Looking for Soccer News?

Ian Wright has taken aim at Arsenal's technical director Edu, with the Gunners legend baffled as to how those at Emirates Stadium can be saying that Willian – a proven Premier League performer – needs “time” in which to settle and produce his best.

The north Londoners were believed to have pulled off quite a coup when prising an experienced Brazil international away from London rivals Chelsea.

A few eyebrows were raised at handing the 32-year-old a three-year contract , but he is a two-time title winner in England and was expected to slot seamlessly into the fold under Mikel Arteta.

Wright admits that is what he was expecting from the South American, with Arsenal needing another creative influence to hit the ground running.

That has not been the case, with Willian’s disappointing form mirroring that of many around him , but he retains the full support of those in the Emirates boardroom.

Wright believes the wrong messages are being sent out by Edu and Co, with the ex-Gunners frontman telling the Wrighty’s House Podcast : “Can I say something because there’s something I read with Edu, who I was with during the Rapid Vienna game. We had a chat and he’s very energetic.

“But I was very disappointed with something I read with Edu talking about Willian needing time. I can’t have that – and I’d say it to him if I saw him – because we don’t want to be peddling that.

“We’ve brought Willian in to hit the ground running and when he came in I read what you [Edu] said about a player that we need an immediate impact from.

“We’ve signed him for three years, which was very dubious for a lot of people. I went, 'okay, Willian is good enough, a serial winner, and you look at the experience he brings'.

“To hear, 'we need to give him more time'… I needed something to squeeze because that’s not why he bought him. Willian needs that chat where someone says, 'my friend, listen, you’re here to hit the ground running'.

“I’m not throwing him under the bus but I’m trying to explain that Edu cannot come out and say these things when Arsenal are in a position where we’ve signed the player for three years and he needs to hit the ground running.

“It should be a dream move for him but maybe he hasn’t been energised. But he’s come into a dressing room that needs him to be the man.

“Now Edu’s saying he needs time. No, you shouldn’t be saying that. Someone needs to get him in that office and speak to him and say, 'you’re meant to be doing it now'.”

Willian was an unused substitute as Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Southampton on Wednesday, with Arteta opting to drop him to the bench as Alexandre Lacazette also slipped out of the Gunners’ starting XI.

Barcelona presidential hopeful Victor Font has told Goal that he will not be repeating the mistakes of previous candidates by making bold transfer promises amid links with Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

It has been suggested that the Blaugrana could enter a scramble for the talented Norwegian frontman if an exit door were to be swung open in Germany.

Barca, though, do not boast the funds required to make such an elaborate signing and are eager to avoid offering false hope.

Back in 2003, as Joan Laporta prepared to take office at Camp Nou, an incoming president said he would be snapping up David Beckham from Manchester United, only to then see the England captain head to arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Font will not be doing the same with Haaland, telling Goal: “It’s campaign time so it's normal to hear about popular names but the supporters are smart and know for the first time in history it is not about promising an astonishing name, as happened with Beckham in 2003.

“Now we must generate interest from other angles, there's a new generation who deserve responsibility and the right conditions for decisions to be taken.”

Another player to have been heavily linked with a switch to Barcelona in the recent past is Brazil international Neymar , with a return to La Liga mooted for the South American ever since he completed a record-breaking transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.

Font remains a big fan of the 28-year-old forward, but cannot see him back in Catalunya.

He added: “I love him as a player, I enjoy him because is pure talent but we must be realistic.

“From now on the club will have strong leadership. In addition, the club is how it is in a financial aspect and he probably wants a competitive salary - we can't pay for this.

“Beyond these facts, we can’t forget about many other aspects. We are FCB and the club is more important than any one person. Neymar left us, he is constantly suing FCB, I think this choice is obvious.”

While Neymar is unlikely to retrace his steps to Barca, Font is still hoping to see talismanic club captain Lionel Messi commit to a new contract at some stage and bring the uncertainty surrounding his future to a close.

He said of the mercurial Argentine: “We think he can be retained. Beyond his frustration, which is probably very high given the level we reached last August, there's his love for FCB.

“He always said he wants to end at FCB and his frustration belongs to the lack of a project.

“This is exactly what we have been working on, to be competitive again. This is what we would like to tell him and I think he will give us an opportunity.”

Messi is, however, heading towards free agency in 2021 as things stand, with Font adding: “I am sure with a project like ours he would never have reached the point of asking to leave.

“But if we reach that point and you have a verbal agreement with someone who has earned the right to decide what he wants, we should be at his side to make sure he leaves with the biggest honours ever seen and to ensure that the relationship lasts a long time.”

FKF Premier League side Sofapaka have appointed Ken Odhiambo as their new head coach.

Batoto ba Mungu President Elly Kalekwa has confirmed to Goal they have handed the former Bandari FC coach a two-year contract and he will be assisted by Mike Mururi.

The coaching role at the club fell vacant on Tuesday after the club moved to fire coach John Baraza, who had only overseen three FKF Premier League matches – losing 1-0 against Bandari, and beating Western Stima 3-1 before losing 2-1 against AFC Leopards.

“We have now settled for Odhiambo to handle the team and he has already joined us on a two-year contract,” Kalekwa told Goal on Thursday. “He has already reported to work and will be assisted by Mike Mururi, who was the deputy to Baraza.

“We hope the new changes will spur the team to post positive results as our main target is to win the title this season, we have quality players who can do the job and that is why we feel the new bench can now work with them for better results.”

On Thursday, Baraza took his time to wish the team well.

“It’s a hard decision leaving, this has been a family to me for the years have been around,” Baraza told the club’s official website.

“From the bottom of my heart, I would like to honestly thank everyone involved with the Sofapaka family, the president, the playing unit, the CEO and the entire staff. They have really been an amazing family, I appreciate the support, the respect, the love that everyone showed me."

On the playing unit; Baraza said: “To the players kindly accord coach Odhiambo and Mururi the same and much more support so that the team can accomplish its season target.

“To the club president Kalekwa, I want to sincerely thank you for giving me the opportunity and more so trusting me with the position of head coach at this great club Sofapaka.

“It’s so unfortunate that all we had planned haven’t worked out as we had agreed. I leave wishing the team the very best now and in the future.”

On Wednesday, Kalekwa revealed to Goal the reason the club decided to part ways with Baraza by stating: “I want to thank Baraza for the job he did while at the helm of Sofapaka and wish him well in his next move of heading for studies abroad.

“He has two schools to attend, one in Germany and another in Norway, and so he will choose where to go but as Sofapaka family we wish him well.”

Pressed further to explain whether he had left the team because of school or performance, Kalekwa said: “Obviously the performance has not been good [since the season kicked-off] with the kind of quality players we signed for him but for now he is heading to add more knowledge abroad.”

Odhiambo also doubles as the assistant coach of Kenya’s national team Harambee Stars and will start his reign with a match against Kariobangi Sharks on Saturday.

Cameroon B handler Martin Ndtoungou Mpile has raised the alarm over the country’s preparations for the 2021 African Nations Championship (Chan).

Tournament hosts Intermediate Lions will be featuring in the event for the fourth time with their best outing being a quarter-final finish at the 2011 and 2016 editions.

Expectations are high to emerge as Chan 2021 champions, however, Ndtoungou who replaced sacked Yves Clement Arroga in October, has raised the alarm in his quest to put together a conquering side.

"We're supposed to take the best players to Chan but where are we supposed to get them from when there's no championship?" said Ndtoungou as per BBC Sport.

"I'm not yet serene over the team's current situation. We had elaborated a plan hoping that the league will kick off but we've had to change everything and it's just an ugly situation.

"No one is happy with this situation. We're just trying to limit the damage because right now we're not where we want to be."

The absence of a Cameroonian league and a mass exodus of players has left the veteran tactician – who led the country to a quarter-final finish at Rwanda 2016 - with the option of calling up clubless but experienced players like 34-year-old Patrick Mevoungou plus Yannick N'Djeng and Franck Ondoa Edima who both compete for fifth-tier clubs.

Cameroon have been without a championship since March due to the impact of Covid-19 and as a result of the upshot of a fierce power tussle between the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) and the country's professional football league (LFPC).

As a result of that, 19 top and second flight Cameroonian clubs recently called for the disbanding of the country's professional football league (LFPC), mentioning the poor organisation and management of the leagues.

Cameroon have been zoned in Group A alongside Mali, Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe. They begin their campaign against the Warriors at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaounde.

The competition initially billed to commence in April 2020 was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, which brought footballing activities to a stop.

Morocco are the tournament’s defending champions having silenced Nigeria 4-0 in the final of the 2018 edition played in Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca.

Very little has gone right for Kaizer Chiefs in the 2020-21 campaign and goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has revealed how last season's disappointment has continued to linger over the team.

Amakhosi had been well set last season under coach Ernst Middendorp to win their first league title in five years.

But following the five-month break of action due to Covid-19, Chiefs imploded in the final weeks of the campaign. Still, though they could have clinched the league if they had beaten Baroka FC on the last day of action, but it wasn't to be as Manuel Kambala scored a 59th-minute equaliser after Khama Billiat's earlier goal had seemingly set the Soweto side on course for league glory.

That single goal was enough to send the title to Mamelodi Sundowns, who also won the Nedbank and Telkom cups.

Subsequently, Gavin Hunt took over from Middendorp and he has endured a nightmare start, his plight not helped by the club's transfer ban.

"Very tough indeed," Khune told SuperSport TV after the Glamour Boys' latest setback, a 2-1 defeat against SuperSport United on Tuesday.

"We didn't start the season as [well] as we planned and as much as we wanted. Because we finished second last season and I think that had a big impact in the beginning of this season," he continued.

"So I think a lot of us are still not ready for this season. But we always have to be ready for anything that comes our way. We are the ones who signed up to represent Kaizer Chiefs. And we are the ones who put ourselves in this situation, we are the ones who have to get out of it.”

Amakhosi’s defeat against Matsatsantsa served to highlight several issues they’ve faced this season – a lack of cutting edge up front, and some careless mistakes at the back – underlined by Khune recklessly giving the ball away during the buildup to SuperSport’s opening goal.

"We dominated throughout, but we didn't take our chances,” the former Bafana Bafana skipper said. “I gave the ball away because I think I'm trying to do much. I'm trying to be a ball-player, I'm trying to be a goalkeeper at the same time, so I think I just need to stick to being a goalkeeper."

Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has confirmed the opening of the December-January mini-transfer window.

Although there has not been much hype around any particular players in big teams, Azam FC, Simba SC and Yanga SC are expected to bolster their squads nonetheless.

The 2020/21 mini-transfer window has been opened from December 16 and will shut close on January 15.

“The application for the transfer of players who would have met the laid down qualifications, will be handled quickly and such players will be given licenses in order to allow the feature for their new clubs as soon as possible,” TFF’s letter, obtained by Goal read.

“As regulations prescribe, the teams that will only be allowed to sign new players are those that have not hit the cap of 30 players per team. A team that has also loaned or transferred a player to another is also allowed to sign.

“Those teams that have also mutually terminated contracts with a player or players will also be allowed to do business in the window.

“For the clubs who have terminated contracts, they will be required to do so within the transfer window and inform TFF, in writing, of the said development in order to be allowed to buy new players.

“Clubs are also informed that loan deals will have to adhere to the regulations that govern the transfer of players. For that reason, there must be a mutual agreement between the club and the player on the loan move.”

Simba have already signed Uganda international Taddeo Lwanga who is expected to offer more depth and provide an option in midfield especially with the absence of injured Gerson Fraga.

Wekundu wa Msimbazi tied down highly-rated Clatous Chama, who has six goals and six assists in the league, for two more years while Meddie Kagere, with 50 league goals, is expected to remain. The Zambian had been heavily linked with Yanga but the club’s chairman Mo Dewji strongly stated the desire to keep the midfielder.

Kagere, on the other hand, had to deal with rumours of bad blood between him and coach Sven Vandenbroeck when the season had just started. Goal understands Wekundu wa Msimbazi are keen to keep the two-time Golden Boot winner for two more seasons.

What remains to be seen is whether Larry Bwalya, who was missed in the matchday squad in the last five occasions, would remain at the Msimbazi club.

Azam are also expected to buy more players and strengthen a side that has seen their performances take a nosedive in the last few games despite a strong season opening.

For Yanga, not much business is expected given that the players signed in the previous window have settled and have shown the capability to fight for the league title.

Tuisila Kisinda, Bakari Mwamnyeto, Mukoko Tonombe, Michael Sarpong and Yacouba Sogne are the stars who came in and claimed positions in the first team more regularly. Angolan international Carlinhos had also started strong before he was sidelined by an injury.

According to a report in Belgium, Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion are considering bringing Bafana Bafana and former Mamelodi Sundowns forward Percy Tau back to the club.

Tau left Sundowns to sign for Brighton in 2018 but is yet to make an appearance for the club after being sent out on loan to several clubs in Belgium.

He initially played for second-tier side Union SG, where he won the Proximus League Player of the Season award.

He then moved on to Club Brugge, where he won the league last season and also featured in the Champions League against the likes of Real Madrid and Paris St Germain.

This season he signed a loan deal with a third Belgian club, Anderlecht, where he's been playing under former Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany, now the Anderlecht manager.

Tau has recently been sidelined with a minor injury, but according to Kompany, will be back in action sooner rather than later.

“Percy is doing well, better than hoped. Maybe he can resume at the end of this week,” the former Belgium captain told Belgium's HLN website.
 
The publication then goes on to state that, "English sources also inform us that there is a real chance that Brighton & Hove Albion will recall Tau in January.

"The club flirts with relegation in the Premier League and is looking for reinforcements. Due to the new rules, which can be interpreted creatively, it is not impossible that Tau will receive a work permit for England."

Bafana talisman Tau is 26-years-old now and would have gained hugely valuable experience of European football during his years in Belgium.

The Seagulls meanwhile are languishing in 16th spot on the standings, just two points above the relegation zone.

They've scored 15 goals in their 13 league games this term. Neal Maupay has netted four for Brighton in the league, but no other Seagulls player has more than a single goal.

Former Witbank Spurs player Tau has been among the goals and assists throughout his time in Belgium and has four goals in 10 league starts for Anderlecht this term.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has plans to hire foreign referees for contentious matches in the Premier League including the derby involving Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards.

According to federation President Nick Mwendwa the move will help end contentious issues which arise from such matches involving the giants of Kenyan football.

Mwendwa further said they will also hire foreign referees to officiate in league matches especially when two or three teams are fighting for the title with few matches remaining to the end of the season.

“What we are saying, we have matches in the Premier League which are contentious and officiating of such matches always raises a lot of debate and sometime it tends to spoil the game,” Mwendwa told Goal on Thursday.

“One of the matches is the derby, and the other one is when we have a tight race for the title, if we have such a scenario where teams are fighting for the title, teams are separated by two or three points, then we will hire foreign referees to come oversee the league [games].

“We will get them from Uganda, Tanzania or even Rwanda, that is the idea, actually what we are looking at is to advance fairness in the eyes of everybody handling these especially the derby which always raises eyebrows.”

Asked whether Kenyan referees will not feel aggrieved by the move to hire foreign counterparts, Mwendwa said: “They will not feel aggrieved because most of them don’t want to officiate in such matches, we have just mooted the idea and we hope it will bring fairness especially during contentious matches.”

The new proposal will thus be introduced when AFC Leopards will host rivals Gor Mahia in the first derby of the 2020-21 FKF Premier League.

According to the fixtures, Ingwe will host K’Ogalo on March 6, 2021, at Nyayo Stadium before the second round duel is set for the same venue on May 23, 2021.

Last season, Gor Mahia won both encounters, beating Ingwe 4-1 in the first round match before edging them out by a solitary goal en-route to winning their fourth straight league title.

AFC Leopards are yet to beat Gor Mahia in their last seven matches with the best result against their rivals coming in the 1-1 draw of the 2017-18 season with Gor Mahia winning the second round fixture 1-0.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Cedric Kaze has openly claimed he will not rush to buy players just because the transfer window is now open.

The mini-transfer window opened its door on December 16 and will run until January 15, 2021, with Yanga, who are topping the 18-team table looking to strengthen their squad.

The Burundian tactician who is yet to lose a match since joining the Jangwani giants has now said he is aware Yanga will need to strengthen in order to challenge for the title but he will not be forced into panic buying of players.

Kaze, instead, says he will strive to sign players who he thinks will help his team to achieve the targets they set for the season.

“I know we are heading into the mini-transfer window that I will use to make improvements in areas I believe are currently not the same, and it is true we will buy a few players,” Kaze said as quoted by Sokalabongo.

“I can’t sign because of the pressure of what people see, I want to take players who I believe are qualified to help the team because in this period it is difficult to find the best player as many are still bound by contracts in their teams and if it fails, I will end with those we have. with them.”

Reports have already emerged that Kenyan keeper Farouk Shikhalo is among the players reportedly set to be released by Yanga.

According to the reports, Yanga is planning to release Shikhalo and go for another foreign keeper who will be able to challenge first choice Metacha Mnata for a starting role as the team strengthens for the second round of the Mainland Premier League.

"Yanga are planning to make a small change of registration in the small window and have planned to register only three players out of which there are midfielders and defenders who will join the team this season,” Sokalabongo reported as quoted from the Champion.

“That’s after the coach made recommendations for the registration of new players and there are those who will be taken on loan while others will be released altogether after failing to show competition in the team.

“Among the players who may be left out is keeper [Shikhalo] who has failed to challenge Metacha for the starting role since joining the side and thus warming the bench.

“So his bosses may leave him out so as to get a chance to sign an international player, Shikhalo is a good goalkeeper but he has failed to give Metacha opposition.”

Yanga are topping the 18-team table with 37 points from 15 matches.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa has explained why they decided to do away with a limited company to run the Premier League.

The federation boss has revealed while taking over the running of the top-flight from Kenyan Premier League Limited (KPL) whose five-year mandate had expired, the federation had thought of coming up with another company to manage the same.

However, Mwendwa now says his discussion with the world governing body, Fifa, and the number of court battles he had tussled with KPL over the period he took over the running of FKF, forced him and other members of the federation to think otherwise and do away with the formation of a company altogether.

“We also had plans to have a company to continue running the league like KPL, but we realised we could not have a company because Gor Mahia cannot have shares in a limited company here in Kenya, so there is no way all the 18 clubs will be represented in that company, so we will be lying to the clubs if we formed the company,” Mwendwa told FKF TV.

“Fifa also told me we have had long tussles with KPL in court, you know how long FKF and KPL have battled in courts, we have fought in court for the last four years that I have been the President, so we said now we have done away with KPL, we forget about forming a new company.

“Fifa also told me to forget about forming a company, so we told the transitional committee, we will not have a company, but we will allow you to run the league as a committee, we will open for you an account and put in money and allow you to make your own decisions.”

Explaining further on why the formation of a company to run the league was not possible, Mwendwa said: “For example, KPL lied to Western Stima, they were members of KPL, of which they were not, only some officials who were directors [in KPL] kept benefiting from the company and that is what the other members in the transition committee wanted us to do and we refused.

“We cannot do things the way they were before, we must have transparency and have all teams in one group and also FKF to run the league and that is where the problem came from, because some owners of a few clubs did not want it that way.”

The league is currently being managed by the federation and will enter round four of matches this weekend.

Express FC coach Wasswa Bbosa believes his charges should have returned home with maximum points from their Ugandan Premier League (UPL) match against Mbarara City on Wednesday.

Despite taking a deserved lead, the Red Eagles picked a point from the fixture after the match ended 1-1 at the Kakyeeka Stadium.

Right-winger Godfrey Lwesibawa opened the scoring for the Red Eagles from a direct free-kick in the 23rd minute but burly defender Soulyamane Bamba made amends in the 77th minute heading home from a corner to help the hosts nick a point.

While Bbosa is happy to have picked a point from the away tie, the coach insists they deserved to win the game had they used the chances they created especially in the first half before the game turned physical in the second period.

“The game was okay, we could have killed off the game in the first half because we had many chances which we didn’t use and in the second half the game was more physical, they pinned us a lot using bong balls,” Bbosa told the club’s official website after the match.

“However, that said, getting a point here is worth it.”

The Red Eagles started off well against Mbarara with forward George Ssenkaaba bulldozing the visitors’ backline at any opportunity available but he could not find the target.

However, they had to wait until the 23rd minute when Lwesibawa opened the scoring from a direct free-kick, and the goal was enough as the teams headed to the half-time break.

In the second period, Mbarara piled pressure for an equaliser with winger Bashir Mutanda and midfielder Jude Ssemugabi launching several attacks and it came as no surprise when defender Bamba headed in left-back Jasper Ahebwa’s corner to make it 1-1 with thirteen minutes to go.

In other matches played on Wednesday, Vipers SC needed a late comeback to ensure they picked up a 2-1 win over Kitara FC at St Mary’s Stadium.

Paul Mucureezi and Daniel Sserunkuma ensured the champions won their first game after they had gone behind to the debutants 10 minutes after the second half had started.

Brian Mayanja scored the opener for Kitara in the 55th minute but substitutes Mucureezi and Sserunkuma buried their hopes of picking up three points from the under-pressure champions.

At Fufa Technical Centre in Njeru, Kyetume FC condemned debutants UPDF FC to a first loss after claiming a 1-0 win.

Express will next take on old rivals SC Villa at Wankulukuku on Sunday.

Robert Lewandowski "truly deserves" to be recognised as the world's best player according to Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick.

Lewandowski has been nominated for The Best FIFA Men's Player award, which will be awarded in Zurich on Thursday, alongside Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 32-year-old Lewandowski scored twice to earn Bayern a 2-1 come-from-behind win against Wolfsburg on Wednesday to keep the German champions one point behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen after 12 rounds. 

Lewandowski also celebrated his 250th Bundesliga goal – from just 332 games – the Poland international becoming only the third player in league history to reach the milestone after Gerd Muller (365) and Klaus Fischer (268), though he is the first non-German to achieve the feat.

After 11 league games this season, Lewandowski has 15 goals, following a campaign where the star striker fired Bayern to Champions League glory, in addition to a domestic treble of the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup.

Bayern team-mate Manuel Neuer – who celebrated his 200th league win for the club from 261 appearances, beating Thomas Muller's record – has been nominated for The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper award alongside Liverpool's Alisson and Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid, and Flick is adamant that both of his players have earned the right to claim the prizes.

"Lewy is on one side very important on the pitch, but also he is in the inner circle of the squad," Flick said post-match.

"[He] is of course a very important player who's point of view truly counts. 

"Therefore, we are all looking ahead. So that Manuel as well as Lewy will win their awards. Both players truly deserve it."

Flick also joined the company of Leeds United coach Marcelo Bielsa and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in being nominated for The Best FIFA Men's Coach award.

The 55-year-old admitted that his players had to dig deep to recover from a fifth-minute set-back against Wolfsburg, as Maximilian Philipp volleyed the visitors ahead against the run of play at the Allianz Arena.

Lewandowski headed in Kingsley Coman's delivery on the stroke of half-time to level the scores, before collecting Jerome Boateng's pass to lash in his second and complete the turnaround five minutes after the restart.

Bayern – who have won 12 points from losing positions this season, the most in the Bundesliga this term – travel to Leverkusen on Saturday in a battle to clinch top spot heading into the mid-season winter break and Flick praised his team's fighting spirit ahead of such a crunch clash.

"We won. We won and that is the most important part," Flick added. "We fought ourselves back after conceding a goal. 

"We fought back heavily and set the equaliser before the half-time which was very important and gave a signal to the team.

"Then we scored at the start of the second half the second goal, where we were playing very well. We tried to stand up against the loss. You can notice, that we really wanted this win against Wolfsburg.

"I told the team, that sometimes you have to fight back properly in order to get back into a winning streak. Coming back to Leverkusen, we want to end this very successful year on a high note. If possible, with three points."

Michael Olise found the back of the net while Ovie Ejaria provided an assist in Reading’s 2-1 defeat to Norwich City in Wednesday’s Championship game.

Olise has continued his eye-catching performances for the Royals, scoring his fourth goal of the season at Madejski Stadium.

Last weekend, the attacking midfielder emerged as the hero, when he scored the only goal in his side’s victory over Queens Park Rangers.

The Nigerian forward again emerged as one of the standout performers for Veljko Paunovic’s men when he registered yet another effort at Madejski Stadium, although it was not enough to save his side from defeat against the Championship leaders.

Ovie Ejaria made his 14thh start for Reading since he signed for the club permanently from Premier League side Liverpool.

The 23-year-old midfielder delivered an impressive performance for the Royals against Daniel Farke’s men.

Reading found themselves on the backfoot when Norwich City opened the scoring as early as the 11th minute of the game through Emiliano Buendia.

Olise then brought his side back to contention in the encounter when he levelled proceedings three minutes later after a fine combination with his compatriot Ejaria.

Teemu Pukki then scored the winning goal in the 55th minute, converting from the penalty spot to deny the Royals a share of points.

Olise and Ejaria featured for the duration of the game while Nigeria international Sone Aluko was replaced in the 59th minute by Sam Baldock.

Besides his four goals this season, Olise has also provided six assists in 19 league appearances in the 2020-21 season.

His performances helped Reading to their current fifth position on the Championship table after gathering 33 points from 19 games.

Ejaria, meanwhile, has scored two goals and provided four assists in 14 appearances this season, amid other dazzling displays.

The Nigerian stars will be expected to continue their productive partnership and help Reading return to winning ways when they take on Brentford on Saturday.

ATK Mohun Bagan played 15 successful passes in the first 18 minutes of their 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) match against FC Goa on Wednesday. 

Normally, it is safe to assume that such a start meant FC Goa were denying Bagan time with the ball and were knocking on the doors for an opening goal. But in this case, it was a different scenario. The Mariners were set up in their usual formation with an organized backline guarding the goal. Right from the off, there was an intent to press high up the field and win the ball in dangerous areas.

David Williams, who started only his second game of the season and completed 90 minutes for the first time, partnered with Roy Krishna and Manvir Singh to target the Goan defence when they held onto the ball for more than two seconds.

The defenders and the goalkeeper did just enough to avoid committing blunders in their defensive third but the constant presence of an opponent nearby meant they were uneasy in possession. 

Williams had the opportunity to announce his return to the starting lineup in style when he pulled off a brilliant first touch to collect a long diagonal and cut inside from the right flank and struck a fantastic effort at the goal. The upright denied the forward a wonderful goal and the teams had to go their dressing rooms at the break with the game tied without goals in it. 

Goa improved after the break. They became more proactive with and without the ball and tried to make things happen, pinning the Bagan defence into their own half this time around. An excellent cross from the right flank by Jesuraj Romario found Alberto Noguera inside the box but the latter's header was too close to Arindam Bhattacharya, who after his chill-pill in the first half, woke up to make a decent save. 

Ferrando introduced two of Goa's best players so far this season - Jorge Ortiz and Brandon Fernandes - when nothing else seemed to work and Bagan continued to remain cautious. While those two changes did not make the desired impact, another change by Ferrando influenced the proceedings, just not in the manner Goa hoped for. 

24-year-old Aiban Dohling had a forgettable cameo after coming on in place of Seiminlen Doungel in the 74th minute. 11 minutes later, he clumsily brought down Krishna inside the box and gave the Fijian a chance that he was extremely unlikely to miss. And he didn't. Krishna slotted home his fifth goal of the season from 12 yards and secured three important points for his team. By doing so, he also achieved the feat of having scored against all the existing ISL clubs. 

It was a good team performance by Bagan.- not a display for the purists but certainly effective. The presence of Carl McHugh in the team gives them the stability that they need to pull off results like these. Goa had no way past him and arguably he - not Krishna - remains the Mariners' best performer so far this season. 

Pahang FC manager Datuk Suffian Awang has offered an explanation for the incident that triggered Malaysia forward Mohamadou Sumareh's premature exit from the club back in September.

The Gambian-born player had claimed that his departure was caused by the Elephants' failure to pay his salary on time, and he has since joined Thai League 1 side Police Tero. Sumareh and Pahang are currently embroiled in a legal dispute with the club claiming that his move was not done legally.

"What happened was, Sumareh was back in his home country (Gambia) at the time, so the money transfer took some time to be cleared in order to avoid being flagged by the Central Bank of Malaysia [for irregularities]. It was not a matter of him not getting paid as he claimed."

For now, Suffian is urging that the Malaysian FA (FAM) look into the dispute.

"We are currently waiting for FIFA's arbitration over the matter, and we hope for FAM's attention. We want it to be resolved amicably so both parties can move on without the dispute dragging on. It's a big issue now.

"FAM needs to look into this matter and we're just waiting for FIFA's decision over it," he explained to the press in Putrajaya on Wednesday, December 16.

The manager also took the time to explain the outfit's preparations ahead of the 2021 season to the press. He revealed that they are looking for a new head coach, but remarkably the services of Dollah Salleh, their boss for the past four years, will still be retained.

Dollah Salleh. Photo by Sports Regime

"I can reveal that we are planning to appoint a foreign head coach and that several candidates have offered their services. We've shortlisted the qualified ones and a decision will be made soon.

"What we want is someone who not only understands football in Malaysia, but also Southeast Asia... The ability to adapt to Malaysian football will be an advantage to them. Someone who doesn't get Malaysian and Asian football will be a big problem to Pahang.

"But Dollah Salleh will still be with Pahang. He will still be a part of the team and his status will be announced by January [2021],"

Suffian also added that they are currently looking to finalise their Asian and ASEAN foreign player slots, having secured the signings of former Terengganu FC captain Lee Tuck, former Melaka United forward Sergio Aguero and retained centre back Herold Goulon. In the meantime, they have completed the signings of all their local players.

Ronald Koeman believes Barcelona's "attitude and intensity" in the 2-1 La Liga victory against Real Sociedad proved they can recover from their early-season struggles.

Barca head coach Koeman hailed his team's display as goals from Jordi Alba and Frenkie de Jong earned a 23rd successive home league win against Sociedad.

Koeman's Barca controlled from the kick-off but were not able to record a shot on goal in the first 25 minutes, as the home side fell behind to Willian Jose's 27th-minute effort at Camp Nou.

But two goals in the space of 12 minutes before half-time flipped the game in Barca's favour and Koeman insisted his players showed the characteristics needed to improve on their patchy form.

"With this attitude and this intensity we will be where we should be," Koeman said post-match.

"[It was] surely the best first half [of the season]. We were good with the ball and we pressed well.

"The second half Real played a great game. It was a high-level clash with a lot of intensity."

Barcelona played a more reactive game after half-time against the second-placed La Liga outfit, logging only 38.6 per cent possession as they protected their lead.

Alexander Isak threatened a late equaliser but Marc-Andre ter Stegen blocked the Swedish winger's effort, the Barca goalkeeper's only save of note in the second half.

"You cannot control a game for 90 minutes," Koeman said. "The wear and tear on the team has been impressive. We deserved to win for attitude."

Barca left-back Alba was also happy with his team's display, saying they put on their best performance of 2020 in the victory.

"It was the best game of the year," he told Movistar. "I'm really pleased with the team's attitude and fight. The motivation was big and we keep climbing [the table].

The win lifted Barca to fifth place in the table with six wins from their 12 games, within six points of Atletico Madrid, Sociedad and Real Madrid. 

Next up for Barca is a home match against Valencia on Saturday, with Los Che entering the game in 12th place in the table. 

Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has delivered a harsh verdict on his side's current state, saying they are lacking in discipline, attitude and self-confidence.

The Gunners managed to draw Southampton 1-1 on Wednesday, ending a run of three straight Premier League defeats. 

But Arsenal still ended the match in 15th place and with just 14 points from their first 13 Premier League games this season, their lowest tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1974-75.

Discipline has been a major issue under Mikel Arteta, with Gabriel's red card against the Saints making it seven reds for Arsenal since Arteta took charge on Boxing Day 2019, four more than any other Premier League side in that time. 

Leno, though, has defended Arteta, saying that he and his team-mates are to blame for the position they find themselves in currently.

"That [pressure on Arteta] is not an issue at all. The coach is least to blame for the fact that we are in this situation," Leno told Sky Germany.

"If you look at the way we were running around on the pitch at times, then the players are the only ones to blame. I have to be honest about that.

"We're getting red cards, making mistakes, standing out of position. These are things that we have clearly addressed a thousand times. In the end, it's a lack of focus on the part of the players.

"The coach is not an issue in the dressing room, there is no criticism of him. We criticise ourselves and the players know that they are responsible.

"We actually have quality, but all of a sudden there was this break. But nobody can pin it on just one person."

With the Gunners having just one win in their last nine Premier League games (W1 D2 L6), Leno has said there are many reasons behind his club's downturn in form.

"The attitude is bad, the discipline is lacking and we have no self-confidence. There are many factors at play here," the German added.

"We have addressed this very clearly internally and everyone agrees that we have to change this very quickly."