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Barcelona Faces Injury Dilemma In Crucial Matches

Hansi Flick is experiencing a similar injury dilemma that Xavi faced while at Barcelona last season, four games into the new La Liga season.

However, there is one major difference: while Xavi’s injury troubles did not emerge until October, Flick has been forced to begin his La Liga campaign with a long list of injured players.

According to Mundo Deportivo, this has left the German coach managing an average of five injured players per match. In contrast, Xavi’s team had just two injuries on average during the early stages of his season, even though, by October, he was at times missing up to eight players from the squad.

Flick’s challenges were clear from the very first match of the season against Valencia. Key players like Ansu Fati, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi were unavailable due to injury, making it a tough start.

On top of this, Dani Olmo was not registered for that match, further complicating matters. As the season progressed, Andreas Christensen became available during the second game week.

If things go well, Ansu might even receive medical clearance soon, providing a much-needed boost to Flick’s options.

Xavi’s problems last season
Last season, Xavi’s squad was not very large either. He had just 19 first-team players, along with three young talents from the academy – Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal, and later Fermin Lopez.

This brought his total squad count to 22 players. In the first four games of Xavi’s season, injuries were limited to just two or three key players, such as Araujo, Pedri, and Inigo Martinez.

Still, it was far from the scale of Flick’s current situation. Unfortunately for Xavi, the injury crisis worsened as the season moved into October, with up to eight players being sidelined at the same time.

This included stars like Jules Kounde, Balde, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, and Robert Lewandowski.

The first major blow came when Pedri picked up an injury in August, and by October, Balde had joined the growing list of sidelined players.

Within a span of just three weeks, Xavi’s side was plagued by injuries to several important figures in the squad, disrupting his tactical plans. As a result of these setbacks, Xavi had no choice but to turn to Fermin and other young players to fill in the gaps.

News

Southwest Zonal Eliminations: Lagos Records Big Wins In Handball, Hockey, Football, Basketball

Lagos handball teams delivered impressive wins against Oyo State on day one of the South-West Zonal Eliminations of the National Sports Festival, holding in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The men’s team eased to a commanding 40-14 victory before the women’s team secured 23-15 victory at the handball court of Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort, Akanran.

In Basketball, Lagos women’s team defeated Ondo 47-39 after a show of resilience, commitment and determination in their first match. Their second match is against Oyo State on Wednesday (today).

Lagos hockey team also recorded wins in their games. The women’s team thrashed Oyo 3-0, while the men’s team lone goal was enough to secure three points against Ekiti.

In beach volleyball, Lagos proved the level of their performance and conveniently dispatched Oyo 2-0. In football, Lagos female team defeated Oyo 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Bada Mistura in a game played inside the main bowl of the Liberty Stadium. The male team were later forced to a 1-1 draw against Ekiti

Speaking on the first day of the South-West Zonal Elimination Ball Games, the Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu noted that the athletes have demonstrated exceptional capacity and dominance over their opponents.

“So, I think it’s a good one for Lagos state.It is the first day of the zonal elimination qualifiers. With what we have experienced today in terms of the outcomes from the different Games. We are very optimistic and positive that at the end of the day we’re going to come victorious overall.”

Fatodu added that the performance of the state athletes in their different games has been thrilling and exciting, especially with the presence of personnel of the Lagos State Sports Commission, serving as a morale booster and source of encouragement to keep soaring high.

“With what is playing out, it’s going to yield a positive results. From what we have gathered today, they are particularly appreciative and they have confide that our presence means so much to them in terms of their mental positivity, approach towards the Games and in terms of their attitude on the field of play. It is expected that it will yield positive results for us”, Fatodu submitted.

The Director General further reiterated that, “We are not in any way in doubt that our athletes will show very, very well. Because of the fact that all the necessary things that they need to do well have been provided by Mr.Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. We need to thank Mr. Governor for his commitment and always supporting sports in terms of logistics, welfare, transportation, feeding, and security. Everything is top-notch”.

Team Lagos will continue to bank on the records of dominance at the South-West as the qualifiers inch towards its conclusion, with the chance to secure slots for all ball games at the 22nd National Sports Festival – the ‘Gateway Games’ billed for Abeokuta, Ogun State in May.

News

Elo Akose, NDSF logo designer celebrates his emergence

Elo Akose, the winner of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) logo design competition, has expressed delight to see his work gaining national traction through extensive media campaign as preparations for the festival heightens.

Akose, who received a reward of N250,000 prize money, commended the organisers of the contest for providing a platform for youths to showcase their artistic talents in design.

Akose’s entry emerged the best from over 300 others that were submitted to a panel of judges set up by the project consultants, Dunamis Icon, weeks ago. The design has since been officially put to use.

“I counted myself lucky to have had my entry selected from the over 300 submitted by other contestants and would like to thank the organisers of the Niger Delta Sports Festival for the opportunity given to all of us, the contestants to be part of this project,” Akose told NDSF Media.

Akose works with Smax Digital Prints and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education (Economics) from the Delta State University.

The NDSF, the first intervention of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as part of its 25th anniversary, will hold in Akwa Ibom State from April 1 to 9. Over 3,000 athletes are expected to participate in 17 sports.