FOOTBALL
EPL: Frank Lampard is a plan horribly gone wrong
When Frank Lampard was re-appointed by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali to replace the sacked Graham Potter until the end of the season, the expectations were low.
The hope was that Lampard’s return would bring positive energy to dispel the gloom around Stamford Bridge and push Chelsea past Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Even if they didn’t progress, Lampard’s institutional knowledge would provide stability while the club searched for a new permanent head coach.
Unfortunately, Lampard’s re-hiring has failed on every front.
Chelsea has lost all five matches, scored only one goal, and the season has flatlined.
The Champions League is gone, morale at the training complex is low, and only Lampard’s legendary status has insulated him from the anger directed at his predecessor.
Mauricio Pochettino’s leverage in talks to succeed Potter is being bolstered every time Chelsea takes to the pitch.
The clamour from some supporters for the new boss to come in before the end of the season is not realistic.
Enthusiasm for being parachuted into Cobham days before a Champions League quarter-final with holders Real Madrid was always limited among Chelsea’s list of candidates.
As the scale of the damage becomes clearer with every subsequent loss, why would anyone else choose to be tainted by association with this season?
Lampard did accept the potential boost to his reputation of reviving Chelsea’s flagging campaign and the professional risk of failing to do so.
But the five defeats have worn on his demeanour, and his game plan against Brentford did not scream belief.
Despite this, Lampard is defiant.
“I’m very proud to manage here and I’ve been in similar situations,” Lampard said.
“I came here in a difficult moment before and we had big success in my first year. I went to Everton, I had a challenge to stay in the league, I stayed in the league.”
He persisted with his formation that made Madrid uncomfortable for a while in the second leg but failed to account for the fact that Brentford does not play like the reigning champions.
Lampard’s introductions of Mykhailo Mudryk and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the interval at least enabled Chelsea to look like a purposeful attacking team with the ball, but it was too little too late.
Chelsea’s remaining six fixtures are tough, with matches against all of the current top four and two sides fighting relegation.
It’s hard to see where the points will come from when even goals appear beyond this team.
Pochettino is the most proven candidate left on Chelsea’s shortlist and clearly the preferred choice.
Boehly and Eghbali would be wise to rubber-stamp that agreement sooner rather than later.
In his post-match media duties, Lampard said he was not worried about the short term, but he wanted to win games.
He understood the problems as to why they were not winning games, and he knew that belief took time and work. But the problem was that his game plan did not exactly scream belief either.
The season has been excruciating for Chelsea, with hits to their credibility, and Boehly and Eghbali cannot afford for the most proven candidate to walk away.
There is confidence on all sides that Pochettino will be Potter’s permanent successor, but Chelsea’s priority now is to end the season on a high note, regroup, and come back stronger next season.
Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.
Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.
Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –
🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:
“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”
(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC
— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024
“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.
Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo
On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.
With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.
England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.
In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.
Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.
Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC
— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024
“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.
“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.
“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.
We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti
“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”
“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”
FOOTBALL
PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby
Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.
While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.
Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.
MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details
Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24
Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Date and Time – 3rd March 2024, 21:00 IST
Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star
MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head
Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.
MCFC vs MUFC – Likely XI
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Akanji, Rodri, De Bruyne, Silva, Alvarez, Haaland, Foden
Manchester United: Onana, Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Amrabat, Casemiro, Manioo, McTominay, Fernandes, Rashford, Garnacho
MCFC vs MUFC – Fantasy XI
Grand League Team
Goal Keeper – E Moraes
Defenders – M Akanji, K Walker, H Maguire
Mid Fielders – Kevin De Bruyne, B Fernandes, R Hernandez, Casemiro
Forwards – E Haaland (VC), J Alvarez, M Rashford (C)
MCFC vs MUFC, PL 2024 Dream11, Grand League (Source: X)
Head-to-Head Team
Goal Keeper – S Ortega
Defenders – M Akanji, K Walker, R Varane
Mid Fielders – K De Bruyne (C), B Fernandes (VC), B Silva, Casemiro
Forwards – E Haaland, J Alvarez, M Rashford
MCFC vs MUFC, PL 2024 Dream11, Head to Head (Source: X)
Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry star in RCB women’s comeback win against UP Warriorz in WPL 2024
WATCH: Ellyse Perry in disbelief as her six breaks car’s window
Praveen Kumar addresses Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s negligence of taking part in Ranji Trophy
Salaries of all skippers in IPL 2024
‘The sledging came from two guys’ – Naveen-ul-Haq talks about infamous LSG vs RCB IPL 2023 match which saw fight between him, Virat Kohli, and Gautam Gambhir
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