BARCELONA – Penggawa Barcelona, Antoine Griezmann, mengakui pernah membuat Lionel Messi merasa kecewa. Hal itu ia lakukan saat menolak tawaran pertama dari Barcelona kepadanya pada 2018.
Griezmann mengakui bahwa keputusannya menolak perpindahan ke Barcelona pada dua tahun lalu telah mengecewakan Lionel Messi. Situasi tersebut pun diketahui Griezmann saat ia baru pindah ke Camp Nou.
Pemain berpaspor Prancis itu kemudian bergabung dengan Barcelona pada 2019 walaupun tepat setahun lalu ia menolak mentah-mentah tawaran Blaugrana –julukan Barcelona. Bahkan ia sempat meminta maaf karena menolak tawaran Barcelona.
Sebelumnya, Messi sendiri berbicara positif tentang Griezmann andai mantan pemain Atletico itu bergabung dengan klub pada 2018. Tetapi, dengan penolakannya pada tahun tersebut, Messi merasa kecewa.
“Ketika saya menandatangani kontrak dengan klub, saya meminta maaf karena menunda kepindahan dan mengatakan saya tidak akan bergabung dengan Barcelona,” ungkap Griezmann, mengutip dari Goal, Selasa (24/11/2020).
“Saya memberi tahu Lionel Messi bahwa saya akan memberikan segalanya di lapangan untuk klub,” tambah pemain berusia 29 tahun tersebut.
“Saya berbicara dengan Leo ketika saya tiba dan ia mengatakan kepada saya bahwa ketika saya menolak kesempatan pertama untuk pergi, ia merasa kacau karena ia telah memintanya di depan umum,” lanjutnya.
“Tetapi, ia mengatakan kepada saya bahwa ia bersama saya dan saya memperhatikannya setiap hari,” sambungnya.
Sayangnya, sejak pindah dari Atletico, Griezmann belum menunjukkan performa apik bersama Barcelona. Karena itu, rumor tentang hubungannya dengan Lionel Messi yang tidak harmonis di Barcelona sangat beredar luas.
Bahkan mantan agen Griezmann yakni Eric Olhats telah menimbulkan kontroversi tentang hubungannya dengan Messi. Namun begitu, Griezmann mencoba membantahnya.
The date of Theo Walcott’s decisive goal against Luton Town in the Championship. He didn’t know it then, but it would be his last league goal for Southampton for almost 15 years.
The emerging teenager looked as if he was set for greatness and was whisked off to Arsenal before he could hit the net again. Things didn’t all work out for him there – historic highs and heart-wrenching lows came in equal measure throughout his 12 years at the Emirates, before he left for Everton, where he struggled to deliver on his £20m price tag.
His long, winding path brought him back to where it all started in October. And Southampton will be praising the heavens that it did.
The 31-year-old has provided Ralph Hasenhuttl with a creative solution to the problem posed by Danny Ings’ latest injury. He will never be as prolific as the striker who has scored 30 goals since the beginning of last season, but what he can match is Ings’ energy and enthusiasm on the front lines.
That was evident against Newcastle a week ago, when he joined Che Adams in a promising-looking partnership and set up the 24-year-old’s opening goal.
The same combination crafted the opener at Molineux on Monday, but this time it was Walcott who was placed to coolly convert at the back post.
The finish was simple but it was indicative of the performances he has turned in since Hasenhuttl opted to move him inside. Nelson Semedo’s defending was awful, but Walcott read it and positioned himself as if he had been playing centre-forward all his life.
He seems to be thriving in his new position, relishing the prospect of running at centre-backs and catching defences off-guard with his early runs. He perhaps should have doubled the lead after a long ball from Adams left him with all the time in the world, but he lost his composure when faced up by Rui Patricio one on one.
Speaking to reporters after the match, he reminded us what Theo Walcott looked like with a smile on his face. Rejuvenated, radiating charm, and oozing a child-like enthusiasm at the prospect of playing football regularly yet again.
When he was stuck in Goodison Park purgatory, you’d have forgiven for thinking that we’d seen the last of the player who was once English football’s great white hope. Thanks to a trusting manager and a team that values him, however, it’s beginning to seem like there is far more to come.
FBL-ENG-PR-LEEDS-ARSENAL | MICHAEL REGAN/Getty Images
Mikel Arteta cho rằng hành động của Pepe là không thể chấp nhận được.
Sau trận hòa 0-0 với Leeds United, nhiều CĐV Arsenal đã hướng sự chỉ trích của mình về phía Nicolas Pepe. Ngôi sao người Bờ Biển Ngà nhận thẻ đỏ ngớ ngẩn ở phút thứ 50 sau tình huống húc đầu vào Ezgjan Alioski bên phía Leeds United.
Mất đi Pepe, Arsenal phải gồng mình chống đỡ các pha hãm thành liên tiếp từ Leeds United. Song song với đó, Pháo thủ thành London cũng mất đi một mũi nhọn xuyên phá trên hàng công. Chia sẻ với Sky Sports về tình huống phạm sai lầm của cậu học trò, HLV Mikel Arteta cho hay:
“Việc Pepe bị đuổi khỏi sân khiến Arsenal phải giải quyết một tình huống đột ngột và có phần lúng túng. Đó có thể một phần nguyên nhân khiến chúng tôi trải qua 1 trận hòa thất vọng. Hành động của Pepe là không thể chấp nhận,”.
“Tôi đã nói chuyện thẳng thắn với Pepe là không thể chấp nhận hành vi của cậu ấy. Tôi thích cách Arsenal phản ứng khi chúng tôi mất người. Arsenal vẫn kiên trì với lối chơi của mình, giữ vững niềm tin có thể giành 3 điểm nhưng đây thực sự là một trận đấu khó khăn”.
London: England terpaksa melupakan khidmat penyerang Manchester United, Marcus Rashford dan pertahanan Wolves, Conor Coady dalam saingan Liga Negara-Negara menentang Belgium dan Iceland.
Rashford masih lagi bergelut dengan kecederaan bahu dialami ketika menewaskan Everton minggu lalu manakala Coady menjalani kuarantin selepas mempunyai kontak dengan seseorang yang dijangkiti koronavirus.
Pertahanan tengah itu dua kali diuji negatif tetapi bakal diketepikan daripada skuad Gareth Southgate untuk aksi di Belgium pada Ahad ini dan menentang Iceland di tempat sendiri Rabu depan.
Dalam satu kenyataan selepas England menewaskan Republik Ireland dalam aksi persahabatan awal pagi tadi, Persatuan Bolasepak (FA) berkata: “Coady wajib menjalani kuarantin selepas mempunyai kontak dengan seseorang yang positif Covid-19. Pertahanan Wolverhampton Wanderers itu dua kali diuji negatif sebagai memenuhi protokol FA dan Uefa tetapi perlu mematuhi garis panduan kerajaan berkaitan tempoh masa kuarantin.
“Manakala, Rashford belum pulih sepenuhnya daripada kecederaan.”
NAPOLI – Pelatih Napoli, Gennaro Gattuso, turut mengakui ketangguhan dari pemain bintang AC Milan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Menurutnya, Ibrahimovic saat ini berada dalam kinerja yang sangat kuat, melebihi 10 atau 12 tahun lalu.
Pujian ini disampaikan Gattuso usai pertemuan Napoli melawan Milan dalam pekan kedelapan Liga Italia 2020-2021. Ibrahimovic memang menyuguhkan penampilan yang fantastis dalam laga yang berlangsung di Stadion San Paolo, Senin (23/11/2020) dini hari WIB itu.
Penyerang asal Swedia itu bisa mencetak dua gol sekaligus dalam laga tersebut. Gol pertamanya tercipta pada menit ke-20 usai memanfaatkan umpan dari Theo Hernandez. Kemudian, ia menggandakan keunggulan Milan di menit ke-54.
Berkat dua golnya, Milan sendiri memastikan diri meraih poin penuh dalam laga tersebut. Sebab, pertandingan berakhir dengan skor 3-1 untuk kemenangan armada Stefano Pioli.
Melihat aksi gemilang Ibrahimovic, Gattuso pun terkesan. Sebab, ia menyadari bahwa Ibrahimovic sediri sudah menginjak usia yang tak muda lagi saat ini. Pada awal bulan lalu, ia baru merayakan ulang tahunnya yang ke-39.
Tetapi, Ibrahimovic berhasil menunjukkan bahwa performanya takkan pernah habis dimakan usia. Ia bahkan terlihat semakin tajam di depan gawang. Musim ini, Ibrahimovic sudah mencetak total 11 gol dan 10 penampilannya di berbagai kompetisi.
“Milan sangat percaya kepada Ibra, mereka yakin 100 persen pada apa yang mereka lakukan. Dia tampaknya saya pikir lebih kuat sekarang daripada dia 10 atau 12 tahun yang lalu,” ujar Gattuso, sebagaimana dikutip dari Goal, Senin (23/11/2020).
“Para pemain Milan melakukan umpan silang karena tahu Ibrah akan melanjutkannya dengan baik. Apa yang kami lakukan hari ini adalah menciptakan banyak peluang dan tidak percaya sepenuhnya kepada kemampuan mereka,” lanjutnya.
“Ini tentang mentalitas. Sepakbola adalah tentang membantu satu sama lain, memiliki kata yang baik dan meyakinkan untuk rekan satu tim Anda ketika mereka berjuang,” tukas pelatih asal Italia itu.
Barcelona stalwart Gerard Pique scored the winner when they faced at the Nou Camp earlier this month. | Eric Alonso/Getty Images
Barcelona are looking for their second win of the month over Group G rivals Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League on Tuesday evening as the two sides come face to face in the Ukrainian capital.
While Barcelona’s form in La Liga has left them down in 12th place, they currently sit top of their Champions League group. Ronald Koeman’s side ran out 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture at Camp Nou earlier this month after beating Juventus in Turin in October.
The recent resignation of the entire Barcelona board signals a fresh start for Barcelona and they will be more desperate than ever to make good progress in the Champions League.
When Is Kick Off? Tuesday 24 November What Time Is Kick Off? 8PM (GMT) Where Is It Played? NSC Olimpiyskiy TV Channel/Live Stream? BT Sports Extra 3 (UK), CBS Sports (USA) Referee? Matej Jug (Slovenia)
Dynamo Kyiv have been going through a COVID crisis lately with a considerable amount of players and staff self-isolating after testing positive. Striker Artem Besedin is ruled out due to serving a doping ban. Oleksandr Tymchyk, Nazariy Rusyn, Volodymyr Kostevych and Mykyta Burda all miss out through injury.
The Ukraine outfit could be forced to plug gaps in their starting XI due to the effects of injuries and COVID on team selections and will need to work hard to beat Barcelona.
Gerard Pique suffered a serious knee injury in the 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid at the weekend and the 33-year-old faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Fellow defender Sergi Roberto suffered a muscle injury in the same game, while Ousmane Dembele is reported to have hurt his shoulder, joining centre-backs Ronald Araujo and Samuel Umtiti on the treatment table.
The defensive headache Koeman currently has could mean we see Frenkie de Jong start at centre-back alongside Clement Lenglet. Ansu Fati and Sergio Busquets are also out of contention for Tuesday’s game with knee injuries.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Dest, De Jong, Lenglet, Alba; Pjanic, Alena; Dembele, Messi, Pedri; Griezmann.
Dynamo Kyiv have taken only one point from their two opening games in the Champions League. A 2-2 draw with Hungarian side Ferencvaros preceded their 2-1 loss against Barcelona at the Nou Camp earlier in November. Despite a rocky start to their European campaign they currently sit top of their domestic league with a three-point lead.
Messi and co have taken maximum points from their Champions League games, beating a Juventus side that missed Cristiano Ronaldo 2-0 and Kyiv 2-1 in Barcelona. Draws with Sevilla and Alaves coupled with losses to Getafe and Real Madrid have meant Barcelona reside in the bottom half of the domestic table in 12th place.
Dynamo Kyiv
Ingulets 0-2 Dynamo Kyiv (21/11) Dynamo Kyiv 0-3 Shaktar Donetsk (08/11)
Barcelona 2-1 Dynamo Kyiv (04/11)
SK Dnipro 1-2 Dynamo Kyiv (31/10)
Ferencvaros 2-2 Dynamo Kyiv (28/10)
Barcelona
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Barcelona (21/11) Barcelona 5-2 Real Betis (07/11) Barcelona 2-1 Dynamo Kyiv (04/11)
Alaves 1-1 Barcelona (31/10)
Juventus 0-2 Barcelona (28/10)
Both sides currently find themselves with key players either injured or self-isolating and we could see some improvisation with squad selection on Tuesday. Injuries to experienced players like Pique and Busquets will mean a more youthful side but the fitness of Messi and Antoine Griezmannshould be enough to see Barcelona over the line.
AC Milan v Hellas Verona – Italian Serie A | Soccrates Images/Getty Images
Mới đây tiền đạo của AC Milan đã tuyên bố sẽ không đá bất kỳ 1 quả Penalty nào nữa.
Cuối tuần này, Serie A 2020 – 2021 sẽ quay trở lại. AC Milan sẽ phải tiếp đón Napoli trên sân khách với thành tích bất bại của mình. Đây sẽ là một chuyến hành quân lành ít dữ nhiều của thầy trò Pioli, nếu họ thất bại trong trận đấu cuối tuần này, rất có thể ngôi đầu sẽ chính thức đổi chủ.
Để giành chiến thắng, AC Milan sẽ cần đến sự tỏa sáng của các cá nhân. Zlatan Ibrahimovic là cái tên nhận được sự kỳ vọng nhiều nhất. Tiền đạo người Thụy Điển vừa nhận được danh hiệu Cầu thủ xuất sắc nhất tháng 10 tại Serie A và đang dẫn đầu danh sách Vua phá lưới. Mặc dù vậy, có 1 điều đáng lo ngại đó là anh đã sút hỏng phạt đền trong 2 trận đấu liên tiếp.
Mới đây, tiền đạo của AC Milan đã lên tiếng về câu chuyện sút phạt đền này:
“Tôi sẽ không sút phạt đền nữa, tôi đã bị gạt sang 1 bên rồi (cười). Tôi không cảm thấy rằng mình đã bị ngăn cản và cũng chẳng có bí quyết gì. Các đồng đội sẽ giúp tôi. Tôi có rất nhiều kinh nghiệm, biết mình phải làm những điều cần thiết đúng thời điểm. Tôi không còn giữ thể trạng như 5 hay 10 năm trước, không muốn tốn năng lượng vào những điều mình không cần đến.”
