International Football
LAMPARD THRILLED AT NIGERIA’S LOSS OF ABRAHAM AND FIKAYO
Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori’s call ups to the England national team for this months’ Euro 2020 qualifiers are a “natural progression” after their performances for Chelsea this season, manager Frank Lampard has said.
The call-ups, which will most likely lead to the fielding of the two players has ultimately, ended Nigeria’s hope of snapping the them to build a stronger Super Eagles squad.
With Chelsea operating under a FIFA-enforced transfer ban,
Lampard has had to turn to academy players, with Abraham leading the way with
seven Premier League goals in seven appearances.
Abraham will have to compete with Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Callum Wilson for a spot up front when England play the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, but Lampard expects the 22-year-old to shine on the international stage too.
“It’s well deserved, (Abraham is) scoring goals regularly,” Lampard told reporters ahead of Sunday’s trip to Southampton.
“His form is really good. Natural progression, (I’m) delighted for him. He’s a proud lad and proud to get a call up.
“He can score at international level. I don’t want to put too much pressure on his shoulders, I’m sure he has those attributes and the attitude to take that challenge of being a goal scorer for England.
“There’s competition there and when he steps into that squad he’ll see that there’s great strikers there already, so it’s a challenge for Tammy.”
Chelsea centre back Fikayo Tomori received his first call up to the England team and Lampard said he was “delighted” for the 21-year-old who has flown under the radar.
“Mason (Mount) and Tammy have taken headlines, but Tomori… to see him play the full season last year (at Derby County) and then to come here… Some people would have easily doubted him,” Lampard added.
“Another natural progression and I am really pleased, he deserves it. He has shown great qualities and he has been a dream to work with.
“Getting into the team is the next challenge, then it will be about staying in the team. (England boss) Gareth (Southgate) has shown trust, now it is in Fikayo’s hands.”
Lampard said he expected a “tough match” against Ralph Hasenhuettl’s Southampton, who sit four points behind Chelsea in the standings.
Lampard said he would take a late call on N’Golo Kante’s participation after the midfielder, who has struggled with a hamstring injury this season, played 90 minutes in Wednesday’s 2-1 Champions League win at Lille.
-Reuters
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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