index – Live Soccer Guide

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer not daunted by the top-four challenge

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that he will take one game at a time as the Red Devils seek to close the gap on the top four during the backend of the campaign. The Mancunian giants recently hired Solskjaer as their interim boss following the sacking of Jose Mourinho and the 45-year-old has managed to deliver on his managerial debut after the Red Devils secured a comfortable 5-1 triumph on the road to Cardiff City.

Speaking after the game, Solskjaer highlighted that the team can’t look much forward with the festive schedule underway and he remains optimistic of recovering the eight-point deficit to the final Champions League position occupied by Chelsea, he said: “If we approach all the games like this – and we want them to approach them all like this – with combination play and playing the ball forward then I’ll be happy. We take one game at a time now. We’ve caught up eight or nine points before but we’ve got to go one step at a time. I was proud and humble at the reception from the fans, it has been an emotional all week. But it’s a start and we move on.”
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Wayne Rooney urges main players at Manchester United to step up

Wayne Rooney believes the main players should lead by example for Manchester United in order to avoid further disappointment during the ongoing season. The Red Devils have made a rather average start to the season with just six wins from their opening 12 matches and the run already sees them seven points behind the final Champions League position.

Speaking to MUTV, Rooney highlighted that Jose Mourinho will continue doing his job off the playing field but the onus is on the playing to show a strong character when they are in the game, he said: “Jose can do what I know he’ll be doing – he’ll be working with the team and setting them up. But I think a lot of the responsibility has to go on the players’ shoulders. They go on the pitch, they have to take that responsibility and they have to thrive on it.
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Manchester United boss considering sale of defensive duo

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly considering the sale of defensive duo Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly in the New Year as he aims to bring in fresh faces at the heart of the backline. The Red Devils have experienced an average start to the Premier League season with just 20 points after the opening 12 matches and this has partly come about from the struggles at the back.

According to The Sun, the Portuguese tactician is likely to push through the departures of Rojo and Bailly during the winter transfer window with the focus on signing at least one central defender during that period. It is added that Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng and Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar are among the prime targets who could be under consideration at the turn of the year.
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LALLANA BACK FOR LIVERPOOL

Liverpool need all the support they can get now as the plot to lift a title thickens. Whilst they topped the table in September and August, a resurgent Manchester City side have stolen ahead of them, and now lead by 2 points.

With 11 games gone, there is now brewing excitement as Adam Lallana gets back to his best, following a difficult few months, in which Liverpool have struggled to be the free-flowing unit of 2017/18. He also went in from the bench in their match against Red Star Belgrade in Champions League one month ago, but was not expected to be on the field at all due to injury. Continue reading LALLANA BACK FOR LIVERPOOL

Manchester United could part ways with Romelu Lukaku amid Mourinho’s exit – Burley

ESPN pundit Craig Burley believes Romelu Lukaku could be shown the Old Trafford exit door, should Jose Mourinho be axed from the head coach role at Manchester United. The Belgium international joined the Red Devils from Everton during the 2017 summer transfer window and he has since been the undisputed striker upfront, contributing over 30 goals across all competitions.

Despite this, the Belgian has had his fair share of criticism with the tendency to miss clear-cut chances in games and Burley feels the marksman may not command a regular role, should Mourinho face the axe, he told ESPN: “He’s one of a number of United players that, once Mourinho goes, will have to be outed by the new regime. Whether that be a sporting director or a new manager. He’s a good player but, watching him lately, he’s not making the right runs. I wouldn’t call him a clever striker – he’s big and powerful and gets his ratio of goals. But it’s against the weaker teams.”
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Gary Neville urges Marcus Rashford to continue with Manchester United

Manchester United legend-turned-pundit Gary Neville believes Marcus Rashford should remain patient at Old Trafford despite his reduced gametime under current boss Jose Mourinho. Rashford was the star of the show for England during the international break where he scored against both Spain and Switzerland and this brought about concerns why he cannot command a regular starting role in the Premier League.

However, speaking on Sky Sports, Neville appeared to defend Mourinho’s decision to start Rashford regularly from the bench and feels the attacker must remain patient to take the opportunities that come to him, he said: “Jose thinks the world of Marcus. He’s a huge admirer of him, but he has got his job to do. There is huge competition for places at his club so you can understand that. I understand the difficulties that club managers have. They have to try and win matches. They have to rotate their squads. It’s not my business to interfere with club managers. They have a difficult job to do and they have big squads at the top six, with huge competition for places.”
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Matteo Darmian’s agent appears to rule out summer exit

The representative of Matteo Darmian has suggested that his client may stay put with Manchester United beyond the summer. The Italy international recently admitted that he wants to leave Old Trafford before the transfer deadline but that does not appear a certainty anymore with his asking price proving a stumbling block for interested parties.

In a report covered by Metro, agent Tullio Tinti admitted that United are reluctant to offload the Italian on the cheap and there remains the possibility of the 28-year-old staying put at Old Trafford, he said: “There is hardly a possibility of Manchester United and Mourinho giving up Matteo. So most likely he won’t leave the Premier League and will stay there.”
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Croatia reaches the World Cup final

Luka Modric said that he is delighted with the way his team has performed and that he is happy to have reached the final. He said that it was a tough game against a good opposition and that they had to fight hard in order to win the game.

The Real Madrid midfielder admitted that they started the game badly and that they surrendered control of the game to the English players and that they had to chase the ball a lot. He said that things became worst when they conceded a goal and allowed England to sit back.
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Chris Smalling Pleased With His Big-Game Form

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is pleased with how he has performed in the big matches this season. The England international has not always been a favourite among the club’s supporters but his form since February has been impressive with a couple of match-defining goals along the way.

The centre-back has been part of United’s winning side in the games against Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur in 2018 but his best performance of the lot undoubtedly came against the latter. United secured a 2-1 win over Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday and following the game, Smalling was pleased to have kept Harry Kane quiet on the day. Continue reading

Mourinho Attacks Pogba For TV Interview Interruption

Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho reportedly blasted Paul Pogba after it appeared that the star man interrupted one of his post-game interviews. The Portuguese is under pressure following below par results from the team.

A section of pundits claim the former Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid manager is getting outdated. Mourinho, in response, said the team was “in transitions” hence the inconsistencies. After the 2-1 victory against Liverpool, which eased the pressure as both sides competed for the second place in the league standings, Mourinho was giving a Match of the Day interview. The player stepped into the makeshift studio and congratulated the boss, even as they were rumours of a rift between them.
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