FOOTBALL

Did Tottenham make a mistake not selling Harry Kane?

Published

2 years ago

November 1, 2021

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Harry Kane was an unstoppable force in the Premier League last season.

The Tottenham ace picked up his third Premier League Golden Boot, scoring 23 goals in 35 appearances.

On top of that, he had made 14 assists.

Overall, Kane returned 33 goals and 17 assists across all competitions in the 20/21 season.

Kane struggling this season

In stark contrast to the highs he hit last season, Kane has been struggling to make an impact in the Premier League this time around.

After nine Premier League outings in 21/22, the 28-year-old has scored one goal and assisted another.

If you study Kane’s career trajectory so far, you would find out that this is not the first time he has had a slow start to the season.

That said, the saga that preluded the beginning of the new season compels us to look upon this situation in a whole new light.

Despite Kane’s brilliant performances, Tottenham Hotspur had a forgettable campaign in 20/21.

They finished seventh in the league, suffered premature exits from the Europa League and the FA Cup, and lost in the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City.

Therefore, the Lilywhites’ wait for their first piece of silverware since their 2008 League Cup triumph persisted.

Coming up through the Tottenham Hotspur youth ranks, Kane has been a loyal servant to the North London outfit.

He has spent his entire professional career at Spurs, and as a token of his commitment, he signed a six-year deal in 2018 that will keep him in the club till 2024.

At that time, Tottenham were a promising project.

They had become a top-four regular under Mauricio Pochettino and came close to winning the league in 2017.

A year after Kane signed his contract, Spurs made it to the Champions League final.

But, Pochittino’s ambitious project hit the skids after the Argentine fell out with the Spurs board, citing lack of investment in the squad.

The appointment of Jose Mourinho appeared to be an aspiring move, but it did not work out in the end.

Kane wanted to move out

Tottenham’s lack of success prompted Kane to re-evaluate his decision to stay at the club. Since he was approaching thirty, he concluded that he needed to move on to win trophies.

Kane made no secret of his intentions to leave the club, and at one point, it seemed inevitable that Harry Kane would be playing for a new club after the Euro 2021, with Manchester City emerging as the favourites to win the race for his signature.

But, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy refused to let go of his club’s talisman and turned down an incredible £125 million offer.

Kane did not join the Spurs camp at first, which intensified the transfer talk.

But after weeks of absence and silence, Kane final announced that he would not force his way out and reported for training.

However, Kane has been a shadow of his past self so far this season, making it hard to justify the incredible resolve shown by the Tottenham board in the summer to keep hold of him.

He is losing aerial and physical duels on a regular basis, and he is averaging fewer shots than some defensive midfielders in the division.

After game week 10, Kane ranks 33rd for attempted shots.

In the 2020/21 season, Kane attempted more shots than any other players in the division.

The contrasting stats indicate that Kane has been far less menacing as a forward this season.

Kane’s poor run of form was one of the factors that led to the untimely end of Nuno Espirito Santos’ Tottenham reign.

Can a change in management revive Kane’s attacking instincts? We will find out pretty soon.

If it doesn’t, then Tottenham might have to rethink their stance on the Three Lions captain.

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.