As many of you battle with sore heads and croaky voices following last night’s festivities, Toe Poke thought we’d have a little look to see how some of football’s biggest names chose to ring in the New Year. Sadly, it appears they mostly managed it with a whole lot more class and decorum than we did. Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated the onset of the new calendar year by dressing like a 1920s Mississippi riverboat gambler and doling out motivational quotes. On the other side of the Real-Barca divide, Neymar chose to lay on a classy banquet for his nearest and dearest.…
Author: David F.
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has said he considers Dimitri Payet to be on the same level as Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil. France international Payet excelled after joining West Ham from Marseille in the summer before suffering an ankle injury in November. However, Bilic has said the 28-year-old should be fit to return to face Liverpool on Saturday and feels the playmaker bears comparison with in-form Germany star Ozil. Asked about Payet, who scored five goals and provided three assists in 12 Premier League games before his injury, Bilic said: “I rate him on the same level as Mesut Ozil. “He…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be leaving Paris Saint-Germain in January, but his agent Mino Raiola insists the striker would be perfect for the Premier League. Ibrahimovic, 34, has been linked with a move away due to the fact his contract expires at the end of the season. The Swede has attracted attention from MLS and Qatar, while it has also been reported that he could return to Serie A with AC Milan. Yet, while Raiola made it clear his client was not leaving Ligue 1 just yet, the Premier League remains an option. “He will definitely stay with Paris Saint-Germain…
Everton boss Roberto Martinez is wary of the threat posed by “rare” Tottenham striker Harry Kane ahead Spurs’ trip to Goodison Park on Sunday, but he wouldn’t trade his firing Romelu Lukaku for the England international. Kane scored 27 Premier League goals in 2015, eight more than any other player, and after a slow start to this season, he has netted 10 times in as many league games. The Toffees, meanwhile, have conceded seven goals in their last two home games and boast the worst defensive record in the league. Martinez, who believes Spurs are genuine title contenders, is an…
Guus Hiddink has admitted that Cesc Fabregas is no longer an indispensable part of the Chelsea team and may have to be benched against certain opponents. Fabregas has endured a disappointing second season at Stamford Bridge, registering just two goals and three assists in 25 appearances in all competitions, and was booed by Chelsea supporters during a 3-1 win over Sunderland last month amid reports that he, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard had actively worked to ensure the departure of former manager Jose Mourinho. The Spain international made 47 appearances in all competitions under Mourinho last season as Chelsea surged…
French star Paul Pogba says his time at Manchester United was like being on holiday in comparison to the work he has to do at Juventus. Pogba, who has helped Juve win three consecutive league titles since controversially quitting United in 2012, made the remark in a wide-ranging interview with Turin daily La Stampa in which he also tips Argentinian teammate Paulo Dybala as a future winner of the Ballon d’Or. “People need to know that nothing at Juve is easy,” Pogba said. “There is a different culture of work compared to elsewhere. I was at Manchester: it seemed like…
Arsene Wenger has revealed Mesut Ozil rarely trains between matches as he looks to keep the German playmaker in peak condition for Arsenal’s Premier League title charge. Ozil has been the key figure in Arsenal’s rise to the top of the table and has already provided a league leading 16 assists this season. While the likes of Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez are out injured, Ozil has avoided any problems and become a pivotal part of an Arsenal side ahead of Saturday’s visit from Newcastle. And Gunners boss Wenger, who was criticised for over-playing Sanchez before he pulled…
Arsene Wenger says Mesut Ozil holds the key to Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Premier League for the first time in 12 years. Ozil’s superb run of form has been the catalyst for Arsenal’s climb to the top of the Premier League table heading into 2016. The 27-year-old German midfielder has been immaculate in recent weeks and has already notched up a league leading 16 assists this season. The latest came in Monday’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth, with Ozil then adding the second goal himself. “He is a complete athlete. I also believe he has grown in stature and takes…
Guus Hiddink has challenged his Chelsea flops to rediscover the winning formula as they start the new year with a tricky trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday. Hiddink’s side have drawn against Watford and Manchester United since the Dutchman returned for his second spell as Chelsea interim manager following Jose Mourinho’s sacking. That those two workmanlike performances were regarded as cause for encouragement shows just how far the champions had fallen during the miserable final days of Mourinho’s troubled reign. In a reversal of fortune that would have seemed remarkable at the end of last season when Chelsea were hoisting…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for his side as they returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Premier League leaders Leicester City at Anfield on Saturday. Before Saturday’s encounter, Liverpool had picked up just one point from their previous three league matches, culminating in last weekend’s miserable 3-0 defeat by Watford at Vicarage Road. But they were far brighter against Leicester and substitute Christian Benteke made the difference in the second half, slotting home Roberto Firmino’s cross to finally make Liverpool’s dominance count. “Beating the top of the table is tough,” Klopp said. “A lot…
Liverpool great Steven Gerrard could return to the club in a coaching capacity as early as this year, he revealed in a British newspaper interview published on Saturday. Gerrard, 35, left Liverpool for the Los Angeles Galaxy last year, but he has been training on Merseyside during the Major League Soccer close season and is now eyeing a role on Jurgen Klopp’s coaching staff. “I’m not 100 percent sure, but I think it will probably be my last year as a player,” the former Liverpool and England captain told the Daily Telegraph. “I have had a chat with Klopp. I…
Louis van Gaal defended his decision to let Javier Hernandez and Robin van Persie leave Manchester United as he said he did not want too much competition at the striker’s position. The Dutchman admitted he is concerned about the lack of goals his team have mustered, with only six sides managing fewer than their 22 in the Premier League, but he said that doesn’t mean the team will buy a striker in January. While United have only scored 10 times in their last 14 games in all competitions, Mexico international Hernandez has delivered 17 goals in his last 14 outings…
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has admitted that he might have stayed in Germany for another season if his partner had not been expecting their first child. De Bruyne, 24, moved to City from Wolfsburg for £54 million over the summer and he has already chalked up five goals and eight assists in 15 Premier League appearances. But the Belgium international has now revealed that he could have delayed his switch had circumstances off the field been different. “The birth of my son will be the best day of my life,” he told Belgian newspaper La Derniere Heure. “It’s…
Schalke have warned suitors off Leroy Sane in the January window, insisted that even Manchester City cannot afford to sign Germany international. City have been linked with a £32 million move for the highly rated 19-year-old attacking midfielder. But while City spent over £150 million last summer as they brought in players such as Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, Fabian Delph and Nicolas Otamendi, the Bundesliga club are adamant Sane is going nowhere. “We don’t want to sell him and Leroy doesn’t want to leave the club,” Schalke general manager Horst Heldt told Bild, in quotes reported by the Guardian.…
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique said it’s no surprise that Luis Suarez has found even more success in his second season with the Catalan club. Since moving from Liverpool ahead of the 2014-15 season, the Uruguayan has established himself alongside strike partners Lionel Messi and Neymar to form what is arguably the best attacking trio in world football. Suarez, 28, scored twice in Barcelona’s 4-0 win against Real Betis on Wednesday to bring his goal tally to a Primera Division leading 15 and his manager said it’s what they’ve come to expect from the striker. “I am not surprised by the…
Louis van Gaal has insisted that Manchester United do play a risky brand of football despite their lack of goals. Van Gaal’s team, who have only scored 10 times in their last 14 fixtures, have been criticised for being too cautious, but the Dutchman believes their 0-0 draw against Chelsea shows they do gamble on committing men forward. The 64-year-old pointed out that there was room behind his back four and highlighted the chance Nemanja Matic missed to earn Chelsea victory at Old Trafford on Monday. “We were the dominating team and that is also the risky way of playing…
Under pressure Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez will look to an in form Cristiano Ronaldo to drive the team forward against Valencia on Sunday as they aim to put behind them a disappointing 2015. It was a year that promised so much after they put together a run of 22 wins to finish 2014 but they ended up being overshadowed by a dominant Barcelona that won five trophies and scored a Spanish record of 180 goals in the process. The pressure has been building at the Bernabeu and the chorus of whistles that greeted Benitez ahead of their victory over…
Any hopes of a Happy New Year will evaporate for Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal if his side fail to beat struggling Swansea City at Old Trafford on Saturday. United are on an eight-match winless streak in all competitions and the Dutchman, whose team briefly topped the table in September, is under pressure as media speculation swirls around his future. Swansea, who have already fired manager Garry Monk and are now under caretaker Alan Curtis, have been a bogey team for the triple European champions although the Welsh club have only one away league victory this season. The Swans…
Much-travelled Louis van Gaal has coached some of the biggest clubs in world football but Manchester United’s fans are the best he has come across, the Dutch veteran said on Thursday. The 64-year-old former Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Ajax Amsterdam supremo has been the target of strong media criticism following United’s run of eight matches without a victory in all competitions. Van Gaal, however, hailed the “fantastic” reaction of the United supporters. “I’ve had bad periods at all my clubs and I have to say the best fans are here at Manchester United,” he told reporters ahead of Saturday’s home…
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has given an insight to the multinational shape of the modern Premier League by revealing he speaks to his defenders during matches in three languages. Cech broke David James’ record for Premier League clean sheets in Arsenal’s win over Bournemouth this week and his calming influence has been a contributory factor to their impressive defensive displays this season. Communication of course is key and Cech’s ability to speak five languages – his native Czech, English, French, Spanish and German – has proved useful. “I speak to the fullbacks (Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin) in Spanish, to…