#keane vs vieira

[iconicfootballmoments]

The Keane-Vieira tunnel incident refers to an altercation that took place between Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane and Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira before a Premier League match between the two teams in 2005. The incident occurred in the tunnel at Highbury before the game, and was caught on camera by the broadcaster Sky Sports.

[magicmartinelli]

Imagine keane vs vieira in this day and age. Theyd be called unproffesional and selfish to take away the headlines from the game and make it about them and souness would probably blame it on veira because he- well we all know why

[tkmedia]

Roy Keane vs Vinnie Jones was the ultimate clash of the titans

“It’s good to get angry,” former Manchester United captain Roy Keane once said. “It’s an emotion and part of the game. It’s good to go a bit mad but I don’t throw teacups around. That’s not my style – I’d rather throw punches.”Throughout his illustrious career, Keane loved to intimidate his opponents with his no-nonsense and unapologetic style of play. From standing over an injured Alf-Inge Haaland to confronting Patrick Vieira in the Highbury tunnel, he always seemed to come out on top. But that wasn’t always the case. Back in February 1994, Keane was still in his first season at United following his move from Nottingham Forest. The midfielder had just started to assert his authority in games, bullying anyone that dared to stroll into his territory. Like facing the final boss at the end of Super Mario, he now had to come up against Vinnie Jones in an FA Cup tie against Wimbledon. Part of the ‘Crazy Gang’ team that won the FA Cup in 1988, Jones had returned to Wimbledon for a second spell and certainly hadn’t mellowed. He relished conflict and was renowned for his full-blooded approach to the game, often ensuring that his opponents lived off a diet of grapes and Lucozade for a few weeks. Vinnie Jones recieves the fastest booking in English football, as he clattered into an opponent after 3 seconds. pic.twitter.com/WvYWal9raX — 1990s Football (@1990_football) July 14, 2021 When you look up the word ‘tough guy’ in the dictionary, you’ll see Jones’ face snarling back at you. He had even angered the FA by releasing a Christmas video entitled ‘Soccer’s Hard Men’ in 1992. “The FA have given me a pat on the back,” Jones said after being fined £20,000 and receiving a suspended six-month ban from all football. “I’ve taken violence off the terraces and onto the pitch.” While Jones was widely regarded as the hardest bastard in British football, Keane was still the young pretender at this stage, hoping to ultimately overthrow him. Jones made his presence known during the early stages at Selhurst Park, barging into Keane with a tackle that was later than a London bus. It temporarily left Keane in a heap on the floor, but this foul was a warm embrace compared to what was to follow. Keane attempted to hit back, only for Jones to leap off the floor and headbutt him in the crown jewels. Considering what Jones did to Paul Gascoigne in 1987, Keane might actually consider himself a bit fortunate. Vinnie Jones attempting to headbutt Roy Keane in the family jewels will wake you up this Saturday morning. 👀 pic.twitter.com/UrclJwYtuc — Stu’s Football Flashbacks (@stusfootyflash) November 14, 2020 A year before Eric Cantona’s infamous karate kick on a Crystal Palace fan, the Wimbledon star decided to showcase his own martial art skills at the same stadium. Within the first 20 minutes, Jones lunged at Cantona with a horrendous knee-high challenge that would even make Nigel de Jong flinch. The United players, who probably felt that they needed some police protection, immediately ran over to help their team-mate and complain to the referee. After nearly being cut in half, Cantona initially looked set to confront Jones before coming to his senses and walking away. While a tackle like that would probably lead to a life-long ban these days, Jones remarkably remained on the pitch and was shown a yellow card by the referee. It’s pretty safe to assume that VAR would have intervened if this had happened during the 2020-21 season. Like a misbehaving schoolboy, the midfielder refused to learn his lesson and crashed into Paul Parker before receiving his final warning. There’s walking on thin ice and then there’s driving a truck over it. Flashback to Feb 1994, and Vinnie Jones is on a mission during Wimbledon’s FA Cup 5th round tie against Man Utd. Here, he takes out Eric Cantona with an appalling high tackle, before running straight through Paul Parker in a mad couple of minutes. Old school fouling. ⚽️#mufc pic.twitter.com/qbPK8uQoIw — Stu’s Football Flashbacks (@stusfootyflash) April 6, 2020 Having lost the physical battle, Keane and his United team-mates decided to let their football do the talking. On the brink of half-time, Cantona set himself up with a brilliant first touch before firing a stunning half-volley past the goalkeeper. A moment of magic amid the mayhem. Keane began to hold his own in midfield during the second half, knowing that Jones simply couldn’t afford to make another risky challenge. The former Republic of Ireland international also proved that he was far more than just a tough guy, producing a stunning pass that picked out Ryan Giggs, who could only hit his effort straight at the Wimbledon goalkeeper. United continued to dominate possession and doubled their lead when Paul Ince headed Giggs’ corner into the back of the net. The travelling Reds began to chant ‘ole’ with every successful pass, irritating Jones who was left chasing shadows in the middle of the park. The fact that he stayed on the pitch for a full 90 minutes is nothing short of a miracle. Denis Irwin then drove forward and exchanged passes with Ince before finding the bottom corner, rubbing salt into Wimbledon’s wounds. While the United team were left with more than a few bruises, they refused to be intimidated and progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals. Today is the 25th anniversary of this Eric Cantona volley vs Wimbledon. Forget seagulls and trawlers, this is f*ckinng sensational technique.pic.twitter.com/XyyfSF6bXh — A Funny Old Game (@sid_lambert) February 20, 2019 Jones had a few more encounters with Keane before his retirement in 1999 but felt that the former Republic of Ireland international was never able to bully him. “If you’re talking hard nuts, give me ‘Big Bad Billy’ Whitehurst over Roy Keane any day,” Jones wrote in an EasyOdds column in 2020. “On and off the pitch, Billy was different class. “To be honest Roy didn’t make a lot of noise when I played him – I don’t really remember a tackle. A fantastic footballer, yes, and a man I like and respect, but I’d have him well below Billy in the pecking order, and below Steve McMahon and Bryan Robson too.” While Keane probably won’t admit it, his battles with Jones seemingly inspired him to turn things up a notch during the late 1990s, He embraced his dark side and ceemeted his status as football’s next big baddie, eventually taking Jones’ record for the most red cards in Premier League history. Keane’s battles with Vieira came to define the Premier League era but they arguably wouldn’t have been possible without his apprenticeship under Jones. By Nathan Egerton More from Planet Football 12 of the hardest bastards to play in the Premier League: Keane, Batty, Jones… Lawrie Sanchez: Beating Liverpool in the FA Cup final wasn’t a giantkilling Can you name the 20 players with the most red cards in Prem history? Revisiting Roy Keane & Adrian Chiles’ hilarious descent into madness in 2012 Read the full article

[sayflexxyblog]

France vs Switzerland: Keane, Vieira agree about Pogba after 5-4 penalty defeat

France vs Switzerland: Keane, Vieira agree about Pogba after 5-4 penalty defeat

Manchester United legend, Roy Keane and Arsenal legend, Patrick Vieira have agreed on Paul Pogba, after Switzerland defeated France at the Euro 2020 round of 16 fixture on Tuesday night. Pogba was unable to lead France to Euro 2020 quarter-finals as Les Bleus suffered a shock defeat to Switzerland on penalties, following a thrilling 3-3 draw over 120 minutes at National Arena. The midfielder…

[robbysaprilla]

UNITED VS ARSENAL: DUA KLUB PENCARI KONSISTENSI

Pada hari (1/11) Minggu, akan dihelat pertandingan yang mungkin bisa dibilang duel panas ya. Ya bisa dibilang seperti itu karena kedua tim masih termasuk dalam Big Four yang sekarang bertambah menjadi Big Six. Apalagi dengan trek pemain yang sekarang menjadi pelatih sama-sama dari tim yang dulunya pernah dibela. Menarik untuk disimak memang.

Mengesampingkan performa kedua tim, alasan lain duel ini menarik disimak ialah, adanya bumbu-bumbu pedas yang membuat duel ini menjadi panas dan menjadi sejarah rivalitas antara Manchester United dengan Arsenal. Adakah yang masih ingat? Ya, perseteruan pemain antara Roy Keane dan Patrick Vieira sampai stasiun televisi yang bernama ITV membuat dokumenter rivalitas mereka yang berjudul “Best of Enemies”, yang tentu tidak lupa juga perseteruan alot antara Arsene Wenger dengan Sir Alex Ferguson yang sekarang setelah tidak melatih saling bertukar kabar haha... tetap ya rivalitas hanya 90 menit di lapangan.

Berlanjut pada performa klub, berdasar dari Fantasy Premier League jika dilihat dari head to head/pertemuan antar kedua klub, United lebih unggul atau memenangkan pertandingan dengan 24 kemenangan daripada Arsenal dengan 15 kemenangan dari 56 pertandingan dengan sisanya seri. Dari 56 pertandingan tersebut, kemenangan laga kandang maupun tandang lebih dominan United ketimbang Arsenal. Performa 5 pertandingan sebelumnya dari kedua Klub juga menarik, United hanya 1 kali kalah dalam 5 pertandingan terakhir. Terbalik dengan Arsenal dari 5 pertandingan 2 di antaranya menelan kekalahan. Cukup tipis memang, apalagi dengan laga terakhir yang dilakoni kedua Klub tersebut dimenangkan dengan hasil yang meyakinkan.

Dilihat dari data tersebut, ketidakkonsistensian kedua Klub mampu mendorong untuk memenangkan laga pada esok harinya. Ditambah kedua pelatih sangat pro aktif dengan formasi atau taktikal lawan dan juga adanya pemain akademi yang saling mengisi lini kedua Klub. Bisa dibilang laga esok menjadi laga adu taktik, adu akademi, dan yang pasti adu pride. Prediksi laga besok mungkin cukup terbuka karena kedua Klub harus menambah poin agar dapat bersaing kembali pada posisi puncak klasemen. Menarik memang laga tersebut untuk dinanti.

[junker-town]

Tactically Naive: Tottenham fans prove that public shaming works

Tottenham’s reversal on its furlough decision proves that fans should shout at their teams more often.

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Tactically Naive, SB Nation’s weekly soccer column. We’ve been listening to Chromatics all morning. It’s been a good one.

Oh when the Spurs! Reverse their decision! Oh when the Spurs reverse their decision!

Inconstant times in the Premier League. Earlier in the week, after much kvetching, Liverpool reversed their decision to seek state aid in covering their employee’s wages during the coronavirus crisis. And now Tottenham, a few days later, have taken the same step.

As with Liverpool, supporter sentiment was at the heart of Spurs’ reversal. Their statement on the matter acknowledges “that many supporters were against the decision we made regarding furloughing staff who could not carry out their jobs from home,” that there has been “opposition from fans to fellow Premier League clubs accessing the [furloughing scheme],” and concludes:

In view of supporter sentiment regarding the scheme, it is now not our intention to make use of the current [scheme] that runs until the end of May. We shall consult with stakeholders, including the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust with whom we have been in dialogue over the past week and who share our desire to protect jobs, should circumstances change going forward.

But that’s not all! Tottenham’s stadium has been outfitted to provide drive-through testing for Covid-19, and a full quarter of the stadium has been given over to a local hospital for outpatient services, freeing up space at the hospital proper to respond to the pandemic.

Maybe we should all spend more time shouting at clubs? It really does seem to get things done.

Foundational texts: Arsenal 2-4 Manchester United

Just an all-round tremendous game of football, between two teams who really didn’t like each other. Famously, this game almost kicked off in the tunnel, as Patrick Vieira said something to Gary Neville, only for Keane to tell him to pick on somebody his own size. That Keane was about six inches shorter than Vieira didn’t seem important at the time. And as if that wasn’t enough, three minutes in Ashley Cole went unpunished for an outrageous dive in the Manchester United box. The tenor of the game was set.

You could write books about this game, and about the symbiosis between Arsenal and Manchester United. But since we don’t have space for a book, let’s talk about John O’Shea. He scored United’s fourth and funniest goal, which when the visitors were down to ten men and effectively sealed the game. You’ve seen it before. It’s this one.

Let’s talk about geology. Let’s talk about erratic boulders.

An erratic boulder is a large rock that doesn’t belong. It is not like the other rocks nearby — it stands out, proud and weird. A fat chunk of granite, friendless, surrounded by uncaring limestone. A fist of gneiss where no gneiss should be. Some are only carried a short way; others end up hundreds of miles from home.

For the most part, erratic boulders are displaced by glaciers, which pick them up, carry them away, and then — when the temperature changes and the ice melts — leave them high and dry. Often literally. Your correspondent’s favourite is the Hitching Stone in south Yorkshire, England, a thousand-tonne lump of gritstone that looks, from some angles, like the skull of some massive, impossibly ancient creature.

Now, comparing O’Shea to a glacially displaced thousand-tonne lump of rock isn’t exactly fair. He wasn��t that slow. But this goal shares a lot with erratic boulders. It is, in the moment, completely baffling. This is why, after it goes in, his first response is to wander around, confused and untethered, like a drunk man at an unfamiliar bus station trying to decode the letters and numbers.

None of these things should be in these places: it’s the 89th minute, United are a man down, they’re defending a one goal lead away from home, and O’Shea, who was introduced three minutes after United’s third goal, is on the field to keep things tight at the other end. Even at the moment he comes onto the ball in the box, his most sensible course of action was arguably to dribble slowly towards the corner flag and tempt an Arsenal player into giving away a silly free-kick. Have a roll around. Try and buy a red.

The proximate causes of the goal were Arsenal pushing forward, Gabriel Heinze being essentially forced down the wing, Paul Scholes having full 360 vision, and O’Shea wandering free. But like the erratics, O’Shea was brought to strange prominence by grander forces. Games like this, capped with goals like that, don’t just happen out of nothing.

The entire multi-year epic of Arsenal vs. Manchester United lies behind this peculiar goal. Years of spite and counter-spite, titles won and lost, trebles and invincibility. Two teams that wanted to defeat each other, sure, but also wanted to humiliate, expose, and obliterate one another. Not for the sake of violence, but for the most sporting reason of them all: they were one another’s only worthy opponents.

And though it didn’t feel that way at the time, this was arguably the end. You can see the cracks starting to appear in Arsenal’s line-up already: that’s Manuel Almunia in goal, where he will remain an option for far too long. Defending their invincible season, Arsenal finished 12 points behind Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea; United a further six back.

The next season, Chelsea won again, and Ferguson had a new prime enemy. Arsenal moved to the Emirates, and haven’t won the title since. And O’Shea was left there, silhouetted against the horizon, a curious object marooned in a curious place. A memorial of a time when the world was very different, before the weather changed.

[greatsofthegame]

Keane Vs Vieira

[winterolympicssports2018-blog]

Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal: Marouane Fellaini heads injury-time winner

Click here for More Olympics Updates https://www.winterolympian.com/manchester-united-2-1-arsenal-marouane-fellaini-heads-injury-time-winner/

Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal: Marouane Fellaini heads injury-time winner

After they had enjoyed their public cuddle on the touchline before kick-off Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson would have been best advised to retire to Jose Mourinho’s office for wine and memories. They could have put a DVD on and recalled what it used to be like.

Keane vs Neville, Van Nistelrooy vs Keown, Vieira vs absolutely everybody. That would have got the blood up. TV gold and all that.

At the very least two titans of our game would have been spared this exhibition of nothingness, this painful indication of inexorably declining standards.

Marouane Fellaini had the final say with an injury-time headed winner to secure all three points after coming on as substitute

Substitute Fellaini produced a brilliant header in injury time to give United all three points and break Arsenal’s resistance

Arsenal players celebrate with Henrikh Mkhitaryan (centre) after he equalised for the Gunners against his former club

Paul Pogba celebrates with Alexis Sanchez after giving Manchester United the lead with his close-range effort on Sunday

MATCH STATISTICS, TABLE AND MATCH ZONE

Manchester United: De Gea 6, Valencia 6, Lindelof 6.5, Smalling 6, Young 6.5, Ander Herrera 6.5 (Fellaini 64, 6.5), Matic 6.5, Pogba 6.5, Lingard 5.5 (Martial 64, 6.5), Lukaku 6.5 (Rashford 50, 5.5), Sanchez 6

Subs not used: Rojo, Mata, McTominay, Joel Pereira

Goals: Pogba 16, Fellaini 90 

Manager: Jose Mourinho 6.5 

Arsenal: Ospina 6.5, Bellerin 6.5, Mavropanos 7, Chambers 6.5, Kolasinac 6 (Monreal 64, 6), Maitland-Niles 6.5, Xhaka 6, Mkhitaryan 7 (Willock 76, 6), Nelson 6.5 (Welbeck 64, 5.5), Iwobi 6.5, Aubameyang 6

Goal: Mkhitaryan 51

Booked: Xhaka 

Subs not used: Holding, Cech, Nketiah, Osei-Tutu

Referee: Kevin Friend

Att: 75,035

RATINGS BY MIKE KEEGAN 

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  Paul Pogba opened the scoring for Manchester United in the 15th minute. For more, visit Sportsmail’s brilliant MATCH ZONE.

  Arsene Wenger was presented with a gift by old rival Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of his final game as Arsenal boss against United

Wenger was greeted by both Ferguson and current United manager Jose Mourinho ahead of kick-off on Sunday afternoon

Konstantinos Mavropanos, pictured shepherding the ball away from Jesse Lingard, was handed his Arsenal debut by Wenger

We knew this wouldn’t be like the old days. It hasn’t been for ages. These teams have changed. English football has changed, for better and for worse.

Equally, we didn’t quite realise it was going to be as anaemic as this.

This wasn’t even United/Arsenal-lite. It was just a match between one team that has forgotten its identity and another not quite good enough to spot a free Sunday dinner when it’s offered one.

Arsenal almost got away without losing and Wenger would have taken that. It is a long time since Arsenal have been competitive in this fixture. The game was more than 92 minutes old when Marouane Fellaini’s header ensured Wenger would go home from Old Trafford with a bitter taste in his mouth once again.

Nobody wanted to see Wenger embarrassed on his final visit and he wasn’t. His team weren’t very good but sadly he has grown used to that and that is why he is leaving.

Lingard plays a pass as Reiss Nelson watches on during the opening stages of the Premier League clash at Old Trafford

United’s Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic plays a pass under pressure from Arsenal youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles 

It was the first time Mkhitaryan (left) and Sanchez (right) were facing their former clubs since their January moves

The Arsenal manager rested eight players ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg at Atletico Madrid so it was always possible his team could have taken a hiding. For the first 45 minutes, Arsenal almost begged for one.

They were really very poor, almost to the level of disinterest.

Take away the fact that this was not Wenger’s strongest team and it was still possible to recognise problems that exist right through the playing structure at the Emirates. Insufficient appetite and energy. Not enough street smarts and nous.

But United could score only one goal during that first half and that arrived after 15 minutes from Paul Pogba. Subsequently Mourinho’s team were not good enough to put Arsenal away until the game was in its death throes and that said much about them, too.

Sanchez’s header rebounded off Hector Bellerin and off the post into the path of Pogba, who tapped home the opening goal

The French midfielder reacted well to score the simplest of tap-ins as Arsenal’s Calum Chambers watched on helplessly 

Pogba celebrates in front of the Old Trafford faithful after opening the scoring in the 16th minute for United against Arsenal

The 25-year-old is embraced by his United team-mates after his effort put them ahead in the Premier League match

Yes, United won this game and they are now assured of Champions League football next season. They may yet win the FA Cup, too, and that would represent a good campaign. But they won’t beat Chelsea at Wembley if they play like this.

Improvement has come under Mourinho and second in the Premier League to Manchester City is no disgrace. But this is a United team that still lacks key ingredients of what the great Ferguson teams had and, on afternoons like this, it is easy to be reminded of what were once much higher standards.

A one-goal lead should have been two or three by half-time. Really good United sides — in fact pretty good ones — would have taken hold of Arsenal in the first half and wrung them by the throats until there was nothing left.

United’s Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea reacts during a first half where he was barely tested by Arsenal’s attacking players

Mkhitaryan wins an aerial ball ahead of Ashley Young during an impressive display against his former club on Sunday

Mourinho makes his point on the sidelines during the match as he locked horns with Wenger for what could be the final time

Romelu Lukaku was forced off with an injury just five minutes into the second half and replaced by Marcus Rashford

It would have been one of the longest afternoons of the careers of young Arsenal players Reiss Nelson and Konstantinos Mavropanos, both of whom were making debuts here.

As it was, United just let the game drift. They didn’t end the contest early like they should have done and as such were vulnerable to the Arsenal improvement that came after half-time.

It is all relative, of course. Arsenal did improve but they were still well short of minimum standards.

Pogba’s goal — side-footed in after Alexis Sanchez’s header had been diverted on to the post by Hector Bellerin — had arrived after Arsenal made a mistake in midfield, Granit Xhaka the culprit.

The equaliser was similar from that point of view. United players fell over each other in the centre of the field and that allowed Arsenal to break and release Henrikh Mhikitaryan, who finished low with his right foot through the legs of Victor Lindelof from the edge of the penalty area.

Mkhitaryan drilled home from outside the area after good work from Granit Xhaka as Arsenal drew level against United

Xhaka punches the air after the goal in contrast to Mkhitaryan’s more conservative celebration against his former team

(Left to right) Bellerin, Xhaka, Alex Iwobi, Mkhitaryan and Nelson are pumped up after the Armenian’s goal at Old Trafford

Wenger speaks to Anthony Martial before the Frenchman was introduced as a substitute for Jesse Lingard in the 64th minute

Nacho Monreal prepares to be introduced in place of Sead Kolasinac after the Bosnian picked up an injury in the second half

The Armenian didn’t celebrate with that much glee, which was a little pointless. He spent much of his time at United not really being trusted by Mourinho and when he did play nobody ever really took to him.

So if I were him, I would have celebrated until my blood vessels burst. As it was, his reaction to his goal was perfect for this game. Lame.

In theory, Arsenal could have pushed on to win but nobody who knows anything about them really expected that. At the Emirates at Christmas they played United off the park and managed to lose 3-1 so why would it be any different here?

United, predictably, carried the greater threat late on, even if they hardly kicked the door down.

With half an hour left, Mourinho had thrown Fellaini on and the method of attack was clear. Long, wide and high.

It’s never a bad tactic against tiring bodies and after the Belgian hit the post late on, he reached a cross from Ashley Young and headed the ball past David Ospina and in to the corner.

Some gloss for United and another away defeat for Wenger. That is six in a row in the Premier League. If Arsenal avoid one in Madrid on Thursday, it will be a miracle.     

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was marginalised for long stretches of the game, challenges Matic in a midfield aerial duel

Danny Welbeck rifles a shot on goal after coming on a substitute against his former team in the league clash at Old Trafford 

Rashford had the ball in the net late on but his effort was correctly disallowed for offside a few minutes before Fellaini’s winner

Wenger rages on the touchline as his final Old Trafford game as Arsenal manager ended in disappointment on Sunday

The Belgian punches the air in celebration after coming off the bench to secure United victory right at the death on Sunday

Fellaini is embraced by his team-mates by the corner flag after his header secured a dramatic win for United at Old Trafford

Mourinho celebrates in front of United’s supporters after Fellaini’s winning goal gave the home side victory over the Gunners

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[soccernetghana]

Drogba vs Eto’o: Who was the greater African striker?

[caption id="attachment_798459" align="alignnone" width="512"] Didier Drogba, Ivory Coast National Soccer Team, left, with Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon National Soccer team reacts during a meeting before a training session in St-Gratien, outside Paris, France. Friday, May 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)[/caption] Each gamer outlined a technology and are more likely to go down because the continent’s most interesting…however who’s primary? Soccer rivalries give the game an additional edge; simply assume Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi, Pele vs Diego Maradona and even Patrick Vieira vs Roy Keane. Whereas debates over who’s the higher might typically be taken too far by critics or followers of the aforementioned gamers, it offers the sport extra spice and which means. In Africa, there’s in all probability no debate higher than Didier Drogba vs Samuel Eto’o, two contrasting strikers whose influence at residence and overseas within the 2000s and early 2010s can’t be understated. The previous was a late bloomer, finest identified for his tempo and energy at Olympique Marseille and Chelsea, who possessed an uncanny knack for delivering within the massive video games. The opposite was probably the greatest exports from Cameroon within the final twenty years, taking part in with the perfect and thriving in varied methods and successful practically each main trophy for membership and nation. When he appears to be like again on his profession, the Ivory Coast legend will probably keep in mind a quick encounter with Jose Mourinho within the Stade Velodrome tunnel when Marseille hosted Porto within the 2003-04 Champions League marketing campaign. The Portuguese coach supposedly praised the frontman and promised to signal him when he had the assets…an assurance he delivered on when he turned Chelsea boss. It was the ex-Porto coach who turned the striker into one of many feared frontmen in Europe, along with his ingenious man-management getting the very best out of the highly effective striker. Whereas Drogba’s numbers over the course of his profession might not have been prolific, and there have been additionally persistent diving accusations thrown at him, there’s a faculty of thought which believes his influence shouldn’t be measured by numbers alone. Folks with this notion have a tendency to have a look at the frontman’s all-round contributions to Chelsea from 2004 to 2012 which included his defensive enter, hold-up play, selflessness and fairly spectacular help numbers. He had the persona and affect to alter video games without having to attain and help, traits that don’t fairly present up on shiny metrics at the moment. Nonetheless, he scored targets; massive targets that helped the Blues win lots of their trophies to determine the West London membership as one of many main sides on the continent. None got here larger than his immaculate show of management and cojones within the London aspect’s 2012 Champions League run which culminated of their first and solely winners’ medal to this point. Drogba scored decisive strikes of their last group stage sport with Valencia on the Bridge, however, added vital targets towards Napoli, Barcelona and Bayern Munich within the last. Granted, he rode his luck just a little, having conceded penalties within the semi-final and last, however he was in all probability due some fortune after close to misses in earlier years and the 2008 last crimson card towards Manchester United. The key sticking level was his Ivory Coast profession which noticed him fail to win any worldwide titles, regardless of having the posh of the so-called Golden Technology that included the Toure brothers, Kolo and Yaya. Whereas the two-time African Participant of the 12 months had no title to point out for 65 worldwide targets, nevertheless, his function in ending a five-year civil warfare in his nation will ceaselessly paint him a hero within the eyes of his compatriots. He netted 168 targets and 86 assists in 381 matches for Chelsea, secured 4 Premier League titles in addition to a number of cup wins in England and successes in Turkey and the US over the course of his profession. 44 UCL targets, 14 greater than Eto’o managed, additionally confirmed he turned it on European nights, which is totally no shock for somebody as clutch as Drogba. Eto’o, then again, had the pure expertise and did terribly nicely to reside as much as his precocious potential. It’s not everybody who will get an opportunity for a World Cup debut at 17, simply over a 12 months after his maiden worldwide look as a 15-year-old. His superiority over Drogba is mirrored within the worldwide area, the place he loved success taking part in for the Indomitable Lions; successful Olympic gold as soon as, and claiming the Africa Cup of Nations on two events. No one has extra Afcon targets than the previous Actual Madrid ahead (18) and it’s no shock he’s received double the Ivorian’s Footballer of the 12 months awards. Even in membership soccer at Barcelona and Internazionale, the ahead claimed two trebles in 2008-09 and 2009-10 – the fourth participant in historical past to attain the feat – and his tendency to thrive in a number of tactical schemes highlighted his well-rounded nature. That is an antithesis of Drogba who solely thrived as a centre-forward and infrequently thrived when paired with one other striker. What made Eto’o additional particular wasn’t simply his spectacular trophy haul, but additionally his big-game mentality to ship at any time when his sides have been in difficult conditions. A pertinent instance was in Barcelona’s 2006 Champions League last win over Arsenal, a sport the Cameroon star was named Man of the Match. He received the free-kick that led to Jens Lehmann’s early dismissal earlier than netting the equalizer with 15 minutes to play within the Spanish aspect’s eventual 2-1 victory. As well as, he scored the opening aim within the 2009 last win over Manchester United too, opening the scoring within the 10th-minute of a 2-Zero success, whereas he confirmed his selflessness a 12 months later by giving his all in a defensive proper wing function as Mourinho’s counter-attacking Inter Milan beat Bayern 2-0. In addition to the aforementioned moments, the ex-Cameroon frontman scored vital strikes within the 2000 Afcon last towards Nigeria and scored one of many targets within the Olympics last win over Spain to erase a two-goal deficit and pressure extra-time – the Central African nation have been to win on penalties. Eto’o not solely possessed the big-game nous of Drogba, however had the method and tactical data to function and thrive in several ways and formations. The ex-Barca star scored a aim each two video games over the course of his membership profession (359 targets in 718 video games) versus the Ivorian who managed a aim each 2.three matches (300 targets in 686 appearances). Nonetheless, the Chelsea legend arrange extra targets – 122 to 116 – regardless of taking part in fewer video games and accruing lesser minutes over the course of their careers. The Ivory Coast legend will in all probability go down as one of many nice African forwards of all time however Eto’o is definitely a step above on this rivalry. The Indomitable Lions’ high scorer just isn’t solely the best ever African striker, however arguably additionally the very best ever to have graced the continent. source: https://ghanasoccernet.com/

[the-football-daily]

Roy Keane vs Patrick Vieira: Highbury tunnel fight & story behind the bitter rivalry

They were the beating hearts of England's two top teams for nearly a decade, but one defining moment sticks in the memory of football fans from Football News, Live Scores, Results & Transfers | Goal.com https://ift.tt/31cYW0U via IFTTT

[prleaguebib]

Manchester United vs. Arsenal: How long before they are back among Premier League's best? - ESPN

Manchester United vs. Arsenal: How long before they are back among Premier League’s best? – ESPN

5:34 PM ET

Manchester United against Arsenal was once the biggest fixture in the Premier League — a clash between two heavyweights that defined the competition and forged the reputations of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira and many others. But when the two clubs meet at Old Trafford on Monday, it will be encounter between two giants who have lost their way, with a…

[abetheone]

Manchester United vs Arsenal rivalry began with Whiteside battering O'Leary and led brawls, Keane vs Vieira and food fights

Manchester United vs Arsenal rivalry began with Whiteside battering O’Leary and led brawls, Keane vs Vieira and food fights

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When Roy Keane attempted to flatten Patrick Vieira in the tunnel before a Manchester United vs Arsenal game in 2005, tensions between the rivals were at an all-time high.

Then, the Premier League heavyweights were fighting each other for domestic dominance, whereas now the two are engaged in a battle for a Europa League spot.

It hasn’t been the same.

Keane took exception to Vieira…

[gadgetsrevv]

Euro 2020 qualifiers LIVE: Line ups confirmed, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane to start | Football | Sport

Euro 2020 qualifiers LIVE: Scores, fixtures, tables and latest news

England XI: Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Rice, Keane, Maguire, Sterling, Henderson, Kane, Barkley, Sancho

Kosovo XI: Vojvoda, Rrahmani, Aliti, Hadergjonahj, Voca, Halimi, Muslija, Celina, Berisha, Muriqi

France XI: Lloris, Dubois, Varane, Lenglet, Digne, Coman, Tolisso, Sissoko, Ikone, Griezmann, Giroud

Andorra XI: Gomez, Rubio, Llovera, Lima, Nicolas, Clemente, Valez, Renes, Cervos, Vieira, Martinez

Lithuania XI: Setkus, Mikoliunas, Palionis, Girdvainis, Andriuskevicius, Domantas, Slivka, Vorobjovas, Gabovs, Verbickas, Laukzemis

Portugal XI: Patrício, Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Fonte, Warrior, Carvalho, Neves, Fernandes, Silva, Ronaldo, Joao Felix

Luxembourg XI: Moris, Gerson, Chanot, Carlson, Rodrigues, Thill, Martins, Jans, Thill, Deville, Sinani

Serbia XI: Dmitrovic, Rukavina, Spajic, Maksimovic, Kolarov, Lukic, Milivojevic, Katai, Milinkovic-Savic, Ljajic, Mitrovic

Moldova XI: Koselev, Graur, Mudrac, Efros, Reabciuk, Cebotaru, Turcan, Ionita, Suvorov, Ginsari, Sandu

Turkey XI: Fehmi Mert Günok, Mehmet Zeki Celik, Demiral, Ayhan, Meras, Tufan, Tokoz, Turuc, Kaheci, Karaman, Tosun

Montenegro vs Czech Republic

Montenegro XI: Petkovic, Marusic, Lagator, Tomasevic, Radunovic, Hocko, Hosseini, Boljevic, Kosovic, Vesovic, Mugosa

Czech Republic XI: Vaclik, Djimsiti, Celustka, Suchy, Boril, Darida, Soucek, Masopust, Kral, Jankto, Schick

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[mancitynoise]

David Silva’s 400th appearance for Manchester City last weekend was both a midfield masterclass and fittingly – given the milestone – a greatest hits compilation of all the amazing gifts he has bestowed on English football since his arrival from Valencia in 2010.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon by the south coast he was instrumental throughout as the reigning champions easily dismantled Bournemouth and so beautifully, artistically and effortlessly imperious was his performance that it just didn’t seem fair. At the highest level this sport can offer he looked like a ringer.

David Silva's game by numbers vs. Bournemouth:

68 touches 8 recoveries 3 take-ons completed 2 assists 2 shots 2 chances created 2 tackles 2 clearances

What a way to cap off your 400th game for Man City. 💫 pic.twitter.com/ga3aE8cexO

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 25, 2019

Against the Cherries the player nicknamed ‘Merlin’ by his adoring fans resided in his natural habitat of the half-spaces, constantly in the periphery of opponents instructed not to let him out of their sights, and there he bewitched and bedevilled, receiving the ball as if it were a tired head and his boot a goose down pillow, pirouetting on a peseta, then caressing a pass either the simple distance of five yards or curled and pinpoint out wide. When opportunities arose a third option was taken, that of a dissecting through-ball for Sterling or Aguero to pounce on.

The latter always impresses; it never fails to grab the attention, as much for the panoramic vision prior to the execution than the delivery itself but bluntly these are mere flourishes that all great players are capable of producing from time to time. Even so, it should be noted that Silva, in just shy of a decade, has produced such flourishes more than anybody else.

👏 David Silva becomes the 1st player since Paul Power (1975-86) to make 400 apps for @ManCity. Since his debut v Tottenham in Aug 2010, he ranks most/joint-most in PL for: Chances created (745) Assists (83) Wins (196) Titles (4) pic.twitter.com/Bb1vzufcTh

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) August 25, 2019

Statistics, such as the ones highlighted above are undeniably important. They substantiate greatness and less importantly they banish those who doubt that greatness to the tribal playground where they belong. Yet for me – a Manchester City supporter who has had the enormous privilege of watching this rare technician for a quarter of my life – what has never been less than astounding are the traits not usually associated with a player of his ilk.

One such trait is his consistency, which maintains at the highest end of excellence, and that is staggering considering that Silva is a craftsman and one of life’s truths tells us that creativity is so often at the mercy of fickle fate. He shows up every week. He comes up with the goods every single week. He normalises perfection.

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In over nine years and 30,828 minutes in a blue shirt to date I think I’ve only seen the little Spaniard misplace a handful of passes and on a singular occasion I believe he made the wrong decision (though even with that I’m unsure because the full-back may have misread his intention and darted inside when space was available elsewhere).

In short, it has been the pinnacle of difficult football exhibited with the same uniformity typically reserved for players who rely on character over artistic merit. In short, he paints Picassos with the same consistency that dinner ladies serve up mash.

And he is able to do this because his supernatural talent makes up only a part of his game. Behind his butter-wouldn’t-melt face is the steely mind of a winner. “He is a fighter,” Pep Guardiola said when asked to eulogise about his maestro post-Bournemouth and it still surprises even now to witness Silva’s tenacity because we are brought up in this country to compartmentalise players into ‘types’ and his type aren’t supposed to dig in and sweat.

There is another reason for Silva’s consistency and this too belies the aesthetically pleasing nature of his football. Yes it looks so swish and stylish – continental you may say – but for all that Silva’s output is always economical. It’s lean, minus the extraneous fancy flicks and unnecessary showing off. It serves a purpose and the purpose is everything.

Which is how and why we are not simply talking about a stonewall Premier League legend here: we are celebrating also one of the most transformative players to ever grace our shores.

Before his arrival the Premier League was 18 years of age and had changed immeasurably from its former incarnation. The gradual influx of foreign players and foreign coaches resulted in tactics becoming ever more sophisticated, while diet and training and the more generic culture that surrounded being a footballer was now more appropriate to a multi-million pound industry to that of a pub darts player.

Yet, while on the pitch we embraced the notion of a ball-playing centre-half and had no problem with the introduction of ‘false nines’ in the devastating form of Henry or Ronaldo, what we couldn’t possibly countenance – what was enshrined in our collective mentality not to countenance – was the central positioning of a player slight of frame who was creative.

Sure, we had Gazza back in the day but his physique was that of a part-time bouncer while his hustling, bustling style left only his feet that twinkled.

Before him there was Glenn Hoddle, a sumptuous talent who could – and should – have been the hub of England’s midfield for a generation, except he wasn’t, widely viewed as he was a ‘luxury’ player.

After Gascoigne the list of Premier League central midfielders reads like a roll-call for battle-hardened competitors. David Batty, Roy Keane, Carlton Palmer, Paul Ince. I could go on. Even Arsene Wenger’s peak-era Arsenal side had a midfield staffed by the rangy and pugnacious Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira despite the fact that the French professor did more than most to alter our perceptions of what football could be.

Silva changed all that. Via his impactful creativity he made coaches trust in silk where once there was only steel and in doing so he has helped make English football fundamentally more beautiful. Our centre circles used to be hostile places. A war-zone if we’re leaning towards hyperbole. Now there is ballet, moved from the fringe theatre of the wing to the main stage.

David Silva is unquestionably a Premier League legend. He is deserving of our gratitude too.

[footballnewspapers]

Manchester United news and transfers LIVE Arsenal vs Man Utd early team news and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer latest

Manchester United news and transfers LIVE Arsenal vs Man Utd early team news and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer latest

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Darren Fletcher’s memoir of United’s trip to Highbury in the 2004/05 season was at the height of United’s feud with Arsenal.

Here’s an excerpt of his recollection to manutd.com:

You’re in the tunnel at Highbury.

You’re in the zone, ready for a massive match against Arsenal.

Suddenly, Roy Keane starts having a go at Patrick Vieira, before we’re even on the pitch.

In that one moment,…

[foreversuperstrong]

Roy Keane vs. Patrick Vieira, the Battle of the Buffet: Top 10 tunnel bust-ups