The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss saw his side starved of the ball as they played the majority of the match with 10 men.

Photo by Getty Images

Manchester City recorded the lowest possession number of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career in their 3-2 defeat to Wolves on Friday night.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is renowned for building teams that rarely give the ball away and has regularly enjoyed the lion’s share of possession with City in the Premier League.

However, goalkeeper Ederson was sent off just 12 minutes into the reigning league champions’ match against Wolves, enabling Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to dominate the ball.

They restricted City to just 37.8% possession at Molineux – the lowest figure recorded by a side managed by Guardiola in top-flight history.

That number was significantly less than the second-lowest figure in Guardiola’s career, the 46.7% possession City had in their 2-1 victory over Chelsea in November.

Despite being a man down early on, City found themselves 2-0 up after 50 minutes, with Raheem Sterling converting the rebound of his retaken penalty in the first half and scoring again early in the second.

Their lead was not to last, however, and City allowed their two-goal advantage to slip as Adama Traore, Raul Jimenez and Matt Doherty all netted to hand Wolves their first league double over City since the 1999-00 season in the second tier, and for the first time in the top flight since the 1960-61 campaign.

Wolves also become just the second team in history to complete a league double against a Guardiola side after Antonio Conte’s Chelsea first managed the feat in their title-winning 2016-17 season – Guardiola’s first in English football.

It was the first time City had lost a Premier League game having led by two or more goals since their 3-2 loss in April 2018 against Manchester United. In that game, the Red Devils came back from a 2-0 deficit at half-time to prevent their local rivals officially securing their status as champions in the Manchester derby.

Additionally, the loss to Wolves means Guardiola’s side have shipped 23 goals in their 19 league games so far this term – as many as they had conceded in the entirety of their last campaign.

If league leaders Liverpool win their game in hand against Wolves on Sunday, they could extend the 14-point gap between themselves and City to a seemingly unassailable 17 points.

Source – Goal.com

Carrie Dunn rounds up the last 12 months in women’s football.

Photo by Getty Images

The year in women’s football will, inevitably, be dominated by one woman – and one image.

The USA’s Megan Rapinoe finished the 2019 Women’s World Cup with yet another winner’s medal (her second, and her nation’s fourth), plus the Golden Boot, and finished the tournament as the final’s player of the match. By the end of the year she’d also won FIFA’s The Best award and the Ballon D’Or.

Her impact over the summer could not be disputed; whether or not she was the best player worldwide over the course of the entire year was a matter of some debate, particularly as she had played very little domestic football during those 12 months.

Australia captain Sam Kerr had a good claim to being the world’s best. A game-changing striker, she is the all-time top scorer in both Australia’s W-League and America’s National Women’s Soccer League. She led the Matildas in France over the summer, scoring four against Jamaica, and inspiring her team to a 3-2 comeback win over Marta’s Brazil. After months of speculation – and a slightly premature deal for the FA Women’s Super League to be broadcast in Australia – she signed on the dotted line for Emma Hayes’s Chelsea, and will be heading to England in the New Year.

The Netherlands’ Vivianne Miedema had herself a pretty good year as well. Leading the line, she helped her country to the World Cup final; and she fired her club Arsenal to their first WSL title in seven years, finishing the season as the league’s top scorer with 22 goals. Just to underline the point, she wrapped up her 2019 with a couple of utterly superlative performances, including a spectacular against Bristol City when she scored six and created four goals during her 70 minutes on the pitch.

England’s star remained Lucy Bronze, shining on the world stage and across Europe as her club Lyon dominated France and the Champions League once more. She came second to Rapinoe in the FIFA stakes, winning the Silver Ball, but was the acknowledged best in Europe, winning the UEFA Player of the Year award.

Despite the lack of headline names like Bronze, and an exodus from the likes of her fellow Lionesses Nikita Parris and Alex Greenwood, the WSL continued its quest to be the best domestic league in the world – and a massive title sponsorship deal from Barclays went some way to doing that. All the WSL clubs are now fully professional. However, the Championship is still part-time – and the Women’s FA Cup still doesn’t have a commercial partner following the end of the agreement with energy providers SSE.

Much as authorities might like to concentrate on what’s happening on the pitch, the off-field situation is less than rosy in many places. Some may feel uneasy about the spread of global “groups” of clubs – Manchester City popularised it, and now Lyon seem to be getting in on the action, announcing their intent to take over Seattle Reign in the NWSL.

The legal wrangling between the USA squad and their federation over equal pay and treatment rumbles on, with the players filing a lawsuit back in March. They get paid less than the men’s squad despite the vast difference in their performances, and they have also noted the lack of parity in their working conditions.

And 2019 has seen continued revelations about abuse of female players, with Afghanistan officials receiving lengthy bans from the game – a life ban for former AFF president Keramuddin Keram for abusing players and misusing his position, and shorter bans to others for their failure to investigate complaints.

2020 is an Olympic year, so women’s football will be in the spotlight once more. Although the men’s competition at the Games is for young senior players, the top female stars will all be hoping to be in action – winning Olympic gold has long been one of the biggest prizes on offer. Phil Neville will be leading a combined Team GB; Vlatko Andonovski’s USA team will go to Japan as favourites yet again. Another fascinating year approaches.

Megan Rapinoe (USA)Getty Images

Source – Eurosport

Real Betis’ 38-year-old captain Joaquin has signed a new deal with the La Liga club until 2021.

Joaquin has played 535 La Liga games

The former Spain winger, who first joined Betis aged 16, scored his first career hat-trick this month in a 3-2 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Joaquin, who also played for Valencia, Malaga and Fiorentina before rejoining Betis in 2015, has made 535 appearances in Spain’s top flight.

“I think I’m in my prime,” said Joaquin, who has six goals this season.

Speaking in a video that showed him landing on the pitch in a helicopter at Betis’ Benito Villamarin Stadium, he said: “I still can go on for a while.

“I should keep enjoying and making the Beticos happy. I landed here 23 years ago and I will be here for another year.”

Betis called Joaquin an “icon for different generations” and “one of the most important soccer players in Spanish football during the last two decades”.

Source – BBC News

Former Sweden and Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in talks to return to AC Milan.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored 53 goals during his time in the United States

It is understood there are other clubs interested in the 38-year-old, a free agent after leaving LA Galaxy at the end of the Major League Soccer season.

However, confidence is growing in Italy that the striker will rejoin Milan, where he spent two seasons from 2010, scoring 42 goals in 61 league outings.

Milan are without a major trophy since their 18th Italian title in 2011.

The seven-time European champions are enduring a miserable season, sitting 11th in Serie A, with 21 points from 17 games.

They sacked coach Marco Giampaolo in October but results have not improved under his replacement Stefano Pioli and they lost their last match 5-0 at Atlanta on 22 December, their biggest defeat for 21 years.

Source – BBC News

The teenage forward is starring at Old Trafford and his boss of taking notice of him and his fellow strikers, who all scored against Newcastle.

Photo by Getty

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has lauded his strike force, and particularly Mason Greenwood after the 18-year-old, along with fellow attackers Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, scored for Manchester United against Newcastle United.

Solskjaer’s Red Devils had fallen behind to a Matty Longstaff strike after 17 minutes but roared back. By the time the half time whistle sounded, they were leading 3-1, and each member of the forward line had scored.

Martial added a second for himself and fourth for the team soon after the interval, completing the scoring.

Greenwood now has eight goals in all competitions this season, and only Jadon Sancho has more as a teenager in Europe’s Top 5 leagues this campaign.

His boss, a famed Old Trafford goal-scorer himself, was quick to praise the youngster, and his fellow forwards.

“Mason [Greeenwood] is a great striker of the ball,” he said.

“You know he is going to hit the target more times than not. The way he strikes it is nice to see and he is so unfazed by whatever happens.

“The three of them are a handful when we can get the space we did today.

“These boys will never give up, this club knows that towards the end we can nick a point or even three from losing positions.”

Greenwood has now scored in back to back home games, just the fourth United teenager to do so, joining Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Federico Macheda.

His recent good form has coincided with the re-emergence of Paul Pogba. The French midfielder did not make the start but was fit enough for a half-time introduction, having missed 10 of the last 11 United matches.

Solskjaer says his recovery is on track, and that he expects continued improvement from the team’s most expensive player.

“It is still a bit early for him, he has been out for a long time but he has to get used to being back on a big pitch,” he went on.

“We have had some five-a-side but not with 21 other men on the pitch, He will get better and better.”

United’s next game is against Burnley on Saturday, with Solskjaer calling the fixture congestion around the festive period “not fair”.

Source – Goal.com

The former Reds manager thinks the club have one of the world’s best right-backs at their disposal.

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers believes it will be “very, very hard to stop” Liverpool winning the Premier League, while also singling out Trent Alexander-Arnold for praise.

Liverpool moved 13 points clear at the top after thrashing Leicester 4-0 at King Power Stadium on Boxing Day.

Rodgers said his former club, who have won 17 of 18 league games this season, would be difficult to stop.

“They’re going to be very, very hard to stop, there’s no doubt. Fantastic team, confidence is high as well,” Rodgers told a news conference.

“They’ve become winners now and haven’t lost many games over an 18-month period, so to lose the games they would need to in the second part of the season…they’ve got enough players now, enough experience and enough quality to stay focused and get the job done.

“There’s still a lot to play for but in our last couple of games we’ve come up against the best two teams in the league.”

Roberto Firmino’s brace, a James Milner penalty and Alexander-Arnold strike saw Liverpool cruise past Rodgers’ second-placed team.

Alexander-Arnold also provided two assists and Rodgers praised the right-back’s performance.

“When I see him, he plays full-back as a midfield player. His range of passes is phenomenal for a young player,” he said.

“Of course he was a midfield player at Liverpool as a youngster. His quality, his range of pass and experiences that he’s gained in these past few years. For Jurgen [Klopp] he’s been absolutely amazing.

“You see him with his goal, as soon as the switch came, he was up there supporting, his intent to get up and his strike from outside the box was absolutely brilliant.

“We’ve got one here at Leicester who’s amazing as well, Ricardo Pereira, he’s been outstanding for me this season and since I came in but Trent’s up there and very much England‘s number one right-back and playing consistently at a very high level.”

The Foxes have now lost their past two Premier League matches and are without a win in three. Rodgers’ side next face West Ham away from home and will likely start the game in third should Manchester City beat Wolverhampton on Friday.

Source – Goal.com

In three years’ time, the World Cup in Qatar will be over.

Liverpool played both of their Club World Cup games at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha

It will be the first one to be staged in winter and the tournament has been beset by controversy ever since it was awarded to the Gulf state in 2010, with construction-related deaths, concern for workers’ rights and Amnesty International saying some practices had “ruined lives”.

This month’s Club World Cup, which Liverpool won by beating Flamengo on Saturday, provided some insight into what can be expected when national teams and their fans travel to the tournament.

Will heat be a factor? Are the stadiums finished? Will fans be allowed to buy a beer? These are just some of the questions being asked.

BBC Sport has spoken to a range of fans, pundits and former players who travelled to Doha this month to get a taste of what to expect when the world’s focus turns to the Middle East in 2022.

Every stadium within 35-mile radius

The longest distance between the eight grounds to be used at Qatar 2022 is just 34 miles (55km), while the shortest is three miles.

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, BBC Match of the Day’s co-commentator in Doha, believes the chance for match-going fans to gorge themselves on World Cup fixtures will appeal to visitors.

“If you are a football fanatic then to get the opportunity to get to three games in one day and make the most of a World Cup in that way is going to make for a great experience, like no other tournament in fact,” he said.

Ex-England winger John Barnes agrees.

“I don’t think there’ll be another World Cup where all the countries’ fans are going to be within about a 30-mile radius to be able to interact with each other,” Barnes added.

Temperatures lower than 2014 World Cup in Brazil

In the 2014 World Cup England played against Italy in the Amazonian city of Manaus, with temperatures on their arrival of around 35C and humidity of 70%

The World Cup in 2022 will start on 21 November, with the final on 18 December – the national day of Qatar.

Temperatures in Qatar at that time of year average between 18-24C and will be much cooler than if the World Cup had been held in the months of June and July, when temperatures can reach 40C.

Liverpool fan Andy Heaton, of the Liverpool podcast The Anfield Wrap, said temperatures were perfect for supporters.

“It’s a little bit strange thinking it’s almost Christmas time while the sun is blazing and we’re all having a good time,” he said.

“It’s been moderate, a little bit windy but it’s absolutely gorgeous.”

Warnock thinks the players will find the conditions ideal for tournament football.

“Conditions have been good. The temperature drops in the evening, so at the time Liverpool played both their matches last week it was about 20C, which is not too bad,” he added.

“During the day, which is when some of the World Cup matches will be played in 2022, it has not been overly hot either. It even rained the first few days we were here.

“The tournament has been played in hotter temperatures than that in the past.”

A ‘work of art’ stadium – but some mobility issues

The Club World Cup final took place at Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium, which is one of the venues for the World Cup.

The other seven are at various stages of construction, with work expected to be completed by 2020.

Former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman has no concerns the requisite number of grounds for the tournament will be constructed in time.

He said: “The stadiums look more than ready, compared with the problems in the past – ie South Africa and Brazil – when they were not as ready as they should have been.

Heaton was impressed with the acoustics of the ground where Liverpool’s match took place.

“The stadium’s a work of art. As a facility, it’s flawless. I was impressed that the atmosphere stays in – it’s like a bowl,” he said.

However, one Liverpool supporter believes the organisers still have work to do for fans with mobility issues.

“One of my main issues at the ground was around mobility,” said the Reds fan. “My friend walks with a stick and they were very helpful. They’ve got buggies but it wasn’t organised. They were saying ‘oh you can’t go there, oh you can’t go there’, then we needed a lift and they said there was one but when we got there they said it was VIPs only.

“They need to get that right. There are a lot of people with mobility issues who follow football all around the world. That’s a big thing they need to address.”

Transport and travel – any logistical concerns?

Qatar will spend more than £160bn on infrastructure for the tournament in addition to the vast outlay on stadiums.

McManaman, though, has some concerns about congestion on the roads during the World Cup based on his time in the country.

“I think the down sides are the traffic will be really bad. Seeing it here, with the amount of people who are going to come, it will be a problem,” said the former Liverpool and England winger.

“If you look around, or you leave the hotel, there are not many people walking on the streets. Nobody seems to walk around, everyone seems to drive.”

However, Warnock had a different experience.

“The organisation – in terms of getting to the ground and everything immediately before and after the games – was seamless,” Warnock said.

“As a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, it has been a really good one.”

Heaton believes there are certainly a number of logistical concerns for the organisers to overcome for fans.

“Security’s a bit intense at times, which is understandable given where we are and the situation at the minute with the other Gulf states,” he explained.

“It was tough getting into the stadium. I wouldn’t say it was heavy-handed but it was tight, it was tough.

“I don’t think they were ready for the influx of that amount of people in such a short amount of time. Maybe they’re used to other sporting events where people turn up in dribs and drabs.

“My worry is the logistical aspect of it – they’ve got a metro but it’s only small, the roads aren’t the best and everyone drives like a madman.”

What about the alcohol laws?

For many fans attending the 2022 World Cup, the question of whether they will be able to drink alcohol is a significant one.

Qatar is an Islamic country and it is an offence to drink alcohol or be drunk in public. However, it is available at licensed hotel restaurants and bars, with a legal drinking age of 21.

But Heaton said he was “pleasantly surprised” by what he found during the Club World Cup.

“It’s got to be a bit of give and take,” he said. “They’re willing to bend to a certain degree and we’ve got to respect that.”

McManaman added: “I have been here before so I know how conservative it is. And of course, people can drink. But you can only do so in certain bars and certain hotels, so a lot of people convene there. It’s a mix of being conservative, but you go to certain bars and it is very westernised.

“Things will have to loosen up when the World Cup arrives. When millions of fans turn up it is going to be completely different, so you wonder what it will be like when people from all over the world, and cultures completely different from this, land here for the World Cup.

“But I do think it will be a success. I think tournaments like this really help. I know working with Fifa there are various teething problems, but they will be ironed out at next year’s Club World Cup and then it will be getting ready for the World Cup in 2022.”

Source – BBC News

The Leicester defender is hoping that his consistent club form can win him a place in Portugal’s squad next summer.

Photo by Getty

Leicester City defender Ricardo Pereira has revealed his dream of representing Portugal at next summer’s European Championships.

The full-back has appeared seven times for his country since making his international debut in 2015, but has yet to earn a consistent place in Fernando Santos’ squad.

Pereira was included in the 23-man panel for the 2018 World Cup, but played just one game as Portugal were eliminated by Uruguay in the round of 16.

He was left out of the squad for the Nations League and Nations League finals, but returned to the setup in October 2019 and featured in both of Portugal’s last two games this year.

A solid season with Leicester has put him back in contention and Pereira is hopeful that consistent form can keep him in Santos’ plans for Euro 2020.

“This is a goal since the start of the season,” Pereira told Goal. “But I must play very well here with Leicester to have the opportunity to help the national team at the European Championship.”

Portugal have been given an unfavourable route to defend their European title, having been drawn in Group F along with France and Germany.

“It’s a very difficult group,” the 26-year-old continued. “There are three big teams, but I don’t think there are any favorites.

“We’re all going to play against each other. It’s going to be very tight, for sure. But anything can happen and I hope Portugal will win at the end.”

Portugal are European champions but France lifted the World Cup last year to become world champions for the second time in their history. Pereira is fully aware of the talent they possess and believes they are probably the best team in the tournament.

“Perhaps… If they became world champions, it is not by chance,” he admitted.

“But Germany also has a good squad. They will be two very difficult games.”

Portugal’s first opponents at Euro 2020 are not yet known, with play-offs taking place in March to decide who will be the fourth team in Group F.

The winner of Path A or D will be the final team in the pot, but due to Romania’s status as one of the competition’s 12 host cities, they will be automatically placed in Group C if they qualify.

That means Portugal will face one of Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Belarus, Georgia, Kosovo or North Macedonia in their opening game on June 16.

Source – Goal.com

After his Chelsea team-mate was allegedly abused at Tottenham, the Brazilian wants governing bodies to do more to combat the issue.

Photo by Mike Hewitt/GettyImages

Willian has called for more action to be taken to eradicate racism in football after Chelsea team-mate Antonio Rudiger was allegedly abused during Sunday’s 2-0 win at Tottenham.

Defender Rudiger was targeted shortly after Son Heung-min had been sent off for kicking out at his opponent during the second half of the Premier League fixture.

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta reported the incident to referee Anthony Taylor and an anti-racism message was relayed to supporters inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium via the public address system.

Spurs’ investigation into what happened “remains ongoing”, the club confirmed on Tuesday, with Willian – who scored both goals in the London derby – hoping governing bodies will look to take a stronger stance on the issue.

“It’s a shame. It’s very disappointing, I don’t know how people can think like that. In their team, they [Tottenham] have black players as well,” the Brazil international told Sky Sports.

“I really don’t understand what they think or why they do these kinds of things. I think we have to find, together, a way to stop this. It’s a shame for everyone.

“Inside the pitch you cannot think much about this otherwise you are not concentrating [on your job]. We did all that we could do, our captain reports it to the referee that we had a manifestation of racism and the referee decides what to do.

“I hope we see more action from the federations, that’s what we want.”

Willian is just the latest figure to speak out about the Premier League’s racism problem since Sunday’s incident.

Rudiger himself took to social media after the game to express his disappointment and hope that the incident is not quickly forgotten.

“It is really sad to see racism again at a football match, but I think it’s very important to talk about it in public. If not, it will be forgotten again in a couple of days (as always),” he tweeted in a thread.

Meanwhile, Sky Sports pundit and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville called for quick action to stamp racism out of the game, but says it is present throughout British society as he called out Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Chelsea play next on December 26, hosting Southampton at Stamford Bridge.

Source – Goal.com

Paul Parker says ‘there’s a big, big problem’ with how the Old Trafford side are being run behind the scenes.

Photoby Getty

Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has heavily criticised the way that the club is “discriminated” against from within, saying they’re hardly even a football club any more.

Although United’s financial affairs remain strong, since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013 they have experienced extreme turbulence on the pitch.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the latest manager to feel the heat, hot off the heels of defeat to bottom-placed Watford, with Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and David Moyes a

But Parker doesn’t believe Solskjaer deserves the lion’s share of the blame at United, instead highlighting how the Glazer family owners and unpopular executive Ed Woodard for making a mess of a successful club.

“At this moment in time, everything that’s going on above the manager’s head is shocking,” Parker, who played under Ferguson for five years in the 1990s, told the Daily Express. “The stories are coming out all the time.

“It’s becoming a hard world for everyone. It’s hard enough being an ex-player for a club, and if you played for that club and you enjoyed your time, you have a feeling for the club.

“You may not support them, but you at least want them to be right, and you don’t want them to be discriminated [against].

“At this moment in time, United are being discriminated [against]. The football side is, by the business side of it.

“It’s Manchester United. It’s not Manchester United FC anymore. It was a football club. Not a business, it was a football club for one side of the people of Manchester. Even that’s been taken away now.”

Van Gaal’s instant firing for Mourinho after winning the FA Cup was mentioned by Parker as an example of a club lacking in morals.

“You look at what they’ve done to LVG; disrespected a great, world-class manager, embarrassed him,” Parker added. “He wins a cup final and then they sack him after it.

ll failing to bring league title success back to Old Trafford.

“There’s a big, big problem with the club.”

The Red Devils are back in action on December 26 with a clash against Newcastle United.

While one set of United fans would’ve been looking towards the top of the table at the start of the season and the other hoping to avoid relegation, both teams are level on 25 points after 18 matches.

Source – Goal.com