Category Uncategorized

MatériaMais Notícias

Após o empate com o Goiás pela Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro na noite de terça-feira, os jogadores do Vasco desembarcaram no fim da manhã desta quarta-feira no Aeroporto Internacional Tom Jobim, no Rio de Janeiro, com confiança para a sequência do trabalho. Mesmo com o mesmo número de pontos do segundo colocado na luta pelo acesso à elite, os vascaínos falaram no jogo de sexta-feira, contra o Joinville, e da semana que vem, diante do Santos, pela volta das oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil.

– Fico feliz pelo gol, não pelo resultado. Poderia ter sido a vitória, ajudaria mais a nossa equipe. Mas acontece. Goiás é um time de Série A, como o Vasco. Um jogo igual. Se estivéssemos na primeira divisão, o empate teria sido considerado bom. O importante é o time jogar bem. Isso que faz o Vasco ter chances de gol e vencer. Acredito que a equipe está melhorando. Esse gol saiu em um momento bom, mas não é a minha função. É trabalhar pois sexta-feira tem o Joinville em casa e depois tem o Santos, e vamos aumentar a nossa confiança – afirmou Marcelo Mattos, autor do gol do Vasco, tendo a opinião compartilhada por Nenê:

– Saímos com um gosto amargo. A vitória era muito importante, tomamos um gol no fim. Mas faz parte, temos que trabalhar. Temos que ter mais intensidade. Visando nos distanciar ainda mais do quinto colocado e ficar mais tranquilo. É importante a presença do torcedor. É uma coisa que sempre precisamos, ainda mais jogando em casa. Temos que ir com tudo na sexta. Ir com confiança diante do Joinville para ir com uma maior ainda diante do Santos na semana que vem.

Os jogadores do Vasco seguiram direto do aeroporto para São Januário de olho no trabalho regenerativo, já em preparação para a partida de sexta-feira, 21h30, diante do Joinville. A última atividade da equipe comandada por Jorginho será na tarde desta quinta-feira, também no estádio. Vale lembrar que para esta partida o treinador conta com a volta do zagueiro Rodrigo, que cumpriu suspensão diante do Goiás.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalVeja como ficou a Seleção das Estatísticas da Série B após a 25ª rodadaFutebol Nacional14/09/2016VascoAntes protagonista, Nenê procura ritmo para voltar a brilhar no VascoVasco14/09/2016VascoJorginho cita melhora do Vasco no segundo tempo em empate foraVasco14/09/2016

Writing on Twitter, Liverpool correspondent James Pearce of the Athletic has pointed out that Fabinho’s return to his usual midfield spot has offered hope for the Reds to potentially salvage something from their season – prompting plenty of discussion in reply. 

Fabinho has often been deployed as a centre-half by manager Jurgen Klopp with defensive injuries having ravaged his squad, with the likes of Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez out for extended periods. 

Absences for key men at the back prompted an emergency January transfer mission by Liverpool to cope, as both Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies were signed on deadline day. 

One of the symptoms surrounding Klopp’s lack of options in defence has been Fabinho having to assume a makeshift centre-back role this season, with Pearce shedding light on how the Brazilian’s return to his usual midfield slot can now bolster Liverpool’s hopes of a strong finish to the campaign.

Flocking to debate the journalist’s insight, many Reds had their say on the 27-year-old – find all of their verdicts down below.

Liverpool fans flock to Pearce tweet

“Fabinho was absolutely fantastic last night. His presence brought a better balance in midfield and allowed us to see the potential of what Thiago could achieve.”

Credit: @MartinMcCourt8

“Scandalously underrated signing. Alison and van dijk get all the plaudits but he was just as important. Missed him all season”

Credit: @Jamesy34766993

“I’ll take a midfield to the end of the season of Fabinho, Thiago and Wijnaldum.”

Credit: @vincent_paver

“He is every bit as important as Virgil and Alisson.”

Credit: @marco_polol

“Klopp as usual was stubborn in bringing Fab back to midfield. Glad he’s learnt his lesson. Great to see the team perfect performance. Front 3 must be clinical hence forth and we’re good.”

Credit: @ericzubair

“It took him 3 months to put Fabinho back in midfield. Ridiculous.”

Credit: @LFC_000

“Counting on him being a cb replacement in the summer was a massive mistake, Not replacing Lovren instead.”

Credit: @ScruffylookingP

“Wow James have you just worked that out”

Credit: @pauljred

In other news: Liverpool fans also had their say on an emerged transfer claim, find out more here.

Former West Bromwich Albion player Paul Scharner has suggested he would be eager to return to the Baggies in the role of Technical Director.

Scharner spent just two seasons with West Brom between 2010 and 2012, but he earned himself a place in the hearts of the supporters thanks to his desire and commitment on the field. He also had plenty of talent, having made 40 appearances for Austria throughout his career.

On the Liquidator podcast recently, Scharner was asked what he would do to restructure the club, and he gave a clear and precise answer. The Official Croatian West Brom Supporters Twitter account asked whether fans would like to see him take up the role of Technical Director, currently held by Luke Dowling, and when Scharner himself replied saying he would be up for it, the fans confirmed they would love to see him return to the Hawthorns.

The fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Scharner below

“Now this. This could be sensational”

Credit: @MattS_121098

“didn’t think i could love him anymore”

Credit: @joebell45

“Please come”

Credit: @ftblchaz

“Get him in ASAP”

Credit: @Luis_C11

“COME HOME KING”

Credit: @ConnormooreWba

“I bought into everything Paul said… I’m sold”

Credit: @dunnda

In other news, West Brom failed in a move for this striker in January.

After clinching an impressive away victory at Leeds United at the weekend, Aston Villa suffered a hugely disappointing defeat against Sheffield United on Wednesday night.

Dean Smith’s side boasted an incredible 72% possession, but could only manage a measly four shots on target in the entire 90 minutes, with Aaron Ramsdale rarely tested.

One man who will surely have the Villa boss worried, is Ahmed Elmohamady.

The veteran full-back has been in the team lately due to Matty Cash being out injured, and after being criticised by Smith for his role in the defeat to Leicester City, looked out of sorts once again on Wednesday.

He lost possession a whopping 20 times over the course of the game, almost double that of his season average of 10.6 per match in the Premier League this season.

The £45k-a-week earning Elmohamady was incredibly wasteful with his deliveries into the box, failing to find the target with any of the six crosses that he attempted, while he didn’t manage a single successful dribble either – a complete non-entity going forward.

Writing in his post-match player ratings, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece said: “Endured a really slow start and was poor throughout the first half, which encapsulated with a series of under-hit passes with one putting McGinn in trouble as McGoldrick scythed him down. Lacked any kind of belief tonight and was given a few ticking offs by Konsa next to him for the lack of an out-ball. Grew more comfortable as United defended what they had after going down to 10 men.

“However, on this showing, you’d say Matty Cash will have his starting shirt back once he’s back fit again. It was Elmohamady who fell asleep at the back post for McGoldrick’s match-winner, don’t forget. That was a lapse in concentration which mirrored his display against Leicester. Not at the races tonight.”

With Cash still out injured, and no real senior option that can play at right-back other than the Egyptian, Smith will surely be worried about that flank going forward, especially given how Elmohamady has already made some big mistakes over the past couple of games already.

Meanwhile, Dean Smith must make a ruthless call on this star…

With Leeds on a run of three straight defeats in all competitions, investing in the playing squad would surely be a good idea.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Mail, the Whites are one of a number of teams interested in signing Swansea midfielder Yan Dhanda.

The 22-year-old is attracting various suitors with Marseille, RB Leipzig and Atalanta, as well as Leeds, all chasing his signature.

Clearly, a move will not be easy to pull off for United, who are apparently aiming to land the £5k-per-week earner this month.

The report states that Leeds could make room for Dhanda by consequently selling Tyler Roberts.

Fixing a problem

Roberts was chased by Derby during the summer and in recent months, has been touted with a switch to Bournemouth.

If Leeds do indeed sign Dhanda then it would surely be the final nail in the coffin for Roberts’ stay at Elland Road.

The Welshman has started just two Premier League outings all term and is clearly out of favour with Marcelo Bielsa. Thus, the addition of another creative spark in midfield would surely bring his stint in Yorkshire to a conclusion.

This wouldn’t be a bad thing, though, especially when you consider the qualities Dhanda can bring to Leeds. He hasn’t played a great deal of senior football under Steve Cooper and thus, has managed just two goal involvements this season.

However, pivotal to Dhanda’s play is his ability to break down teams. That was apparent when the Swans took on QPR. The young midfielder carved out a wonderful defence-splitting pass in behind that helped to break down the low block of the Rs.

As we saw against Brighton, Leeds struggle to create chances against teams who sit back. The Whites didn’t have a single big chance to find the net.

That was largely down to a lack of cutting edge. They managed only four key passes in the entire match – two of which came from the boot of Luke Ayling, something that sums up how bad they were in the final third.

Evidently, Bielsa is in need of more creative flair and Dhanda has demonstrated he can provide that for Swansea this term.

Leeds must wave farewell to Roberts and secure this move.

AND in other news, 11 passes all day: Leeds ace endures nightmare display, Ayling was fuming with him…

Sam Allardyce’s chances of keeping West Brom in the Premier League were dealt a devastating blow on Tuesday night as they were defeated by rock-bottom Sheffield United.

After taking the lead late in the first half through Matty Phillips, the Baggies let the home side come-from-behind to seal all three points at Bramall Lane, leaving them nine points adrift of safety and in a precarious position.

Initially, a direct approach seemed to be working for Big Sam with new signing Mbaye Diagne spearheading the attack, but that evidently went out the window in the second half as Chris Wilder’s men fought back from the brink.

Indeed, the Senegalese frontman, signed on loan from Galatasaray just last week, endured a nightmare of a display in what was his first start in English football.

As per SofaScore ratings, he graded as the worst player on the pitch with a diabolical 5.9 ratings – the only starter to receive a 6.4 or below for either team.

It’s no wonder Allardyce hauled him off just before the 70th-minute mark because the way he was playing was certainly not going to help them find that winner, or equaliser.

The 29-year-old target man was anything but. He won just one of three aerial duels (33%) and failed to win any of his six duels on the ground, meaning he lost a total of 89% of his battles. Lightweight and ineffective, considering his 6 foot 4 colossal frame.

It was a rude-awakening of what the English top-flight may bring as the Blades’ central defensive trio of Ethan Ampadu, John Egan and Chris Basham had the powerhouse in their pocket. with all three graded 7.2 or better, via SofaScore.

Diagne was also caught offside twice, the most of anyone on the pitch whilst he also managed only 21 touches and nine passes, which was fewer than Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone – it was an indication of just how much of a passenger Diagne was for the Baggies, and that spells trouble for Allardyce.

Valued at just £2.88m by Transfermarkt, the Galatasaray striker was brought in to improve their record in front of goal – only three other teams have scored fewer goals than Big Sam’s Baggies – and based on that nightmare evening alone, he’ll struggle to alleviate the problem.

Given Albion’s situation, Diagne needs to hit the ground running fast, so Tuesday’s anonymous outing will surely have Allardyce worried.

AND in other news, Baggies lightweight who lost possession 23x badly let Allardyce down…

David Sullivan must sanction a new contract for Tomas Soucek amid claims Bayern Munich are interested in signing the West Ham United midfielder.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Hammers are set to present Soucek with a bumper new deal to ward off any potential approach from Bayern Munich following the Czech Republic international’s stellar start to life at the London Stadium.

The Irons have been mightily impressed by how Soucek has adapted to the Premier League since joining on an initial loan deal last winter, with the 25-year-old arriving from Slavia Prague having never previously played for a club outside of his native country.

Soucek only penned a £67,308-per-week, three-year contract in the summer after West Ham turned his temporary spell permanent for £19.1million, yet club chiefs are already in discussions with his agent over a potential pay rise as his reputation only continues to grow.

Bayern Munich and a clutch of European clubs are said to be monitoring the Czech Player of the Year, who has scored three goals in 12 Premier League games this season as one of just four players to have played all 1,080 minutes under David Moyes so far.

Sullivan must sanction a deal

While Soucek only penned his current terms in July, Sullivan should see no reason to not sanction West Ham chiefs to offer the midfielder a bumper new deal that better matches his importance to Moyes.

Soucek currently ranks as the seventh-highest earner at the London Stadium with Andriy Yarmolenko and Manuel Lanzini each paid greater sums, despite the pair featuring for just 97 and 62 minutes in the Premier League respectively thus far this term.

The Czech box-to-box titan is pivotal on the pitch beyond his goals which have directly influenced two wins, too, as only winger Jarrod Bowen (30) has registered more shots than Soucek (23) in the top-flight this season, while directing the third-most on target (seven) behind strikers Michail Antonio and Sebastien Haller (nine), per WhoScored.

Soucek, who Moyes lauds as a player who has made an impact since joining in January and believes is “beginning to blossom”, also ranks first by a clear margin for aerial duels contended (116) and won (65), is second only to Vladimir Coufal for successful tackles (21), is third for interceptions (16) and fourth for clearances (28).

Moyes would likely have never imagined Soucek making such an impact when brought to the club last winter, and must urge Sullivan to ignore the potential payday selling the midfielder would bring with the CIES Observatory valuing the 30-cap gem at €50m (£45m).

AND in other news, a £27m-rated West Ham dud is playing on borrowed time after a shocking showing at Leeds United.

Some Manchester United fans have been lauding their interest in signing Dayot Upamecano as SportBild (via Sport Witness) have reported that the Red Devils, Liverpool and Manchester City are considering a move for the RB Leipzig central defender.

Liverpool are of course in desperate need of defensive reinforcements due to injuries to Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk, while Bayern Munich also want to sign him, so Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team may face some tough competition indeed to secure his services.

However, the publication also states that the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League winners are running out of time to sign him and that the Premier League clubs, including the Old Trafford faithful, could fix a deal in the January transfer window.

Upamecano has a €45m (£40.2m) release clause that will come into effect from next summer, and that is certainly a price worth considering for the Red Devils.

The France international has won no fewer than 3.7 of his duels per game in the Bundesliga so far in the 2020/21 term and has also averaged 1.8 clearances and 1.2 tackles per match (Sofascore).

Manchester United fan reaction to Upamecano interest

These Man United supporters lauded the reported interest in Upamecano on Twitter, with one fan highlighting that the 22 year-old is ‘quick’ and therefore could be a good partner for Harry Maguire:

In other news, find out which Man Utd star has had fans jumping out of their seats here!

David Moyes is to show West Ham United’s full force in the transfer market by objecting to interest from Liverpool in defender Issa Diop.

What’s the word?

Diop has emerged as a mid-season target for Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League title-holders, with ExWHUemployee claiming the Reds are ready to pounce on the centre-back’s fall from grace at the London Stadium.

The 23-year-old has played just 27 Premier League minutes since testing positive for coronavirus in September, despite being a firm favourite of Moyes’ plans last term with starting roles in 17 of the Scottish coach’s 19 top-flight matches at the helm.

Diop was omitted from West Ham’s last matchday squad for Watford loanee Craig Dawson, though ExWHUemployee insists the decision was purely tactical with there being no signs of a rift emerging between the defender and manager.

Moyes has doubled down on his commitment to Diop, stating ahead of Wednesday’s London Derby clash with Crystal Palace that the £22.5m-rated centre-half will be going nowhere in the upcoming January window.

“I’ve got no intention in letting any players go. Issa’s one of the players we really like,” said Moyes, via quotes by the Evening Standard

“He started in the team, he picked up the virus at the same time as I did. Fabian Balbuena has come in and played very well, you know that’s what happens in football. But we’ve got no intention whatsoever letting Issa go. None.”

Showing West Ham’s full force

Liverpool may have seen Diop’s decline in Moyes’ pecking order as the perfect opportunity to sign the defender and solve their own issues, with Virgil van Dijk still a “very long” way away from making his return from a knee injury.

Diop’s limited game time this season would have seen West Ham struggle to request any fee near to the £75million they demanded last year amid interest from Manchester United, at a time FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain were also thought to be keen.

Joel Matip is also a doubt for Klopp, after the Cameron international joined Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Thiago Alcantara in the physio’s room after suffering from back spasms, only strengthening Liverpool’s need for options.

But Moyes will show West Ham’s full force in the transfer market by retaining Diop against any interest from Liverpool, proving the London Stadium natives are able to fight off approaches from the best even when the Hammers may appear to be in a weaker position.

Diop remaining in claret and blue for the remainder of the season, at least, will also allow the Irons a chance to see the former Arsenal target rediscover his lost form and drive his market value back up ahead of the summer window when his situation can be reassessed.

It was amid interest from the Gunners that Moyes first spoke of his hope at working with Diop for a few more years, at least, and that clearly remains the case even if the former U21 international is yet to fulfil the potential the Scot saw in him.

“If you ask me, he still has development to do as a young centre-half, he has a long way to go. But I am looking forward to working with him over the next couple of years,” the Irons boss said in January, via quotes by football.london.

AND in other news, West Ham are showing short-term vision in the transfer market by targeting a £52k-p/w star who won’t cost David Sullivan a penny.

Crystal Palace have entered the race to sign Tiemoue Bakayoko in this transfer window.

That’s according to Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, who claim that the Eagles have made an offer to the Chelsea midfielder.

Bakayoko spent the 2019/20 season on loan at Monaco and appears destined to leave the club in the coming weeks.

He made 23 appearances in all competitions and is also wanted by AC Milan, with the Blues looking to receive as much of the £36m they paid for him as possible.

The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

The once-capped France international has made just 43 appearances for Chelsea since his arrival in 2017 and Palace are now ready to go head-to-head with the Italian club to nab him in this window.

Roy Hodgson’s side are said to have approached the player directly and, while there is no hint as to whether a transfer fee has been offered, it is said that Bakayoko will make a decision in the coming days over his next club.

Palace have already signed Ebere Eze from QPR in this window and strengthening the midfield behind the playmaker could be a clever move as the 2020/21 season gets underway.

Bakayoko has a hint of Premier League experience and remains a relatively young player – he turned 26 in August – with a high ceiling.

If Palace are able to bring him in, this would be a coup for the Eagles.