Blackburn Rovers defender extends contract until 2027
Blackburn Rovers defender Scott Wharton has extended his contract until the end of the 2026-27 season. The 25-year-old has a younger brother Adam who is also a member of the Rovers first team, making his debut for his hometown club at the age of 18. "I've been here a long time, but staying for another four years is a proud moment for me and my family," he told the club's website. "I think it's promising and there are positive things to come."
Man United may be without Sabitzer
MANCHESTER UNITED could miss out on signing Marcel Sabitzer permanently in their transfer plans. The on-loan midfielder could be kept at Bayern Munich as new manager Thomas Tuchel prepares to make a decision on his future. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Austrian wants to continue his career with Erik ten Hag as a coach. However, his deal with the Reds does not include a buyback option and it will therefore be up to Bayern and Tuchel to decide whether he is sold.
SOURCE:
Sun
Real Madrid keep an eye on James amid Chelsea's elimination
As reported by Spanish newspaper AS, Real Madrid are planning to sign Chelsea full-back Reece James by taking advantage of the club's financial situation. James has a contract in West London until 2028 and is one of the team's and staff's most beloved figures. But Chelsea may be forced to offload some players this summer to accommodate FFP requests, and Madrid are said to be offering to reduce the load.
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Pep Guardiola has recently torn down the defensive rule, and his concept is almost the exact opposite of what Jürgen Klopp did at Liverpool.
13 minutes into Liverpool's Premier League clash with Manchester City in April, when the Reds led 1-0, Rúben Dias headed in after a Mohamed Salah cross.
However, the ball would touch Bernardo Silva's feet and clear it to Andy Robertson, who took the throw-in and then made a cross towards the post, where Trent Alexander-Arnold was running.
Alexander-Arnold returned the ball to Diogo Jota's feet, the score was 1-1.
Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders said his perfect goal would have been assisted by a full-back and scored by another (via ECHO) and although it was not quite the match that bill, but it still demonstrates Liverpool's approach to their wide defenders. On the other hand, Pep Guardiola could go in a completely different direction when the two sides meet on Saturday based on some of City's recent matches.
In the 6-0 FA Cup win over Burnley last time around, he used a three-man defense, but the previous two games against Crystal Palace and RB Leipzig, where he felt he needed to go all out, was excited again. more taste.
Both games saw Guardiola take an unconventional approach when fielding four prominent centre-backs.
At Palace, Manuel Akanji and Dias were positioned in the center of the defence, with John Stones on the right and Nathan Aké on the left.
It turns out that Stones' position is not really fixed as he takes on the role of a right-back and central midfielder. He's more active in the middle than on the flanks, but he's always swinging between the two positions.
When moving inside, Akanji shifts to the right to provide cover, with Dias and Aké operating in more conventional areas.
Pep Guardiola has recently launched a bold new tactical ploy, and he could unleash it on Liverpool
Pep Guardiola has recently launched a bold new tactical ploy, and he could unleash it on Liverpool
Aké spent most of the game on the sidelines, but he was not particularly aggressive in attack, making only three crosses throughout the game.
In the next match, the 7-0 destruction of Leipzig, Stones will be placed in midfield, sitting next to Rodri on the right flank of a two-man formation and in front of a three-man defense.
Once again, Stones almost lost his position at times, covering an eye-popping patch of ground as he concentrated on the right flank, patrolling down the center and also appearing on the left flank. The three defenders behind him functioned as efficiently as you'd expect, with Dias guarding the center and Akanji and Aké on their respective flanks, though the former was more of a press and the latter was capable of attacking. greater work. Akanji only touched the ball five times in the final third of the game, compared with 12 for the Dutchman.
On Saturday, Liverpool will deploy a more standard full-back, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté expected to be flanked by Alexander-Arnold and Robertson.
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