Xavi rates Barcelona's chances of advancing to Champions League semi-finals after PSG win
FC Barcelona
Barcelona beat PSG 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday
Raphinha netted twice before Andreas Christensen's header sealed the victory
Xavi believes PSG remain favourites to win the tie
By Tom Gott
11:00 AM GMT+1
Xavi is refusing to get carried away
Xavi is refusing to get carried away / BSR Agency/GettyImages
Barcelona manager Xavi insists his side are still not favourites to advance to the Champions League semi-finals despite Wednesday's 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
Two goals from Raphinha and a header from Andreas Christensen saw Barcelona pick up a huge victory away from home in the first leg of their quarter-final tie, giving them an advantage to defend when PSG head to Catalonia next week.
Despite boasting a slender advantage heading into the return leg, Xavi insisted PSG remain the favourites to win the tie.
"PSG are still favourites, and they played a great game, but we minimised them," Xavi said. "We pressed very well.
"I am very proud of the team. It's a great victory against one of the best teams in the world. It is difficult to defend against them and they have many attacking options. We're halfway there. It will be difficult in Barcelona.
"Today we suffered and enjoyed it. PSG will have options on Tuesday. We only have a small margin of advantage. I hope that our stadium will be a cauldron on Tuesday."
Jules Kounde, Nuno Mendes
Barcelona saw off PSG on Wednesday / Christian Liewig - Corbis/GettyImages
PSG boss Luis Enrique also refused to accept defeat, insisting he remains confident the French giants will advance.
"I think we were good on an emotional level," Enrique explained. "When you concede a goal and especially at home, it's delicate, but it's something you have to get used to.
"There will be no difficulty in preparing for the Barcelona game. We are going there to win the tie. I have no doubt that we can achieve it. If there is a team that does not shrink away from home, it is us. There is no double value away from home, but it does have an impact.
"I have never said [Barcelona are favourites]. Historically, Barca is bigger. They have won five Champions Leagues, but I have never said they are favourites. We are going to go and win in Barcelona because any other result is not worth it."
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Ruben Loftus-Cheek is loving life in Serie A
FotMob - April 11, 2024, 10:00 AM
There has been a drastic increase in the English-speaking representation in the Serie A in recent years and it has been a case of so far, so good. With American investment in Serie A clubs increasingly prevalent and after the likes of Fikayo Tomori, Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic impressing in the division, it is now Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s turn to make a mark.
By Kaustubh Pandey
When the Englishman moved to Milan in the summer, the transfer didn’t receive too much attention. The focus, unfortunately enough, was on Sandro Tonali’s exit from the Rossoneri to Newcastle United largely because of how abruptly the move came about. Loftus-Cheek, despite once being an established England international, wasn’t seen as a major signing by too many amidst doubts about his fitness and consistency.
Chelsea were in chaos too, as there was the evident and constant influx of players and Loftus-Cheek wasn’t seen to be a part of the present or the future despite playing 25 times in the Premier League last season. The expectation at Stamford Bridge was that the Englishman would soon be replaced by an expensive summer signing. He indeed was replaced by an expensive summer signing but a case can be made of the fact that Loftus-Cheek has been more effective for Milan than any of said expensive signings have been for the Blues.
This doesn’t mean that Chelsea should regret letting Loftus-Cheek depart for £15m, as they have taken steps towards a future. But the 28-year-old has shown his worth, and value, for probably the first time in quite a while.
As of now, Loftus-Cheek has six Serie A goals and four goals in the Europa League, making this his best goal scoring season in senior football. A large part of that is because of how Stefano Pioli has used him at the Rossoneri.
A constant presence at number ten
Loftus-Cheek has usually been a versatile player in midfield throughout his career. Last season at Chelsea, he often played out wide and even played in defensive midfield multiple times. During his loan stint at Fulham, the Lewisham-born player often featured across the midfield and also as a centre-forward under Scott Parker. Even in the 2021/22 season, he was used in either defensive midfield or in a central midfield role.
At Milan though, he has been a constant presence in attacking midfield. In fact, that is what he was brought in for. Tonali did depart for St James’ Park, but Brahim Díaz also returned to Real Madrid after a rather underwhelming loan spell. This left the Rossoneri attempting to sign a number ten who could operate between the lines, and score goals while Yacine Adli was settling in, and Charles de Ketelaere hadn’t quite fired.
The chart for this season shows how the current setup simply suits Loftus-Cheek, who is taking less touches and doing less defensive work, while constantly operating in the final third. He is taking shots, scoring more and winning aerial duels owing to his dominant physical stature.
Milan’s dominance of possession through deeper midfielders like Tijjani Reijnders and Adli allows Loftus-Cheek to stay further forward. The Frenchman’s resurgence at the San Siro has been vital, as he has stepped up when injuries were running the squad ragged.
And perhaps, playing in a team that dominates possession and eliminates the need of him taking part in the first or second phase helps Loftus-Cheek massively.
Scoring at vital times
The 28-year-old’s performances aren’t just down to the fact that he is scoring more and operating in a preferred role, but it also comes down to how he is scoring at important points.
His brace against Bologna, for example, came at a timer when the Rossoblu were in the Champions League race and Milan were third in the table and were themselves in a dogfight to secure European football.
Apart from scoring a brace, Loftus-Cheek also created the most number of chances in the game.
In the Europa League, the midfielder came up with an important brace against Rennes in the first leg of the playoff round. The second leg became a rather tense affair for the Rossoneri, showing how vital the midfielder’s goals were.
On top of that, Loftus-Cheek scored two more all-important goals in Serie A, with the latest one coming against Fiorentina in a 2-1 win. Against Udinese some weeks earlier, Milan had found themselves 2-1 down away from home at the 63rd minute mark in what was a tempestuous affair in Udine. The ex-Crystal Palace man had scored Milan’s first, before Noah Okafor and Luka Jović secured the turnaround.
One of his first standout games came against Paris Saint-Germain when Milan were fighting for survival in the Champions League at the San Siro. Pioli’s side simply had to win and they did. Even though Loftus-Cheek didn’t score, he put in a sparkling performance when it was needed most.
He completed five dribbles in the game – more than Rafael Leão and Kylian Mbappé. Seeing him turn past multiple defenders in that game was a sight to behold, as he showed what he can truly be capable of even though he didn’t score.
Future in attacking midfield?
While the game against PSG showed that Loftus Cheek can go past defenders fairly easily to beat the press, there is a possibility that it may not bring the best out of him. Considering how many injuries he has suffered in the past, it might be best to optimise his usage in the final third, as it would provide more value to the team goals-wise and would also reduce the risk of injury as the player would cover less distance.
Stefano Pioli is an excellent pragmatist who has made a name for himself by identifying strengths of players and often using them on the basis of specific strengths. That is pretty much what he is doing for Loftus-Cheek, who is loving life in Milan.
Pioli has identified how Loftus-Cheek would offer best value to the Rossoneri and the setup seems to suit him, with the two behind him offering enough control. That is exactly why playing in the number ten role is where Loftus-Cheek’s future should lie. That would benefit club, country, and the player himself.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Transfers
Viktor Gyokeres' agent drops huge bombshell over Arsenal & Chelsea target
Gyokeres has enjoyed an unbelievable season with Sporting CP under Ruben Amorim
Arsenal & Chelsea both keen on the 25-year-old, whose contract includes a £86m release clause
Amorim's future could be key to Sporting's hopes of keeping Gyokeres
By Tom Gott
10:30 AM GMT+1
Gyokeres is on the radar of the Premier League's elite
Gyokeres is on the radar of the Premier League's elite / Gualter Fatia/GettyImages
The agent of Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres has admitted it will be "difficult" for the 25-year-old to stay with his current club if manager Ruben Amorim departs this summer.
Amorim is one of the most in-demand managers in Europe and has emerged as a key target for Liverpool, who are hunting for a new boss ahead of Jurgen Klopp's exit from Anfield at the end of the season.
Should Amorim leave Sporting, then Gyokeres could also look to follow him out the exit door as his agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, admitted the manager was the only reason Gyokeres joined Sporting in the first place.
"I'm not surprised that Ruben is being linked to Liverpool," Cetinkaya told Record. "It's normal, his work is of a high level and is what clubs are looking for.
"It will be more difficult for Viktor to stay if Ruben Amorim leaves Sporting, because Viktor came precisely because of Ruben. They day we met, I said to Ruben, 'Here is my boy, he came to Sporting because of you'.
"Obviously, I will have to talk to the president, the president is the boss, the one who makes the decisions, and we will have to know what he thinks for the future and what Sporting's project is, but Viktor also has a say, obviously, and if Ruben Amorim leaves, it will be more difficult to continue."
Ruben Amorim
Amorim could leave Sporting for Liverpool / Gualter Fatia/GettyImages
Arsenal and Chelsea are both admirers of Gyokeres but 90min understands neither club have the striker at the top of their wish list at this point, with Sporting's firm demand that his £86m release clause be triggered currently putting suitors off.
"It's a huge amount of money, only available to the biggest clubs, but I have several top clubs interested in Viktor," Cetinkaya continued. "I can't, of course, mention names of clubs, but they are top clubs, some from the Premier League, but not only England.
"It is important to emphasise this point: I chose Sporting for Viktor when there were eight other clubs interested. They were paying more and I could have taken him to the Premier League. I chose Sporting because of Ruben Amorim, because he could help Viktor develop, and it changed his career."
Cetinkaya went on to stress that playing Champions League football may not be the biggest priority for Gyokeres next season.
"Of course, it's an honour for any player to be able to play in the Champions League, and Viktor is no exception, but there are other important things and Ruben Amorim is one of them. If he leaves, it will be more difficult for Viktor to continue."
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