Hazard Voted Best Player In EPL
Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard said “I want to be the
best and win a lot of trophies” after he was named the PFA Player of the
Year on Sunday. Hazard, last season’s Young Player of the Year, has
scored 18 goals in 47 games for the Blues this season, inspiring the current
league leaders to the brink of a first Premier League title since 2010. The
24-year-old was rewarded for his sterling performances with the top individual
award of the night at the PFA’s awards ceremony at the Grosvenor Hotel in
London. He finished ahead of Tottenham striker Harry Kane – who won the Young
Player of the Year award – and Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea in the
vote by his fellow professionals. Hazard said: “I’m very happy. One day I
want to be the best and what I did this season is play very well, Chelsea
played very well. “I don’t know if I deserve to win but it is good for me.
It is good, it is better to be voted by the players – they know everything
about football. This is good. I’m very happy. I started the season not to be
the PFA Player of the Year but it was in my head – I want to be the best and I
hope one day I can win a lot of trophies. I just want to say thank you to the
players who voted for me – it is always good to have an individual trophy but
the most important thing is to win the league. I hope I can win a lot of
trophies again – the most important is to win the league, without my teammates
I would not be here. Jose [Mourinho] lets me play, we talk sometimes together
and when I’m on the pitch I know what I have to do, this is most
important.” The Belgian international was also named in the PFA Premier
League Team of the Year for the third time in his three seasons in England.
PFA Premier League team:De Gea,
Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Bertrand, Matic, Coutinho, Hazard, Sanchez, Kane,
Costa
Pep Guardiola will
face Barcelona for the first time as a coach after his Bayern Munich team were
drawn against his former club in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, with
holders Real Madrid paired with Juventus in the other last-four tie. Guardiola
led Barcelona to UEFA Champions League victories in 2009 and 2011, two of the
14 trophies his side won during his four years in charge at the Camp Nou. Real
Madrid and Juventus, meanwhile, have a rich European history of their own; the
semi-final will be their 17th and 18th meetings in UEFA competition, the most
famous the 1998 UEFA Champions League final.
UEFA Champions League
semi-final draw
Barcelona v Bayern Munich 6 & 12 May
Juventus v Real Madrid 5 & 13 May
UEFA Champions League
final
6 June
• Barcelona and Bayern have met in eight previous European
ties, all since 1996. Their most recent encounter came in the 2012/13
semi-finals, when Bayern triumphed 4-0 in Munich and 3-0 at the Camp Nou – the
biggest aggregate victory in a UEFA Champions League semi-final.
• Bayern also got the better of Barcelona in the 1995/96
UEFA Cup semi-finals, following up a 2-2 first-leg draw in Munich with a 2-1
success at the Camp Nou.
• Indeed, Bayern have won on three of their four visits to
Barcelona, posting a 2-1 victory in the 1998/99 group stage. However, their
other trip produced a 4-0 first-leg defeat in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League
quarter-finals; Barca went on to lift the trophy.
• Juventus are in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for
the first time in 12 years; in 2002/03 their last-four opponents were also Real
Madrid. Then, the Serie A side went down 2-1 in Madrid but won 3-1 in Turin to
set up an all-Italian final against AC Milan, which they lost on penalties at
Old Trafford, Manchester.
• Juve and Madrid share a European history going back to
1962, when the Spaniards won their European Champion Clubs’ Cup quarter-final
3-1 in a replay after each team had prevailed 1-0 away. Their overall record
could scarcely be closer, with eight Madrid victories to Juve’s seven.
• Their most recent tussle, in last term’s group stage,
ended in a 2-2 draw – the first stalemate between the sides – at the Juventus
Stadium, with Madrid having edged it 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu through
Cristiano Ronaldo’s double.
• The clubs’ most famous head-to-head was the 1998 UEFA
Champions League final in Amsterdam, Predreg Mijatovic scoring the only goal in
the 66th minute to give Madrid their seventh European title.
Former Manchester
United midfielder Paul Scholes feels Chelsea star Eden Hazard needs to be more
aggressive in front of goal, yet backs the Belgian for this season’s Player of
the Year award. Hazard has enjoyed a stellar season at Stamford Bridge,
scoring 13 goals and providing eight assists in 32 League matches as the Blues
look set to clinch this year’s League title. Yet Red Devils legend Paul Scholes
believes Hazard should be more clinical in front of goal if he is to be talked
about in the same breath as some of the world’s best. “One thing I do wonder
with Hazard is whether he has that hunger to score goals that you see in
Ronaldo, Messi and [Luis] Suarez,” Scholes wrote in The Independent. “Those are
players who have a ferocious appetite to put the ball in the net. They’re
unstoppable. Hazard seems to me to be a relatively gentle soul. One who is just
as happy skipping past a couple of opponents and putting it on a plate for a
team-mate. He does that very well, and I have no doubt he will deserve his
accolade at the PFA awards,” he added. “Playing the way he does, under pressure
to score goals and make them, is not easy and he has been a big part of
Chelsea’s success. But in this modern age, if he wishes to challenge the
achievements of Messi and Ronaldo then he will have to prove that he can match
their relentless desire to score goals.”
Arsenal coach Arsene
Wenger admits he regrets letting go of star midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The
Spain international left the Emirates for Barcelona in 2011, yet returned to
the Premier League last year after joining London rivals Chelsea. And ahead of
Arsenal’s clash against the Blues on Sunday, the Gunners boss says he wished he
had kept the talented midfielder. “My regret is him [Fabregas] leaving
here,” the Frenchman told reporters. But I want every player to be
respected.”
Jordan Henderson has
committed his long-term future to Liverpool. The English midfielder, who
joined from Sunderland in 2011, put pen to paper on a contract extension,
following in the footsteps of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho. “I’m
over the moon that it’s finally done,” Henderson tells Liverpoolfc.com.
“There has been talk about it for a while now. It’s brilliant news for me
to commit my future to this football club – I really feel that it’s a good time
for us to look forward to the future, with the squad we’ve got, the manager,
the size of the club and the fans we’ve got. I really think, over the next few
years, we can challenge and start winning trophies. That’s the next phase;
we’ve improved massively over the last few years, and I think the next phase
for us is to start challenging for titles and trophies as well.” Liverpool
are now hoping that Raheem Sterling ends speculation over his future by penning
the big-money deal presented to him.
Bayern Munich clinched their third straight Bundesliga title
with four games to spare Sunday after closest rivals Wolfsburg lost to Borussia
Monchengladbach.Bastian Schweinsteiger scored a late goal as Bayern
beat Hertha Berlin 1-0 at home on Saturday to move 15 points clear of
Wolfsburg, who had five games left to play. But after their 1-0 defeat to
Gladbach on Sunday, Bayern were confirmed as champions for the third year in a
row. Bayern have a record 25 German championships overall, including the first
from 1932, with the rest coming after the Bundesliga was formed in 1963.
“Retaining the title is a magnificent achievement. All credit to the coach
and the team,” Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on the club’s
official website. They’ve been fantastic throughout in a season following a
World Cup where we had a host of players in action.” Pep Guardiola’s side
are chasing another treble this season and have a German Cup semifinal at home
against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday as well as a UEFA Champions League semi
against Barcelona to come. Bayern last won a treble in 2013 under former coach
Jupp Heynckes. Guardiola won a league and cup double in his first season in
charge last year.
Nike and the Nigeria
Football Federation (NFF) have announced a new partnership in which Nike is
designing and developing football kits for the men’s and women’s Nigeria
national football teams from April 1, 2015, until at least 2018. Nike is designing
performance and training apparel, and equipment, including team kits and
footballs, for the Nigerian national football team players at every level of
the game. There will be an exclusive-edition team kit for all NFF teams until
the 2016-17 kit launches in mid-2016. In addition, Nike will design an
assortment of products for Nigerians to show their support for the national
team, to be available from mid-2016. The Nigeria under-20 men’s team will be
the first team to don the new Nike kit at the under-20 football tournament to
be hosted in New Zealand from May 31. The partnership includes the following
elements: supplying performance and training kits to all nine of the Nigeria
Football Federation teams at every level, including the men’s and women’s senior
teams, men’s and women’s under-20 teams, men’s and women’s under-17 teams,
men’s and women’s Olympic teams, and the men’s beach football team. Nigeria
joins Nike’s portfolio of federation sponsorships including Australia, Brazil,
England, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, the U.S.
and others.
Sunderland winger
Adam Johnson has been charged with three counts of having sexual activity with
a minor. The England international was originally arrested on March 2, but
has since returned to the field. However, the three charges came through this
morning, and it’s unlikely that he will feature for the Black Cats again this
season. A statement read: “Adam Johnson, a professional footballer aged 27
from Castle Eden, County Durham has this afternoon been charged with three
offences of sexual activity with a child under 16 years old, plus one offence
of grooming. Johnson was initially arrested on Monday, March 2 and was charged
after he answered his police bail today at Peterlee police station. He will
appear at the magistrates court in Peterlee on the morning of Wednesday, May
20.”
The Nigerian Football
Federation has appointed Stephen Keshi as the country’s national coach for the
third time. The former Nigerian international signed a two-year contract,
which will see him lead the Super Eagles until 2017. Keshi lead Nigeria to
African Cup of nations success in 2013 in his first spell at the helm, and
after his contract was not renewed, he returned on a match-by-match basis which
ended in November last year after Nigeria failed to qualify for this year’s
African showpiece. Yet Keshi is confident his side can return to their former
glory. “It’s a fresh start,” he told BBC Sport. “We need the support of
our fans, media and every Nigerian to return the team to where we truly belong.
As a coach and former player I was also hurt that we failed to qualify for the
last Nations Cup. To succeed we all need to come together as one because
Nigeria belongs to us, this is not Stephen Keshi’s team but our national
team.” The 53-year-old admits his team may have disappointed in the past,
but hopes to see an improvement soon. “I understand we still have some
disappointed people out there but our dedicated players deserve our
encouragement and support,” he said. It doesn’t matter where they play,
these boys always give everything and we need to stand by them and the coaching
crew. I remain confident that this time around we will see an improvement,
change in attitude and positive results.” Nigeria have been drawn in a
tough qualifying group for Afcon 2017, where they face continental heavyweights
Egypt as well as Tanzania and Chad.
Liverpool and England striker Daniel Sturridge may not play
again this season, says boss Brendan Rodgers. Sturridge, 25, has
been sidelined by hip and thigh injuries and has not played since the FA Cup
quarter-final win over Blackburn on 8 April. Rodgers said: “We’ll see if
he’s going to be back this season or pre-season.” Liverpool have five
Premier League games remaining as they look to chase the final qualifying spot
for next season’s Champions League. They are seven points behind fourth-placed
Manchester United, but can narrow the gap to four points with victory at Hull
on Tuesday. Sturridge has managed to play just 18 games for Liverpool this
season, scoring five times, compared to a haul of 24 goals from 33 appearances
last term. He was sidelined for more than five months from September with a
thigh injury, and was forced to miss England’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania
in March with a hip problem. “It has been difficult for Daniel. He’s a
good lad who wants to play and be working and helping the team,” said
Rodgers. “It’s just been one of those seasons for him where it has been
very unfortunate. We are going to have to monitor that day by day and see where
he’s at. When he’s been fit he’s been brilliant for the team. We need to get
him back fit and consistently playing.”
Chelsea manager Jose
Mourinho said the Arsenal fans who chanted ‘boring Chelsea’ during their 0-0
draw on Sunday were probably more bored of their own lack of trophies. Mourinho,
in response after the match, had another dig at Gunners boss Arsene Wenger for
what he perceived to be the wrong tactics and ambition. “You know, I think
boring is 10 years without a title. That’s very boring,” said Mourinho. “You
support the club and you’re waiting, waiting, waiting for so many years without
a Premier League title, so that’s very boring. But maybe they were not singing
to us. Maybe, when you want to win a game and you’re at home and you take your
number nine [Olivier Giroud] off, maybe the home fans want more. Maybe they
want to play Giroud and [Danny] Welbeck together up front to try to win the
game.” Mourinho also had a reply to the suggestion that Chelsea will not
win the hearts of neutrals due to his methodical approach to winning games. “I
have lots of love,” Mourinho said. “No problem. If you [the media]
tell the truth, people will fall in love with us. But you have to tell the
truth. If you say the truth, you will walk in the street and people will blow
kisses at us.” Asked how he would like Chelsea to be remembered as
champions, Mourinho said: “First of all, we need to be champions. We need
to win the five points to be champions. “If we do that – and I think we
are going to do that – we will be champions being top of the league since day
one. Being top of the league since day one, only top teams can do that.”
Manchester United
manager Louis van Gaal said he could see something was wrong even before his
side lost 3-0 at Everton on Sunday. James McCarthy, John Stones and Kevin
Mirallas scored the goals that condemned Van Gaal to his heaviest defeat as
United boss. The result puts a dent in the Red Devils’ aspirations of
qualifying automatically for the UEFA Champions League, although with
third-placed Arsenal drawing 0-0 with Chelsea, all hope is not lost. “You
shall always be compared with your opponent in aggression and motivation and
Everton really wanted to win this game, and I don’t think we equalled it,”
said Van Gaal. The fighting spirit of Everton was higher, and when they scored
the first goal it became difficult for us. I had already the feeling and my
colleagues [assistants] Ryan Giggs and Albert Stuivenberg had the feeling
because the warm-up was not so good as usual. In the last minutes before the
game you hope you can recover and stimulate your players but then it is too
late. “You have to prepare the match already two or three days before and
Everton has done that and they have won because of that. In phases we played
well, and created chances, but I did not see the belief that I have seen when
we were behind in matches. We need that aggression and a little bit of luck. It
is of concern that we have not scored for two games in a row.”
Manchester United
will have to wait a while longer to see whether they can sign Borussia
Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan. The 24-year-old German midfielder has been
heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford and, with his contract expiring in
2016, Dortmund will be reluctant to lose him for nothing come January. The
club’s sporting director, Michael Zorc, told Kicker magazine that they will
have to make a decision soon. “Gundogan’s situation isn’t straight forward
because his contract expires in 2016. There will be a decision soon,” he says. However,
Zorc is more confident of holding on to German defender Mats Hummels, who has
also been linked with a move away from the club. “As far as I know,
Hummels’ contract still runs until 2017. We did not receive any offer that we
should think about,” he adds.
Jose Mourinho feels
the entire PFA Premier League Team of the Year should have consisted of Chelsea
players. The team was announced this past weekend, with six players from the
London club making the cut – Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Eden
Hazard, Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa. David De Gea, Ryan Bertrand, Alexis
Sanchez, Philippe Coutinho and Harry Kane took the other five spots, but
Mourinho believes the champions-elect deserved more. “Yes, all of them,” he
responded when asked if more of his players deserved to be there. “But I know
that this is a Chelsea manager speaking and obviously I respect every one of
the players that were in that team. And especially everyone that chooses. The
players from the other teams have the right to choose. Great players were in
that team and great players outside that team. This season [Cesc] Fabregas is
doing the number of assists, the quality of his game and not to be there is a
bit strange. I think that team wouldn’t win the Premier League. It’s a team
without any balance. That team is missing a midfield player. I think that
midfield player should be Fabregas.”