International Football
Am Ready For Competition, Says Victor Moses as Chelsea Fans Shifts to Zappacosta
BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA.
Nigeria’s Victor Moses who is at the receiving end following the sparkling form displayed by Chelsea debutant, David Zappacosta in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League 6-0 defeat of Qarabag, has responded that his best is yet to come.
Clips of David Luiz and Willy Caballero teasing Victor Moses on the bench as Zappacosta dazzled on the pitch, has continued to trend on social media and conventional newspapers’ blogs.
Nigeria’s Moses appeared to have anticipated a stiff competition from the new comer as he had a week before told the UK newspaper, Evening Times that he was ready for competition.
“We needed more players, to be honest. We have a lot of games to play this season. You can’t expect to play 60 games or so. I’m ready to take on anyone that is coming here. I just want to play my football.”
He added: “My game has changed and it’s all down to the manager. He gave me the confidence to play in the position.
“I’m enjoying my football and I just want to say thanks to him, really. It is always good for a player when a manager believes in you.
“It gives you the belief to go out on the pitch and express yourself. I just want to pay him back and do my best to help the team”.
Prior to the coming of Zappacosta, Moses throughout last season was Chelsea’s regular right wing-back and had very little competition for his place in the first team.
That has all changed however, and Antonio Conte will be chuffed to see he has two great players vying for a place in his starting XI.
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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