England forwards face race to be fit for Euro 2020 as Man City boss criticises demands on players.

Pep Guardiola believes that a punishing fixture schedule may have contributed to the injuries that have left Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford in a race to be fit for Euro 2020.

This week, Tottenham striker Kane has had surgery on a hamstring injury while United forward Marcus Rashford has suffered a double back stress fracture .

The pair hope to be back before the end of the season but losing one or both would be a significant blow to England’s hopes of winning the European Championships.

Guardiola said he is not surprised to see clubs and countries suffering long injury lists because the demands on the players are too great.

“It’s a big blow for the national team. Kane and Rashford are incredibly important players for them. Hopefully they can recover,” he said.

“It’s an incredible amount of games. Now we’re talking about it because they are [injured], but looking back at the injuries Newcastle have had, we have had, all the teams. That is normal.

“With that number of games, players break down. I’m not surprised. I’m so sorry for them. The big administration people cannot complain because it’s normal this happens.

“Of course it is too much to expect. They arrive in the Euros, playing with the national teams trying their best, then [back here] after no more than 20 days because the show must go on. It’s unsustainable. The players fall down. It’s too much.”

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp also complained about too much football earlier in the season and Guardiola says the managers are in agreement but the footballing authorities are not interested.

“All the managers complained about it and they don’t care,” he added. “Now Boxing Day is over, another season, and prepare for the next one. A distance of two or three days again and again. The players suffer.

“They want to do well and the clubs have a lot of pressure to win or qualify for the Champions League. We push and push. The body says stop, it’s enough.”

Raheem Sterling is one player hoping to play a major part in England’s summer but after a blistering start to the season, the forward has only been on target in four of his last 16 matches for club and country.

“He played more than 3,000 minutes, his standards are continuing quite similar, maybe he hasn’t scored in the last games but there are no doubts,” Guardiola said.

“Normally when one guy is always and then one game he isn’t there people say ‘what’s happened?’”

Source – Goal.com

At the launch party for his new foundation, Inspired by KM, the PSG forward spoke about his favourite players and biggest influences growing up.

Photo by Getty Images

Kylian Mbappe has opened up about his childhood heroes, selecting Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane as his biggest influence growing up.

Mbappe, 21, has become one of the most recognisable faces in world football over the last few years. Already a World Cup winner with France and in possession of every domestic trophy going, the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s achievements are comparable with many of the great French footballers and he’s barely even out of his teens.

Born in 1998 and raised in Bondy, a disadvantaged suburb to the north-east of Paris, Mbappe grew up at a time when Zidane was a global superstar at the summit of the game.

At the launch party for his new foundation Inspired by KM – through which he will look to support 98 children aged from nine to 16 years through to adult life, in reference to his birth year – Mbappe was asked about the footballers he most admired when he was growing up.

“Well, I’ve had phases,” he said. “To start, as a child, it was Zidane. If you’re a boy and you’re French, your idol is Zidane.

“After that, it was Cristiano [Ronaldo] and I’ve been lucky enough to face him. Then it was the Brazilian Ronaldo for the way he played.

“I want to leave that sort of a mark with my values, to leave a message in the history of football.”

Asked about his hopes for the future, Mbappe laid out a grand plan for the rest of the year as he eyes a treble of the Champions League, Euro 2020 and the Olympics.

Mbappe has scored 21 goals in 22 appearances for PSG this season and is well on his way to his fourth Ligue 1 title. The Parisians are currently eight points clear of second-placed Marseille and are currently unbeaten in 15 games across all competitions.

The Champions League has remained elusive for Mbappe thus far, however, with PSG earning a reputation for collapses in the Round of 16. To get past that stage this term, they will have to overcome a hugely talented but inconsistent Borussia Dortmund team.

Soure – Goal.com

Bayern Munich scored four second-half goals to beat Jurgen Klinsmann’s Hertha Berlin and move up to second in the Bundesliga.

Robert Lewandowski’s second-half penalty was his 31st goal of the season in all competitions

Thomas Muller volleyed home Ivan Perisic’s cut-back to give the visitors the lead on the hour mark.

A Robert Lewandowski penalty and Thiago’s neat finish put Bayern 3-0 up, before Perisic completed the scoring six minutes from time.

The result lifts Bayern to within four points of leaders RB Leipzig.

Lewandowski spurned the best chance of the first half, poking wide after a neat interchange with Inter Milan loanee Perisic.

Hertha, who are managed by former Bayern and Germany boss Klinsmann, were finally undone when Perisic teed up Muller to lash in his third league goal of the season.

Lewandowski then had a goal ruled out by VAR for a foul on Hertha goalkeeper Rune Jarstein, before netting his 20th league strike of the campaign from the penalty spot after Lukas Klunter’s challenge on Goretzka.

Germany midfielder Goretzka was involved in Bayern’s third three minutes later, teeing up Thiago to fire into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Perisic capped a superb second-half display late on with a powerful header from Muller’s deep cross.

On Saturday, leaders RB Leipzig cemented their place at the top of the Bundesliga with a 3-1 victory at home to Union Berlin.

The visitors led at the break through Marius Bulter’s 10th-minute goal, but a Timo Werner double either side of Marcel Sabitzer’s strike earned Julian Nagelsmann’s team all three points.

Source – BBC News

Manchester United’s top scorer Marcus Rashford could be out for six weeks with a stress fracture, according to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Rashford has scored 19 goals in all competitions for Manchester United this season

The England international went off 15 minutes after coming on as a substitute in Wednesday’s 1-0 FA Cup win against Wolves after picking up a knock.

Rashford was not included in the squad for Sunday’s trip to Premier League leaders Liverpool.

“Normally six weeks to heal, but I’m not a doctor,” said Solskjaer.

“It’s a [back] stress fracture, it happened against Wolves. It’s not happened before, it happened there and then. He’ll be out for a while.”

When asked whether the club would seek a replacement for the 22-year-old, the Norwegian added: “We’ve had many injuries for big players this season. It’s just an unfortunate situation we’re in.

“We might look at some short-term deals as well that could take us through to the summer. We don’t desperately need a striker, if the right one is there and it fits for us… we’ve got players who are champing at the bit.”

Rashford has scored 22 goals for club and country this season, with 14 of those coming in the Premier League.

Source – BBC News

Mario Balotelli’s match lasted just seven minutes before he was sent off in Brescia’s 2-2 draw against Cagliari on Sunday.

Mario Balotelli has now been sent off 12 times in his career

Balotelli came off the bench after 74 minutes and was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Cagliari’s Fabio Pisacane.

He was then immediately shown a second yellow card for his angry reaction to the booking.

The 29-year-old, who has five goals in 15 appearances this season, has now amassed 12 red cards.

Balotelli reacted angrily to his initial booking and received a second yellow for his protest

“It was an unfortunate incident, as we all thought the initial yellow card was harsh. He jumped for the ball and didn’t see the defender coming up behind him,” Brescia coach Eugenio Corini said.

“It’s a pity, as we were down to 10 men for the final 10 minutes and were unable to count on the resource that is having Balotelli in the team.

“We brought home a point today, but had come so close to three.”

Brescia are winless in five and are currently 18th in Serie A, a point away from safety.

The Portuguese star has been in hot form in front of goal and continues to raise the bar for consistency.

Photo by Getty Images

A double from Cristiano Ronaldo helped Serie A leaders Juventus to a 2-1 win over Parma on Sunday, while also adding more records to the 34-year-old’s impressive collection.

Ronaldo opened the scoring after 43 minutes at the Allianz Stadium before hooking in his second in the 58th minute after Parma had equalised just moments earlier.

Those efforts mean Ronaldo has now scored in seven straight Serie A games – the first Juventus player to do so since David Trezeguet in December 2005.

That run of form has also seen his overall league goal tally for the season increase to 16, handing him a record all of his own. Ronaldo is now the only player in the top five European leagues to score at least 15 goals in each of the last 14 campaigns.

Ronaldo has also become the fifth Juventus player to score 16 goals in his first 20 Serie A games, and the first since Omar Sivori in 1960.

Since the 2006-07 season, the Portugal international has scored a stunning 414 league goals for the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and most recently Juventus.

Ronaldo struck 21 times in Serie A last season, with his current haul of 16 now the second best in the league behind current Golden Boot leader Ciro Immobile, who has scored an impressive 23 goals for Lazio.

With their star attacker on fire in front of goal, Juventus have now opened up a four-point lead at the league summit after second-placed Inter were held to a 1-1 draw against Lecce on Sunday.

Paulo Dybala claimed the assist for Ronaldo’s second strike against Parma, with manager Maurizio Sarri declaring prior to the match that it’s a myth the duo can’t play well together .

“It seems to me that Dybala is doing the best things this year with everyone, he is always doing well,” Sarri said.

“With him and Ronaldo, we have fewer players in the middle, but lately with them both we have always created and scored.

“I consider it a myth that the two of them have difficulty playing together, Cristiano is also scoring and I don’t see any problems whatsoever. They also scored with Gonzalo [Higuain], so I don’t see any problems.”

While Ronaldo has stolen the show in front of goal this season, Dybala has provided solid back-up, netting 11 times in all competitions.

Source – Goal.com

The Reds defeated Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side 2-0 at Anfield on Sunday afternoon to move 16 points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand.

Photo by Getty/Goal

For the first time this season, the Liverpool fans broke protocol. For the first time this season, they allowed the mask to slip.

For the first time this season, they dared to dream.

Anfield had just heard its sweetest sound of the day, the final blast of Craig Pawson’s whistle confirming yet another victory for the Premier League’s runaway leaders, this time over great rivals Manchester United.

Jurgen Klopp punched the air, Alisson Becker fell to his knees. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, beaten by the team he most wants to beat, wore a face like a robber’s dog.

And the Kop began to sing.

“And now you’re gonna believe us….We’re gonna win the league!”

Even former Reds centre-half Jamie Carragher, up in the Sky Sports gantry, couldn’t resist joining in. Alongside him, Gary Neville would rather have been anywhere else.

They’ve been wary about using that song, Liverpudlians. Desperate not to jinx their team, eager not to give ammunition to rival fans in the event – the now unlikely event – that the Reds don’t go on to deliver on their promise.

They needn’t worry about that. We’re only in January, but league championship number 19 – Liverpool’s first for 30 years – looks and feels like a formality. “Not over yet,” insisted Mo Salah afterwards, but it will be soon.

This win, a 2-0 victory which could and should have been even more comprehensive, takes Klopp’s team into a lead of 16 points over second-placed Manchester City.

Liverpool also have the luxury of a game in hand, just in case. They now need 10 wins from their last 16 matches to clinch their first title in 30 years, and if you’re wondering if they’re capable then remember this; they’ve won 30 of their last 31. They’ve lost once in the league in 623 days.

“They are in a different league,” said Chris Sutton, a title-winner with Blackburn in 1995, on BBC Radio 5 Live. “You fear for the rest,” added former United captain and seven-time Premier League champion Roy Keane on Sky Sports.

Solskjaer tried to put on a brave face, but he had to. “We created pressure,” the United boss suggested to Sky. “They looked nervy.”

Sorry, Ole, you might want to revise that. Liverpool may have taken until the 93rd minute to underline their dominance, with Mo Salah racing away to confirm the points in front of the Kop, but if this was the Reds looking “nervy”, then God help the Premier League when they start playing with freedom.

On another day, they could have been five goals to the good inside an hour. Virgil van Dijk got the one that counted, heading home a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner in the 14th minute. The symbolism was strong here; head and shoulders above the opposition, both literally and figuratively.

After that, it should have been a procession. Roberto Firmino and Gini Wijnaldum had goals ruled out, while David De Gea denied Sadio Mane before half-time. After the break, Salah missed a sitter, while Jordan Henderson had a shot brilliantly tipped onto the post.

United rallied. They had to. Andreas Pereira missed their best chance, their only chance, of the first half and Anthony Martial squandered their clearest opening in the second. “Big chances,” Solskjaer said. Rare chances, more like.

Liverpool stood firm, recording their seventh consecutive clean sheet in the league. They’re the best team in the division by a mile, and so much of their strength comes from their defence.

Van Dijk and Joe Gomez were again imperious, aided fabulously by the indefatigable Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum. The sight of Liverpool’s midfield lynchpins, the players who get through more work than any other, sprinting away on the counterattack in the 90th minute, said it all.

“The energy they put on the pitch was incredible,” Klopp told Sky. “I enjoyed the game a lot.”

It was another counterattack which sealed the win, Alisson Becker releasing Salah with a quick volleyed pass, Salah staying cool to hold off Dan James and beat De Gea. It was his first ever goal against United, and it was celebrated accordingly.

Alisson’s was the first assist by a Liverpool goalkeeper since Pepe Reina 2009. His celebrations – running the length of the field to slide on his knees into a topless Salah – had a touch of Reina about them too.

Then, came the song. Tempting fate? Not for Klopp.

“They can sing that,” he smiled. “I have no problem with that. Everyone should celebrate the situation, apart from us.”

There it is again, that relentless mentality. “It’s about the next game and the next challenge,” said Henderson. They’re thinking of Wolves already.

That’s for Thursday, though. For Sunday, they can reflect, again, on a job well done.

Manchester United will always be their rivals but, on this evidence, it’ll be a long time before they’re anything like their equals again.

Source – Goal.com

Manchester United have agreed a £1.28m (1.5m euros) fee with Inter Milan for defender Ashley Young.

Ashley Young scored 19 times for Manchester United, with his last goal coming in the 4-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League in December

The 34-year-old had previously told United of his desire to join Inter and has not been involved in the club’s past three games.

It is understood the deal includes an add-on fee, which will be activated if Inter win Serie A this season.

If the January transfer is finalised, it will bring an end to Young’s eight-and-a-half-year stay at Old Trafford.

The deal is subject to a medical, scheduled to take place in Milan on Friday, and the agreement of personal terms.

He has played 261 times for United and was club captain this season, although he only started 10 league games in 2019-20.

Young, who has played 39 times for England, joined United from Aston Villa in 2011 and has been part of squads that won the Premier League in 2012-13, the FA Cup in 2015-16, and both the League Cup and Europa League in 2016-17.

Inter, who signed Romelu Lukaku from United last August and also have Alexis Sanchez on loan from the Red Devils, are second in Serie A, two points adrift of Juventus.

Under former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, they are aiming to win their first Serie A title since 2010.

Source – BBC News

Two-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions ATK will merge with I-League club Mohun Bagan in June 2020 and will compete as one team in the next ISL season. A press release stated that the “the new football club will have brand names of both ATK and Mohun Bagan.”

ATK are two-time Indian Super League champions. Saikat Das / SPORTZPICS for ISL

RPSG Group, which owns ATK, announced on Thursday that they will acquire a majority stake in Mohun Bagan Football Club, which will make them 80% shareholders with Mohun Bagan Football Club (India) Private Limited owning the remaining 20%.

“RPSG Group is humbled and honoured to welcome Mohun Bagan with folded hands and open arms to the RPSG family. Personally, it’s an emotional reunion for me as my father Late Shri R P Goenka was a member of Mohun Bagan,” RPSG chairman Sanjiv Goenka said.

ATK are in the race for top honours in the ongoing ISL season, while Mohun Bagan are also in the running for what would be their fifth national title in the I-League.

“As much as we want the romance of the Maroon and Green jersey and it’s 130-year-old tradition to continue, there comes a time when romance almost invariably requires a partner named practicality,” Bagan chairman Swapan Bose said.

“To usher into the new era of football, you need bigger investments and a corporate force to take it forward. This is undoubtedly a harsh and the bigger truth.

“Their (ATK’s) vision on Indian football aligns with our philosophy and our combined forces will surely take the club to a bigger and greater heights. In this respect it is a red-letter day in the history of this iconic institution.”

Former Mohun Bagan and India captain Baichung Bhutia hailed the merger, but also expressed hope that Bagan’s ‘rich identity’ remains intact.

“That (Mohun Bagan’s) identity should not go. I don’t think Sanjiv Goenka will do that mistake because for him buying Mohun Bagan is buying an identity. If he makes that mistake of losing that identity, that will be the biggest ever loss,” he said. Bhutia also expressed reservations over the proposed new name for the club — ATK-Mohun Bagan, saying the branding should be determined by Bagan’s colour and logo rather than ATK’s.

“Why would you want to have it’s name ATK-Mohun Bagan? That does not go well. That branding has to be done properly. The deal was all about buying the identity and history. With that history, you will have millions of fans across the world. That you will have to keep in mind.

“ATK are just five-six years’ old. It’s not a very old club. I don’t think ATK really have that identity. It started with Atletico de Kolkata, now it has become Amar Tomar Kolkata (ATK). I don’t think it will be a big loss for them if they lose that identity. I hope they use Mohun Bagan’s colour, logo, and the name because it has got a rich history and heritage,” Bhutia added.

Bhutia, who also played for East Bengal, believes the other Kolkata club will soon join the ISL bandwagon as well.

“East Bengal will also get there in a few years time. East Bengal anyway have got a corporate management (Quess). I hope the move will help and inspire,” he said.

It is understood that Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the marketing partners of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that runs the ISL, were keen on including either Mohun Bagan or their crosstown rivals East Bengal in the ISL since the franchise-based league began running concurrently with the I-League in 2017-18.

However, both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal had refused to join the ISL, stating an objection to the franchise fee of INR 15 crore (approx. $ 2.1 million) as well as an unwillingness to give up rights to controlling identifiers like their names, logos, jerseys, and to move out of Kolkata, owing to ISL’s prevalent one-club-per-city rule.

ATK had been in talks with both teams, but East Bengal’s sponsorship with Quess, which came about in 2018, did not allow them to entertain any question of rebranding the name. This meant that Bagan were left as the only choice for the ISL club to merge with. FSDL were also keen on the merger to happen, especially considering how ATK’s attendance figures had dropped significantly in the ISL despite two title-winning runs in 2014 and 2016. Average attendances in ATK’s home matches in the first two seasons were 45,171 and 50,707, respectively. These dropped to 11,703 the following season, when the club had to play home matches at the smaller Rabindra Sarobar Stadium. However, a return to the Salt Lake Stadium only took average attendance up to 12,669 and 18,310 over the next two seasons.

Mohun Bagan, established in 1889, often call themselves the ‘national’ club of India. They won the IFA Shield in pre-independent India in 1911, making them the first Indian club to have won a domestic competition at a time when most of the field comprised British teams, usually from armed forces. Bagan also won the National Football League (NFL) in 1998, 2000 and 2002, and won it again after its rebranding as the I-League in 2015. They are also record 14-times champions of the now-defunct Federation Cup, once India’s premier cup competition.

Source – Goal.com