Ten-man Eintracht Frankfurt held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in their UEFA Europa League quarterfinal first leg – a feat which West Ham United repeated against Olympique Lyonnais. Those present inside the Deutsche Bank Park on Thursday night – and those watching on from the comfort of their homes – enjoyed an end-to-end opening to UEFA Europa League quarterfinal first leg between Eintracht Frankfurt and Barcelona. A frantic opening period saw Kevin Trapp deny Barcelona on a couple of occasions, while, at the other end, the Bundesliga outfit had a penalty overturned by VAR after Sergio Busquets was initially adjudged to have fouled Rafael Santos Borre. Credit: Getty…
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.
Work has begun to strengthen Antonio Conte’s Tottenham squad for next season. Presently in the hunt for a top-four spot, Spurs had to bring the Italian in to steady the ship following a disastrous start to the campaign under the then manager Nuno Espirito Santo. With the course corrected, director Fabio Paratici and his team have prioritised the one position they would like to strengthen next summer: the left-sided central defender of Conte’s back three. A report from The Athletic states the same. Ben Davies has played the role superbly since Conte’s arrival, and he was even on the scoresheet in Spurs’ latest…
Liverpool have signed Fulham’s Fabio Carvalho after failing to do so late in the January transfer window. As per Fabrizio Romano, the deal is complete, as is the medical, and the Reds will pay Fulham a meagre 5 million fee – plus 2.7 million in add-ons – to sign the youngster until 2027. Furthermore, the club is expected to wait until the end of the season to announce the transfer and will include him in the first team moving forward; initial talks in January had revealed Liverpool’s plan to loan the youngster back to Fulham until the end of the…
Manchester United are in the process of finalizing Erik ten Hag as their next manager, says ESPN. Further reports indicate that the current AFC Ajax head coach could add Steve McClaren or Rene Meulensteen to his coaching staff once appointed. As per the report, the Manchester United hierarchy has agreed on ten Hag as the next managerial candidate; the job is currently with Ralf Rangnick, albeit on an interim basis after he replaced club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer midway through the season. https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1511980596880367616 The Dutchman has been linked closely with the English giants for months and, after a drawn-out process, is expected…
Karim Benzema’s second consecutive hattrick in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage put holders Chelsea on the brink of elimination. Los Blancos flew back to Madrid with a 3-1 win from Stamford Bridge – a considerable advantage, despite the absence of the away-goal rule this season. Real attacked the Blues with intent during the early phases of play, isolating Vinicius Jr against right Andreas Christensen whenever possible. The Brazilian hit the bar after leaving the Dane in his wake in the 10th minute, and it was his cross in the 21st that Benzema headed in from the middle of the box for the opening goal…
Ex-Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman has agreed to rejoin the Netherlands national team from January 1, 2023, three years after leaving the Oranje for the Camp Nou career. Current head coach Louis van Gaal will step down following the revelation that he is dealing with cancer, the Dutch FA have confirmed on April 5. Koeman’s contract will be valid until the 2026 World Cup, when the tournament returns, across the Atlantic, to the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada. Credit: Reuters Koeman will replace Van Gaal when the former Manchester United and Bayern Munich coach sidesteps his role upon the conclusion of the…
Arsenal’s decision not to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window could prove to be a costly one. Manager Mikel Arteta is dealing with a major injury crisis with key players Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey, and Takehiro Tomiyasu all ruled out. Arsenal have been hit with a significant injury crisis just as the season enters its run-in. The Gunners have lost three key first-team players to injuries of varying magnitudes, suffering a massive blow to their top-four hopes in the process. Tierney’s diagnosis is the worst of the three. The left-back damaged his knee in training, and, as a…
Ex-Porto winger Luis Diaz starred with a goal and an assist in Liverpool’s 3-1 win against SL Benfica in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals first leg. Elsewhere, Kevin de Bruyne scored the only goal in Manchester City’s success over Atletico Madrid. The Reds have one foot in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League semifinals. Jurgen Klopp’s men beat Benfica 3-1 at the Estadio da Luz in the first leg of the quarterfinal stage, with winter signing Diaz contributing with a goal and an assist. For the first time in their history, the Merseyside outfit have won eight away games on the trot across…
John Terry claims that his present aim is to one day take the reins at his previous club, Chelsea. The Englishman captained the Blues from the mid-2000s up until the late 2010s and wants to further his legacy by leading them from the dugout in the future. Terry has laid down a marker for his managerial career. Yet to land a senior job in management, he has set his sights on the Chelsea managerial position. Credit: Getty Images A former captain of the Blues and a club great, Terry maintains that his long-term ambition is to return to the club…
Manchester United great Wayne Rooney has his opinions over who should be his former side’s next permanent manager. The Englishman prefers former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino over Ajax’s Erik ten Hag. Derby County manager Rooney believes United should approach Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino to take up the role, starting next season. The Argentine is reportedly one of the candidates the Red Devils are considering for their soon-to-be-vacant managerial position; the Argentine, along with ten Hag, is one of the favorites to land the job while Luis Enrique and Julen Lopetegui are also on the shortlist of targets. Rooney,…