Innehållsförteckning för January 2021 från World Soccer

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MARCUS RASHFORD The Manchester United star’s latest act of charity has been to launch a book club to give disadvantaged children access to literature. “I only started reading at 17, and it completely changed my outlook and mentality,” he said. “I just wish I was offered the opportunity to really engage with reading more as a child.” GARETH BALE Rashford isn’t the only star who’s been doing his bit for charity. Bale donated £15,000 to a project in Swansea that was set up to feed struggling families at Christmas. The Wales forward was asked to donate a signed shirt for auction, which he did, but then followed it up with a cash donation worth 300 food hampers. MARINE Every season needs a story of FA Cup romance, but this tale…

THE 50: FOOTBALL’S MOST INFLUENTIAL PLAYERS by Jon Driscoll (Pitch Publishing, £16.99) Tells the history of the game through a series of mini biographies, sweeping through time and around the world: from Charles Alcock to Megan Rapinoe and Raheem Sterling. All the greats are included: Matthews, Maradona, Messi, but there are also lesser talents such as Jean-Marc Bosman, who turned football finance on its head. Each chapter tells the fascinating story of the players’ careers and judges the mark they left on football. BRITISH FOOTBALL’S GREATEST GROUNDS by Mike Bayly (Pitch Publishing, £30) A collection of absolutely stunning photography touring British football’s most iconic and picturesque grounds. From Premier League stadia to some lesser-known grounds nestling next to castles, beaches and mountain ranges. This is part guide, part bucket list,…

GLOBAL VIEW In 1925 the International Football Association Board – IFAB, the people who write and, when necessary, revise the playing rules of football – took decisive action to halt a trend that many claimed was killing the sport. Teams were using the offside trap to squelch attacking moves before they could get going. Fewer and fewer goals were being scored. So IFAB altered the offside rule, making the offside trap a much more risky manoeuvre for defenders. The move paid off immediately. Under the old rules, in 1924-25, the four divisions of England’s Football League produced 4,700 goals. The following year, under the changed rule, that went up to 6,373. What IFAB had done was to pay attention to a fundamental aspect of football – indeed, of all competitive…

NOVEMBER 2020 SEASON RANKINGS Cumulative votes through the season GOALKEEPERS Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) 9 Edouard Mendy (Chelsea) 5 Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan) 3 Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) 2 Andrea Consigli (Sassuolo) 1 Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) 1 Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad) 1 Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg) 1 David De Gea (Manchester United) 1 David Marshall (Derby County) 1 Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur) 1 DEFENDERS Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) 13 Angelino (RB Leipzig) 7 Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich) 5 Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund) 5 Andy Robertson (Liverpool) 5 Theo Hernandez (Milan) 4 Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid) 4 Kurt Zouma (Chelsea) 4 Ben Chilwell (Chelsea) 4 Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid) 4 David Alaba (Bayern Munich) 3 Thiago Silva (Chelsea) 3 Stefan Savic (Atletico Madrid) 3 Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) 3 Simon Kjaer (Milan) 3…

With a population of 5.3 million, Norway is not a big country. It is, however, a long country. If you stand on Norway’s most southern point you are about as close to the country’s most northern point of Nordkapp as you are to Rome or Kiev. The two most northern counties in Norway, Nordland and Troms og Finmark, make up about 35 per cent of Norway’s mainland landmass, but only 462,000 of the country’s 5.3 million inhabitants live there. Driving from Oslo to Bodo, the biggest city in the north, will take you 16 hours. With geography like this, a cultural divide is inevitable, and this extends to football. The first attempt at a national Norwegian football league was started in 1937, yet it wasn’t until 1972 that a team…

• OVERVIEW Semi-finalists at Euro 2016, this is a new-look Wales team hoping to at least emulate that success. • While some of the star names of that tournament remain, Ryan Giggs’ faith in youth has been rewarded with the emergence of a new generation establishing themselves in his plans. • Qualification was not going to plan for the Dragons until the midway point. The introduction of Cardiff City target man Kieffer Moore provided a different dynamic and proved to be the missing piece of the puzzle. The striker has repaid Giggs’ decision with an impressive goal return. • There is a confidence and maturity within the squad that has vindicated Giggs’ approach to creating a team in his own vision. The manager has plenty of options in the attacking…

• OVERVIEW After a wait of 82 years and over 30 fruitless qualification campaigns, the Finns finally have a seat at the game’s top table, about to sink their teeth into their first-ever football main course. • Even when featuring world-class players like Liverpool centre-back Sami Hyypia and Ajax No.10 Jari Litmanen, past Finnish sides always fell short. So full marks to the present-day heroes, not least thoughtful coach Markku Kanerva and talismanic Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki. • Once thought of as Scandinavian soccer slackers – unworthy cousins to Denmark, Sweden and Norway – Pukki and co. suddenly have made football as popular as the nation’s other favourite sports: ice hockey, skiing, middle-distance running and the javelin. • The country is excited: “We are ready for the European Championships,”…

• OVERVIEW With six victories, one defeat and one draw, the Netherlands finished second behind Germany in what was a smooth qualifying campaign. It’s their first major tournament since the 2014 World Cup, where they finished third. • Netherlands won their only major silverware at Euro ’88. Since then they have finished World Cup runners-up in 2010, but never reached another Euros final. 2016 was only the second time they have failed to qualify since 1976. • Ajax and PSV are no longer the main purveyor of Oranje talent, but AZ Alkmaar. The inclusion of Teun Koopmeiners, Owen Wijndal, Calvin Stengs, Myron Boadu and Marco Bizot shows where the real talent is at the moment. • Coach Ronald Koeman decided to move to Barcelona when Euro 2020 was postponed. The…

• OVERVIEW North Macedonia reached their first-ever major tournament via the play-offs, with national hero Goran Pandev netting the winner against Georgia. Despite public gatherings being banned, people crowded the streets waving flags, while fireworks coloured the night sky in celebration. • Five years ago, when coach Igor Angelovski took command, it looked like an impossible dream, with his first tasking persuading Pandev to return to the squad after a two-year absence. • Alongside Pandev’s experience, youth has been added. Seven of the youngsters that qualified for the Under-21 European Championship for the first time in the country’s history in 2017 have been promoted to the senior team. • As a result, the Red Lions have climbed almost 100 places on the FIFA rankings. Other than Croatia, North Macedonia are…

• OVERVIEW Scotland ended a 22-year wait in the wilderness from any finals – the last being World Cup 1998 – by reaching Euro 2020 with dramatic play-off success against Israel and Serbia. • Scotland finished third in their group behind Belgium and Russia, but made use of their passport from topping their Nations League group to embrace their third European Championship after Euro ’92 and Euro ’96. • Clarke’s template has been to make the team hard to beat. But he has a talented generation who have flourished in England, such as Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney and John McGinn, along with Celtic stars James Forrest, Ryan Christie, Callum McGregor and Leigh Griffiths, who have all enjoyed European experience with their club. • Status is not important. Stephen O’Donnell was…

• OVERVIEW When Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement back in 2016, many expected it to be the fatal blow for Sweden. Aware of his side’s limitations and the lack of stars of such a calibre, coach Janne Andersson focused on minimising the risk and building a strong defensive side. • They do not play attractive football, but after qualifying for their first World Cup since 2006 and going all the way to the quarter-finals in 2018, the Swedes advanced to their third consecutive major tournament, losing only to Spain away and finishing above Norway and Romania in their qualifying group. • The fact that Sweden are still going through a transitional period makes this even more impressive. The attacking potential of young prodigies such as Alexandar Isak, Dejan Kulusevski and…

• OVERVIEW Trailing 1-0 to Iceland in the play-off final, Hungary struck twice either side of the 90-minute mark to reach their second consecutive Euros – after previously going 30 years without qualifying for a major tournament. • Despite beating World Cup finalists Croatia in qualifying, Hungary finished fourth in a group of five, yet made the play-offs via the Nations League. As cohosts, they will play two of their group stage matches at the Puskas Arena. • Marco Rossi, ex-Honved coach, uses the same 3-5-2 formation that helped win him the Hungarian title in 2017. Under quarantine for the play-off with Iceland, he passed instructions to his assistant, Cosimo Inguscio, from home. • The scorer of the dramatic winning goal, Dominik Szoboszlai, made his debut in the first qualifier…

• OVERVIEW For a squad packed with figures from Bayern Munich’s 2019-20 Champions League triumph and an abundance of exciting youngsters, the current iteration of Germany’s national side is remarkably inconsistent. • Their 6-0 thrashing in Spain grabbed headlines, and is bound to leave scars, yet was symptomatic of a general malaise against top-quality opposition: in ten Nations League matches, they have only beaten Ukraine. • The architect of Germany’s World Cup win in 2014, Joachim Low once was untouchable. But he has squandered much of that credibility in the last couple of years, his reputation sullied by his team’s early exit from World Cup 2018 and poor displays in the Nations League. • His inexplicable decision to jettison three of the side’s elder statesmen: attacking midfielder Thomas Muller and…

When news was released that Sir Bobby charlton had been diagnosed with dementia, it was the tipping point for football to finally become truly serious about a scandal hidden in the shadows for so long. He was the fifth member of england’s 1966 World cup-winning team to suffer from dementia or related illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease, and so joined a heartbreaking list of other famous names from the world of football. Ferenc Puskas, Sir Alf ramsey, John charles, Gerd Muller, danny Blanchflower, Bob Paisley, Bellini – the captain of Brazil’s 1958 World cup winners – these heroes are just a few among tens of thousands. The game knew, but the game neglected its idols. The revelation about Bobby charlton was one tragedy too many. The Professional Footballers’ Association set up…

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For a team that has managed one competition since June 2016, the eventual start of the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournament cannot come soon enough. After losing to Papua New Guinea in June 2016 in a 2018 World Cup qualifier, Samoa have only had a flurry of games at last year’s Pacific Games. Three heavy defeats and a 2-0 win over Tonga were tough preparation for the World Cup qualifiers in 2021 but technical director Jess Ibrom is positive about the future. “There is huge potential from Samoa to bridge the gap between other countries in the Pacific,” says Ibrom. “There are moments of sporadic success from these Polynesian countries and this is usually down to a solid preparation phase of training leading up to international fixtures or tournaments.” Marooned…

Holders Algeria, Mali, Senegal and Tunisia offer an already familiar feel to the next Africa Cup of Nations finals line-up after they secured qualification with two rounds of preliminaries still to play. But other heavyweight contenders like Ghana and Nigeria were tripped up in their bid for early qualification, although are still expected to reach the 24-team finals in Cameroon in early 2022. Nigeria dramatically let slip a four-goal lead, all scored in the opening 29 minutes, at home to Sierra Leone while Ghana got caught by a late sucker punch in the Sudan. A victory for the Comoros Islands set off exuberant celebrations in the tiny island nation as they moved close to historic qualification while South Sudan, unlikely to qualify, managed a rare win in a competitive international.…

Sadly, Diego Maradona’s career came before my time – I missed his golden era. My first vivid memory of him was from the 1994 World Cup when he scored against Greece and ran towards the pitch-side camera with that infamous wide-mouthed celebration. My dad told me during USA ’94 that Maradona was the greatest player he’d ever seen, so I had to find out more about this “legendary” footballer. I delved through my uncle’s VHS collection and found videos of Italia ’90 and Mexico ’86. And it was only after watching those tournament highlights that I realised what all the fuss was about. Victor Hugo Morales’ famous commentary for Maradona’s once-in-a-lifetime goal for Argentina against England at the 1986 World Cup sums it up best: “Goaaaaaal! Goaaaaal! I want to…

“A legend has left us…he was our guide to what football was. Maradona is football. He looked after me at Sevilla and showed me what it meant to play for Argentina. He was and is the best”Diego Simeone on the impact Maradona had on his football generation Theo BONGONDA (Genk) Signed by Celta Vigo in 2015 as a hugely promising 19-year-old, Bongonda has been touted as one to watch for several years. In 2017 he declared: “If Chelsea, Manchester United or Atletico Madrid call me in the near future I should be ready to make the step up to join them.” However, that career plan didn’t quite work out, and his next club turned out to be Trabzonspor in Turkey, where he made just three league appearances before returning to…

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING From the moment he landed the Argentina job in 1983, Carlos Bilardo knew he had to build his team for the 1986 World Cup around Diego Maradona. In 1982, Cesar Luis Menotti had played Maradona as a classic No.10 behind a front two and it hadn’t worked. As opponents focused on closing Maradona down, knowing he was at the heart of all their creativity, he ended up being kicked into relative ineffectiveness, before eventually being sent off as he lashed out against Brazil, Argentina’s third defeat in five games in Spain. Maradona’s move to Barcelona had only brought further difficulties, as he struggled to settle and contracted hepatitis. In January 1983, as Maradona recuperated in Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava, Bilardo went to visit him. They…

What was your overall opinion of the 1986 World Cup? It was a World Cup of football. Unlike 1982 in Spain, which was a World Cup of bruises. I was particularly excited by the match between France and Brazil. I just didn’t want it to finish I enjoyed watching it so much. A pity one of them had to be eliminated. In fact, I thought Brazil had a very good World Cup despite all the criticism they got back home. I thought they deserved to reach the final. Which players did you most enjoy watching in Mexico? I liked Michael Laudrup of Denmark in particular and also Enzo Scifo – though I thought the Belgians used him in much too deep a position, at least against us I’m glad to…

On the first weekend of this Serie A season, as Sassuolo prepared to kick off their campaign at home to Cagliari, Sky TV pundit and former Juventus and Italy player, Giancarlo Marocchi teasingly asked the Sassuolo sports director Giovanni Carnevali: “So how big a bonus will your players get if they can avoid relegation?” Standing pitch side as the players warmed up behind him, Carnevali smiled and said: “Look, this is our eighth year in Serie A and we’ve never offered our players a bonus for staying up…what I will say though is that there is a bonus, not just for the Europa League but also for the Champions League, because a club like this has to be ambitious.” To some observers those might have sounded like high-flying words; maybe…

• OVERVIEW Through to only their second major international tournament in 12 years, the Turks have every chance of improving on their poor showing at Euro 2016 when they made a first-round exit. • In qualification, they were good enough to take four points out of six from world champions France and just a few months ago, held Germany to a 3-3 draw in a friendly in Cologne, a morale-boosting encounter in which the guests came from behind no fewer than three times. • Veteran coach Senol Gunes, now in his second spell in charge, has pieced together a rather atypical Turkish side, reliant on teamwork, organisation and consistency rather than flashes of individual brilliance. • His squad is also awash with youthful talent and enthusiasm, and to make a…

• OVERVIEW Switzerland have been transformed over the last decade, becoming a side that regularly qualifies for World Cups and European Championships. • Much of this is due to the influence of second-generation immigrants, mainly from the former Yugoslavia, who have given the side a swagger and spikiness that may have been missing in the past. • After reaching the last 16 at each of their last three tournaments, Switzerland will be looking to break through that barrier and reach the quarter-finals this summer. They will also want to wipe out the poor impression left by their lacklustre elimination at the hands of Sweden in the last World Cup. • They only lost once in Euro qualifying and, although they failed to win any of their first seven games following…

• OVERVIEW Belgium have maintained their attractive style from the World Cup. The team boasted a perfect record in Euro qualifying with ten wins out of ten and a goal difference of +37. • Roberto Martinez has had to shuffle the defence after Vincent Kompany retired to become coach at Anderlecht, recently calling up youngsters Zinho Vanheusden and Sebastiaan Bornauw. Further forward, winger Jeremy Doku of Rennes is a player to watch. In total, 19 players have debuted under Martinez. • Belgium have a relatively easy group alongside Denmark, Russia and Finland, although they will be the away side in both Copenhagen and Saint Petersburg. • Coach Martinez keeps downplaying Belgium’s Euro title credentials, but with both Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard nearing their 30th birthdays and an ageing…

• OVERVIEW Ukraine earned a place at Euro 2020 after the best qualifying campaign in their history. Zbirna started with a goalless draw in Lisbon, then won six of their next seven, hammering Serbia 5-0 and beating Portugal 2-1 at home to secure top spot. • After a disastrous Euro 2016 featuring three defeats, Andriy Shevchenko was appointed to his first coaching role. The country’s all-time top scorer received a vote of confidence after failing to reach the 2018 World Cup, and has extended his contract until 2022. • Under Shevchenko, Ukraine have found a balance between defensive solidity and attacking creativity. Andriy Yarmolenko is the senior attacker, while talents like Ruslan Malinovskyi, Roman Yaremchuk and Oleksandr Zinchenko have matured into key performers. • Shevchenko, like his mentor Valery Lobanovsky,…

• OVERVIEW With Wembley set to host all of England’s group matches, the semis and the final, chants of “Football’s Coming Home” are sure to be revived this summer. Yet the enthusiasm of 2018-19 has dampened. • The exciting, free-scoring side that reached the inaugural Nations League finals and breezed through Euro 2020 qualifying has been replaced by a more solid and defensive outfit, with far fewer goals at both ends of the pitch in 2020. • Southgate has returned to a back three, but with a 3-4-3 instead of a 3-5-2. Realistically, March’s 2022 World Cup qualifiers will be his final chance to experiment with formations. • He is blessed with arguably more attacking options than any England boss since Euro ’96, plus an abundance of quality right-backs. Yet…

• OVERVIEW The Czechs bounced back from a 5-0 thrashing in England in their opening qualifier to claim second place in Group A. The highlight of the campaign was a shock 2-1 win over the Three Lions in the return game in Prague. • Few teams have had their Euro 2020 preparations as severely affected by coronavirus. At short notice, the Czechs were forced to field an entirely new XI against Scotland in the Nations League in September, and coach Jaroslav Silhavy missed the return game in Glasgow in October after testing positive. • The Czechs reached the Euro ’96 final in England, and won the 1976 championship as part of Czechoslovakia. Since the Czech-Slovak split, the Czech Republic have qualified for all six Euros. • In a squad short…

• OVERVIEW For the first time in their history, Poland have qualified for a third major tournament in a row. • In Euro 2016, they reached the quarter-finals, losing a penalty shootout to winners Portugal. At home, that was seen as a great success, but they followed it up disappointingly by finishing bottom of their group at the World Cup in Russia two years later. • Adam Nawalka paid for the failure with his job. His replacement, Jerzy Brzeczek, has been criticised by local media – despite achieving qualification with only one defeat – for his style of football. Only Ukraine topped their qualifying group with fewer goals. • In October, his reputation was boosted after a 0-0 draw with Italy and a 3-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina took…

• OVERVIEW After waiting until 2016 for their first major trophy, another one followed just three years later in the inaugural Nations League. As a result, Portugal head to the Euros with a squad packed with match-winning experience. • They couldn’t have asked for a tougher group, drawn alongside world champions France and Germany – whom they will face in Munich – while their most winnable fixture, against Hungary, is in Budapest. The Magyars held them to a 3-3 draw at Euro 2016. • Gone are the days of “Cristiano Ronaldo plus ten”. Joao Felix, Diogo Jota, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva are exceptional attacking talents starring for Europe’s biggest clubs. • The attritional football that won Euro 2016 has evolved into a more expansive style, yet they have lost…

How has your team evolved since the World Cup and the elimination of Brazil in that remarkable quarter-final? It was one of the targets after the World Cup to grow. We have done that. In the qualification campaign for the Euros, we were able to get an intense feeling in all of our games. We got 30 points out of the ten games, something that had never been done before in Belgium. We used a bigger group than the one we had in the World Cup. I felt that we needed a deeper squad, so that whenever we missed a player we could still perform in a similar way. The journey of the last two years has allowed us to get more players in each position with a real competitive…

In the end it was straightforward. A typically imperious Wendie Renard header and France were off and running towards a 3-0 win over Austria. After months of rows they had booked their place at the COVID-delayed European Championship finals, to be held in England in the summer of 2022. Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Iceland and Belgium have also qualified. A further eight places are still to be determined, but of the teams at Euro 2017, only Scotland have been eliminated, while no debutants are confirmed as yet. Few surprises then, but for France progress was not as smooth as it should have been. Les Bleues are the great chokers of women’s football. For eight successive tournaments they have flattered to deceive – arriving as contenders, departing unfulfilled. It is…

It took a late moment of magic to ensure Al Ahly’s stranglehold on success in African club competition continued again, in perhaps their most satisfying victory to date. Magdi Afsha scored with just four minutes remaining, burying a long-range scorcher into the net with a strike worthy of winning any final, never mind the African Champions League. That it came against arch-rivals Zamalek made it even sweeter for Al Ahly, whose record number of titles in the continent’s top club competition now advances to nine and sends them to February’s Club World Cup in Qatar. It also reinforces the Cairo club’s position as the most successful in African club football, even though it was their first Champions League title in seven years. After his cross into the area was cleared,…

A year like no other provided a surprise champion in the Chinese Super League as Jiangsu Suning won their maiden championship in a campaign truncated by the coronavirus. The team from China’s ancient capital of Nanjing prevailed 2-1 on aggregate over two legs at a neutral stadium against defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande. Italian international Eder and former Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Alex Teixeira did the damage to bring home only the club’s second major trophy after its 2015 Chinese FA Cup win. Back in January, pre-COVID, few would have predicted a new name on the trophy this year. However, unlike their European counterparts, most leagues in East Asia were in the midst of their close season when the coronavirus struck, which minimised disruption, and in China’s case made the chances of…

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE Group A1 Nov 15 - Amsterdam Netherlands 3 (Wijnaldum 6,13, Depay 55) Bosnia & Herzegovina1 (Prevljak 63) Ht: 2-0. Ref: Soares Dias (Por) Netherlands: Krul - Dumfries (Hateboer 64), De Vrij, Blind, Wijndal (Van Aanholt 79), Klaassen, Wijnaldum (Van de Beek 64), F. De Jong, Berghuis (Stengs 89), L. De Jong, Depay (Promes 79). Bosnia & Herzegovina: Sehic - Todorovic, Hadzikadunic, Sanicanin, Kolasinac, Cimirot, Visca (Tatar 78), Pjanic (Zilijkic 89), Krunic (Rahmanovic 78), Gojak (Danilovic 61), Hodzic (Prevljak 61). Nov 15 - Reggio Emilia Italy 2 (Jorginho 27 pen, Berardi 83) Poland 0 Ht: 1-0. Ref: Turpin (Fra) Italy: Donnarumma - Florenzi (Di Lorenzo 89), Acerbi, Bastoni, Emerson, Barella, Jorginho, Locatelli, Bernardeschi (Berardi 64), Belotti (Okaka 79), Insigne (El Shaarawy 89). Poland: Szczesny - Bereszynski, Glik, Bednarek,…

“I love you, Diego. My great friend, thank you very much for our entire journey. One day, in heaven, we will play together on the same team…and I can finally embrace you again”One football great in Pele recognises another with a touching Maradona tribute EUROPE 2022 World Cup qualifying groups revealed England have been paired with Robert Lewandowski and Poland in possibly the most eye-catching group of the European section of the 2022 World Cup qualifying draw. None of the big-hitters have been tasked with notably tough tests, with holders France drawn with Ukraine, whom they beat 7-1 in October. FIFA’s No.1 ranked side Belgium top a group featuring Wales and Czech Republic, Scotland will renew their rivalry with Israel after facing them five times since 2018, Northern Ireland will…

THE INSIDER Back in 1975, staring at me out of the pages of long-gone Argentinian sports magazine El Grafico, was a stark colour picture of delight of a tousled-haired 15-year-old. He was captioned as Diego Armando Maradona. He was a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who would rule the world. Maradona was making his debut for Argentinos Juniors in troubled times. Argentina was tumbling out of political turmoil into the long dark years of the military junta. For the Generals, distractions were essential. Like hosting the World Cup in1978. Maradona might even have played in that World Cup after making his debut against Hungary at16 years 120 days. Instead, he was one of three players dropped on the eve of the finals when coach Cesar Luis Menotti…

“I’m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Ray Clemence. Clem was my coach with England for more than a decade. A lovely man with a wicked left foot. I had a poster of him on my wall as a kid”Former England goalkeeper DavidJames pays tribute to Ray Clemence In the Past Players section of Liverpool’s official website, Ray Clemence is described as: “Without doubt the greatest goalkeeper ever to play for Liverpool.” Given that he was a regular during the Reds’ glory years of the late ’70s, winning five league titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup, two UeFA Cups and – most importantly – three european Cups, it is a statement that is hard to disagree with. Those achievements are particularly impressive given how reluctant he was…

Lee Dong-gook’s career had more ups and downs than the mountain-covered Korean peninsula. The record goalscorer in both the K League and Asian Champions League had plenty of heartbreak along the way, and still found time to become a reality TV star. Ironically, it was the lowest point that propelled Lee, now 41, to achieve so much. In 1998 – as a teenager – he helped Pohang Steelers win the Asian Club Championship, and followed that with a call-up to the World Cup squad. Two years later, he was top scorer as South Korea finished third at the Asian Cup, with his career going from strength to strength. It was a huge surprise, then, when Guus Hiddink left him out for the 2002 tournament on home soil. “Many Korea fans…

Coaching in North Africa, or throughout the Arabic-speaking world for that matter, is not for the faint of heart, or those in search of job security. Results and success are all that matters and failure to provide instant gratification usually means a quick exit. Even the perennially successful clubs have an extraordinarily high turnover of coaches, including Africa’s most successful side Al Ahly. They have had 18 coaching changes over the last decade, even while winning continental titles and continuing to dominate domestic competitions. Coaches are Egyptian, European or South American, but the Cairo giants have now broken with their longstanding preference and employed the South African Pitso Mosimane. He is the first black African coach in more than a century at the Egyptian club in what is not only…

• OVERVIEW Italy go to the Euros at the front of the starting grid, and with good reason. As well as a favourable draw that will see them play all their group games in Rome, they haven’t lost a game since September 2018. • Coach Roberto Mancini, called in to pick up the pieces after Italy’s historic failure to qualify for Russia 2018, has done a remarkable job to create an exciting young team which not only plays well but keeps on winning. • On the night that his Italy dazzled in a 2-0 Nations League win over Poland, that victory marked 21 consecutive games without defeat. More impressive than that was the 30-pass, “tiki-taka” style move that culminated in their second goal. • Put simply, Mancini has created a…

• OVERVIEW Fairy-tale winners in 1992, Denmark have a happy history at the Euros and could be dark horses yet again, with a settled team of players brought together from some of the best clubs in Europe; from Barcelona to Internazionale to Borussia Dortmund. • They have lost only twice in their past 23 matches, both to world No.1 ranked Belgium. The Danes are a well-organised and tight-knit group with the benefit of a high-class creative talisman in Christian Eriksen, whose form never dips on the international stage. • Kasper Schmeichel is a goalkeeping rock for the side, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has flourished as a holding midfielder following his transfer to Tottenham Hotspur. • The greatest problem for Denmark will be finding goals; they remain too reliant on Eriksen in…

• OVERVIEW With Lev Yashin as the goalkeeper, the USSR became the first country to win the European Championship in 1960, before reaching the final again in 1988, losing to the Dutch. • Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, the best result achieved by Russia was reaching the semi-finals under Guus Hiddink in 2008. • Hopes arisen after the 2018 World Cup were shattered by the team’s two qualifying losses to Belgium. Despite making it to the Euro finals Stanislav Cherchesov was criticised for relying too much on the old guard instead of blooding new talent in the squad. • Figures like Artem Dzyuba, 32, and Yuri Zhirkov, 37, are still irreplaceable, with the next generation still waiting to emerge. Options are particularly short in defence where the team…

• OVERVIEW Having never played at the Euros before co-hosting the tournament in 2008 with Switzerland, Austria will be taking part for the third time in 2021, hoping to go beyond the group stage for the first time in their history. • At Euro 2016, they arrived with confidence after storming through the qualifiers, but bowed out with only one point – a drab 0-0 draw with Portugal – having lost to Hungary and Iceland. • This time, expectations are lower, but almost all of their key players are based in the German Bundesliga and exposed to top-level competition week-in, week-out. • The one exception is China-based forward Marko Arnautovic. The 31-year-old played a key part in qualifying, was excluded from the September and October matches then recalled again in…

• OVERVIEW Croatia supporters believe their team’s place is among the contenders for the trophy, in spite of the changes since reaching the World Cup final. • Only three of their starting 11 in Moscow featured in their most recent fixtures: Danijel Subasic and Mario Mandzukic ended their international careers in 2018 and Ivan Rakitic followed them in September, while Sime Vrsaljko, Marcelo Brozovic and Ante Rebic were all injured. • Although they topped their qualifying group, Croatia dropped points to Wales, Hungary and Azerbaijan. In the Nations League they only won once and lost five, narrowly avoiding relegation. • However, coach Zlatko Dalic’s opinion is that a new wave of players has emerged, including Nikola Vlasic, Josip Brekalo, Filip Uremovic, Bruno Petkovic, Borna Barisic, Dominik Livakovic, Mario Pasalic, Domagoj…

• OVERVIEW Spain’s doubts were swept away in Seville, with the national team ending a three-game winless run by taking Germany to pieces with a stunning 6-0 Nations League victory in November. • After all the concerns, the shifting line-ups, the laments as the golden era slipped further into the past, and question marks about where the goals were going to come from, they inflicted Germany’s biggest defeat since 1931. • It was not just that Spain had found a way through to the final four of the Nations League, it was that they had found a way, full stop. A sense of identity and purpose, some belief: dominating possession, quick to win the ball back, incisive and fast; here at last was a result that made people think that…

• OVERVIEW Slovakia twice put paid to Irish hopes in two dramatic qualifying play-offs for the Euro finals. First with a penalty shoot-out win against the Republic of Ireland in the semis, then with an extratime victory over Northern Ireland. • Between the play-off semi-finals and the final, Czech coach Pavel Hapal was sacked and replaced by Stefan Tarkovic, Jan Kozak’s assistant at Euro 2016. • Putting in place his favoured 4-1-4-1 system, Tarkovic was two minutes from reaching the finals when an own goal took the game to extra-time. Michal Duris then hit the winner from the edge of the penalty box to fire Slovakia to their second consecutive Euros. • With a clean sheet in the play-offs, followed by another against Scotland, Fulham goalkeeper Marek Rodak has earned…

• OVERVIEW France qualified for Euro 2020 by topping Group H, though they failed to beat second-placed Turkey in either of their two meetings. • Didier Deschamps has been in charge since 2012 and led his team to the final of Euro 2016, where Les Bleus lost to Portugal in extra-time, before delivering the ultimate prize of the World Cup with a 4-2 victory over Croatia in 2018. • Despite such tremendous success, Deschamps’ overly pragmatic style of play means he isn’t as revered as you might expect. France will have their work cut out if they’re to win Euro 2020, having been drawn alongside holders Portugal and Germany in Group F. • Established stars like Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Raphael Varane and Paul Pogba have been joined by exciting…

There aren’t many 21-year-olds who will go into this summer’s tournament with as much pressure on their shoulders as De Ligt. Having made his international debut at the age of 17, the Juventus defender has already been a key member of the Dutch squad for the past few years, forming a solid partnership alongside skipper Virgil van Dijk. Yet with the Liverpool man’s place at the tournament in doubt following his knee injury, there is every chance that De Ligt will be the Netherlands’ first-choice centre-back at Euro 2020 – in spite of a shoulder injury that ruled him out of last autumn’s fixtures. Not that he’s unfamiliar with pressure. As the youngest captain in the club’s history, the defender led Ajax to a league-cup double and the Champions League…

Saturday November 7 PHILIPPINES: United City FC emerge as 2020 Philippines Football League champions after defeating Stallion Laguna 7-1, clinching the title with a game to spare. INDIA: It’s announced that the 2020-21 I-League season will begin on January 9, with11 teams vying for the trophy. GERMANY: Bayern Munich come out on top in Der Klassiker with a 3-2 victory over rivals Borussia Dortmund to stay top of the Bundesliga. RB Leipzig maintain the pressure by beating Freiburg 3-0, leapfrogging Dortmund into second. SPAIN: Barcelona secure their first win in five La Liga games thanks to Lionel Messi, who comes off the bench to score twice in a 5-2 victory over Real Betis. Sunday November 8 SOUTH KOREA: Jeonbuk Motors complete the domestic league and cup double for the first…

Most Asian national teams have not played since 2019 but this is a fairly normal situation for Pakistan, one of the idlest international sides in the world. Indeed, from March 2015 to September 2018, the Green Shirts did not play at all. Pakistan have played only eight games in the past five years. This is not some ruse to improve FIFA rankings as the comatose giants are, as of November 2020, 200th in the world with only nine nations below them in the standings. Part of the reason for the inaction is due to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Combining qualification for the Asian Cup and the World Cup has reduced the number of competitive games. The format doesn’t help either with the 12 lowest-ranked teams in Asia playing off…

EUROPE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2020-21 Matchday 1 Oct 20: Chelsea (Eng) 0 Sevilla (Esp) 0; Rennes (Fra)1 Krasnodar (Rus) 1; Zenit (Rus)1 Club Brugge (Bel) 2; Lazio (Ita) 3 Borussia Dortmund (Ger) 1; Dynamo Kiev (Ukr) 0Juventus (Ita) 2; Barcelona (Esp) 5 Ferencvaros (Hun)1; PSG (Fra)1 Manchester United (Eng) 2; RB Leipzig (Ger) 2 Istanbul Basaksehir (Tur) 0 Oct 21: RB Salzburg (Aut) 2 Lokomotiv Moscow (Rus) 2; Bayern Munich (Ger) 4 Atletico Madrid (Esp) 0; Real Madrid (Esp) 2 Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukr) 3; Internazionale (Ita) 2 Borussia Monchengladbach (Ger) 2; Manchester City (Eng) 3 Porto (Por) 1; Olympiakos (Gre)1 Marseille (Fra) 0; Ajax (Ned) 0 Liverpool (Eng) 1; Midtjylland (Den) 0 Atalanta (Ita) 4 Matchday 2 Oct 27: Lokomotiv Moscow (Rus)1 Bayern Munich (Ger) 2; Atletico Madrid (Esp) 3 RB…