Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes Cristiano Ronaldo is still capable of scoring over 20 goals a season despite limiting the 37-year-old’s game time so far this season.

Ronaldo was dropped from the United squad for last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea after refusing to come on as a substitute four days previously in a 2-0 win over Tottenham.

The performance against Spurs was hailed as the best of Ten Hag’s reign so far and further evidence that United are a better team without the presence of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

But Ronaldo made a goalscoring return to the starting line-up for Thursday’s 3-0 Europa League win over Sheriff Tiraspol.

The Portuguese now has three goals in 13 appearances in all competitions this season.

But Ten Hag did not rule out the prospect of him matching his 24 goals last season.

“It’s up to him,” said Ten Hag. “But I think when you collect all the chances he creates, the team creates for him in the last weeks, you see he’s still capable to get in the right positions and I know he’s still capable of finishing them so it’s possible.”

Ronaldo has made just two Premier League starts under Ten Hag with the vast majority of his minutes coming in the Europa League.

But the former Ajax boss rejected the suggestion he is using Europe’s second-tier competition as a way of giving Ronaldo the time on the pitch he craves.

“I don’t have a Europe team and I don’t have a Premier League team,” Ten Hag added.

“I look to the opponent, what we need against such opponent. Now I have to focus on West Ham United for Sunday.

“Then we will pick the team to start but also to have plan B or plan C in the pocket to win that game.

“That’s what we need finally, to win games, and therefore we not only need 11 players, we need the whole squad.”

After a disastrous start to his time in charge, there have been positive signs of United’s improvement under Ten Hag in recent weeks.

But they have often failed to make their dominance of the game count in the scoreline in a run of two wins from their last five league games.

“To develop the team takes time,” said Ten Hag. “You can’t go from zero to 100.

“You have to construct it from downstairs – you need the foundation before you go to the top, to the roof.

“Unfortunately it takes time and I don’t have time. I’m really the most impatient, but I have to be. It’s quite clear.

“Now we have to do also more on developing our attacking game but also that’s the most difficult part so it takes even more time.”

Source: AFP

The Republic of Ireland Men’s Under-17s have qualified for the Elite Round of the UEFA European Championship qualifiers following a 1-1 draw with Norway in Sarpsborg this evening.

Nickson Okosun’s first-half strike cancelled out Fanuel Temesgen Tewelde’s opener but Ireland can thank Waterford’s Jason Healy who saved a second-half spot kick to keep the game level . That save earned the point required for Ireland to advance to the next stage of the competition and puts them in the draw for the Elite Phase in December.

Ireland went into the game knowing if they avoided defeat they would qualify for the next stage. After soaking up early pressure from the hosts, Norway were eventually able to breach the Irish backline.

Norway pressed Ireland high and forced an error that led to Fanuel Temesgen Tewelde finding the corner with a finish in the 29th minute.

But this sparked Ireland into life and seven minutes later Bohemians’ Okosun was able to take advantage of hesitancy in Norwegian defence and goalkeeper Daniel Sætren and deliver a composed finished from the edge of the area into an empty net.

The teams would go in at half-time all square and it was Norway pushing to regain their lead in early stages of the second half.

But the crucial point in the game came in the 68th minute when the hosts were were awarded a penalty.

Jake Grante was adjudged to have tripped Gustav Nyheim and the spotkick was given. Walle Egeli’s powerful low penalty was superbly saved by Healy who denied the striker down to his left.

Healy then immediately set-up a counter attack led by Cory O’Sullivan but the Norwegian defence were able to snuff out the danger in time to keep the game level.

With Belarus needing a win and a significant swing in goal difference both teams knew they would advance to the next stage and neither goalkeeper faced too much pressure and the game ended 1-1.

Norway: Sætren, Bjurstrøm, Heredia-Randen, Børset, Kvale, El-Abdellaoui (Thorvaldsen, 84), Jatta, Temesgen Tewelde (Nyhammer, 84), Nypan, Kjølstad Nyheim, Walle Egeli

Republic of Ireland: Healy, Babb, Grante, C. O’Sullivan, Mackey, Turley ©, McGrath, Okosun, Orazi (Melia, 83), Mooney (Razi, 70), Akachukwu

Referee: Jan Machálek (Czechia)

UEFA European Under-17 Championship Round One results

Thursday, October 20 | Republic of Ireland MU17 4-0 Armenia MU17

Sunday, October 23 | Republic of Ireland MU17 2-2 Belarus MU17

Wednesday, October 26 | Norway MU17 1-1 Republic of Ireland MU17

Culled from The FAI

Barcelona exited the Champions League at the group phase for the second season running on Wednesday, a 3-0 home defeat by Bayern Munich rubbing salt in the wound after their fate was sealed 700 kilometres away.

Inter Milan beat Viktoria Plzen at San Siro before kick-off at Camp Nou, ensuring Barcelona would drop into the Europa League again despite their lavish summer expenditure on Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Raphinha and other players.

With the club 1.3 billion euros ($1.31 billion) in debt at the end of 2021, Barcelona president Joan Laporta pulled “palancas” — levers — all summer long, like a Las Vegas slot machine, until he had cashed out the 865 million euro jackpot he was looking for.

In came those star names, plus a raft of other signings including Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso, as coach Xavi Hernandez and the board revamped their squad, hunting for instant success.

The cost of their deals was 49 percent of their production arm Barca Studios sold to Socios and Orpheus Media, raising 200 million euros, and 25 percent of their La Liga television rights for the next 25 years sold to US investment firm Sixth Street across two deals, for around 665 million euros.

Enthusiasm soared in Catalonia and attendances rose after the disillusionment of last season, with 84,000 at Camp Nou on Wednesday, despite the improbability, and quickly, impossibility, of the Bayern match being anything beyond an exercise to salvage some pride.

Change has come slower than Barcelona hoped for in Europe and their only win in five group stage matches was over Viktoria Plzen. The Czech minnows’ defeat by Inter left Barcelona with the ignominy of being able to watch in the dressing room as their fate was sealed even before they took to the pitch.

“We didn’t compete today, being knocked out before the game affected us,” Xavi said.

“It was a difficult group and everything went against us. It was cruel.”

Swatted with ease

The elimination did not dampen the atmosphere at Camp Nou, which was one of the finest in a long time, in stark contrast to what the supporters were watching on the pitch.

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was injured but Barcelona did not manage to trouble his replacement Sven Ulreich even once. Bayern swatted Barcelona with ease, with goals from Sadio Mane, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Benjamin Pavard, and Xavi admitted it.

“It was a beating, a tough blow, a huge disappointment,” said the coach.

“They were a lot better than us. In Munich, we were better, but we weren’t today. It’s not hard for me to say it, Bayern were better in many ways. We were not enough in a footballing sense.”

For all their certainty they now had a squad that could compete in Europe, this curtailed campaign was a reality check.

Xavi admitted earlier in October that if the team did not win anything this season then he would likely be sacked, despite his rich playing history with the club and some improvements since his arrival as coach.

“We have a team that can win titles, that’s what I think,” said Xavi. “(After the Clasico) my phone was filled with messages of support, it was like a family member had died. This is Barca and there are no transition seasons.

“We had half of last season to get things in order. The president said there would be consequences and maybe first of all for me. If we don’t win titles then another coach will come in and try.”

Financially the club could lose around 20 million euros in prize money for failing to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, as they had budgeted for, as well as potential income from ticket sales and broadcasting. That would be offset by any Europa League revenue and not having to pay out some bonuses for European success in players’ contracts.

Still, after the heavy summer expenditure, another humiliating early exit rankles. Despite Lewandowski’s supreme form in La Liga, he failed to net in either match against Bayern, his former side.

For all the spending, it was homegrown left-back Alejandro Balde who shone brightest against the Bavarians, a nod towards the other path that debt-ridden Barcelona could have chosen.

Source:  AFP

Borussia Dortmund’s 17-year-old forward Youssoufa Moukoko has reportedly been included in Germany’s preliminary squad for the World Cup.

Union Berlin midfielder Rani Khedira, Borussia Mönchengladbach defender Luca Netz and Werder Bremen forward Niclas Füllkrug — who is joint top scorer in the Bundesliga with eight goals — all made coach Hansi Flick’s preliminary list, German tabloid Bild said on Tuesday.

National team coaches had to submit their selection of up to 55 players before a deadline of Oct. 21 to ensure their eligibility for the tournament, which starts Nov. 20. Any players who don’t make the preliminary selections will not feature in Qatar.

Moukoko has scored four goals and set up three more in 10 Bundesliga appearances so far for Dortmund this season. Khedira, the younger brother of 2014 World Cup winner Sami Khedira, has started every Bundesliga game for Union and helped the modest club surprisingly lead the table. The 19-year-old Netz is seen as a good prospect for the future.

There have been calls for Flick to include Füllkrug in the final squad as the Bremen striker’s strong physical presence creates opportunities for teammates. The 29-year-old Füllkrug has eight goals and three assists in the Bundesliga so far.

Bild only reported 44 names. It wasn’t clear if Flick had included more. The Germany coach is due to announce his 26-player final squad on Nov. 10 and didn’t want his initial selection published.

Germany has its last World Cup warmup game against Oman on Nov. 16. The four-time champion has been drawn in Group E and plays Japan on Nov. 23, Spain on Nov. 27, and Costa Rica on Dec. 1.

Source: Superstar.the Hindu

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said on Tuesday his team had to try and beat Bayern Munich this week even if their Champions League fate is already sealed by kick-off.

The Catalans could be eliminated if Inter Milan beat Czech minnows Viktoria Plzen at home before they face Bayern on Wednesday.

“We’ll watch (that game) on television all together in the dressing room,” said Xavi. “Regardless of what happens in Milan, we have to show that we can compete.

“We are extremely motivated to show we can compete with them, we will go out with the same intensity we showed against Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao. We have to match them.”

Barcelona have only won one of their first four Champions League matches and were beaten 2-0 in Munich in September despite putting in a good performance and creating several chances.

The German champions have beaten Barcelona each of the last five times they have faced each other, including 8-2 in Lisbon and two 3-0 wins last season in the group phase.

After heavy summer expenditure, including signing striker Robert Lewandowski from Bayern, Barcelona had hoped to be able to demonstrate they could challenge for the Champions League.

Xavi said he would not change the starting line-up to rest key players if Inter won and Barcelona were knocked out.

“I have already decided the team,” he said. “It will only change if there is an injury or problem, it’s not related to what happens in Milan.”

Barcelona were knocked out in the group phase last season and dropped into the Europa League, where they were beaten by eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals.

“If in the end we wind up in the Europa League we will go out to compete like lions and try to win it,” added Xavi.

“I am always positive, but when it’s no longer in your hands, you aren’t so positive, it’s logical, it’s human.”

Source: AFP