Tag Archives: the Premier League

Lifestyle

Manchester United prepare to take on Tottenham after dismal league campaign

Maravi Post Reporter

Manchester United have the chance to salvage something from a historically bad league campaign on Wednesday when they take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final in Bilbao.

Despite languishing in 16th place in the Premier League table with a mammoth record 17 defeats, the ‘Red Devils’ remain unbeaten in Europe and progressed to the final with a 7-1 aggregate demolition of La Liga outfit of Athletic Bilbao.

That win means Ruben Amorim’s side now have a chance to now secure Champions League football for next season via the back door of winning the Europa League – despite the dismal league campaign.

Defender Harry Maguire, who has once again become an integral part of Ruben Amorim’s system despite an up-and-down few years with the club, says the players will ‘give everything’ in a huge match for the club. “Of course, it’s a big game,” said the defender, speaking ahead of the final. “We know it’s such a big game for everyone, the fans, after such a disappointing season for the club. But we believe in ourselves, we believe that we can beat anybody on our day.”

Meanwhile, Tottenham captain Son Hueng-min spoke of his desire to make history by winning his first major European final with the club when Spurs face Manchester United for the Europa League on Wednesday.

Son, who will be entering the last year of his contract next season, is determined to get his first and only trophy since joining the club in 2015.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/15/45/52/01/ED_PYR_1545521_20250520190446.mp4
Lifestyle

Mazraoui calls premier league season “Shitty” ahead of Europa League Final

Maravi Post Reporter

Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui has delivered a candid assessment of the club’s turbulent season, bluntly labelling their Premier League campaign as “shitty” while pinning hopes on a Europa League triumph to salvage pride.

Speaking at the club’s media day ahead of next week’s Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao, the Moroccan international didn’t hold back.

“Europa League season will be a big success, but the Premier League season will be shitty,” Mazraoui said. “That’s just the reality. Of course, in the end, you might have a trophy, but the Premier League is the main competition — it’s every week, week in, week out, and that’s what people judge you on.”

Mazraoui, who joined United after spells at top European clubs, admitted the losing culture this season has been difficult to digest.

“I come from clubs where I’m not used to losing. I will never get used to losing, wherever I am. So yeah, it’s painful,” he said. “Life is sometimes painful, and you just have to go through it.”

Despite the disappointment, the defender remains upbeat ahead of the high-stakes final, drawing on his World Cup experience with Morocco.

“It’s not my first high-pressure game. I’ve played in a World Cup semi-final,” he said. “This is similar in a way. I love the pressure.”

Manchester United’s domestic woes hit a new low after their 17th league defeat — a 2-0 home loss to West Ham — which left them 16th in the Premier League table. Head coach Ruben Amorim described the season as “embarrassing,” even suggesting it might be the worst team in the club’s history.

United now look to the Europa League final as a last chance at silverware — and Champions League qualification — in what has been a chaotic campaign marked by inconsistency, internal tension, and mounting pressure on players and staff alike.

Source: Africanews

Lifestyle

Hat trick for Salah as he wins ‘Footballer of the Year’ for a third time

Maravi Post Reporter

It’s a hat trick for Mohamed Salah after the Liverpool forward was voted Britain’s ‘Footballer of the Year’ for a record-tying third time.

The accolade is handed out by the Football Writers Association (FWA). First awarded in 1948, it is the oldest individual soccer award in the world. Salah previously won the title in 2018 and 2022.

Arsenal great Thierry Henry is the only other player to have captured it three times.

With 28 goals and 18 assists, Egyptian-born fan-favourite Salah topped the Premier League this season and played a key role in Liverpool winning the title for the second time in five years.

The FWA said Salah won 90 percent of the votes cast by more than 900 members, making it the “biggest winning margin this century.”

Salah’s Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk was second and Newcastle striker Alexander Isak was third.

Arsenal striker Alessia Russo won this year’s women’s award.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/14/47/34/01/ED_PYR_1447341_20250509120816.mp4
Lifestyle

Alexander-Arnold confirms departure from Liverpool after 20 years

Maravi Post Reporter

Trent Alexander-Arnold sat down, took a deep breath and uttered the words many Liverpool knew would be coming.

“After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club,” he said into a camera, “I will be leaving at the end of the season.”

Alexander-Arnold didn’t mention his next destination when confirming his imminent departure from Liverpool on his social media accounts but the England right back is widely expected to move to Real Madrid on a free transfer.

The locally born Alexander-Arnold, who joined Liverpool at the age of 6 and has won every major honor with the club, said it was “easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.”

He has announced it barely a week after clinching a second Premier League title with the Reds, pushing them onto 20 English top-flight championships — tied for the record with Manchester United.

“This club has been my whole life — my whole world — for 20 years,” the 26-year-old Alexander-Arnold wrote. “From the academy right through until now, the support and love I have felt from everyone inside and outside of the club will stay with me forever. I will forever be in debt to you all.

“But, I have never known anything else and this decision is about experiencing a new challenge, taking myself out of my comfort zone and pushing myself both professionally and personally. I’ve given my all every single day I’ve been at this club, and I hope you feel like I’ve given back to you during my time here.”

Fans might feel let down

While Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have recently signed new two-year deals with Liverpool, there was lingering uncertainty over the future of Alexander-Arnold, who was also out of contract at the end of this season.

Some fans will be unhappy he has run down his contract and not allowed Liverpool to get any money for one of its star assets.

“I completely understand that the news will disappoint a lot of people, will anger people, it will make them upset,” Alexander-Arnold told Liverpool’s official website. “Obviously that went into the decision as well — it’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t want to ever have these moments where you feel like you’re letting a lot of people down, you’re disappointing a lot of people.

“But I’ve had to make a decision for me, it’s as simple as that. It’s a difficult one, it’s one that has played on my mind for a long time but being able now to get it off my chest will feel like a weight is lifted.”

Alexander-Arnold said he hasn’t spoken publicly about his future in recent months because he wanted the “to keep my full focus on the team’s best interests, which was securing No. 20.”

His trophies and that assist against Barcelona

Alexander-Arnold won the Premier League in 2020 and again this year, as well as the Champions League in 2019, the FA Cup, English League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.

Since making his senior debut in October 2016, he has been key to revolutionizing the role of a full back, with Alexander-Arnold having been Liverpool’s most creative player at times with his marauding runs down the right and his ability to come infield and pick out passes to the team’s attackers.

Arguably the most famous moment of his Liverpool career was when his quickly taken corner set up a goal for Divock Origi to complete a memorable comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals in 2019.

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank everybody — my coaches, my managers, my teammates, the staff and our incredible supporters — for the last 20 years,” Alexander-Arnold wrote.

“I’ve been blessed enough to live out my dreams here and I will never, ever take for granted the special moments I’ve been fortunate enough to have lived through with you all. My love for this club will never die.”

Another potential bargain for Madrid

If he does go to Madrid, it would be as a free agent and he’d follow in the footsteps of the likes of Steve McManaman, Michael Owen and Xabi Alonso in swapping Anfield for the Santiago Bernabeu.

Alexander-Arnold would be joining England teammate Jude Bellingham in Madrid as well as Kylian Mbappé, who moved there in June 2024 on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool said Alexander-Arnold “will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for his contribution during a sustained period of success.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has Conor Bradley as a ready-made back-up for Alexander-Arnold, but is likely to go into the transfer market for another replacement.

The Club World Cup

Liverpool said Alexander-Arnold will be departing “once his deal ceases on June 30, 2025,” though there’s a chance he will leave earlier should he go to Madrid.

In October, FIFA announced interim transfer rules allowing players whose contracts expire on June 30 to sign early as free agents for one of the 32 teams — such as Madrid — who qualified for the relaunched Club World Cup.

If Madrid and Liverpool were to come to an agreement, Alexander-Arnold could represent the Spanish team for two weeks from mid-June on an exceptional basis — before his formal contract expires — in a tournament that is technically still part of the current season.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/14/08/44/09/ED_PYR_1408449_20250506052102.mp4
Sports

Formula 1 brings more excitement into 2021, with a little help from https://1xbet.com/en

Maravi Post Reporter

We still have another season of Formula 1 in the meantime, but everyone’s already thinking of the next season. And why is that, you shall ask? Well, the FIA is going to bring in some new regulations that affect both the cars and the teams. We’re talking about a lot of stuff, so keep all these in mind:

  • new aerodynamics regulation, allowing for more simple pieces of chassis;
  • financial limitations to the teams, so as to level the financial power of each;
  • new driver line-ups for the whole teams, although that is not enforced by the FIA;
  • different approaches to the rules and possibly new ways to qualify.

You might not be able to tell, but some of these are very important in the very strict world of modernity and engineering of Formula 1 — and all that will be covered extensively by https://1xbet.com/en/, providing the best bets possible!

Will Hamilton repeat his previous successes with Mercedes, or is it going to go for Ferrari this year? And what about Red Bull Racing – is there anything to be had with Max Verstappen at the helm? There’s a lot of uncertainty around the paddock at this moment, but we’ll try and help you figure out some of it. Whatever happens next year, there’s lots to keep in mind and various ways to make this niche

sport more appealing to you. Have you realized how long is a Formula 1 car? There’s no need to bet on https://1xbet.com/en/ on this one, we’ll tell you right away — it’s something very close to 5 meters, which, as you should understand, is a lot. Just imagine something so long making turns at 350km/h!

There is more news to be read at www.1xbet.com/en/live regarding Formula 1

Aside from being one of the best betting houses available in the market, www.1xbet.com/en/live will also provide regular information on whatever’s happening at the most exclusive motorsport in the world. Be it gossip about Lando Norris, or hopefully the first victory for Alexander Albon, it will keep you on your toes regarding the new season!

Everyone wants to make a good presentation of the team and hopefully every team will present itself competitively. That was not, of course, the case with Williams and Haas last year, for example, as both had terrible performances weekend in, weekend out.

On the other end of the spectrum is the mighty Mercedes AMG Petronas team, which hasn’t given much leeway to its competitors. Do you think it will happen differently this year? Then head to www.1xbet.com/en/live and bet your way into it!

Would you rather follow the biggest sport at https://1xbet.com/en/live/Football/

That’s very fair and understandable: after all, football is the highest grossing sport in the world and  you can follow everything about it at https://1xbet.com/en/live/Football/.

At this point, there are still a lot of things in the national leagues left undecided — except for the Premier League, of course, which will most likely end up at the hands of Liverpool. Every other championship is still undetermined and will surely provide good spectacles in the following weeks!

Whether you support a La Liga team or you fancy more the British ones at the Premier League, https://1xbet.com/en/live/Football/ has a place for you among its bets. Rest assured they’re the best of the whole market — and so everyone is expecting to see you there!