MBAPPÉ’S DEMAND: THE TWO KEY FACTORS HE REQUESTS FROM REAL MADRID AND PSG

 Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé can begin signing a pre-contract once the calendar turns to 2024. The 24-year-old will become a free agent, and there’s no doubt he will have demands on whoever he signs with.

While there are economic demands that the Frenchman has, there are also requests that he will put on the table for Real Madrid, PSG, or any club attempting to sign him.

Defensa Central reports that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner set forth two non-negotiable demands for Real Madrid as he contemplates a move to the Spanish giants.

The first and perhaps the most unusual of the two requests relates to international duty. Mbappé seeks assurance that he can actively represent France in the 2024 Olympic Games held in Paris.

Unlike other football competitions, Olympic participation is contingent upon the agreement of the player’s club, as it does not fall within the recognized FIFA dates.

Why this demand? He probably doesn’t want to pass on the opportunity to win a gold medal in his hometown. The second request highlights Mbappé’s desire for a well-considered and unhurried decision-making process, which is a more conventional approach.

The player suggests that he wishes to delay the finalization of his move to Real Madrid until March or April. Mbappé is known for his deliberate approach to crucial career decisions. As a result, rushing into a January signing does not align with his preferred modus operandi.

Source:https://onefootball.com/en/news/mbappes-demand-the-two-key-factors-he-requests-from-real-madrid-and-psg-38594824

OUR 3️⃣ POINTS AS ENGLAND END EURO 2024 QUALIFYING WITH UNBEATEN RECORD

Changes were inevitable as England’s Euro 2024 qualification campaign wound down, as Harry Kane’s benching attested.

Gareth Southgate elected to rest his captain from the start in favour of allowing Ollie Watkins to lead the line in Skopje.

But with the visitors struggling to land a meaningful glove on their opponents, Kane was called upon as the cavalry.

Within 40 seconds of replacing Watkins, the Bayern Munich striker had helped his country level via Jani Atanasov’s deflection.

Kane’s introduction should not have been necessary to restore parity but that tells its own story of how badly England labour without him.

Southgate will not look back fondly on his side’s two most recent outings as much as the supporters who had to endure them both.

An unbeaten qualification record may have remained intact until the last, yet like the win over Malta, there was little to inspire confidence.

This was the first time England had failed to beat a low-ranked nation since they were held by Slovenia at the outset of Southgate’s tenure in 2016.

They have also been reliant on own goals in successive games for the first time since the 2006 World Cup campaign while being winless in back-to-back away outings since the dark days of Steve McClaren.

At a time when Southgate’s pedigree is increasingly under the microscope, he could have done without more damned statistics to compound it.

It’s fair to say that Rico Lewis will probably want to forget his senior England debut in a hurry.

A controversial VAR decision that saw the Euro 2020 finalists trailing at the interval is likely to be his abiding memory.

Yet Lewis still more than made the most of his opportunity in the spotlight after a mounting injury crisis at left-back.

The Manchester City teenager overcame his first-half misfortune to deliver an energetic and otherwise solid performance.

Hopes have been high for some time at the Etihad Stadium that Lewis is the next great hope to emerge from their production line.

And despite the headlines, the 18-year-old more than held his own on an otherwise testing night for his country.

Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/our-3-points-as-england-end-euro-2024-qualifying-with-unbeaten-record-38594198

Luciano Spalletti on Italy’s Euro 2024 qualification: “It wasn’t easy”

 

Italy manager Luciano Spalletti has spoken out after the Azzurri picked up a point from their game against Ukraine to qualify for the Euros in 2024.

 

Italy will be defending their European Championships crown next year in Germany, as they needed only a point against Ukraine to qualify. In what was a very physical and high-intensity game, Ukraine could have won a penalty late in the game as Bryan Cristante seemed to have brought down Mykhailo Mudryk but VAR didn’t even stop play to check the offence.

Luckily, Italy held on for a goalless draw and Spalletti spoke to Rai Sport (via TMW) after the game, praising Ukraine for their performance.

The ex-Napoli boss said: “It wasn’t easy and nothing can be taken for granted in football in general. Today, we played a good match because in the first half we had many opportunities to secure the result. Then when you didn’t manage to do so, the match became dirtier and more physical. They put in more physical players but in at that moment we no longer play football. Ukraine showed that they are an equipped team and that they gave us a hard time.”

Italy seem on track to finish second in their group, as they are currently six points behind leaders England. They have lost two matches in the qualification stages and both of them were against England, who already sealed their passage to the tournament next year.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/luciano-spalletti-on-italys-euro-2024-qualification-it-wasnt-easy-38594134

 

Understand Juventus asked for informations on Jadon Sancho deal in recent days.

 

Understand Juventus asked for informations on Jadon Sancho deal in recent days. He’s set to leave Man United in January, Juve are interested but only on loan plus part of salary covered by #MUFC. No negotiations yet as Man Utd prefer to wait for permanent deal bids.

Read More: https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1724145565682835551/photo/1 

GAVI SET TO MISS EUROS AS BARCELONA ISSUE DEVASTATING INJURY UPDATE: ‘HE’S BROKEN’

Spain have suffered a major blow ahead of next summer’s Euros after Barcelona confirmed that Gavi is set for a long spell on the sidelines after tearing his ACL.

The 19-year-old midfield star is set to undergo surgery after suffering the serious knee injury during the first half of Spain’s win over Georgia.

Gavi also sustained meniscus damage in the non-contact incident, and is now likely to miss Euro 2024.

The tournament begins in Germany on 14 June with Spain confirming their place among the top seeds by topping qualifying Group A.

“The dressing room is like a funeral parlour,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente after a win over Georgia that he described as “the bitterest of my life”.

“It was an accident, it could have happened to anyone. “He’s [emotionally] broken, destroyed.

“This is the hardest moment I have experienced in football. We think we’re invulnerable but we’re fragile. I’m not thinking about the Euros or the Olympics or anything, only about Gavi’s health. These are uncontrollable situations. It’s a pity. The lad was in perfect condition to play. We always protect the players.”

The youngster has already played more than 100 times for Barcelona since breaking into the first team during the 2021/22 season.

and has been a regular under De la Fuente, who replaced Luis Enrique after the conclusion of that tournament.

Teammate Ferran Torres celebrated Spain’s second goal in the 3-1 win against Georgia by retrieving Gavi’s shirt and holding it up to the crowd.

“Knowing what a warrior he is, and given the way he left the field, we know it must be serious,” Torres said.

 

Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/gavi-set-to-miss-euros-as-barcelona-issue-devastating-injury-update-hes-broken-38591636

 

GALATASARAY LODGE COMPLAINT OVER HARRY KANE GOAL IN BAYERN DEFEAT

Galatasaray have officially complained to UEFA’s Disciplinary Committee about referee Antonio Nobre, who officiated their Champions League clash against Bayern Munich, per Sabah.

Gala claim the referee violated VAR protocol for Harry Kane’s first goal in the 2-1 defeat at the Allianz Arena.

Kane gave Die Rekordmeister the lead as he headed home a Joshua Kimmich free-kick in the 80th minute.

The assistant referee raised his flag for offside, but the goal was eventually given after the referee spoke to officials in the VAR room.

The VAR system had apparently broken down due to a glitch, and the replay could not be shown on the pitchside monitor.

According to the protocol, Nobre should have accepted the linesman’s decision because the line could not be shown on the screen.

However, he consulted assistants in the VAR room via radio before giving the goal.

The assistants were correct to give Kane’s goal as he was onside, making it hard to see Gala’s point with this complaint.

 

Galatasaray’s attempt to cast doubt on the referee’s decision, despite a clear and justified validation of the goal through VAR, raises questions about the motivations behind such complaints.

They need to focus on ensuring qualification to the round of 16 as they still have a good chance, sitting in third on the same four points as second-placed FC Copenhagen.

The Turkish giants must focus on beating Copenhagen and Manchester United in their coming games to sneak into the next round behind table toppers Bayern.

 

ENGLAND: NO DEAD-RUBBERS FOR THREE LIONS AS GARETH SOUTHGATE EYES WORLD NO1 SPOT

England's year comes to a close here in Skopje on Monday evening when they bid to end a strong 2023 on a positive note against North Macedonia.

After his side laboured to a 2-0 win over Malta at Wembley on Friday, Gareth Southgate has demanded an improved performance in their final Euro 2024 qualifier.

Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to come back into the team, while 18-year-old Manchester City defender Rico Lewis is in line to make his debut at left-back.

Despite an underwhelming display against Malta, there is no doubt it has been a positive year for England.

Gareth Southgate

The FA via Getty Images

They are unbeaten in 10 matches since losing to France in the World Cup quarter-finals last December — and the reverse fixture against North Macedonia was probably the high point.

England produced their most well-rounded display of the year when they thrashed tonight's opponents 7-0 at Old Trafford in June.

Their forward line that night was irresistible, Harry Kane, Saka and Marcus Rashford linking well with Trent Alexander-Arnold, who could again play in midfield tonight.

Aside from experimenting with Alexander-Arnold, Southgate has largely stuck with his tried and tested this year, and hopes that continuity will benefit England at the Euros.

Seven months out from the start of what is expected to be his final major tournament in charge, Southgate could probably name nine of his strongest XI.

Perhaps the left-sided attacker and the midfield partner to Rice are the only positions still up for grabs.

This year, England have also produced arguably their best football under Southgate. He has persisted with a 4-2-3-1 system since the World Cup, with Jude Bellingham establishing himself as the No10 — the focal point of a tireless, high-press attack.

"There were a lot of question marks over us after the World Cup, whether we can qualify and go again", Arsenal star Rice said ahead of tonight's game. "I think that we can look at this year as a really positive one. We're unbeaten, another one to go [tonight]."

"We've done really well to win the games we've won, to bounce back from that France defeat.

"A lot of teams ducked after the World Cup and probably didn't get off to the best [start] in qualifying games. But the manager was so good on that front, talking about the mental side."

While tonight is another dead rubber, Southgate has made it clear to his players they cannot waste any games.

He has said he wants England to become the No1 team in the world and they can leapfrog Brazil in the FIFA rankings to finish the year in third place, behind world champions Argentina and France.

"Qualification is done," Southgate said. "With the games at the weekend, we might be ranked third in the world, but we are two places off where we need to be, so we can't waste games.

"If we're going to be a top team, then the level of performance has got to be spot on every time."

Asked if reaching the No 1 spot was a motivation for him, Southgate said: "Yeah, because, ultimately, you achieve that through consistency and you've got to play well in the tournaments as well, because the ranking points are higher in the tournaments.

 

Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/england-no-dead-rubbers-for-three-lions-as-gareth-southgate-eyes-world-no1-spot-38591324