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The penultimate Premier League fixtures for big-name contenders Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City were postponed for three consecutive days in the final week of the season after the latest circular of calendar changes.
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Postponement of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City matches marks 3 crucial days in Premier League name race
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Chelsea will officially finalise the acquisition of Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions adjacent to Stamford Bridge on Thursday, veterans charity Stoll announced.
The club’s bid selected from 12 competing bids for the 1. 9-acre site in July 2023, and the sale was greenlit through Stoll’s board of directors in October after a consultation period.
The contracts will now be swapped for a land deal that expands Stamford Bridge’s footprint for any potential stadium redevelopments; Chelsea assets led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have yet to finalize and talk about a plan for the project.
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Chelsea gets a boost in Stamford Bridge redevelopment after completing purchase of Stoll Mansions
Harvey Elliott hopes his form at Liverpool will allow him to join the England squad for this summer’s European Championship.
The 21-year-old midfielder has enjoyed one season, registering 44 appearances in all competitions for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Elliott has also shone as a striker for Lee Carsley’s England Under-21s but has yet to be called up to the senior squad.
“I don’t have any (conversations with Gareth Southgate) at the moment. My main priority is Liverpool,” Elliott said.
“If I do it in Liverpool, you never know what’s going to happen.
“With the England Under-21 team, I’m very pleased to be my country. For me, it’s about focusing on Liverpool and if I’m called up at the end of the season I’ll be very satisfied, honoured and I’m fit to go. But that’s not going to happen if I don’t get the performances here.
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Aston Villa will have Matty Cash and Clement Lenglet as strikers for the first leg of their UEFA Conference League quarter-final against Lille on Thursday.
Cash suffered a hamstring injury while on an overseas assignment with Poland in March and remains unavailable. Meanwhile, Lenglet took a knock last week and was left out of the squad in the 3-3 draw against Brentford.
“(Tyrone) Mings and (Emiliano) Buendia are progressing well and will be on the pitch,” Emery said. “(Jacob) Ramsey and (Boubacar) Kamara are out for the whole season.
“Cash still works on his own and is about to start his education with us. Lenglet has a small problem, but we won’t have it tomorrow. And (Calum) Chambers is not on the (Conference League team) list. “
Villa will host their first European quarter-final in 26 years, before travelling to Arsenal on Sunday. “If we’re in a press conference to communicate about tomorrow’s game,” Emery said. “But communicating about Sunday’s game, then it’s no use. “For us, it’s not for anyone. I’m just going to go to tomorrow’s game.
Jurgen Klopp says no final decision has been made on whether the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker or Diogo Jota will be involved in Liverpool’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Atalanta on Thursday.
The trio took part in an event in Kirkby on Tuesday after long periods of absence.
Alexander-Arnold has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in early February, with goalkeeper Alisson missing the last thirteen games in all competitions after rupturing his hamstring in training. Meanwhile, Jota has been out for two months with a knee problem against Brentford. .
Klopp said: “So obviously we didn’t rush with the guys. We haven’t done that yet, which means they worked out a lot on their own, especially Diogo and Trent, (they) worked in an organization for two or three weeks. “To be honest, they seemed really smart. Alisson is also on his way back, so we want to see that.
“Now they’re back in education and now we have to look at how we engage them and how we use them. Of course, we want it, but we want them in the most productive way imaginable and we want to give them some rhythm.
“It’s always a challenge to try to get guys back. With their quality, it deserves to be easier and we’ll be using them in the coming days and weeks, but that means I haven’t made a decision yet. “”.
Pau Torres believes Aston Villa want to keep striker Jonathan David quiet if they want to qualify for the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League.
David has scored 16 goals in his last 17 games, a central component of coach Paulo Fonseca’s attacking plans. Torres, speaking ahead of Villa’s equaliser on Thursday night, called Canada’s foreigner a key player to watch.
“He’s Lille’s most vital player,” said the 27-year-old. “They’ve given him strength and speed, he’s a very intelligent player. I also like centre-back (Leny) Yoro, he’s a very intelligent young player. .
Along with the first leg at home, the stopover in Lille marks a decisive time in Villa’s season, who arrived at Arsenal four days later. Torres, who suffered an injury earlier in the year, insisted the players will be physically prepared to deal with the requests.
“I had an ankle injury for a month and a half, but now I’m starting to feel better,” he said. “I think we have a very smart team and a very smart team with enough players to play 100 per cent each and every game in any of the competitions. This week is a very, very difficult week, but we have to take it game by game and keep fighting.
“For me, both competitions are very important. We want to live with our fans. After 26 years of quarter-finals at home, we want to play more matches with them (the fans). We’re working on it. This month and a part is the most important and we want each and every player to be focused.
“(Unai) Emery is really enjoying this competition. He knows how to analyse each and every one of the matches of the other groups very well. When the game starts, we know exactly how the warring sides are going to play. It’s a very smart assist for us. “
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Stuart Dallas has announced his retirement at the age of 32.
The former Leeds United and Northern Ireland player has played since fracturing his right femur in a Premier League match against Manchester City in April 2022.
Dallas returned to first-team education in September, 18 months after the incident, but said Wednesday that he “now has to come to terms with the fact that my knee has been irreparably damaged” and that playing again is not possible.
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Leeds’ Stuart Dallas announces retirement due to leg injury at age 32
Former England midfielder Danny Murphy has revealed he became addicted to cocaine after his career in the game ended.
Murphy, who represented Crewe Alexandra, Liverpool, Charlton Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham and Blackburn Rovers before retiring in 2013, also revealed that he had gone through an era of hashish use.
“When you’re not playing football, the disruptions are huge,” Murphy said on the Ben Heath podcast. “When you play football, the adrenaline and dopamine, all those things keep you going and energized.
“I was doing cocaine and smoking marijuana. Maybe I’ll live without this drink. He was not an alcoholic. I can be in a space with alcohol and not drink it. “
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Danny Murphy: Former England and Liverpool midfielder says he became addicted to cocaine after retiring
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says Phil Foden is “fine” after picking up a knock in last night’s 3-3 draw against Real Madrid, while Kevin De Bruyne has been dropped from the starting XI due to illness.
He put the game on the back foot at the Bernabéu and scored a magnificent goal in the 66th minute to make it 2-2.
But the English foreigner was sent off in the 87th minute after a hard tackle by Eduardo Camavinga.
“It’s a hard blow,” Guardiola said after the game. “He got mad at me when I made a change, which means it’s OK. “
On De Bruyne, who was an unused substitute in the game, Guardiola added: “In the last game at the hotel he was playing. He didn’t say anything to me.
“But it felt bad and bad. I vomited when I arrived. He didn’t feel smart playing.
City, who are one point behind Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League title race, host Luton Town on Saturday before the second leg against Madrid next Wednesday.
There will be no flags at the Kop for the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final between Liverpool and Atalanta at Anfield on Thursday in protest against emerging ticket prices.
Last week, Liverpool announced a 2% increase in the cost of season tickets and membership tickets for the 2024-25 season, prompting a backlash from supporter groups, with Spirit of Shankly accusing Liverpool of failing to engage in “meaningful consultation” and warn that unwavering enthusiasts are “slowly being pushed out of their normal attendance”.
Spion Kop 1906, which organizes the banners and flags of the Kop, must act so that the club’s owners understand.
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Aston Villa and England striker Rachel Daly has announced her retirement from football.
The 32-year-old England national team player who won the European Championship in 2022 and reached the 2023 World Cup final in back-to-back summers.
Daly won 84 caps for the Lionesses and scored 16 goals in an eight-year career abroad.
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England’s Rachel Daly announces her retirement from football
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Manchester United Women have presented a new contract to manager Marc Skinner.
Terms have yet to be agreed, however, the two sides continue to talk and need to reach an agreement with Skinner’s existing contract expiring at the end of this season.
It’s United’s second decision to deal with the women’s team since new co-owner INEOS took over the club’s football operations after buying a minority stake in the Glazer family for $1. 3 billion, following the appointment of Matt Johnson as head coach of the women’s team. team. football provisionally last month.
The decision to offer Skinner an extension was made through United’s existing football management, under the supervision of INEOS. Sir Dave Brailsford, INEOS’ sporting director, has been at United since February, while Andy O’Boyle, United’s deputy director of football since May. 2022, she already oversees the women’s team in her role and will continue to do so alongside Johnson.
John Murtough had worked as United’s director of football, a position that included the women’s team, and leaves the club this week after more than 10 years in Manchester.
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Liverpool have gained a lot of momentum with the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, Diogo Jota and Stefan Bajcetic to team training.
The quartet attended Tuesday’s consultation in Kirkby after long periods of absence as attention turned to Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final first leg at home to Atalanta.
Vice-captain Alexander-Arnold has played since suffering a knee injury in early February, while goalkeeper Alisson has missed the last thirteen games in all competitions after rupturing his hamstring in training.
Jota has been sidelined for two months with a knee injury suffered against Brentford and Bajcetic, who spent his physical training with the club’s under-21 team last week, has not played since September due to developing pain.
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UEFA has come under fire from Football Supporters Europe (FSE) after it showed on Tuesday that tickets would be awarded for the 2024 men’s Champions League and Europa League finals.
It has been announced that for this year’s Champions League final, which will take place at Wembley on 1 June, each team involved will be allocated 25,000 tickets out of the 86,000 available in total.
The remaining tickets will go on sale to enthusiasts around the world.
For this season’s Europa League final, which will be held at the Dublin Arena in the Republic of Ireland on 22 May, the two clubs that advance to this level will receive 12,000 tickets out of the 48,000 available.
FSE has questioned the allocation of tickets to club fans and has called on UEFA to increase the number of tickets available.
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Xavi says he has a “great relationship” with Luis Enrique after the Paris Saint-Germain coach earlier said his love of football epitomised Barcelona better than the former midfielder’s current team.
The two will meet on Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
Luis Enrique spent 8 years at Barcelona as a player and another 3 as a coach, winning La Liga and Champions League titles in his first year in charge, in what was Xavi’s last season as a Barça player.
He won eight major trophies after taking over as coach in 2014, opting for an attacking, fluid and possession-based style of football.
Asked which of the two coaches represents Barcelona’s style, Luis Enrique replied: “Me, without a doubt. Look at the data, the possession, the scoring chances, the maximum pressure. . .
“Look at the titles, the trophies. It’s not an opinion, it’s data. Definitely me! Others would possibly have a different opinion. “
Xavi, who won the league title in his first full season in charge, tried to play down the message of superiority before the match at the Parc des Princes.
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Leah Williamson says the idea of returning to England helped her after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
The 27-year-old centre-back made her first appearance for her country in 364 days against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin, after tearing her ACL while playing for Arsenal 12 months ago.
She was forced to miss the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where European champion Sarina Wiegman reached the final.
When asked what he was given through his rehab, he replied, “That. I had my eyes on it. These days, with the LCA, we hope to come back healthy, but I tried to be smart enough to play for England again. “.
“The criteria are very high and the players who have been here have done excellently. That’s the concept and I felt like today is the culmination of this journey. “
Goals from Lauren James and Alex Greenwood helped England win what could become three points in Euro 2025 qualifying.
They are now in second place among Group A3 leaders France, who have won two out of two.
When asked how much he enjoyed being back, Williamson replied: “Honestly, IArray likes to bet on England.
“When I put this badge on, I feel 10 times bigger, 10 times stronger. I don’t know. Women are a wonderful organization and I enjoyed every moment of it. “
England will be next to face France at St James’ Park on May 31.
Sarina Wiegman expressed delight when England claimed their first win in qualifying for the 2025 European Championship by beating the Republic of Ireland 2-0, but said there is room for improvement.
After their 1-1 draw with Sweden at Wembley 4 days ago in their Group A3 opener, the reigning European champions took an early lead thanks to an early goal from Lauren James. Alex Greenwood extended the lead with a penalty kick in the 18th minute. while she also hit the post before the break.
In the second half, Fran Kirthrough’s shot went brilliantly past Courtney Brosnan, while England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, determined against Mary Earps, decisively saved a Caitlin Hayes header.
Wiegman, quoted by Reuters, said: “I think we completely dominated the first half.
“We were 2-0 up, but I think we deserved to have led more. I think sometimes we deserved to have been stricter with the ball, more confident in creating the big chance, and right before the chance, we were rarely a little bit sloppy, I think we played well.
“In the second half, we did well at times, but then they gained momentum and we fought a little bit and they made it a genuine fight.
“But I think what we showed was that we wanted, as a team, to keep a blank and that we were capable of fighting as well. That’s what we’ll take with us for the next games, so I’m satisfied with the win. “.
“We know they (France) are at the highest level, so we have to be at our highest level. We have to do it all the time, first because we need to and second, because if we need to stay on top, then we have to develop. “
Harry Kane was convinced that his “search” paid off with his penalty against Arsenal in the Champions League.
The England captain scored Bayern Munich’s second goal from the penalty spot – the former Tottenham player’s record-breaking sixth goal at the Emirates Stadium.
Kane brought the ball home with ease after David Raya moved early and Kane later revealed that he expected the goalkeeper to reach him.
“It was once that I did some studies on his matches against Porto,” he told TNT Sports.
“It’s great to see him leave early and make it easier for me. “
Leandro Trossard’s equaliser ensured that everything will be better when the two teams meet in the second leg next week.
“It’s a tough game,” Kane said. Of course, we’re never satisfied when we don’t win.
“You’ve noticed it in the last few years, Arsenal have tried so hard to win the league and they’re the most sensible in the league for a reason.