Tag Archives

52 Articles

ENGLAND SEVENS TO FACE IRELAND IN QUARTER FINALS

by index

England would clash with Ireland in the last eight of the Mitsubishi Motors Exeter 7s.


George Chatterton, Mason Tonks and Alex Davis all scored tries as England defeated Italy 19-5. The victory is a much needed respite after losing the opening game to Spain 22-17.

England trailed 12-10 at the break with Harry Glover and Tonks scoring individual tries. The team lost CallumSirker but they kept the hopes alive when Henry Martin helped them take the lead. Spain kept up with the pressure, scoring and scoring until they won the game due to two late tries.

Then came Germany. Tonks kept his brilliant form but the Germans were better 17-5. The England team defeated the Italian side though. England led 7-5 at the break wither Chatterton on point. Davis, Will Edwards and Tonks then combined to take the tally to 14-5, before finishing off on a high.

Stefano Pioli Targets Derby Win to Eliminate Slump

by index

Inter Milan slumped to a second consecutive defeat in the Italian Serie A after losing to relegation threatened Crotone during the week and.


The club are now winless for more than a month, as their last win was against Atalanta in the second week of March. There is a possibility of the run getting worse, as the club are up against archrivals AC Milan in the next match. However, manager Stefano Pioli is hoping that the derby will inspire the players in order to produce a great performance. A victory in the derby can help the club revive the thoughts of a Europa League qualification for next season.

The manager is clearly aware that a derby game does not depend on recent form, as players are extremely focused on winning the game more than anything else. Milan come into the game on the back of a good form, which has seen them suffer just one defeat in the last five league matches.

LET’S HOPE THE CHINESE KNOW WHAT THERE ARE DOING

by index

The question of passion or love versus material wealth in football has over the years been asked and answered in various ways.


There was a time the former had a very big say over the latter – think for example Diego Maradona’s decision to stick with Napoli – and viewers have ever since been treated to a plethora of tales of loyalty, passion and sacred bonds players did have for their teams.

The matador-like push of club football to premium status in the early 90’s was a major factor that kick-started the dynamics of football as we know it today. Being honest demands admission that gone are those days where emotional attachments held sway – although players like Gerard and Totti tried their best to prove otherwise and for the record it did come at a price – inability for such legendary names to have a league title attached to them.

Another school of thought will tell you that the relegation of loyalty to the background did not necessarily have to do with players’ “long throats,” pinning a chunk of the blame-cake on club themselves. Like the two-way street loyalty is, a peruse at records will lead searchlights to beam on instances where clubs terminated or refused to renew contracts with even “one time” fan-favourites mainly because the “returns in value” of the player in question dipped below standard “requirements” and an extension of the said contract only “hurts” the club in the long run. This is the reason emotionally-stirred muses of supposed loyalty don’t hold water because at the end of the day football – especially at the club level – remains business, a set-up where profit is the ultimate goal.

This makes the media “pointing-of-hands” over who wronged who in contract negotiations look like airy reactions to the changes that occur in a system that runs on logic, mathematics and profit-focused book-keeping. The batting of eyelids at how easily European based players are switching to the new rich kid in the block ready to shell out wads for the street folks – The Chinese Super League – should not in all sincerity warrant such shocks & outrages.

Inter Milan set to renovate San Siro

by index

Serie A giant Inter Milan have confirmed plans to renovate their stadium – the San Siro.


The club’s president Erick Thohir and a member of the board Steven Zhang confirmed the reports which were making the rounds in Italy. Since the Chinese takeover of the club by Suning Commerce Group, the news has filtered around. It is sure to happen with the confirmation by top club officials.

“A new San Siro is vitally important to Inter. I’ve been president of this club for almost three years and have always firmly believed that renovating San Siro – our home – is a crucial step that Inter must take it we’re to become one of the world’s top 10 clubs,” Thohir said to the club’s official website.

The club’s president added that the dream to renovate the stadium is backed by the club’s new majority shareholder.
“Our interest in San Siro now has the strong, determined backing to the mayor, Giuseppe Sala, at the meeting held while chairman Zhang and his son Steven were last in Milan. Inter want to remain at San Siro and invest significantly in it. We’re happy that we’re on exactly the same wavelength as the mayor,” he said.

INTER MILAN BOSS RUBBISHES JURGEN KLOPP TRAINING APPROACH

by index

New Inter Milan boss Frank De Boer clearly has issues with the training methods of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. De Boer took over at Inter when former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini was sacked.


The Dutchman claimed he learnt a lesson from Klopp on how not to start life as a coach in a new team after the intense training method Klopp led at Anfield in his first session led to the rupturing of cruciate knee ligaments of Danny Ings.

The former Dutch international with over 100 caps claimed he would do the otherwise as he would ease his players into their new routine under him, unlike his German counterpart.

“I remember Klopp taking over at Liverpool last October and tried to immediately impose his high-pressing style which he used at Borussia Dortmund and it resulted in several injuries, nine in fact. Sometimes it is better to slow down.”

De Boer said he only just arrived at the club but that results would start showing from four months in, say from January. He said he would be very careful not to allow intensive training so it doesn’t lead to many injuries in his new team. He acknowledged that he has high targets since taking over the side, but insists that he would ease him team physically.

MAURO ICARDI SET TO LEAVE INTER MILAN FINALLY

by index

Mauro Icardi is set to leave the Italian club finally, following the comments from his agent and spouse.


The 23-year old player netted 16 times in the Serie A in the last season, six lesser than the number of goals in the previous season. There have been a lot of interests in the player but they have all been waved off in the past.

The agent and wife gave a hint that the player will finally leave the club when she was interviewed by CalcioMercato. Football Italia quoted her and confirmed that Icardi has been placed on a transfer list to Spanish side Atletico Madrid. The Argentinean has a reputation in Europe as one of the most talented goal scorers. The agent, Wanda Icardi, even took to her social media handle to reveal the state of things where she tweeted that the player was available.

The tweet proved legit when she confirmed it at the interview that the player would likely play elsewhere in the forthcoming campaign. “From what I can see, Inter have put Icardi up for sale. Mauro would be very sad to leave Inter, but we’ve understood the club’s economic situation and evidently they cannot hold Icardi back.”

CHELSEA MAKE SUMMER TRANSFER MOVE FOR NAPOLI DEFENDER KALIDOU KOULIBALY

by index

Chelsea are preparing a fresh bid to sign Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, according to reports from Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport.


The reports claims that the English Premier League giant have prepared a £23.3million bid after their initial offer was turned down.

However, Napoli are said to be determined to keep hold of the Senegalese 24-year-old, but are realistic about the chances of him leaving if the price is right. Gazzetta World claim the Italian outfit would request for as much as £30 million.  Koulibaly enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in Serie A this season, making 42 appearances for the club in all competitions

Aside Koulibaly, the management at Stamford Bridge have told Everton they will not pay the £65million fee placed on the head of Romelu Lukaku after earlier showing interest. The Belgium striker signed for Everton from Chelsea for £28m in 2014 and his impressive form at Goodison Park has seen his value rise significantly. According to reports from Express Sport, The Blues, who have reignited their interest in Lukaku, will not pay the fee Everton are demanding and will turn elsewhere if the Toffees will not negotiate. There are reports also that other interested clubs such as Manchester United and Juventus will not pay such for the player.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke. The 24-year-old is said to be on the wish-list of summer transfer targets for incoming Blues manager Antonio Conte, and it is understood they will make an offer for him come July. 

Inter Milan seeking to improve their squad

by index

There are rumors that Italian side, Inter Milan might be looking to strengthen their squad with the signing of three players.

Sebastien Haller is reported to be one of those players. The Utrecht’s forward was recently in action for his under-21 national team, France against Macedonia. Haller, who started with Auxerre in France, joined FC Utrecht on loan in 2014. He managed to score 11 goals in 17 appearances for the Dutch side. During the close season, he signed a permanent deal with the club. He has made so far 31 appearances for FC Utrecht and managed 21 goals during the process. He will be an excellent addition to Inter Milan, who is looking to boost their attack.

There are also media reports that Italian side might be considering Vincent Janssen as well. The Dutch striker currently plays for AZ and has managed 20 goals in 28 games so far this season. He recently made his international debut in matches against France and England. He managed to score a goal on a penalty as well as made an assist in a game against England.

Juventus have managed to win a ninth league game in a row

by index

Juventus have managed to win a ninth league game in a row after the 2-1 success over Sampdoria.

The victory comes just before the winter break and will be a major boost to the confidence of the players, who made a very poor start to the season. However, their quality was never in doubt and the sudden loss of key players like Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez was seen as the reason for the dip in form. Juventus quickly recovered from the poor form and are now challenging for the title. They are only two points below table leaders Napoli.

Massimiliano Allegri revealed that he is extremely happy with the response shown by his players to win against Sampdoria.

Bafetimbi Gomis might recover in time for Swansea City’s match against Arsenal

by index

A hamstring tear has forced Bafetimbi Gomis to be unable to play in the pitch for almost an entire month but now medical reports are coming in and are claiming that the recovery of the French attacker is going faster than expected and he might be able to perform in Swansea City’s Premier League match against Arsenal which is scheduled to take place on May 11.

Bafetimbi Gomis is an important player for Garry Monk as the player has scored 5 goals in this season. He is one of the top goal-scorers for the Premier League club.

The manager of Swansea City, Garry Monk announced that Gomis has already been training with the rest of his teammates but it remains uncertain if Gomis would be able to perform against Arsenal.

Garry Monk said: “Bafe is back in training and we will have to assess if he is ready to start, but it will be good to have him back as we are getting short on bodies. We have had a few injuries, but that comes back to adding to the squad.

5 goals in this season might not sound like a very high amount of goals but Bafetimbi Gomis along with Ki Sung-Yeung and Gylfi Sigurdsson are the top goal-scorers of Swansea City in this campaign.