The league phase has begun. From Olise’s brilliance to Sabah’s pub cleaner turned quiz contestant turned manager, there was plenty to talk aboutThe league phase has been previewed as Barcelona’s first step toward reclaiming a crown last lifted in 2015, with disappointments aplenty since. Lionel Messi claiming just one Champions League title in the last decade of his time at Camp Nou is the starkest statistic. The player anointed as Messi’s successor, Lamine Yamal, is already a European and world champion for Spain, so this is the next frontier. A soggy Wednesday evening at Camp Nou saw Hansi Flick’s team show their attacking chops remain of the highest quality in a 5-1 defeat of Feyenoord. The club presidential regime of Joan Laporta continues to pull levers to confound financial experts, with Gabriel Jesus, one of the summer’s arrivals, scoring his first Barca goal. Yamal got on the scoresheet via a scruffy free-kick after Raphinha had reminded there are further dimensions to that all-star attack, his first goal of his pair two sending Feyenoord defenders skidding. Continue reading...
Manager wants players to cope with things going wrongOther tactics include making dressing room even hotterMikel Arteta has revealed that he likes to set players challenges, such as delaying their meals before matches and making the dressing room hotter, to ensure they are fully prepared for any eventuality.Arsenal’s flight to Italy for their Champions League opener against Napoli this week was delayed for more than five hours, with Arteta forced to cancel his pre-match press conference after the squad arrived in Naples just before 10pm local time. The disruption proved no handicap as they made it 13 successive league-stage victories in Europe, thanks to Martin Ødegaard’s second-half winner. Continue reading...
Lamine Yamal should be the overwhelming favourite for this year's Ballon d'Or award, according to Barcelona sporting director Deco. The post Yamal ‘no doubt’ the favourite for the Ballon d’Or, says Barca sporting director Deco appeared first on SoccerNews.
From holiday plans to difficult moments, the pair have built a relationship that stretches well beyond the pitch. Now, Havertz and Odegaard look determined to make up for lost time - together.
Bayern Munich 5-0 Bodø/Glimt, Como 4-1 LeipzigLens win 3-2 at Slavia Prague with last-gasp doubleBayern Munich opened their Champions League campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of Norway’s Bodø/Glimt.The six-times winners were frustrated before half-time by Bodø/Glimt but cruised once Jamal Musiala smashed in the opener two minutes into the second period and the floodgates opened. Continue reading...
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