Latest news with #JohanCruyff
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ralf Rangnick talks Flick, Yamal, Laporta, La Masia – ‘Never seen Barcelona play like this'
In a recent interview with Diario SPORT, Ralf Rangnick has offered his thoughts on multiple topics in the world of football, including FC Barcelona. Rangnick, the current manager of the Austrian national team, has opened up about his connection to the club, his admiration for its founding principles, and his vision for its future under a new German coach. On his connection to Laporta During the interview, it was established that Laporta has a deep respect for Rangnick and footballing philosophy. The German, in fact, had a key role to play in recommending Hansi Flick. Advertisement Laporta even asked what it would take to implement it at a club like Barcelona. ''That sounds very interesting. And what kind of coaches would you need for that?' he asked me. And I said, well, we need modern coaches who like to work with young players,' he revealed. 'If you play almost only with young players, as Barcelona do, you have to trust them, I told Laporta. You have to let them run and play like little young wolves. If you just tell them, don't do that and don't risk too much, it won't work. 'If you want to play with young players, you have to take some risks, let them play,' he added. The relationship with the club's board didn't end there, as Rangnick confirms he remains in contact with the vice president. Advertisement 'Yes. Yuste is still in touch with me, sending me WhatsApp every two months,' he revealed. On influence of Johan Cruyff and Barça's identity Rangnick revealed that the Dutch legend was not only an influence but a childhood idol who shaped his own career. 'I wanted to be like him. I played for one of the clubs in my city. I was the captain of the team. And at that time, players were playing with the numbers 1 through 11. I asked my coach at the time if I could play with the number 14. And I succeeded,' he said. 'So I was the only player on my team who was allowed to play at 14. Johan was, for me, the first modern number ten,' he added. Advertisement He believes Cruyff's greatest legacy at Barcelona was creating a lasting footballing identity that guides the club through every coaching change. 'It was clear that after his playing career, he would likely come to play a vital role at a club, whether as a coach or as a sporting director. His influence on clubs like Ajax and Barcelona was enormous. 'Johan Cruyff's greatest achievement after his playing career was that, in both clubs, this corporate identity endures. Something that other clubs don't have,' he said. Ralf Rangnick has always been a huge fan of Johan Cruyff. (Photo by) Advertisement 'Every time Barça change coaches, the new one has to be able to follow the same approach. And always, during the last 15, 25, 30 years, they sign similar players, develop young players from their academy, and never bring in the wrong coach. 'That was one of Cruyff's greatest achievements, because he established that with each change of coach, it makes no sense to change the approach to football and the style of football. Unfortunately, there are not many Cruyffs currently in the clubs,' he added. On Hansi Flick and the new high-pressing Barça Rangnick went on to talk about Hansi Flick and the new identity he has brought to the table at Barça. Advertisement Rangnick sees his core philosophies on pressing and verticality already being implemented by Flick and praised the dramatic shift in style. 'The biggest achievement is the style that changed the team's focus: High line defence, high pressure. I've never seen Barcelona play like this, completely different,' he said. 'Hansi trusts and believes in those young high-level players with whom he is playing, with an average age, I don't know, 23 years old. And yes. And, as I said, Flick trusts and believes in them. Rangnick has heaped praise on Hansi Flick. (Photo by) 'He's like a father figure to a lot of them, and yes, I think he makes quite a few decisions that are relevant for a modern coach. Very much like Jurgen Klopp or me,' he added. On La Masia While admitting he hasn't studied its inner workings, Rangnick acknowledged the undeniable success of Barcelona's famed academy. Advertisement 'To be honest, no. What I know is that they sign players at a very young age and develop them in the style that Barcelona wants to play, technical football. 'In detail, I don't know what they're doing there, but they obviously do a lot of things right, right? 'The benefits are there, with 8 or 9 players from the academy in the first team. And the Spanish team that played against Portugal had nine U20 players do something similar,' he said. He sees the youthful core of the current squad as a key to future dominance, if they can be kept together. 'What would happen to Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain in the next 2 or 3 years if they can keep their squad together? If so, I don't see any team that can beat them in the next few years,' he said. On Lamine Yamal Finally, Rangnick, a man renowned for discovering world-class talent, reserved his highest praise for Barcelona's teenage sensation, Lamine Yamal. Advertisement 'Every century, you have a player like that. 'At only 17 years old, with this maturity… If you see him play, it's like he's coming from a different planet. Unbelievable, an incredible player,' he concluded.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
EA FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 2 release date, leaks and expected FUT content
Team 2 of the Shapeshifters promo will be released in EA FC 25 Ultimate Team soon, featuring big stat boosts and out-of-the-ordinary position changes. The EA FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 2 squad is up next in Ultimate Team, with more crazy cards expected to be released. After what ended up being a bit of a tedious EA FC 25 TOTS promo, EA Sports provided the goods with the Shapeshifters Team 1 squad last week, with some incredible Icons, Heroes, and regular players receiving big stat upgrades, position changes, and chemistry boosts in a typical Shapeshifters manner. Ultimate Team players got their first taste of the Shapeshifters promo as part of the Season 8 Objective rewards, and after an impressive Team 1 release, excitement is starting to build for the EA FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 2 squad. Here's everything we know about the upcoming EA FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 2 promo squad, including the release date, leaks, our predictions and expected Ultimate Team content. EA FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 2 release date The EA FC 25 Shapeshifters release date will be Friday, June 20 at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT/ 6pm BST. The Shapeshifters promo has been confirmed to last a few weeks in Ultimate Team, so Team 2 will likely be followed by a Team 3 release on Friday, June 27. EA FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 2 leaks The source of all the Shapeshifters Team 1 leaks that were proven correct, a new tweet from leaker @AsyFutTrader has revealed the first player set to feature in the Shapeshifters Team 2 squad, Shapeshifters Icon Johan Cruyff. According to the leaker, Cruyff is set to be the star of the promo and will be the first player in EA FC 25 to be released in packs with five PlayStyle Plus'. More players will be leaked ahead of the promo's release, so watch this space for further updates. EA FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 2 predictions These are some players that we would like to see included in the EA FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 2 squad. These players are just predictions, as are their player ratings. RW: Johan Cruyff (Shapeshifters Icon) - 98 OVR CAM: Garrincha (Shapeshifters Icon) - 98 OVR CDM: Emilio Butragueno (Shapeshifters Icon) - 96 OVR CAM: Eden Hazard (Shapeshifters Hero) - 98 OVR ST: Maicon (Shapeshifters Hero) - 96 OVR RW: Tim Howard (Shapeshifters Hero) - 95 OVR ST: Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona Women) - 98 OVR ST: Scott McTominay (Napoli) - 98 OVR LW: Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) - 97 OVR CB: Kyle Hudlin (Newport County) - 97 OVR CM: Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) - 96 OVR CDM: Sam Kerr (Chelsea Women) - 96 OVR ST: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) - 96 OVR ST: Takumi Minamino (Monaco) - 95 OVR CB: Kyle Walker (Milan) - 94 OVR RW: Wilfred Zaha (Charlotte) - 94 OVR EA FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 2 expected content EA went big on SBCs and Evolutions during Shapeshifters Team 1, so we expect the same again in week two of the promo. More Shapeshifters Icons and Heroes should be released as SBCs, along with new upgrade packs and exchange packs to put your fodder into. Evolutions-wise, more position-changing Evos should go live, including big stat boosts and chemistry boosts, both for a fee and for free. A new Shapeshifters Cup should also begin during Team 2, just as we saw in Team 1.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Women's Champions League: Arsenal could cash in on prize money
On Saturday evening in Lisbon, Arsenal Women will be hoping to win their second Champions League title. Between the Gunners and the trophy stand three-time winners Barcelona, who thrashed WSL champions Chelsea 8-2 in the semi-finals. The Champions League has been lucrative for Arsenal Women, and winning the final could boost their finances even further. Uefa guarantees a participation fee of €400,000 (£340,000), plus €50,000 (£42,500) for every group stage win, €17,000 (£14,450) for each group stage draw, and €20,000 (£17,000) if a team win their group. Qualifying for the quarter-finals is worth €160,000 (£136,000) and going to the semi-finals comes with an additional €180,000 (£153,000). Reaching the final adds €200,000 (£170,000), while winning the trophy guarantees additional earnings of €350,000 (£297,500). Arsenal's prize money total so far includes the participation fee, plus €250,000 (£210,000) for their five group stage wins and €20,000 (£16,800) for winning their group, in addition to money for going all the way to the final. That means the team's Champions League prize money to date stands at €1.21m (£1.02m), and winning the final against the Spanish champions would take Arsenal's overall earnings to €1.56m (£1.32m). The English side have also benefited from additional matchday revenue from their Champions League campaign, having played five home games in the competition this season. One of them was played at 4,500-capacity stadium Meadow Park and the other four at the Emirates Stadium. Looking at Arsenal's lowest ticket prices and the attendance across all home Champions League fixtures they played this season, we can approximate a conservative uplift of £1.1m as a result of their Champions League run. This takes Arsenal's overall earnings off the back of the Champions League this season to more than £2.4m. Barcelona also won five of their six group stage games and topped their group, making their earnings on the way to the final identical to the Gunners'. Winning the Champions League final would lead to the same sum of €1.56m (£1.32m). However, the Spanish side's matchday revenue is estimated to be significantly lower than Arsenal's due to their smaller crowds. Barcelona had an average attendance of 9,435 across all their Champions League home games this season – far less than Arsenal's 16,304. Four of Barcelona's home games were played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, with a capacity of 6,000 spectators. One of their five home games was played at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona's temporary home as the Camp Nou is being renovated. Based on lowest ticket prices and average attendance levels, Barcelona's matchday revenue in this year's Champions League is £360,000 at a minimum. As a result of their Champions League run this season, they are expected to make total earnings of at least £1.68m. While welcome, the rewards for success in the Women's Champions League are not as game-changing as in the men's competition. Barcelona and Arsenal were the highest revenue-generating women's teams in the world in 2023-24, each generating €17.9m each (£15.2m). Lifting the trophy, then, would represent roughly 10 per cent potential uplift, compared to around 15-25 per cent for men's Champions League winners. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Liverpool's opponents used to man-mark Mo Salah – now they go for Ryan Gravenberch
Among his words of wisdom, Johan Cruyff once spoke about the double-edged sword of success. 'After you've won something, you're no longer 100 per cent, but 90 per cent,' he said. 'It's like a bottle of carbonated water where the cap is removed for a short while. Afterwards there's a little less gas inside.' Liverpool 's Ryan Gravenberch could have been paraphrasing his illustrious compatriot when considering his club's next step after reaching the summit of Premier League champions. 'To arrive there is easier than to stay there,' he says. It also sounds like a reassuring variation on the old boot-room quote attributed to the legendary Ronnie Moran: 'Winning the league for the first time is easy. Winning it again is the hard part.' Liverpool realised this when they won the Premier League in 2020 as initial attempts to build on the success fell short. But despite appearances as the players and staff took the notion of 'being on the beach' literally by partying in Ibiza and Dubai ahead of this weekend's trophy presentation and parade – Sunday's visit of FA Cup winners Crystal Palace could be dubbed El Intoxicatico – there is a sense of a club already advanced in their planning for the title defence with their transfer and tactical strategy. Nobody embodies the evolution under Arne Slot more than Gravenberch, whose reinvention as a No 6 was the clearest point of separation from the Jürgen Klopp era. As he reflected upon an exceptional 12 months, Gravenberch recognised the challenge of going from the hunters to being the hunted, and thinks the club have a trump card in their endeavour to defend the title. The average age of Liverpool's regular midfield starters is under 25, meaning the most consistent central trio of this season has the capacity to get better and dominate for years. 'Oh, yeah, yeah. Hopefully,' he says. 'This is the first season that we did a good job. Hopefully, we can win more trophies together. 'We can improve in our playing style. Maybe [we were] a little bit too static at times. In the midfield we can change. For example, if I play with Alexis Mac Allister he can come into my position and I can go higher. Then it would be difficult to press us. That's one part we can improve on.' The 23-year-old has already noted their rivals' response. It was once said the best way to stop Liverpool is by man-marking Mohamed Salah. Since January, opposition coaches have been trying to nullify Gravenberch, freeing Mac Allister, especially, to be more influential. So, although the Dutchman has had fewer touches and successful passes per game in the second half of the season, he sees that trend as a compliment and a conundrum to solve. 'That was exactly the thing. Everything was also new for the opponents. Afterwards they knew how we played and then we had to try to find solutions,' he says. 'In the first half of the season everything went a little bit through me. After, for example, they target me but then the other midfielders become free so then pass to them and then to me. It was a little bit difficult also for me because you don't then get the ball as much as other team-mates [who] get it instead. 'I can improve in terms of goals and assists from that position. Also in terms of demanding the ball more during a game. Sometimes in a game there's like five minutes where I don't touch the ball. In that position you have to make the play happen. 'The defensive part was maybe where there was a question mark [when given the No 6 role]. The attacking part was good, but the defending part I had to learn in terms of the duels, sometimes not watching my man properly, but I think I made a lot of steps with that.' Goals for the future On the subject of attacking contributions, Gravenberch – who has not yet scored this season – is aiming to correct that in the final Premier League fixture. 'Yes, I know, I know,' he smiles. 'I had a conversation with Dominik [Szoboszlai] the other day before we played against Brighton. We were in the warm-up and I had some good finishes. He said: 'I have a feeling you will score today.' I said: 'Hopefully.' So hopefully against Crystal Palace I can. 'It's just the position [I play], because if the other two midfielders go, I can't. So I'm not often in the 18-yard box, but maybe against Crystal Palace. We will see.' Having been uncertain of his best role, Gravenberch says he is now settled as being a No 6 for the rest of his career. 'I didn't play a lot in that position before but this season that position has made me who I am now. I am really looking forward to playing there now,' he says. Fitness tips from compatriot Virgil van Dijk have improved his recovery and stamina, while Liverpool's sports science team including Dr Jon Power and Conall Murtagh have been credited for ensuring so many of Slot's first picks were ever present. 'Last season I didn't play a lot so I didn't recover really well. Maybe I wasn't really that professional about it,' admits Gravenberch. 'This season I've focused more on recovery; going to the sauna, to the ice baths. Virgil was a big part of that in terms of giving me advice. Just recover well, sleep good, eat good, those kind of things. To be honest it was really tough playing every single minute.' What began with a pre-season phone call in which Slot invited Gravenberch to give the position a try has transformed the Dutchman into a key man for Liverpool, earning favourable comparisons with Toni Kroos and Patrick Vieira, and the favourite to be named the Premier League's young player of the season. Gravenberch is conducting this interview having just unveiled a football pitch bearing his name, a Cruyff Court donation at the Anfield Community Centre courtesy of the Cruyff Foundation. 'If you had said this to me before the start of the season I wouldn't have believed you,' says Gravenberch. 'But everything we dreamed of came true.' Liverpool may be bathed in red as the title celebrations are ramped up over the next few days, but they owe a debt to the brilliant orange of their Dutch masters. 'Everyone in Holland, if they look to England, supports Liverpool because of us,' says Gravenberch.
The Guardian
20-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Barcelona show gulf in quality again as stunned Chelsea hope for miracle
As the final whistle blew at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, the frustration on the faces of the Chelsea players shone through. Lucy Bronze chucked her headband on to the floor in anger; Erin Cuthbert shared frustrated words with the referee; the rest meanwhile just stood on the pitch looking stunned with the cacophony of noise from jubilant Barcelona fans rubbing salt in the freshest of wounds. This was not how the script was meant to go. Defeat at the hands of Barcelona – with such a gulf in quality on the field – was meant to be a thing of years gone by; a distant memory buried in the history books of that painful final of 2021. For Chelsea have been building a squad with the clear intention of lifting the coveted Champions League trophy themselves. Big money has been spent on coveted assets – the acquisition of Mayra Ramírez and Naomi Girma both breaking transfer records; Bronze and Keira Walsh brought in from the Spanish champions themselves – and the arrival of Sonia Bompastor to replace Emma Hayes at the helm, an individual who has won this competition twice as a player and once as a manager. Chelsea's form at home has perhaps lured people into a false sense of security. Unbeaten domestically, Bompastor's team closing in the Women's Super League title, having overcome every obstacle that has stood in their way. Maybe it should be of little surprise that there are perhaps a few growing pains hiding underneath the surface; ones that were expected in the autumn after the transition from the decade-long Hayes regime. On this sunny Sunday evening in Barcelona, however, the gulf in quality on the pitch was clear to see. The hosts oozed elegance and control, their experience shining through. Even if they were not completely at their fluid best, they picked off Chelsea, sliced through their press and provided the kind of clinical finishing that was missing at the other end of the pitch. It was an also an illustration of how a team can add pieces to the puzzle that truly make the quality higher. With the addition of Ewa Pajor to their ranks last summer, Barcelona have finally found themselves a true number nine, a forward to lead the line and allow the players around her to flourish. The Poland international's numbers are almost ridiculous – her opener on this occasion was her 34th strike in 35 appearances for the Blaugrana. The 28-year-old is a seasoned striker with speed, a tireless work rate and instinctive finish that not many others in world football possess. Her arrival has allowed Salma Paralluelo to stay out on the flank where she can thrive, while she has rekindled her partnership with Norway winger Caroline Graham Hansen from their Wolfsburg days. A saved Alexia Putellas penalty did little to disrupt Barcelona's rhythm in the first half as they suffocated a disjointed Chelsea. The visitors seemed, perhaps a little naively, to be caught in two minds about whether to sit back and remain compact or to try and take the game to their opponents. The result was the spaces that opened up in the midfield and down the flanks that Pere Romeu's side picked apart with aplomb. Pajor's opener was a direct example of this indecision and inability to adapt to Barcelona's energy. A long ball forward was initially dealt with but when Paralluelo beat Bronze in the second phase, the hosts spotted their opportunity. A perfect through-ball from Putellas split the defenders allowing Pajor to burst through and show the kind of clinical finishing that she has produced all season. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion The hosts' second came with 20 minutes to play after Chelsea had come out much improved after the break. This, in contrast, was an illustration of the versatility of their attacking play; a quintessential Barcelona goal. It was a beautifully constructed team move that swept from back to front and left to right before Clàudia Pina, on the field for just three minutes, turned the ball into the back of the net. She added her second in injury time as she took her tally to nine in the Champions League this season. The Spaniard is the top scorer in the competition currently and it was just another sign of how much strength in depth they possess. It was Chelsea's first encounter with this new-look Barcelona side and this 90 minutes will prove to be a huge learning process for them. Bompastor's side are known for their strong mentality and they will still believe that they can perform a miracle at Stamford Bridge next week. Nevertheless, this occasion was a strong reminder that there is still much work to be done if they are to get closer to the only tournament left for them to conquer; the one that has proved to be the most elusive one yet.
