أكد أنطونيو كونتي، المدير الفني لفريق إنتر ميلان الإيطالي أن روميلو لوكاكو لاعب مختلف، كما أظهر المدرب استيائه من الأسئلة عن كريستيان إريكسن. 

وفاز إنتر ميلان على جنوى بهدفين دون رد في منافسات الدوري الإيطالي، وتحدث كونتي لشبكة “سكاي سبورت إيطاليا”، عقب اللقاء.

طالع تقرير مباراة إنتر ميلان وجنوى وشاهد الأهداف 

وقال كونتي: “لقد سيطرنا على المباراة منذ البداية، وفي بعض الأحيان تتمكن من اختراق صفوف المنافس مبكرًا، وأحيانًا تستغرق بعض الوقت”.

وأضاف: “ضد بوروسيا مونشنجلادباخ (في دوري الأبطال)، تُظهر الإحصائيات أننا سمحنا بتسديدتين فقط على المرمى وأخرى كانت تمريرة في غير محلها، لم نسمح بالتسديدات على المرمى اليوم وحافظنا على شباكنا نظيفة”.

وأردف: “الفريق يدرك قوته وقد استخدمنا ذلك اليوم للعب بثقة، عندما تتلقى ثلاثة أهداف من ثلاث فرص، فهذا يعني أن الفريق لديه توازن، وهناك فقط بعض الأخطاء”.

وأكمل: “أنت تتحدث عن الأرقام، ولا بد لي من إجراء تحليل أكثر وضوحًا بشأن عدد الفرص التي نسمح بها بالفعل وهذا أكثر أهمية من الأهداف التي تم استقبالها”.

وعن لاعبه باستوني، أشاد كونتي: “باستوني عمل معنا الموسم الماضي، لذا فهو يعرف توقيت الحركات التي نحتاج إلى القيام بها بشكل منهجي، يستغرق الأمر بعض الوقت بالنسبة للقادمين الجدد مثل ألكسندر كولاروف”.

وواصل: “ودعونا لا ننسى، كان لدينا 10 أيام فقط من التدريب قبل الموسم، والعديد من اللاعبين الجدد، وفي الدفاع خاصة أن الأمر يستغرق بعض الوقت لممارسة التحركات”.

وأشاد أيضًا بلوكاكو: “روميلو لاعب مختلف عما كان عليه قبل عام، لطالما قلت في الماضي إنه كان مثل الماس الصلب الذي أردت العمل معه، إنه يعمل ويمكنك أن ترى الطريقة التي يستلم بها الكرة، والطريقة التي يتحرك بها، وكل شيء قد تحسن”.

وبسؤاله عن كريستيان إريكسن، رد كونتي غاضبًا: “أعتقد أنك تركز أكثر من اللازم على قضية إريكسن هذه، لقد كنت تؤكد عليه وتسأل عنه منذ يناير، إنه جزء من الفريق، مثل أي شخص آخر، يلعب إذا كان يستحق ذلك ولن يلعب إذا لم يكن يستحق”.

وأستطرد: “ترى خصائص كريستيان، أحاول الحصول على أفضل ما لديه، لكن لا أحب أن تحاول أن تجعلني أتحدث بشكل سيئ عن إريكسن بدلاً من مدح الآخرين، إنه معنا، هذه ليست مشكلة، لا مفر من أننا بحاجة إلى إيجاد الطريقة الصحيحة للحصول على أفضل النتائج منه”.

وأتم كونتي: “نحتاج أن نعمل معه، إنه يحاول، إنه يبذل كل شيء في وسعه، لكن لا يمكننا الاستمرار في التحليل والتأكيد على كيفية لعب إنتر عندما يكون إريكسن داخل الملعب أو خارجه”.

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QPR might have been sliding down the Championship standings in recent weeks but the club have major plans to upscale – they intend to move to a new 30,000-seater stadium as part of a big redevelopment.

Loftus Road has been home to the R’s since 1917 but they feel they have outgrown the current surroundings, with ambitions to relocate to the Linford Christie Stadium. They surely feel that the facilities at the third-smallest ground in the Championship are outdated and the stadium is rarely used for anything other than on match days.

QPR CEO Leo Hoos has said:

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

“If the club is to be sustainable we have to move and, as far as we can see, QPR’s involvement in the future of the Linford Christie Stadium is the only option that would keep us in W12 in the medium to long term.”

Therefore, the club are appealing to their fanbase to answer questions on an online consultation published by the Hammersmith and Fulham council.

Here’s what the QPR fans had to say as their beloved club asked for their help in a time of need, with some confused as to why it has taken so long for the move to happen, while others said their focuses should be elsewhere…

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Rangers fans had the opportunity to put their questions to midfielder Ryan Kent on Monday evening and not all of them were sensible ones.

The 22-year-old is currently on loan at Ibrox from Liverpool and it’s clear that a large portion of the fan base want him to make his move permanent at the end of the season.

And why not too? Kent has made an impressive 37 appearances in all competitions in his debut campaign in Scottish football, scoring six so far and providing an eye-catching nine assists.

When told that the loanee would be the next to appear in Rangers’ #OnTheSpot series, where supporters get to put questions to first-team players, the bulk of them revolved around the former England youth international’s future.

However, the others ranged from the weird to the wonderful and weren’t short of their fair share of creativity, that’s for sure.

One member of the Gers army comically asked if Kent had let Celtic defender Mikael Lustig out of his back pocket yet, while another asked how he likes his tea and one more went down a more musical route – “If you were a hip hop recording artist what would your rap name be?”

Check out our list of the best questions below…

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Loads of Rangers fans have been reacting to yet more brilliance from Glenn Middleton, and they want the youngster back in the first team.

At the beginning of the season, Middleton looked poised for a dramatic breakthrough year, performing admirably in the Gers’ run in the Europa League.

The teenaged winger scored once and assisted once in European competition, and also provided two goals and three assists in Premiership action, per Transfermarkt.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

His form fell off in December though, and due to the sensational showings of Ryan Kent on that left flank Middleton was demoted back to the reserves side by Steven Gerrard.

He has certainly made no bones about it though, instead making it his goal to dominate the lower quality on offer in reserve games.

The 19 year-old scored both goals as the Gers beat Celtic reserves 2-0 on Sunday, and he now has eight strikes in his last five games.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans can’t wait to see him back in the first team fold…

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Sunderland got back to winning ways on Wednesday with a wonderfully clinical display at Accrington Stanley, and Denver Hume was the star of the show.

After such a devastating defeat at Wembley last weekend, you may have forgiven Jack Ross’ side if they looked a little sluggish at the Crown Ground on Wednesday evening.

Instead, the Black Cats put in perhaps their most ruthless and professional display of the season so far, barely looking threatened for a moment and creating loads of attacking opportunities, three of which they took.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Aiden McGeady, Will Grigg and Kazaiah Sterling all grabbed themselves a goal, and Charlie Wyke was superb as well.

None of them made quite the impact that Hume did though, as the 20 year-old now looks likely to nail down that starting left back spot for the remainder of the season.

His youthful exuberance, endless running, quality on the ball and tough tackling makes him far superior to Reece James, who was previously the first choice in that spot.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where the man who has barely stepped on the pitch all season is getting all the praise…

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West Ham are poised to offer Samir Nasri a new contract, reports Football Insider.

The former Arsenal and Manchester City midfielder moved to the club on a free transfer in December, initially signing a deal until the end of the season.

What’s the word?

Manuel Pellegrini’s side have barely seen the best of the Frenchman, who has played just five times in the Premier League thus far this season. He has provided two assists from those games, against former club Arsenal and Huddersfield Town.

Despite his limited game time, Football Insider claim that Nasri has impressed manager Manuel Pellegrini to the extent that the Irons are set to offer him a two-year extension to his current deal, on which he earns £75,000-per-week.

The report comes after a claim earlier this week that West Ham could make a move for Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish.

The Daily Mirror reported that the Irons have joined Tottenham Hotspur and AFC Bournemouth in the race for the England Under-21 international.

One feels that the Irons could have a decision to make this summer regarding their playmaking situation.

Potential vs experience

Grealish is a more exciting option than the French veteran.

He has been setting the Championship alight in recent weeks since his comeback from injury; Villa have gone unbeaten in the four games following his return.

Nasri, however, offers the experience that Grealish lacks and has been there and done it all.

He has not yet managed to impress at West Ham, though, and this news is slightly confusing from an Irons perspective.

It suggests that the move for Grealish won’t happen, with the Hammers instead placing their faith in a 31-year-old.

Fans may not be too happy with that decision; Grealish could now instead move to Spurs, the club’s bitter rivals.

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Back in May 2018, a solitary Tom Cairney goal saw Fulham promoted to the Premier League at the expense of Aston Villa.

What followed was the Cottagers spending £100m on players and subsequently being relegated from the division. Villa on the other hand, are right in the mix to be promoted this term.

As a result of Fulham beating the Villans in the play-off final last season, their fans have taken great delight at the London club coming straight back down, reacting on Twitter.

One fan called the club embarrassing whilst another said he enjoyed seeing them relegated.

A certain supporter chose to bring Joe Bryan into the equation, laughing at the fact he decided to join Fulham after making a U-turn from a potential move to Villa Park.

The attack on their play-off final opponents from last year was a savage one but the clubs could end up facing each other again soon unless Dean Smith’s men can find a way to go up.

Fulham were relegated from the Premier League on Tuesday evening following a woeful 4-1 defeat against Watford. It signifies one of the earliest relegations in the history of the division.

Here’s what Villa fans have been saying.

تفوق مهاجم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد، كريم بنزيما، على الثنائي الكتالوني، ليونيل ميسي وتشافي هيرنانديز بعد مباراة الكلاسيكو بالأمس، السبت، على ملعب “كامب نو”.

ولم يكن الفوز الذي حققه ريال مدريد بنتيجة 1-3 أمام برشلونة، مصدر السعادة للمهاجم الفرنسي بمباراة الأمس ولكن هناك أيضًا رقم قياسي حققه بعد صناعته للهدف الأول الذي أحرزه، فيدريكو فالفيردي، بالدقيقة الخامسة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كومان يواجه عقوبة محتملة بعد الاعتراض على التحكيم في الكلاسيكو

ونجح بنزيما في التفوق على ميسي وتشافي، من حيث صناعة الأهداف في مباريات الكلاسيكو على ملعب “كامب نو” في آخر 25 عامًا.

هذا ما أفادت به صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية ونقلته عن متخصص الإحصائيات والأرقام الشهير، Mister Chip، على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”.

ووصل عدد تمريرات بنزيما الحاسمة بالأمس إلى 6 تمريرات، بينما توقف ميسي وتشافي عند الرقم 5، بينما تعادل الفرنسي مع أسطورة برشلونة ومدرب مانشستر سيتي، بيب جوارديولا.

#OJOALDATO – Benzema ha dado SEIS asistencias en clásicos en el Camp Nou. Las mismas que Guardiola. Y una más que Messi, Xavi e Iniesta

Más asistencias en los clásicos del Camp Nou en los últimos 25 años:

6 BENZEMA y Guardiola
5 Iniesta, Messi y Özil

— MisterChip (Alexis) (@2010MisterChip) October 24, 2020

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Manchester City are a side famed for their unparalleled riches and domination in the transfer market, but a revolutionary change could be on the horizon after years of extravagant and often gratuitous spending.

Phil Foden’s inclusion in the starting XI to face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday caught most people by surprise. Pep Guardiola has often been scrutinised for a perceived reluctance to fully trust in the prodigious teenager, provoking a tidal wave of bemused journalists to paint a bleak outlook for the future of youth at the club.

But his decision to entrust the 18-year-old in a fixture of paramount importance to City’s season was the most telling sign of what the future holds for Foden and the rest of an academy which has been criminally short of world class talent since Sheikh Mansour took charge in 2008.

This was a game against a side who were considered genuine title contenders just a few weeks ago and had just beaten City over two legs; the title was and is still on the line; the stakes couldn’t have been much higher – yet Guardiola included him from the start in place of David Silva, potentially the most talented player in the history of the club.

Plenty has been made of his match-winning display and rightly so. But the implications of his impact transcend beyond how it influenced the club in the immediate term.

Since City’s sugar-daddy owners rolled into the club and transformed the expectations not a single player has risen into the first team from the academy.

A club who once prided themselves on their ability to embed the next generation of talent into the senior squad – and successfully brought through the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Micah Richards, Stephen Ireland and Joey Barton – have effectively turned the academy into a money-making machine.

Players have been brought through, loaned out and then sold on for a healthy profit in order to fund multi-million pound deals for established stars. But murmurs of City’s potential breach of Financial Fair Play rules and the solitary addition of Riyad Mahrez last summer hint that perhaps winds of change are beginning to blow towards the Etihad Stadium.

Naturally the players residing within the youth ranks must be genuinely exceptional to make the step up in class but with a £200 million academy system already in place there is simply no excuse for the toxic and unsustainable trend of obscene investment to continue.

Guardiola has set the wheels in motion for a shift in strategy by slowly embedding Foden into the side, allowing him the time to adjust to the speed of play his team are expected to play at by training with the senior squad on a regular basis and affording him cameo appearances on a semi-regular basis, and now it seems the final stage of the process is beginning to take place.

Foden is unlikely to keep his place in the side for the trip to Old Trafford on Wednesday but his inclusion against a talented side on Saturday proves that he could be a big part of the squad next season.

There is now a glimpse of tangible proof that the £200 million investment has produced a player who could one day be worth a huge fraction of that cost, and Eric Garcia’s handful of quietly impressive displays this season point towards another imminent graduation.

After all these years of neglecting the academy system there are some trophy-worthy fruits beginning to grow, and Guardiola’s cautious but ultimately cunning approach to embedding them into the side could represent the advent of a new philosophical approach to long-term development at City.

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Jurgen Klopp opted to start a midfield trio which is seldom seen in fixtures of the magnitude Chelsea posed on Sunday, with Fabinho, Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson selected from the outset.

On the chalkboard

Liverpool’s boss has often been conservative with his midfield selections in big games this season, but he opted for a fresh approach yesterday by leaving engine-room Wijnaldum on the substitutes bench.

Summer signings Keita and Fabinho started alongside a more advanced Henderson and it’s fair to say the decision paid dividends for the hosts.

The Liverpool captain thrived in his new-look role, powering forward at every opportunity before eventually providing a moment of ingenuity to give Sadio Mane a gaping goal to head into shortly after half-time.

It was a show of faith from Klopp to start Keita – a player who has not been totally convincing this season – and Henderson in a role which has typically been reserved for Wijnaldum this season, but it was ultimately one which enabled his side to win the midfield battle.

Klopp’s show of faith rewarded

The Guinea international may not have provided a sucker punch akin to Henderson’s cross for the opening goal but his display hinted that he is beginning to full get to grips with the demands of the Premier League.

After a perfectly balanced midfield performance, it now seems Klopp will be faced with a major selection headache in the coming weeks, potentially forcing him to snub Wijnaldum to free up Henderson as an attacking outlet in the final-third.

Klopp’s decision to tweak his captain’s position has already seen him score one goal and provide two assists in his last two league outings and the success he has enjoyed suggests the £36 million rated man, per Transfermarkt, could have a major problem in his endeavour to win his place back.

This is, of course, a nice problem for Klopp to have. With Liverpool hoping to clinch glory in both the Premier League and the Champions League it is vital that he can rely on every member of his squad.

Keita and Henderson both vindicated their manager’s pre-match selection on Sunday; now Wijnaldum is no longer an undisputed first choice option.