Arsenal FC v West Ham United – Premier League | Harriet Lander/Copa/Getty Images
Mesut Ozil lên tiếng sau khi bị loại khỏi đội hình thi đấu tại Premier League
Kể từ sau khi đại dịch COVID-19, Ozil gần như vắng bóng tại Premier League cũng như Champions League. Ngoài ra, những công việc cá nhân cũng như sự thể hiện của Ozil với Arsenal đã làm cho nhiều người cảm thấy thất vọng.
Vừa qua, HLV Mikel Arteta cũng đã chính thức gạch tên Ozil khỏi đội hình tham dự Premier League mùa giải này. Ngay lập tức, Ozil đã lên tiếng trước sự việc này. Trên trang cá nhân, Ozil viết: “Đây là những dòng thư rất khó viết dành cho những người hâm mộ Arsenal mà tôi đã chơi trong vài năm qua. Tôi thực sự thất vọng với sự thật rằng tôi không được đăng ký thi đấu tại Premier League mùa giải này.
Khi gia hạn hợp đồng với CLB vào năm 2018, tôi đã cam kết trung thành và cống hiến tận tụy cho CLB tôi yêu, Arsenal, và thật buồn cho tôi khi điều đó không được đền đáp lại. Giờ đây, tôi chợt nhận ra rằng lòng trung thành thật khó để có được ở thời buổi này.
Tôi đã luôn cố gắng thể hiện sự tích cực của bản thân tuần này qua tuần khác với hy vọng sẽ sớm có cơ hội để quay trở lại đội hình thi đấu. Đó là lý do tôi giữ im lặng cho tới bây giờ. Trước khi giải đấu tạm hoãn vì Covid-19, tôi đã rất vui mừng với sự phát triển của CLB dưới thời HLV Mikel Arteta – chúng ta đang dần hồi phục và tôi có thể nói rằng phong độ của tôi khi đó rất cao.
Nhưng rồi mọi điều một lần nữa thay đổi và tôi không còn được phép thi đấu cho Arsenal. Tôi có thể nói gì nữa đây? London vẫn mang lại cảm giác như ở nhà cho tôi và tôi vẫn giữ mối quan hệ tốt với các CĐV của CLB.
Dù thế nào, tôi vẫn sẽ cố gắng chiến đấu cho cơ hội của mình và sẽ không để mùa giải thứ 8 của mình tại Arsenal kết thúc như thế này. Tôi có thể hứa với mọi người rằng quyết định tàn nhẫn này sẽ không thay đổi điều gì trong tâm trí của tôi – Tôi vẫn sẽ tiếp tục rèn luyện tốt nhất có thể và sử dụng tiếng nói của mình chống lại sự tàn nhẫn và vì công lý ở bất cứ đâu.”
Milan: Romelu Lukaku menjaringkan gol penyamaan dramatik pada minit ke-90 ketika Inter Milan seri 2-2 menentang Borussia Monchengladbach dalam aksi pembukaan Kumpulan B Liga Juara-Juara.
Selepas buntu tanpa sebarang gol pada babak pertama, penyerang Belgium, Lukaku meletakkan Inter didepan menerusi tolakan jarak dekat untuk gol kelapannya dalam lapan perlawanan untuk kelab dan negaranya.
Tetapi pemain Monchengladbach, Ramy Bensebaini menyamakan kedudukan menerusi penalti selepas Arturo Vidal mengasari Marcus Thuram dalam kotak penalti.
Percubaan pemain gantin Inter, Lautaro Martinez terkena palang sebelum Jonas Hofmann meletakkan skuad Jerman itu depan hasil larian cantik yang kemudiannya tenang menolak bola menewaskan penjaga gol tuan rumah.
Lukaku muncul penyelamat selepas bola sepakan sudut singgah di kepala Alessandro Bastoni terlebih dahulu sebelum terkena lutut Lukaku untuk jaringan penyamaan Inter.
Dalam perlawanan lain, pencabar Liverpool dalam Kumpulan D, Atalanta membelasah Midtjylland 4-0 di Denmark.
Dalam Kumpulan C, Olympiakos bermula langkah kanan dengan menang tipis 1-0 ke atas Marseille di Greece selepas pemain gantian Ahmed Hassan meledak gol kemenangan dalam masa kecederaan.
Dalam perlawanan awal Kumpulan A, Lokomotiv Moscow seri 2-2 menentang RB Salzburg.
MANCHESTER – Kemenangan berhasil dikantongi Manchester City saat menjamu FC Porto pada matchday pertama fase grup C Liga Champions 2020-2021, Kamis (22/10/2020) dini hari WIB. Sang manajer, Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola, sungguh puas menyaksikan kemenangan itu.
Meski menang, tiga poin tersebut tidak dipetik Man City dengan mudah. Mereka harus tertinggal lebih dulu berkat gol Luis Fernando Diaz pada menit 14. Beruntung, Sergio Aguero langsung menyamakan skor tujuh menit kemudian lewat titik putih.
Pada babak kedua, Man City sukses menyarangkan dua gol lagi lewat tembakan bebas spektakuler Ilkay Gundogan dan sepakan Ferran Torres. Skor akhir 3-1 untuk kemenangan bagi Manchester Biru di Stadion Etihad.
Angka penuh itu jelas membuat Pep Guardiola bahagia. Lebih khusus lagi, pria asal Spanyol itu gembira melihat penampilan anak asuhnya di paruh kedua. Ia tidak ragu menyebut FC Porto sebagai tim terbaik kedua di Portugal karena berhasil menyulitkan Man City.
“Saya sungguh bahagia dengan pertandingan ini. Kami tahu betapa sulitnya pertandingan ini. Bersama dengan Benfica, FC Porto adalah tim terbaik di Portugal. Mereka bermain sangat bertahan dengan lima orang di belakang. Jadi, kami harus bersabar,” tutur Pep Guardiola, dinukil dari situs resmi klub, Kamis (22/10/2020).
“Di babak kedua, kami bermain sungguh bagus. Kami tidak harus menghadapi serangan balik atau situasi bola mati di mana lawan sangat kuat. Kami tidak membiarkan mereka berlari, sesuatu yang juga sangat berbahaya,” sambung pria kelahiran Santpedor itu.
Hasil positif itu menjadi modal yang bagus buat Man City guna menatap laga-laga berikutnya. Apalagi, selama dua pekan ke depan, mereka akan memainkan lima laga. Beruntung bagi Man City, empat laga di antaranya hanya melawan tim yang di atas kertas bisa mereka taklukkan.
Senyum Pep Guardiola akan semakin berkembang melihat dua personel kuncinya, Kevin de Bruyne dan Aymeric Laporte, mulai pulih. Kehadiran para pemain itu sangat penting guna melewati jadwal padat selama 14 hari ke depan.
“Sangat penting untuk mendapatkan anak-anak kembali. Kami harus pergi ke London dalam tiga hari (melawan West Ham) dan kemudian tandang ke Prancis untuk meladeni Marseille, lalu terakhir ke markas Sheffield,” ujar Pep Guardiola.
“Jadwal ini sungguh berat. Kami membutuhkan semua orang pemain. Sepertinya, Kevin dan Laporte akan mulai berlatih dalam waktu dekat. Akan tetapi, kami kehilangan Fernandinho. Ada yang kembali, tetapi ada juga yang pergi,” tutup pria berusia 49 tahun itu.
Romelu Lukaku scored twice on Wednesday night | Soccrates Images/Getty Images
Inter opened their Champions League campaign on Wednesday night by salvaging a draw against an impressive Borussia Monchengladbach at San Siro.
Antonio Conte’s side dominated possession for much of the game but had to wait until the 49th minute for the opener, with Romelu Lukaku scrambling in from close range.
Arturo Vidal offered the visitors a route back into the game by clipping Marcus Thuram in the box, allowing Bensebaini Ramy to fire home the equaliser from the penalty spot.
Monchengladbach took the lead late in the second half when Alassane Plea picked out Jonas Hoffman, who tucked his shot through Samir Handanovic’s legs. A lengthy VAR check ensued, but the goal was eventually given.
Lukaku bagged his second in the 90th minute to salvage a draw for the Nerazzurri, bumping the ball in off his knee on the line.
Samir Handanovic (GK)– 5/10 – Couldn’t stop the penalty and got nutmegged for Hoffman’s strike in the second half.
Danilo D’Ambrosio (CB) – 5/10 – Booked and never looked entirely convincing as part of the three man defence.
Stefan de Vrij (CB)– 6/10 – The more natural centre back among the starters in defence, De Vrij was relatively solid but little more than that.
Aleksandar Kolarov (CB) – 6/10 – Started in defence but moved into a more advanced role towards the end of the game.
Matteo Darmian (RWB) – 6/10 – Replaced Achraf Hakimi, who tested positive for coronavirus before the game. Provided width on the right without looking overly threatening.
Nicolo Barella (CM) – 6/10 – Lots of lovely twists and turns from the young Italian. Just needs to be a little more efficient going forward.
Arturo Vidal (CM) – 6/10 – Played his role in Lukaku’s strike with a lovely ping into the box, but also gave away the penalty which led to Monchengladbach’s equaliser with a lazy outstretched leg. Also caught out for the visitors’ second.
Ivan Perisic (LWB) – 6/10 – Sometimes he’s brilliant, sometimes not so much. A rather middling performance from the Croatian.
Christian Eriksen (AM) – 7/10 – A few early shots that were either blocked or easily gathered by Yann Sommer. Probably one of his better games for Inter since his move in January.
Alexis Sanchez (ST) – 6/10 – A few nice bits of interplay from the former Arsenal forward, but didn’t really impress before being hooked for Lautaro Martinez.
Romelu Lukaku (ST) – 8/10 – Came close to opening the scoring after some nice link-up play with D’Ambrosio and Sanchez. Wasn’t to be denied early in the second half, firing in from close range. Earned Inter a point with his late tap-in.
Sao Paulo: Sehari sebelum genap berusia 80 tahun, legenda bola sepak Brazil, Pele berkata dia gembira kerana dikurniakan kesihatan mental yang baik dalam video dihantar kepada media hari ini.
“Saya bersyukur kepada Tuhan kerana mengurniakan saya kesihatan untuk sampai ke tahap baik seperti ini. Tidak berapa bijak tapi mudah faham,” katanya berjenaka dalam video pendek sebelum hari lahirnya Jumaat ini.
“Saya berharap apabila saya mati, Tuhan akan menyambut saya sama seperti sambutan di seluruh dunia kerana bola sepak yang kita cintai,” tambahnya.
Pele atau nama sebenarnya Edson Arantes do Nascimento diiktirafkan antara pemain bola sepak terhebat sepanjang zaman, bergelut dengan masalah kesihatan sejak kebelakangan ini.
Pemenang tiga Piala Dunia (1958, 1962 dan 1970) sering keluar masuk hospital kerana pelbagai masalah kesihatan.
Tahun lalu dia berkunjung ke Paris dan membuat penampilan promosi bersama bintang Perancis, Kylian Mbappe tetapi terpaksa dikejarkan ke hospital selepas itu kerana masalah buah pinggang.
Pada 2014, dia ditempatkan di unit rawatan rapi bagi dialisis selepas mengalami jangkitan air kencing yang teruk.
LONDON – Kejutan dibuat pelatih Chelsea, Frank Lampard. Pelatih 42 tahun itu menyertakan penasihat teknis Chelsea, Petr Cech, ke dalam 25 nama pemain yang didaftarkan di Liga Inggris 2020-2021.
Sejak pertengahan 2019, Petr Cech memutuskan pensiun sebagai pesepakbola profesional. Tidak lama setelah pensiun, pria asal Republik Ceko itu langsung diangkat sebagai penasihat teknik di skuad The Blues –julukan Chelsea.
(Petr Cech saat diangkat sebagai penasihat teknik Chelsea)
Namun, pria 39 tahun itu tak hanya menjabat posisi di atas per musim ini. Untuk Liga Inggris 2020-2021, pelatih Lampard mendaftarkan Petr Cech sebagai salah satu kiper Chelsea.
Lantas, apa penyebab Chelsea mendaftarkan Petr Cech? Menurut laporan Sky Sports, hadirnya Petr Cech sebagai langkah pencegahan karena kondisi yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya akibat krisis Covid-19.
Akibat adanya pandemi Covid-19, klub-klub berjuang untuk sekadar menggaji pemain. Karena itu, ketimbang mendatangkan kiper baru, Petr Cech yang dipilih. Sebenarnya sebelum Petr Cech hadir, Chelsea telah memiliki tiga penjaga gawang.
Sebut saja Willy Caballero, Edouard Mendy dan Kepa Arrizabalaga. Satu hal yang pasti, hadirnya Petr Cech membuatnya dapat latihan bareng dengan tiga kiper di atas.
Praktis, Caballero, Mendy dan Kepa dapat mengambil ilmu yang dimiliki Cech selama ini. Saat aktif sebagai kiper profesional, Petr Cech merupakan salah satu kiper terbaik di dunia.
Terbukti, Petr Cech sempat meraih empat trofi sarung tangan emas Liga Inggris atau penyematan bagi kiper terbaik Liga Inggris. Selain itu, Petr Cech juga pernah terpilih sebagai kiper terbaik Eropa, tepatnya pada 2005, 2007, 2008 dan 2012.
Sepanjang 20 tahun (1999-2019) berkarier sebagai pesepakbola profesional, kiprah terbaik Petr Cech tersaji bersama Chelsea (2004-2015). Dalam kurun tersebut, Petr Cech turun dalam 494 pertandingan dengan koleksi 228 clean sheet.
Total selama 11 tahun berada di Stamford Bridge, Petr Cech membantu Chelsea memenangkan 15 gelar. Dari 15 gelar tersebut, satu di antaranya merupakan trofi Liga Champions yang dimenangkan Chelsea pada 2011-2012. Karena itu, menarik menanti kiprah Petr Cech bersama Chelsea.
Berikut 25 nama pemain Chelsea untuk Liga Inggris 2020-2021:
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, Andreas Christensen (homegrown), Jorginho, Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante, Tammy Abraham (homegrown), Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Willy Caballero, Fikayo Tomori (homegrown), Kurt Zouma, Edouard Mendy, Mateo Kovacic, Olivier Giroud, Mason Mount (U21), Callum Hudson-Odoi (U21)), Ben Chilwell (homegrown), Hakim Ziyech, Billy Gilmour (U21), Reece James (U21), Cesar Azpilicueta, Kai Havertz (U21), Emerson Palmieri, Petr Cech.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer changed things up in Paris | FRANCK FIFE/Getty Images
It was the events that unfolded at the Parc des Princes 19 months ago which forced BT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand to utter those infamous words which, on many occasions, have come back to haunt him.
Nevertheless, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains at the Manchester United wheel after guiding the Red Devils to an unthinkable second leg triumph in Paris two seasons ago.
It’s fair to say things haven’t been plain sailing since his permanent appointment, but Tuesday night’s victory in the French capital is exactly why the United hierarchy are reluctant to part ways with the Norwegian boss.
This was a tactical masterclass from the United boss. He got it spot on.
He was bold with his team selection, reverting to the 5-3-2 which brought so much success against superior opposition last season – thwarting Liverpool at Old Trafford and killing Manchester City in transition at the Etihad. Most significantly, Paul Pogba was named on the bench as Scott McTominay and Fred retained their places in midfield alongside skipper Bruno Fernandes.
PSG did have some early success and forced David de Gea into two fantastic saves, but after Abdou Diallo clumsily brought down Anthony Martial and Fernandes eventually converted from the spot, things were pretty comfortable in the first-half for the visitors.
With Thomas Tuchel faced with a plethora of injuries, the German boss was forced into deploying an incredibly defensive midfield trio. Danilo Pereira, Ander Herrera and Idrissa Gueye made up PSG’s triumvirate in the middle of the park, one that distinctly lacked any source of progression, penetration and control.
Les Parisiens’ midfield situation could be compared to their clash with Atalanta in last season’s Champions League quarter-final. On that occasion, Marquinhos partnered Herrera and Gueye with Tuchel wary of La Dea’s attacking prowess, but the drawbacks it brought about in regards to their own attacking efficiency were stark.
Nevertheless, Atalanta’s heavy man-marking approach meant Tuchel could rely on two of Europe’s supreme protagonists to get PSG out of jail. Neymar and Kylian Mbappe just had to win their respective one-on-one duels and they’d be in business. Against United, though, the dynamic of the contest was different.
United’s zonal approach meant this one wasn’t merely about ‘winning your individual battles’, there had to be patterns, combinations, innovation to break down a mightily disciplined United block. But they weren’t forthcoming.
Credit has to go to the visitors for sticking to their task; Fred – utterly brilliant, by the way – and McTominay were superb at blocking passing lanes into the front three and covered tremendously well in transition. Ole’s decision not to start Pogba was a masterstroke.
It’s important to emphasise, though, that this wasn’t merely United parking the bus and hitting the hosts on the counter, far from it. They pressed high in this shape, with Fernandes joining the front two and wing-backs advancing onto PSG’s full-backs – which thwarted their progression down the flanks.
There was certainly an avenue for PSG to exploit through Neymar dropping deep into pockets and embarking on sequences of supreme samba silk, but the Brazilian was a mere shadow of the superstar who wreaked havoc in Lisbon. He was a borderline embarrassment on Tuesday night, distinctly lacking any sort of intensity or desire.
Nevertheless, PSG’s attacking woes in the first half forced Tuchel into a change at the break. Moise Kean replaced Gueye with an alteration to a 4-2-3-1 arriving also. There seemed to be an emphasis on allowing the full-backs to advance with Neymar and Angel Di Maria drifting infield.
Tuchel’s switch did culminate in the hosts’ best period of the contest, in which they scored via an Anthony Martial own goal ten minutes into the second period. However, the PSG boss’ change in tack perhaps left the hosts a little bit short in defensive transition – with two as opposed to three midfielders now protecting the defence.
Thus, after the superb Axel Tuanzebe and irresistible Aaron Wan Bissaka denied Mbappe on several occasions, amid a period of sustained PSG pressure following the equaliser, Ole opted to alter things too.
Alex Telles was replaced for Pogba. A 4-4-2 diamond was now United’s poison. It was a courageous move and calculated risk. but a smart one nonetheless such was PSG’s vulnerability.
The switch completely altered the momentum of the contest once more, United were the aggressors thanks to Ole’s change; dominating the second phase and frequently picking PSG apart in transition. However, the wastefulness of their forwards meant it appeared that Solskjaer and the Red Devils weren’t going to receive the just reward for their immense display.
That was before Marcus Rashford, a particular culprit of spurning chances, drifted infield to receive Pogba’s pass before a rapid change of pace past Pereira opened up a shooting chance. His effort was crisp and pinpoint, darting in off Keylor Navas’ post to hand his side the lead and overwhelmingly deserved three points.
It was the perfect ending to a complete display. One that celebrated Solskjaer’s tactical acumen.
In the space of just over two weeks, the Norwegian has gone from a man under serious pressure following their 6-1 humiliation against Spurs, to once again being touted as the man to lead United forward – not necessarily by Ferdinand this time.
#PochIn is a hashtag of the past, people – that’s, of course, until Timo Werner scores a brace in a 2-1 victory for Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday. But for now, let’s celebrate Solskjaer and a fantastic United display. They’ve most certainly done the Premier League proud.
