world cup sports update

Zinedine Zidane praised the impact Lucas Da Cunha has had in France's midfield during this international break. Da Cunha started against both Belgium and Italy in the Nations League, with Les Bleus winning the first match 1-0 before drawing 1-1 with the Azzurri on Friday. Against Belgium, Da Cunha won possession more often than any other France player (six times), while also recording the second-most touches (97) and successful passes (83). He then created the most chances of any player at the Stade de France on Friday (four), also completing 82 of his 85 passes (96.5%). However, Da Cunha was involved in the mistake which led to Italy's equaliser, as Alessandro Bastoni pounced on a mix-up between the Como midfielder and Adrien Rabiot. Nevertheless, Zidane defended the 25-year-old and focused on the positives from his two performances during this break. "Football is about trying to make as few mistakes as possible. I'm not going to get into the question of whose...

Whilst Everton will be quick to point out that he who laughs last shall laugh hardest now that Manchester City have been found guilty by the Premier League just a month after Iliman Ndiaye's big-money move, they should still hold plenty of regret. from Football FanCast https://ift.tt/I8BlEv4 via IFTTT

Slaven Bilic believes Croatia must "take special care" of Luka Modric as they prepare to face England in the Nations League. Croatia started their Nations League campaign with a 2-1 win over Czechia before losing 4-1 to Spain last time out. Modric opened the scoring in their win over Czechia, which was also the first goal of Bilic's second tenure with the national team. The 41-year-old was used as a late substitute against Spain, with the world champions comfortably leading at the time of his introduction. Bilic insisted they will monitor Modric's minutes, but is confident the AC Milan midfielder can make an impact for Croatia. "Of course, as with many other players, we have to be mindful of his workload, which is why we take special care of him," said Bilic. "He is simply unique. The old saying is that age is just a number, but with him, it really seems that way and he proves it. Punim srcem, snažno, za Hrvatsku!   #HrabarBroj #NationsLe...

For Florian Wirtz, Philippe Coutinho is arguably the benchmark at Liverpool when it comes to modern-day attacking midfielders, the Brazilian having been immense during his Anfield pomp. from Football FanCast https://ift.tt/1FlXWNV via IFTTT

Fred has called former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag "a piece of crap" for the way he managed the squad. Ten Hag was appointed United boss in June 2022 and went on to win the FA Cup and EFL Cup before being sacked in October 2024. The 56-year-old won 70 of his 128 matches in charge (D23 L35), while also losing the FA Cup final in 2022-23. Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, only Jose Mourinho (58.3%) and Michael Carrick (58.3%) have had a better win percentage than Ten Hag (54.7%) among permanent Manchester United managers. Although he praised Ten Hag's tactical knowledge, Fred slammed the Dutch coach's man-management skills. "Ten Hag was tactically very good, but with the group he was a piece of crap," Fred said on the Charla Podcast. "He argued with everyone. He argued with me, with Cristiano [Ronaldo], with Casemiro, with Rashford … He wouldn't put me in to play, sometimes it got stressful. "[With Ten Hag] Only his ...

Juventus has revived its interest in Pierre-Emile Højbjerg as it looks for an experienced midfield addition in January, according to Filippo Cornacchia of La Gazzetta dello Sport . The Marseille midfielder is being considered to help cover captain Manuel Locatelli’s absence. The report says Juventus wants a player who can provide leadership for Luciano Spalletti and believes it can persuade the 31-year-old to consider a move. Marseille reportedly no longer regards Højbjerg as unavailable, while Fiorentina is also following his situation. A departure for Teun Koopmeiners would make a Juventus approach easier, although no agreement or formal offer is reported. Højbjerg’s position at Marseille remains significant. He has started all six of his appearances this season and scored once, with coach Bruno Genesio continuing to rely on him. His contract runs until 2028. The Denmark international came close to joining Newcastle during the summer before deciding against the move. That decisio...