Germany legend Michael Ballack has admitted that he is surprised by the country’s handling of Joachim Loew following the team’s poor performance at the World Cup. The Germans suffered the recent curse of reigning champions as they were ousted within the group stage of the World Cup but this has however not hampered the head coach position of Loew.
In recent years, England have been derided by other top footballing nations due to their consistent below-par performances at major tournaments. The self-styled ‘inventors of the game’ only won the World Cup in 1966, and even then with some dubious refereeing decisions.
In modern soccer, despite the advancements in the Premier League, England regularly had issues reaching knockout stages in major events. Despite the abundance of talents, youth, finesse, support, and exposure some reason would hinder them. And then Gareth Southgate came along. Continue reading “ENGLAND EARNED RESPECT IN RUSSIA”
Former Manchester United and Everton star Wayne Rooney believes England could emerge as strong contenders for the 2022 World Cup, should Gareth Southgate managed to work with the current crop of players for the long run. The Three Lions reached the semi-final stage for only the third time in their World Cup history during the summer but they could not progress further after they were beaten by Croatia.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Nemanja Matic will miss the start of the new Premier League season after undergoing an operation for an abdominal injury picked up during the summer World Cup in Russia. Matic was one of the club’s ever-presents during the previous campaign but unfortunately, the stress of playing continuously has had an impact on his body.
Roberto Martinez has praised Belgium for creating history by finishing third in the World Cup 2018. The current Belgian squad has been dubbed as the ‘golden generation’ for possessing incredible talent with the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, and Lukaku in the team. Belgium had come into the tournament as one of the underdogs but they were able to create the most excitement by ripping apart many teams across the competition. Belgium even beat Brazil before finally faltering at the hands of France in the semifinals. Many, though, felt that Belgium would have been deserved winners of the competition.
Former Nigeria international Abiodun Obafemi has said that England may have underestimated the qualities possessed from Croatia during the semi-final of the World Cup. The Three Lions were widely fancied to beat the Croatians who had come off penalty shoot-out wins over Denmark and Russia but they could not create many chances in a 2-1 defeat.
Lionel Messi, yet again, could not rise up to the occasion as Argentina faltered in their second successive game at the 2018 World Cup. Croatia crushed them 3-0 as they qualified for the knockout stage, having previously beaten Nigeria.
Despite the team being star studded and very talented, Argentina have failed to turn in any major trophies. They have reached several finals but they just could not break through. With Russia 2018 being the last possible opportunity the golden generation of Argentine stars have of lifting a trophy, there was more pressure.
Continue reading “ARGENTINA ON THE BRINK OF WORLD CUP EXIT”
Manchester United midfielder has stated his ambition to impress for France during the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia. The Frenchman has been one of Didier Deschamps’ most influential players over the past 24 months and the 25-year-old is now keen to emerge as a leader in the upcoming global tournament.
Spain international Alvaro Morata has admitted that he could fail to make La Roja’s squad for the summer World Cup in Russia. The 25-year-old had a strong start to his career with Chelsea earlier this season and he scored six goals in his first six Premier League games. However, he has since struggled to maintain any sort of consistency and has managed just one goal in the top-flight since December.
Chelsea favourite Frank Lampard believes Jack Wilshere can earn a place in England’s World Cup squad despite not playing a single international game for nearly two years. The Arsenal midfielder earned a much-awaited call-up under Gareth Southgate last month, but a knee injury hampered his chances of participating against the Netherlands and Italy.
Writing on his Evening Standard column, Lampard believes Wilshere can get into the squad with his talent alone, and he gave an example of a similar run, he had with Chelsea prior to Euro 2004, he said: “It was unfortunate he missed the last two friendlies through injury, but I believe a run of form will get Wilshere on the plane. In terms of games left in the season, there is still a long way to go and a lot can happen.
Continue reading “Frank Lampard Urges Jack Wilshere To Prove His Worth Ahead Of World Cup”