and Jordi Alba have played many years together... Читать дальше...

Joe Gomez will start England's Nations League encounter against Spain in place of the suspended John Stones, Gareth Southgate announced on Sunday. Stones and Jordan Henderson were shown their second yellow cards of the competition in Friday's 0-0 draw at Croatia and will consequently sit out the trip to Seville. While the England boss was not willing to disclose who would fill in for Henderson, he revealed Gomez, who has started all but two of Liverpool's fixtures this season, will be handed a fifth cap at the Estadio Benito Villamarin. Читать дальше...

Spain coach Luis Enrique has applauded his England counterpart Gareth Southgate for his adaptive approach to coaching ahead of the two teams meeting in Seville on Monday. England have made an underwhelming start to their Nations League campaign after losing at home to Spain and drawing away to Croatia, but generally Southgate has attracted plaudits since taking the job in 2016. Southgate has drawn particular acclaim for promoting attacking football and putting faith in young players, leading the... Читать дальше...

Portugal cruised to a 3-1 friendly win over Scotland at Hampden Park as debutant Helder Costa, Eder and Bruma piled the misery on Alex McLeish. Defeat to Fernando Santos' side follows a woeful reverse against Israel on Thursday and means that McLeish has now lost six of his eight games in charge since taking the top job for the second time in February. After a largely even opening period, Portugal – who made 10 changes from the side that beat Poland 3-2 on Thursday – took the lead in the 43rd minute... Читать дальше...

N'Golo Kante is a "fundamental" part of France's team because of the character he shows on the pitch, according to international team-mate Lucas Hernandez. Kante was an unused substitute as France battled to a 2-2 friendly draw at home to Iceland on Thursday and his absence was notable, as the world champions struggled to effectively nullify the visitors in midfield. Kylian Mbappe eventually inspired a late comeback after being 2-0 down, as the Paris Saint-Germain star forced a Holmar Eyjolfsson own goal and scored a late penalty. Читать дальше...

Gareth Bale has pulled out of the Wales squad and returned to Real Madrid to continue his recovery from a groin injury. The 29-year-old winger sat out last week's friendly defeat to Spain and will now miss Tuesday's key Nations League match against Republic of Ireland. Ryan Giggs had acknowledged Wales' record goalscorer was unlikely to be risked in Dublin despite describing the issue as "not serious". Bale originally picked up the groin problem in last month's Madrid derby and limped out of the... Читать дальше...

Hugo Lloris insists that being found guilty of drink-driving does not change the person he is. The Tottenham and France goalkeeper was given a 20-month driving ban and fined £50,000 last month after being stopped by police on August 24 and providing a sample that was more than twice the legal limit in England and Wales. Lloris suffered a thigh strain three days after the incident and only returned to action against Barcelona in the Champions League on October 3. The 31-year-old has since played... Читать дальше...

Benjamin Pavard thinks fellow France defender Raphael Varane would a be a worthy winner of the Ballon d'Or following his World Cup and Champions League exploits. The 30-man shortlist for the award was revealed on Monday and six of France's World Cup-winning squad were among the nominees. Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe are said to be among the favourites for the individual gong, with Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi also in the hunt. Although nominated, Varane is not thought to be a likely winner... Читать дальше...

England midfielder Jordan Henderson says Gareth Southgate's empowering of players as decision-makers differs greatly from Jurgen Klopp's approach at Liverpool. Henderson, 28, played the full match as England registered their first Nations League point in Friday's scoreless draw away to Croatia. The Liverpool skipper has been a central figure throughout the two-year tenure of the famously level-headed former Middlesbrough manager, starting all but two matches at the World Cup. His involvement against... Читать дальше...

Mats Hummels has hit out at Germany's critics, describing them as "disrespectful" and guilty of treating the team as "amateurs". Joachim Low's side are bottom of their Nations League group after a 3-0 defeat to Netherlands on Saturday, while memories of a humiliating 2018 World Cup group-stage exit are still fresh. This has led to fierce criticism from fans and media alike, but centre-back Hummels has reacted angrily to the continued scrutiny of the four-time world champions and believes Die Mannschaft... Читать дальше...

Thierry Henry has everything it takes to succeed at Monaco, according to France head coach and former team-mate Didier Deschamps. Ligue 1 club Monaco announced on Saturday that Henry would succeed Leonardo Jardim and take up his first head coaching role with the club where he started his professional playing career. Deschamps, who won the 1998 World Cup alongside Henry, revealed he has spoken to the former Belgium assistant in recent days, but did not need to give him any words of wisdom. "I called... Читать дальше...

Joachim Low has been dealt another untimely headache with a calf injury ruling Jerome Boateng out of Germany's crunch Nations League clash with France. The experienced centre-back played a full 90 minutes in the disappointing 3-0 loss to Netherlands, but has now left the team base in Amsterdam. Boateng is the sixth player to withdraw from the squad Low initially picked and he will now have to choose a new partner for Mats Hummels to face the world champions in Paris on Tuesday. Defeat to France would leave Germany... Читать дальше...

Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has spoken of a desire to one day play in Serie A. Lukaku – who scored both goals in Belgium's 2-1 Nations League win over Switzerland on Friday – is in his eighth season in the Premier League and has enjoyed spells with Chelsea, West Brom, Everton and now United. He has now sparked speculation that his future lies away from England and that Serie A – where his brother, Jordan, plays for Lazio – could be the destination. Asked by La Gazzetta dello Sport if he would make a move to Italy... Читать дальше...

Eden Hazard assured Chelsea he will never let his Real Madrid dream lead to petulance as he pledged to remain at Stamford Bridge beyond January. The Belgium star was in demand after a standout World Cup and has never hidden his interest in a move to Madrid, the club he views as the best in the world. But the Blues were quick to shoot down any prospect of losing another prized asset to the European champions after agreeing to Thibaut Courtois' wish for a transfer. Hazard confirmed he was always... Читать дальше...

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka believes Unai Emery has already improved him as a player. The Switzerland international came in for criticism during Arsene Wenger's final season in charge, but has made steady improvement this campaign under former Paris Saint-Germain boss Emery. The 26-year-old has started every Premier League game for the Gunners and has been a central figure in their stunning run of nine consecutive wins in all competitions. Xhaka – who played in Switzerland's 2-1 defeat to Belgium on Saturday ... Читать дальше...

England manager Gareth Southgate has refused to criticise Marcus Rashford for his profligate finishing against Croatia, insisting he still poses a significant goal threat. Rashford – who has scored just once for Manchester United this season – has come under fire after he twice failed to beat Dominik Livakovic in the second half of Friday's 0-0 draw in Rijeka. Southgate, though, is not concerned by Rashford's failure to find the back of the net and is encouraged that he is taking up threatening positions. Читать дальше...

A pragmatic Ronald Koeman has promised to keep his feet off the dancefloor and planted in reality following Netherlands' breakthrough Nations League victory over Germany. Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum combined to give the Oranje a memorable 3-0 victory in Amsterdam on Saturday. The result marked Netherlands' biggest ever win over Germany and took them to within a point of group leaders France. Koeman, though, is not getting away by a third win in his seventh match in charge. Читать дальше...

Virgil van Dijk has been ruled out of Netherlands' friendly with Belgium on Tuesday, the Dutch Football Association has confirmed. The powerful centre-back is still suffering from a rib injury sustained in Liverpool's clash with Southampton last month and will take no part in the meeting with Roberto Martinez's side in Brussels. The 27-year-old played the full 90 minutes of his country's resounding 3-0 Nations League win over Germany on Saturday, opening the scoring with a 30th-minute header. ... Читать дальше...

Antoine Griezmann is fixated on winning the Ballon d'Or because he believes it would fulfil his "dream" of ranking among Atletico Madrid's all-time greats. World Cup winner Griezmann is part of a star-studded 30-man shortlist vying for the coveted individual prize. The 27-year-old has made no secret of his hope to improve on the third-place finish he managed in 2016 and believes he has done enough to break the decade-long duopoly of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Griezmann, who starred on the way to Europa League glory last season... Читать дальше...

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer insisted his team were ready to turn around their poor form after another loss on Saturday. Joachim Low's men suffered a 3-0 defeat to Netherlands in the Nations League, leaving them with just three wins from their past 12 matches. Germany were stunningly eliminated in the group stage at the World Cup, but Low survived. Neuer lamented his side's missed chances against Netherlands and said the players had told Low they were desperate to turn their fortunes around. Читать дальше...

DC United moved into a play-off spot after a dramatic 1-0 win over Dallas in MLS on Saturday. An 86th-minute winner from Russell Canouse lifted DC to a hard-fought win at Audi Field. With the victory, Ben Olsen's men moved into sixth spot in the Eastern Conference, sitting a point ahead of Montreal Impact. Wayne Rooney, who missed an excellent early chance for DC, played a role in the winner. The former England and Manchester United star drifted in a set-piece, which Canouse eventually headed... Читать дальше...

Netherlands midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum had no interest in comparing his team to others after their comfortable win over Germany on Saturday. Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay and Wijnaldum scored as Ronald Koeman's men claimed a 3-0 Nations League win in Amsterdam. It marked Netherlands' first ever win by three or more goals against Germany, whose recent struggles continued. But Wijnaldum was unwilling to compare his team – who failed to qualify for Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup – to the likes of Germany and France. Читать дальше...

Blaise Matuidi has pleaded with the French public to have patience with Ousmane Dembele as he continues to work towards his huge potential. The France winger joined Barcelona in a €105million deal in 2017, but an injury-hit first campaign in LaLiga kept the 21-year-old on the fringes of Les Bleus' squad as they won a second World Cup in Russia. Dembele made his first international start since the tournament as France battled back to draw 2-2 with Iceland on Thursday, yet colleague Matuidi is not... Читать дальше...