Showing posts with label Cesc Fàbregas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cesc Fàbregas. Show all posts
Thursday, 19 January 2017
Tuesday, 3 January 2017
Football's New Eastern Promise
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| Carlos Tevez |
The football war is on with the news
this week that Cristiano Ronaldo has turned down a €300 million transfer offer
to play football in the China Super League. It seems the Real Madrid striker could
be the next name on a list that has already claimed Carlos Tevez from his
boyhood club Boca Juniors in Argentina to sign for Shanghai Shenhua. The Brazilian
star Oscar, albeit in the twilight of a glittering career, who is also moving for
a €420,000 per week deal. These developments no doubt sending shivers through
the Premier League so very accustomed to bringing stars from abroad to England for
what have been to date record breaking wages.
Throughout Europe the feeling will
be the same as club presidents contemplate the fees that could be earned from
selling, not only key assets, but unloading peripheral ones on lengthy and unaffordable
deals. In a sport constantly seeking more cash to run expensive operations the
new China option clearly will make 2017 a very happy new year for many. Which already
impacted on Liverpool a year ago, when they missed out on Brazilian Alex
Teixeira. However, Juergen Klopp believes clubs like Liverpool still carry
lustre for those whose priority is football over wages. But he may very well
being walking alone with that assessment when he explained: “Nobody has to
leave Liverpool because of money,” said Klopp. “Maybe there are a few clubs in
world football who can play better and if you can go there, these few clubs,
yes then do it. But for all the rest this should be the best place to be.”
A touch of wishful thinking no doubt.
Given that the Premier League has just
established its global value thanks to the generosity of Sky Sports and BT
Sport which to date has allowed many clubs claim overseas players with their
loosened cheque books. And indeed, big name managers. No different to what the Italian
league did decades ago. Or La Liga in Spain where FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have
hired nothing but big names on record breaking fees over the years. And still
do with Lionel Messi Sergio Aguero, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Neymar
all enrolled in Spanish football for many years. So, the China influence will
cause concerns in a game that is driven by agents for the most part, all of
whom will now be seeking eastern clubs for more of their assets. The fees
quoted this week make the Paul Pogba move to Manchester United paltry.
Although the traditionalists will
baulk at the thought of having to watch games on TV at three am to see some of their
favourite stars. The stark commercial truth is that it will all be streamlined should
the European audience be of value. However, with the population in China
western viewership and their sleeping habits will be of little concern. But having
been accustomed to seeing the big names every Saturday on a Match of the Day,
live or indeed during Champions league clashes these audiences will fade if the
bigger names and younger starts chose to move east. In Europe, Real Madrid
could see their big names become very attractive also. Albeit Gareth Bale has
just extended his deal for another few years with an official buy-out clause at
€1bn – as a deterrent. Not a problem if any Chinese club fancied him in their
roster.
The names also include managers;
with Luiz Felipe Scolari joining Guangzhou Evergrande; former England manager Sven-Goran
Eriksson now with Shanghai SIPG and Dan Petrescu manages Jiangsu Guoxin Sainty.
Just to mention a few. Unlike the MLS,
or indeed its previous iterations, the USA is no longer the automatic graveyard
choice for retiring names. Or those seeking a juicy pension as China is attracting
a younger age demographic that the US was never able to achieve. The dangers
for the Premier League are obvious.
In 2016 Premier League clubs started
to share the £5.136 billion from Sky Sports who broke the bank to retain most the
UK television rights. A massive increase for the 2016-2019 rights from the
outgoing deal of £3.018bn deal and could not have factored the impact of the
China money that is already making senior professionals to start looking east.
Not only for the twilight years but for their last major deal. Undoubtedly the flights
to China are chocker with hungry agents, would be agents and the football
cognoscenti chasing these life changing financial rewards. It could not come at
a worse time for the Premier league already facing the wider uncertainty of Brexit
and freedom of movement in the EU.
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Wednesday, 18 May 2016
Del Bosque Leaves Out Costa and Mata
Diego Costa and Juan Mata have both been left out of Spain’s provisional squad for their Euro 2016 campaign by Vicente del Bosque while there is also no place in the two-times defending champions’ squad for Fernando Torres.
Costa has endured a below-par season with Chelsea despite finding the net 16 times and after suffering a hamstring injury in Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool earlier this month, Guus Hiddink admitted he was unsure if the Brazil-born forward would recover in time for next month’s tournament in France.
He was also left out of the Spain squad in March for friendlies with Italy and Romania and Del Bosque, speaking at the announcement of his squad, confirmed he was not prepared to risk Costa, who scored just one goal in qualifying, or Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla, who made his return from a long-term knee injury for Arsenal on Sunday.
“We have weighed everything up,” Del Bosque was quoted as saying by ESPN. “We do not want to call up too many people with doubts over their fitness. The Cazorla situation is very like Diego’s – he has been out five months, made a great effort to be ready, but we can’t have many doubts.”
Mata meanwhile has paid the price for a recent dip in form for Manchester United, who have effectively missed out on a place in the top four, while Del Bosque’s decision to omit Torres, whose form has improved in Atlético Madrid’s run to the Champions League final, leaves Spain looking light in attack.
Paco Alcácer, Spain’s highest scorer in qualifying with five goals, also misses out in favour of Atlético’s uncapped forward Saúl Ñíguez, the 35-year-old Aritz Aduriz, Nolito, Juventus’ Álvaro Morata and Real Madrid’s Lucas Vázquez, who is also yet to make an appearance for the national side.
While Costa has been omitted, his Chelsea team-mates César Azpilicueta, Pedro and Cesc Fàbregas have been included along with the Manchester City playmaker David Silva and Manchester United’s goalkeeper David de Gea.
Spain’s 25-man provisional squad for Euro 2016
Iker Casillas, David de Gea, Sergio Rico, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Piqué, Dani Carvajal, Jordi Alba, Marc Bartra, César Azpilicueta, Mikel San José, Juanfran, Bruno, Sergio Busquets, Koke, Thiago, Andrés Iniesta, Isco, David Silva, Pedro, Cesc Fàbregas, Saúl Ñíguez, Aritz Aduriz, Nolito, Álvaro Morata, Lucas Vázquez.
Friday, 25 March 2016
Aduriz Hits First Gol for La Roja
Aritz Aduriz scored his first goal for Spain at the age of 35 to give the reigning European champions a fortuitous 1-1 draw against Italy in a friendly in Udine.
Lorenzo Insigne ended Spain’s run of six successive clean sheets when he finished off a counterattack to give the hosts a deserved lead midway through the second half at the Stadio Friuli.
However, Aduriz, who made his only previous appearance for Spain six years ago and was recalled thanks to his prolific form with Athletic Bilbao, replied three minutes later with Spain’s first shot on target.
The result ended Spain’s run of seven successive wins and they would have lost if had it not been for an inspired performance by their goalkeeper David de Gea.
Italy were missing the midfielders Claudio Marchisio and Marco Verratti and the defenders Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini, while Spain were without the forward Diego Costa.
The hosts fielded a 3-4-3 formation and were far livelier than a pedestrian Spain. Antonio Candreva nearly put them ahead with a long-range shot in the first half that De Gea turned around the post.
Italy took the lead in the 67th minute when the substitute Insigne diverted Emanuele Giaccherini’s low cross past De Gea following a quick break.
They led for only four minutes before Cesc Fàbregas floated a free-kick into the area, Gianluigi Buffon failed to hold Álvaro Morata’s header and Aduriz fired the rebound into the roof of the net.
Insigne thought he had won the game for Italy with a delightful chip over De Gea but the goalkeeper managed to tip the ball over the bar.
Wednesday, 14 October 2015
Spain Win Despite Cesc Miss
Ukraine were consigned to the Euro 2016 play-offs after they lost 1-0 at home to Spain despite the reigning champions fielding a second-string side in their final Group C qualifying match.
Ukraine needed to better Slovakia’s result in Luxembourg to earn an automatic berth at the tournament in France next year but their fellow Eastern Europeans secured a 4-2 win to make sure of second place.
With Spain already assured of top spot, Vicente del Bosque fielded an experimental team at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium, scene of Spain’s 4-0 triumph against Italy in the final of Euro 2012.
The full-back Mario Gaspar scored with a header on his debut to put Spain ahead in the 22nd minute and Cesc Fàbregas, captaining the side on his 100th international appearance, won a penalty moments later but had his effort saved by the Ukraine goalkeeper, Andriy Pyatov.
Spain’s eighth qualifying win in a row put them on 27 points from 10 matches and, for the first time, they have gone eight competitive matches without conceding. Slovakia have 22 points and Ukraine 19, eight ahead of fourth-placed Belarus.
Ukraine had a number of chances in the early stages and David de Gea, deputising for Iker Casillas in goal, made two brilliant saves to deny Artem Kravets and Ruslan Rotan after 15 minutes.
Spain made the breakthrough when Nolito sent Thiago Alcântara clear and his perfect cross to the far post was headed in by Gaspar with Pyatov stranded.
Nolito played Fàbregas in just after the restart and he was felled by Oleksandr Kucher but Pyatov flung out an arm to send the midfielder’s spot kick over the bar.
Fàbregas, the 10th player to reach 100 caps for Spain and the second-youngest after Sergio Ramos, has missed all four of his penalties for Spain, excluding shootouts.
Ukraine went close to an equaliser when Andriy Yarmolenko struck a shot against the frame of the goal in the 51st minute before Paco Alcácer was denied by another fine Pyatov save.
“It is a pity we did not take our chances,” the Ukraine coach, Mykhailo Fomenko, said. “We had plenty of opportunities but their goalkeeper was brilliant tonight.”
Sunday, 28 July 2013
Moyes Confident United About Signings
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| Getty Images |
Manchester United manager David Moyes is confident he will add to his squad this summer, but has yet to decide whether he will make a third bid for Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
United have had two bids rejected for the 26-year-old with Barcelona insistent he is not for sale.
"I couldn't tell you if there will be another bid [for Fabregas]," he said.
"I never at any time said I knew we would get him. We will take stock and consider what we are going to do next."
The Premier League champions have failed with two bids for the former Arsenal player, the latest of which is understood to be £30m, plus add-ons.
United's only summer signing has been Uruguayan right-back Guillermo Varela, but Moyes said: "I am quite confident we will add to the squad.
"But what we have here is a really good squad of players already. You mustn't forget about the quality that is already here at Manchester United."
Moyes also revealed that captain Nemanja Vidic will feature in a friendly at Crewe on Monday after recovering from a back problem that kept him out of the tour to Asia.
Wayne Rooney - who pulled out of the tour with a hamstring injury - will not be fit to feature at Gresty Road but should be fit to face Swedish side AIK Fotboll on 6 August.
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