Tuesday, May 15, 2018

The Week that was (in Football (Soccer)): Review of the top Leagues in Europe-part 5 (Week of May 8-May 14, 2018)


Note:
The purpose of this section is to summarize the week in question, it is not meant to give a full statistical analysis of the matches.
We live in a viral age and all that information can be accessed.
I welcome all contributions from anyone, even for the Leagues that I did not cover.

I.  England

On Tuesday, Southampton’s win over Swansea virtually ensured relegation for Swansea and safety for Southampton.
The result also condemned WBA to relegation.
On the following day, Huddersfield were saved after (1-1) tie at Chelsea. This hampered Chelsea’s CL chances.
Manchester United ensured second place after a scoreless draw with West Ham.
On Sunday both Tottenham and Liverpool ensured CL qualification at the expense of Chelsea who lost at Newcastle (0-3).
In Liverpool’s (4-0) win over Brighton, Mohamed Salah scored his 32nd Premier League of the season which is a new record.
However, Manchester City’s win over Southampton (1-0) set another new record in a season that the club broke so many records.
Here are the premier League records broken by Manchester City:
Most points: 100
Number of wins: 32
Away wins: 16
Consecutive wins: 18
Passes in a game: 902
Goals: 106
Away Points: 50
Goal Difference: +79
Points ahead of second: 19
Games left to play after winning title: 5 (tied with Manchester United 2000/01)

Diary:

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:
-Liverpool’s Joe Gomez’s season is over due to an ankle injury. He will miss the Champions League Final as well as the World Cup. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Arsenal’s French defender Laurent Koscielny is expected to be out of action for six months following Achilles surgery. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Newcastle United Manager Rafa Benitez would like to make the loan deals of Kenedy (Chelsea) and Martin Dubravka (Sparta Prague) as permanent signings. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Southampton were denied a booking at a Marriott Hotel in Swansea ahead of their key match on Tuesday and had to find accommodations on short notice. The Hotel denied of any foul play to help Swansea City. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Stoke City’s Charlie Adam in a ‘BBC Radio Five Live’ interview criticized his own teammates. He called the team’s displays as ‘embarassing’ and that they had been ‘getting away with murder’. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Southampton’s away win at Swansea (1-0) has perhaps saved them from relegation and condemned their opponents Swansea to Relegation. The result confirmed the relegation of West Bromwich Albion. (Source BBC Football Online)

-West Bromwich Albion caretaker Manager Darren Moore was named Premier League Manager of the month….on the same day that WBA were mathematically condemned to Relegation (Source BBC Football Online)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:
-Manchester United’s Michael Carrick will start in the club’s last match of the season at home on Sunday vs. Watford before retiring. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Leicester City’s German defender Robert Huth will leave the club at the end of the season. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Celtic’s Kieran Tierney is linked to Bournemouth. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Southampton gave a one-star review for the Swansea Marriott that had cancelled their reservation on short notice. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace was named Premier League’s Player of the Month for April. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Everton’s Wayne Rooney is linked to a move to the MLS’s DC United. (Source Sky Sports Online vis Daily Mail)

-Manchester United Manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Romelu Lukaku will miss the club’s final two matches of the season due to an ankle injury. (Source Footnews.be Online)

-Huddersfield ensured Premier League survival after a tie with Chelsea. Tottenham guaranteed Champions League place for next season after a win (1-0) over Newcastle. Manchester City with a win over Brighton (3-1) broke three records: Number of wins, points and number of goals scored. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Sir Alex Ferguson is out of intensive care. (Source BBC Football Online)
-Manchester United Manager Jose Mourinho expects Paul Pogba to stay for next season. (Source BBC Football Online)

Thursday, May 10, 2018:
-Wayne Rooney has agreed to join MLS’s DC United. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Swansea Manager Carlos Carvalhal will leave the club at the end of the season. Carlos Rangel will also leave the club at the end of the season. (Source BBC Football Online)

- Manchester United Manager Jose Mourinho lashed out on his players again by saying that he is stuck with players who are too ‘mentally weak’ to succeed at the club. (Source Daily Telegraph Online)

-Arsenal are no longer considering Luis Enrique as a successor to Wenger due to his high salary demands. (Source Marca.com Online)

-Chelsea has been charged by the FA after a number of its players surrounded match referee Lee Mason during the halftime of their match vs. Huddersfield yesterday. (Source BBC Football Online)

Friday, May 11, 2018:

-Swansea’s Leon Britton will retire at the end of the season. (Source BBC Football Online)

-According to Everton Manager Sam Allardyce, Wayne Rooney Has not asked to leave the club.  (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin intends to stay with the club.  (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Burnley’s Icelandic player Johann Berg Gudmndsson has signed on for another three years.  (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Sporting CP goalkeeper Rui Patricio has been linked to newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers.  (Source Sky Sports Online via Diario de Noticias)

- Huddersfield’s Dean Whitehead will retire at the end of the season. (Source Sky Sports Online)

- N’Golo Kante was voted as Chelsea’s player of the year by the fans. Andreas Christensen was voted as the club’s young player of the year.
Willian was voted as the player of the year by his clubmates.  (Source Walfoot.be Online)

- Manchester City goakeeper Ederson entered the Guinness Book of Records by taking a kick reaching 75,35 meters.  (Source Walfoot.be Online)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:

-Mikel Arteta (currently an Assistant coach at Manchester City) is linked for the Arsenal job. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Manchester City Manager Josip Guardiola stated that Sergio Aguero will stay with the club (Aguero was linked to Atletico Madrid). (Source AS.com  Online)

Sunday, May 13, 2018:

-Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has won the Premier League’s player of the season award. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Stoke City’s Welsh midfielder could leave the club for £25 Million from a top six club (a clause in his contract). However, his does not apply to his former club Liverpool. (Source Daily Telegraph online)

- Tottenham’s Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld is linked to Liverpool.   (Source Footnews.be online via Bleacher Report)

-Tottenham’s Belgian midfielder Moussa Dembele has been linked to Manchester City. (Source Footnews.be online via Manchester Evening News)

- Wolfsburg’s Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels is linked to Arsenal. (Source Footnews.be online via The Sun)

-Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson has extended his contarct with the club by two years  (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is the Premier League’s Golden Glove winner after recording 18 clean sheets.  (Source Sky Sports Online)

Monday, May 14, 2018:

-Swansea’s South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yueng will leave the club. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Tottenham’s Kyle Walker-Peters has extended his contract with the club.  (Source Sky Sports Online)

-St. Mirren Manager Jack Ross confirmed that he has been approached by Ipswich Town. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Tottenham Manager Mauricio Pocchettino is to ask the board £150 Million to strengthen the squad. (Source Daily Telegraph online)

-Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Te Stegen has been linked with Manchester United in case David De Gea leaves.  (Source Calciomercato.com Online via Don Balon)

-Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez is once again linked to Manchester City. (Source vi.nl online)

-Timothy Fosu-Mensah has returned to Manchester United from his loan at Crystal palace. (Source vi.nl online)

-After playing his last match yesterday, Manchester United’s Michael Carrick has immediately joined Jose Mourinho’s coaching staff in time for the FA Cup Final. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Napoli’s Jorginho is linked to Manchester City. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-West Hma United have contacted Shakhtar Doentsk Manager Paulo Fonseca, as David Moyes is likely to leave. (Source Daily Telegraph online)

-Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne was awarded with the player with mosts assists in the Premier League. (Source AS.com Online)

-According to some sources Sam Allardyce will be sacked by the club in the coming days. (Source vi.nl online)

League Matchday (May 8-13, 2018):

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:
Swansea 0-Southampton 1 (Manolo Gabbiadini 72)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:
Chelsea 1-Huddersfield 1 (Marcos Alonso 62 / Laurent Depoitre 50)
Leicester 3-Arsenal 1 (Kelechi Iheanacho 14, Jamie Vardy 76 pen, Riyad Mahrez 90 / Pierre-Erik Aubameyang 53)
Manchester City3-Brighton 1 (Danilo 16, Bernardo Silva 34, Fernandinho 72 / Jose Leonardo Ulloa 20)
Tottenham 1-Newcastle 0 (Harry Kane 50)

Thursday, May 10, 2018:
West Ham United 0-Manchester United 0

Sunday, May 13, 2018:
Burnley 1-Bournemouth 2 (Chris Wood 39 / Joshua King 74, Callum Wilson 90)
Crystal Palace 2- West Bromwich Albion 0 (Wilfried Zaha 70, Patrick van Aanholt 78)
Huddersfield 0-Arsenal 1 (Pierre Erik Aubameyang 38)
Liverpool 4-Brighton 0 (Mohamed Salah 26, Dejan Lovren 40, Dominic Solanke 53, Andrew Robertson 85)
Manchester United 1-Watford 0 (Marcus Rashford 34)
Newcastle United 3-Chelsea 0 (Dwight Gayle 23, Ayoze Perez 59, 63)
Southampton 0-Manchester City 1 (Gabriel Jesus 90)
Swansea 1-Stoke 2 (Andy King 14 / Badou Ndiaye 31, Peter Crouch 41)
Tottenham 5-Leicester 4 (Harry Kane 7, 76, Erik Lamela 49, 60, Christian Fuchs (own goal) 53 / Jamie Vardy 4, 73, Riyad Mahrez 16, Kelechi Iheanacho 47)
West Ham United 3-Everton 1 (Manuel Lanzini 39, 82, Marko Arnautovic 63 / Baye Oumar Niasse 74)

Top Goalscorer:
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) 32 goals
Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) 30 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Man City
38
32
4
2
106
27
79
100
2
Man Utd
38
25
6
7
68
28
40
81
3
Tottenham
38
23
8
7
74
36
37
77
4
Liverpool
38
21
12
5
84
38
46
75
5
Chelsea
38
21
7
10
62
38
24
70
6
Arsenal
38
19
6
13
74
51
23
63

18
Swansea
38
8
9
21
28
56
-28
33
19
Stoke
38
7
12
19
35
68
-33
33
20
WBA
38
6
13
19
31
56
-25
31

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

II.  Italy
Juventus had a memorable week. On Wednesday, they defeated AC Milan (4-0) to win the Coppa Italia in a match that AC Milan goalkeeper Donnaruma made a couple of mistakes that lead to goals.
On Saturday, Inter’s home loss at Sassuolo damaged their CL prospects with Lazio now having the upper hand for that spot.
The impending transfer of Lazio’s Dutch defender Stefan De Vrij to Inter created some controversy as some felt he would not be as motivated now to help his current club, however, the club backed the player.
On Sunday, Juevntus got the point they needed in a scoreless tie with AS Roma to clinch their unprecedented seventh straight Scudetto (as well as Fourth straight double, all under Allegri).
Napoli Manager Maurizio Sarri appears set to be leaving the club.
For the National Team, Roberto Mancini was officially confirmed as the next Manager.



Photo From: L’Equipe, May 10, 2018
(Juventus squad, May 9, 2018, Coppa Italia, Juventus 4-AC Milan 0)




Photo From: L’Equipe, May 14, 2018
(Juventus players celebrating the Scudetto, May 13, 2018, Roma 0-Juevntus 0)



Diary:

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:
- Barcelona’s French defender Lucas Digne has been linked to Juventus. (Source Corriere dello Sport Online)

-The agent of Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno has closed the door on a possible transfer to Napoli.  (Source Maisfutebol online)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:

-AC Milan Manager Rino Gattuso stated that today’s Coppa Italia Final is like a ‘World Cup’ for Milan. (Source Kicker.de online)

Thursday, May 10, 2018:
- Lazio’s Dutch defender Stefan De Vrij has signed with Internazionale Milano. Other targets for Inter are the Argentinean Lautaro Martinez (Racing Club) and Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus). They also plan to make the signings of Joao Cancelo and Rafinha permanent. (Source Corriere dello Sport Online)

- Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentis stated that he would like Maurizio Sarri to remain as Manager. De Laurentis also said that the Scudetto had been ‘robbed’ from them. (Source Corriere dello Sport Online)

-Napoli Manager Maurizio Sarri said that at the end of the season he will evaluate his future with the club. (Source La Gazzetta Dello Sport)

Friday, May 11, 2018:

- Sampdoria’s Belgian player Dennis Praet has been linked with Internazionale Milano. (Source Walfoot.be Online via Corriere dello Sport)

-Gianluigi Buffon’s conduct in the CL match (and sending off) vs. Real Madrid will be evaluated by May 31st. (Source La Gazzetta Dello Sport)

- According to the ‘Daily Express’, Chelsea’s Alvaro Morata is linked to a return to Juventus. (Source Corriere dello Sport Online)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:

-Dino Zoff has stated that it is not ‘normal’, a World Cup without Italy.  (Source Walfoot.be online)

-AS Roma’s Radja Nainggolan stated that joining Juventus would be unthinkable and would feel like a ‘traitor’.  (Source Footnews.be online)

-Simone Inzaghi stated that the club’s Dutch defender Stefan De Vrij is a true professional and he has no worries in that regard. There are some who have cast doubts about his future performances given that he is to join Inter, who are competing with them for a CL spot.  (Source vi.nl. online)

-Atalanta Manager Gian Piero Gasperini said he had been threatened by Referee Pierluigi Pairetto in a match vs. Genoa. He had told him that ‘we will meet in Rome and this behavior will not be tolerated. Gasperini was surprised how Pairetto already knew that he would be appointed referee for their next match. Gasperini has been suspended from Tomorrow’s match vs. AC Milan. (Source La Gazzetta Dello Sport)

Sunday, May 13, 2018:

-Italian Manager Roberto Mancini left Zenit St Petersburg by mutual consent. He is to take over as Italy’s National Team Manager.  (Source BBC Football Online)

-Inter’s Mauro Icardi said he might leave the club in the possibility of Financial Fair Play reasons. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Alessandro Nesta has been appointed as Manager of Perugia. (Source Sky Sports Online)
-AS Roma’s bid for Dinamo Zagreb’s Ante Coric has been accepted. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Napoli’s Colombian striker (oan loan at Sampdoria) has been linked to Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Cameroon and Torino’s Nicolas Nkoulou has been named as Torino’s player of the season. (Source Toro News online)

-AS Roma’s Alessandro Florenzi has been linked with Internazionale Milano. (Source La Gazzetta Dello Sport)

-Barcelona’s Portuguese defender Nelson Semedo and Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey have also been linked with Internazionale Milano as potential right backs. (Source La Gazzetta Dello Sport)

-Bologna’s Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin has been linked with Internazionale Milano.   (Source La Gazzetta Dello Sport)

-Napoli Manager Maurizio Sarri stated that Napoli lost the Scudetto in a Hotel room. He believes his players lost motivation once they saw Juventus come back and defeat Inter (3-2) in the closing stages of the match.  (Source Calciomercato.com Online)

-Juventus’ Giorgio Chiellini hit back at Napoli’s Dries Mertens, who after the Napoli win (1-0) over Juventus had said that Juventus had played the match like a Champions League Final and lost and that “they are used to that”.  Chiellini retorted that “we lose the finals because we play them”.  (Source Calciomercato.com Online)

Monday, May 14, 2018:

-Juventus Manager Massimilano Allegri announced his intention to stay with the club unless he is sacked.  (Source BBC Football Online)

-Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentis has allegedly contacted Carlo Ancelotti to manage, in case Maurizio Sarri leaves.  (Source Calciomercato.com Online)

- Roberto Mancini was officially confirmed as Italy’s National Team Manager.  (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will hold a pres conference on Thursday. Many believe that he will announce his retirement that day. (Source vi.nl online)

Coppa Italia-Final

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:
Juventus 4- AC Milan 0 (Mehdi Benatia 56, 64, Douglas Costa 61, Nikola Kalinic (own goal) 76)

League Matchday (May 12-13, 2018):

Saturday, May 12, 2018:
Benevenato 1- Genoa 0 (Cheick Diabate 87)
Internazionale Milano 1-Sassuolo 2  (Rafinha 80 / Matteo Politano 25, Domenico Berardi 72)

Sunday, May 13, 2018:
Bologna 1-Chievo Verona 2 (Simone Verdi 12 pen / Giaccherini 48, Roberto Inglese 60)
Crotone 2-Lazio 2 (Simy 29, Federico Ceccherini 61 / Senad Lulic 17 pen, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic 84)
Fiorentina 0-Cagliari 1 (Leonardo Pavoletti 37)
Verona 0-Udinese 1 (Antonin Barak 20)
Torino 2-SPAL 1 (Andrea Belotti 68, Lorenzo De Silvestri 87 / Alberto Grassi 22)
Atalanta 1–AC Milan 1 (Andrea Masiello 90 / Yannick Kessie 60)
Roma 0-Juventus 0
Sampdoria 0 –Napoli 2 (Arkadiusz Milik 72, Raul Albiol 80)

Top Goalscorer:
Ciro Immobile (Lazio) 29 goals
Mauro Icardi (Internazionale Milano) 28 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Juventus
37
29
5
3
84
23
61
92
2
Napoli
37
27
7
3
76
28
48
88
3
AS Roma
37
22
8
7
60
28
32
74
4
Lazio
37
21
9
7
87
46
41
72
5
Internazionale
37
19
12
6
63
28
35
69
6
AC Milan
37
17
10
10
51
41
10
61

 P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

III.  Spain

On Wednesday, Villareal gave Barcelona the guard of honor that Real Madrid had refused.
On Sunday, Barcelona’s quest to end the season undefeated ended as Levante defeated them (5-4) after going ahead (5-1).
There was some controversy as to why Valverde chosen to rest Messi. Some speculated that there was an agreement with the Argentina Federation to rest him for the World Cup now that the title was ensured.
There was continuous chatter about Neymar signing for Real Madrid in the near future.
However, the likelihood appears to be about the transfer of Griezmann from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona.



Photo From: L’Equipe, May 10, 2018
(Ousmane Dembele, May 9, 2018, Barcelona 5-Villareal 1)



Photo From:  Maisfutebol online
(Xabi Prieto crest on jerseys)



Diary:

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:
-Atletico Madrid have only been allocated 9, 674 tickets for the Europa league Final.  (Source Daily Telegraph online)

-Atletico Madrid President Enrique Cerezo held talks with Antoine Griezmann (tipped to go to Barcelona) in the hopes of holding onto him. (Source AS.com)

-During Manchester City’s title celebrations, Oleksandr Zinchenko had accidentally knocked down the Premier League trophy. As a joke, Ilkay Gundogan had twitted about repairing trophies.

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos responded back making a reference about the time in 2011 when he had dropped the Copa Del Rey trophy from the team bus. (Source AS.com)
-Leganes Manager Asier Garitano has confirmed that he will leave at the end of the season. (Source AS.com)

-Jose Mourinho has reached an agreement with Spanish tax authorities stemming back from his days as Real Madrid manager. He has made an admission and will pay a fine of 800,000 Euros. A prison sentence set at 12 months will also be commuted. (Source AS.com via El Mundo)

-Athletic Bilbao’s Raul Garcia has undergone a heart operation. This is to correct a mild cardiac arrhythmia. (Source AS.com)

-PSG’s Edinson Cavani has been linked to Atletico Madrid. (Source Walfoot.be via Mundo Deportivo)

-Real Madrid Manager Zinedine Zidane responded to concerns about Cristiano Ronaldo’s fitness for the Champions League Final by saying that he will be “150%” fit by the time of the Final. (Source AS.com Online)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:

-According to reports Real Madrid President Florentino Perez is determined to sign Neymar from PSG (who have fixed a fee of 260 Million Euros). (Source AS.com Online)

-Barcelona’s Sergi Roberto has received a four match ban for his sending off in the match vs. Real Madrid. Barcelona are planning to appeal. (Source Marca.com online)

- Barcelona’s French defender Samuel Umtiti has been ruled out of today’s match vs. Villareal after a knee injury. (Source Marca.com online)

-Atletico Madrid have expressed displeasure for Barcelona’s attempts to prize away Antoine Griezmann. (Source AS.com Online)

-Former Real Madrid and now Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas stated that he would have performed the guard of honor for Barcelona (Source AS.com Online)

-Cristiano Ronaldo will produce a series on Football for Facebook Watch. (Source AS.com Online)

-In Real Madrid’s loss (2-3) to Sevilla today, Sergio Ramos entered the history books by missing a penalty kick, scoring an own goal and then scoring from a penalty kick in the same match. (Source AS.com Online)

Thursday, May 10, 2018:

-Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis stated that letting Griezmann leave for £88 Million is ‘Cheap’. (Source Sky Sports Online)

- Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero has been linked to Atletico Madrid (his former club) as a possible replacement for Griezmann.  (Source Marca.com Online)

- Chilean Manager Manuel Pellegrini has been linked to Sevilla.  (Source Marca.com Online)

-Athletic Bilbao have sacked Manager Jose Ciganda. (Source France Football Online)
-PSG’s Layvin Kurzawa has been linked to Atletico Madrid. (Source AS.com Online via L’Equipe)

-Colombian midfielder Mateus Uribe from Mexican Club America is being monitored by Real Madrid. (Source AS.com Online via ESPN)

-For their next match on Saturday vs. Leganes, Real Sociedad’s jerseys will have a Xabi Prieto’s photo by the crest. This is to honor the retiring player.  (Source Maisfutebol online)

Friday, May 11, 2018:

-Roma’s Cengiz Under has been linked to Barcelona. (Source Sky Sports Online via Corriere dello Sport)

-Atletico Madrid Manager Diego Simeone’s four match UEFA ban was upheld. (Source France Football Online)

-Ajax Amsterdam’s Frenkie de Jong has been linked to Barcelona. (Source Footnews.be Online)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:

- Zinedine Zidane discussed the possibility of Neymar’s transfer by saying he would be compatible with Cristiano Ronaldo. He compared how as a player there were doubts about himself and Youri Djorkaeff, but good talented players always find a way.  (Source AS. Com online)

- Argentinean Manager Eduardo Berizzo is linked for the Atheltic Bilbao post.  (Source AS. Com online)

-Sevilla Manager Joaquin Caparros made a rude gesture to the Betis fans from the team bus.  (Source Maisfutebol.com online)

Sunday, May 13, 2018:

-Barcelona will be willing to pay an additional 15 Million Euros on top of the buy-out clause to acquire Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-The Brazilian Andreas Pereira has left Valencia (where he was on loan) and returned to Manchester United. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Atletico Madrid Manager Diego Simeone would like to hold into goalkeeper Jan Oblak (linked to Liverpool). (Source Sky Sports Online via AS.com)

Monday, May 14, 2018:

-Sevilla Manager Joaquin Caparros apologized for the a rude gesture he made to the Betis fans on Saturday.  (Source Maisfutebol.com online)

-Alaves striker Munir El Haddadi will not be able to represent Morocco after the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) rejected his appeal to switch allegiance from Spain to Morocco. (Source AS.com Online)

League Matchday (May 9-13, 2018):

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:
Barcelona 5-Villareal 1 (Phillipe Coutinho 11, Paulinho 16, Lionel Messi 45, Ousmane Dembele 87, 90 /  Nicola Sansone 54)
Sevilla 3-Real Madrid 2 (Wissam Ben Yedder 26, Miguel Layun 45, Sergio Ramos (own goal) 84 / Borja Mayoral 87, Sergio Ramos 90 pen)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:
Real Sociedad 3-Leganes 2 (Mikel Oyarzabal 18, Sergio Canales 25, William Jose 78 pen / Diego Rico 26, Guerrero 53)
Alaves 3-Athletic Bilbao 1 (John Guidetti 43, Munir El Haddadi 60, Ibai Gomez 77 / Iker Muniain 79)
Deportivo La Coruna 2-Villareal 4 (Borja Valle 58, 88 / Samuel Castillejo 2, 45, Manuel Trigueros 31, Denis Cheryshev 90)
Eibar 1-Las Palmas 0 (Charles 5)
Getafe 0-Atletico Madrid 1 (Koke 8)
Girona 0-Valencia 1 (Luciano Dario Vietto 61)
Real Betis 2-Sevilla 2 (Marc Bartra 5, Loren Moron 81 / Wissam Ben Yedder 57, Simon Kjaer 79)
Real Madrid 6-Celta Vigo 0 (Gareth Bale 13, 30, Isco 32, Achraf Hakimi 52, Sergi Gomez (own goal) 74, Toni Kroos 81)

Sunday, May 13, 2018:
Espanyol 4-Malaga 1 (Gerard Moreno 8, Sergio Garcia 27,  Leo Baptistao 30, Pablo Piatti 79 pen / Adrian Gonzalez 39 pen)
Levante 5-Barcelona 4 (Emmanuel Boateng 9,30,49, Enis Bardhi 46, 56 / Phillipe Coutinho 38, 59, 64, Luis Suarez 71 pen)

Top Goalscorer:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 33 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 25 goals
Luis Suarez (Barcelona) 25 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Barcelona
37
27
9
1
98
29
69
90
2
Atletico Madrid
37
23
9
5
56
20
36
78
3
Real Madrid
37
22
9
6
92
42
50
75
4
Valencia
37
21
7
9
63
37
26
69
5
Villareal
37
18
6
13
55
48
7
60
6
Real Betis
37
18
6
13
58
58
0
60


P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

IV.  Germany
History was made on Saturday, as SV Hamburg were relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time since its inception (1963/64). The club’s fans protested by throwing flares on the field before order was restored.
Jupp Heynckes ended his fourth and last stint as Bayern Munich manager at home vs. Stuttgart (1-4 loss).
It was confirmed that Bayern’s Polish striker Robert Lewandowski would remain with the club.
Peter Stoeger left his post as Dortmund Manager in a decision that many had predicted for some time. Hoffenheim managed to clinch a CL spot by defeating Dortmund (3-1).

Diary:

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:

-Bayer Leverkusen have signed Hertha Berlin’s Mitchell Weiser.  (Source As.com online)
- FC Basel’s Norwegian player Mohamed Elyounoussi has been linked to Dortmund. (Source Sport Bild online)

- Norwich City Manager Daniel Farke has been linked to Eintracht Frankfurt as possible Manager for next season. (Source Sport Bild online)

-Kaiserslautern have signed Arminia Bielfeld’s Christoph Hemlein. (Source Kicker.de online)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:

-Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is expected to miss the World Cup as he still has not regained fitness. (Source Sky Sports Online)

- Bayern Munich executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge denied the rumors that Robert Lewandowski is about to be sold and stated that he will remain at the club. (Source Sport Bild online)

- According to ‘Daily Mirror’, Manchester United plan on signing Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic with cash plus Anthony Martial as part of the deal. (Source Sport Bild online)

-According to the ‘Sun’, Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno is linked to Arsenal. (Source Sport Bild online)

- Bayern Munich have given a professional contract to their U-19 player Meritan Shabani. (Source Sport Bild online)

Thursday, May 10, 2018:

-Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is linked to Borussia Dortmund. (Source Walfoot.be Online)

- Werder Bremen’s Danish International Thomas Delaney is also linked to  Borussia Dortmund. (Source Sport Bild online)

-The SV Hamburg management have confirmed, even if SV Hamburg are relegated Christian Titz will remain as Manager . (Source Kicker.de online)

Friday, May 11, 2018:

- Real Madrid have stopped negotiations in their pursuit of Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, who is likely to remain with the club. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Mainz’s Suat Serdar has been linked to Hoffenheim. (Source Sky Sports Online)

- Bayern Munich have extended the contracts of Arjen Robben and Rafinha by one year. (Source Sport Bild online)

-Chelsea’s Kenedy (on loan at Newcastle) has been linked to Bayern Munich as a replacement for the departing Juan Bernat. (Source Kicker.de  online)

-Schalke’s departing players Leon Goretzka (to Bayern Munich) and Marko Pjaca (back to Juventus from his loan) will say goodbye to the public in the weekend. Max Meyer (suspended by the club) will not be. (Source Kicker.de online)

-Schalke have approached by Bayern Munich for Sebastian Rudy, but neither the club nor the player are interested. (Source Kicker.de online)

- Eintracht Frankfurt’s Finnish goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky has been linked to Bayer Leverkusen as a replacement for the possible departure of Bernd Leno. (Source Kicker.de online)

-Stephan Ambrosius has been offered a professional contract by SV Hamburg. (Source Kicker.de online)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:

- Miroslav Klose has been appointed as Bayern Munich’s U-17 coach.  (Source AS. Com online)

-Cameroon striker Franck Evina was offered a professional contract with Bayern Munich. (Source France Football Online)

-Liverpool’s 18 year old Rhian Brewster is linked to Moenchengladbach. (Source Kicker.de online)

- Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller criticized Ousmane Dembele’s disrespectful manner in which he left the club early in the season. (Source Sport Bild online via ESPN)

-SV Hamburg were relegated for the first time since the inception of Bundesliga (1963/64) despite defeating Moenchengladbach (2-1).  The fans showed their discontent by throwing flares on the field near the end of the match. (Source BBC Football online)

- Dortmund Manager Peter Stoeger left his post following the match vs. Hoffenheim (1-3). He declared that it was by mutual consent. (Source France Football online)

Sunday, May 13, 2018:

-Mainz’s Suat Serdar is also linked with Schalke as a replacement foe Max Meyer. (Source Sky Sports Online via Bild)

-Koln’s Leonardo Bittencourt is likely to sign for Hoffenheim. Werder Bremen had also been linked with him, but with Hoffenheim in CL, they have a better shot to sign him. (Source Kicker.de online)

-Werder Bremen’s Yashik Belfodil will leave the club now that his loan has expired. (Source Kicker.de online)

-Augsburg goalkeeper Ioannis Gelios will leave the club at the end of the season. He joined Hansa Rostock on the following day. (Source Kicker.de online)

-Wolfsburg’s Josip Brekalo has extended his contract with the club. (Source Kicker.de online)

-Bayer Leverkusen’s Vladlen Yurchenko will leave the club at the end of the season. (Source Kicker.de online)

-Freiburg’s Julian Schuster announced his retirement. (Source Kicker.de online)

Monday, May 14, 2018:

-Stuttgart have signed Arminia Bielfeld’s Roberto Massimo and Dinamo Zagreb’s Borna Sosa. Stutggart have also signed Spanish player Pablo Maffeo (Manchester City) and David Kopacz (Dortmund) (Source vi.nl online)

-There is growing controversy after National Team players of Turkich origin (Mesut Ozil, Ilkay Gundogan and Everton striker Cenk Tosun) were pictured with Turkish President Recep Erdogan with signed jerseys. The German Federarion stated that the players had allowed themselves to be exploited. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Freiburg have signed goalkeeper Mark Flekken from Duisburg. Current substitute goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz will leave the club. (Source Kicker.de online)

-Eintracht Frankfurt’s Mexican player Carlos Salcedo signed for the club on permamnent basis. (Source Kicker.de online)

-Dortmund’s Sokratis is likely to leave the club. He is linked to Arsenal. (Source Kicker.de online)

-Bochum have signed Milos Pantovic from Bayern Munich. (Source Kicker.de online)

-Stuttgart have extended the contract of goalkeeper Jens Grahl. They have alos signed Marc Oliver Kempf from Freiburg. (Source Kicker.de online)\

- Koln’s Leonardo Bittencourt officially signed for Hoffenheim. (Source vi.nl online)

League Matchday (May 12, 2018):

Saturday, May 12, 2018:
Leverkusen 3-Hannover 2 (Lucas Alario 3, 18, Julian Brandt 55 / Niclas Fuelkrug 90, Martin Harnik 90)
Bayern Munich 1-Stuttgart 4 (Corentin Tolisso 21 / Daniel Ginczek 5, 55, Anastasios Donis 42, Chadrac Akolo 52)
Freiburg 2-Augsburg 0 (Nicolas Hoefler 49, Tim Kleindienst 65)
SV Hamburg 2- Moenchengladbach 1 (Aaron Hunt 11 pen, Lewis Holtby 63 / Josip Drmic 28)
Hertha Berlin 2-RB Leipzig 6 (Vedad Ibisevic 4, Salomon Kalou 64 / Dayot Upamenco 2, Ademola Lookman 7, Jean-Kevin Augustin 22, 54, Timo Werner 49, Bruma 82)
Hoffenheim 3-Dortmund 1 (Andrej Kramaric 26, Adam Szalai 63, Pavel Kaderabek 73 / Marco Reus 58)
Mainz 1-Werder Bremen 2 (Gbamin 12 / Florian Kainz 23, Gebre Selassie 79)
Schalke 1-Eintracht Frankfurt 0 (Guido Burgstaller 26)
Wolfsburg 4-Koln 1 (Joshua Guilavogui 1, Divock Origi 54, Robin Knoche 71, Josip Brekalo 90 / Jonas Hector 32)

Top Goalscorer:
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) 29 goals
Kevin Volland (Bayer Leverkusen) 14 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Bayern Munich
34
27
3
4
92
28
64
84
2
Schalke
34
18
9
7
53
37
16
63
3
Hoffenheim
34
15
10
9
66
48
18
55
4
Dortmund
34
15
10
9
64
47
16
55
5
Bayer Leverkusen
34
15
10
9
56
42
14
55
6
RB Leipzig
34
15
8
11
57
53
4
53










16
Wolfsburg
34
6
15
13
36
48
-12
33
17
SV Hamburg
34
8
7
19
29
53
-24
31
18
Koln
34
5
7
22
35
70
-35
22

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

V.  France
PSG won the domestic treble by defeating Lower League side, Les Herbiers (2-0) in the French Cup Final.
Neymar had returned to the Capital for the festivities, however, most of the chatter concerned about his departure .
Strasbourg and Lille avoided relegation. Lille particularly has a nightmare of a season that had started under the tumultuous management of the Argentinean Marcelo Bielsa.
Monaco jumped back to the second spot with a last minute penalty kick win over St Etienne with one match to go.
On Sunday, the UNFP awards were handed out and Neymar was elected as the Player of the season. He received his trophy from Ronaldo. Kylian Mbappe was elected as the Young Player of the Year.
Thomas Tuchel was officially named as PSG Manager for next season and immediately set about ensuring Neymar’s stay.


Photo From: L’Equipe, May 9, 2018
(PSG Cup winners)



Photo From: L’Equipe, May 14, 2018
(Ronaldo handing the Player of the season award to Neymar)



Diary:

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:

-PSG’s Thiago Motta has expressed that his objective is to one day manage Paris St. Germain. He will retire at the end of the season to manage the club’s U-19 side. (Source L’Equipe Online)

-The agent of PSG’s Angel Di Maria’s has been in contact with Atletico Madrid for a possible move. (Source Marca.com Online)

-Former Cameroon International Samuel Eto’o has called PSG’s Kylian Mbappe as the ‘future Messi’. (Source Walfoot.be Online)

- Dutchman Peter Bosz has been linked as possible OGC Nice Manager in case Lucien Favre leaves the club (possibly to manage Dortmund). (Source Sport Bild online)

-PSG clinched the domestic treble and won the ‘Coupe de France’ for the fourth year in a row by defeating Les Herbiers (2-0). (Source L’Equipe online)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:

-Monaco have signed Anderlecht’s 16 year-old player Eliot Matazo.  (Source Footnews.be online)

-The World Cup hopes of PSG’s Dani Alves could be in danger after he was injured in the Cup Final the day before.  (Source Maisfutebol.com online)

Thursday, May 10, 2018:

-Juventus’ Brazilian defender Alex Sandro is linked to PSG. (Source France Football Online)

-Lyon’s Memphis Depay has been elected as L1’s player of the month for April. (Source France Football Online)

Friday, May 11, 2018:

-PSG’a Hatem Ben Arfa was questioned by the prosecutors concerning past OM transfer dealings. He signed for OM back in 2011. (Source France Football Online)

- PSG’s Thomas Meunier met with PSG ultras to smooth things over following the controversy from the previous week where he has been victim of twitter abuse from PSG fans. (Source Footnews.be online)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:

-PSG President Nasser Al-Khelafi said that he is ‘2000 percent’ sure that Neymar will remain with the club. (Source Sky Sports Online)

-Chievo Verona’s Belgian midfielder Samuel Bastien is linked to OGC Nice. (Source France Football Online)

-PSG lost at home for the first time in 42 matches as they lost to Rennes (0-2). The retiring Thiago Motta played his last match and Unai Emery managed for the last time. (Source BBC Football online)

- A journalist tried to bait PSG’s Thomas Meunier by asking him about the upcoming Europa League Final between OM and Atletico Madrid. He responded that he is not taking sides and that he might not even watch the match. (Source Footnews.be online)

-Lille and Strasbourg maintained their spots in L1 after respectively defeating Dijon (2-1) and Lyon (3-2). (Source L’Equipe online)

-OGC Nice’s Alassane Plea stated that he would leave the club at the end of the season. (Source L’Equipe online)

-PSG defender Yuri Berchiche is linked to Atletico Madrid.  (Source France Football Online)

-PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola is linked to Newcastle United.  (Source France Football Online)

-Nantes has contacted Jurgen Klinnsman as possible replacement for Claudio Ranieri. Youri Djorkaeff is also tipped to be appointed as Technical Director for the club.  (Source France Football Online)

Sunday, May 13, 2018:

- UNFP Awards (Source France Football Online)
Ligue 1
Player : Neymar (PSG)
Young Player : Kylian Mbappé (PSG).
Goalkeeper : Steve Mandanda (Marseille)
Manager : Unai Emery (PSG)
Best Goal : Malcom (Bordeaux)
Best XI : Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Ferland Mendy (Lyon), Marquinhos (PSG), Thiago Silva (PSG), Dani Alves (PSG), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Luiz Gustavo (Marseille), Marco Verratti (PSG), Neymar (PSG), Edinson Cavani (PSG), Kylian Mbappé (PSG).

Ligue 2
Player : Diego Rigonato (Reims)
Goalkeeper : Paul Bernardoni (Clermont)
Best XI : Paul Bernardoni (Clermont), Vincent Le Goff (Lorient), Julian Jeanvier (Reims), Yunis Abdelhamid (Reims), Mickaël Alphonse (Sochaux), Teji Savanier (Nîmes), Diego Rigonato (Reims), Romain Philippoteaux (Auxerre), Umut Bozok (Nîmes), Rachid Alioui (Nîmes), Pablo Chavarria (Reims).

Feminin
Player : Dzsenifer Marozsan (Lyon)
Young Player : Marie-Antoinette Katoto (PSG)

Foreign Leagues
Best French Player : N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea)

Monday, May 14, 2018:

-German Manager Thomas Tuchel was officially confirmed as the new coach of PSG. He held talks with Neymar to convince him to stay. (Source L’Equipe online)

-Strasbourg’s new kit designers for next season will be Adidas. They are currently with Hummel. (Source France Football Online)

Coupe de France-Final (May 8, 2018):

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:
Paris St. Germain 2-Les Herbiers 0 (Giovani Lo Celso 26, Edinson Cavani  74 pen)

League Matchday (May 11-12, 2018):

Friday, May 11, 2018:
Guingamp 3- Olympique Marseille 3 (Clement Grenier 42, 52 pen, Jimmy Briand 70 pen / Valere Germain 2, Florian Thauvin 14, 81)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:
Amiens 2-Metz 0 (Tusumgama 21 pen, Vahid Selimovic (own goal) 86)
Angers 0-Nantes 2 (Lima 50, Kalifa Coulibaly 62)
Bordeaux 4-Toulouse 2 (Martin Braithwaite 38, 49, Lukas Lerager 73, Malcolm 78 / Issiaga Sylla 29, Issa Diop 90)
Lille 2-Dijon 1 (Lebo Mothiba 18, 45 / Chang-Hoon Kwon 11)
Monaco 1-St Etienne 0 (Fabinho 90 pen)
Montpellier 1-Troyes 1 (Nicolas Cozza 58 / Karim Azamoum 31)
OGC Nice 4–Caen 1 (Mario Balotelli 3, 11 pen, Allan Saint-Maximin 36, Jean-Michel Seri 72 / Cristian Kouakou 76)
Paris St. Germain 0-Rennes 2 (Bourigeaud 52, Adrien Hunou 71)
Strasbourg 3-Lyon 2 (Stephane Bahoken 22, Nuno Da Costa 88, Dimitri Lienard 90 / Nabil Fekir 50 pen, Houssem Aouar 73)

Top Goalscorer:
Edinson Cavani (Paris St. Germain) 28 goals
Florian Thuavin (Olympique Marseille) 22 goals
Neymar (Paris St. Germain) 19 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Paris St. Germain
37
29
5
3
108
29
79
92
2
AS Monaco
37
23
8
6
82
45
37
77
3
Lyon
37
22
9
6
84
41
43
75
4
Marseille
37
21
11
5
78
46
32
74
5
Rennes
37
16
9
12
49
43
6
57
6
OGC Nice
37
15
9
13
51
49
2
54


P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

VI.  Holland

Diary:

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:
-Ajax Amsterdam’s Justin Kluivert has been linked with AS Roma. (Source vi.nl online)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:

-Holland Manager Ronald Koeman released his list of call-ups for the National team’s upcoming matches vs. Slovakia and Italy (Source vi.nl online)
Here’s the full list:
Goal: Marco Bizot (AZ), Jasper Cillessen (Barcelona), Sergio Padt (FC Groningen) and Jeroen Zoet (PSV).
Defense: Patrick van Aanholt (Crystal Palace), Nathan Aké (AFC Bournemouth), Daley Blind (Manchester United), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Hans Hateboer (Atalanta Bergamo), Daryl Janmaat (Watford), Terence Kongolo (Huddersfield Town) , Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax), Stefan de Vrij (Lazio).
Midfield: Donny van de Beek (Ajax), Davy Pröpper (Brighton & Hove Albion), Marten de Roon (Atalanta Bergamo), Kevin Strootman (AS Roma), Guus Til (AZ), Tonny Vilhena (Feyenoord), Ruud Vormer (Club Bruges), Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool).
Attack: Ryan Babel (Besiktas), Steven Berghuis (Feyenoord), Steven Bergwijn (PSV), Memphis Depay (Olympique Lyon), Eljero Elia (Istanbul Basaksehir), Luuk de Jong (PSV), Justin Kluivert (Ajax), Quincy Promes ( Spartak Moscow), Wout Weghorst (AZ).

Thursday, May 10, 2018:
-SC Heerenveen’s Denzel Dumfries is linked to PSV Eindhoven. (Source vi.nl online)

Friday, May 10, 2018:

- PSV Eindhoven Manager Phillip Cocu has been named Manager of the Year (Rinus Michels Award). (Source vi.nl online)

-Utrecht’s Zakaria Labyad has agreed to join Ajax Amsterdam. (Source vi.nl online)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:

-Former Belgian striker Luc Nilis has been appointed as Assistant Manager at VVV Venlo.  (Source Walffot.be online)

Monday, May 14, 2018:

-Utrecht’s Zakaria Labyad officially signed for Ajax Amsterdam. (Source vi.nl online)
-Utrecht have signed AZ’s Joris van Overeem. (Source vi.nl online)

-Mexican defender Cesar Montes has been linked to Ajax Amsterdam. (Source vi.nl online via Noticias de Futbol)

-Feyenoord’s Robin van Persie has signed on for one more year with the club. (Source vi.nl online)

-PSV Eindhoven have offered a professional contract to Kees van Lindert. (Source vi.nl online)

Europa League-Playoff  (May 9-12, 2018):

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:
ADO Den Haag 2-Vitesse 5 (El Khayati 52 pen, 82 / Tim Matavz 14, Mason Mount 34, 37, 72, Bryan Linssen 44)
SC Heerenveen 4-Utrecht 3 (Yuki Kobayashi 9, Ghoochannejhad 23, Daniel Hoeegh 48, Denzel Dumfries 86 / Zakaria Labyad 50, 63, Dave Bulthuis (own goal) 65)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:
Vitesse 2- ADO Den Haag 1 (Tim Matavz 32, Mason Mount 53 / El Khayati 55)
Utrecht 2- SC Heerenveen 1 (Rico Strieder 39, Mark van der Maarel 58 / Marco Rojas 78)

Dutch Eredivisie Playoffs  (May 10-13, 2018):

Thursday, May 10, 2018:
Telstar 3-De Graafschap 2 (Melvin Platje 20, Andrija Novakovich 56, Mohamed Hamdaoui 77 / Daryl van Mieghen 72, Fabian Serraens 74)
Emmen 4-NEC 0 (Jeroen Veldmate 5, Nick Bakker 8, Youri Loen 32, Glenn Bijl 89)
Dordrecht 1-Sparta 2 (Stija Spierings (own goal) 89 / Loris Brogno 10, Robert Muehren 90)
Almere City 0-Roda JC Kerkrade 0

Sunday, May 13, 2018:
De Graafschap 4- Telstar 2 (Lars Nieuwpoort 4, Youssef El Jebli 25, Fabian Serraens 68, van den Hurk 80 / Mohamed Hamdaoui 57, Andrija Novakovich 75 pen)
NEC 4- Emmen 1 (Anass Achahbar 5, 11, Frank Sturing 43, Ole ter Haard Romeny 45 / Alexander Bannink 14)
Sparta 2- Dordrecht 2 (Deroy Duarte 57, Robert Muehren 77 / Denis Mahmudov 7, Jeremy Cijntje 26)
Roda JC Kerkrade 1 -Almere City 2 (Daniel Schahin 53 / van van der Water 31, Faris Hammouti 87)

VII.  Scotland

On Sunday, Aberdeen clinched second place behind Celtic by defeating them (1-0) away from home.
Rangers were left in third place after an unbelievable (5-5) match with Hibs.
After the Hibernian equalizer, their Manager Neil Lennon ran onto the field to celebrate in a gleeful manner and was sent off.

Diary:

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:

-Hearts Manager Craig Levein has hit out on Celtic Manager Brendan Rogers’ complaints over the weekend for the state of the Hearts field. Rogers had stated that the was ‘embarassed’ about the length of the grass. Levein responded that Rogers can “bleat all he wants” but their approach will not change. (Source BBC Football Online)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:

- Hearts’ Steven Naismith was charged by the Scottish FA for his dangerous challenge over the weekend on Celtic’s Scott Brown. (Source BBC Football Online)

- St. Johnstone have signed English midfielder Drey Wright from Colchester. (Source BBC Football Online)

Thursday, May 10, 2018:

-St. Mirren have given permission to their Manager Jack Ross to hold talks with Ipswich Town. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Celtic goalkeeper Scott Bain signed a new four year contract with the club (Source BBC Football Online)

Friday, May 11, 2018:

- Celtic’s Scott Brown was named player of the year by the Scottish Football Writers Association. (Source Sky Sports Online)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:

-Celtic intend to recall Ryan Christie (currently on loan at Aberdeen). Aberdeen Manager Derek McIness said the ‘door is shut’ in him staying.  (Source BBC Football Online)

Monday, May 14, 2018:

-Alex McLeisch’s selected squad for matches against Peru and Mexico (Source BBC Football Online)
Full list:
Scotland squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Archer (Millwall), Allan McGregor (Hull City) Jon McLaughlin (Hearts)
Defenders: Barry Douglas (Wolves), Jack Hendry (Celtic), Scott McKenna (Aberdeen), Charlie Mulgrew (Blackburn Rovers), Callum Paterson (Cardiff City), John Souttar (Hearts), Lewis Stevenson (Hibernian).
Midfielders: Stuart Armstrong (Celtic), Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth), Dylan McGeouch (Hibernian), John McGinn (Hibernian), Kenny McLean (Aberdeen), Scott McTominay (Manchester United), Jamie Murphy (Brighton & Hove Albion, on loan at Rangers), Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United), Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen), Ryan Christie (Celtic, on loan at Aberdeen)
Forwards: Oli McBurnie (Swansea City, on loan at Barnsley), Lewis Morgan (Celtic, on loan at St Mirren), Matt Phillips (West Bromwich Albion), Johnny Russell (Sporting Kansas City).

-Rangers Glasgow have signed Burnley’s Canadian midfielder Scott Arfield. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer signed a new four-year contract with the club. (Source BBC Football Online)

League Matchday (May 8-9, 2018):

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:
Aberdeen 1-Rangers 1 (Kenny McLean 14 pen / Ross McCrorie 63)
Hamilton 1- St Johnstone 2 (Dougie Imrie 82 / David McMillan 65 pen, David Wotherspoon 80)
Patrick Thistle 0-Motherwell 1 (Ryan Bowman 60)
Ross 0-Dundee 1 (Simon Murray 51)

 Wednesday, May 9, 2018:
Celtic 0 –Kilmarnock 0
Hearts 2-Hibernian 1 (Kyle Lafferty 26, Steven Naismith 57 / Florian Kamberi 48 pen)
Saturday, May 12, 2018:
Dundee 0-Patrick Thistle 1 (Kris Doolan 63)
Motherwell 3-Hamilton 0 (Nadir Ciftci 31, 70, Tom Aldred 73)
St Johnstone 1-Ross 1 (David Wotherspoon 90 / Craig Curran 3)

Sunday, May 13, 2018:
Celtic 0-Aberdeen 1 (Andrew Considine 46)
Hibernian 5-Rangers 5 (Florian Kamberi 10 pen, Scott Allan 19, Jamie MacLaren 22, 70, 90 / James Tavernier 25, Jordan Rossiter 27, Bruno Alves 40, Jason Holt 54, Josh Windass 68)
Kilmarnock 1-Hearts 0 (Lee Erwin 10)

Top Goalscorer:
Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock) 18 goals
Alfredo Morelos (Rangers) 14 goals
Josh Windass (Rangers) 13 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Celtic
38
24
10
4
73
25
48
82
2
Aberdeen
38
22
7
9
56
37
19
73
3
Rangers
38
21
7
10
76
50
25
70
4
Hibernian
38
18
12
7
62
46
16
67
5
Kilmarnock
38
16
11
11
49
47
2
59


11
Patrick Thistle
38
8
9
21
31
61
-30
33
12
Ross County
38
6
11
21
40
62
-22
29

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

VIII.  Portugal

Diary:

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:

-Benfica have requested the disciplinary commission to review the actions of four Sporting CP players from their match over the weekend.
The players are: Rui Patricio, Jeremy Mathieu, Fabio Coentrao and Coates. (Source Maisfutebol online)

-Porto’s Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas has expressed his desire to stay for one more season. (Source Maisfutebol online)

Thursday, May 10, 2018:

-Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes was named player of the month of April. Benfica’s Jonas had been the winner for the past five months.
Porto’s Hector Herrera was awarded for the goal of the month for the goal that defeated Benfica (1-0).  Porto’s Sergio Conceicao was named Manager of the month. Iker Casillas, Alex telels, Miguel Cardoso were awarded best goalkeeper, defender and forward of the month.  (Source Maisfutebol online)

-Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes was also named best young player of the month of April. (Source Maisfutebol online)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:

- Sporting Lisbon’s Fabio Coentrao has recieved a reprimand from the Federation’s Disciplinary Council after an incident in the match vs. Porto  on March 2nd. He also has to pay a fine. In the incident in question, the player had a scuffle with two stewards as he attempted to take the ball for a throw-in. The two stewards were fined as well. (Source Maisfutebol online)

- In Porto’s match vs, Guimaraes, in the 80th minute, Porto Manager Sergio Conceicao sent on substitute goalkeeper Fabiano, so that he could be part of the Championship squad. He last played for the club in April 2015.   (Source Footnews.be online)


Monday, May 14, 2018:

-Portugal coach Fernando Santos’ 35-man preliminary squad for the World Cup  (Source Maisfutebol online)
Goalkeepers: - Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Beto (Goztepe) and Rui Patrício (Sporting)
Defenders: - Antunes (Getafe), Bruno Alves (Rangers), Cédric Soares (Southampton), João Cancelo (Inter), José Fonte (Dalian Yifang), Luís Neto (Fenerbahçe), Mario Rui (Naples), Nélson Semedo Pepe (Besiktas), Raphael Guerreiro (Dortmund), Ricardo Pereira (FC Porto), Rolando (Marseille) and Rúben Dias (Benfica)
Midfielders: Adrien Silva (Leicester), André Gomes (Barcelona), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting), João Mário (West Ham), João Moutinho (Monaco), Manuel Fernandes (Lokomotiv), Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton), Sérgio Oliveira ) and William Carvalho (Sporting)
Strikers: André Silva (Milan), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Éder (Lokomotiv), Gelson Martins (Sporting), Gonçalo Guedes (Valencia), Nani (Lazio), Paulinho Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas) and Rony Lopes (Monaco)

League Matchday (May 11-13 2018):

Friday, May 11, 2018:
Aves 2-Chaves 3 (Jorge Felipe 5, Mama Samba Balde 22 / Pedro Tiba 21 pen, William 89, Matheus Pereira 90)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:
Guimaraes 0-Porto 1 (Ivan Marcano 69)
Boavista 1-Belenensses 0 (Kuca 19)

Sunday, May 13, 2018:
Benfica 1-Moreirense 0 (Jonas 52 pen)
Feirense 0-Estoril 0
Maritimo 2-Sporting CP 1 (Joel 31, Gevorg Ghazaryan 90 / Bas Dost 32)
Portimonense 3-Pacos de Ferreira 1 (Pires 28, 77, Wellington 90 / Ruben Micael 88)
Rio Ave 1-Braga 0 (Tarantini 43)
Setubal 1-Tondela 0 (Andre Pereira 23)

Top Goalscorer:
Jonas (Benfica) 34 goals
Bas Dost (Sporting) 27 goals
Moussa Marega (Porto) 22 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Porto
34
28
4
2
82
18
64
88
2
Benfica
34
25
6
3
80
22
58
81
3
Sporting
34
24
6
4
63
24
39
78
4
Braga
34
24
3
7
74
29
45
75
5
Rio Ave
34
15
6
13
40
42
-2
51

17
Pacos de Ferreira
34
7
9
18
33
59
-26
30
18
Estoril
34
8
6
20
29
61
-32
30

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

IX.  Belgium

Club Brugge clinched the League title on Sunday.
There is continuing controversy over the treatment of Standard Liege manager Sa Pinto, who is likely to be sacked to make way for Michel Preud’homme.
Anderlecht manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck was criticized for pointing that out in an interview and was rebuked by most including Sa Pinto himself.

Diary:

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:

-Dieumerci Ndongala has made his loan move from Standard Liege to Genk a permanent one. (Source Walfoot.be online)

-Vital Borkelmans has been named as co-Manager of Jordan, in conjunction with the actual Manager in place, Jamal Abu-Abed. (Source Walfoot.be online)

-Standard Liege signed the Cypriot Kostas Laifis on a permanent deal exercising the buy option. They have also extended the contract of Reginal Goreux. (Source Walfoot.be online)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:

-German Manager Christoph Daum has turned down an offer to manager St. Truiden.  (Source footnews.be online via Het Laatste Nieuws)

-Dutch Manager Aad De Mos has stated that Anderlecht’s over hyped player Leander Dendoncker is not as good as he is being made out and is good for teams in the standing of West Ham or Crystal Palace. Therefore, De Mos feels Dendoncker should still remain in Anderlecht for the time being.  (Source footnews.be online)

-Romelu Lukaku revelead that he had problems with former Belgium Manager Marc Wilmots during the Euro 2016.  (Source Walfoot.be Online)

Thursday, May 10, 2018:

-Anderlecht Mananger Hein Vanhaezebrouck made disparaging remarks about Standard Liege Manager Sa Pinto after the loss (1-3) today. He made a reference that he is about to be fired by the club. (Source Footnews.be online)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:

-Brazilian striker Carlos Eduardo at Goias is linked with Anderlecht.  (Source Walfoot.be Online)

-Greek defender Dimitros Chatziisaias (PAOK) is linked with Anderlecht.  Red Star Belgrade’s 19 year old winger Luka Adzic is also linked with Anderlecht. (Source Footnews.be online)

-Standard Liege’s Cypriot Konstantinos Laifis is linked to Werder Bremen.  (Source Footnews.be online via Deich Stube)

-Belgian player Guillaume Gillet has had his contract terminated at Olympiakos. He is linked to Antwerp.  (Source Footnews.be online via Het Nieuwsblad)

-Former Dutch player and Manager Johan Boskamp attacked Anderlecht Manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck for his disrespectful remarks towards Standard Liege Manager Sa Pinto. (Source Footnews.be online)

Sunday, May 13, 2018:

- Anderlecht would like to extend the loan of Nigerian Henry Onyekuru (from Everton) (Source Footnews.be online)

-Club Brugge became Champions of Belgium after a tie with Standard Liege (1-1).   (Source France Football Online)

- Standard Liege Manager Sa Pinto attacked his Anderlecht counterpart Hein Vanhaezebrouck for the latter’s remarks concerning Sa Pinto’s impending sacking. (Source Footnews.be online)

League Matchday (May 10-13, 2018):

First Division A
Thursday, May 10, 2018:
Anderlecht 1- Standard Liege 3 (Lukasz Teodorczyk 63 / Edmilson Junior 48, 78, Renaud Emond 51)
Charleroi 1- Club Brugge 3 (Kaveh Rezaei 18 pen / Ruud Vormer 64, Hans Vanaken 71, Jelle Vossen 73)
Genk 1-Gent 1 (Mbwana Samata 66 / Yuya Kubo 15)

Saturday, May 13, 2018:
Genk 4-Charleroi 1 (Mbwana Samata 24, 61, Leandro Trossard 34, Dieumerci Ndongala 77 / Cristian Benavente 31)
Gent 1- Anderlecht 0 (Moses Simon 66)
Standard Liege 1- Club Brugge 1 (Konstantinos Laifis 11 / Jelle Vossen 42)

Top Goalscorer:
Hamid Harbaoui (Zulte-Waregem) 22 goals
Teddy Chevalier (Kortrijk) 21 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Club Brugge
9
3
3
3
17
11
6
46
2
Standard Liege
9
6
2
1
20
9
11
42
3
Anderlecht
9
4
0
5
11
13
-2
40
4
Gent
9
3
2
4
7
8
-1
36
5
Genk
9
3
4
2
11
12
-1
35

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

Diary (extra):

Tuesday, May 8, 2018:

-Russia were fined £22,000 after France’s Pogba/Dembele/Kante were subjected to racist chants from the crowd in their friendly back in March (3-1 France win).  (Source BBC Football Online)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018:

-Former Welsh International Simon Church has retired at the age of just 29 because of a hip injury.  (Source BBC Football Online)

Thursday, May 10, 2018:

-John O’Shea will captain the Republic of Ireland in his final International match vs. USA. (Source Sky Sports Online)
Here is Martin O’Neil’s full list of call-ups for the matches against Celtic, France and USA:
Republic of Ireland squad
Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (Middlesbrough), Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday), Colin Doyle (Bradford City), Kieran O'Hara (Manchester United), Ian Lawlor (Doncaster Rovers), Conor O'Malley (Peterborough United)
Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Cyrus Christie (Fulham), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Alex Pearce, Richard Keogh (Derby County), John Egan (Brentford), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), Declan Rice (West Ham United), Kevin Long (Burnley), John O'Shea (Sunderland), Darragh Lenihan, Derrick Williams (Blackburn Rovers), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), Greg Cunningham (Preston North End)
Midfielders: Alan Judge (Brentford), Conor Hourihane, Glenn Whelan (Aston Villa), Jeff Hendrick (Burnley), Harry Arter (Bournemouth), Eunan O'Kane (Leeds United), David Meyler (Hull City), Shaun Williams (Millwall), Alan Browne, Daryl Horgan (Preston North End), Callum O'Dowda (Bristol City), James McClean (West Bromwich Albion),
Forwards: Jonathan Walters (Burnley), Shane Long (Southampton), Scott Hogan (Aston Villa), Aiden O'Brien (Millwall), Sean Maguire, Callum Robinson (Preston North End), Graham Burke (Shamrock Rovers)

-Finland’s Mixu Paatelainen has been appointed as National Team Manager of Latvia. (Source Kicker.de online)

Friday, May 11, 2018:

-Poland Manager Adam Nawalka released his preliminary list (35 players) of the World Cup Finals squad (Source France Football Online, FIFA.com)
Here’s the full list:
Goalkeepers: Bartosz Bialkowski (Ipswich Town, England), Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea City, Wales), Lukasz Skorupski (Roma, Italy), Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus, Italy);
Defenders: Jan Bednarek (Southampton, England), Bartosz Bereszynski (Sampdoria, Italy), Thiago Cionek (SPAL, Italy), Kamil Glik (Monaco, France), Artur Jedrzejczyk (Legia Warsaw), Marcin Kaminski (Stuttgart, Germany), Tomasz Kedziora (Dynamo Kyiv, Ukraine), Michal Pazdan (Legia Warsaw), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund, Germany);
Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Wolfsburg, Germany), Pawel Dawidowicz (Palermo, Italy), Przemyslaw Frankowski (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Jacek Goralski (Ludogorets Razgrad, Bulgaria), Kamil Grosicki (Hull City, England), Damian Kadzior (Gornik Zabrze), Grzegorz Krychowiak (West Bromwich Albion, England), Rafal Kurzawa (Gornik Zabrze), Karol Linetty (Sampdoria, Italy), Maciej Makuszewski (Lech Poznan), Krzysztof Maczynski (Legia Warsaw), Slawomir Peszko (Lechnia Gdansk), Maciej Rybus (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia), Sebastian Szymanski (Legia Warsaw), Piotr Zielinski (Napoli, Italy), Szymon Zurkowski (Gornik Zabrze);
Forwards: Dawid Kownacki (Sampdoria, Italy), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, Germany), Arkadiusz Milik (Napoli, Italy), Krzysztof Piatek (Cracovia), Lukasz Teodorczyk (Anderlecht, Belgium), Kamil Wilczek (Brondby, Denmark).

-Russia Manager Stanislav Cherchesov released his preliminary list (28 players, plus 7 alternates) of the World Cup Finals squad (Source France Football Online, FIFA.com)
Here’s the full list:
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov (Club Brugge, Belgium), Soslan Dzhanaev (Rubin Kazan), Andrey Lunev (Zenit St Petersburg);
Defenders: Vladimir Granat, Ruslan Kambolov, Fedor Kudryashov (all Rubin Kazan), Ilya Kutepov (Spartak Moscow), Roman Neustadter (Fenerbahce, Turkey), Konstantin Rausch (Dynamo Moscow), Andrey Semenov (Akhmat Grozny), Igor Smolnikov (Zenit St Petersburg), Mario Fernandes (CSKA Moscow);
Midfielders: Yuri Gazinskiy (Krasnodar), Alexsandr Golovin, Alan Dzagoev (both CSKA Moscow), Alexsandr Erokhin, Yuri Zhirkov, Daler Kuzyaev (all Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Zobnin, Alexsandr Samedov (both Spartak Moscow), Anton Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexsandr Tashaev (Dynamo Moscow), Denis Cheryshev (Villarreal, Spain);
Forwards: Artem Dzyuba (Arsenal Tula), Aleksey Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar), Fedor Chalov (CSKA Moscow).
(Additional seven:) goalkeeper Marianato Guilherme (Lokomotiv Moscow); defenders Vladislav Ignatiev (Lokomotiv Moscow) and Dmitry Kombarov (Spartak Moscow); midfielders Denis Glushakov (Spartak Moscow) and Anton Shvets; forwards Anton Zabolotny and Dmitry Poloz (both Zenit St Petersburg).

-Iceland Manager Heimir Hallgrimason released his list (23 players) of the World Cup Finals squad (Source Sport Bild Online, FIFA.com)
Here’s the full list:
Goalkeepers: Hannes Thor Halldorsson (Randers, Denmark), Runar Alex Runarsson (Nordsjaelland, Denmark), Frederik Schram (Roskilde, Denmark);
Defenders: Kari Arnason (Aberdeen, Scotland), Ari Freyr Skulason (Lokeren, Belgium), Birkir Mar Saevarsson (Valur), Sverrir Ingi Ingason (Rostov, Russia), Hordur Magnusson (Bristol City, England), Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson (Levski Sofia, Bulgaria), Ragnar Sigurdsson (Rostov, Russia);
Midfielders: Johann Berg Gudmundsson (Burnley, England), Birkir Bjarnason (Aston Villa, England), Arnor Ingvi Traustason (Malmo, Sweden), Emil Hallfredsson (Udinese, Italy), Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton, England), Olafur Ingi Skulason (Karabukspor, Turkey), Rurik Gislason (Sandhausen, Germany), Samuel Fridjonsson (Valerenga, Norway), Aron Gunnarsson (Cardiff City, Wales);
Forwards: Alfred Finnbogason (Augsburg, Germany), Bjorn Bergmann Sigurdarson (Rostov, Russia), Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (Reading, England), Albert Gudmundsson (PSV, Netherlands).

-Brazilian defender Dani Alves has been officially ruled out of the World Cup due to injury. (Source AS.com Online)

Saturday, May 12, 2018:

- The three points deduction of Panathinaikos was overturned after they paid £53,000 owed to Ghanaian Michael Essien. (Source AS. Com online)

Sunday, May 13, 2018:

-South Korea's 29-man provisional World Cup squad: (Source ESPN online)
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Vissel Kobe, Japan), Kim Jin-hyeon (Cerezo Osaka, Japan), Cho Hyun-woo (Daegu FC)
Defenders: Kim young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande, China), Jang Hyun-soo (FC Tokyo, Japan), Jung Seung-hyun (Sagan Tosu, Japan), Yun Yong-sun (Seongnam FC), Kwon Kyung-won (Tianjin Quanjian, China), Oh Ban-suk (Jeju United), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Kim Min-woo (Sangju Sangmu), Park Joo-ho (Ulsan Hyundai), Hong Chul (Sangju Sangmu), Go Yo-han (FC Seoul), Lee Yong (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
Midfielders: Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea City, England), Jung Woo-young (Vissel Kobe, Japan), Kwon Chang-hoon (Dijon FCO, France), Ju Se-jong (Asan Mugunghwa FC), Koo Ja-cheol (FC Augsburg, Germany), Lee Jae-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Lee Seung-woo (Hellas Verona, Italy), Moon Seon-min (Incheon United), Lee Chung-yong (Crystal Palace, England)
Forwards: Kim Shin-wook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur, England), Hwang Hee-chan (FC Red Bull Salzburg, Austria), Lee Keun-ho (Gangwon FC)

-Egypt’s 29-man provisional World Cup squad: (Source FIFA.com online)
Goalkeepers: Essam El Hadary (Al Taawoun, Saudi Arabia), Mohamed El-Shennawy (Al Ahly), Sherif Ekramy (Al Ahly), Mohamed Awad (Ismaily);
Defenders: Ahmed Fathi (Al Ahly), Saad Samir (Al Ahly), Ayman Ashraf (Al Ahly), Mahmoud Hamdy (Zamalek), Mohamed Abdel-Shafy (Al Fateh, Saudi Arabia) Ahmed Hegazi and Ali Gabr (both West Bromwich Albion, England), Ahmed Elmohamady (Aston Villa, England), Karim Hafez (RC Lens, France), Omar Gaber (Los Angeles FC, USA), Amro Tarek (Orlando City, USA);
Midfielders: Tarek Hamed (Zamalek), Mahmoud Abdel Aziz (Zamalek), Shikabala (Al Raed, Saudi Arabia), Abdallah Said (KuPS, Finland), Sam Morsy (Wigan Athletic, England), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal, England), Kahraba (Al Ittihad, Saudi Arabia), Ramadan Sobhi (Stoke City, England), Trezeguet (Kasimpasa, Turkey), Amr Warda (Atromitos, Greece);
Forwards: Marwan Mohsen (Al Ahly), Ahmed Gomaa (Al Masry), Kouka (SC Braga, Portugal), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, England).


-Peru’s 35-man Provisional World Cup squad: (Source France Football online)
Goalkeepers : Pedro Gallese (Veracruz/MEX), José Carvallo (UTC), Carlos Caceda (Municipal)

Defenders : Luis Abram (Vélez Sarsfield/ARG), Luis Advíncula (Lobos/MEX), Miguel Araujo (Alianza Lima), Aldo Corzo (Universitario), Nilson Loyola (Melgar), Christian Ramos (Veracruz/MEX), Alberto Rodríguez (Junior/COL), Anderson Santamaría (Puebla/MEX), Miguel Trauco (Flamengo/BRA)

Midfielders : Pedro Aquino (Lobos/MEX), Wilmer Cartagena (Veracruz/MEX), Christian Cueva (Sao Paulo/BRA), Edison Flores (Aalborg BK/DEN), Paolo Hurtado (Vitória Guimaraes/POR), Sergio Pena (Grenade/ESP), Andy Polo (Portland Timbers/USA), Renato Tapia (Feyernoord/NED), Yoshimar Yotún (Orlando City/USA)

Stikers: Paolo Guerrero (Flamengo/BRA), André Carrillo (Watford/ENG), Raul Ruidiaz (Morelia/MEX), Jefferson Farfan (Lokomotiv Moscou/RUS).

-Shakhtar Donetsk retained the Ukraine League title after a win (1-0) over Veres Rivne.  (Source France Football Online)
-Former Finnish International Mikael Forssell announced his retiement at age 37.  (Source Kicker.de online)

Monday, May 14, 2018:

-Croatia’s Provisional World Cup squad (Source @HNS_CFF)


Photo From: @HNS_CFF
(Croatia’s provisional World Cup squad)





-Denmark’s 35 man Provisional squad for the World Cup. (Source France Football Online)
The Full List:
Goalkeepers:
Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester, ENG)
Frederik Ronnow (Brondby)
Jonas Lössl (Huddersfield, ENG)
Jesper Hansen (Midtjylland).

Defenders:
Simon Kjaer (Sevilla, SP)
Andreas Bjelland (Brentford, ENG)
Mathias "Zanka" Jorgensen (Huddersfield, ENG)
Andreas Christensen (Chelsea, ENG)
Jens Stryger Larsen (Udinese, ITA)
Riza Durmisi (Betis Sevilla, SP)
Jannik Vestergaard (Borussia Mönchengladbach, GER)
Nicolai Boilesen (Copenhague)
Henrik Dalsgaard (Brentford, ENG)
Jonas Knudsen (Ipswich, ENG)
Peter Ankersen (Copenhague).

Midfielders:
Christian Eriksen (Tottenham, ENG)
Thomas Delaney (Werder Bremen, GER)
William Kvist (Copenhague)
Lasse Schöne (Ajax, HOLL)
Lukas Lerager (Bordeaux, FRA)
Mike Jensen (Rosenborg)
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Southampton, ENG)
Michael Krohn-Dehli (La Coruna, SP)
Daniel Wass (Celta Vigo, SP)
Mathias Jensen (Nordsjaelland).

Strikers:
Nicolai Jorgensen (Feyenoord, HOLL)
Andreas Cornelius (Atalanta, ITA)
Nicklas Bendtner (Rosenborg)
Pione Sisto (Celta Vigo, SP)
Viktor Fischer (Copenhague)
Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig, GER)
Martin Braithwaite (Bordeaux, FRA)
Robert Skov (Copenhague)
Kasper Dolberg (Ajax, HOLL)
Kenneth Zohore (Cardiff, ENG).

-Brazil’s 23 man Finals squad for the World Cup. (Source BBC Football Online)
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma), Ederson (Manchester City), Cassio (Corinthians).
Defenders: Danilo (Manchester City), Fagner (Corinthians), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva, Marquinhos (both PSG), Miranda (Inter Milan), Pedro Geromel (Gremio).
Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Paulinho (Barcelona), Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona), Willian (Chelsea), Douglas Costa (Juventus).
Forward: Neymar (PSG), Taison (Shakhtar Donetsk), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool).

-Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli’s 35-man preliminary squad for the World Cup (Source FIFA.com)
Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (Manchester United, England), Nahuel Guzman (Tigres UANL, Mexico), Willy Caballero (Chelsea, England), Franco Armani (River Plate);
Defenders: Javier Mascherano (Barcelona, Spain), Federico Fazio (Roma, Italy), Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City, England), Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla, Spain), German Pezzella (Fiorentina, Italy), Eduardo Salvio (Benfica, Portugal), Marcos Rojo (Manchester United, England), Ramiro Funes Mori (Everton, England), Nicolas Tagliafico (Ajax, the Netherlands), Marcos Acuna (Sporting CP, Portugal), Cristian Ansaldi (Torino, Italy);
Midfielders: Ever Banega (Sevilla, Spain), Lucas Biglia (AC Milan, Italy), Leandro Paredes (Zenit St Petersburg, Russia), Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Manuel Lanzini (West Ham United, England), Ricardo Centurion (Racing Club), Maximiliano Meza (Independiente), Guido Pizarro (Sevilla, Spain), Enzo Perez (River Plate), Giovani Lo Celso (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Rodrigo Battaglia (Sporing CP, Portugal), Cristian Pavon (Boca Juniors), Pablo Perez (Boca Juniors);
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Spain), Paulo Dybala (Juventus, Italy), Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan, Italy), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City, England), Diego Perotti (Roma, Italy), Lautaro Martinez (Racing), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus, Italy);


-Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio’s 28-man preliminary squad for the World Cup (Source FIFA.com)
Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (Standard Liege, Belgium), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca), Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul);
Defenders: Diego Reyes (Porto, Portugal), Carlos Salcedo (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Hector Moreno (Real Sociedad, Spain), Oswaldo Alanis (Getafe, Spain), Nestor Araujo (Santos Laguna), Miguel Layun (Sevilla, Spain), Jesus Gallardo (Pumas), Hugo Ayala (Tigres UANL), Edson Alvarez (Club America);
Midfielders: Hector Herrera (Porto, Portugal), Andres Guardado (Real Betis, Spain), Rafa Marquez (Atlas), Jonathan dos Santos (LA Galaxy, USA), Marco Fabian (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Jesus Molina (Monterrey), Erick Gutierrez (Pachuca), Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy, USA);
Forwards: Javier Aquino (Tigres UANL), Jesus Corona (Porto, Portugal), Raul Jimenez (Benfica, Portugal), Oribe Peralta (Club America), Javier Hernandez (West Ham United, England), Carlos Vela (LAFC, USA), Hirving Lozano (PSV Eindhoven, the Netherlands), Jurgen Damm (Tigres UANL);


-Tunisia coach Nabil Maaloul’s 29-man preliminary squad for the World Cup (Source FIFA.com)
Goalkeepers: Mathlouthi Aymen (Al Batin, Saudi Arabia), Ben Cherifia Moez (ES Tunis), Ben Mustapha Farouk (Al Shabab, Saudi Arabia), Moez Hassen (LB Chateauroux, France)
Defenders: Hamdi Nagguez (Zamalek, Egypt), Dylan Bronn (Gent, Belgium), Rami Bedoui (ES Setif), Yohan Ben Olouane (Leicester City, England), Siyam Ben Youssef (Kasimpasa, Turkey), Yessine Meriah (CS Sfaxien), Bilel Mohsni (Dundee United, Scotland), Khalil Chammam (ES Tunis), Oussama Haddai (Dijon, France), Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly, Egypt);
Midfielders: Elyess Skhiri (Montpellier, France), Mohamed Amine Ben Amor (Al Ahly, Saudi Arabia), Ghaylene Chalali (ES Tunis), Karim Laaribi (Cesena, Italy), Ferjani Sassi (Al Nassr, Saudi Arabia), Ahmed Khlil (Club Africain), Seifeddine Khaoui (Troyes, France), Mohamed Wael Arbi (Tours, France);
Forwards: Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (Al Ittifaq, Saudi Arabia), Anice Badri (ES Tunis), Bassem Srarfi (Nice, France), Ahmed Akaichi (Al Ittihad, Saudi Arabia), Wahbi Khazri (Rennes, France), Naim Sliti (Dijon, France), Sabeur Khlifa (Club Africain).


-Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr’s 30-man preliminary squad for the World Cup (Source FIFA.com)
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Deportivo La Coruna, Spain), Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Enyimba), Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United, South Africa), Dele Ajiboye (Plateau United);
Defenders: Abdullahi Shehu (Bursaspor, Turkey), Tyronne Ebuehi (ADO Den Haag, the Netherlands), Olaoluwa Aina (Hull City, England), Elderson Echiejile (Cercle Brugge, Belgium), Bryan Idowu (Amkar Perm, Russia), Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes, France), William Ekong (Bursaspor, Turkey), Leon Balogun (Mainz, Germany), Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa, Turkey), Stephen Eze (Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Bulgaria);
Midfielders: Mikel John Obi (Tianjin Teda, China PR), Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor, Turkey), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England), Oghenekaro Etebo (Las Palmas, Spain), John Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Israel), Uche Agbo (Standard Liege), Joel Obi (Torino, Italy), Mikel Agu (Bursaspor, Turkey);
Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England), Moses Simon (Gent, Belgium), Victor Moses (Chelsea, England); Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai, China PR), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal, England), Junior Lokosa (Kano Pillars); Simeon Nwankwo (Crotone, Italy).

-Costa Rica coach Oscar Ramirez’s 23-man preliminary squad for the World Cup (Source FIFA.com)
Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas (Real Madrid, Spain), Patrick Pemberton (Liga Deportiva Alajuelense), Leonel Moreira (Herediano);
Defenders: Cristian Gamboa (Celtic, Scotland), Ian Smith (Norrkoping, Sweden), Ronald Matarrita (New York City, USA), Bryan Oviedo (Sunderland, England), Oscar Duarte (Espanyol, Spain), Giancarlo Gonzalez (Bologna, Italy), Francisco Calvo (Minnesota United, USA), Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada), Johnny Acosta (Aguilas Dorados, Colombia);
Midfielders: David Guzman (Portland Timbers, USA), Yeltsin Tejeda (Lausanne-Sport, Switzerland), Celso Borges (Deportivo La Coruna, Spain), Randall Azofeifa (Herediano), Rodney Wallace (New York City, USA), Bryan Ruiz (Sporting CP, Portugal), Daniel Colindres (Saprissa), Christian Bolanos (Saprissa);
Forwards: Johan Venegas (Saprissa), Joel Campbell (Real Betis, Spain), Marco Urena (LAFC, USA).


-Australia coach Bert van Marwijk’s 26-man preliminary squad for the World Cup. The list has been trimmed from 32 to 26 (Source France Football online)
Alex Gersbach, Jamie Maclaren, Apostolos Giannou, Mitchell Langerak, Bailey Wright and Aleksandar Susnjar have been cut.
Goalkeepers: Mathew Ryan (Brighton/ENG), Daniel Vukovic (Genk/BEL), Brad Jones (Feyenoord/HOL).

Defenders: Aziz Behich (Bursaspor/TUR), Milos Degenek (Yokohama Marinos/JAP), Matthew Jurman (Suwon Bluewings/CDS), Fran Karacic (NK Lokomotiva/CRO), James Meredith (Millwall/ENG), Josh Risdon (Western Sydney Wanderers/AUS), Trent Sainsbury (Grasshopper Club Zurich/Swi).

Midfielders: Joshua Brillante (Sydney FC/AUS), Mile Jedinak (Aston Villa/ENG), Jackson Irvine (Hull City/ENG), Robbie Kruse (VfL Bochum/GER), Massimo Luongo (Queens Park Rangers/ENG), Mark Milligan (Al Ahli/ARS), Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town/ENG), Tom Rogic (Celtic/SCO).

Forwards: Tim Cahill (Millwall/ENG), Tomi Juric (FC Lucerne/Swi), Mathew Leckie (Hertha BSC/GER), Daniel Arzani (Melbourne City/AUS), Nikita Rukavytsya (Maccabi Haifa/ISR), Andrew Nabbout (Urawa Red Diamonds/JAP), Dimitri Petratos (Newcastle Jets/AUS), James Troisi (Melbourne Victory/AUS).

-Panama coach Hernan Dario Gomez’s 35-man preliminary squad for the World Cup  (Source France Football online)
Goalkeepers: Jaime Penedo (Dinamo Bucarest,/ROM), José Calderón (Chorrillo), Alex Rodríguez (San Francisco/USA).

Defenders: Azmahar Ariano (Patriots/COL), Felipe Baloy (Municipal/GUA), Harold Cummings (Earthquakes San Jose,/USA), Eric Davis (DAC Dunajska Streda/SLO), Fidel Escobar (New York Red Bulls/USA), Adolfo Machado (Houston Dynamo/USA), Michael Amir Murillo (New York Red Bulls/USA), Luis Ovalle (Olimpia/HON), Francisco Palacios (San Francisco/USA), Richard Peralta (Alliance), Torres Roman (Seattle Sounders/USA).

Midfielders: Ricardo Avila (Gand/BEL), Edgar Barcenas (Cafetaleros de Tapachula/MEX), Ricardo Buitrago (Municipal/GUA), Miguel Camargo (San Martin/PER), Adalberto Carrasquilla (Taurus), Armando Cooper (Universidad de Chile/CHI), Anibal Godoy (San Jose Earthquakes/USA), Gabriel Gomez (Atlético Bucaramanga/COL), José González (Unión Comercio/PER), Cristian Martinez (Columbus Crew/USA), Valentin Pimentel (Plaza Amador), Alberto Quintero (Université/PER), José Luis Rodríguez (La Gantoise/BEL).

Forwards: Abdiel Arroyo (Liga Deportiva Alajuelense/COS), Rolando Blackburn (Chorrillo), Ismael Diaz (Deportivo La Coruna/SP), José Fajardo (Club Atletico Independiente), Roberto Nurse (Mineros de Zacatecas/MEX), Blas Perez (Municipal/GUA), Luis Tejada (Sport Boys/PER), Gabriel Torres (Huachipato/CHI).

-Peru’s Paolo Guerrero will miss the World Cup after his Drugs ban was increased from six to 14 months. He had originally been banned 12 months which was halved on appeal. But the World Anti Doping Agency then appealed to the CAS (Court of Arbitration of Sport) who increased the length of his ban. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Boca Juniors forward Carlos Tevez stated that he intendsto retire at the end of 2019. (Source AS.com Online)

-Ruslan Kambolov was ruled ut of Russia’s preliminary squad due to injury. Sergei Ignachevich (CSKA Moscow) has been called up as a replacement.  (Source France Football Online)


Club friendlies:

Friday, May 11, 2018:
Al Ahly (Egypt) 1-Ajax Amsterdam (Holland) 0 (Salah Mohsen 83)

Monday, May 14, 2018:
FSV Zwickau (Germany) 4-Borussia Dortmund (Germany) 4 (Sinan Tekerci 34, 44, Aykut Ozturk 68, Daniel Gremsl 76 / Sergio Gomez 17, Andriy Yarmolenko 60, Christian Pulisic 77, Alexander Isak 82)

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