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Tuesday, December 25, 2018

The Week that was (in Football (Soccer)): Review of the top Leagues in Europe-part 37 (Week of December 18-December 24, 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

Diary:
Tuesday, December 18, 2018:

-Jose Mourinho was sacked as Manchester United Manager. Michael Carrick will act as interim Manager. (Source BBC Football online)

-Following Jose Mourinho’s dismissal, Paul Pogba posted a strange tweet and then deleted it within minutes. It showed him staring sideways with the message “caption this”.  (Source Sky Sports online)

 -Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham) will be out until the end of the year due to injury.   (Source RTBF.be Online)

-Former Wolves and England player from the 40s into the 60s, William John Slater passed away aged 91. (Source Wikipedia online)
Wednesday, December 19, 2018:

-Former Manchester United player, the Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was named as caretaker Manager of Manchetser United until the end of the season.  He is actually on-loan from his club Molde to Manchester United. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Manchester United are set to fine Paul Pogba for his twitter post mocking Jose Mourinho’s sacking. (Source AS.com Online)

-Former English professional Colin James Barlow, with spells at Manchester City and Oldham among others, passed away aged 83. (Source Wikipedia online)

-Tottenham’s Dele Alli was struck by a bottle thrown by an Arsenal fan in their League Cup clash. (Source BBC Football Online)

-For the League Cup semifinals. Tottenham were drawn with Chelsea and Manchester City were drawn against Burton. (Source Daily Mail online)


Thursday, December 20, 2018:

-Tottenham have placed a press gag on Its Manager Mauricio Pochettino from discussing any interest from Manchester United. (Source Daily Mail online)

-James Collins tore up a contract with Aston Villa just hours after signing it, when he was injured. (Source balls.ie online)
Friday, December 21, 2018:

-Roy Keane has attacked Manchester United players, accusing them of throwing Mourinho ‘under the bus’. (Source The Guardian online)

-Leicester’s Jamie Vardy stated that the playing style of Manager Claude Puel does not suit him.  (Source The Guardian online)

-Jose Mourinho has blamed figures like Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand for being instrumental in his sacking at Manchetser United. (Source Fox Sports online)

-Alexis Sanchez has denied he sent a ‘whatsapp’ message suggesting he had won a bet over Mourinho’s sacking. (Source Daily Mail online)

-Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku will miss two matches as he has been given compassionate leave. (Source Daily Mail online)

-It was revelead that a reason why Mourinho was sacked was because four players had threatened to leave the club by January had he remained. (Source AS.com online)

-Watford has ended the contract of Younes Kaboul. (Source L’Equipe online)

-Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp has suggested that Liverpool might need 105 points to win the title. (Source Reuters Uk online)

Saturday, December 22, 2018:

-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer managed Manchester United for the first time in their win over Cardiff.

-Southamoton’s Michael Obafemi became the youngest Irish International to score in the English Premier League. (Source the 42.ie online)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:

-Paul Pogba has thanked Jose Mourinho for helping him ‘improve as a person’.   (Source BBC Football Online)

-Peter Schmeichel stated that he would be interested to be the Director of Football at Manchster United.   (Source Daily Mail Online)

Monday, December 24, 2018:

-Newcastle Manager Rafa Benitez stated that it would be a miracle, if the club avoided relegation. (Source BBC Football online)

-Chelsea Manager Maurizio Sarri has ruled out the use of Sports Psychologists for his club’s problems. (Source AS.com online)

-Henrikh Mhkytarian (Arsenal) will be out injured for four to six weeks. (Source BBC Football online)


Photo From: L'Equipe, December 23,2 018
(Paul Pogba)



Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
December 21, 2018 
Lovre Kalinic (Croatia)
Goalkeeper
Gent
Aston Villa
Purchase from January 1st
BBC Football 


Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
December 18, 2018
Jan Vertonghen (Belgium)
Defender
Tottenham
2020
vi.nl
December 21, 2018
Daniel Amartey (Ghana)
Defender
Leicetser
2022
BBC Football


Profesional Contract
Date
Player
Position
Club
Online Source
December 20, 2018 
Allan Tchaptchet (France) 
Defender
Southampton
L’Equipe


English League Cup (December 18-December 19, 2018):

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
Leicetser 1-Manchester City 1 (Marc Slbrighton 73 / Kevin De Bruyne 14) (Manchester City won on a penalty kick shoot-out)
Middlesbrough 0-Burton Albion 1 (Jake Hesketh 48)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:
Arsenal 0-Tottenham 2 (Son Heung-min 20, Dele Alli 59)
Chelsea 1-Bournemouth 0 (Eden Hazard 84)


English Premier League Matchday (December 21-December 24, 2018):

Friday, December 21, 2018:
Wolves 0-Liverpool 2 (Mohamed Salah 18, Virgil van Dijk 68)

Saturday, December 22, 2018:
Arsenal 3-Burnley 1 (Pierre-Erick Aubameyang 14, 48, Alex Iwobi 90 / Ashley Barnes 63)
Bournemouth 2-Brighton 0 (David Brooks 21, 77)
Chelsea 0-Leicester 1 (Jamie Vardy 51)
Huddersfield 1-Southampton 3 (Phillip Billing 58 / Nathan Redmond 15, Danny Ings 42 pen, Michael Obafemi 71)
Manchester City 2-Crystal Palace 3 (Ilkay Gundogan 27, Kevin De Bruyne 85 / Jeffrey Schlupp 33, Andros Townsend 35, Luka Milivojevic 51 pen)
Newcastle 0-Fulham 0 (-)
West Ham 0-Watford 2 (Troy Deeney 30 pen, Gerard Deulofeu 87)
Cardiff 1-Manchester United 5 (Victor Camarasa 38 pen / Marcus Rashford 3, Ander Herrera 29, Anthony Martial 41, Jesse Lingard 57 pen, 90)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:
Everton 2-Tottenham 6 (Theo Walcott 21, Gylfi Sigurdsson 51 / Son Heung-min 27, 61, Dele Alli 35, Harry Kane 42, 74, Christian Eriksen 48)

Top Goalscorer:
Pierre-Erick Aubameyang (Arsenal) 12 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Liverpool
18
15
3
0
39
7
32
48
2
Manchester City
18
14
2
2
50
13
37
44
3
Tottenham
18
14
0
4
37
18
19
42
4
Chelsea
18
11
4
3
35
15
20
37
5
Arsenal
18
11
4
3
40
24
16
37
6
Manchester United
18
8
5
5
  34
30
4
29

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point
II.  Italy
Diary:
Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
-

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:

-Frosinone have dismissed Maanager Moreno Longo. Marco baroni has been appointed as the new Manager of Frosinone. (Source Football Italia online)

-Roma have become the first Italian side to agree an exclusive content partnership with twitter. (Source Football Italia online)

-Cristiano Ronaldo’s overhead kick goal vs. Juventus last season has been recreated by a Colombian artist Mr. Bling using Crystals. (Source AS.com online)

-Fabio Capello has reportedly turned down an offer to be the AS Roma Technical Director. (Source Football Italia online)


Thursday, December 20, 2018:

-Angelo Gregucci has left his post as Italy National Team Assistant Manager to become Manager of Salernitana. (Source Football Italia online)

-AC Milan’s Patrick Cutrone stated that he had apologized to Manager Gennaro Gattuso after showing his displeasure in being substituted vs. Bologna. (Source Football Italia online)


Friday, December 21, 2018:

-Empoli have rejected Genoa’s bid for Rade Krunic. (Source Football Italia online)

-Juventus and Adidas have extended their deal until 2027. (Source Calciomercato online)
Saturday, December 22, 2018:

-


Sunday, December 23, 2018:

- Inter have suspended Radja Nainggolan for ‘disciplinary reasons’. It was reported that he had been late to training in a number of occasions. (Source BBC Football online)
    
- Genoa’s Krzysztof Piatek is asking the league to award him the first goal in yesterday’s match vs. Atalanta that was given as an own goal to Rafael Toloi. (Source Tuttosport online)

Monday, December 24, 2018:

-Napoli Presidebt Aurelio De Laurentiis has expressed his worry that Referee Paolo Mazzoleni was appointed for their match vs. Inter. According to De Laurentis, “he’s always been bad with us”. (Source Football Italia online)


Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
December 21, 2018 
Sebastian Walukiewicz (Poland) 
Defender
Pogon Szczecin
Cagliari
Purchase for following season (he will be loaned to current club until end of season)
L’Equipe


Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
December 20, 2018
Alex Sandro (Brazil)
Defender
Juventus
2023
Football Italia 


Italian Serie A Matchday (December 18, 2018):

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
Bologna 0-AC Milan 0 (-)

Top Goalscorer:
Krzysztof Piatek (Genoa) 12 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) 11 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Juventus
16
15
1
0
33
8
25
46
2
Napoli
16
12
2
2
33
14
19
38
3
Inter
16
10
2
4
28
13
15
32
4
AC Milan
16
7
6
3
24
  18
6
27
5
Lazio
16
7
4
5
22
19
3
25
6
Atalanta
16
7
3
6
30
  20
10
25


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



Italian Serie A Matchday (December 22-December 23, 2018):

Saturday, December 22, 2018:
Lazio 3-Cagliari 1 (Sergej Milinkovic-Savic 12, Francesco Acerbi 23, Senad Lulic 67 / Joa Pedro 90 pen)
AC Milan 0-Fiorentina 1 (Federico Chiesa 73)
Empoli 2-Sampdoria 4 (Manuel Pasqual 11 pen, Francesco Caputo 76 / Gaston Ramirez 41, Fabio Quagliarella 69, Ginaluca Caprari 87, 90)
Genoa 3-Atalanta 1 (Rafael Toloi (own goal) 45, Darko Lazovic 67, Krzysztof Piatek 88 / Duvan Zapata 55 pen)
Napoli 1-SPAL 0 (Raul Albiol 45)
Sassuolo 1-Torino 1  (Enrico Brignola 90 / Andrea Belotti 55)
Udinese 1-Frosinone 1 (Rolando Mandragora 32 / Camillo Ciano 61 pen)
Chievo 1-Inter 1 (Sergio Pellissier 90 / Ivan Perisic 39)
Parma 0-Bologna 0 (-)
Juventus 1-Roma 0 (Mario Mandzukic 35)

Top Goalscorer:
Krzysztof Piatek (Genoa) 13 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) 11 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Juventus
17
16
1
0
34
8
26
49
2
Napoli
17
13
2
2
34
14
20
41
3
Inter
17
10
3
4
29
14
15
33
4
Lazio
17
8
4
5
25
20
5
28
5
AC Milan
17
7
6
4
24
  19
5
27
6
Sampdoria
17
7
5
5
29
  21
8
26


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

III.  Spain

Diary:

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
-Lionel Messi has received his fifth Golden Shoe award as Europe’s top goalscorer. (Source  Miami Herald online)

-Junior Firpo (Betis) and Francis Coquelin (Valencia) will be out injured for a number of weeks. (Source Football Espana online)

-Former Real Madrid player Michel Salgado stated that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois did not need to respond to Diego Simeone’s criticisms. Salgado stated that Courtois does not know Real Madrid, and said, “we do not need to respond to anyone.” (Source AS.com online)


Wednesday, December 19, 2018:

-A Dutch court has ruled that Barcelona’s Rafinha must to wear Adidas boots per his contract or face a one Milllion Euros fine. (Source BBC Football online)

-PSG’s Adrien Rabiot has reportedly agreed terms to jon Barcelona in 2019. (Source Football Espana online)

-The newly fired Jose Mourinho has been linked to be Real Madrid Manager in the summer. (Source Daily Mail online)

Thursday, December 20, 2018:

-Atletico Madrid have denied reports that Lucas Hernandez is set to join Bayern Munich. (Source Footnews.be online)

-Barcelona have denied that an agreement with PSG’s Adrien Rabiot has been made. (Source Football Espana online)

Friday, December 21, 2018:

-Luka Modric (Real Madrid) was selected as the player of the year by ‘The Guardian’ Newspaper. (Source L’Equipe online)

-Xavi has called the style of the 2018 French World Cup Champions “unenthusiastic”.. (Source Reuters UK online)

-Marcos Asencio (Real Madrid) will be out injured for a few weeks. (Source Football Espana online)

-Real Madrid Captain Sergio Ramos stated that it was disrespectful to speculate about the future arrival of Jose Mourinho ahead of the World Club Final match vs. Al Ain. He believes more respect should be shown to current Manager Santiago Solari. (Source BBC Football online)
 Saturday, December 22, 2018:

-Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale was voted as the MVP of the FIFA World Club Cup. Real Madrid won their record fourth FIFA World Club Cup. (Source L’Equipe online)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:

-Sidnei (Betis) nad Iago Aspas (Celta) will be out injured for a number of weeks.   (Source L’Equipe Online)

Monday, December 24, 2018:

-


Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
December 20, 2018 
Jeison Murillo (Colombia)
Defender
Valencia
Barcelona
Loan
Football Espana


Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
December 21, 2018
Inigo Vicente
-
Bilbao
2023
Calciomercato




Spanish La Liga Matchday (December 21-December 24, 2018):

Friday, December 21, 2018:
Girona 1-Getafe 1 (Bernardo Espinosa 85 / Angel Rodriguez 61)
Sociedad 0-Alaves 1 (Jonatahn Calleri 11)

Saturday, December 22, 2018:
Betis 1-Eibar 1 (Antonio Sanabria 21 / Fabian Orellana 72 pen)
Atletico Madrid 1-Espanyol 0 (Antoine Griezmann 56 pen)
Barceloan 2-Celta 0  (Ousmane Dembele 10, Lionel Messi 45)
Bilbao 1-Valladolid 1 (Artiz Aduriz 45 pen / Oscar Plano 90)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:
Valencia 2-Huesca 1 (Dani Parejo 25, Cristiano Piccini 90 / J.Camilo Hernandez 72 pen)
Leganes 1-Sevilla 1 (Mikel Vesga 5 / Wissam Ben Yedder 90)
Vallecano 2-Levante 1 (Tono (own goal) 23, Raul De Tomas 67 / Ruben Rochina 60)

Top Goalscorer:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 15 goals
Cristhian Stuani (Girona) 11 goals
Luis Suarez (Barcelona) 11 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Barcelona
17
11
4
2
48
19
29
37
2
Atletico Madrid
17
  9
7
1
25
12
13
34
3
Sevilla
17
9
5
3
30
17
13
32
4
Real Madrid
16
9
4
3
24
19
5
29
5
Alaves
17
8
4
5
19
17
2
28
6
Betis
17
7
5
5
20
19
1
26

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


IV.  Germany
Diary:


Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
-Hannover Manager Andre Breitenreiter defended his threat of canceling the club’s holidays and also criticized striker Niclas Fulkrug. He compared Fulkrug to a student with bad grades in school. (Source Sport Bild online)

-Uli Hoeness has been re-elected as Bayern Munich President. (Source L’Équipe online)

-Dortmund lost their unbeaten run after a loss at Dusseldorf. (Source BBC Football online)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:

-German Federation President Reinhard Grindel has attacked FIFA President Gianni Infantino for his lack of transparency on prposed new competitions. (Source L’Equipe online)

-Reportedly back in 2017, Oliver Bierhoff turned down an executive position at Bayern Munich offered by Uli Honeness. (Source Bulinews online)

Thursday, December 20, 2018:

-

Friday, December 21, 2018:

-Stefan Ilsanker (RB Leipig) will be suspended for two matches following his sending off vs. Bayern Munich. (Source L’Equipe online)

-Bayern Munich Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has extended his contract by two years until 2021. (Source Fox News online)

-The season of Hannover’s Niclas Fulkrug is effectively over after a serious injury. (Source Sport Bild online)

-Weder Bremen Sporting Director Frank Baumann apologied for the use of a drone to spy on Hoffenheim’s training. (Source Sport Bild online)

Saturday, December 22, 2018:

-Dutch Manager Peter Boscz is  linked to become Leverkusen Manager in January. (Source Bulinews online)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:
-Heiko Herrlich has been dismissed as Leverkusen Manager. He has been replaced with Dutchman Peter Bosz. (Source L’Equipe online)

-Hannover Manager Andre Breitenreiter has slashed the team’s holliday by three days. The players are to report back on December 28th. He had threatened to cancel the break altogether if the team had failed to gain 4 points from their last two matches (which they failed to do). (Source Sport Bild online)

-Frankfurt Technical Director, Fredi Bobic has been named as ‘Kicker Sportsmagazin’’s ‘Man of the Year’. (Source Kicker.de online)

Monday, December 24, 2018:
-Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart) has denied signing for Bayern Munich at the end of the season. (Source Fox Sports Asia online)

-Karl-Heinz Rummenigge expressed that he hiped one day Xabi Alonso would return to Bayern Munich in a coaching capacity. (Source Fox Sports Asia online)


Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
December 21, 2018 
Felipe Pires (Brazil) 
Striker
Hoffenheim
Palmeiras
Loan
L’Equipe
December 22, 2018 
Amadou Haidara
-
Red Bull Salzburg
Red Bull Leipzig
Purchase
Spox
December 23, 2018 
Deji Beyreuther
Defender
Frankfurt
Chemnitzer
Loan until end of season
Sport Bild
December 23, 2018 
Alexander Esswein
Striker
Hertha Berlin
Stuttgart
Loan
Sport Bild


Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
December 18, 2018
Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland)
-
Frankfurt
2020
Marca.com
December 19, 2018
Armin Reutershahn
Assistant Manager
Frankfurt
2021
Sport Bild
December 20, 2018
Mijat Gacinovic (Serbia)
-
Frankfurt
2022
Bulinews
December 21, 2018
Nico Schulz
-
Hoffenheim
2021
Sport Bild
December 21, 2018
Danny Da Costa
Defender
Frankfurt
2022
Sport Bild
December 21, 2018
Jordan Torunarigha
Defender
Hertha Berlin
undisclosed
Kicker.de



German Bundesliga Matchday (December 18-December 19, 2018):

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
Moenchengladbach 2 -Nuremberg 0 (Thorgan Haard 47, Alassane Plea 86)
Dusseldorf 2-Dortmund 1 (Dodi Lukebakio 22, Jean immer 56 / Paco Alcacer 81)
Hertha Berlin 2-Augsburg 2 (Mathew Leckie 28, Ondrej Duda 31 / Martin Hinteregger 8, Koo Ja-Cheol 39)
Wolfsburg 2-Stuttgart 0 (Joshua Guilavogui 24, Wout Weghorst 44)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:
Schalke 1-Leverkusen 2 (Haji Wright 45 / Aleksandar Dragovic 26, Lucas Alario 35)
Mainz 2-Frankfurt 2 (Robin Quaison 10, 36 / Luka Jovic 31, 45)
Bayern Munich 1-RB Leipzig 0 (Framck Ribery 83)
Freiburg 1-Hannover 1 (Luca Waldschmidt 3 pen / Felipe 14)
Werder Bremen 1-Hoffenheim 1 (T.Gebre Selassie 57 / L.Bittencourt 31)

Top Goalscorer:
Paco Alcacer (Dortmund) 12 goals
Luka Jovic (Frankfurt) 12 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Dortmund
16
12
3
1
42
17
25
39
2
M’Gladbach
16
10
3
3
35
16
19
33
3
Bayern Munich
16
10
3
3
33
18
15
33
4
RB Leipzig
16
8
4
4
28
15
13
28
5
Frankfurt
16
8
3
5
34
20
14
27
6
Wolfsburg
16
7
4
5
24
20
4
25

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


German Bundesliga Matchday (December 21-December 23, 2018):

Friday, December 21, 2018:
Dortmund 2- Moenchengladbach 1 (Jadon Sancho 42, Marco Reus 54 / Christoph Krame 45)

Saturday, December 22, 2018:
Nuremberg 0-Freiburg 1 (Manuel Gulde 19)
Leverkusen 3-Hertha Berlin 1 (Kevin Volland 5, Kai Havertz 23, 49 / Jordan Torunarigha 26)
Hannover 0-Dusseldorf 1 (Oliver Fink 90)
RB Leipzig 3-Werder Bremen 2 (Lukas Klostermann 22, Timo Werner 44, Bruma 87 / Max Kruse 67, Josh Sargent 77)
Stuttgart 1-Schalke 3 (Nicolas Gonzalez 76 / Steven Skrzybski 10, Mario Gomez (own goal) 70, Ahmed Kutucu 78)
Frankfurt 0-Bayern Munich 3 (Franck Ribery 35, 79, Rafinha 89)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:
Augsburg 2-Wolfsburg 3 (Rani Khedira 49, Sergio Cordova 59 / Joshua Guilavogui 33, William 41, Yannick Gerhardt 89)
Hoffenhein 1-Mainz 1 (Kerem Demirbay 11 / J.Philippe Mateta 16)

Top Goalscorer:
Paco Alcacer (Dortmund) 12 goals
Luka Jovic (Frankfurt) 12 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Dortmund
17
13
3
1
44
18
26
42
2
Bayern Munich
17
11
3
3
36
18
18
36
3
M’Gladbach
17
10
3
4
36
18
18
33
4
RB Leipzig
17
9
4
4
31
17
14
31
5
Wolfsburg
17
8
4
5
27
22
5
28
6
Frankfurt
17
8
3
6
34
23
11
27

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point
V.  France
Diary:
Tuesday, December 18, 2018:

-

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:

-Veronique Rabiot, mother and agent of Adrien, stated that his son would like to leave PSG but the club does not allow it. (Source L’Équipe online)

-Guy Modeste (father of Anthony) passed away aged 64. He had spells at Cannes and St Etienne. (Poteaux carrels)

Thursday, December 20, 2018:

-Frank Passi was named as an Assistant manager at Monaco. (Source L’Equipe online)

-The international Football Players Union (Fifpro) is supporting Adrien Rabiot in the event his contract is terminated by PSG. (Source MaisFutebol online)
Friday, December 21, 2018:

-

Saturday, December 22, 2018:

-France Manager Didier Deschamps has dismissed claims by Manchester City’s Laporte that his exclusion from the National Team is due to personal reasons. Deschamps stated that you can not have two left footers as center back. (Source Daily Mail online)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:

-
Monday, December 24, 2018:

-



Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
December 24, 2018 
Laurent Ciman (Belgium) 
Defender
Dijon
Free Agent
Contract Rescinded
RTBF.be
December 24, 2018 
Johan Larsson (Sweden) 
Defender
Brondby
Guingamp
Purchase
L’Equipe


Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
December 20, 2018
Alphonse Areola
Goalkeeper
PSG
2023
L’Equipe
December 20, 2018
Nicolas Cozza
Defender
Montpellier
undisclosed
L’Equipe
December 23, 2018
Morgan Sanson
Midfielder
OM
2022
L’Equipe
December 24, 2018
Thierry Laurey
Manager
Strasbourg
2020
L’Equipe


Profesional Contract
Date
Player
Position
Club
Online Source
December 23, 2018 
Kevin Denkey (Togo) 
Striker
Nimes
BBC Football

French Ligue 1 Matchday (December 18, 2018):

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
Caen 2-Toulouse 1 (Saif-Eddine Khaoui 18,Faycal Fajr 90 pen / Max Gradel 44 pen)

French League Cup (December 18-December 19, 2018):

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
Orleans 1-PSG 2 (Joseph Lopy 69 / Edinosn Cavani 41, Moussa Diaby 81)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:
Amiens 2-Lyon 3 (Jason Denayer (own goal) 70, Cheick Timite 90 / Moussa Demebel 20 pen, Bertrand Traore 45, Martin Terrier 60)
Le Havre 2-Nimes 1 (Tino Kadewere 33, Alexandre Bonnet 58 / Antonin Bobichon 38)
Monaco 1-Lorient 0 (Giulian Biancone 70)
Dijon 0-Bordeaux 1 (Toma Basic 66)
Rennes 2-Nantes 1 (Edson Mexer 60, Damien Da Silva 89 / Majeed Waris 49)
Nice 0-Guingamp 0 (-) (Guingamp won on a penalty kick shoot-out)
OM 1-Strasbourg 1 (Lui Gustavo 80 / Jonas Martin 18 pen) (Strasbourg won 4-2 on a penalty kick shoot-out)


French Ligue 1 Matchday (December 22-December 23, 2018):

Saturday, December 22, 2018:
Monaco 0-Guingamp 2  (Marcus Thuram 68, Nolan Roux 75)
St Etienne 3-Dijon 0  (K.Monnet-Paquet 42, Wahbi Khazri 64, Robert Beric 82)
Angers 1-OM 1  (Stephane Bahoken 36 / Bouna Sarr 84)
Rennes 4-Nimes 0  (Benjamin Andre 6, B.Bourigeaud 14, Jordan Siebatcheu 47, 67)
Montpellier 1-Lyon 1 (Ruben Aguilar 81 / Nabil Fekir 67)
Lille 1-Toulouse 2  (Rafael Leao 17 / Max Gradel 50 pen, 64 pen)
PSG 1-Nantes 0 (Kylian Mbappe 68)
Strasbourg 2-Nice 0 (Adrien Thomasson 26, Lamine Kone 41)
Reims 2-Caen 2 (Suk Hyun Jun 7, Bjorn Engels 63 / Casimir Ninga 28, Enzo Crivelli 45)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:
Bordeaux 1-Amiens 1 (Samuel Kalu 22 / Eddy Gnahore 87)


Top Goalscorer:
Kylian Mbappe (PSG) 13 goals
Emiliano Sala (Nantes) 12 goals
Nicolas Pepe (Lille) 12 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
PSG
17
15
2
0
50
10
40
47
2
Lille
19
9
5
5
28
19
9
34
3
Lyon
18
9
5
4
30
21
9
32
4
Montpellier
17
8
6
3
25
13
12
30
5
St Etienne
18
8
6
4
28
22
6
30
6
Marseille
17
8
3
6
30
26
4
27


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


Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
-The Romanian Dorin Rotariu (AZ) has expressed the desire to leave the club for more playing time. (Source vi.nl online)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:

-A tactical note used by Holland Manager Ronald Koeman in their match vs. Germany in November has been auctioned and bought for 35,000 Euros. The note instructed for Virgil van Dijk to move up on the closing stages of the match. Rafael van det Vaart working as a commentator had found the note. Incidentally Koeman had not written the note, his assistant Dwight Lodeweges had done so. (Source Sport Bild online)
Thursday, December 20, 2018:

-
Friday, December 21, 2018:

-

Saturday, December 22, 2018:
-

Sunday, December 23, 2018:
-Frank De Boer was appointed as Manager of Atlanta United in the MLS. (Source RTBF.be online)

Monday, December 24, 2018:
-


Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
December 21, 2018 
Richard Ledezma (USA)
Midfielder
Real Monarchs
PSV Eindhoven
Purchase
vi.nl
December 23, 2018 
Zakaria El Azzouzi
-
Ajax
Free Agent
Contract Rescinded
vi.nl
December 23, 2018 
Christopher Braun
Defender
Fortuna Sittard
Free Agent
Contract Rescinded
vi.nl
December 24, 2018 
Thomas Bruns
Midfielder
Vitesse
Groningen
Loan
vi.nl
December 24, 2018 
Ilias Bel Hassani (Morocco)
Midfielder
AZ
Groningen
Loan
vi.nl

Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
December 18, 2018
Jordy Wehrmanm
Midfielder
Feyenoord
2020
vi.nl
December 18, 2018
Daley Sinkgraven
Midfielder
Ajax
2020
vi.nl



KNVB Beker (December 18-December 20, 2018):

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
Willem II 3-AFC 0 (Donis Avdijaj 18, Fran Sol 37 pen, Obiliz 39)
Twente 2-RKC 0 (Xandro Schenk 26, Jari Oosterwijk 90)
AZ 5-PEC 0 (Oussama Idrissi 10, 18, Guus Til 26, Mats Seuntjens 49, Fredrik Midtsjo 50)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:
Odin 59 1-Heerenveen 3 (Mitchel Bormann 2 / Michel Vlap 10, Sam Lammers 55, P.van Amersfoort 87)
Fortuna Sittard 2-Cambuur 1 (Lisandro Semedo 19, Lazaros Lamprou 80 / Karim Rossi 90)
Roda JC 1-Ajax 1 (Mitchell Paulissen 36 pen / Dusan Tadic 13 pen) (Ajax won 4-2 on a penalty kick shoot-out)

Thursday, December 20, 2018:
Kozakken Boys 1-Vitesse 2 (Quentin Jakoba 59 / Matus Bero 12, Martin Odegaard 90)
Feyenoord 1-Utrecht 0 (Tonny Vilhena 27)



Dutch Eredivisie Matchday (December 21-December 23, 2018):

Friday, December 21, 2018:
VVV 2-PEC 0 (Tino-Sven Susic 28 pen, Patrick Joosten 66)

Saturday, December 22, 2018:
Fortuna Sittard 0-Groningen 0 (- )
NAC 4-Heerenveen 2  (Mitchell Te Vrede 6, 58, Mikhail Rosheuvel 69, 76 / Ben Rienstra 11, Mitchell Van Bergen 27)
PSV Eindhoven 3-AZ 1 (Steven Bergwijn 40, Michal Sadliek 47, Hirving Lozano 84 pen / Mats Seuntjens 16)
Exceksior 0-Heracles 3 (Kristoffer Peterson 35, Brandley Kuwas 43, Mohammed Osman 66)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:
Utrecht 1-Ajax 3 (Nick Venema 74 / Kasper Dolberg 14, Dusan Tadic 60 pen Frenkie De Jong 90)
Den Haag 2-Feyenoord 2 (Nasser El Khayati 4, 77 pen / Steven Berghuis 45, Sam Larssson 68)
De Graafschap 2-Vitesse 2 (Frnk Olijve 12, Furdjel Narsingh 58 / Martin Odegaard 43, Matus Bero 65)
Emmen 0-Willem II 2 (Ozbiliz 42, Fran Sol 55)

Top Goalscorer:
Luuk De Jong (PSV Eindhoven) 14 goals
Fran Sol (Willem II) 14 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
PSV Eindhoven
17
16
0
1
60
8
52
48
2
Ajax
17
15
1
1
61
9
52
46
3
Feyenoord
17
11
3
3
35
20
15
36
4
Utrecht
17
8
4
5
30
23
7
28
5
Vitesse
17
7
5
5
27
21
6
26
6
Heracles
17
8
2
7
33
35
-2
25

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


VII.  Scotland
Diary:

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
-

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:

-
Thursday, December 20, 2018:

-Rangers have been fined £6,000for criticizing referee Willie Collum for sending off Daniel Candeias in their match vs.St Mirren. (Source BBC Football online)

- St Johnstone Manager Stephen Robinson has received a five-match touchline ban after criticiing officials in their match vs. Rangers. (Source BBC Football online)

Friday, December 21, 2018:

-Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers and  Hibernian Manager Neil Lennon have criticized the Australian Federation for the early release of their Australian players for a training camp ahead of the Asian Cup. Celtic’s Tom Rogic is set to miss the match vs. Rangers on December 29th. (Source Reuters Uk online)

Saturday, December 22, 2018:
-

Sunday, December 23, 2018:

-

Monday, December 24, 2018:
-Australia Manager Graham Arnold has struck back at his Scottish critics for calling up Scotland-based players for a training camp ahead of the Asian Cup Finals in January. Arnold stated that he has been more than accommodating to the clubs. (Source FTBL online)

Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
December 20, 2018
Callum McGregor
Midfielder
Celtic
2023
BBC Football
December 21, 2018
Ryan Jack
-
Rangers
2021
Sky Sports

Profesional Contract
Date
Player
Position
Club
Online Source
December 24, 2018 
Karamoko Dembele (15 years old) 
Midfielder
Celtic
BBC Football

Scottish Premier League Matchday (December 18-19, 2018):
Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
Aberdeen 5-Dundee 1 (Sam Cosgrove 16, 44, Andrew Considine 50, 73, Connor McLennan 56 / Calvin Miller 68)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:
Celtic 3-Motherwell 0 (Anthony Ralston 28, Scott Sinclair 32 pen, Michael Johnston 45)
Hibernian 0-Rangers 0 (-)

Top Goalscorer:
Alfredo Morelos (Rangers) 9 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Celtic
17
11
3
3
39
10
29
36
2
Rangers
18
10
5
3
39
14
25
35
3
Kilmarnock
18
10
4
4
28
18
10
34
4
Aberdeen
18
10
3
5
27
19
8
33
5
Hearts
18
9
3
6
23
24
-1
30
6
Livingston
18
7
4
6
24
16
8
28
P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

Scottish Premier League Matchday (December 22, 2018):
Saturday, December 22, 2018:
Aberdeen 2-Hearts 0 (Sam Cosgrove 2, 69 pen)
Celtic 3-Dundee 0 (Michael Johnston 43, 50, Filip Benkovic 69)
Hamilton 1-Kilmarnock 1 (Mickel Miller 37 pen / Eamonn Brophy 7)
Hibernian 1-Livingston 1 (Ryan Porteous 80 / Ryan Hardie 56)
Motherwell 0-St Mirren 1 (Simeon Jackson 68)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:
St Johnstone 1-Rangers 2 (Matthew Kennedy 45 / Alfredo Morelos 66,88)
 Top Goalscorer:
Alfredo Morelos (Rangers)11 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Celtic
18
12
3
3
42
10
32
39
2
Rangers
19
11
5
3
41
15
26
38
3
Aberdeen
19
11
3
5
29
19
10
36
4
Kilmarnock
19
10
5
4
29
19
10
35
5
Hearts
19
9
3
7
23
26
-3
30
6
Livingston
19
7
5
6
25
17
8
29
P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point


VIII.  Portugal

Diary:


Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
-

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:
-Sporting CP apologized for the ‘clumsy use’ of marking the anniversary of Sergey Cherbakov’s car accident from 1993 that left on a wheelchair. The player had condemned their act. (Source A Bola online)

Thursday, December 20, 2018:

-Chiquinho (Moreirense) was voted as the best young player of the month of November. (Source MaisFutebol online)

Friday, December 21, 2018:

-Nuno Pinto (Setubal) has been diagnosed with cancer. (Source BBC Football online)

Saturday, December 22, 2018:
-Jose Mourinho was in the stands during the Setubal-Santa Clara match. (Source MaisFutebol online)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:

-

Monday, December 24, 2018:
-

Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
December 23, 2018 
Francisco Geraldes
Midfielder
Frankfurt
Sporting CP
Back from loan
Sport Bild
December 23, 2018 
Bruno Cesar (Brazil)
-
Sporting CP
Vasco da Gama
Contract ended by mutual agreement
Maisfutebol


Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
December 18, 2018
Romario Baro
-
Porto
2023
Maisfutebol
December 22, 2018
Joao Mario
-
Porto
2022
Maisfutebol
December 22, 2018
Fabio Vieira
-
Porto
2022
Maisfutebol
December 22, 2018
Elves Balde
Striker
Sporting CP
2023
A Bola


Portugal Cup (December 18-December 19, 2018):

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
Setubal 0-Braga 1 (Pablo Santos 96)
Leixoes 2-Tondela 2 (Roniel 2 pen, Pedro Henrqiue 79 / Juan Delgado 20, Tomane 25) (Leixoes won 4-2 on a penalty kick shoot-out)
Porto 4-Moreirense 3 (Felipe 13, Hernani 16, Moussa Marega 66, 89 / David Texeira 8, Iago Santos 45, Heriberto Tavares 90)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:
Feirense 1-Pacos de Ferreira 1 (Tiago Silva 113 / Marco Baixinho 97) (Feirense won 4-2 on a penalty kick shoot-out)
Aves 2-Chaves 0 (Mam balde 46, Vitor Gomes 64)
Boavista 0-Guimaraes 1 (Dodo 49)
Sporting CP 5-Rio Ave 2 (Abdoulay Diaby 3, 77, Bas Dost 32, 61, Bruno Fernandes 42 / Matheus Reis 45, Vinicius 83 pen)
CDC Montalegre 0-Benfica 1 (German Conti 31)


Portugal Primeira Liga League Matchday (December 21-December 23, 2018):
Saturday, December 22, 2018:
Feirense 0-Portimonense 1 (Dener 68)
Tondela 2-Maritimo 1 (Tomane 30, Chichi Arango 88 / Rodrigo Pinho 27)
Setubal 0-Santa Clara 2 (Osama Rashid 15 pen, Fabio Cardoso 49)
Belelnenesses 5-Aves 2 (Lica 4, 68, Henrique Almeida 36, 71, Vitor Gomes (own goal) 54 / Nildo Petrolina 1, Amilton Silva 26)
Moreirense 2-Boavista 1 (Nene 28 pen, Arsenio 45 / Mateus 17)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:
Nacional 2-Chaves 0 (Bryan Rochez 35, 76 pen)
Porto 2-Rio Ave 1 (Yacine Brahimi 16, Moussa Marega 26 / Vinicius 12)
Benfica 6-Braga 2 (Pizzi 19, Jardel 39, Alex Griamldo 48, Jonas 54, Franco Cervi 63, Andre Almeida 67 / Dyego Sousa 51, Joao Novais 74)
Guimaraes 1-Sporting CP 0 (Toze 26)
Top Goalscorer:
Dyego Sousa (Braga) 11 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Porto
14
12
0
2
30
9
21
36
2
Benfica
14
10
2
2
31
13
18
32
3
Sporting CP
14
10
1
3
30
15
15
31
4
Braga
14
9
3
2
28
16
12
30
5
Guimaraes
14
7
4
3
21
15
6
25
6
Belenensses
14
5
7
2
18
14
4
22

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

IX.  Belgium
Diary:
Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
- The Belgian Professional League has approved recommendations from ‘Expert Panel’ regarding transparency in Football notably when it comes to players/agents. (Source Jupiler Lewague App online)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:

-Former Italy Manager Roberto Donadoni has been linked with Anderlecht. (Source Walfoot.be online)
Thursday, December 20, 2018:

-Belgium ended the year number one in the FIFA rankings of National Teams. (Source RTBF.be online)

-Frank Arnesen has been named Technical Director at Anderlecht. (Source RTBF.be online)

Friday, December 21, 2018:
-Anderlecht Director Michael Verschueren confirmed that Frank De Boer had rejected an offer to manage the club. (Source Footnews.be online)

-It was revelaed that in Anderlecht’s recent visist to Dinamo Zagreb, the Croatian Police had asked Anderlect to leave behind Ognjen Vranjes as they were concerned that he might incite the crowd for violence. (Source Footnews.be online)


Saturday, December 22, 2018:

-Sebastien Pocognoli (Standard Liege) will be out injured for two to three months. (Source Jupiler Lewague App online)

- National team Manager Roberto Martinez was named as the Manager of the year  at the ‘Gala du Sport’ organized by Sportpress.be . (Source RTBF.be online)

Sunday, December 23, 2018:
- Eden Hazard was named as the Belgian Sportsman of the year. (Source RTBF.be online)

Monday, December 24, 2018:

-

Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
December 20, 2018
Bryan Heynen
Midfielder
Genk
2023
Jupiler League App 
December 20, 2018
Jere Uronen (Finland)
Defender
Genk
2022
RETBF.be
December 22, 2018
Ally Samatta (Tanzania)
Striker
Genk
2020
Jupiler League App 



Beker van Belgie (December 18-December 19, 2018):

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
St Truiden 1-Gent 3 (Yohan Boli 90 / Jean-Luc Dompe 35, 60, Roman Yaremchuk 58)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:
Eupen 0-Ostend 1 (Richaro Zivkovic 71)
Mechelen 3-Kortrijk 0 (Edin Cocalic 1, Nikola Storm 32, Igor De Camargo 71)
Union St Gilloise 2-Genk 2 (Percy Tau 17, Roman Ferber 70 / Zinho Gano 47, 76) (Union St Gilloise won 4-3 on a penalty kick shoot-out)


First Division A League Matchday (December 21-December 23, 2018):

Friday, December 21, 2018:
Gent 4-Cercle Brugge 1 (Brecht Dejaegere 17, Sigurd Rosted 34, Joanthan David 51, Vadis Odjidja 64 / Serge Gakpe 85)

Saturday, December 22, 2018:
Mouscron 3-Anderlecht 1 (Mbaye Leye 7, 81, Marko Bakic 15 / Nany Dimata 77)
Waaslnad-Beveren 2-Lokeren 1 (N.Opoku Ampomah 26, Francesco Forte 52 pen / Mehdi Terki 70)
St Truiden 0-Kortrijk 0 (-)
Standard Liege 3-Ostend 1 (Moussa Djenepo 2, Razvan Marin 12, Zinho Vanheusden 23 / Indy Boonen 90)
Sunday, December 23, 2018:
Club Brugge 5-Antwerp 1 (Emmanuel Dennis 21, 65, Siebe Schrijvers 40, Mats Rits 54, Hans Vanaken 88 pen / Jelle Van Damme 85)
Eupen 0-Genk 2 (Mbwana Samatta 13, 20)
Zulte-Waregem 3-Charleroi 1 (Hamdi Harbaoui 15, 36, Edrin Demir 49 / Cristian Benavente 42)
Top Goalscorer:
Ally Samatta (Genk) 13 goals
Ivan Santini (Anderlecht) 11 goals
 Nany Dimata (Anderlecht) 10 goals
Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Genk
20
13
6
1
46
18
28
45
2
Club Brugge
20
11
5
4
47
22
25
38
3
Antwerp
20
10
5
5
28
23
5
35
4
Standard Liege
20
9
6
5
32
22
10
33
5
St Truiden
20
8
8
4
31
23
8
32
6
Anderlecht
20
9
4
7
34
27
7
31

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

Diary (extra):

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:

-Seedy Kinteh, the former President of the Gambian Federation, has been suspended from all Football Activities for four years. (Source L’Equipe online)

-The Icelandic Helgi Kolvidsson has been named as the new Manager of Liechtenstein. (Source Kicker.de online)

 -Zlatan Ibrahimovic is to remain at Los Angeles Galaxy for the upcoming season. (Source Sport Bild online)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:

-Vitali Mutko has left his post as President of the Russian Federation. (Source L’Equipe online)

Thursday, December 20, 2018:

-South Korea Manager Paulo Bento named his squad for the upcoming Asian Nations Cup in January 2019 . (Source Foxsportsasia online)
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Vissel Kobe), Kim Jin-hyeon (Cerezo Osaka), Jo Hyeon-woo (Daegu FC)
Defenders: Jung Seung-hyun (Kashima Antlers), Kwon Kyung-won (Tianjin Quanjian), Kim Min-jae (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC), Lee Yong (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC), Kim Moon-hwan (Busan IPark), Hong Chul (Suwon Samsung Bluewings), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC), Kim Young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande)
Midfielders: Ki Sung-yueng (Newcastle United), Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd), Koo Ja-cheol (FC Augsburg), Hwang In-beom (Daejeon Citizen), Ju Se-jong (Asan Mugunghwa FC), Lee Jae-sung (Holstein Kiel), Hwang Hee-chan (Hamburger SV), Na Sang-ho (Gwangju FC), Lee Chung-yong (VfL Bochum), Son Hueng-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards: Hwang Ui-jo (Gamba Osaka), Ji Dong-won (FC Augsburg)

-Australia have named his squad for the upcoming Asian Nations Cup in January 2019 . (Source Foxsportsasia online)
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Mitchell Langerak (Nagoya Grampus), Mathew Ryan (Brighton & Hove Albion FC), Daniel Vukovic (KRC Genk)
Defenders: Aziz Behich (PSV Eindhoven), Milos Degenek (Red Star Belgrade), Alex Gersbach (Rosenborg BK), Rhyan Grant (Sydney FC), Matthew Jurman (Al-Ittihad Jeddah), Josh Risdon (Western Sydney Wanderers FC), Trent Sainsbury (PSV Eindhoven), Mark Milligan (Hibernian FC)
Midfielders: Mustafa Amini (AGF Aarhus), Chris Ikonomidis (Perth Glory), Jackson Irvine (Hull City AFC), Massimo Luongo (Queens Park Rangers), Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town AFC), Tom Rogic (Celtic FC)
Forwards: Martin Boyle (Hibernian FC), Robbie Kruse (VfL Bochum), Mathew Leckie (Hertha BSC), Awer Mabil (FC Midtjylland), Jamie Maclaren (Hibernian FC), Andrew Nabbout (Urawa Red Diamonds)

-Newcastle forward Yoshinori Muto (Newcastle) was called up by Japan to replaced the injured Takuma Asano for AFC Asian Cup 2019. (Source Foxsportsasia online)

-James Troisi has criticized Australia Manager.Graham Arnold for leaving him out of the 2019 Asian Dinals Cup squad. (Source Reuters UK online)
-Greek referees have gone on strike after one of their members was beaten in front of his own house by hooded assailants. As a result this week’s League fixtures were postponed by the League. (Source Sport Bild / MaisFutebol online)

-Indian player Gourav Mukhi has been suspended for six months for falsely presenting himself as a 16 year old, when he is actually 28. (Source Daily Mail online)

-New USA Manager Gregg Berhalter has selected a squad for a January training camp. (Source Ussoccer online)
Squad:
GOALKEEPERS (4): Alex Bono (Toronto FC/CAN; 1/0), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 5/0), Tyler Miller (LAFC; 0/0),
Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew SC; 6/0)
DEFENDERS (10): Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas; 2/0), Greg Garza (FC Cincinnati; 10/0), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; 0/0), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes; 0/0), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 2/0), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact/CAN; 0/0), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Keegan Rosenberry (Colorado Rapids; 0/0), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Walker Zimmerman (LAFC; 4/1)  
MIDFIELDERS (10): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids; 23/2), Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 17/2), Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake; 0/0), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 142/17), Russell Canouse (D.C. United; 0/0), Marky Delgado (Toronto FC/CAN; 6/0), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 5/1), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 5/0), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; 11/0)
FORWARDS (3): Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers; 0/0), Christian Ramirez (LAFC; 0/0), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC; 40/6)

Friday, December 21, 2018:

-Marko Arnautovic was voted as Austria’s player of the year.  (Source Sport Bild online)

-Stephen Ireland has ended his contarct with Bolton after two months. (Source balls.ie online)


Saturday, December 22, 2018:

- Swedish club AIK are selling the crystallized DNA of their former Captain Nils-Eric Johansson. (Source BBC Football Online)

-Cameroon have accepted to become the hosts of the 2021 Finals of the African Cup of Nations. They were stripped of the rights to the 2019 edition. (Source BBC Football Online)

- Gustavo Alfaro was named as the new Manager of Boca Juniors. (Source L’Equipe online)


Sunday, December 23, 2018:
-

Monday, December 24, 2018:

-Former Czechoslovakia forward from the 60s and 70s, Jozef Adamec passed away aged 76. (Source BBC Football online)

-Stanko Poklepovic, former Croatian Manager who managed a multitude of teams as well as Iran national team and Iranian club Perspolis, passed away aged 80. (Source Wikipedia online)

-Brazil Manager Tite revelead that Fernandinho (Manchester City) turned down National Team call-ups following the 2018 World Cup because he had promised his family he would quit and he had also received a lot of threats and abuse on social media. (Source AS.com  online)

-Former Iran International Khodadad Azizi has criticized National Team Manager Carlos Queiroz for playing down expectations for the upcoming Asian Nations Cup and aiing for a fourth place. (Source Fox Sports Asia online)

-Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield) has withdrawn from the Australian squad due to injury. He has been replaced with James Jeggo (FK Austria Vienna). (Source Reuters UK online)


Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
December 20, 2018 
Guillermo Varela (Uruguay) 
Defender
Penarol
FC Copenhagen
Purchase
L’Equipe


I. FIFA Club World Cup:


FIFA Club World Cup:

Tuesday, December 18, 2018:
Esperance 1-CD Guadalajara 1 (M.Youcef Belaili 38 pen / Walter Sandoval 5 pen) (Espernace won 6-5 on a penalty kick shoot-out)
River Plate 2-Al Ain 2 (Rafael Santos Borre 11, 16 / Marcus Berg 3, Caio 51) (Al-Ain won 5-4 on a penalty kick shoot-out)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018:
Kashima Antlers 1-Real Madrid 3 (Shoma Doi 78 / Gatreth Bale 44, 53, 55)

Saturday, December 22, 2018:
Kashima Antlers 0-River Plate 4 (Bruno Zuculini 24, Gonzalo Martinez 73, 90, Rafael Santos Borre 89 pen)
Real Madrid 4-Al Ain 1 (Luka Modric 14, Marcos Llorente 60, Sergio Ramos 79, Yahia Nader (own goal) 90 / Tsukasa Shiotani 86)

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