Новости за 20.12.2018

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said his management style is inspired by legendary Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson after landing the role of caretaker manager at Old Trafford until the end of the season. Former striker Solskjaer was confirmed as an interim replacement for Jose Mourinho on Wednesday after the Portuguese had been relieved of his duties 24 hours earlier. Solskjaer spent 11 years playing under Ferguson, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the 1999 Champions League final, in... Читать дальше...

Unai Emery (Arsenal)Is it too early to ask Father Christmas for a season review on DVD? Because having seen his Arsenal charges lose two games in four days, Emery should remind them what happened after they opened this campaign with back-to-back defeats: namely, a 22-match unbeaten run. Those are the only four games they’ve lost under him.The best thing Arsenal can do is keep their chins up this Christmas. As the carol urges, in its original grammatical context with ‘rest’ meaning ‘keep’: God rest ye merry... Читать дальше...

It seemed an impossible task, but Silva somehow improved in 2018. This was the year in which the Spanish string-puller won his third Premier League title and fourth domestic cup at Manchester City, and he’s already delivered several superb showings in 2018/19 as Pep Guardiola’s charges target more glory at home and abroad.Kevin De Bruyne may have been City’s standout performer in their latest title-winning season, but Silva wasn’t far behind. The former Valencia playmaker scored 10 goals and supplied 14 assists in all competitions in 2017/18... Читать дальше...

Danny Rose has revealed how Tottenham were determined to knock Arsenal out of the EFL Cup after the way their rivals reacted to winning the previous north London derby. The Gunners triumphed 4-2 in the Premier League on December 2, the hosts turning around a half-time deficit at Emirates Stadium as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice. However, Spurs avenged that result on Wednesday when the teams met again at the same venue, a 2-0 triumph securing a place in the semi-finals. Rose admitted the... Читать дальше...

If there is one striker in the world who suffers for his consistency, it’s Aguero. While the Manchester City focus is often on those who play just behind the striker – Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Raheem Sterling – Aguero just keeps on scoring goals.He has now managed 20 or more league goals in four successive seasons. By way of example, Wayne Rooney never did it in back-to-backcampaigns.That achievement is more impressive still when you consider Aguero’s injury issues. Since the beginning of last season... Читать дальше...

Frank Lampard expects Jose Mourinho to be in high demand following his departure from Manchester United - and would not be surprised to see his former Chelsea boss back in the Premier League again. Mourinho was sacked by United on Tuesday after two and a half years in charge at Old Trafford, winning the EFL Cup and Europa League during a tenure that turned sour during the final few months. Lampard knows all about the Portuguese from their successful time together at Stamford Bridge, as they won three league titles while working together. Читать дальше...

Daniel Amartey has signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract at Leicester City, the club have confirmed. The 23-year-old Ghana international signed from Copenhagen in January 2016 and made five top-flight appearances as Leicester completed an unlikely Premier League title triumph. Amartey, who is currently sidelined with an ankle injury sustained against West Ham in October, was previously contracted until June 2020. "I am very happy to sign this contract at Leicester City. I am a simple and easy guy. Читать дальше...

This was another great year for Kante, and if ever a player was symbolic of France’s unflashy, blue-collar grind to World Cup glory, it’s him. Seeing him serenaded by the rest of the squad at the Stade de France in the post-tournament celebrations simply underlined what an important figurehe is considered by his fellow pros.That arguably France’s most important player – their most dependable midfield linchpin since Claude Makelele and adored by his team-mates – had an underwhelming game in the final... Читать дальше...

Arsenal and Tottenham have been fined £45,000 and £50,000 respectively by the Football Association (FA) after admitting charges of failing to control their players in the north London Derby on December 2. The charges related to the scuffle that broke out on in the 32nd minute of the Gunners' 4-2 Premier League win, when Spurs' Eric Dier celebrated an equaliser for 1-1 at Emirates Stadium by running in front of the home fans and gesturing for them to 'shush'. The celebrations continued in close... Читать дальше...

Sergi Roberto has returned to Barcelona training after a month out. The defender took part in Thursday's session and could be in contention to face Celta Vigo on Saturday, Barcelona's last game before LaLiga's winter break. Roberto's fellow right-back Nelson Semedo also trained, boosting Ernesto Valverde's defensive options heading into 2019. However, centre-back Thomas Vermaelen has been ruled out for a month after the Belgium international sustained a torn calf. After a two-day break, training resumes at the Ciutat Esportiva! Читать дальше...

Australia will assess Aaron Mooy's knee injury on Friday but Huddersfield Town insist the midfielder will be sidelined for eight weeks, meaning he is unlikely to feature for his country at the Asian Cup. Mooy was initially ruled out by the Premier League club when they announced the 28-year-old had suffered a torn ligament in his right knee during their 1-0 loss to Arsenal on December 8. However, the Football Federation Australia (FFA) have sent high performance coordinator – senior physiotherapist... Читать дальше...

One of the dangers facing exceptional players in elite teams is being lost within the collective excellence. If ever a player ran that risk, it’s Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne – part of the Abu Dhabi Group’s galaxy of stars at club level, and a member of Belgium’s golden generation internationally.2018/19 is yet to get going for him; a succession of injuries have mainly rendered him a bystander to City’s strong start in the Premier League. His first half of the year was spectacular, though, during... Читать дальше...

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich feels Paul Pogba's much criticised tweet following Jose Mourinho's sacking should not have been posted, but he defended the midfielder. Pogba tweeted a photo of himself seemingly smirking with the words "caption this" shortly after Manchester United confirmed Mourinho's departure on Tuesday, two days after a 3-1 Premier League loss at Liverpool. The France international had a difficult relationship with Mourinho, having been sidelined by the Portuguese... Читать дальше...

Thierry Henry believes the appointment of Franck Passi as his assistant coach is a "real plus" for Monaco. The former Arsenal forward left his position with Belgium in October to take his first steps in management at Monaco, the club where he began his playing career. Henry has won just three of his 13 matches at the helm, the club finishing bottom of their Champions League group and remaining in the Ligue 1 relegation zone. Passi was an assistant to Marcelo Bielsa at Marseille and was interim... Читать дальше...

Alex Sandro has signed a new Juventus contract running to 2023, ending speculation he could leave the Serie A champions for a Premier League club. Brazil international Sandro has been linked to sides including Chelsea and Manchester United, but instead confirmed he will be staying in Turin. The 27-year-old has developed into one of the world's top left-backs since joining Juve from Porto in 2015 and he will now spend the foreseeable future with Massimiliano Allegri's side. Sandro has won domestic doubles in each of his three seasons at Juve... Читать дальше...

France's World Cup victory was not enough to lift them to the top of the FIFA world rankings and they end 2018 second behind beaten semi-finalists Belgium by only a single point. Didier Deschamps' men triumphed 1-0 over Belgium in the last four in Russia before a 4-2 win against Croatia landed them the trophy for the first time since 1998. Croatia end the year in fourth, ahead of fifth-placed England - the side they beat to reach the final - but behind Brazil. Portugal and Switzerland - along... Читать дальше...

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino believes Arsenal should be grateful Dele Alli did not overreact to being hit on the head by a bottle thrown from the stands during their EFL Cup encounter on Wednesday. Alli put Tottenham 2-0 up in the quarter-final clash at Emirates Stadium before the hour and was struck by the missile hurled from the crowd in the 73rd minute. The England international responded with a '2-0' gesture to the Arsenal supporters and after the match said it made his goal and the win "a little bit sweeter". Читать дальше...

With their perspective perhaps dulled by the extra-terrestrial brilliance of Lionel Messi, some Barcelona fans were starting to grow weary of Luis Suarez at the turn of the year.The Uruguayan has a habit of taking some time to get going these days, and it wasn’t until late December that he finally scored back-to-back goals in La Liga last season.But perhaps they should have reserved their judgement. A return of 31 goals in all competitions is still excellent by any standard, and the Blaugrana are... Читать дальше...

Bayern Munich have confirmed Serge Gnabry tore his thigh muscle during their Bundesliga win against RB Leipzig. Gnabry was replaced by Franck Ribery during the first half of Wednesday's 1-0 success, earned thanks to the substitute's late strike. Bayern announced Gnabry will be unavailable for Saturday's game against head coach Niko Kovac's former club Eintracht Frankfurt. But the Bundesliga champions did not offer any potential timescale for the 23-year-old's return to action in a medical update. Читать дальше...

A World Cup, two Ligue 1 titles and the first ever Kopa Trophy - Kylian Mbappe marks his 20th birthday as the planet's most decorated young footballer. The former Monaco striker has taken his game to new heights since joining Paris Saint-Germain for €180million, the second most expensive deal in football history. Few players have won the game's greatest prize as a teenager but Mbappe did just that this year, scoring in the final as France triumphed 4-2 over Croatia at Russia 2018. Mbappe's 20th... Читать дальше...

It’s not been an easy year for De Gea. As Spain tumbled out of the World Cup at the last-16 stage, their goalkeeper’s position in the team was questioned after a series of high-profile mistakes. Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga is the new kid on the block, and De Gea knows that reputation will count for nothing in the run to Euro 2020.At club level, Manchester United failed to win silverware in 2018, following 2012, 2014 and 2015 as trophyless years for De Gea at Old Trafford. Given that United had only... Читать дальше...

Tottenham refused to allow questions about Mauricio Pochettino being linked to the Manchester United manager's job at a news conference on Thursday. Pochettino has been tipped as the leading candidate to permanently replace Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appointed on an interim basis following the Portuguese's departure. The Argentinian manager insisted his sole focus was on Spurs when he faced the media on Tuesday and the club were unwilling to allow him to field similar... Читать дальше...

Man United fans can learn from CardiffIt's magnificently symbolic that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will make his debut as Manchester United's interim manager at Cardiff City. When the Norwegian was presented as the Welsh side'snew manager in January 2014 -almost exactly five years ago - he held up a red shirt. The Bluebirds played in red those days, while owner Vincent Tan also changed the crest from thehistoric bird to a Welsh red dragon.Tanaspired to change the very core of the club. He disrespected its... Читать дальше...

Alphonse Areola has signed a new Paris Saint-Germain contract running through to 2023, the Ligue 1 champions have announced. Areola appears to have won the battle to be Thomas Tuchel's first choice goalkeeper, starting nine Ligue 1 matches this term despite the arrival of veteran Gianluigi Buffon. Italy great Buffon, though, has started three Champions League matches and seven games in the league as Tuchel continues to juggle his options between the posts. And Areola, part of the France squad that won the World Cup in Russia this year... Читать дальше...

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe has bid farewell to his teenage years, having turning 20 on Thursday. After a rapid rise at Monaco earned him a move to the Ligue 1 giants in 2017, this year has seen the talented forward take his game to even greater heights. He tasted World Cup glory with France and won the FIFA Young Player award for his performances in Russia, while in December he claimed the inaugural Kopa Trophy. In celebration of Mbappe's 20th birthday, we recall some of his greatest goals. Читать дальше...