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England had to be patient but eventually eased to a 2-0 victory to begin the German tactician's tenure and their World Cup qualifying campaign

Is it too early to say football's coming home? Definitely, yes. Nevertheless, Thomas Tuchel's quest for 2026 World Cup glory got off to a winning start as England opened their qualifying campaign with a hard-earned 2-0 victory over Albania at Wembley on Friday night, with teenage debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly on the scoresheet.

It took the Arsenal prospect just 20 minutes to net his first-ever England goal – becoming the Three Lions' youngest-ever debut scorer in the process. The 18-year-old left-back ran onto a fine Jude Bellingham through ball and coolly rolled the ball between the onrushing goalkeeper's legs.

Tuchel's men could, and perhaps should, have doubled their lead before the break, but Harry Kane's effort was miraculously blocked as he followed up a point-blank save from a Bellingham attempt, and another debutant, Dan Burn, crashed a header against the crossbar.

The second period was a little more ragged as Albania tested their hosts on the break, but Kane calmed any England nerves with 13 minutes to play as he expertly controlled a lofted pass and swept the ball into the bottom corner.

GOAL rates England's players from Wembley Stadium…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Jordan Pickford (6/10):

  Dealt with one awkward high ball, albeit untidily, but this was generally a watching brief for the stopper.

  Kyle Walker (6/10):

  Routine stuff for the veteran, whose inclusion here, and indeed in the squad, raised some eyebrows. Regularly supported attacks and his recovery pace is still very useful.

  Ezri Konsa (7/10):

  Wasn't asked too many questions defensively but went about his work with a minimum of fuss. Made a huge last-ditch challenge that might have saved England's blushes.

  Dan Burn (6/10):

  An England debut to follow Newcastle's League Cup triumph – what a week for Burn. The giant Geordie unsurprisingly gobbled up almost every aerial ball, made a couple of big blocks and came so close to a memorable goal. Tested a little more in the second half.

  Myles Lewis-Skelly (8/10):

  A senior Three Lions bow for the 18-year-old and he marked it with the coolest of finishes through the keeper's legs. The stuff of dreams. Typically composed otherwise.

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  Midfield

  Declan Rice (7/10):

  Tasked with mopping up any England attacks that broke down and recycling the ball – a job he did expertly. His set-piece deliveries caused problems, and he picked out Kane with a lofted assist.

  Curtis Jones (5/10):

  Busied himself as the box-to-box midfielder and picked up some useful positions, but slightly lacked a cutting edge in the form of a final pass.

  Jude Bellingham (8/10):

  Roamed around menacingly and was the lock-picker, dissecting the Albanian defence with a beautiful slide-rule assist for Lewis-Skelly after rolling his man. Such an attacking threat.

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  Attack

  Phil Foden (4/10):

  Really needs to follow some of his team-mates' leads and take games like this by the scruff of the neck, but he let the match pass him by before being hooked.

  Harry Kane (7/10):

  Couldn't believe he hadn't scored when his first-half strike was miraculously blocked, but wasn't to be denied as he slotted home a customary goal after some wonderful control.

  Marcus Rashford (5/10):

  Started brightly, combining neatly with Bellingham, but faded in the second period and was guilty of not taking enough risks on his return to the side.

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  Subs & Manager

  Anthony Gordon (5/10):

  Got into some good areas. Injured right on the full-time whistle, though.

  Jarrod Bowen (5/10):

  Didn't have long to make much of an impact.

  Morgan Rogers (6/10):

  Looked adventurous and helped to see out the game.

  Jordan Henderson (N/A):

  On late as he returned to the fold.

  Reece James (N/A):

  On for the last knockings.

  Thomas Tuchel (7/10):

  England were in control from the first whistle and delivered the expected win. There are issues to iron out but this was a promising start.

Everton felt the effects of a manager bounce in the Premier League this afternoon. Sadly, it was Manchester United who enjoyed the fruits of a new head coach, blowing the Toffees away 4-0 at Old Trafford.

The ice is rapidly thinning beneath Sean Dyche’s feet, with honking defensive errors and a total disjointedness sending the visitors tail-spinning back to Merseyside.

December has arrived, and so too has a forbidding run of fixtures that could prove too much for Dyche’s slipping grip on the manager’s seat.

There’s little to be positive about, candidly, albeit with some promising attacking efforts on show in the first half. At the back, however – misery.

Everton's defenders toil

The Theatre of Dreams served up a nightmare for Everton, whose absence of confidence and cohesion was evident through the battering handed out by United’s regenerated frontline.

Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski formed one of the steeliest defensive axes in the English top flight last term, but such solidity has melted away since the summer, and shortcomings were brutally highlighted against a United attack that demonstrated a hitherto unseen clinical edge.

Neither centre-back did themselves justice, shipping four and both at fault for goals. Branthwaite looked like a titanic star worthy of the £75m price tag that dissuaded Man United from signing him in the summer, but he was pickpocketed by Amad Diallo to make it 2-0.

Tarkowski, conversely, struggled throughout. The screech of the final whistle proved to be a blessing for the 33-year-old, making two errors and being lambasted for his “embarrassing” efforts by journalist Dave Downie.

Both centre-halves flattered to deceive, but neither was actually the poorest defender of the afternoon – after all, contrary to plausibility, they won ten out of 12 contested duels between them.

The weakest link would be Vitalii Mykolenko.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

Vitalii Mykolenko might have cost Dyche his job

Mykolenko has started 11 Premier League matches this season, but he’s struggling to lay down his marker for the left-back berth in the coming years.

If Dyche’s days are indeed numbered, the Ukrainian’s might be too.

Voting him as the worst performer of the day, The Liverpool ECHO branded Mykolenko with a dismal 3/10 match rating, with correspondent Chris Beesley brutally claiming that he was ‘hopelessly out of position on far too many occasions,’ also criticising his ‘personal nightmare on a day of collective woes.’

Wandering into lands uncharted and leaving acres of space for orchestrator Bruno Fernandes to exploit, it was a terrible showing from the full-back, whose inability to stand firm in the duel – losing four of five battles, as per Sofascore – exacerbated his struggles and then some.

It’s pouring for the Toffees alright. With such a tough run of fixtures up ahead, Everton might find their manager hoisted from his seat in short time, with the horror shows of players such as Mykolenko rendering his tactical ideas negligible, and closing the door, perhaps, on a bleak era.

TFG could make Ndiaye unplayable by hiring "special" new Everton manager

Sean Dyche’s position at Everton looks more tenuous by the matchweek.

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By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 26, 2024

INDIVISA looks at 14 athletes that are leading the way in the 2025 NWSL season

The 2025 NWSL season is here, and with it some key players looking to make major contributions for their squads, both on and off the field. There is a palpable momentum across all of women's sports, with female athletes being celebrated simply as athletes – no qualifiers, no limits.

INDIVISA looks at 14 athletes – all of which were part of Nike's 2025 NWSL kit release – that are leading the charge.

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  Ally Watt: Orlando Pride

  Ally Watt already has one goal in the 2025 NWSL season, coming in a 6-0 onslaught the Orlando Pride brought on Chicago in the season opener. She started, building off of a season in which she came on strong down the stretch and finished with three goals and one assist.

  With each season in the NWSL, Watt is improving her play, and she provided three postseason assists en route to the Pride winning the NWSL championship in 2024. With her speed and defensive work rate, Watt provides value on the wing and as a backup to Barbra Banda at striker.

  If Orlando wants to look to repeat this season what they did last year, Watt will need to continue her steady improvements and truly establish herself as one of the team’s best players.

  “To score more goals, just have the confidence in the box,” Watt told INDIVISA of what she’s done in the offseason to increase her output. “And just be hungry. I think that’s what we’ve as the Pride have been, is putting in our minds we’re always going to stay hungry. So I need to have that mindset to be a hunter in the box.”

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  Racheal Kundananji: Bay FC

  Commanding one of the highest-paid transfer fees ever, Racheal Kundananji is one of Bay FC’s top players alongside Asisat Oshoala, with the duo leading the front line. With her four assists and five goals, Kundananji led Bay last year.

  But five goals on 81 shots is a low percentage, and Kundananji wants to be more efficient with her finishing this year.

  "I feel like I missed a lot of chances. This year, I won't promise anything, but just watch out,” the forward told ESPN.

  After making the playoffs in their first NWSL season, Bay FC will look to continue to contend in the postseason. Kundananji will be a key player. She finished 2024 in fine form, scoring twice and adding two assists in her team’s final three regular season games en route to the playoffs. Look for that only to build in her second NWSL season.

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  Ally Schlegel: Chicago Stars

  With Mallory Swanson unavailable to start the season, Ally Schlegel will be a key player for Chicago this season. Last year she had six non-penalty goals, tying Swanson for the most on the Stars, and her 13 chances were good for second-most.

  Her 0.49 goals per 90, meanwhile, was good for third on the team. She excels in clearing the ball and had 3.67 aerials won per 90 last season, making her particularly useful in the midfield, and her being a threat in the attack helps open up options for Chicago’s front line.

  In her third NWSL season, Schlegel will take on an even bigger role. She totaled just 19 shots last season, including eight shots on target. Scoring seven goals on those shots made her one of the team’s most efficient players. She also completed 261 of 387 passes, right up there with Swanson for percentage.

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  Michelle Alozie: Houston Dash

  Michelle Alozie is a player who can do it all, on and off the field. She made headlines in recent years for spending her time researching pediatric cancer when not on a soccer pitch. But when she is playing, she’s one of Houston’s more dynamic stars.

  Alozie excels at carrying the ball forward, having completed 67.9 percent of her passes last year, and her defensive abilities as a forward and defender make her one of the team’s better players when it comes to interceptions and recovering the ball.

  Her versatility will allow her to open up gameplay more for Houston in 2025, which will be a year of growth after the team finished last in 2024.

One of PSG’s first team regulars is now not renewing his contract in the French capital amid interest from Manchester United, according to a new report.

Man Utd transfer news

The January transfer window opens in under two weeks, and this will be Ruben Amorim’s first transfer window as United manager. The new boss will know his squad a little better than he did a few weeks ago, but that doesn’t mean he will be satisfied with the options that are in front of him.

Therefore, there could be a couple of ins and outs in the New Year, as Amorim shapes the squad in his vision. A new goalkeeper could be on the agenda for Amorim and United, as it’s emerged that contact has been made to sign John Victor from Botafogo. United were interested in the Brazilian goalkeeper last week, but now they have made official contact in their bid to secure his signature.

Man Utd and INEOS make offer for £48m star to replace Marcus Rashford

INEOS appear to already have their mind made up on who should replace Rashford if he were to leave.

By
Brett Worthington

Dec 18, 2024

Marcus Rashford’s future at Old Trafford looks very uncertain, and with that, United are looking at potential replacements, and they have made an offer to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao. It would cost INEOS £48million to secure the signing of the Spain international.

Nuno Mendes not renewing his contract amid interest from Man Utd

A new left-back has also been mentioned to be high on the list of United and Amorim priorities, and they now could have a new target in mind. According to Sky Sports German reporter Florian Plettenberg, Manchester United remain strongly interested in signing Nuno Mendes from Paris Saint-Germain.

Mendes, who earns 1,440,000 euros a year (£1.19m), has been with the French champions since the summer of 2021, as he joined from Sporting on loan before joining on a permanent basis a year later. The 22-year-old was a regular in the side in his first two campaigns, but unfortunately, last season he missed a large chunk of the campaign through a hamstring injury.

The left-back, who has won 33 Portugal caps, returned towards the end of last season and has been key for PSG this season when available. Plettenberg has now stated that United remain “strongly” interested in signing Mendes, as they were before he moved to France.

PSG are keen to extend Mendes’ contract, as it runs out in 2026, but as things stand, that isn’t in the plans of the defender. United are among the teams interested in signing Mendes, and the fact that Amorim and Mendes have the same agent could help the Red Devils in securing a transfer. Mendes is among the more expensive options for United when it comes to strengthening their left-back spot.

Newcastle United have been riding the crest of a winter wave over the festive period, utterly mesmerising in their rekindled attacking energy.

The high-class talent at Eddie Howe’s disposal appears to be conducive to success as one of the Premier League’s most exciting outfits, and indeed, even though unrelenting injuries disrupted United’s 2023/24 campaign, they still created chances with frightening consistency.

Newcastle might be flying high right now, but they haven’t exactly been flawless throughout the campaign. It’s been patchy until this recent purple patch, and now it’s all about sustaining it.

With Kieran Trippier, 34, rumoured to be on the move next month, the Magpies could benefit from signing a new right-back to rival Tino Livramento, and PIF appear to have identified the perfect option.

Newcastle transfer news

As reported earlier this week by Italian outlet FirenzeViola, Newcastle could come into the picture for Fiorentina’s Michael Kayode in 2025, having already seen an offer rejected for the right-back over the summer

Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are also said to have bids rebuffed for the up-and-coming star – who had been valued at €30m (£25m) – yet the Serie A side may now be open to offloading the youngster.

Kayode is frustrated at his lack of game time this season but this snag hasn’t dissuaded unnamed English parties, who view the 20-year-old as a top talent who could be willed into a sensation over the coming years.

Why Newcastle want Michael Kayode

Though it’s right that Trippier moves on for pastures new at this twilit part of his storied career, it’s clear that Livramento lacks the kind of playmaking prowess that contributed instrumentally to United’s creative spark last season.

That’s not to say that Kayode is an assist machine. The young ace differs from the English veteran, averaging 0.6 key passes per game in Serie A last season, as per Sofascore. However, he also averaged four ball recoveries per game, completing 87% of his passes and winning 63% of his ground duels.

Analyst and keen Serie A viewer Ben Mattinson hailed the defender as a “duel monster,” with his defensive quality something to be admired given his age and comparative inexperience.

As per FBref, Kayode ranked among the top 12% of Serie A full-backs last season for tackles won (2.32) per 90, so you can really see that the protective part of the job is something that he embraces.

That’s not to say that Kayode lacks in other departments, with his pace and power also suggesting that he could shape into a complete player over the coming years. He needs a platform to build upon, and Newcastle could offer him the perfect one.

Given that the Tynesiders have found a pleasing degree of success in the Italian transfer market with the resurgent Sandro Tonali, this might be a deal worth pursuing.

Howe's next Sandro Tonali

Newcastle’s neck of the woods hasn’t always been a place of prosperity, but there’s no doubting the ambition that has rewritten the club’s narrative over the past several years.

Howe’s system has married into PIF’s vision without seam, and though United have been pulled back multiple times by the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, shrewd investments and resourceful methods have allowed Newcastle to keep a hold of their prized assets.

However, recent reports suggest that Tonali could be on the move at the end of the season, with Serie A sides keen on completing a deal and the Toon potentially forced to comply so to avoid the latest wave of PSR concerns.

Keeping Tonali on the books is important, for the 24-year-old has “changed the whole dynamic of the team” – as per Sky Sports’ Keith Downie – in recent weeks due to his fine form in the deep-sat midfield position, controlling and influencing.

He’s got an air of style about him, carried over from the Italian scene, and this is why Newcastle must forge ahead with the signing of Kayode, who would certainly seek to emulate his countryman at St. James’ Park.

Fiorentina president Daniel Prade even hailed him as an “extraordinary” prospect last term, while his former boss Vincenzo Italiano praised him for being an up-and-comer who “fears nothing.”

If such boldness can be translated to life on English shores, there’s every chance that Kayode will indeed find a place in Newcastle’s first team, strengthening the Italian contingent and adding even more flair to an outfit starting to remould itself with Tonali in the middle.

Newcastle saw a bid rejected for Kayode in the summer and have since replenished their interest. It feels like the stars could align regarding this one, especially since he’s out of sorts with Fiorentina, who have slashed their asking price to a bargain €15m (£13m), as per the earlier report.

He would provide relief for Livramento and perhaps even forge a bond with his compatriot Tonali, who has recently operated at number six but typically picks a place on the right edge of the central midfield.

Only time will tell, but with Premier League rivals also sniffing around, Newcastle must act swiftly to secure the signing of an exciting talent.

Move over Bruno & Isak: 8/10 star has changed Newcastle’s ”whole dynamic"

Newcastle’s purple patch continued with a Boxing Day victory over Aston Villa.

By
Angus Sinclair

Dec 26, 2024

Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho has been slammed by Galatasaray as they claim that the 'Special One' is 'destroying' Turkish football.

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• Mourinho attacks Galatasaray boss
• Could be banned for over 10 games
• Galatasaray make sensational statment

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mourinho took the spotlight after Fenerbahce's 2-1 loss to rivals Galatasaray in the Turkish Cup quarter-final for all the wrong reasons. The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss appeared to be in an argument with Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk, but as the latter walked away, Mourinho put his hand on Buruk's face and grabbed his nose, causing the Turkish coach to go down before Fenerbahce's staff pulled away the 'Special One'.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  There has been a lot of controversy in Turkey over Mourinho's 'physical attack' on Buruk, and a potential 10-game ban for the Portuguese coach has also been discussed. Galatasaray have now released a sensational statement attacking Mourinho and his 'damaging' effect on Turkish football.

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  WHAT GALATASARAY'S STATEMENT READ

  On Friday, Galatasaray released a statement that read: "The damage done to the country's football by the rival team's technical director, who came with the hope of contributing to Turkish football, has been increasing rapidly for the last 8 months. Instead of coming out and apologizing on behalf of this person, who is registered in the world football community due to such inappropriate events in the past, we are sorry that we had to respond to a statement made as if mocking the intelligence of the Turkish football community.

  "May God not force anyone to defend a shameful attack on the name of sports that took place before the eyes of the world, just so that the coach can receive a light punishment. We are sadly watching this pitiful situation that those who tried to give us moral lessons yesterday have fallen into today, and we are once again ashamed on behalf of them and Turkish football."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR MOURINHO?

  The incident is now under review, and it is a possibility that Mourinho could be banned for an extended period. Additionally, his season could now be over if his assault is found too aggressive.

Tottenham Hotspur have approached Barcelona over signing a highly-rated member of Hansi Flick’s squad, and he would be quite the addition for Spurs as Ange Postecoglou looks to reinforce his ranks in January.

Ange Postecoglou pleads for January signings at Tottenham

Postecoglou has admitted in the build up to next month’s transfer window, which opens tomorrow, that the Lilywhites are in dire need of more options to get them through the 2024/2025 campaign.

Ange considers cut-price January deal for ex-Man City defender at Tottenham

The Australian has been made aware that he could be available next month.

By
Emilio Galantini

Dec 28, 2024

Destiny Udogie suffered a hamstring problem against Wolves, adding to the club’s injury woes, with Postecoglou lamenting the club’s inability to rotate and over-reliance on a core group of players.

“Yeah, I think it was a hamstring,” said Postecoglou on Udogie’s current condition after their 2-2 draw with Wolves.

“Again, like I said, we’ve been relying on a core group of players because we just haven’t had the ability to rotate so at some point it was going to catch up with us. Unfortunately, it caught up with Destiny.”

Udogie joins Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert on the treatment table, with Rodrigo Bentancur and Djed Spence also suspended from action.

This has left Postecoglou with a paper-thin squad ahead of their looming clashes with Newcastle United and Arsenal just after the new year, and Tottenham’s head coach is adamant that the club are working hard to bring in fresh options.

“In the context of where we’re at at the moment, I think it is an important one, because if we add what we need to add, and it fits the bill in what we’re trying to do… our league position is not great, but it’s super tight and we’re not that far off,” said Postecoglou on the January window.

“Like I say, we’re in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and still in great position in Europe and there’s the FA Cup. There’s still everything to play for for us this year to make it a season where we can have success, but we need some help, the players need some help, more importantly, and the club is working really hard to try to make that happen.”

Tottenham make approach to sign Barcelona star Dani Olmo in January

According to Mundo Deportivo, the north Londoners are now looking to take advantage of the precarious situation concerning Dani Olmo and his future at Barca.

The Spaniard, as things stand, is free to leave at zero cost on January 1 – with Barcelona given until 23:59 tonight to register Olmo in time for the second half of 2024/2025.

Barca have seen multiple appeals to register him rejected, due to La Liga’s strict salary cap preventing them doing so, and the prospect of him departing with no ties is now becoming more and more real.

This has alerted N17 figureheads, with Tottenham approaching Barcelona over signing Olmo, as they sense a chance to seal a mid-season deal for nothing.

The former RB Leipzig star would be quite a capture, but Postecoglou’s side will have to cope with mounting interest in the £149,000-per-week forward from other elite sides.

Cruz Azul defeated the Águilas 2-1 to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.

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• They will face Tigres next
• The striker scored his sixth goal of the tournament
• The Celestes and will meet again this Saturday

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  On Monday, Ángel Sepúlveda stated that he felt the responsibility of being the goalscorer Cruz Azul needed to eliminate América in the Champions Cup. His comments weren’t just words – on Tuesday night, he backed them up by scoring a brace at Estadio Olímpico Universitario to help his team advance to the semifinals.

  "We don't focus on shutting people up, we focus on working. There's a history that people don't forget easily, we deserved this. The other series have been very tight, and some very questionable," he insisted

  For Sepúlveda and his teammates, the matchup had a sense of revenge, as América had defeated them in the Clausura 2024 Final and the Apertura 2024 semifinals. The striker also acknowledged the impact of Vicente Sánchez as the team’s coach.

  "Today it's my turn to prove it on the field; in the end, many times words are carried away by the wind," he said. "Today, I feel very motivated. Vicente's arrival has given us that extra push, maybe not the same style we had before, but now we flow. In the end, that's it—the team is confident, united, and today is a great reward."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Sepúlveda delivered on his words from the pre-match press conference ahead of the return leg of the Champions Cup quarterfinal between Cruz Azul and América. ended dominance and is now in the final stages of the CONCACAF tournament. Sánchez's work has been questioned at times, but the truth is that the Uruguayan coach has brought joy back to the team following the sudden departure of Martín Anselmi, just as the Clausura 2025 was beginning.

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  WHAT VICENTE SÁNCHEZ SAID

  "Beating a great rival motivates us even more. We’re going with a lot of excitement and respect for the next opponent, but we’re very hopeful. Now, it's time to enjoy and tomorrow we’ll do an assessment and see how the players are doing," said the Uruguayan after Cruz Azul's victory.

  "We faced a great rival, today the two most successful teams in the tournament faced each other. It was always going to be a match like this, tightly contested. Honestly, it's exciting to have faced such a great rival."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CRUZ AZUL?

  The team coached by Sánchez will visit América this Saturday in the 15th round of the Clausura 2025, aiming to secure their spot in the final phase. currently sits in third place with 28 points and has not lost a Liga MX match since Week 7, when they fell 2-1 to Tigres. Since that defeat, they have accumulated five wins and one draw.

Jose Mourinho has revealed one of his players from Chelsea's 2004/05 side messaged him to claim they could beat Enzo Maresca's team even now.

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• Mourinho: "We are still a team"
• 20 years since Blues first Premier League title
• Chelsea conceded just 15 goals in 2004/05 season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mourinho revealed the tongue-in-cheek text exchange during an interview that he, John Terry and Frank Lampard conducted with The Telegraph, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Blues' first Premier League title.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Special One didn't name the player, but he did say the ace was pushing 45-years-old. Mourinho's Chelsea were never short on confidence, taking on their manager's persona en route to a then-record 95 point tally.

• WHAT JOSE MOURINHO SAID

  Mourinho said: "One of these players of 2004-05, a few weeks ago, when Chelsea played Arsenal. One of the guys wrote me a message. I won’t tell you who it is, but the guy is now, I say, 45 years old, something like that. All of them are more or less 45. And one of them wrote to me, it was not John or Frank, and told me ‘boss, if you got together the 2004-05 team now and went on a training camp for two weeks, we would beat the current Chelsea team’.

  "Of course, it was a joke. But this was a message of we were so good, we were so, so strong that 45 years old, we train for two weeks and we beat the current Chelsea team. Between us, we are still a team.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  The Chelsea defence of 2004/05, marshalled by Terry and his centre half partner Ricardo Carvalho, remain the Premier League's greatest rearguard. The Blues conceded just 15 goals during their campaign.

Wolves have found themselves in a relegation battle this season, already losing 11 games in their opening 19 Premier League fixtures, only winning four times thus far.

Having conceded the joint most goals in the division so far this season, with 42 goals shipped in 19 games (joint with Leicester), it’s clear Wolves need defensive reinforcement if they want to survive.

Max Kilman was sold in the summer, joining West Ham for a fee of around £40m. Alongside this, Wolves have also lost Yerson Mosquera to injury, leaving them light at the back, which could see investment in this area during the January window.

Wolves looking at new defender

According to Sky Sports earlier this week, Lens defender, Kevin Danso, is Wolves’ top centre-back target in the January transfer window. The club is looking to support new manager, Vitor Pereira, as much as they can ahead of the second half of the campaign, looking to strengthen their defence as a priority area.

The 26-year-old did spend some time in England previously, with a loan spell at Southampton in the 2019/20 season, making just ten appearances for the club, providing one assist, contributing to three clean sheets and totalling 602 minutes on the field.

Danso has made 12 appearances so far this season for Lens, contributing to five clean sheets in his 1,080 minutes. The addition of the centre-half would be a welcome sight for Wolves fans, who are still hoping for an ample replacement for their 2023/24 club captain.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Danso vs Kilman comparison

Kilman made 44 appearances for Wolves last season, scoring two goals, providing one assist, and contributing to eight clean sheets. Not only this, but the 27-year-old was also the club captain, making it an even bigger loss.

Coincidentally, via FBref’s “similar players” feature, the closest comparison to Kilman’s profile is Danso, who has been labelled as “superb” by Alex Barker from The Athletic.

As you can see when comparing the two defenders’ underlying numbers this season, Kilman has shown slightly more ability to progress play with both his carrying and passing ability. He has also shown slightly more accuracy in his passing, completing more of his passes successfully, albeit with fewer attempted per 90.

But it is actually Danso who is averaging more defensive actions per 90, winning more tackles, making more blocks, more interceptions, and even winning more aerial duels, with a whopping 3.30 per 90.

Danso could be exactly what Pereira needs in order to guide Wolves away from the relegation zone, after earning seven points from their last three games.

These results have helped Wolves climb to 17th place, but sitting just one point above Ipswich, January recruitment could be the key to staying there.

Dream first Pereira signing: Wolves could land "exquisite" Larsen upgrade

Vitor Pereira could welcome in this exciting new player as his first signing at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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By
Kelan Sarson

Dec 31, 2024