ClownTown – Page 9

Tony Mowbray Targets More Intensity from Blackburn in Upcoming Friendlies

August 21, 2018August 13, 2018 by ClownTown

Tony Mowbray says that he is hoping for a much better intensity from Blackburn going forward. Blackburn are preparing for the third pre-season friendly and this will be only the first time that they play at Ewood Park at the start of this campaign. After having getting promoted back to the Championship, Blackburn are hoping for a much better improvement in terms of fortunes. The team has been involved in draws against Port Vale and a win over Hibernian so far in the friendlies. There are still a couple of friendlies against the likes of Liverpool and Everton to look forward to for Mowbray and his team.

The new campaign for Blackburn begins in the first week of August when the team takes on Ipswich Town at Portman Road. Mowbray may expect a greater intensity due to the increasing level of fitness for the players. After starting out in a slow and decisive fashion, Blackburn will be building up their fitness levels in the next few weeks. This bodes well for the start of the season. So far in the summer transfer window, Blackburn have been relatively quiet. They have brought in highly rated youngsters Joe Rodwell and Jacob Davenport, while Elliott Ward and Liam Feeney have left the club from last campaign. It was extremely important that the club spent only one campaign in League One.

Roberto Mancini Admits Desire To Coach Italy National Team

June 9, 2018June 9, 2018 by ClownTown

Roberto Mancini has claimed that it will be a proud moment to be announced as the coach of the Italian national team but he has admitted that there has been no job offer just yet. Mancini is widely known for managing the likes of Inter Milan and Manchester City, but he has been out of favour in the top level European leagues. As a result, he has been in charge of Zenit St Petersburg in recent times.

There has been a growing desire from Mancini to return top-level European football and it seems that this may come in the form of a national team managerial role. Italy have had a disappointing few years and this has culminated in the team failing to reach the World Cup 2018. As a result, the national team is expected to undergo vast changes in terms of personnel and structure.

Arsenal Announce Long-Term Contract For Egypt International

May 30, 2018May 30, 2018 by ClownTown

Arsenal have confirmed that they have rewarded midfielder Mohamed Elneny with a new long-term deal. The Egypt international has been with the club for more than two seasons, and he has now penned a fresh contract which has prolonged his stay beyond the stipulated length of the previous deal, that was due to expire in June 2020.

A statement released by the club read: “We’re pleased to announce that Mo Elneny has signed a new long-term contract with the club. The midfielder has made 65 appearances for us since joining in January 2016. He began his senior career with El Mokawloon in the Egyptian Premier League before joining Swiss club Basel in 2013, helping them to three Super League titles. Mo is an experienced international and was part of the squad that recently helped Egypt qualify for this summer’s World Cup – their first appearance since 1990.”

Fernandinho Extends Man City Contract

May 16, 2018May 16, 2018 by ClownTown

Manchester City has decided to appreciate one of their consistent performers over the years in Fernandinho. The club offered him a new deal and the player has agreed to extend his stay at the club. He is now bound to the club until the summer of year 2020, based on the new terms.

The Brazilian has been a key component of the club through various leaderships over the years. He has been very helpful as the Citizens have a 12-point gap in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola sees Fernandinho as “one of the best three holding midfielders in the world.” He has praised the quality of Fernandinho, adding that himself would not have made the team during his days.

Thibaut Courtois Committed To Chelsea For At Least One More Season

May 9, 2018 by ClownTown

Belgium international Thibaut Courtois has stressed that he is committed to Chelsea for the remainder of his contract. The 25-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid in recent months with the European champions said to be planning a squad overhaul of their squad. Earlier last month, Courtois cited that his heart is in Madrid where his children are presently resided, but he has now clarified that he will remain with the Blues for the final year of his contract.

He told Evening Standard: “I’m committed to Chelsea. I have a contract until next year and I will be here. I will do my best for it. Obviously there is no extension signed but I don’t think now is the moment to do it. I think it is better to wait until the end of the season. All I can say is I’m committed to Chelsea and also committed for next year. I have no other thing to say. It’s easy when you have only one year remaining that other people might say something.”

Alvaro Morata wary of Lionel Messi threat

April 28, 2018April 12, 2018 by ClownTown

Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata is fearful of the threat from Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi ahead of their Champions League round of 16 tie this month. The Blues ended a run of two winless games with a 3-0 triumph over West Bromwich Albion.

In an interview with Movistar, Morata warned his teammates that Messi can’t be stopped on the playing field, and the Blues may have to play a defensive game at Stamford Bridge in order to avoid conceding an away goal which often proves costly in the knockout stage, he said: “Messi can’t be stopped. If we can get a good result here, we have to play a defensive game with spaces and try to bother them as much as possible.”

Juventus Still Monitoring Liverpool Midfielder

January 30, 2018 by ClownTown

Juventus are still looking at the possibility of bringing in Liverpool midfielder Emre Can, as per the club’s chief executive Giuseppe Marotta. The 23-year-old is an attractive prospect for several clubs, as his contract comes to an end in the next six months. Liverpool have been unable to persuade him to a new contract, and the German has been high on the shopping list of Juventus for the last one year. It was anticipated that Emre Can would be making the switch to Turin even as early as in the summer, but Liverpool resisted the lure to sell him.

Now, the Merseyside outfit will have learnt that there is almost zero chance of Can staying in extending his contract with the club. It would effectively mean that they would lose a £ 20 million player on a free transfer. Rather than go through such a situation, there are signs that Liverpool may be interested in a potential deal. Emre Can has been hit by injury problems this season and it has restricted him to only 11 league appearances so far. He was unavailable for the recent 4-0 victory over Bournemouth as a result of suspension.

KLOPP CALLS OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN “DYNAMITE”

January 8, 2018January 8, 2018 by ClownTown

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has praised Alex Oxlade Chamberlain’s displays since joining the club from Arsenal in the summer calling them “dynamite.”

The powerful midfielder signed a five-year deal with the Reds in August in a deal of around £40m. When he left the Gunners he was a first-team regular but has managed just the one full game so far in his time at Anfield.

Alexis Sanchez treatment down to fitness – Arsene Wenger

November 9, 2017 by ClownTown

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that Alexis Sanchez’s low-key start to the season has nothing to do with his collapsed move to Manchester City earlier in the summer.

The Chile international has been used as a late substitute in recent Premier League outings, although he has looked fit enough to complete a full game in the Europa League and League Cup.

Sources have suggested that Sanchez could have a problem with his attitude which may have restricted his gametime but Wenger has rubbished those claims by insisting that his attacker needed more time to get back to his old self.

He said: “Not at all. That’s going into very quick conclusions. Alexis Sanchez has been out injured and I thought he was still a bit short on Sunday physically. I played him last night to give him competition. I just try to get him back to full fitness, and for me the Europa League and League cup are important as well. I gave him a long holiday, this year he had a real rest. He came back not really fit and then he got injured. The injury plus rest time was a bit long, but last night you could see he’s coming back sharp now.”