All posts by n8rngtd.top

The 1982 World Cup in Spain offered plenty of entertainment, with the Italians eventually going on to lift the trophy

Italy sealed their third World Cup in 1982 after a 44-year wait, but it was by no means an easy run for the Azzurri.

Unimpressive in the first group stage with three draws, Italy sprang into life in the second group stage with wins over Argentina and Brazil [thanks to a Paolo Rossi hat trick].

Two more goals from Rossi saw Poland dismissed in the semis before the final victory at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.

Rossi, Marco Tardelli and Alessandro Altobelli were on target for the Italians, while Paul Breitner scored the consolation goal for Germany.

Who were part of Italy's squad and what happened to them after their World Cup heroics?

• Getty Images
  

  Dino Zoff – Goalkeeper

  Zoff became the oldest man to captain a World Cup-winning side when he lifted the trophy in 1982, aged 40. He retired from playing in 1983 after 642 league appearances and 112 games for Italy. On retirement, he joined the coaching staff at Juventus and became the boss in 1988. However, despite winning the UEFA Cup in 1990, he was fired.

  In 1994 he became president of Lazi,o where he stayed until 1998 when he was chosen to succeed Cesare Maldini as the national team trainer. He came within 60 seconds of winning Euro 2000, only for France to score a late equaliser and then see David Trezeguet hit an extra-time winner.

  He took control of Lazio in 2001, but quit following a poor start to the season. Fiorentina was his next managerial job in 2005, but La Viola sacked him at the end of the season, despite his saving them from the drop on the last day of the campaign.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Giuseppe Bergomi – Defender

  Centre-back Bergomi was a one-club man, notching up 519 appearances for Inter in a Serie A career which spanned nearly 20 years. Lo Zio was just 18 at the 1982 tournament and played at four World Cup finals for the Azzurri, making a total of 81 international appearances. Bergomi also worked as a pundit for Sky Italia.

• Getty Images
  

  Antonio Cabrini – Defender

  The left-back spent 13 years with Juventus from 1976 to 1989. Bell'Antonio made almost 450 appearances, picking up six Scudetti, a European Cup, UEFA Cup, European Cup Winners’ Cup and Intercontinental Cup amongst a host of other trophies.

  Since retiring from football in 1991, Cabrini has found the managerial game a struggle, with little joy at Arezzo, Crotone, Pisa, Novara, or the Syrian national team.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  Fulvio Collovati – Defender

  The defender was playing for Milan during the time of the 1982 World Cup finals but joined city rivals Inter after due to the Rossoneri’s relegation from Serie A. He also played for Udinese, Roma and Genoa before retiring in 1993. He was capped 50 times by his country.

  Collovati worked as an analyst for Italian station RAI on ‘Sunday Sport’ and also produced and presented ‘il Campionato dei Campioni’ on Odeon TV.

The under-fire forward was handed the armband by Erik ten Hag at Villa Park but again struggled as United slipped to a 3-1 loss

Erik ten Hag raised eyebrows by naming Cristiano Ronaldo as his captain for Manchester United's clash with Aston Villa and then could only watch as his team were cut apart as Unai Emery celebrated his first game in charge at Villa Park with a convincing 3-1 win.

The hosts came flying out of the blocks and were 2-0 up inside 11 minutes. Leon Bailey fired Villa in front on seven minutes, and four minutes later David de Gea was picking the ball out of his net again after a wonderful free-kick from Lucas Digne.

United were offered hope just before half-time when Jacob Ramsey deflected Luke Shaw’s shot past Emiliano Martinez, but Villa quickly snuffed out the visitors’ dreams of a revival.

Ramsey went from villain to hero by adding a third at the start of the second half to ensure all three points and make it a perfect start for Emery.

• Getty Images
  

  Winners

  Unai Emery:

  The former Arsenal boss took charge of Villa for the first time on Sunday and could not have asked for a better start. The Villans flew out of the blocks and left a shell-shocked United 2-0 down with only 11 minutes on the clock. Emery couldn’t hide his joy on the touchline and rightly so. Villa looked totally different from the team that had been struggling under previous boss Steven Gerrard. United did threaten a comeback when they pulled one back, but after a half-time team talk, Emery's side emerged for the second half and quickly finished the job.

  Bruno Fernandes:

  The Portugal international was forced to sit this one out through suspension and was badly missed by United. Fernandes' form has been questioned at times this season, but without the 28-year-old on the pitch the visitors lacked inspiration, were easily cut apart in midfield and offered very little bite. There was also a lack of leadership and balance in midfield as they limped to a defeat that simply highlighted how important Fernandes is to Erik ten Hag's team.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Losers

  Captain Ronaldo:

  The Portugal international captained United for the first time under Ten Hag in a move that won’t sit well with many fans, as it’s only been matter of weeks since Ronaldo walked out of the win over Tottenham before full-time. It was not a decision that went well either. United were a complete mess in the first half and in dire need of a driving force to get them back into the game. An own goal by Jacob Ramsey gave them hope but it was quickly snuffed out as Villa went 3-1 up. Ronaldo offered neither leadership nor inspiration on what was a dismal afternoon for the Red Devils.

  Erik ten Hag:

  Ten Hag's decision to hand the armband to Ronaldo was not his only dubious move. Selecting Donny van de Beek again after an anonymous showing in midweek was curious and he was too slow to change his team when things started to go wrong. A giant slice of luck ensured United were only 2-1 down at half-time and very much still in the game, yet Ten Hag decided not to change his team at the break, keeping faith with the starting XI that had played so poorly in the first half, and was made to pay when Ramsey restored Villa's two-goal lead three minutes into the second half.

  United's midfield

  Van de Beek was not the only poor performer in midfield as Villa cut open the visitors almost at will. Casemiro and Christian Eriksen offered very little protection and both players were caught out for two of Villa's goals. Indeed the hosts' third saw Ramsey run into the box without anyone near him to put the game out of United's reach. Fred and Scott McTominay have been far from perfect this season, but Ten Hag might rue leaving both players out on Sunday.

• Getty Images
  

  Man Utd Ratings: Defence

  David de Gea (5/10): Beaten three times on a tough afternoon for the United backline.

  Diogo Dalot (4/10): Has looked good in recent weeks but struggled at Villa Park and missed a decent chance in the second half.

  Victor Lindelof (3/10): A real weak link in defence. Caught out for two of the Villa goals and was too easily bullied by the hosts.

  Lisandro Martinez (5/10): Couldn’t keep up with Bailey for the opener and was pulled all over the place.

  Luke Shaw (5/10): Gave away the free-kick for the second goal but got United back into it with a shot that flew in with a little help from Jacob Ramsey.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  Midfield

  Casemiro (6/10): The best of a bad bunch in midfield

  Christian Eriksen (5/10): Not a strong enough presence as United were too easily cut open.

  Donny van de Beek (3/10): Completely anonymous on his first Premier League start of the season.

GOAL runs through the most shocking technical area theatrics in football history

Football is a game full of passion. Some players and managers are capable of controlling their emotions, but others see it spill out a little too frequently.

As GOAL outlines below, touchline bust-ups can make for great viewing and have become just another reason why we all love the beautiful game.

• Getty
  

  11Roberto Mancini vs David Moyes (2010)

  Fiery Italian meets red-haired Scot, with Mancini and Moyes locking horns towards the end of a Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium in 2010. Everton were on their way to a notable 2-0 victory over Manchester City, but their manager felt the need to try to waste time towards the end of that contest.

  An opportunity to do just that presented itself in the closing stages when the ball ran out of play and into Moyes’ arms. He was in no rush to get the game going again, much to the disgust of Mancini – who opted to take matters into his own hands.

  A tussle broke out as Mancini sought to wrestle the ball back from Moyes, with the fourth official and match referee having to intervene before both coaches were sent to the stands. The incident quickly blew over, as both men sat down for a post-game glass of wine, but they were charged with improper conduct after acting like a couple of school children.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  10Jurgen Klopp vs Frank Lampard (2020)

  Liverpool hosted Chelsea in their final home game of the 2019-20 season. Many will remember it as the day the Reds lifted the Premier League trophy after so many years, however, others will recall it for the altercation between two managers.

  Liverpool were awarded a free-kick 36 minutes into the game which Chelsea manager Lampard did not agree with. A few words were exchanged between himself and Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders, resulting in Lampard telling him to "f*ck off and sit down." Klopp kept his cool, but Lampard was not happy, picking on more members of Liverpool's backroom staff.

  The game was played behind closed doors, and as such, most of what was said was caught on camera. Lampard can be heard saying "only league title you've ever won and you're giving it the f*cking big 'un." Ouch.

  Ironically, Trent Alexander-Arnold expertly dispatched the free-kick and Liverpool went on to win 5-3. Not Frank's finest hour!

• Getty
  

  9Arsene Wenger vs Alan Pardew (2006)

  Wenger may have come across as a softly-spoken student of the game, but ‘Le Professeur’ could lose his cool with the best of them and was partial to the odd bout of touchline theatrics. Former Newcastle and West Ham boss Pardew proved to be a thorn in his side on a regular basis, with the pair often butting heads.

  One particular incident at Upton Park in 2006 saw them almost come to blows, with Wenger taking issue with wild celebrations on the Hammers bench after Marlon Harewood netted a late winner against his Arsenal side in east London.

  Wenger appeared to shove and swear at Pardew before refusing to shake hands afterwards or conduct post-match interviews. The Gunners boss was later fined £10,000 ($12,000) by the Football Association (FA) and would never rebuild bridges with a rival manager that had a tendency to push his buttons.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  8Nigel Pearson vs James McArthur (2015)

  McArthur must have wondered what was going on when, after being sent sprawling to the turf under a challenge from a Leicester player, he suddenly found himself with the hands of Foxes boss Pearson around his neck!

  The Scot had taken an unfortunate, and entirely accidental, tumble into Pearson as he prowled the touchline. Despite there being no malice on the part of the Crystal Palace midfielder, a coach that was renowned for both his bark and bite was less than impressed at ending up on the deck himself.

  Pearson claimed that his antics had been meant in jest, but McArthur admitted to being “a bit scared” at finding himself forced to the ground by the throat. The incident was truly bizarre and it comes as something of a surprise to find that Alan Pardew – who was occupying the opposing dugout – did not get involved!

Crystal Palace ended their season poorly with a lacklustre performance against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, losing 2-0 to the former champions.

In what was Roy Hodgson’s last game in charge of the Eagles, Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend failed to capitalise on promising situations in the opening period of play, allowing the Reds time to settle, and find their rhythm.

After Townsend had put his effort narrowly wide of Alisson Becker’s post when one-on-one with the Brazilian shot-stopper, it was largely one-way traffic at Anfield, and Sadio Mane poked home a close-range finish from a corner on the 36-minute mark.

The Senegal international grabbed a second late on to seal the three points for Jurgen Klopp’s charges and condemned Palace to a second consecutive 14th-placed finish.

It was a tame ending to Hodgson’s commendable, steady four-year stint in south London, but one man more than most let the former England boss down over the weekend.

As per SofaScore, James Tomkins received a meagre 6.4/10 rating for the 58 minutes he was on the pitch, the joint lowest score received by any player to feature in the game.

The 32-year-old defender had just 27 touches of the ball over the weekend and recorded a passing accuracy of only 63%, managing to pick out a teammate with 12 of his 19 passes before he was forced to exit with an injury.

To top off an underwhelming display from the experienced centre-back, Tomkins was also unsuccessful with all three of his attempted long balls as Palace failed to make an impression on proceedings and he was one of the Eagles stars who let his manager down at Anfield.

It’s set to be a summer of big changes at the capital club, with several first-team players approaching the end of their current contracts, but Tomkins still has 12 months to run on his £55,000-per-week deal and is likely to help smooth over the transitional period when Hodgson’s successor arrives, although he’ll need better performances than the one he put in on Sunday in order to do that.

And, in other news…Fewer touches than Guaita: Palace flop who lost 67% of his duels let Hodgson down 

The Argentinian striker netted his first goals since moving to the Blues last month in the 5-0 mauling of Huddersfield

• Getty
  

  David de Gea | Manchester United

  The Spanish goalkeeper made six saves in preserving Manchester United's clean sheet away at Leicester.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Kieran Trippier | Tottenham

  Trippier created four goal-scoring chances for Spurs against Newcastle – only Christian Eriksen (6) had more.

• Getty
  

  David Luiz | Chelsea

  The Brazilian defender completed 93% of his passes against Huddersfield, while also making four tackles and two clearances.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  Mamadou Sakho | Crystal Palace

  No Crystal Palace player made more clearances than Sakho (8) in their 2-0 win over Fulham.

After the Frenchman announced his departure on Thursday, a look at some of the names who could take over at the Santiago Bernabeu next season

• Getty Images
  

  ANTONIO CONTE

  The Italian will be available as he is set to leave Chelsea imminently after two years in London. A serial winner, he would be likely to guarantee success in La Liga but his style of play may not attract Madrid fans. His record in the Champions League is also disappointing.

Advertisement

• MAURICIO POCHETTINO

  The Tottenham manager has only just signed a new five-year contract with the north London club, but he has long been admired by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. His Spurs side beat Los Blancos in the Champions League group stages and he is the current favourite with bookmakers to take over at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2018-19. However, Tottenham would not let him leave without a huge fight.

• Getty Images
  

  ARSENE WENGER

  The French manager turned down Real Madrid in the past out of loyalty to Arsenal, but is available now after leaving the Gunners at the end of the 2017-18 season following 22 years in charge of the north London club. The 68-year-old has said he wants to continue coaching and could be considered by Los Blancos, perhaps as a short-term option.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  JOACHIM LOW

  The Germany coach extended his contract with the world champions to 2022 recently, but he is another long linked to Real Madrid and admired by president Florentino Perez. Low is currently preparing Germany's World Cup defence after the Mannschaft were crowned champions in 2014, but he could be tempted if things do not go to plan in Russia this summer.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has been handed a surprising, yet very welcome, boost at Southampton this week, after it was revealed that Oriol Romeu has returned to training after injury.

The Spaniard was expected to be out for the season after breaking his ankle in a 3-0 defeat against Leeds United back in February but Hampshire Live has confirmed that he is back on the pitch at Staplewood and could even return for some of Southampton’s remaining fixtures.

The Saints have five games remaining of the Premier League season and whilst they are not yet mathematically safe, Fulham would need to pick up at least 10 points and hope that Southampton pick up none, if they are to catch up to Hasenhuttl’s side.

To have Romeu back before the end of the season would be a huge boost for the Austrian manager, as he and James Ward-Prowse formed a superb partnership in midfield earlier in the campaign, which was a significant factor in their impressive start to the season.

The 29-year-old, who joined for £5m from Chelsea in 2015, has averaged an impressive 6.97 rating across his 20 appearances in the top-flight this season, which ranks him as the third-best performer in Southampton’s squad so far this campaign.

Southampton have seriously struggled in his absence, with Ibrahima Diallo flattering to deceive as his replacement, which has forced Hasenhuttl to play Armstrong in central midfield on occasion, which doesn’t suit the Scottish international.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

Therefore, if they can welcome back Romeu then the South Coast side can revert back to using the midfield which helped them briefly go top of the Premier League back in November and hopefully, they can finish the season strongly after a shocking run of form in 2021.

Romeu’s influence cannot be underestimated as, ahead of their meeting in December, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the defensive midfielder, saying:

“He (Hasenhuttl) has experience at the back and has one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, Romeu.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Romeu’s return ahead of schedule is certainly some good news for Southampton and hopefully, they can get him fit enough to feature in some of the remaining Premier League fixtures, as it would be a huge boost to have him back on the pitch.

And, in other news… Semmens disaster: Southampton missed out on “brilliant” PL gem perfect for Hasenhuttl

• Getty
  

  Kevin De Bruyne

  It may seem unfair, but De Bruyne's bid for glory is hampered by his lack of goals. The dominance of the current top two has raised the bar in terms of attacking output – setting up chances for others helps, but scoring yourself for a successful side clinches the deal. At least the Belgian is at a club with lofty ambitions, as Manchester City look capable of becoming a European superpower with Pep Guardiola at the helm.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Paulo Dybala

  While Dybala is a key figure for Juventus right now, his Ballon d'Or hopes in the long run rely on the opportunity to replace Messi in the Argentina team. Still, at 24, there's no need for the forward to panic. Helping the Bianconeri reach the Champions League final last season helped raise Dybala's profile, while he started the current Serie A campaign with a blistering spell of 10 goals in six games. If he can maintain that hot streak over an extended period, voters will be forced to take notice.

• Getty Images
  

  Eden Hazard

  Hazard has dazzled in the Premier League with Chelsea, helping his club secure the title twice while being named in the PFA Team of the Year in four of his five seasons in England. However, for all his brilliance in a blue shirt in recent years, the Belgian is yet to crack the top six in the Ballon voting in his career. Consistently linked with Real Madrid, the 26-year-old may feel a move to one of the big two in Spain might boost his chances of claiming the honour.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  Neymar

  Viewed by many as the third best player in the world right now, Neymar is the obvious choice here. The Brazilian, who finished third in 2015 and fifth last year before returning to the top three in 2017, is no longer in the shadow of Messi at Barcelona, with his world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain allowing him to break out on his own. The forward's move outside of Spain should allow him to make a stronger case to win the trophy too, even if Ligue 1 is viewed as a step down from La Liga.

Ahead of his side’s Premier League clash against Leicester City on Friday night, Newcastle boss Steve Bruce must finally axe Jonjo Shelvey from the starting line-up.

The England international endured a difficult afternoon against Arsenal last time out, with The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder simply slamming him as “disappointing” for his performance.

And, with a trip to Champions League chasing Leicester tonight, Bruce must make the bold call of dropping one of his trusted lieutenants, with The Shields Gazette’s Liam Kennedy raising real concerns over his form this season.

He said: “For a player of Shelvey’s talents he needs to do more. Influence more. Impact more. And more often than not, to the untrained eye, it appears as if he chooses not to up those levels.

“He is no world beater and lacks a yard or five of pace and mobility but Shelvey can be better than he shows. And that’s the most disappointing part. For that reason, for me, he is not a worthy carrier of the armband – and not a player who leads by example, despite his considerable top flight experience.

Dubbed a “liability” on the Pod On The Tyne podcast, the £70k-a-week earning Shelvey just hasn’t shown anywhere near the kind of form that warrants him still being in the starting line-up for the Magpies this campaign.

As per Whoscored, out of the last ten games that he has played, only two of those matches have seen him register a match rating of seven or higher, including dropping a measly 5.94 against the Gunners last weekend.

His passing, something that has usually been lauded as one of his strong points, has been a major let down too, with just a 75.9% passing accuracy in the Premier League – to put that into context, that ranks him 16th in the entire Magpies squad, and below even the likes of Jeff Hendrick.

With no goals and just one assist in his last 12 top-flight games, Shelvey just hasn’t contributed anything of significance for Bruce to keep persisting with him in the middle of the park, let alone be his captain.

It’s high time he gets dropped, starting with the clash against Leicester tonight.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are interested in this Dutch starlet…

A number of Liverpool fans have been criticising Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain following his cameo and late miss away to Leeds United.

The Reds could only draw 1-1 at Elland Road on Monday night in what could prove to be a damaging two points dropped in the top four battle. Sadio Mane’s first half opener appeared to have set Jurgen Klopp’s side on their way to a priceless victory, but they were poor after the break.

[freshpress-quiz id=“350790”]

Leeds missed a host of good opportunities before Diego Llorente steered home a header late on to earn the hosts a deserved draw. There was still time for substitute Oxlade-Chamberlain to win it for Liverpool, but he fluffed his lines in front of goal in stoppage time.

The 27-year-old struggled to get into the game after coming on, as a frustrating season continues for him – one which has brought just two league starts overall. As per Sofascore, the midfielder found a team-mate with only one of his four passes and failed to win any of his three duels, while losing possession five times in his nine minutes on the pitch.

He had just eight touches of the ball, which even in his short cameo shows what little impact he made – that is 31 less than his own goalkeeper. For a player brought on to help keep control and see out the match, it is unbelievably poor to barely even get on the ball.

Liverpool fans criticise Oxlade-Chamberlain cameo

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to lambast Oxlade-Chamberlain, who some Kopites have blasted as “terrible” this season.

“Awful! Just seems lost every game and is clearly struggling for confidence. Squad needs a rethink for sure”

Credit: @nivyp5

“Ox isn’t good enough for us anymore. As you said before he’s a passenger on the pitch. The best days are behind him”

Credit: @antpsarianos

“How that guy gets a game is a joke, he’s been terrible every time he’s been on the pitch recently”

Credit: @james_levison

“Ox is an EX player…. useless”

Credit: @georgiosde

“Sell him. Guy is a waste of space”

Credit: @AL_AHMED23

“Too busy thinking of his next TikTok. Pathetic attempt”

Credit: @AntForman

In other news, some Liverpool fans have bemoaned a fresh transfer link that has emerged. Read more here.