علقت الصفحة الرسمية لنادي الوداد المغربي، على الخسارة من الأهلي، في المباراة التي أقيمت أمس السبت، ضمن مواجهات ذهاب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وكان الأهلي تفوق على الوداد، بهدفين دون رد، خلال المواجهة التي لعبت على ملعب محمد الخامس بالدار البيضاء.

ونشرت الصفحة الرسمية لنادي الوداد عبر موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “فيس بوك”: “قد نتعثر لكننا لا نموت، خسرنا معركة وليس الحرب”.

طالع | ماذا قالت صحف جنوب إفريقيا عن فوز الأهلي أمام الوداد تحت قيادة موسيماني؟

وأضاف: “معكم في حب الوداد، جيبوها يا لولاد”.

ويحتاج فريق الوداد إلى الفوز بثلاثة أهداف دون رد على الأهلي في مباراة الإياب المقرر إقامتها يوم الجمعة المقبل على استاد القاهرة من أجل التأهل إلى نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

قد نتعثّر لكننا لا نموت، خسرنا معركة وليس الحرب. معكم في حُبّ الوداد.. "جيبوها يا لولاد".#DimaWydad…

تم النشر بواسطة ‏‎Wydad Athletic Club – WAC‎‏ فيالأحد، ١٨ أكتوبر ٢٠٢٠

The case of Harry Kewell is another miserable example of how wrong things can go once a player is hit by injury, and the impact it can have on the long-term sustainability of a players career.

The former Leeds United man joined Gerard Houllier’s side in 2003 in what some would probably describe as a dream move – the opportunity to represent one of the most successful clubs in the country, a big-stage moment, and the what is typically the pinnacle of a player’s career.

But it was anything but for Harry Kewell. It was a nightmare. The kind you cannot wake from, the one you amble around, watching time, memory and opportunity slip slowly out of your clutches.

Kewell has provided a poignant account of the miseries of his period at Liverpool, dubbing it “absolute nightmare” (as per EPSN via Liverpool Echo).

“I’ve had 14 operations and the majority were at Liverpool,” he said.

“You’d have an operation and you think ‘that’s it, that’s finished now’. I’m going to be brand new again.

“It doesn’t happen. An injury is like a jigsaw puzzle. You fix one area and something else goes.

“The bottom of the world is when you’re sitting on the end of the bed crying, and you’re going ‘am I ever going to play again?’ You’re sitting there going ‘what’s wrong with me’?

“Every time I’m kicking, I’m ripping a muscle. Every time I’m turning, I’m breaking down.

“I get back. I work hard for four weeks and I break down again. The pressure of people that keep going ‘what’s wrong’ with me.”

There are trials players must face in their career – ones that test the furthest reaches of one’s mental and physical resilience.

The Australian managed just 23 minutes before crashing out through injury allowing Vladimir Smicer the honours of competing in one of the most iconic moments in football history.

Over the space of two seasons Kewell failed that test. His extensive injuries ensured that he only managed 19 games in all competitions for Liverpool before being put out of his misery and moved on in 2008 to join Turkish side Galatasaray.

“He lost three and a half years of his career at Liverpool because the guys over there in England had, quite literally, no idea what they were talking about. You have to wonder what they’re doing over there. Perhaps they’re trying to protect their reputations, but they’re certainly not trying to protect their players,” his agent said in 2010 ( The Guardian).

“I think it’s a disgrace, as I think it was a disgrace the way Harry was treated. What goes around comes around, and people are now wondering, ‘How has he recovered like that?’ when everyone in England thought he was a broken toy.”

He did do remarkably well, to be fair. Scoring 34 goals in 91 games for his new club and continuing his career for another six years after leaving Anfield, playing for the likes of Melbourne, Al Gharafa, and Melbourne City, was far more than we could have ever anticipated from a “broken toy”.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have urged Moussa Sissoko to practise his shooting ahead of the clash with Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Spurs play their first game at their new stadium on Wednesday, with Roy Hodgson’s men the first league visitors to the ground.

After a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, Mauricio Pochettino’s men need to collect all three points if they are to keep the initiative in the race to finish in the top four.

That defeat against Jurgen Klopp’s men left Spurs just one point clear of sixth-placed Chelsea and they were leapfrogged by Arsenal on Monday night, as the Gunners beat Newcastle United 2-0.

Sissoko, though, had a golden chance to hand Spurs all three points at Anfield as he went one-on-one with goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

Under pressure from Virgil van Dijk, however, he skied the chance and his side went on to concede a last-minute own goal, giving Liverpool a dramatic win.

And fans have urged him to practice his shooting as he looks to score his first goal of the season on Wednesday.

Leeds are finally starting to look more solid in midfield, aren’t they? Their hard-fought win against Bristol on Saturday and the first-half demolition at Reading proved just how important Kalvin Phillips is to the club’s promotion chase.

The Whites went top of the league on Tuesday night and if they’re to finish there at the end of the season, they’re going to have to grind out victories against the top teams and then win comfortably against the strugglers of the division. They’ve shown they’re capable of doing both in just one week.

The 23-year-old has made 33 appearances this season and has grown into his role as midfield general well. It’s a tough position to take up in a Marcelo Bielsa team because they aim to dominate possession and play their football in the opposing half. This means the team are susceptible to counter attacks and have to defend large spaces.

At times, the Leeds defence has looked shaky this campaign because of that, but recently there’s been more confidence in their ability to not leak goals. That obviously helps in games against tough opposition where you sometimes face periods where defending is crucial, just as it was against Bristol.

However, it’s also important because it gives confidence to the forwards so they can push higher without feeling they’re leaving the team vulnerable. Phillips – a Thorp Arch graduate and valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt – has played a massive part in improving confidence in the defensive third, and that showed in their battering of Reading on Tuesday.

Leeds haven’t conceded a goal in the last three games and have only let in six in their last nine games since the 3-1 home defeat to title-challengers Norwich. That’s some run, and if Phillips continues to command the midfield as he is doing, the Whites could claim one of the automatic promotion spots at a canter.

Leeds fans, where do you think your club will finish at the end of the season? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Jack Grealish continues to be linked with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Aston Villa star has returned from injury with a bang, scoring two goals in four games, including the winner in the Second City Derby against Birmingham City.

The Daily Mail claim that scouts are continuing to watch Grealish after Spurs failed to secure a transfer in the summer.

Sky Sports reported in August that a bid worth £25million had been tabled, though Villa were able to retain his services after a long-running transfer saga.

What are the experts saying, though? Take a look below!

Harry Redknapp – ex-Spurs boss

Redknapp had his say on Grealish via the Birmingham Mail, saying:

“I love Grealish. I think he’s a real talent, obviously. I love watching him play.

“I think he’s a kid who could play at the very top level.”

This is high praise indeed from a manager who has worked with the likes of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart across his career.

Grealish is a silky playmaker with the ability to dribble past players and split defences in two with a killer ball.

His goal against Birmingham, a composed finish after a mazy run, was a prime example of the skill and ability possessed by the England Under-21 international.

Jamie Redknapp – Sky Sports pundit

Writing in his Daily Mail column after Grealish scored a sensational volley for Villa against Derby County, Redknapp said:

“There have been some brilliant volleys this season but the best two have both come at Villa Park. If you enjoyed John McGinn’s strike against Sheffield Wednesday in September, you will love Jack Grealish’s volley following a corner against Derby on Saturday.

“Had Grealish been fit for the whole season, I am in no doubt Villa would be in the play-offs. He is the best player outside the Premier League.”

Yet more phenomenal praise from a Redknapp.

The 23-year-old does make the game look remarkably easy and his goal against Derby was reminiscent of Paul Scholes’ strike against Villa for Manchester United.

That he can score that kind of goal, and inspire such a turnaround in Villa’s form since his return from injury, proves that Redknapp Jr may not be far off in his assertion that he is the best player in the Championship.

Dean Ashton – ex-player and pundit

Talking on Quest’s EFL highlights show, via the Birmingham Mail, Ashton passed judgement on Grealish’s performance in Villa’s 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest, saying:

“What he does is he dictates the tempo of the Aston Villa team and he draws players towards him which allows Conor Hourihane, who got a couple against Derby, and John McGinn, who was superb at Forest, real licence to get forward.

“McGinn was superb and that licence he’s been given is because Grealish is happy just to sit for a lot of the game and dictate the play.”

Grealish may be exactly what Spurs need.

The fact that he can keep the ball and keep his side ticking over, while also having a penchant for the spectacular, makes him a potential replacement for Christian Eriksen.

Indeed, the Dane continues to be linked with his own transfer and the Villa star would be a relatively cheap, but high-quality, replacement.

Verdict

Grealish has been lighting up the Championship and is exactly the type of player who would appeal to manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Capable with both feet, an excellent dribbler, a goalscorer and a creator, Grealish ticks every single box, particularly if Eriksen does depart.

Spurs should rekindle their interest in the summer and follow the advice laid out by the above pundits; the Villa star is more than ready to make the step up.

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Coming out of Seven Sisters tube station, it doesn’t take long to see it. That futuristic marble, that sublime golden cockerel. As fans filtered out of the station and made their way down a well-trodden path, the gasps upon glimpsing the stadium were audible. Tottenham Hotspur, finally, are home.

After flinging the doors open last week, with an Under-18 game that saw Spurs defeat Southampton 3-1, this was a far more jovial encounter, a Legends game taking place in a carnival atmosphere.

Seeing the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Rafael van der Vaart and David Ginola all take to the pitch to face an Inter side boasting Javier Zanetti, Juan Sebastian Veron and Dejan Stankovic was slightly surreal, but the supporters basked in a no-lose atmosphere. Spurs lost 5-4 but it didn’t really matter.

The noise in this, the most futuristic stadium in England, really is something else. The South Stand, the largest of its kind in the country, will be rocking when Manchester City come to visit in the Champions League and this Wednesday, when Crystal Palace become the first official visitors in the Premier League.

There have been a number of new stadiums built across the years in the Premier League; the Etihad Stadium for Manchester City, the Emirates for Arsenal. West Ham United, too, moved across the city from Upton Park to the London Stadium after repurposing it for use as a football stadium.

None of those three live up to what Tottenham have done. The stadium is more imposing than those three – all categorised by a lack of noise and genuine passion – with the fans so close to the pitch they can almost touch it. Ripples of noise cascade around the stands and become roars. One can feel the seats vibrate at times.

Saturday was a trip down memory lane for many, remembering the days when Spurs had perhaps the most entertaining flair players in the league. But then, they didn’t quite have the steel to go with it.

Now, with Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, they do, but there are challenges even still. A recent run of poor form has put even Champions League qualification into question.

But with this glorious stadium now built and ready, one feels they are on a precipice, set to break through into a glorious new era.

Of course, there are worries. Fans are concerned that there may not be the money required to furnish the playing squad with the best players after seeing the Gunners struggle for so long.

But it feels as though that has been taken into consideration. The likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli have already signed new contracts and this is a glimpse into what Spurs want to become. They want to become the very best in the world.

As Darren Anderton put it, “who wouldn’t want to play here every week?”

It is a fair question and, while the likes of Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld may leave, one cannot ever fault the board’s ambition again.

No, they haven’t signed a new player since 2018, but the money is saved, surely ready to be spent this summer. New signings will see this stadium, a “landmark”, as Football.London correspondent Alasdair Gold put it, and surely be entranced.

There is pressure, of course, between now and May.

Spurs have to finish in the Champions League qualification places; nobody wants to see them playing Astra Giurgiu on a Thursday night here, and they may well need the financial boost that qualification offers them.

Achieve that, and there’s every chance that Spurs can go from strength to strength.

They have challenged for the title twice under Pochettino; this season, that challenge came at Wembley, a soul-less corporate bowl that actively turned fans off watching their beloved club. It petered out, eventually, with Manchester City and Liverpool setting an almost impossible pace.

But they stayed in contention for so long that Spurs were seen as genuine contenders.

In this new stadium, with the fans behind them from the first game, with new stars and with the backing of the board, next season will be different.

It cannot possibly be worse than this campaign, such have been the fluctuations in form at home. Remember, the final season at White Hart Lane saw Spurs go unbeaten before it was knocked down to make way for this glistening behemoth in the centre of Tottenham.

Perhaps it will prove the catalyst that Spurs have needed for so long, and they will finally break through the glass ceiling and win silverware.

Looking around the place, one has to feel that this stadium deserves it.

علق قائد منتخب مصر، والظهير الأيمن أحمد المحمدي، على انتصار أستون فيلا، أمام ليستر سيتي في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

أستون فيلا انتصر بهدفٍ نظيف على ليستر سيتي، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما مساء الأحد، على ملعب “كينج باور ستاديوم”، ضمن لقاءات الجولة الخامسة من البريميرليج.

وكتب المحمدي عبر حسابه الرسمي بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”: “يا له من فوز رائع، أداء جيد من الجميع الليلة، الآن التركيز على مباراة الجمعة”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تريزيجيه يعلق على فوز أستون فيلا أمام ليستر سيتي في الدوري الإنجليزي

أستون فيلا بالانتصار على ليستر سيتي، ارتفع رصيدة لـ12 نقطة، في وصافة البريميرليج، بفارق نقطة عن المُتصدر إيفرتون، فيما توقف رصيد الثعالب عند تسع نقاط بالمركز الرابع.

يُذكر أنّ أستون فيلا يستقبل مساء الجمعة القادمة، نظيره ليدز يونايتد، على ملعب “فيلا بارك”، ضمن فعاليات الأسبوع السادس من البطولة الإنجليزية.

What a great win, class performance from everyone tonight, onto Friday #UTV — Ahmed Elmohamady (@Elmo_27) 18. Oktober 2020

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Lots of Everton fans on Twitter think there’s only one winner when it comes to picking the club’s Goal of the Season sponsored by Money Corp.

A Tweet from the club’s official account on the social media platform containing a video of the contenders was flooded with replies calling for Gylfi Sigurdsson’s strike at Leicester City in the Premier League to pick up the accolade.

The Icelandic international found himself with the ball in midfield during the 1-2 win for the Toffees at the King Power Stadium back in October, and turned past James Maddison before burying the ball in the top corner from ridiculous range.

Other front-runners for the prize included Lucas Digne’s precision hits at home to Watford and away at Burnley, Andre Gomes’ Wolverhampton Wanderers thunderbolt and Richarlison’s neat finish against the same opponent on the opening day of the campaign.

However, the majority of supporters were only interested in one strike collecting the crown, that of Sirgudsson with one even proclaiming that it’s “not worth debating.”

Check out a selection of the best Tweets pining for the 29-year-old’s Foxes screamer, below…

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Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford says the pressure is now on Sheffield United, in post-match comments reported by The Yorkshire Post, following the Blades’ 1-0 win at Elland Road on Saturday, and he has pulled off a genius masterstroke with his comments.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Whites had the opportunity to extend their lead over their Yorkshire rivals to five points when they hosted them at the weekend, but instead they ended up on the losing side meaning they now trail Chris Wilder’s men by a point.

With eight fixtures left to play it is very much still to play for in the automatic promotion race in the Championship, and Bamford was keen to put some pressure on the Blades, as reported by The Yorkshire Post.

He said: “The gap is not massive. It is tight and having been up there all season we have dealt with the pressure pretty well. Now the pressure, I think, will turn on Norwich and Sheffield.

“Norwich have been handling it, but for Sheffield it is the first time they have been in this position. It will be interesting to see how they cope with it, no longer being the underdogs and being in that pole position.”

Are fans being priced out of the Championship as well as the Premier League? The angry Bolton fan in the video below certainly believes so…

Brilliant from Bamford

On the back of such a disappointing result, the former Chelsea man has played this one very well.

While everyone will be talking about Leeds bottling promotion, the 25-year-old has spiced things up with his comments on Sheffield United.

Of course, the Bramall Lane-based outfit found themselves in a similar position earlier on in the campaign last term before fading away, and despite being heavily involved in the automatic promotion race in recent weeks the hub of the focus has still largely been on Leeds and Norwich.

Now Bamford has put the pressure on the Blades and taken some off of the Whites as result, and now we must wait and see until the end of the month to see how they deal with it.

كشفت تقارير مغربية عن اقتراب الحكم الدولي الكاميروني أليوم نينات من تولي إدارة مباراة بيراميدز ونهضة بركان في نهائي كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

ويلاقي بيراميدز المتأهل لأول مرة في تاريخه إلى نهائي البطولة المذكورة نظيره نهضة بركان يوم الأحد المقبل، على أرضية المركب الرياضي الأمير مولاي عبد الله، بالعاصمة الرباط.

ونقلا عن موقع “البطولة” المغربي، فإن الحكم الكاميروني أليوم نينات الذي قاد مباراة الزمالك والرجاء في ذهاب الدور نصف النهائي من دوري أبطال إفريقية والتي حسمها الفارس الأبيض بهدف دون رد، هو الأقرب وبنسبة كبيرة من قيادة المشهد الختامي لكأس الكونفدرالية للموسم الكروي الحالي.

يذكر أن إدارة الرجاء المغربي كانت قد أرسلت احتجاجا رسميا للاتحاد الإفريقي ضد الحكم الكاميروني بعد مباراة الزمالك بسبب قراراته التحكيمية الظالمة على حد وصفهم.