Soccer Fun Zone – Page 3

Arsenal legend defends Romelu Lukaku amid the recent goalscoring drought

February 11, 2020November 10, 2018 by ClownTown

Arsenal legend-turned-pundit Paul Merson has backed Romelu Lukaku to come good for Manchester United despite his recent goal drought. The Belgium international started the season in a good note with four goals coming in no time but he has since gone through a run of eight matches across all competitions for United without scoring.

As such, there has been plenty of criticism labelled towards the former Everton man but Merson feels the blame should be put on the players behind him who have not created enough, he told Sky Sports: “Lukaku went to Manchester United to score bundles of goals and get bundles of chances. He’s playing in a team at the moment, up front, on his own, that are playing like a bottom-half team… a relegation team. He should be getting seven chances a game at Old Trafford. Does he trust the players he’s playing with?”

Zinedine Zidane’s agent dismisses Frenchman’s prospects of joining Manchester United

February 11, 2020October 25, 2018 by ClownTown

The agent of Zinedine Zidane has said that his client may not favour a move to the Premier League in the future. The French tactician has been a free-agent since re-signing from the head coach role with Real Madrid during the summer and this has attracted interest from some of the elite clubs across Europe.

Amidst this, Manchester United have been the ones who have been strongly tipped to pursue his signature but agent Alain Migliaccio does not believe this would be the case. Speaking to Le Journal du Dimanche, Migliaccio said that Zidane would certainly not return to management during the ongoing campaign as he has decided to take a year-long sabbatical.

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.