NEWS
A selection of FirstTouch's best football writing, brought to you by emerging journalists, collaborators, and fans.
Allardyce to meet with a frustrated Rooney
Everton boss to have a talk with the EPL legend
Former England and Manchester United captain, Wayne Rooney was furious at his boss for taking him out of the match between Everton and Liverpool on the 57th minute. The striker-turned-midfielder is used to being the focal point of the team and did not expect Sam Allardyce to sub him off the pitch especially in the Merseyside derby which is every club fan’s joy to play in. Sam Allardyce made comments in the post-match commentary box and he said that no player is too big to be subbed off. The coach, however, defended his decision saying that it was for the best of the team and that Everton became more attacking and created more opportunities to score, but Rooney could have been that man to score those goals. The former England international has seen a reduced number of minutes ever since Allardyce took over from Koeman. This is even after their record signing picked up an injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Allardyce is quoted to have said this to talkSPORT, “That was too much for him to take and he had to show his frustration. We'll sit down in the next week and we'll talk it through and we'll see how he feels. I'm sure he's calmed down a little bit now.”
The coach wants to sit down with the experienced player who left Manchester United for Everton this season. He wants to have a conversation about it in a calmer environment after what happened on Saturday. He believes the player has cooled down now and would probably discuss so as to manage expectations from both parties and prevent such disappointments that lead to outrageous decisions that can disrupt the dressing room. Whom do you think is to blame in this case? Did Allardyce owe more to Rooney that what he gave him? Should the player have kept his cool and express his frustrations behind closed doors? Drop your comments below.
Klopp hopeful of Salah return
Liverpool need Salah to be fit for their match against City
Liverpool are still not sure if their man of the moment is fit to play against Manchester City in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals. The player helped his squad in the 3-0 win at Anfield as he scored one and provided for fellow African player, Sadio Mane to score. Jurgen Klopp admits that he is not as sure as everyone else about whether Salah will make it to the match and that they will find out only a couple of hours before the kickoff. The player has been training with the athletic coach of Liverpool on Monday and is still yet to have a session with the whole squad after picking up a groin injury in the first leg of this clash which has kept him out ever since. This injury is probably distracting the tactics of the German coach who is planning on shutting down the attack of City as they keep a high intensity that will allow them to dispossess Pep Guardiola’s squad. Salah, as well as two Liverpool, left backs, Alberto Moreno and Andrew Robertson were not available for the derby on Saturday and there is hope that they will return fit for the decider on Tuesday night. Will Liverpool have enough to finish the job and knock out Manchester City from the UEFA Champions League?
Batman in Town!
This short piece takes a look at the arrival of Pierre Emerick Aubameyang in the English Premier League and how he can light up the league. It also gives mention to the contribution of fellow African players who have been performing well in the past few years.
About a year ago, the English Premier League was in awe of the performances of Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane who had joined the team from Southampton. He graced the stench supporters of the Merseysiders who had lacked quality in the final third after having lost Suarez, Sterling and losing Daniel Sturridge to injuries. Now the 2017/18 season brought more excitement to the League through the team’s acquisition of a gem in Mo Salah who has surprised most by his goals. But that is not the end of it. Arsenal have brought their own.
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (nicknamed the Batman for his heroic antics) is a prolific goalscorer proven in the German Bundesliga where he outscored Robert Lewandowski before his move to Arsenal. Aubameyang’s move created a buzz and brought hope to the Arsenal side that have been struggling in recent months if not years. He showed early signs of what he is capable of when he chipped Jordan Pickford as he scored Arsenal’s fourth goal against Everton. We hope the striker lights up the league as his predecessors in Mahrez, Mane and Salah in recent years.