BRASILIA – Tim Nasional (Timnas) Brasil harus membayar mahal kemenangan yang mereka raih di laga uji coba kontra Qatar di Estadio Nacional de Brasilia. Meski menang dengan skor 2-0, tetapi Brasil harus kehilangan pemain bintangnya yakni Neymar Jr.
Pada laga tersebut, Brasil mengalami nasib sial karena harus kehilangan Neymar yang mengalami cedera. Hal ini tentu sangat merugikan karena cedera yang dialami Neymar terjadi sembilan hari sebelum Copa America 2019 dimulai.
Di luar cedera yang dialami Neymar, Brasil menunjukkan performa yang cukup apik pada laga persahabatan tersebut. Mereka pun langsung membuka keunggulan pada menit 16 lewat gol yang dicetak Richarlison. Memanfaatkan umpan Dani Alves, Richarlison sukses membawa Brasil unggul 1-0.
Akan tetapi, pada menit 21, Brasil mengalami nasib apes. Selecao –julukan Timnas Brasil– harus kehilangan Neymar yang mengalami cedera engkel akibat tekel keras pemain Qatar. Posisi sang bintang pun digantikan Everton yang masuk pada menit 21.
Meski kehilangan Neymar, Brasil tetap tampil ganas. Lima menit berselang tim tuan rumah berhasil menggandakan keunggulan lewat gol Gabriel Jesus. Menyambut umpan Richarlison, Jesus membawa Brasil unggul 2-0 atas Qatar.
Keadaan tersebut tetap bertahan hingga pertandingan 90 menit berakhir. Tak ada gol lagi dari masing-masing tim yang membuat keadaan berubah. Skor 2-0 akhiri laga uji coba tersebut yang tentunya harus dibayar Brasil dengan cedera Neymar.
LIVERPOOL – Pelatih Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, tak menutup kemungkinan akan mendatangkan pemain baru pada musim panas 2019. Hal itu disampaikan Klopp tak lama setelah The Reds –julukan Liverpool– menjadi kampiun Liga Champions 2018-2019.
Namun, Klopp belum mengungkapkan siapa pemain yang akan dibelinya pada musim panas 2019. Pelatih berpaspor Jerman itu lebih fokus pada peningkatan permainan dari Liverpool asuhannya saat ini.
Dengan kata lain, Klopp ingin fokus untuk memaksimalkan bakat-bakat yang ada untuk meningkatkan performa Liverpool. Kendati demikian, kebutuhan akan pemain baru tak bisa dihindari Klopp.
BACA JUGA: Ini yang Bikin Man City Jadi Tim yang Lebih Baik dari Liverpool
Sebab, ada beberapa pemain yang akhir Juni nanti kontraknya akan habis dengan Liverpool. Daniel Sturridge dan Alberto Moreno adalah dua nama yang masa baktinya di Anfield Stadium akan selesai pada akhir Juni 2019.
Kedua pemain itu adalah penghuni tetap bangku cadangan Liverpool sehingga kemungkinan besar tak akan menerima perpanjangan kontrak. Ketika dua pemain itu dilepas maka harus ada pemain baru yang datang agar Liverpool memiliki kedalaman skuat yang baik pada musim depan.
“Selalu lebih sulit, tim yang baik harus (meningkat), tetapi itu tanda yang bagus. Transfer, kami tidak akan membuat orang-orang bersemangat dan berpikir ‘Wow, pemain baru!’ dan hal-hal semacamnya. Sejatinya, pekerjaan saya adalah untuk meningkatkan tim dan ada berbagai cara untuk melakukannya, kami selalu mengutarakannya,” ujar Klopp, seperti yang dikutip dari Mirror, Rabu (5/6/2019).
“Ini soal latihan – saat ini, saya pikir itu adalah cara terbaik untuk meningkat dan jika Anda harus menandatangani seseorang, Anda harus melakukanya. Kemudian, jika Anda memilikinya maka Anda seketika tidak berpikir tentang melakukan hal yang sama di posisi yang sama lagi. Tim cukup seimbang, jadi begitulah adanya. Yang pasti, rencana kami belum akan diketahui publik, itulah adanya,” lanjut Klopp.
“Tapi, apakah itu akan menjadi jendela transfer terbesar untuk Liverpool? Tidak, mungkin tidak, tapi saya pikir itu akan mengejutkan jika saya mengatakan ya. Mata kami selalu terbuka, kami selalu melihat, tetapi apa yang terjadi jika dan kapan, tidak ada yang bisa dikatakan tentang momen itu,” pungkasnya.
JUARA lightweight UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov memilih untuk menghabiskan penghujung Ramadan dan menyambut kedatangan Syawal di tanah suci Mekah, Arab Saudi.
Khabib, 30 tahun dipercayai tiba di Mekah untuk menunaikan ibadah umrah beberapa hari lepas selepas memuat naik gambarnya yang lengkap berihram di laman Instagram miliknya.
Bapa Khabib, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov juga dilihat berada di sana bersama Khabib.
Selain Khabib dan bapanya, beberapa petarung seni bela diri campuran (MMA) dari Dagestan, Rusia turut berada Mekah ketika ini – antaranya Islam Makhachev, Zabit Magomedsharipov, Usman Nurmagomedov, Umar Nurmagomedov dan Tagir Ulanbekov.
Khabib kini sedang menjalani ibadah puasa, dan sedang berehat dari sebarang aksi pertarungan selain digantung perlawanan susulan insiden pergaduhan yang berlaku di UFC 229.
Dia didenda sebanyak AS$500,000 (RM2,053,953) dan digantung perlawanan selama sembilan bulan, manakala pesaingnya Conor McGregor pula didenda AS$50,000 (RM205,355) dan digantung perlawanan enam bulan.
Barring a major collapse from either of the duo at the start of the 2019/20 season, this year’s Ballon d’Or is likely to be contested primarily by Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
Most bookmakers, including Sky Bet, currently have Messi as the favourite to win the award, with his odds around 5/6.
Virgil van Dijk is a close second, however, with his odds currently around 10/11.
The third favourite, as of writing on June 4th , is Mohamed Salah. But his odds are well away from VVD and Messi at 14/1.
Elsewhere, five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo is joint-5th favourite to win the award in December, with odds of 25/1.
This isn’t too surprising, though, given that Ronaldo finished 4th top scorer in Serie A and Juventus were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals.
Juve did win Serie A, but they also did so in the past seven seasons without Ronaldo being there.
So, with it looking to be a two-horse race between van Dijk and Messi, how do the two compare?
BARCELONA, SPAIN – MAY 01: Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates after he scores his sides second goal during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final first leg match between Barcelona and Liverpool at the Nou Camp on May 01, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Messi vs VVD in the league
Let’s start with the pair’s achievements in their respective leagues.
Lionel Messi would help guide Barcelona to their 26th La Liga title this past season.
Barca would finish the season on 87 points, 10 points above second-placed Atletico Madrid.
However, given the poor season that Real Madrid had, there could be a case made that Barca didn’t have too much competition in the 2018/19 campaign.
Individually, Messi dominated La Liga in terms of goals, scoring 36 in 34 outings.
The Argentine would also earn the joint most assists in La Liga (13), along with Sevilla’s Pablo Sarabia.
Messi’s 36 league goals also saw him earn his 6th European Golden Shoe award.
Lionel Messi is the first player in history to win the European Golden Shoe in six different seasons:
As for Liverpool and Virgil van Dijk, they did not win the 2018/19 Premier League trophy.
But Jurgen Klopp’s side did manage to amass a staggering 97 points this past season.
That total would have won Liverpool the league title in all of the Premier League’s past seasons, except the last two.
97 points is also the highest total a PL side has reached and not won the title.
Furthermore, the Reds would manage to keep the tightest defence in the English top-flight, letting in just 22 goals in 38 games.
VVD played a key role in that, starting all 38 of their league outings and only failing to complete 90 minutes once, versus Southampton.
Jurgen Klopp’s side also managed to keep the most clean sheets in the PL – 21, compared to Manchester City’s 20.
Van Dijk would win the PFA Player of the Year award and the Premier League Player of the Season.
In addition, while the statistic is not confined to just domestic football, no opposition player has managed to dribble past VVD in his last 64 games, which is a simply incredible achievement.
Van Dijk earns Champions League glory
In terms of how the pair did in the Champions League, it is hard not to give the upper hand to Virgil van Dijk.
Liverpool, of course, won this year’s UCL for the first time since 2005, beating Tottenham 2-0 in the final as van Dijk earned Man of the Match honours.
Messi and Barcelona, however, would be knocked out in the semi-finals, after blowing a three-goal advantage vs VVD and co.
Messi would still earn the Champions League Golden Boot this season, though.
Both players would make it into the UCL Squad of the Season.9
But VVD’s Champions League win will no doubt have helped him massively in the Ballon d’Or running.
MADRID, SPAIN – JUNE 1: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool FC, with the trophy during the UEFA Champions League match between Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano on June 1, 2019 in Madrid Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
The impact of the Champions League
While the Ballon d’Or is supposed to be an individual award, and winning the UCL obviously requires a full team, it is hard to ignore the impact that winning the top prize in European club football has on deciding the winner.
Luka Modric won the award in 2018. In 46 appearances throughout the 2017/18 season, he managed four goals and eight assists, not exactly an eye-catching amount.
However, Real Madrid would win the CL in 2018 and Modric would reach the World Cup final with Croatia.
It could be argued that Modric’s World Cup efforts helped him to secure the Ballon d’Or, along with his UCL win.
Also, it is hard to compare the likes of Modric and Messi, as they have very different roles in the game.
2017, though, saw Cristiano Ronaldo win the award for a 5th time.
Both Messi and Ronaldo’s main job is to score goals, and secondly to assist.
In the 2016/17 season, Messi scored 54 and assisted 16 in 52 appearances. Ronaldo, on the other hand, scored 42 and assisted 11 in 46 appearances.
Despite Messi having had a better goals-to-game ratio than Ronaldo, and more assists, the ex-Madrid forward claimed the Ballon d’Or that year.
Real Madrid would also win the Champions League that season.
Finally, in the last five years, every player who has won the Ballon d’Or has also lifted the Champions League that year.
MADRID, SPAIN – JUNE 01: Players of FC Liverpool celebrate with the trophy after winning the UEFA Champions League Final between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on June 1, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
Two trophies still up for grabs
While the UCL clearly has an impact on who wins the Ballon d’Or each year, there are two more competitions set to take place over the coming months, which could help decide the victor.
Virgil van Dijk is set to take on England in the Nations League semi-finals with the Netherlands this week.
Should they beat England, then either Portugal or Switzerland in the final, they will become the inaugural NL Champions, a stat that can only really boost VVD’s case for the Ballon d’Or.
Lionel Messi, meanwhile, will be in action for Argentina, as they look to win the Copa America for the first time since 1993.
Like van Dijk in the Nations League, Messi helping Argentina to win the CA would be a huge point in his favour with regards to being crowned the 2019 BD winner.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – JUNE 26 Argentina forward and Captain Lionel Messi (10) during the Copa America Centenario Final Argentna vs Chile Soccer, 2016 on June 26, 2016 at Met Life in East Rutherford, NJ, USA . The score was tied at 0 to 0 at the end of regulation play and then added time. Chile won the match 4 to 2 in penalty kicks to win the Copa America Final. Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images
Predicted winner
Lionel Messi has had yet another outstanding year in football, and him winning the Ballon d’Or is unlikely to upset too many people.
However, at this point, given van Dijk’s excellent year, and the sway that the Champions League has had on deciding the winner of late, it is hard to see the Dutchman not winning the award.
Should Messi win the Copa America and VVD fail to win the Nations League, though, the story may be different.
If van Dijk does go on to win the award, he will become the first defender to do so since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.
See also: Official: Liverpool confirm Moreno & Sturridge exits
Barcelona & Liverpool-linked Matthijs de Ligt admits ‘there’s an
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has this evening taken to social media to suggest that his former side should make a move for soon-to-be free agent midfielder Daniele De Rossi.
Roma icon
Italian veteran De Rossi has long stood as one of the most-recognisable figures in Serie A.
The 35-year-old has spent his entire career to date on the books of boyhood club AS Roma, after joining the Giallorossi’s youth setup as a talented youngster in 2000.
Two weeks ago, though, following 19 long, passion-filled years at the Stadio Olimpico, De Rossi took to the pitch for the final time in Roma’s colours.
After almost two decades personifying the Gladiator spirit at the heart of the capital outfit’s midfield, across over 600 appearances, it was confirmed earlier this month that the 2006 World Cup winner’s contract would not be renewed this summer.
‘Arsenal need to bring in De Rossi’
As such, the 1st of July will see De Rossi become a free agent for the first time in his career.
As things stand, it is unclear what the combative midfielder’s plans for his next move are, with a potential MLS switch having been touted of late.
In addition, Roma president James Pallotta has confirmed that the club’s doors ‘will remain open for him to return in a new role whenever he wants.’
One individual who is of the opinion that De Rossi’s career is not yet finished at the top level, though, is Ian Wright.
As mentioned above, the Arsenal legend has this evening taken to Twitter to urge the north Londoners’ board to make a move for the Italian, insisting that the experience he would introduce to Unai Emery’s squad would be ‘invaluable’:
Arsenal need to bring in De Rossi from Roma ! We’ll get 15 games out of him, it won’t cost hardly any money, and the experience he could pass on to the likes of Willock and the other youngsters could be invaluable and money well spent.
MANCHESTER – Manajer Manchester City, Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola, mengingatkan agar anak asuhnya tidak lengah saat memasuki musim 2019-2020. Sebab, selain Liverpool, ada empat tim lain yang bakal mengganggu The Citizens untuk mencetak hattrick juara Liga Inggris.
Pelatih asal Spanyol itu mengingatkan kepada Sergio Aguero dan kawan-kawan bahwa mereka harus memulai dari awal lagi saat memasuki masa pramusim. Guardiola yakin persaingan musim depan akan lebih ketat dibandingkan rivalitas dengan Liverpool pada Liga Inggris 2018-2019.
Manchester City menjadi juara setelah mencetak 98 poin. Namun, perjuangan mereka tidak mudah karena Liverpool terus menempel ketat hingga pekan terakhir Liga Inggris 2018-2019. Tingginya standar yang diterapkan Si Merah membuat Manchester Biru harus mengerahkan kemampuan terbaik.
Level permainan tinggi itu diminta untuk dipertahankan oleh Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola. Sebab, persaingan merebut gelar juara Liga Inggris 2019-2020 akan melibatkan enam tim besar, termasuk Manchester City.
“Kami menjalani rivalitas yang luar biasa. Akan tetapi, tidak hanya mereka (Liverpool), ada lima tim kuat lainnya dan itu lah mengapa Liga Inggris sangat berat,” tutur Pep Guardiola, melansir dari Goal, Selasa (4/6/2019).
“Musim depan kami harus memulai dari awal lagi dan kita lihat saja seperti apa hasilnya,” imbuh pria berusia 48 tahun tersebut.
Pep Guardiola memang tidak secara eksplisit mengungkap siapa saja enam tim yang berpeluang menjadi juara Liga Inggris 2019-2020. Namun, melihat dari papan klasemen akhir Liga Inggris musim lalu, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, dan Manchester United, punya potensi kuat mengganggu hegemoni City musim depan.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia memenangi dua perlawanan menentang pasukan yang mempunyai ranking lebih tinggi selepas menundukkan Nepal 2-0 dalam perlawanan persahabatan Tahap 1 di Stadium Nasional, Bukit Jalil, di sini malam tadi.
Dua gol masing-masing dijaringkan Muhammad Safawi Rasid dan Shahrul Mohd Saad dalam separuh masa kedua melengkapkan kemenangan Harimau Malaya dengan pasukan di ranking 161 dunia selepas kemenangan 2-1 ke atas Afghanistan (ranking ke-149) dalam perlawanan “play-off” menentukan tempat ketiga dan keempat Piala Airmarine, Mac lepas.
Anak buah Tan Cheng Hoe yang merupakan ketua jurulatih negara bermula positif dengan menguasai perlawanan dengan usaha Syazwan Zainon dalam minit kelima terkena palang gol sebelum Muhammad Safawi merembat beberapa percubaan tetapi semuanya terus menuju penjaga gawang pelawat, Kiran Kumar Limbu.
Selepas ketandusan gol, pada separuh masa pertama, Harimau Malaya akhirnya mendapat gol sulung hasil sepakan penalti Muhammad Safawi pada minit ke-50, selepas Muhammad Akhyar Rashid dijatuhkan pihak lawan.
Malaysia meneruskan asakan untuk menambah jaringan sebelum Shahrul menanduk masuk bola ke dalam gawang Nepal pada minit ke-82 dan meletakkan Malaysia dalam kedudukan yang baik untuk menentang Timor Leste dalam perlawanan pertama kelayakan Piala Dunia FIFA, Jumaat ini.
Bercakap kepada wartawan selepas perlawanan, Cheng Hoe menjelaskan kemenangan malam ini adalah penting untuk membina keyakinan dalam perlawanan menentang Timor Leste.
Beliau memuji keinginan dan iltizam pasukan bimbingannya biarpun dengan keadaan padang yang tidak baik mereka tetap mengasak untuk mendapatkan gol.
“Berhadapan Nepal, ia adalah motivasi yang baik buat kami…perlawanan pemanas badan yang baik yang saya lihat pilihan terbaik yang kami ada sebelum bertemu Timor Leste.
Kami perlu meningkatkan lagi prestasi terutamanya di bahagian serangan,” katanya.
