Month: August 2019

The Spaniard is in line to make his Gunners bow against Newcastle United on Sunday, and he has already made a good impression on his new manager

Unai Emery says new signing Dani Ceballos has impressed him with his mental fortitude during his first couple of weeks at Arsenal.

The 23-year-old has been brought in on a season-long loan from Real Madrid, bringing a touch of class back to the Gunners’ midfield after the departure of Aaron Ramsey to Juventus.

Ceballos could be in line for a first competitive start against Newcastle on Sunday, and Emery is clearly looking forward to seeing the new man in action.

“Ceballos’ mind is very strong,” Emery said.

“His mentality. Last Sunday, when he received a big kick on his ankle I thought ‘oh, it’s broken’.

“But after, on Monday, he was training – (he said) ‘I’m fine and want to train’. He is showing us every day his ambition, his hunger is big. I think we need players like this.”

The Spain international, who has six caps for his country’s senior team, has been spoken about for some time as one of Spanish football’s leading young prospects.

He made 56 appearances for Real Madrid across the last two seasons, but struggled to assert himself as a first-team fixture at the Bernabeu with the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos ahead of him in the pecking order.

Ceballos arrived at the Emirates at the beginning of what proved to be a hugely productive summer transfer window, with the Gunners strengthening their squad more than most fans would have expected.

Nicolas Pepe was brought in for a club-record fee, Kieran Tierney was finally lured in on deadline day, William Saliba scheduled his arrival for next year and David Luiz came in as a surprising last-minute addition.

“We are very happy and we are delighted with what the club did (in the transfer window),” Emery added.

“[Head of football] Raul Sanllehi and [director of football] Edu were working together to find the best solutions, being competitive in the moment we can sign another player and also using the club to support us economically to do that.

“And now we are going to fight strong with a big responsibility with this squad and after that we want to continue doing well.”

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The American still has plenty of growing to do despite his huge transfer fee but he’s in a place where he will have the chance to do so

It’s not unfair to say that no player in history has experienced exactly what Christian Pulisic is facing at this very moment.

Sure, new signings have been asked to replace megastars that have departed for seemingly greener pastures. Pulisic is also far from the first big-money signing to make his way to the Premier League with the weight of expectations on his back. And plenty of star-starved countries have put their hopes and dreams on the back of a young player to become a truly world-class star.

But when Pulisic takes the field on Sunday in his Chelsea debut he’ll be facing the pressures that come with all of the above, as fans from London to Hershey expect nothing short of superstardom.

And that expectation is only natural. It’s the type of expectation that comes with a £58 million (€64m/$73m) transfer fee. It’s the type of expectation that comes with replacing Eden Hazard, a player that departed Stamford Bridge as one of the best wingers of the Premier League era. And it’s the kind of expectation that comes with serving as the U.S. national team’s prodigy since before he could legally vote, a great hope for a nation still searching for one of their own to take the game by storm.

But superstardom? That’s a lofty aim for the time being, although Pulisic has proven that he is ready to play a key role in the here and now.

Pulisic steps into a Chelsea team in flux, one where the eyes will immediately be fixed on him to provide something special. He’s the only truly fresh face in the team this summer as Chelsea’s transfer ban prevented new signings. The returns of players like Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi may provide some excitement, but, make no mistake, Pulisic is the story at Stamford Bridge.

And he appears ready to make that story his own. He impressed in his first Chelsea preseason after cutting short his post Gold-Cup break, scoring a pair of goals against Red Bull Salzburg that left manager Frank Lampard impressed. Afterwards, Pulisic said he simply hopes to prove he belongs.

It’s not what Chelsea fans would want to hear. Hazard’s departure for Real Madrid came after what may have been his best season with the club, one which ended with a Europa League crown and little doubt that he can be counted among the top five or 10 players in the world today. Pulisic isn’t there yet, and he isn’t trying to be.

“Being a new signing and coming into the club, I felt I needed to prove myself and wanted to show the guys early on, especially my team-mates, that I can play too. Hopefully I have done that a bit and earned their respect,” he said following that brace.

He added: “I’m not trying to fill the gap left by Eden, he was an unbelievable player. I want to be my own player, to look at me like that, do the best I can for the team.”

The good news? He seems to be in a situation where he can truly thrive, much like he was when he arrived in Dortmund. It’s easy to give Pulisic all the credit when it comes to his rise from American prodigy to massive transfer, but few clubs in world football have been as good as Dortmund at identifying young players and grooming them for stardom. Look at Mario Gotze, Marco Reus, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Robert Lewandowski. Look at Jadon Sancho. Look at Pulisic. 

The then-17-year-old made his debut for the club in 2016, less than one year after signing and moving his life to Germany. He was brought along slowly the rest of that season before truly seizing his role the next and holding onto it for two further seasons. Over that time, his game developed immensely. He came to Dortmund a raw, pacey, skilled player that could beat players off the dribble. He departed as a player willing to track back to defend and with a bit more confidence when it came to finding and finishing that final ball.

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But Pulisic is far from a finished product. He’s nowhere near as direct as Hazard and nowhere near as strong in front of goal. His goal and assist tallies took a bit of a leap for Dortmund last season, but his contributions in front of goal still aren’t quite there. He was displaced by the likes of Jadon Sancho because of it, as the young Englishman outshined his American counterpart once he locked down a spot in the Dortmund XI.

He’ll need time if he’s to take that leap, and he’s seemingly stepped into a situation with a perfect manager to help him grow. There’s little doubt that Lampard’s managerial style will be better for Pulisic than Maurizio Sarri’s would have been. Lampard has proven to have a knack for fostering young talent and it’s easy to forget that Pulisic is still just 20 years old in the wake of his transfer fee. The winger wasn’t even alive when Lampard made his Premier League debut for West Ham and Pulisic is just a few months older than Mount, but the former Derby County loanee will have the benefit of patience.

Patience is the key word for Pulisic, even if it’s easy to forget it because of the transfer fee. He may not justify it in August and he may not prove worthy of it this season. Pulisic may not become a superstar as quickly as people want. In fact, he may not become a superstar at all. But Pulisic is a heck of a player, and he’ll have his chance to prove he can be something more before his time at Stamford Bridge comes to an end.

The 30-year-old’s time at Goodison Park has been marred by injuries, and he may finally find a new permanent home after two spells out on loan

Yannick Bolasie’s time at Everton could be coming to an end, as three sides compete for his signature with the Toffees looking to sell.

Celtic, Besiktas and Rennes are all chasing the 30-year-old, who has already turned down one option for a move.

Russian side CSKA Moscow had agreed a deal with Everton, but failed to reach an agreement with the player. They had proposed an initial loan deal with a £5 million ($6m) option to buy but Bolasie turned them down, not wanting to move to Russia.

Any club wanting to sign Bolasie will likely have to pay the same fee, though Everton may be hoping to instigate a bidding war between the three. The Congo international’s £80,000 ($96k) per week wages will also be a point of negotiation.

Bolasie arrived at Goodison Park to some fanfare at the beginning of the 2016-17 season, but his time on Merseyside has been hampered by injuries.

After impressing with his trickery and eye for goal at former club Crystal Palace, much was expected at Everton but he ruptured his cruciate ligament after less than four months at the club. The injury eventually kept him out of action for just over a year.

He went on to make a total of 32 appearances for Everton, scoring twice. He spent the first half of last season on loan in the Championship with Aston Villa, but left before the upturn of form which eventually saw them promoted through the play-offs.

Immediately sent back out on loan, he finished the campaign at Anderlecht, notching six goals in 17 games in all competitions.

Having initially signed Bolasie for a reported £25 million ($33m), Everton are set to make a substantial loss on a player who will leave the club with a sense of regret.

With the Toffees now putting together an expensively assembled young squad, there is no room left for Marco Silva to help Bolasie try to play his way back to top form.

Winger Alex Iwobi arrived on deadline day for £40 million ($49m), following the likes of Moise Kean, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Djibril Sidibe through the door at Finch Farm.

When French actress Sophie Marceau appeared as part of China Central Television’s traditional annual gala in 2014, she performed La Vie En Rose along with Chinese veteran singer-songwriter Liu Huan, for more than a billion viewers.

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The song by French singer Edith Piaf (1915-63), which was released as a single in 1947, then became popular with the Chinese.

Now, a French musical, entitled Piaf! Le Spectacle, which focuses on the life and career of the French singer, is touring Chinese cities with 47 shows, enabling Chinese audiences to enjoy the song again.

“I’ve learned that Chinese audiences are very familiar with the song, La Vie En Rose, and with the musical, we want to introduce the story behind the song,” says Gil Marsalla, the director of the musical, speaking in Beijing before the musical kicked off its tour in the capital from July 31 to Aug 11 at Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.

“Piaf began her career singing in the streets and small bars before she went to Carnegie Hall in New York. She is regarded as France’s greatest popular singer and her singing reflected her life,” says Marsalla.

The musical features over 20 of the singer’s hits, including La Vie En Rose, Milord, and Where Have All The Flowers Gone.

Born in Belleville, Paris, Piaf was abandoned by her mother, who was a cafe singer, at very young age. She then lived with her grandmother, who ran a brothel.

At the age of 11, she joined her father, who was a street acrobat, and traveled to Belgium, becoming a street singer.

In 1935, Piaf performed in a club off the Champs-Elysees and soon gained popularity. And in April 1963, Piaf recorded her last song. She died at the age of 47 from liver failure.

The musical, starring French singer-actresses Anne Carrere and Nathalie Lermitte, both playing the role of Piaf, premiered in 2015 and has been staged more than 300 times in France, Britain and the United States.

In 2017, the 90-minute musical was presented at Carnegie Hall on the 60th anniversary of Piaf’s last performance at the famous venue.

“The musical was inspired by the award-winning movie, La Vie En Rose. To produce the musical, we visited people who knew Piaf and had them narrate the rags-to-riches story of the singer,” the director says.

The director first met singer-actress Anne Carrere in 2014 when she auditioned for another of his productions, titled Paris! The Show. Impressed by her performance, Marsalla offered Carrere the role of Piaf.

Speaking about her role, Carrere, who is hailed as “Edith Piaf’s legitimate musical heiress”, says: “I am drawn to Edith Piaf and her music because each of her songs has its own story.

“Her music is timeless and I was inspired by her life story.

“The director has a clear vision for the show and I just let myself fulfill his vision,” she adds.

After Beijing, the musical will tour other Chinese cities, including Xiamen, Fujiang province and Foshan, Guangdong province.

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By 1875, Belgium had a high density of rail networks. A Brussels-based luggage maker then saw the travel revolution approaching and filed its first patents for handbags in 1908, realizing that women would want to keep their precious belongings at hand during their travels.

That’s Delvaux.

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After being acquired by First Heritage Brands in 2011, Delvaux flourished internationally. And in late June, the brand opened the fifth boutique in Beijing in the newly-expanded China World Mall.

Founded in 1829 by Charles Delvaux, Delvaux is a Belgian brand born one year before the Kingdom of Belgium.

In 1883, it was granted the title of “Purveyor to the Court” by King Leopold II.

In 1933 Franz Schwennicke took over the business. And Delvaux became an exclusive brand and the first to introduce seasonal collections, mirroring the practices of haute couture.

Following his lead and then later that of his wife Solange, Delvaux has produced many masterpieces.

Among them is the collection named “Brillant”, created for the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958.

Till now, the brand has created over 3,000 handbags.

CANBERRA-The Honeysuckle Creek is normally a quiet place nestling in the mountains in the south of Australian capital Canberra, but the name of a road leading to the site betrayed its importance in history: Apollo.

Fifty years ago, when Apollo 11 first landed humans on the moon, Honeysuckle Creek was one of three main tracking stations that made live broadcast of the event possible, receiving and transmitting the image and sound of Neil Armstrong as he stepped onto the surface of the moon.

Fifty years later, the Australians took pride in their role for the event, which was deemed one of the most important in the 20th century.

“If not for Australia, 600 million people would not have seen the iconic image. And if not for Australia, nor would they have heard Neil Armstrong’s iconic words,” says Arthur B. Culvahouse, the US ambassador to Australia, recently.

July 20 marks the 50th anniversary of moon landing by humans, one day after China’s first space lab Tiangong-II ended its mission and re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere under control.

Excitement and inspiration

The Honeysuckle dish was moved to another site, but a sculpture was unveiled on July 20 by Culvahouse and Mick Gentleman, minister for the Environment and Heritage of the Australian Capital Territory government. It bore the words “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.

Many former employees of the station also returned to share their memories.

Trevor Gray, 77, helped with TV signal for the broadcast 50 years ago. “I remember using various equipment. Something didn’t fit and I … made it fit. I didn’t realize that later televisions around the world were going through that,” he recalls.

When the astronauts landed on moon, he was at Honeysuckle, watching television. “It was very exciting,” he says repeatedly.

Andy Thomas, the first Australia-born professional astronaut to enter space, was an 18-year-old student at the University of Adelaide in his first year of mechanical engineering at that time. He was inspired by Apollo 11.

“It was just amazing to see those images come from the moon, through the tracking station here, onto our television sets. It was a defining event of the 20th century,” he told Xinhua in an interview.

The event was inspirational to him. He later joined the aerospace industry in the United States. “I dreamed of being an astronaut when I saw what the space program was doing, but I didn’t consider it a very realistic prospect,” he recalls. “It wasn’t until later in life after I had been working in the US aerospace industry for some time that I realized I could put together an application to become an astronaut.”

The astronaut has spent 177 days in the space.

Looking into the future, he says that he wishes to see humans returning to the moon and landing on Mars. “That will be a defining event for the 21st century.”

He also talked about the progress China has made in space industry. “I have to say China’s to be congratulated for landing the rover on the dark side or the far side of the moon,” he says. “That was a very impressive technical undertaking, very impressive indeed.”

From legend to reality

Although a legend in China about palace and fairy on the moon could be dated back to hundreds, or perhaps thousands of years. In 1969 there were not many Chinese families that had televisions.

After the reform and opening-up in 1979, China has been developing rapidly.

In 1992, China started the manned space program with a three-step strategy. The first step, to send an astronaut into space and return safely, was fulfilled by Yang Liwei in the Shenzhou-V mission in 2003. So far, the country has launched 11 manned spaceships, sending 11 astronauts into space.

It launched the first moon rover in December 2013 and plans to launch the Mars probe in 2020. The success of the Tiangong-II mission has ushered in the era of building China’s space station, which is expected to be completed around 2022.

Thomas says he hopes that in years to come there will be more collaboration between China and other space agencies throughout the world, “so that when we do go to Mars, it will be truly for all humankind, not just for one country.”

He remembered that when he had training in a space station in Moscow in 1997, there were two Chinese.

“They were the first ones sent to Russia in preparation for the Chinese human space flight and they were nice guys,” he recalled.

Talking about China’s space dream, Trevor Gray also hailed the country’s big progress.

“I didn’t think of flying around the world (in my childhood), which I have done,” he says. “A lot of things happened. I have seen many changes. We now have a lot of made-in-China, which I do appreciate. Anything could happen.”

Tourism website Mafengwo’s recent data showed that the top 10 popular domestic destinations in July were Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Xi’an, Qingdao, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Xiamen and Dalian.

Among domestic trips in July, 26 percent traveled with their family members, and 30 percent were with their children.

Seaside cities such as Qingdao, Weihai, Beidaihe, Dalian and Qinhuangdao saw a sudden increase of popularity due to their cool summer weather.

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The ongoing Qingdao Beer Festival is expected to draw more tourists to enjoy the city’s refreshing beer, delicious seafood and beautiful views.

The top 10 popular overseas destinations in July were Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Turkey, Maldives, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia.

For parents and children who traveled to Japan, most enjoyed themselves at Tokyo Disneyland and the Universal Studios in Osaka.

Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Hangzhou were major tourist source markets for visitors of Southeast Asian countries.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have opened up the season promisingly and are seeking to continue their momentum at Elland Road

Championship title favourites Leeds will seek to build on their opening weekend success when they host Nottingham Forest at Elland Road.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side missed out on promotion via the play-offs last term but justified their tag as the team to beat as they ran out 3-1 winners against Bristol City on Sunday.

Forest, meanwhile, suffered a 2-1 home loss against West Brom, despite taking the lead through Marry Cash after eight minutes.

The City Ground club now face what may prove to be the most difficult trip in the second tier as they seek to bounce back.

Game	Leeds vs Nottingham Forest
Date	Saturday, August 10
Time	12:30pm BST / 7:30am ET

In the United States (US), the game will be available for streaming on ESPN+.

US TV channel	Online stream
N/A	ESPN+

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and can be streamed via Sky Go Extra.

UK TV channel	Online stream
Sky Sports Main Event	Sky Go Extra

Position	Leeds squad
Goalkeepers	Meslier, Casilla, Huffer
Defenders	Cooper, Berardi, Shaughnessy, White, Alioski, Douglas, De Bock, Davis
Midfielders	Phillips, Anita, Bouy, Stevens, Forshaw, Klich, Shackleton, O’Kane, Dallas
Forwards	Costa, Clarke, Harrison, Hernandez, Nketiah, Bamford, Roberts, Cibicki

Leeds starting XI: Casilla, Douglas, Cooper, White, Dallas, Phillips, Klich, Forshaw, Hernandez, Harrison, Bamford.

Subs: Meslier, Berardi, Alioski, Shackleton, Bogusz, Costa, Clarke.

Position	Nottingham Forest squad
Goalkeepers	Samba, Muric, Pantilimon, Smith
Defenders	Worrall, Chema, Figueiredo, Milosevic, Benalouane, Hefele, Dawson, Robinson, Ribeiro, Jenkinson, Darikwa
Midfielders	Semedo, Saw, Yacob, Bridcutt, Bostock, Yates, Guedioura, Watson, Cash, Adomah, Carvalho, Silva
Forwards	Lolley, Ariyibi, Appiah, Clough, Grabban, Mir, Ameobi, Murphy, Cummings

Nottingham Forest XI: Muric, Cash, Worrall, Dawson, Robinson, Semedo, Watson, Lolley, Silva, Adomah, Grabban.

Subs: Samba, Ribeiro, Figueiredo, Mir, Jenkinson, Ameobi, Sow.

Leeds can be backed to continue their winning start at odds of 8/15 with bet365. Nottingham Forest are 13/2 to spring an upset, while a draw is on offer at 16/5.

Leeds fully lived up to their billing as Championship title favourites last weekend as they swept aside Bristol City. After more than 15 years without a place at English football’s top table, the goal of the Lilywhites is to return to the Premier League, but while they have started promisingly, they learned painfully in the play-offs last year that the finish is more important.

Head coach Marcelo Bielsa has known that for years, with his sides infamous for looking strong in August and September only to wilt when it really matters, and as such it was little surprise to see the Argentine circumspect after goals from Pablo Hernandez, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison had given them three points.

“I know perfectly well that this is a long season and all of the things that happen at the start of the season do not determine the finish. We suffered a lot in this situation last season,” he admitted. 

Now it is about following through on their promise in the remaining 45 games of the season. 

Bielsa’s task has been complicated by Financial Fair Play, which has compelled the club to significantly trim their squad, but crucially they kept hold of key man Kalvin Phillips, who had been linked with a summer move.

As such, the Argentine’s approach to this game will be much like any other. 

“It’s the same we have every game, the same expectations: to try be better than the opponent and to deserve the win,” he said.

If Leeds got off to a flier, the same cannot be said of their weekend opponents, Nottingham Forest, who went down last weekend 2-1 to West Brom.

“The West Brom result impacted on the players a little bit but I’m asking them to keep their confidence up because I know they can play as well as they did in the first 10 minutes,” manager Sabri Lamouchi said. “That is why I want players here with personality and experience because we will go through tough times but it is how we respond to those tough times that is important.”

It doesn’t come much tougher in the Championship than a trip to Elland Road, and it will take an enormous effort for underdogs Forest to take anything from this challenging trip.

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Pep Guardiola explained the Algerian had been tested after missing last week’s win over the Reds to avoid the risk of failing a doping test

Riyad Mahrez has been cleared to play for Manchester City after undergoing a doping test in the wake of his absence from last weekend’s Community Shield.

Speaking after the penalty shoot-out victory over Liverpool at Wembley, Guardiola explained Mahrez was missing from the City squad because they could not be certain whether he had inadvertently ingested any banned substances while on international duty with Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mahrez could return to City’s squad for the first game of their Premier League title defence against West Ham on Saturday, though, with Guardiola revealing a visit from UK Anti-Doping testers had cleared the 28-year-old to feature.

“He had a little surgery after the African Cup on his nose so he could breathe better, it’s a normal situation,” Guardiola said.

“The doctor – I don’t think he was from the national team – didn’t send the necessary [paperwork], that was the only reason why [he didn’t play]. We didn’t have it in the right moment.

“But after the last week, anti-doping [agents] have made the test. Everything is clear and fine. He can play.

“Our doctors came to me and said they did not know exactly [what he had taken]. Every time you take something you have to inform the club and make the lists. Everyone knows it. We pass one or two controls every month here. 

“We didn’t have it in that moment, he did it in Algeria. So it was a precaution, we had to be careful. It was better not to use him, that was the reason why. 

“After this week, they came and tested him and he’s ready for tomorrow.”

Mahrez may have a bigger impact in the City team in the coming months too – with fellow winger Leroy Sane facing up to seven months out with anterior cruciate ligament damage – having failed to live up to his club-record price tag in his debut season.

That title no longer belongs to the Algerian, though, after defensive midfielder Rodri was brought in from Atletico Madrid for a reported £63million, and Guardiola anticipates his new recruit will make a swift impact in England.

“When you think of defining the holding midfielder, he’s a typical, typical holding midfielder,” Guardiola added.

“Like Michael Carrick, like [Sergio] Busquets, [the] holding midfielder. You are thinking what is best for the team. He doesn’t play to make a good performance, he plays to make it better for the others. No tattoos, no ponytails. Perfect. Normal. That is a holding midfielder.

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“He’s young, strong, helps us with the long balls, he’s so intelligent. He learned at Atletico Madrid with [Diego] Simeone. The work he did with Simeone is going to help us a lot this season.

“I have the feeling. Sometimes, players need more time but, after a week or 10 days, we realised that guy will be nice for us.”

The midfielder claims he’s happy to have signed a new deal with his current club and was never seriously considering a move to Old Trafford

John McGinn may have been linked to Manchester United this summer, but the Aston Villa midfielder says he “had a little chuckle​” at the reports before getting back to work. 

Having helped bring Villa back to the top flight, it was said that Sir Alex Ferguson was pushing the Old Trafford club to make a move for the midfielder. 

But McGinn landed a new five-year deal with Villa on Thursday ahead of the new season, and claims he was happy to continue his growth at his current club. 

“I had a little chuckle at it to be honest,” McGinn told Sky Sports. “I’m sure a lot of people did.

“It is up to me to go and prove it is justified. At that point, my whole mindset was on Villa and being successful here.

“I have still got so much left to learn and prove.

“In the environment here I am appreciated. I’m loved and respected by everyone – there is no better feeling. I still have to pinch myself driving in.

“I feel like one of the main players here but I still need to improve and get better.

“To have any speculation lingering about isn’t what you want.

“I’m just glad to be settled and to focus on the next five years.”

Villa’s Premier League campaign will get underway on Saturday against Spurs.

But with a remade squad that features 12 new players, including record signing Wesley, even McGinn isn’t ready to make predictions on how their return to the top flight will play out.  

“I am not sure,” he said. “There are a lot of new signings. 

“A lot of boys have had to get their visas and stuff sorted, get used to the cuisine in Birmingham and the temperature. It took me seven months to get used to it. 

“They are nice lads, no egos, I think that is important, with Villa being in the Premier League. 

“Speaking to some of the experienced boys they all say Villa had a reputation for bad characters and big egos. 

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“I don’t think we have that now. 

“It is an important trait to have for a hard-working club. I think they have recruited well in that sense.”