FOOTBALL

Everton’s poor run, not Lampard’s fault

Published

2 years ago

March 30, 2022

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Everton find themselves in a relegation dogfight with eleven matches to play in the Premier League.

The Toffees have been on a downward spiral over the last few decades; they are no longer the giants they used to be back in the 80s.

But, they have been everpresent in the Premier League and did not go down from the English top-flight in 68 years.

Championship football would be a new level of low for the Merseyside outfit.

But is Lampard’s fault?

Frank Lampard took charge of the club on January 31 but failed to turn their fortune.

Since taking over, he has overseen ten matches across all competitions and won four games.

The 1-0 victory over Newcastle United last week was only his second win as an Everton manager in the Premier League.

Currently, Lampard has two Premier League wins as an Everton manager opposed to five defeats.

Everton sit 17th on the Premier League table at the moment.

They have two games in hand on Watford, who occupy the first spot of the relegation zone in 18th, and are three points ahead of the Hornets.

That said, the upcoming fixtures are unmerciful for Everton, with trips to Liverpool, Arsenal, West Ham, and Leicester are yet to come.

So, the possibility of Watford leapfrogging Everton is not considerably low.

Lampard has had no time

Does Frank Lampard deserve the blame for Everton’s present situation?

It’s been barely two months since he has taken over at the club.

The team is not doing any better than it did under Rafa Benitez.

So, why shouldn’t Everton fans hold Lampard culpable for their miseries?

First of all, Everton pulled the plug on Benitez too late.

Lampard joined the club on the deadline day of the winter transfer window.

He did not have much time to make signings. He did bring in Dele Alli and Donny Van De Beek. Both of them have been below par until now, but you have to cut Lampard some slack since they were last-minute signings.

Beset with injuries

Everton’s 21/22 Premier League campaign has been marred with injuries. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is yet to recover his goalscoring form after returning from a lengthy ankle injury layoff.

Key players Richarlison, Andre Gomes, and Yerri Mina have also missed a lot of games because of injuries.

The defence has been the Achilles Heel for Everton this season.

Rafa Benitez set up his team with a conservative approach, yet Everton were shipping a large number of goals regularly, which ultimately led to his dismissal.

During his Chelsea tenure, we have seen Frank Lampard implementing a more attacking brand of football, which is a bizarre fit for a team flirting with relegation.

Everton needed to go for someone who could steady the ship by fixing the defence.

A great job at Chelsea

Frank Lampard guided Chelsea to the top four in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

It was a remarkable feat since the Blues were going through a transfer ban, and they did not get to replace the talismanic Eden Hazard, who had left for Real Madrid the previous summer.

But, Lampard did it mostly by outscoring the opponents. Chelsea conceded 54 goals that season, the highest among teams finishing in the top 10.

Rafa Benitez was a misfit for Everton, not only for his Liverpool legacy but also for the type of players Everton had in their squad.

Strange decisions

A solid argument could be made that Everton could have had a better start to the season if they had a more lively style of play. So, appointing Lampard before the season had begun would have made more sense.

Everton’s present situation is a culmination of poor management and administrative decisions over the past few years.

Frank Lampard came in too late to reverse the situation. So even if Everton fail to escape the drop, Lampard should not be the one brought under scrutiny.

As the man said himself, he doesn’t have a ‘’magic wand to wave’’ and make Everton’s problems disappear overnight.

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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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.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

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

Published

2 months ago

March 2, 2024

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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 – 3^rd 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.