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Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Jordan Pickford makes England vow after Thomas Tuchel talks up goalkeeper battle
Jordan Pickford earned his 76th cap as England beat Andorra 1-0 in Barcelona on Saturday and the 31-year-old is confident that he can keep the number one shirt for many years to come That is Joe Hart and David Seaman in the wing mirrors … only the small matter of Peter Shilton to pass. Only another 50 caps to go. In the overwhelming tedium of England's win against Andorra in Barcelona, a significant landmark passed a lot of people by. As he kept another clean sheet, Jordan Pickford was making his 76th England appearance, surpassing the number made by Hart and Seaman. The only keeper ahead of Pickford in the England appearance list is Shilton, with his 125 caps. That looks like a monumental gap but it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Pickford will bridge it. Shilton was two months shy of his 41st birthday when he won his 125th and final cap in the World Cup third-place play-off match against Italy in July, 1990. Seaman was 38 when he won his last cap. As unlikely as it sounds, Pickford's international career might have the best part of another decade to run. 'I'm only 31,' he smiled after the Andorra game. 'I am young as a goalkeeper and I will keep striving and keep proving points. There has been competition since I pulled on the shirt for the very first time against Germany (in November 2017). 'It is about me keeping the shirt and pushing and the boys behind me chase. That is where my mentality is strong and that is where I keep improving.' When Pickford says there has been competition since his first appearance, he is right, of course. And ahead of the match at the home of RCD Espanyol, Thomas Tuchel tried to talk up a battle for the number one spot. But, in truth, Pickford is pretty much unrivalled. Dean Henderson had an eye-catching game for Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final and might get a chance against Senegal at the City Ground on Tuesday but Pickford remains a clear, automatic choice. And the fact is that the Everton keeper, who actually seems to be cutting a calmer figure in his early thirties, very rarely takes a mis-step for England. And his record is exceptional. Pickford said: '76 caps, 37 clean sheets … just shy of 50 percent. That's not bad, is it?' No, it's not. Even allowing for the less stressful clean sheets against the likes of Andorra, those are impressive numbers. And Pickford also believes his game with the ball at his feet is still developing. He explained: '(Against Andorra), I still had the patterns and my role was to find the right solution, the right pass, not to just kick it long. Find passes through the lines. 'We have players who want the ball constantly and it is about making the right decisions. I thought I did that (against Andorra).' If Pickford was an England player happy with his personal performance on Saturday evening, he must have been one of the very few. And he admits the squad need to quickly get to grips with the demands of the relatively new manager. Pickford went on: 'We are happy we won but not happy how we played as a team. It is a new manager and a new style of play and we have to adapt quickly because - just like that - the World Cup will be around the corner.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
📝 Espanyol fight back and secure survival, Leganés drop to the second tier
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. If everything seemed bleak for RCD Espanyol in the first half, the second half was a completely different story. Two goals from the "pericos" secured their stay in the First Division for Manolo González's team. 𝐄𝐍𝐒 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐌 𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐀. — RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@RCDEspanyol) May 24, 2025 Javi Puado from a penalty and Pere Milla confirmed the "periquito" team's stay in LALIGA. All this on a Saturday when Leganés confirmed their relegation to the Second Division. After scoring three goals in the first half and dreaming of staying up, the "pepinero" team saw all their chances of avoiding relegation vanish in the second half. A cruel end to a year for Borja Jiménez's side, who return to the second tier a year after their promotion. A veces en la vida no vale con luchar hasta el final. El orgullo de este club y de esta ciudad nos hará volver a latir. Gracias por no rendiros. Aúpa Lega hoy y siempre. Volveremos. — C.D. Leganés (@CDLeganes) May 24, 2025 The disappointment at Butarque contrasts with the celebration in Barcelona. The RCDE Stadium erupted with joy (including a pitch invasion) after the final whistle. 📸 Alex Caparros - 2025 Getty Images
The Citizen
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Africans fighting in the La Liga relegation battle
Some African players will be involved in the La Liga relegation battle this weekend. If you want to see the ultimate test for how a player can perform under pressure, put them in a relegation battle. In an environment where the points feel more valuable, where a single goal can change season-planning on its head, and where one clean sheet could make all the difference, it offers perfect opportunities to test your mettle. ALSO READ: Amorim will quit with no payoff if Man Utd want new boss Real Valladolid and UD Las Palmas have been relegated., going into the last two match days of the La Liga season. When it comes to the last remaining spot that no one wants to fill, there are a few African players who could have a say in the matter. Seydouba Cisse – CD Leganes CD Leganes will need to dig deep to find the two wins that they need from their last two La Liga games, which will give them a chance of staying up. But they will take heart from the fact that both of their opponents are below them in the La Liga table. With the need to go all out in both those fixtures, Seydouba Cisse's play from midfield for how the Guinean plays as a link between the midfield and attack. Last weekend, he scored what turned out to be a vital goal in a win against RCD Espanyol. Without that strike, their relegation would have been confirmed. This is Cisse's first season in the Spanish top flight, and he will be fighting for the team to earn the right to stay there. Moussa Diarra – Deportivo Alaves Alaves's bid to stay up got a massive boost from their midweek La Liga win against in-form Valencia CF and just need one final push to secure their top-flight status for a third consecutive season. Four points clear of the drop zone with two games left, it could well take just one clean sheet to secure safety, which is where Moussa Diarra comes into play. As a player who can play in the centre of defence or slot in at fullback, the Guinean was joined Alaves from Toulouse in August and has fitted into a defence that has only conceded one goal in their last four games. Walid Cheddira – RCD Espanyol RCD Espanyol are a team in poor form at the worst time of the season. On the back of three straight losses, they need to change something for their remaining La Liga games against CA Osasuna and UD Las Palmas to guarantee top-flight football. Moroccan international Walid Cheddira is a player who could provide them with a different goal-scoring option. On loan from Napoli, the physical centre forward is used as an option off the bench. Cheddira proved himself as a capable goal scorer in his first full top-flight campaign last season when he was on loan at Frosinone. Unfortunately, his goals were not enough for them to avoid relegation, but just one winning goal for RCD Espanyol now would be enough to guarantee staying up this season. Christantus Uche – Getafe CF Getafe CF have not looked like a team in relegation for most of the season, but after a disastrous run of six straight losses, they have slid into the battle to avoid the drop. For their last two La Liga games against RCD Mallorca and RC Celta, they will welcome back Christantus Uche into the side, who has finished serving a three-match suspension after receiving a red card against RCD Espanyol. The young Nigerian offers a much-needed goal-scoring option for Jose Bordalas' side, who have only managed one goal in their torrid six-game run. He has alternated between playing in the midfield or up front. With his height and physicality, he also offers a serious threat to the opposition from set pieces.
Sinar Daily
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Sinar Daily
How Flick's Barca wrestled La Liga back from Real Madrid
BARCELONA - Barcelona clinched the Spanish title on Thursday for the 28th time in the club's history, but only the second occasion in the last six years. Hansi Flick's hugely entertaining side beat Espanyol 2-0 to take the crown with two matches to spare. Barcelona's German coach Hans-Dieter Flick looks on before the Spanish league football match between RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium in Cornella de Llobregat, on May 15, 2025. (Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO / AFP) AFP Sport breaks down the ways the German coach helped the Catalan giants reclaim the Spanish throne from arch-rivals Real Madrid. Awesome attack Flick's thrilling attacking outfit this season have shredded nearly every side to cross their path. Barcelona scored 97 goals in 36 games to power to the title, 23 more than second-placed Real Madrid. A 7-0 thrashing of Valladolid in August set out their intentions, and they hit four goals or more in 13 league matches. The brilliant Lamine Yamal, still only 17, excelled, feeding veteran striker Robert Lewandowski and dynamic winger Raphinha. The Brazilian, who Flick convinced to stay at the club, had his best ever season and credits his coach with changing his career. Yamal provided the most assists in Spain with 13, while Lewandowski notched 25 goals and Raphinha got 18 while setting up nine himself. Flick's high defensive line has been a key feature of the team's approach, which sometimes costs them at the back, but largely keeps opponents under pressure, including Madrid in last weekend's Clasico. "For 24 minutes Real Madrid didn't touch the ball in our half... how we press them when they have the ball, it's unbelievable... we can be very proud of that," said Flick. Mentality shift Flick's predecessor Xavi Hernandez made every excuse under the sun -- and even including the sun -- last season as Barcelona failed to win a single trophy. This year the Catalans claimed a domestic treble and Flick has largely insisted on avoiding blaming external factors when his team has struggled. That helped Barcelona players realise that what they achieve, or not, is up to them and has given them the strength to turn around adverse situations. Barca have pulled off several impressive comebacks this season, including from two goals down against Real Madrid to triumph 4-3 in the most recent Clasico on May 11. "The team's mentality is incredible," said Flick after securing a fourth Clasico victory from four meetings this season. Furthermore the team no longer looks weighed down by expectations or pressure and instead are focused on enjoying themselves on the pitch -- contributing to their attractive, flair-filled football. Barcelona's Spanish forward #19 Lamine Yamal celebrates scoring his team's first goal next to teammate Barcelona's Spanish defender #03 Alex Balde (R) during the Spanish league football match between RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium in Cornella de Llobregat, on May 15, 2025. (Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO / AFP) Perfect Pedri Pedri Gonzalez has a strong case for being the world's best midfielder right now and after injury-ravaged years him staying fit for the whole season has been vital for Barca. "For me, Pedri is absolutely incredible -- I'm on my knees for him," said former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger. The Canary Islander, 22, has been the heartbeat of Flick's Barca, both in an attacking sense but also defensively, given the team operates without a holding midfielder following injuries to Marc Bernal and Marc Casado. Pedri's lithe form and quick-thinking allows him to get out of trouble quickly and helps Barca spring forward on the counter. Levels raised Flick boosted Barcelona's fitness levels and confidence across the board and his faith in players who struggled last season has been paid back in spades. The German insisted on keeping Eric Garcia and the centre-back has impressed when given opportunities, even playing out of position. Ferran Torres has helped the stellar forward trio rest and is the team's third top goalscorer and third top assist provider in La Liga. Most importantly, Inigo Martinez struggled last season but has been a cornerstone of the defence alongside teenager Pau Cubarsi, becoming a true leader. Winter blues bounce-back Despite an excellent start to the season, in November and December last year Barcelona slumped. The Catalans won just once in a seven-match spell in that period, losing against minnows Leganes and Las Palmas at home. Their lead crumbled, with Atletico usurping them after beating Barca just before Christmas. Flick took action, deploying the fit-again Frenkie de Jong in midfield over Casado and installing Wojciech Szczesny in goal in place of Inaki Pena. Barcelona came back strongly and went on a run of 24 matches unbeaten over all competitions to get back in the driving seat for the title. - AFP
The Citizen
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
‘Unique' Barcelona family key to title triumph: Flick
"Everyone really takes care of each other and... it's unique," said the German coach. Barcelona's Spanish forward #19 Lamine Yamal (centre) celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Spanish league football match against RCD Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium in Cornella de Llobregat, on Thursday. Photo: MANAURE QUINTERO / AFP Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said early Friday the backbone of their La Liga triumph this season was the 'family' the club has become. The German's team wrapped up their 28th Spanish title on Thursday night with a 2-0 win at Espanyol to complete a domestic treble, following Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup victories. ALSO READ: Real Madrid's Asencio indicted in underage sex video case – reports 'I think the most important thing is… it's really fantastic that everyone at this club has their job and they're doing it with a lot of passion, a really good attitude and mentality, and everyone knows how important they are,' Flick told reporters. 'This helps a lot to reach our goals, and of course the players and the atmosphere in the dressing room, this is so great, I never had this before. 'Everyone really takes care of each other and… it's unique.' Barcelona will celebrate their title triumph with a bus parade on Friday but didn't on the pitch at Espanyol after an incident in 2023. When Xavi Hernandez's Barca won the title at the RCDE Stadium they were chased off the pitch by angry home fans who rushed towards them. 'On the pitch it was clear we could not celebrate there… two years ago (there was trouble),' Flick continued. 'It's also about respect for the fans here, (so) of course we celebrated in the dressing room, fantastic, the players could do that, really good. 'Tomorrow I will stand a little bit in the background and I also will enjoy it. When I see the people are happy and smiling I will enjoy it.' Despite his joy at winning the league, Flick also thought about some negative moments during the season, including the shock death of club doctor Carles Minarro in March. 'Carles is now here,' said Flick, pointing towards the ceiling. ALSO READ: Lula says Brazil has 'capable' coaches, reacting to Ancelotti hire 'He (would be) very proud about our team, what (we) saw in the last couple of months, so we think about him always. '(We don't) forget him, because he was a great part of our team and will always have a place in our hearts.'
