The highly unsuccessful Quique Setien has been sacked according to the Catalan Radio. FC Barcelona were humiliated by Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final tie. They managed to concede 8 goals in the space of 90 minutes. This was the first time Barcelona have conceded 8 goals in a game since 1946. The anger and disappointment of the fans of the La Liga side could clearly be seen as the team was booed upon their arrival at their hotel in Lisbon. There were several rumours going around after the defeat that Setien would be sacked as the Barcelona manager. On Monday night, Bartomeu told COPE’s Tiempo de Juego: “Setien is out”. The official statement of the sacking of the 61-year-old manager is expected soon. Barcelona has had a below-par season, losing their La Liga titles to arch-rivals Real Madrid after the league was postponed due to COVID-19. The club also lost in the Copa Del Rey quarter-finals as well as the Super Copa de Espana semi-finals. Thus, they had a trophy-less season which is very rare for a club like Barcelona. Who will be the next manager?There are several rumours going around as to who will be the next manager of the club. Currently, Ronald Koeman has emerged as the front runner for this position. Koeman has been previously linked to the club after former manager Valverde was sacked. However, he could not get the position due to his duties with the Netherlands national team. Koeman has already stated to Catalunya Radio: “Everyone knows it’s my dream to coach Barca”. However, there are several other candidates for this job. Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino and Ex-Barcelona player Xavi have also been heavily linked as candidates for the managerial position. Messi to quit Barcelona?As Barcelona’s poor form continues, there has been speculation going on that Barcelona star Messi is unsure of his future at the club. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has been linked with a move to the Premier League giants Manchester City and Serie A club Inter Milan. The post ‘Setién is out’, FC Barcelona President Joseph Bartomeu appeared first on Football Lovers. from https://thefootballlovers.com/quique-setien-sacked/
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Sevilla brought a halt to Manchester United resurgence by knocking them out of the Europa League Semi-final with a 2-1 scoreline. United have been enjoying a stellar form of late. They were only defeated twice in their last 25 games in all competition. Thanks to their form, they climbed to a 3rd place finish in the league table and were favourite going into the semi-final of the Europa League. However, they succumbed to a team who have shown that they are the team to beat in this league. Sevilla won the Europa league in 2014, 2015 and 2016. United went ahead in the game after Bruno Fernandes opened the scoreline with his neatly-taken penalty, earned by Marcus Rashford. However, Suso placed his first-time shot into the back of the net from Sergio Reguilon’s cross. Wasteful United
United could have easily gone ahead in the game if only their players were more clinical in front of goal. Mason Greenwood’s shot was well saved by Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in the 45th minute. He saved another excellent strike from Anthony Martial in the 49th minute to keep the scoreline 1-1. After the Martial chance, the ball fell nicely to Fernandes. But his shot was blocked by Sevilla defenders. Martial had another two great chances to put United on the front but both the chances were dealt with by Bounou. United were left to rue for the chances that they missed as Sevilla got themselves ahead in the 78th minute. Substitute Luuk de Jong finished a cross from Jesus Navas by darting in between Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The goal proved to be the matchwinner, booking Sevilla’s place in the 2019/20 Europa League final. Manchester United ended the match with 20 shots, 7 on target, and finding the net only one. In losing the game in semi-final, Manchester United went out of three competitions in the semi-final this year – League Cup, FA Cup, Europa League. The post Sevilla 2 Manchester United 1 – Match Report appeared first on Football Lovers. from https://thefootballlovers.com/sevilla-2-manchester-united-1-match-report/ Thiago Alcantara has reportedly agreed a four-year contract with Liverpool before his official transfer to the English club. It was reported that the Spanish midfielder has already found a home in the North West of England. The news was reported by Mohamed Bouhafsi of RMC Sport, who tweeted: “Agreement between Liverpool and Alcantara. Liverpool and the player have reached an agreement over 4 years. The player even announced his departure to England to some of his teammates. Alcantara already found his house. Liverpool and Bayern must finalize the deal.” The transfer rumours of Alcantara moving to Liverpool has been intensifying since last month and it seems the deal is finally going through. If the news is true, then the only hurdle that remains for the transfer to go through will be the transfer fee involved in the process.
Earlier this month, Bayern’s manager Hans-Dieter Flick hinted that Alcantara could move to Premier League. “I can understand when a player is concerned. “Thiago played in Spain for FC Barcelona and in the Bundesliga for FC Bayern Munich. “If he wants to try again in the Premier League now, I totally understand. But it would be a shame because Thiago gives our game that certain something. “That’s why I would like, as a coach, to have him on the team for the next few years, but that’s life. It would go on.” Bargain of the Season?It is believed that the price is set at €30 million which would be an absolute bargain, considering how expensive the market has become in the recent time. However, with only a year left on his contract with the Bundesliga Champions, Bayern are in a difficult situation regarding their player. Alcantara made 38 appearances in all competition for Bayern this season. He started alongside Leon Goretzka in Bayern’s midfield against Barcelona in the Quarter-final. Alcantara’s signing would provide Liverpool with a creative spark in their midfield, who are rather known for their robustness than their vision. A Barcelona product, the 29-year-old moved to Bayern in 2013. This season, he has already won the Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal this season and will be looking to leave the club as a treble winner.
The post Liverpool agree four-year contract with Thiago Alcantara. Transfer imminent appeared first on Football Lovers. from https://thefootballlovers.com/liverpool-agree-four-year-contract-with-thiago-alcantara-transfer-imminent/ For years now, football fans from other leagues in Europe term the Ligue 1 as ‘Farmers’ League’. One of the reasons for the term is because of the perceived relative lack of quality in the teams except for PSG dominate the league year after year. Even with PSG and their mega-money spending trend, they have failed to win the Champions League where clubs from other countries, most notably Spain, England and Germany dominate. But this season is bucking the trend. PSG reached the semi-final of the Champions League since the 1994/95 season. They did so by overcoming Italy’s Atalanta in an extraordinary fashion. Trailing behind Atalanta for most portions of the game, PSG equalized in the 90th minute and won the match in the additional time. Lyon’s achievement was more noteworthy, for the opponent that they faced. They beat Manchester City 3-1. City are considered to be one of the best clubs in Europe at the moment, and they were picked as the favourites to win this year’s edition of the Champions League. However, just like in the past two seasons with Pep Guardiola, City failed to reach the semi-final. Who are the farmers now?This will be the first time since 1996 that no English or Spanish sides made into the Champions League semi-finals. After Lyon’s progression into the semi-final, PSG’s Kylian Mbappe was quick to take a jibe at the tag of “Farmers’ League” through a tweet, while congratulating Lyon.
Lyon had their share of fun by tweeting “No Farmers here” along with a winking emoji.
PSG will face RB Leipzig, courtesy to their 2-1 win against Athletico Madrid, and Lyon will compete against Bayern Munich, fresh after their 8-2 thrashing of Barcelona. Last season saw an all-English final between Liverpool and Tottenham. This year’s edition has two possibilities of an all-German or all-French final. The post Farmers’ League? Time to move on from French League’s criticism appeared first on Football Lovers. from https://thefootballlovers.com/farmers-league-time-to-move-on-from-french-leagues-criticism/ Lyon ensured that Manchester City had another disappointing night in the Champions League by succumbing them to a 1-3 defeat. Widely considered to be the tournament favourites, City will have to try again next year. City manager Guardiola, who named a five-man defence with x and y starting with Fernandinho, is still looking to get past the quarter-final with City during his three-year tenure at the club until now. Lyon took the lead with a curling strike from Maxwel Cornet in the 24th minute of the game. After Ekambi and Eric Garcia duelled for the ball, it fell to Cornet’s feet who struck the ball sweetly past Ederson who was caught off the line. Cornet previously scored in both Lyon’s meeting against City in the group stage of 2018-19 UCL season. Guardiola decided to revert to a four-man defence before the hour mark, introducing Mahrez for Fernandinho. Kevin De Bruyne made an excellent run into the box and finished Raheem Sterling’s pass with aplomb to equalize the scoreline.
Moussa Dembele, The Super-SubLyon manager Rudi Garcia decide to bring Dembele in the 75th minute. His change paid dividend four minutes later by putting Lyon back into a one-goal lead. Dembele raced into a pass left by Ekambi and struck the ball through the legs of Ederson. Laporte, who was marking Dembele, fell to the ground during the buildup. While it was checked for a possible foul on City’s defender but the goal stood after VAR’s review. Dembele struck again in the 87th minute to make sure that the game was beyond City’s reach. Ederson had a night to forget, as it was his error that led to the third Lyon goal. He spilled Houssem Aouar’s shot and Dembele was there to pounce on the loose ball into the back of the net. Lyon will now face Bayern Munich in the semi-final. The post Manchester City 1 Lyon 3 – Match Report appeared first on Football Lovers. from https://thefootballlovers.com/manchester-city-1-lyon-3-match-report/ The future of Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz has been up in the air for months now. After his exploiting form in the Bundesliga, it was only a matter of time that an elite European club would come calling for the German player. As the season for Leverkusen is over after their knockout from the Europa League by Inter Milan, the rumours that Kai Havertz is set to leave has been intensifying over the days. Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro confirmed that Havertz is all set to move in the coming days. The player himself has indicated his desire to play for a bigger club. “It has always been clear that there will be talks once the Europa League is over for us. Still, there is no formal offer yet,” Carro said. “Kai has told us about his desire to make the next step. Whether that can be materialised soon, I can’t say at the moment. “There are several clubs who have Kai in their plans for the future.” Since making his debut in 2016, Havertz has gone to become one of the best young talents in the world football right now. He has provided 46 goals and 31 assists in 150 appearances in all competitions for the German club. This season, he scored 18 goals in all competition for the club. Who will make the first move for Kai Havertz?A month ago, Leverkusen’s manager confessed that Havertz have already made his decision. But the manager didn’t disclose what the midfielder might have decided. As Carro said, a lot of clubs are following Havertz’s situation. Leverkusen are holding out for a fee of around €100 million (£90m/$118m) for their prized asset. It is widely rumoured that Chelsea are leading the race to sign the player, but are reluctant to pay the sum for the player. United are also believed to be in the race to sign the 21-year-old German if their move for Jadon Sancho falls out. The post Kai Havertz has indicated his desire to leave Leverkusen appeared first on Football Lovers. from https://thefootballlovers.com/kai-havertz-has-indicated-his-desire-to-leave-leverkusen/ For a couple of years now, people have been asking the same question: Will Lionel Messi quit Barcelona? In the light of the 8-2 thrashing of Barcelona by Bayern Munich, the question has resurfaced again? Messi’s contract with Barcelona is set to expire at the end of next season. Additionally, Messi has the right to terminate his contract at the end of every season. So, it is time for Messi to start thinking of his future elsewhere than the club? Rio Ferdinand believes that Messi must be asking this question to himself after their UCL knockout. “The question is what is Messi thinking? What is he thinking going home tonight?” Ferdinand said on BT Sport. “The level of performances that club has given and how the squad is looking at the moment in comparison to other teams around Europe. That’s the big question he will be thinking about. “Has he got the time to sit there and wait? Football comes and goes very quickly in your life so these next two years, where he is going to have power to influence games the way he does. “Is he going to want to do that not competing for the big titles? I don’t know.” Since Barcelona won the Champions League in the 2014/15 season, they have failed to attain the pinnacle of European club football again, while their arch-rivals Real Madrid went on to claim the title for 3 seasons in a row. This year, they have failed even at the domestic level, losing out the league title to Real Madrid. A New Low for BarcelonaJust as Gerard Pique reflected after the match: “We have hit rock bottom now”, this is the lowest Barcelona have ever been. Even though they have tried rebuilding the squad after the departure of Xavi and Iniesta, the signings have failed to live up to their price tags. Big-money signings like Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, Philippe Coutinho have failed to live up to expectations in Barcelona shirt. Coutinho added salt to the wound by rounding off the scoreline to inflict a new low since the 1940s. This is the first time since 1940 that Barcelona have conceded eight goals in a match. Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said that changes will be made. “It has been a very, very tough night. I am sorry for the Barca fans and members, for the players … For everyone,” Bartomeu told Movistar+. “We were not the club that we represent, I am so sorry.” “There are some decisions that we had already made, and others that we will make over the next few days. Announcements will be made from next week, we need to make decisions after things have calmed down.” Messi is not getting any younger. He will need the support of his teammates more than ever. But the club has failed to act decisively until now. How the club responds to this downfall will be very crucial in deciding Messi’s future at the club.
The post Messi to quit Barcelona? appeared first on Football Lovers. from https://thefootballlovers.com/messi-to-quit-barcelona/ Barcelona were utterly humiliated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League Quarter-Final as they fell to a scoreline of 2-8, making it one of the worst nights in their whole Champions League history. From the onset, it was clear that both teams will not hold out against each other and rather attack every opportunity they get. Bayern stroke the first blow early on in the game. Thomas Mueller scored the first goal after Robert Lewandowski teed him for a strike. Barcelona got themselves back in the game just a couple of minutes later after David Alaba’s clearance put the ball back into the net. Barcelona could even have got themselves ahead of the game. One-on-one with the goalkeeper, Luis Suarez tried to chip Manuel Neuer but the Bayern goalkeeper saved the shot. Barcelona had another chance on their way when Lionel Messi sent a delicious cross into the Bayern’s box but none of the four Barcelona players could connect with the cross. Minutes later, Messi dazzled his way inside the Bayern’s penalty box but his shot was saved by Neuer. Barcelona’s Worst Night in UCL?Barcelona trying to play the ball from behind cost them as Sergi Roberto lost the ball in midfield. Gnabry set up Ivan Perisic, who finished it with aplomb, justifying his place in the lineup. Serge Gnabry added the third goal and Muller added his second of the night and fourth for Bayern. Inside the 31 minutes of the game, Barcelona found themselves 4-1 down. Luis Suarez pulled a goal back after the half-time, but any hope of a comback was quickly destroyed as Joshua Kimmich restored Bayern’s three goal cushion in the 63th minute. This season’s UCL top scorer Lewandowski finally added to his tally in the 82th minute, making it 14th goal of the UCL campaign. Barcelona loanee Philippe Coutinho, who came came on as a sub in the 75th minute managed to score two past his parent club. In doing so, he condemned his club to one of the worst defeat in their history.
The post Barcelona 2 Bayern Munich 8 – Match Report appeared first on Football Lovers. from https://thefootballlovers.com/barcelona-2-bayern-munich-8-match-report/ Arguably the pick of the Champions League Quarter-final. Barcelona are going to take on Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in the last match of the quarter-final. Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: The Season so FarBarcelona failed to defend their La Liga title, falling 5 points behind Real Madrid. Their defensive unit has come under a lot of criticism this season. They conceded 38 goals in the league. Four teams in La Liga conceded less. Surprisingly, they have not been as leaky in the Champions League, where they have conceded 6 goals. However, they have not been at their best in front of goal. They have scored 13 goals in the 8 games so far. In contrast, Bayern Munich have scored 31 goals in the Champions League this season. They retained their league title, making it eight wins in a row. Robert Lewandowski is in the form of his life. He has scored 53 goals in all competitions. He is the top scorer in the Champions League with 13 goals. Messi, on the other hand, has three. Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: Previous MeetingThe two teams met last in the 2014/15 Champions League, where Barcelona knocked out Bayern in the semi-final with a scoreline 5-3 on aggregate. Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: Team formBarcelona Champions League form: WWWLWW Bayern Munich Champions League form: WWWWWW Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: Team newsBarcelona will be boosted by the return of their winger Ousmane Dembele who hasn’t featured for a match since November 2019. Other major absentees for them is their centre-back Samuel Umtiti. Additionally, Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal will return from suspension. The only sure-shot absentee for Bayern is full-back Benjamin Pavard, while centre-back Jerome Boateng and winger Kingsley Coman are set to be available for the match. Barcelona vs Bayern Munich: Expected LineupBarcelona expected lineup (4-4-3): Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Roberto, Busquets, De Jong; Messi, Suarez, Griezmann Bayern expected lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Boateng, Alaba, Davies; Thiago, Goretzka; Coman, Perisic, Gnabry; Lewandowski The post Preview: Barcelona vs Bayern Munich appeared first on Football Lovers. from https://thefootballlovers.com/preview-barcelona-vs-bayern-munich/ The last time Mesut Ozil started or even played for Arsenal was before the Premier League restarted. He last started for Arsenal against West Ham on March 7. Since then, Arsenal played 13 games and went on to lift the FA Cup with Ozil nowhere near the first team. Believed to be absent with a back injury, Ozil aimed a dig at Arsenal before their Premier League fixture against Liverpool by posting that he is ready on Twitter.
In the latest Ozil saga with Arsenal, Ozil said that he will see out the last year of his £350,000-a-week with the Gunners and fight for a place in the team. My position is clear,” Ozil told The Athletic. “I’m here through to the last day of our agreement and I’ll give everything I have for this club. “Situations like these will never break me, they only make me stronger. I showed in the past that I can come back into the team and I will show it again.” “I’ll decide when I go, not other people. I didn’t sign for two or three years, I signed for four and that should be respected by everyone. “Things have obviously been difficult but I love Arsenal, I love to work there, I love the people in the club — the real people, those I’ve been with for a long time — and I love London, it’s my home. “Whatever happened in the last two seasons, I’m happy and very strong mentally. I never give up on anything. I want to help my team and I’ll fight for it. If I’m fit, I know what I can do on the pitch.” This is not the first time that Arsenal have tried to dispose of the German who was once considered to be a generational talent. So, what went wrong for the German after his move from Real Madrid to Arsenal? But let’s find out why the German had to leave Madrid. Why Mesut Ozil left Real Madrid for Arsenal?Since his time at Werder Bremen, Ozil was considered to be one of the most creative players on the planet. Earning a move to Real Madrid in 2010, Ozil had everything in place to make him a household name for the football fans. For every chance he created now, there was Ronaldo behind to assure that his chances were not wasted. During his three year tenure at the club, Ozil provided 80 assists while also contributing 27 goals in 159 appearances. “If I were in charge at Madrid, Ozil would be one of the last to be leaving,” Sergio Ramos said after his departure. Ozil’s former manager Jose Mourinho labelled him as “unique” and “the best number 10 in the world”. The fans were bemused with his sale. Unfortunately, Real Madrid were signing a host of players, most notably Gareth Bale and Iso, for which they had to recoup funds. Madrid’s loss was Arsenal’s gain, presumably so, when the Gunners got themselves a world-class player for a fee reportedly to be around £42.5 million (€50 million) in 2013. For Arsenal, Ozil was the marquee signing that would put them as one of the contenders for the Premier League. But since Ozil signing, they have only qualified for the Champions League on three occasions. Their best-placed finish in the league came in 2015/16 season when they finished second, 10 points behind champions Leicester City. Ozil’s results have been dwindling as his Arsenal career progressed. At best, Ozil has shown the creativity that no other Premier League player can match. As per Squwaka, Ozil created record-breaking 137 chances in the Premier League in the 2015/16 season. He registered 19 assists that season. Ozil has failed to register more than 10 assists since then. Similarly, the number of appearance for the team has dwindled his then, reaching a record-low 23 appearances in all competition in the 2019/2020 season. Ozil was not in good terms with Unai Emery and his relationship with Arsenal current manager Mikel Arteta is no better than with his last coach. The 2014 World Cup winner had to call his time with the national team early because of the “racism and disrespect” that the faced after the publication of his photo with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ozil’s Contract Situation with ArsenalWhile Ozil’s performances have been inconsistent in the field, Arsenal are stuck with the mammoth £350,000-a-week that they have to pay to the German. They cannot offload the player easily as the teams are not ready to pay such huge amount to the player, who is considered to be past his peak. A similar situation happened with Manchester United and Alexis Sanchez when the Red Devils had to arrange a payoff between £5m and £10m to end his contract with them early. Also, United covered a huge portion of Sanchez’s wages during his loan period with Inter Milan. It is believed that Arsenal want to make a similar payoff to the 31-year-old German midfielder to rip off his last one-year contract Arsenal. But then, as Ozil stated, he has every right to remain at the club and fight for his place. The post What’s happening with Mesut Ozil and Arsenal? appeared first on Football Lovers. from https://thefootballlovers.com/whats-happening-with-mesut-ozil-and-arsenal/ |
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