Sport News

It has been a remarkable 11 months at Old Trafford for the playmaker, who still believes he’s got even more to give

Bruno Fernandes has said he does not care about people calling him a penalty merchant as the Manchester United star continues to score plenty of goals from the spot.

The Portuguese has had a transformative impact at Old Trafford since signing from Sporting CP a year ago. In that time he has established himself as the standout player in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad and continues to break records with his goals and assists.

Fernandes already has 15 goals and nine assists in all competitions this season, but critics have pointed to the fact that seven of his goals have been penalties, and that he has scored 15 penalties in 48 appearances. But the playmaker does not bother himself with the criticism that has come his and United’s way when it comes to getting spot-kicks.

“I don’t hear them! I don’t care, honestly. You always see what people say but I really don’t care. I’m not focused on what they are saying,” Fernandes said. “I played in Portugal and when you play for Sporting, Benfica and Porto are always talking about that kind of stuff – sometimes to put pressure on the referee, sometimes just to make some noise in the press.

“But, for me, the main point is when we have a penalty, if I go to take the ball to the penalty spot, I have to do my job.

“One thing I saw in the news the other day was that Raheem Sterling has missed his last three penalties. So, yes, it shows it’s not as easy to take a penalty as people say. You have to work on that, you have to be focused, you have to do your job. 

“I feel the pressure every day I come to train at United,” the 26-year-old said. “You have to put pressure on yourself. I think Liverpool being champions, they know what they have to do, they know what it is to have pressure on them. But we have to focus on what we have to do because we have a lot of pressure [on us].

“Everyone knows, playing for Manchester United means playing with the pressure on but this is what you want as a player. If you don’t have pressure on you, it’s because you’re not doing the right things.

“For us, for growing up, we have to go into these games to try to win.”

The Portuguese star’s longevity has led to yet another unmatched record thanks to a late goal against Sassuolo

Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest strike for Juventus has further written the Portuguese into the sport’s history books as he set another goal-scoring mark.

The veteran striker struck late in Serie A to add some gloss to the Bianconeri’s 3-1 victory over Sassuolo, helping Andrea Pirlo’s side to close the gap on leaders Milan in their pursuit of another Scudetto crown.

Juventus saw Weston McKennie and Paulo Dybala forced out due to injury, but the Serie A champions were able to take the lead through a Danilo strike.

Gregoire Defrel provided the equalizer for 10-man Sassuolo, who were up against it after seeing Pedro Obiang sent off just before halftime.

Unfortunately for Sassuolo, they were unable to overcome their disadvantage, with substitute Aaron Ramsey, who replaced the injured McKennie, firing in the 82nd minute.

Ronaldo then sealed the three points in stoppage time, scoring his 15th goal of the season in the process.

While most goals for the 34-year-old are simply a case of adding another to his already remarkable tally, his latest is another reminder of the Portuguese star’s longevity.

With Sunday’s goal, Ronaldo became the only player to score at least 15 goals in each of the last 15 seasons in the top five leagues, having reached that mark in every campaign since 06-07.

Ronaldo has scored 15+ league goals in 15 consecutive seasons
06-07: 1️⃣7️⃣
07-08: 3️⃣1️⃣
08-09: 1️⃣8️⃣
09-10: 2️⃣6️⃣
10-11: 4️⃣0️⃣
11-12: 4️⃣6️⃣
12-13: 3️⃣4️⃣
13-14: 3️⃣1️⃣
14-15: 4️⃣8️⃣
15-16: 3️⃣5️⃣
16-17: 2️⃣5️⃣
17-18: 2️⃣6️⃣
18-19: 2️⃣1️⃣
19-20: 3️⃣1️⃣

Ronaldo and Juventus currently sit fourth in La Liga, seven points being league-leaders AC Milan with a game in hand.

Juve also sit four points before second-place Inter and one point behind third-place Roma, who have each played one more game than the defending champions.

Next up for Juve is a Coppa Italia clash with Genoa on Wednesday before focus turns towards a clash with Inter on Sunday.

Another cup clash will follow for Juve as they’ll then face Napoli in the Supercoppa Italiana on January 20.

Juve will also be looking ahead to the Champions League knockout stages, where they will face Porto in February in the round of 16.

Arsenal has completed the signing of Omar Rekik from Hertha Berlin as he becomes their first signing of the winter transfer window.

The 19-year-old joins from Hertha Berlin, and he will link up with the club’s Under23 team.

Rekik was first linked with a move to Arsenal in the last transfer window after Matteo Guendouzi had left the club for the German side on loan for the rest of the season.

However, the Gunners couldn’t complete the transfer at the time, they have just done that.

He has had spells with Manchester City and PSV before now, and he will be hoping to break into Mikel Arteta’s senior squad soon.

He spoke to the club media after signing his professional contract with the club, and he revealed that he has been around for three weeks before his transfer was made public.

He told the club’s website:

“It feels great to be here after a long time of hard work. It feels great. I moved in three weeks ago and I’ve been in quarantine, so I can’t wait to get started. ”

When asked why he chose to join Arsenal, he said: “The warmth of the people and the interest that they showed in me, and of course, when a club like Arsenal is interested, I don’t think anyone needs to think twice.”

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard could benefit from keeping his emotions in check, according to former Manchester United striker Andy Cole.

Cole believes Lampard needs to find a way to detach himself from certain situations as he continues to find his way in management.

Chelsea are currently going through a sticky patch – and have now lost four of their past six Premier League matches. The Blues are sixth in the table – seven points behind leaders Liverpool – following their 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.

Cole played under Kevin Keegan, a manager who wore his heart on his sleeve, at Newcastle and Sir Alex Ferguson at United – and highlighted the difference between the two men.

“I genuinely do believe you can be too emotional,” he told talkSPORT. “I played under Kevin Keegan and I think we all can say that Kevin was a very emotional manager.

“Looking at Frank sometimes and listening to some of his interviews, you know he’s a very emotional manager and a very emotional guy.

“Obviously, he wants the best for Chelsea but sometimes you do have to detach yourself from that.

“Football is not all the time going to go your way. You’re not always going to get the results you want.

“You’ve got to try your best and do as Alex Ferguson (did) to a certain extent and detach yourself from certain scenarios and look to move forward when you’re not getting the result that you would like.”

Chelsea now turn their attention to the FA Cup and a third round tie with Morecambe next Sunday before returning to Premier League action away to Fulham on Friday, January 15.

The 42-year-old says that there could be some ins and outs in the winter window, but only if the right conditions are in place

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard admits that he has “ideas” when it comes to the January transfer window, although did hint that the club would have to trim their squad size through sales and loans before they will be in a position to spend.

Blues fans have become accustomed to big-money purchases since the arrival of Roman Abramovic as the club’s owner, with the most recent spree seeing Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Thiago Silva added to the ranks.

Speaking to the press on Friday, Lampard conceded that there could be more action with regards to transfers this month, but claims that the size of his squad is such that there is no rush to get any deals over the line.

“I’m not sure at the moment,” the English trainer replied when asked how he saw the January window panning out. “I have ideas. We have a big squad and we have to see if that changes, if there are opportunities for players that aren’t playing so much.

“That’ll be a conversation between the player and myself and then we’ll see if we can strengthen in the right way. But we’re not jumping up and down to do so at the moment, my focus this year is purely on work. It’s a long month.”

A long month indeed, especially when having to contend with a packed fixture schedule as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic – and things aren’t easing up any time soon for Lampard and his side as they next welcome Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City machine to Stamford Bridge.

Asked which of City’s deficiencies Chelsea will be targeting on Sunday, Lampard said: “In terms of their weaknesses? I don’t see [any]. They are just a very strong outfit, very well managed, they have lots of threats so we will have to focus on ourselves and do our best.

“I’m confident in us as a team. I know that when we play at Stamford Bridge, as well as we can, then we have an opportunity to beat anybody. 

“Saying that, City are right at the top, so when we beat them 2-1 after the restart for instance, that was a difficult game that we had to suffer at times because they are such a good possession-based team.

“I’m confident in us, I know we have to be at our best to win because of the level of opposition. But if we’re at our best then we can win against any team.”

Frank Lampard said that he will have a conversation with Timo Werner regarding whether the Chelsea forward needs rest after he struggled in the 3-1 defeat against Arsenal.

The German striker cut a frustrated figure as he and his Chelsea team-mates struggled at the Emirates Stadium, with Lampard substituting Werner at half time after another ineffective display.

It was Werner’s tenth game without a goal for Chelsea in all competitions, with the 24-year-old’s last strike coming in a 4-1 victory against Sheffield United back in November.

That was his eighth goal of the season since his summer move from RB Leipzig, but the goals have dried up since then, with Werner missing a number of good chances in recent weeks.

And Lampard was asked after the game at the Emirates Stadium whether Werner was fatigued and now needed a rest after so long without a goal. Chelsea must face an in-form Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Monday evening.

“We’ll see.,” he said. “Certainly the goals not going in is always something an attacking player will get judged on. The subs, I could have made more. But I felt I had to make the subs in those two areas to inject energy.

“Timo wasn’t giving us enough with or without the ball. Some of it we have to give him time. I keep saying the same thing because it’s a different league but we also have to get there quickly. We’ll see about the tiredness – I’ll have a conversation with him. But I felt I had to make changes to change the course of the match.”

The Gunners beat Chelsea 3-1 on Boxing Day and picked up their first Premier League win since beating Manchester United 1-0 on November 1

The celebrations at the full-time whistle told their own story.

Arsenal‘s 3-1 victory against Chelsea was about more than just three points for Mikel Arteta and his players; this was a turning point, a bolt of light to lift what has been two months of near persistent gloom.

The Gunners may still be 14th and just six points off the relegation zone in the Premier League, but they can now approach games against Brighton and West Brom during the next week with a sense of optimism that has been lacking since the summer.

Arteta, meanwhile, can breath that little bit easier now that the pressure that had built following a run of seven defeats in 10 league games has been lifted.

Arsenal’s under-fire manager has had his decisions questioned at almost every turn as results have nosedived during the past two months, but against Chelsea he got things spot on.

Perhaps he was helped by Willian and David Luiz missing the game due to illness, but he was still brave enough to give academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe his first start in more than year in a frontline which also contained 19-year-olds Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli alongside Alexandre Lacazette.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was fit again after injury, but the club captain was left on the bench.

And between them Smith Rowe, Saka and Martinelli provided Arsenal with the type of attacking intent Arteta’s side have been missing all season.

From the first whistle, there was pace, movement and creativity from the forward line and Chelsea never looked comfortable. For months Arsenal have looked slow and lethargic in attack, but this was the opposite.

The return of Martinelli has made a big difference – we saw that against Manchester City in midweek before he was forced off through injury – but Smith Rowe was equally as impressive as the young Brazilian here.

Playing behind Lacazette in the No.10 role, the 20-year-old showed why so many Arsenal fans have been demanding that he starts getting more game time in the Premier League.

His clever movement in the final third kept dragging Chelsea’s defenders out of position and allowed the likes of Martinelli, Saka and Lacazette to benefit.

The playmaker ended the game with one assist and should really have scored himself, but reacted slowly and failed to turn in Hector Bellerin’s cross in the first half following a smart Arsenal break.

The home side did get some luck against Chelsea, especially when Saka’s cross floated over Edouard Mendy to make it 3-0 and add to Lacazette’s penalty and Granit Xhaka’s fabulous free-kick from the first half.

But they earned their good fortune with the way they approached the game, and this should now be the blueprint for the second half of the campaign.

The senior players stepped up when needed and the youngsters provided the energy and verve that made the difference going forward.

Arteta will know that there is still much to be done and there are still plenty of issues that need to be resolved in his squad, especially when Willian and Luiz return to fitness. But he will have had a weight lifted off his shoulders by this win.

There were understandably some nervy moments towards the end and things could have been very uncomfortable had Bernd Leno not kept out Jorginho’s stoppage-time penalty after Tammy Abraham had made it 3-1.

But this was deserved win for Arsenal, one that Arteta will hope can kickstart their season and send them into 2021 with new found sense of belief.

The playmaker has missed Chelsea’s last four games across all competitions with a hamstring injury, and has been ruled out of the London derby against Arsenal

Hakim Ziyech’s return from injury has been delayed.

The Chelsea midfielder, who has enjoyed an impressive start to life in west London following his £33.4m summer transfer from Ajax, has been ruled out of the Boxing Day clash against Arsenal.

Ziyech still has not fully recovered from the hamstring injury sustained in the 3-1 win over Leeds United at the beginning of the month which caused him to limp off in the first-half.

He did return to training ahead of the 3-0 win over West Ham United, but wasn’t risked on Monday night.

And as revealed by Blues head coach Frank Lampard, Ziyech won’t be available for the weekend’s trip to the Emirates Stadium, or the visit of Aston Villa 48 hours later.

“No he won’t be fit for Arsenal,” Lampard confirmed in his pre-match press conference.

Mesut Ozil has not played for Arsenal since March 7 and has not been included in their Premier League or Europa League squads; the midfielder’s contract runs out at the end of the season and he has vowed to stay until then

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil says he wishes he could help the club during their current struggles.

Arsenal Ozil has not played for Mikel Arteta’s side since March 7 and was not included in the Arsenal’s squads for the Premier League or Europa League.

The Gunners crashed out of the Carabao Cup 4-1 to Manchester City on Tuesday as Arteta’s side slipped to a sixth defeat in 11 in all competitions.

Arteta has shown little inclination to change his mind over the former Germany international, but Ozil, who has insisted he has no plans to leave the club until his contract expires, says he continues to hope he will get a chance to help his struggling team-mates.

Paul Pogba says he “always has and always will fight” for Manchester United, insisting the relationship between him and the club is “all clear”.

Immediately after United’s stalemate with Manchester City, Pogba posted a message on social media outlining his commitment to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this season.

Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola publicly claimed prior to United’s Champions League exit on Tuesday that the France international’s time at the club was “over”, and that he needs a “change of scenery.”

Solskjaer has insisted that Pogba still has the desire to play for United, and selected Pogba from the start in the Manchester derby.

“The future is far, today is what matters and I am 1000 per cent involved! Always strong together. All has been clear between the club and myself and that will never change.

“When you don’t know what’s going on inside, don’t talk.”

Speaking after the 3-2 Leipzig defeat, in which Pogba came off the bench to score United’s second, Solskjaer said Raiola should realise “this is a team sport and we work together”.

Solskjaer stressed Pogba has remained professional during training – unlike some players who have since departed.

“I think I said during the week, of course, that this is a team game. Paul is part of this team, he’s very focused on contributing when he’s here,” Solskjaer said.

“He’s got a hunger, an appetite to play. He wants to play, he wants to train. There have been other players that have refused to train or play, they’re not here anymore of course, but Paul has not once done that. He’s just focused on performing when he gets the chance.

“That’s the good thing about Paul. He has got the quality, but has also got the desire to do well when he comes on, like he did against Leipzig – he did have a positive impact.”

READ MORE

https://michaelgbadamosi.com/category/sport-news/