Archivi tag: inter club

Shaqiri opens scoring account as Inter Milan beat Sampdoria

Inter Milan’s winter signings Xherdan Shaqiri and Lukas Podolski combined to help fire the Nerazzurri into the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia at the expense of nine-man Sampdoria.

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UK Back Pages: Henderson, Costa Clash, Chelsea Target Pogba, Inter Chase Milner

As January begins to wind down, there’s still some (outlandish) rumours to report, but an apparent scrap between Jordan Henderson and Diego Costa steals the headlines in Thursday’s back pages. 

Reports suggest that there was an altercation between the two in the aftermath of the thrilling 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Chelsea on Tuesday night. 

Star Sport highlight the clash and also suggest that James Milner could be lured to Inter Milan by his former boss Roberto Mancini…and a hefty £200,000-per-week deal. 

Express Sport call it a “Kop Bust-Up” and also report a rumour that Chelsea are readying a £40 million bid for Juventus star Paul Pogba. 

Mirror Sport and Sun Sport both report on the clash and also that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will challenge the FA over their bid for Gabriel Paulista and the difficulties of obtaining a work permit for the Brazilian. 

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New Inter Milan Man Xherdan Shaqiri Hits His 1st Goal Since San Siro Move

Inter’s shiny new attacking signings are paying quick dividends for the Italian club. 

Lukas Podolski and Xherdan Shaqiri—brought to the San Siro from Arsenal and Bayern Munich, respectively—combined to give Inter Milan a late lead over Sampdoria in a Coppa Italia match on Wednesday. 

Podolski neatly flicked a ball to the onrushing Shaqiri, who buried his shot. 

[Vine, InterData] 

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Inter Are Right to Want Lucas, but Liverpool Would Be Foolish to Let Him Go

It hardly needed reinforcing, but Lucas Leiva‘s importance to Liverpool was underlined yet again on Tuesday when the Brazilian played a vital role in the Reds’ 1-1 draw with Chelsea—a match they dominated from start to finish.

Throughout the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final, Lucas moved the ball efficiently and helped absorb the occasional Chelsea pressure, which, due in no small part to his efforts, was typically turned into another spell of Liverpool buildup play.

He touched the ball 102 times at Anfield, as per WhoScored, completed 88 percent of his passes and threw himself into an eye-popping seven tackles.

And yet, as reported by ESPN FC on Monday, the 28-year-old is said to feel “undervalued” at the Premier League outfit and is intrigued by the prospect of a move to Inter Milan—possibly before the end of the January transfer period.

The admiration, not surprisingly, is mutual.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (and relayed by Inside Futbol), the Nerazzurri have already tabled a €10 million bid for Lucas—around the same amount, not coincidentally, they were willing to pay for Atletico Madrid‘s Mario Suarez, per the aforementioned sources.

 

But Atletico, says Marca, are loath to lose the midfielder, and showdown talks between the two sides are scheduled for Thursday. If Suarez agrees to stay at Estadio Vicente Calderon, it follows Inter will intensify their pursuit of Lucas, who has so far started just 11 Premier League matches this season.

And last term, despite recovering from a ligament injury in February, he made just three starts down the stretch as Liverpool pursued their first title since 1990.

Inter, for their part, have been one of the more active players in the current transfer period and have already brought Lukas Podolski and Xherdan Shaqiri into the club this month. They’re presently six points back of Lazio and Serie A’s Europa League positions, and with Fredy Guarin and Gary Medel seeing plenty of time in the centre of the park, it’s likely manager Roberto Mancini wouldn’t mind additional depth in the position.

Lucas would represent an upgrade on both players.

A tough tackler with aerial strength who can lend a hand when the ball is worked forward from the back, he is also a good reader of the game and so far this season has averaged two interceptions per appearance, according to Squawka.

Which is why Liverpool would be foolish to let him go.

As Metro revealed earlier this week, the Reds have been decidedly more successful when Lucas is in the lineup. With him they’ve managed to take 75 percent of available points as opposed to just 33 percent in his absence.

It’s the most basic of metrics, and if they lose him to what is a fascinating Inter project, it will only be because they didn’t properly rate what he offered.

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Mario Balotelli: Why Liverpool Striker Would Benefit Most from January Transfer

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has predicted a quiet transfer window for his side, but misfit striker Mario Balotelli would sorely benefit from a move this January, either temporary or permanent.

Rodgers spoke to talkSPORT on Monday, specifically ruling out any big-name January signings by claiming this month “will be pretty quiet” for the Reds’ transfer department.

However, the manager recently told reporters that “there might be a few who need to go out on loan because they are not playing so much,” according to Sky Sports.

Balotelli could be one such player, having made just four appearances from a possible nine after returning from injury in mid-December, with this amounting to just 86 minutes of action.

The striker has made just 18 appearances for the Reds since his £16 million summer transfer from AC Milan.

Rodgers has previously dismissed a January loan move for Balotelli as “not something that I have even thought about,” according to Sky Sports.

But for Balotelli‘s sake a move should be sanctioned this January.

 

Unfulfilled Hype

Much was made of Balotelli‘s move to Liverpool in August of last year, with the striker expected to fill the void left by a departing Luis Suarez.

On his signing, Rodgers told reporters including Andy Hunter of The Guardian that “I think to get someone of that quality in this market is a very good deal for us,” before continuing: “He is a world-class talent and it is an area we need to strengthen.”

This was boosted by an impressive debut alongside Daniel Sturridge in a 3-0 September victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Since however, Balotelli has failed to assert himself at Liverpool.

In his 18 appearances, the striker has scored just two goals—one in the Champions League and one in the League Cup.

Comparing Balotelli‘s shots-to-goals ratio in the Premier League this season with his fellow Reds strikers makes for stark reading:

Balotelli is also one of the side’s least prolific creative players, with only Lambert and a host of defenders and goalkeepers making less key passes on average per game than the 24-year-old’s 0.6.

On paper it can be evaluated that the striker is not scoring or creating enough in a Liverpool shirt.

But how much of the blame can fall at the feet of Balotelli?

 

Rodgers’ System

Balotelli‘s signing in August came as a surprise to most, with James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo outlining “a remarkable U-turn for the Reds after the club [had previously] dismissed any interest in signing the former Manchester City frontman.”

“At the end of Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the USA in Miami [Rodgers] was asked about [the] speculation,” Pearce continued. “But he dismissed the notion at the time.”

This suggests that Rodgers was not particularly interested in signing Balotelli.

Further backing up this claim, Rodgers described the striker as “a calculated risk” in October, with Hunter of The Guardian detailing how Samuel Eto’o was considered an option before Liverpool plumped for Balotelli.

An £8.5 million bid for Loic Remy prior to this move collapsed due to medical fears, according to BBC Sport.

Both alternative strikers fit the profile of Rodgers’ system at Liverpool: Pacey and dynamic, with intelligent movement.

Rodgers continued to outline his “risk” by claiming Balotelli‘s signing was “something I have to work on to try to make it work for the team.”

Ever since however, Rodgers has found the striker at odds with his system.

Ahead of Boxing Day’s 1-0 win away to Burnley, Rodgers highlighted his fear that the side’s “level of pressing and intensity is not part of [Balotelli‘s] game,” as reported by Neil Jones for the Liverpool Echo.

It now seems a miscalculated risk by Rodgers and the Liverpool transfer committee.

Balotelli was hardly an unknown entity prior to his move to Merseyside, so why take a gamble on a player who evidently won’t suit the high-intensity system the manager is trying to implement?

 

Another Shot at Redemption

When Balotelli moved to Liverpool, this was seen as a last chance for a striker who had lost the faith of managers at Inter Milan, Manchester City and Milan.

Rodgers was labelled as the manager most able to finally coax the talent from the maverick, with Swansea City boss Garry Monk attesting that “if anyone is going to get the best out of Balotelli then Brendan can,” according to the London Evening Standard in November.

“He’s a very good guy, a very good man-manager who is personable and who understands players and different characters,” Monk continued. “I’d expect him definitely to be the man to do that.”

However, with his inability to tailor a system to Balotelli‘s strengths, and continued stressing that the striker isn’t the right fit, Rodgers has seemingly failed to do so.

It may be another move too many, but Balotelli needs to join a side that will play to his many positive qualities, such as when early into his spell with Milan.

Liverpool are now thriving with a new 3-4-2-1 system, based around a dynamic lone striker, and with Sturridge set to return from injury this month according to Rodgers in the interview with talkSPORT, there now seems to be no place for Balotelli in the Reds’ first team.

It would be a disappointment to already admit defeat on a signing which could have boosted the Reds considerably this season, but Balotelli‘s qualities seem at odds with Liverpool’s system.

With Brendan Rodgers unlikely to change his stance any time soon, a January transfer would benefit Mario Balotelli considerably.

 

Statistics via WhoScored.com.

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Philippe Coutinho Liverpool Contract: Latest News and Rumours on Anfield Star

Philippe Coutinho wants to become a Liverpool great, but he is not worrying about signing a new contract at the club, per Dominic King of the Daily Mail.

The Brazilian signed a long-term deal, per Simon Rice of The Independent, when he joined Liverpool from Inter Milan two years ago.

And, speaking in the summer, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed his intention to reward Coutinho with a new deal.

Coutinho still has three years left to run on his current contract and he says, per King, that an extension is not a “hot topic.”

“It is not a hot topic for me about signing a new contract,” he said. “But I would be very happy to stay here for a long time and, maybe, I could become like one of the great players who have been here. I want to win trophies here of my own.”

Since moving to Anfield, Coutinho has scored 10 goals and created 14 assists, per WhoScored.com, in his 65 Premier League appearances for Liverpool.

And he quickly made an impression following his arrival in comparison to other past Liverpool signings, as this stat from Opta shows:

This season, he has managed just two goals. He netted in the 3-2 win at Queens Park Rangers in October and opened the scoring in December’s 2-2 home draw with Arsenal.

Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith, per The Daily Telegraph, certainly thinks Coutinho should be scoring more, writing: “Coutinho should be aiming for, and indeed should be capable of reaching, double figures. A greater goal threat, however, may develop with age for someone undoubtedly boasting time on his side.”

Coutinho’s position on the pitch for Liverpool does lend itself to him being more of a creative influence than a goalscorer. He can operate in a number of midfield roles, and few players in the Premier League can match his eye for a killer pass.

His finish against Arsenal displayed a composure which many players lack. It also proved he is capable of increasing his goals output for Liverpool.

It has been a promising first two years at Liverpool for Coutinho. If he can maintain his progress, then he certainly has the potential to fulfill his wish of becoming a great.

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