Arsenal’s quest for their first Premier League title in two decades just got a little bit harder over the weekend.

Mikel Arteta’s side blew the chance of moving within four points of league leaders Liverpool by drawing away to Fulham in a game they really should have won.

There were poor performances from the North Londoners all over the pitch, but one of the worst offenders was Kai Havertz, who offered practically no threat at all in the number nine role.

The good news for fans is that, according to recent reports, he could have some serious competition next season, as the club have been linked with one of the most consistent strikers in Europe.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in LOSC Lille star Jonathan David.

In fact, the report has revealed that both the Gunners and Manchester United have already held talks with the player’s representatives and that while Inter Milan are currently favourites, David is eyeing up a move to England.

While the level of competition is far from ideal, the good news is that with his contract expiring in June, he’d be available for free, allowing the club to spend big elsewhere as well.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given David’s unreal ability, it is worth pursuing, especially as he could be an ideal upgrade on Havertz.

How David compares to Havertz

If David is to join Arsenal in the summer, his main obstacle to regular first-team football would undoubtedly be Havertz, as following yet another disappointing cameo appearance yesterday afternoon, Gabriel Jesus’ time at the club appears to be running out.

So, with that said, how does the Canadian stack up against the German international?

Well, when it comes to the most important metric of all for a striker, output, he comes out a clear winner.

Appearances

48

40

47

23

Goals

19

26

26

17

Assists

0

4

9

3

Goal Involvements*

0.39

0.75

0.74

0.86

For example, in his last four campaigns – including this one – the 24-year-old dynamo, whom journalist Tony Marinaro dubbed “one of the best strikers in the world,” has scored 88 goals and provided 16 assists in 158 appearances for Lille, which equates to a marvellous average of a goal involvement every 1.59 games.

In contrast, the Gunners’ number 29 has scored 46 goals and provided 15 assists in 166 appearances in the same period, which comes out to a far less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.72 games.

Moreover, the former Gent gem has even outperformed the Aachen-born star at the international level, racking up an incredible tally of 31 goals and 18 assists for Canada in just 59 appearances, meaning he’s averaging a goal involvement every 1.20 games.

The former Chelsea dynamo, on the other hand, has scored 20 goals and provided 17 assists in 55 appearances for Die Mannschaft, which equates to a goal involvement every 1.48 games.

Ultimately, while Havertz is an undeniably talented player and has been a valuable tool for Arsenal, he’s not been prolific enough in front of goal, and from club to international level, David appears to be precisely that.

Therefore, the Gunners must do whatever it takes to secure the Canadian’s services for free next year before someone else beats them to it.

Arteta must be losing trust in "lazy" Arsenal ace who lost 80% duels

The talented Arsenal forward was in poor form against Fulham.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 9, 2024

Just 47 overs were possible on a day curtailed by weather in the LV=Insurance County Championship match between Glamorgan and Durham in Cardiff. The home side reached 164 for 4 at the close on a day that saw repeated weather delays after lunch.It was the visitors who won the toss and put Glamorgan into bat. Useful contributions of 28 from David Lloyd and 24 from Sam Northeast gave Glamorgan a decent start but two wickets in eight balls just before lunch brought Durham back into the game. Colin Ingram was the star for Glamorgan, finishing on 71 not out before a huge hailstorm took the players off the field for the final time just after tea.Glamorgan experimented with Andrew Salter as an opener, the third time in three different matches that he has been given the job. This one was no more successful than the other attempts with Salter now having made 7 runs from three innings at the top of the order. While there has been some batting success for the offspinner – he has nine fifties in first-class cricket – it will be interesting how long-lasting and how successful this experiment will be. When Eddie Bryrom is back from injury the expectation is that he will be given the job.Lloyd, himself a relative newcomer to opening in first class cricket, looked much more assured with real positive intent from the outset. He played an enterprising innings before edging to David Bedingham off the bowling of Ben Raine.New Glamorgan signing Northeast looked in good touch before he was trapped lbw by Chris Rushworth. When Raine had Kiran Carlson bowled for 1 in the next over Glamorgan found themselves 108 for 4 despite having looked in control for much of the morning session.Ingram, who has played just one other first-class match since 2017, looked in fantastic touch, passing his fifty from 76 balls with one half chance in the gully being his only slip up. Lloyd joked afterwards that Marnus Labuschagne, who has only just arrived in the country, might have a fight to get his place back.”We will have to send Marnus back home I think, and Colin can take his place,” he said. “Obviously, it is a good place to be having that competition and Colin has come in and done a really good job. He has a lot of experience and knows he’s game pretty well so I think it is a bit easier than someone a bit younger coming in to do it. He has fitted in very well and has looked good all pre-season so he has finally showed his form.”Just 17 overs were possible after the lunch break, with short but heavy rain and hail showers taking the players off the field at regular intervals before one almighty downpour forced them off for good.Despite these regular interruptions Ingram and Chris Cooke put on an undefeated partnership of 56 for the fifth wicket. With the ball getting older things looked a little easier for batting although there was still the odd delivery that seamed or swung.Raine was the pick of the Durham bowlers as he got the ball to move often enough to trouble the batters throughout his 11 overs, and he will be disappointed that the weather prevented him from having further opportunities for wickets.

Ahead of Sunday's London Derby, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he expected Chelsea to be "contenders" to win the Premier League this season.

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Arteta expected more but praises MarescaArsenal now 15 points behind LiverpoolChelsea have four wins in their last 12 gamesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arteta used his Friday press conference to heap praise on Arsenal's inter-city rivals. He singled out his opposite number, Enzo Maresca, saying he admired the Italian's style of play. Whether that was entirely genuine considering Chelsea's recent form is unclear. Since moving within two points of Liverpool in December, the Blues have won just four out of their last 12 league games.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Arsenal have also lost touch in the title race, falling 15 points behind Liverpool. Both clubs will look to solidify their league positions in order to qualify for next season's Champions League. It is expected that the Premier League's top five will qualify. Chelsea currently sit in fourth with a two point buffer over Manchester City and Newcastle in fifth and sixth.

WHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID

Arteta said: "From the moment I watched them play in pre-season, understanding how Enzo works and the talent they have in the squad, they were contenders to even win it from the beginning.

"They have so much there. The moment that everything lies together and they find that connection, energy and consistency, I think they can compete with any team."

"[On Maresca] He's a magnificent coach.

"He's very clear what he wants to do, he's been very clear what he wants and how he does it. I really like the way his team plays."

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MIKEL ARTETA AND ARSENAL?

Beyond Sunday's tilt, Arsenal can look forward to a quarter-final tie against Champions League royalty Real Madrid. This will be just the second time the two clubs have faced off in a knockout tie. In 2006, the Gunners pipped Los Blancos 1-0 over two legs in the Round of 16, en route to their only appearance in the final of the competition.

“Kohli is central to many of their batting plans as they go later and deeper in the tournament,” says Ian Bishop

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-20222:10

Bishop: Kohli is central to all of RCB’s batting plans

Virat Kohli has been moved to the opening slot by Royal Challengers Bangalore, at least for the Tuesday-night game against Rajasthan Royals. He will open alongside captain Faf du Plessis. And Daniel Vettori, head coach to captain Kohli at the franchise between 2014 and 2018, expects the plan to work, saying that the two “are equals”, and that might free Kohli up to get back among the runs.”I think Virat’s a contemporary [of du Plessis], and someone who is probably on the same level as him,” Vettori said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out. “[With du Plessis as his partner], the focus is not just on Kohli to do the job, and possibly at times he has felt like that – that he has to be the be-all and end-all in that opening partnership. But I think they are equals.”Faf’s record is amazing – he’s captain, [and] the predominant leader – so those two coming together with that mutual respect will take that pressure off Kohli, and hopefully we’ll see him at his aggressive best. Because that’s what everyone wants to see – him be aggressive because that’s when he is at his best.”Kohli was slotted in at No. 3 in all his eight innings this IPL season, and scored just 119 runs at an average of 17. This, despite scoring 41* to start off the tournament, against Punjab Kings, as well as getting 48 against Mumbai Indians. Four out of his seven dismissals have been in single digits, with back-to-back golden ducks in his last two innings.”I am hoping he can make a better fist of it; because if he can’t make a fist of this, they’re in real, real trouble,” Ian Bishop said on the same programme, “because Kohli is central to many of their batting plans as they go later and deeper in the tournament. So they need him in the team, and need him in form.”Kohli opened for Royal Challengers in all 15 innings last season, and his 405 runs came at an average of just under 29 – a stark contrast to him accumulating 973 runs as opener in 2016, including bashing four centuries and striking at 152.

أعلن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا” مجموعة من التعديلات التنظيمية والتقنية الجديدة التي ستُطبق خلال النسخة المقبلة من بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025، المقرر إقامتها في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية خلال الفترة من 14 يونيو وحتى 13 يوليو، بمشاركة 32 فريقًا من مختلف القارات.

وجاءت أبرز هذه التعديلات ما يخص قانون تعامل حراس المرمى مع الكرة، إذ تقرر احتساب ركلة ركنية للفريق المنافس في حال احتفاظ حارس المرمى بالكرة لأكثر من ثماني ثوانٍ، وهي المدة التي تم تعديلها بعد أن كانت ست ثوانٍ وتُحتسب بعدها ركلة حرة غير مباشرة.

وسيقوم الحكم، بموجب التعديل الجديد، بإجراء حركة واضحة بيده لبدء العد التنازلي لمدة خمس ثوانٍ، لتنبيه الحارس قبل اتخاذ القرار. 

وفي تعليق له على تعيين فريق الحكام للبطولة، قال بييرلويجي كولينا، رئيس لجنة الحكام في فيفا: “المشاركة في النسخة الأولى من كأس العالم للأندية بهذه الصيغة الموسعة شرف كبير لأي حكم، سقف التطلعات ارتفع بعد الأداء المميز في البطولات الأخيرة، لكننا نثق أن فريق الحكام – Team One – سيساهم بفعالية في إنجاح هذه البطولة المميزة”.

أما بشأن تجربة الكاميرات على أجسام الحكام، أوضح كولينا: “نعتقد أنها فرصة جيدة لتقديم تجربة جديدة للجماهير من زاوية لم تُعرض من قبل. كما أن هذه التجربة ستُستخدم كذلك في تدريب الحكام، لأنها تتيح رؤية الأمور من منظور الحكم أثناء اتخاذ القرار”.

كاميرات على أجسام الحكام في مونديال الأندية.. ومشاركة العرب بـ13 اسمًا

من جانبه، أكد ماسيمو بوساكا، مدير قسم التحكيم في الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم: “عمل فريق الحكام لا يختلف عن عمل أي فريق كرة قدم، كلاهما يحتاج إلى الانضباط والعمل الجماعي والاحترافية، نحاول قدر الإمكان توحيد المعايير، مع مراعاة اختلاف العقليات حول العالم”.

الجدير بالذكر أن الحكم المصري محمود عاشور سيكون الممثل الوحيد للتحكيم المصري في البطولة، ضمن طاقم تقنية الفيديو (VAR)، ويُرافقه حكام عرب من سبع دول ضمن طاقم مكون من 117 حكمًا ما بين حكام ساحة، مساعدين، وحكام فيديو.

After Storm Darragh halted Liverpool’s title bid in its tracks a week ago, Arne Slot’s side will have been wanting a nice easy game to kick off a busy festive period.

While a 1-0 win over Girona a few days ago was relatively routine, there was nothing routine about their 2-2 draw with Fulham. In fact, it was all rather chaotic.

11 minutes in the Cottagers found themselves ahead through Andreas Pereira before Andy Robertson saw a straight red just minutes later having adjudged to be the last line of defence when taking out Harry Wilson.

Liverpool did respond through Cody Gakpo in the second half but Fulham had plans of their own, netting through Rodrigo Muniz. Slot’s men rallied a second time courtesy of the returning Diogo Jota but it was ultimately two vital points dropped in the race for the title.

Liverpool's best performers against Fulham

Ultimately this was an afternoon to forget for the ten men of Liverpool who could rue a rough day at Anfield once the league wraps up in May.

That being said, there were some positives to take for Slot’s side, notably in the final third.

It may not have been a certain Mo Salah’s day in front of goal but the Egyptian still played a pivotal part in Liverpool’s comeback, chiefly suppling Gakpo’s lovely header just after the break.

Salah cut inside as he does from the right and swung in a tantalising ball towards the back post that Gakpo threw himself at.

Another huge plus point was the return after 11 games out injured for Jota. With Darwin Nunez struggling for consistency this term the Portuguese has been a huge miss and he showed as much with his immense trickery when he came on in the second period.

The way he took his goal was delightful, darting towards the box and then sending goalkeeper Bernd Leno the wrong way.

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Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

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As we know, it was not a positive day on the whole though.

Liverpool’s worst performers against Fulham

Robertson has been a tremendous servant to the Reds throughout the years but truth be told, the Scot hasn’t quite been at the races this season, showing signs of age.

Although the sending-off was controversial, he forced the officiating team to make a decision with a hopeless first touch. A cross field ball was intercepted by the left-back but he couldn’t bring it under control and allowed Wilson to get in behind before the Welshman was brought to the deck.

Much of the foundation of Slot’s first few months at the helm has been built not just on Salah’s displays but also on an organised backline.

However, since Ibrahima Konate was ruled out with injury, the Merseyside outfit have leaked five goals in three league games.

Joe Gomez was rather error-stricken in the 3-3 draw with Newcastle but has largely been solid. He is only playing because of the performances of Jarell Quansah who hasn’t looked like the promising centre-back we all know he can be so far this term.

He started the season opener with Ipswich but was hauled off at half-time having been weak in his ability to win duels.

Since then, he has played just 137 minutes in the Premier League and on today’s evidence, it is clear to see why.

Quansah vs Fulham

Minutes played

20

Touches

36

Accurate passes

24/27 (89%)

Clearances

2

Interceptions

1

Tackles

0

Ground duels won

0/1

Aerial duels won

2/4

Possession lost

7x

Dribble success

0/1

Stats via Sofascore.

Playing in the final 20 minutes, he won just two of his five duels, while failing to complete a single tackle.

Said to be a player who “makes a howler every ten minutes” by one Reds content creator, it was that error-strewn nature that saw Liverpool concede a second.

Quansah – who was handed a 4/10 rating by GOAL for his cameo – was arguably at fault with the academy graduate allowing Antonee Robinson to dart past him by the byline.

The Liverpool defender was all too weak and was somehow outmuscled by a defender far smaller and far more slight than him.

It’s safe to say that if Quansah wants to get back in the team, he’s going to have to improve incredibly swiftly.

Related As well as Diaz: Slot must drop Liverpool man who lost 75% duels

The Liverpool manager must take the central midfielder back out of the starting XI.

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Newcastle United have not been at the races this season, struggling to find balance and consequent form that could see Eddie Howe’s side return to European competition.

As a first-team squad, Newcastle have lost their synergy and style. Howe’s slick tactics now carry a fustiness that is difficult to pin down to any one problem, though perhaps the overall issue is more alarming than the sum of its individual parts.

PSR restrictions and a lack of significant player investment since the halcyon days of Howe’s reign have combined to freeze the project. Newcastle are attempting to thaw out and move forward once again, but it’s clear that certain changes need to be made on the field.

Newcastle need to make changes

Alexander Isak has found his shooting boots in recent weeks and is now thriving on a personal level, having scored seven goals from ten recent matches for club and country.

He can’t do it alone. St. James’ Park is still dusted with a wealth of quality, but Newcastle lack confidence and the togetherness that served as the glue over recent years.

Defensively, Sven Botman’s anticipated return can’t come soon enough. Up front, things have improved somewhat in recent weeks, but Isak needs support, the goals need to come from other areas.

Sadly, Callum Wilson won’t be able to help in that regard.

Howe needs to replace Callum Wilson

In 2020, Newcastle signed Wilson from Bournemouth in a £20m deal, with Steve Bruce stating that he was “delighted to sign” a clinical centre-forward who he had “admired for a long time.”

2024/25

4 (0)

0

0

2023/24

20 (9)

9

1

2022/23

31 (21)

18

5

2021/22

18 (16)

8

0

2020/21

26 (23)

12

5

In Isak, Newcastle boast one of the finest strikers across Europe, but Wilson has been an invaluable source of goals throughout his time in black and white and will need replacing.

Howe and co made a long-term investment last summer when signing William Osula from Sheffield United for a £15m figure. But then the 21-year-old has made only four substitute appearances in the top flight this term (the same as Wilson), despite having been fully fit throughout.

The same can’t be said for the veteran England international, who missed the opening months of the campaign with a back injury and has only managed cameos over United’s past four fixtures.

Now, correspondent Craig Hope has been forced to release the unwelcome news that Wilson is set for several months back in the infirmary.

Prolific at his best, the £46k-per-week Wilson’s injury record has left plenty to be desired, but now, with his 33rd birthday looming, he’s lost his athleticism and fitness levels to the point of no return.

It’s clear that he will be released when his contract expires next summer, despite contrary reports from several months ago that a revival would perhaps tempt PIF into extending his time on Tyneside by an additional year.

Ultimately, while Bruce and Newcastle were once ‘delighted’ to bring him on board, Wilson’s resources have been exhausted, and this Magpie must now be let loose.

He's like Mbeumo: PIF plotting Newcastle move for £50m Almiron replacement

Newcastle are targeting a new right-winger

ByJoe Nuttall Dec 11, 2024

We’re approaching December, and Callum Wilson has still not recovered from injury and made his first Premier League appearance for Newcastle United.

One of the most prolific forwards in the Premier League only a few seasons ago, Wilson, 32, is now suffering from a combination of hamstring and back problems.

Eddie Howe signed William Osula from Sheffield United in a £15m deal this summer, but the 21-year-old has only played ten minutes of top-flight football this season. That’s evidence enough that he’s not yet ready for a big-time role.

St. James’ Park needs more firepower. Bolstering the right flank is the priority this winter, but Newcastle aren’t averse to signing a new centre-forward. In fact, there’s one prospective deal in the pipeline right now.

Newcastle looking at new centre-forward

As per Football Transfers, Paris Saint-Germain are looking to loan out Randal Kolo Muani this January, with the versatile forward flattering to deceive under Luis Enrique.

Newcastle are joined by West Ham United in eyeing a deal, with both English outfits in need of some added firepower to improve their respective campaigns.

The France forward might have sought to placate rumours of a January exit when recently quizzed, but his struggles in Paris are real, and if a team like Newcastle present a compelling case, there’s every chance that he could move across the Channel.

What Randal Kolo Muani would bring to Newcastle

PSG signed Kolo Muani for more than £76m in 2023 after the Frenchman had lit up the Bundesliga and made an impression in Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus squad too.

It hasn’t gone to plan in Paris. The 25-year-old’s debut campaign with France’s dominant club saw him score nine goals and assist six more across 40 outings. Not the return that would have been envisaged by half.

The hope of improvement seems to have fallen flat, for Kolo Muani has posted just two goals across 12 appearances this year, starting twice in Ligue 1 despite Kylian Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid in the summer.

Even so, circumstances under Enrique have contributed to his struggles. Kolo Muani has the skills to succeed at Newcastle: potent, powerful and pacy, with positional flexibility besides.

Centre-forward

145

50

34

Right winger

20

5

3

Left winger

12

5

1

Attacking midfield

2

0

1

His bread and butter is spread across the central striker’s position, though, and given that he would be joining the Tyneside cause in January, the target could prove to be Howe’s own version of Papiss Cisse, arriving to supplement the excellent Alexander Isak.

Cisse also has French roots, like Kolo Muani, but that’s by the by. The real grist of this argument is that Newcastle are heading toward the season’s midpoint with a high-class striker in Isak, with four goals from four recent matches, but also lacking in substance at number nine.

What if the Swedish star falls injured in the months to come? He might be a “world-class” goalscorer, as pundit Jamie Redknapp has remarked, but Isak has already proven that he’s prone to blank spells this year, enduring a slow start.

It’s a bit like the one-time Cisse and Demba Ba partnership. Ba had been mesmerising across the opening months of the 2011/12 campaign. Alan Pardew’s Magpies were flying high, and the Senegalese striker was the focal offensive source.

Newcastle were on fire, with Ba joining on a free transfer in the summer of 2011 after Everton were beaten to his signature. Ba failed to score in any of his first four appearances but then racked up an incredible haul of 16 goals and three assists across 16 appearances. Remarkable. But Ba’s brilliance proved to be a byword for purple patch.

Newcastle were fighting for a Champions League spot, and Ba, being the only clinical striker, needed support. Thus, Cisse was brought in from German Bundesliga outfit Freiburg for a £10m fee. Ba’s prolificness deserted him, but the very aura of that quality fused into his countryman, who began to wreak havoc across the latter months of the season.

Isak is good enough that he will not suffer a goalscoring degeneration for a lasting period, but Kolo Muani could certainly go a long way toward helping Howe’s side achieve their goals this term.

German legend Lothar Matthaus even believes that he could develop into one of the finest forwards in the world. “He has remarkable technical ability,” the 1990 Ballon d’Or winner said to L’Equipe. “He’s ice-cold in front of goal and he really throws himself into challenges. The most impressive thing is that he’s performing in every game. I can’t remember a match where he’s played badly. That’s the mark of a future superstar.”

Just because Kolo Muani has failed to make the desired impact with PSG, it doesn’t mean he won’t be able to light up the Premier League.

After all, the £203k-per-week forward ranks among 5% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons and the top 10% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.

He also notched 40 goal contributions from 46 matches during the 2022/23 season, his last with Frankfurt, in what brilliantly illustrated the product that a team like Newcastle, who could offer him prominence, might reap.

Newcastle stand proud as the side that enjoyed the fruits of one of the Premier League’s most iconic forward partnerships, way back when. Now, Howe must repeat the feat as he mounts a challenge back toward a place among Europe’s elite.

Newcastle can make Isak unplayable with January move for £50m "machine"

Newcastle are ready to make January move for PL star who’d complete Howe’s frontline.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 22, 2024

The selectors have named Nayeem Hasan as his replacement

Mohammad Isam26-Apr-2022 • Updated on 27-Apr-2022Bangladesh allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been ruled out of the first Test against Sri Lanka after he injured the small finger on his right hand during a Dhaka Premier League game. *The selectors have named the offspinner Nayeem Hasan as his replacement.Mehidy sustained the injury during the Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club-Prime Bank Cricket Club match when he dropped a catch in the deep. He immediately writhed in pain, and was taken off the field. However, moments later, the BCB announced the Test squad, which included Mehidy.Chief selector Minhajul Abedin had said at the time that the offspinner will be okay but the extent of the damage was known much later after he underwent a scan in Dhaka.Mushfiqur Rahim, too, picked up an injury during the same match, while turning out for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, Mehidy’s team. Mushfiqur, though, recovered sufficiently to play the side’s next match in Mirpur on Tuesday.Bangladesh are already without Taskin Ahmed, who hasn’t recovered from the shoulder injury he picked up in South Africa, for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. It caused a revamp in the pace attack and without Mehidy, the spin attack will also be depleted in potentially slow, low conditions.The first Test begins on May 15 in Chattogram. Sri Lanka will arrive in Dhaka on May 8 and will play play a two-day practice match in BKSP on May 11 and 12.GMT 1328 The story was updated after it was confirmed that Nayeem Hasan would replace Mehidy in the squad.

MatériaMais Notícias

Uma das jovens promessas no grupo de aspirantes, equipe que disputou boa parte dos confrontos do Campeonato Paranaense, o meio-campista João Pedro foi um dos remanescentes entre os relacionados no último domingo (21) quando a equipe se classificou para ase semifinais eliminando, nos pênaltis, o Londrina.

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Com apenas 20 de idade, João Pedro teve boas aparições nas categorias de base, mais precisamente no Brasileirão Sub-20, que renderam ao meia-armador canhoto a oportunidade de atuar no time de cima pelo estadual desse ano.

– Este ano tem sido muito importante pra mim. Aprendo muito com todos os atletas e gosto disso. Acredito que tenho um longo caminho para trilhar, cada aprendizado e troca com os jogadores mais rodados, é algo que tenho que levar comigo. A oportunidade de ontem, de partilhar momentos com a equipe principal, mostra que estou no caminho certo e quero seguir este caminho para conquistar cada vez mais espaço e demonstrar o meu futebol no profissional – afirmou.

Quis o destino que uma das semifinais do Campeonato Paranaense fosse construída com o maior clássico estadual, o Atletiba. Confronto esse que conta com 385 jogos oficiais e tendo acontecido o primeiro jogo ainda no distante ano de 1924.

Não à toa, João Pedro falou sobre a rivalidade e os dois jogos decisivos em busca da classificação para a grande final, acontecendo o primeiro deles nesta quarta-feira (23), às 20h (de Brasília), na Arena da Baixada.

– Estou no Athletico desde o Sub-15 e o Atletiba sempre foi muito especial. É um jogo diferente. Este jogo será mais uma partida importante na história do clássico e precisamos aproveitar o apoio dos nossos torcedores neste primeiro jogo, fazer uma boa partida para construir um bom placar para o jogo de volta – finalizou.