2022 – Page 2 – Football Flame

Year: 2022

Mikel Arteta, NEWS, PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal resume title tilt without Jesus, City deploy refreshed Haaland

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta with his players during a training session at London Colney on December 24, 2022 in St Albans, England.Arsenal continue their push for a first title in 19 years when they host West Ham United in the late game on Monday as the Premier League season resumes after the pause for the World Cup, but they must do so without injured striker Gabriel Jesus. Jesus scored five goals and provided six assists to help Arsenal move five points clear of his former club Manchester City at the top of the table but is not expected to play again until February after surgery to treat a knee injury sustained in Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Cameroon on December 2 in Qatar. The Brazilian started all 14 of Arsenal’s league matches but now they must turn to English forward Eddie Nketiah as the...
Joao Felix, Manchester United, TRANSFERS

Joao Felix ready to accept loan offer to join Arsenal or Man Utd

Joao Felix of Portugal Looks on during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.Joao Felix will accept a loan move away from Atletico Madrid in January with Arsenal and Manchester United leading the race for his signature. The Portugal international is set to leave the Spanish giants next month after failing to force his way into Diego Simeone’s side. The 23-year-old forward cost €126million (£108m) when he joined from Benfica summer of 2019 but has struggled to adapt to the manager’s style and philosophy. Atletico are now prepared to cut their losses and have lowered their asking price, with a total package worth €100m (£86m) enough to secure a deal. But with clubs unlikely to spend big in...
Aston Villa, Emiliano Martinez, PREMIER LEAGUE

Villa boss will speak to Martinez about World Cup celebrations

H.E Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani looks on as Emiliano Martinez of Argentina gestures with the world cup trophy during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will speak to Emiliano Martinez about the Argentina goalkeeper’s controversial World Cup celebrations when he returns to club duty with the Premier League side.Martinez made a key save to deny Randal Kolo Muani in extra-time and then denied Kingsley Coman in a penalty shoot-out in Qatar as Argentina beat France in a thrilling final.But he was seen making a crude gesture after winning the golden glove trophy for the best goalkeeper at the tournament.In the final, Mbappe scored a hat-trick as France twice fought...
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Manchester United, PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester United boss gives hope to Wan-Bissaka ahead of transfer window

Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Manchester United in action during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford on December 21, 2022 in Manchester, England.Manchester United is looking forward to providing a long rope for Aaron Wan-Bissaka despite clubs encircling the right-back.After the Burnley game in the Carabao Cup, Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag has provided a lifeline for Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The right-back has been out for a while due to injury and fitness issues. Pundits and transfer journalists linked the former Crystal Palace defender with a move away from Old United in the upcoming transfer window. However, Erik ten Hag’s recent comments on the player tell a different tale. Post the victory in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, ten Hag spoke...
Brentford, PREMIER LEAGUE, Thomas Frank

Brentford manager Thomas Frank signs new deal keeping him at club until 2027

 Brentford manager Thomas Frank ahead of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Brentford FC at Etihad Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Manchester, United Kingdom.  Manager Thomas Frank has signed a new contract at Brentford, keeping him at the club until summer 2027.The Dane had only put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year extension in January, but the club have reaffirmed their commitment to him with fresh terms. Frank, 49, was appointed in October 2018 and has led the side into the Premier League, where they – at the time of writing – currently lie in the top half.He said: ‘Being a head coach at a club is like a relationship; there are highs and lows. I have been here six years in total, which is a long time in modern football, and I’d like to say thank you to...
Borussia Dortmund, BUNDESLIGA, TRANSFERS, Youssoufa Moukoko

Borussia Dortmund ‘make final contract offer to Youssoufa Moukoko’

10 December 2022, Romania, Bukarest: Soccer, test matches, Christmas Cup with matches over 2 x 30 minutes, Rapid Bucharest - Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund's Youssoufa Moukoko.Borussia Dortmund have reportedly tabled a take-it-or-leave-it contract offer to Youssoufa Moukoko amid growing interest in the teenager’s services. The 18-year-old attacker posted a phenomenal set of numbers at youth level before making the step-up to the first team, including 90 goals in 56 matches for the Under-17s. Moukoko then proceeded to hit 47 goals in 25 games at Under-19 level, and he became the youngest player in Bundesliga history when making his debut at 16 years and one day against Hertha Berlin in November 2020. The Germany international has seamlessly slotted into the senior side this term with six goals...
Michail Antonio, PREMIER LEAGUE, West Ham

Antonio: I want my Hammers place back

West Ham United's Michail Antonio during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Norwich City at London Stadium on December 18, 2021 in London, England.Reggae Boyz forward Michail Antonio has two personal goals – win back his place as a centre forward for West Ham United, and lift the Hammers clear of a relegation battle – when the English Premier League returns on Boxing Day after the break for the World Cup.He said he did not watch the World Cup final, won by Argentina, or a great deal of the rest of the tournament, either, apart from a few England matches and a bit of Brazil, instead stepping back from football, enjoying a holiday in Dubai, time with his family, and the rarity of a mid-season break. The break came at a good time for the Hammers, who are only a point clear o...
NEWS

Man City face Southampton, Man United host Charlton in Carabao Cup quarters

Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland & Bernardo Silva of Manchester City react at the end of the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on December 22, 2022 in Manchester, England. Manchester City will travel to Southampton in the Carabao Cup  quarter-finals after knocking out holders Liverpool and Manchester United were handed a home tie against third-tier Charlton Athletic in the draw on Thursday. Nottingham Forest will host Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United will entertain Leicester City. Champions Manchester City, who have won the League Cup six times in the last nine years, overcame Liverpool 3-2 in an enthralling fourth-round match. Charlton, who were last in the Premier League in 2007, overcame Brighton &...
Alphonso Davies, BAYERN MUNICH, BUNDESLIGA

Alphonso Davies named Canada Soccer player of the year after scoring at World Cup

Alphonso Davies of Canada looks on during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group F match between Canada and Morocco at Al Thumama Stadium on December 1, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Bayern Munich and Canadian men’s national team star Alphonso Davies has been named Canada Soccer player of the year for the fourth time in five seasons. Davies was instrumental in helping the men’s team qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 36 years, and scored the squad’s first-ever goal at soccer’s showcase event in Qatar. The 22-year-old left back from Edmonton also helped Bayern win the 2021-22 Bundesliga and 2022 DFL Supercup in Germany and became the all-time Canadian leader in UEFA Champions League appearances. Davies was the lone Canadian attacker to play every minute at the World Cup and he scored ...
Argentina, Lionel Messi, NEWS

Argentina considering Lionel Messi on currency

(L-R) Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi celebrate on the bus during the arrival of the Argentina men's national football team after winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on December 20, 2022 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Argentina’s financial governing body is considering putting Lionel Messi’s face on the banknotes following the historic 2022 FIFA World Cup victory. After decades of goals, dreams, and defeats, the Paris Saint-Germain superstar finally raised the trophy on December 19. The 35-year-old forward scored a double in 120 minutes of a 3-3 draw with France in the final before his team sealed a 4-2 penalty shootout win. According to El Financiero newspaper, officials of the financial governing body of the South American country are con...
Carabao Cup, Marcus Rashford, NEWS

Rashford scores as Man Utd beat Burnley in Carabao Cup

Marcus Rashford of Manchester United celebrates with Casemiro after scoring his side's second goal during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford on December 21, 2022 in Manchester, England. Marcus Rashford marked his return from World Cup duty with a brilliant solo goal as Manchester United advanced into the quarter-finals of the League Cup on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Burnley while Premier League rivals Brighton were knocked out by third-tier Charlton. United’s first game since the World Cup was also their first since Cristiano Ronaldo’s dramatic departure from Old Trafford and an announcement by owners the Glazer family that they were prepared to sell the football giants. The Red Devils went ahead in the 27th minute through ...
Gianni Infantino, NEWS, Sepp Blatter

Ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter criticizes Gianni Infantino’s plans for future World Cup formats

FIFA President Gianni Infantino before the presentation following the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter is criticizing successor Gianni Infantino’s plans for a 48-team World Cup and an expanded Club World Cup. In an interview with German weekly Die Zeit released Wednesday, Blatter said that “what is happening at the moment is an over commercialization of the game.” “There are attempts to squeeze more and more out of the lemon – for example with the World Cup finals with 48 teams or now with a Club World Cup that must be viewed as direct competition to the Champions League,” he was quoted as saying. “FIFA is encroaching here on something that is actually none of i...
BARCELONA FC, LALIGA, Raphinha

Raphinha’s nightmare return to Barcelona from Brazil

Raphinha of Brazil during the World Cup match between Croatia v Brazil at the Education City Stadium on December 9, 2022 in Al Rayyan Qatar.Barcelona forward Raphinha was due to return to training this Wednesday along with Memphis Depay, as the last of the non-French players to come back from World Cup duty. However travel delays mean he will likely be back on Thursday. After 11 days of holiday following Brazil’s elimination on penalties at the hands of Croatia, Raphinha was due to fly back to Barcelona from Brazil, via Lisbon. A lengthy layover in Portugal and some lost luggage mean he will be late back to work though. The Brazilian winger posted the following on his Instagram account. “I would like to thank TAP for leaving us on the plane for more than an hour. And now they inform us tha...
Julen Lopetegui, NEWS

League Cup: Julen Lopetegui makes winning start as Wolves boss; Newcastle defeat Bournemouth

Julen Lopetegui, Manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers reacts during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Gillingham at Molineux on December 20, 2022 in Wolverhampton, England.Julen Lopetegui made a winning start as Wolves manager after late goals from substitutes Raul Jimenez and Rayan Ait-Nouri secured a 2-0 victory at home to Gillingham in the English League Cup fourth round on Tuesday. Gillingham defied their position as the bottom club in all four tiers of English league football against top-flight strugglers Wolves. The deadlock at Molineux was not broken until the 77th minute when Jimenez scored from the penalty spot before Ait-Nouri ensured Wolves’ place in the quarter-finals with a stoppage-time goal. Former Sevilla and Spain boss Lopetegui was appoi...
BARCELONA FC, LALIGA, Xavi Hernandez

Xavi: LaLiga win would bring ‘stability’ to Barca

Xavi Hernandez coach of FC Barcelona during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Elche CF at Spotify Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on September 17th, 2022.Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has made winning LaLiga this season a priority in a bid to “bring stability” back to the Catalan club, accepting he is under pressure to deliver success after a summer of spending. Barca have won just one trophy in the last three seasons – the Copa del Rey under Ronald Koeman in 2021 – and have been knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages in each of the past two years. The club have also been fighting financial problems, with LaLiga’s financial fair play rules leading to the departure of Lionel Messi 18 months ago, but results domestically have improved under Xavi after eight n...
Argentina, NEWS

National holiday in Argentina for WC celebration with Messi and Co. on Tuesday

Lionel Messi of Argentina and team lift trophy after winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.Argentina will have a national holiday on Tuesday, so that the entire nation can celebrate with Lionel Messi and Co, who clinched the FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy. Argentina edged past France in the FIFA World Cup 2022 final, and Lionel Messi won the only remaining trophy in his glittering career. In a tightly-contested summit clash at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, Argentina and France drew 2-2 in regular time, and then held each other to a 3-3 scoreline in extra-time. It was only in the penalties that goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez reigned supreme as Argentina grabbed a 4-2 shootout victory. The CON...
Karim Benzema, LALIGA, NEWS

Benzema retires from French national team

Karim Benzema of France attends a training session at Al Sadd SC Stadium on November 17, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has announced his retirement from the French national team on his Social Media. “I’ve made my best efforts and my mistakes to be where I am today and I am proud! I’ve written my own story and our story ends today,” wrote Benzema. Benzema was hoping to play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup but a muscle injury and some strange decisions from the French coaching staff behind the scenes forced him to return to Madrid. The French striker will now focus on his Real Madrid career, where he will be hoping to keep playing at a high level for a few more seasons so that he can still make an impact and retire in the club of his life. Benzema has recovered from his in...
Carlo Ancelotti, LALIGA

Carlo Ancelotti addresses rumours surrounding Brazil job

Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of Real Madrid, looks on during the UEFA Champions League, Group F, football match played between Real Madrid and Celtic FC at Santiago Bernabeu stadium on November 02, 2022, in Madrid, Spain.Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that he is “very happy” at Bernabeu and not currently interested in the vacant Brazil post. Tite left his role as Brazil boss following the disappointment of the 2022 World Cup, with the South American nation being eliminated by Croatia in the quarter-finals. A recent report claimed that Ancelotti had emerged as a contender for the position, but the Italian has said that he currently has no desire to end his time with Real Madrid. “What the future holds for me, I don’t know, I live for the day, for now I’m very happy at Madrid...
NEWS, World Cup 2022

Qatar had more than 1.4m visitors during FIFA World Cup

Fox Sports presenter Jenny Taft is seen with Hassan Al Thawadi during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.Qatar welcomed more than 1.4 million visitors from around the world during the FIFA World Cup tournament which ended yesterday with Argentina beating France to lift the trophy, the Qatar News Agency has reported. The total attendance figure for all matches combined was 3.4m people. The average attendance was above 53,000 per match, more than 96 per cent of the total capacity. “We organised an exceptional, impressive tournament,” said Hassan Al-Thawadi, Secretary General of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy. “It will represent a milestone in hosting major international events....
Lionel Messi, NEWS, World Cup 2022

Argentina win FIFA World Cup 2022

Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates at full time after winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.Argentina claim the FIFA World Cup 2022’s trophy defeating two-time champion France in nerve-racking game at the Lusail Stadium in Doha on Sunday. The nail-biting game was decided on penalties. Earlier, the game went into extra-time after the French roared back from two goals down to bring the score to 2-2. Lionel Messi stroked home a 23rd minute penalty and Angel Di Maria swept home a superb second for Argentina but defending champions France hit back in the second half as Kylian Mbappe converted an 80th-minute penalty and equalised with an acrobatic volley a ...
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