Latest news with #ErlingHaaland
The Independent
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Nominees for PFA Player of the Year announced
& Will Castle Mohamed Salah leads a six-player shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year award. Erling Haaland was notably excluded from the nominations despite scoring 22 goals this season. Salah was instrumental in Liverpool's Premier League title success, contributing 29 goals and 18 assists. The shortlist also includes Alexis Mac Allister, Declan Rice, Cole Palmer, Alexander Isak, and Bruno Fernandes. The PFA awards ceremony is scheduled to be held in Manchester on 19 August. Erling Haaland snubbed again as Liverpool duo leads PFA Player of the Year shortlist
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Club World Cup fans can watch every game free by doing one thing
The new-look FIFA Club World Cup sees 32 of the best club sides from around the globe going head to head, including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich The Premier League may have wrapped up for the summer, but there's a new footballing spectacle filling the void until next season. The new-look FIFA Club World Cup is taking place in the USA, bringing together the world's top club sides in a month-long tournament. It marks the first Club World Cup in its revamped and expanded format, with the competition now boasting 32 of the top clubs from the six continental confederations. The line-up includes teams from Europe, the USA, South America, Africa and Asia, with Manchester City and Chelsea representing the UK. Other heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Juventus and Bayern Munich all feature alongside the likes of Inter Miami, Boca Juniors, River Plate and Mamelodi Sundowns. In addition to top-tier teams, there are also some big names playing in the tournament, including Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé. A week into the tournament, and there have already been some cracking fixtures, as Bayern Munich demolished amateur side Auckland City 10-0 on Sunday in a record score for the Club World Cup. On Wednesday, Trent Alexander-Arnold was denied a perfect start to his Real Madrid career as Los Blancos were held to a deserved 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal. The competition's 32 teams have been divided into eight groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the knock-out stages, with a total of 63 matches to be played through to the final on July 13, reports the Mirror. Another fascinating aspect of the Club World Cup is its host venues; the games are being played across 12 US stadiums, with some iconic locations including Los Angeles' Rose Bowl and Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field – home of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles. Watch the Club World Cup free on DAZN £0 DAZN Get DAZN here Product Description But as every game takes place in the USA, there is a time difference for fans tuning in from the UK. Select fixtures kick off in the early hours, so fans will have to stay up late– or get up early – to catch some of the games. However, fans hoping to catch all the action can stream every fixture for free on DAZN if they do one simple thing. How to stream every Club World Cup game for free DAZN is the exclusive global broadcaster of the FIFA Club World Cup and is letting fans stream every game live if they set up a free DAZN account. There's also the option to upgrade to DAZN Premium, with 30-day rolling or 12-month options available from £9.99 thanks to a new limited-time offer. Premium subscribers can stream all the Club World Cup action with HDR picture quality and Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, plus highlights, replays, fewer adverts and full access to the rest of the DAZN platform. Both the free and paid-for subscriptions also provide access to a host of documentaries, features and classic clips from tournaments gone by, as well as closer looks at the top players and host cities. Football fans can tailor their account to follow specific teams and players from the current tournament, ensuring they don't miss a moment of the action. They can also stay up to date with real-time group tables and brackets. DAZN boasts a stacked punditry team with some legends of the game, perhaps most notably the Brazilian icon Ronaldo. Other big names include John Obi Mikel, Sami Khedira, Callum Wilson and Christian Vieri, with commentary from Conor McNamara, Andros Townsend, Brad Friedel, Rob Green and more. DAZN is accessible at home or on the move with the DAZN App on smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, streaming devices and any device with an internet browser. For those who aren't keen on another subscription, DAZN has sublicensed select matches to Channel 5, meaning select games will be broadcast on both DAZN and 5. But the only way to watch every Club World Cup match is to register with DAZN. What are the upcoming Club World Cup fixtures? What's interesting about the FIFA Club World Cup is the match-up between teams that would never usually play together. In no other competition would fans see a New Zealand team come up against the titans of Europe, but that's exactly what's on offer across the Club World Cup. A selection of interesting clashes includes Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors (June 21), Seattle Sounders vs PSG (June 23), Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan HD (June 25) and Red Bull Salzburg vs Real Madrid (June 27). But for fans keeping a close eye on the Premier League teams, here are Man City and Chelsea's remaining group stage fixtures: Chelsea Flamengo vs Chelsea – June 20, 7pm KO Espérance de Tunis vs Chelsea – June 25, 2am KO Manchester City Man City vs Al Ain – June 23, 2am KO Juventus vs Man City – June 26, 8pm KO Fans can register with DAZN here to watch every game live and for free.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Erling Haaland snubbed again as Liverpool duo leads PFA Player of the Year shortlist
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah leads a six-player shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year award as Erling Haaland is snubbed once again. The Egyptian was instrumental in the Reds' Premier League title success last season, scoring 29 goals and adding 18 assists. Earlier this year he was voted Footballer of the Year by the FWA, and will now be favourite to win the vote of his peers. Haaland, meanwhile, has missed out on the nominations despite hitting 22 goals this season, the third best of any player in the league. The Norwegian, who won the award in 2022-23, was also a notable omission in the Premier League Player of the Year shortlist. Instead, Salah is joined on the shortlist by team-mate Alexis Mac Allister, Arsenal 's Declan Rice, Cole Palmer of Chelsea, Newcastle striker Alexander Isak and Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes. Mac Allister was a key part of Liverpool's midfield, playing 35 times and contributing five goals and five assists. Palmer won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for 2023-24 and while he arguably did not hit the same heights for the Blues last season, he still hit 15 goals and helped Chelsea win the Conference League. Rice starred in midfield for Arsenal, hitting a career-high nine goals while adding 10 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions. Isak was a key part of Newcastle's success in qualifying for the Champions League and winning the Carabao Cup, hitting 23 goals for the Magpies. Fernandes was a shining light in a largely disappointing campaign for Manchester United. He provided eight league goals and 10 assists for the Red Devils. The announcement comes after the nominations for the PFA Young Player of the Year award were announced, which included Arsenal duo Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, new Chelsea striker Liam Delap, Aston Villa 's Morgan Rogers, Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez and ex-Cherries defender Dean Huijsen, who just completed a move to Real Madrid. This year's awards ceremony will be held in Manchester on August 19. PA
New York Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Why Bernardo Silva is the ideal captain for Pep Guardiola's new-look Manchester City
Changes are afoot at Manchester City this summer but the news that Bernardo Silva has become club captain shows us certain fundamentals will stay the same. With four pre-Club World Cup signings completed in recent weeks and significant ins and outs among the backroom staff, there already feels like a new energy around the club after the disappointment of a season where they did not win a major trophy domestically or in Europe. Advertisement And in fact, even the method of choosing City's captains hints at a fresh approach. For years, manager Pep Guardiola has left the matter of who wears the skipper's armband up to a vote among his players and, at times, other personnel within the first-team structure. But he has introduced another new approach this summer. 'I didn't like what happened last season and I decided this season who will represent the team,' Guardiola said on Tuesday at his pre-match media session in Philadelphia, ahead of City's 2-0 win against Wydad of Morocco at the Club World Cup. Guardiola also decided weeks ago to add striker Erling Haaland to the leadership group, which seems to be at least partly motivated by developing the 24-year-old Norwegian's off-pitch contributions, and he will be helped by more obvious leaders among the group, such as Ruben Dias and Rodri. The main captain, though, will be Bernardo Silva, fulfilling a 2019 prophecy from Vincent Kompany, at the end of the Belgian defender's time as City skipper. 'I say to Bernardo often, 'You are 50 per cent clown, 50 per cent leader',' he said at the time. 'When he becomes 25 per cent clown, 75 per cent leader he will become the captain of this team.' Six years on, that day has now arrived, with the boyish Portuguese midfielder, traditionally the butt of the dressing-room jokes, graduating to senior figure a couple of months before he turns 31. The decision has also confirmed that, despite links with a return to boyhood club Benfica or a move to Saudi Arabia's Pro League, Bernardo will be staying at least for this season, which is the final year remaining on his current contract. With Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne leaving the club this summer, and some potential for Ederson and Ilkay Gundogan to do the same, Bernardo is one of City's longest-serving players and somebody who knows what has made the club so formidable off the pitch over the past decade and, more importantly, on it. Advertisement There had been some City supporters, though, who had been expecting, even hoping, that he would move on this summer. To a small but vocal section of the fanbase, Bernardo and Gundogan are seen as expendable as their team head towards what is intended to be a new, vibrant era. And so the reaction to the news that Bernardo is not just staying, but being made captain, shows there is still a discrepancy between what some City fans want and how Guardiola intends to move things forward. 'Bernardo has been an incredible figure; nine years here, no injuries, always in bad moments he made a step up, an example on the pitch, and when he has to say something to me as a manager, or the players, he says it, because it's the best for the club,' the manager also explained on Tuesday. Despite some unrest, Guardiola's decision is regarded by many others as a very sensible one. Like the vast majority of the squad, Bernardo struggled badly in the middle of the 2024-25 season — Guardiola described him as physically and emotionally 'empty' recently — but as City found some stability in the Premier League campaign's final weeks, it was the 102-time Portugal international who was usually at the core of it, put in positions by the manager where he could get on the ball and dictate the tempo — which was generally slow, steady and stable. It was rarely pretty but it was necessary at the time, given City's frailty over five months. And there was very obviously, considering the moves already made since, always a recognition that things would change once the domestic season was put to bed. The new signings, particularly Rayan Cherki but also Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders, and the rather exciting additions to the backroom team — chiefly Jurgen Klopp's former assistant at Liverpool, Pep Lijnders, and popular ex-City player Kolo Toure — suggest that things could look a lot more dynamic next season. Advertisement Between the fresh legs in midfield and Lijnders' love of pressing and counter-pressing, City should be sufficiently more stable off the ball to allow them to take more risks with it, to make more runs in behind, for their most creative passers to try to pick out those runs. So, just three weeks after the end of the domestic/European season, things already feel fresh and exciting. 'The most important thing is how we create again our connection and vibes between all of us to go another game, know we are a good team, and compete everywhere,' Guardiola said on the final day of the Premier League season. Whether it is footage of Lijnders on the training ground injecting some energy into sessions — something that was perceived to be missing previously — or Cherki rapping in French during his initiation, that good feeling does seem to be back. And buoyed by the attack-minded nature of the three outfield signings and Lijnders' role in Liverpool's 'rock and roll' football, City fans are looking forward to something completely different, especially those who felt that what Guardiola was serving up had become too prosaic. One of the most repeated theories about their 2024-25 season so far was that City's struggles came as a result of Guardiola's positional play being found out by more physical, dynamic opposing teams — rather than, say, a lengthy injury list that would have crippled any squad's style, positional or otherwise. And during their short summer break before this trip to the United States, the idea that Guardiola ruins creative players has seemingly been accepted as a universal truth — with Jack Grealish being left out of City's 27-man Club World Cup squad, the general perception is that the Spaniard has ruined him. Never mind the fact that nobody attempts more dribbles in Europe's top five leagues than Grealish's team-mate, Jeremy Doku, or that Savinho's first season in Manchester has been characterised by his dribbling, many people seem to have decided that Grealish's biggest problem in a City shirt has been a lack of freedom. Advertisement The notion has spread so far and wide that Reijnders was asked about the potential for his instincts to be curbed by his new manager when interviewed by a media outlet from his homeland before the Dutchman's move from Milan was made official. Cherki, the maverick signing from Lyon in France which has excited supporters more than anything else, also spoke this week about football these days becoming 'less beautiful, fewer mistakes, but also fewer risks taken,' which prompted plenty of 'Um, do you know who your new manager is, mate?' remarks from the online community who have presumably forgotten how De Bruyne became one of the Premier League's most breathtaking players under that manager. In the same interview, the 21-year-old disclosed that Guardiola has told him, 'When you have the ball (in my team), you are free', which again suggests that overly safety-first approach from the final weeks of the domestic season was simply a belated answer to City's unprecedented fragility, not a long-term solution. Surely, though, the new era is not going to be fully gung-ho, involving the kind of ruthless, direct attacking play that characterised the 2017-18 team — many City fans' favourite of the modern era. Opponents these days simply do not allow City the kind of space necessary to play that way on a regular basis but, clearly, somewhere between those early free-flowing days of the Guardiola era and the cautious, safety-first stodge of 2024-25 there is a sweet spot, a way to carve open defences with more creativity without losing stability. In short, the way City had been doing it for years before this season left such a sour taste. And that is where Bernardo comes in. Those not in favour of his promotion to the captaincy lament that his presence will result in slow football and fewer minutes for the more exciting new players, as if Guardiola's 'pausa' and possession have been sacrificed at the altar so that Ljinders and Cherki can spearhead a glorious new dawn. Advertisement City's years of dominance — including that 100-point season, two dramatic final-day title victories, De Bruyne's feats, and two of the finest ever Premier League teams, one with Haaland, one with no striker at all — have been built on Guardiola's principles and the players who know how to carry them out on the pitch. There is probably nobody in the squad at the moment who understands what Guardiola wants better than Bernardo, and having already put his winter struggles behind him to help City emerge from their slump, he is surely well placed to continue growing as a new team with a new energy takes shape. They may never again blow opponents away with the same energy displayed by that 2017-18 side, and Guardiola will probably never win over those who blame him for the approaches of teams he is not the manager of, but if City are to get back to their former glories, it will be down to this reinvention — and Bernardo will be at the heart of it.
Scotsman
a day ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hibs Euro history laid bare as lack of group stage football stands out
Some highs, a few lows, a meeting with young Erling Haaland - and some uproarious away days for fans Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Midtjylland lie in wait. And, while David Gray's men will travel with confidence and hope springing eternal, Hibernian's recent record in Europe – certainly compared to that of their Europa League opponents – suggests they don't have the pedigree to compete with the Danes. Every Easter Road regular knows, of course, that Hibs were the first British team to venture into continental competition way back in the European Cup's inaugural season. You may have noticed the ticket push for a certain celebratory friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen, the German club defeated in that ground-breaking tie in 1955, in Edinburgh next month. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In the 70 years since that tie, Hibs have enjoyed contrasting fortunes. From reaching two semi-finals in their first two European outings – they'd follow up their run to the last four of the European Cup by doing the same in the old Fairs Cup in season 1960-61 – to some, erm, less illustrious landmarks. UEFA seem to have officially forgotten the short-lived oddity that was the Intertoto Cup. And that probably suits a few Scottish clubs very nicely, thanks. As they prepare for to face Midtjylland in the last week of July, then, it's worth reviewing exactly how Hibs have fared since, oh, let's say 2010. A nice round number. With a guy called David Gray continually cropping up for some reason. 2024-25 – Did Not Qualify No place for Hibs in Europe? They didn't even make the top six in season 2023-24, missing out in the final pre-split fixture. They had to watch from afar as others 'enjoyed' various degrees of success – and paid a domestic price for their European efforts. 2023-24 – Europa Conference League play-off Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Villa Park. A Hibs presence well in excess of the 2000 or so tickets officially sold for the away end of a second leg that was already the deadest of dead rubbers following a 5-0 home defeat in the first encounter with John McGinn and chums. Just getting to face Premier League opposition was the reward for battling through both the second and third qualifying rounds of UEFA's third-tier competition, as Hibs – who had finished FIFTH in the Scottish Premiership the previous season – were handed the toughest of routes to the group stages. Lee Johnson's men battered Andorran side Inter Club D'Escaldes 7-3 on aggregate. And then enjoyed one of their best European results for a very long time as they battled past Swiss side FC Luzern in dramatic fashion, a 2-2 away draw following a thrilling 3-1 home win. Johnson was sacked in between the first legs of the Villa tie, leaving interim boss David Gray to pit his wits against Unai Emery in the second match. Quite the experience for the aspiring gaffer … 2022-23 – DNQ Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Finished seventh in the league and went out of the Scottish Cup at the semi-final stage in season 2021-22, closing off any hopes of qualifying for Europe the following year. 2021-22 – Europa Conference League third qualifying round Got past Andorran opposition in Santa Colomba easily enough. Then fell to Croatian side Rijeka, despite a battling 1-1 draw at Easter Road in the first leg. Ten-man Hibs were battered 4-1 win the away leg. Darren McGregor's red card midway through the second half prompted a flurry of Rijeka goals to kill the tie. 2020-21 and 2019-20 – DNQ Let's draw a veil over these years, shall we? 2018-19 – Europa League third qualifying round Hibs would be delighted to get this far in 2025, you might imagine, now that failure in the third qualifying round of the Europa League comes with a soft landing in the Conference League play-offs. That wasn't the case before yet another UEFA revamp. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In the summer of 2018, Hibs more than held their own to get through two full rounds of qualifying before losing to Molde. Who had a young forward by the name of Erling Haaland in their starting XI. After battering Faroese team Runavik 12-5 on aggregate, Hibs edged past Greek opposition in the shape of Asteras Tripolis 4-3 over two legs. Then came Molde, who got a nil-nil at Easter Road before winning 3-0 at home, with that man Gray – who had flown in straight from the maternity ward after the birth of daughter Ada – left fuming on the bench until thrown on by Neil Lennon with two minutes to go. 2017-18 – DNQ There was no European place available for winning the Championship. Prize enough in itself as Hibs returned to the top flight. 2016-17 – Europa League second qualifying round How did Hibs qualify for Europe again? Can't have been the league position; you don't get anything for finishing third in the Scottish Championship. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad They must have won a cup or something. Yeah, that sounds about right … Their reward for Gray's moment of glory at Hampden was a penalty shoot-out loss to Brondby after a 1-1 draw on aggregate. The Danes won at Easter Road, only for a superb goal from … oh, that guy Gray again, to level the tie. 2015-16 and 2014-15 – DNQ Weren't even in the same postcode as the qualification places. 2013-14 – Europa League second qualifying round Pat Fenlon's men had it all to do after losing 2-0 to Malmo in Sweden. The second leg didn't quite go to plan. An aggregate loss of 9-0 never looks good. 2012-13 and 2011-12 – DNQ Shut out for two straight seasons after difficult domestic fortunes. 2010-11 – Europa League third qualifying round Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad John Hughes was at the helm when Maribor ran out 6-2 aggregate winners over Hibs in August of 2010. The Slovenians were 3-0 up from the first leg in Maribor, leaving Yogi's boys with an almost impossible task at home.
