Kasper Hjulmand was left furious after Denmark's loss against Germany as he alleged two VAR decisions cost them the match.
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Hjulmand questioned VAR callsAndersen's goal ruled out Denmark boss calls handball rule ridiculous WHAT HAPPENED?
Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen saw his goal disallowed due to a tight offside and moments later found himself unintentionally handling the ball inside his penalty box while trying to intercept David Raum's cross.
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VAR eventually gave both decisions which proved to be detrimental to the Danes' dream of causing an upset and progressing in the Euros. Their manager was understandably disappointed with the verdict as he called the handball rule 'ridiculous'.
WHAT KASPER HJULMAND SAID
Speaking at his post-match press conference, the 52-year-old manager said: "I must congratulate Germany but the game was decided by two VAR decisions. I have the picture on my phone here. It is offside by one centimetre. And I am so tired of the ridiculous handball rule. We cannot make our defenders run with their hands behind their back. It's frustrating. This is not how football is supposed to be"
He added: "I'm not against VAR but we have to be quicker and improve it. In my opinion, the decision should be as clear as the moon and not like we saw today."
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GettyWHAT NEXT?
After extending their unbeaten run in the ongoing Euro 2024, the Germans will now face either Spain or Georgia in the quarter-final on Friday. That game will take place in Stuttgart, with Die Mannschaft set to be backed once again by a vociferous home crowd.
Wolverhampton Wanderers secured a wonderful 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, and it meant they had recorded a Premier League double over the club in the process.
The Old Gold have lost just twice in 2024 so far and Gary O’Neil will be hoping to maintain this type of form as they play Sheffield United this afternoon.
The Blades are currently sitting bottom of the table on 13 points, conceding a staggering 65 goals across their 25 matches, and it gives Wolves a perfect opportunity to record another win.
With over a week between matches, does the manager make a tweak to the starting XI? Or will he leave it unchanged for the clash today?
Wolves team news vs Sheffield United
The good news for the former Bournemouth boss is he has an unchanged squad to choose from as there are no new injury worries among the team.
Matheus Cunha is still absent, however, and he is unlikely to be back available until after the next international break, which occurs at the end of March.
O’Neil must be happy with the state of play regarding his options, and he could drop Mario Lemina to the bench against the Blades and unleash Tommy Doyle, who could unlock the Blades’ defence.
Tommy Doyle’s season in numbers
Wolves signed the Manchester City gem on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy last summer, and he has proven to be an exciting option for O’Neil to have among his squad.
The 22-year-old was hailed as a “superb midfielder” by talent scout Jacek Kulig back in 2022, and he has gained plenty of senior experience in recent seasons, most notably helping today's opponents get promoted back to the top flight last season.
Tommy Doyle
Despite starting just five Premier League matches this season, Doyle has an average pass success rate of 86% and this could be key in unlocking the Blades’ defence today.
Across the top five European leagues in the previous 365 days, Doyle currently ranks in the top 11% for attempted passes per 90 (68.82) and this is yet further evidence that he could be a handful in the heart of the midfield for Wolves.
The youngster has also lost possession just 5.6 times per game, won 56% of his total duels per game and has been dribbled past only 0.2 times per match, indicating that he possesses the required physical strength to succeed in the top flight and this defensive nature could allow the likes of Joao Gomes to push forward more often.
70
50
34/37 (92%)
2/3
7
Despite Sheffield United defeating the Molineux side in the reverse fixture earlier this season, a lot has changed since and O’Neil’s men have gained plenty of morale-boosting wins in recent weeks.
Unleashing Doyle could give him an opportunity to impress from the first whistle and, considering their opponents are weak at the back, it will allow the club to go seeking quite a few goals.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
If the 5 foot 7 starlet does shine, it could cement his place in the starting XI for future matches, no doubt about it.
Adam Lyth hits 48 and takes five wickets, but ends up on losing side as Gurney and Luke Fletcher close out tense win
David Hopps at Trent Bridge25-Aug-2019There are few trickier death bowlers in the Blast than Harry Gurney and Jordan Thompson now knows that more painfully than most. Three times in the last four balls, Thompson swung at Gurney and missed, giving Notts a three-run win to take them along with Lancashire into the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast and eliminating Yorkshire in the process.Gurney, who had been short of his best, had to defend 12 from the last over, and Yorkshire again were in the ascendancy when Will Fraine, playing against his former county, launched the first ball over long-on for six. But Fraine then fell at backward point and, although Thompson did middle one delivery to long-on for two, the dominant sound was a swishing and a cursing.Luke Fletcher also played a fine hand at the death. His first two overs had leaked 25, but a fine boundary-saving pounce at short fine allowed him to begin the 19th over with Yorkshire still needing 18 off the last two overs. He yorked Jack Leaning with his first ball and Tim Bresnan with his last to send emergency signals blaring in what had always been a tightly-judged chase.Trent Bridge was packed almost to capacity as nearly 14,000 turned up on a baking summer’s day to see Notts reach the last eight, but much of the Notts innings was little more than a backdrop because for all but the most ardent supporter it was inevitable that thoughts would stray to Headingley.The biggest ovation of the day came when Notts were 76 for 2, not because of anything before their eyes, but for news of an astounding victory at Headingley where Ben Stokes had added a heroic Ashes innings to his exploits in the World Cup final to confirm himself as one of the greats of the game. Trent Bridge felt like a part of a great cricketing family.”It got a little bit interesting for me when they hit six off the first ball of the final over but I’m always confident when you’ve got double figures to defend in the last over,” Gurney said. “I’m not sure we’ll be grabbing the back pages tomorrow but we’re all England fans in our dressing room apart from Dan Christian – and he’s getting plenty of stick.”On a slow, low Nottingham surface, nobody was thinking much about greatness. Until a thrilling climax, it was a largely desultory afternoon on a sluggish pitch in 30C heat when adequacy was hard enough and slow bowlers held sway.Notts laboured for most of their innings. Joe Clarke’s half-century held them together even though he was not at his most fluent and was dropped on 3 – he did not field later because of cramp. When Clarke and Tom Moores fell to Lyth in successive balls, Notts had declined to 99 for 5 off 16, but posted 148 for 7 with 43 coming off the last three overs.Joe Clarke swings through the leg side•Getty ImagesPerhaps Christian, Notts’ Australian captain, had been working off a bit of Stokes-derived frustration. His unbeaten 31 from 16 balls shook Notts into some sort of order, 16 of three balls off David Willey in the 18th over finally achieving an impetus they had struggled to achieve. Fletcher’s six off the penultimate ball, from Lyth, was another decisive intervention from the big fella before Lyth had him caught in the deep from the last ball to return startling figures of 5 for 31.Lyth’s all-round prowess with bat and ball might not have been the most obvious route for Yorkshire to have sought to revive their Blast season, but he produced one of the best bat-and-ball displays in the county’s T20 history.He had only taken 10 T20 wickets in 110 previous appearances before he stepped out at Trent Bridge, but his gently-flighted offspin suddenly seemed to have taken on new guile. He later struck 48 from 51 balls in orderly fashion before he squirted a back-of-the-hand delivery from Gurney to backward point. With Yorkshire needing 49 from 38 with seven wickets left he had cause to hope he had done enough.Yorkshire’s T20 season has adopted many forms this summer, few of them convincing, but this was the second time in a week that an unsung offspinner made a striking intervention. Five wickets for Jack Shutt at Chester-le-Street had helped them beat Durham three days earlier, a match in which Lyth also picked up three.”We should have got over the line but credit to Notts, they grind those sorts of results out on their own patch and we crumbled a bit under the pressure at the end,” said Yorkshire’s coach, Andrew Gale. “I think 85 percent of the game we played some smart cricket.”That sums up our one-day cricket, we can’t get over the line. We’ve tied three games and lost by a run in one of them and until we stand and take responsibility in key moments under pressure then we are where we are.”Three runs was another tight margin and Gale’s frustration was understandable, but it only told half the story. Yorkshire are now nearer to solving their perennial shortcomings in T20 cricket and, outside their top three, they lack star quality.Three runs or not, that it was Notts who proceeded to the last eight felt entirely appropriate.
The replacement for Mark Robinson could yet be England’s first female head coach
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2019England Women’s search for a permanent replacement for Mark Robinson could yet result in the appointment of their first female head coach, according to the ECB’s director of women’s cricket, Clare Connor.Speaking at the launch of the ECB’s new £20 million investment into women’s and girls’ cricket, Connor confirmed that Ali Maiden, the interim coach, would lead the side on the pre-Christmas tour of Malaysia, but that a new permanent appointment should be in place by the start of 2020.That would leave the new incumbent just two months to bed in ahead of the squad’s next big assignment, the T20 World Cup in Australia in February, but Connor believes the board is on course for the right replacement following Robinson’s departure in August, in the wake of a heavy defeat in this summer’s Ashes.”We have started conversations, slightly informal conversations, but we are pleased with the pool of applicants,” said Connor. “We’ve started conversations with applicants both here and overseas and it will not be an all-male shortlist.”We are conducting next-stage interviews during the middle of next week with the aim to have the successful candidate in post for January. Regardless of the appointment, Ali Maiden will lead the side to Malaysia pre-Christmas.”Connor’s comments come as the ECB set about implementing a new five-year strategy that seeks to make cricket into a gender-balanced sport, and follows on from last week’s unveiling of the eight teams that will make up the inaugural season of the Hundred.Of the seven women’s coaches so far confirmed for the new competition, five are women – Lisa Keightley (London Spirit), Dani Hazell (Northern Superchargers), Lydia Greenway (Oval Invincibles), Charlotte Edwards (Southern Brave), and Salliann Briggs (Trent Rockets).”We’ve set some measures for success within the action plan,” Connor added. “They’re around the number of women and girls playing the game, the number of sustainable club sections, the experiences of the girls that are deemed talented and whether they’re achieving performance benchmarks through the system.”More broadly the engagement of women and girls in the sport – buying tickets, watching on television and following the game.”
Newcastle United and Aston Villa, among others, have had to make quick sales due to the Premier League's PSR rules and Alan Shearer is not happy.
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Shearer slams Premier League and PSRBelieves rules are costing clubs like NewcastleClubs made major sales ahead of June 30 deadlineGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
June 30 saw a lot of movement between Premier League clubs as they looked to finalise sales and purchases of players to make sure they complied with the league's Profit and Sustainability rules for the 2023-24 financial season, and Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer is not pleased with PSR harming upcoming challengers to the Premier League's modern big-six.
AdvertisementGetty/GOALWHAT SHEARER SAID
Speaking to Betfair, Shearer said: "Obviously, Newcastle had to sell players because of PSR. I’m pleased they’ve done the business they’ve done, I’m pleased they didn’t sell Isak and Bruno.
"I know Anderson loved playing for Newcastle, but hopefully he’ll get more game time at Forest and he can show everyone how good he is. He’s a really good player.
"I think because of what Newcastle had to do and the timing of it, it’s been good business for them.
"Those PSR rules don’t sit easy with me. If Newcastle hadn't sold Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson, they would have had to sell one of their bigger players to one of the big clubs. What chance have you got? What message is that sending out? The rules just don’t sit comfortably with me at all.
"If you look at Newcastle and Aston Villa, they’re trying their very best to get near the big boys and challenge. Yet when they do, they have to sell players. Villa have had to sell Douglas Luiz to Juventus because of PSR. That can’t be right when a club is trying to challenge the big boys, and what they’ve got behind them as football clubs doesn’t sit easy with me."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
As per The Athletic, in the ten days leading up to the June 30 PSR deadline, six Premier League clubs – Chelsea, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Everton and Leicester City – made deals to raise a reported £323 million ($410m) through the sale of 15 players, more than was raised during the entire January transfer window.
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WHAT NEXT FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE?
With the PSR deadline now gone past, Premier League clubs will be free to make their deals as they want without having to worry about the immediate repercussions.
The rise of Arsenal under Mikel Arteta has simply been fantastic to watch, especially in regards to his complete squad overhaul.
When the Spaniard arrived, the squad was full of different profiles, with opposite strengths, and of all ages.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta
However, the boss was always keen to hand the youth an opportunity to thrive if they were deemed good enough, as proven by Bukayo Saka starting at left-back against Bournemouth in Arteta’s first game in charge.
That said, there was one young prospect who sat on the bench during that 1-1 draw but slowly started to become one of the most exciting talents at the Gunners.
Emile Smith Rowe’s first impression
Having been at Arsenal since the age of nine, Emile Smith Rowe progressed through the ranks to become one of the finest Hale End Academy products in recent years.
After returning on loan from Huddersfield Town in the Championship in 2020, Smith Rowe finally got his major breakthrough in the Arsenal first team under Arteta, where he would go on to play 20 times in the Premier League, scoring twice and picking up four assists.
The hype surrounding the then-number 32 was immense, with the young, versatile attacker stepping up during a season when the Gunners finished eighth.
After establishing himself as an important player in the first half of the season, even pundits were getting slightly carried away with their praise for the youngster, with former player Colin Omogbehin stating:
"He's like Dennis Bergkamp but with pace."
Dennis Bergkamp
To be compared to such an Arsenal icon who played in a similar role, scoring 120 goals and providing 103 assists in 422 matches for the Gunners.
The "quality" Smith Rowe, as per journalist Phil McNulty, really started to thrive in the 2021/22 campaign with ten Premier League goals, having been handed the iconic number ten shirt in the summer. Upon being given the number, the 23-year-old even referenced the Iceman:
"When I was younger I used to watch Dennis Bergkamp, and when I was going through the academy Mesut Ozil was here as well and getting the opportunity to train with him and play with him as well was unbelievable. I just want to keep working hard and hopefully I can play like them and replicate what they've done."
But unfortunately, his career has not exactly gone according to plan since that initial breakthrough, and comparison to the Dutch magician.
Arsenal should axe forgotten man who's earning more than Smith Rowe
The experienced star should be on his way out of the Emirates.
ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 2, 2024 Smith Rowe’s value in 2024
There’s no two ways about it; injuries have simply ruined Smith Rowe's progression and development in recent times, with the last two years being particularly difficult for the midfielder.
Last season, the former RB Leipzig loanee only played a total of 241 minutes across all competitions, having had groin surgery, which kept him out for 14 matches.
Unfortunately, setbacks have decreased his time on the pitch once again this season, playing 357 minutes and missing ten games already due to a knee injury, and an ankle knock.
Arsenal'sEmileSmithRowe
The lack of matches played and the ever-increasing injury history record have caused Smith Rowe’s value to decrease significantly, to the point where he is one of the lowest-valued first-team players in the Arsenal squad at £13m, according to CIES’ Football Observatory.
Cedric Soares
£4m
Mohamed Elneny
£4m
Reiss Nelson
£8.5m
Smith Rowe
£13m
Thomas Partey
£13m
With Arsenal now not opting for a system that utilises a number-ten role and the team performing so well, Smith Rowe has found it difficult to work his way into the starting lineup.
It’s upsetting to see a young talent who was so impressive that he was once compared to Bergkamp suffer so much, and it sadly seems that his playing career will only truly revive if he leaves his boyhood club.
Hopefully, however, there is another twist in the story and Smith Rowe can get back to his best under Arteta before a move away from The Emirates is needed.
PCB says IMGR’s decision meant a hit on revenues; the matter is to be heard at the London Court of International Arbitration
ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2019The PCB has filed a claim for damages against IMG Reliance, in relation to its decision to pull out of a deal to produce television coverage of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this year. IMG Reliance pulled out days after a terrorist attack killed 44 Indian paramilitary troopers on February 14, heightening tensions between India and Pakistan. The claim is to be heard at the London Court of International Arbitration.According to the PCB, IMG Reliance were sent a legal notice on October 21st, seeking compensation from the broadcaster for the loss the PCB incurred because of the pull-out. The PCB received no reply, prompting them to take the matter to court.In a PCB meeting set to take place on Friday, Chairman Ehsan Mani will brief the Board of Governors about the move. The PCB is set to state that the “breach of contract by IMGR could have resulted in the remaining PSL matches not being broadcast on television; this would have severely damaged the standing and reputation of the PSL.”The abrupt decision by IMG Reliance left the PCB at the time scrambling to find another broadcaster. And because of the compromised position it left the PCB in, revenues took a hit because of the new deal. It took two days for the PCB to strike a deal with Blitz and Trans Group, who bought the rights to arrange television broadcasts for the PSL for approximately USD 36 million, with this deal set to run till the end of the 2022 season.The PCB’s relations with IMG Reliance soured thereafter. For the five-match ODI series against Australia in March, and the recently concluded limited-overs internationals against Sri Lanka in Pakistan, the PCB had stipulated to Blitz and Trans Group that IMG Reliance would not be involved with the process in any way, and that the PCB had blacklisted them.The fallout of the attack on Indian paramilitary troopers continued to afflict the PSL beyond its TV coverage. Military tensions between India and Pakistan necessitated much of Pakistan’s airspace to be closed, and meant the three fixtures of the PSL scheduled to take place in Lahore had to be moved to Karachi. For a time, the India-Pakistan game at the World Cup was under threat, though it did eventually go ahead.
Rangers have been handed a hefty blow as it has emerged that their succession plan for one of their stars now lies in ruins.
Barisic set to leave Ibrox
Though a longtime servant at Ibrox, it appears that Borna Barisic's time with Rangers is coming to an end. The Croatian defender is out of contract this summer and is yet to pen fresh terms at the club he has spent the last six seasons with, meaning that he will be a free agent come the end of the season.
He has appeared only 15 times in the Scottish Premiership this season and racked up just over 1000 minutes in the competition, far less than the 2500 he managed last campaign. Indeed, he has fallen down Philippe Clement's pecking order, with Ridvan Yilmaz often preferred to the 31-year-old, but he too has been linked with an exit.
Ridvan Yilmaz
Though it has been a successful campaign to date for the Ibrox outfit, it has been far less impressive for Barisic, who has spent much of that season among the substitutes.
Rangers have an exciting young Barisic replacement waiting for a chance
Rangers may have an ideal Barisic replacement already at the club
ByRoss Kilvington Mar 13, 2024
It seems clear that the club are preparing for life without their longtime left-back, and with Yilmaz also not certain to be at Ibrox next season, the Gers were already planning to recruit another left back, but were looking for ways to outsmart the market to get a deal done cheaply.
However, that hope has just been scuppered.
Gers target has already chosen his next club
One of the reported replacements was FC Twente left-back Gjis Smal, who is set to be out of contract with the Dutch side this summer.
This would have allowed Rangers to pounce and sign the 26 year old on a free transfer, allowing them to keep their financial muscle for other deals in the transfer market. They had been interested in the Dutchman in January, but ultimately opted to wait rather than splash out to sign him.
How Smal compares to current Rangers options (23/24)
Borna Barisic
Ridvan Yilmaz
Gjis Smal
Appearances
20
24
17
Goals
0
1
0
Assists
3
1
1
Tackles + interceptions (per 90 mins)
3
1.95
2.55
Progressive passes (per 90 mins)
4.2
N/A
6.9
As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Smal has already agreed a move away from Twente this summer, but he isn't headed to Ibrox.
Instead, he has opted to stay in the Netherlands, where he will sign for Feyenoord. Though no official confirmation has been given, Romano has taken to X to explain that there is a "verbal pact in place" and that the agreement for him to join as a free agent is "almost done" after Smal "turned down a proposal from abroad", which could well be from Ibrox.
The news will come as a blow to Clement, who will now have to return to the drawing board in search of a left back or make a belated offer for Barisic to stay.
Former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has joined Brazilian Serie A side Vasco da Gama on a season-long loan from Aston Villa.
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Coutinho leaves Aston VillaJoins boyhood club on loanCurrent contract with the Villans runs until 2026WHAT HAPPENED?
The ex-Brazil international has finally completed his move back to his homeland as he leaves the Villans on loan to join boyhood club Vasco da Gama. As per earlier reports, the 32-year-old initially tried to terminate his contract to join Vasco on a permanent transfer as a free agent, however, his parent club did not agree and instead released him on a temporary deal.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Coutinho joined Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona in January 2022 before making his transfer permanent six months later. However, he failed to make an impact under Unai Emery and was sent out on loan to Qatari side Al-Duhail ahead of the 2023-24 season. The player still has two years left in his contract with the Premier League club.
WHAT ASTON VILLA SAID
The official statement on the midfielder's transfer from the club read: "Aston Villa can confirm that Philippe Coutinho has joined Vasco da Gama on a season-long loan. The Brazilian returns to his homeland having spent last term with Al Duhail. After signing for Villa initially on loan in January 2022, he went on to pen a permanent deal at Villa Park and has made 43 appearances for the club, scoring six goals."
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ASTON VILLA?
Emery's men will regroup on Wednesday for pre-season. They are scheduled to visit Slovakia briefly before heading to the US on tour.
Many within Tottenham are seriously impressed with a teenage talent yet to make his debut, as reliable journalist Alasdair Gold explains this week.
Spurs aiming to grow academy under Postecoglou
Planning for the future is one of Spurs' key goals as a club over the next few seasons, as already stated by manager Ange Postecoglou.
£26m forward's camp contacted by Tottenham as Levy eyes bargain summer deal
He’s been in fine form this season.
ByEmilio Galantini Mar 26, 2024
The north Londoners have already added exceptional talents to their roster, like Micky van de Ven and Brennan Johnson, while Lucas Bergvall is set to arrive in the summer after Spurs hijacked Barcelona's deal to sign him in the winter.
It is also believed that Tottenham are eyeing up the likes of AC Milan starlet Francesco Camarda and Club Brugge sensation Antonio Nusa, with Postecoglou aiming to make N17 a dream location for rising stars.
"Anyone who has watched us since I've joined will have seen the aspirations we have to be the kind of team we want to be," said Postecoglou on signing young players.
Luton Town (home)
March 30th
West Ham (away)
April 2nd
Nottingham Forest (home)
April 8th
Newcastle United (away)
April 13th
Arsenal (home)
April 28th
"That's not just me saying it, we're actually doing it. OK, we're not the finished product by any stretch but we're giving young players an opportunity: Destiny, Pape and Micky [are] all guys in their early 20s who have already played significant roles.
"So we're building a team. From our perspective it's pleasing and hopefully we become a club which is a preferred destination for talented young players. I've said the other day, there aren't too many hidden gems around. Everyone knows who the talents are. Hopefully our point of difference.. I've always felt your football is your biggest selling point beyond anything else. Hopefully we're showing evidence of that which is helping us."
Closer to home, the likes of Alfie Dorrington and Jamie Donley have already earned glowing praise from Postecoglou as promising assets off the N17 production line.
Another who could be one to watch, according to reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold, is young goalkeeper Luca Gunter.
Many within Tottenham seriously impressed by Gunter
Writing a piece, Gold explains that many within Tottenham have been left really impressed by Gunter, who is yet to make his senior debut. The 19-year-old has been a regular for Spurs Under-21s, and has already been hailed by pundit John Wenham.
Ange Postecoglou
“He’s established himself as the top goalkeeper in the under 18s. Of the two keepers we have at that level, he is the standout," said Wenham to Football Insider in 2021.
"That’s further backed up by the fact he is the England goalkeeper for that level as well. Hopefully he can carry on impressing this season and he can have another full season of Under 18 football next season.
“The season after that, he could do a year with the Under 23s. By that point he will still only be 18. Then in 2023 or 2024, that is the prime time to get him out on loan.
“There is a long way to go before then so hopefully he keeps impressing at Hotspur Way. He’s one I’m really excited about."