Manchester City v Real Madrid – UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg | Pool/Getty Images
Thủ môn người Bỉ sẽ mặc áo số 1 tại Real Madrid trong mùa giải đến.
Sau rất nhiều những chỉ trích, mùa giải 2019/20 là khoảng thời gian thành công và đáng nhớ với Thibaut Courtois. Từ chỗ bị đặt nhiều dấu hỏi về năng lực, cựu thủ thành Atletico Madrid và Chelsea đã chứng minh, trong khung gỗ Los Blancos, không ai xuất sắc và xứng đáng bằng mình.
Mới đây, Thibaut Courtois vừa xác nhận sẽ chính thức mặc áo số 1 từ mùa giải 2020/21. Đây là điều mà các CĐV yêu mến Kền kền trắng cũng mong muốn từ lâu. Phát biểu về ý nghĩa của việc đảm nhận áo số 1 cũng như mục tiêu trong tương lai, thủ môn người Bỉ lên tiếng thẳng thắn.
Thibaut Courtois nói lên tâm sự của mình sau khi nhận áo số 1 tại Real Madrid “Khi Real Madrid đề nghị tôi nhận áo số 1, tôi thực sự cảm thấy vinh dự. Theo bước chân của những biểu tượng thực sự tại Real Madrid như Iker Casillas, Ricardo Zamora, Bodo Illgner và Francisco Buyo, tôi rất biết ơn khi được đại diện cho câu lạc bộ xuất sắc nhất thế giới.”
KYLIAN Mbappe diketepikan daripada skuad kebangsaan Perancis bertemu naib juara Piala Dunia, Croatia awal pagi esok di Liga Negara-Negara selepas didapati positif Covid-19.
Mbappe yang menjalani latihan pada sebelah petang semalam sebelum keputusan ujiannya diperolehi, adalah pemain Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) ketujuh yang didapati positif Covid-19.
Bintang Brazil dan PSG, Neymar antara yang terawal positif wabak itu minggu lalu.
“Dia diketepikan daripada pasukan selepas menerima keputusan ujian pada hujung sesi latihan sebelum kembali ke rumahnya,” kata pasukan kebangsaan dalam satu kenyataan.
“Seperti barisan pemain lain, Mbappe sudah menjalani ujian sebelum turun pada perlawanan sebenar. Keputusan yang diperolehi sebelum ini adalah negatif menjelang pertemuan dengan Sweden, Sabtu lalu di Solna.
Mbappe menjaringkan gol tunggal ketika mencatat kemenangan 1-0 ke atas Sweden pada aksi pembuka tirai Liga Negara-Negara.
Bagaimanapun, dia sememangnya mahu direhatkan untuk perlawanan bertemu Croatia di Stade de France dengan aksi pertama PSG pada musim baharu Ligue 1 dijadualkan pada Khamis ini bertemu Lens.
Pertemuan dengan Lens sepatutnya berlangsung pada 29 Ogos lalu tetapi ditangguhkan untuk memberi tempoh rehat kepada PSG selepas melangkah ke pentas final Liga Juara-Juara di Lisbon 23 Ogos lalu yang menyaksikan mereka tewas 0-1 kepada Bayern Munich.
BARCELONA – Striker Inter Milan, Lautaro Martinez, masih jadi salah satu incaran Barcelona di bursa transfer musim panas 2020. Lautaro sendiri sebenarnya sudah dihubung-hubungan dengan Blaugrana sejak Januari kemarin. Namun, hingga saat ini saga transfer Lautaro ke Barcelona belum menemui kejelasan.
Kabar mengenai ketertarikan tim katalan dengan penyerang Argentina itu juga sempat hilang, Akan tetapi, rupanya Barcelona masih berusaha mendapatkan Lautaro dan saat ini tengah menyiapkan tawaran terakhir kepada pihan Inter Milan.
Melasir dari laman Goal International, Blaugrana -julukan Barcelona- masih berambisi untuk mendapatkan Lautaro sebagai pengganti Luis Suarez. Striker berpaspor Uruguay itu memang tak masuk dalam rencana pelatih baru tim katalan, Ronald Koeman, pada musim 2020-2021 nanti.
Untuk itu, Koeman pun menyerankan Suarez segera mencari klub baru pada bursa transfer musim panas ini. El Pistolero sendiri sudah dihubung-hubungan dengan sejumlah klub salah satunya raksasa Italia, Juventus.
Penyerang 33 tahun itu diyakini bisa jadi tandem tepat untuk sosok Cristiano Ronaldo di lini depan Bianconeri. Terlebih pelatih anyar mereka, Andrea Pirlo juga berencana melepas Gonzalo Higuain dalam waktu dekat.
Selain itu, maksud Koeman melepas Suarez sendiri adalah lantaran pelatih asal Belanda itu ingin meregenerasi lini depan dengan menempatkan para pemain yang lebih muda untuk mensuport sosok Lionel Messi. Untuk menyiasatinya, Luataro pun dianggap jadi opsi tepat dalam rencana tersebut.
Akan tetapi, di sisi lain pihak Inter Milan sendiri sebenarnya sudah menegaskan kalau mereka takkan melepas Lautaro pada bursa transfer musim panas 2020 ini. Nerazzurri -julukan Inter- bahkan mengklaim hingga saat ini pihaknya belum melakukan negosiasi dengan tim manapun terkait transfer sang pemain.
Hal tersebut didukung oleh pernyataan Direktur Olahraga Inter, Piero Ausilio. Ia mengatakan dengan tegas kalau Lautaro tidak akan pindah ke Barcelona atau klub mana pun pada bursa transfer musim panas 2020 ini.
Tentunya perkataan Ausilio itu mematahkan kabar bahwa Barcelona sudah melakukan negosiasi lebih lanjut untuk mendapatkan striker andalan Inter tersebut. Apalagi, Blaugrana sendiri cukup lama dikaitkan dengan compatriot Lionel Messi tersebut.
“Ada pendekatan yang dilakukan untuk mendapatkan pemain (Lautaro Martinez) kami dari Barcelona, tapi kami tidak pernah memulai negosiasi. Ada klausul yang tidak pernah dipicu dan kini hal tersebut sudah kedaluwarsa. Jadi, semenjak saat itu kami menganggap Lautaro keluar dari pasar (alias tidak untuk dijual),” ujar Ausilio
Italy made it two wins from two in the Nations League thanks to a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands at the Johan Cruyff ArenA on Monday evening.
Nicolò Barella applied the finishing touches to a slick Italy move in first half stoppage time in what proved to be the winner. The well worked goal typified Italy’s classy, polished performance, as Roberto Mancini’s side knocked the ball around confidently and were well deserving of their victory.
Let’s get into some player ratings.
Jasper Cillessen (GK) – 6/10 – Could have done little to keep out Barella’s opening goal, and did well to palm Insigne’s curling effort around the post in the second half.
Nathan Ake (LB) – 6/10 – In a slightly unfamiliar position once more but never looked uncomfortable, largely because the majority of Italy’s attacks came from their left hand side.
Virgil van Dijk (CB) – 5/10 – Was caught flat footed as Barella drifted into the box unmarked to give Italy the lead. Good on the ball but was caused problems by Immobile.
Joël Veltman (CB) – 5/10 – Looked vulnerable when Italy attacked at pace, and was static and failed to pick up Barella for Italy’s opening goal.
Hans Hateboer (RB) – 5/10 – Struggled to contain the threat of Insigne and Spinazzola down the Italian left, who wreaked havoc throughout. Produced a wonderful sliding tackle to dispossess Immobile in the second half.
Georginio Wijnaldum (LM) – 6/10 – Had Holland’s best opportunity of the first half after a typical surging run but fired straight at Donnarumma. Was more involved and effective after being moved into the number 10 role in the second half.
Frenkie de Jong (CM) – 5/10 – Struggled to get involved or dictate play with the same effectiveness as Italy’s impressive midfield three.
Marten de Roon (CM) – 5/10 – Picked out Depay with a terrific pass towards the latter stages, but like his midfield partner, de Roon had a quiet evening and struggled to get a foothold in the game.
Donny van de Beek (CAM) – 5/10 – Had a well struck first time effort well saved by Donnarumma after arriving from deep, but was otherwise quiet and unable to exert his creative influence on the game and was substituted before the hour.
Quincy Promes (RM) – 5/10 – Struggled to get involved and exert any creative influence, and left Hateboer with a lot to do defensively.
Memphis Depay (ST) – 6/10 – Was unfortunate to not win a penalty in the first half. Sent a sweetly struck drive narrowly over the bar on the hour mark.
Steven Bergwijn – 6/10
Denzel Dumfries – N/A
Luuk de Jong – N/A
Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK) – 6/10 – Acrobatically tipped van de Beek’s fizzing first time effort over the bar but had very little to do.
Leonardo Spinazzola (LB) – 8/10 – So impressive going forward and was at the heart of many of Italy’s best moves. Produced a wonderful flick in the build up to Barella’s opening goal. Fortunate to not concede a penalty in the first half for a shove on Depay.
Giorgio Chiellini (CB) – 7/10 – After being accidentally left out of the side for the Bosnia & Herzegovina clash thanks to a Roberto Mancini glasses-based mixup, demonstrated his enduring defensive class time and time again. So solid, so dependable.
Leonardo Bonucci (CB) – 6/10 – An integral part in Italy’s effectiveness at playing out from the back and slick passing game. Always showed for the ball, rarely gave it away.
Danilo D’Ambrosio (RB) – 6/10 – Never ventured forward as much as Spinazzola but was comfortable and efficient in possession, and rarely troubled defensively.
Jorginho (CDM) – 8/10 – So comfortable in possession and did the simple stuff expertly to keep Italy ticking over. Showed off his incredible vision and effortless passing range with a selection of stunning passes.
Nicolò Barella (CM) – 8/10 – Ghosted into the box unmarked to climb highest, head home and give Italy the lead in the first half. Teed Insigne up with a fabulous deft flick in the second half as Italy came close to doubling their lead. So energetic and eager to get on the ball.
Manuel Locatelli (CM) – 7/10 – Popped up with an excellent crunching tackle in the second half to epitomise his performance. Broke up play effectively and quietly but confidently went about his business in a thoroughly impressive debut.
Lorenzo Insigne (LW) – 8/10 – An absolute live wire. Everything Italy produced came from Insigne and Spinazzola down the left flank. Heavily involved in the slick team move that resulted in Italy opening the scoring. Saw curling effort well saved by Cillessen in the second half.
Ciro Immobile (ST) – 8/10 – Had a good opportunity to open the scoring but dragged the ball wide, but atoned for his miss by picking out Barella with a perfectly weighted cross as the midfielder gave Italy the lead.
Nicolò Zaniolo (RW) – 6/10 – Had looked lively but was forced off on the stroke of half time through injury.
The 2020 edition of Soccer Aid is mercifully over, after this year’s selection of English and non-English celebrities joined a who’s who of English and non-English former pros, to play a game of something vaguely resembling football.
Normally, it goes to penalties, and this year it once again went to penalties, but only after 90 horrible minutes in which a Robbie Keane screamer was undone by a James Bay-assisted strike from *checks notes* Yung Filly.
The celebrity-only shootout, which was of a surprisingly passable standard, was decided when Chunkz hoofed his decisive penalty past the post, and the Rest of the World took the trophy home.
Let’s get into some ‘player’ ratings.
Goalkeeper & Defenders
David James (GK) –8/10 – Looked every bit the England international between the sticks. May be an option for third choice when the Euros eventually roll around – he’s certainly better than Jordan Pickford.
John Bishop (RB) – 4/10 – Hey, at least he had fun.
Wes Brown (CB) – 6/10 – Was a nice surprise to see the ex-Man Utd player, who we assumed had just disintegrated Thanos style at some point during his Sunderland spell.
John Terry (CB) – 7/10 – Marshalled the backline well and was frequently seen cascading forward, evidently confident his defensive counterparts had it covered. Deserves applause for putting Kem Cetinay on his arse.
Mark Bright (LB) – 4/10 – Not even entirely sure where he was playing but he had the no.3 shirt so we’ll say left-back.
Midfielders
Gareth Barry (CM) – 7/10 – Kind of seems like cheating to roll out the player with the most appearances in Premier League history for a charity match. He hasn’t lost a step – or at least Dermot Kennedy made it look like he hadn’t lost a step.
Katie Chapman (CM) – 6/10 – Diligent if unremarkable performance from the ex-Lioness.
Danny Jones (CM) – 3/10 – The effort was there but the everything else was not from the McFly guitarist.
Forwards
Olly Murs (LW) – 6/10 – Begrudge him pass marks on the grounds that his haircut is atrocious but for a ‘celebrity footballer’ he actually isn’t too bad.
Tom Davis (CF) – 1/10 – Literally couldn’t move and it made him the least effective player in football history
Kelly Smith (LW) – 6/10 – Ex-Arsenal striker performed well off the left flank without impacting proceedings.
Substitutes
Chunkz – 2/10 – Pretty big deal on the old YouTube. Slightly better than Davis but not much. Eventually subbed for Emile Heskey.
Yung Filly – 7/10 – Bright, enthusiastic and added some much needed energy to the side when he was introduced. Scored a goal, which was nice.
Lee Mack – 3/10 – Entered the pitch to Chesney Hawkes’ ‘The One and Only’ and it wasn’t funny at all.
Paddy McGuiness – 4/10 – Rarely does a man look so out of place anywhere than Paddy McGuinness does on a football pitch. No likey.
Joe Cole – 5/10 – Surprisingly ineffectual for someone who was playing professionally until 2018.
Ashley Cole – 6/10 – Big improvement on John Bishop at left-back but that’s not saying much.
Alfie Allen – 4/10 – The former Game of Thrones star put in goals for the second half so as to guarantee the ball went into the England net at some stage and he obliged.
James Bay – 6/10 – Apparently doesn’t wear his hat everywhere which is disappointing but played well enough. Good assist for the equalising goal even if the opposing central defenders were nowhere to be seen.
Emile Heskey – 6/10 – The quickest England striker of the night by absolute default.
Goalkeeper & Defenders
Shay Given (GK) – 6/10 – Had literally nothing to do but made no mistakes so, yeah.
Mo Gilligan (RB) – 3/10 – Non-existent. Not even sure he touched the ball.
Locksmith (CB) – 6/10 – Oh, the guy from Rudimental. Right. Had his lock picked a couple of times but held his own well. His lack of mobility might have been exposed by a strike force capable of running.
Mikael Silvestre (CB) – 6/10 – Really scraping the barrel for former pros here aren’t we?
Patrice Evra (LB) – 6/10 – Ran the show and legitimately looked as good as he ever has. Old Trafford summons something in him.
Midfielders
Michael Essien (CM) – 8/10 – Here he is. Might have been a charity game but Essien treated it like a World Cup final, because he’s Michael Essien and he doesn’t do friendlies.
Dermot Kennedy (CM) – 6/10 – Really thought this was Dermot O’Leary for the entire time he was on the pitch.
Chelcee Grimes (CAM) – 7/10 – A real bright spark in the first half and will have felt aggrieved to have been subbed at the break. The only non-international woman ever to play in Soccer Aid to date – this event has a bit of catching up to do.
Forwards
Lianne Sanderson (RW) – 7/10 – Ex-England winger was lively throughout and came close to breaking the deadlock.
Serge Pizorno (CF) – 7/10 – Substituted early because there had to be two women on the pitch at the same time. Yeah.
Jeremy Lynch (LW) – 4/10 – Don’t know who he is and didn’t even realise he was playing. Freestyle footballer? Cool.
Substitutes
Kem Cetinay – 6/10 – Apparently he’s from Love Island and he’s definitely not a very good footballer.
Ore Oduba – 6/10 – Well-known face from BBC TV who apparently won Strictly at one point. Not the best keeper, unfortunately.
Robbie Keane – 8/10 – Scored the wonderful opening goal and is solely responsible for the game becoming something you could describe as watchable. Man of the match.
Darren Fletcher – 6/10 – Leadership and experience was necessary in a team you could very much tell had been thrown together on a whim.
PIERRE Gasly amat gembira sehingga tidak dapat menggambarkannya dengan kata-kata ketika memenangi perlumbaan Formula Satu (F1) buat kali pertama, setahun selepas disingkirkan oleh Red Bull ke pasukan junior, Alpha Tauri.
Ia hanyalah kemenangan kedua bagi pasukan yang dahulunya dikenali sebagai Minardi dan Toro Rosso pada saingan F1 sejak menyertai perlumbaan berprestij itu bermula 1985.
Gasly, 24, bergelut untuk memberikan impak berbanding rakan sepasukannya, Max Verstappen pada separuh musim sehingga terpaksa diganti dengan pelumba rookie, Alex Albon pada Ogos tahun lalu.
“Saya melalui emosi yang tidak menentu sejak 18 bulan lalu,” kata pelumba dari Perancis itu.
Dia kembali beraksi bersama Toro Rosso yang kemudian pada tahun ini ditukar nama kepada Alpha Tauri.
“Secara jujur, saya masih tidak mempercayai kemenangan ini. Saya tidak dapat menggambarkan apakah yang sebenarnya berlaku ketika ini.
“Ia adalah perlumbaan yang sangat mencabar. Kami memanfaatkan peluang sepenuhnya ketika bendera merah dikibarkan.
“Jentera juga sangat pantas dan kami juga menerima saingan sengit daripada pasukan lain.
Dia menambah: “Apabila saya meraih podium pertama tahun lalu ia sudah cukup membanggakan. Kini saya memenangi perlumbaan bersama AlphaTauri dan ia sukar untuk dipercayai.”
Gasly menamatkan perlumbaan mengatasi Carlos Sainz dari McLaren di tempat kedua dan Lance Stroll (Racing Point) ketiga.
LIVERPOOL – Pada awal September 2020 kemarin Everton dikabarkan sudah mendapatkan lampu hijau dari Real Madrid untuk mendapatkan tanda tangan James Rodriguez. Madrid dilaporkan akhirnya melepaskan juga James di bursa transfer musim panas 2020 ini.
Dilepasnya James ke Everton karena klub tersebut mampu memenuhi permintaan harga sang pemain yang dikabarkan mencapai 25-30 juta euro (sekira Rp436-Rp524 miliar). Dengan harga tersebut, Madrid sepakat untuk melepaskan James yang sudah membela klub tersebut sedari musim panas 2014 silam.
Akan tetapi, pada kenyataannya sampai saat ini Everton belum juga mengumumkan peresmian pembelian James. Hal tersebut lantas membuat orang langsung bertanya-tanya apakah Everton benar-benar berhasil mendapatkan jasa James di musim panas ini?
Menurut laporan dari Marca, Senin (7/9/2020), sebenarnya sudah benar-benar akan bergabung dengan Everton. Hanya saja klub asuhan Carlo Ancelotti itu memang sengaja menyimpan kabar bahagia itu di akhir-akhir jendela transfer musim panas kali ini.
Everton dikabarkan ingin menjadikan pembelian James itu seperti sebuah kabar bahagia yang diumumkan di detik-detik yang genting, yang mana hal tersebut adalah ketika bursa transfer ingin ditutup.
Lagipula Everton pun baru saja mengumumkan pemain lain yang resmi mereka datangkan di musim panas 2020 ini. Pemain tersebut adalah Allan, yang dibeli Everton dari Napoli.
Pengumuman kehadiran Allan pun baru diumumkan pada Sabtu 5 September 2020. Karena kabar Allan masih hangat, maka pengumuman kehadiran James pun masih akan ditunda.
Everton tampaknya ingin kabar kedatangan James diumumkan di waktu yang sangat tepat. Hal itu dilakukan karena James dipercayai dapat menjadi pemain kunci atas kesuksesan Everton di musim 2020-2021.
Sebab James yang sudah cukup lama mengenal Ancelotti dirasa bakal tampil baik di tengan pelatih berkebangsaan Italia itu. Baik James dan Ancelotti pernah bekerja sama dua kali, yakni saat di Madrid dan ketika pemain asal Kolombia itu sedang dipinjamkan ke Bayern Munich oleh Los Blancos.
Efek Ancelotti pun diduga menjadi alasan mengapa James pada akhirnya setuju untuk pindah ke Liga Inggris dan bermain bersama Everton. Efek lainnya jelas karena James ingin mendapatkan menit bermain yang lebih banyak makanan di Madrid.
