Football

Roy Hodgson feels Selection was not a Issue with Slovakia

Almost the entire country is critical of his selections for Slovakia game, but, Roy Hodgson is not feeling as if he made any sort of mistake by playing the XI that he played.at Saint Etienne on Monday night.


That decision is not giving Hodgson sleepless nights. He says even that second string unit he used was always on top of the opposition. If the new faces had been lethargic and not in control of the game, he might have wondered if he was correct or not but, they were dominating from the first to the last minute. So, it was alright.

As per England supremo, he did not want any of his players who had already had full 90-minute appearances in the last two matches to push themselves any further as a little more of playing time might have broken them down which, entering the important phases of the competition, would not have held the Three Lions in a confident state.

Read moreRoy Hodgson feels Selection was not a Issue with Slovakia

Francesco Guidolin happy about Swansea City

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.

Read moreFrancesco Guidolin happy about Swansea City

Rafa Benitez was confident that Newcastle will be able to avoid relegation

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 Mauricio Pochettino helping in growing New Players

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

Andy Walker claims that he would sack manager Ronny Deila

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

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

Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that Manchester United will not have it all the way

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that Manchester United will not have it all the way in the Europa league despite being one of the biggest teams in the competition’s knockout stages this season.

Their failure to beat Wolfsburg recently saw United drop into the second-rate European competition. It has been seen as a major embarrassment for many players, who have been consistently used to Champions League football. The likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger won the competition only recently with Bayern Munich. His experience in the Premier European competition is unlikely to count according to Pochettino.

The former Southampton boss says that United can expect unique competition in the Europa league. The prospect of playing on Thursday nights will also be something that the players have to accustom. This has the possibility to dampen their form in the Premier League. Manager Louis van Gaal will be hoping that it is not the case especially since United are in a great position as far as the domestic league is concerned. The Europa league knockout stages do not start until early 2016. This gives Van Gaal some time to build the domestic form. Failure to score goals was seen as the major problem, but lacklustre defending proved to be the reason for downfall against Wolfsburg.

Read moreMauricio Pochettino has claimed that Manchester United will not have it all the way

Where next for Jose Mourinho?

Jose Mourinho’s miserable season at Chelsea finally came to an end just before Christmas as Blues owner Roman Abramovich relieved the Portuguese man of his duties in what was his second spell at the club. Mourinho has managed in four different countries so far in his career, winning eight league titles, the Champions League twice … Read moreWhere next for Jose Mourinho?

Jurgen Klopp secured a credible 0-0 draw against Tottenham in his first match incharge

Jurgen Klopp secured a credible 0-0 draw against Tottenham in his first match incharge of Liverpool. There was plenty of his familiar touches during the game including the intense pressing in order to recover the ball. As the players get used to his way of training, the results are expected to get much better. He was the first choice to replace Brendan Rodgers after the Northern Irishman was sacked just before the last international break. SinceKlopp’s tactics are more or less similar to that of Rodgers and this is believed to have played a huge role in his appointment.

The arrival of Klopp has also made midfielder EmreCan extremely happy. Can knows Klopp reasonably well from his time in German football. The duo may share the same nationality but this is unlikely to help the players in terms of getting appearances on the pitch. He will have to earn his way into the first-team. After being signed by Rodgers last summer, Can has become an important member of the team. He did start the game against Tottenham and is likely to hold his place in the future games as well. Can says that the manager is someone who will certainly fit Liverpool in all forms.

Read moreJurgen Klopp secured a credible 0-0 draw against Tottenham in his first match incharge