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Gerrard takes Premier League plunge at Villa after reviving Rangers Liverpool (AFP) – Steven Gerrard is back in the Premier League as Aston Villa boss, having proved his managerial credentials by leading Rangers to the domestic title he was unable to land in his glittering playing career with Liverpool. Gerrard ended Rangers’ decade of pain last season as the Glasgow club — liquidated in 2012 and forced to restart at the bottom of the Scottish league pyramid — finally shattered Celtic’s run of nine consecutive titles. Former Liverpool captain Gerrard is considered one of the best players to ever play in the Premier League. He scored 186 goals in 710 appearances for Liverpool, winning the Champions League, UEFA Cup, two FA Cups and three League Cups along the way. However, a Premier League title eluded the midfielder, with rival fans goading him in his final years at Anfield about his slip against Chelsea in 2014 that cost Liverpool a great chance at ending their long wait to win the league. Gerrard left his boyhood club in 2015 for a brief spell to end his playing career with the LA Galaxy. He quickly returned to Anfield to begin his coaching career in Liverpool’s youth academy in 2017. A year later the call came from Rangers to revive a club still in the doldrums of financial turmoil. After Brendan Rodgers’ time as Liverpool boss declined after the 2013/14 title tilt, the Northern Irishman rebuilt his reputation with a dominant Celtic side that won a clean sweep of domestic trophies in his first two seasons in charge. The Hoops completed two more trebles, even after Rodgers departed for Leicester, but Gerrard was slowly turning the tide in Glasgow. – Ambitious plans – Rangers won two Old Firm derbies in his first season in charge and won at Celtic Park for the first time in a decade in his second, prompting Gerrard to scream wildly in celebration down the lens of a television camera. He later admitted he had let his emotions get the better of him as Celtic bounced back to take the title before the coronavirus pandemic shut Scottish football down for five months. But his decision to take his first job out of the Premier League spotlight allowed Gerrard the opportunity to learn from his mistakes. Rangers were ruthless as they stormed to the title last season by 25 points and without losing a game, ending Celtic’s quest for a record 10-in-a-row. Arguably, even more impressively, he has restored Rangers as a force in Europe without the financial backing he will now be afforded at Villa. He lost just eight of 51 games in the Europa League, leading Rangers to the knockout stages in each of the past two seasons. The year before he arrived, the club suffered one of their most embarrassing ever eliminations to Progres Niederkorn of Luxembourg in the qualifying rounds. “Winning the Premiership title with Glasgow Rangers really caught our eye as did his experience in Europe,” said Villa CEO Christian Purslow. Back in Europe is where Villa aspire to be as they rebuild after three seasons in the Championship between 2016 and 2019. “In my conversations with (owners) Nassef (Sawiris), Wes (Edens) and the rest of the Board, it was apparent how ambitious their plans are for the club and I am looking forward to helping them achieve their aims,” said Gerrard. Many believe Gerrard’s long-term ambition is a return to Anfield one day as Jurgen Klopp’s successor. To do that, Gerrard must prove he can thrive as a coach in the same way he did on the pitch in the fiercely competitive Premier League.


Liverpool (AFP) – Steven Gerrard is back in the Premier League as Aston Villa boss, having proved his managerial credentials by leading Rangers to the domestic title he was unable to land in his glittering playing career with Liverpool.

Gerrard ended Rangers’ decade of pain last season as the Glasgow club — liquidated in 2012 and forced to restart at the bottom of the Scottish league pyramid — finally shattered Celtic’s run of nine consecutive titles.

Former Liverpool captain Gerrard is considered one of the best players to ever play in the Premier League.

He scored 186 goals in 710 appearances for Liverpool, winning the Champions League, UEFA Cup, two FA Cups and three League Cups along the way.

However, a Premier League title eluded the midfielder, with rival fans goading him in his final years at Anfield about his slip against Chelsea in 2014 that cost Liverpool a great chance at ending their long wait to win the league.

Gerrard left his boyhood club in 2015 for a brief spell to end his playing career with the LA Galaxy.

He quickly returned to Anfield to begin his coaching career in Liverpool’s youth academy in 2017.

A year later the call came from Rangers to revive a club still in the doldrums of financial turmoil.

After Brendan Rodgers’ time as Liverpool boss declined after the 2013/14 title tilt, the Northern Irishman rebuilt his reputation with a dominant Celtic side that won a clean sweep of domestic trophies in his first two seasons in charge.

The Hoops completed two more trebles, even after Rodgers departed for Leicester, but Gerrard was slowly turning the tide in Glasgow.

– Ambitious plans –

Rangers won two Old Firm derbies in his first season in charge and won at Celtic Park for the first time in a decade in his second, prompting Gerrard to scream wildly in celebration down the lens of a television camera.

He later admitted he had let his emotions get the better of him as Celtic bounced back to take the title before the coronavirus pandemic shut Scottish football down for five months.

But his decision to take his first job out of the Premier League spotlight allowed Gerrard the opportunity to learn from his mistakes.

Rangers were ruthless as they stormed to the title last season by 25 points and without losing a game, ending Celtic’s quest for a record 10-in-a-row.

Arguably, even more impressively, he has restored Rangers as a force in Europe without the financial backing he will now be afforded at Villa.

He lost just eight of 51 games in the Europa League, leading Rangers to the knockout stages in each of the past two seasons.

The year before he arrived, the club suffered one of their most embarrassing ever eliminations to Progres Niederkorn of Luxembourg in the qualifying rounds.

“Winning the Premiership title with Glasgow Rangers really caught our eye as did his experience in Europe,” said Villa CEO Christian Purslow.

Back in Europe is where Villa aspire to be as they rebuild after three seasons in the Championship between 2016 and 2019.

“In my conversations with (owners) Nassef (Sawiris), Wes (Edens) and the rest of the Board, it was apparent how ambitious their plans are for the club and I am looking forward to helping them achieve their aims,” said Gerrard.

Many believe Gerrard’s long-term ambition is a return to Anfield one day as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.

To do that, Gerrard must prove he can thrive as a coach in the same way he did on the pitch in the fiercely competitive Premier League.



from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/3H8RFE9
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Xavi under no illusions ahead of fairytale on Barcelona return Barcelona (AFP) – Xavi Hernandez said he is prepared for the “biggest challenge of his career” before leaving Qatar for Spain on Saturday, as Barcelona’s legendary former midfielder returns home to take over as coach. Xavi’s appointment was confirmed by Barca in the early hours of Saturday morning and the 41-year-old will be presented to fans at Camp Nou on Monday. “I’m very happy as you can imagine, it’s the biggest challenge of my career,” Xavi told Spanish journalists at Doha airport. “I’m going home and I am very happy.” Xavi faces a huge challenge, with Barcelona adrift of La Liga’s top four, struggling to make the knock-out stages of the Champions League and grappling with debts of more than a billion euros. “I have also experienced bad situations,” Xavi said. “It’s not the best moment in the history of the club but I want to explain what my idea is and to work hard, to make a team. Obviously the first thing is to talk to the players to see how they are.” Xavi left Camp Nou to play for Qatari club Al Sadd in 2015, after making 767 appearances for Barcelona, with eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues among his 25 trophies. “It’s time to come home. Welcome, Xavi,” Barca tweeted in the early hours of Saturday morning, as Spain slept.  “It wasn’t goodbye, it was see you later,” it wrote, along with a video montage of the player’s departure in 2015. Barcelona said in a statement they had reached an agreement with Xavi to become first-team coach for the rest of the season and two more seasons, replacing the sacked Ronald Koeman. “It is expected that Xavi Hernandez will arrive in Barcelona this weekend and that on Monday 8, November his presentation as new FC Barcelona first team coach will take place in an event open to the public at Camp Nou,” it said. Nicknamed the “Maquina” (the Machine), Xavi is widely considered one of the club’s greatest players and there is huge excitement about his potential as a coach after his influence on the iconic Barca team managed by Pep Guardiola. His passing style was seen as the embodiment of Guardiola’s “tiki-taka” team that won the treble in 2009. “One of the greatest midfield maestros of all time, he helped redefine the art with his creative mind, pinpoint passing and sublime ability to read the game,” Barca said in their statement, heralding the return of “an absolute legend”. Al Sadd, which Xavi had coached since 2019, hours earlier said they had reached an agreement with Barca and posted photos on social media of the Spaniard saying goodbye to the players and staff. – ‘The dream’ – Barcelona’s attempt to appoint Xavi as Koeman’s successor had been held up on Friday over his Al Sadd release clause, with Xavi and Barca considering splitting the payment to complete the deal. Al Sadd said Barca had agreed to pay the clause in Xavi’s contract, which is reportedly set at around five million euros ($5.8 million), but Barcelona did not give any details of the deal in their statement. Spanish sports daily Marca headlined the club hero’s return and estimated the cost to Barca of sacking recent managers Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien and Koeman at 32 million euros. Xavi had made no secret of his desire to return to Barcelona, which he joined through the club’s La Masia academy at the age of 11. “My main objective, when I can do it, is Barca,” Xavi told Marca last year. “It’s my home, that’s the dream.” Barcelona sat ninth in La Liga on Saturday morning, with concerns growing they might not qualify for next season’s Champions League. The club are also in dire financial straits, having posted debts of 1.35 billion euros. They could not afford to renew Lionel Messi’s contract in the summer, and the Argentine left for Paris Saint-Germain. Xavi will also be charged with improving the team’s style of play, which was a key criticism during the tenure of Koeman, another former Barca player. Xavi’s flight is due to touch down as Barca take on Celta Vigo in La Liga in Juan Barjuan’s last game as caretaker coach before he hands over to the man the fans are pinning their hopes on to turn the club around.

Barcelona (AFP) – Xavi Hernandez said he is prepared for the “biggest challenge of his career” before leaving Qatar for Spain on Saturday, as Barcelona’s legendary former midfielder returns home to take over as coach. Xavi’s appointment was confirmed by Barca in the early hours of Saturday morning and the 41-year-old will be presented to fans at Camp Nou on Monday. “I’m very happy as you can imagine, it’s the biggest challenge of my career,” Xavi told Spanish journalists at Doha airport. “I’m going home and I am very happy.” Xavi faces a huge challenge, with Barcelona adrift of La Liga’s top four, struggling to make the knock-out stages of the Champions League and grappling with debts of more than a billion euros. “I have also experienced bad situations,” Xavi said. “It’s not the best moment in the history of the club but I want to explain what my idea is and to work hard, to make a team. Obviously the first thing is to talk to the players to see how they are.” Xavi left...
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Bayern down Mainz to go six points clear in the Bundesliga Berlin (AFP) – Defending champions Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to six points on Saturday after coming from behind to seal a 2-1 home win against Mainz. Second-half goals by Kingsley Coman and 18-year-old Jamal Musiala sealed the victory behind closed doors at Munich’s Allianz Arena after Mainz had taken a shock lead. Bayern remain firmly on course to win the German league for the tenth straight season after stretching their lead at the top of the table as second-placed Dortmund were held 1-1 at Bochum. 

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Rangers brush aside title rivals Hearts Glasgow (AFP) – Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo fired Rangers to a 2-0 win at Hearts on Sunday as the Scottish Premiership leaders extended their strong start under new boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Van Bronckhorst has won four successive league games since replacing Steven Gerrard after his predecessor’s move to Aston Villa. Morelos and Aribo scored in the early stages at Tynecastle, giving Rangers six consecutive league victories encompassing the end of Gerrard’s reign. Hearts had Josh Ginnelly sent off late on as they squandered a chance to close the gap on the champions. Rangers are 12 points clear of third placed Hearts and seven ahead of second placed Celtic, who host Motherwell later on Sunday. Van Bronckhorst made six changes to the Rangers side that began Thursday’s 1-1 draw at Lyon in the Europa League. Liam Boyce had a great chance to open the scoring for Hearts in the third minute when he ran on to John Souttar’s clipped ball over the top, but the Northern Ireland striker saw his lob tipped over by Allan McGregor. It was Rangers who scored with their first chance of the match after nine minutes when Ryan Kent’s cross reached Fashion Sakala and the Zambian cut the ball back to Morelos, who fired home from six yards out. Sakala shot just wide from close range moments later before Morelos headed wide from James Tavernier’s corner. Rangers’ second goal came in the 13th minute when Aribo ran on to a brilliant long diagonal from Connor Goldson and fired an angled low shot beyond the exposed Craig Gordon. Gary Mackay-Steven saw his angled shot pushed behind by McGregor early in the second half. Rangers had a let-off in the 53rd minute when Calvin Bassey knocked a Ginnelly cross off the underside of his own crossbar. Rangers remained a threat, however, and Scott Arfield and Sakala were both denied by saves from Gordon. Boyce fired over from close range after being set up by Mackay-Steven before Stephen Kingsley cracked a free kick off the bar from 30 yards out. In the 80th minute, Ginnelly was sent off after being shown a second yellow card for squaring up to Borna Barisic.

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