Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag with Steve McClaren (Picture: Getty)
Erik ten Hag has thanked Steve McClaren for his ‘tremendous service’ after the coach left Manchester United to take over of the Jamaica men’s national team.
McClaren worked under Ten Hag for two years, having also served as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Old Trafford over two decades ago.
The 63-year-old decided to leave his position after being approached by Jamaica, where he has ties having worked as a technical adviser for FIFA.
‘I want to thank Steve for his tremendous service over the past two years,’ he told the club’s official website.
‘He has been an invaluable source of support and advice to me since I arrived in English football, helping us achieve two trophies while laying down foundations for further success.
‘Steve and I have been friends for 16 years since we first worked together at FC Twente and that relationship will continue as he embarks on this next challenge, as will his bond with Manchester United.
‘All of us at the club wish Steve the best of luck in his new role.’
McClaren in Manchester United training (Picture: Getty)
Manchester United say McClaren will continue to oversee the return of international players to pre-season training at Carrington in the coming days before departing next week.
McClaren said: ‘I wish to say a huge thank you to everyone at Manchester United for their friendship, help and support during the past two years.
‘I am delighted to have played my part in helping Erik deliver two trophies to the club and for my final game to have been our FA Cup victory over Manchester City, there can be no better note on which to end.
‘I have no doubt the foundations that are in place at Manchester United will see the club challenging again soon for all the major trophies.’
On his decision to take the Jamaica job, McClaren added: ‘I had no hesitation in accepting a position that is ideally suited to me at this stage of my career.
‘I quickly came to realise the potential the country possessed [while working with Jamaica at FIFA].
‘In the years since, that potential has grown significantly and there is every reason to believe that with continued hard work and development a bright future lies ahead.’
The Premier League have fined champions Manchester City (Pictures: Getty)
Manchester City have been fined just over £2m by the Premier League for breaching kick-off and re-start rules 22 times over the last two seasons.
Man City accepted the fine and apologised to the Premier League while reminding their players and management of their responsibilities.
Rule L.33 says clubs will be disciplined if they ’cause delays to either the kick-off of a match or the re-start after the half-time interval’ unless they have ‘good reason’.
Manchester City were found to have been guilty of such offences 22 times over the last two seasons, with the longest delay coming at the start of the final game of the 2023-24 campaign when the match began two minutes and 46 seconds late.
A statement from the Premier League read: ‘The Premier League and Manchester City FC have entered into a sanction agreement after the club accepted it had breached Premier League Rule L.33 relating to kick-off and re-start obligations.
‘The breaches relate to a number of Premier League matches during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.
Man City accepted the final and apologised to the Premier League (Picture: Getty)
The games that led to Man City's fine
vs Crystal Palace (H) – August 27, 2022 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute 18 seconds)
vs Brighton (H) – October 22, 2022 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute 19 seconds)
vs Leeds (A) – December 28, 2022 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 34 seconds)
vs Everton (H) – December 31, 2022 (Length of delay to kick-off: 2 minutes and 33 seconds)
vs Leicester (H) – April 15, 2023 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 29 seconds)
vs Everton (A) – May 14, 2023 (Length of delay to restart: 2 minutes and 15 second)
vs Chelsea (H) – May 21, 2023 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minuute and 26 seconds)
vs Brighton (A) – May 24, 2023 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 17 seconds)
vs Burnley (A) – August 11, 2023 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 32 seconds)
vs Newcastle (H) – August 19, 2023 (Length of delay to kick-off and restart: 2 minutes and 34 seconds and 1 minute and 17 seconds)
vs Brighton (H) – October 21, 2023 (Length of delay to kick-off: 2 minutes and 35 seconds):
vs Aston Villa (A) – December 6, 2023 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 34 seconds)
vs Crystal Palace (H) – December 16, 2023 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 19 seconds)
vs Sheffield United (H) – December 30, 2023 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 26 seconds)
vs Newcastle (A) – January 13, 2024 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 46 seconds)
vs Chelsea (H) – February 17, 2024 (Length of delay to kick-off: 1 minute and 55 seconds)
vs Aston Villa (H) – April 3, 2024 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 40 seconds)
vs Crystal Palace (A) – April 6, 2024 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 43 seconds)
vs Brighton (A) – April 25, 2024 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 45 seconds)
vs Nottingham Forest (A) – April 28, 2024 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 22 seconds)
vs Tottenham (A) – May 14, 2024 (Length of delay to restart: 1 minute and 27 seconds)
vs West Ham (H) – May 19, 2024 (Length of delay to kick-off: 2 minutes and 46 seconds)
‘Rules relating to kick-offs and re-starts help ensure the organisation of the competition is set at the highest possible professional standard and provides certainty to fans and participating clubs.
‘It also ensures the broadcast of all 380 League matches around the world is kept to schedule.
‘As required by the Premier League Rules, the sanction agreement has been ratified by three members of the Independent Judicial Panel.’
Manchester City won the Premier League for the fourth year in a row last season, edging out Arsenal in a thrilling title race.
The Premier League champions face FA Cup winners and local rivals Manchester United in the Community Shield final on August 10 before kick-starting their title defence the following weekend against Chelsea.
Chelsea have been on a dip since Todd Boehly became co-owner (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea are a ‘disgrace’ and it is entirely possible that they will not win the Premier League title ever again, according to their ex-star Frank Leboeuf.
The Blues have been English champions six times in the past, but haven’t landed the top-flight title for seven years, when they were owned by Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea have been on a dip ever since BlueCo took control of the club and Leboeuf has now warned fans that things won’t be getting better any time soon.
‘Some fans think Chelsea can just start from scratch next season, but it won’t really be starting from scratch after spending a billion pounds,’ Leboeuf told Instant Casino.
‘The club can do whatever they want with their money but as a former player, I think it’s kind of a disgrace to see what we are seeing.
‘The talent is there in the squad but you don’t have many leaders or players you can rely on, that’s the biggest problem Enzo Maresca has.
‘It’s possible that Chelsea can win a cup, like the FA Cup this season potentially, but never the Premier League. No way.
A number of Chelsea’s signings in recent years have struggled (Picture: Getty)
‘If they keep going the way they’re going then they will never win a Premier League title again, they need experience. It just won’t work.
‘When I arrived at the club they had been waiting 26 years for a trophy and that only came to an end when experienced winners arrived.’
Chelsea fans are very much fed up with Todd Boehly and BlueCo (Picture: Getty)
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust also penned a damning letter to Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, warning that a lack of clear direction could lead to ‘irreversible toxicity’ and that ‘more impactful forms of protest’ could be on the way.
‘The current mood amongst supporters is critically low and cannot be ignored,’ they wrote in March. ‘The feeling that the club has become a ‘laughing stock’, both on and off the pitch, is growing.
‘The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust regretfully believes that we are close to, if not already experiencing, a significant shift in supporter opinion that could result in irreversible toxicity, almost irrespective of results on the pitch.
‘Unless the situation improves, this seems likely to manifest itself in more targeted chanting, especially at televised games, and quite possibly more organised, overt and impactful forms of protest by some sections of the fanbase.’
Filip Jorgensen joins the Blues in a deal worth £20.7m (Picture: Chelsea FC)
Chelsea star Filip Jorgensen has named which player in Enzo Maresca’s squad he thinks is ‘very good’ after officially completing his transfer to the Blues.
The west Londoners have splashed out £20.7m to bring in 22-year-old goalkeeper Jorgensen from Spanish club Villarreal, with the move now confirmed by the club.
It means that Robert Sanchez’s future at Stamford Bridge is looking up in the air, despite insisting he’s ‘the right guy’ for Maresca’s new style of play at Chelsea.
Sanchez wishes to fight Jorgensen for the No.1 spot and Chelsea’s new goalkeeper has now decided to fire a message over to the 26-year-old, who he thinks is ‘very good’ and has been tracking since his days at Brighton.
‘Robert Sanchez has been with the national team of Spain, where I live, and I followed him a bit when he was at Brighton and now Chelsea,’ Jorgensen told Chelsea’s website.
‘I know he is a very good goalkeeper and I hope we can learn from each other and produce the best versions of ourselves together.’
Jorgensen has also revealed the name of his biggest Chelsea hero after signing a seven-year deal that runs until 2031.
‘I always liked watching Chelsea because I watched a lot of Petr Cech growing up, so Chelsea were one of my favourite teams to follow,’ Jorgensen added.
Speaking more generally about his move to Chelsea, Jorgensen said: ‘I am very happy with how the last 12 months have panned out.
‘I am very confident in myself and I know what qualities I have. Luckily I had the chance to show myself on the biggest stage in Spain.
‘And now I am very happy to have the chance to do that at one of the biggest clubs in the world.’
Meanwhile, Chelsea head coach Maresca warned Sanchez last week that ‘anything can happen’ while the summer transfer window stays open.
‘The way we want to play, the goalkeeper is very important – one of the main positions,’ Maresca said. ‘When the transfer window is open, anything can happen.’
But Manchester United met with the player’s representatives last week and have now agreed a deal to bring him to Old Trafford, according to Fabrizio Romano.
It is claimed Obi-Martin agreed to join the Red Devils after being convinced that the Manchester club would offer him the best pathway going forward.
Obi-Martin has been prolific for Arsenal’s youth teams (Picture: Getty)
His impending move to United will further frustrate Arsenal fans, who saw Obi-Martin train with the first-team last season and feature for the U21 side in the UEFA Youth League.
Born just outside Copenhagen, Obi-Martin has played for the youth teams of both Denmark and England.
Speaking last week, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag reiterated his desire to see academy players come through during his tenure.
Under the Dutchman, the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Ethan Wheatley and Toby Collyer have been given chances at the Theatre of Dreams.
The England Euro 2024 star has just one year left on his contract and has been the subject of much transfer speculation over the past two seasons.
Plenty of Premier League clubs, most recently Tottenham and Aston Villa, have been interested in signing Gallagher who burst onto the scene in 2021 while on loan at Crystal Palace.
Last season the midfielder became a key player under Mauricio Pochettino and was Chelsea’s de-facto captain in the prolonged absences of Reece James and Ben Chilwell.
However, it remains to be seen how or if the 24-year-old will fit into new manager Enzo Maresca’s plans, especially since he is yet to return to training after his exploits at the Euros.
But he may have already played his last game at Stamford Bridge, with The Times reporting that Atletico have acted on their interest in the player and opened talks with the Blues over a transfer.
Diego Simeone is keen on bringing Gallagher to Atletico Madrid (Photo: Getty)
The report does however also note that Gallagher is yet to ‘express any desire to leave his boyhood club’, whom he has made 95 appearances for, scoring 10 and assisting 10 goals, but with his contract running down the Blues may decide to cash-in.
Chelsea value Gallagher at up to £50m, who have been tempted to sell for a while given that any fee for the academy graduate would be banked as pure profit.
He is not the only midfielder that Diego Simone is targeting however, with Mikel Merino, who is also in the last year of his contract, the other top name on their shortlist.
Merino has been valued at £40m by Real Sociedad and has also emerged as a target for Arsenal.
It’s been a busy transfer window so far for Chelsea who have already sold academy graduates Ian Maatsen, Lewis Hall and Omari Hutchinson to Premier League rivals.
They have so far spent over £74m on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Omari Kellyman, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Marc Guiu and Tosin Adarabioyo.
Williams, 22, recently impressed for Spain at Euro 2024 as the won the tournament in Germany with victory over Gareth Southgate’s England in the final.
Gallas, though, has told Arsenal to give up on hope of bringing the winger to the Emirates, and he also doesn’t think Chelsea or Liverpool have much chance either.
Quizzed about Arsenal being reportedly ‘very keen’ on Williams and if the Spaniard should pick the Gunners or the Blues, Gallas told Gambling Zone: ‘Too late!
‘Sorry Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool fans, or fans of any club that have been linked with Nico Williams, you’re too late.
‘He is going to go to Barcelona. I’m sure Barcelona is going to try to do everything they can to get that boy, especially when you see the relationship that he has with Lamine Yamal.
Nico Williams has a close relationship with Lamine Yamal (Picture: Getty)
‘They are two players that complement each other perfectly on the pitch and off it, they look like they’re really great friends. They’re always together.’
Williams has decided to spend at least one more season at Bilbao despite the interest from clubs in Spain and England, according to Marca.
He has conjured up 20 goals and 26 assists across 122 games for the Basque Country side to date.
‘He has also had offers from outside Athletic Bilbao, but I said that I didn’t want to know anything about what comes from outside, about signings or stories. They know what I am like, the personality I have, and I don’t like to know because I get distracted easily. I prefer to focus on one thing and go for it.
‘Because if one thing or another comes to me, in the end my head doesn’t work very well. My agent, my parents and my family know me perfectly and they know that I don’t want to hear anything until the Euros are over.’
After becoming an FA Cup icon, Patrick tells Joe all about THAT goal he scored against Peterborough back in January this year and how Gary Lineker might be able to take some credit for the strike. Joe attempts to rank Pat’s volley against the greatest FA Cup goals from history and they discuss Pat’s return to the starting eleven at Leeds and how a conversation with manager Daniel Farke sparked an upturn in form.
[This episode was originally released on 11/01/2024. Find the full My Mate’s a Footballer boxset on BBC Sounds – https://ift.tt/gMdnDls]
Comfortable operating at both centre-back and left-back, Calafiori joined Bologna in August 2023 and went on to make 33 appearances for the Serie A outfit in all competitions.
The versatile full-back rose through Roma’s academy ranks as a teen and made his debut for his boyhood side in 2020 before spending a year in Switzerland with Basel.
In his one and only season back in Italy, Calafiori played a key role to help Bologna secure Champions League football for the first time in the club’s long history.
Arsenal sporting director Edu said: ‘It has been a great team effort in completing this transfer and we welcome Riccardo to the family.
‘We identified Riccardo as part of our strategy to sign players who fit our profile and will reinforce our squad to compete at the highest level. He is 22 but brings quality and experience. He will quickly grow into being an Arsenal player.
‘Riccardo has consistently shown his quality for his club and country. He was one of the best players in Serie A last season, and gave strong performances for Italy in the Euros this summer.
‘Mikel and our coaches are excited to start working with Riccardo, and we all look forward to seeing him in our shirt.’
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta added: ‘We welcome Riccardo and his family to Arsenal. He is a great signing and gives us huge strength to reinforce our defence.
‘Riccardo is a big personality and character, with specific skills which will make us stronger as we push to win major trophies.
‘He has already shown great development in recent seasons with his performances for both Bologna and Italy, with his progression and development in the past year being really impressive.
‘We’re looking forward to working with Riccardo, integrating him into the squad, and supporting him in the years to come.’
Riccardo Calafiori has been on a rapid rise over in Italy (Picture: Getty)
Analysis from Metro.co.uk Sports Reporter Callum McAvoy…
Calafiori’s career so far
Calafiori spent a decade in Roma’s academy and survived a near-career ending knee injury before making his senior debut in 2020 where he instantly impressed – providing an assist and scoring a (disallowed) goal in a 3-1 win against Juventus.
He didn’t do enough to impress Jose Mourinho however, who loaned him to Genoa before selling him to Swiss side Basel in 2022.
Just one season later he was back in Italy with Bologna where he played an important part in their unlikely run to fifth in the table and Champions League qualification, with his performances seeing him named Serie A Player of the Month for May.
Riccardo Calafiori can play centre-back or left-back (Picture: Getty)
That same month the 22-year-old was called up to the Italian national team for the first time and despite his international inexperience, started all their group games at Euro 2024.
Despite an unfortunate own goal against eventual champions Spain, he caught the eye and provided a crucial late assist against Croatia, but he was suspended for the last-16 clash against Switzerland, where Italy completely crumbled and fell to a 2-0 loss.
What position does Calafiori play?
Prior to Bologna, Calafiori was a traditional left-back, equipped with great pace and good crossing ability.
Riccardo Calafiori is known for his fantastic passing range (Picture: Getty)
But under Thiago Motta he was repurposed as a centre-back, capable of playing in a back-three or four, which his speed, strength and height causing problems for opponents.
His fantastic passing range and ability to start attacks has been greatly praised, with some likening the player to legendary defenders Paolo Maldini and Sergio Ramos.
According to Opta, of defenders in Serie A who made a minimum of 10 appearances last season, Calafiori ranked second for recoveries per 90 (7.5), fifth for interceptions per 90 (1.9), joint-fourth for overall assists (5) and ninth for passes per 90 (68.6).
Most notably, Bologna won 16 and lost just three of the 30 league games in which the young star featured in. By contrast they won just two and lost three of the eight he missed.
While PSG are still keen on Osimhen, he is not currently viewed as a priority at Parc de Princes, prompting Arsenal to reignite their interest in the player.
Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis is adamant any team wishing to sign their star striker must pay that release clause.
Arteta still watsArsenal FC via Getty Images)
However, Napoli have received no concrete proposals which come near that figure, and while Saudi Pro League clubs could afford such a high fee, Osimhen is keen on remaining in Europe.
Sepp van den Berg featured regularly on loan at Mainz last season (Picture: Getty Images)
Liverpool have turned down a bid for defender Sepp van den Berg from PSV Eindhoven, with the Dutchman saying that his own asking price is too high.
The 22-year-old has been with the Reds since 2019 but has made just four first team appearances, all in domestic cup competitions.
He has spent time on loan at Preston, Schalke and last season at Mainz, where he was a regular in the first team, making 33 Bundesliga appearances.
The centre-back wants more regular first team action and is open to leaving Anfield to get it, which seems likely given Liverpool have the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez at their disposal.
Fabrizio Romano reports that PSV have made a bid of ‘around’ €10m (£8.44m) but Liverpool immediately rejected it.
The Reds are thought to want more than double that for Van den Berg, with an asking price of £20m placed on his head, but the man himself thinks that is unwarranted.
‘I know in today’s market (high prices) will happen,’ he said. ‘For the price they want for me, hmmm…
Arne Slot has begun work with the Liverpool squad after taking over from Jurgen Klopp (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Liverpool may think it is right as I had a good season, if they want £20-£25million that is a lot more. Hopefully we can find a way. Maybe I stay, maybe I go.
‘The first reaction from me is that it was quite high! It is also a compliment. But it makes it difficult, £20m is majorly high.’
Van den Berg has been involved in pre-season friendlies so far and is trying to use his chances to impress new boss Arne Slot, with a future at Liverpool the ‘dream’ scenario.
‘I’m still a Liverpool player. I enjoy it here, really,’ he told Sky Sports.
Van den Berg is hoping to catch the eye in pre-season (Picture: Getty Images)
‘It’s been a very nice pre-season. Of course, new coach, like new era starts, fresh training, new style of play. I really like it.
‘For me, it’s just about game time and, at the moment, I’m getting it here. So I’m happy at the moment, but like I said, it’s still early. You never know what can happen, but for me the most important thing is playing.
‘If I can do it here, there’s no better place. It’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest, clubs in the world, so if it’s here, it’s my dream. But for me, the most important thing is playing, so I will see what happens.’
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag is closing in on his third summer signing (Picture: Getty)
Manchester United are closing in on a deal for Noussair Mazraoui after agreeing terms with the Bayern Munich defender over a move to Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag has added French centre-back Leny Yoro and Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee to his squad so far this summer but is keen to bolster his squad further before the start of the new season.
Mazraoui, who has made 55 appearances for Bayern and has 28 caps for Morocco, has emerged as a target for the Red Devils as they look to cash in on Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Manchester United spent £50m on Wan-Bissaka five years ago but are ready to sell the defender for just £15m this summer.
The 26-year-old former Crystal Palace star has been linked with a move back to London, with West Ham keen to strengthen new manager Julen Lopetegui’s squad.
Wan-Bissaka’s move to east London will pave the way for Mazraoui’s arrival at Manchester United and the defender, also 26, has already agreed terms with the Premier League giants, according to Foot Mercato.
United are expected to pay around £15m for the Moroccan, with a further £5m heading to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in add-ons.
Noussair Mazraoui looks set to sign for Manchester United (Picture: Getty)
Ten Hag has often targeted his former players since becoming Manchester United manager and Mazraoui featured heavily under the Dutchman at Ajax.
Mazraoui joined Bayern Munich in 2022 and has played 38 league games for the German club across his two seasons at the Allianz Arena.
Rasmus Hojlund gave the Red Devils an early lead at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles but Arsenal came from behind courtesy of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli.
‘I think [the game] was a very good level for the third week of pre-season, from both sides, but in the first half I thought we were the better team,’ Ten Hag said.
‘We scored a very good goal, a very good ball in behind from [Marcus] Rashford and then [Rasmus] Hojlund with a very good move and a finish, I was very pleased.
‘We also created some more good chances and we then conceded the goal which was offside.’
Manchester United continue their pre-season preparations on Thursday against Spanish side Real Betis.
United, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season, face Manchester rivals City in the Community Shield final on August 10.
Patrick begins this episode with a bone to pick with Joe regarding his footballing ability. Kalvin Phillips gets in touch with Joe who starts planning a celebration for when he scores his first professional goal. Plus they discuss the career defining moments that all players experience on their journey to becoming a Premier League footballer.
[This episode was originally released on 14/12/2023. Find the full My Mate’s a Footballer boxset on BBC Sounds – https://ift.tt/YUW82J3]
However, Chelsea will be concerned after Estevao’s latest appearance for Palmeiras ended prematurely as he was forced off in the second half of the 2-0 defeat to Vitoria on Saturday.
Estevao has only recently recovered from sprains to his left ankle and knee before returning this weekend.
Quero nem imaginar disputar copa do Brasil e Libertadores sem o Estêvão…
— Central da SEP | Fan Account (@CentralDaSEP) July 27, 2024
But Estevao has now suffered a fresh setback as he rolled his left ankle during an attacking move on Palmeiras’ right flank.
Estevao stayed down for over a minute before he received treatment from Palmeiras’ medical staff. He was immediately replaced and was forced to leave the side of the pitch on a buggy.
Estevao was seen in tears with his shirt over his face as he spoke with Palmeiras’ medical team on the side of the pitch.
When asked about Estevao’s injury after his side’s defeat, Palmeiras head coach Abel Ferreira said: ‘It’s worrying.
‘Above all, we had losses in the defensive sector, we have fewer options without Murilo and Piquerez.
‘It’s a shame that this happened. Football is like that, he had already been out and we could force him in the last game with the intention of him getting into rhythm for the next game.
‘I don’t know how serious it is, but it’s sad. Losing another option, we’ve already lost a few and this one could mean another one because of today’s injury.’
Estevao is now an early doubt for the first leg of Palmeiras’ Copa do Brasil’s last-16 tie against Flamengo next Thursday.
Guiu made his first-team breakthrough at Barcelona last season, scoring two goals in seven games.
But strong competition for a place in Barca’s attack saw him being more of a regular for Barcelona B where he scored six goals in 17 appearances.
Guiu is with Chelsea’s squad for their pre-season tour of the United States and has featured in both the 2-2 draw with Wrexham, as well as the 4-1 defeat to Celtic on Saturday.
Chelsea are not planning to loan out Marc Guiu, says Enzo Maresca (Getty)
Many had anticipatedChelsea to send Guiu out on loan but Maresca insists a decision over the Spaniard is yet to be made.
‘The idea with Marc, with all the young players, is to have a look now during the pre-season and then to make a decision altogether,’ Maresca said.
‘I think Marc is doing well and he’s one of the guys in this moment is going to stay with us and not going to go somewhere.’
Maresca also refused to confirm that Chelsea are on the brink of signing Boca Juniors centre-back Aaron Anselmino and Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen but said both players are ‘very good’.
‘No, the only thing I can say is they are still Boca Juniors player and Villarreal players,’ Maresca said.
‘The moment they arrive, we will make some comment but at this moment, they are still not our player, so we will see.
‘I know both of them. And both of them are very good.’
We’re back on track in this episode about transfers where Pat discusses how his move to Chelsea came out of the blue and gives Joe insight into the power dynamic between a club and a player during the transfer window. Joe discusses what was going on in his life at the same age Pat was moving to the Premier League giants and they discover there’s a lot more in common between the pair than they first imagined. Plus there’s further developments of the budding friendship including a revelation from one of Joe’s comedian mates.
[This episode was originally released on 07/12/2023. Find the full My Mate’s a Footballer boxset on BBC Sounds – https://ift.tt/KlMpeFO]
Enzo Maresca admits his Chelsea players looked ‘confused’ in and out of possession against Celtic (SNS)
Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea ‘need to improve many things off the ball’ after they were hammered 4-1 by Celtic in their pre-season friendly on Saturday night.
Brendan Rodgers’ side ran out deserved winners at the at Notre Dame Stadium in Indiana as goals from Matt O’Reily and Kyogo Furuhashi put the Scottish champions in front in the first half.
Luis Palma and Mikey Johnston then struck after the break before Christopher Nkunku scored a late consolation from the penalty spot.
And Maresca concedes that his players are still ‘confused’ both in and out of possession.
‘As we said, the result is always important,’ Maresca said after Chelsea’s defeat.
‘For us, we need to analyse the game in general. I think on the ball, the team were 10 times better than in the game against Wrexham and that is important because we can see the amount of chances we created first-half and second-half.
Brendan Rodgers and Enzo Maresca chat before their pre-season friendly (SNS Group)
‘And off the ball, for sure, we can improve things and you can see sometimes we confuse when we need to play short, a little bit longer. It’s part of the process.
‘For sure, we need many things to improve off the ball. One of the things we did bad today was when the ball was not under pressure, to maintain the high-line. When the ball is not under pressure, you need to drop.
‘We still confuse some things on and off the ball. For me, it’s normal in this moment. We are trying to do something new. But for sure, game after game, training after training, we are going to be ready.’
Christopher Nkunku scored a late consolation from the penalty spot for Chelsea (Getty)
Asked if he has enough time to transmit his ideas to his Chelsea players before the start of the new Premier League season, Maresca said: ‘We are, for sure, going to be ready for that game or at least we are going to improve things for that game.
‘But I am not thinking for the first official game that everything is fine. It’s a little bit difficult.
‘The result is always important but in this moment we need to judge and analyse different things.
‘On the ball we created chances, off the ball we probably conceded too much and that is something we need to improve.’
Maresca was also keen to highlight that Celtic are further ahead than Chelsea in their pre-season schedule with their first Scottish Premiership match of the new season scheduled for next Sunday.
‘What was important to realise was the difference between us and them in terms of physical condition,’ Maresca said.
‘You can see they played already three or four games and they start the season soon. For us, you can see we struggled a bit physically.’
Rebecca Adlington says she would have preferred the Paris 2024 opening ceremony to be held inside a stadium (Getty/BBC)
Former Team GB Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington branded the Paris 2024 opening ceremony as ‘disjointed’ as athletes were paraded along the River Seine on Friday.
The broadcast flitted between the athletes being shown on their boats to various dances and artistic performances before the end of the ceremony at the Palais du Trocadero.
And Adlington, who won two golds and two bronze medals during her Olympic swimming career, said she would have preferred the ceremony to be held inside the stadium.
‘I think it’s one of those it’s a different experience when you’re watching it on telly to when you’re out there,’ she said in the BBC studio in Paris.
Athletes were sent down the River Seine on boats (AP)
Over 90 boats were used to transport the athletes (Getty)
‘The weather isn’t helping, it has not stopped raining so I think being cold and it’s just one of those where it’s slightly tarnished the experience.
‘It wasn’t my favourite opening ceremony, I have to admit, just because I think it was so different and so ambitious that I think I’m probably stuck in my ways.
‘I like the stadium, I like when it’s all together and I like when you can see different things going off whereas this felt a bit disjointed in parts.’
Former United States sprinter Michael Johnson, who was also working as a BBC pundit for the opening ceremony, claims some spectators were also ‘going long periods without being entertained’.
‘It was different,’ Johnson said of the ceremony in the French capital.
The lighting of the Olympic flame was one of the standout shots of the opening ceremony (Shutterstock)
Celine Dion stole the show with a brilliant performance (AFP via Getty)
‘I applaud the French for going out there, I mean they went big, it was very ambitious to do that, to have the athletes down the Seine instead of in a stadium.
‘The athletes looked like they enjoyed it, in the end they were lighting the cauldron was really, really different and fantastic, lights show, I love a lights show, we had an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower lit up.
‘I’m curious for fans who watched on television and people who were in the stands of what their experience was.
‘Because I think from what I was getting from some people that I know who were out there, there were some long periods where they weren’t really entertained, they didn’t get to see anything.
‘When you’re in a stadium, you have that sound and all of the live action and entertainment going on in front of you, so I’m not sure what their experience was.’
Joe slightly derailed this episode in order to utilise the time he spends with his professional footballer co-host. After a crushing defeat, Joe wanted to know what things he could add to his game to become a better player at the tender age of 48. Pat obliges with a couple of tips and tricks and we also learned something that Joe could never imagine about the world of professional football which only helps their friendship become stronger.
[This episode was originally released on 30/11/2023. Find the full 'My Mate’s a Footballer' boxset on BBC Sounds – https://ift.tt/ySONTdl]
The Reds begin their Stateside tour against Betis on Friday night before meetings with two of their biggest Premier League rivals. Arsenal await in Philadelphia on 1 August with a friendly clash with United taking place three days later in South Carolina.
‘He is not fully fit yet,’ Slot said of Robertson. ‘But we are expecting him in the end of the tour – maybe just after the tour – to be fully fit again.
‘He took a small injury into the Euros and afterwards he had to recover from that after playing those games. But we will expect him back after our tour – but he joined us over here.’
In total, Liverpool are without 11 players as they begin their tour with a large contingent of the squad still on their summer breaks following Euro 2024 and the Copa America.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz, Alisson Becker and Darwin Nunez are all still on holiday.
Robertson still recovering from an ankle knock (Picture: Allstar via Getty Images)
Diogo Jota is expected to link up with the squad this week with Slot expecting more faces to arrive before they head back to Merseyside.
‘Diogo is arriving today I think, so he will have his testing day tomorrow and the day after he will join us in the session,” Slot said.
‘And I think it’s Ibou [Konate] and Ryan that will join us later in the trip. I don’t think I have forgotten anyone. The rest will start after the trip when we are back in Liverpool.’
Quizzed on his right-back, Slot said: ‘My answer would probably be a bit boring… I think it’s the same answer you’ve heard in the last five, six or seven years. Contract situations are not discussed at this place.’
Liverpool begin the new Premier League campaign away to newly-promoted Ipswich Town on 17 August.
