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Glasgow Times
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Luis Enrique hopes ‘very difficult journey' to CL final ends with glory for PSG
PSG will contest their second European final when they face Inter Milan at Allianz Arena and aim to go one better than in the 2020 loss to Bayern Munich. Champions League success has been the holy grail for PSG's owners Qatar Sports Investment since they acquired a majority share in 2011, but Luis Enrique's team were in dangerous of a league-phase exit after a run of three defeats in four. Paris St Germain manager Luis Enrique has challenged his players to write themselves into the club's history (Adam Davy/PA) A 4-2 win over Manchester City in January revitalised their campaign and after tricky knockout ties with Brest, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal were navigated, Ligue 1 champions PSG enter this final with 28 wins from the 34 fixtures they have played in 2025. Luis Enrique, a winner in this competition with Barcelona a decade ago, plans a repeat against 2023 runners-up Inter. 'What I tried to transmit to the players is that we have been on a very difficult journey,' Luis Enrique told a press conference. 'We have had to play in top-level games since the start of the Champions League. The fact that it was hard at the start could be an advantage for us now because we are used to playing in these games. 'We played in the stadium against Munich, a team that is one of the best in Europe and we played in finals before. We are ready. We have not been scared at all this season so we are going to take to the pitch at our best tomorrow. 'I have more experience now from the last few years. I try to transmit to my team and my players the importance of playing in the Champions League final and the chance to make history. 'Making history means doing something that nobody has ever done before you at a club like Paris St Germain, so that is very important and it needs to be managed carefully so that it doesn't overwhelm us. 'I have the loved the way we have looked at training. Inter don't have any doubts either and it will be a brilliant final that we want to win.' PSG captain Marquinhos featured in the 2020 loss to Bayern, which occurred behind closed doors due to coronavirus restrictions. Marquinhos has shared a dressing room with superstars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, but expressed his love for this current group. He said: 'I have played in so many teams over the years here, but we are certainly enjoying it here on a daily basis and in every match. 'You can see the way we all run together, how we understand one another on the pitch, so there is the influence in our results. I am in love with this team, with everything we do on the pitch for one another and it is a pleasure to be a part of it. 'It is a great opportunity tomorrow to make history here as a club and for all the players here. It is a second opportunity for me to play in the Champions League final and I don't want to let if pass me by.' 🎙️ Ousmane Dembélé: "I'm very proud to be here in the final. Nothing has been easy. It's just a pleasure to be at this stage of the competition."#UCLfinal — Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) May 30, 2025 Ousmane Dembele has enjoyed an extraordinary campaign with 33 goals to become one of the favourites for the Ballon d'Or, but played down its significance. 'When you are a player at Paris St Germain, the most important thing is to win the Champions League. I am focused on the team and not on individual accolades,' Dembele insisted. 'I am pleased with what we have done since January. We have changed our mentality and we are going to try to keep it going and go all the way.'
Al Etihad
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Al Etihad
We lose our mind a little bit - Man Utd's Amorim calls for calmness
7 May 2025 19:57 MANCHESTER, ENGLAND (PA Media/dpa)Ruben Amorim is not taking progress to the Europa League final for granted as he admitted Manchester United have a tendency to "lose our mind a little bit" when the going gets United boss believes his side need to score in Thursday's semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao despite boasting an authoritative 3-0 Red Devils enjoyed once of their greatest ever European away days last week as Casemiro's header was complemented by a Bruno Fernandes brace after Dani Vivian's red card at a stunned San 133 teams in the competition's history to have scored three or more goals away from home in the first leg have progressed, with odds of 40-1 on absentee-hit Athletic reaching the final in their home city underlining the task at there is little chance of Amorim's men becoming complacent, especially given United are enduring their worst campaign of the Premier League era and escaped with a jaw-dropping comeback against Lyon in the previous round."If you look at our season, anything is possible, so we have to understand one goal can change anything, the momentum of the game," Amorim said."One sending off, you saw it a week ago, so we are prepared to fight to win the game not thinking about the result."Of course that matters and the way we are going to do things, especially when we start the game, but of course we are thinking about winning the game."Athletic face an almighty challenge, but United have lost 3-0 at Old Trafford on three occasions this term."We have to face the game as one more game," Amorim said of the approach. "I feel that we need to score to go to the next round, so that is clearly the way we are going to face the game."Brentford, we are near the draw, but we suffer a goal and another one quite fast. That can happen."That happened four times here in Manchester United, so we will have to suffer a little bit to go to the final. We are ready to suffer and we need to be better in the small details."Asked if he knows which United will turn up on Thursday, Amorim said: "It's hard to say, and sometimes it's not what kind of team we will be tomorrow."Sometimes even during the game we are one team, something happens and we lose our mind a little bit. "But we are improving the way we play, we are more confident and we are ready to face this challenge."An all-English final against Tottenham is on the cards should they overcome Bodo/Glimt, giving the sides in 15th and 16th place a chance to win a continental trophy and progress to the Champions League."In the end of this season, we can be the worst (United) team in Premier League history with a European title, so it will not change anything," Amorim said."We know that this season was really disappointing for everybody. Nothing is going to change."Joshua Zirkzee, Diogo Dalot and Lisandro Martinez are ruled out of Thursday's second leg, as are Toby Collyer, Jonny Evans and Ayden de Ligt, who returned in Bilbao after a month, is also absent having limped off 35 minutes into Sunday's 4-3 loss at Brentford. "It is not a big issue, that is the good thing," he said of the defender. "He cannot play tomorrow, he will not play on Sunday but then we will check day by day. We will see."
BBC News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'We need to take a look at ourselves' - Arsenal stalling at wrong time
Arsenal know better than most what a difference a week can days ago Renee Slegers' side were basking in the glow of a remarkable 4-1 away victory over Lyon that sent them to a first Women's Champions League final in 18 forward to Monday and Arsenal are investigating exactly how they lost 5-2 and 4-2 to Aston Villa and Brighton respectively in back-to-back league the defeat at Villa Park was unexpected, it was perhaps somewhat made seven changes from the team that beat Lyon, and the result was a shaky and disjointed the side that collapsed against Brighton was similar to the one that conquered one of Europe's great teams."We wanted to bounce back and turn that game around, and the same thing has happened to us again," Arsenal's Caitlin Foord told Sky Sports."It's not good enough all round and we need to take a look at ourselves individually and as a team. We can't let that happen again this weekend."While Fran Kirby and Jelena Cankovic both scored stunners for the hosts, Brighton's third and fourth goals came directly from defensive have shipped nine goals in their past two WSL games after conceding 14 in their previous 19 they forced Brighton goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley into 10 saves, they couldn't recover."In the last two WSL games we conceded nine goals in and we said as a team we don't think it's acceptable," Slegers added."We of course don't want this to happen. There are different reasons. The Villa game was different. We came from something else and the goals we conceded were different. "We need to learn two very tough lessons coming off a big success. We have to learn. It's part of being a top team. This can't happen to us, so we have to find solutions and move forward." Back-to-back league defeats for the first time since May 2023 begs the question: have Arsenal's players been distracted by their Champions League achievement?"Of course it's intense for the players with where we came from and what's ahead of us," said Slegers."We have to be in the moment. That is the million dollar question. We have to analyse and I will be working until late tonight and tomorrow."We want to try and get the details right and put our finger on what it is and how we want to move forward."Foord was more direct when answering the question."I don't think so. That's in the back of our mind and that is the game we are playing for this season," she said."But we have a job to do before that as well. We could have done that today and we haven't. Now it comes down to Saturday and our last game to prepare for the Champions League."Victory would have wrapped up second place in the WSL, but now it's up for grabs when Arsenal face third-placed Manchester United on Saturday.A third straight league defeat for the first time in a decade would see the Gunners slip to third, meaning they would enter next season's Champions League in the second qualifying round rather than the unless Arsenal beat Barcelona in this season's final, in which case they would secure a place in next season's new league phase."[We need] a good performance, we need to play well, we need to get that confidence back," said Foord."We need to take our chances and everyone has to be back into the game, as we were against Lyon, if we want to go on to do well in the Champions League." Head here to get involved
BBC News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Still a lot of questions about this Chelsea side'
Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker remains unconvinced by Chelsea, despite the Blues seeing off champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast he is not yet ready to say Chelsea will qualify for next season's Champions League."You would have to say they are still in it but there are still a lot more questions about this Chelsea team," Reo-Coker said. "Just on the game against Liverpool, they took 45 minutes to get going and then they missed some real good chances."Whether it is the Premier League celebration hangover. Chelsea were let off the hook in this game. It's going to come down to Newcastle v Chelsea next [weekend] when they play each other."Whoever wins that will be the one who makes it [into the Champions League positions]. I would put my money more so on Newcastle. From their performances and from the way they look. They have won the League Cup this year and they have got tunnel vision."With Chelsea, there are still quite a few questions. I don't think they are strong enough defensively."Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
New Straits Times
03-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Arteta admits pain as Arsenal miss out on Premier League title for third year
LONDON: Mikel Arteta says seeing Liverpool win the Premier League has been "painful" after Arsenal fell short in the title race for a third successive season. Liverpool's thumping 5-1 win at home to Tottenham on Sunday put them out of reach of nearest challengers Arsenal with four games to go. It is a huge blow for Arsenal, who have missed out yet again after pushing Manchester City all the way for the past two seasons. Arteta congratulated Liverpool on their triumph, which he said was fully deserved, but he said it hurt "big time." "I understand that (Liverpool) are a team that is being more consistent and they have a lot of ingredients that you need to win it, but it's very painful," he said on Friday. The Spaniard added: "I take the opportunity as well to congratulate Liverpool and what they've done in the manner that they've done, how consistent they've been. "And I think they fully deserve to win it. They were the better team. They had so many attributes. They had consistently their squad available. "And we're going to try again. But up to that moment next season, now we're going to have to finish the season very strong." Arsenal have not won the Premier League since 2004, under Arsene Wenger. The Gunners' title bid has been weakened by a rolling injury crisis, with six first-team players still out. Arteta, who was also without the suspended Thomas Partey for their 1-0 defeat in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, underlined the scale of the problem. "I was very shocked just before the game against PSG at home because I was walking into the dressing room and suddenly I saw all of them together sitting," he said. "It was (Takehiro) Tomiyasu, next to him (Riccardo) Calafiori, next to him Gabriel Magalhaes, next to him Thomas Partey, next to him Kai Havertz, next to him Gabriel Jesus, next to him Jorginho. "I said, 'That's a starting line-up'. And we don't have them. We haven't had them for many, many months. And then I felt joy about the team and what they are doing and how they're trying and nobody's talking about it in the building at all." Arteta, whose side host mid-table Bournemouth on Saturday, said finishing second in the Premier League was the target now. Arsenal are five points clear of third-placed Newcastle with four games to play, with the top five all qualifying for next season's Champions League.--AFP
