Tag: Euro

Watford boss Marco Silva eases pressure off Andre Gray

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Watford manager Marco Silva admits that the pressure is off English striker Andre Gray, who arrived from Burnley on a club-record £18m fee.


The 26-year-old inked a five-year deal with the Hornets earlier this month, and he is expected to provide competition to the likes of Stefano Okaka and Troy Deeney in the forward department.

Gray, who scored nine league goals for Sean Dyche’s Burnley last term, is the Hornets’ seventh signing of the transfer window, and Silva is adamant that there is no added pressure on the striker due to his price tag.

He said: “It’s not the most important for me and it’s not the most important for the player. I want him to play here with normal pressures and not because of the price but because he’s come to Watford to work hard and win his position. I know he’s a player who wanted to come to Watford, which is important as well. He wants to improve in his career and fight for his position in the team and to improve our squad.” (more…)

ENGLAND STAR WANTS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOOTBALL

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England midfielder Ross Barkley has told his club Everton FC that he wants to play in the Champions League.


The 23-year old rising star has less than 14 months left on his current deal. Sky Sports reported that the Three Lions player told Goodison Park that he has serious ambitions of competing with the best payers on the continent.

There have been reports that Man United and Chelsea want the native star in their lineup. The Toffees boss Ronald Koeman revealed that Barkley has issues with the current ambitions of his boyhood club.

“I spoke to Ross several weeks ago and he mentioned his ambition, Champions League, and I told him I have the same ambition,”Koeman said.

The Merseyside manager tried convincing the player that the club was on that same path. He said Barkley was a key player and a home grown talent of the club. (more…)

KANE: ALLI CAN BECOME WORLD BEST

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Harry Kane has told ESPN FC that his “unbelievable” Tottenham Hotspur teammate Dele Alli can go on to become one of the best players to have ever graced the football pitch.


Alli, 20, was named PFA Young Player of the Year last season following a remarkable debut campaign in the Premier League, and he has only gotten better this season. The England international has already scored more league goals than he managed in the whole of last season, probably because he is playing closer to teammate Kane.

His goal scoring has earned him comparisons with Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes but he has reached 20 Premier League goals in fewer games than all three, and Kane believes Alli is “his own player.”

“He’s got so many great attributes, he scores goals, he assists goals, he’s got great skills. He’s his own player. He’s got amazing potential,” Kane told ESPN FC at a Lucozade sport event yesterday. (more…)

England Manager Fears for Young Players with Too Much Money

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Gareth Southgate has once again opened up on the touchy subject of wealth in the game.


The England manager claims that too much money at a very young age is starting to spoil many of the players. Footballers are now regarded as celebrities and they start making millions even they are in their teens. In the pursuit of the best young talent, top clubs offer persuade young players in order to shift to an entirely new country and reward them with huge packages. Yet, these top young talents do not turn out as expected and end up playing for lower league clubs.

One of the countries to have been affected by the lack of talent is England. In recent years, this has changed with the current England team possessing some the finest in talent in world football. However, it has not exactly translated into success on the pitch. Southgate is the third manager to lead the England national team in the last two years. (more…)

Sam Allardyce Does Not Want a Fallout with José Mourinho

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Sam Allardyce says that it would have been difficult confrontation with Manchester United manager José Mourinho since he has international duties to take care.


Allardyce was recently named as the England manager and he has been waiting for this job throughout his career. In the past, national team managers have frequently clashed with Mourinho over the availability of players for meaningless friendly matches. Mourinho has tried to avoid sending his players to international duty so as to give them more rest and the recovery time. This has also been down to avoiding injuries from meaningless friendly matches.

Allardyce, though, says that he will only work towards the improvement of the England national team and may be prepared to fall out with other managers if they attempt to prevent his objectives. In the past, Allardyce and Mourinho have fell out with each other only once. Mourinho was the Chelsea boss while Allardyce was at West Ham. Both teams were involved in a 0-0 draw and Mourinho criticised the tactics of Allardyce by saying that they were primitive. Allardyce wanted by claiming that he did not care about Mourinho’s comments. Apart from such an incident, they both have got along well but now their priorities clash and hence there is a potential for new rivalry.
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DANIEL STURRIDGE MAKES RETURN TO ENGLAND TRAINING CAMP

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Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge makes his return to the training camp of England ahead of their Euro 2016 campaign, where they are seen among the favourites aside France, Germany and Spain.


The player didn’t join the warm up matches ahead of the continental tournament. He even missed the second successive warm up game of Three Lions when they defeated Australia on Friday by 2-1, having earlier defeated Turkey by the same margin.

The 26-year-old England international missed the games due to his calf injury concerns he sustained during the loss to Spanish opposition, Sevilla in the Europa League final. The head coach Roy Hodgson named the forward in his 26-man provisional team list that will prosecute the tournament much earlier this month after the final round of the Premier League matches. The tactician hoped to name his final pick on the 12th of May but eventually postponed it.

The list was eventually cut by one when Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph was moved to the standby list after picking up an injury. Two players are also due to be removed to meet the final 23-man squad to play the tournament. The two players would likely be any of Jack Wilshere – mostly due to fitness concerns though he has done well in the warm up games, Marcus Rashford – despite his goal against Australia as there are enough options up front, Ross Barkley – due to a little drop in form, Andros Townsend and Danny Drinkwater – as there are options, aside Sturridge himself.  (more…)

Raheem Sterling and Hart left out of England squad

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Joe Hart and Raheem Sterling are going to miss the next England games due to injury. Both players have been injured during the Manchester derby on Sunday. Raheem Sterling suffers from a groin injury while Joe Hart is suffering from a calf problem. Both players are expected to be absent for four weeks.

On the other hand, Danny Drinkwater is reaping the benefits of Leicester surprising season and has earned his first selection with the England team. Aged 26, the former Manchester United youth team player is set to compete with the likes of Dele Alli, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana for a place in midfield.

Roy Hodgson has been impressed by Drinkwater’s contribution to the rise of Leicester and is set to give him some playing time in one of the two games. The England manager wants to see whether Drinkwater will be able to replicate his Leicester performance with the England team.

With Carrick likely to miss the Euro finals and with Wilshere still injured, Danny Drinkwater has an excellent chance to make it to the Euros provided he can maintain the form that he has been showing so far this season. This would be a formidable reward for a player that has given everything for Leicester this campaign. (more…)

Alan Pardew believes that England manager Roy Hodgson should use his winger Wilfried Zaha

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Alan Pardew believes that England manager Roy Hodgson should use his winger Wilfried Zaha as his wild card option at the Euro 2016.

England go into the competition flush with confidence, which has been acquired after a brilliant qualification campaign. However, there is a fear of England being found out in this major competition as has been the situation in recent decades. After going into major tournaments as favourites, England have flattered to deceive. They have failed to get past the quarter final stage of any major tournament in the last two decades.

This time around, the presence of many new faces ensures that there is a hint of unpredictability surrounding England. Other teams, however, will be able to learn about the players by looking at the qualification campaign. Pardew says that England should have a wild card in the squad and this element of surprise is important in such a big event. The Crystal Palace manager has identified Wilfried Zaha as the perfect choice for this job. Even though Zaha has been a winger in his career, Pardew says that the former Manchester United man has the ability to make a big impact while playing through the middle. Ironically, this is where England appear to be the strongest. (more…)

Mark Hughes claims that defender Ryan Shawcross may have to start performing

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Stoke City manager Mark Hughes claims that defender Ryan Shawcross may have to start performing for club before thinking about international action under Roy Hodgson.

Shawcross made his debut for England three years ago, but his international appearances have been restricted despite his impressive performances at club level. He does not appear to have quite convinced the manager Roy Hodgson especially in the face of competition that includes players like Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill. These are players representing top clubs and Shawcross will find it difficult to get into the England team right now according to Hughes.

The impressive performances of Shawcross cannot be more aptly demonstrated by the fact that the club are chasing a fourth consecutive clean sheet when they take Sunderland this weekend. Stoke City have been unable to make huge inroads into the league table largely because of their troubles upfront. The club has averaged less than a goal per game. This is significantly lower than several teams around them. However, they have also conceded less than a goal per game. This is actually one of the better records in the Premier League with only the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, and Manchester United being capable of a better record. (more…)

Roy Hodgson has confirmed that striker Wayne Rooney will not be part of the starting line-up

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Roy Hodgson has confirmed that striker Wayne Rooney will not be part of the starting line-up against Spain.

This is one of the several friendly matches lined up for the England national team as a preparation for the Euro 2016. Rooney has not been in great form for the last couple of months and it makes sense to try out new players for the national team. It is highly anticipated that Tottenham forward Harry Kane will be starting the game. Kane has been in fine nick over the last few weeks. After ending the goal drought with a rebound effort against Manchester City, Kane recently scored a hat-trick against Bournemouth.

Hodgson says that he is expecting better performance from the 21-year-old, who has always delivered for the national team whenever he has been selected. Spain are not the force to reckon with they were once, but even then, England are expected to give them a lot of respect. Vicente del Bosque will be fielding striker Diego Costa, who has been woefully out of form for club and country, despite pressures to go for the likes of Alvaro Morata. Rooney has scored seven goals in the last eight appearances for England, but he will only start the game against France a few days later. (more…)