Afcon 2023 is over. What a remarkable end to a tournament dripping in drama.
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The night has only just started in Abidjan.
EPL
EPL Flops of The Season; Chelsea’s Werner And Havertz Lead As Thiago And Van de Beek Make List
Last year March 2020, the English Premier League was hit by the global pandemic, Coronavirus which forced matches to be suspended for while. According to Allfootball.com, this led to several EPL Flops of the Season such as Chelsea’s Werner, Havertz, Thiago , and Van de Beek among others.
The pandemic has ravaged the finances of the English clubs greatly, however, despite the being ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, Premier League clubs spent big last summer and many players arrived under great expectations.
Chelsea for instance, splashed close to £250million to get former manager, Frank Lampard a trophy winning team.
Liverpool on other hand, cashed in for a Champion League winner, Thiago from Bayern Munich to strengthen their midfield as they looked to retain the PL title.
While Manchester United parted with £40m to get what has since transpired to be a very expensive back-up midfielder.
It has been heavily speculated that, Donny Van de Beek is set to hold serious talks with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward before the end of the season but wants to leave Old Trafford in order to kick-start his career.
Timo Werner (Chelsea), premier league flop
- Signed for £52m from RB Leipzig
- Werner has gone from scaring opposition defenders as one of Europe’s most feared strikers to scaring his own fans with his horror shows in front of goal.
- Nobody has played more games for Chelsea this season and so Werner cannot point to a lack of opportunities to find his groove in England.
- In 2,763 minutes of action the German has mustered a paltry return of 10 goals. In the league he is providing the Blues with a goal every 409 minutes.
EPL flop Timo Werner
Delving deeper into the stats, Werner has provided just one league goal since November.
New boss Thomas Tuchel has looked to play down fears over his misfiring attack amid talk that he will plot an all-out assault to land in-demand Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland this summer.
Werner is far from the only Chelsea summer signing to struggle but the badge looks to be weighing particularly on the striker, who has found himself in and out of the side.
‘We have guys we’re happy with, who have the potential to be more decisive,’ Tuchel insisted after a 0-0 draw at Leeds. ‘There is no need now to reflect for the summer or for other solutions.’
For £52m, much more is expected.
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Gareth Bale (Tottenham), EPL flop of the season
Joined on-loan from Real Madrid
An emotional homecoming for a player that was waved off to the Spanish capital as a world beater.
He returned battle-hardened, weary from scrutiny by the Madrid-based media but definitely with a point to prove.
What has transpired has been a loan spell that has appeared to confirm that maybe Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane was not as foolish as many said he was when he cast Bale aside.
EPL flop Gareth Bale
His second coming has started to take off in recent games but it has proven a largely underwhelming return to life in north London.
Braces against Burnley and Crystal Palace showed signs of life and then he was hooked early by Jose Mourinho in north London derby defeat to Arsenal.
While not naming Bale directly after defeat at the Emirates, Mourinho was scathing in assessment.
‘Some important players hiding,’ the Portuguese said.
‘I’m not even going in direction of individuals. I’m as guilty for that first-half as the players.
‘People hiding themselves, no intensity, no passing and moving. We were poor. As simple as that.’
Injuries and a lack of form have halted the 31-year-old’s progress but if the future holds more games like Burnley and Fulham than the Arsenal defeat he will be able to rewrite the story around his Premier League homecoming.
Thiago Alcantara (Liverpool), biggest premier league flop of the 2020/21 season
- Joined from Bayern Munich for £25m
- On the face of it, this appeared to be one of the deals of the summer.
- Jurgen Klopp, fresh from guiding Liverpool to their first league title in 30 years, had snared the former Barcelona midfielder out of Bayern Munich just weeks after he lifted the Champions League.
Winning 16 trophies in seven seasons was enticing; he was expected to solidify a winning mentality into Klopp’s dressing room while also adding another dimension to the Reds’ midfield.
flop Thiago Alcanatara of Liverpool
Thiago was expected to thrive but instead he has failed to score or produce a single assist in 15 Premier League games so far this season. Nada. Nothing.
There have been mitigating factors with Liverpool’s dismal title defence down more to injuries than the form of summer arrival Thiago.
He missed pre-season, tested positive for Covid-19 and had been ruled out injured for several months following a poor tackle by Richarlison in October’s Merseyside derby.
But nonetheless, he has proven to be a defensive liability on too many occasions and his poor performances have not escaped the attentions of critics.
Reports say he has felt ‘exposed’ in big games but a source close to the squad looked to play down his struggles, telling the Athletic: ‘It is just adaptation. With this guy, it is not a problem of attitude, professionalism or confidence.
‘And tell me someone who has performed well for Liverpool in recent months? It is not easy to just walk in and blitz it.’
It is not easy, no, but Thiago is not a young player at 29 and far more was expected.
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Donny van de Beek (Man United), EPL flop under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
- Joined from Ajax for £40m
- A real headscratcher this one.
- He arrived to a degree of fanfare but with just two Premier League starts to his name so far, Van de Beek is reportedly ready to cut his losses.
- According to the Daily Star, the frustrated Dutchman is set to hold talks with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward before the end of the season but wants to leave Old Trafford in order to kick-start his career.
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Donny van De Beek was ruined by Solskjaer
- Van de Beek has started 11 games in all competitions with the rest of his 15 appearances coming from the bench with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer preferring his alternative midfield options.
- He has found himself behind Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Fred, with Bruno Fernandes holding down the regular spot in front of the two central players.
- While Werner, Bale and Thiago have had ample opportunities to right their wrongs, Van de Beek has gathered dust in the Old Trafford stands for most of his first season.
- The big concern is that the Dutchman’s confidence looks to be shot.
There have been signs previously that Van de Beek has become frustrated with his situation at Old Trafford.
The midfielder was substituted in the 73rd minute of United’s FA Cup game with West Ham, while the score was 0-0. The Dutchman’s face dropped when he realised he was about to be withdrawn for Fernandes.
His reaction led BBC commentator and pundit Jermaine Jenas, who sympathised with his situation, to claim the midfielder was ‘playing with fear’ and without any rhythm.
He’ll never get rhythm if he keeps sitting on the bench. Something has to give.
Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea), EPL flop under FranK Lampard
Joined from Ajax for £33.3m
Another Chelsea attacker that has failed to hit the heights expected of him.
While not struggling to the extent Werner has, Ziyech hasn’t performed at the level he did for Ajax, which ultimately secured him his Premier League move.
His final product has had fans drooling in the Champions League in the past but there has been nothing close to that level of salivation at Stamford Bridge.
Ziyech’s elite-level ability from set-pieces has also gone awry as he looks to find his groove under Tuchel because he has had flashes, under Lampard earlier in the season, when he looked dynamite.
The Morocco international has scored just once in 15 Premier League appearances and rather than, like others in the squad, accept responsibility, blame has been shifted to coaches.
Ex-Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot feels it is Tuchel’s fault that Ziyech is disappointing.
Melchiot told Stadium Astro: ‘He doesn’t always get the opportunity. I think Frank [Lampard] understood him better, he wanted him and went after him.
‘I think Ziyech is facing now what he had at the beginning at Ajax. It was kind of difficult for him to get a run going. Once he got it, he was among the top-two players in the team.
‘Now in the Premier League you have many stars around you. He has to understand that.
‘I think it comes down to rhythm. If you don’t play that often, when you get your opportunity you have got to grab it.’
Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
Joined from Bayer Leverkusen for £89m
Big money. Even bigger expectations. And yet he’s another to have fallen by the wayside.
Injuries and a battle with Covid-19 complicated his adaptation to English football but, ahead of facing Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, he is convinced under new boss Thomas Tuchel he can turn a corner.
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Expensive Chelsea flop Havertz
‘The coronavirus is now over [for me] and I feel good,’ Havertz told Chelsea’s website.
‘I had a little injury in the past few weeks but it’s now time to play good.
‘I have to improve my game. It has not been easy for me but there are no excuses. I just have to keep on working and hopefully there will be a big turnaround soon. I will give it my best.’
Havertz’s success in Germany stemmed from his ability to find the pockets of space others couldn’t right across the front line.
The issue he is having is that he is finding it much harder to score in England than he did in Germany.
Deployed as a No 9 in the last two games, Havertz has mustered a dreadful one league goal in 21 Premier League appearances and needs to arrest that fast if he is to continue to lead the line under Tuchel, who wiped the slate clean for the 21-year-old on his arrival.
‘I think that Kai feels very comfortable in high positions. I feel he is very comfortable to go to drop in to half-spaces from the high position, to turn and drive with the ball and use his speed,’ Tuchel said.
‘But he also arrives very naturally in the box and the six-yard box, to finish our attacks.’
He certainly hasn’t looked ‘very comfortable’ in his first season of English football. Lots of work to do.
Willian (Arsenal)
Joined from Chelsea on a free transfer
Unlike others on this list there was no gargantuan fee for Willian to justify – but he has still been a huge disappointment.
Brazil international Willian’s move to Arsenal after leaving Chelsea appeared to represent an astute piece of business after two assists on his Premier League debut, but the majority of his Gunners career has been plagued by ineffectiveness throughout matches.
Chelsea Willian flop at Arsenal
He became a hit on Fantasy Football but the next 11 top-flight fixtures yielded just one further assist. Disappointment set in fast.
Earning £200,000 a week in north London, people (rightly) expect things and Willian just hasn’t done it, frankly.
No goal in 30 appearances across all competitions has hardly helped satisfy his critics, either.
‘He is a player who we all like,’ Arteta said of Willian two weeks ago.
‘His team-mates like him and we were expecting many more things from him since he joined but for many different reasons he hasn’t found his best performances.’
That’s a diplomatic way to put it, I guess.
He’s got to do a lot more to justify his huge wages – but he’s not the only one guilty of that at the Emirates.
Nathan Ake (Man City)
Joined from Bournemouth for £40m
Blighted by injury, Nathan Ake has had a debut season to forget at Man City.
Ake suffered a muscular injury in December against Newcastle and is yet to return.
He has managed just six games in the league this season – nine in total – and he has had to watch on from the treatment table as fellow summer signing Ruben Dias makes the centre back spot his own.
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Nathan, Manchester City flop
The one boost for Ake is that he has made more than five appearances, the threshold to get a Premier League winners’ medal, something City’s squad will have around their necks before too long.
He didn’t come cheap from Bournemouth, despite their relegation, but the best repayment is often availability, something Ake has been unable to provide.
The job to solidify in City’s backline is hard enough as it is but even harder if injury keeps sidelining a player. He faces a defining few months for what could be make-or-break next season.
‘Compelling title race a relief for Premier League’
This weekend will be the 10th time that the Premier League title has been decided on the final day of the season.
But rarely before will those in charge of the competition have been so grateful for a captivating conclusion to the campaign.
Liverpool’s challenge ultimately faded, scuppering their fans’ dreams of a triumphant farewell for departing manager Jurgen Klopp and the prospect of an unprecedented three-way battle going the full distance.
But Manchester City or Arsenal will be crowned champions in the final act of what has been a classic duel.
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Sunday may not provide the unforgettable drama of 2012’s last day, which saw massive fans’ participation at MT online sportsbooks, when Sergio Aguero’s stoppage-time winner sealed a first Premier League title for City. But whether it ends with a record fourth consecutive title for the champions or a first in 20 years for Arsenal, league bosses, broadcasters and neutrals will have the special finale they hoped for.
Off the field, however, these have been troubled times for the top flight.
The points deductions handed to Everton and Nottingham Forest this season for breaching financial rules have been hugely contentious, the punishments – and subsequent appeals – leading to uncertainty over the league table, resentment by fans and fears that the relegation battle could be decided by the rulings of commission panels.
While both teams have ultimately stayed up, the controversy surrounding the profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) is not going away.
Newly promoted Leicester City have been charged with breaking spending rules when they were in the top flight (and are now taking legal action against the league), while Chelsea have also been under investigation.
And 16 months after City were charged with more than a hundred rule breaches, a hearing in their case is not thought to be scheduled until the autumn, contributing to the mounting scrutiny of the league’s governance and processes.
While City deny wrongdoing, a sixth league triumph in seven years would only intensify questions over the fairness of how they assembled their squad over several seasons, the time the case has taken, and whether the club’s wealth has distorted the competitiveness of the league, alongside admiration for the team and their coach.
Meanwhile, a split has emerged between clubs over plans to introduce a new spending cap, and the Premier League is facing the threat of more legal action from one of its members over amended rules around associated party transactions.
As if all that was not enough to contend with, the league’s chief executive Richard Masters has also warned of the “unintended consequences” of the forthcoming independent football regulator, amid mounting criticism of the failure by his clubs to agree a new financial settlement with the English Football League (EFL).
The Premier League is also known to be deeply concerned about the increasingly congested calendar, with Masters recently warning of a “tipping point”, after criticism following the scrapping of FA Cup replays. The league has also admitted that the VAR system must improve after a series of controversies.
With the title race going right to the wire, Sunday’s final-day drama will provide a welcome distraction from such matters for Masters and his colleagues – but, one suspects, only a temporary one.
Clock ticking for Commonwealth Games
A few weeks ago in Birmingham, Katie Sadleir, the head of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), told me that any further delay beyond May in announcing a host for the 2026 event would be “very problematic”.
Since then Glasgow has emerged as a possible back-up option if no replacement is found for Victoria in Australia, which pulled out last year, plunging the event into crisis.
But there has still been no official announcement by the CGF.
Insiders claim they remain hopeful a host will be confirmed in the next two weeks, but the clock is ticking.
Super League heading stateside?
The National Rugby League (NRL) season kicked off in the US for the first time in March, with a Premiership double-header staged at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as part of a multi-year deal designed to grow the sport in the US.
So could Super League clubs follow suit?
Talks have taken place over the Club World Challenge being staged in the US, and some Super League bosses are keen on regular season matches being part of the tie-up too.
Wigan and Warrington played each other in Milwaukee 35 years ago, albeit as an exhibition match. And with rugby league currently ‘re-imagining’ itself as part of a 12-year deal with agency IMG intended to boost its appeal, anything seems possible.
Manchester United assessing potential Erik ten Hag replacements 👀 Mark Ogden shares details with SportsFila.
The fact that Southgate is on that list tells how serious you should take it
No manager on earth could do anything with Manchester United until Someone takes responsibility for the club and has a viable plan for the future.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group, the club’s new partial owners, are exploring options to assume the role. According to Team Talk, the Red Devils are considering the 41-year-old as a candidate for the manager position.
After achieving success as a player with Barcelona, Inter, and Paris Saint-Germain, winning numerous titles, the two-time Champions League winner transitioned to coaching at the senior level.
Flop Antony and Gabriella Cavallin/ getty Images
ESPN loves ManUtd. As much they say that they hate talking about ManUtd they can’t stop talking about ManUtd 😅😅. They have spend 15 mins speaking on rumours – Hypocrites.
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It’s not Ten Hag fault when players like rashford do not put in all the effort after signing a new contract. Also ten hag had to deal with incredible amount of injuries which ESPN deliberately overlooks. So getting another manager isn’t going to solve anything.
It’s so funny how the English media fails to realize that the structure & the players is the problem at united…..but they trying to sack ETH who is an elite manger under a proper management structure 💯
The best manager that seems to be being overlooked shouod be n1 on the list for bayern utd liverpool is someone inzaghi. Hes done great things with Lazio and inter. Loads of experience and has got to european finals and won domestic leagues.
Manchester City 3-1 win over United in Manchester Derby.
It is very different getting an underdog /dark horse to perform vs going to an environment where the spotlight in on you everyday from day 1. The same thing happened at Bayern with a couple of their coaches…
Afcon 2024 victory is well deserved for Ivory Coast they left no stone unturned and they dominated throughout. If there is a one person who deserved to win the AFCON it was Sebastian Haller. In 2022, he was diagnosed with cancer but he recovered and he returned to play football in 2023 only to bottle the Bundesliga title on the final matchday to Bayern but here we are in 2024 where he scored the winner in the AFCON final to win Cote d’Ivoire AFCON title so congratulations🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🏆
Brazil Antony fulfill his potential at Manchester United?
FT: Nigeria 1-2 Ivory Coast
But Ivory Coast won fair and square. They played better. Congratulations champs.
What Adingra did in the African Cup of Nation was phenomenal. Nigerians will remember him as a nighmare forever. The boy has a great future ahead of him.
Why Biased Ten Hag Cannot Discipline Rashford Like Sancho
Haller beats cancer, then comes to the AFCON and scores the most important goal in the final, the winning goal what a beautiful story for that man and Ivory coast, congratulations to them👏👏
Congratulations to Ivory Coast from cameroonian👏👏👏you organized and won the most beautiful AFCON in story, unbelievable achievment when we look how things went for you.
One of the best tournaments I’ve seen.
Almost every team demonstrated that they were not afraid of their opponent and played above expectations.
Congratulations to Côte d’Ivoire who never gave up and believed and implemented their progress towards goal as much as possible until the last second in this tournament. Kudos to Nigeria for high yield and quality.
Thank you for making the spectators so emotional and congratulations and best wishes to the Ivory Coast and the Ivorian people.
FT: Nigeria 1-2 Ivory Coast
Afcon 2023 is over. What a remarkable end to a tournament dripping in drama.
Thanks for your company.
The night has only just started in Abidjan.
Congratulations to Ivory Coast for winning the Africa Cup🏆! The team showed strength and desire to win and to not give up until the end. And the fans were absolutely amazing
P.s Haller deserved it the most, since he suffered a lot.
The story of Côte d’Ivoire’s victory in the African Nations is one of the most beautiful stories in the history of football. We sympathized with this team’s version a lot and we will tell it to our children in the future 🧡
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