Football News: Review Of The Day 4th February 2018

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Review of the Day

Sagna Joins Benevento

Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has been without a club since leaving Manchester City last summer but now the 34 year old has a new home. Serie A's bottom club Benevento have given him a contract until the end of the season. Sagna has 65 caps for France but he has not played a competitive match since May 2017.

Clement Calls Renato Sanches "Damaged"

Former Swansea City manager Paul Clement has admitted that Renato Sanches had never wanted to join the Swans and had expected to go to a Champions League team, as Chelsea had made an inquiry about him in the pre-season. "He wasn't so keen [on coming to Swansea] initially," Clement told the Times. "He thought he was going to go to Manchester United, Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern were saying, 'You're not going there, it would be the same situation, you're not going to play'. When he came, he was far more damaged than I thought. It was really sad. He was a boy who had almost got the weight of the world on his shoulders. In training, when that pressure is not there, he was the best player. He could do things no one else could do. He's got power, can go past people, got a shot on him. But then in games, I looked at the choices he was making, shooting from 45 yards on the angle, and he kept making those mistakes. He had a desire to please and a desire to prove everybody wrong. He got in a vicious cycle of poor choices. The other players were saying, 'He's playing like that and you're not picking me,' so it became difficult to pick him." All of which shows why Clement is not cut out to be a manager, rather than a coach, yet at least. If Sanches is so good, he should have backed him fully and been stronger with the rest of the team, rebuilding the lad's confidence until he shows why he was so sought after.

Colback Hits Out At Lack Of Respect

Jack Colback joined Nottingham Forest on loan from Newcastle United and wasted no time in hitting out at his parent club, with claims of a lack of respect being shown to him. Colback told BBC Nottingham: "It's been difficult. To be honest with you, there's been no respect shown my way whatsoever (at Newcastle). It's my first game in four or five months, and I'm just pleased to get through it." Is being dropped from the first team squad and training with the academy because the manager feels you are not good enough for the team really all that disrespectful? Certainly not as disrespectful as going out on loan and then slagging off your parent club immediately you get there or anything like as disrespectful as running down your contract so you can join the hated local rivals of the team that developed you through their academy on a free. Or is that just me that thinks that?

Moyes Refuses To Blame Off Field Issues For Defeat

With the Hammers in turmoil, the last thing manager David Moyes needed was to lose, but lose he did, 3-1 to Brighton. However the Scot has refused to blame the off-field issues for the result. Despite a disastrous January transfer window stripping the squad down to bare bones, followed swiftly by the head of recruitment being shown the door over email comments he made about African players, Moyes believes that it had no effect, even though chants of "sack the board" were ringing round the ground before the Seagulls opened the scoring. Moyes said: "It had no effect whatsoever. The club have done what they think they have to do and move on, and we have to. It's always the manager's job but I don't think the events would do that. When I took over we were in the bottom three so to be where we are now I'd have said 'thanks very much'. We are still in a battle to stay up but it's the same for the other teams."

Mourinho Confirms Fellaini Surgery

Manchester United will have to make do without their Plan B for the next couple of months as Marouane Fellaini has undergone knee surgery. Fellaini lasted just 7 minutes after coming on as a second half substitute against Spurs. "He had surgery this morning," Jose Mourinho told a news conference. "I don't want to be very specific, I would prefer the doctor to give you some information officially. It's not the end of his season, not at all. It's a small intervention in his external meniscus and I want to believe that by the end of March he can be back. And if he can be back by the end of March, I hope we have a big April and a big May still to play in more than one competition." Mourinho also urged the Belgian to sign a new contract.

Jose Hits Out At Old Trafford Crowd

Once again Jose Mourinho has criticised the Manchester United fans for the lack of atmosphere at Old Trafford. Mourinho was asked about new signing Alexis Sanchez and said: "He played only three and the first at Old Trafford, and I think Old Trafford, in spite of being a quiet stadium, the pitch is big, the grass is nice and obviously the players feel very comfortable playing here." When asked to clarify his comments Mourinho continued: "It's not Portsmouth. I remember Portsmouth - such a small stadium, the atmosphere was absolutely incredible. In here, the atmosphere is a bit quiet and there is not very (much enthusiasm). But the players like to play at home." Earlier this season Mourinho rejected the opportunity to discuss his concerns with the Manchester United Supporters' Trust.

Unsworth In Oxford Talks

Oxford United have been given permission to discuss their managerial vacancy with Everton's U23 coach David Unsworth. Oxford sacked Pep Clotet in January and have turned to Unsworth, who recently had a stint as caretaker manager of Everton. In the past Unsworth has turned down the chance to manage Sligo Rovers and Kilmarnock in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Pogba Was Not Being Punished

After Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho had a very public disagreement on the sidelines during Man Utd's 2-0 defeat to Spurs, Pogba was quickly taken off and now failed to make the starting line up for the game against Huddersfield. However Mourinho has denied that Pogba was left out as a punishment, instead heaping praise on his replacement, academy product Scott McTominay. Mourinho said: "I change a few players and the intention was not to punish anyone because to punish anyone, I also need someone to punish me because we are a team and when we win, we win together and we lose together. I prefer to look at it in the beautiful way of a little kid that arrived here with his mum at nine years old for the first training session and 10 or 11 years later the kid is playing in a Manchester United shirt in an important match in the Premier League at home at Old Trafford. So I prefer to look at that perspective. Scott grew up with the game and he started a bit nervous and then he was fundamental for us in the way that he gave that desire to recover the ball and we could play. Paul is a fantastic player. No doubt for me one of the most talented midfield players in the world but to sit on the bench one day is not the end of the world. So it was a decision to play the kid but Paul came on very, very well with a great attitude."

Rafa Looking To Manage Into His 70s

Ahead of Newcastle's match with Crystal Palace, Toon boss Rafael Benitez is hoping to still be managing into his 70s, like his opponent on the day Roy Hodgson. Benitez is currently 57 but cannot envisage retiring just yet. "You have managers doing the job for years because of the energy that we have, the passion and the desire for winning that we have. With the desire for winning I have, I cannot see a normal life for myself." He said: "My wife and my daughters, but especially my wife, say, 'Hello, haven't you had enough, stay here.' But at the same time, when you are at home and you are moving plates and glasses around the kitchen in 4-4-2, they say, 'Go.' The main thing is to have health. If you are healthy, you can continue and I am fine, touch wood. I'm fine. Normally I don't drink and I don't smoke, so that's it, I'm fine."

Spalletti Hits Out At Inter Character

Inter Milan manager Luciano Spalletti has slammed his team's 'weak character' after they threw away another lead to draw 1-1 with Crotone. It has now been 8 matches since they won Inter picked up a win in Serie A. "Clearly a little worry does set in, because we don't see many improvements even after changes," Spalletti said. "We can't just throw our hats in the air, we must work to find some certainties through daily training that can give us a clear idea how to progress. Evidently, there are some difficulties, because after all this time we've not won a game and can't play in fluid fashion either. We have all dipped a little in form in many different ways. The equaliser was a lucky ricochet, but in attack we are not precise or determined enough to win individual duels or push through a move. We're below par in more or less every area. A few of the players who can make the difference and give that extra quality are a little below par. At the end of the day, it depends on what we do on a daily basis and every day we do well in training, but during the match situation we lack the confidence to get the result. Once something goes wrong, we lose confidence and seem to have a weak character. We return to having the fears of what was in the past. There is no other path, we have to approach it logically and try to add something more that can set a clearer objective for us to aim at."

Conte Says Chelsea Needs Two Or Three Players

Antonio Conte's latest moan is to claim his team needs to buy less players in transfer windows. "Now we have to struggle to fight for a Champions League place - that is top. We must be realistic. We must be strong to accept this type of situation," Conte said. "Then, in the future, if there is the possibility, you have to try to buy only two or three players - not eight players. Don't forget, this summer, we brought in eight players and spent a lot less than other teams who bought only two or three."

Written by Tris Burke February 04 2018 04:38:17