MatériaMais Notícias

Foi contra o São Paulo que oFlamengo venceu a primeira partida no Brasileiro, diante de cerca de 50 mil torcedores no Maracanã, no último domingo. A vitória por 3 a 1 foi convincente e contou com elogios de Rogério Ceni, técnico do São Paulo e comandante do Rubro-Negro na campanha do Octa. E o treinador deu uma resposta curiosa após ser derrotado para o ex-time.

RelacionadasFlamengoApós Isla, Flamengo chega a 15 marcadores de gol na temporada; veja a listaFlamengo18/04/2022FlamengoDavid Luiz manda recado em apoio a Matheus França: ‘Estaremos com você, menino de ouro’Flamengo18/04/2022BrasileirãoFlamengo se reapresenta, e Pablo eleva a expectativa de estrear contra o PalmeirasBrasileirão18/04/2022

Ceni enalteceu a semelhança da saída de bola do Fla de Paulo Sousa com a equipe comanda por ele, que ficou oito meses no Ninho do Urubu, até ser demitido em julho de 2021.

– O Flamengo tem jogadores que fazem a diferença, eu sei a qualidade técnica que o Flamengo tem. Eu sei a saída de bola com Arão, Filipe Luís, a gente saía exatamente assim. É um time difícil de marcar, por isso a gente tem que aproveitar quando está superior e tentar fazer o segundo gol, como tivemos a oportunidade de marcar. É um time que sobra em qualidade técnica – disse o comandante do São Paulo.

Ceni foi quem iniciou o improviso de Arão na zaga, função que atuou nos três últimos jogos com Paulo Sousa. Sempre pelo lado direito da zaga. Com Rogério, Filipe Luís também integrava a saída de três, pelo lado esquerdo, o que levou o treinador brasileiro a apontar a semelhança com a estratégia de sua época no Fla, que está em evolução taticamente.

> Veja a tabela do Brasileirão

O próximo jogo do Flamengo será nesta quarta, às 19h30, contra o Palmeiras, pela quarta rodada (antecipada) do Brasileirão, novamente no Maracanã.

أثار أنطونيو روديجر، مدافع ريال مدريد، الجدل بعد تصرفه غير المقبول في نهائي كأس ملك إسبانيا، الذي جمع فريقه مع برشلونة وانتهى بخسارة اللقب.

وشهدت اللحظات الأخيرة من المباراة محاولة اعتداء من قبل روديجر على الحكم ريكاردو دي بورجوس، مما دفع الأخير لطرد المدافع الألماني بجانب جود بيلينجهام ولوكاس فاسكيز.

اقرأ أيضًا | بألفاظ نابية.. كارفاخال يسب حكم مباراة ريال مدريد وبرشلونة

روديجر، الذي خرج في الدقيقة 111 أثناء الشوط الإضافي الأول، قدم اعتذاره بوضوح قائلًا عبر حسابه الرسمي على “إنستجرام”: “بالطبع لا يوجد أي عذر لتصرفي الليلة الماضية”.

وتابع: “أنا آسف جدًا لذلك، لقد لعبنا مباراة جيدة جدًا من الشوط الثاني وما بعد ذلك”.

وأضاف: “بعد 111 دقيقة، لم يكن بإمكاني مساعدة فريقي بعد خروجي من المباراة، وقبل الصافرة الأخيرة ارتكبت خطأ”.

وأتم: “أعتذر مرة أخرى للحكم وللجميع الذين خذلتهم الليلة الماضية”.

الجدير بالذكر أن محاولة الاعتداء على الحكم ريكاردو دي بورجوس، الذي كان يدير المباراة، جاءت بعد سلسلة من التصريحات المتوترة من جانب ريال مدريد حول التحكيم.

خاصة في ظل الجدل المستمر قبل بداية المباراة بين ريال مدريد والحكام، لكن تصرف روديجر قوبل بإدانة من جميع الأطراف.

Premier League clubs are in talks to end the 2025 summer transfer window two days before the start of the season.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Premier League clubs discuss closing transfer window early
• Could be shut two days before start of season
• Squads would be set on opening weekend

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The idea was formulated at a meeting of sporting directors from the league's 20 clubs in February, reports , where it was felt it would be better for managers to have their squads settled until January from the opening weekend.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  One issue with the idea is convincing other European leagues to fall in line. Should that not happen, Premier League clubs risk losing their players to other countries without the ability to replace them. The Saudi Pro League would also be able to tempt players after the Premier League window has closed.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The summer window was shut early in 2018 and 2019 when clubs wanted to have squads confirmed before a ball was kicked, only for it to be decided that it caused disadvantages in the market. It is not yet clear why returning to that system would benefit them any further now.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

  A potential rule change could go to a vote should preliminary discussions between owners suggest the idea has legs. It would then require 14 of 20 clubs to agree to pass.

Further doubts were cast over the fitness of England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan who left the field of play during Middlesex’s four-wicket win over Glamorgan with a “twinge in his groin” and did not bat.At 35, Morgan’s career is in its twilight period. A reputation built on the basis of being a world-class batter as well as a ruthless and inspirational leader has given him the power to write his own script as to how he wishes his career to end. The problem, however, has been whether he still has the ability to do so as he wishes.Morgan is without a T20 half-century since November 2020, which even by his own feast-or-famine standards of form is a particularly lean run, and Sunday’s game was just his second in four months after tweaking his quad in Barbados in January and going unselected in the IPL auction.For years Morgan was a banker for England on the pitch and an ever-present in the world’s premier T20 tournament. Now, he is neither, with the added salt in the wound being that as Morgan walked off the field at Radlett CC in front of not many more than a thousand people, his likely successor as white-ball captain Jos Buttler was walking out in front of a 100 times that figure in the IPL final in Ahmedabad. Radlett may be the hometown of Hollywood staple Simon Cowell, but the glitz and glamour of this English village does ultimately end there.Earlier this week, in an interview with the , Morgan said that he would not be playing in back-to-back matches in this Blast campaign in the hope of avoiding injury. With England’s ODI series against the Netherlands likely to see him miss a handful of games in mid-June, he has also handed over the Middlesex T20 captaincy to Stephen Eskinazi.But even after missing Middlesex’s match against Hampshire two days ago, he was unable to complete 20 overs in the field with the time he spent off then preventing him from being able to bat any higher than No. 7 during the home side’s successful chase of 168. With the side then almost home when the fifth wicket was lost, Middlesex decided against taking any undue risk though confirmed he would have batted if needed.Morgan also explained in the interview how “there’s nothing specific [injury wise]” that is troubling him, adding: “I’m just old, I think.” While honest, that further highlights the concern for England that their captain might not be fit enough to lead them through the summer and to the T20 World Cup in Australia this winter. Not being able to play back-to-back games is all well and good if the second of the two games is in the group stage of the Blast; less so if it’s the World Cup final.This was a comfortable victory for Middlesex after restricting Glamorgan to a total of 168 that never looked enough. Against Gloucestershire at this ground on Thursday, Middlesex scored 229 and even then there was some feeling that they were a dozen or so short after they had been 122 for 2 after 8.5 overs.To one side, this is a very small ground where boundaries fly; to the other it is a vast expanse where threes are available regularly if the ball hasn’t already crashed into the advertising hoardings. The result is runs aplenty, a fact exemplified by the first ball of both innings being dispatched for six.Labuschagne top scored for Glamorgan with 38 off 24, an innings of two halves where only nine runs came from his first 12 deliveries while 29 came from the second. The problem for Glamorgan was that the moments where their innings was showing the potential of what could be, was in actual fact, what had to be.Much of the credit for Glamorgan’s restriction to 168 was thanks to a fine bowling performance from slow left-armer Thilan Walallawita who recorded career best figures of 3 for 18 off his four overs. Walallawita spoke after the game of playing with a sense of freedom, and how he knew the ground, where Middlesex often play second XI fixtures, like the back of his hand.Comfortable in his surroundings, the young spinner shone. From his fledgling T20 career, he has a career economy rate of 6.33 and has taken six wickets at an average of 12.67. Meanwhile, Toby Roland-Jones’ fine start to the season continued as he picked up 4 for 22, three of which arrived in the final over.In reply, Middlesex flew out of the blocks, the powerplay coming to an end with the side on 62 for no loss – Eskinazi on 25 off 16 and Max Holden racing to 37 off 20.Continuing the recent tradition of English cricket, the opening stand broke the back of the chase and despite a middle-over wobble arriving thanks to the spin of Prem Sisodiya – who bowled with control to return figures of 2 for 26 – Middlesex eased their way home with an over to spare thanks to a Joe Cracknell flourish, the 22-year-old finishing with 47 off 28 balls.A four-wicket win extended Middlesex’s perfect start to the Blast after wins against Gloucestershire and Hampshire, and they are still unbeaten this season; as with England, they are showing that Morgan’s personal fortunes are not the only determining factor in their results.

Enzo Maresca has provided an explanation after leaving Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson out of his Chelsea side to play Brentford.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Chelsea play Brentford on Sunday
• Palmer and Jackson dropped
• Enzo Maresca provides explanation

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The pair were absent from Maresca's side to start the west London derby, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Christopher Nkunku coming into the team, despite having both started Thursday's 1-0 victory over Tottenham.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE EXPLANATION

  Maresca explained that his selection has been guided by a specific tactical approach to the game, as well as the need to rotate his squad less than 72 hours after the Spurs victory. He said: "It's just the game plan. The ones that are going to start I think are going to be the right ones. Also because we have players back from injury. So two games in 48 to 72 hours is not the best thing to do after a long time [out] and we try to manage it a little bit."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Palmer has not scored in any of his last 11 matches, last netting against Bournemouth in January. Jackson is also nine games without a goal and missed two months with injury between February and his return on Thursday.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  After the Brentford match, Chelsea are next in action against Legia Warsaw in the Conference League quarter-final first leg on Thursday. They then host Ipswich next Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou claims there is a "national campaign" when decisions go against Liverpool, unlike at Tottenham.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Postecoglou under intense pressureSpurs lost to Chelsea in midweekVAR played a role in loss Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Postecoglou has claimed that he is the only voice defending Spurs in what appeared to be a dig at former players turned pundits, such as the likes of Jamie Redknapp and Jamie O'Hara. He drew a comparison with Liverpool, whom he believes receive preferential treatment in the media.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

During Spurs' defeat to Chelsea in midweek, Postecoglou cupped his ear towards the away end at Stamford Bridge after Pape Sarr scored from range. That goal, however, was ruled out after a lengthy VAR check, and the manager believes the reaction to his gesture has been overly dramatic. Nevertheless, Tottenham's latest defeat leaves them 14th, level on points with 16th-placed West Ham.

WHAT ANGE POSTECOGLOU SAID

Postecoglou told reporters: “I think in the time I’ve been here, we’ve had two decisions that have gone for us against Liverpool and there has been a national campaign, almost.

“It seems like every fight ends up being an internal fight at this club. There’s never any sort of defending of the club or the club defending itself. That’s a unique challenge, but I accepted that challenge so I’ve got to try to find a way to overcome it.”

Asked to clarify how Spurs can defend themselves, he replied:  “By being more vocal. I hope not [just the manager]. I think you hear enough from me, you probably hear too much from me, to be honest.

“It doesn’t have to be just from people at the club. I hear plenty of people talking and defending other clubs but it seems, with Tottenham, wherever there’s a sore there’s a real pile-on to sort of stick a finger in that sore and then we kind of accept our fate.

“You guys know the landscape better than I do, but it seems like…I never switch it [the television] on and hear any sort of strong voice. The only voice you hear is me. When we’re talking about the bigger clubs, there seems to be a lot more voices. And not always defending. You need scrutiny and constructive criticism as well. We definitely get enough of that! But we never get any of the other stuff.

“I think the fact that out of last night the big story is my interaction with the fans and not the fact a game of football was materially changed by technology. VAR said ‘clear and obvious’. Six minutes for clear and obvious and I’d have thought that would be the story from last night, but it’s not. Again, it’s my interaction with the fans and how I’ve made things more difficult. You kind of go ‘OK, well, that’s the challenge we face.’”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Spurs play Southampton on Sunday before their vital Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.

Olly Stone impresses with four wickets but table-topping Bears are edged out in thriller

ECB Reporters Network03-Jul-2022Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley hit two sixes as Lancashire secured a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast with a dramatic two-wicket victory over Birmingham Bears at Emirates Old Trafford.Needing 13 off the final over, Hartley’s second six had given his side a sniff of victory and but the win was only confirmed when Richard Gleeson edged a front-foot no-ball from Henry Brookes to the boundary to settle matters with three balls to spare. Hartley finished unbeaten on 18 but the result was hard on the Bears’ Olly Stone who took a career-best four for 21.The result means that Lancashire will entertain Essex on Friday whereas the Bears, who finished top of the North Group, will take on Hampshire at Edgbaston on Thursday.In the first innings of the game Birmingham scored only a modest 39 runs in their Powerplay and lost three wickets in doing so. The first of these was that of the former Lancashire favourite, Alex Davies, who was caught at slip by Keaton Jennings off Richard Gleeson for five, but the real damage was done in Hartley’s first over, the fifth of the innings.Having made nine, Sam Hain miscued Hartley’s second ball to Dane Vilas at mid-off and then Paul Stirling, who made 12, sliced the left-arm spinner’s fifth delivery to Gleeson at third man. Chris Benjamin and Adam Hose rebuilt the innings, Benjamin taking 10 runs off two balls from Hartley, but Birmingham were only 73 for three at the midpoint of their 20-over allocation.Benjamin and Hose put on 63 for the fourth wicket without breaking the shackles imposed on them by Vilas’s bowlers and Benjamin was bowled for 35 in the 13th over when he dragged a Luke Wells delivery onto his stumps. Matters improved for the Bears when Dan Mousley pulled Luke Wood for successive sixes and the left-hander had made 41 off 20 balls when he was bowled by Wells, who finished with two for 35 from his four overs.Carlos Brathwaite was caught on the point boundary off Gleeson for six before both Hose and Brookes were run out by throws from Phil Salt in the final over of the innings. However, Hose’s 39-ball 50, which contained two sixes but no fours, had helped Birmingham post a defendable 168 for 8 in 20 overs. Gleeson ended with two for 23 and Hartley took two for 32.Lancashire’s reply began moderately when they scored six more runs than their opponents had managed in their Powerplay but lost two wickets in doing so. Stone did the damage in the space of three balls, Jennings skying him to Danny Briggs at backward point and Steven Croft miscuing a drive to Brathwaite at mid-off and departing for a second-ball nought.Any thoughts that Vilas and Salt had seized control of the match with a 67-run stand for the third wicket were dispelled when both were dismissed in successive overs. Vilas was leg before to Briggs for 42 and Salt was caught at long on off Stone for 33.The vital wicket of Tim David fell to Jake Lintott, who had the Singaporean caught at long off by Benjamin for only 12 in the 14th over at the end of which Lancashire needed 60 off 36 balls. That seemed unlikely until Hartley got out the long handle.

Aston Villa and NSWE are interested in signing a “quality” £30 million player with the same agent as Ross Barkley, according to a new report.

Aston Villa transfer news

Villa boss Unai Emery will have his eyes on January as it is an opportunity for him to once again strengthen his team ahead of the second half of the season. The Midlands side still have plenty to play for in the Premier League and will also hope they will be playing Champions League knockout football come the end of January.

While incomings may be the priority, Villa and NSWE could have a headache on their hands, as Napoli are interested in signing Jhon Duran. The Italian side want to bring in a player who can be a “sidekick” to current frontman Romelu Lukaku, and Duran is the player they have their eyes on. Villa chiefs are not looking to sell the Colombia international, but an offer between £28-33 million could test their resolve, as talks with intermediaries have already begun.

Aston Villa now open contract talks with 21 y/o loan star Filip Marschall

Unai Emery is keen to tie down a promising Aston Villa player.

By
Brett Worthington

Dec 18, 2024

On a positive note for the Midlands side, they have opened talks with young goalkeeper Filip Marschall over a new contract. The 21-year-old has been impressing this season while on loan at Crewe Alexandra, and given that he is highly rated at Villa Park, they are keen to secure his long-term future. Marschall is under contract until 2027, but he could soon find himself in the first team picture.

Aston Villa now interested in signing “quality” £30m player

As well as looking to tie Marschall down to a new contract, Aston Villa are interested in signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea, according to Caught Offside. The midfielder only joined the Blues in the summer transfer window, but it is a move that has yet to get going.

Dewsbury-Hall, who has been dubbed “quality” by Graeme Bailey, was a key player under Enzo Maresca last season at Leicester City. The midfielder was a key part of their promotion, so it wasn’t a surprise that the Italian took him to Stamford Bridge, but what is a surprise is that the midfielder has hardly featured.

The 26-year-old has played 14 games across all competitions this season, but only five have come in the league, and all have come from the bench. Most of Dewsbury-Hall’s minutes have come in the UEFA Conference League, where he has been a regular all season. His time at Chelsea appears to be coming to an end, as this report states that the Blues are open to offers for Dewsbury-Hall and are keen to recoup the £30 million they paid in the summer.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s Chelsea stats
Apps	14
Goals	1
Assists	1

Aston Villa are among the number of Premier League teams looking to sign the midfielder in January. They face competition from the likes of Manchester United, Leicester City, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Rangers. What may give Villa the edge in the race is that Dewsbury-Hall’s agent, Wasserman, is also the same agent for Barkley, who joined Villa in the summer.

Leeds United have the chance to dip into the market to bolster their squad in the January transfer window, which officially opened for business last week.

The Whites are only one point ahead of Sheffield United and Burnley in second and third place and this means that their place in the automatic promotion spots is far from secure.

Daniel Farke’s side cannot afford to keep slipping up, if their rivals continue to pick up points, as their disappointing draw with Hull cost them two points.

The German head coach, despite watching his team slip up in the play-offs last season, knows what it takes to win a title race in the Championship, having done so twice during his time with Norwich City.

Farke lifted the second tier title in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 campaigns, the second of which he added Dimi Giannoulis as a starting-quality left-back in the January window, which suggests that he knows the value a winter addition can offer in a title race.

The Leeds head coach is, however, reportedly looking at attacking options to come in and bolster his Whites squad before the February deadline.

Leeds eyeing new centre-forward

According to the print edition of the Daily Mail (06/01/2025), as relayed by MOT Leeds News, the club are interested in a deal to sign Hoffenheim attacker Mergim Berisha.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The report claims that the 49ers and Co are lining up a Leeds swoop to bring the centre-forward to Elland Road this month to provide him with another option in the forward areas of the pitch.

It does not reveal, however, how much Hoffenheim would demand from the Whites in order to sanction a deal for the 26-year-old ace, or if they would be prepared to listen to loan offers for his services.

The striker has only started three of his 11 appearances in the Bundesliga so far this season, which shows that he has not been a frontline option for the German side, as the forward has not played regular football, and could be open to moving away from the club ahead of the second half of the season.

However, it remains to be seen how viable a deal is for Leeds in the January transfer window, as there is no mention of any potential price or Hoffenheim’s stance on the situation.

The West Yorkshire outfit being interested in signing Berisha, though, should come as bad news for one player in the current Leeds squad, as it could mean that the end of Patrick Bamford’s career at Elland Road is growing closer and closer.

Why this is bad news for Patrick Bamford

The one-time England international has already struggled for game time in the Championship so far this season, with zero starts in the division, and the arrival of another forward would push him further down the pecking order.

Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph have shared the league starts between them, as both have been preferred ahead of him – and often as the first striker substitute off the bench when the other has started – by Farke.

Berisha coming in could prevent Bamford from even making a matchday squad, as having three recognised number nines on the bench, when Leeds play with one in their usual formation, would be overkill.

The English forward has played 127 minutes across ten substitute appearances in the league this season, which shows that he has already been struggling for minutes without the introduction of a third competitor in his position.

Appearances

33

xG

9.52

Goals

8

Big chances missed

9

Assists

1

As you can see in the table above, Bamford featured in 33 of the club’s 46 regular season matches in the Championship last term, but underachieved in front of goal with eight goals from 9.52 xG.

The wasteful striker has found himself at the bottom of the striking pile as a result of his struggles on the pitch, with Joseph and Piroe firmly ahead of him in the pecking order.

Bamford has been linked with a January exit from Elland Road and the signing of Berisha could all-but-confirm the end of his career in Yorkshire, due to the position it would leave him in within the squad.

Why Leeds should sign Mergim Berisha

It is worth saying that Leeds are not in desperate need of a new number nine to come in and start every game to fire the team to promotion, albeit Farke would surely love to find a 25-goal-a-season marksman to deliver week-in-week-out.

Piroe has scored ten goals and provided five assists in 16 league starts for Leeds, which shows that the Dutchman has offered a big threat at the top end of the pitch for the German head coach.

This means that the Whites can afford to take a gamble with any forward addition this month, and that is exactly what the signing of Berisha would be, as he has not played much over the last 18 months.

The Germany international suffered an ACL injury that kept him out from November 2023 to July 2024 and that has restricted him to just 19 Bundesliga appearances since the start of last season.

His form in the 2022/23 campaign, however, suggests that the potential is there for him to come in as an exciting addition for Leeds, if Farke can help him to get back to his best.

Appearances

23

xG

8.13

Goals

9

Conversion rate

16%

Big chances missed

5

Assists

4

As you can see in the table above, Berisha, who was hailed as “exceptional” in the box by Augsburg boss Enrico Maaßen that season, provided plenty of quality in the final third, as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

The 26-year-old star also produced an eye-catching 14 goals and 13 ‘big chances’ created in 24 starts for RB Salzburg during the 2020/21 campaign, which shows that he has been a consistent performer at the top end of the pitch for multiple of his previous clubs in the past – before his long-term injury.

Farke's new Godfrey: Leeds in talks to sign a "Rolls Royce" defender

Leeds United are interested in a swoop to bring the Premier League defender to Elland Road.

ByDan Emery Jan 6, 2025

This is why Leeds should take the risk and gamble on Berisha coming in as a replacement for Bamford to, hopefully, get back to his best and compete with Piroe and Joseph for a starting spot.

أشاد ميكيل أرتيتا، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي آرسنال، بفريقه بعد الخروج من نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا أمام باريس سان جيرمان.

وتمكن الفريق الكروي الأول بنادي باريس سان جيرمان بقيادة لويس إنريكي، من التأهل إلى نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا على حساب آرسنال بقيادة ميكيل أرتيتا، بعد الفوز بمجموع الأهداف في المباراتين بنتيجة 3/1.

ومن المقرر أن يواجه باريس سان جيرمان نظيره إنتر ميلان في نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا يوم السبت، الموافق 31/5/2025، على ملعب “أليانز أرينا” بألمانيا.

اقرأ أيضًا | أرتيتا مستدلاً بـ ريال مدريد: آرسنال كان ضد التوقعات وسنصنع التاريخ في باريس

وتحدث أرتيتا في تصريحات صحفية بعد المباراة: “أولًا، أهنئ باريس سان جيرمان على وصوله إلى النهائي، سأقوم بهذا التقييم عندما أكون أكثر هدوءً”.

وأكمل: “عندما تنظر إلى المباراتين، تجد أن أفضل لاعب فيهما على أرض الملعب هو حارس المرمى، كنا قريبين جدًا، أقرب بكثير مما أظهرته النتيجة، ولكن للأسف خرجنا، أنا فخور جدًا باللاعبين”.

وأضاف: “بعد 20 دقيقة، كان من المفترض أن تصبح النتيجة 3-0. هناك حاجة لشيء إضافي لتحقيق الفوز في البطولة، لكن هذا لم يحدث، كنا قريبين جدًا، وفي فترات طويلة من المباراتين، كنا أفضل منهم بكثير، لكننا لم نكن في المستوى المطلوب، وهذا أمر مؤسف”.

واستطرد: “بنسبة ١٠٠٪، لا أعتقد أن هناك فريقًا أفضل من آرسنال في البطولة مما رأيته، لكننا خرجنا، هذه البطولة تعتمد على الدفاع، وفي كلا الدفاعين يوجد المهاجمون وحراس المرمى، وكان هناك الأفضل في المباراتين”.

وأتم: “أنا فخور جدًا باللاعبين. إنهم يستحقون كل التقدير على ما يقدمونه في ظل هذا الوضع وعدد الإصابات، وهو ربما أسوأ وضع يمكن أن يصل إليه الفريق هنا. أن أكون هنا في وضع مختلف، ومع ذلك أفعل ذلك، فهذا يمنحني الكثير من الإيجابيات للمستقبل، لكنني الليلة أشعر بخيبة أمل كبيرة”.