Category: Sport

The Manchester City “alarm bells are ringing” after Feyenoord’s comeback draw followed five consecutive defeats and a psychiatrist has been enlisted to assess whether Pep Guardiola “has lost his mind”.

Feyenoord came back from 3-0 down to claim a dramatic Champions League draw at the Etihad on Tuesday on the back of the Citizens being thrashed 4-0 by Tottenham on Sunday.

City have been without key players for much of the season, with Guardiola using that as a caveat for their poor performances and results, and former Man Utd chief scout Mick Brown claims injuries have sounded “alarm bells” among the players, who are now starting to “panic” in games.

Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Ruben Dias have missed a combined 32 games through injury this season.

“There are lots of marginal issues that end up building into a bigger problem,” Brown told Football Insider.

“That, in my judgement, is the biggest issue at Man City at the moment.

“You’ve had De Bruyne out injured, you’ve had Stones out, you’ve had Dias out, and you’ve got Rodri out. Those are four world-class players.

“If you think any team is good enough to lose four of their best players and be as good as they were before that, then I don’t know what to say.

“But what happens, more than just missing those players, in the impact on the team’s confidence.

“When balls used to go past players, they knew they had their teammates behind them to deal with it.

“All of a sudden, these aren’t being dealt with quite so effectively. Then everybody starts to panic.

“From there, it can be a bit of a downward spiral until you manage to turn things around.

“It can happen that quickly, confidence gets sucked out of a team and then alarm bells start ringing because that affects everything they do.

“The same is the case for every team in the world, and Man City are experiencing it now.”

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Guardiola sparked concern when City’s draw with Feyenoord he was pictured clawing at his head and face before appearing on camera with scratches and a bloody cut on his nose.

The Spaniard brushed off his appearance in interviews, quipping about “self-harm” caused by a long nail.

And Mundo Deportivo (via Sporting Witness) decided to enlist the help of Enric Armengou, professor of psychiatry at the Abat CEU University in Barcelona, to ease concerns.

“What happened with Guardiola speaks of the level of anxiety he has, but it is a specific event in moments of maximum tension,” he said.

“His behaviour was that of a man who is at his limit and regulated himself by hurting himself. Others might throw their notebook against the bench or kick a bottle.

“We should not give the matter greater significance because it was a moment of anger, which has no signs, due to the known antecedents, that it is a trend, so it should not be a problem.

“You cannot blame him for lack of sensitivity with problems of this type, he simply expressed himself with irony.

“I don’t think we can talk about a problem of that kind (loss of self-control). It would be excessive, otherwise we would see him with that behaviour in other areas. He is a man who lives the matches with intensity, but we have no evidence that he has ever lost his mind.”

Virgil van Dijk decided not to take the same course of action as Mo Salah when asked about his Liverpool future – but his agent has taken a drastic step.

Van Dijk, Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all on contracts which expire in summer 2025 as the pressure increases on Liverpool to tie them down to more long-term deals.

The trio have generally avoided discussing their situations but Salah broke rank after the recent win over Southampton to describe himself as “probably more out than in” as he hasn’t “received any offers yet”.

The Egyptian added: “You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven’t received anything yet about my future.

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“I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. Let’s wait and see. I’m not going to retire soon so I’m just playing, focusing on the season and I’m trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I’m disappointed but we will see.

“I’m very professional. Everybody can see my work ethic. I’m just trying to enjoy my football and I will play at the top level as long as possible. I’m just doing my best because this is who I am and I try to give it all for myself and for the club. We will see what happens next.”

Those comments drew a negative reaction from Jamie Carragher, who described Salah and his agent as “selfish” for “thinking about themselves and not the football club”.

But when asked by Spanish TV about whether he had signed a new Liverpool contract or not, Van Dijk avoided any such issues by answering: “What a direct question. I’ve nothing to say. I’m focused on the next game versus Manchester City.”

Pushed further to discuss Real Madrid’s reported pursuit of another centre-half, Van Dijk then said: “Are they? Really? But they have Rudiger there.

“As I already said, my full focus is on the next game against Man City and that’s it.”

But Van Dijk might be in a different boat to Salah as recent reports suggest he will sign a new Liverpool contract – or perhaps even already has.

An exclusive from Anfield Watch claims Van Dijk’s agent ‘is currently telling interested parties that he’s no longer attainable’ because there has been a breakthrough in talks with Liverpool.

The Dutchman might even already have extended his contract with an announcement expected soon, but ‘it’s entirely possible that Liverpool and Van Dijk are at a stage where things are simply a formality’, and ‘bar a bizarre late twist’ he will be staying.

Ukrainian boxer Alexander Usyk has recognized the fight with Tyson Fury as the hardest in his professional career. A rematch between the two best heavyweight boxers will take place in December.

Ukrainian boxer Alexander Usyk did not hesitate when asked who his strongest opponent was, writes UNN with reference to Seconds Out.

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Alexander Usyk has defeated everyone he has faced in the professional ring in the 12 years since he retired from amateur sports.

In an interview with Mail Sport Boxing, he was asked how the fight with Tyson Fury is rated in terms of his all-time toughness.

"The first place. The first place in terms of complexity, tension, emotions, the first place in everything," Usyk replied.

Now Usyk is preparing for a fight with the "Gypsy King" in December in a rematch, in which again the two best in the division will fight for heavyweight supremacy.

Fury promised to take revenge on Usyk for postponing the fight and “ruining” ChristmasOct 28 2024, 07:25 PM • 13913 views

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS’ decision to hike ticket prices during the season has been branded “offensive” by the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST).

United sent an email to members of the Fans Forum on Tuesday announcing the changes, which will mean remaining tickets for home games this season will all br priced at £66, no matter the age of the person buying them.

The email – seen by The Athletic – states that more than 97 per cent of tickets have already been sold, with five-age related discounts applied to those tickets, but have done away with those concessions to help improve ‘operational efficiencies’ and ‘stabilise revenues’.

The club also said all cancelled or donated season ticket holder tickets will now be sold at adult price and that they’re removing the 25 per cent discount for Europa League knockout games.

MUST are angry at the change and the lack of consultation involved and have issued a statement.

‘This means that for an adult member to take their kid to a game in the remainder of this season will cost £132. Well over double the minimum price they could pay to do it today. And this change is happening overnight, immediately.

‘The club has provided zero consultation on the matter, neither with the Forum nor the Fan Advisory Board nor MUST.

‘Suffice it to say, that the idea that the fans must pay their ‘fair share’ for the club’s excesses and/or mismanagement — and above all, the Glazers lack of investment over two decades — is offensive.

‘We fans have done everything we have been asked. We have cheered the players on even in the face of substandard performance. We have gone to matches and abided by the new usage rules for tickets. We have taken on a price increase this year.

‘There is a risk that this is only the opening salvo of what will surely be massive pressure to implement a significant price rise for next season. Once they have got used to charging £132 for a parent and child to come to Old Trafford, will they really go back to the old pricing levels for next season?

‘If the club has a need for short term capital they should issue new shares, as they did when INEOS first arrived, and bring in funding from existing or new shareholders.

‘We have objected to this action in the strongest possible terms, both for the action itself and the complete lack of consultation, which is a step backward based on the process we had agreed with the club before INEOS’ arrival.

‘Over the coming days MUST will be seeking urgent discussions with the club to get them to listen to fans’ concern at this policy. United fans have sucked up a lot. We will not be silent on this and we need to be prepared to resist any attempts to further drive up ticket prices.’

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MUST also insist the 97 per cent figure is misleading as it does not take into account the season tickets that will be resold at the higher £66 price.

United’s email reads: “We appreciate we usually try to provide more notice of, if not consult around any changes, but this is something we have had to review quickly, not providing the usual opportunity for consultation.

“It was a difficult decision following recent changes at the club but ultimately the increased revenue will also support investment in the team and contribute to football success.”

Pressure group The 1958 have announced a peaceful protest in response to the ticket increases, set to be held at the Trinity Statue outside Old Trafford ahead of the Everton game on Sunday.

Shakhtar led 2-0 after goals from Sikan and Zubkov, but PSV scored three times after Pedrinho was sent off in the 69th minute. The match ended with the defeat of the Ukrainians with a score of 3:2.

Shakhtar Donetsk lost to PSV of the Netherlands in the last minutes in the match of the 5th round of the Champions League of the 2024/25 season. the match ended with a score of 3:2. this is stated on the official website of FC Shakhtar, writes UNN.

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The match between PSV and Shakhtar ended with a score of 3:2 in favor of the team from Eindhoven.

Donetsk took the lead in the 8th minute. After Yefim Konopli's pass from the right flank, Daniil Sikan reached for the ball in the penalty area and sent it to the corner of the goal.

We managed to double the advantage at the end of the first half. Konoplya passed from the right flank to the penalty area, Alexander Zubkov processed the ball and sent it to the lower left corner of the goal.

In the 69th minute, Shakhtar were outnumbered. Pedrinho received a red card. The Dutch team took advantage and scored twice. Malik Tilman scored a double.

In the 95th minute, American Pepi scored the winning goal for PSV.

recall

Marino Pushic Plans to renegotiate his contract with Shakhtar during the winter break due to the difficult situation in Ukraine. The coach spoke about the stressful working conditions and the bombing of the hotel before the match with Kryvbas.

Conor Bradley destroyed Kylian Mbappe in every way and Alexis Mac Allister was a prime Luka Modric against the actual Luka Modric. Liverpool are good. Real Madrid are bad.

Whether you love, hate or are indifferent towards Liverpool, we were all Conor Bradley. An academy lad who’s the most second of second fiddles in his position at the club, playing his first ever Champions League game against the reigning champions and champion of all champions, and he clears out the best footballer in the world – albeit The Artist Formerly Known As Kylian Mbappe on this showing and others this season – with a glorious man and ball challenge to produce the sort of roar from a crowd typically reserved for game-winning goals. Spine tingles and ‘ooofffss’ all round.

It’s a sure red card if he gets it wrong but not having the time or headspace in an already fervent atmosphere to make a risk assessment worked in his and Liverpool’s favour, with his and his team’s level rising a couple of notches on the back of a tackle every fat dad bellowing from the stands or watching at home would loved to have made on a footballer we can all agree could do with a good (but fair) kicking once in a while.

Bradley very nearly opened the scoring himself before playing a key role as the Reds deservedly took the lead. Alexis Mac Allister had played two similarly brilliant lofted passes in the first half to cause chaos in the Real Madrid defence and the best of the lot found Bradley’s perfectly-timed run in the 51st-minute, with Thibaut Courtois producing another excellent save to palm the full-back’s header away, having denied Darwin Nunez twice in the first half.

Mac Allister was playing like a prime Luka Modric against a less-than prime Luka Modric. In a fraught, end-to-end, exhausting game in which neither team seemed able or even willing to try to string more than three or four passes together, the Argentinian had time and space on the ball, consistently made the right decisions and always looked the best bet to make the difference.

He picked the ball up in the pocket in front of the Madrid defence, played a neat pass into Bradley, who acted as a wall on the right side of the box to pop the ball straight back into the midfielder, who took a touch and fired his shot into the far corner.

Ally McCoist got a tad carried away with what we would suggest was a relatively simple first-time pass from Bradley to assist that goal, nicely weighted though it was, but the 21-year-old’s other contributions allow the frankly unbelievable thought to creep in that Liverpool might just be alright without the most talented right-back English football has ever seen.

And it was hard to watch Mbappe consistently failing to release himself from the pocket of a full-back working as hard as Bradley without the ball and so effectively with it and think anything other than Liverpool would actually have been worse off with Trent Alexander-Arnold on the pitch in his place. Cue midfield transition chat…

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We were utterly convinced we were going to go two for two in our penalty predictions. It was really poor from Andy Robertson to concede Madrid’s penalty, turning his back as Lucas Vasquez faked a cross, but after the game Mbappe had had, after the season he’s had, Coimhin Kelleher was always going to make what was a good (because penalty saves must always be called such) but comfortable save.

As Mohamed Salah stepped up to take the penalty he won by turning Ferland Mendy inside out we were bracing ourselves for a Never In Doubt-like cliche from Darren Fletcher, before the Egyptian failed to even hit the target to remind us of an average penalty record that sees him miss one of every five (44 scored; 11 missed). For once this game wasn’t about him.

There was next to no danger of a Madrid comeback anyway but Cody Gakpo put the game beyond doubt with quite the leap and header from a Robertson corner as defenders stood and watched.

And while this is undoubtedly a Big Win for Liverpool, which maintains their 100 per cent record in the Champions League and all but secures their automatic qualification, this was a Madrid side well short of its best, both in terms of performance and personnel.

No Vinicius Junior, no Rodrygo, no Eder Militao, no David Alaba, no Aurelien Tchouameni, no Dani Carvajal. That’s an injury list to rival that of Manchester City, who look set to feel the full force of Liverpool on Sunday. If winning is a hard habit to break, Arne Slot’s side are in 20-a-day territory right now. After the final whistle, Rio Ferdinand claimed – entirely reasonably for once – that “Liverpool are the team to beat in Europe right now”.

There was also effectively no Mbappe, who likely had no idea who Conor Bradley was when he rocked up at Anfield. But having enjoyed nothing other than a faceful of turf courtesy of the full-back, he now knows exactly who Conor Bradley is.

Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to be named the next Leicester City manager following the dismissal of Steve Cooper.

The Foxes are currently 16th in the Premier League with Cooper winning ten points from his ten games in charge at the King Power Stadium.

Cooper was appointed in the summer after Enzo Maresca – who led Leicester to the Championship title last season – was poached by Chelsea.

Van Nistelrooy is available having been let go by Manchester United following the arrival of Ruben Amorim, after the United legend had stepped up from his assistant coaching role under Erik ten Hag to take interim charge.

The Dutchman joined Ten Hag’s team in the summer having impressed as manager of PSV Eindhoven and was unbeaten in his four games at the Old Trafford helm following Ten Hag’s sacking, including two wins over Leicester in the Premier League and Carabao Cup.

His stock rose as a result of that spell, to the point where Leicester have decided to make Van Nistelrooy their next manager, according to The Telegraph.

The report claims Van Nistelrooy has held ‘extensive talks’ with the Foxes and is set to be confirmed as Cooper’s successor, and may even be appointed in time to take charge for their game against Brentford this weekend.

READ MORE: Five PL moves for Ruud van Nistelrooy post-Man Utd include replacing Ange Postecoglou at Spurs

United legend Rio Ferdinand was full of praise for the job Van Nistelrooy did in his short time at the club, claiming the players “had grown to really like” him.

Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel: “His audition couldn’t have gone any better.

“I think, knowing him, there was a steely determination underneath that said, ‘I’m going to put myself in the best position, either to stay at the club in some capacity or someone else is going to say we need you as a manager’.

“He looked the part and he produced. The players needed that. We’re in a time where there was a lot of turbulence, the manager’s relationships with some players seemed fractured and irreversible and the fans seemed to have made their minds up that that was it.

“And the new manager comes in – and you always get that bounce – but this seemed a bit different from a bounce. The players had grown to really like him, they appreciated how he informed them of different bits and pieces – tactically, individually, as a team – and there was a genuine ‘we want to do well for this guy’.”

Parviz Nasibov and Zhan Belenyuk were among the top three Greco-Roman wrestlers according to UWW. Both athletes won medals at the Olympic Games in Paris and the European Championships.

The United World of wrestling (UWW) has published its final ranking for 2024. The top three in their weight categories included Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestlers: Parviz Nasibov and Zhan Belenyuk, reports UNN with reference to the NOC.

When compiling the rating, the results of the Olympic Games, World Championships, continental championships, as well as rating tournaments were taken into account.

Having become the third prize-winner of the Olympic Games in Paris, Viborov won the bronze medal of the champion of Europe and won the victory at the prestigious rating tour of the Zagreb Open.

Parviz Nasibov wins silver medal in the final of the OlympicsAug 8 2024, 05:49 PM • 105074 views

"This shows that there is room to grow and where to strive: to move those two ahead. Therefore, I will do everything possible to top this rating next year," Parviz Nasibov commented on his achievement.

In turn, Zhan Belenyuk became the bronze medalist of the European Championship and the Olympics. During the Games in Paris, he officially announced the end of his sports career.

Jean Belenyuk's watch stolen at the 2024 OlympicsAug 13 2024, 11:13 PM • 20452 views

The hearing into Manchester City’s 115 alleged breaches of profit and sustainability rules (PSR) has been paused in what could amount to a ‘huge headache’ for the Premier League.

An independent commission hearing to examine 115 charges laid by the Premier League against Man City started in September.

The Premier League opened an investigation into City way back in 2018 and after a number of legal delays, charges were finally laid in February 2023 and the club were referred to an independent commission.

The charges against the Citizens relate to the requirement to accurately report financial information, including around the value of sponsorship deals, the submission of details of manager and player pay information and to a club’s responsibility as a Premier League member to adhere to financial fair play rules.

The hearing is nearing its end, but it’s now claimed by The Times that the case will not be concluded before the end of the season, ‘creating a huge potential headache for the Premier League if sanctions are imposed which would have an impact on other clubs’.

Manchester City and the Premier League are currently preparing their closing arguments, but those aren’t due for a couple of weeks and then we will likely have to wait months for a judgement and several more months should either party appeal.

The report adds:

‘The Lawyer website has reported that the hearing at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London has been paused while the two parties — City and the Premier League — prepare their closing arguments. These are not due to start until early to mid-December and it could be three months or more before the three-man commission issues a judgment.

‘If City or the Premier League were to challenge that judgment via an appeal that would probably take several more months.

‘One complex financial case heard by the High Court last year had a 13-week hearing, similar to the length of City’s, but a judgment has still not been issued a year later. Other less complex cases can take a much shorter time, but legal experts say it is impossible to predict how long City’s will take.’

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Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness claimed the appeal process after the verdict of Man City’s case could drag on until 2026.

Wyness told Football Insider: “Once the deliberations have been made public, and I imagine there will be a three or four-hundred-page document, there will likely be an appeal.

“There could also be a settlement, it all depends on the verdict reached. And I’m hoping common sense can prevail and that settlement can be reached to put an end to this.

“But if there is an appeal, it will go on just that much longer. We could be talking about the end of 2025 or even 2026. Let’s just wait and see how we go with the initial verdict and see if cool heads can prevail.”

Marino Pushic plans to renegotiate his contract with Shakhtar during the winter break due to the difficult situation in Ukraine. The coach spoke about the stressful working conditions and the bombing of the hotel before the match with Kryvbas.

Coach of the Shakhtar football club Marino Pushic in an interview with the media noted that his thoughts with the team "are not always about football", since Russia invaded Ukraine. the specialist also explained that despite the desire to stay at the Shakhtar club for as long as possible, he can nevertheless review the contract and decide on further plans.

Transfer UNN iz posilannam to Telegraaf.nl that NOS.

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"During the winter break, I will sit down with the club at the negotiating table. I'm going to think carefully about my next steps. The situation is very stressful in many ways.

But I'm having a good time in terms of football, we're building a team. Shakhtar Champions League team. The team is making a lot of progress.

I don't want to just give it up. .. In addition to the current contract, I felt a certain duty to Shakhtar, so this (departure – approx.) was not an option. Now I plan to review the situation, " Marino Pushic said.

Journalists of the Dutch publication nos found out that the thoughts of the Donetsk club are not always about football, since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Debut of the 17-year-old Ukrainian, Zinchenko wins, Lewandowski scores the hundredth goal – results of Champions League matchesNov 27 2024, 07:59 AM • 12069 views

For example, at the end of August, Shakhtar had to drive eight hours for an away match with Kryvbas. A few days before the arrival of the "Orange", their hotel was "bombed to pieces".

There was a click of death. Let's think about it: so that we could. .. There was a great deal of importance to the community of the world. We happened to know in our own way the steps of Today's match. It wasn't surreal

Pushich said.

The specialist also explained why he actually exchanged Feyenoord for coaching in Ukraine.

I think people have lived on Earth too little to get into trouble with each other. We are on earth to live together in peace, not in the circumstances that we unfortunately have to go through

At a press conference before the match against PSV, Pushic also said that he hopes to continue working with FC Shakhtar.

I could have left the team and gone to other clubs, one of which was Liverpool, but I explained why I didn't. I have a year and a half contract with Shakhtar. I intend to stay here as long as possible. .. Despite all the difficulties in the country, I am not a person who will just run away. .. In football, you never know what will happen, everything is very unpredictable here. But my intention is to stay at the club as long as possible

Pushich said.

“Shakhtar win a strong-willed victory over Zorya after conceding a goalNov 10 2024, 04:31 PM • 22835 views