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Real Madrid expected to rest 5 key players vs. Elche

12Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Real Madrid expected to rest 5 key players vs. Elche

Real Madrid totally dominated Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and center midfielder Federico Valverde led the way with incredible games, while center back Antonio Rudiger was also amazing in shutting down Erling Haaland again. All three players look set to get rewarded with some rest. MARCA report that Real Madrid are expected to leave Fede, Courtois, Rudiger, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Aurelien Tchouameni to get some much needed time off this weekend against La Liga underdogs Elche on Saturday night. But Real Madrid will not be underestimating their stingy opponents. Those five stars will likely be rested by manager Alvaro Arbeloa, which means opportunities for top backup keeper Andriy Lunin, veteran right back Da...

Manchester United have the best player in the Premier League at headers (and it’s not Benjamin Sesko)

12Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Manchester United have the best player in the Premier League at headers (and it’s not Benjamin Sesko)

Manchester United are back on the rise under Michael Carrick, who is getting this team to actually play exciting and effective football, and the team's biggest stars are performing at their best level. One of them is new striker Benjamin Sesko, a top talent. His aerial prowess was already well known in the Bundesliga before arriving at Old Trafford, and he has been scoring goals like crazy in 2026, including with his head. Gradient Sports creates metrics that grade players based on performance in attributes, and Sesko is in the top 10 among players in the Premier League at finishing with their heads. But you know what's crazy? He's actually ninth, and Manchester United have another player in first. That would be Casemiro, who is in first, beating out Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk in...

‘Same line as Benzema and Kane’ – Chelsea icon praises Joao Pedro’s best trait

11Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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‘Same line as Benzema and Kane’ – Chelsea icon praises Joao Pedro’s best trait

Joao Pedro has been a smashing success for Chelsea since signing from Brighton last summer, and his production has taken on another level since the hiring of former Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior. Everyone is taking notice of the work Pedro is doing, especially beyond scoring goals. His all around play and off ball movement have been extraordinary, among the best in the Premier League. Speaking on the Champions League Round of 16 broadcast between PSG and Chelsea for TNT Sport in Brazil, former Chelsea icon Thiago Silva spoke very highly of Joao Pedro, comparing his understanding of the game to the two best all around No. 9's of the modern game, Harry Kane and Karim Benzema: “Joao Pedro is basically on the same line as Benzema and Kane. I don’t mean technically, I mean in terms ...

‘The right project’ – Journalist hints at possibility of elite manager joining Manchester United

11Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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‘The right project’ – Journalist hints at possibility of elite manager joining Manchester United

The majority of Manchester United fans want Michael Carrick, a former star center midfielder at the club, to remain as permanent manager after how quickly he has turned things around at Old Trafford, but the Red Devils are looking at some big names, too. We have already seen former Bayern Munich manager and current German national team coach Julian Nagelsmann linked, and Roberto De Zerbi of Marseille appears to be on the list as well. But now according to Manchester Evening News reporter Tyrone Marshall, PSG manager Luis Enrique is someone who could move to Old Trafford as a dream option. Per Marshall, Enrique wants to coach in the Premier League in the future and speaks excellent English, but he needs to be convinced by Manchester United or any other club that they are "the right...

Peter Schmeichel drops wild news on Chelsea’s goalkeeper situation

11Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Peter Schmeichel drops wild news on Chelsea’s goalkeeper situation

Chelsea fans were surprised to see Filip Jorgensen in the starting lineup over Robert Sanchez first against Aston Villa in the Premier League and then against PSG in the Champions League Round of 16. Sanchez had made high profile errors and became difficult to trust, but he was also playing pretty well for most of the season, an improvement from Filip Jorgensen previously after the young Danish goalkeeper lost the job with some bad performances during a low confidence period. But speaking on the CBS Sports broadcast of the Champions League, legendary Premier League goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel dropped some serious intel that Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has now made Jorgensen the starter over Sanchez: “My information, I’m told Rosenior has directly told Jorgensen he is now the num...

Eden Hazard names the best baller he ever played with, and his choice was obvious

11Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Eden Hazard names the best baller he ever played with, and his choice was obvious

Eden Hazard was one of the best players and biggest icons of the 2010s, dominating the Premier League with Chelsea after first being a phenom in Ligue 1 with Lille. A two time Premier League and Europa League champion as well as a two time La Liga winner and Champions League winner with Real Madrid, Hazard played with some incredible footballers over the years like Luka Modric, Thibaut Courtois, Toni Kroos, Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, and John Terry. But if you ask Hazard who the best player he ever played with is, he can't help but wax poetic about the man who was, briefly, to his right at Real Madrid, Karim Benzema. Hazard said, via Madrid Xtra, "Best player I played with? Karim Benzema. In matches and training he delivered a very high level. I'd be on...

Joao Pedro has been a better finisher than Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe

8Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Joao Pedro has been a better finisher than Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe

Chelsea's new 24 year old striker Joao Pedro has been on a tear lately since Liam Rosenior took over as the Blues manager, and according to recent numbers shared by BBC Sport, his shot to goal conversion rate is higher than two of the biggest names in world football. Pedro is turning 24.6 percent of his shots into goals, whereas Manchester City marksman Erling Haaland's conversion rate is just behind him at 22.5. Another European Golden Boot contender - and last year's winner - Kylian Mbappe is behind him, too, with a conversion rate of 20.7. Now, there are better conversion rates out there, as Harry Kane is converting an insane 31.3 percent of his shots into goals. Kane, by the way, is on 30 goals this season, while Haaland is at 22 and Mbappe 23. Though Kane is in an easier leag...

Cristiano Ronaldo predicted Michael Carrick’s greatness before anyone else

3Mar

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Cristiano Ronaldo predicted Michael Carrick’s greatness before anyone else

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in the storied history of Manchester United, and while his second stint at the club was not an entirely fruitful one, his impact is still felt at the club. Players like Diogo Dalot improved after working with Cristiano, and the legendary Portuguese forward also subtly sowed the seeds for manager Michael Carrick to come up and save this club. In December 2021 when Carrick was briefly in the dugout for Man United, Cristiano tweeted high praise for his former Manchester United teammate in the midfield, calling him a "class act" when he was a player while predicting that Carrick would become a "great coach" in the future. He said, "Nothing is impossible for this guy." Well, we are seeing Cristiano's prediction come true before our very ...

Arsenal fans can’t be mad at Riccardo Calafiori’s transfer wish

2Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Arsenal fans can’t be mad at Riccardo Calafiori’s transfer wish

Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has been as good as advertised since joining in summer 2024 after a sensational breakout season with fairytale Serie A side Bologna and the Italian national team at the European Championships, and while he has gotten along perfectly well in North London for the new title favorites, he is still dreaming of a return to the Italian top flight. As relayed by Italian transfer reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, Calafiori admitted that he feels there is unfinished business at his first club, the historic AS Roma in the capital, as he never got to celebrate with the ultras due to COVID-19, "I want to return to Roma at some point. I can't predict the future but it's unfinished business for me. I was 18, it felt like a dream at Roma. But then COVID happened, I couldn...

Manchester United have picked out their top 3 Casemiro replacements

2Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Manchester United have picked out their top 3 Casemiro replacements

Manchester United are going to be one of the biggest buyers of midfield talent in the summer 2026 transfer window, and nobody would be surprised if they landed two top class options to bolster their squad this year. According to a report from Edu Burgos of Diario AS, Manchester United have a budget of 200 million euros prepared to address their midfield, and they are specifically looking to replace the legendary Casemiro, who may be ready to move on to the final stage of his career this summer. Burgos says that Man United have narrowed down their list of five candidates they are interested in to a top three. Newcastle United stars comprise the majority of the list in Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, who are the two biggest dream names for Premier League clubs looking for a new midf...