FOOTBALL

João Félix: An Excellent Signing, But Can He Save Chelsea’s Season?

Published

1 year ago

January 10, 2023

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Amid a stream of negativity, Chelsea fans finally have something to cheer about.

The Blues have beaten Arsenal and Manchester United to secure the signing of João Félix from Atlético de Madrid.

The Portuguese youngster will spend the next six months on loan at Stamford Bridge and try to bolster the Chelsea attack that has scored fewer goals than Erling Haaland so far this season.

From a financial perspective, the deal doesn’t make much sense.

Chelsea will pay a whopping £11 million to Atlético Madrid in loan fees. They will spend a further £6 million on wages. Chelsea will spend £17 million for a player who might not stay at the club beyond June because they don’t have a buying clause on the contract.

But desperate times call for desperate measures!

Chelsea are currently 10th in the table. Fourth-placed Manchester United are 10 points clear of them, and league leaders Arsenal have a 19-point cushion between them and their London neighbours.

Graham Potter’s men suffered a humiliating exit from the FA Cup 3rd Round as Manchester City cruised to an effortless 4-0 victory against them.

Chelsea have scored only 20 goals in the Premier League so far. No other team in the top 10 have scored less.

Romelu Lukaku’s expensive return at the Bridge did not work out, Kai Havertz remains as inconsistent as he has been since his Chelsea arrival. Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount-Chelsea have an abundance of attacking talents on paper, but none of them is clicking at the moment.

Can João Félix change that?

The fact that he has never hit double digits in the league since his big-money move at Atlético Madrid does not cause much enthusiasm.

Still, judging him for his unsuccessful stint at the Wanda Metropolitano would be harsh. He had an impressive World Cup campaign with Portugal.

He scored once and made two assists in four matches for Os Navegadores. Félix could not suit the profile of the ideal Diego Simeone striker at Atlético Madrid.

But will he fit better at Chelsea?

What are João Félix’s strengths as an attacker? He is an elite dribbler and has an excellent eye for a pass. This season he averaged only 46 minutes of game time with Colchoneros but still managed to make seven goal contributions.

However, he does not thrive at transitions.

Diego Simeone relies on transitional plays to snatch results, but João Félix does not suit that style very much. Simeone prefers forwards who can bulldoze through the defence with quick runs.

The scoring formula is to be at the end of crosses flying in, pick up the pieces inside a tumultuous opposition box, or take the ball and make it through the defence.

João Félix loves to receive the ball at his feet and combine with other forwards to break into the opposition box.

At Atlético Madrid, he doesn’t have the technical foundation of a world-class number 10 and skilful wingers to maximize his output. Unfortunately, Chelsea don’t have that at the moment either.

João Félix is still an upgrade to Kai Havertz in the number nine position since he is more dynamic in possession.

He is more comfortable playing against the press, and he has the ability to carry the ball forward. But all these attributes would suit better in a team that is comfortable keeping the ball.

Graham Potter’s Chelsea is still a work in progress.

They are yet to become a team that can naturally dominate possession in games. So, Félix might not hit the ground right away.

But if they can build the right system around him, João Félix could become the saving grace Chelsea desperately needs to salvage their season.

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.