Martin 'working out ways' for Dessers & Igamane to play together
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Daily Record
25 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Joe Rothwell declares Rangers rebuild has taken a 'huge' step as ultimate hope revealed
Russell Martin got a massive victory in his first competitive game in the hot seat Joe Rothwell reckons that the victory over Panathinaikos can jolt Russell Martin 's Rangers revolution into life. The new Ibrox boss secured a crucial 2-0 win over the Greeks in his first competitive game to take a massive step towards the Champions League third qualifying round. The pre-season tune ups will continue today as Middlesborough arrive at Ibrox for a friendly showdown -with Martin facing the ultimate task of bringing silverware back to the blue half of Glasgow. Celtic claimed a domestic double last season with Brendan Rodgers' men finishing a whopping 17 points clear of their rivals during a trophyless season for the Light Blues. But Rothwell believes the victory on home turf against the Greeks can create more of a buy-in from the squad to Martin's football philosophy. Having worked under the Light Blues' gaffer at Southampton, the 30-year-old was already a believer in the high-intensity style of play. And Rothwell said: "It can be huge. 'I think he said in it's not going to be a season-defining game (Panathinaikos), but, we wanted to go out there and put a show on and really show how he wants to do things. 'As I say, I think we managed to do that, controlled the game, as we like to do and like I say, just a bit disappointed that we didn't go and probably kill the game off a little bit more. 'As I've said, there's going to be times in games where it's like that and we've just got to make sure we stick together. "The crowd might get a bit edgy, but we know what we want to do and how we want to do things and as long as we stick to that and believe in that, then I'm sure, as you seen tonight a lot of the time, it looks really good and works. "Like I say, there's going to be times, but as long as we stick together and we'll come through for it." Asked if the first big result of the season could inspire a special campaign, Rothwell added: "I hope so. 'That's why I've come here; come here to win things and take this club back to the top where they belong, "So like I say it's a stepping stone for us, but there's definitely things we can work on and build on and we'll look to do that next week."
Daily Record
27 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Celtic are acting like amateur hour and Brendan Rodgers' transfer talk is sounding like a cry for help
The Hoops have some serious work to do with the squad and the clock is ticking to the big kick-off and Champions League qualifier It would have been daft to go overboard after wins against Sporting Lisbon and Newcastle United. Likewise, it will be silly to lost the plot after a pasting from Ajax. Pre-season games are impossible to judge properly. You never know what stage teams are at in their training, what their objectives are from these encounters or whether or not the players are even too fussed. Take Newcastle last weekend. They have a wage bill of north of £200m but got whipped by the Scottish champions. But dig deeper and it was obvious they'd been flogged for a week in Austria and it caught up with them. A fair few would have been desperate to get back to their own beds as well. Celtic looked that way in Como the other night. It looked like a team that had spent pretty much three weeks on the road and needed a hug from the Mrs and a lie in. But that also shouldn't mask some of the obvious issues around the squad right now. Brendan Rodgers has steadily ramped up his rhetoric around transfers – so much so that his latest comments sounded more like a cry for help. Forget about this debate over 'club signings' or whether they are ones for the future. He's made it crystal clear he needs first team ready signings – and pronto. Quite how Celtic are in this position – yet again – is slightly mind boggling. We get told the market is tough, there is competition, teams wanting to maximise their assists and so on. But why don't Celtic have some of these big tent pole captures lined up windows in advance? Benjamin Nygren is a good example of that working. Yet where are the others? Celtic know they are operating in a tricky environment. They are trying to sign Champions League ready players on Championship wages. That's why they can't get involved in the usual merry-go-round. They need to think outside the box and get ahead of the game. Sure, it's easier said than done, but they don't half make life hard for themselves. To be a week from the Premiership kick-off with just Daizen Maeda, James Forrest and Yang as the only wide men at the club just seems ridiculous. To have just Adam Idah up top, with projects Johnny Kenny and Callum Osmand as back ups and Shin Yamada with no work permit just comes across as amateur hour. Rodgers has had the patience of a saint but there are signs it's starting to wear thin. No one is saying Celtic don't have a good squad or their model doesn't work. They have a team that can cope at least domestically for now. There's every chance they will splurge £20m in the next three weeks and all will be well and good. But putting fans and the manager through the ringer all just seems like a stress they could have done without.
The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
The value of Spain's Patri Guijarro: ‘Watch her play and you can't help but smile'
It's England v Spain again in a major tournament final and most people know the strength of the reigning world champions' midfield. We have Alexia Putellas and we have Aitana Bonmatí. Superstars. But what about that third player? Who is she and what does she do? Well, there is an unwritten rule in Spanish football which says that when Patri Guijarro plays well, so do Spain and Barcelona. Undervalued and indispensable in a midfield triangle with the two Ballon d'Or winners, the Mallorca native has become essential for club and country. 'It's so easy to play alongside her, she makes everything easy,' said the two-time Ballon d'Or winner Putellas earlier at Euro 2025. 'It's a privilege to play with her. She's the best pivot in the world. Every inch of the pitch she covers, she does it with quality and intelligence.' The 27-year-old, who has been with Barcelona since 2015, is so versatile that she can play in other positions – and do it better than those who regularly feature there. When Putellas missed the 2022-23 season with an ACL injury, Barcelona did not sign a replacement for her. Guijarro moved higher up the pitch and Barça brought in Keira Walsh as a holding midfielder. It turned out to be Guijarro's best season in front of goal with the standout performance coming in the Champions League final against Wolfsburg, where her two goals turned the game around to end in a 3-2 win. Vicky López is one of the players who has benefited from featuring in the same side as Guijarro. The teenager was tasked with replacing Bonmatí for Spain's first two games at the Euros and she felt it was very easy to slot in. '[Patri] is one of the best players in the world, but she's always been undervalued in my opinion,' López said before the semi-final against Germany. 'She's the spine of the team and the reason why we all play well. There's passes that only she sees. If you watch her play, you can't help but smile.' Looking at Spain's matches at these Euros, Putellas and Bonmatí have been constantly marked, minimising space in the Spanish attack, but Guijarro has been outstanding both defensively and offensively against the low blocks. Her aggressive high press allows Spain to recover the ball in more advanced positions and, operating nearer the forwards, closing down passes, closing down spaces and taking care of ball recovery, her performances allow Putellas, Bonmatí and the wingers more space and time to start attacks. 'It's not an easy position because it doesn't get the recognition it deserves,' the Spain manager, Montse Tomé, said this week. 'Her humility and hard-working personality, on and off the pitch, allow players such as Bonmatí, Putellas, Vicky, Mariona [Caldentey], and [Clàudia] Pina to play more freely. She's a key part of our team.' The semi-final was a case in point. Germany forced both Putellas and Bonmatí high up the pitch so that they were already on the edge of a crowded penalty area with their backs to goal when they received the ball. Guijarro, however, was deeper in the Germany half with a big part of the pitch in front of her like a chessboard, knowing exactly where she could play the ball and move the pieces in front of her. 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 When Spain scored the only goal of the game, Guijarro was pressing high and wide alongside Athenea del Castillo. That forced Sydney Lohmann to attempt a long ball but, with tired legs and the added pressure from the right-back, Ona Batlle, the pass came up short and it was an easy interception for Del Castillo, who made the assist for Bonmatí. Her goal against Italy also showed how important her positioning is against a low block. Caldentey was at the top of the box and had one Italy defender in front of her blocking a pass. Bonmatí was pushed wide with two Italians next to her while Alexia had four opponents nearby. That meant that Guijarro was unmarked on the edge of the box and put Spain ahead with a brilliant first-time finish in the bottom corner. She has the finishing and passing of an attacking midfielder and the defending and composure of a defensive midfielder. She can do it all. Leaving a big impression on people who watch her is how she started her professional career at 17. She was playing for her local side, Collerense, in a match against Barcelona and caught the attention of their manager, Xavi Llorens. He went on to sign her the following summer and she made her debut for the Catalan club in the 2015-16 season. A decade later, she's played over 300 matches for Barcelona, winning 20 major honours in the process, including six league titles and three Champions Leagues. She has remained humble and when she was asked whether she sees herself as a future winner of the Ballon d'Or she said: 'Patri Guijarro, Ballon d'Or winner? No, I don't see it yet.' Another match-winning performance against England on Sunday may go some way towards changing that.
