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
‘I Was Set Up To Fail At Manchester United’ – Zaha Finally Opens Up On His Depression at Man United
Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha has lifted the lid on the depression he suffered during his miserable spell at Manchester United, and reveals he was given just one training session to prove his worth by Louis van Gaal.
Zaha made just only appearances under David Moyes at Old Trafford after arriving from Crystal Palace in January 2013, when he arrived for his medical wearing a t-shirt with his new team-mate Ryan Giggs’ former lover, Imogen Thomas, on.
Having spent the second half of his one full season there on loan at Cardiff, Zaha returned with van Gaal in charge and has recalled how the Dutchman forced him to turn into a striker to get into the team and that he felt he was being set up to fail.
zaha-flop-man-utd
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Zaha Finally Opens Up On His Depression at Man United
Speaking On the Judy podcast, Zaha said about his time at United and arriving under Moyes: ‘Right place at the wrong time, really. I look back and think there’s nothing else I could have really done.
‘That whole period, people ask me if I regret it but no. It’s a learning curve, it made me so much stronger mentally, I met some amazing players, some amazing people over there. I’m glad I went there and it made me who I am now.
‘I tried to go back on loan to Palace before and David Moyes wouldn’t let me. I don’t know for what reason, and they just shipped me off to Cardiff. I went there and I was a shadow of myself, I wasn’t speaking to anyone. The player that I am now, I was not myself at all.
‘So I went there, added relegation on my CV, went back to United, it was van Gaal by then. And when he came back off the World Cup where he played Robin van Persie and Robben up front, so basically he gave me two options – you’re either a wing back or a striker.
‘Those positions are positions I’ve never played before. So it’s like I’m being set up to fail here. This is off of coming back from David Moyes, and I’m shattered from just how everything worked out. I go back and I get that, either a striker or a wing back. I can’t do either.
‘Now, I can vary my game with years of playing you get experience. Back then I wasn’t good with my back to goal, I didn’t have that awareness, I’m not good with that. I remember I had to play striker.
‘On pre-season we’re playing Inter Milan, I had to play against Vidic, we played against Real, I’m playing against Pepe and Ramos up front, thinking this guy’s boying me. It’s mad, I’m being thrown in the deep end against the maddest teams.’
It was after the pre-season trip to America that Zaha reveals he was given an ultimatum by van Gaal and his assistant, Giggs, and felt that he was on trial.
He continues: ‘I remember I came back that year – I don’t think I’ve said this before – they gave me one more session for them to decide [if you’re going to stay or not?] yeah. Van Gaal and Giggs was his assistant.
‘These are things I don’t even argue with. That’s why I say it made me who I am now, my confidence and just how I am. It just changed me, all those things I went through.
‘This training session, I was basically on trial again. I remember the first time I went there I got a house, and this time I was thinking I didn’t know what was going to happen so I was just staying in a hotel – I had no idea what was going to happen with me.
‘My brother was up there at first with his family, but then he had to go back so I was just by myself throughout the whole David Moyes period, that’s when I just went through depression and all sorts. I couldn’t cook so I wasn’t even eating proper.
‘That training session, Rooney told me I trained well. Went back in and went to see them and they were just like, “we don’t think you’re good enough – you can go”. This was pre-season. I didn’t [argue it]. I was so relieved, thank you for telling me straight and letting me go out on loan so I can restart my career.’
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Zaha admits it was a difficult time for him, having left his home with Crystal Palace in south London for the reigning champions.
He admits to feeling adrift form the first team
‘I was in a very bad place, literally going out all the time, doing mad stuff. I was a mess. When you know you’re not playing, the team are training and you’re just stood on the side doing some training drill.
‘I remember it was just me and Kagawa doing some shooting drill just the two of us. So you know they don’t care about you basically. Not even training with the Under 23s, week in week out. You’re not getting a look in.’
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Alex Ferguson signed Zaha to Manchester United
Zaha was originally signed by Sir Alex Ferguson and immediately sent back on loan to Palace, which meant he didn’t get a league winners’ bonus. He did not get a chance to work with United’s legendary manager, who retired that summer and chose Moyes as his successor.
He admits it did not help his situation, and that he was star struck upon arrival.
‘I was sat next to Giggs. I’m thinking oh my days, I’m seeing Rooney there, Vidic, Rio, van Persie. Nani was still there and he is like a copy of Ronaldo, his frame, it’s so mad.
‘And then when you actually play with them, it’s crazy. I was 100 per cent star struck when I was there.
‘Obviously I’m gutted [that Ferguson left], because I spoke to him and I seen what he done and what he’s made players into, everyone has seen what he’s done with Ronaldo. So I was gutted that he left, but I was “it is what it is”.’
Zaha made headlines when he turned up for his United medical wearing a t-shirt with a scantily-clad Imogen Thomas on – but he admits he had no idea about the previous relationship between the Welsh model and Giggs.
‘The Imogen thing. I had no idea. I saw it blowing up on Twitter, but I had no idea about any of it. It was just a top I wore, I had no idea who the girl was on the top or whatever!’
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‘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.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal is back to Winning ways
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.
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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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