Month: January 2020

The Swedish teenager has claimed his first major piece of FIFA silverware, taking home a large part of the $200,000 prize money

Rising FIFA star Olle ‘Ollelito’ Arbin has announced his arrival on the global stage by taking the FUT Champions Cup Stage III in Atlanta. 

Despite being ranked 36th in the world, the 18-year-old lost just one of his five group games on the Xbox side of the competition before going undefeated across every leg in the knockout stages.

In a tight semi-final clash against Niklas ‘NRaseck’ Raseck, Ollelito managed to hold his nerve in a penalty shootout before edging out Diogo ‘Diogo’ Mendes 2-1 in the platform final. 

The penultimate cross-platform decider then saw Ollelito claim a nervy 4-3 aggregate victory over Umut ‘Umut’ Gultekin with a 3-1 first-leg win followed up by a 2-1 loss. 

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The Stage III victory marks a major breakthrough for the Swedish teenager with many predicting big things from him this season and in years to come.

Ollelito goes away with a large portion of the tournament’s $200,000 (£154,000) overall prize money and 2,000 EA Sports FIFA 20 Global Series Rankings points.

Tom and Tekkz stumble after perfect starts

Tom ‘Hashtag Tom’ Leese and Donovan ‘Fnatic Tekkz’ Hunt looked to be the ones to beat in Atlanta after finishing the group stages as the only undefeated players. 

On the PlayStation 4 side, Hashtag Tom’s good initial form continued into the knockout stages where he avoided defeat in every match until a 2-0 defeat in the second leg of the platform final against Umut which saw him fall 2-1 on aggregate. 

Tekkz meanwhile failed to capitalise on any of his group stage momentum as he lost on penalties in the Xbox Round of 16 against NRaseck. 

Msdossary reveals Berbatov motivation

One of the biggest names on the FIFA circuit is Mossad ‘Msdossary’ Aldossary had to pick himself up this season after losing the FIFA eWorld Cup final last year against Mohammed ‘MoAuba’ Harkous.  

After a strong start at the latest FUT Champions Cup in Atlanta, he came undone in the Xbox semi-finals, before revealing that he had been given motiviation from an unexpected source. 

“I was happy for him [MoAuba] as a friend but I was also sad because I lost an important trophy,” Msdossary told ELEAGUE TV .

“When I went backstage, the first person I saw even before my brother was Dimitar Berbatov and he was saying ‘at least you’ve won one! I played like four Champions League finals and didn’t win any…’

“From that moment I went from somewhat sad to somewhat happy. Maybe it’s better to sometimes lose to be more hungry.”

Hashtag Tom vs Hashtag Harry

Being drawn against your team-mate is never ideal but that’s what happened when Tom Leese was drawn against Harry ‘Hashtag Harry’ Hesketh in the PS4 quarter-finals – a match which would go to penalties and see Harry lose the third major of FIFA 20 to his good friend.

The two have known each other for some time and after being eliminated, Hashtag Harry took to Twitter to point out that he’d spent three hours coaching Hashtag Tom on how to take penalties.

The former Red Devils defender has slammed those behind the scenes for piecing together a well-paid squad that has delivered little in return

Manchester United’s recruitment in recent times has been “unforgiveable”, says Gary Neville, with mismanagement at board level leaving the Reds Devils in a “mess” despite boasting the “second-highest wage bill in the world”.

Those at Old Trafford have continued to spend big across recent transfer windows, but little value has been found in said deals, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looking to tweak the mindset slightly as more emphasis is placed on promising talent.

He will need further support from those above him if a long-term rebuilding project is to prove successful.

The United board have not always delivered on expectations, with a number of former stars quick to pick holes in their efforts.

Neville has been outspoken in his criticism and reiterated that those behind the scenes need to be bringing much more to the table in a sporting sense.

And he former Red Devils defender seemed to take a swipe at executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward when he told his podcast for Sky Sports on the back of a 2-0 defeat for Solskjaer’s side against arch-rivals Liverpool: “I can’t believe the investment that’s been put into the squad in the last five, six, seven years and you end up with that out on the pitch.

“I saw a statistic two weeks ago that United have the second-highest wage bill in the world. And that’s the squad they’ve got. It’s unforgivable. It really is.

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“I can’t change the ownership of Manchester United, no one can.

“But I’m struggling to understand why the ownership have persisted in trusting that management team to oversee the building of a Premier League title-winning team since Sir Alex Ferguson left.

“Because if you don’t lose your job for essentially overseeing that investment, that wage bill, and putting that team out on the pitch then I have to say something is really wrong.

“There’s real talent in that executive team, they can create revenue, they can do things within the football club that can help to be fair.

“But in terms of what the club needed to do for a number of years now is put the best in class football operators into that club and they’re not doing it.

“They’re not doing it and it’s a mess. They need to sort it out and quickly.”

The Glazer family continue to call the shots at Old Trafford despite fierce opposition to their ongoing presence and regular rounds of speculation regarding potential interest in big-money takeovers.

American owners have run up huge debts during their time in Manchester and will need to take more money from the pot if United are to make the kind of investment that a loyal fan base is crying out for.

The Gunners are hoping to see an experienced full-back and promising forward come back into contention after a trip to Burnley in early February

Arsenal are to remain without Sead Kolasinac and Reiss Nelson until after the winter break.

The Gunners have revealed in their latest injury update that two men nursing knocks are unlikely to be seen again anytime soon.

It is, however, the hope of those at Emirates Stadium that they will come back into contention after a trip to Burnley on February 2.

Prior to that outing at Turf Moor, Mikel Arteta’s side have a Premier League derby date with Chelsea and FA Cup fourth-round clash with Bournemouth to take in.

After taking on the Clarets, Arsenal will not be back in action again until February 16.

With a fortnight off from competitive action, the Gunners are hoping to nurse a few of their walking wounded back into contention.

Bosnian defender Kolasinac has been sidelined since taking in a 90-minute outing against Crystal Palace.

Arsenal have said of the 26-year-old on their official website: “Left thigh strain. Hoping to return to full training in the winter break period after Burnley (a) on February 2.”

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A similar update has been offered on England U21 international Nelson.

He also picked up a knock in a 1-1 draw with Palace on January 11, with a hamstring problem forcing him onto the treatment table.

While Kolasinac and Nelson will be unavailable to Arteta for a visit to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, Sokratis Papastathopoulos could be in line to return.

The Greek defender sat out a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United on Saturday.

He has been struggling with illness, but will be given every chance to get himself well in time to face Chelsea.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be missing against the Blues, with the Gabonese set to serve the second instalment of a three-match ban.

Long-term injury victims will also play no part in west London.

Arsenal’s latest update on Scotland international left-back Kieran Tierney read: “Right shoulder. Dislocated right shoulder during West Ham Utd (a) on December 9. Successful surgery completed.

“Rehabilitation process expected to take around three months, aiming to return to full training in March.”

While Tierney should figure again at some point in the 2019-20 campaign, Calum Chambers will not be seen again until next season.

The Gunners said on the versatile 25-year-old: “Left knee. Ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee during Chelsea (h) on December 29. Successful surgery completed.

“Rehabilitation process expected to take between six and nine months.”

A former Blues star has expressed his belief that a club legend is chopping and changing his squad too often, leading to poor results domestically

Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard is not yet certain what his strongest starting line up is, according to Tony Cascarino.

The Blues suffered their eighth loss of the season at St James’ Park on Saturday, with a late Isaac Hayden header giving Newcastle a 1-0 win in front of their own fans.

The result saw Chelsea miss the chance to close the gap on third-placed Leicester, who also suffered a defeat at Burnley over the weekend.

Lampard’s men could have put some clear daylight between themselves and Manchester United in the race for the final Champions League spot too, but they failed to make the most of their dominance against the Magpies.

The 41-year-old said Chelsea needed “to be more clinical” in the final third post-match, but Cascarino thinks he has identified a more pressing issue for his old club.

The ex-Blues striker highlighted Lampard’s lack of conviction in selecting his team, particularly when it comes to who occupies the two main roles in the heart of the defence.

“I’m not convinced he totally knows who is his best XI,” Cascarino told talkSPORT. “[Callum] Hudson-Odoi’s been in, Willian’s come in, [Christian] Pulisic has come in. Mason Mount has been in and out the team, Reece James has played…

“If you look at the centre-halves, he’s had [Kurt] Zouma and [Fikayo] Tomori. But [Andreas] Christensen played alongside [Antonio] Rudiger yesterday?

“There are four centre-halves and it could be any two! And you’re not really sure that they’re his best two.

“And Christensen – you were not really sure if he was going to play a part at all because a couple of weeks ago Frank Lampard said he might actually go and play elsewhere.

“So it’s a really weird scenario where Lampard does not know his best XI.”

Lampard has already promised not to make any “knee-jerk” signings during the January transfer window, but Chelsea continue to be linked with a number of top players amid a worrying slump in form.

Goal has learned that the Blues manager is a keen admirer of Leicester full-back Ben Chilwell, though he is unlikely to leave the King Power Stadium this month.

Lyon striker Moussa Dembele has also been touted for a switch to Stamford Bridge, but his current employers have publicly insisted that he will not be sold.

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Chelsea are now looking ahead to a crucial home fixture against Arsenal on Tuesday, which comes five days before an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Hull City.

The Old Lady were made to work hard by their opponent, but a pair of goals from the Portuguese star ensured the champions claimed an ‘important’ win

Cristiano Ronaldo acknowledged the importance of Juventus winning against Parma after seeing Serie A title rivals Inter draw at Lecce earlier on Sunday.

Ronaldo scored both goals in a 2-1 home win for the Bianconeri, who moved four points clear of Inter after Antonio Conte’s men were held 1-1 earlier in the day.

Talismanic forward Ronaldo was in typically inspirational form, but he valued the victory above his personal heroics.

“The important thing was to win tonight,” the striker told Sky Sport Italia. “Lazio won, Inter drew, and we could not afford not to take advantage of this important opportunity.

“It was a difficult game, because Parma are an excellent team who caused us some difficulties.

“I’m happy to have helped the team with two goals, but the important thing is always the three points at the end.

“They created more chances in the second half – we were nervous at the end – but we managed to get a key result.”

Juve had the best chance in the early stages with Alex Sandro heading just over from an early corner, but the left-back had to be replaced by Danilo after 21 minutes as the away side struggled to get into their stride.

Ronaldo worked room for a shot on the right-hand side of the area, drawing a good save from Luigi Sepe that prompted another corner from which the Juve number seven wastefully missed the target.

The former Real Madrid superstar continued to provide the Bianconeri’s chief threat and forged the breakthrough two minutes before half-time, cutting inside from the left to shoot hard and low, his effort taking a deflection that wrongfooted Sepe and nestled in the net.

Aaron Ramsey drilled agonisingly wide before the break, while only a superb one-handed Sepe stop denied Danilo from 20 yards following the restart.

It was a Parma substitute who scored the next goal, however, Andreas Cornelius – on for Roberto Inglese moments after the opener – rising above Ronaldo from a right-wing corner to nod in a towering header.

But Ronaldo’s response was ruthless, meeting Paulo Dybala’s cutback with a clinical first-time finish just three minutes later to clinch the points.

He might have completed his hat-trick in the closing minutes, but Sepe blocked a strike from the right before a header from the consequent corner looped over, and a curled strike from the left drifted wide.

Juve face Napoli away in their next Serie A match but must first take on Roma in another tricky fixture in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.

The 20-time English champions were defeated on Sunday, but worse still was the news that Marcus Rashford would be absent for the upcoming stretch

Manchester United are in the midst of a crisis and have just 12 days of the transfer window to save their entire season.

A 2-0 loss at Anfield to Liverpool on Sunday in the Premier League was not as bad as many feared, but the league table nevertheless remains a miserable sight. With only 15 games to play, they have to close a five-point gap to Chelsea in order to maintain hopes of qualifying for the Champions League through league play. There is no longer any margin of safety.

The bleakest news came when it was confirmed that Marcus Rashford could be out for a couple of months. The injury, a stress fracture that was worsened at Wolves, is something that could well have been avoided. Rashford has been carrying this side since before Christmas, with 14 league goals, and was evidently on the cusp of brilliance. His hard work has taken him from an exciting if inconsistent presence to a player ready to lead from the front.

Without him, there is no spark in United’s attack. Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira simply don’t have the nous to play as a No.10 and Juan Mata’s physical decline leaves him way off the pace for such a role. Anthony Martial and Daniel James are still miles from Rashford’s level, meaning United may struggle to break down even the weakest defences in his absence. With a goal difference of just plus nine, it is clear that United are barely scraping by this season.

Worse still, United are struggling all over the pitch and not just up front. Harry Maguire came up against Virgil van Dijk at set pieces on Sunday and showed the only comparable attribute they currently share is the size of their transfer fees. Alongside Victor Lindelof, the United central defenders are vulnerable, and the presence once again of Luke Shaw showed how shallow the squad depth is.

Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba, meanwhile, have sat out much of winter and will sit out part of spring with injury, and so there is scarcely a midfield to discuss, much less criticise.

There are three areas of the club that need addressing in the transfer window immediately.

Up to the opening of this window, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were anticipating that Erling Braut Haaland would arrive from Red Bull Salzburg. That would have given them the chance to work on other deals to reinforce the midfield that might have presented themselves. The engagement with Jorge Mendes and Mino Raiola on transfers suggests that there is money to spend if attractive opportunities can be found.

Of course, hubris cost them over Haaland. The 19-year-old grabbed a debut hat-trick for Borussia Dortmund hours before rumours over Rashford’s back injury were starting to break. The failure to land the teenager, coupled with United’s continued on-field struggles, led them to turn to Bruno Fernandes as a serious target for the first time. Sporting CP were ready to listen to offers, and the current brinkmanship both sides are engaging in could well ultimately be resolved before the month is out. The Portuguese side will be aware that United are only going to become more desperate as the transfer deadline closes in, but similarly United know that Fernandes’ club are in a precarious situation financially.

Now Woodward knows that he is in the crosshairs of the fans, he will probably be forced to find the money from somewhere to get Fernandes. The circumstances that led United’s executive vice-chairman and manager to go back in for the goalscoring midfielder have only become more compelling in the last few days.

Assuming Pogba, McTominay and Rashford all return around late March, they may walk back into an unsalvageable season. It is vital that United face the next few months with positive momentum in order to avoid yet another post-Sir Alex Ferguson era collapse.

One signing is no longer close to enough. United were linked with loan moves for Boubakary Soumare and Marcos Llorente – of Lille and Atletico Madrid respectively – which could well provide evidence that work is still being done in the background. Solskjaer’s hints that a striker needs to arrive temporarily should be hugely concerning for United fans, given the strategy for the upcoming summer.

In the last window, United adopted an approach of focusing on one deal at a time. That meant that progress for James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Maguire was torturously slow despite the devoted efforts of the transfer committee. They did not back themselves to juggle more than one deal at any time, and could only then manage, roughly, one signing per month.

A similar hit-rate could see Woodward fail to sign a single player this January, and yet they are in need of three in 12 days. If there is one deal to be agreed at a time, that means one every four days.

Any mistake could cost Solskjaer his job, Woodward what is left of his reputation, and the club not just this season, but the next.

The former Red Devils defender says a big-money midfielder will need to “hit the ground running” and deliver an immediate return on his price tag

Bruno Fernandes represents a £65 million ($85m) gamble for Manchester United and will be expected to “hit the ground running” as the Red Devils’ version of Kevin De Bruyne, says Paul Parker.

Those at Old Trafford are in the process of trying to get a big-money deal over the line with Sporting for a Portugal international playmaker.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are considered to be in need of inspiration in that area of the field, especially as World Cup winner Paul Pogba remains sidelined through injury.

Fernandes could prove to be the answer, but Parker feels there are doubts over his ability to slot seamlessly into Premier League life and deliver on the expectation which will accompany a hefty price tag.

The former United defender told Gambling.com: “He did OK at Udinese and Sampdoria but ended up back in Portugal.

“Maybe he was homesick or didn’t enjoy his time in Italy, I don’t know. Perhaps he wants to try going abroad again and prove a point.

“For £65 million, United may have got themselves a bargain – in this day and age anyway – but we can’t be fully sure.

“When he comes to Manchester United, the moment he turns up he’s got to be as creative as anyone else in the Premier League, that’s the expectancy.

“He’s really going to have to hit the ground running and be like United’s own Kevin De Bruyne, because he is going to be judged from the very first minute he starts playing for the club.

“The only thing is, if you were to put De Bruyne in the United team right now he would struggle because he would be the only creative player in the team – he needs other people to work with him.

“So I’m not so sure we’ll see Fernandes at his very best right away because he might not have the right players around him.

“The good thing is, though, he should strike up a good rapport with Fred because they can both speak the same language.

“OK, one will be speaking Brazilian-Portuguese, but they should still be on the same wavelength and perhaps he can help bring something extra to Fred’s game.

“It’ll be interesting, but he can’t expect to come to United and be given time to settle in, that doesn’t happen at Manchester United.”

While waiting to see what Fernandes can potentially offer in the engine room, Parker also feels that United need to be tweaking their plans up front despite getting flashes of brilliance from Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood.

The ex-England international added:  “They definitely do need something different up front.

“Anthony Martial tries, but one good performance in six just isn’t good enough.

“We need consistent performances from him where he is seen as a threat, but that doesn’t materialise enough from Martial. And the problem he has is that Rashford is at his best on that left side, he likes to cut inside onto his right and he does it very well.

“Martial wants to play that side too but Rashford does it better and more consistently than him.”

United will need to be at their best as a collective in their next Premier League outing, with Solskjaer’s side set to take in a daunting trip to Liverpool on Sunday.

Il n’y a pas que Valbuena ou encore Kim Kardashian qui ont fait des sextapes : Matthieu Delormeau aussi. Et, l’animateur l’avoue sans complexe à la télévision.

Nouvel arrivant dans l’équipe de chroniqueurs de Cyril Hanouna dans Touche Pas à Mon Poste, Matthieu Delormeau sait faire parler de lui. Lundi 9 novembre, l’ancien animateur d’NRJ12 a annoncé qu’il avait déjà tourné une sextape à l’heure où celle du footballeur Mathieu Valbuena fait couler beaucoup d’encre et a conduit Karim Benzema devant la justice. “C’est vrai, je l’ai déjà fait, avoue-t-il quand le présentateur phare de D8 lui pose la question. Mais je l’ai effacée. C’est déjà arrivé que dans un moment un peu rigolo, on se filme. Il y a un côté un peu excitant, non ?”

Lors de cette révélation, Matthieu Delormeau n’a pas compris la surprise de ses comparses, dont Enora Malagré, Valérie Benaïm et Gilles Verdez, autour de la table. Il faut dire qu’il n’en est pas à son coup d’essai. Il y a quelques jours, il racontait à l’antenne son dépucelage à l’âge de 18 ans avec une jeune femme du nom de Virginie. Ce qui lui a valu les railleries de Jean-Marc Morandini avec qui il est en froid. “Il y a des gens qui sont prêts à tout pour passer à la télé, disait ce dernier comme le rapporte Voici. Même à raconter les détails très intimes sur leur vie.”

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Crédits photos : BENHAMOU LAURENT/PJB/SIPA

Avant la représentation de l’opéra de Puccini Tosca, l’orchestre du Metropolitan Opera, à New York, dirigé par Placido Domingo, a joué La Marseillaise.

Ce samedi, Paris était dans les cœurs du monde entier. Preuve supplémentaire avec cette Marseillaise entonnée par l’orchestre du Metropolitan Opera de New York.

Avant la représentation très attendue de l’opéra Tosca, de Puccini, les choeurs de l’orchestre, réunis devant la scène, ont chanté l’hymne français, devant un public debout. Un hommage préparé dans la journée par les équipes de la mythique salle de concert. Dans les programmes de l’opéra figurait une feuille sur laquelle figuraient les paroles de l’hymne pour le public. Un court texte précisait également que ce préambule à la représentation était « une manifestation de solidarité avec les citoyens de la France ».

Des internautes ont posté des extraits de cette marseillaise sur les réseaux sociaux juste après la représentation.