Category: Sport

On December 16, a new postage stamp “Usyk. The world loves the strong”. All proceeds from the sale will go to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine through the Usyk Foundation.

On December 16, Ukrposhta will present a new charity postage stamp dedicated to the legendary Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk. This was reported by Ukrposhta News, according to UNN.

Details

This issue is titled “Usyk. The World Loves the Strong” and honors the most titled Ukrainian amateur boxer, absolute world champion in the heavy and super heavyweight divisions. The stamp has a circulation of 420,000 copies. The design was created by artist Serhiy Tekhov.

All proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Usyk Foundation, a charity that supports the Ukrainian Defense Forces and helps Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression.

The pre-order for the stamp is already available on the website https://postmark.ukrposhta.ua Philatelic pass holders will receive payment links by e-mail today.

“Cities of Heroes. Mykolaiv": “Ukrposhta presented a new stampSep 5 2024, 02:12 PM • 20804 views

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says his players were “aggressive” and “controlled the transitions very well” in their comeback victory against Viktoria Plzen.

The Red Devils came from behind to beat Czech outfit Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in the Europa League on Thursday.

Amorim made some changes before the hour mark, with Rasmus Hojlund making a huge impact off the bench.

The Danish striker scored both of United’s goals to earn them three valuable points, lifting them to fifth in the league phase table, four points behind leaders Athletic Bilbao.

United ended Plzen’s 12-match home unbeaten run in Europe (including qualifiers), becoming the first foreign side to win there since Barcelona did so in November 2022.

It was also the Red Devils’ first away win in Europe since beating Real Betis in March 2023.

MORE ON MAN UTD FROM F365
👉 Every Premier League club’s worst player in 24/25: Walker, Jesus, Mount, Ferguson…
👉 Premier League player stats: Salah, Saka, Van Dijk, Palmer flying; Watkins misfiring
👉 Man Utd and Man City miserably side by side in Premier League mood rankings

Amorim says his players showed improvement after a slow first half and praised those on the pitch for their reaction to going 1-0 down.

“We improved during the game,” he said. “We controlled the game in the first half, but without any great chances.

“We lacked speed and movement and we didn’t control the ball because the pitch was difficult to make the connections with the strikers. Viktoria didn’t have chances either.

“In the second half, we gave a goal away but we reacted well. We pushed the opponents to their own half and we managed to score. The win is important at the moment and it’s good to prepare for the next game.

“The speed improved. I told the players we need more movement in front because they have to feel we are a danger. We changed a little bit of our game and the players from the bench also helped. We improved not just the way we play, but also the speed of the game.

“We are improving in some details. We controlled the transitions very well. We were aggressive when we lost the ball. We need to spend more time near the opposition goal.”

On Hojlund, Amorim added: “He is improving. He is more near the goal now. He knows better the movement he has to do. He could score more this evening. but he is scoring, working and controlling the ball better.”

United captain Bruno Fernandes praised his teammates for coming behind to win in Czechia.

“It was a good performance overall. I think in the final third we could have kept the ball a bit more but the man-marking from them was difficult to get away from. Sometimes you just have to pass and run to try to find the gaps in behind.

“In the first half we did it better than in the second half, when we let the game go a little bit in the way that they wanted, a bit more transitional. Then we dealt with that and in the end we got the win.

“We want to play from the back and everyone knows that then we have to make the right decision on the pitch. Andre [Onana] thought that Matta [De Ligt] could get on the ball but he missed it and they scored a goal.

“It is not about Andre making the mistake, we don’t look at individuals here when something happens on the wrong side. We have huge belief in him. He knows he made a mistake because he is a clever guy, he is going to help us many times and we trust his qualities on the ball.

“Mistakes are part of football. If they don’t happen then goals don’t happen. But we did well to show the resilience to come back and find the victory.”

👉 READ MORE: Marcus Rashford tempting for Arsenal as Jadon Sancho proves Man Utd are the problem

Match-winner Hojlund added: “It was a bit difficult out there. It was very cold today and the pitch was a bit boggy as well, but we solved it in the second half.

“I think we didn’t play too direct in the first half. We needed to play over them and behind them more because there was space to run into. Especially with the boggy pitch I was talking about, if we won the second balls, you can play from there.”

Hojlund continued: “We still need more time. It’s still very early days. It’s about getting our routines together and its getting there. But it still needs practice and time.

“I know it sounds odd, but we don’t get enough time on the training ground, so we have to train it during the matches. But it’s getting better and better.”

Dynamo Kyiv loses to Real Sociedad 0:3 in a Europa League match.

Dynamo Kyiv has ended its struggle in this year's Europa League, having been defeated by Spanish Real Sociedad with a score of 0: 3. This was reported by the Ukrainian Football Association, UNN reports.

Details

Goals for the White and Blues were scored by Mikel Oyarzabal (19th and 33rd minutes) and Robin Le Normand (24th minute). The Spaniards dominated throughout the match, which is confirmed by the statistics: 27 shots on goal against only 5 attempts by Dynamo.

This result was the end of the European Cup campaign for Kyiv in the 2023/24 season. Now the team will focus on playing in the domestic championship.

The match review is available on the Megogo platform.

Europa League: where to watch Dynamo vs Real Sociedad and who is the bookmakers' favoriteDec 12 2024, 01:47 PM • 11171 view

The 2024/25 Premier League season is in full swing and we have some lovely statistics for you. Here are the leading players across 29 metrics.

Stats come courtesy of FBRef, with a little help from the official Premier League website.

Who has scored the most goals in the Premier League this season?

Erling Haaland (Man City) – 13
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 13
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) – 11
Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) – 10
Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford) – 9
Yoane Wissa (Brentford) – 9
Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea) – 8
Matheus Cunha (Wolves) – 7
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) – 7
Liam Delap (Ipswich) – 6
Danny Welbeck (Brighton) – 6
Jorgen Strand Larsen (Wolves) – 6
Brennan Johnson (Tottenham) – 6
Jamie Vardy (Leicester) – 6
Alexander Isak (Newcastle) – 6

Who has made the most assists in the Premier League this season?

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 10
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 8
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) – 6
Amad Diallo (Man Utd) – 6
Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd) – 5
Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford) – 4
James Maddison (Tottenham) – 4
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham) – 4
Bernardo Silva (Man City) – 4
Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester) – 4
Marcus Tavernier (Bournemouth) – 4
Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest) – 4
Heung-min Son (Tottenham) – 4
Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) – 4
Antonee Robinson (Fulham) – 4
Jacob Murphy (Newcastle) – 4

Who has the highest xG in the Premier League this season?

Erling Haaland (Man City) – 12.9 (13 goals)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 10.4 (13)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) – 10.1 (11)
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) – 8.7 (7)
Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea) – 7.4 (8)
Dominic Solanke (Tottenham) – 6.7 (5)
Brennan Johnson (Tottenham) – 6.6 (6)
Yoane Wissa (Brentford) – 6.3 (9)
Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) – 6.1 (10)
Kai Havertz (Arsenal) – 5.8 (5)

Who has taken the most shots in the Premier League this season?

Erling Haaland (Man City) – 68 (36 on target)
Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) – 58 (13)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) – 50 (20)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 43 (23)
Noni Madueke (Chelsea) – 42 (19)
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) – 42 (18)
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 42 (16)
Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace) – 42 (13)
Matheus Cunha (Wolves) – 41 (15)
Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd) – 40 (8)

Who has the most big chances missed in the Premier League this season?

Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) – 15
Erling Haaland (Man City) – 13
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 9
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton) – 9
Noni Madueke (Chelsea) – 9
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) – 9
Dominic Solanke (Tottenham) – 8
Alejandro Garnacho (Man Utd) – 8
Liam Delap (Ipswich) – 8
Kai Havertz (Arsenal) – 8
Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace) – 8

👉 Arne Slot’s Liverpool have actually beaten zero Proper Teams so far this season

Who has been called offside the most times in the Premier League this season?

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton) – 19
Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) – 13
Jamie Vardy (Leicester) – 12
Evanilson (Bournemouth) – 11
Kai Havertz (Arsenal) – 10
Raul Jimenez (Fulham) – 9
Alexander Isak (Newcastle) – 8
Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea) – 8
Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford) – 8
Matheus Cunha (Wolves) – 7
Jorgen Strand Larsen (Wolves) – 7
Marcus Rashford (Man Utd) – 7
Heung-min Son (Tottenham) – 7
Mohammed Kudus (West Ham) – 7

Who has completed the most passes in the Premier League this season?

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – 1014
Ruben Dias (Man City) – 1006
Josko Gvardiol (Man City) – 970
Levi Colwill (Chelsea) – 934
Jan Bednarek (Southampton) – 888
Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton) – 886
William Saliba (Arsenal) – 846
Manuel Akanji (Man City) – 844
Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton) – 799
Calvin Bassey (Fulham) – 797

Who has made the most key passes in the Premier League this season?

Cole Palmer (Chelsea) – 40
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 39
Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) – 36
Leif Davis (Ipswich) – 36
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham) – 35
Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham) – 33
Andreas Pereira (Fulham) – 32
Dwight McNeil (Everton) – 32
Bernardo Silva (Man City) – 32
Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd) – 31

👉 Top 10 creators in the Premier League

Who has made the most progressive passes in the Premier League this season?

Josko Gvardiol (Man City) – 122
Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd) – 106
Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) – 104
Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle) – 96
Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton) – 92
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) – 90
Manuel Akanji (Man City) – 89
Alex Iwobi (Fulham) – 85
Destiny Udogie (Tottenham) – 85
James Maddison (Tottenham) – 83

Who has made the most tackles in the Premier League this season?

Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace) – 53 (37 won)
Joao Gomes (Wolves) – 49 (25)
Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester) – 48 (28)
Moises Caicedo (Chelsea) – 47 (30)
Mario Lemina (Wolves) – 47 (29)
Noussair Mazraoui (Man Utd) – 47 (27)
Victor Kristiansen (Leicester) – 45 (30)
Antonee Robinson (Fulham) – 45 (28)
Destiny Udogie (Tottenham) – 43 (28)
Idrissa Gueye (Everton) – 41 (22)

Who has made the most interceptions in the Premier League this season?

Kenny Tete (Fulham) – 28
Antonee Robinson (Fulham) – 28
Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) – 28
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – 28
Mario Lemina (Wolves) – 26
Lisandro Martinez (Man Utd) – 25
Moises Caicedo (Chelsea) – 23
Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace) – 23
Lewis Cook (Bournemouth) – 23
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham) – 22
Diogo Dalot (Man Utd) – 22

Who has made the most clearances in the Premier League this season?

Ethan Pinnock (Brentford) – 96
Murillo (Nottingham Forest) – 91
Wout Faes (Leicester) – 85
James Tarkowski (Everton) – 84
Max Kilman (West Ham) – 83
Nathan Collins (Brentford) – 80
Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace) – 77
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – 68
Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth) – 68
Dara O’Shea (Ipswich) – 66

Who has the most touches in the Premier League this season?

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – 1243
Josko Gvardiol (Man City) – 1204
Ruben Dias (Man City) – 1161
Levi Colwill (Chelsea) – 1152
Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton) – 1116
Pedro Porro (Tottenham) – 1072
Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) – 1067
Jan Bednarek (Southampton) – 1052
Nathan Collins (Wolves) – 1045
Antonee Robinson (Fulham) – 1025

Who has the most touches in the attacking penalty area in the Premier League this season?

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 116
Erling Haaland (Man City) – 107
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 106
Bernardo Silva (Man City) – 98
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) – 96
Brennan Johnson (Tottenham) – 85
Noni Madueke (Chelsea) – 84
Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham) – 81
Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton) – 78
Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) – 77

Who has completed the most dribbles in the Premier League this season?

Mohammed Kudus (West Ham) – 38 (73 attempted)
Iliman Ndiaye (Everton) – 36 (78)
Jeremy Doku (Man City) – 35 (66)
Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) – 34 (60)
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham) – 30 (69)
Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich) – 29 (68)
Abdul Fatawu (Leicester) – 29 (69)
Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolves) – 27 (53)
Matheus Cunha (Wolves) – 27 (59)
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 27 (66)

Who has the most progressive carries in the Premier League this season?

Jeremy Doku (Man City) – 83
Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton) – 76
Noni Madueke (Chelsea) – 68
Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham) – 67
Savinho (Man City) – 66
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 65
Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) – 60
Callum Hudson-Odoi (Nottingham Forest) – 59
Alejandro Garnacho (Man Utd) – 58
Bernardo Silva (Man City) – 55

TRANSFER FEATURES FROM F365
👉 Premier League five-year net spend table: Chelsea miles clear of Man Utd, Man City bottom half
👉 Every Man Utd signing post-Sir Alex ranked: Sancho, Antony in bottom five, Solskjaer buy top

Who has won the most aerial duels in the Premier League this season?

Nathan Collins (Brentford) – 55 (21 lost)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton) – 54 (55)
Tomas Soucek (West Ham) – 49 (35)
Dara O’Shea (Ipswich) – 48 (26)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – 45 (16)
Dan Burn (Newcastle) – 45 (26)
Ethan Pinnock (Brentford) – 44 (30)
James Tarkowski (Everton) – 42 (15)
Max Kilman (West Ham) – 42 (19)
Kai Havertz (Arsenal) – 42 (55)

Who has the most ball recoveries in the Premier League this season?

Diogo Dalot (Man Utd) – 87
Ryan Christie (Bournemouth) – 87
Iliman Ndiaye (Everton) – 83
Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest) – 82
Joelinton (Newcastle) – 81
Joao Gomes (Wolves) – 80
Moises Caicedo (Chelsea) – 80
Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle) – 79
Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth) – 78
Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) – 78

Who has won the most fouls in the Premier League this season?

Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle) – 56
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) – 35
James Maddison (Tottenham) – 35
Anthony Gordon (Newcastle) – 34
Ryan Yates (Nottingham Forest) – 32
Tyler Dibling (Southampton) – 31
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 30
John McGinn (Aston Villa) – 30
Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) – 29
Joel Veltman (Brighton) – 27
Matheus Cunha (Wolves) – 27

Who has committed the most fouls in the Premier League this season?

Liam Delap (Ipswich) – 36
Joao Gomes (Wolves) – 35
Joelinton (Newcastle) – 34
Lewis Cook (Bournemouth) – 30
Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) – 30
Moises Caicedo (Chelsea) – 30
Flynn Downes (Southampton) – 28
Ryan Yates (Nottingham Forest) – 28
Kai Havertz (Arsenal) – 27
San Morsy (Ipswich) – 27

Who has the most errors leading to a goal in the Premier League this season?

Arijanet Muric (Ipswich) – 4
Robert Sanchez (Chelsea) – 3
Ethan Pinnock (Brentford) – 3
Bart Verbruggen (Brighton) – 3
Diego Carlos (Aston Villa) – 2
Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) – 2
Trevoh Chalobah (Crystal Palace) – 2
Wout Faes (Leicester) – 2
Casemiro (Man Utd) – 2
Nick Pope (Newcastle) – 2
Flynn Downes (Southampton) – 2
Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton) – 2
Alex McCarthy (Southampton) – 2

Who has the most errors leading to a shot in the Premier League this season?

Robert Sanchez (Chelsea) – 4
Arijanet Muric (Ipswich) – 4
Nick Pope (Newcastle) – 4
Alex McCarthy (Southampton) – 4
Radu Dragusin (Tottenham) – 4
David Raya (Arsenal) – 3
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa) – 3
Ethan Pinnock (Brentford) – 3
Bart Verbruggen (Brighton) – 3
Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea) – 3
Trevoh Chalobah (Crystal Palace) – 3
Calvin Bassey (Fulham) – 3
Bernd Leno (Fulham) – 3
Wout Faes (Leicester) – 3
Bernardo Silva (Man City) – 3
Casemiro (Man Utd) – 3
Joe Lumley (Southampton) – 3
Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton) – 3
Flynn Downes (Southampton) – 3
Lucas Paqueta (West Ham) – 3
Jean-Clair Todibo (West Ham) – 3
Mario Lemina (Wolves) – 3

Who has scored the most own goals in the Premier League this season?

Craig Dawson (Wolves) – 2
Ethan Pinnock (Brentford) – 1
Matt O’Riley (Brighton) – 1
Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace) – 1
Issa Diop (Fulham) – 1
Victor Kristiansen (Leicester) – 1
Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester) – 1
Ruben Dias (Man City) – 1
Dan Burn (Newcastle) – 1
Alphonse Areola (West Ham) – 1

Who has played the most minutes in the Premier League this season?

17 players – 1,170

Who has the most yellow cards in the Premier League this season?

Wesley Fofana (Chelsea) – 6
Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) – 6
Will Hughes (Crystal Palace) – 6
Sasa Lukic (Fulham) – 6
Flynn Downes (Southampton) – 6
Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) – 5
Ryan Christie (Bournemouth) – 5
Pedro Neto (Chelsea) – 5
Calvin Bassey (Fulham) – 5
Facundo Buonanotte (Leicester) – 5
Boubakary Soumare (Leicester) – 5
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool) – 5
Lisandro Martinez (Man Utd) – 5
Kobbie Mainoo (Man Utd) – 5
Dan Burn (Newcastle) – 5
Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton) – 5
Tyler Dibling (Southampton) – 5
Yves Bissouma (Tottenham) – 5
Emerson Palmieri (West Ham) – 5
Nelson Semedo (Wolves) – 5
Joao Gomes (Wolves) – 5

Who has the most red cards in the Premier League this season?

Jack Stephens (Southampton) – 2
Declan Rice (Arsenal) – 1
Leandro Trossard (Arsenal) – 1
William Saliba (Arsenal) – 1
Jaden Philogene (Aston Villa) – 1
Christian Norgaard (Brentford) – 1
Carlos Baleba (Brighton) – 1
Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace) – 1
Ashley Young (Everton) – 1
Joachim Andersen (Fulham) – 1
Tom Cairney (Fulham) – 1
Harry Clarke (Ipswich) – 1
Kalvin Phillips (Ipswich) – 1
Rico Lewis (Man City) – 1
Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd) – 1
Fabian Schar (Newcastle) – 1
Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) – 1
James Ward-Prowse (Nottingham Forest) – 1
Ryan Fraser (Southampton) – 1
Edson Alvarez (West Ham) – 1
Mohammed Kudus (West Ham) – 1

Who has the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season?

Andre Onana (Man Utd) – 6
Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest) – 5
David Raya (Arsenal) – 5
Jordan Pickford (Everton) – 5
Robert Sanchez (Chelsea) – 3
Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace) – 3
Alisson (Liverpool) – 3
Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool) – 3
Nick Pope (Newcastle) – 3
Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham) – 3

Which goalkeeper has made the most saves in the Premier League this season?

Mark Flekken (Brentford) – 70
Mads Hermansen (Leicester) – 60
Nick Pope (Newcastle) – 53
Arijanet Muric (Ipswich) – 53
Robert Sanchez (Chelsea) – 45
Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace) – 44
Mats Sels (Nottingham Forest) – 43
Bernd Leno (Fulham) – 41
David Raya (Arsenal) – 40
Bart Verbruggen (Brighton) – 39

Which goalkeeper has saved the most penalties in the Premier League this season?

Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa) – 1
Robert Sanchez (Chelsea) – 1
Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace) – 1
Jordan Pickford (Everton) – 1
Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool) – 1
Andre Onana (Man Utd) – 1

👉 READ NEXT: Man Utd and Man City miserably side by side in Premier League mood rankings

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has urged the Reds hierarchy to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to reports.

The Reds have made a brilliant start to the new Premier League season with the Merseysiders four points clear of second-placed Chelsea at the top of the Premier League, while they also have a game in hand on their rivals.

Slot could have hardly wished for a better start as Liverpool boss after leaving Feyenoord to succeed legendary manager Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

Klopp left the Liverpool squad in a good state after his departure with the Reds overhauling their midfield in the previous summer transfer window.

But now Slot still sees weaknesses his side, despite them also leading the Champions League group stage table, and reports in Spain claim that the Liverpool boss has ‘asked’ the Reds hierarchy to sign Barcelona midfielder De Jong.

De Jong has suffered with injuries issues and loss of form over the last 12 months and Barcelona seem open to allowing him to leave the Camp Nou for the right price.

And it is claimed that the Netherlands international ‘could end up at Anfield’ after becoming ‘a headache of biblical proportions’ for Barcelona boss Hansi Flick.

Flick ‘continues to make it clear that he is far from his best version, and that right now he is not ready to be a starter’ with De Jong mainly used as a subsitute this term.

With De Jong, who is the joint-highest paid player at Barcelona, having a contract until the summer of 2026, the Catalan giants ‘need to get rid of him if they don’t want to see him say goodbye for free soon’.

Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have ‘lost interest in him’ but Liverpool boss Slot believes ‘that he can recover his best form’.

MORE LIVERPOOL COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Liverpool eye ‘surprise raid’ on Chelsea as replacement for Man City, Real Madrid-linked star
👉 Liverpool: Transfer ‘seduces’ Trent Alexander-Arnold as FSG identify ‘serious issue’ amid ‘tight spot’
👉 Man Utd and Man City miserably side by side in Premier League mood rankings

Slot has ‘asked the English club’s board to initiate contacts’ for the potential January signing but the Liverpool board ‘do not want to make a big outlay for De Jong’.

Liverpool’s ‘intention is to reach an agreement for around €50m (£41m), or even less’ and persuade De Jong that Anfield is the right destination for him.

An injury to Rodri at Man City has derailed the season for Pep Guardiola’s side but former winger Jermaine Pennant believes Liverpool are less reliant on one player.

Pennant told Mega Dice: “Liverpool aren’t as dependant on one player as Manchester City are with Rodri. I don’t think if Liverpool were to lose Ryan Gravenberch to injury at any point that it would be too costly to their season.

“We saw it against Newcastle, Dominic Szoboszlai and Alexis MacAllister filled in for him when he was taken off and can perform well in that position and do a job, and there was a little burst of energy in the middle of the park.

“If they did lose him to injury it would hurt, of course, because what he’s been doing this season has been fantastic and he does help Liverpool get out of trouble. Liverpool are proven without him, though, so it certainly wouldn’t be as detrimental as we’ve seen the loss of Rodri has been to City.”

Today at 22:00, Dynamo Kyiv will play against Real Sociedad in the 5th round of the Europa League. The match will take place at the Real Arena in San Sebastian, and will be broadcast on Megogo.

Today, on December 12, Dynamo Kyiv and Real Sociedad of Spain will meet at the Real Arena stadium in the 5th round of the Europa League group stage. UNN decided to tell you how the teams approach the game, where to watch the match, and who is the bookmakers' favorite.

Details

Tonight at 22:00, Dynamo Kyiv and Real Sociedad will meet at the Real Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain. The broadcast can be watched live on the Megogo platform.

German specialist Harm Osmers has been appointed as the main referee, and he will be assisted by Dominik Schaal and Stefan Schlupp on the tape. Benjamin Brand has been appointed as the VAR referee.

This match will be historic, as the teams have never met before. Bookmakers give the Spaniards a landslide victory at odds of 1.46, while Dynamo's victory is 7.6. The odds for a draw are 4.5.

Real Sociedad is not one of the giants of Spanish football, but 40 years ago it won the Spanish Championship twice (1981, 1982). More recent achievements include winning the Spanish Cup in 2020. Imanol Alguacil has been the head coach since December 2018.

“Real Sociedad is in the middle of the Europa League standings, ranked 16th. Meanwhile, Dynamo has never won in the current Europa League draw and is in last place in the table with zero points.

“Real Sociedad has played against the Ukrainian club only twice – it was Shakhtar in the 2013/14 Champions League. Back then, Donetsk won both matches with a total score of 6-0.

It is worth noting that it was against the Spaniards that Shakhtar played their last match in the Champions League at the Donbass Arena.

In the domestic league, Dynamo defeated Oleksandriya 3-0 in the last round, and Real Sociedad beat Leganes with the same score.

The day before, Kyiv head coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi said that Andriy Yarmolenko, Taras Mykhavko and Mykola Shaparenko would not be available for the match against the Spaniards.

“Of course, I will not tell you the plan and strategy for the game. Now at the training session you will see a team that is preparing for a fundamental game and fight. We can choose any strategy, but there is a game that consists of every single moment on the football field. And this pattern of play must be reinforced in every link – both in attack and defense. It must be a harmonious structure, and the guys who take the field must fulfill the task they will face to the best of their abilities and show their best game. Everyone has already realized that in order to win such a tournament, you need to go out and play with courage, heart, passion and be ready for any moment,” Shovkovsky said about what he expects from today's match.

Recall

Ukrainian football club Shakhtaris 27th in the UEFA Champions League standings after six rounds.

Manchester City star Ederson and head coach Pep Guardiola have been blasted as the Spanish boss is “too arrogant and presumptuous”.

Guardiola is dealing with a crisis at Man City as the Premier League holders have won just one of their last ten matches across all competitions.

Man City‘s situation worsened on Wednesday night as they suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss against Serie A giants Juventus. This result leaves them 22nd in the Champions League table with two group matches remaining.

In the Premier League, Man City are 19th in the form table heading into Sunday’s unpredictable Manchester derby at the Etihad against Man Utd.

Guardiola recently extended his contract but is under immense scrutiny as Man City look miles off their best and a huge rebuild is required at the Etihad.

Most of his key players are struggling, including Brazil international Ederson, who has recently been replaced in the starting XI by Stefan Ortega in the Premier League.

READ: Guardiola will sell Walker, Ederson and Savinho to rescue Manchester City in ‘team full of fat players’ repeat

Former England boss Fabio Capello and ex-West Ham forward Paolo Di Canio hit out at Guardiola and Ederson before Man City’s match against Juventus.

Capello has accused Guardiola of “losing trophies” while trying to “take the credit away from his squad”.

“Guardiola is a great coach, but he is far too arrogant and presumptuous,” Capello said.

“At times, he has even lost trophies because he wanted to prove that he was the one winning and not the players, so he dropped key figures from the side in the big games.

“That was, in my view, an attempt to take the spotlight and the credit away from his squad.”

Di Canio added: “Ederson has talent, but he is so arrogant that he makes these mistakes due to sheer over-confidence and trying to show off, like a back-heel flick when under pressure.”

MORE MAN CITY COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Pep Guardiola, Ruben Dias embarrassed as Juventus prey on rudderless Man City
👉 Man City star, Guardiola clash on Juventus loss as boss rejects honest assessment – ‘Sorry? No’
👉 Man City to ‘include’ two ‘dispensable’ stars in ‘offer’ for ‘bombshell’ signing after Guardiola ‘agrees’

In response, Capello agreed with Di Canio’s assessment of Ederson as the former manager has deemed the goalkeeper a “disaster”.

Di Canio continued: “These are two teams, one that has not yet found its identity, another that has lots it.

“Up until a month ago, City were the team with the clearest identity in the world. Now Guardiola’s side concede goals so cheaply, absurd mistakes against the weakest opponents.

“I expect Juve can hurt this Manchester City. They score goals, but they concede a lot too.”

Shakhtar ranks 27th in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League standings with 4 points.

Ukrainian football club Shakhtar is 27th in the standings of the 2024/2025 Champions League after six rounds, UNN reports with reference to the standings.

Details

Marino Pušić's team has 4 points, while the table leader, Liverpool, has 18.

In the 6th round of the main stage of the Champions League 2024/2025, Ukraine's goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin played for his club Benfica, which hosted Bologna at its stadium. Our footballer played a full match, which ended in a zero-zero draw, the UAF notes.

AddendumAddendum

In the 6th round of the UEFA Champions League main stage, Shakhtar hosted Bayern Munich and lost to the German club with a score of 1-5. The match gathered 57,079 spectators in the stands of the Aufschalke Arena, which was a record figure for home games in the history of the Donetsk club.

Despite a quick goal, Shakhtar lost to Bayern Munich in GelsenkirchenDec 11 2024, 01:44 AM • 16585 views

The Pitmen will play their next Champions League match on January 22, 2025, when they will host French side Brest in Gelsenkirchen.

Next Sunday, December 15, Marino Pušić's team will play its final match of the year. In the UPL match, Shakhtar will face Polissya away. The game in Zhytomyr will start at 18:00.

Ruben Dias has caught a severe case of the Manchester Citys. Pep Guardiola’s got it worse than anyone. The defending was criminal in defeat to Juventus.

December Champions League games involving Manchester City have rarely been hugely watchable affairs. They’re typically routine victories for Pep Guardiola’s side, often routs of vastly inferior teams with a fraction of their financial might and quality.

They were dull by dint of their predictability, worth watching in the absence of more competitive clashes thanks to the moments of genius City’s wonderful individuals would frequently produce and the mesmerising football they played as a whole, with the side-to-side search for cracks in opposition defences a soporific comfort on wintery evenings.

City are now undoubtedly the Premier League team to watch in the Champions League thanks to an enthralling and rapid fall from grace that means they’re now in very serious danger of failing to qualify for the knockout stages. They’re now 22nd and need a win over either PSG (A) or Club Brugge (H) to ensure they make it into the play-offs.

“You get confidence when you make a thousand, millions passes and it helps us to be who we are,” Pep Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference, as he – like the rest of us – searches for a reason for their extraordinary slump other than Not Having The Best Footballer In The World.

The players followed his advice, making 355 passes to Juventus’ 187 in the first half, but there wasn’t any sense that they were probing for weaknesses in the opposition, rather passing for passing’s sake, as one might do if their manager instructs them to “make a thousand, million passes”.

There was one good pass, from Kevin De Bruyne, who took the ball on the half-turn in front of the Juventus defence and in one smooth action slipped it in behind for Erling Haaland, whose attempted dink was well saved by Michele Di Gregorio.

But that was it as Juventus sat in and manager Thiago Motta played a waiting game in the Champions League that has so often ended in defeat for Guardiola’s opponents, as the pressure has invariably paid in the past, but all too easily from City’s perspective now yields results as their ageing team tires when previously they would either be seeing a game out or peppering the opposition goal.

There was a lot of noise during Ruben Dias’ absence over his importance to the team, and he’s been one of the best defenders about in the last five years, but he was ropey here, giving Federico Gatti far too much space for his acrobatic effort in the build-up to Dusan Vlahovic’s header, as the striker leapt above centre-back partner Josko Gvardiol to squeeze the ball over the line.

City did respond; there were at least nods to a better time as they started to build pressure, with bits of intricate play in the box, overlaps and overloads. For around 20 minutes or so they looked something like their old selves.

But this is where no Rodri really hurts them. There’s no danger in transition when he’s on the pitch. He sniffs out counter-attacks to the point where you don’t even really notice there was a chance of one.

There’s no way Weston McKennie has that much space in the middle of the park if the Ballon d’Or winner is playing. The ball probably wouldn’t even have reached him.

The American played a ball out wide for Timothy Weah and then volleyed home his compatriot’s return ball with no Manchester City player anywhere near him. A well-worked move but ludicrously, embarrassingly simple.

MORE MAN CITY COVERAGE ON F365
👉 Man Utd pair on top five Premier League ‘pure profit’ PSR list
👉 Man City ‘choose’ to replace ‘liability’ in ‘desperate trouble’ with £25m ‘top-class’ signing
👉 F36Skive: Recall the Man City team beaten by Juventus in the Champions League…

The chance arrives because there’s no Rodri, but the defending after that was appalling, with Dias playing Weah onside by being two yards deeper than his fellow defenders and Gvardiol pointing out players to mark and marking no-one himself. They’re a ragtag bunch back there these days.

“We run like a desperate team when we don’t have the ball,” Guardiola said before the game. He’s absolutely right but his solution to that being to never give the ball away when they don’t have the best metronomic passer and possession hogger in world football available is naive in the extreme and suggests he’s a man with no knowledge of football rather than one of the best tactician’s the game has ever seen.

And it’s not just his apparent inability to get his defenders to defend properly that was the issue in this game. While Motta’s two substitutes combined to score their second, Guardiola watched his team huff and puff to no avail for 79 minutes before his first change and then made his second and last on 87 minutes while Phil Foden remained on the bench.

What was he waiting for? It can’t just be Rodri.

Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 men’s football World Cup, while Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be joint hosts for the 2030 tournament.

The hosts for both World Cups were confirmed at Wednesday’s Extraordinary Fifa Congress meeting following a vote, where it was also decided that three games in the 2030 tournament would take place in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark 100 years of the competition.

All 211 of Fifa’s member nations were represented at the meeting over a video link and gave their votes by ‘acclamation’ – clapping in front of their cameras via their video links. No, seriously.

All three decisions were already made, with only one voting option available.

Norway opted to abstain because of “concerns regarding the current Fifa World Cup bidding process”, while Switzerland’s football association asked for its observations to be included in the congress minutes.

On Tuesday, the Swiss FA had said it would approve the Saudi bid for the 2034 World Cup, but demanded human rights must be monitored by both Fifa and the international labour organisation.

The Danish Football Union (DBU) said it supported the overall package of the two World Cup bids but wants Fifa to oversee human rights improvements.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of ‘sportswashing’, using its extraordinary wealth to invest in sport to improve the reputation of a country where there are huge concerns over human rights.

Amnesty International condemned the decision to hold the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia and released a joint statement on behalf of 21 separate organisations.

“Fifa’s reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk,” said Amnesty International’s head of labour rights and sport, Steve Cockburn.

“Based on clear evidence to date, Fifa knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless.

“The organisation risks bearing a heavy responsibility for many of the human rights abuses that will follow.”

PREMIER LEAGUE FEATURES ON F365
👉 Ranking Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Man Utd mistakes: 1) Dan Ashworth, 7) Busby Babes, 13) Being a Grinch
👉 Man Utd pair on top five Premier League ‘pure profit’ PSR list
👉 ‘Angry’, ‘fuming’ Slot fumes angrily in ‘brutal’ volume-speaking ‘four-word dig’ after Liverpool ‘win’

The English Football Association showed its support for the bids.

England’s FA said in a statement: “After a careful review of both proposals, we supported the two World Cup bids – from Spain/Portugal/Morocco in 2030, and Saudi Arabia in 2034. Both bids are technically strong and meet the Fifa criteria to host the men’s World Cup.

“Our focus is on ensuring that all our fans can attend and enjoy tournaments.”

The Football Supporters’ Association said fans had “very serious misgivings about how these World Cups were awarded and questions around the supporter experience, particularly in Saudi Arabia”.

It added that human rights criticisms had been “brushed aside and concerns from LGBT+ supporters completely ignored” and said it had raised these issues with the FA.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino responded to criticism the organisation has received over the decisions.

“We are aware of critics and fears and I fully trust our hosts to address all open points,” he said.

“We have a transparency that will shape real and lasting change. That is what we expect and what we look forward to – social improvements and positive human rights impacts.

“That is one of the responsibilities of hosting a World Cup, and the world will of course be watching.”