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European Leagues

Dessers In Top Form As Rangers Pip Hearts In Scottish League

Dessers In Top Form As Rangers Pip Hearts In Scottish League

Rangers’ players are “human beings, not robots”, says manager Phillipe Clement, after they toiled to an unconvincing win over Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

Despite a quick start, which was rewarded with an early Cyriel Dessers goal, Clement’s side failed to build on their early breakthrough and limped to victory to return to within nine points of pacesetters Celtic and Aberdeen.

Dessers’ 10th of the season, and third in three games, was the difference as both sides showed signs of a midweek European hangover.

The returning James Tavernier – who started on the bench against Olympiakos on Thursday – tore down the right and struck goalwards, and his effort appeared to be diverted past Craig Gordon by Dessers’ deft close-range touch.

“We made too many wrong choices with the ball and became too sloppy,” Clement said. “It’s the end of a very busy period, though, with a lot of travelling and they’re all human beings, not robots.

“We missed scoring the second goal and we know that until you get that goal the other team stays in the game, so I want us to kill the belief of the opponent faster.”

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Given Hearts haven’t won in Govan in over a decade, it would have been easy for Neil Critchley’s side to fold.

But, after their early punishment for a shaky start, the visitors found their feet and frustrated the Ibrox side and support.

The home crowd took a collective intake of breath when John Souttar sold Jack Butland short with a backpass and invited Kenneth Vargas to pounce, but the goalkeeper stood strong to thwart the Costa Rica international.

The lack of quality was consistent throughout, and Vargas squandered a superb chance seconds after the break as he watched an effort bounce back off a post when through on goal.

Substitute Beni Baningime came close, too, for Hearts but Neraysho Kasanwirjo went even closer for Rangers, crashing against the crossbar in added time.

But it proved immaterial as Rangers stretched their unbeaten run against the Tynecastle side – who remain second bottom – to 17 games.

Disjointed Rangers get job done… just
This was an all too familiar show for the restless Rangers support.

They had reason to be optimistic after a hard-fought and potentially precious point in Greece, and a sharp start here, but that positivity soon dissipated.

Instead of going for the jugular, Rangers retreated further and further and welcomed Hearts into their final third. Luckily, the visitors weren’t up to much once they got there.

The deeper the home side got on the pitch and the deeper the contest got, the more frustrated the fans and Clement grew at the disjointed and disappointing play.

Rangers know they can’t afford to lose anymore ground on the top two, and while they didn’t do that this weekend, performances of this ilk will not be enough to claw back the gap. And neither will they be tolerated.

Frustration at another missed chance
The takeaway from Thursday was that losing to Heidenheim was an opportunity missed for Hearts. There’s a case they’ll see this as one, too.

They started far too slowly and stuttered through the first 20 minutes or so, but then became the more dominant and commanding side, without troubling Butland’s goal all too much.

Doing the former at Ibrox is rare, the latter is all too familiar. And that’s where the frustration lies.

On the journey home, many in maroon will be left thinking a combination of ‘What if? How did that happen? And when will Lawrence Shankland score again?’.

 

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Premier League

BIG SHOCK! AI Predicts Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City Final Premier League Positions

BIG SHOCK! AI Predicts Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City Final Premier League Positions

The race for Champions League football remains wide open with Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Brighton, Fulham, Aston Villa and even ninth placed Bournemouth still in the mix.

The technology then predicted a tighter battle for the top four.

“Manchester City, the defending champions, have had an uncharacteristically poor season,” it said. “However, with players like Erling Haaland and a history of late surges, they could climb back to third or fourth, likely ending with around 75-80 points.

“Chelsea, under Enzo Maresca, have shown a resurgence and could sneak into the top four, possibly third, with their attacking flair and a solid finish to the season so far.”

Grok also stated that Brighton are in with a chance for European football but face some serious competition in the remaining matches.

“Nottingham Forest have been a surprise package,” Grok said. “Their 7-0 thrashing of Brighton in February highlights their potential, but maintaining that form might see them settle in fifth or sixth rather than cracking the top four.

“Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Brighton are also in the mix for European spots, with Newcastle’s recent upturn and Villa’s Champions League distractions possibly influencing their final positions.”

Brighton and Hove Albion are still in the mix for Champions League football as the Premier League reaches the final stages.

The Seagulls, who along with the rest of the top flight have paused for the international break, are currently seventh in the table and just one point off qualification for Europe’s elite club competition.

There are nine Premier League fixtures remaining for Fabian Hurzeler’s team and they are also through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup where they face Nottingham Forest on March 29 at the Amex Stadium.

Albion’s next league clash is at home to Aston Villa on April 2, with their remaining matches Crystal Place (a), Leicester City (h), Brentford (a), West Ham (h), Brighton (h), Wolves (a), Liverpool (h) and Tottenham (a).

Hurzeler’s men are however on a good run of form. They have won five and drawn once of their last six and a strong finish could well see them in Europe once again.

The fixtures against Aston Villa, old rivals Palace and Graham Potter’s West Ham could be key to their chances.

It’s a tight race to predict, so Sussex World asked Grok AI, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, for a Premier League prediction.

Unsurprisingly Grok praised Liverpool and Arne Slot for an “outstanding season” so far and tipped “valiant” Arsenal to finish second.

Here’s Grok’s verdict
1 Liverpool – 94 points 2 Arsenal – 85 points 3 Chelsea – 78 points 4 Manchester City – 76 points 5 Nottingham Forest – 70 points 6 Newcastle United – 68 points.

7 Aston Villa – 65 points, 8 Brighton & Hove Albion – 62 points, 9 Tottenham Hotspur – 60 points, 10 Manchester United – 58 points, 11 Fulham – 54 points,12 Bournemouth – 52 points.

13 Crystal Palace – 50 points, 14 West Ham United – 48 points, 15 Everton – 45 points, 16 Wolverhampton Wanderers – 42 points, 17 Brentford – 40 points, 18 Leicester City – 34 points (Relegated) 19 Southampton – 30 points (Relegated), 20 Ipswich Town – 25 points (Relegated).

Source: sussexexpress

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European Leagues

Lamine Yamal Slams At Rafael van der Vaart After Victory

Lamine Yamal Slams At Rafael van der Vaart After Victory

Lamine Yamal has quipped back at Rafael van der Vaart’s “pants down” jibe after helping Spain beat Netherlands in Sunday’s UEFA Nations League quarterfinal.

Yamal scored Spain’s third goal in a pulsating 3-3 draw at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, with La Roja going on to win on penalties and set up a semifinal against France in June.

The 17-year-old missed his penalty in the shootout, but he still took to social media after the game to respond to former Dutch international Van der Vaart, who had criticised him for his attitude and for wearing his shorts low before the game.

“Shorts down, a goal, a missed penalty and INTO THE SEMIFINAL, COME ON SPAIN!” the Barcelona winger wrote on Instagram.

Yamal’s post included a series of photos, one featuring Van der Vaart’s face alongside an image of him walking off the pitch after the win with his shorts pulled lower than normal.

“I see things that are starting to bother me a little,” Van der Vaart said about Yamal after the first leg, a 2-2 in Rotterdam last Thursday.

“Pants a little lower, not making much of an effort, slightly superficial gestures.

“That’s when I think: if you’re that young, you should be happy with every minute you play for Spain. No matter how good you are, at that age, you have to prove it every minute and in every game.”

Despite his age, Yamal has never shied away from responding to criticism from senior or retired players.

He told Adrien Rabiot to “speak now” and “checkmate” after knocking France out of the European Championship last summer following comments made by the midfielder pre-match.

Yamal experienced some nervous moment in the shootout against Netherlands after seeing his spot kick saved by Bart Verbruggen.

However, Unai Simón kept out Donyell Malen’s penalty and Pedri then scored the winning kick to send Spain into the semifinals.

“I said to him ‘What a s–t penalty,” Barça midfielder Pedri joked of his message to Yamal after his miss.

“But no, you learn from these situations. He is not affected by pressure and you have to take a penalty to miss one.

“His calmness has always surprised us. It’s as if pressure doesn’t exist for him when you see the ease with which he dribbles and how he plays. He’s someone we have to take care of and, above all, enjoy.”

Pedri and Yamal are part of a group of Barça players who now face a quick turnaround as they race back to their club for Thursday’s rearranged LaLiga fixture against Osasuna.

“We are a little tired, but we’re Barça, if they say we have to play Thursday we will, and we will give everything to win LaLiga,” Pedri added.

The game could be decisive in the title race. Barça are currently tied at the top of the table with Real Madrid, four points clear of Atlético Madrid, but have this game in hand.

However, they are likely to be without Ronald Araújo and Raphinha on Thursday, with both players in action on Tuesday in South America in World Cup qualifying games.

The club’s other international players should all be back in time, with Spain’s Under-21 side allowing Fermín López, Pablo Torre and Gerard Martín to return to their club early and miss Tuesday’s game against Germany.

 

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LaLiga

Wojciech Szczesny Ready For Contract Renewal With Barcelona

Wojciech Szczesny Ready For Contract Renewal With Barcelona

Wojciech Szczesny joined FC Barcelona following Marc Andre Ter Stegen’s serious injury that was expected to keep the German goalkeeper out till the end of the season.

The Pole had already retired at the end of the last season but came back from retirement to join the Blaugrana side. However, for several months after his arrival, it looked like he would not have an important role in the squad as Inaki Pena continued to be a starter.

However, Szczesny was working behind the scenes to regain the sharpness that he had lost because of the months spent in retirement. He got his first opportunity to don the Blaugrana jersey only after the turn of the year, but since then, he has never looked back and is currently the fixed starter for Hansi Flick over Inaki Pena.

Owing to his importance in the team, there has been speculation of a contract renewal for the Pole. Both Deco and Flick were reportedly ready to extend his stay at the Catalan team, but previously, the goalkeeper had made it clear that he would make a final decision in this regard only at the end of the season.

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Szczesny has already given his go-ahead for a contract renewal with Barcelona. With this new contract, he will remain for another season at the Blaugrana club, while also having another optional year.

Thus, both parties agree that they should continue working together beyond the length of this season, and have already got down to work to make the renewal a reality. However, there are still some details on which the two sides need to agree before the new contract can be finalised.

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