The Italian legend opened the scoring in his first match for the Argentine club during the Copa Argentina encounter
Daniele De Rossi marked his Boca Juniors debut with a goal in a dream start to his career with the Argentine giants.
De Rossi, 36, joined Boca last month after ending an 18-year stay with boyhood club Roma in Serie A.
The midfielder had an instant impact in his first competitive match for the club, heading in the opening goal against Almagro in the Copa Argentina on Tuesday.
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De Rossi got on the end of a corner from Alexis Mac Allister in the 28th minute to put Boca ahead at Estadio Ciudad de La Plata to rapturous applause from the home fans
His strike came in the round of 32 of the cup, with Boca bidding to win the tournament for a fourth time – having lifted the trophy in 1969, 2012-13 and 2014-15.
The former Italy international only scored 63 goals in 616 games for Roma, but made a dream goalscoring start to life at Boca.
When he decided to sign for Boca in July, De Rossi said he had chosen to continue his career with the craziest fans in football.
“These days I think I want to be inside this stadium, to know deeply what it means,” he told reporters when he committed his future the Argentine club.
“The reception at the airport was incredible. I can’t thank you enough other than by doing my job as seriously as I can. I have to be serious to show that we all made a good choice.
“From time to time we talked, Nicolas and I. First, I said yes after I left Roma, but then I asked him if I could think about it a little more.
“Being 36 years old and changing everything at once was something that could scare me, but this place stimulates me, and Nicolas was my guarantee.
“He told me that they are professionals in Boca, and I believe him. He is my friend; he would not have brought me to a place where I wouldn’t fit in.
“I need serious people, with a structure similar to that in Europe, and what I have seen here is that, a suitable place to work.
“I asked myself many times. I lived for 20 years in a country where football is lived 24 hours a day.
“I could have chosen a much quieter place to relax, but I only know one way: seriousness, and then I chose to come to a place with the craziest fans in football.”
Frank Lampard was justified in naming the Anglo-Nigerian wonderkid in the rout by Manchester United, but should he retain his place vs. Liverpool?
by James O’Conner
Tammy Abraham made his full Chelsea debut in Sunday’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Manchester United, more than three years since his first outing as a substitute for the Blues.
Reaction from some sections of the English media hasn’t been kind, suggesting that he struggled and was only handed a chance for the sake of his youth, not his quality.
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However, how did he perform in the game, and what can we expect from Wednesday’s Uefa Super Cup showing against Liverpool?
Firstly, let’s dispel rumours that Kevin Oghenetega Tamaraebi Bakumo-Abraham is a mere pup in professional football, only given his debut because Frank Lampard wants to use young English players, whether they are ready for the Premier League or not.
Abraham is nearly 22 and has played three full seasons of professional football, netting 60 goals in 9423 minutes (more than 100 ‘nineties’), amounting to a goal every 157 minutes on the pitch. Many mention his impressive loan at Aston Villa, but he also won Bristol City’s Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Top Goalscorer in the 2016-17 Championship season.
So often, his disappointing loan spell in the Premier League at Swansea is mentioned as a rebuke. Granted, he netted just five goals in the league, but he started only 15 times and had four goals from his first eight games.
There was even talk of Chelsea trying to recall him that January with Alvaro Morata and Michy Batshuayi struggling to replace Diego Costa. In the end, Swansea’s managerial change from Paul Clement – who knew Abraham from coaching him in the Chelsea academy – to Carlos Carvalhal saw his appearances largely limited to short substitute outings in losing causes.
In addition, Abraham was set for a Premier League loan last summer and had several clubs interested, but Maurizio Sarri was impressed by the forward in preseason and kept him past the Premier League transfer deadline.
When a move to guarantee minutes was later decided upon, only the Championship transfer window was still open.
Antonio Conte was another coach to be impressed with the striker, describing him as ‘the future of Chelsea’.
So how did he fare at Old Trafford?
Abraham had a strong start to the game, not only rifling a shot against the post in the 4th minute but also showing strong hold-up play against Harry Maguire early on. His attempt against the woodwork had come from an excellent pass around-the-corner to send Mason Mount scurrying away up the right flank to win a corner, with Maguire bypassed by Abraham’s touch.
He tried to turn Victor Lindelof later on and was tackled, and he could perhaps have done a better job in screening a pass into Paul Pogba soon after. Ten minutes in and he found himself free on the penalty spot, hoping for a lofted cross from Cesar Azpilicueta. Instead, a low cross was missed by United’s defenders and Abraham was fractionally late with his run to turn the ball home.
The disappointment with that delay in his run is largely because so many of his 60 career goals have come from low crosses into the area that he arrives onto to finish first-time. In fact, every single goal he has scored in his professional career has come from inside the box. He is an excellent predator when the ball is wide and is so often in the right place at the right time. For that chance, he will regret not gambling on a square pass, but to be fair, he was completely free for a different type of delivery too.
A large reason why coaches use video analysis is because it’s very difficult to remember everything that happened in the game, and fans are no different. Despite a notion that Maguire and Lindelof won most of their duels against Abraham, that is simply not true.
Another good opening came when Abraham got free between-the-lines, received the ball from Azpilicueta and found Ross Barkley. The ball was worked out to Mount on the right but he made a hash of a cutback to Abraham, again free inside the box.
Towards the end of the half, Maguire competed for a ball up-the-line to the striker and ended up on the floor as Abraham held the ball well and found a teammate.
Of course, many will point to the second goal where a Chelsea attack broke down and Manchester United netted on the counter attack after Maguire shoved Abraham aside. Not fairly it should be said, but by clearly fouling the striker.
Aside from the above actions, there were other strong moments to win 50-50 balls against both central defenders, a clean tackle on Paul Pogba on the halfway line after tracking back and of course, a couple of duels that United’s central defenders won against him.
That is the nature of playing as a lone striker – you’re facing two centre backs, so one can always aggressively challenge you.
The top target men tend to win slightly more than half of their duels and force good ‘second balls’ for teammates to compete for in those challenges that they lose; Abraham did this very well.
He also defended his box well from set-plays, a crucial requirement in such a short Chelsea XI.
Aside from his ability to be a poacher inside the box and hold the ball up well, the other key reason that Lampard selected Abraham is for his pressing ability. When United largely outplayed Chelsea in April in a 1-1 draw, Gonzalo Higuain was the striker selected and he gave nothing to the side out of possession.
For this game though, the choice was between Abraham, Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi. The latter duo have their strengths, but neither offers great ability to close down from the front. Giroud is a tactically disciplined player and very hard-worker, but is slow across the ground when closing down and also does not offer a genuine out-ball with his lack of pace. If opponents sit deep, he is a great at bringing teammates into play and scoring from crosses, but against more athletic centre backs, he is often faced with playing 40 yards from goal and scrapping for high balls.
Batshuayi, on the other hand, offers excellent finishing ability with both feet and good movement inside the box, but he has often been a relative passenger when opponents are playing out from the back.
Abraham excelled in preseason in his high pressing, curving his runs to cut the pitch in half horizontally and direct opponents into traffic, whilst also counter-pressing well when the ball is lost by his side.
Despite claims from Jose Mourinho that Abraham was the wrong pick for this game due to inexperience, that simply isn’t true.
Lampard selected the striker most deserving from preseason performances and for tactical requirements – his pressing and positioning shows a maturity in his game from playing regular football. The other parts will improve naturally from playing at a higher level and with better players. He has more than earned that chance on merit and is has nothing to do with age or nationality.
A review of Abraham’s performance showed far more positive moments than negative. Next up is the challenge of Virgil Van Dijk in Wednesday’s Uefa Super Cup Final, and another challenge for this talented young hitman.
PETALING JAYA: Skuad wanita negara disasarkan untuk merebut slot separuh akhir Kejuaraan Persekutuan Bola Sepak ASEAN (AFF) 2019 di Chonburi, Thailand, bermula 15 hingga 27 Ogos ini.
Presiden Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM), Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, berkata walaupun skuad negara berdepan cabaran sengit daripada beberapa pasukan dalam Kumpulan A, beliau yakin skuad kendalian Jacob Joseph mampu melakar kejutan untuk ke separuh akhir.
“Penting untuk kita mempunyai keyakinan tinggi untuk melakar kejayaan, namun ingin saya ingatkan tiada jalan mudah untuk berjaya,” katanya selepas menghadiri sesi ramah mesra bersama skuad wanita negara di Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya, di sini, pada Isnin.
Mengulas lanjut, Hamidin menjelaskan, keputusan yang diraih skuad wanita negara menjadi kayu pengukur oleh Majlis Olimpik Malaysia (MOM) sama ada diletakkan dalam kategori A atau B ke Sukan SEA ke-30 di Filipina, November ini.
Timbalan Presiden FAM, Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal sebelum ini berkata keputusan sama ada skuad bola sepak wanita diletakkan dalam kategori A atau B ke Sukan SEA 2019 bergantung kepada keputusan pada kejohanan AFF itu.
Penyertaan dalam kategori A ditanggung sepenuhnya oleh MOM manakala persatuan sukan kebangsaan perlu mendahulukan wang perjalanan untuk kategori B. MOM akan membayar wang perjalanan berkenaan sekiranya atlet di bawah persatuan sukan berkenaan meraih sekurang-kurangnya pingat gangsa.
Malaysia diletakkan dalam Kumpulan A bersama juara empat kali, Thailand selain Singapura, Filipina dan Timor Leste.
Juara dua kali, Vietnam dan Myanmar pula diundi dalam Kumpulan B bersama Indonesia dan Kemboja.
Malaysia akan memulakan kempen menentang Filipina pada 15 Ogos, Singapura (19 Ogos), Timor Leste (21 Ogos), sebelum melengkapkan pusingan awal menentang Thailand, pada 23 Ogos ini.
Berdasarkan format kejohanan, dua pasukan terbaik daripada Kumpulan A dan B mara ke peringkat separuh akhir.
Tahun lalu, Malaysia menamatkan saingan peringkat kumpulan di tempat ketiga di belakang Thailand, selaku juara kumpulan dan Australia di tangga kedua.
Pencapaian terbaik Malaysia pada kejohanan berkenaan adalah tempat keempat pada edisi 2007 setelah kalah 0-6 kepada Vietnam pada aksi penentuan ketiga/keempat.
LONDON – Legenda Liverpool, Jamie Carragher, menyatakan Arsenal sudah tak bisa berbuat banyak untuk menebalkan lini pertahanan mereka pada bursa transfer musim panas 2019. Pasalnya, tak terlalu banyak bek-bek tangguh yang tersedia di musim panas 2019. Pembelian David Luiz dari Chelsea adalah upaya terbaik Arsenal untuk mempertebal lini pertahanan.
Arsenal akhirnya lebih memiih untuk mempertajam lini depan dengan membeli pemain seperti Nicolas Pepe dari LOSC Lille. Pepe yang dibeli dengan mahar 80 juta euro atau sekira Rp1,2 triliun adalah pemain termahal dalam sejarah Arsenal.
Pepe diharapkan mampu membentuk trio mematikan di lini depan Arsenal bersama Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang dan Alexandre Lacazette musim ini. Ketajaman ketiga pemain itu akan amat diandalkan Arsenal untuk meraih kemenangan terutama di laga tandang.
Laga tandang adalah penyakit Arsenal musim lalu yang susah sekali diobati. Arsenal gagal ke Liga Champions musim ini pun akibat tak konsisten di laga tandang. Oleh sebab itu, Arsenal akan amat tergantung dengan lini depan mereka musim ini untuk meraih kemenangan saat bermain kandang ataupun tandang. Setidaknya Arsenal bisa tetap menang meski kebobolan banyak gol dengan mengandalkan ketajaman di lini depan.
“Banyak orang mengatakan mengapa Arsenal menghabiskan 80 juta euro untuk Pepe ketika mereka membutuhkan bek tengah? Perasaan Arsenal adalah bahwa mereka memiliki rekor kandang yang bagus sedangkan rekor tandang mereka sangat buruk,” ujar Carragher, seperti yang dikutip dari Mirror, Selasa (13/8/2019).
“Mereka mungkin lebih berpikir perlu mencetak lebih banyak gol di luar laga kandang dan tidak banyak lagi yang bisa mereka lakukan untuk bertahan. Saya tidak tahu berapa banyak bek hebat di luar sana,” pungkasnya.
KUALA LUMPUR: Penunggang Moto2 kebangsaan, Khairul Idham Pawi berjaya menjalani surgeri tangan kanannya di Hospital Universitari Dexeus di Barcelona, Sepanyol pada Selasa.
Surgeri selama dua jam itu bertujuan menstabilkan kecederaan pelumba Petronas Sprinta Racing itu di Spanish Grand Prix pada Mei.
ICATME Department of Traumatology, Dr Xavier Mir dan pasukannya melakukan surgeri itu dengan memasukkan skru pada tulang jari anak KIP yang disusun semula.
“KIP menjalani potongan kecil di jari anaknya tiga bulan lepas, dan kini keadaan sudah pulih,” Dr Mir disebut sebagai berkata dalam kenyataan dikeluarkan oleh Pasukan Petronas Sprinta Racing.
“Kini, surgeri kedua membantu pembinaan semula tulang itu dengan memasukkan ‘phalange’ di tempatnya,” kata Dr Mir.
Sementara itu, Khairul Idham mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Dr Mir dan pasukannya kerana melakukan surgeri dengan jayanya, dan menambah beliau kini akan pulang ke tanah air untuk menjalani proses pemulihan sepenuhnya sebelum kembali beraksi.
TURIN – Perdebatan soal siapa pemain yang lebih hebat antara pemain Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo, dengan kapten Barcelona, Lionel Messi, tak pernah menemui kata akhir. Kedua pemain hebat itu bahkan sama-sama mengoleksi lima trofi Ballon dOr yang menandakan bahwa mereka adalah yang terbaik. Akan tetapi, Ronaldo baru-baru ini mengakui bahwa dirinya lebih hebat daripada La Pulga –juluka Messi.
Ronaldo mengaku lebih hebat karena mampu menjuarai Liga Champions bersama tim yang berbeda sedangkan Messi hanya dengan Barcelona saja. Ronaldo memang memiliki trek rekor bagus saat berlaga di Liga Champions karena sudah mengoleksi lima trofi hingga saat ini.
CR7 –julukan Ronaldo– mulai menuliskan namanya dalam buku sejarah Liga Champions dengan tinta emas saat menjadi kampiun dengan Manchester United pada musim 2007-2008. Setelah itu, Ronaldo mengulang prestasi serupa saat berseragam Real Madrid.
Ronaldo mengunci empat trofi Liga Champions selama sembilan musim pengabdiannya di Santiago Bernabeu. Sebanyak tiga dari empat trofi itu bahkan didapatkan Ronaldo secara beruntun dari 2015 hingga 2018. Madrid jadi tim pertama yang mampu melakukan hal itu di era Liga Champions.
Sementara itu, Messi juga mengoleksi lima trofi Liga Champions tetapi seperti yang disinggung sebelumnya semua itu dilakukan dengan seragam Barcelona. Taji Messi belum teruji saat membela tim lain sedangkan Ronaldo mampu menularkan kebiasannya meraih trofi di mana pun ia bermain. Kendati demikian, Ronaldo tetap menghormati Messi karena mereka berdua adalah dua pesepakbola pertama yang mampu meraih lima trofi Ballon dOr.
“Perbedaannya dengan Messi adalah saya bermain untuk beberapa klub dan memenangkan Liga Champions dengan klub yang berbeda. Saya adalah pencetak gol terbanyak di Liga Champions enam musim berturut-turut. Tidak banyak pemain yang memenangkan lima trofi Liga Champions, jadi inilah mengapa saya merasa bahwa saya bisa mengidentifikasikan diri dengan turnamen ini,” ujar Ronaldo, seperti yang dikutip dari Sportbible, Rabu (14/8/2019).
“Messi adalah pemain hebat yang akan dikenang bukan hanya karena Ballon d’Or, tetapi juga karena telah meningkat seperti saya dalam setiap tahun. Saya bangun setiap pagi dengan ide di kepala soal latihan dengan tujuan mencapai sesuatu yang lebih, bukan hanya untuk mendapatkan uang. Terima kasih Tuhan, saya tidak kekurangan uang jadi yang ingin saya dapatkan adalah tempat dalam sejarah sepakbola,” pungkasnya.
