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Erik ten Hag adds to Man Utd backroom staff with new appointments
Erik ten Hag has made some new additions to his backroom staff, hiring sports psychologists to help players deal with mental issues.
The Dutchman took over at Manchester United in the summer, succeeding interim boss Ralf Rangnick, and has been working hard to make the team his own since then, both in terms of staff and players.
As per the Daily Mail, the Dutchman has now hired multiple sports psychologists to serve as mind coaches for the players. They come from Dutch company Talent Academy Group, whom he has been working closely with since taking charge.
The psychologists will be available to meet with players at least twice a week to discuss mental issues and provide counselling to those who want it, and they have already arrived at the club – Rainier Koers, one of the hires, was present at the club’s training camp in Spain.
The appointments come shortly after Ten Hag declared that Jadon Sancho wasn’t at that training camp partly because of his mental state.
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“He’s not fit enough,” the boss said. “We didn’t see him in the last games for United as he wasn’t in the right fitness state and he is now on an individual programme.
“We want him to finish that and hopefully see him back soon. We want to bring him back as quickly as possible but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be. He was good [in pre-season] but also when the league started he played some good games like Liverpool, Leicester and Arsenal. After we got a drop of level and what happens sometimes you don’t know why or what is causing it.
“That is what we’re doing now, trying to research and now we try to get him back there. It’s a combination of physical but also mental.”
United return to competitive action on Wednesday night when they take on Burnley in the Carabao Cup fourth round.
US women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski explained the absence of Alyssa Thompson in the 26-player roster for the upcoming friendlies against the Republic of Ireland, revealing “we don’t want to add too much pressure on her.”
Though only 18 years old, Thompson has been turning heads with her form lately, most recently scoring in Angel City’s opening-day 2-1 loss against Gotham FC. With the FIFA Women’s World Cup on the horizon, many believe that Thompson would earn another call-up to the USWNT during their last two friendlies before the tournament starts in July.
However, the latest roster drop sees Thompson’s name absent from the squad.
“Alyssa Thompson, I mean, she’s an exciting player. If there is a person that believes in Alyssa Thompson, or a coach that believes in Alyssa Thompson, it’d probably be me,” raved Andonovski.
“Not long ago, when she was 17 years old, her first cap was against one of the best teams in the world in front of 80,000 people, and that was a decision that I made. So that speaks of how much I value Alyssa and how much I believe in her.”
Thompson was first called into the national last October against England at 17 years old. She was subsequently called to the team again in November but hasn’t appeared since.
“Part of the reason why she was in those camps was that, if that happens, that she has a good season and she does well and earns a roster spot for the World Cup, that is not her first camp with the team, but she already has an experience being in the environment, understands the dynamics in the environment, he explained.
“She’s already played in big matches, good opponents, so the transition, or coming in, it’s not as hard for her.”
Andonovski went on to say that Thompson has tons of potential and that the young winger will make a case for a roster spot” for this summer’s tournament in Australia/New Zealand, but that largely hinges on her club form with Angel City FC.
“I do want to point out one thing about Alyssa at this point: for her, the most important thing is that she enjoys the game that she plays. She enjoys her market, her club environment, because we don’t want to put too much pressure on her.”
“She’s a young player, talented player, good player, and all she needs to do is just enjoy the game that she plays, focus on what she does best and allow the people that are making the decision to make the decision for her,” he continued.
The USWNT kicks off the first of their last two friendlies before the World Cup with a showdown in Austin, Texas, against Ireland on April 8th.
The general manager of Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle has confirmed that the club are close to striking an agreement to sell 15-year-old wonderkid Kendry Paez.
90min reported in February that Paez had attracted significant interest from a number of Premier League clubs, with Chelsea understood to have moved closest to striking a deal by lodging a bid for the teenage midfielder.
Chelsea have remained in talks with Independiente del Valle ever since, looking to finalise a deal for a player who is widely seen to be one of South America’s brightest young prospects.
Now, Independiente del Valle chief Santiago Morales has confirmed that a deal has almost been reached to sell Paez, although he declined to mention with which club he has been speaking.
“There are no pre-contracts,” Morales told Mach Deportes. “The interested clubs continue to find out how to negotiate with Kendry Paez.
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“There is a club with which we are in advanced conversations and we agree on the value of Kendry Paez.”
Morales also backed Paez to make a significant impact in this season’s Copa Libertadores, with the Ecuadorian starlet’s stock continuing to rise.
“Surely Kendry will play in the Copa Libertadores and don’t be surprised if he plays a great game against Corinthians,” he added.
Chelsea have made an effort to recruit a number of the game’s top youngsters this season and have not shied away from paying significant fees to land their targets, with the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesar Casadei costing close to £40m combined.
Paez is a key target for Chelsea’s new recruitment team and it appears as though they are close to getting a deal done.
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It’s not just the Premier League that has a tantalising title race on its hands. Over in the Women’s Super League, the current top four are separated by just three points.
Emma Hayes’ Chelsea have long been considered the favourites to win their fourth consecutive title, but they were leapfrogged in the table by Manchester City after they beat the Blues 2-0 in Manchester last weekend. City’s first victory over Hayes’ side since 2017 ignited their title hopes and they currently sit level on points with Man Utd at the top.
Chelsea, however, are just a point adrift having played a game less, while Arsenal aren’t out of the running either. The Gunners, who have also played one less game than the two Manchester clubs, are three points off the summit in fourth.
FiveThirtyEight uses its Forecasts and Soccer Power Index (SPI) ratings to predict every fixture throughout the WSL season. Here’s who they think will end the 2022/23 season as champions.
|
Position |
Team |
Current points |
Projected points |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Chelsea |
37 |
53 |
|
2. |
Man Utd |
38 |
50 |
|
3. |
Arsenal |
35 |
49 |
|
4. |
Man City |
38 |
49 |
|
5. |
Aston Villa |
29 |
36 |
FiveThirtyEight don’t expect the table to expand too much before the end of the season, but they do project Chelsea to win the league by a three-point margin.
The Blues are expected to claim 16 points from their last seven outings with their only remaining fixture against a fellow title rival arriving on the penultimate matchday of the season against Arsenal.
The two London clubs also have the Champions League to consider, but the supercomputer doesn’t believe their European ventures will derail their domestic campaigns. Arsenal are projected to finish level on points with Man City in third.
Despite their huge win over Chelsea, the computer predicts City to claim just nine points from their remaining six games. They do have the disadvantage of playing both Arsenal and Man Utd away from home before the end of the season.
As for the current leaders, the computer projects a bright enough end to the campaign (12 points from six games) but that won’t be enough to stave off Chelsea’s threat.
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The WSL title race will take its next twists and turns at the start of April, with Man Utd the first on the contenders in action when they visit the south coast to face Brighton.
The clash between Arsenal and Manchester City in Sunday’s early kick off is undoubtedly the game of the weekend, while Chelsea will be hoping to make up some lost ground when they travel to Aston Villa.
Vlatko Andonovski explains absence of Alyssa Thompson on recent USWNT roster
Independiente del Valle chief makes major admission over Chelsea target’s future
Supercomputer predicts WSL title race after Man City’s victory over Chelsea
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