"We have to win because, when you lose too much, it's the end of the world for me also." Louis van Gaal
Showing posts with label José Mourinho. Show all posts
Showing posts with label José Mourinho. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Monday, 24 October 2016
The Long Road to Eden for Mourinho
Looks like the long road to Eden for Jose Mourinho and that return to Stanford Bridge proved that much work needs to be done with The Reds. . Raising the question as to whether the Manchester United board will suffer while The Special One seeks to rediscover whatever made him great in 2005. Or lose patience not unlike Chelsea did when Mourinho returned last season from Real Madrid with little positive to contribute and eventually losing his job. The expensive and much touted moved to Manchester United was wrong from the start and a few months in to the season still looks a poor fit. With Antonio Conte proving the more astute manager on the day, winning by four gals and reviving Eden hazard from the dark place that he was under when manged by Mourinho. Who was keen to sell him at one point in his last stint at Chelsea.
On Sunday, the Belgian international lived up to his surname and was nothing but a hazard for Mourinho, who on the side line looked almost a beaten man from the start and just hoping for the best. His team devoid of ideas and again a Paul Pogba who is playing like someone worth a quarter of the £89m transfer fee. Yet only months ago he was the main power with Juventus- the club he played at during four seasons. Ironically two of this were for Antonio Conte and were season that saw Pogba win the Biaconero with two Serie A in 2012–13 and 2013–14 and a Supercoppa Italiana. This season the trophy cupboard looks bleak and Pogba only half the player he was during EURO 2016. Indeed, Conte’s Chelsea looked like they had that proverbial extra man as they ran riot at Stamford Bridge scoring twice in the first half without reply. Then in the second succumbing to a Hazard goal and then Kate the latest recruit arriving from Leicester City.
Antonio Conte
"I am delighted for the performance because we played very well with good intensity, good positions and we moved the ball very quickly and created many chances to score goals," he said.
"This is the third game we haven't conceded a goal and that is very important. This type of game, against a very strong team like Manchester United, increases our confidence about our work.
"We are working very hard, I see my players every day with the right commitment and work rate and they deserve this type of win and performance.
"When you work very hard it's important to win because then you trust the work."
"I asked my players to start the game strongly and to show our desire to win the game, not just to our fans but to our opponent," he added.
"We scored after 30 seconds. The most important thing is that we continued to play and to try to score the second goal, it happened and I'm very happy.
"Now we must continue because this is the right way but for me United is in the past.
"We must concentrate on Wednesday when we have another tough game against West Ham and it's important to recover and prepare for that game."
OSM - All rights reserved
Wednesday, 20 April 2016
Perez Rules Out Mourinho Call
Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, has ruled out an immediate return to the club for José Mourinho and insisted he is happy to stick with under-fire manager Rafael Benítez for now.
Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea on Thursday after a disastrous defence to their title defence, with technical director Michael Emenalo revealing that the decision had been taken due to “palpable discord” between the manager and his players.
But asked whether he might consider reappointing the Portuguese, who spent three seasons at the Santiago Bernabéu between 2010 and 2013, Pérez was adamant Benítez would remain at the helm.
“No one knows the future but right now no, because we have Rafa Benítez and we are not thinking beyond Rafa,” he told the Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.
“We hired Benítez to sort out a specific problem. He was the right man among the many possibilities that we had. And if we believed that he was the right man at the start of the season we can’t three months later say he is not.
“We have a great coach. Rafa is the person that we have chosen and we have to let him work with the collaboration of all the players. I talk to the players and it is not true that they do not get on with him.”
Asked whether he looked back fondly on Mourinho’s spell at the club, Pérez added: “I have good memories of Mourinho. He raised our competitive level. When Mourinho came we had been knocked out for six straight seasons in the round of 16 of the Champions League and we were 13th in the Uefa rankings, and when he left we were number one and we made it to three consecutive semi-finals always losing in unlucky circumstances.
“He gave us a competitive boost. But all coaches come and they all have to go. [Vicente] Del Bosque, Mourinho. The job wears them out and you need to change.”
The former France international Zinedine Zidane has been mooted as a potential replacement for Benítez but Pérez claimed that was unlikely to transpire.
“Zidane will be a great coach and I’m sure if he wants to be Madrid coach then he will be, but not today.”
Monday, 28 March 2016
Premier League Interest - Zlatan
Zlatan Ibrahimovic says Premier League clubs are interested in signing him from French champions Paris St-Germain.
The 34-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer, has been linked with Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.
"There has been interest and we will see where it leads," he said. "But it would have to be like a marriage, both sides have to want it as much."
Ibrahimovic has won league titles in four European countries.
After helping Ajax win two Dutch titles at the start of the century, he won two Serie A championships with Juventus - both later revoked because of the Calciopoli scandal - and three more with Inter Milan.
He then moved to Spain and claimed the La Liga title with Barcelona before returning to Italy to win the 2010-11 Serie A with AC Milan - his eighth successive league title.
After a season without silverware at Milan in 2011-12, Ibrahimovic moved to PSG, and the French side have won the past four Ligue 1 titles.
After scoring four goals in a 9-0 thrashing of Troyes earlier this month to seal this year's title, Ibrahimovic said: "For the moment, I will not be at PSG next season. I still have a month and a half left here.
"If they replace the Eiffel Tower with a statue of me, then I will stay."
Ibrahimovic has scored 62 international goals in 111 appearances, including a sensational 30-yard overhead bicycle kick in a 4-2 friendly win over England in 2012.
Saturday, 26 March 2016
Football Quotes - Ruud Gullit
“We must have had 99 percent of the game. It was the other three percent that cost us the match.”
Ruud Gullit
Sunday, 20 March 2016
TIm Howard Makes Rapid Exit
Tim Howard will join Colorado Rapids at the end of the Premier League season in a deal thought to be worth around £415,000, bringing to an end his 10-year spell at Everton.
The goalkeeper has found himself out of favour in recent months, with the manager, Roberto Martínez, preferring Joel Robles in goal, and has chosen to return to the US rather than see out the remaining year of his contract. “I will remain an Evertonian for life,” Howard said. “This will always be my team, my club. I sacrificed so much to play the amount of games I have over a 10-year period, so I will continue to support this club that I love.
“The club is amazing, I love it and I will always be an Everton player. I have been at Everton 10 years and it’s been a brilliant 10 years. I spoke to my family, I spoke to Roberto and I spoke to the chairman, Bill Kenwright. We had really great discussions and we all felt this was the right move and the right time.
“They supported my decision, they have always been 100% committed to me and they appreciated the fact that it’s time for me to go back home and play my football. There are a few more months left which I am excited about because I realise it’s now coming to an end, so I will get my head down and enjoy the remaining time.”
Espnfc.com reported that the American has signed a three-year contract with the Rapids, where it is said he will earn around £1.7m per year.
“I will miss [Everton] a lot,” Howard added. “This is home. I grew up here. To stay 10 years in any place is a long time and this has become without doubt my family. You see the same faces every day and you have respect for them, you have love for them and a great working relationship. And because this is home, of course I will miss it, but I’m excited about my move to Colorado Rapids and continuing my career with them.”
The 37-year-old started his career in the MLS with North Jersey Imperials and then MetroStars before moving to Manchester United in 2003 for around £2.3m. He made a loan move to Everton permanent in 2007 and was a key part of several successful seasons under the management of David Moyes.
“Tim is such an incredible character,” Martínez said. “With certain players, their contribution goes a little bit further than starting in the team or not and Tim is probably the perfect case of that. He is such an influence on the young players. We had a really good group of young players coming through in the last three years and Tim has been a vital player in helping those players feel Everton and to understand what it takes to play in the team.
“In a pure goalkeeping sense his level three seasons ago when we reached the club record Premier League points tally was one of the best seasons we have had,” Martínez added. “From that point on, Tim has always helped Joel Robles and he has introduced him to what it takes to play for Everton.”
Friday, 11 March 2016
Newcastle Name Benitez as New Manager
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| Getty Images |
Rafael Benitez has been named as Newcastle's new manager, following the sacking of Steve McClaren.
The former Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Valencia boss takes over with the Magpies a point from safety with 10 games left.
Spaniard Benitez, 55, has signed a three-year contract and brought in coaches Fabio Pecchia, Francisco de Miguel Moreno and Antonio Gomez Perez.
"C'mon Toon Army. The club and I need your total involvement," he said.
Benitez was sacked in January after seven months as Real Madrid boss.
He spent six years as Liverpool manager, winning the Champions League in 2005. He also had an interim spell with Chelsea, guiding the Blues to Europa League success in 2013.
"I have the pleasure to confirm I have committed to a legendary English club, with the massive challenge of remaining part of the Premier League," he said.
"It will be a challenge not just for me and my staff but for the players, the club and the fans.
"All of us must push together in the same direction and with the same target in mind. This is the reason why I'm going to ask for your total support to successfully complete this task.
"Personally, it means my return to the Premier League, closer to my home and my family. I can't be happier."
Under the former England manager's guidance, Newcastle won just six of 28 Premier League games.
Coaches Paul Simpson, Alessandro Schoenmaker and Steve Black have all left the club.
Managing director Lee Charnley said: "In Rafa we have, without doubt, secured the services of one of Europe's top managers.
"He has managed some of the most successful teams at the very highest level of the game and we are proud to now have him as our manager.
"Our sole focus now is to give our full support to Rafa, his coaching team and the players in order to secure our status in the Premier League."
Former Magpies defender Steve Howey told BBC Radio 5 live: "Benitez could be a fans' favourite straight away. He's got a fantastic track record.
"Sunderland seem to have done it in the last couple of seasons, changing their manager and getting a positive result.
"It's a big contrast for him. It's not that long since he was manager of Real Madrid and if things don't go well he could be playing on a horrible, windy, wet midweek game down at MK Dons."
Wednesday, 9 March 2016
Football Legends - Ruud Krol
Rudolf Jozef “Ruud” Krol, born in Amsterdam, played most of his career for his hometown club Ajax.
He was only 20 when he was called up to the national team squad for the first time and stayed there for the next fourteen years. With Ajax, he was part of some of the best clubteams European football has ever seen. Three straight European Cups were won in the early seventies and many of his colleagues in Ajax, for instance Johann Cruyff, were also key-players for Holland.
Krol was a versatile defender who could play anywhere that was required. He was a great reader of the game which also made him successful as a sweeper in the 1978 World Cup. Four years earlier he had been equally successful at left-back.
The Dutch team of 1974 is always mentioned when people talk about great teams that never won the World Cup. Krol played in every minute in all seven games and also scored a goal, a cracking shot against Argentina in the 4-0 second phase win.
Krol was made captain by coach Ernst Happel for the 1978 World Cup and Holland advanced through the rounds much thanks to Krol’s presence. The team suffered from the lack of Cruyff in a creative midfield role, but neither Italy or West Germany could prevent Holland from reaching a second World Cup final in a row.
Holland and Krol, once again an ever-present, could not stop Argentina and Kempes in extra-time as the hosts ran out 3-1 winners.
Ruud moved to Canada to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps in 1980. He returned back to Europe the following year to play four seasons for Napoli and later for Cannes in the French second division where he also ended his career.
He was capped 83 times for Holland, a record until Aron Winter broke it during Euro 2000.
Ruud Krol is currently manager of Raja Casablanca in Morocco
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