Focue Provides the Latest and Most Up-to-Date News, What You Focus On is What You Get.
⎯ 《 Focue • Com 》
Last season is a long time ago – Mauricio Pochettino looks forward with Chelsea
Last season is a long time ago – Mauricio Pochettino looks forward with Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino insisted Chelsea have put the disappointment of last season behind them after watching his new-look team open their Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The hosts endured a difficult start against Jurgen Klopp’s side and deservedly fell behind to a breakaway goal by Luis Diaz after 18 minutes, guided into the bottom corner from Mohamed Salah’s fine pass. They were saved from going further behind when VAR intervened to rule out Salah’s strike for offside as Liverpool dominated for much of the first half. But Chelsea slowly eased their way back and were level when defender Axel Disasi, making his first start, stole in to touch home from Ben Chilwell’s header eight minutes before the break. VAR was called upon again to disallow Chilwell’s goal two minutes later, but thereafter Pochettino’s side settled and were a ready threat to Liverpool’s back line, with debutant striker Nicolas Jackson spurning the best chance when he fired over the bar from six yards. The manager reflected on a performance in which he felt his team showed the traumas of last season, when the club failed to challenge for silverware and finished a dismal 12th, had been exorcised. “I agree from the beginning it was tough, it was difficult,” he said. “Liverpool were better after 15-20 minutes but we started to find our ways to play and our position and what we were working on. And after that, the performance was really good. “We scored and after we showed a great performance. I think we deserved to win, we conceded only one shot on target against a team like Liverpool. “(I am) so pleased. It is only the start, the beginning. I can say thank you to the players. “When we arrived here the first day, we don’t talk about the past, it is a long time ago. You need to move on, even if you are thinking about what happened a few seconds before, it moves on. “The most important action in football is the next one and that is what we want to settle. We want to talk about the present and the future. We showed the belief and the team keep fighting.” With the teams still locked in a battle to sign Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, the need for more steel and control was evident in both midfields as attack got the better of defence and the middle of the pitch appeared porous for much of the game. Chelsea remain in pole position to win the race for his signature, with the Ecuador international believed to favour a move to west London over Klopp’s side. Pochettino would not be drawn on the progress of any deal but confirmed that the club were still looking to reinforce in midfield before the end of the transfer window. He was also keen to point to his team’s success in limiting the visitors to a single shot on target during the game. “Today we concede only one shot on target and we concede a goal, against Liverpool,” he said. “We need good players and to improve the squad, yes, but that is not new and we are working very hard. “It is about (trying) to find the right profile, the right player, but the team was solid. We concede only one shot on target against Liverpool but for sure we need to create more chances, to have the capacity to score more goals. I think it is the first step.” The manager hinted that the decision to leave goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga out of the squad, with Robert Sanchez selected for his Chelsea debut, was down to reported interest from Real Madrid. “The reason he has to explore different situations, different possibilities,” he said. “Yesterday we were talking and the decision is to have all the players who are committed to being in Chelsea for the season.” Klopp said that he had no issue with the reaction of Salah when he was brought off during the second half. The forward, who has scored in his first game of the season in each year of his Anfield career and struck the crossbar at Stamford Bridge, was visibly unhappy to be taken off as his side sought a winning goal, but the manager said he felt it was a natural response. “I can understand because if Mo scored it would have been a new record for goals scored in the opening game but I didn’t think about that,” he said. “We needed stability and we needed fresh legs. It was super intense for everybody. That’s all I can say about it. His reaction was absolutely OK.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Key talking points as the new Premier League season gets under way Lilia Vu wins second major as Charley Hull comes up short despite stunning eagle Ange Postecoglou praises Tottenham’s resilience following Harry Kane’s departure
2023-08-14 03:54
PIF-Backed Driller’s IPO to Price at Top, Raising $1.2 Billion
PIF-Backed Driller’s IPO to Price at Top, Raising $1.2 Billion
ADES Holding Co.’s initial public offering is expected to raise as much as $1.2 billion in what’s set
2023-09-14 14:54
Rescue dog that helped find lost kids in Amazon is now missing
Rescue dog that helped find lost kids in Amazon is now missing
Six-year-old tracker dog Wilson, who went missing during the ultimately successful, weeks-long search for four missing Indigenous children in the Colombian Amazon, is now the...
2023-06-14 08:39
French court to rule in November on UBS' tax evasion appeal -UBS lawyer
French court to rule in November on UBS' tax evasion appeal -UBS lawyer
By Mathieu Rosemain and Noele Illien PARIS France's top court will rule on Nov. 15 on an appeal
2023-09-27 20:15
Man Utd miss yet another crucial turning point to lurch to new crisis levels
Man Utd miss yet another crucial turning point to lurch to new crisis levels
For all that Erik ten Hag discussed refereeing decisions in public, he struck a different tone in the privacy of the Parken dressing room. “It will turn,” he told his Manchester United players. “One moment in the season it will turn in our favour." The assertiveness was at least striking, but it's hard to know whether that still has the same effect. If only his team were so sure of themselves. This is why it’s difficult to have much faith in what the Manchester United manager said in the aftermath of another farcical defeat, this time 4-3 to Copenhagen. Ten Hag argued that so many individual moments and decisions are going against his team but, even if that’s true, it doesn’t feel like that is the main factor in these miserable results. It is more how vulnerable United repeatedly look after those moments go against them. They are a team that plays under a huge weight - of history, of form, of expectation. It clearly feeds into a huge anxiety. They become a team that plays with fear. The problem with Ten Hag’s “one moment” is that it’s become evident that moment can be so quickly undone by what follows. It could even be argued that's repeatedly what's happened. They've arguably already had a series of such moments, from Rasmus Hojlund's goal against Galatasaray to Andre Onana's penalty save against Copenhagen and Bruno Fernandes' penalty strike in Parken. They were all squandered. Worse than squandered. Such reprieves were just followed by collapses that were all the more exquisite in their haplessness. That’s how United can somehow come up with new calamities that are different to the last. It is genuinely remarkable for a club this wealthy and this distinguished. There’s always some new farce around the corner. That plays into what is almost the most alarming prospect right now. In situations like this, the tendency is usually to survey the fixture list and see where you might pick up points. For United, though, any notionally forgiving game just raises the prospect for more punishment; more criticism. This match at Parken was the ninth defeat in 17, after all. It was also a case in point. Copenhagen are a well-run and smart club that are clearly overperforming but the vast gap in resources means it should still be the sort of game that allows United to settle, while setting them on the way to second place in the group. Worse, that was actually exactly what it was, in two separate spells. United were 2-0 up and cruising and then 3-2 up and comfortable. How it went from those situations to raucous Copenhagen celebrations… United’s capacity for calamity is now a direct inverse of their old ability to win out of nothing. It’s not quite a sense of inevitability in the same way but it is that constant possibility something can go badly wrong. Copenhagen, as their manager Jacob Neestrup virtually admitted, could smell it. They felt the opportunity. And, again, Ten Hag can fairly point to so many decisions going against him like that Marcus Rashford red card; like the offside in front of Andre Onana. It’s just that, rather than competently see out the game in the way a side as expensively assembled as United should, there was that knowledge that this was about to get interesting. Rather than any kind of control, chaos once more engulfed United. There are other reasons for this than just basic psychology. Ten Hag doesn’t have the team playing as he wants. There have been personnel issues, especially with injuries. But, even there, what of a relatively expensive signing like Raphael Varane? How could a player as accomplished as that produce a performance as bad as this? That late attempt at a pass said so much, while setting the tone for what followed. This game perhaps laid bare that Ten Hag simply wasn't picking him because he just wasn’t at the level. Instead, the Leicester City central defensive partnership from 2019 were chosen to start this crucial Champions League match. That isn’t intended as a slight on either Jonny Evans or Harry Maguire, it’s more just the starkness of what it states about United’s team building. All of this has already been discussed repeatedly over the past few weeks and there’s only so many times you can say the same things without being desensitised, but that’s also the entire point. Even amid all that, United find new ways to astound. As much as players have individual responsibility in all of this, you could forgive each and every one of them thinking what they have got involved with. Likewise Ten Hag, but then he was specifically chosen to turn all of this around; to be transformative. His team right now only seem to be transforming the semblance of competence into yet another collapse. So, a fixture as forgiving as Luton Town at home this weekend isn’t so much a chance to set things back on track but an afternoon fraught with risk. Likewise this Copenhagen match. Likewise a game the entire season could hinge on at Galatasaray. United’s consistent confusion has at least brought a form of clarity there. They know they need to avoid defeat to Galatasary to stay in the Champions League, and prevent a third group stage elimination in six campaigns in the competition. That is just more historical weight to go with that from this fixture in Istanbul. “Welcome to hell” was the infamous banner at that Champions League elimination 30 years ago. United are currently in a strange purgatory. Read More Erik ten Hag rages at ‘three tough decisions’ in Manchester United defeat Manchester United’s latest farce points to an early Champions League exit Copenhagen vs Man Utd LIVE: Champions League result and reaction Manchester United must pass Copenhagen test to stop their Champions League rot Manchester United receive devastating Casemiro injury update Eddie Howe makes no apologies for Newcastle’s no-nonsense approach to winning
2023-11-09 16:23
BMW Plugs £600 Million Into Electric Minis in Win for UK
BMW Plugs £600 Million Into Electric Minis in Win for UK
BMW AG will invest in the 110-year-old plant where the Mini brand was born to make electric models,
2023-09-11 16:11
Google Veteran Steps Down as Manager in Cloud Shakeup, CNBC Says
Google Veteran Steps Down as Manager in Cloud Shakeup, CNBC Says
One of Google’s earliest and most senior employees will step back from an executive management role, in a
2023-07-12 13:01
Bad Bunny hailed as doing 'God's work' after sharing 'bush' photo on Instagram
Bad Bunny hailed as doing 'God's work' after sharing 'bush' photo on Instagram
Kendall Jenner's boyfriend, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny has set pulses racing when he shared a very uncensored selfie of himself on Instagram. The 29-year-old 'Tití Me Preguntó' star shared numerous images on his Instagram Stories on Sunday including one of himself in the shower wearing nothing at all. The uncaptioned and dimly lit photo left little to the imagination and much like his partner, seems to have avoided any consequences from Instagram's strict nudity rules. Quite how he managed to take a photo of himself in the shower or why he had his phone with him perhaps seems beyond the point at this stage but the eye-opening pictures have certainly caused a stir online amongst his fanbase. One person wrote: "just saw bad bunny's ig story and SIRR I WAS NOT READY." Another added: "Doing God’s work." A third said: "It’s Bunny Kardashian not Bad Bunny." This internet-breaking post comes off the back of Bunny appearing to officially confirm that he and Jenner are an item. While filming a squirrel, Bunny can be heard telling Jenner, who he has been dating for five months "“Mami be careful, the mosquitos.” Both Bad Bunny and Jenner have been spotted in public together several times which has prompted memes and accusations that the supermodel was editing out her boyfriend from her posts. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-28 19:48
New Total War game in the works at Creative Assembly
New Total War game in the works at Creative Assembly
It comes after the success of 'Total War: Warhammer III', which proved a hit with critics.
1970-01-01 08:00
Jacklyn Zeman: 5 unknown facts about 'General Hospital' actress who died at 70
Jacklyn Zeman: 5 unknown facts about 'General Hospital' actress who died at 70
Jacklyn Zeman was best known for her role as Barbara 'Bobbie' Spencer on 'General Hospital'
1970-01-01 08:00
'The Masked Singer' Season 10 theme nights full lineup: FOX show to honor Elton John's music and career
'The Masked Singer' Season 10 theme nights full lineup: FOX show to honor Elton John's music and career
From Trolls Night to Harry Potter Night, FOX brings in exciting new themes for 'The Masked Singer' Season 10
2023-09-28 06:30
'Most rigged season': Fans slam 'American Idol' Season 21 for Megan Danielle's 'unfair' elimination
'Most rigged season': Fans slam 'American Idol' Season 21 for Megan Danielle's 'unfair' elimination
Megan Danielle performs her original song during 'American Idol' Season 21 finale
2023-05-22 12:47