Former Brazil international Denilson said that Tite is the right man for the job when it comes to managing the Brazilian senior team. He said that the team has been disappointing at the last World Cup where many fans were expecting them to shine and that only a coach like Tite can help the team go forward.
Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel has spoken about the importance of Edinson Cavani to the team and does not believe the Uruguayan will leave the club during the ongoing transfer window. Speaking to reporters, Tuchel refuted the ongoing speculation regarding Cavani’s future and expects the marksman to return for the final part of pre-season, he said: “This is my feeling and I have not heard such a thing [that Cavani wants to leave]. I spoke to him and he didn’t mention anything. He said he is looking forward to joining us [in pre-season]. He is a key player for us.”
Former Arsenal midfielder Denilson believes that Unai Emery is the right man for the job and that the fans should be patient with him. He said that many fans were looking for a change at the head of the team and once they got a new manager they are not willing to give him time.
The England international midfielder has completed a £35 million move to Anfield from Arsenal and will take the 21 jersey last worn by Lucas Leiva. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain completed a £35 million move to Anfield from Arsenal on transfer deadline day. His arrival bolsters the midfield options available to Jurgen Klopp, with the 24-year-old helping to fill the void created by Lucas’ departure to Lazio.
Not only will he be stepping into the Brazilian’s boots on Merseyside, he will do so by wearing the same squad number as Lucas. Oxlade-Chamberlain had been number 15 at Arsenal prior to his departure from the Emirates Stadium. He is taking on a new challenge after six years in north London, where he made 198 appearances in all competitions and scored 20 goals. (more…)
Brazilian soccer legend Vitor Borba Ferreira, commonly known as Rivaldo, predicts a 2-2 draw when Barcelona visit Estadio Santiago Bernabeu for the El clasico on Saturday. The game is a title decider as the Catalan side is 11 points above Real who have a game in hand. Rivaldo said he sees the game ending in a stalemate even though either side can win at the opponent’s home.
“Madrid are the defending champions but there are no favourites. Barca can win at the Bernabeu just like Madrid have done at Camp Nou,” he said.
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Denilson started his career in his homeland with Sao Paulo, coming through the youth system there before making his professional debut in 2005.
Given that the midfielder had a decent time at Arsenal, let us now take a look back at his Gunners career…
Denilson moved to North London in the summer of 2006 as manager Arsene Wenger looked to strengthen his midfield options, which was the same transfer window that the Frenchman brought in Alex Song and Tomas Rosicky.
However, former Brazilian Under-17 international Denilson had to wait until December 30 2006 for his Premier League debut, when he came on as an 83rd-minute substitute in their surprise 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
He went on to make a further nine Premier League appearances that term to help Arsenal finish fourth in the Premier League.
Denilson’s impressive start to life in North London earned him a new long-term deal in October 2007, and went on to make 13 starts in all competitions that term to help the Gunners finish third in the Premier League.
But it was the 2008/09 campaign which was the 29-year-old’s best at the Emirates, as the likes of Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva left the club in the summer, allowing Denilson to make 36 Premier League starts. (more…)
If you are not living under the rock, well you should know that the landmark deal for Brazilian star Neymar has been completed.
Paris St-Germain broke the £100 million barrier to get the former Barcelona forward. The deal doubled the previous world record held by Paul Pogba who moved from Juventus to Manchester United last summer. Pogba moved for £89 million plus other fees totaling £100 million. However, Neymar’s deal cost the state-backed Ligue 1 giants a whopping new record fee of £198 million. With the inflation in the transfer market, the £1 billion mark should not be too far off before it is broken.
Newcastle United paid record £15 million to Blackburn Rovers for Alan Shearer in 1996; Inter Milan added almost £5 million more for Ronaldo de Lima the following year before Real Betis broke the £20 million barrier for Denilson. Records were also broken for ChristianVieri, HernanCrespo, Luis Figo, and Zinedine Zidane. (more…)
Former Arsenal player Denilson believes that the current Brazilian team has a great chance to shine at the Russian World Cup.
But he feels that the team is on a good path and that they are showing signs that they are progressing.
He said that it had been a difficult moment for the Brazilian team ever since the last World Cup where they were humiliated by Germany. He said that there was such an expectation from the fans and that they were disappointed with the way the team performed in the tournament.
However, he feels that the team has managed to bring back some glory after the win in the Olympic Tournament and that fans are gradually getting back behind the team.
Denilson said that results have also improved on the pitch with the team at the top of the qualifying table and he believes that they will become better.
He said that now the team plays like a team and that they are not over-reliant on Neymar. He said that the team in the last World Cup did not have any playing style and that they were always looking towards Neymar to bail them out. (more…)
Ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City on Sunday, we look at how crucial MikelArteta was at the Emirates before he retired from active football.
He joined whilst Arsenal were at a low. The club had lost scandalously to United 8-2 and there was the threat of not reaching the top four – Arsene Wenger’s signature Premier League achievement in almost two decades. Wenger tried to keep his best players but ended up losing CescFabregas and Samir Nasri to Barcelona and Man City respectively.
Wenger was forced to do the unusual: he bought six players on deadline day. There was Andre Santos, Thomas Eisfeld, and Park Chu-Young who barely made any impact during their stay at the club. Yossi Bernayoun had his moments but Per Mertesacker and Arteta proved to be a decent gamble for the club.
Arsenal seemed to always have issues with their leaders/captains. The captain was given to Robin van Persie but the Netherlands international was more on the technical side than an all-round leader. Mertesacker and Arteta were the natural leaders in the team.
Mertesacker combined well with Laurent Koscielny at the back, as Thomas Vermaelen had a tendency to move up too far aside his injuries.
Arteta relaxed from his previous attacking role at Everton. He featured in a much deeper role, providing cover from the midfield and protecting the defence from collapse. He combined well with Alex Song too.
Off the pitch, Arteta’s fluency in many languages was key. He spoke England and Spanish fluently. His time in PSG helped his French aside a touch of Italian and Portuguese. He was the middleman that connected with all the language-based cliques in the dressing room.
He helped players who were low on commitment like AndreyArshavin, MarouaneChamakh and Denilson.
Arsenal eventually reached the top four but they were devastated with the loss of Robin van Persie.
SantiCazorla, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud came in and things seemed to calm down. After Vermaelen’s move to Spain, he officially became the captain. Injuries marred his final seasons in an Arsenal shirt before he decided to call it quits. Arsenal need to welcome their hero when he comes visiting even as a City crew.
Former Arsenal midfielder has had his contract with Cruzeiro terminated just after four months with the club.
However, he chooses to return to his native Brazil and sign for Cruzeiro where he will manage to play only a few games. It has now been announced that the contract has been terminated by mutual agreement and that the player is a free agent again.
Denilson has thanked the club, the staff and the fans for their support and said that he had had some good moments with the club. He has not made any statement about his immediate future and that he will be enjoying some time off from football. He said that he wants to spend some time with his family before deciding about his future.
Denilson had enjoyed some good times in England when he played for Arsenal, and at some moments he was touted as being the next Patrick Viera at the center of the midfield. Despite having scored some great goals for the Gunners, he will fail to establish himself in the team, and he will spend most of his time on the bench.
However, once he left the club in 2007, his career will experience a sharp decline, and he will struggle to have the same impact at his future clubs.
Denilson once stated that his mistake was to leave Arsenal and that he should have remained at the club and worked harder. He said that Arsene Wenger was the best manager he has ever worked with and that he has developed a lot working with him.
