Новости за 07.02.2018

11. Fernando Torres, Chelsea vs Man UnitedTorres has his fair share of happy memories from Old Trafford, not least a stonking performance in Liverpool’s 4-1 triumph in March 2009. Yet this agonising moment two-and-a-half years later epitomised his Chelsea struggles more than any other, as the forlorn Spaniard contrived to slice a shot into Row D with the goal gaping.Torres had done the hard part, rounding David de Gea with a neat stepover and shimmy, but his composure deserted him when he needed it most. Читать дальше...

The imagination behind kit design, particularly for international teams, seems to have receded in recent years - often leaving sides playing in different shades of the same template.Step forward Nike and Nigeria, though, who have put together this absolute masterpiece.Lovely. It's a far lighter green that normal and, in a nod to the country's finest footballing hour, the badge has actually been recoloured to resemble the one worn by the Olympic gold medal-winning side of 1996.See also...Sean Rigg... Читать дальше...

The Croatian playmaker spent four seasons with the Lilywhites after arriving from Dinamo Zagreb following Euro 2008, scoring 13 Premier League goals in 127 matches and assisting another 15.Modric was named Spurs’ player of the year after a 2010/11 campaign that included a run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, having topped a group featuring holdersInter Milan.However, an attempt to force through a £40 million move to London rivals Chelsea soured his relationship with fans ahead of his final season at the club. Читать дальше...

The Premier League has been blessed with some of the world’s greatest stars, and in Mohamed Salah – who spoke to us exclusively for this month’s issue of FourFourTwo magazine – Liverpool have a player producing displays comparable to the world's best right now.He had minimal opportunities during his first spell in England at Chelsea, but the attacker has come back with a vengeance, leading to his crowning as African Player of the Year for 2017. That got us thinking: forget Eric Djemba-Djemba and Ali Dia ... Читать дальше...

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is confident he can keep going "for years to come" at the elite level of football. The Portugal captain, who turned 33 on Monday, has shown signs of a decline in his form this season for the first time in his glittering career. The forward has only scored eight goals in 17 LaLiga matches in 2017-18, four of which have come in Madrid's last two matches, although he has nine in six games in the Champions League. But Ronaldo has dismissed any concerns about his... Читать дальше...

Antonio Conte has stood by his decision to make Chelsea the first Premier League side to take a winter break, despite the bold tactical move resulting in a 4-1 thrashing by Watford.A number of foreign managers, including Pep Guardiola, have been vocal in their belief that English football should implement a winter break, but so far Conte is the only boss willing to take things a stage further.Fans looked on in bemusement as the Italian repeatedly told his Chelsea players to sleep during the last 10 minutes of their game against Watford... Читать дальше...

Remember how VAR was going to eliminate grievance from the game, settling all disputes inside 90 minutes?Not so much.Among a sea of other issues, a controversy has developed in Holland after a recent cup game between Roda JC and Willem II. With the score 2-2, VAR stepped in to disallow a Roda goal (which would have put them ahead 3-2) on account of a handball.Incorrectly, they insist, because the VAR's authority only relates to the moment during which the goal was actually scored, not the passage of play which preceded it - and... Читать дальше...

Patrice Evra has joined West Ham as a free agent, three months after being sacked by Marseille following an altercation with a supporter. The former France international has signed a deal until the end of the campaign as he reunites with David Moyes following the Scot's short-lived tenure at Manchester United in 2013-14. Evra was sent off before Marseille's Europa League game at Vitoria Guimaraes in November, for aiming a kick at a man's head following an argument with a group of travelling fans during the warm-up. Читать дальше...

The Brazilian sealed a £35 million move from Portuguese giants Benfica last summer, with his silky ball skills and pinpoint long-range passes perfectly suited to manager Pep Guardiola’s philosophy.After Sunday's 1-1 draw at Turf Moor, Burnley boss Sean Dyche said of the shot-stopper: “It’s like having Ronald Koeman in goal – he gets [the ball] and spins it around the pitch, and that adds to their game plan because he defuses the game. It’s a massive weapon in the style they play.”Ederson has revealed... Читать дальше...

Bayern Munich are set to romp to Bundesliga glory for the sixth straight year, but Stefan Effenberg has come up with a plan to prevent a repeat of such a procession in the future. The Bavarian giants sit 18 points clear of Bayer Leverkusen, with only 13 matches remaining of a season that is already over as far as the title race is concerned. Unfortunately for fans of other clubs in Germany, this is a trend that has developed following Borussia Dortmund's back-to-back wins under Jurgen Klopp. In the five subsequent campaigns... Читать дальше...

Monaco's reputation for developing young talent convinced teenage Italian sensation Pietro Pellegri to join the reigning Ligue 1 champions. The 16-year-old completed a €25million move from Genoa to Stade Louis II last month despite reports of interest from Serie A giants Juventus. Pellegri looked on in admiration as Leonardo Jardim's youthful side swept to the French title and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. Although much of that vibrant team dispersed during the close-season transfer market... Читать дальше...

A desperate situation is developing in Denmark, where Superliga club Lyngby are mired in financial crisis and have been unable to pay their players.Promoted from the first division in 2016, Lyngby actually finished third in the top flight last season and made it as far as the third round for Europa League qualifying in 2017/18.But, as of last Friday, salaries still hadn't been met. The players' union has become involved and, as of today, those unpaid players are technically free and able to leave the club.According to local media... Читать дальше...

The 25-year-old South Korean arrived from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and has become an integral member of Mauricio Pochettino’s team. His 14 goals and six assists helped the Lilywhites secure second place in the Premier League last time out – the club’s highest league finish since 1962/63.Son has had a hand in12 more goals this campaign to keep Tottenham in contention for Champions League qualification. And having already been crowned king of FFT’s 50 Best Asian Players (in 2015), the Chuncheon-born... Читать дальше...

Alexis Sanchez has accepted a 16-month prison sentence in relation to committing tax fraud worth €1million during his time with Barcelona. The Manchester United forward will not serve any time in jail in line with Spanish law, due to this being his first offence and the sentence being fewer than 24 months. As reported by Spanish news agency EFE, Sanchez's punishment relates to concealing income from image rights between 2012 and 2013. Sanchez admitted his guilt and agreed to pay the Spanish authorities the money defrauded, plus interest. Читать дальше...

The Egyptian forward, who failed to impress at Chelsea four years ago, has made a sensational start to his second coming in England’s top flight. His two goals at home to Spurs ensured he became the fastest Liverpool player to score 20 Premier League goals, achieving the feat in only 25 appearances.An £11 million signing for Chelsea in January 2014, Salah made just 13 league outings for the west Londoners, but a profitable loan spell withFiorentina was followed bytwo stellar seasons at Roma.Twenty-nine... Читать дальше...

There's so much to like here: the long run-up, the power, the sprawling goalkeeper. Who doesn't enjoy a free-kick from absurd range?That's Banfield's Jesus Datolo scoring in the Copa Libertadores last night against Ecuadorian side Independiente Del Valle.The game eventually finished 2-2, with Banfield's second, equalising goal coming in second-half stoppage-time – and taking them through on away goals.An eventful night for the visitors, then...SEE ALSO The 15 best free-kicks of all timeSee also...Sean... Читать дальше...

AC Milan sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli hopes Gennaro Gattuso can remain as head coach at San Siro for another 10 years. Former Milan favourite Gattuso was promoted from his role with the club's youth teams when Vincenzo Montella was sacked in November, despite a largely unheralded coaching career to date. The Rossoneri lie eighth in Serie A and are unbeaten in 2018, leaving Mirabelli suitably impressed. "When we gave him the Milan bench he was considered a gamble by many but we chose... Читать дальше...

Get your hands on the latest issue of FourFourTwo magazine -availablein print,or alternatively oniPad and iPhone– nowThere are 44 African players who have scored at least 15 goals in the Premier League– and we can EXCLUSIVELY* REVEALthat Liverpool's in-form Mo Salah is one of them. Better than that, though, the Egyptian became the quickest Reds player ever to reach 20 Premier League goals against Tottenham on Sunday, with another brace taking his tally to 21 from just 25 matches. Nice.One of his... Читать дальше...

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's transfer saga became a "burden" to Borussia Dortmund, according to Ilkay Gundogan. Germany midfielder Gundogan played with Aubameyang at Signal Iduna Park before joining Manchester City in 2016 and watched on from afar as the Gabon striker became Arsenal's club-record signing for £56million on transfer deadline day. The 28-year-old scored 13 goals in 16 Bundesliga games for Dortmund this season but, as their title challenge faded amid Peter Bosz's departure as head coach... Читать дальше...

Boavista lost 3-0 to bottom side Aves on Tuesday night and, if the match was closer, this would have been very controversial indeed.One of Aves's goals was clearly offside. No problem, though, because the Primeira Liga is employing VAR this season and a quick check would sort that out.Right? Right?Oh, no.Unfortunately, a giant flag was waving in front of one of the cameras at the time - a Boavista flag, no less - and the referee was left with no option but to stick with theon-field decision. Oh dear... Читать дальше...

Angel Di Maria is a player capable of "beautiful things" and should start Paris Saint-Germain's mouth-watering Champions League showdown against Real Madrid, says forward Kylian Mbappe. The arrival of Mbappe and Neymar at PSG for this season has contributed to Argentina international Di Maria not being guaranteed a starting berth. But the 29-year-old was the star turn as Unai Emery's men cruised into the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France on Tuesday, netting a hat-trick as they beat Ligue 2... Читать дальше...

Barcelona attacker Philippe Coutinho hailed team-mate Andres Iniesta, labelling the club captain a "genius". Iniesta, 33, continues to play a key role for the LaLiga leaders, featuring 25 times in all competitions this season. Coutinho, who arrived at Camp Nou in January, said the Spain international made the players around him better. "Andres is a genius, and anyone who plays with him he will make them better," Coutinho told 8TV. "I am enjoying my time together with him and also with Leo [Messi]... Читать дальше...

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino backed Dele Alli and believes there has been too much focus on the midfielder's booking for diving against Liverpool. Alli, 21, was shown a yellow card for simulation during the thrilling 2-2 draw at Anfield Sunday. While Pochettino believes the decision was correct, the Argentinian fears for the future of the game with such attention on what he said was a "minimal issue". "Look, it was a yellow card. It happens. The referee was right. During different games... Читать дальше...

Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe dismissed suggestions Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is on the decline. Ronaldo has been below his usual incredible level this season, including scoring just eight goals in 17 LaLiga games. But the Portuguese star has netted nine in six Champions League outings heading into his team's last-16 first leg against PSG. Speaking after his side's 4-1 Coupe de France win over Sochaux Tuesday, Mbappe played down claims the 33-year-old's best was behind him. Читать дальше...

Swansea City beat Notts County 8-1 to record their biggest victory at Liberty Stadium, as Rochdale and Huddersfield Town earned FA Cup wins. Kevin Nolan's side had matched the Swans at Meadow Lane in a 1-1 draw last month but the League Two club were thoroughly outclassed in Tuesday's replay, Tammy Abraham and Nathan Dyer scoring a brace apiece. Carlos Carvalhal, who has led his side to an eight-game unbeaten run, will now return to Hillsborough to face former club Sheffield Wednesday in the next round. Читать дальше...