April 2024 – Page 15 – Football Flame

Month: April 2024

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PREMIER LEAGUE

Erik ten Hag must give Manchester United player his first Premier League start in five months

Manager Erik ten Hag of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Carrington Training Ground on February 15, 2024 in Manchester, England.If any player was going to speak in the mixed zone after Manchester United's draw with Brentford at the weekend, it was going to be the goalscorer, Mason Mount.It transpired not even Mount was willing to speak, although he did do an interview with MUTV. "If you look at the game overall it wasn't to our standard," he said. "We know that. When you score at the death you think you can maybe hang on. But maybe we didn't deserve it."Brentford make it difficult. It is never easy coming here. They make it tough and get around you. Maybe we didn't get it going from the beginning. We know we can improve and we need to because we need to w...
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LALIGA

Much-needed win for Atletico Madrid

 Saul Niguez of Atletico de Madrid celebrates a goal during the Spanish league, La Liga EA Sports, football match played between Valencia CF and Atletico de Madrid at Mestalla stadium on April 1, 2024, in Valencia, Spain. Substitute Saul Niguez scored a late winner to give Atletico Madrid a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Villarreal on Monday, as Diego Simeone’s side climbed back into La Liga’s top four with eight games left in the season.It was a much-needed win for Atletico after two consecutive losses and two wins in their last seven league matches had left them in danger of missing out on a Champions League spot next season.They were facing an in-form Villarreal side, who were on a four-game winning streak and unbeaten in their last nine league matches, a run that earned Marcelino...
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SERIE A

Allegri: Important for Juventus to get back to winning ways

 Massimiliano Allegri, Head Coach of Juventus, helps Federico Chiesa of Juventus to his feet during the Coppa Italia Semi-Final match between Juventus FC and SS Lazio at the Allianz Stadium on April 02, 2024 in Turin, Italy.Juventus’ recent barren run capped off by a defeat at Lazio on Saturday has heaped a lot of pressure on coach Massimiliano Allegri. At halftime in tonight’s first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against the same opponent from the weekend, the jeers aimed at the coach and team seemed quite apt for a side that appears to have lost their way in recent weeks.However, the players came out fired up from the break and were able to bag two goals while maintaining a recently-rare clean sheet to take a two-goal lead back to Rome in three weeks, with a spot in the final at...
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TRANSFERS

Man Utd ready insane ‘offer’ to finally sign £514,000 a year star – Report

 Joao Neves of SL Benfica in action during the Liga Portugal Betclic match between SL Benfica and GD Estoril Praia at Estadio da Luz on March 10, 2024 in Lisbon,Manchester United are intent on hiring the services of Joao Neves from Benfica and are even readying a mammoth offer to get the deal done in the summer.Back in December last year, O Jogo revealed the Red Devils are favorites to lure the teenage midfielder, who earns around £514,000 a year.More recently, as per yesterday’s version of Record, Man Utd are ready to submit an insane offer of more than 100 million euros to finally convince Benfica to sell their prized asset.Neves’ release clause is 120 million euros and the above mentioned bid from the Old Trafford outfit could be extremely tempting for the Eagles.It is stated that ...
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BUNDESLIGA

Xabi Alonso admits he watched Bayern Munich’s loss to Borussia Dortmund

 Headcoach Xabi Alonso of Leverkusen looks on during the training session prior to the DFB Pokal Semifinal on April 2, 2024 in Leverkusen, Germany. Even before Bayern Munich’s home loss to Borussia Dortmund last weekend, chances were incredibly slim for Bayern to eclipse Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga table before the season concludes. Die Werkself left it late once again with their 2-1 win over TSG Hoffenheim, scoring goals in the 88th and 91st minutes to get another dramatic three points in the bag. They have made quite a habit this season of scoring stoppage time winners and/or equalizers in both the Bundesliga and the Europa League.The gap is now 13 points in the table between the two sides; large enough to have Thomas Tuchel half-heartedly congratulating Leverkusen ...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Gabriel Jesus has fallen into the same trap at Arsenal as he did at Man City

 Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal looks on before the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal FC at Etihad Stadium on March 31, 2024 in Manchester, England. All strikers are judged on their volume of goals, but few in the Premier League are critiqued more closely than Gabriel Jesus.Jesus, who turns 27 this week, has had a puzzling career in England. On the one hand, he has won more Premier League titles than Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Harry Kane combined, and scored well over 100 goals in all competitions across stints at Manchester City and now Arsenal. He is the second-highest scoring Brazilian in the competition’s history with 73 and not far behind the leader Roberto Firmino (who scored 82).And yet on the other, he is often defined more by what he doesn’t contrib...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Ange Postecoglou says Tottenham ‘not the finished article’ after being held by West Ham

 Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach Ange Postecoglou during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on April 2, 2024 in London, England.Ange Postecoglou said his Tottenham side are a work in progress and "not the finished article" after Tuesday's 1-1 draw against West Ham United saw them squander more points in the Premier League's top-four race.Spurs took an early lead through Brennan Johnson but were pegged back by a Kurt Zouma goal as it ended all square at the London Stadium.The result kept Tottenham in fifth place, which may still be enough to seal a Champions League berth, two-points behind Aston Villa who take on title-chasing Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.Spurs dominated possession but found chances few and far be...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Burnley v Wolves Premier League injury news as nine ruled out and one doubtful

 Gary O'Neil, head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers during a Wolverhampton Wanderers Training Session at The Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground on March 28, 2024 in Wolverhampton, England. Wolves travel to Turf Moor to face relegation threatened Burnley in a midweek clash in the Premier League.Gary O'Neil's side are in need of a response after losing 2-0 to West Midlands rivals Aston Villa on Saturday. The defeat has them 10th in the league standings and the latest round of fixtures could see them drop to 12th. Burnley picked up a valuable point away at Stamford Bridge at the weekend, drawing 2-2 with Dara O'Shea equalising after Cole Palmer scored his second of the game.Wolves don't have the best record against the Clarets at their place, having failed to beat them in their last s...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Man Utd ‘far from scared’, would be ready to offer £51.3m to seal signing – Report

 Erik ten Hag, manager of Manchester United, looks on during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park on February 11, 2024 in Birmingham, England. Another day, another story linking Brazilian international, Gleison Bremer, with a move to Manchester United.As per today’s version of La Gazzetta Dello Sport (news image provided below), Man Utd are intrigued by the clause and ‘far from scared’ by the idea of offering £51.3m for the Juventus star.Other reports in Italy have already indicated that the Red Devils are ready to meet the termination clause to lure the Samba center half.Gazzetta claim United seem inclined to seal the signing of the Bremer, especially if they are able to earn Champions League qualification for the next campaign..At the...
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TRANSFERS

“We heard many things” – Fabrizio Romano provides latest update on Tottenham target Ivan Toney

 Ivan Toney of Brentford reacts during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Liverpool FC at Gtech Community Stadium on February 17, 2024 in Brentford, England.Since coming back from an eight-month ban imposed for issues relating to betting, Brentford striker, Ivan Toney, has carried on where he left off.He’s played every minute of the 11 games since he became eligible to pull on a Bees shirt again, scoring four goals in the process per WhoScored.It’s little wonder that Tottenham remain interested in acquiring his services (The Sun), with West Ham and Chelsea also credited as potential playing destinations.Though the trail to Arsenal appears to have gone cold at present, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that the England international will be plying his trade away from ...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool could now have significant advantage in title battle with Arsenal and Man City

Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool, acknowledges the fans after the team's victory in the UEFA Europa League 2023/24 round of 16 first leg match between AC Sparta Praha and Liverpool FC at Letna Stadium on March 07, 2024 in Prague, Czech Republic. It’s only a small lead, but it could be significant for Liverpool in the title race.Jurgen Klopp’s side hold a two-point lead over Arsenal and three over champions Manchester City as the title race enters the final lap with nine games to go. Liverpool’s goal difference is also five better than City’s and the Reds have a tiny bit of breathing space on their Manchester rivals.This could be crucial for Liverpool because in their defeats to City in the title races of 2019 and 2022, they were behind at this stage. In 2022, they did brilliantly to...
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LALIGA

Rodrygo brace leads Real to 2-0 win over Bilbao

 Rodrygo Goes of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring a goal during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Real Madrid CF and Athletic Bilbao at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 31, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. Rodrygo netted a goal in each half as Real Madrid secured a 2-0 home win against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, ce­menting their position at the top of the LaLiga table. Real have 75 points, eight ahead of Barcelona in second and 10 clear of third-placed Girona with eight matches left. The result hit fourth-placed Bilbao’s hopes of secur­ing a place in next season’s Champi­ons League as they are only one point ahead of Atletico Madrid, who play at Villarreal on Monday. Rodrygo broke the deadlock after eight minutes, calm­ly curling the ball into the far corner after a compos...
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LALIGA

Pedri predicts which teams will make the Champions League final

 Pedri of FC Barcelona looks on during the LaLiga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona and Villarreal CF at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on January 27, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona midfielder Pedri has been chatting about the Champions League and has predicted who he thinks will make the final.The Catalan giants are currently preparing for a quarter-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain, with the winners set to play Atletico or Dortmund for a place in the final.Pedri, unsurprisingly, is expecting his team to go all the way and to meet one of two teams in the showpiece at Wembley in June.“What do I think will be the UCL final? Barça-City. Although, Barça-Madrid won’t be bad either,” he said on the The Residency.“We are Barça. It’s very complicated, but of course we can win ...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

David Moyes: West Ham fans need to stick by Kalvin Phillips

 Kalvin Phillips of West Ham United during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and West Ham United at St. James Park on March 30, 2024 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.David Moyes has backed Kalvin Phillips following the midfielder’s weekend clash with West Ham United fans and urged them to get behind the players when Tottenham Hotspur visit the London Stadium on Tuesday night.Phillips has struggled to recapture his form following his January loan switch from Manchester City to the Hammers, and he gave away a penalty by fouling Anthony Gordon as West Ham blew a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 at Newcastle United on Saturday.Afterwards he was confronted by frustrated supporters as the team left St James’ Park and responded with a middle-finger gesture.But Moyes said: “Kalvin’s a huma...
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NEWS

Plymouth Argyle sack manager Ian Foster shortly after Bristol City defeat

 Ian Foster, the manager of Plymouth Argyle, is pictured during the Sky Bet Championship match between Middlesbrough and Plymouth Argyle at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, on February 24, 2024.Plymouth Argyle sacked head coach Ian Foster just hours after defeat to Bristol City.Foster was relieved of his duties on Monday night following the Robins’ 1-0 win at Home Park courtesy of Nahki Wells’ second-half header. The loss, Foster’s eighth inside the last 11 games, has left the Pilgrims just one point and one place above the Championship relegation zone.With six matches of the season remaining, and a crucial relegation encounter against Rotherham United on Saturday, the Plymouth board have acted to remove former England Under-20 coach Foster who took the job in January after ser...
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Ligue 1

PSG edge past Marseille to take step closer to Ligue 1 title

Goncalo Ramos of PSG celebrates his goal during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Olympique de Marseille (OM) and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Stade Velodrome on March 31, 2024 in Marseille, France.Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) overcame a controversial first-half sending-off to win 2-0 away to bitter rivals Marseille in Ligue 1, with Portuguese duo Vitinha and Goncalo Ramos scoring their goals.Marseille’s hopes of a first home league win against PSG since November 2011 were raised when the away side had Lucas Beraldo sent off five minutes before the interval. But the Qatar-owned club still came out on top, with Vitinha exchanging passes with Ousmane Dembele before firing home a superb opening goal in the 53rd minute on a wet night at the Velodrome.Marseille, who had been unbeaten at home thi...
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SERIE A

Dimarco: “It wasn’t easy to strike the ball like I did”

 Federico Dimarco of FC Internazionale celebrates after scoring opening goal during the Serie A TIM match between FC Internazionale and Empoli FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 01, 2024 in Milan, Italy. The Nerazzurri No.32, who bagged his fifth league goal this season, spoke after to victory at San Siro on Monday night.In finding the net this evening, Federico Dimarco, who now has five league goals to his name in 2023/24, equalled his personal scoring record in a single Serie A season (he also bagged five for Hellas Verona in 2020/21). Furthermore, the Nerazzurri No.32 has now contributed to a total of eleven goals in the Italian top flight since the start of the current campaign (five goals and six assists). Here's what he had to say after the victory over Empoli:“The ...
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BUNDESLIGA

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s future is open at Bayern Munich, or elsewhere

Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting of Bayern Munchen juggles the ball during the warm up prior to the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 round of 16 second leg match between FC Bayern München and SS Lazio at Fussball Arena Munchen on March 05, 2024 in Munich, Germany. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s current contract with Bayern Munich is set to expire at the end of this season, but it is still unclear what, exactly, his future holds from that point on. Before it was announced that Thomas Tuchel would be leaving the club at the end of the season, it was pretty much understood that the Cameroon international would more than likely be leaving on a free transfer as a free agent, but now that is not entirely set in stone.Per information from Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg (as per @iMiaSanMia), ...
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TRANSFERS

Newcastle reignite interest in Aaron Ramsdale ahead of potential move

 Aaron Ramsdale of Arsenal during a training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on March 29, 2024 in London Colney, England.Newcastle United have rekindled interest in Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale ahead of a potential summer move.Ramsdale is keen to play regular Premier League football again after being reduced to an understudy role following the arrival of David Raya from Brentford. Ramsdale is assessing his options and Newcastle are among those interested as they look to bolster their squad.Newcastle have Martin Dubravka as their current number one with Nick Pope expected to make his comeback from a dislocated shoulder at the end of April. Dubravka is 35 while Pope turns 32 this month and Newcastle want a younger option as they plan the next phase of their recruitment.Mana...
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Ligue 1

Marseille coach Jean-Louis Gasset concerned about Marseille injury list

 Coach of Olympique de Marseille Jean-Louis Gasset during the UEFA Europa League 2023/24 round of 16 first leg match between Olympique Marseille (OM) and Villarreal CF at Velodrome on March 7, 2024 in Marseille, France.Olympique de Marseille coach Jean-Louis Gasset expressed concern regarding the team’s lengthy injury list in the wake of the 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday night.Les Phocéens caused Luis Enrique’s side numerous problems in the first half, with Jordan Veretout going close more than once before the Parisians were reduced to ten men following a controversial red card for defender Beraldo. As it was, the Parisians emerged victorious as the more clinical side, despite not being at their fluent best. Coach Gasset was proud of the efforts of his players, and ...
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