Jose Mourinhoannounces that he is focusing on the Europa League

On March 16 of 2017, Manchester United claimed a 1-0 triumph over Rostov and with an aggregate scoreboard of 2-1, it’s just barely enough for the English Premier League club to snatch a position in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.


As each week passes by, it seems like Manchester United will not be able to even finish in a top 2 spot in the top tier English League, the Premier League. Chelsea are the favorites of emerging as the new champions as Antonio Conte has led his team to 69 points out of the opening 28 matches while TottenhamHotspure are following them closely with 59 points and Manchester City is in 3rd place with 57 points.

Manchester United on the other hand, is sitting on 5th place with 52 points but they have only played 27 matches so far. Even if Manchester United are able to claim victories in the matches that they have not been able to play, it’s still extremely far-fetch to believe that Jose Mourinho and his squad will be able to stop Chelsea from winning this season of the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho is well aware that for Manchester United to emerge as the new champions of England is almost non-existent and the Portuguese coach has recently stated that he is going to try and focus on other competitions instead.

“If I can choose, I will choose the Europa League rather than to finish fourth because it gives us the same, Champions League football. It is a trophy, it is prestige, it is Europe and it means playing a European Super Cup fixture next year.” Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho said.

Even though Manchester United’s chances of finishing in the top 2 positions of the English Premier League, Jose Mourinho is still aiming to win other pieces of silverware and his main focus right now is the Europa League and if United are indeed able to win the Europa League, they will earn a ticket to compete in the next edition of the Champions League.

ANDERSON MOVES FROM UVU TO BYU

Brent Anderson has moved to Brigham Young University (BYU) as the assistant women’s soccer coach of BYU athletics.


The coach was the former head coach at Utah Valley University where he managed the women’s soccer team. Anderson spent more than ten years in the UVU programme but decided to move on.

“I am deeply grateful to all those that I’ve been blessed to associate with during my time at UVU. The administrators, coaches, trainers, advisors, staff and athletes are second to none, they are simply amazing people. We have experienced extraordinary growth over the past decade and created so many special moments and memories that will stay with me forever.

“I need to express my gratitude to all of my student athletes for their trust, hard work and investment to build the program and achieve both academically and athletically here at UVU. I am looking forward to all they will accomplish in the future,” the outgoing boss said.

Anderson would be a loss to the programme at UVU, being the most successful hand in the programme’s history. He recently led UVU to their third consecutive 10-plus victories. This is aside leading them to their best season in 2015, winning a school-record 14 matches. He earned the WAC Coach of the Year award after he led the team to its first-ever WAC tournament title and the NCCA championship.

UVU athletics director Vince Otoupal thanked the outgoing coach profusely.

“I would like to thank Brent for his dedication to Utah Valley and our student-athletes during the past 11 years. He has taken our women’s soccer program to new heights throughout his tenure at UVU. The impact his student-athletes have had on the UVU community cannot be overstated.”

He added that Anderson was leaving the programme in “excellent shape” however it would be difficult for any appointee to fit into his shoes.

ANDERSON WANTS TO OWN BOLTON WANDERERS

League One side Bolton Wanderers’ chair Ken Anderson reportedly wants to be the sole owner of the club despite a joint deal earlier this year undertaken with a former player of the club Dean Holdsworth, BBC Radio Manchester says.


The former Premier League side have been facing serious financial challenges that are impeding its growth. The club is set to face more financial problems if Anderson does not get his way as the sole owner.

Anderson and Holdsworth entered a partnership that resulted in the acquisition of Bolton for £7.5 million. The club stands the risk of administration unless both parties can reach a deal within the next few days.
Wanderers were in a financial mess, amassing debts over £170 million before Anderson’s Inner Circle group partnered with Holdsworth’s Sports Shield organization to complete a takeover from Eddie Davies. The troubles the club is in caused rumours to spread wildly that a Saudi-based group would take over again from the current owners.

Anderson denied such rumours saying, “the club has not previously or is currently holding any discussions with a Saudi-based group or their legal representatives regarding a potential takeover.”

The League One side is targeting a return to the English Championship at the end of this season after being relegated last year. Since the side failed to comply with Financial Fair Play obligations, they were placed on a transfer embargo late last year. The Football League is still keeping close tabs on the club and they are not able to get new additions. Despite the embargo, Bolton sit second on the League One log.

Anderson would need to resolve the issues on ground to get the club quickly running again. The financial push and better management would be of great importance when they can get the promotion they desperately seek for.

ANDERSON PRAISED BY COACH DESPITE SUSPENSION

Internacional boss, Celso Roth has praised midfielder, Anderson – former Manchester United midfielder – as he regained his form at the club.

The 28 year old, since moving from Old Trafford in January 2015 has been in a struggle to make a positive impact for Brazilian football club.

However, his attempts suffered a huge setback after he got himself involved in an altercation with Willian, fellow teammate, thus leading to a suspension and a demotion to the bench.
On coming back from the ban and after being booed by fans, Anderson has made a return to the starting XI of the Porto Alegre outfit in their Copa do Brasil Semi-final first leg played on Wednesday against Atletico Mineiro

While they ended up losing the match at their Beira-Rio home by a goal’s margin from the visiting side, they were able to put on a brave show, making a positive impact and getting a penalty that led to their only goal in the match that ended 2-1 in favor of Mineiro.

“Anderson was training well. We know what he is capable of. Today he had an opportunity and did what we expect.”
Also, Internacional’s football manager, Fernando Carvalho was quick to add: “Anderson is working hard, something which modern football requires. He has clearly recovered (from his form slump).”

Anderson prior to this, was suspended by his club after punching Willian, a teammate during one of Internacional’s training sessions. Willian – a defender for Inter – attempted to at least revenge but was held back by teammates.

The altercation began after Anderson’s effort went way over the bar while in a shooting practice. Words, were exchanged before it denigrated into a physical combat that saw Anderson lad a jab at Willian’s jaw. The duo have however been appropriately sanctioned.

Paul Pogba has a long way to go to re-pay his astronomical fee

Manchester United stole the spotlight during the summer transfer window as the Premier League club signed the veteran and proven attacker Zlatan Ibrahimovic as well as also securing the services of Paul Pogba for a colossal transfer fee of €105 million.


This transfer was completed on August 8 of 2016 and so far, the 23 year old French attacker has not made any kind of impact in Old Trafford. In the 3 opening matches of the season that Paul Pogba has scored as a player of Manchester United, he has failed to score a single goal or provide any assist to any of his teammates.

There is plenty of time for Pogba to prove his worth and demonstrate why he is being regarded as one of the most promising figures in the world of football as well as showcase his skills in the Premier League. For such a substantially high fee, pressure is being built on Paul Pogba to start having an impact but so far it has not happened as he has been irrelevant so far.

One of the latest matches of Manchester United saw them facing off against their rivals Manchester City and it was City which came out on top with a 2-1 triumph. Paul Pogba performed for the entirety of this match but he was invisible as he once against failed to make an impact with Ibrahimovic scoring the only goal of Manchester United.

So far, it has been Zlatan Ibrahimovic the free summer signing of Manchester United who has made an impact after scoring 4 goals in 4 matches. The Swedish does appear to be confident that Paul Pogba will silence his critics as the 34 year old attacker said:

‘’My relationship with Paul is really easy, I talk, he listens.All the jealous people talking about him will swallow all of the words they have said about him.He will only improve and will get everyone behind him.”

Juan Sebastian Veron is considered to be as one of the most disappointing transfers in the history of football when he moved from Lazio to Manchester United for a transfer fee of £28.1 million which was the highest fee that any Premier League club had paid at that time and Veron made his debut season for the Premier League club during the season of 2000-2001 but after only scoring 7 goals in 51 appearances, he was offloaded to Chelsea.

Fans of Manchester United are hoping that this does not happen with Paul Pogba.

BRAZILIAN YOUNGSTER ANDERSON SET TO LEAD LAZIO

Brazil international Felipe Anderson is one of the top players in the world to have come out of Santos Academy.

The academy has produced football stars in various leagues in the world of recent. Barcelona’s Neymar, Robinho and Gabigol are examples. The 23-year old Anderson was in action at the recently concluded Rio Olympics, helping his country win their first ever gold medal in the men’s event.

Since joining Italian side Lazio, Anderson has struggled to make the developmental leap to the next level, but with the departure of Antonio Candreva and Miroslav Klose, he is set for stardom this term if he can live up to expectations. He joined Lazio in the summer of 2013 before Spanish and English clubs could sign him. He was supposed to be swapped for Italian calico but the deal couldn’t be completed.

Lazio knew he was talented, but they were at a loss on how to best use him under Stefano Pioli. He played in just 13 games in his first season, supplying just two assists. In his second year, he became more stable. He scored ten goals and has eight assists. The sophomore year turned out to be his breakthrough. He is one of the rising stars in world football.

After their third place finish before the 2015 season, they had dreams of appearing in the Champions League but they lost 3-1 on aggregate to Bayern Leverkusen in the play-offs. Last season, they performed poorly finishing in eight position. They lost out in the Round of 16 stage in the Europa League as well. Anderson could only get seven goals and five assists all season, yet still warding off interests in him. Acting coach Simone Inzaghi has made a few changes ahead of the new season. The player missed out on the five uncapped players’ list Brazilian national team coach Tite added to the senior team after their Olympic success. He is set to lead the Lazio squad as they continue in the Serie A.

ANDERSON’S AGENT SLAMS €50M PRICE TAG ON YOUNG PLAYER

According to the latest reports from Football Italia, Felipe Anderson’s agent has slammed a €50m price tag on the player, as interests in the player continue to increase.

The initial interests in the player from English giants Manchester United might have reduced over the past 18 months, but the report claims there are other clubs interested in the player.

The 23-year old Brazilian is reported to be excited at the prospects of playing in the Olympics when his country begins the event. His sister and agent told Correios.com in Brazil that:

“He will cost any club €50m. He is a complete player, but still needs to improve a little bit to fully prove what he can do.”

Felipe Anderson, who is in the preliminary Brazil squad for the Olympics in Rio this summer, said he has worked very hard for two years with the squad. He adds that there’s a lot of competition but that he has always found playing time, so he believes he would take part in the tournament when it begins.
However, there are concerns that his club might not release him for the games. On that he said:

“Lazio aren’t very happy, as the tournament is played just before the start of the season, but it is the dream of any athlete to take part in the Olympics, especially in my home nation, in front of friends and family.

He insists the he would be able to get the required permission from his club to live his dreams when the Olympics games begin.

The transfer price tag might come off as outrageous for the budding player but his agent insists that the fee would be in that region. With the open interests in other players, it is unlikely that the Red Devils will sign him anytime soon.

Anton Ferdinand has praised Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli

Former QPR defender Anton Ferdinand has praised Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli as one of the most promising in English football right now.

The progress made by the youngster has been spectacular. It was only recently that he played for Championship outfit MK Dons. Now, though, he has grown into one of the finest midfielders in the Premier league. The rate of transformation has been amazing, but Ferdinand reckons that one of the attributes that makes Alli successful is his ability to read the game. Even thoughAlli may look like running around a lot, Ferdinand believes that Alli is reading the game with incredible precision.

Such has been the progress made by the Tottenham midfielder that he has now been spoken of as the main threat in the England national team, which is an amazing aspect considering that he is only 20 years old. Ferdinand was also one of the promising youngsters when he was coming through the ranks at West Ham. However, his career has not progressed in similar fashion and he last represented Reading in the Championship. After having just been crowned as the PFA Young Player of the Year, Dele Alli will be looking to continue the progress with some impressive performances at the Euro 2016.

Ferdinand is currently without a club after leaving Reading following the expiry of his contract. He is searching for a new club at 31 years of age after having represented the likes of Sunderland, QPR, West Ham, and lesser known clubs like Police United.”He’s got no fear factor and he looks like he understands the game. He doesn’t run around like a headless chicken. He actually understands the game which, for someone of his age, can only bode well and I think he’s got a bright, bright future,” said Ferdinand.

ANDERSON NOT LEAVING LAZIO FOR MAN UNITED

Manchester United summer transfer target Felipe Anderson, says he will not be leaving his current club, Lazio as the season ends.

The Red Devils have been trying to sign the Lazio star since last summer and reportedly opened talks on a deal in March.

According to reports, United are willing to pay up to £39m to land Anderson but he looks set to stay at Lazio – at least until 2017. The winger’s sister and agent Juliana Gomes said:
“My brother won’t be leaving Rome during next summer.”

Anderson, under contract at the Stadio Olimpico until 2020, has struggled to reach the highs of last season scoring just seven times and providing four assists. The Brazilian had been a prime candidate for a summer exit after failure to qualify for the Europa League. It was reported that Lazio snubbed a £37.6m (€50m) offer last summer and sporting director Igli Tare has previously admitted that could have been an error.

“Yes, it could’ve been a mistake not to sell anyone, but I can say that the idea to refuse €50m (£37.6m) for Felipe Anderson was because we strongly wanted to give consistency to this project,” Tare said.

In March, Anderson played down speculation linking him with a move to Old Trafford.

“There’s nothing concrete,” Anderson said.

“They are rumours that circulate in the newspapers.

The talented player who just turned 23 and this season contributed nine goals and five assists in 45 competitive games added:

“The often write about my possible departure but I’m staying here.”

Manchester United hoped to add the player as reinforcements ahead of their campaign next season especially after missing a second successive UEFA champions League qualification, making the second in three years. They are currently sixth in the Premier League log and hope to move up after their last game against AFC Bournemouth.

Anderson’s career continues going downhill

There was once a time when Anderson had the chance to take the world under his control as the Brazilian player was labeled as the next big thing of Brazil with the media hyping him up so much that Manchester United splashed out €30 million in signing him when Anderson was only 19 years old.

Anderson’s time in Manchester United wasn’t a very impressive one as he only scored 5 goals in 105 appearances and the Premier League club started to lose faith in the Brazilian player, this is why Anderson was dropped to the sidelines in his last few seasons at Old Trafford.

It’s been a little over 1 year since Anderson joined the Brazilian side Internacional and even though he has returned to his native homeland, he continues struggling to spark his career back to life.

Anderson made his debut for Internacional during a match they had against Cruzeiro and in his opening appearance for his new club, he missed a penalty kick that could have given his team the victory. The 27 year old player was also sent out of the pitch after receiving a red card, this occurred after the Brazilian was mad for being ruled off and Anderson launched a string of insults and the referee showed him a straight red card.

The Brazilian player was even seen struggling just to breath after playing a match in Bolivia in a game that was played at 3,600 meters above sea level and this high altitude affected Anderson so much that he had to take oxygen on the bench.

All of these things have been occurring to Anderson who never truly managed to live up to the hype of the media and the expectations that were created some time ago and even after having made a move away from Manchester United, things haven’t changed very much.