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Lionel Messi’s Newell’s Old Boys tribute to Diego Maradona in Barcelona’s win over Osasuna explained
Lionel Messi paid tribute to Diego Maradona during Barcelona‘s 4-0 win over Osasuna by revealing an old Newell’s Old Boys shirt with his No 10 on the back after scoring his side’s fourth goal.
The football world has been united in grief since Maradona passed away at the age of 60 on Wednesday after suffering a cardiac arrest in his home in Buenos Aires. Argentina declared a three day period of national mourning in homage to one of the country’s favourite sons.
Maradona inspired Argentina to their second and most recent World Cup triumph in 1986, scoring five goals in the tournament, including the “Hand of God” and “Goal of the Century” against England in the quarter-final and providing five assists.
It is that feat that has led to some proclaiming him to be Argentina’s greatest ever footballer, even ahead of Messi who is his country’s leading scorer with 71 goals.
Despite the debate over who out of Maradona or Messi can rightfully lay claim to the title of Argentina’s, if not the world’s best ever player, the pair had a great mutual respect. Indeed, Messi even played under Maradona for the national team for two years – a spell which included the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
It was unsurprising, therefore, to see Messi take the opportunity to pay his own respects to Maradona in his first game since his death on Sunday. After goals from Martin Braithwaite, Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho had put Barcelona 3-0 up against Osasuna at Camp Nou, Messi added the fourth and final goal with 73 minutes played.
After dribbling into space and weaving around an opposition defender, Messi rifled the ball into the roof of the net from the edge of the box with a typically brilliant piece of individual play.
Messi was mobbed by his teammates before heading off on his own to pay his respects to Maradona. Messi removed his Barcelona shirt to reveal the red and black colours of Newell’s Old Boys before kissing the fingers of both hands and raising them to the sky. Much to his bemusement, Messi was booked by referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz for taking his shirt off.
Oh my word…MAGIC from Messi! ????
— Premier Sports ???? (@PremierSportsTV) November 29, 2020
And he celebrates by revealing a Maradona Newell's Old Boys jersey under his Barca shirtpic.twitter.com/Swreif0daf
Although Maradona is most synonymous for successful spells at Napoli, Boca Juniors and Argentinos Juniors, as well as a less happy time at Barcelona, he also represented Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys towards the end of his playing days in the early 1990s.
Maradona made five competitive appearances for Newell’s during the 1993-94 season, in order to boost his fitness ahead of the World Cup in the United States of America in 1994. However, he tested positive for the banned substance ephedrine two games into the tournament and was subsequently banned from football for 15 months, which ended his association with a club known in Argentina as the Lepers.
Despite his spell at the club being far from a successful one, Maradona is revered by Newell’s supporters. While in charge of Gimnasia La Plata in 2019, Maradona was given a warm welcome by Newell’s players, officials and supporters alike ahead of a game between the two clubs. They even provided him with a throne to sit in to watch the game.
Unlike Maradona, Messi has never worn the colours of Newell’s Old Boys in a professional capacity, but the Rosario native is a lifelong supporter of the club. Messi joined their youth ranks at the age of six and he remained there for six years until joining Barcelona at the age of 13 in 2001.
Messi has admitted on a number of occasions that it is a “dream” of his to represent his boyhood club before he retires, although it is unlikely they will be in the frame to sign him should he decide to leave Barcelona at the end of his contract next summer.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/33umBwd
Man Utd player ratings: 5 key performances vs Southampton – including Cavani, Greenwood and Henderson
You may not have noticed but Manchester United headed into Sunday’s Premier League clash with Southampton seeking a fourth win on the bounce. So much for a crisis under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The manager, who before the most recent international break had seen his troops lose in insipid displays against Arsenal and Istanbul Basaksehir, has United back to their best.
Well, almost. And not without a scare either. These are nervy days for the Red Devils, despite their winning run. A hard-fought triumph over Everton was followed by a gritty result against a defensive-minded West Brom side. Throw in the avenging of the Basaksehir with a comfortable victory last Tuesday and United looked to have got back into their groove.
And as Solskjaer marched off the St Mary’s field following a second-half reversal inspired by Edinson Cavani, it was clear the cracks in this United squad are still showing.
While Cavani will grab the headlines, United were undone by two set-pieces on the south coast – one that should easily have been cleared away, and the other a moment of wonderful precision from James Ward-Prowse. How frustrating it must have been for Solskjaer, who told the Sky Sports cameras before kick-off that his men had been working on defending the set piece.
We also witnessed the introduction of goalkeeper Dean Henderson halfway through the match. Some may say his first Premier League appearance in a United shirt has come nine games too late.
Here, i looks at the best and worst performances during United’s 3-2 comeback win…
Mason Greenwood 4/10
The England man has been kept away from the limelight in recent weeks after controversies both on international duty and at his club. Mason Greenwood’s last appearance for the Red Devils was in the miserably tepid 1-0 loss to Arsenal at Old Trafford at the start of November. His return to the first XI came with the absence of Anthony Martial and Solskjaer would have hoped to have inspired some grit in the young England gem.
But Greenwood laboured to get into the game here. He put an early chance just wide and enjoyed the occasional link-up play with United’s midfield, but all too often the forays forward would came to nothing. He lacked the physical and dynamic impact required to carve out chances against a Saints defence that seemed unperturbed when Greenwood was on the ball.
He was subbed off for Cavani at half time having missed another good chance.
Edinson Cavani 9/10
Greenwood’s withdrawal was necessary if United were to come back from two goals down at the break – and the arrival of Cavani certainly gave the Red Devils a greater threat up top. Cavani has arrived in the Premier League seemingly with a point to prove. Deprived the status of top dog at Paris Saint-Germain thanks to the emergence of Kylian Mbappe and the purchase of Neymar, Cavani is looking to right plenty of personal wrongs at Old Trafford.
And a display like we saw at St Mary’s will certainly aid the Uruguayan. Cavani may not have the pace and persistence of Greenwood but the experienced head knows better how to bring in teammates. And this is exactly what he did to set up Bruno Fernandes for United’s first goal in the second half, which slashed the deficit.
Minutes later and the ex-Napoli hero was celebrating finding the net for only the second time since his arrival in England. Cavani lingered in the box after a partially-cleared delivery and was quick to react to the incoming ball, heading past goalkeeper Alex McCarthy with the poachers’ instinct of Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Of course, it was always going to be the big man who grabbed the winner for United. Much like Van Nistelrooy, Cavani was there when his team needed him most. This time a cross from Marcus Rashford swung in to meet the long-haired veteran, who simply needed to glance the ball into the net. No thrills but awfully effective.
Donny van de Beek 5/10
United’s woeful first half could be summed up by Donny van de Beek’s inability to get a grip on the ball. He spent much of the opening 45 minutes orbiting around the focus of play. This was Van de Beek’s first start for United and came in the absence of Paul Pogba, who has not featured since before the international break.
Plenty of focus is put on the Dutchman because he was the sole big-money signing Solskjaer was allowed to make during the transfer window.
But it’s taken the Ajax product quite a while to get into his groove in a United team that really needs their star men to perform now, not later. Van de Beek had a far better second half when Southampton’s defence sat further and further back. But he wasn’t the orchestrator of this, and struggled when pressed. It was a passive performance at best – something that many United players are getting used to delivering.
David De Gea 4/10
Solskjaer stressed before kick-off the need to defend the set-piece but David De Gea was left flapping for both of Saints’ goals today. The Spaniard, whose place in the United XI has already been questioned this season since the return of Henderson from a loan spell at Sheffield United, was rooted to the spot for Jan Bednarek’s opener from a corner.
Ten minutes later and De Gea injured himself in trying to save Ward-Prowse’s pinpoint second from a free-kick. One wondered as the 30-year-old lay on his back with his gloves over his eyes if De Gea would have preferred the ground to swallow him up in that instance.
It didn’t do that but he was at least granted a reprieve to watch the second half from the terraces, having been subbed off at the break – one can assume because of the injury. Another quiet performance like that and the calls will grow for De Gea to lose his place.
Dean Henderson 6/10
The last time we saw Henderson in the Premier League is was at Southampton’s home ground. Back in the summer Henderson was seeing his successful loan stint at Sheffield United come to an end, with hopes that he may force his way into the Red Devils first team a few weeks later.
But with De Gea keeping his place for now, it’s been nine league games until we’ve seen the young England man in United jersey in the top flight. On came Henderson and he enjoyed a very solid half. Saints started the better after the break but the keeper matched a Theo Walcott drive early on, while the Red Devils defence appeared much more organised with the 23-year-old issuing commands.
United have a long winter ahead of them and did well to recover a win from what appeared in the first half to be a foregone conclusion. And Henderson should expect to be a part of the Premier League fixture congestion that awaits Solskjaer’s men, otherwise they could slip further away from the top four.
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- The making of Marcus Rashford: the Man Utd star who never forgot his roots
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3lkB9om
Kalvin Phillips will not score goals but the statistics show Leeds can dream of bigger things to come
Leeds United may be one of the most highly-praised team units in the Premier League right now but there’s no denying one man sitting in the centre of it all is what makes Marcelo Bielsa’s side tick.
Kalvin Phillips was typically unassuming when asked in his post-match interview after Leeds’ 1-0 win over Everton on Saturday what he made of his own performance on his 150th league start for the club.
“Obviously I’m pleased when we win, but it’s all about the team,” he said. “If the team doesn’t play well, I don’t play well. It comes down to individual efforts but it’s collectively as a team. The manager has talked about that every week.
Kalvin Phillips match stats vs Everton
- Passes – 84 – Most of any player
- Passing accuracy – 95% – Best of any player
- Opposition half passes – 43 – Most of any player
- Possession won – 11 – Most of any player
- Distance run – 12.1km – Furthest of any player
- Long balls – 21 – Most of any player
Stats from Sky Sports & WhoScored
“We haven’t got one really good individual player. We’re a team and we work hard as a team to get results.”
Indeed, Leeds have come to embody the essence of team spirit under Bielsa since the Argentine rocked up at Elland Road at the start of the 2018-19 Championship season.
But Phillips – one feels – is surely aware of the heightened reputation that is falling his way after a string of top-level performances earned him his first England caps earlier this campaign.
It’s hard to emphasise just how important the anchoring midfielder is to this team – but the stats don’t lie. The 24-year-old was first for distance run, passing accuracy and passes in the opposition half during the clash at Goodison Park. It was his positioning in the centre that caused Everton’s midfield all sorts of problems trying to find the isolated Dominic Calvert-Lewin. What’s more, the win was Leeds’ second consecutive clean sheet – they had conceded eight goals in three games during Phillips’ absence with a shoulder injury before that.
This is no surprise and one of the reasons Leeds are looking up the table, rather than down, this season. Keeping an attack like Everton at bay is quite some feat for a side that typically doesn’t concern itself with conceding nearly as much as it does scoring.
Yet Phillips’ display on Merseyside wasn’t the crunch-tackling, chest-thumping, bombastic performance many would associate with the midfield general role. Leeds have had plenty of those down the years – from Vinnie Jones and David Batty through to Sean Derry.
What the academy product does so well is read the play. He made just two tackles in the whole game against Everton, yet persistently intercepted the cross-midfield pass that Allan tried to deliver to the likes of Richarlison and James Rodriguez. It’s soft power, not overt aggression.
Furthermore, Leeds can trust the England international to act fast when in possession. So much of Bielsa’s attacking mindset in nestled in how the team sets up to attack while defending. Yes they remain compact but crucially the players face goal-wards. So, as soon as the ball is won – often by Phillips after a swift press – the trigger goes off and lone striker Patrick Bamford swiftly has three or four men alongside him.
As fans watching on TV – and sadly not in the stands – we notice the sprayed pass out wide to Jack Harrison or Raphinha on the wing, with the Sky Sports camera pulling out and panning across the field to capture the delivery. It’s a trait of Phillips’ that he employed during the Championship and the tactic works here too. As the ball is floating to the winger, the Leeds full-back – usually Luke Ayling – bombs past his man to provide an option when it lands. Leeds can quickly overload on the opposite wing.
It shows not only the vision but also the attacking insight of a central midfielder whose role under previous Leeds managers was restricted to winning the ball back and sitting tight.
Before the game Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness said that while he admired Phillips’ midfield play, he wanted to see more goals from the England anchorman. And yes, the midfielder hasn’t found the net for the Three Lions or Leeds this season – and in fact has managed to score just three times during Bielsa’s reign.
“One obvious criticism, 37 games last year in the Championship, two goals,” Souness said. “I think he is a good striker of the ball, he should be shooting more. Get more goals. Be more of a goal threat. There’s a lot to like about him.”
But as Bielsa would readily point out, the act of scoring is not what Phillips is selected for. He is the ball winner and supplier for his teammates – and that gives the other nine outfield players the opportunity to implement Bielsa’s wider game plan.
While some may argue the very top teams in the Premier League produce goals across the board, Leeds aren’t this team. They don’t need to be. Right now, ensuring the Elland Road club can embed itself back in the Premier League is what is required over anything else. And Phillips – under contract until 2024 – is the sort of root they need to flourish into the future.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/39oQ2nh