Chelsea have been offered the chance to potentially sign a Barcelona player by intermediaries, who are actively contacting Premier League sides to gauge their interest in striking a transfer deal for him.

Enzo Maresca comments on Chelsea injury problems

The top-four chasers take on Aston Villa in the Premier League this evening off the back of a torrid run, and manager Enzo Maresca is currently having to deal with mounting injury problems.

Chelsea prepared to really push for "Gallas-type" £216k-per-week defender

The west Londoners “love” him.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 22, 2025

Nicolas Jackson, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Roméo Lavia, Marc Guiu and Noni Madueke are all out and unavailable for Chelsea for today’s late clash at Villa Park, leaving Maresca short of attacking options in particular.

Aston Villa (away)

February 22nd

Southampton (home)

February 25th

Leicester City (home)

March 9th

Arsenal (away)

March 16th

Tottenham (home)

April 2nd

Luckily for Chelsea, Unai Emery’s side are on a similarly bad run coming into this game. They’re without a league win from their last five top-flight encounters, with their last set of three points coming away to Everton back in mid-January.

Nevertheless, Maresca recognises the tough task facing his side in the Midlands. “I think we spent almost the whole season in the top four,” said Maresca on Chelsea’s form and Aston Villa.

“Now we have just 13 games to go, so for sure now, the target for us now is to try and finish in the top four – to finish in the best way. We are going to try to do our best to achieve that, knowing that the difficult moment we have now is probably one of the reasons why, and the most important reason why, is because of the injury situation; we have five or six players, significant players, that are out.

“I was watching two days ago the first game against Villa, and unfortunately, we have five players in that game that are out. Wes, Noni, Nico, Romeo – so the team changed completely, and it’s something this season happens almost with many clubs. Arsenal have injuries, City have injuries, and we are going to try our best to win games even with the amount of injuries we have.”

Lavia’s injury prompted Chelsea to sign Mathis Amougou from Saint-Étienne in January, with the 19-year-old set to be a first-team player for the remainder of 2024/25 before heading out on loan to sister Strasbourg next campaign.

Chelsea offered Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong by intermediaries

Given Amougou won’t be at Stamford Bridge for 2025/26, reports have suggested that Chelsea could target Man United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo this summer after showing some interest in January.

Now, as per journalist Graeme Bailey and The Boot Room, £302,000-per-week Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong is an option for the Blues as well.

It is believed that Chelsea have been contacted by agents about signing De Jong, who are making suitors aware of his potential availability and testing the water to see which clubs could bite heading into the next transfer window.

The Dutchman has struggled with injuries and a lack of consistent opportunities under Hansi Flick this season, and De Jong’s contract expires in 2026, meaning he could leave for a relatively cheap fee if Chelsea were to pursue a move.

Newcastle United have had no truck with ambitious strengthening over the past several years, but they know their limitations and have indeed been restricted by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

Despite this, the Magpies have hit a rich vein of form over the past few months, winning 12 of their past 14 matches in all competitions, catching back up with the Champions League runners and confidently beating Arsenal over two legs to reach the Carabao Cup final.

Sandro Tonali’s return and rise has been one of the major components of the success, fusing perfectly into an already dynamic and robust midfield and taking it to another level.

Sandro Tonali's amazing progress in 2024/25

Newcastle signed Tonali from AC Milan for £55m in July 2023, but he was supposedly homesick after switching Italy for Tyneside and was then hit with the most compounding of blows in a ten-month suspension for betting breaches.

That expired around the start of the current campaign and he’s since gone from strength to strength, with podcast host Andrew Musgrove even describing him as Newcastle’s “standout” player.

But he’s not a player who’s so easily defined by his metrics. In fact, Tonali’s Premier League statistics between this term and last don’t show a sharp upswing in performance.

The Italian’s ineffable brilliance, his silky passing and sharp intelligence, are something that can only be appreciated by watching him with your own eyes.

Matches (starts)

8 (5)

22 (15)

Goals

1

1

Assists

0

1

Touches*

39.8

48.6

Pass completion

88%

85%

Key passes*

1.0

0.4

Dribble (success)*

0.4 (60%)

0.4 (56%)

Ball recoveries*

2.5

4.7

Tackles + interceptions*

1.2

2.4

Total duels (won)*

2.1 (47%)

3.6 (52%)

£55m is starting to look like a real bargain, but truthfully, he’s not yet Newcastle’s main man, with one of his midfield partners still way ahead of him – you know who.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Newcastle have struck gold on Howe's main man

He’s a bit good, isn’t he? Bruno Guimaraes has been a source of strength and influence for Newcastle ever since he signed from Lyon for £40m in January 2022, one of the first to join Howe’s project.

The wellspring from which Newcastle’s football flows, Guimaraes is regarded as a “world-class” midfielder by many – such as his United manager – and has been the centrepoint of a midfield three that is so tough and tenacious, technical and tricky.

While PSR-related problems limited Newcastle last summer – and this winter – PIF will consider their retention of Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon as a total success, covering so much ground, winning so many duels and the architect of consistent playmaking direction from the centre.

It’s no wonder that Pep Guardiola was desperate to bring him to the Etihad before turning his powerful transfer cannon elsewhere, deterred by Newcastle’s £100m asking price – a fee that is woven into the Brazil international’s contract via release clause.

This is almost double the value of the above-discussed Tonali, who is a wonderful talent in his own right but undoubtedly charged by the unrelenting engine of his partner, as is bull-charging Joelinton.

Newcastle have well and truly hit the jackpot with this one. He ranks among the top 6% of midfielders in the top flight for progressive passes, the best 11% for assists per 90 minutes and the top 1% for through balls to rubberstamp his credentials as one of the best passers of a ball in English football.

Howe will hope to keep Guimaraes as the central part of the project for many years, but if he does leave, it will be for a record fee – one that could secure St. James’ Park’s future as a major player on the European scene.

Howe has struck gold on Newcastle "machine" who's worth more than Khusanov

Newcastle are flying this season despite frustrations stemming from the transfer market.

ByAngus Sinclair Feb 10, 2025

تحدث كيليان مبابي، نجم منتخب فرنسا، بعدما قادهم إلى تحقيق المركز الثالث في بطولة دوري الأمم الأوروبية نسخة 2025، يوم الأحد على حساب ألمانيا.

وتلاقى المنتخبان عصر يوم الأحد في مباراة تحديد المركز الثالث في بطولة دوري الأمم الأوروبية.

وتمكن منتخب فرنسا من تحقيق الفوز على نظيره منتخب ألمانيا، بهدفين دون رد، بفضل كيليان مبابي الذي سجل هدفًا وصنع آخر.

وقال مبابي، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “rmcsport” الفرنسية: “لقد خضنا مباراتين تعلمنا فيهما الكثير، إيجابيًا وسلبيًا، لم نشعر بالملل، قدمنا أداءً جيدًا في الكثير من الجوانب”.

وأضاف: “هناك العديد من الأمور التي يجب تحليلها، كان يجب أن يكون لدينا رد فعل بعد خسارتنا أمام إسبانيا (في نصف النهائي بنتيجة 5/4 يوم الخميس الماضي)، نجحنا في ذلك ولذلك نحن سعداء للغاية”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. رجل مباراة فرنسا وألمانيا في دوري الأمم الأوروبية

واسترسل: “لقد استعدنا قدرتنا على خلق الفرص وصعّبنا الأمور على منافسينا، سجلنا ستة أهداف في مباراتين، لكن كانت لدينا بعض الثغرات في مبارياتنا، هذه أمور نحتاج إلى تحسينها”.

وأكد: “من الجيد أن نواجه هذا الخصم، لأنه من الممكن أن نواجهه في كأس العالم إذا تأهلنا”.

وواصل: “ألمانيا ليست سهلة أبدًا، سنعود إلى ديارنا، التأهل إلى كأس العالم؟ أتحدث عن تلك البطولة طوال الوقت لأنها مهمة جدًا بالنسبة لنا، البطولة الحقيقية”.

وأردف: “عندما تكون لاعبًا، فإن تمثيل منتخبك الوطني في كأس العالم هو أفضل شيء، عليك التأهل أولًا، ستبدأ القصة الحقيقية في سبتمبر بمباراة ضد أوكرانيا، سيتعين علينا الاستعداد لرحلة كأس العالم الطويلة”.

وفيما يخص صيامه عن التهديف مع المنتخب لفترة طويلة من الوقت، قال: “هناك أوقات كهذه، من الجيد أن يسلط الناس الضوء على ذلك عندما لا أسجل، لأنهم يتوقعون مني أن أسجل، هذا يرفع من شأن اسمي”.

واختتم: “لقد حاولت العمل بجد، مررت بالعديد من المواقف التي أخرت عودتي إلى التسجيل، أنا سعيد بالعودة إلى التسجيل ولكن بشكل خاص بالفوز”.

Agha Salman struck thrice with his offbreaks, while Naseem Shah’s encouraging reverse swing continued to trouble New Zealand, who lost five for 45 in the final session after dominating play across the morning and afternoon. The visitors had piled up 119 and 107 in the first two sessions for the loss of one wicket. The last one fetched them only 83 runs with the loss of five more.Devon Conway hit 122 out of New Zealand’s total of 309 on the first day, riding his luck on the way to a fourth Test hundred, and continuing on a fantastic start to his Test career after becoming the fastest from his country to 1000 runs in the format during the first Test of the tour. He also made up after falling for 92 in the first match.Play in the evening began with Abrar Ahmed bowling his 15th over in a row – albeit separated by the tea break. Naseem then beat Kane Williamson’s outside edge on the first ball of the second over after resumption, only for replays to show a faint tickle. That was a sign of things to come, as Naseem kept clocking 140kph while reversing the ball against both Williamson and Conway.But it was Salman who struck first, getting the ball to dip and turn away from Conway, who went jabbing and edged behind to Sarfaraz Ahmed in the 63rd over. Next over, Naseem pitched one perfectly on the fuller side of a length on fourth stump, with Williamson’s outside edge also landing in the gloves of Sarfaraz, who went low and tumbled in front of first slip to complete the grab.That left New Zealand with virtually two new batters at the crease in Henry Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell, with the latter happy to take a good stride forward and getting across off stump to try and negate the movement Naseem got it. Naseem tried going around the wicket – and with it, wide of the crease – to the left-hander Nicholls, as both he and Salman tied the two batters down.That is when Mitchell fell to a classical offspinner’s dismissal, missing his clip across the line when Salman tossed one up outside off and got it to turn in through bat and pad, and hit off stump. With the ball having split its seam, the umpires changed it immediately after.But Pakistan stuck to Hasan Ali and Salman, as they kept the scoring in check, with the fast bowler preferring to go short, and the offspinner teasing the batters with loop. Salman got his third just seven deliveries before the second new ball was due, although credit for that would go to Babar Azam.Standing at slip, Babar was the only one who reacted and half-appealed after Nicholls tried to slash a short ball outside off turning away from him. He opted for the review at the last second after umpire Aleem Dar ruled it not out and UltraEdge showed a little snick behind to Sarfaraz.Tom Latham and Devon Conway added their second successive hundred-run partnership•Associated Press

That was the fourth of Dar’s 12 decisions overturned throughout the two Tests on this tour. And New Zealand slid further when Abrar, expensive throughout the day, hit Michael Bracewell flush in front to get him for the third time in as many occasions in the series. The visitors were six down, as Tom Blundell and Ish Sodhi saw them off to stumps.Earlier in the day, the visitors were in the driver’s seat across the first two sessions, losing only Tom Latham for 71 when Naseem had sharply angled one into the left-hander at high pace to break a strong opening stand of 134 – Latham and Conway’s second successive century stand for the first wicket – in the 36th over. Naseem had conceded just six runs in that five-over spell when he bowled three maidens, even as Abrar kept leaking runs at the other end. Having gone for 26 in five overs before lunch, Abrar was taken for another 41 in his first six overs after the break, with Conway confidently driving and whipping the spinner each time he erred in line or length.But Conway also had some fortune going his way throughout. Pakistan had reviewed a not-out verdict by Alex Wharf when Conway, on 39, was beaten by one that angled in off a good length, only for the ball projected to be going over the stumps. When he was on 86, an outside edge fell short of the lone slip and two overs later, when Conway was on 89, Hasan induced an edge to gully, where Saud Shakeel spilled it after diving to his right. Conway finally reached his hundred in the 52nd over, when he flicked Mir Hamza between mid-on and midwicket, as New Zealand piled on the misery on Pakistan.After opting to bat, New Zealand raced to 54 in the first 11 overs before a quiet period slowed them down. Latham also was ruled out lbw by umpire Wharf, before he used the DRS to reverse it, having inside edged it onto his pads.Eventually though, the day ended in fine balance, as Pakistan hit back in the evening session, with New Zealand losing their way from a dominant 234 for 1 to only a stable 309 for 6.

The England legend discussed the decision that he now wishes he could take back, despite winning multiple MLS championships

Beckham regrets taking captaincy from DonovanSays he initially refused owner's requestThe pair won multiple MLS championships togetherGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

David Beckham, the current Inter Miami co-owner and former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar, made 124 appearances for the LA Galaxy, winning back-to-back MLS Cups alongside club legend Landon Donovan and other greats.

However, Beckham admitted that his biggest regret was taking the armband from the American after the team's ownership approached him to do so, discussing the situation on his UEFA Champions League alternative show "Beckham & Friends Live."

"When I first moved to LA, Landon Donovan was the captain,” Beckham said on CBS Sports. “And the owner of the team came to me and said, 'I want you to be captain.' And I said, 'No, Landon Donovan is the captain.' And then a week went by and they came to me again and said they spoke to Landon, Landon’s completely fine with it.

“I then asked Landon and he said ‘Yeah, of course no problem.’ And they gave me the captain’s armband. It’s my one regret, I should never have taken it off of Landon.”

AdvertisementWHAT DAVID BECKHAM SAIDGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Beckham's arrival at LA Galaxy in 2007 represented a watershed moment for Major League Soccer, bringing unprecedented attention and legitimacy to the American league.

However, the captaincy situation with Donovan revealed the challenges of integrating international superstars into established team cultures.

The two players eventually resolved their differences after a tumultuous period that included public criticism from Donovan in 2009. Donovan was quoted that year in “The Beckham Experiment” by then-Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl.

“When David first came, I believed he was committed to what he was doing,” Donovan said. “He cared. He wanted to do well. He wanted the team and the league to do well.”

But something changed, according to Donovan, and Beckham decided soon after the former coach Ruud Gullit was fired that it wasn’t worth his time. “He just flipped a switch and said, ‘Uh-huh, I’m not doing it anymore’.”

“I can’t think of another guy where I’d say he wasn’t a good teammate, he didn’t give everything through all this, he didn’t still care,” Donovan said. “But with (Beckham), I’d say no, he wasn’t committed.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFPWHAT’S NEXT?

MLS teams continue to navigate the delicate balance between signing international stars and respecting homegrown talent. Beckham will hope to avoid any such issues with his Inter Miami team, led by Lionel Messi, as they look to defend their Supporters' Shield this season.

MatériaMais Notícias

A semana começa agitada na Ponte Preta. Através do departamento de comunicação, a Macaca anunciou a saída do zagueiro Fabricio e atacante Dodô.

– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE B

A decisão se dá por conta do momento negativo do time na temporada e a necessidade de mudanças no elenco.

Preocupada com a falta de reação nos últimos duelos, a diretoria começa a mexer no grupo para tentar escapar da zona de rebaixamento.

Com 13 pontos conquistados, a Macaca aparece na 18ª colocação e não venceu nos últimos três duelos.

RelacionadasCRBCRB tenta aumentar série invicta como mandanteCRB27/06/2022PalmeirasDanilo recebe visita do irmão em treino do Palmeiras e projeta mata-mata: ‘Ele vai me motivar’Palmeiras27/06/2022Futebol LatinoSuárez no River rende pedido de ‘resposta’ de torcedores do Boca JuniorsFutebol Latino27/06/2022

It might be a tired cliché, but last night felt like a game of two halves for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou’s side played host to Manchester City, and set out to pick up their fourth Premier League win on the bounce.

Unfortunately, a goal from the recently returned Erling Haaland made sure that didn’t happen, and while the visitors could have been three or four up in the first half, the Lilywhites had bountiful chances of their own in the second 45.

0

Goals

1

1.12

Expected Goals

2.09

55%

Possession

45%

2

Big Chances

4

11

Total Shots

12

8

Corners

3

512

Passes

412

However, while there were several players who put in solid shifts for the North Londoners, there were still some who let themselves down, such as Pedro Porro, who the manager should never have started.’

Why Postecoglou shouldn't have started Porro

After starting the game against Ipswich Town over the weekend on the bench, there would’ve been hope among some of the Spurs faithful that Postecoglou would keep Porro there for last night’s game.

Unfortunately, the Australian decided to start him at right-back, and to the surprise of very few, it turned out to be a sizeable mistake, as even while he might have a great pass on him, time after time this season, he has proven himself incapable of defending.

It might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by journalist Mitch Fretton, who described him as a “familiar” problem while football.london’s Alasdair Gold gave him a 5/10 match rating at full-time, writing that he ‘had a tough night’ against Jeremy Doku, which is quite the understatement.

The Belgian turned the former Sporting CP ace inside out all night, and if it wasn’t the tricky winger giving him problems, he was creating them himself.

For example, in his 90-plus minutes of action, the 25-year-old endeavoured to give the ball away 12 times and did so for Haaland’s disallowed goal at the end of the game.

Overall, it was another horror show for the error-prone full-back, and it’s clear that Postecoglou made a massive mistake in starting him over the player who started there on the weekend.

The Spurs star who should've started against City

With Archie Gray starting at centre-back alongside Kevin Danso and the lack of other defensive options, it will come as no surprise that the player Postecoglou should have started over Porro last night was Djed Spence.

The former Middlesbrough full-back has been a revelation since breaking into the first team this season – as evidenced by the crowd’s roar upon his arrival last night – and considering how dismal the Spaniard has been for much of the campaign, he should have been in from the first whistle.

Not only can he help out in the final third – he already has four goal involvements in 20 appearances this year – but he’s also far more secure and reliable when it comes to the defensive side of the game, which, even in the modern game, is incredibly important for a full-back.

Tackles

3.02

2.31

Tackles Won

2.50

1.67

Tackles + Interceptions

4.06

3.50

All Blocks

1.77

1.62

Shots Blocked

0.73

0.60

Passes Blocked

1.04

1.03

Aerial Duels Won

1.15

0.43

For example, when we compare their underlying numbers, the “unbelievable” Englishman, as dubbed by Ian Wright, comes out ahead in the majority of relevant defensive metrics, including but not limited to tackles, tackles won, all blocks, shots blocked, passes blocked, aerial duels won and more, all per 90.

Lastly, on top of having the better defensive numbers on paper, the £20m titan also appears to be far better at anticipating the movements of opposition wingers, as unlike Porro, he rarely seems to find himself on the floor after mistiming a tackle.

Ultimately, while the team certainly weren’t dreadful last night, Postecoglou got it very wrong not starting Spence, and we can’t see him making the same decision in the Europa League next week.

A £70m star in the making: Spurs hit gold with "incredible" Ange signing

The ever-improving ace has become an essential player for Spurs this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 25, 2025

Jake Doran left the field having felt ill after testing positive for Covid-19

AAP01-Dec-2022

Nathan McSweeney celebrates his hundred•Getty Images

Tasmania wicketkeeper Jake Doran left the field feeling unwell after testing positive to Covid-19 and was replaced by Tim Paine on day one of the Sheffield Shield clash against South Australia.South Australia batters Jake Weatherald and Nathan McSweeney scored centuries to put their side in a solid position at 8 for 309 having been sent in to bat by Tasmania.Tasmania named former Test skipper Paine as 12th man but he was brought into the game as a substitute wicketkeeper when Doran left the playing arena.Doran had felt fine at the start of play and took an early catch but was replaced by Paine after taking ill. Paine, who will not be allowed to bat, took two neat catches.Weatherald made 100 and McSweeney (118) scored his maiden first class century.Peter Siddle, sporting a peroxide blonde hairstyle, was a constant threat on his way to 4 for 59 from 25 probing overs.Weatherald and McSweeney combined for a 149-run stand for the third wicket after Siddle struck early to remove Henry Hunt and Daniel Drew.Left-hander Weatherald struck 16 boundaries, including two sixes, and was particularly savage through the off side in a confident counter-attacking innings.McSweeney offered sensible support and was an excellent foil for his more aggressive batting partner before upping the ante. The 23-year-old brought up his century with a sweet on drive from the bowling of spinner Jarrod Freeman.It was a moment to savour for the former Australia Under-19s representative after he was stranded on 99 not out in March when he hit the winning runs in a five-wicket Shield win over NSW.South Australia were 6 for 196 just after tea but McSweeney received excellent support from in-form allrounder Benjamin Manenti and Nathan McAndrew.Weatherald said he was delighted to find form against a class attack.”This year has been a bit of a struggle for me with the bat so it was good to walk out there and play freely and score some runs,” he said. “[McSweeney] was able to absorb an amazing amount of pressure … and batted really well.”Tasmania sit second on the Shield table behind Western Australia after a hard-fought four-wicket win over Victoria in their most recent match. South Australia are second-last with two losses and three draws so far this season.

Glasgow Rangers may have shown their fighting spirit during their comeback victory in midweek, but this was severely lacking at Ibrox this afternoon.

Barry Ferguson had led the Gers to league titles and a plethora of domestic honours on the pitch at Ibrox, deserving of an excellent reception ahead of the clash against Motherwell.

However, it was a different atmosphere at full-time, as the club suffered a dismal 2-1 defeat to the Steelmen. The away side scored twice in the opening 30 minutes courtesy of Luke Armstrong and Tom Sparrow, and they were deserving of their lead at the break.

Cyriel Dessers scored within 10 minutes of the restart and they had a goal disallowed late on. The defeat was the club’s sixth of the Scottish Premiership campaign – hardly the best preparation ahead of the Europa League clash against Fenerbahçe on Thursday.

Rangers' best and worst performers vs Motherwell

In truth, Mohamed Diomande was arguably the only player who looked up for the task. The midfielder made three key passes during his time on the pitch, while succeeding with 100% of his dribbles and taking three shots in total.

Diomande also won 100% of his total duels contested in what was a solid display despite the final score.

Rangers v Motherwell: Key statistics

Metric

Highest-ranked

Accurate passes

James Tavernier (67)

Key passes

Mohamed Diomande and Vaclav Cerny (3)

Tackles

Kai Andrews (4)

Shots on target

Mohamed Diomande (2)

Ground duels won

Callum Slattery and Jefte (7)

Via Sofascore

Elsewhere, there wasn’t much to shout about. Dessers may have scored yet again, but he only managed to complete 15 passes and take 34 touches throughout the 90 minutes.

At the back, James Tavernier and Robin Propper failed to prevent Motherwell from scoring and lost possession 18 times between them in what was a poor showing from the duo.

Ferguson made three subs at half-time, bringing off Hamza Igamane, Propper and Ianis Hagi. It was the Romanian who failed to showcase his true talents, which could have turned the game.

Ianis Hagi's game in numbers v Motherwell

Hagi was deployed on the left of a four-man midfield as Ferguson opted to use a 4-4-2 system at Ibrox this afternoon, but this tactical tweak failed to have the desired effect.

Hagi took 44 touches during the first half, yet lost possession 15 times in total, failing to make anything positive happen. He even completed fewer accurate passes than Jack Butland (19 v 21) during his spell on the pitch.

He had one shot off target, delivered just two accurate crosses from 10 attempts and succeeded with only 50% of his dribble attempts during the first half.

There is no doubt that the attacking midfielder has shown glimpses of his talents since returning to the fold in October, but this will be a match he will look to forget.

Having been awarded a match rating of 4/10 by Ibrox News, Hagi was also criticised by journalist Michael McEwan on X, who said:

“I’ve been critical of him recently but Mo Diomande is the only Rangers player who looks worthy of the jersey today. The rest have been 3/10 at best. Jefte, Cerny, Ridvan and Hagi have been unspeakably bad.”

Ferguson will have to get back to the drawing board, especially as a trip to Turkey awaits in a few days.

Related 49ers Group have a "dream appointment" to succeed Barry Ferguson at Rangers

He could be a popular choice among the Gers fanbase.

Posts ByHenry Jackson Feb 28, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Contando com a força do mando de campo, o Londrina venceu por 1 a 0 o Sampaio Corrêa nesta terça-feira (19), no Estádio do Café, em partida válida pela última rodada do primeiro turno na Série B. O marcador, aliás, fez com que o time dirigido por Adilson Batista subisse para a sétima posição, com 26 unidades, enquanto o clube do Maranhão está logo atrás, em oitavo, tendo 25 pontos.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalRildo é negociado pelo Grêmio com o Santa Clara-PORFutebol Nacional19/07/2022PalmeirasDos 25 maiores públicos do Palmeiras no Allianz Parque, seis são de 2022Palmeiras19/07/2022InternacionalInternacional lança campanha institucional para reforçar laços com a torcidaInternacional19/07/2022

>Como foi o lance a lance de Londrina x Sampaio Corrêa

PROBLEMAS COM BOLA ROLANDO…

Enquanto nos primeiros minutos o Sampaio demonstrou uma postura de agressividade nas linhas de marcação onde “sufocou” a saída de bola londrinense e reteve a posse no campo de ataque, logo depois dos dez primeiros minutos o Tubarão conseguiu equilibrar as ações e também aparecer cada vez mais nas proximidades da meta maranhense.

Porém, tanto de um lado como do outro, havia grande dificuldade para que a troca de passes e movimentação dos dois sistemas ofensivos conseguisse se livrar da marcação e levar real perigo aos arqueiros. Ao ponto de, em boa parte da etapa inicial, apenas um lance tinha realmente chamado a atenção com Caprini chegando pelo lado direito e cruzando rasteiro onde o chute de Gabriel Santos foi defendido de maneira incrível por Gabriel Batista.

…MAS NÃO NA BOLA PARADA

Se nos lances mais trabalhados o Londrina cresceu em volume de posse de bola, mas não conseguia ser contundente, a equipe da casa se valeu de uma cobrança de falta lateral determinante para inaugurar a contagem no Café. Depois da batida por parte de Caprini na lateral direita da grande área, a bola na primeira trave passou por todo mundo até balançar as redes do Sampaio Corrêa.

SAMPAIO NA PRESSÃO

O ímpeto do time de São Luis apareceu novamente na volta do intervalo onde a diferença essencial foi a concentração de jogadas no estilo mais veloz com Nadson (vindo do banco de reservas) tentando usar o lado de campo, em especial o setor direito ofensivo. Foi dessa forma que o goleiro Matheus Nogueira foi se vendo obrigado a trabalhar bastante e, consequentemente, tornando-se peça chave para a manutenção do triunfo londrinense.

Por outro lado, nos poucos momentos em que o time anfitrião conseguia ter a posse, o bom posicionamento da marcação adversária e a “dobra” constante de marcação fazia o Tubarão se concentrar mais em resistir na defesa.

FINAL ‘REPETIDO’

Da mesma maneira que ocorreu no primeiro tempo, o sistema de pressão executado pelo Sampaio Corrêa começou a não funcionar na metade da etapa complementar diante das movimentações executadas por Adilson Batista, especialmente com o fortalecimento do meio-campo na entrada de Mandaca em vaga antes ocupada por Douglas Coutinho.

Com isso, aos poucos os espaços no ataque do Tubarão foram aparecendo e a equipe teve duas oportunidades claras com Caprini, Gustavo Vilar e até mesmo em penalidade sofrida por Matheus Lucas de sacramentar o triunfo. Porém, mesmo sem aproveitar nenhuma delas, o Londrina sustentou o triunfo até o apito derradeiro de Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima.

FICHA TÉCNICA DA PARTIDA
LONDRINA 1 x 0 SAMPAIO CORRÊA

Local: Estádio do Café, em Londrina (PR)
Data e hora: 19/07/2022 – 19h (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima(PE)
Assistentes:​Humberto Martins Dias Silva eFrancisco Chaves Bezerra Junior (PE)
VAR:Gilberto Rodrigues Castro Junior (PE)
Cartões amarelos: Jhonny Lucas, Saimon (LON); Pará (SAM)
Cartões vermelhos:

GOLS: Caprini (33’/1°T) (1-0)

LONDRINA (Técnico: Adilson Batista)

Matheus Nogueira; Samuel Santos (Denilson, no intervalo), Gustavo Vilar, Saimon e Alan Ruschel; João Paulo, Jhonny Lucas, Gegê (Eltinho, aos 35’/2°T) e Caprini (Mirandinha, aos 35’/2°T); Douglas Coutinho (Mandaca, aos 20’/2°T) e Gabriel Santos (Matheus Lucas, aos 13’/2°T).

SAMPAIO CORRÊA (Técnico: Léo Condé)

Gabriel Batista; Pedro Carrerete (Nadson, no intervalo), Gabriel Furtado, Joécio e Pará (Lucas Hipólito, aos 24’/2°T); André Luiz, Ferreira, Lucas Araújo e Renatinho (Andrei, aos 36’/2°T); Gabriel Poveda e Ygor Catatau (Rafael Costa, aos 27’/2°T).