Новости за 21.12.2017

PSV put the challenge to rival clubs ahead of the January transfer window by utilising Football Manager to announce their latest signing. The Eredivisie leaders turned to the popular game to unveil the addition of teenage striker Maximiliano Romero from Velez Sarsfield. Borussia Dortmund were reportedly close to capturing the 18-year-old Argentine, while Arsenal were previously linked. But Romero opted for a switch to Philips Stadion, inking a contract through to 2023. We've got news for you... #FM18 pic.twitter.com/vzZ2bXffka ... Читать дальше...

Paulinho insists he has never been worried about what the critics say, the previously under-fire midfielder having helped Barcelona to move 11 points clear of Real Madrid in the Liga table going into Saturday's Clasico. The Brazil international was the first signing made by Barca following the departure of his compatriot Neymar in a world-record €222 million move to Paris Saint-Germain, with many Blaugrana fans underwhelmed at his arrival. Paulinho was then widely mocked after stumbling over tricks... Читать дальше...

Neymar is adamant Paris Saint-Germain have what it takes to knock Real Madrid out of the Champions League when they meet in the last 16. The Ligue 1 leaders were dealt a difficult draw against the reigning champions despite topping their group ahead of Bayern Munich as Madrid trailed Tottenham. PSG were infamously dumped out in the round of 16 last season as they coughed up a 4-0 first-leg lead over Barcelona to lose 6-5 on aggregate. But Neymar, who has been linked with a transfer to Los Blancos... Читать дальше...

Paul Clement believes "very challenging circumstances" played a part in his departure from Swansea City this week. A run of eight losses from their last 10 Premier League matches saw Swansea cut adrift at the bottom of the table, four points adrift of safety, prompting Clement's departure. Clement won the Premier League Manager of the Month award shortly after his arrival as Bob Bradley's replacement in January, then led the Swans to survival. But after Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente were sold to Everton and Tottenham respectively... Читать дальше...

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson is not sure the club can keep hold of sought-after attacker Wilfried Zaha during the January transfer window. The in-form Ivory Coast international has hit four Premier League goals to help Palace - unbeaten in seven - climb out of the relegation zone and up to 14th. Zaha's fine performances have led to the 25-year-old being linked with a host of top sides, including Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea. But while Hodgson will be determined to hold on to the versatile attacker... Читать дальше...

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will face no formal action over comments he made to the media ahead of the Manchester derby, the Football Association (FA) has confirmed. Mourinho accused City of gamesmanship in the build-up to the December 10 meeting, which Pep Guardiola's side won 2-1 at Old Trafford to move 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table. The Portuguese suggested City used "tactical fouls" to break up their opponent's rhythm, while questioning whether the table-toppers acted honestly. Читать дальше...

West Brom are set to welcome back wingers Nacer Chadli and Matt Phillips as Alan Pardew targets a first victory in Saturday's trip to Stoke City. The Baggies sit 19th, having only managed two points from four Premier League matches since the departure of Tony Pulis. They have only scored once in that time and Pardew confirmed changes will be made in attack. Chadli injured his thigh in training in November and has not appeared at club level in two months, while Phillips has missed the last four league fixtures. Читать дальше...

No formal action will be taken by the Football Association (FA) over an incident in the tunnel following Manchester City's Premier League win at Manchester United. Players and staff from both sides reportedly clashed after City's 2-1 derby victory at Old Trafford earlier this month. Referee Michael Oliver did not witness the incident and did not file a report, leaving the FA to investigate the skirmish, which allegedly began when United manager Jose Mourinho approached the City dressing room to complain about music being played loudly. Читать дальше...

For football fans, the Christmas period serves up a real festive feast, with fixtures stuffed into the calendar like sage and onion into a turkey’s nether regions. Christmas Day, however, is a football-free zone, with supporters left to sit indoors and endure the Queen’s speech, cracker jokesand kisses from elderly relatives.This wasn’t always the case, though –up until the 1950s, football was traditionally played on Christmas Day.This made a lot of sense, particularly in the early years. Christmas Day was a rare public holiday... Читать дальше...

Leon Britton is not looking to take over at Swansea City on a permanent basis, despite being placed in charge for Saturday's clash with Crystal Palace. The Premier League's bottom club parted company with Paul Clement on Wednesday following a run of one win and a draw from 10 games which left them with just 12 points from 18 outings. Britton, a club stalwart who first joined Swansea in 2002, is still registered as a player and has made four league appearances this season. Tony Pulis, sacked by West Brom last month... Читать дальше...

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has called for patience over Dele Alli as the midfielder battles to rediscover his best form. England international Alli has so far been unable to recapture the heights of last term, when he scored 18 times in the Premier League. The 21-year-old has only managed three league goals this time around and has been questioned for several off-colour performances that have contributed to Spurs' slide to seventh. Speaking ahead of Saturday's trip to sixth-placed Burnley... Читать дальше...

Bayern Munich have announced winger Kingsley Coman has signed a three-year contract extension, committing his future to the Bundesliga champions to 2023.

Ajax have suspended boss Marcel Keizer and coaches Hennie Spijkerman and Dennis Bergkamp from active duty. The four-time European champions appointed head coach Keizer as a replacement for Peter Bosz in June, agreeing terms on a two-year deal with an option for one additional season. But that contract looks set to be ripped up just six months in after it was confirmed on Thursday that the club had, for the time being at least, relieved Keizer, his assistant Spijkerman and club legend Bergkamp of their roles. Читать дальше...

Football does its bit to distract you from the Yuletide holiday to come, but even playing six games in five days (or whatever your side’s current schedule is) can’t fill all of the many hours ahead.So for reasons beyond even the wisest of men, we’ve plucked a festive film to match the mood of fans of every Premier League club. Enjoy.Arsenal fans: The Muppets Christmas CarolIt’s a meagre Christmas once more for poor Tiny Troopz, so Gunners fans can settle down to enjoy this festive fantasy about a... Читать дальше...

After spinning two defenders, Dybala ended his six-game goal drought byperfectly curling home Juventus's first goalagainst Genoa three minutes from half-time.Not a bad way to return to form.The 24-year-oldalso grabbed an assist for Gonzalo Higuain's goal in the 2-0 win which sends Juventus through to the cup quarter-finals.After witnessing Dybala's confidence-boosting strike, Juvemanager Massimiliano Allegri insists the Argentina international can get even better."Dybala put in a good performance... Читать дальше...

Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte played down recent speculation linking Eden Hazard with a sensational £90million move to Manchester United. Some news outlets have suggested United boss Jose Mourinho could be set to raid his former club for the Belgium star, who has reportedly turned down the offer of a new deal at Stamford Bridge. With the January transfer window fast approaching, Conte was quick to brush off such conjecture as part of the traditional media storm that surrounds the mid-season market. Читать дальше...

Doubts remain over Cristiano Ronaldo's availability for El Clasico after the Real Madrid star again trained away from his team-mates on Thursday. The 32-year-old is yet to join the main group since reportedly picking up a calf problem in the Club World Cup final victory over Gremio. In a statement, the club explained Ronaldo "trained alone out on the pitch, both with and without the ball". Losing him for Saturday's crucial clash would be a big blow to Los Blancos' chances of cutting the gap to Barcelona back to eight points. Читать дальше...

Diego Simeone has no qualms over Antoine Griezmann's dedication to Atletico Madrid despite the player being at the centre of a tug-of-war with Barcelona. Atleti lodged a complaint to FIFA this week over their LaLiga rivals' alleged pursuit of the France star. The move came in response to Barca director Guillermo Amor stating club president Josep Maria Bartomeu could have met with Griezmann's family. However, Simeone insists the 26-year-old's state of mind has not been affected by the speculation surrounding his future. Читать дальше...

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta hopes to welcome Philippe Coutinho to the club during the January transfer window. The LaLiga leaders are expected to renew their interest in the Liverpool playmaker after having multiple bids turned down in the previous window. Coutinho submitted a transfer request in an attempt to force a through a move, but the Reds held firm in their refusal to lose a prized asset. Far from being worried about losing his position, Iniesta is eager for the 25-year-old join him at Camp Nou. Читать дальше...

Relegation-threatened Las Palmas have appointed former boss Paco Jemez as coach for the remainder of the LaLiga season. The former Spain international replaces Pako Ayestaran, who was sacked in November after managing only two wins from the opening 13 matches. Jemez previously led Las Palmas between April 2010 and February 2011 and most recently managed Mexican outfit Cruz Azul. He rejected the club's initial offer to return last month in order to spend time with his family but, after the Royal... Читать дальше...

James Tarkowski will miss Burnley's next three Premier League games after admitting a charge of violent conduct against Brighton and Hove Albion's Glenn Murray. The defender, who had earlier given away a penalty - which was subsequently missed by Murray - for a tangle of legs with the striker, appeared to aim an elbow into his opponent's ribs in the 35th minute. The incident was missed by referee Chris Kavanagh but it was announced on Monday that Tarkowski had been charged, with a three-match ban... Читать дальше...

Arsenal 7-3 Newcastle, Dec 2012The oft-repeated cliché about unusually high scores around Christmas is that defenders are still half asleep having over-indulged during the previous days. Yet this match was full of fantastic finishing and some memorable attacking play that would have troubled the sharpest of defences.At half-time the score was just 1-1, with a deflected Demba Ba free-kick cancelling out Theo Walcott’s distinctly Thierry Henry-like opener.The second half was, frankly, bonkers. Twice more Arsenal took the lead... Читать дальше...

Zinedine Zidane wore a huge smile as Real Madrid won 2-0 thanks to Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema in the second leg of the Spanish Supercopa, clinching the 5-1 aggregate humiliation of Barcelona and seemingly confirming their status as the undisputed kings of Spanish football. That was August. Few would have predicted the respective circumstances of Zidane and his counterpart Ernesto Valverde ahead of their next Clasico meeting four months on. Barca had just lost twice in four days to their bitter rivals... Читать дальше...

Neymar's €220million move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain took football finance to new frontiers and also robbed El Clasico of one of its great talking points. The battle between 'MSN' and 'BBC' had become woven into the fabric of European football's headline fixture, but it shall be no more - unless Manuel Neuer pitches up to play in attack at Camp Nou (which wouldn't be the maddest thing the German No. 1 has done). On the face of it Barcelona, pipped to the title by Zinedine Zidane's side last term... Читать дальше...

It’s a bit cruel to pick on Lewis Dunk, as the Brighton centre-back is actually having a strong season. His three goals in 18 games would be very impressive for a defender too – if they hadn’t all come at the wrong end.Yep, the 26-year-old already has a trio of own goals in his first Premier League season (which naturally means he’s being linked with West Ham; long-term kings of comedy defensive stylings). However he's not involved in this quiz yet.We’ve listed every player to score at least five own goals in the Premier League era... Читать дальше...