Here is a round up of this week’s football.
Napoli to take action against their own players
Napoli are about to take legal action against their own players who refused to attend the training retreat this week. Chairman De Laurentiis wanted the Napoli players to be locked in at the training base. The club is trying to prevent a crisis by imposing a media blackout. But to make matters worse, manager Carlo Ancelotti looks set to be forced out of the club, too. The ’ritiro’ – where the players are locked in a hotel after poor performances – is argued to be an outdated process. Ancelotti initially disagreed with the decision, but ended up travelling to the destination in the end – alone, with many players going home instead.
Son travels with Spurs for Belgrade match
‘He is available and he is in a very good way’ says Mauricio Pochettino, about Son’s headspace regarding the devastating leg-break he unintentionally inflicted on Andre Gomes. This statement comes after Son’s tearful dismissal, in which he appeared extremely distressed at the extent of Gomes’ injury. Son has travelled with the squad for their Champions League match up again Red Star Belgrade, which is a good sign that Son hasn’t withdrew himself away from football after the collision.
Manchester United lose to bournemouth
Manchester United’s season continues to be hit and miss, with a recent 1-0 loss away to AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries seemingly saw off Ole’s Manchester team with no real issues, and with the bonus of a spectacular goal from Josh King. With Allegri backed to be an “ideal” managerial replacement, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under more pressure than ever. And as for Bournemouth’s great for, they are over 2/1 to beat Newcastle away this Saturday at genting bet, which has caught the eye of some punters.
Barcelona’s struggling form
As seen in Prague last Tuesday, Barcelona’s form is getting more and more worrying. A scoreless draw caused serious alarm bells at the Camp Nou, as they failed to get a single goal past Slavia Prague, at home in the Champion League. This comes after a defeat last Saturday in La Liga, where mid-table Levante managed to defeat them 3-1, proving that their problems are more than just in creating chances, but also struggling in defence. After Tuesday’s Champions League draw, Gerard Pique admitted in a post-match interview “With this level of performance, it’s hard to know if we can win the Champions League”.
Still, Barcelona remain top of the domestic league, albeit by the skin of their teeth. Real Madrid have caught up and are now level on points, but remain 3 goals behind on goal difference. Barcelona seem to have tougher fixtures than Real Madrid for the remainder of the year, with trips away to both Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad. This leads up to a very decisive El Classico on the 18th of December, just before Christmas, which may say a lot about how the rest of the season will shape up. Barcelona’s next game is against Celta, which most bookies have them down as 1/5 favourites – Black Type coupon 2019 is a great way to bet against Barcelona with a risk-free free bet.