According to a report by Football Insider, Ollie Watkins is the subject of interest from Everton over a possible move in the ongoing transfer window. Aston Villa might be open to letting the 26-year-old attacker depart from Villa Park this summer amid uneasy relations between him and manager Steven Gerrard.
Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has stated that Chelsea is a fitter team under Antonio Conte than they were under Jose Mourinho.
John Obi Mikel said that Antonio Conte makes use of double training sessions in order to improve the fitness levels of the players and this is definitely helping the team. He said that Antonio Conte has brought many changes to the team and that he has also changed the way the players eat. John Obi Mikel believes that this will improve the way the team plays and that the benefit will be seen during the course of the season.
John Obi Mikel admitted that Chelsea was not fit enough last season and this was evident in the way the players perform on the pitch. He said that some players lack energy last season and this was one of the reasons why the team performs poorly. He believes that things have changed for the better this season and that the players have become fitter. Read more
The manager of newly crowned winners of the English Premier League, Leicester City, Claudio Ranieri was given the award of Barclays Premier League Manager of the Year and League Managers’ Association Manager of the Year awards on Monday.
Expected to battle relegation for much of the season, Leicester stormed out of the gate and challenged for the Premier League title all season, eventually beating out Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for the first top-tier championship in their history. Ranieri’s appointment last summer was initially met with skepticism, as the Italian had been sacked from his previous job with Greece and had found limited success since his stint with Chelsea.
Ranieri’s humble, laid-back approach was exactly what Leicester needed. The 64-year-old soaked up the headlines and the media attention throughout the campaign, keeping the pressure off his players. Tactically, Ranieri opted against tinkering with his team too much and used the 4-4-2 for most of the campaign, relying on his squad’s defensive prowess and raw pace. The likes of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez proved perfect fits for such an approach. Read more
Melbourne Victory beats Western Sydney Wanderers 2-0 thanks to a double by Oliver Bozanic. This boosted their chance to finish inside the top six.
Bozanic, who has been criticized time, and again this season, justifies his presence in the team not only with two wonderful goals but also with a great performance. His energetic display in the midfield allows him not only to score goals but also close down Sydney’s playmaker.
With Valeri available soon for Melbourne Victory, it would be interesting to see how both Bozanic and Valeri play together in the future.
Melbourne Victory was motivated from the start of the game and was determined to win this match. This was evident not only in attack but also in how the team defended together once they lose the ball. Victory’s form has been poor during recent weeks but in this game they were different. They were ready for a fight.
The first goal came when Oliver Bozanic fired a shot outside the box amidst the defenders. The outstretch keepers could not keep the ball out, and it was Melbourne that was leading.
Sydney Wanderers tried to equalize after having conceded the goals, but Lawrence Thomas denied them each time. Read more
A number of tributes have been going in for Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, who prepares to play his final game at Anfield.
The midfielder has joined LA Galaxy on a two-year contract and will be linking up with his new teammates after the end of the Premier league season. Since Liverpool conclude this campaign with an away match against Stoke City, a lot of tributes have been flowing in for Gerrard ahead of the final home game for Liverpool against Crystal Palace. The 34-year-old has spent his entire career at the club despite interest from several top clubs on numerous occasions.
Francesco Totti is also a legend in his own right. He has been at Roma since becoming a professional. Unlike Gerrard, it does not seem as if the Italian international is not ready to leave Roma for a final stint in the MLS or the Middle East. The 40-year-old continues to be a key player at the club. Gerrard, however, was in and out of the team during his final season and this appears to have played a major factor in convincing the player to leave Liverpool. Totti has lavished praise on the 34-year-old by saying that he is the complete midfielder in the world. Read more
The English Premier League has confirmed that it will be sharing a significant portion of the new television money to the lower leagues.
The Premier League has been heavily criticised for widening the gap between the Championship and the English top division. Clubs in the Premier league can earn – through television money – in a single campaign what they would on for a decade in the Championship. Such wide gulf in class could mean bad for the game going forward, but Premier league chief executive Richard Scudamore has confirmed that the lower leagues will now receive £1 billion – over three years – from next season onwards.
This figure is a substantial increase from the current £700 million provided to the lower leagues. This increase comes after Premier league negotiated a new £ 5 million deal with sky and BT for television rights starting from the 2016 season. The league will be investing this figure in five areas – grassroots, participation, solidarity, disadvantaged groups, and matchday experience. Some have criticised the small increase in additional revenue, but it represents an increase of more than 40% over the existing deal. Premier league, meanwhile, had a £ 3 billion deal with its existing broadcasters. The league has the potential to learn more depending upon international sales figures. Read more
The Everton boss Roberto Martinez has refused to go too much into the statements made by Kevin Mirallas just ahead of the last weekend’s Merseyside derby.
Amidst all the excitement about the derby, Mirallas spoke to one of the Belgian dailies about his desire of featuring in the European Cup. In that interview, the winger said he would not mind taking transfer to a club where he gets to play European games. Read more
Everton defender Leighton Baines has revealed that the club are looking to win the FA Cup for the first time in recent times. Everton have not won a major trophy since the days of David Moyes. The arrival of Roberto Martinez, though, has heralded a new enthusiasm within the club. They have been able to sustain a challenge for the top four positions for most of the season. After having qualified for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, Everton have set a target of going one better than in recent seasons and actually winning the trophy itself.
The best Everton managed in the last two decades has been reaching the final of the competition when they lost to Chelsea a few years ago. Baines has admitted that the Arsenal match will pose a huge test for the club, but it is one that were planning to come out on the successful side. The England international also says that it is certainly time that the club deserved some success in terms of trophies. Everton have been one of the well-run clubs in England over the years. They have been in the top flight for most of the history.
Everton’s recent visit to the Emirates stadium ended in a 1-1 draw with the gunners.
“You would be a fool to look too far beyond that but there is no denying that we want to win a trophy. We want that in the dressing room and, ultimately, that is the aim. We know the task is a big one but you have to set yourselves targets and that is one of them. We don’t speak about it among ourselves in great detail, but we are all conscious of it. We all know. A lot of us have been here a long time and we know what it means to this football club,” said Baines.