Archive May 19, 2025

Mohamed Salah has been patiently awaiting the Premier League’s goal involvement record.

He should have been celebrating equaling the tally on his 400th Liverpool appearance, though.

No one really knows how the Egyptian kicked Cody Gakpo’s low cross past an empty net just yards out during Monday’s defeat at Brighton. His wry expression of disbelief suggested.

He appeared to have set the tone for the most explosive individual season in Premier League history two months ago, breaking all previous records.

In 29 games, Salah scored 27 goals and 17 assists, which is just three goals short of the 47-goal Premier League record set by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole, who also contributed to the record of 27 goals and 17 assists against Southampton on March 8.

Additionally, he looked certain to surpass Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne and Arsenal’s Thierry Henry’s combined record for 20 Premier League assists per season.

He has now only collected one goal and one assist in eight games, which is one shy of his goal involvement and assist record.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said: “I’m like, It’s quite a big chance, this could lead to a goal,” because Mo usually does that.

He has almost been an inhuman all this season. He hasn’t scored in a single game in a row because there have been times during the season when he was human.

“But the good news for us is that this hardly ever occurs, and if it does, you can be certain that he will score in the third game of the fourth game.”

After assisting Liverpool in winning the Premier League on April 27, Salah said: “Hopefully I’m going to break the record for goal involvements soon. I need to keep working hard and keep going because it’s pushing me forward.

By the end of the season, Salah, who made his first appearance as Liverpool’s manager in the defeat at Brighton, is certain to have equal records, with the Golden Boot once more in his possession.

With just one game left, Alexander Isak, a 32-year-old player, is five points ahead of the 32-year-old in the goal rankings this year.

In the final game of the campaign, Salah will earn the Premier League Golden Boot for the fourth time, matching Henry’s record for Arsenal, barring anything absurd.

He will also be hoping to win the European Golden Shoe, an honor bestowed upon the best league scorer in Europe.

Viktor Gyokeres, a Swedish striker for Sporting, currently has 39 goals in the top half of that league, but all he can do is wait and watch as the season is over.

With only one game left, Gyokeres is just one goal away, and Salah needs two goals to surpass Palace in the final game of the campaign.

The Golden Shoe’s scoring system allows them to surpass Salah’s 28 goals and Mbappe’s 29 goals, which is far below the former Coventry striker’s total.

The award is based on a points-based system that takes into account the strength of the league where the player competes. It is not simply determined by which player has the most goals.

The Golden Shoe was established in 1967-68 and was previously given to the top scorer in any European league.

Salah has contributed 354 goals and 110 assists to the club’s 400 appearances since joining from Roma for £34 million in 2017.

In a 38-game campaign, he has already broken Erling Haaland’s record for goal involvements, surpassing Henry’s record of 44 goals and 20 assists from 2002-2003.

Only four players in England, Spain, Italy, Germany, or France have contributed more than 50 goals in a single season, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic once, Luis Suarez once, and Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo once, respectively.

Messi contributed 66 goals and 16 assists to his best league total from the 2011-2012 campaign, which was incredible.

In his career in Europe’s top five leagues, Salah has scored and assisted a goal in 49 of those leagues.

Head coach Brendon McCullum claims that the England men’s Test team is prepared to “shoot for the stars” in a memorable year.

Their highest position since McCullum’s appointment in May 2022, they placed second in the International Cricket Council Test rankings earlier this month.

After a one-time Test against Zimbabwe that begins on Thursday, they will face formidable opposition in Australia, including the Ashes and India.

McCullum stated on the BBC Radio 5 Live Cricket show, “We’re not trying to pick this team up any more.”

“It’s a matter of turning this team from a good team into something that the English people are really proud of.”

Before the New Zealander took over, England had won 22 of their 35 Test matches under McCullum. They had also lost one of their previous 17 matches.

Although we’re actually traveling fairly well, there’s still room for improvement, he continued.

England have produced frequently thrilling cricket under the direction of McCullum and Ben Stokes, and they have won numerous series victories in Pakistan and New Zealand.

They were also severely defeated in India and lost to Pakistan last year, and they were unable to regain the Ashes in 2023 after going 2-0 behind against Australia before drawing the series again.

After winning the series in New Zealand in December, they lacked momentum to lose the third and final Test.

McCullum said he and his team want to “attach” England fans, who like them both in terms of their respective roles in the series and their respective styles of cricket.

There is no greater chance than to test that when playing in big series against the best opponents on the biggest stage under the brightest lights, he continued.

When asked about England’s attempt to win 3-0 in New Zealand, Stokes claimed he hated the word “ruthless.”

McCullum, however, called the all-rounder “the most ruthless” sportsperson he had ever met.

He declared, “He is unbelievably driven to push himself, push his team-mates, win at all costs,” adding, “He is a maniac.”

He’s going to be very strong in his efforts to advance this team to the next level, according to the chair. “We’re very lucky to have him in the chair.”

McCullum said England won’t underestimate Zimbabwe in the four-day Test at Trent Bridge despite the obvious focus on the five-test series against India and the Ashes down under.

He said, “We want to be where our feet are.”

If you don’t have the respect for the game or the opposition, “this game has an amazing ability to bring you back to life.”

Brighton, Brentford, and Bournemouth all have outside chances of achieving European success, but Chelsea must win the Conference League and place seventh in the Premier League.

The final Premier League games take place on Sunday, and there is still a chance that 10 of the teams will compete in Europe in 2025-26.

Liverpool and Arsenal have already taken the lead in the Champions League, while Liverpool and Arsenal will join three other English clubs: Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Nottingham Forest.

The winner of that game will also feature in the Champions League next season when Manchester United face Tottenham in Bilbao, Spain, on Wednesday.

The Eagles will join any team that finishes sixth in the Premier League in the 2025-26 Europa League after Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final.

Newcastle, who won the Carabao Cup and has attained at least a Conference League spot, adds to the problem. However, if they finish sixth, Eddie Howe’s team will instead enter the Champions League, and a top-five finish would place them in the Champions League.

On Wednesday, May 28, Chelsea will face Real Betis in the Conference League final, with the winner advancing to the Europa League. However, if they place among the top five Premier League teams, Enzo Maresca’s Blues can still claim Champions League football.

If Chelsea wins the Conference League and finishes seventh, they could move onto eighth place in the conference league with Brighton, who defeated Liverpool 3-2 on Monday, but Brentford and Bournemouth could still take their place.

If Chelsea were to finish sixth in the Conference League and finish seventh, with Newcastle seventh, which would mean that eighth in the Premier League once more would be sufficient for European competition.

The picture becomes much clearer if Chelsea loses to a Conference League title contender or advances to a Champions League position.

For the past 20 years, the Premier League has been a key component of the race for the top four.

However, this season’s competition expanded to 36 teams all competing in one league phase, which was an increase of four teams per season. The two additional spots were awarded to the two countries whose teams had performed the best in the previous campaign, with the other two going to the other two.

Borussia Dortmund and Bologna in Germany were successful in the years 2024 and 25, but the Premier League was given one of the extra spots while La Liga in Spain received the other.

22 of the 36 teams that will compete in the Champions League’s divisional phase have already been identified.

England: Liverpool, Arsenal, three Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester City, or Nottingham Forest. Plus, who will prevail in Tottenham’s and Manchester United’s Europa League final?

Italy: Juventus, Roma, Atalanta, Inter Milan, and Lazio.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, and Villarreal are all represented in Spain.

Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Borussia Dortmund are the three German clubs.

Marseille, Monaco, and Paris St. Germain.

PSV Eindhoven and Ajax in the Netherlands.

Sporting in Portugal.

Belgium’s clubs: Club Bruges or Union St. Gilloise.

Galatasaray, Turkey

Slavia Prague, Czech Republic

Olympiakos, Greece.

The 36 teams in the league phase will consist of seven players who will pass the four qualifying rounds.

Celtic, the reigning Scottish champion, will enter the play-offs, while Rangers, the division’s champion, will begin the second qualifying round.

If Manchester City defeat Bournemouth at home on Tuesday, they will move up to third place in the Premier League.

If Pep Guardiola’s side were to draw the game, four teams would be tied on 66 points heading into the final day, with Nottingham Forest one point ahead of them.

Forest, the two-time European champion, hasn’t played in Europe since 1995-96, but they’ll be doing it all the same next season, though it’s not yet known in what competition.

A win would place them in at least the Europa League and perhaps the Champions League, but they also need one of Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Manchester City to slip up. If they lose at home to Chelsea, they will be in the Conference League.

With four points from their final two games against Bournemouth and Fulham, City will claim the Champions League title in 2023, which they won in 2023.

If Aston Villa and Newcastle defeat Everton at home, they will qualify.

May 20th, 2019

May 25th, Sunday,

Angel Gomes, an England international, has announced that he will leave Lille for free this summer.

The 24-year-old, who won his first four senior caps last year, announced the decision on Instagram. Interim manager Lee Carsley was also in charge.

It’s&nbsp, time&nbsp, for&nbsp, me to&nbsp, say&nbsp, goodbye, he said. “After&nbsp, four&nbsp, unforgettable&nbsp, years&nbsp, at&nbsp, LOSC&nbsp, Lille, &nbsp, it’s,” he said.

“This&nbsp, club&nbsp, has&nbsp, been&nbsp, more&nbsp, than&nbsp, just&nbsp, a&nbsp, team&nbsp, -&nbsp, it’s&nbsp, been&nbsp, a&nbsp, family, &nbsp, a&nbsp, home, &nbsp, and&nbsp, a place&nbsp, that&nbsp, has&nbsp, shaped&nbsp, me&nbsp, both&nbsp, on&nbsp, and&nbsp, off&nbsp, the&nbsp, pitch.

“Like&nbsp, any&nbsp, journey, ups&nbsp, andnbsp, downs, highs&nbsp, andnbsp, team-mates&nbsp, andnbsp, the&nbsp, fans&nbsp, sticking&nbsp, with&nbsp, me&nbsp, throughout,” says “I’m truly grateful,” but “like&

Gomes, a graduate of Manchester United’s academy, made 134 appearances for Lille in total, scoring 10 goals and contributing 19 assists.

He made his first season on loan at clubs like United and Boavista before establishing himself in the French league with his first season there in 2020.