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eNCA
17 hours ago
- Sport
- eNCA
Arsenal 'digging for gold' as title bid starts at new-look Man Utd
AFP | Glyn KIRK LONDON - Mikel Arteta has challenged Arsenal to keep digging for gold as they prepare to start their latest bid for a first Premier League title since 2004 against revamped Manchester United on Sunday. Arteta's side have finished as Premier League runners-up for the last three seasons, sparking criticism of their failure to get over the line in the title race. Arsenal blew significant leads when Manchester City pipped them to the trophy in 2023 and 2024 before Liverpool left the injury-plagued north Londoners trailing in their wake last season. Arsenal's title frustrations are mounting, with fans questioning whether Arteta is the right man to end their drought after winning only the 2020 FA Cup since he took charge in December 2019. But the Gunners showed their potential last season with a run to the Champions League semi-finals that ended with a narrow defeat against eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain. And, buoyed by a host of new signings worth over £180 million ($244 million) in total, Arteta is convinced they can finally get their hands on the Premier League silverware this season "You keep digging, digging, digging, and you have to be digging because one day the gold is going to be there," he told reporters on Friday. "For three seasons we've had more points than (nearly) any other team in this league, which is incredible. "You have the consistency, but now we have to do it in a season, to end with more points than any other team. "That's the objective. When I've been taught, when I've been educated, that's it." Hampered by injuries to Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz at various stages last season, Arsenal lacked a cutting edge and were held to 14 draws compared to Liverpool's nine. That was a crucial edge as Arsenal finished 10 points behind the champions. In an attempt to insulate Arsenal against another fitness-related collapse, Arteta has brought in Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres, Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, Chelsea winger Noni Madueke and Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard. 'Every game is like 'do-or-die' After bemoaning Arsenal's failure to sign Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins as Liverpool pulled away during the January window, the Spaniard is a far more upbeat figure on the eve of the new season. "I think we have great versatility, very different qualities in relation to the opposition, so we are very happy with that," he said. Arteta said "too many" teams have a legitimate shot at winning the Premier League for his liking, some he even suspects will "surprise everybody". AFP | KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI Whether that was a hint United, who suffered their worst season since 1973-74 last term, could emerge as contenders after their summer spending spree remains to be seen. Arsenal were linked with a move for United's new striker Benjamin Sesko before deciding to bet on Gyokeres for a fee that could rise to £66 million. Gyokeres netted 97 times in 102 games in two years at Sporting, much of which came under United's current manager Ruben Amorim. Instead of being reunited with the Swede, Amorim overhauled his attack with the signings of Leipzig's Sesko, Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo and Wolves forward Matheus Cunha at a combined cost of over £200 million. United, who haven't won the title since 2013, had to spend big to erase the stench of their putrid campaign. Amorim's team finished a dismal 15th in the top-flight and squandered a chance to qualify for the Champions League with a toothless 1-0 defeat against fellow underachievers Tottenham in the Europa League final. The pressure is on Amorim, who replaced the sacked Erik Ten Hag in November, to deliver major improvements in his second season. Amorim knows Sesko will be key to that target and he believes the 22-year-old Slovenian is ready to rise to the challenge. "I don't need to tell Ben, 'Ben, this is Manchester United, a lot of pressure. Every game is like do or die'," Amorim said. "He is always thinking about football. He's really obsessed about that." By Steven Griffiths
eNCA
5 days ago
- Sport
- eNCA
Five Premier League talking points
AFP | Peter PARKS LONDON - Liverpool begin their bid for a record 21st English title on Friday, with Arne Slot's revamped side installed as favourites to retain the Premier League crown. Arsenal and Manchester City are the main contenders to end Liverpool's reign, while Chelsea and Manchester United have questions to answer. AFP Sport looks at five talking points ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season: Champs Liverpool in pole position AFP | Glyn KIRK When Liverpool host Bournemouth in the opening match of the top-flight season, the Reds will put on display an expensively overhauled team carrying great expectations. Liverpool haven't been crowned champions in successive campaigns since 1982-83 and 1983-84. Emulating the feat of Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush and company would take the Anfield club past Manchester United into sole possession of the most English titles. Chasing that target, while also competing for the Champions League, convinced boss Arne Slot to invest from a position of strength as Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez headlined a £256 million ($343 million) summer spree. Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz have departed but Slot sees encouraging signs from a new-look attack that could yet include Newcastle striker Alexander Isak. "Last season we had a lot of ball possession but that didn't always lead to promising situations. Now, we are better in creating than we were throughout the whole of last season," he said. Can Arsenal get over the line? AFP | Glyn KIRK After finishing as runners-up for the last three seasons, Arsenal believe they are ready to end their long wait to win the Premier League. Mikel Arteta's side blew golden opportunities in the title race in 2023 and 2024, but last season was a frustrating injury-plagued affair that petered out with Liverpool 10 points ahead of them. Arsenal haven't won the title since 2004 and their only major trophy under Arteta is the 2020 FA Cup. Having spent over £180 million on Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Kepa Arrizabalaga, Arteta is confident Arsenal can reach the promised land at last. "We have been very close the last few seasons. We know what our targets are. There is a big belief in our ability to achieve that," he said. Man City face long road back to the top AFP | CHANDAN KHANNA Pep Guardiola has spent the close season engaged in a desperate attempt to halt Manchester City's decline. Continuing a major overhaul that started in the January transfer window, Guardiola has signed Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and James Trafford. With Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker leaving and Jack Grealish also on the way out, it has been a summer of change at the Etihad Stadium. Whether Guardiola's wheeling and dealing can take City back to the summit after a first trophyless season since 2017 is another matter. Champions in six of the last eight seasons, City looked shockingly vulnerable during their slump to a third-place finish, while concerns remain over the durability of midfield talisman Rodri after his serious knee injury. Chelsea's world champs aim high AFP | HENRY NICHOLLS Fresh from their surprise Club World Cup success, Chelsea will look to carry the momentum into the domestic campaign. Enzo Maresca's men returned from the United States buoyed by their impressive 3-0 victory over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain in the final, but are they for real? The Blues had the youngest average age of a starting line-up across an entire Premier League season in the competition's history last term. Despite a turbulent campaign, Chelsea finished fourth to qualify for the Champions League and also won the UEFA Conference League. Now emerging stars Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez are joined by new recruits Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, Estevao Willian and Jorrel Hato as Chelsea set their sights even higher. Man Utd eye redemption AFP | KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI Chastened by their lowest finish since 1973-74, Manchester United hope a complete revamp of their attack can inspire a redemptive season. Ruben Amorim's side ended 15th in the Premier League and suffered a toothless 1-0 defeat against fellow strugglers Tottenham in the Europa League final -- a loss that cost them a place in the Champions League. It was an appropriately limp conclusion to a humiliating season and Amorim is under intense pressure to turn the tide after spending £200 million on forwards Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. Marcus Rashford has joined Barcelona on loan, with Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Rasmus Hojlund all likely to leave Old Trafford as Amorim tries to wake the sleeping giant. By Steven Griffiths
eNCA
15-06-2025
- Sport
- eNCA
Three things we learned from the World Test Championship final
UK - South Africa shed their unwanted tag as nearly men with a decisive five-wicket win over Australia in the World Test Championship final on Saturday. Victory, secured by Aiden Markram's superb hundred, with South Africa captain Temba Bavuma making a valuable fifty, ended years of tournament heartache for the Proteas following multiple failures at the One-Day International and T20 World Cups. Below AFP Sport looks at three key points that emerged from a fascinating final at Lord's. Two of the three WTC finals have now been won by teams outside cricket's 'Big Three' powerhouse nations of England, Australia and India after New Zealand's inaugural 2021 triumph. At a time when there are widespread fears that red-ball cricket could become the preserve of the Big Three alone, this is perhaps a sign of Test cricket's enduring competitiveness. South Africa, however, will not be playing a home Test during the upcoming 2025/26 season. And several South African observers reckoned there were more fans supporting Bavuma's men at Lord's than had seen at a home Test in years. There has long been talk of setting up a Test match fund to help cricket's financially poorer nations defray some of the costs of staging five-day games. Such a move could improve the WTC, with the current format under fire because teams do not all have to play each other or the same number of matches. "We want to play more Test cricket," said Bavuma after the final. "We want to play against the bigger nations. So I think this will go a long way in making us a lot more attractive." AFP | Glyn KIRK With 28 wickets falling on the first two days, there was inevitably talk about whether the pitch was too much in favour of the fast bowlers on both sides. But research by analysts at CricViz found there was in fact less movement in some areas than is typical for Lord's. Not for the first time, minimal preparation was more likely the cause of the batsmen's troubles adapting to English conditions. Australia didn't have a solitary practice match in England. The experienced Steve Smith was responsible for the lone fifty by a specialist Australia batsman in the final. The title-holders still led by 74 runs after the first innings, after making 212, but Australia captain Pat Cummins said: "We could have batted the opposition out of the game by putting on well over 300 plus. We didn't give ourselves a big enough buffer and we let them back into the game." Catches still win matches AFP | Glyn KIRK The worth of the saying "catches win matches" was underlined by a sensational South Africa fielding display on the first day. After Bavuma won the toss and elected to bowl first in overcast fielding conditions, he needed his pacemen to be on their game. Kagiso Rabada, who went on to take an impressive nine wickets in the match, was on target from ball one. But Rabada and the rest of the pace attack were backed up superbly as the South Africa slip cordon and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne held several stunning catches. By contrast advanced slip Smith's drop of Bavuma, when the Proteas skipper had made just two, during the run chase helped turn the game South Africa's way.
The South African
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Premier League 2024/25: Winners and losers
Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy at a jubilant Anfield as the curtain came down on the 2024/25 season on Sunday. Below, a look at the winners and losers of the campaign: Liverpool Champions for a record-equalling 20th time, Liverpool were in a class of their own for much of the season as Arne Slot's men wrapped up the title with four games to spare. Inspired by the sensational form of Mohamed Salah, who was both the league's top goalscorer and assists provider, the Reds made light of the loss of talismanic boss Jurgen Klopp 12 months ago. Klopp was in the crowd at Anfield to salute the champions on Sunday, while Slot has already started his plans to build from a position of strength. Trent Alexander-Arnold leaves a big hole to fill, but Liverpool are reportedly close to deals for Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz, as well as Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez. Newcastle Alexander Isak fired Newcastle into the Champions League © ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP The Magpies secured fifth spot and a place in next season's Champions League despite a shock 1-0 home defeat to Everton on the final day of the campaign. However, a return to Europe's elite competition was just the icing on the cake for fans on Tyneside after Newcastle ended a 56-year wait to win a major trophy this term. Eddie Howe's men stunned Liverpool 2-1 in March to spark wild scenes of celebration for a one-club city with a huge following. Alexander Isak struck the decisive goal at Wembley and played a huge part in carrying Newcastle back to the Champions League as only Salah scored more Premier League goals than the Swede's 23. Crystal Palace Crystal Palace won the club's first major trophy with the FA Cup © Glyn KIRK / AFP Palace had been waiting even longer for silverware until beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final for the first major trophy of their 119-year history. The Eagles also secured a club record Premier League points tally of 53 to finish 12th despite a terrible start to the campaign. Oliver Glasner's side struggled early on, due in part to having four members of the England team that reached the Euro 2024 final and the role star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta played in France's run to the silver medal at the Olympic games. Palace won just one of their opening 13 games after a disrupted pre-season, but lost just six of their final 25 in a run of form that would have seen them in the fight for the Champions League places if replicated over 38 games. Manchester City Pep Guardiola's Man City endured a torrid season by their standards © Glyn KIRK / AFP Anything other than the title after an unprecedented run of four consecutive Premier League crowns would have been a disappointment for Pep Guardiola's men. But the scale of their decline during a difficult winter sent shockwaves through the division. After losing Ballon d'Or winner Rodri to injury, the previously all-conquering defending champions won once in 13 games between late October and December. Defeat to Palace in the FA Cup final rounded off a first trophyless campaign since Guardiola's first in England eight years ago. However, City did recover to at least finish third and secure a 15th consecutive season in the Champions League. Manchester United Manchester United suffered their worst season in over 50 years © CESAR MANSO / AFP There was no saving grace for United after the club's worst season since they were relegated in 1974. Ruben Amorim apologised to supporters on Sunday for a 'disaster' of a campaign that saw United finish 15th and fail to qualify for Europe for just the second time in 35 years. The decision to maintain Erik ten Hag as manager quickly backfired as the Dutchman was sacked in October. But Amorim has won just seven of his 27 Premier League games since at a club in disarray on and off the pitch. Defeat in the Europa League final to Tottenham, which cost United approximately £100 million ($135 million) in Champions League qualification, could have severe consequences on Amorim's ability to mould the squad into his image over the summer transfer window. Promoted trio Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton set an unwanted record as the trio of relegated clubs combined for a record low points tally of 59. They were also the three clubs that were promoted from the Championship last season. Before the 2023/24 campaign, that had only happened once in English top-flight history, back in 1997/98. Now it has happened for the past two seasons with growing concerns about the competitive balance of the English top flight due to the growing gulf between the Premier League and the second tier. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Euro 2028 hosts must qualify but two places reserved for them
England midfielder Jude Bellingham and his team-mates will take part in qualifying for Euro 2028 (Glyn KIRK) Euro 2028 hosts England, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales will compete in qualifying for the tournament, UEFA said Wednesday. The European football governing body confirmed the qualification format for the 24-team tournament, reserving two places for host nations who do not qualify. Advertisement "(The) hosts... will also participate in qualifying, drawn into separate groups," said UEFA in a statement after an executive committee meeting in Bilbao ahead of the Europa League final. "The 12 group winners and eight best runners-up (20 teams) will advance directly to the EURO 2028 final tournament. "Two spots in the final tournament will be reserved for the two best-ranked host nations who are not qualified as group winners or best runners-up after the completion of the qualifying group stage." The remaining places at the tournament will be won via play-offs between the remaining qualifying group runners-up and the highest ranked 2026-27 Nations League non-qualified group winners. Advertisement The number of spots available through play-offs will depend on whether host nations qualify directly through the groups or via the reserved qualifying slots. Euro 2024 hosts Germany qualified directly to the tournament, eventually won by Spain who beat England in the Berlin final. rbs/bsp
