Former Man Utd and England defender Gary Neville (Picture: Getty) Gary Neville believes Chelsea have left Xabi Alonso ‘a little short’ despite another huge spending spree at Stamford Bridge. The Blues’ perfect start to the new Premier League campaign came to an end on Sunday as Alonso’s side were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal. Chelsea summer signing and former Arsenal target Morgan Rogers gave the visitors the lead inside two minutes with his second goal of the season. Ex-Chelsea forward Kai Havertz equalised for Arsenal midway through the first half with a strike Neville felt new Stamford Bridge No. 1 Emiliano Martinez should have saved. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. The Premier League champions were the better side despite Chelsea’s threat in the final third and took the lead early into the second half through skipper Martin Odegaard. Chelsea threatened to equalise late on – David Raya denying Estevao with a superb save – but the Blues made the short trip back to west London empty-handed. Alonso oversaw another stunning spending spree in the summer, with Chelsea splashing out over £300m on more than ten new signings. Arsenal beat Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium (Picture: Getty) But Neville was surprised Chelsea did not sign a new central midfielder to replace Enzo Fernandez following move to Manchester City. ‘Chelsea didn’t get in a new midfielder after Enzo Fernandez left on transfer deadline day,’ Neville said on Sky Sports. ‘Enzo hasn’t really been replaced. ‘Moises Caicedo hasn’t recovered either and couldn’t play today so they have been left a little short in midfield.’ Emiliano Martinez in action against former club Arsenal (Picture: Getty) After months of talks, Chelsea finally sold Fernandez to Premier League rivals Manchester City on deadline day for an eye-watering £125m. Chelsea then tried to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco and Manu Kone from Roma but failed to bolster Alonso’s midfield options. That meant Reece James started in midfield against Arsenal, while another traditional right-back, Malo Gusto, was introduced from the bench. Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea an early lead (Picture: Reuters) ‘We knew Arsenal were the better team and they have proven that in this game,’ Neville added. ‘The question before today was, how close are Chelsea? And Alonso will be proud of what he has seen. There are obviously improvements to be made, but they gave it a right good go. ‘A lot of very good things and they will be frustrated and disappointed, but they may potentially look back on this game as a good moment rather than as bad as it may feel right now.’ Meanwhile, Neville also criticised Martinez’s role in Arsenal’s first-half equaliser. ‘I do think Emi Martinez has to save that,’ Neville said. ‘Chelsea have brought him in as a big personality goalkeeper, the big Argentine. ‘But I do think he has to save that, he’s slow to go down and will be disappointed given the level he’s been playing at.’ Assessing Martinez’s role in Arsenal’s first goal, Gunners legend Ian Wright added: ‘He takes a step to the right and Kai has done him at the near post. ‘It always looks bad getting beaten from that angle. It’s a very soft goal from Chelsea’s point of view.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
Getting their Champions League charge underway on Tuesday night, Manchester City will travel to the Estadio do Dragao when they meet Porto. With a stacked Champions League schedule pencilled in, there are a host of eye-catching betting promotions available. Verdict: Gabriel Veiga Over 0.5 shots on target Best Odds: 13/8 Bookmaker: BetUS Porto Starting with the […] The post Prediction: Porto vs Manchester City appeared first on SoccerNews.
With the 2026 MLS season already underway, questions are being raised about when Argentina and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi will play his next game. Lionel Messi is still making history at 38 years old, remaining a cornerstone and captain for both Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. With the 2026 Major League Soccer season now underway, fans are wondering when they’ll see the forward back in action. Lionel Messi’s next match with Inter Miami is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, when the Herons visit the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field for the 2026 MLS. The Argentine star heads to the game after selivering an assist in the 2-2 draw against Atlanta United As for his next game with Argentina, there is no game scheduled yet, but the next matchups will be in the upcoming extended international break in September-October. Still, Lionel Messi has already announced his retirement from the national team, marking the end of an era at the Albiceleste. During the World Cup, Messi featured in all eight matches for Argentina scoring eigth goals to cement his legacy as the second all-time top scorer in the torunament with 21 career World Cup goals. As for the 2026 MLS campaign, Messi has featured in 20 official matches so far across all competitions for Inter Miami, scoring 18 goals with 10 assist registered thus far. Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF during the MLS match against LAFC. Lionel Messi and the task of defending the World Cup title The year 2026 will be especially significant for Messi, not only because of Inter Miami’s ambitions but also because he’ll head into the 2026 World Cup aiming to defend the title. The triumph in Qatar in 2022 marked one of the defining peaks of his career, and now in North America he’ll enter another tournament wearing the champions’ badge for the first time. Drawn into Group J, Argentina will open its campaign against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. The second match will be against Austria on Monday the 22nd in Arlington at AT&T Stadium, before closing the group stage against Jordan on Saturday the 27th, also in Texas. The Argentina FA has announced that the national team will base itself in Kansas City during the tournament, though training facilities have yet to be confirmed. Expected to be his final World Cup appearance, Messi will have a chance to add to his record haul with a squad coached by Lionel Scaloni that remains one of the strongest in international soccer after winning the last World Cup and back-to-back Copa América titles.
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