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Former Gunners centre forward, currently at Turkish giants, Galatasaray FC, helped them move past their fierce Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce.
The striker swooped at the back post to score what proved to be the crucial goal of an intense clash, and the side stood firm to take the trophy. The solitary goal was enough to send their rivals on their way to a 1-0 Turkiye Kupasi final victory.
Francesco Guidolin is happy to see Swansea City achieve safety in the division following a 3-1 win over Liverpool this weekend.
Even though the club were never really considered as being in a relegation battle going into the last few matches, Guidolin has been very keen on reaching the psychological safety barrier of 40 points. The win over Liverpool means that it is mathematically impossible for Swansea to be relegated. After having secured Premier League football for next campaign,Guidolin says that the club can afford to relax in the remaining two matches.
There is still uncertainty surrounding the future of Guidolin, who was appointed on an interim basis. There have been reports that Swansea are set to be taken over by new owners. Chairman Huw Jenkins has failed to concretely suggested that Guidolin will be provided a permanent position at the club. Irrespective of his future, the 60-year-old has managed to get the club to safety and he will see this achievement with pride. It was only a few years ago that the club won the League Cup under Michael Laudrup, but they have failed to create anything of significance in the last two years.
Despite watching his team extend their winless run to 7 games in the Premier League, manager Rafa Benitez was confident that Newcastle will be able to avoid relegation.
The club remain six points behind Norwich City in the final spot that will guarantee safety. The club’s latest loss came against Southampton, who were chasing a European spot. The 3-1 loss was much more convincing than the defeat against Norwich last week. However, the club may rue dropping points against teams in and around them. Benitez became the replacement for Steve McClaren a few weeks ago, but he is still waiting for his first win.
There was a lot of euphoria surrounding the appointment of Benitez, who has won major trophies like the Europa League and the Champions League. However, this is the first experience of the Spaniard of a relegation struggle. Newcastle’s inability to get a win under the new management will be a worrying aspect for the owners and fans. The club spent heavily in January to try and stay in the division. Players like Anderson Townsend came from Tottenham for £ 12 million, but they have made a little impact on the results. Since the turn of the year, Newcastle have been able to win just two games in the league.
Read moreRafa Benitez was confident that Newcastle will be able to avoid relegation
Eric Dier says that manager Mauricio Pochettino has had a major effect in improving the homegrown players at the club.
Tottenham have had a huge influx of young English players coming into the first-team over the last 12 months. They have had a major influence on the proceedings and this has directly resulted in the club challenging for the league title after a long time. The effect of Tottenham’s homegrown players has even spread into the England national team. Harry Kane and Dele Alli played a starring role in the 3-2 victory for England against archrivals Germany in a friendly game.
It must be important to note that England were trailing 2-0 when the game changed completely at the hands of these two Tottenham stars. They have also been extremely effective in the club’s challenge for the domestic title. There were several players in the England team against Germany who were coached by Pochettino. They included the current Tottenham stars – four names – followed by Nathaniel Clyne and Adam Lallana, who played under the Argentine during his stint at Southampton. Other players who have made an impact at England level after being coached by Pochettino include Calum Chambers, Ryan Mason, and Luke Shaw.
Read moreEric Dier says that Mauricio Pochettino helping in growing New Players
Leicester City supporters can perhaps be forgiven for finally starting to believe that their side can pull off one of the biggest shocks in English football history, after their latest victory over Newcastle United left them five points clear at the top of the table, with just eight games remaining.
Claudio Ranieri’s men have taken the division by storm this campaign, and despite writing off their chances for much of the season, will be looking at their run in with a sense of optimism.
Spurs are aware that their manager is a subject of interest among the big English clubs at the moment and thus, they are thinking of putting an extension offer in front of him in the coming weeks.
Tottenham has played like an absolute champion of a side under their Argentinean manager in the ongoing season and they are within touching distance to the top spot of the points table.
Sky Sports pundit Andy Walker claims that he would sack manager Ronny Deila immediately from his position at Celtic after yet another poor performance in a high-profile match.
The club suffered a 2-1 loss against Aberdeen, who are seen as their main title challengers. The Scottish Premier League title should be a walk in the park for Celtic due to the lack of competition from Rangers, but this has not been the case.Deila came on as a replacement for Neil Lennon and he has struggled to provide consistency to the results.
It has provided opportunities for the likes of Aberdeen to remain in with a chance to win the title with only 12 weeks left in the season. Just a few days after experiencing a 3-1 loss against Ross County in the League Cup, Celtic have suffered another loss in the hands of Aberdeen. This has reduced their advantage in the league table to just three points and it is anyone’s league title now. Walker claimed that Deila had lost the trust of many Celtic fans and that it was time for the manager to go. Poor results in Europe were the first sign of discontent amongst Celtic fans. The club has won the league championship for the last four seasons in a row.
Read moreAndy Walker claims that he would sack manager Ronny Deila
Hubert Fournier has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of Lyon and it’s his deputy Bruno who will take his place on an interim basis.
The decision to sack Fournier came in the aftermath of the defeat at the hands of Ajaccio which stretched Lyon’s winless run to 6 games.
The last time Lyon had won was in November when they had toppled Saint Etienne.
The statement announcing the sacking of Fournier read, “After the failure of the team to meet the expectations of supporters, it’s been decided to make some changes in support staff.”
“The chairman has had a meeting with suitable people in the club and a lot of things (the appointment of overseas technicians etc.) have been taken into consideration. Steps regarding that will be taken soon.”
“For the time being, Bruno will step up to fill the vacancy of the manager and he will carry on for the rest of the season.”
Fournier had taken charge at Lyon in July 2014 and had done a good job on his arrival.
Under him, Lyon had emerged as serious contenders to become the champions in French top flight in 2014-15.
But, Fournier couldn’t quite wave his magic this season.
Lyon struggled for consistency right from the beginning of the summer and apart from a couple of performances, they never quite looked the same team which had done so well the previous season.
Read moreHubert Fournier has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of Lyon
Once the domestic seasons come to a conclusion this year in Europe, the football does not stop there as fans will be treated to the European Championship in France, which begins on June 10 when the hosts kick off against Romania at the Stade de France.
After winning the last two consecutive tournaments, Spain are bidding for a hat-trick of successes in France. Here are the main contenders to lift the trophy this year:-
Germany
World champions Germany will be looking to do the World Cup and European Championship double in France following their victory in Brazil two years ago where they beat Argentina after extra-time in the final.
