Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Arsenal to fine Alex Iwobi over ‘unacceptable’ partying before FA Cup tie

Football | The Guardian
Arsenal to fine Alex Iwobi over ‘unacceptable’ partying before FA Cup tie
• Nigeria international filmed out in early hours before Forest defeat
• Arsène Wenger: It is impossible to go out 48 hours before a game

Alex Iwobi will be fined by Arsenal after partying until the early hours of Saturday morning ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup defeat at Nottingham Forest, boss Arsène Wenger has confirmed.

The 21-year-old forward was filmed dancing in central London at 2.37am on Saturday in a video uploaded to Snapchat, according to The Sun.

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Monday, January 8, 2018

Leeds' Saiz given six-match ban for spitting

BBC Sport - Football
Leeds' Saiz given six-match ban for spitting
Leeds' Saiz given six-match ban for spitting
Leeds forward Samu Saiz is banned for six matches after being charged with spitting during Sunday's defeat by Newport County.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Chelsea boss Conte: Coutinho sale could hurt Liverpool; his price...?

Tribal Football - Football News, Soccer News, Transfers & Rumours
Chelsea boss Conte: Coutinho sale could hurt Liverpool; his price...?
Chelsea boss Conte: Coutinho sale could hurt Liverpool; his price...?

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has questioned the timing of Liverpool's decision to sell Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.

Conte admits the transfer may affect the Reds' chances of success this season.

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Saturday, January 6, 2018

Jesus Vallejo: The wall


It has not been easy for Jesus Vallejo to break into the Real Madrid team and finally after 15 games, including the Supercopa matches in August and the LaLiga and Champions League games, on his 21st birthday he stopped being the only member of the squad not have played this season.

Clearly injury problems played a part in his delayed opportunity but also he has taken longer than expected to adapt to the first team.

However, against Numancia, he demonstrated that he has what it takes to wear the Madrid shirt with pride and in his fifth game as a starter, he helped to ensure that they kept a clean sheet, something he has managed in 80% of his games. Numancia was the last team in a list that includes Fuenlabrado, Las Palmas and Sevilla.

None of the other defenders including the regulars, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos and Marcelo can boast a similarly positive statistic, during a season where they have not been particularly solid at the back.

Opportunity without Ramos

Zidane has been quick to praise Vallejo when he has been asked about him and he is now an alternative for the trip to Vigo with Ramos injured and Carvajal suspended. That is if Zidane puts Nacho on the right instead of Achraf.

Whatever happens against Celta, the injury to Ramos means that there will be more openings for Vallejo who has a promising future ahead of him.

Redknapp: Transfer windows work against managers building teams

Tribal Football - Football News, Soccer News, Transfers & Rumours
Redknapp: Transfer windows work against managers building teams
Redknapp: Transfer windows work against managers building teams

Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp says the transfer windows work against managers building teams.

Redknapp marks 30 years in management this week.

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Friday, January 5, 2018

Chelsea boss Conte willing to sell Batshuayi, David Luiz to fund January signing spree

Tribal Football - Football News, Soccer News, Transfers & Rumours
Chelsea boss Conte willing to sell Batshuayi, David Luiz to fund January signing spree
Chelsea boss Conte willing to sell Batshuayi, David Luiz to fund January signing spree

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is prepared to cash in on David Luiz and Michy Batshuayi this month.

The Times says both players are available to fund the reinforcements - Conte is said to be looking for a left-back, centre-back and striker.

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Thursday, January 4, 2018

Premier League slides into the grip of radical non-possession | Jonathan Wilson

Football | The Guardian
Premier League slides into the grip of radical non-possession | Jonathan Wilson
Manchester City’s dominance is increasing the trend towards one side dominating ball possession in games and that threatens to diminish the spectacle

In 1970, when studying the effects of the appearance of robots, the Japanese robotics professor Masahiro Mori discovered something strange was going on. The more human a robot’s appearance became, the more people demonstrated empathy towards it up to a certain point at which they felt strong revulsion.

After that point, though, the more humanoid the robot became the more people began to respond positively again. There was a zone of resemblance, of almost‑humanness, that people found deeply disturbing: it was familiar enough for them to begin to engage on a human level only to find the robot deficient in all the usual points of reference. Mori called this the “uncanny valley”.

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