Van de Ven clearance 'poetry in motion'
Former Tottenham defender Stephen Kelly described Micky van de Ven's goal line clearance as "poetry in motion" in their Europa League final victory over Manchester United.The Red Devils came close to an equaliser through a Rasmus Hojlund header, however, Van de Ven acrobatically cleared off the line midway through the second half.Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Kelly said: "Absolutely amazing. It was a momentous occasion for Spurs fans."It was really enjoyable to watch as a Spurs fan. Often you feel there's a soft underbelly and we're going to be turned over, but it was the complete opposite."Van de Ven's clearance off the line was poetry in motion, better than a goal. There was a side of Ange Postecoglou and his tactical awareness to do those things... You just felt maybe it was something we can work on, we can take leads and hold on."I was so nervous, but the joy we felt at the end to see Son Heung-min lift the trophy, what a way to finish if it is his last year with the club."
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Times
an hour ago
- Times
Harvest time for farmers' league as PSG make light work of Europe's best
The strange thing is, nobody really calls it the farmers' league. Maybe in a few memes, on the odd message board, in some of the more heated corners of social media, but no serious football person thinks of Ligue 1 as a competition for agriculteurs. What is a farmers' league anyway? It would be one in which the players are part-time, which France's are not, and the football crude, which French football is not. There is also a hint of unworthiness or weakness in there, yet French clubs have performed reasonably well in Europe this season. Monaco, Lille and Brest all made it out of the Champions League group stage, and while none of the three won their next knockout game, Brest were eliminated by this season's champions Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco lost a thrilling tie 4-3 to Benfica and Lille went down 3-2 to Borussia Dortmund. No shame there. In the Europa League, Lyon lost that crazy game to Manchester United in the quarter-finals, meaning only Lens and Nice in the lesser competitions truly disappointed. France's problem is with history. Until this weekend, no French club had won a European trophy since PSG claimed the Cup Winners' Cup in 1996. Even the country's previous European Cup win, by Marseille in 1993, was tainted by corruption. For too long the reputation of French football has been that it produces brilliant individuals, as shown by the performances of the national team, who graduate to clubs in wealthier, more successful, leagues and conquer Europe from there. Since 2010, only Liverpool and Manchester City have won the Champions League without a Frenchman on the pitch. So, no, it most certainly isn't the farmers' league. Still, the perception in Paris is of disrespect. Luis Enrique, PSG's coach, references the jibe frequently as though he hears it all the time. No doubt it is a useful motivational tool to tell his players the world thinks they are akin to labourers. It's just not true. Long before they utterly dismantled Inter Milan, excellent judges such as Liverpool's Arne Slot had PSG down as the best team in Europe and when Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta sniffily disagreed and placed his own team first he was widely ridiculed. Yet even if Ligue 1 really was just PSG and every other team made up the numbers — and, yes, that is sometimes how it looks from the outside — it wouldn't matter. If anything it makes their achievement this season even greater. Since PSG took control of domestic competition in France — they have won ten of the past 12 titles — their superiority has been viewed as the cause of weakness in Europe. Each time they have fallen short in the Champions League — and their record in the 12 seasons preceding this comprises five exits in the round of 16, four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and a losing final — it has been suggested that their domestic dominance is in part responsible. PSG have it too easy, runs the argument, and then when they need to raise standards against the European elite, the improvement simply isn't there. It's the same with Celtic; the domestic ease makes them soft. And maybe this has been true. If so, however, it is to the immense credit of Luis Enrique and this group of players that a way has been found to maintain such a high level against the elite of Europe when the domestic competition is not comparably challenging. PSG won this season's title in the first week of April and the Champions League on the last day in May, which flies in the face of the idea this squad needs toughening up. Now, of course, it will be said that Luis Enrique has been able to keep his players fresh with the domestic campaign done. Yet both arguments cannot be true. It can't be that Ligue 1 leaves PSG too lightly raced to compete, yet also keeps them fresh for battle. Equally, it really doesn't matter about the other 17 clubs. Transport any Premier League team across the channel to Ligue 1 and, if PSG were still involved, it would remain a damned hard competition to win. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa all found PSG too hot to handle at various times in this campaign. The Premier League rightly boasts of its strength in depth but it is usually just one, at most two, other clubs that keep a title race going. Liverpool found it hard to win the Premier League under Jürgen Klopp because of one team, City, not ten. That is the other myth of the French farmers' league. A farm only requires one really good farmer. If the men's 100m final was you, six men in flip flops with their legs tied together, plus Usain Bolt, you're still not getting gold. The Rugby World Cup is frequently decried for the same reason. Yet even if it were reduced to four teams, but the quartet comprised New Zealand, South Africa and France, Steve Borthwick would still have his work cut out leading England to glory. What we are now seeing in PSG is a French club fully realising its potential. Not just its wealth but its resources. The northern suburbs of the city, in particular, are arguably the greatest reserve of natural talent in Europe. We talk of England's North East or the football cages in south London, but the mystery with PSG has always been why they did not tap into the talent on their doorstep and why players such as William Saliba were so easily lost to French club football. Now PSG have moved on from their galactico period, young men like Senny Mayulu — the 19-year-old who scored the fifth goal against Inter — look like the future. PSG also have the clout to pluck the best products from their rivals. Désiré Doué came from Rennes, the club that also produced Eduardo Camavinga, Mikaël Silvestre, Mathys Tel, Sylvain Wiltord — and Ousmane Dembélé. Its production line fed players to England, both homegrown and scouted discoveries. Petr Cech, Jérémy Doku, Raphinha and Abdoulaye Doucouré all came to the Premier League from Rennes. Yet when the best young squad in Europe is being nurtured 200 miles away in Paris, that route may become less travelled. The hope is PSG, having first harmed the competition with domination, now pull Ligue 1 up with them. Earlier this month it was reported the French federation was considering having a final four tournament to decide the champions, adding a layer of jeopardy to the PSG procession. There were plans to restructure governance along the lines of the Premier League, while ditching broadcast rights holders in favour of an in-house streaming service. It sounded like French football was in crisis. Having the continent's best team may just change that. PSG's triumph could not have come at a better moment. It's harvest time in the farmers' league, one might say.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool icon sends clear warning to Man Utd - 'There'll be more Garnachos'
Alejandro Garnacho looks likely to leave Manchester United after falling out with Ruben Amorim, having expressed his frustration with his manager, and Graeme Souness believes it points to a "culture" problem at the club Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has warned Manchester United"there'll be more Alejandro Garnachos" if they don't change their culture at the club. Garnacho appears to have fallen out with manager Ruben Amorim after being benched for the Europa League final defeat against Tottenham - and left out altogether for the final day clash against Aston Villa. Garnacho is the latest player to have clashed with Amorim after Marcus Rashford, with both players struggling to deliver on their promise after being dropped by Amorim at various points this season. Rashford is almost certain to depart if United can identify a club who will pay their £40million asking price, while Garnacho is also expected to leave after Amorim reportedly told him he must "pray" he could find a new team. After their Europa League loss to Spurs, Garnacho admitted his frustration over not being picked and said the team's season was "s***". Souness - who played 354 times for the Reds before managing them for three years in the 1990s - feels both players are examples of a poor culture in the dressing room and said there was "too much money and respect" influencing young players. "The fact Alejandro Garnacho has been told he can leave Manchester United underlines why I have persistently said he is a classic example of a young player who has had too much too soon," he told the Daily Mail. "That's too much admiration, too much money, too much respect from within the football club and too much from outside, from the public. It puts players like him in a headspace that is detrimental to their growth as a human being and as a football player. It's compounded by the fact he is at Manchester United where a player's profile, even before he has even appeared regularly for the club, is bigger and wider than with any other club in the country. "Marcus Rashford, has one season of scoring 30 goals and what does the club do? Give him over £300,000 a week. Look at how that has worked out." Souness claimed there weren't enough experienced leaders in the dressing room to help Garnacho stay grounded and cited Cristiano Ronaldo as a player who the youngster could have benefited learning more from. He insisted when he was a player, he felt "insignificant" despite being club captain, because manager Ronnie Moran kept them on their toes. "You often hear United managers talk about the culture being wrong. Who does Garnacho have to look up to in that dressing room, that is setting an example? Someone he would want to become. They had the best example in the world and let him go: Cristiano Ronaldo. He would have been worth keeping for the example he set. Staying on after training, dedicating his lifestyle to the sport. "At Liverpool you were never allowed to have a big head on your shoulders. That's why I cite Ronnie Moran as the greatest influence on my career. I was captain of Liverpool, but I felt insignificant. Statistics tell you we were pretty good, but Ronnie never let us become 'Billy Big Heads'." Garnacho is now being linked with a move to Chelsea after returning from the club's post-season tour to Asia. The 20-year-old made it clear he was unhappy to travel after uploading a picture of the airport runway after getting back home, with the caption: "Finally". Napoli have also been mentioned as an interested party in the player who managed 10 goals and nine assists in all competitions for United this season.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
PLAY TEAMSHEET: Can YOU name the Man City side that beat Arsenal 6-3 in 2013? Or pick YOUR team and guess their starting XI
Welcome back to Teamsheet... Mail Sport's original football memory game with a twist that gives you the chance to test your football knowledge against your mates. Today, we are heading back to December 2013 when Manchester City faced Arsenal at the Etihad. A nine-goal thriller ensued, with City eventually prevailing 6-3. But can you remember the City XI that Manuel Pellegrini picked that day? It's just for fun, so see how you fare and share your Teamsheet score... full instructions on how to play are at the bottom of the article and in the game itself. And you can also pick any team you like and guess their starting XI. Best of luck! HOW TO PLAY The aim of the game is to score as few points as possible! If you guess a player at the first attempt you score one point - so the lowest score for guessing every player at the first attempt is 11. Guess a correct letter in the right position, and it'll turn green. Guess a correct letter but in the wrong position, and it'll turn yellow. You have six guesses for each player - and if you fail, we'll reveal their identity for 11 points! You can also ask for a free letter, but it costs you a point. So play on to see if you'll score the best possible total of 11 - or fail on every player and score 121.
