هات بت : Erik ten Hag hopes Liverpool win is Man United’s ‘moment’

Erik ten Hag hopes Liverpool win is Man United's 'moment'


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Erik ten Hag has urged Manchester United to make the thrilling FA Cup win over Liverpool “the moment” they turn their season around.

Substitute Amad Diallo scored the winner in the 121st minute to seal an incredible 4-3 victory after extra time to earn United a semifinal against EFL Championship side Coventry at Wembley next month.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Ten Hag’s team have endured a disappointing season, but could still end the campaign with a trophy and a place in the Champions League.

“This could be the moment,” Ten Hag said after the win. “The team has the belief and energy to do amazing things. When you beat Liverpool you can beat any opponent.”

Ten Hag faces questions about his future following the arrival of new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but the Dutchman says his players showed why he is the right man for the job with their performance against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

“The first 35 minutes, we showed again that the future of this team is very bright,” he said. “There is huge potential. We have to get it out and get consistency. The first 35 minutes was very pleasing. They are great characters and the determination we see again.

“This season we have so many setbacks and every time we have to adapt.”

Ten Hag also hailed match winner Amad, who was sent off during his goal celebrations after picking up a second booking for removing his shirt. The 21-year-old, who was linked with a loan move in January, has played only 88 minutes of football this season, but made a crucial impact as a late substitute against Liverpool.

“I am so happy for him,” Ten Hag said. “He is one of the players who had huge setbacks. He returned but there is a lot of competition in his position and he doesn’t always get the time he deserves to play.

“It shows his contribution in scoring a goal, but we know he can do it. I am very pleased he can do it.”

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هات بت : Barcelona open to Araújo transfer for right offer – sources

Barcelona open to Araújo transfer for right offer - sources


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Barcelona will consider letting Ronald Araújo leave if they receive an offer close to €100 million ($109m) for the centre-back, sources have told ESPN.

Bayern Munich expressed an interest in Araújo in January and sources at Barcelona believe the German champions will return with an offer in the summer.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Another source told ESPN at least one big Premier League club are also monitoring the situation and are ready to make a move if Barça do finally encourage bids.

Araújo, 25, last renewed his contract with Barça in 2022, penning a deal until 2026 with a €1 billion ($1.1b) release clause, a sign that the club considered him a key part of their long-term future.

The Uruguay international remains a regular in the side, but Barça are aware they need to raise money this summer and he is one of the players in the squad with the biggest market.

“My future depends on the club,” Araújo told reporters after Barça booked their place in the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over Napoli.

“Everyone knows that I am happy at Barça. And I am really grateful to [coach] Xavi [Hernández] for the faith he has placed in me.”

Araújo played 90 minutes in the victory over the Italian champions, but the reality is that, following the emergence of 17-year-old Pau Cubarsí, Barça are well covered in the middle of defence.

In addition to Araújo and Cubarsí, they also have Jules Koundé, Andreas Christensen and Iñigo Martínez competing for the centre-back position.

Barça president Joan Laporta said last week he “would hand Araujo a lifetime contract” if it was up to him.

However, sources have admitted to ESPN there is an internal debate about the possibility of having to transfer an important player to raise funds.

It is a conundrum the club have regularly faced in recent years. In 2022, they reluctantly opened the door for Frenkie de Jong to leave the club, negotiating a transfer with Manchester United, although on that occasion the Dutchman stood firm in his desire to stay in Spain.

The club will seek less drastic solutions first and hope to receive offers for other players who are not as integral to their plans for next season and beyond.

However, they are conscious that due to his age and his performances, Araújo is one of their most valuable assets and they may have to let him go if they don’t find other financial solutions.

Barça are currently in excess of their €204m LaLiga-imposed annual spending cap by almost €200m and the league president Javier Tebas said this month that they will be forced to make big decisions this summer to avoid breaching their limit.

“Barça have options on the table that the club hierarchy can take if they believe it will provide solutions to [their financial problems],” Tebas said at an event in London.

“They have two or three top level players that they could transfer. That would solve a big part of the problem.”

Barça have previously sold assets, including a percentage of their future television rights, to help balance their accounts, but on this occasion a big money transfer may be the only solution.

The situation stems in part from the so far unsuccessful sale of 10% of Barça Studios.

The German investment fund Libero agreed to pay €40m for the stake, but they have not yet complied with the agreement despite the fact that the club extended the payment deadline until last December.

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هات بت : Garnacho is key to Ten Hag’s future at Man United

Garnacho is key to Ten Hag's future at Man United


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MANCHESTER, England — As the Manchester United players walked off at half-time, 2-0 up against Everton, they disappeared down the Old Trafford tunnel to a chorus of “Viva Garnacho” coming from the fans in the Stretford End. Manager Erik ten Hag followed wearing his usual stony-faced expression, but it would have been no surprise if he was singing along in his head.

After a week that has seen pressure mount on the Dutch manager, Alejandro Garnacho won two first-half penalties — converted by Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford — after luring James Tarkowski and then Ben Godfrey into clumsy challenges to help United to a much-needed win in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

“I think the lads did a very good transfer of the game plan,” Ten Hag said afterwards. “By dropping [deeper] Bruno and Scott [McTominay] and then get in the runs in behind from Garnacho and Rashford. We expect the high press from Everton, with their double six goes to our double six and then we created the spaces in behind. I was pleased with that and from there we scored the goals, the penalties.”

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Ten Hag is still walking a tightrope as United manager, having landed his first Premier League victory in three games, but if he survives the summer it will be partly down to Garnacho. Not only is the 19-year-old his most productive attacking player, he can also point to the emergence of the Argentina winger as one of the major successes of his time at Old Trafford.

After a largely disappointing campaign that sees United sit sixth in the table, Ten Hag needs to finish the season strongly while also convincing new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he’s the right man for the job in the long term. Garnacho is key to both those things. His contribution against Everton saved United from another awkward afternoon and — possibly — saved Ten Hag from having another awkward conversation with Ratcliffe.

“He’s progressing very well and we are very pleased with this,” Ten Hag said. “His contribution today was huge, his runs, his dribbles. It’s attractive as well for the audience, obviously we want to show something. I think well-deserved penalties. If he can keep the focus and if he puts the right effort in — sometimes for young players it is difficult. We have their job to do. When he keeps this focus he will improve from game to game. In the week you win your game, you have to be spot on.”

Garnacho, though, can’t paper over all the cracks in this United team and despite Everton arriving on the back of a winless run in the Premier League stretching 10 games, they still managed to expose some familiar frailties.

One criticism of United this season is that they concede too many shots, and after the first 45 minutes, Everton had managed 11. Dwight McNeil twice flashed efforts past the post, and the half-time score would have been 2-1 rather than 2-0 if Raphaël Varane hadn’t blocked his third effort of the half just before the break.

United’s poor start — which saw them gift a chance to Amadou Onana just two minutes after kick-off — was characterised by midfielder Casemiro, who surrendered possession eight times in the first 25 minutes alone. You can get away with that against an Everton side who are among the league’s lowest scorers, but probably not against Liverpool, who come to Old Trafford next weekend. By the end, Everton had registered 23 shots on goal to make it 134 that United have faced in just their past six league games.

“If you see their xG [expected goals] is not that high [1.51] and ours is much higher [3.12],” said Ten Hag, when asked whether it is sustainable to face more than 20 shots every game (though two penalties helped United’s figure somewhat). “We have players who feel comfortable to defend low. But you have to be disciplined and you have to incorporate it very well.

“They are low-quality chances. You see the chances, they had some, also I think the way we defended set plays was very good. We were really organised and we were focused, everyone did their job. There was one or two second phases where they had some opportunities, but overall we did quite well.”

For all Ten Hag’s insistence that it doesn’t matter how many shots the opposition have, Liverpool will be delighted to see how many chances Everton created ahead of their FA Cup quarterfinal.

United are hoping to have striker Rasmus Højlund available to face Jurgen Klopp’s side, but his potential return won’t be at the expense of Garnacho. The winger hasn’t missed a game since the derby defeat to Manchester City in October and with the game against Everton finally won, he was substituted with seven minutes to go. Any rest is valuable for one of Ten Hag’s most important players ahead of a run of games between now and the end of the season that will play a big part in deciding Ten Hag’s future.

Named Man of the Match, Garnacho had to remain on the pitch after the final whistle to fulfil his media duties. When he finally departed, he left to a standing ovation from the supporters who had stayed behind and more chants of “Viva Garnacho.”

The teenager is keeping alive United’s Champions League hopes, and also Ten Hag’s hopes of being allowed to stay on as manager.

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هات بت : The race for five places in next season’s Champions League

The race for five places in next season's Champions League


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Two leagues will be rewarded with an extra place in next season’s Champions League based on performance in Europe this season, all part of the revamp to expand it to a 36-team competition — but who is likely to benefit?

With the knockout stages of the Champions League (UCL), Europa League (UEL) and Europa Conference League (UECL) in the round-of-16 stage, we’re starting to get a clearer picture of which leagues could get the two places.

That said, we’re still a long way from finding out who is going to get an extra spot — and it could yet go down to the wire.

This article will be updated throughout the season to track the race for the extra spots.

It’s about the best average coefficient of all teams taking part in Europe for each country. The two leagues with the best score get an extra place.

Each win is worth two coefficient points, a draw gets you one, and you get nothing for a defeat.

If a match goes to extra time, the score after 120 minutes is used. Penalties are not taken into account if the game is drawn, as they are used to determine the tie rather than the individual match.

There are also bonus points for getting to certain stages, which help give extra prominence to those teams who do well in the higher-profile competitions.

Champions League bonus points
4 – Group stage participation
5 – Round of 16
1 – QF, SF, final

Europa League bonus points
4 – Group winners
2 – Group runners-up
1 – Round of 16, QF, SF, final

Europa Conference League bonus points
2 – Group winners
1 – Group runners-up
1 – SF, final

The points gained by all clubs are added together, and that total score is divided by the number of clubs a country has in Europe in the season. That gives the coefficient average.

For example, if a country has 35 coefficient points and seven teams in Europe, its score is 5.00 for the table (35 / 7 = 5.00.)

So wins aren’t worth more in the Champions League?

No, the coefficient system is designed to assess the overall strength of leagues. Wins are the same in all competitions, otherwise it would be impossible for those leagues with few or no teams in the UCL group stage to move up the coefficient ranking.

The bonus points serve two purposes: firstly, to give weight to the strength of the competitions on a sliding scale, and second to provide points to those teams taking part in the UCL who might get few positive results.

In fact, it’s better for leagues to have some teams drop down into the UEL for the knockout rounds. Bonus points might be lower in the UEL, but each two-legged tie has five points up for grabs (four for the result and one for progressing to the next round). If a team stays in the UCL, they might not get past the round of 16 and have little chance of adding to the country’s coefficient through wins.

Won’t this just turn out to be extra places for two top leagues?

If we look back at the previous five seasons, England and Spain take seven of the 10 slots, with Italy and Germany one each. Only in 2021-22 did one of the countries with fewer than four teams in the Champions League (the Netherlands) finish in the top two of average coefficient.

So yes, history tells us that it’s highly likely two of the top leagues will have five places in next season’s Champions League.

2022-23: England and Italy
2021-22: England and the Netherlands
2020-21: England and Spain
2019-20: Spain and Germany
2018-19: England and Spain

Right, so who’s in contention this season?

This is the top 10 as of Feb. 22.

1. Italy, 15.571
2. Germany, 14.928
3. England, 13.875
4. France, 13.750
5. Spain, 13.187
6. Czechia, 12.750
7. Belgium, 12.400
8. Turkey, 11.000
9. Portugal, 9.833
10. Netherlands, 9.800

Is it a three-horse race between Italy, Germany and England?

Italy is out in front and with six teams still active, a top two place is its to lose.

Germany looks like it is in a strong position, but England still has six teams active in the round of 16 and most of them are in the lower-tier competitions. The Premier League is more likely for the top two.

France has only three teams active, and while Spain has five it will find it difficult with four of them in the UCL.

Czechia are the outliers, and it will take their three teams to go deep into the knockout rounds to cause a shock.

OK, so what’s the state of play for the leagues?

A league needs to keep as many teams as possible still active deep into the knockout rounds. The fewer teams in European competition, the less chance there is to score coefficient points to compete for the top two.

Results will be harder to come by with the fixtures becoming increasingly difficult.

It’s even more important for England and Spain, who started with eight teams in Europe; each win is worth slightly less to the coefficient (as the score is divided by eight rather than seven for Germany and Italy.)

1. ITALY, 15.571

Internazionale and Napoli are in the UCL round of 16, but the draw didn’t look too promising, having been unseeded. Inter secured a 1-0 first-leg home win over Atletico Madrid, but Napoli could only draw 1-1 at home to Barcelona.

AC Milan (vs. Sparta Prague), AS Roma (vs. Brighton) and Atalanta (vs. Sporting CP) are in the round of 16 of the UEL.

Fiorentina take on Maccabi Haifa in the UECL.

Lazio were knocked out of the UCL in the round of 16.

Taking part in the round of 16: 6
Out: 1

Serie A is sitting pretty despite a tough UCL draw. It would be a surprise if Italy was to miss out on an extra place from this position. But nothing is guaranteed/

2. GERMANY, 14.928

Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig continue in the UCL. Bayern eliminated Lazio to reach the quarterfinals. Dortmund (drew 1-1 at PSV) may progress, but Leipzig were drawn against Real Madrid and lost the first leg at home.

SC Freiburg take on West Ham again in the round of 16 of the UEL, with Bayer Leverkusen meeting Qarabag.

Union Berlin were eliminated from Europe at the bottom of their UCL group and Eintracht Frankfurt are out of the UECL.

Through to quarterfinals: 1
Taking part in the round of 16: 4
Out: 2

Germany might sit in second place, but it is far from secure with three of its five teams in the UCL. That said, if Freiburg can eliminate an English club and with Leverkusen having what looks to be a favourable draw, watch this space.

3. ENGLAND, 13.875

Arsenal and Manchester City went through as group winners in the UCL. Man City added to the coefficient score with their first-leg win at FC Copenhagen, and while Arsenal lost 1-0 at FC Porto they will be favourites to go through.

Brighton & Hove Albion (vs. AS Roma), Liverpool (vs. Sparta Prague) and West Ham United (vs. Freiburg) are all through to the UEL round of 16.

Aston Villa take on Ajax in the UECL.

Manchester United and Newcastle United were knocked out after finishing bottom of their UCL groups.

Taking part in the round of 16: 6
Out: 2

The Premier League is in third place after two of its teams failed in the Champions League. It makes it much harder to make the top two — but deep runs from multiple teams would seal it.

With four teams in the round of 16 for the UEL and UECL, and both UCL teams in a good position to advance, England must be seen as the favourites to finish in the top two ahead of Germany.

4. FRANCE, 13.750

Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Sociedad to each the UCL quarterfinals.

Marseille face Villarreal in the UEL round of 16, but Lens, Stade Rennais and Toulouse are now out.

In the UECL, Lille will face Austrian club Sturm Graz.

Taking part in the round of 16: 3
Out: 3

With only three teams left in Europe, France’s chances of making the top two are low.

5. SPAIN, 13.187

Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid continue in the UCL. Real Madrid will be expected to advance against RB Leipzig after winning the first leg 1-0 in Germany, while Barcelona will take a 1-1 draw with Napoli back to Camp Nou. However, Atletico lost 1-0 away to Inter.

Villarreal take on Marseille in the UEL.

Osasuna failed to qualify for the UECL, while Sevilla were knockout out in the UCL and Real Betis were eliminated in the knockout playoff round of the UECL.

Real Sociedad fell to PSG in the UCL round of 16.

Taking part in the round of 16: 4
Out: 4

Osasuna’s failure in UECL qualifying severely affected Spain’s chances of making the top two. The loss of Sevilla, who finished bottom of their UCL group, and Real Betis was also damaging.

With Spain having three of its four remaining clubs in the Champions League it will be exceptionally difficult to challenge for the top two from here — but not impossible.

6. CZECHIA, 12.750

Sparta Prague will play Liverpool in the UEL, while Slavia Prague take on AC Milan.

Viktoria Plzen face Swiss side Servette in the UECL.

Bohemians failed to qualify for the group stage.

Taking part in the round of 16: 3
Out: 1

The surprise league to appear in the race for the extra Champions League places, especially as only three teams made the group stages.

With just four teams in Europe, wins for Czechia’s clubs are worth 0.5 coefficient points to the average, compared to 0.25 for England and Spain.

However, the two Prague sides were given very difficult draws in the UEL and it would take a couple of shocks to keep Czechia in the hunt.

7. BELGIUM, 12.400

Club Brugge (vs. Molde) and Union St.-Gilloise (vs. Fenerbache) are still in the UECL, but Genk and Gent were eliminated.

Antwerp finished bottom of their UCL group and are out.

Taking part in the round of 16: 2
Out: 3

With just two of their five teams left, it would be a miracle if Belgium mounted a serious challenge now.

What to look out for in March

Champions League

It’s the four ties involving teams from Germany, Italy and Spain which will prove crucial — and could play into England’s hands. Could England emerge with two teams through to the quarterfinals, while other leagues lose multiple teams?

With four teams still in contention, Spain could make real ground and pull themselves into contention. But only Real Madrid (vs. RB Leipzig) won their first leg tie, with Barcelona drawing away to Napoli. While Atletico Madrid lost to Lazio they will be favourites on home turf, but Real Sociedad failed to overturn a first-leg deficit at home to Paris Saint-Germain. If Spain are going to have a chance, they will need more than just Real Madrid to advance — otherwise rivals from Italy will continue on.

Bayern Munich knocked out Lazio, which keeps the Bundesliga in the hunt. Its teams also take on the Netherlands (PSV Eindhoven vs. Borussia Dortmund) and Spain. RB Leipzig have the chance to knock out a rival club, though that appears unlikely.

Italy has two teams left, but both must be away from home in the second leg against opposition from Spain. If most of its teams can go through, one of the extra slots will start to look secure as it will be at the expense of rivals.

England, meanwhile, faces teams from Portugal (FC Porto vs. Arsenal) and Denmark (FC Copenhagen vs Man City), no direct battle.

Europa League

Italian clubs have only one direct head to head, with Roma taking on Brighton. If Roma go through, that will go a long way to sealing a top-two place. Their other ties are against teams from Czechia and Portugal.

The tie between Freiburg and West Ham — the clubs also met in the group stage — is crucial for the Bundesliga; Freiburg surely have to go through to keep Germany in contention. That said, Leverkusen have a winnable game against a team from Azerbaijan.

As well as the Roma and Freiburg ties, the third for an English club is Liverpool against Czechia’s Sparta Prague. All England’s games are against rivals for the top two. A full house through to the quarterfinals would likely secure an extra UCL place.

France and Spain have only one team left, and Marseille take on Villarreal.

Czechia already looked an outside bet before the draw, so its teams taking on Liverpool and AC Milan have greatly reduced its chances.

Europa Conference League

There are no direct head to heads between the competing leagues in the round of 16

Why the knockout playoff round was so important in February

A quirk of the coefficient system is that results in the knockout playoff round, essentially the round of 32, of the UEL and UECL added points to the national association score, but not a club’s. So results counted in the race to be one of the two top leagues.

While there are higher bonus points for winning a group compared to finishing second, the runners-up were capable of adding more points overall than the group winners by advancing from the knockout playoff round.

For instance, the UEL group winners get four bonus points, and the runners-up get two bonus points. But the runners-up play in the knockout playoff round with an additional four points available through the results of each leg, if they won both matches — a total of six points.

It means leagues with multiple clubs in the knockout playoff round could add to their score.

The bad news for the Premier League was all its teams in the UEL and UECL won their groups, so the league couldn’t pick up any points whereas all its rivals could.

When will we find out who gets the extra places?

In many seasons it may be obvious in March, once we know which leagues have teams through to the quarterfinals of the three European competitions.

However, the 2019-20 season shows that it can go right down to the wire. Germany didn’t overtake the Premier League for second place until Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the final of the Champions League. If that’s repeated this season, we wouldn’t know which league gets the second additional spot until the UCL final takes place June 1.

It would leave two clubs in the domestic leagues praying for the right result in the final. In 2019-20, Bayer Leverkusen and Leicester City finished fifth in Germany and England respectively. Leverkusen would have needed Bayern to win the UCL final to get the place, while Leicester required Bayern to lose the match.

We could also hypothetically see a situation where, for instance, Arsenal winning the Champions League could hand fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur a place in the Champions League.

What’s the maximum number of places in the UCL and in Europe?

Under the old system, a maximum of five clubs from one association could play in the Champions League. It meant that in the unlikely event teams from the same league won the Champions League and Europa League, yet both finished outside the UCL places domestically, then fourth would have to surrender their place and drop into the UEL.

But from 2024-25 it will be possible for seven Premier League teams to get a place in the UCL: The top four, fifth through league performance in Europe, and the winners of the UCL and the UEL.

It would also technically be possible to have 11 Premier League teams in Europe: The usual allocation of seven, plus the extra Champions League place and the titleholders of all three European competitions (if they finished outside a European position.) UEFA has yet to take a decision on a maximum number in Europe from one association, though sources have indicated that it may be capped at 10 if this very unlikely scenario occurs, with a place in the UEL taken away.

Who gets the extra place?

If we assume the extra spots will go to one of the top leagues, it means fifth place will enter the Champions League and it will have eight (rather than seven) places in Europe. Other European berths drop down a place.

If the Premier League gets it, the access will be:

Champions League: 1-5
Europa League: 6, FA Cup winners
Europa Conference League: Carabao Cup winners

If the cup winners finish in the top 6, the European places could drop to 7th and 8th in the table.

If LaLiga, the Bundesliga or Serie A gets it, the access will be:

Champions League: 1-5
Europa League: 6, Cup winners
Europa Conference League: 7

If a team wins the UEL but doesn’t qualify for the UCL domestically, that league could have six places in the UCL — the five places to the leagues plus the UEL titleholders as an additional.

Which teams would benefit right now?

Right now, RB Leipzig are fifth in the Bundesliga, with Roma holding that spot in Serie A.

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هات بت : Arsenal’s Rice on taking set pieces, scoring goals and form

Arsenal's Rice on taking set pieces, scoring goals and form


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LONDON — The sheer speed of Declan Rice’s evolution at Arsenal has taken many people by surprise. Just not the man himself.

The 25-year-old midfielder signed from West Ham United in the summer for an initial £100 million, with £5m in add-ons, and has been integral to the Gunners’ hopes of winning the Premier League title this season as they sit two points off Liverpool at the top of the table.

“I’ll be honest, some people might stand here and say ‘Yeah, I’ve surprised myself,’ but I haven’t,” Rice tells ESPN. “I was playing this well at West Ham, I feel like my levels at West Ham gave me so much confidence and belief in myself to have that belief I can be a top Premier League player.

“But the main thing was to be myself. Not to change anything. Just because I have been signed for £105 million, don’t do anything different, just be myself. Things can unlock and so far things have gone really well. I’ve signed for six years and there is still such a long way to go in my Arsenal career.”

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Rice is speaking after being named the Premier League Player of the Year at the London Football Awards, which is yet another indication of the significant impact he has made since leaving the Hammers in that club-record deal.

But it was a difficult decision for him. Rice joined West Ham aged 14 after being released by Chelsea and went on to captain the club and make 245 appearances, the last of which concluded with lifting their first trophy in 43 years as they beat Fiorentina 2-1 in the final of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Rice had developed into one of England’s finest midfielders and despite a genuine affinity with the club where he turned from boy to man, the time had come to test himself at the top end of the Premier League. Playing against his old side was always going to be tricky and Arsenal made it unexpectedly harder, losing 3-1 in the Carabao Cup in November — when Rice was a 57th-minute substitute — and then succumbing at home in the Premier League with a 2-0 defeat in which he conceded a penalty in the final minutes.

That backdrop made last month’s league trip to London Stadium — his first start as an opponent in the venue he used to call home — all the more intriguing. But the collective response was emphatic. After receiving a mixed reception when taking an early corner (Yes, he’s on set pieces now, more of that later), the Gunners went on to win 6-0, with Rice refusing to celebrate a brilliant sixth goal which he curled in from 25 yards. And he hasn’t spoken about the emotions of that day until now.

“It was so tough,” he says. “We lost in the cup to them. We lost in the league at the Emirates; I didn’t play well and gave away a penalty. The West Ham fans bantered me and I can 100% take that; I played for West Ham for 10 years and I know how they work. When I went over to take the corner, there were a few boos, but there were claps as well.

“I know my love for them has never changed; their love for me has never changed. It is one of those things where you move on. Obviously I scored a great goal, it was really odd. Even speaking about it now, it is weird. A lot of the lads asked me afterwards, ‘How does it feel?’ It was a bittersweet feeling, really odd.

“I always said I would never celebrate against West Ham and I don’t think I ever will. They made me who I am. I spent 10 years there; I owe them a lot. I would never ever celebrate; I think that would be really disrespectful. Overall, [it was] a really good day to win and to score, but a bittersweet feeling.”

Rice has brought composure and class to Arsenal’s midfield, but there are new aspects to his game emerging all the time. He had ostensibly been labelled a defensive midfielder — critics arguing earlier in his career that his passing range was too conservative — but under Mikel Arteta’s tutelage, Rice has switched between playing as a deep-lying No. 6 or a more attack-minded No. 8, a change which has helped in part lead to some unexpected goal contributions.

The England international has already equalled his best-ever return in a Premier League season, netting four times, including some vital moments such as a stoppage-time strike against Manchester United and a last-second winner at Luton.

“To score that and watch the goal back, you can’t help but smile,” he says of his goal against United in early September. “Probably my best moment so far. My role has completely changed to what I was doing at West Ham and it has taken time to adapt, to improve, to ask questions, and I am really just trying to buy into it. I was bought for a lot of money, I want to ask questions and improve, and I want to win stuff with this club.”

In perhaps the most unexpected twist yet, Rice is now given responsibility for corners and set pieces — a trait first witnessed with a goal from his corner in Arsenal’s first game back after a warm weather training break in Dubai: a 5-0 win over Crystal Palace.

“We had actually been having conversations about it with Nico [Nicolas Jover], the set-piece coach, since the start of the season,” he says. “Obviously because of my height [6-foot-1], he’s wanted me in the box. I just feel like he wanted a switch-up. If I hadn’t got the assist [against Palace], I don’t think anyone would have been talking about it.

“Obviously I’ve been putting in good deliveries near middle, back post in games. I get excited by getting assists now. It is a big thing for me. Whereas before, goals and assists weren’t really my thing. But now I like getting assists, getting goals and I feel it gives me that extra energy on the pitch. I’m striving, I’ve got targets between the end of the season, what I want to hit.”

Arsenal’s ultimate target is to go one better than last season and win the league. They held an eight-point advantage at the beginning of April only to win three of the final nine league matches as Manchester City overhauled them.

Rice was just an onlooker for West Ham then, aware of the perception that either the Gunners ran out of steam or wilted when the pressure reached maximum intensity.

“I think Arsenal were the best team in the league last season, but they slipped up at the end,” he says. “What they say now is they can’t believe they lost the league from being eight points ahead.

“This year I feel like everyone in the team including the manager, the staff, want to learn from those mistakes. We’re stronger; we have the belief. If we go 1-0 down, we have that confidence and mental strength in us that we can push on and win games. The league is so strong this year anything can happen. There are 12 games to go but the main thing is we’re right in there. At Christmas we had a little wobble, we lost two games on the bounce which wasn’t good, but we’ve won big games at home recently which has been really important.

“Come the end of the season, we’ll see who wins it, but playing in it has been special, going head-to-head with the top teams every week and the pressure, it is so good and I know me and all the lads are really enjoying it. So we’ll continue and see what happens.”

play

1:45

Why Declan Rice is ‘worth every single penny’ of his Arsenal transfer fee

Shaka Hislop praises Declan Rice after his late winner for Arsenal against Luton Town.

So are there even greater levels Rice can reach?

“I have this conversation with the manager all the time,” he adds. “A couple of weeks ago he said, ‘You don’t realise the potential of how far you can go.’ Maybe sometimes I don’t, maybe sometimes I play it down and I don’t feel as confident as I seem. The next thing is winning trophies.”

Once Arsenal’s season is over, Rice will head to Germany where England are among the favourites to win Euro 2024. Gareth Southgate will hope to benefit from Rice’s progress at Arsenal, Jude Bellingham’s elevation at Real Madrid and Harry Kane’s consistent goal scoring at Bayern Munich. The high-class individual talent at the manager’s disposal will only heighten talk of whether, finally, England can end a 58-year wait for silverware.

“I feel like it is the conversation every time a tournament comes around,” Rice says. “A lot of players are obviously playing really well. So many players in the Premier League: Jarrod Bowen at West Ham, Ross Barkley at Luton, Cole Palmer [Chelsea], Curtis Jones [Liverpool], so many players playing well.

“[It’s a] big one in Germany; never been done on foreign soil. Gareth and [assistant coach] Steve [Holland] have reminded us of that. We’re confident. We’ve got two big games in March [against Brazil and Belgium] which will be a really good test. If we learn from the previous World Cup and the Euros, anything can happen. It is what happens on the day, you know? If you can perform and deal with the pressure. I really believe we can.”

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هات بت : Everton sanction for financial breaches reduced to six points

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Everton’s punishment for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSRs) has been reduced from 10 points to six on appeal by the Merseyside club, the Premier League announced on Monday.

The initial 10-point sanction was handed down in November, with Everton immediately filing their appeal against what was the harshest such penalty in Premier League history.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

In a statement on Monday, the league said: “Everton FC appealed the sanction imposed against it on nine grounds, each of which related to the sanction rather than the fact of the breach, which the club admitted.

“Two of those nine grounds were upheld by the Appeal Board, which has substituted the original points deduction of 10 for six.

“This revised sanction has immediate effect and the Premier League table will be updated today to reflect this.”

The decision moves Everton from 17th in the league table to 15th, five points clear of the relegation zone.

Everton said they were satisfied at the ruling in a club statement posted Monday.

“We understand the Appeal Board considered the 10-point deduction originally imposed to be inappropriate when assessed against the available benchmarks of which the club made the Commission aware, including the position under the relevant EFL regulations, and the 9-point deduction that is imposed under the Premier League’s own rules in the event of insolvency.

“The club is also particularly pleased with the Appeal Board’s decision to overturn the original Commission’s finding that the club failed to act in utmost good faith.

“That decision, along with reducing the points deduction, was an incredibly important point of principle for the Club on appeal. The club, therefore, feels vindicated in pursuing its appeal.”

The Premier League’s PSRs stipulate that a club can lose no more than £105 million ($133.6m) over a three-year period.

Everton’s figures that led to the punishment showed a fifth straight year of losses, with their total loss over that period amounting to more than £430m.

The club said they had posted a loss of £44.7m for the 2021-22 season earlier this year.

After three straight years of losses in excess of £100m, Everton said they had made significant reductions to their losses, down £76m from last year’s loss of £121m.

Everton were charged again in January for further contraventions of the PSRs, along with Nottingham Forest, but no punishment has yet been given by the league.

“Notwithstanding the Appeal Board’s decision, and the positive outcome, the club remains fully committed to cooperating with the Premier League in respect of the ongoing proceedings brought for the accounting period ending in June 2023,” Everton said of those charges in their statement.

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هات بت : Xabi Alonso focused despite Liverpool, Bayern Munich links

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Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso would not be drawn on reports linking him with a potential move to the Premier League or Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich, saying on Thursday he had nothing new to add.

The Spanish coach has a contract with Leverkusen until 2026, and his team are top of the Bundesliga, eight points clear of champions Bayern, who on Wednesday said they would part ways with coach Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Leverkusen are unbeaten across all competitions this season as they eye their first ever Bundesliga title that would end 11 years of uninterrupted Bayern dominance in the league.

Tuchel’s end-of-the-season departure from Bayern has fanned speculation regarding Alonso possibly succeeding him, with the Leverkusen boss having played for the Bavarian giants from 2014-17.

“Maybe you have questions about my future but I have nothing new to say about that. I wanted to say that in advance,” Alonso told a press conference.

The 42-year-old has also been linked with a possible move to Liverpool with coach Jurgen Klopp stepping down at the end of the season. Alonso also had a successful spell at Liverpool from 2004-2009, and Klopp described him as the “standout” manager of his generation last week.

“For me this [speculation] is not a problem,” he said. “I know that my goal is to be successful with my team. That is my job. We are currently in a good position and we want to keep at it.

“It is normal to have questions but it is not an issue for me.”

Asked whether he would be coach of Leverkusen next season as well, Alonso said: “That is what I assume.”

Leverkusen host Mainz on Friday.

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هات بت : Thomas Tuchel vows to stay at Bayern Munich, gets CEO’s support

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Thomas Tuchel has insisted he can fix the issues at Bayern Munich despite seeing his team lose their third consecutive competitive game for the first time since May 2015 on Sunday.

Bayern were beaten 3-2 at VfL Bochum to increase the pressure on the German manager, who was already under fire after last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Bayern are now eight points behind unbeaten Leverkusen after 22 games of the Bundesliga campaign.

“If you ask me, if I firmly still believe me and coaching staff can turn things around — yes,” Tuchel said after the defeat to Bochum.

“Growing pressure? That happens after every defeat. But today we never stopped, never stopped trying.”

Tuchel can take comfort from the comments made by Bayern’s CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen after the game when asked whether the 2021 Champions League winner would remain in charge for the team’s next game against RB Leipzig.

“Of course,” Dreesen said. “I am not a fan of monstrous coach-backing statements — they usually run out after a week.

“But this [Tuchel’s future] is not an issue we are dealing with at the moment. We have to focus on our next matches.”

Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka compared Bayern’s run of losses — to Leverkusen, Lazio in the Champions League and now Bochum — to a scary film.

“It feels like a horror movie that is not ending. Everything is going against us at the moment.” he said.

“We can again sit here and say we started well. But now you feel stupid to limit yourself to half an hour. In the end we tried everything, so you can’t blame us.”

Bayern’s defeat to Bochum was temporarily halted by fan protests against a proposed deal to sell a future stake in the league to a private equity investor.

“That interruption threw us off our rhythm. Today it was a win of mentality over quality,” Dreesen said.

“If we play this game five more times, we win it five times,” Tuchel added. “I don’t blame the players today.”

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.

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هات بت : Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Real Sociedad (14 Feb, 2024) Game Analysis

Manchester City 1-2 Atletico Madrid (30 Jul, 2023) Game Analysis


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Second half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Bradley Barcola secured Paris Saint-Germain a hard-fought 2-0 win over visitors Real Sociedad in the first-leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie on Wednesday.

Sociedad, who arrived at the Parc des Princes unbeaten in this year’s competition after topping Group D, were arguably the better side until Mbappe fired home a volley after he pounced onto Marquinhos’ corner to give PSG the lead in the 58th minute.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Three minutes later, Barcola extended PSG’s lead as he nudged the ball through the legs of the goalkeeper Alex Remiro.

Kylian Mbappe was on target again for PSG.

Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images


Mbappe’s goal was his 10th straight at home in the Champions League, as he became the first player to achieve the feat. 

The return leg in Spain is on March 5.

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هات بت : Man United launch new Stone Roses-inspired jersey, collection

Man United launch new Stone Roses-inspired jersey, collection


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Manchester United have released a special collection of apparel inspired by one of the city’s most famous and revered musical heroes, the Stone Roses.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga & more (U.S.)

With designs inspired by the paint-splattered artwork that adorned the legendary Mancunian band’s eponymous debut album, the retro-infused collection includes various items of pre-match and warm-up kit, T-shirts, tracksuits, and of course, the obligatory bucket hat.

The artwork was originally created by Stone Roses guitarist John Squire, who formed the band along with frontman and vocalist Ian Brown in the early 1980s.

They later became a staple of the “Madchester” scene following the release of their first album in 1989 and have had a major influence on countless bands and artists ever since.

United have also marked the release of its Roses Are Red collection with a short film that features a small cast of fans and Reds past and present including Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, and Gary Neville.


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