FOOTBALL

Frenkie de Jong and Barcelona: What’s next?

Published

2 years ago

October 1, 2022

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One of the biggest transfer sagas we have witnessed in the last summer transfer window is Frenkie de Jong’s potential move to Manchester United from Barcelona.

Barcelona were keen to offload the Dutch midfielder, and the Red Devils were eager to add De Jong to their roaster. But, the 25-year-old rejected the chance to reunite with his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag at Man United and chose to remain a Barca player, much to the dismay of the Barcelona administration.

At one point, it seemed that Barcelona would do whatever it takes to get Frenkie de Jong out of the club.

It was far from a pretty sight as it appeared that the Catalonians were trying to get rid of the player to avoid paying him the €17 million they owed him in deferred wages.

Why Barca wanted to dump Frenkie

Why did Barcelona want to send Frenkie de Jong packing so desperately?

They had spent €75 million to secure his services a few years back.

What went so wrong that Barcelona have identified the Netherlands international as a write-off?

Barcelona viewed De Jong as their most lucrative saleable asset to ease up their wage bill and get more financial leeway to strengthen their squad.

It was no secret that Barcelona entered the last transfer window with severe financial constraints.

So, the Barcelona administration wanted to sell De Jong for a high price and reuse that money to bring in players who fit into their current plans better.

De Jong came to Barcelona as one of the most exciting midfield prospects in the world. While there were glimpses of his immense talent over the past few years at Camp Nou, Frenkie de Jong could not achieve consistency.

The rise of Gavi and Pedri displaced him as an automatic pick in central midfield. He did not fare well as a central defensive midfielder too.

Barcelona did not see the need for such an expensive central midfield backup.

So, they wanted to sell him to a club that was willing to pay a handsome transfer fee. But, the transfer fell apart since De Jong was adamant about staying at Barcelona.

Xavi’s experiments with Frenkie

Since De Jong is staying at the club till January at least, Barcelona manager Xavi deployed him in a new role.

We have seen the Dutchman playing as a midfield pivot, and he seemed to be enjoying the role. If De Jong can carry on his progress, he could eventually become Sergio Busquet’s replacement in the middle of the park.

Barcelona already have an excellent defensive midfielder option in Franck Kessié.

But the former AC Milan star is more of an old-school defensive midfielder. De Jong has been playing as a deep-lying playmaker like Manchester City’s Rodri or Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos. For a high press, high possession system, De Jong makes more sense as the midfielder anchor than Franck Kessié.

What does this development mean for Frenkie de Jong’s future at Barcelona?

Is it water under the bridge?

Despite the horrific treatment he got from the Barca administration, will De Jong choose to extend his stay beyond the summer of 2023, when his contract expires?

We have already seen an unbelievable comeback story under Xavi.

He persuaded Ousmane Dembélé to renew after the Frenchman’s camp and Barcelona publicly expressed their disapproval of each other.

If De Jong can reimagine himself as a regista completely, we believe Xavi will be eager to keep hold of him.

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.