The Tellrhodes Blog

ARSENE WENGER RETURNS TO FOOTBALL The former Gunners boss will take up a technical role with football's international governing body but could well land a managerial job in the future Arsene Wenger is on the verge of returning to football in a new technical role with FIFA. The former Arsenal boss has been out of work since ending his 21-year stay in north London in May 2018. But sources have confirmed that he will soon be confirmed in a new role at FIFA following prolonged talks with football’s international governing body. Wenger will take up many of the responsibilities that had been held by Zvonimir Boban, who left his position as Deputy Secretary General at FIFA to become the new Chief Football Officer at AC Milan in May. The Frenchman will be given latitude to define his job as it develops, with FIFA also keen to tap into his vast array of coaching experience and knowledge as they continue to try and develop the game around the world. How long Wenger remains in the ...

FIFPRO MEN'S WORLD XI 2019 FIFPro have released the 55-player shortlist of the individuals nominated for the 2019 FIFA FIFPro Men’s World 11, with the Premier League perhaps unsurprisingly a dominant force after four English clubs reached both major European finals last season. There are 21 Premier League-based players on the list of nominees, which is one more than players from La Liga. That represents a major shift as La Liga has been the most commonly featured national league in each of the previous nine years. That being said, Real Madrid and Barcelona both have more players than Liverpool and Manchester City, whose seven nominations are the most for a Premier League club. However, there is a wider base in England that also includes Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham. This is the first time in the World 11 award’s 15-year history that Gianluigi Buffon has not appeared on the shortlist. It is also the first time Andres Iniesta has missed out since 2007. Tottenham...

RIBERY DEPARTS BAYERN Bayern Munich legend Franck Ribery has signed for Fiorentina, the Serie A club announced on Wednesday. The 36-year-old, who won a record nine Bundesliga titles during his stay in Germany, has penned a two-year deal with the Florence-based side to take him through until 2021. Bayern Munich decided to reduce the average age of the squad this summer. The club sold Mats Hummels to Borussia Dortmund while numerous veteran players were released. Franck Ribery was one of these veteran players whose contract at Bayern expired this summer. Arjen Robben decided to retire from the game, but Ribery was eager to continue playing at the top level. The Frenchman was ready to reject lucrative offers from different parts of the globe as he wanted to play for a European club. Ribery’s wish was finally fulfilled this week as Fiorentina found a breakthrough during the talks with his agent. The former Bayern winger arrived in Florence on Wednesday to undergo medical and complet...

PREMIER LEAGUE IS BACK After a summer of speculation, pre-season preparation and transfer tugs-of-war, the Premier League is back. All eyes will be on Anfield 8pm tonight, when Liverpool kick-off the 2019/20 Premier League season against newly-promoted Norwich. Jurgen Klopp and his men got a close-up look at defending champions Manchester City last weekend in the Community Shield. They saw a Pep Guardiola side ready to go again. Ready to scale the remarkable heights they have achieved in the past two seasons - and determined to climb even higher. But Liverpool showed they are ready, too. Their pre-season was far from ideal, but Liverpool's display at Wembley suggested they are set to go toe-to-toe with City once more. Last season, during the thrilling title battle between those two teams, every match, every point proved critical. Will Liverpool be celebrating come May? That is the message Klopp will be giving his players ahead of kick-off on Friday; start with intensity, ...

RACE TO THE BEST BEGINS The long-awaited shortlists for four of The Best FIFA Football Awards – the top individual awards in world football - have been revealed. The 42 names for The Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s Player and Coach awards are spread across five continents, with the global game truly represented across the nominees. The shortlists were selected by two panels of experts – one for men’s football and one for women’s football . Voting is now open for these four awards, and the decision will be split between four key pillars of the beautiful game: the players, the coaches, the fans and the media. The four groups of voters – namely: national team captains, national team coaches, selected media and the fan vote conducted on FIFA.com – are weighted evenly (25% each) when determining the final result. Two-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping to reclaim his crown from last year’s The Best FIFA Men’s Player Luka Modric, while The Best FIFA Women’s Player trophy will have...

VAN DIJK FOR BALLON D'OR? A Champions League winner and PFA player of the year, but could Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk's stellar 2019 get a whole lot better? The Dutchman is odds-on favourite to win this year's Ballon d'Or - and told BBC Sport: "If I am rewarded for the season I had, that would be unbelievable and I would be so proud." Should he win? And who else is in the running? We take a look... Who Usually Wins The Ballon d'Or? The Ballon d'Or - the award for the world's best player - traditionally used to change hands most years - until the 10-year stranglehold that 6-4 second favourite Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (five years each) had from 2008 to 2017. That ended last year with Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric lifting football's most prestigious individual trophy after a Champions League final success and Croatia's run to the World Cup final. So what do recent winners have in common? Usually they are forwar...

NIGERIA RENEW RIVALRY WITH CAMEROON Twenty-four teams made it to Egypt but after 12 days of action, eight have to crashed out of the competition leaving sixteen others to continue with the dream of becoming champions. The two top teams from each group automatically qualified for the first knockout stage i.e. the round of 16 stage, with the other four being the third best teams across the groups. Super Eagles of Nigeria will face a tough task of qualifying to the quarter final of the Africa Cup of Nations as the tea will face defending champions, Cameroon in the round of 16 on Saturday. This tantalizing fixture was accomplished on Tuesday evening after a 0-0 draw with Benin Republic, and Ghana’s 2-0 defeat of Guinea Bissau, condemned the Cup holders to second place in Group F, and a direct confrontation with the second –placed team in Group B, being Nigeria. Cameroon defeated Nigeria in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1984, 1988 and 2000, but most painful for the Sup...

NO CALCULATIONS AND PERMUTATION NEEDED   After missing the previous two Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria have announced their tournament return in 2019 with two wins from two. Their latest, against Guinea, was more about being efficient than spectacular. With two wins, they become the first team to reach the knockout stage of the expanded 24 team Africa Cup of Nations. Once again, they left it late, Kenneth Omeruo sneaking in at the near post in the 73rd minute to glance a header beyond Guinea goalkeeper Ibrahima Kone's despairing flap about. It was no less than the Super Eagles deserved for a controlled performance in which they pressured the Syli Nationale high and kept them from establishing any sort of foothold in the game, despite an edge in possession. What Nigeria Did Right Eagles Show Squad Depth And Quality At some point this might end up sounding like a broken record, but Gernot Rohr showed how deep his squad is by making five changes to the side which started agai...

ITS TIME FOR AFRICA The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off this Friday June 21st in Egypt. Last time Egypt were the hosts, back in 2006, they won the tournament. It was their first of three back-to-back AFCON titles, but the four African Cup of Nations tournaments since then have seen four different winners, including 2012’s surprise winners Zambia, who didn’t even qualify for the expanded 2019 tournament. There could be another surprise winner this year, but here’s a preview of what to expect from the frontrunners at AFCON 2019. EGYPT As many as 90,000 fans in the Borg el Arab Stadium erupted in November 2017 when Mohamed Salah’s last minute penalty against Congo sent Egypt to the World Cup. But following a disappointing performance at Russia 2018, Egypt changed their manager, bringing in former Mexico and Atletico Madrid head coach Javier Aguirre. He has got the team scoring lots of goals and playing entertaining soccer. Egypt have scored 20 goals in their last eight matches...

REAL MADRID SIGN EDEN HAZARD FROM CHELSEA Real Madrid have announced the signing of Eden Hazard from Chelsea in a deal understood to be worth up to £130 million. Talks had been ongoing for some time and appeared to hit a stumbling block in recent weeks until Real finally caved to Chelsea’s demands for their star player. The 28-year-old will be officially unveiled as a Real player on Thursday, June 13 - subject to a medical - after striking a deal that could reportedly rise to a club-record transfer of £130m once all bonus payments come into play. Hazard had one year remaining on his Chelsea contract but said it was his wish to leave Stamford Bridge after scoring twice in the Europa League final win over Arsenal. Hazard released a statement on social media after the announcement, which read: "You now know that I will be joining Real Madrid. It's no secret that it was my dream to play for them since I was a young boy just scoring my first goal. "Now the clubs hav...

'ITS TIME FOR A NEW CHALLENGE' - HAZARD BIDS FAREWELL Eden Hazard admitted he was likely to have just played his last game for Chelsea just moments after inspiring Maurizo Sarri's side to a 4-1 win over Arsenal in the Europa League final. A brace from the Belgian star, combined with Arsenal's second-half collapse, contributed to the success in Baku , but he told BT Sport  that it's unlikely to be at Stamford Bridge next season. The play-maker, who has been strongly linked with a summer switch to Real Madrid, told BT Sport: "I think it's a goodbye but in football you never know. I have made my decision already and now I'm waiting on both clubs. "My dream was to play in Premier League, I did this for seven years in one of the biggest clubs in the world so now maybe it's time for a new challenge." Speaking about the game itself, Hazard added: "In the first half both teams had a bit of stress because the final is something big...

ROAD TO BAKU There are two of the English Premier League's best supported clubs, separated by less than 13 kilometers -- but both will have to travel over 4,000 km away from home to play the Europa League final. London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal meet in an all-English Europa League Final at the end of May, with plenty at stake for both clubs. Maurizio Sarri is yet to win a trophy during his managerial career, but is now just one match away from ending a chaotic season with tangible success. Sarri appeared to be in danger of being ousted at numerous points of his debut year in England, but a Europa League triumph - coupled with the club's improbable third-placed Premier League finish - would represent a fine campaign for the Italian. As for Arsenal, finishing fifth in the table means victory in Baku is a must for Champions League football next season - but thankfully for Gunners fans, Unai Emery is a Europa League specialist having won the trophy with Sevilla in 2014, 20...

ENGLAND'S DOMINANCE: MONEY OR COMPETITION? England's Premier League has claimed a clean sweep of all four places in the finals of Europe's two club competitions as the most commercially successful league in the world finally translated its financial power into success on the field. Liverpool will face Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League while in the Europa League Arsenal take on Chelsea. No country has ever produced the finalists for the Champions League and the Europa League in the same year before now. The Premier League's money has been invested in some of the top players in the world. According to FIFA's 'Global Transfer Report' in 2018, $5.14 billion was spent on players by Europe's top five leagues, with English clubs alone spending $1.98 billion on transfers from abroad. But while player purchases, such as the 76 million pounds Liverpool spent on Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk and 56 million on Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker, have...

PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE YEAR: Hazard And Salah Miss Out The PFA Team of the Year was voted for by members of the Professional Footballers' Association, the players' union. It is the second successive year where Manchester City have provided the most players from one team as they had five of the 11 in the 2017-18 side. However, only Sergio Aguero retains his place from the team of 12 months ago. Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been named in the PFA Team of the Year 2018-19 - the only player not from either Manchester City or Liverpool. City have six of the 11, voted for by fellow players - goalkeeper Ederson, centre-half Aymeric Laporte, midfielders Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho and forwards Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling. The remaining four are all Liverpool players - full-backs Andrew Robertson and Trent-Alexander Arnold, centre-half Virgil van Dijk and forward Sadio Mane. But there is no room for Liverpool's Mohamed Salah or Arsenal's Pier...

THE FINAL FOUR The semi-final games for this season’s Champions League have been confirmed after a controversial night in Etihad. It has been a thrilling tournament so far and now just four teams remain ahead of the final at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium on June 1. Barcelona outclassed Manchester United while Ajax stunned Juventus on Tuesday night to book their places in the semi-finals. Liverpool then saw off Porto and Tottenham stunned Manchester City in a Champions League classic to complete the line-up of sides left in Europe’s elite competition. We will have a new champion this term after Real Madrid, who have won it three years running, were dumped out in the Round of 16. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL DRAW First Legs: Tottenham vs Ajax – 30/04, 8pm Barcelona vs Liverpool – 01/05, 8pm Second Legs: Liverpool vs Barcelona – 07/05, 8pm Ajax vs Tottenham – 08/05, 8pm The final will be held at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid on June 1 with kick-off at 8pm...

CAN IT HAPPEN AGAIN? And the show went down last night at Old Trafford with the Catalans emerging Victorious. Barcelona are in command of their quarter-final tie against Manchester United, Luke Shaw's early own goal giving the Blaugrana a slender first-leg win at Old Trafford. Aiming to reach a first semi-final since they last lifted this trophy in 2015, the visitors took the lead inside 12 minutes, Shaw deflecting Luis Suárez's powerful back-post header into his own net. The hosts rallied after going behind and went close either side of the interval through Diogo Dalot and Marcus Rashford, but were unable to find the finishing touch. Not at their most fluent due to an industrious United display, Barcelona's best chance of the second period fell to Suárez, who shot into the side-netting, but Ernesto Valverde's men will be confident of completing the job on Tuesday. United improved considerably after switching from a back three to a back four in the first half, bu...

FIREWORKS AND TEARS AS SPURS RETURN HOME Some fans were in tears. One former player called it a "different sense of beauty". And the scorer of the first competitive goal at the magnificent £1bn stadium said he was "the happiest guy in the world". It may have been ready six months late but it's fair to say Tottenham Hotspur Stadium made a spectacular impression on all those present for Spurs' 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday. The space-age structure's 115 turnstiles opened three hours before kick-off to allow fans a chance to get used to the new facility. A giant golden cockerel, illuminated in the night sky, looked down from that stand as Gladesmore Community School choir performed "Everybody Dreams", which was written as an anthem of hope for the area's young people after the Tottenham riots in 2011. As the teams lined up, award-winning tenor and Spurs' fan Wynne Evans and former Gladesmore student Lanya Matthews del...

MAN UTD APPOINTS OLE AS MANAGER Manchester United have announced that current caretaker manager and former striker, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, has been appointed as the club’s full-time manager on a three-year contract by Communications Department. Solskjær scored 126 goals in 366 appearances for United between 1996 and 2007 and also managed the club’s reserve team until the end of 2010. He was appointed caretaker manager on 19 December 2018 and won his first eight games in charge on the way to an overall record of 14 victories and two draws in 19 games, amassing more Premier League points than any other club during that time. “From the first day I arrived, I felt at home at this special club,” said Solskjær. “It was an honour to be a Manchester United player, and then to start my coaching career here. The last few months have been a fantastic experience and I want to thank all of the coaches, players and staff for the work we’ve done so far. This is the job that I always dreamed of do...

NIGERIA VS SEYCHELLES PREVIEW Nigeria could seal top spot in their qualifying group for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations when they take on Seychelles at the Stephen Keshi Stadium on Friday. The hosts currently sit one point clear at the top of Group E going into the final round of fixtures and have already secured their place in the tournament regardless of what happens in Asaba. NIGERIA It is hard to believe that Nigeria have not featured in the Africa Cup of Nations since being crowned champions of their continent for a third time in 2013. Missing out in 2012 appeared at the time to be a blip, having finished at least third in five of the six previous tournaments, and they roared back from that disappointment to lift the trophy in South Africa one year later. However, the Super Eagles have been notable absentees for the past two editions and will no doubt be looking to make up for lost time when this summer's tournament gets underway in Egypt. A 1-1 draw with South ...

BACK FROM THE SHADOWS Zidane left Madrid having delivered success that was unprecedented in the modern era. The days of teams retaining the European Cup were long gone. Nobody had done it in the Champions League era. He did. And then he did it again, defying history and maths by winning more Champions League trophies than he had spent years in charge. The Frenchman won three consecutive Champions Leagues in his previous stint at Real Madrid, but things began to unravel almost as soon as he was gone. The European Super Cup was surrendered to neighbours Atletico Madrid in the first game of Julen Lopetegui's brief reign and it only got worse from there. Lopetegui was sacked in October but the problems continued. Any hope of winning La Liga was gone soon after. The nadir came last week when, after Santi Solari oversaw back-to-back defeats to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, Madrid were humiliated in their own beloved Bernabeu by Ajax. The Dutch club turned back the clock let alone ...