تحدث رضا عبد العال المدير الفني لفريق الكرة الأول بنادي طنطا، عن مواجهة الأهلي التي أقيمت قبل ساعات، كاشفًا عن تمنيه مشاركة جيرالدو ضمن صفوف القلعة الحمراء.

وكان الأهلي قد حقق فوزًا بهدف دون رد على نظيره طنطا بملعب استاد الأهلي والسلام في اطار منافسات الجولة 30 من عمر الدوري المصري الممتاز.

 رضا عبد العال: صمدنا 80 دقيقة أمام الأهلي بطل إفريقيا.. والمحللون يسخرون من مدرستي

وقال رضا عبد العال في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “أون تايم سبورتس”: “إذا كنت مكان فايلر لكنت أشركت اللاعبين الصغار في مباراة الليلة”.

وأضاف: “لا أعرف كيف لـ جيرالدو أن يكون محترفًا، كنت أتمنى أن يلعب اليوم، وقلت للاعبين لو شارك أتركوه ولا يمسكه أحد، هو دائمًا يسقط في الملعب ويضيع الكرات، ومشاركته كانت ستفيدنا”.

وأردف: “سأستمر مع طنطا ولن أتركهم إلا في حالة واحدة وهي تدريب المنتخب الوطني، لا يوجد شيء بعيد عن الله، حسن شحاتة كان يدرب في الدرجة الثانية ومنها قاد المنتخب”.

يُذكر أن فريق طنطا يتذيل ترتيب بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز برصيد 18 نقطة.

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Everton star Idrissa Gueye has told L’Equipe that he still wants to move to Paris Saint-Germain after a January transfer ultimately failed to materialise.

The midfielder has revealed he’s hopeful of joining the Ligue 1 giants or another top European club in the near future.

The 29-year-old has made 97 appearances for the Merseysiders and has certainly been a good servant to the club, as their most consistent central midfielder since his move from Aston Villa two-and-a-half years ago.

But the Everton fans have been on social media offering their views on Gueye’s comments and they certainly haven’t gone down well, with many now wanting him to leave.

Indeed, one fan even claimed that the 5ft 9in ace should be put in the reserves – the Under-23s – until the end of the season following his comments to the French media.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from Everton supporters can be seen below:

The January transfer window was kind and cruel at the same time for Newcastle United.

While the Magpies received an exciting talent like Miguel Almiron, they also brought in Antonio Barreca on loan from Monaco, a deal which is turning out to be a complete bust.

With Paul Dummett being Newcastle’s only option at left-back, they decided to sign Barreca on loan from the French side with an option to purchase permanently. The Italian left-back was a decent option during Monaco’s abysmal league campaign, leading to the deal as Benitez looked to fill a position that’d proved a problem on Tyneside for absolutely years.

However, what could’ve been a promising tale has now deteriorated into a bitter situation. Barreca’s only made a single appearance for the Magpies, that too after coming on after 86th minute in the late loss to Tottenham at Wembley. Since then, Matt Ritchie has largely been deployed as a wing-back, with either Christian Atsu or the aforementioned Dummet coming on.

In fact, Bentinez apparently doesn’t find him to be defensively stable enough and, according to reports from the Sun via talkSPORT, the Spaniard  “doesn’t rate” his talents.

As a result, Ritchie’s been drafted in the left wing-back role in Newcastle’s new and improved system. Yet, Barreca’s failures prove he might not have been Benitez’s top choice at all.

Despite breaking the club record with Almiron’s signing, Barreca’s failed addition proves Ashley and Benitez aren’t on the same page.

Tensions might soon be brewing because of the wastage of the Italian defender and further points at a difference of ambition within the club.

Newcastle fans, have you been disappointed with Barreca’s contribution? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

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Georginio Wijnaldum played the full 90 minutes as Liverpool drew 0-0 with Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Anfield.

Both teams had opportunities on Tuesday night, but the draw means that the contest is delicately poised ahead of the second leg in Munich next month.

The likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane so often grab the limelight, but 5ft 9in Wijnaldum has again been impressive for the Reds this term.

The clash with Bayern proved to be his 30th appearance in all competitions this season and he certainly brings balance to the Liverpool midfield.

It is for that reason that the Netherlands international is sure to start the second leg, where Liverpool will look to improve on their poor away form in Europe.

In response to a social media post from Wijnaldum, the Liverpool fans were keen to pay tribute to the 28-year-old.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Newcastle United have a truly excellent striker in their ranks.

Elias Sorensen is just 19 and has been in quite brilliant form for the club’s youth teams. This season alone, he has scored 12 goals in 14 Premier League 2 games and has also netted four in five in the EFL Trophy, all of which came against senior sides – Doncaster Rovers, Notts County, Grimsby Town and Macclesfield.

His step up from the Under-18s to the Under-23s has been seamless. After netting 15 goals in 33 outings for the U18s, including six assists, Sorensen found a ruthless streak upon his age jump.

The same is true of his international career. Sorensen played for the Under-17s and the Under-18s for Denmark but did not score. But he has two in two for the Under-21s.

The Shields Gazette quote senior manager Rafael Benitez from November, when the Spaniard claimed that the teenager was knocking on the door of the first-team after training with them.

He said: “We’re lucky to have some young players coming sometimes to help the first team. He did well. He has energy and movement.

“We’re just talking about a couple of training sessions, but you could see the lad has the effort and desire to play in the first team.

“It depends on him. The players have to knock on the door by what they do on the pitch.”

His latest test came in January. Fresh from signing a new contract with the Magpies, he was loaned to Blackpool, in League One. He has made one appearance so far, managing just 32 minutes.

Chronicle Live report that Sorensen spoke to Sean Longstaff about his move, with the midfielder having played for the Seasiders before making his breakthrough at Newcastle. He has made six Premier League appearances this season.

He said: “You see Sean getting a few games in the Premier League now and he went away to Blackpool and Kilmarnock, so a few loan spells for him worked very well.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

“I spoke to him about it and he liked it when he was here. I thought it would be a great opportunity for me as well.

“I’m excited to see what it brings. Hopefully, I can get a few games in League One and show what I’m capable of.”

If his record in the youth teams is anything to go by, Sorensen will take the third-tier by storm.

Newcastle fans should keep an eye on him. If he can reach his potential, he could well be the club’s next great No.9.

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Everton looked set to get back to winning ways as they stormed into a 2-0 lead over Newcastle on Saturday, although that wasn’t to be the case for Marco Silva’s men, who would bottle that advantage and allow their hosts to pull off a late, great comeback, thus ensuring all three points remained on Tyneside.

Having lost three of their last five, it was essential for the Toffees to get a result against a resurgent Magpies side and for much of the first half it appeared they were on track for a decent victory. Salomon Rondon, Ayoze Perez and Everton’s own Jordan Pickford had other ideas.

The England number one, after his side went up, frequently taunted the St James’ Park faithful and you can certainly said he got what he deserved – the former Sunderland man was largely culpable as Everton’s lead crumbled.

First, Pickford rugby tackled Rondon to the ground after failing to deal with a ball into the box and fortunately saved the resulting penalty – he undoubtedly got away with this one as, not only was the spot-kick from Matt Ritchie poor, but the custodian should have been sent off.

The 25-year-old’s luck wouldn’t last though – he arguably should have done better with Rondon’s shot at goal, letting it under him perhaps too easily, while he parried Miguel Almiron’s long-shot straight into the path of Perez, who slotted home the equaliser.

Three minutes later, the Magpies were a goal ahead with Perez having bagged his second and Pickford’s inflammatory antics in front of the home crowd had stopped completely.

With this underwhelming performance the latest of many in recent months, it seems that the shot-stopper’s starting berth for the Three Lions is under real threat.

Every England fan fell in love with Pickford in the summer for his loudmouth approach but now that is seriously jeopardising his career – he must focus on the game far more or risk his increasingly frequent mistakes taking him down the path Joe Hart followed at a similar stage in his career.

Burnley stopper Hart won the Golden Glove four times between 2010 and 2015 but one year within that five year period was calamitous. In 2013, the then-26-year-old had an error-stricken season, summarised in this article by The Guardian.

The former Manchester City man, who twice won the Premier League with the Citizens, had similar difficulties as Pickford, with poor handling costing him and his side on multiple occasions that year. Particularly in the 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in October 2013, Hart was at fault twice; beaten at his near post on two occasions, the ‘keeper’s horror show led to a scathing assessment from Gary Neville and doubts being cast on his suitably as England’s number 1.

A few campaigns down the line an over-hyped Hart frequently cost his side again, this time with England at Euro 2016 *shudders*. The 75-cap international let Gareth Bale’s long-range effort inexplicably find a way under him before, more crucially, failing to keep out Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s winner in the embarrassing loss to Iceland in the last 16.

Hart is a player who plays with character and raw emotion. The problem is that his exuberance between the sticks has impacted on his concentration. It’s all well and good expressing yourself on the pitch and, in Pickford’s case, jibing the opposition supporters, but an overzealous approach to that side of the game can detract from the fundamentals which really matter.

If Pickford continues to allow his emotions to tarnish his performances then, just like Hart, he could suddenly find both his club and England career in trouble.

What a comeback by Newcastle against Everton on Saturday! Check out what the jubilant Geordies made of it all in the video below…

Last weekend we saw the danger posed to players by fans who get a bit too emotionally invested in the occasion of a football match so it certainly isn’t wise, either, of Pickford to stick his tongue out at the crowd. You should only talk the talk if you can walk the walk and, recently, the out-of-form ace is stumbling at best.

Hopefully Saturday’s poor result should serve as the lesson Pickford needs ahead of a difficult clash with Chelsea this weekend.

Andre Green could become a key player for Aston Villa, should manager Dean Smith use him correctly and the first step towards that goal is to make him a regular starter.

Green returned from his loan spell at Portsmouth in January but missed two weeks worth of action due to a hamstring strain on his return.

He, however, made his first start again in Saturday’s defeat to West Brom at Villa Park and looked solid before he was replaced by Jonathan Kodjia with 20 minutes remaining.

The winger grabbed the headlines in the match against Sheffield United two weeks ago when he scored a stoppage-time equaliser after Villa had gone 3-0 down. Smith might find some consistency on the left-flank should he stick with Green for the remainder of the season.

The 20-year-old has shown in the past the potential he possesses and has a bright future ahead of him.

Getting more and more game-time at Villa would only do his game the world of good and under the guidance of Smith, he could develop into the prime attacker the club so drastically need.

Villa will have to do something truly special if they were to sneak into a playoff spot by the end of the season but, at the moment, Smith and the rest of his squad could start to look ahead to next season and explore the options they have.

Starting Green on a more regular basis will place a big amount of responsibility on his game and it could be exactly what he needs to excel as a bright young talent.

Villa travel to Stoke City on Saturday and Smith should consider giving Green a full 90 minutes to show his fitness and desire to attack with width against a Stoke team that has been vulnerable at the back the whole season.

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Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill handed Pele his full debut in the 3-0 win against Hull City on Saturday, and his brilliant performance has given the Irishman a big dilemma – not one that he should mind though.

On the chalkboard

Well, the Reds have had plenty of central midfield options to select from for most of the season with the likes of Ben Watson and Liam Bridcutt missing out on the 18-man squad altogether at times this term, although the former has come back into favour since O’Neill was appointed.

Currently, the 66-year-old has the aforementioned duo, Pele, Jack Colback, Ryan Yates and Adlene Guedioura – not to mention Saturday goalscorer Joao Carvalho – to select from for three spots, which is surely giving him a selection headache every week.

The former Republic of Ireland boss decided to throw the dice with the loan addition from Monaco in the defensive midfield spot against The Tigers, and he produced an outstanding display of strength, power and confidence on the ball.

What does O’Neill do against Villa?

Given his performance against Nigel Adkins’ men you would expect the 27-year-old to retain his spot in the starting XI, but it might not be that simple.

Nottingham Forest emerged victorious in the last East Midlands derby. Checkout the thoughts of some Forest legends in the video below…

The Guinea-Bissau international visibly tired in the latter stages against the Yorkshire outfit but remained on the pitch for the 90 minutes, and given his lack of football this term it remains to be seen whether he can do the same just a few days later.

O’Neill will know what the midfielder is and isn’t capable of right now, and rather than dreading picking his options in the centre of the park for the visit of the in-form Aston Villa, he should be relishing it.

Sunday’s Second City derby is one that will live long in the hearts of Aston Villa fans following a 1-0 win over rivals Birmingham City at St Andrew’s.

The game will undoubtedly be remembered for the massive performance midfielder Jack Grealish delivered, which saw him attacked by a Birmingham City fan in the first-half before he scored the winning goal in the 67th minute, much to the delight of the Villa supporters.

It was no surprise that the 23-year-old Grealish, who wore the captain’s armband once again, said in his post-match interview that it was the ‘best day’ of his life.

Grealish was superb on the ball and controlled the match with his slick passing and excellent reading of the game.

He continuously looked for teammates in better attacking positions and wasn’t shy to keep hold of the ball if he didn’t want to rush a pass.

Ultimately, he never took any risks and played such a big game pretty much according to the book like the best midfielders in the world do.

Since making his return from injury last weekend, Grealish has lifted this Villa team and have made them look competitive again. Indeed, he has proven on a number of occasions this season that he is the big-game player Villa need if they were to earn promotion to the Premier League again and his showing against Birmingham City showed that.

It also explains why manager Dean Smith handed him the captaincy immediately when he was available for selection again against Derby County last weekend.

But, the manner in which he handled everything that transpired at St. Andrew’s on Sunday should be really pleasing to see for everyone involved at Villa.

Not once did he lose his temper or force any reaction, despite the adversity of the match.

It shows the great levels of maturity he has begun to reach and why he is destined to become a world-class footballer.

Aston Villa fans, how high is Jack Grealish’s ceiling? Join the discussion by commenting below…

يستعد نادي الزمالك لخوض مواجهة من العيار الثقيل أمام نظيره المصري البورسعيدي، في بطولة الدوري الممتاز.

وتقام المباراة على أرضية ملعب استاد برج العرب بالإسكندرية، ضمن منافسات الأسبوع 31 من عمر المسابقة المحلية.

طالع | اتحاد الكرة يعلن حكم مباراة الزمالك والمصري في الدوري

وخاض الزمالك 30 مباراة في بطولة الدوري هذا الموسم حتى الآن، واستطاع تحقيق 61 نقطة محتلاً بهم المركز الثاني، فيما لعب المصري 28 مباراة، وحصل على 33 نقطة بالمركز الثالث عشر.

وينتظر عشاق الفارس الأبيض رؤية الفريق في ثوبه الجديد بعد قدوم المدرب البرتغالي باتشيكو لقيادة الفريق خلفا للفرنسي باتريس كارتيرون؛ وذلك للاطمئنان على الشكل العام وطريقة اللعب قبل المواجهة الأهم أمام الرجاء المغربي في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وتسلم باتشيكو مهمته الجديدة مع القلعة البيضاء من أجل تأمين المركز الثاني في بطولة الدوري، خاصة في ظل المنافسة مع بيراميدز والمقاولون العرب، إلى جانب الهدف الأساسي وهو التتويج ببطولتي دوري أبطال إفريقيا وكأس مصر.

على الجانب الآخر، يخوض المصري البورسعيدي اللقاء بمعنويات مرتفعة، بعدما حقق فوزًا ثمينًا المباراة الماضية على أسوان بهدف دون رد، وسيسعى لتحقيق نتيجة إيجابية أمام الزمالك للهروب أكثر من قاع جدول ترتيب الدوري الممتاز.