DOHA – Legenda Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez, kini tengah meniti karier sebagai seorang pelatih sepakbola. Pria berpaspor Spanyol itu tak memungkiri bahwa salah satu impiannya sekarang adalah bisa berkiprah sebagai pelatih di salah satu klub besar Liga Inggris.
Meski Xavi tak pernah merasakan berkarier di Liga Inggris ketika menjadi pemain, namun ia tak memungkiri kalau kompetisi di Negeri Ratu Elizabeth itu merupakan yang paling menarik di dunia. Maka dari itu, Xavi pun tertantang untuk bisa berkiprah di sana.
Terlebih lagi, Liga Inggris saat ini memiliki banyak klub besar yang bersaing ketat dalam perebutan posisi di papan atas. Dalam satu wawancara, Xavi mengaku akan sangat senang jika bisa menangani salah satu dari Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, atau Tottenham Hotspur.
Uniknya, dalam pernyataannya tersebut, ia tak menyebut nama Liverpool. Meski demikian, ia menganggap manajer Liverpool saat ini, Jurgen Klopp, sebagai salah satu yang terbaik di dunia. Xavi pun ingin seperti itu, pergi ke Liga Inggris dan kemudian menjalani karier yang luar biasa.
“Itu tujuan saya, tetapi tentunya, siapa yang tidak suka Liga Inggris? Suasana sepakbolanya, stadion penuh sesak dan orang-orang yang bermain di Liga Inggris mengatakan itu luar biasa,” tutur Xavi, mengutip dari Sport Bible, Rabu (25/9/2019).
“Jelas jika saya harus memilih, saya akan memilih tim besar, City atau United, Chelsea, Arsenal atau Tottenham. Selain itu, Klopp dan (Mauricio) Pochettino dan Unai Emery, banyak orang yang telah pergi ke sana dan melakukan pekerjaan yang luar biasa,” tambahnya.
Unai Emery hailed Rob Holding’s “perfect” return from long-term injury after Arsenal cruised into the Carabao Cup fourth round by hammering Nottingham Forest 5-0.
Centre-back Holding, out for more than nine months with a serious knee problem, nodded home to double the Gunners’ advantage as they blitzed Sky Bet Championship Forest with four goals in the final 19 minutes.
Seconds before his towering 71st-minute header, the 24-year had taken the captain’s armband from the substituted Mesut Ozil.
Gabriel Martinelli scored twice in Arsenal’s win (Steven Paston/PA)
Brazilian 18-year-old Gabriel Martinelli started and finished the scoring at the Emirates Stadium with his first Arsenal goals on his full debut, with academy graduates Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson also on target after Emery changed his entire starting XI for the tie.
Speaking about Holding, who was injured at Manchester United on December 5, Emery said: “Every day in training he helps us to have more performances like a team. He needed to take minutes, take confidence.
“And I think tonight – the first match after playing with the under-23s – is perfect. He was a little tired at the end of the match but he scored and he’s happy tonight and we’re happy for him.”
Emery used the fixture to hand a debut to £25million summer signing Kieran Tierney, available after arriving from Celtic with a groin problem, while substitute Hector Bellerin joined Holding in returning from a long-standing knee issue.
Bellerin marked his return with the assist for Willock’s goal, moments after replacing impressive left-back Tierney in the 77th minute.
Despite losing 19-year-old forward Emile Smith Rowe to a first-half head injury, Emery was left to reflect on an extremely positive evening.
He said: “It was an opportunity for different players to take confidence, to take minutes. The game was for us in 90 minutes very consistent.
“Some different players gave us the performance, also coming back after injuries of Holding, Kieran Tierney, Hector Bellerin.
“And I think it was a good match, a good result, a clean sheet, there are a lot of pleasing things and we can be positive with different options for the next matches.”
Speaking about Smith Rowe, he added: “It was for a precaution we changed him. I’m thinking he’s not going to be a serious problem.”
Emery was also left purring at the performance of Martinelli, whose only previous appearance since joining from Brazilian club Ituano in the summer was a six-minute cameo at Newcastle on the opening weekend of the season.
“Martinelli is a very young player but he came here and we were waiting and watching him, how he could improve with us,” said Emery.
“He played very well. He was working each training with a big spirit and with a big performance.
“I spoke with him to have some patience to get his opportunity to play, to do like he was doing in training and in the matches in pre-season and tonight he did that and really he deserved it because he’s a very humble player.
Unai Emery was impressed by the performance of Martinelli (Seven Paston/PA)
“He fights, he is hungry to have that opportunity to help us and his work was perfect tonight.”
Nottingham Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi, who suffered a first defeat since the opening weekend of the season, admitted his side were second best but felt the final scoreline flattered the hosts.
Forest, backed by almost 8,400 fans, managed only one attempt on target in 90 minutes in their first visit to Arsenal since a 2-1 top-flight loss in August 1998.
“We deserved to lose but five, for me, is too much,” said the Frenchman.
“You play tonight against one of the best four, best six teams in the Premier League, top players. Nothing to add.
“Congratulations to Arsenal and good luck for the rest of this competition.”
MESKIPUN sudah disahkan pertarungan mereka oleh UFC, Tony Ferguson mahu pertemuannya dengan Khabib Nurmagomedov diadakan seawal hujung tahun ini.
Ferguson dari Amerika Syarikat menyatakan hasrat untuk mencabar juara lightweight dunia itu pada 14 Disember ini, iaitu pada acara UFC 242.
‘El Cucuy’ menerusi posting di Twitternya pada Ahad meminta UFC dan presidennya Dana White menambah pertarungan mereka dalam senarai ‘fight card’ tersebut.
“Tentunya kita boleh adakan sedikit ruang untuk @TeamKhabib,” tulisnya.
Dalam posting tersebut, Ferguson turut memuat naik foto-foto petarung yang pernah ditewaskannya sebelum ini dalam keadaan berdarah — seolah-olah mahu menjadikan Khabib ‘mangsanya’ yang seterusnya.
Dia turut meletakkan hashtag #DefendorVacate (defend or vacate) yang bermaksud ‘pertahankan kejuaraan tersebut atau lepaskannya’, yang ditujukan kepada Khabib.
Ferguson yang memegang rekod profesional MMA sebanyak 25 kemenangan dan tiga kekalahan, kini menduduki ranking pertama dalam divisyen lightweight UFC.
Dia juga merupakan pencabar utama dalam divisyen lightweight UFC, menjadikannya ‘sangat layak’ untuk bertemu Khabib.
Untuk rekod, pertarungan antara Ferguson dan Khabib telah cuba dianjurkan sebanyak empat kali sebelum ini, namun terpaksa dibatalkan atas sebab-sebab kecederaan oleh kedua-dua petarung.
Khabib pada 7 September lalu berjaya mengekalkan takhta kejuaraan dunia lightweight UFC selepas menewaskan Poirier dalam acara UFC 242 di Abu Dhabi, Emiriah Arab Bersatu (UAE).
Keputusan itu sekali gus melebarkan rekod profesional Khabib kepada 28 kemenangan tanpa kalah.
UFC dikatakan sudah pun mengesahkan pertarungan antara Khabib dan Ferguson, namun belum menyatakan tarikh untuk perlawanan tersebut.
MILAN: Lionel Messi dinobat sebagai Pemain Lelaki Terbaik FIFA 2019 dalam majlis anugerah gemilang sukan bola sepak dunia di Milan awal pagi tadi.
Kemenangan ini sekali gus melonjak nama penyerang utama Barcelona itu mengatasi pemain Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo yang pernah merangkul anugerah sama.
Selain kedua-dua pemain itu, turut dicalonkan ialah pemain pertahanan Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk yang pada awalnya diramal memenangi anugerah ini.
Messi pernah memenangi gelaran Pemain Lelaki Terbaik FIFA pada 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 dan 2015.
Kapten pasukan Barcelona dan Argentina ini telah menjaringkan 54 gol dalam 58 perlawanan pada musim 2018/19 mewakili kelab dan juga negara.
Messi turut membantu Barcelona menjuarai La Liga Sepanyol dan membawa kelab itu ke separuh akhir Liga Juara-Juara Eropah.
MILAN – Lionel Messi terpilih sebagai pemain terbaik FIFA, dalam penganugerahan yang dilangsungkan di Kota Milan, Italia, pada Selasa (24/9/2019) dini hari WIB. La Pulga –julukan Messi– mengoleksi 46 poin, mengungguli Virgil Van Dijk di posisi dua (38) dan Cristiano Ronaldo (36).
Gelar ini bukanlah yang pertama bagi ayah tiga anak tersebut. Semenjak turun di persepakbolaan profesional pada 2004, kapten tim nasional Argentina itu tercatat telah memenangi enam trofi pemain terbaik dunia.
Sebelum tahun ini, Messi menyabetnya pada 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 dan 2015. Pencapaian Messi tahun ini sama persis dengan raihan yang disabet pada 2010 dan 2012. Pada dua tahun tersebut, Messi memenangi trofi pemain terbaik dunia meski tidak mengantarkan Barcelona menjuarai trofi Liga Champions.
Sekadar mengingatkan di Liga Champions 2018-2019, langkah Barcelona terhenti di semifinal setelah kalah agregat 3-4 dari Liverpool. Meski begitu, Messi mentereng di level individu dengan keluar sebagai top skor Liga Champions, tepatnya dengan koleksi 12 bola.
Messi pun tercatat sebagai satu-satunya pesepakbola yang mengoleksi dua digit gol di Liga Champions 2018-2019. Secara keseluruhan, pesepakbola 32 tahun itu mencetak 51 gol dari 50 penampilan bersama Barcelona di semua kompetisi pada 2018-2019.
Sekarang yang jadi pertanyaan, sanggupkah Messi melanjutkan tren positif di atas dengan memenangi trofi Ballon dOr 2019? Pemenang trofi Ballon dOr 2019 akan diumumkan pada Desember mendatang.
Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds were surprise winners at the Best FIFA awards on Monday.
To the bemusement of many fans who have not always associated Leeds or Bielsa with fair play, the veteran Argentinian and his players were awarded the Fair Play Award for allowing Aston Villa to score against them in April.
Angry scenes broke out after Mateusz Klich scored for Leeds while Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia lay injured on the field. Bielsa insisted Leeds, despite the attempts of former defender Pontus Jansson to stop them, allow Villa to score immediately from the kick-off.
Captain Liam Cooper and fitness coach Benoit Delaval collected the award on Bielsa’s behalf at the ceremony in Milan.
The renowned coach, currently in his second season at Leeds and in English football, caused something of a stir in January when he admitted to having watched all of United’s opponents train.
The club was fined £200,000 as a result – a penalty Bielsa paid out of his own pocket – and the 64-year-old was the subject of some derision as a result.
Dubbed as ‘Spygate’, the topic was not far from conversation in the wake of Bielsa’s award, as Gary Lineker tweeted a spy emoji in reply to the announcement, while on Radio 5 Live, a disbelieving Chris Sutton asked: “Do previous misdemeanours not count?”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been named men’s coach of the year at the Best FIFA awards in Milan.
Klopp guided his side to Champions League glory last season, while the Reds narrowly missed out on the Premier League title, being pipped by Manchester City.
The German claimed the award ahead of Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, whose team Liverpool defeated in the Champions League final, and City’s Pep Guardiola.
Klopp said at the ceremony at Milan’s Teatro all Scala: “Mauricio – we won that game, that’s why I’m here, not you. That’s how football is, but we all know what an incredible job you did, what an incredible job Pep did, what so many coaches out there did.
“I have to say thank you to my outstanding club, Liverpool FC, to the owners, I have to say they gave me an incredible team, and I have to thank my team, because as a coach you only can be as good as your team is.
“I’m really proud of being the manager of such an incredible bunch of players.”
Klopp took the opportunity to reveal he had signed up to the Common Goal movement, in which members donate one per cent of their salary to a charity which funds organisations around the world that use football to tackle social issues.
He said: “I’m really proud and happy that I can announce that from today on I am a member of the Common Goal family.”
Having then received a round of applause, Klopp said: “A few people obviously know it – if not, Google it. It’s a great thing.”
