Tag Futebol

Numerous fans of Manchester City have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relayed Fabrizio Romano’s claim that the Premier League leaders have all but landed the signing of Fluminense winger Kayky.

According to Romano, the Brazilian “gem” will join Manchester City in June of 2022, with Pep Guardiola’s side reaching a €10m (£8.7m) plus add-ons agreement with Fluminense for the transfer of the Brazil under-17 international, and a five-year deal being agreed with the 17-year-old.

Despite his tender age, Kayky has already made six appearances for the Fluminense first team, during which the youngster – who has drawn comparisons with Neymar – has scored two goals and provided one assist.

After City Xtra relayed Romano’s report on Twitter, along with footage of a “ridiculous” solo goal scored by Kayky, some fans of Manchester City flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing delighted at the prospect of the winger joining their side next year.

So, what exactly did these Manchester City fans have to say in reaction to the news regarding Kayky’s transfer?

“Scenes.”

@jusssbuss

“That goal is ridiculous.”

@TheSilvaRoIe

“2 goals in his 1st 2 professional matches. Might have something special on our hands, he’s been dubbed the ‘left-footed Neymar’ in some circles.”

@BernardoControl

“Wow.”

@MotoTech16

“I just feel he’s going to be soooooo good.”

@GoatedVision

“Brazilian Messi incoming.”

@IamAaJokerr

In other news: ‘He can rot’, ‘Don’t want him’ – Lots of MCFC fans unleash at ‘fraud’ as transfer news emerges – find out more here!

نجح النادي الأهلي في الثأر من مونتيري المكسيكي، بكأس العالم للأندية 2021 المقام في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة.

نادي القرن الإفريقي فاز على مونتيري بهدف نظيف حمل توقيع محمد هاني، ليتأهل إلى نصف نهائي كأس العالم للأندية. شاهد هدف فوز الاهلي علي مونتيري

وتُعد تلك المشاركة السابعة للأهلي في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية، حيث سبق للمارد الأحمر المشاركة في البطولة العالمية مرتين متتالتين (2005) (2006) وعاد للمشاركة في عام (2008).

وغاب عن المشاركة لأربعة أعوام ثم عاد للعب من جديد مرتين متتاليتين حيث شارك في نسخة (2012)، وعام (2013)، وبعد غياب 7 سنوات عاد للعب في كأس العالم من جديد في النسخة الماضية (2020) التي أقيمت في قطر، واستهل مشواره في النسخة السابعة بالفوز على مونتيري. الأهلي يعادل إنجاز ريال مدريد في كأس العالم للأندية

الأهلي بمشاركته في الإمارات وهدف محمد هاني في شباك مونتيري، بذلك سجّل في أربع دول مختلفة بكأس العالم للأندية.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مدرب مونتيري السابق: الأهلي فاجأ أجيري ويمتلك ميزة أُحبها كثيرًا

الإمارات هي الدولة الرابعة التي يسجل فيها الأهلي بمونديال الأندية، حيث سبق لبطل إفريقيا من قبل التسجيل في قطر بالنسخة الماضية (2020)، واليابان في ثلاث مرات أعوام (2005)، (2006)، (2008)، (2012)، بجانب المغرب في (2013).

ريال مدريد سبق له من قبل أيضًا التسجيل في أربع دول مختلفة، حيث سجّل بالبرازيل في أول نسخة أقيمت عام 2000، ثم المغرب في 2014 واليابان في 2016 وأخيرًا الإمارات في 2017 و2018.

Carlo Ancelotti can sign a top-draw upgrade on Yerry Mina in SSC Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, as Farhad Moshiri looks to back the Everton manager in the transfer market once again.

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT, Ancelotti is eying a cut-price deal for Koulibaly as he looks to be reunited with the Senegalese star.

The Italian coached Koulibaly for 18-months during his time in charge of the Serie A side, a period in which he lauded the 29-year-old as “the best defender in the world”.

Ancelotti now hopes he can convince Koulibaly to follow him to Goodison Park, as the former Liverpool and Manchester United target is expected to be valued at far less than the £89m that Napoli had demanded last year.

The Napoli star’s precise valuation remains to be seen, but Blues owner Moshiri is expected to back Ancelotti in the coach’s efforts to land his man.

Everton feel they have the right manager at the helm in Ancelotti, so will present the funds the 61-year-old feels are needed to sustain the club’s challenge for a consistent top-six spot.

Recent reports had suggested that Ancelotti has marked Koulibaly as his top defensive target for the summer market, as he does not believe Everton’s current options have the ability to play together in the long-term.

Ancelotti’s doubt in the talents of his current centre-back group, apart from Ben Godfrey, were also noted last month, with the Daily Mail claiming that questions marks had arisen over the Italian’s best possible pairing.

Should Everton sign Koulibaly?

The question marks that arose over Everton’s current centre-half options added that Mina could be moved on at the end of the season, seemingly having failed to imprint a positive impression on Ancelotti.

Mina had been a pillar of the Toffees backline before sustaining a calf injury at home to Manchester City last month, with the Colombian only failing to open four Premier League fixtures from a possible 23.

He returned to the line-up for last weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester City, but his long-term presence appears to be up in the air with Koulibaly being linked.

Ancelotti has previously questioned the performances of Mina, with the Blues boss noting in September how the 26-year-old was not aggressive enough in shutting down West Bromwich Albion whilst Grady Diangana opened the scoring.

“Yerry had an average game, I think he could be more aggressive and do more with the ball,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “The only aspect we have to look at is him being more aggressive when he can press the opening.”

Reports of an uncertain future and interest in Koulibaly would suggest those concerns are still present, as the £45m-rated Napoli star – who former Chelsea star Craig Burley claims is “fantastic” – would offer Ancelotti a superb upgrade on Mina.

Ancelotti knows Koulibaly well from his time in Naples and clearly thought highly of him, having claimed the 43-cap international was worth as much as €150m (£130m) in 2019 and that there was “no question” that he would be staying.

Now, the question is whether Ancelotti can convince Koulibaly to leave southern Italy for Merseyside, and offer the Everton boss the defensive player he seems to feel is missing.

AND in other news, an “exceptional” Everton figure is being eyed by a Premier League rival…

أعلن تشافي هيرنانديز المدير الفني لفريق برشلونة، تشكيل فريقه لمواجهة أتلتيك بلباو اليوم في كأس ملك إسبانيا.

ويحل برشلونة ضيفًا على أتلتيك بلباو بملعب “سان ماميس” في دور الـ16 من كأس ملك إسبانيا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة برشلونة وأتلتيك بلباو اليوم في كأس ملك إسبانيا

ويتواجد مارتن برايثوايت على مقاعد البدلاء للمرة الأولى منذ أشهر، بعد طول غياب بسبب الإصابة. تشكيل برشلونة ضد أتلتيك بلباو

حراسة المرمى: تير شتيجن.

خط الدفاع: ألفيس، بيكيه أروخو، ألبا.

خط الوسط: بوسكيتس، جافي، بيدري.

خط الهجوم: فيران توريس، جوتجلا، عبد الصمد الزلزولي.

البدلاء: نيتو، تيناس، ديست، لينجليه، مينجويزا، بالدي، ريكي بويج، فرينكي دي يونج، نيكو، أنسو فاتي، مارتن برايثوايت.

👥 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐎́
⚽ #AthleticBarça pic.twitter.com/rLz2EQgDwB

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) January 20, 2022

Celtic face Dundee on Sunday afternoon knowing that a defeat could hand the title to their fiercest rivals. No pressure, then, John Kennedy.

This has been a tortuous campaign for the Hoops but, fortunately for them, it’s set to conclude shortly.

They are miles off the pace in the Premiership and, if they win this weekend, it will give Rangers the opportunity to take home the league at Parkhead in a week’s time. If there was anything to sum up Celtic’s season in a nutshell, that would be it.

Gone are the days of Neil Lennon but not even the thought of a new manager arriving in the not-too-distant future will cure the idea of their city rivals winning the title.

Consequently, Celtic’s game with Dundee this weekend is one of huge significance, so Kennedy must get his selection spot on. Here’s the XI we’re predicting.

We are tipping the interim manager to make two changes from his side which defeated Aberdeen a week ago.

The first change to note is in midfield, where Ryan Christie is dropped from the XI. With just a solitary goal in his last 24 matches, he is hardly up to the task of digging Celtic out of a hole. As a result, David Turnbull takes his place as the number 10 and chief creator.

That will allow Ismaila Soro to come into the side and make just his second start for the Hoops since the end of January.

The remaining change is in attack. Patryk Kilmala was diabolical last weekend when given a rare chance to start. The Pole missed a golden opportunity to score and managed a measly five passes in just over an hour on the field. With that in mind, Leigh Griffiths comes back to partner Odsonne Edouard.

The 30-year-old hasn’t started since being taken off at half-time in Celtic’s 2-1 defeat to St Mirren at the end of January.

That being said, behind Edouard, he has the second-best goals-to-game ratio out of the club’s centre-forward options. Griffiths undeniably feels like the best bet right now if Kennedy wants to operate with a two-pronged attack.

AND in other news, Forget Christie: Kennedy must axe “soul-destroying” Celtic flop who made just 5 passes…

Much like Wilfried Zaha before him, Eberechi Eze has been nothing short of a revelation for Crystal Palace since he first stepped foot inside Selhurst Park, especially in recent months.

When Steve Parish agreed to pay Queens Park Rangers £16m for his services in the summer, some Palace fans couldn’t quite believe their luck, none more so than journalist Taylor Rockwell, who told the Total Soccer Show that he is a “very exciting” talent.

As of right now, Roy Hodgson’s side find themselves in 13th place in the Premier League, level on points with Southampton and two behind Arsenal at the halfway point of the campaign.

This is thanks in no small part to the impact Eze has had at Selhurst Park, having made 21 top-flight appearances in the Premier League with three goals and three assists to show for his 16 starts.

Now, granted his numbers are still quite small in comparison to the goal-scoring exploits of Zaha, but it’s fair to say that he offers so much more than that.

Other than Zaha, Palace have long lacked a creative influence capable of single-handedly changing the game on his own arguably ever since Victor Moses departed SE25.

While some wingers will bide their time and wait for an opportunity, Eze is prepared to bring the ball forward, as evidenced by his two dribbles per 90 in the Premier League during his time with Palace this season thus far, that the best of all his teammates, as per WhoScored.

And it’s not just his dribbling that has caught the eye. His role as a set-piece specialist means he boasts a WhoScored strength of ‘taking set-pieces’ to go with his dribbling and passing ability. The 22-year-old memorably scored directly from a free-kick against Leeds United to mark his first goal for the club at Selhurst Park.

His playing style has earned its fair share of plaudits with recent praise coming from Liverpool and Tottenham defender Jamie Redknapp, who told Sky Sports (via The Daily Mail): “Eze has been so influential though I actually want to see more of him. (He’s) Very impressive he’s a star man. When he’s on the ball he’s so exciting to watch.”

Palace have clearly hit the jackpot as they’ve got another playmaker for at least the next couple of years, providing that they don’t receive an offer they can’t refuse in the meantime, of course.

Now valued at €30m (£26m) by CIES Football Observatory, there’s no doubting the fact the Eagles have struck gold with the England U21 international.  

AND in other news, Crystal Palace may rue missing out on the chance to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Demarai Gray…

Jean Philippe-Mateta will likely be thrown straight into Crystal Palace’s first team for the Premier League clash with Wolves at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.

Roy Hodgson confirmed Mateta has been training with his teammates following his high-profile move from Mainz and it looks like he could be in line to link up with Wilfried Zaha upfront.

Palace played a strong side for their midweek defeat to West Ham, which they lost courtesy of a brace from Tomas Soucek. The Eagles have now lost nine of their past 10 games in all competitions, although most of the starters should keep their places, with Hodgson left to decide which of Jordan Ayew, Christian Benteke, Michy Batshuayi or Mateta to pick alongside Zaha in attack.

With that in mind, here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting line-up, which sees Hodgson make three changes to the defeat to West Ham.

Hodgson has some decisions to make after clearly being left frustrated by their abject first half performance against West Ham. Despite this, Vicente Guaita will keep the gloves, which means Jack Butland will have to settle for a place on the bench at Selhurst Park.

The Palace boss will probably go with a largely unchanged back four from the defeat to David Moyes’ side, with Nathaniel Clyne the only change replacing Joel Ward at right-back.

Palace are of course without the injured James Tomkins, who has been ruled out due to an eye injury he sustained during first-team training.

Jairo Riedewald could be handed a rare start against Wolves, despite the left-footed midfielder being restricted to ten top-flight appearances as a substitute this season.

Hodgson dropped a strong hint in his press conference that Mateta could start against Wolves, though it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him start from the bench.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson dealt James Tomkins injury blow before Wolves clash…

يترقب عشاق الساحرة المستديرة في مصر وتونس والوطن العربي بشكل عام، المواجهة التي ستجمع بين الفراعنة ونسور قرطاج، في دور نصف نهائي بطولة كأس العرب، قطر 2021.

ومن المقرر أن تقام مباراة مصر وتونس يوم الأربعاء المُقبل، في تمام الخامسة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، على ملعب 974 بالعاصمة القطرية، الدوحة.

وكان منتخب مصر قد تأهل إلى الدور نصف النهائي بعد تخطيه عقبة الأردن، بثلاثية مقابل هدف، فيما وصل نسور قرطاج إلى الدور ذاته بعد تغلبه على عمان بهدفين مقابل هدف.

طالع أيضًا.. تاريخ المواجهات.. تونس تتفوق وكأس العرب فأل خير على مصر

رصدت صحيفة “المغرب التونسية” تقييم لاعبي منتخب تونس خلال مباراة عمان الماضية، لتبرز نقاط قوة وضعف فريقهم الوطني قبل مواجهة مصر.

وأكدت الصحيفة أن فرجاني ساسي لاعب الوسط يقبع بالمركز الأخير من حيث التقييم منذ بداية البطولة، مُشددة على أن هذا الأمر قد يتسبب له في مشاكل خلال الفترة القادمة وقد يجعله خارج حسابات الجهاز الفني في تصفيات أمم إفريقيا التي لا يفصلنا عنها الكثير.

وأوضحت الصحيفة الدور الكبير الذي يقوم به بعض اللاعبين على غرار حنبعل ودراغر والقيدوم ويوسف المساكني والظهير الأيسر محمد علي بن حميدة الذي اعتبرته الجماهير والنقاد أحد أبرز مفاجآت البطولة، ويلعب بدلاً من علي معلول المصاب.

طالع | الأهلي يشكر اتحاد الكرة لحل أزمة تعارض مونديال الأندية مع أمم إفريقيا

وأشارت إلى أن بن حميدة الذي كان في الماضي القريب لاعبًا احتياطيًا في تشكيلة الترجي وبعيدًا كل البعد عن أنظار المدير الفني لـ منتخب تونس، استطاع تطوير أدائه ليكون أحد الركائز الدفاعية بل وفي محل متابعة من العديد من الفرق.

وشددت على أن هناك كشافين من أندية خليجية كبيرة في قطر لمتابعة عدد من الأسماء بما فيها المتواجدة حاليًا على ذمة المنتخب التونسي وأبرزها سيف الجزيري وبن رمضان وبن حميدة وعيفة.

كشف الجهاز الفني لمنتخب مصر بقيادة كارلوس كيروش، عن بدلاء الفراعنة في مباراته أمام الأردن المقرر إقامتها اليوم السبت.

منتخب مصر يلتقي مع الأردن، في إطار مواجهات دور ربع نهائي بطولة كأس العرب المقامة في قطر حتى 18 ديسمبر الجاري.

طالع | تشكيل مصر أمام الأردن في كأس العرب بدلاء مصر أمام الأردن

محمد صبحي، محمود جاد، مروان داوود، أحمد رفعت، مهند لاشين، محمد عبد المنعم، أسامة فيصل، محمد مجدي أفشة، محمد شريف.

ويتواجد خارج القائمة: أحمد حجازي – أيمن أشرف (إصابة)، أكرم توفيق (إيقاف).

يذكر أن الفائز من مباراة مصر والأردن سيلتقي مع منتخب تونس في دور نصف النهائي من كأس العرب.

Manchester United were outfoxed by Manchester City on their own home turf on Wednesday night, leaving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a lot of work to do as the club’s wait for silverware continues.

Goals from City duo John Stones and Fernandinho dumped the Red Devils out of the Carabao Cup semi-final, as Pep Guardiola’s side set up a Wembley clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

Hunting their first trophy since 2017, Solskjaer’s side seemed to have shrugged off early pressure from City after Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford both squandered chances. But poor set-piece defending ultimately proved to be their undoing when Harry Maguire failed to deal with a free-kick from Phil Foden – Stones bundling home from close range to give City the lead.

And their suspect defence came back to haunt them after Anthony Martial and Aaron Wan-Bissaka combined only to clear the ball as far as the edge of the box for Fernandinho to hit the ball first time into the back of the net.

Several players were at fault for the sub-par performance, none more so than United left-back Luke Shaw, who arrived at Old Trafford from Southampton for £27m in 2014. He reportedly earns around £150,000-per-week, as per Spotrac.

SofaScore graded the 25-year-old as the worst player on the pitch by a country mile with a miserable 6.2 rating – he lost possession 16 times, failed to win any of his duels from six attempts, was dribbled past once and committed two fouls.

The Manchester Evening News gave Shaw a low grade of 5/10 and claimed he ‘let Stones go for the goal,’ while The Sun were equally scathing in their assessment, insisting ‘he found himself tucked in centrally and was often a passenger on the break.’

Not only did he look lethargic, but he was also uncharacteristically lightweight as well with his teammates Fernandes and Paul Pogba managing more tackles between them, as per SofaScore.

After Alex Telles’ arrival in the summer, Shaw may have been forgiven for feeling a little threatened. But his latest shocking display may have given him more reason to do so and he ought to be nervously looking over his shoulder after he suffered a horror show against Guardiola’s side.

United have now lost four cup semi-finals in the past 12 months following yet another semi-final defeat at the hands of City in the Carabao Cup. With a trip to Liverpool on the horizon, this could be Shaw’s last start for quite some time after this latest showing.

AND in other news, Manchester United could find their next Nemanja Vidic…