Several candidates’ names have popped up in the past week, linked to the head coach job at Barcelona. The incumbent Ronald Koeman is under increased scrutiny and could be replaced by Roberto Martinez at the helm. Credit: AFP The Catalans are evaluating the position of manager, following a string of poor results and off-field difficulties. Philipp Cocu, Antonio Conte and Andrea Pirlo have been linked with the job recently – but Sport reports the top candidates to take over from Koeman, should he be sacked, are Roberto Martinez and Xavi Hernandez. Credit: Getty Images Martinez is the incumbent head coach of the Belgian national team – a position…
Author: Akshat Mehrish
Akshat Mehrish
Akshat Mehrish is a football expert who has a keen interest in tactics and player recruitment aspects of the sport.
Juventus came from a goal down to beat Spezia 3-2 and climb out of the relegation places. Later, AC Milan beat Venezia by two goals to nil to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign. The Bianconeri were winless in four prior to the Spezia game, having drawn against Udinese (2-2) and AC Milan (1-1) and suffering defeats against Napoli (1-2) and Empoli (0-1). Credit: AFP Moise Kean gave Juve the lead in the 28th minute with a strike from just outside the box. The forward brought the ball down perfectly before finding the bottom corner despite being crowded out. Spezia were behind for just five minutes and found themselves on…
West Ham took revenge for their weekend’s defeat on Manchester United by knocking the latter out of the EFL Cup. Elsewhere, Chelsea required penalties to beat Villa, as did Spurs against Wolves. Manuel Lanzini’s ninth-minute goal proved to be the difference between Manchester United and West Ham United in the EFL Cup Third Round. The Hammers beat the Red Devils at Old Trafford by a solitary goal taking revenge for their defeat the previous weekend. https://twitter.com/WestHam/status/1440949055740338177 West Ham’s early domination bore fruit when Lanzini popped up in the box to turn in a Ryan Fredericks cross in the ninth minute. The Hammers had gone close previously…
The Nerazzurri sustained dangerous Fiorentina spells before staging a comeback to beat La Viola in their latest Serie A encounter. Simone Inzaghi’s side go top of the table, thanks to a 3-1 wi The Nerazzurri were second best for large periods of the game at Artemio Franchi stadium, but staged a comeback in the second half to secure maximum points. Inter were aided by Fiorentina going down to 10-men late on, as Nicholas Gonzalez was sent off for two bookable offenses within 30 seconds of each other. Fiorentina were in the ascendancy right from kick-off and could have scored twice if not for a couple…
A much-changed Liverpool side beat Norwich City 3-0 in the EFL Cup third rounds, whereas Manchester City smashed Wycombe Wanderers 6-1 after falling behind early on. Jurgen Klopp’s men took the lead in the fourth minute through Takumi Minamino. His sharp turn and shot following a set-piece took goalkeeper Angus Gunn by surprise. Credit: Shutterstock Norwich weren’t dispirited despite falling behind but fashioned out several decent chances for themselves. The reward for the Canaries’ persistent attacking approach was a spot-kick, earned by Dimitris Giannoulis, who was bundled over by youngster Conor Bradley. Christos Tzolis saw his effort saved by Caoimhin Kelleher, and the loose ball was cleared by…
Ronald Koeman’s job has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks in light of his fractured relationship with the club hierarchy and dwindling results. A 1-1 draw against Granada in LaLiga game pushed the Catalans further away from the league summit, currently occupied by Real Madrid, and put Koeman’s position under even more scrutiny. Credit: AFP The Dutchman was on the defensive during the post-match conference, claiming that the team he has inherited is different from the world-beaters of a decade ago. However, he refused to be drawn into the speculation regarding his position at the club. “I’m not going to…
The Blaugrana fell behind early, were forced to overcome deep opposition blocks throughout the match, and eventually came away with a point thanks to a last-minute goal. Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona lost further ground on top of the table Real Madrid after they could only draw their latest match against Granada. Things could’ve been far worse for the Blaugrana, who fell behind in just the second minute to Roberto Moreno’s side. They pressed on with the efforts to find an equalizer – which they did eventually, in the final moments of the match. After much criticism among the fans and the media over Koeman’s non-Barca style of play, the Dutchman…
Napoli preserved their 100 percent record in the Italian domestic league this season by beating a previously unbeaten Udinese, 4-0. Victor Osimhen continued his fine form for Luciano Spalletti’s side while both the centre-backs got their name on the scoresheet. Napoli remained only the second side in Europe’s top-five leagues to maintain a 100 percent win record in the 2021/22 domestic season so far – the other being Paris Saint-Germain – as they beat Udinese by four goals to nil. As a result, Luciano Spalletti’s team jumped to the top of the queue, ahead of both the Milanese teams, to take an early lead…
The Bianconeri are keeping tabs on Arsenal and England star Bukayo Saka, as per Calciomercato. The Gunners, meanwhile, are interested in signing Club Brugge’s young winger, Noa Lang. Saka is one of the key members of Mikel Arteta’s squad and has participated in all of their five league games so far this season. The 20-year-old was also a member of Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the 2020 Euro, where he missed the deciding penalty against Italy in the final (1-1; 2-3 pen). Credit: Getty Images It is believed that Saka is currently worth 50 million euros, with his contract running on until 2024. Spanish champions Atletico Madrid and Italian…
Juve remained without a win in Serie A as AC Milan held them in the Serie A game. Elsewhere, Real Madrid scored twice in the final minutes to stage an extraordinary La Liga comeback against rejuvenated Valencia. A summer of wholesale changes, which included Massimiliano Allegri’s return and Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, seems to have destabilized the Bianconeri, who dropped points once again in Serie A. The Turinese outfit remained without a win in the domestic league, and ended the fourth matchday in one of the relegation spots. As was the case against Udinese and Napoli, Juve took the lead early on in the game. A quick counter-attack…