Ricardo Vaz Te says that he will not return from injury to the West Ham side too quickly, and will make sure he is back to full fitness first.
The winger became injured with a dislocated shoulder at the Arsenal game earlier this month. Vaz Te had started the season well for Sam Allardyce’s side, appearing seven times for the Hammers, with one goal and two assists.
However, he had to have shoulder surgery, ruling Vaz Te out for approximately three months.
Vaz Te has now had keyhole surgery and he has started rehabilitation. He said to West Ham’s official website that now has “four week during which there is nothing much I can do to, so I just have to make sure I relax and look after myself.”
He added: “I have a week off to either go home or simply chill out and relax. Then I’ll come back for two weeks and that completes the first four weeks, which are just steady recovery. After that, I will begin to increase my workload for the next six weeks. After that, the socket involved should be totally healed and only until then can I push on. Until then, the work is mild and I just have to relax and make sure I get the movement back.”
Vaz Te is not a stranger to being injured for a lengthy period, having already suffered a knee ligament injury in the past. He said that he has learnt from past experience, and he knows he has to have patience in the recovery process. He said: “If you don’t heal properly then you are never right and are always playing catch-up. I have to make sure I fully relax and let the socket and everything heal and only after that can I actually push. Overall, they have given me 12 weeks, but obviously if I can return earlier I will do but only if it is safe to do so. I just have to concentrate on recovering properly and making sure that, when I get back, I am fully fit rather than halfway there and break down again. It is frustrating I have to put my plans on hold. I have got a lot of things I want to achieve, obviously.”
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Vaz Te scored the goal that brought West Ham back into the Premier League for this season.
Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby has picked up a muscular injury and is now a major doubt for upcoming fixtures.
The box-to-box player has starred for the Gunners in their solid start to the new Premier League campaign, and will be an important man in filling the gap left by Alex Song, who was sold to Barcelona.
Diaby suffered a frustrating season in 2011-12 due to niggling injuries, but did feature for France against Finland in World Cup qualifying.
However, Les Bleus’ coach Didier Deschamps has revealed that Diaby has suffered an injury, and hence is a doubt for their game against Belarus on Tuesday.
“Diaby took a bad shot and he has muscular discomfort. He is not free in his movements,” the trainer is quoted as saying in The Daily Mail.
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Arsene Wenger will hope that the injury is not overly serious but it remains to be seen whether the French midfielder will be available for the Gunners’ game against Southampton on Saturday.
It looks set to be an incredible weekend of Premier League football, with no less than two local derbies on Saturday afternoon.
The action starts as Everton take on Liverpool in a blockbuster Merseyside clash at lunch-time, and finishes with Tottenham’s visit to Arsenal.
Last season produced two fantastic matches between both Mersey clubs – the Goodison tie ended 3-3, while Liverpool trounced the Toffees 4-0 at Anfield.
The quality of the Premier League is so high these days however that most matches are settled by individual performances.
With that in mind, here’s a list of FIVE key individual battles that could settle Everton’s visit to Liverpool.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON MARIO BALOTELLI TO REVEAL ALL
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It could be worse Nando, you could be one of these guys…
Romelu Lukaku ran riot against Liverpool in last season’s first Merseyside derby, which finished 3-3 at Goodison Park.
And after struggling for fitness at the start of the current campaign, the beastly Belgian striker is back to goal-scoring ways, finding the net in two of his last three Premier League outings, including this strike against Crystal Palace:
Measuring in at 6 foot 3, quick, powerful and composed in front of goal, the 21 year-old, who already boasts 34 Premier League goals, can hurt the Reds in a lot of ways. Liverpool will fancy their chances of stopping him however, having seriously strengthened their backline this summer in the form of £20million signing Dejan Lovren. It’s not been completely smooth sailing for the towering Croatian at Anfield – he’s thus far recorded just one clean sheet in Liverpool colours. His defensive stats this season however, as shown below, are relatively impressive:
And as much as his physicality, Lovren will need to utilise his footballing wits to keep Lukaku quiet. Here’s a look at the Everton star’s highlights from last season: //www.youtube.com/embed/MCtlZe6mbt8?rel=0
MARIO BALOTELLI VS SYLVAIN DISTIN
Daniel Sturridge looks unlikely to start against Everton as he continues to recover from an injury sustained on international duty.
Thus, it appears Liverpool’s goal-scoring hopes will rest firmly on summer signing Mario Balotelli. The enigmatic Italian is yet to get off the mark since returning to the Premier League but he did find the net in the Champions League against Ludogorets, in some style too:
And his ability to conjure up moments of individual magic is well known. Take this wonder-goal during his Serie A days for example:
Balotelli drifts in and out of games but Everton will have to keep their eye on him for the full ninety minutes. Individually, that responsibility will likely go to Sylvain Distin. The Frenchman may be 36 years of age but he’s still quick for a centre-half, offering height and strength too.
That athleticism will be important against Balotelli, a powerful presence at 6 foot 2. But as we all know, stopping the Italy international in his tracks is best achieved by frustrating him and isolating him from the game, which tends to result in rather stroppy tantrums.
STEVEN NAISMITH VS STEVEN GERRARD
Scotland international Steven Naismith has made himself an intrinsic feature of Everton’s attack since the turn of 2014, and shown fantastic form to lead the Toffees’ scoring charts this season, as detailed below:
This strike against Leicester City on the opening day of the season particularly stood out:
Indeed, he’s been prolific going forward but against Liverpool, the 28 year-old’s defensive qualities will be arguably more important. He’ll line up directly against Steven Gerrard in the No.10 role and many of the Reds’ recent opposition have effectively shackled the former England captain, as this Reds fan highlighted on Twitter:
Brendan Rodgers even had to publicly defend Gerrard’s form last week:
Gerrard’s unquestionably Liverpool’s lynchpin as their deepest-lying midfielder. As you can see, he’s made the most key passes of any Reds player this season:
If Naismith can keep the 34 year-old quiet, whilst also contributing going forward, Liverpool will be in for a tough afternoon. If Gerrard is allowed too much room on the ball however, he’ll unquestionably punish the visitors. Here’s a look at his highlights from last season: //www.youtube.com/embed/k-T1bgK3k_4?rel=0
KEVIN MIRALLAS VS ALBERTO MORENO
At the heart of the battle between Kevin Mirallas and Alberto Moreno will be balancing out attack and defence. The Belgium international is another real threat in the Everton front line and after netting eight times last season, has already hit the ground running with two goals in just three Premier League starts. He also bagged this cool finish against Wolfsburg last week:
Mirallas works hard and offers blistering pace, but with right-back Seamus Coleman also bombing forward, he’ll have to make sure Alberto Moreno doesn’t creep into the space behind him or catch him in possession.
A few weeks ago, the Spain international did exactly that against Tottenham, leading to an incredible 117-yard solo goal:
//www.youtube.com/embed/bpeDnukG2OU?rel=0
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He’s strong defensively too however and will fancy his chances of keeping Mirallas quiet. Take this exceptional last-ditch tackle for example:
Here’s a look at the 22 year-old’s stats this term:
That fouling rate will have to come down somewhat – Leighton Baines’ quality from deadball situations verges upon world class.
RAHEEM STERLING VS GARETH BARRY
It remains to be seen where Raheem Sterling will line up in Liverpool’s attack on Saturday. He’s been utilised sporadically out wide by Brendan Rodgers this season but his best performances since the turn of 2014 have undoubtedly come at No.10. It’s likely he’ll be given the central berth against the Toffees too, particularly due to him being in an incredible vein of form, as detailed below:
This goal against West Ham last weekend particularly stood out:
He’ll certainly fancy his chances against Everton’s deepest-lying midfielder, Gareth Barry; the former England international performs a vital service in the Toffees’ midfield but may find himself unable to cope with the pace, agility and trickery of the Liverpool youngster.
The 33 year-old keeps Everton ticking over the middle of the park – as viewable below, he’s averaged an incredible amount of passes already this season:
As well as providing potency and creativity going forward, if Sterling can apply pressure on Barry in possession, there will be fantastic opportunities for the Reds to hit the visitors on the break. Here’s a look at the Anfield star in action:
Arsenal have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of striker Klaas-Jan-Huntelaar after being told they can’t afford him by Shalke’s general manger Horst Heldt.
The Dutch striker is out of contract in the summer and Wenger is still looking to cover the loss of star striker Robin van Persie last season. However Heldt believes the Gunners will be priced out of a move.
“There have been no offers or any sign of Klaas-Jan leaving. If someone comes to us six months before the expiry date, and has a lot of money, we will deal with it. But from Arsenal circles we hear there is no money anyway,” Heldt told the Sun.
The under pressure Gunners boss has looked increasingly frustrated in recent weeks, promising his own fans that funds would be available to strengthen the squad after the club secured a new £150million sponsorship deal with Emirates last week. It is believed that he was hoping a £6million bid in January would be enough to sign the striker.
Heldt’s comments suggest Wenger may need to increase his valuation for 29-year-old Huntelaar who scored in both games against Arsenal for Schalke in this season’s Champions League group stages.
Huntelaar has been a revelation in Germany and notched up 29 goals in 32 Bundesliga games last season. His contract situation and the fact that he could leave on a free in the summer if a deal isn’t agreed in January could however work in Wenger’s favour in terms of striking a cheap deal.
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Last night embodied a lot of what being a Tottenham fan is all about. A European night under the lights, a journey into the unknown and 90 minutes of heart wrenching emotion; fans wouldn’t have it any other way would they?
It may not have been the glamour of the Champions League, but European football is special for a club like Spurs, and victory last night will hopefully be a catalyst now for a further assault on the Premier League top four. But for many Spurs fans last night did little to allay their fears and to convince them that Tim Sherwood is the right man to push them forward.
In cup football it rarely matters how you make it through, it is all about keeping your hopes live, but for a Spurs side looking for a return to the stylish football of old this just wasn’t it. Spurs have been lacklustre in recent weeks, and edging past what should have been simple opposition in Dnipro is no great achievement. Many were quick to write Dnipro off as complete fodder, but even so Spurs should be convincingly beating what are only a half decent European side.
In fact if it hadn’t have been a bit of good fortune Spurs may well have been facing the reality of a shock last 32 exit from the competition. In the first leg Dnipro could easily have been a couple of goals ahead, and had Soldado been rightfully sent off in the return we may well have been looking at a different outcome.
People may just say, so what? Spurs got through and that is all that matters.
They’d be right because in the end safe passage is all that matters, but for Sherwood’s side as a whole it clearly doesn’t bode well.
In fact before the sending off last night it didn’t really look like Spurs were going to be able to muster anything apart from a speculative set piece. It was yet another case of lots of talented cogs simply not clicking, players getting in the way of one another and simply not combining effectively. Man for man Spurs should have won that game with ease, but if anything it was Juande Ramos’ Dnipro that looked the more like scoring.
Most worry of all for Spurs fans was Sherwood’s continued inability to influence a match. More preoccupied with the 4th official and a rolling argument about the multi ball system, he seemed oblivious to the tactical inadequacies of his side.
The obvious change was to put another winger on and try to stretch Dnipro. The early exchanges either saw Eriksen plow down the middle or Townsend run into a barrage of defenders down the right.
But the game itself turned on a piece of individual brilliance, and a moment of idiocy from Zozulya and petulance from Vertonghen. Sherwood like so many games before has failed to anything than cheerlead, and if that’s what being a manger is all about I’m sure a lot of us would be quite successful.
Spurs fans have a right to celebrate what was both an impressive and dramatic comeback, but when the dust settles they will probably realise that they got away with one here. But the concern is that Sherwood doesn’t see it like this, and just isn’t learning, speaking after the game he said:
”We’ve come out and done it, won the tie, and we’re looking forward to the next game on Sunday. You’re only as good as your last game. Today we were very good. Last Sunday we weren’t very good”
Spurs were gutsy, but I certainly wouldn’t say they were very good. Hopefully what Sherwood thinks and says to the press are two wholly different things because from my point of view last night showed that very little is being learn by the young manager.
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Next up is Benfica, a true test of Spurs’ European pedigree and one where hopefully the club can go a long way to proving their doubters wrong.
Is it a time for joyous celebration at Spurs or maybe time to just appreciate the fact that they got a bit lucky?
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Former Services pace bowler, who until recently served as chief administrative officer of the National Cricket Academy, has died of a heart attack while playing golf in Bangalore on Wednesday evening
ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2013Former Services pace bowler AK Jha, who until recently served as chief administrative officer of the National Cricket Academy, has died of a heart attack while playing golf in Bangalore on Wednesday evening.Jha, 57, was a fast bowler for the Services and played 52 first-class matches, taking 159 wickets at an average of 30.18, in a career that extended between 1974 and 1987. In nine first-class matches between 1981 and 1985, Jha took 10 wickets at an average of 25.50.The retired wing commander of the Indian Air Force was removed from his post at the NCA following allegations of his involvement in a Rs 50 crore NCA land deal that went wrong. The NCA, it is understood, had sought to acquire close to 50 acres of land near Nandi Hills through the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) for the academy. The BCCI had also paid close to Rs 50 crore, in two installments, for the acquisition. However, following a number of PILs, a Karnataka High Court ruling in June this year declared the deal illegal.
O Botafogo publicou, neste domingo, nota de pesar pela morte de Alfredinho, torcedor e sócio-proprietário do clube e dono do bar Bip Bip, em Copacabana, um dos redutos do samba e da boemia carioca há mais de 50 anos. Alfredo Jacinto Melo morreu no último sábado, em sua casa no bairro, aos 75 anos.
Fundado no dia 13 de dezembro de 1968, mesma data da publicação do AI-5, o Bip Bip é um autêntico “pé-sujo”, que resistiu ao tempo e reuniu por anosmoradores do bairro e amantes das rodas de samba de alto nível musical. Os encontros promovidas no local por Alfredinho, botafoguense declarado e apaixonado, que assumiu o comando do ponto em 1984, se transformaram em um patrimônio cultural da cidade ao longo de sua história de mais de meio século.
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O Botafogo lamenta o falecimento de Alfredo Jacinto Melo, o Alfredinho. Botafoguense, sócio do clube e dono do Bip Bip, bar musical que se tornou ícone cultural, ele faleceu aos 75 anos.
O velório será realizado segunda às 8h, no Bip Bip. O sepultamento será no São João Batista. pic.twitter.com/VBR2ejbYB3
— Botafogo F.R. (@Botafogo) March 3, 2019
Confira a nota na íntegra:
– O Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, com imensa tristeza e pesar, lamenta o falecimento de Alfredo Jacinto Melo, também conhecido como Alfredinho. Botafoguense, sócio-proprietário do clube e dono do Bip Bip, bar musical que se tornou ícone cultural carioca, Alfredinho faleceu aos 75 anos, por complicações de saúde.
O velório será realizado segunda-feira, dia 4, às 8h, no Bip Bip. O sepultamento será em seguida no cemitério São João Batista.
O Botafogo manifesta sua solidariedade aos amigos e familiares de Alfredinho, que sempre demonstrou amor ao clube, celebrando inclusive seu 70º aniversário, em 2013, na sede de General Severiano, em evento que arrecadou alimentos que foram doados para seus projetos sociais.
Foi respeitado um minuto de silêncio antes de Botafogo x Volta Redonda. O clube decreta luto oficial e hasteia sua bandeira a meio mastro.
Alfredinho deixa um enorme legado cultural para o Rio de Janeiro, além de prestar assistência a diversas famílias carentes da cidade. Descanse em paz, Alfredo.
Loads of Everton fans have reacted on Twitter after Tuttomercatoweb suggested manager Carlo Ancelotti has personally called Napoli midfielder Allan in a bid to convince him to come to Goodison Park.
Gazzetta Dello Sport, via Sport Witness, reported last week that the 29-year-old was an ‘impossible dream’ target for the Italian boss, and that the Merseyside outfit would instead need to look for a ‘photocopy’ of the Brazilian.
However, it appears as though the three-time Champions League winner hasn’t given up on persuading the South American to join the Toffees, given the latest action he has taken.
Everton have looked a little short of quality in central midfield areas in the absence of the injured Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin in recent months, with the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fabian Delph largely underwhelming.
Schneiderlin and Sigurdsson in particular have had their critics on Twitter for their displays, and they were particularly poor in the 1-0 FA Cup defeat against Liverpool at Anfield earlier this month, as shown by their player ratings in The Liverpool Echo following the derby clash.
Many supporters are certainly behind the prospect of Allan joining the club with his age a big talking point, as you can see from the replies to a tweet from The-Toffees.com fan account.
However, many weren’t confident that Ancelotti would be able to pull off bringing him to Goodison Park, even if one suggests he’d be a good replacement for Idrissa Gueye, who has been missed by the Toffees this term.
The Senegal international averagerd 4.3 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per Premier League appearances in the 2018/19 campaign as per WhoScored.
Call yourself an Everton expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?
As a comparison, this season their best-performing central midfielders who have played 10 games or more for the same stats are Schneiderlin with two tackles per game, and Tom Davies with 1.4 interceptions.
Another suggested that he is too old for the money the Serie A outfit would want – a year ago they were reportedly demanding €100m (£84.3m) when he was a target for Paris Saint-Germain.
In other Everton news, a report has mentioned the Toffees as a possible destination for a 24-year-old Marcel Brands refused to sign in 2018…
Tentando retomar para melhores rumos a sua carreira, o lateral-esquerdo Abner foi recentemente contratado pelo Athletico e já sente os efeitos de aproveitar da estrutura do Rubro-Negro paranaense.
Mesmo declarando que já tinha ouvido relatos e lido bastante sobre a grandiosidade das instalações do Centro de Treinamento do Caju, ele reforça que só possível ter a real noção da importância desse tipo de condições após passar alguns dias aproveitando tudo isso em prol de seu recondicionamento físico:
-Você já sabe que a estrutura do Atlhetico é sensacional, todos falam isso, você vê diariamente matérias e atletas falando sobre isso. Mas você viver é diferente, estar aqui todos os dias é sensacional. Agora eu entendo o motivo da estrutura do Atlhetico ser referência. Acho que também por isso que o clima aqui é muito bom, o ambiente de trabalho no Athletico é excepcional. Estou me dedicando demais com foco em retribuir a confiança.
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Revelado na base do arquirrival Coritiba e com passagem pela Seleção de base além do Real Madrid B, o atleta de apenas 21 anos de idade não está ainda em condições de jogo. Porém, tampouco demonstra qualquer tipo de “pressa” nesse sentido, confiando que o planejamento feito em conjunto com o departamento médico do Furacão precisa ser seguido de maneira rigorosa.
– Desenvolvemos um planejamento e vamos seguir. O Athletico vem cuidando muito bem de tudo e estamos trabalhando. Como eu disse o ambiente do nosso trabalho diário é muito bom e isso faz com que as coisas acontecem mais rápido e melhores. Estou trabalhando forte, me dedicando. Meu objetivo é ficar 100% em breve e pronto para retribuir a confiança do Athletico.
Career-best performances from Water and Power Development Authority’s Asif Ali and team captain Mohammad Ayub helped their team to a nine-wicket victory over United Bank Limited in the Ramadan T20 Cup in Karachi
ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2013 ScorecardMohammad Ayub (right) scored a career-best 62 to lead WAPDA to victory•Pakistan Cricket Board
Career-best performances from Water and Power Development Authority’s Asif Ali and team captain Mohammad Ayub helped their team to a nine-wicket victory over United Bank Limited in the Ramadan T20 Cup in Karachi.After being put into bat, UBL openers didn’t last too long as Zulfiqar Babar removed wicketkeeper Adnan Baig for just 5 with the score on 18. Wickets fell at a regular rate and as UBL failed to post significant partnerships, with Babar and WAPDA’s Asif Ali doing most of the damage with the ball. UBL reached 139 for 8 at the end of their 20 overs, with UBL’s Asif Ali top-scoring with 40. WAPDA’s Asif took career-best figures of 4 for 17, and was ably supported by Babar’s 3 for 29.WAPDA’s reply was largely uneventful as the openers put on a 110-run stand. Mohammed Ayub top-scored with a career-best 62, before falling to Atif Jabbar. Shoaib Nasir (48) and Sohaib Maqsood then proceeded to take WAPDA home with nine balls to spare.