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https://ift.tt/33iaSnj Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been in a league of their own for the past decade winning all of football’s individual accolades between them. Their rivalry will go down as one of the greatest in history with the duo sharing 12 of the last 13 Ballon d’Ors as well as a host of other trophies. getty Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both had highs and lows in 2021 Yet 2021 has proved an up and down year for them both, as Messi finally left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in a move that has yet to fully pay off. He has suffered a slow start to life in France but he did win a sixth Ballon d’Or and finally secure a title with his beloved Argentina. As for Ronaldo, he only managed to win one trophy, the Coppa Italia triumph with Juventus, and saw Portugal fail to defend their Euro crown. But he did seal a return to his beloved Manchester United where he has already hit the ground running despite the club’s recent struggles. So has their re...

https://ift.tt/32BWXIA Jorge Mendes insists Cristiano Ronaldo is enjoying life back at Manchester United. The Portugal star’s agent he declared the 36-year-old is ‘very happy’ at Old Trafford in his second spell despite the turmoil this season. GETTY Ronaldo has been a hit on his return to United and he has no plans to leave the club, his agent insists Ronaldo has been one of United’s standout performers in what has been a disappointing campaign so far for the Premier League giants. He’s hit 14 goals in 21 appearances this term since returning to the club after 12 years in August. The former Real Madrid man added another to his tally on Thursday as United defeated Burnley 3-1 at Old Trafford. However, he’s come under criticism in recent times during what has been a slow start for interim boss Ralf Rangnick, who replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the dugout after he was sacked in November. Mendes has put transfer rumours concerning Ronaldo to bed United legend Gary Ne...

https://ift.tt/3pJ7WZO Mikel Arteta has been backed to lead Arsenal to the Premier League title within the next few seasons. Former Gunners stars Jack WIlshere and Sol Campbell both believe the Spaniard has what it takes to bring glory back to the red and white half of north London, following the team’s stunning recovery this term. getty Mikel Arteta has been tipped to lead Arsenal back to the top Arsenal endured a nightmare start to the season, which saw Arteta’s men lose their opening three matches. That included a 2-0 defeat in the opening game of the new campaign against promoted Brentford, in the Bees’ first ever top flight game, followed by another 2-0 loss to Chelsea and a 5-0 mauling at the hands of Man City. Gunners legend Martin Keown even tipped the Gunners for a relegation battle as recently as September, when the club was seated rock-bottom of the table with zero points and zero goals. But a remarkable upsurge in form has seen Arsenal shoot up the table, with...

https://ift.tt/32NNxd0 Manchester United might’ve cruised to a 3-1 victory over Burnley – but it was yet another miserable night for Harry Maguire. Despite his team’s dominance , the Red Devils skipper still looked a considerable distance off the pace. Getty United’s victory did not hide Maguire’s poor display Getty The 28-year-old had a difficult night against the Clarets Following widespread criticism from fans and pundits alike this season, Maguire’s display on Thursday night was fiercely scrutinised on social media. It’s the 12th time in 16 games that United have failed to keep a Premier League clean sheet with the England international in defence this season – and talkSPORT host Jason Cundy was staggered by his performance against Burnley. The former Chelsea striker said: “He looked like he was staggering home from the pub at about quarter-past-twelve on New Year’s Day! “He was all over the place.” As one of United’s most expensive ever signings, the £80mill...

https://ift.tt/3qDB5EF Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte is set for a meeting to finalise his January transfer window plans, he has confirmed. Previously, the Italian coach had insisted he needed time to assess his squad before making a decision on any incomings or outgoings. Getty Conte is ready to make some big calls in January But after seven Premier League games undefeated, and some rotation in cup competitions, it appears he now knows exactly what he needs to improve his squad. Asked if he had the assesment of his squad, Conte said: “Yes I think so. Not I think, I’m sure 100 per cent. I made the evaluation after two months of work with my players. For sure now the situation is more clear than before. “I am waiting to have a meeting with the club and then also to give my opinion about the squad and what I think about our situation. For sure I am waiting for a meeting.” And incomings certainly appear on the radar, he added: “After only two weeks, I said we nee...

https://ift.tt/32xOOoF Manchester City rounded off a spectacular 2021 by moving eight points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Brentford this week. Kevin De Bruyne produced a stunning assist for Phil Foden to score City’s only goal as both Liverpool and Chelsea failed to win. Getty Man City are eight points clear after a record-breaking start to the season City have been  incredible throughout 2021  and if they weren’t beaten by Chelsea in the Champions League final, there’d be a case to suggest they would be one of the greatest teams ever. They have broken multiple records throughout the year, where they scooped the Premier League and sealed their fourth successive EFL Cup. Pep Guardiola’s side are now heavy favourites to retain their title next year following their impressive start to the new campaign. But what records have they broken over the course of a dominant calendar year? talkSPORT.com has a deeper look… Most top-flight wins C...

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J Manchester United cruised to a morale-boosting 3-1 win against Burnley on the eve of Alex Ferguson’s 80th birthday on Friday (AEDT) to strengthen their push for a Premier League top-four finish. December 31, 2021 at 03:43AM

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku said in an interview published on Thursday he is “not happy” at Chelsea after starting just eight league games this term. December 31, 2021 at 02:06AM

https://ift.tt/3eD3TaX Sir Alex Ferguson watched on as Manchester United signed off their 2021 with a comfortable 3-1 win over Burnley. On the eve of Fergie’s 80th birthday, the Man United players put on a show in the first half for the club legend as they raced to a 3-0 lead. AFP It was a largely stress-free evening for Man United, who won comfortably AFP And it’s thumbs up from Fergie too Scott McTominay’s curling strike set them on their way, the midfielder rushing in with the shot despite Cristiano Ronaldo appearing to be in the motion of setting himself on his left peg. Their advantage was doubled when Jadon Sancho as he cut inside before drilling the ball home, via the boot of Ben Mee before Ronaldo got his goal, tapping into an empty net after Wayne Hennessey saved McTominay’s menacing effort onto the post. The visitors hit back shortly after Ronaldo’s goal through Aaron Lennon’s fine effort but it wasn’t enough for them to mount a serious comeback. The resu...

https://ift.tt/3uFbBIR Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the best players in the history of world football. CR7, as he’s affectionately and corporately known, has netted a remarkable 801 goals in his career so far, breaking a bucketload of records along the way at club and international level. Cristiano Ronaldo doing his celebration following his goal against Newcastle For someone who has found the net so many times, it seems only right that he’d have a trademark celebration. The 36-year-old is now globally renowned for his ‘Siu’ celebration, but what’s the story behind football’s most famous goalscoring celebration? Cristiano Ronaldo: What is the celebration? Fans at Old Trafford have really enjoyed seeing Ronaldo do his celebration on a number of occasions this term. After finding the back of the net, the 36-year-old typically wheels away towards the corner flag before doing a 180-degree pirouette before landing with a firm stance on the turf. As he hits the ground...

https://ift.tt/3z6jf18 West Ham ace Michail Antonio likened himself to John Cena after a tussle with an opponent – and the WWE star is clearly a fan. Antonio is the king of goal celebrations and is pretty hilarious on social media too. GETTY The West ham forward dubbed himself ‘AntoNEO’ earlier this season This week the striker compared his display against Watford to WWE superstar Cena when posting a video of him ‘wrestling’ Francisco Sierralta complete with music. He posted the clip with the caption: “Sometimes you just gotta handle business… #YouCantSeeMe.” The hashtag is in reference to Cena’s famous catchphrase and it caught the attention of the WWE star. The American celebrity reposted images of the incident on his own Instagram page… without adding any comment. Cena posted about Antonio on his Instagram While John Cena may be a fan of Antonio, West Ham is not where his allegiances lie. The 44-year-old has previously been snapped wearing a Tottenham shirt an...

https://ift.tt/32w1Ov9 The Premier League fixture between Leicester and Norwich is in doubt. talkSPORT understands Norwich could request a postponement for the clash at the King Power Stadium, which is due to kick-off at 3pm on New Year’s Day. GETTY Leicester’s next home game may now be off The Canaries – beaten 3-0 at Crystal Palace on Tuesday – have been left severely depleted by Covid-enforced absences and injuries. Dean Smith criticised an apparent lack of concern over player welfare after the defeat at Palace. The Norwich boss lamented: “I didn’t have a lot of choice with the team and the subs today. “If that’s what the Premier League want, so be it. We should never be asked in the current climate to put players through that. Players will keep topping up the injury list. “We had three who dropped out yesterday. Max Aarons, Teemu Pukki and Todd Cantwell all pulled out. It’s a really hard time, not just for ourselves but for everyone at the moment. “I just told the pl...

https://ift.tt/32NiEFi Arsenal and Manchester City face off in the first Premier League clash of 2022 and it will be exclusively live on talkSPORT. The new year in football is upon us and we’ve got a belter to kick things off. Arsenal host Man City in the first Premier League clash of 2022 Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal host champions City with both sides hoping to continue their good form. Arteta will miss the match after returning a positive test on Wednesday but his men will be hoping to claim a fifth straight top-flight win. The north Londoners smashed Norwich 5-0 on Boxing Day but saw their game with Wolves called off on Tuesday. City, meanwhile, followed up their big win over Leicester on the 26th by seeing off Brentford on Wednesday. Another win for Pep Guardiola’s men will see them extend their lead at the top to eleven points. Arsenal v Man City: talkSPORT commentary  This Premier League clash will take place on Saturday, January 1. It will be held at the Emirates a...

https://ift.tt/3z8T0ap The January transfer window is right around the corner and Premier League clubs are gearing up to open up their chequebooks this winter. The mid-season market is always a hectic time for top-flight clubs as teams look to bolster their ranks for the second half of the campaign. Europe’s biggest talents including Kane, Haaland and Mbappe have all been linked with moves Manchester City are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League without a recognised striker but still retain an interest in Harry Kane. At the other end of the table Newcastle are desperate for reinforcements to starve off the threat of relegation and are closing in on Kieran Trippier. A whole host of players are free to agree pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs including Antonio Rudiger, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe. Chelsea meanwhile have identified two French left-backs to replace injured Ben Chiwell as they eye Lucas Digne and Theo Hernandez. What are the latest rumour...

https://ift.tt/3HoBHoI Tottenham have emerged as contenders to sign West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. The 28-year-old is out of contract at the Championship club at the end of the season and is attracting plenty of interest from the Premier League. GETTY Johnstone is now on Tottenham’s radar Newcastle, Southampton and West Ham are all showing an interest in him – and now Tottenham have joined the chase for his signature. Spurs boss Antonio Conte is eyeing up a new ‘keeper with Hugo Lloris still yet to sign a new deal and reportedly keen on a move to boyhood club Nice. Alex Crook revealed on talkSPORT on Thursday: “Sam Johnstone very much wants to be part of England’s World Cup plans – I think he knows to achieve that he has to be back in the Premier League sooner rather than later. “I’m hearing Tottenham are joining the likes of Newcastle, Southampton and West Ham in showing a definite interest in Sam Johnstone. “Hugo Lloris is out of contract himself in the summer, he ...

https://ift.tt/3esikP8 Bukayo Saka would reportedly consider a move to Premier League rivals Liverpool if it was for the good of his career. The 20-year-old’s outstanding rise has seen him become a crucial player for Arsenal who might be resigned to losing him if he does not sign a new contract which is due to expire in 2024. Getty Saka has enjoyed a superb season for Arsenal and has played a huge part in their pursuit for a top four finish Saka has been crucial to manager Mikel Arteta this season having scored five goals and contributed to four assists in 19 Premier League games so far. Given the form he has shown this campaign, many clubs would be interested in Saka’s services and none more so than Liverpool. According to The Transfer Window Podcast , Ian McGarry said Anfield boss Jurgen Klopp is expected to refresh his forward line and could move for Saka as a replacement who is said to be interested in a move to Merseyside. “We have reported on The Transfer Window Pod...

https://ift.tt/34dxAO1 Manchester United will be desperate to round off an indifferent 2021 with a return to winning ways against Burnley tonight. The Red Devils missed out on any silverware this calendar year and sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but did manage to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo. Man United can leapfrog Tottenham with a win over Burnley on their final game of 2021 Interim boss Ralf Rangnick is yet to suffer defeat in charge of United, but his side laboured to a 1-1 draw with struggling Newcastle on Monday. Burnley, meanwhile, have not been in action since a 0-0 stalemate with West Ham back on December 12 and remain in the relegation zone. Man United vs Burnley: talkSPORT commentary This Premier League clash will take place on Thursday, December 30. It will be held at Old Trafford and will kick off at 8:15pm. Coverage will start live and exclusive on talkSPORT from 7pm with Adrian Durham serving as your presenter. Commentary will then come from Nigel Adderley and for...