FESTIVE – Soccer News

Five Premier League festive talking points

Christmas time is right here and one in all our favorite intervals of the soccer calendar. As you sit all the way down to tuck into your Turkey, what higher method to spend the festivities than pondering these Premier League speaking factors?

Can anybody cease Liverpool?

Liverpool are celebrating Christmas on the summit, with the Reds the standout staff of the Premier League marketing campaign. Arne Slot deserves enormous credit score for his debut marketing campaign to this point, having taken the reins from Jurgen Klopp and kicked on.

Liverpool have misplaced simply as soon as all season and have a four-point lead, having performed a recreation lower than the chasing pack. Larger leads have been squandered in previous seasons, however not one of the different would-be contenders seem as full – or as constant – as Slot’s machine.

Precisely half of the Christmas Day leaders (16/32) have gone on to raise the title, although Liverpool have completed so simply as soon as in six makes an attempt beforehand. Issues can change shortly in soccer however the Merseysiders look sturdy favourites as issues stand.

Can Arsenal fight the lack of Bukayo Saka?

Simply as issues gave the impression to be clicking again into gear for Arsenal, the Gunners have suffered a seismic setback. The picture of Bukayo Saka clutching his hamstring at Crystal Palace was sufficient to unfold concern amongst Gooners and Mikel Arteta has confirmed their worst fears. Saka is ready for a prolonged spell on the sidelines, leaving Arsenal with out their most inventive expertise. Having missed Martin Odegaard for a lot of the marketing campaign, the North Londoners now should fight the lack of one other integral a part of their aspect.

Saka has scored 5 instances and created 10 objectives to date this season, the kind of productiveness that’s virtually not possible to interchange. With a big, if not insurmountable, hole already to leaders Liverpool, Arsenal should discover the system shortly.

Bournemouth are sitting on a gold mine

Andoni Iraola has guided Bournemouth into the European locations and there’s optimism on the south coast that the Cherries can keep there. Virtually below the radar, Bournemouth have assembled a squad brimming with expertise, gathering a constellation of starlets in a marvel kid-focused recruitment drive.

Milos Kerkez’s (21) limitless endeavour at left-back is already attracting admiring glances, whereas the centre-back pairing of Illya Zabarnyi (22) and Dean Huijsen (19) have demonstrated a maturity far past their years. Hopes stay excessive that Alex Scott (21) can fulfil his potential on the Vitality Stadium, whereas Antoine Semenyo – a relative elder statesman at 24 – is anticipated to draw large bids within the close to future.

Whether or not on the pitch or off it, Cherries are prone to reap the rewards of their religion in rising expertise.

Will any of the promoted groups survive?

Final season, all three groups that have been promoted to the Premier League the earlier season have been relegated. Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton all went straight again down, with an argument because the worst backside three ever. Statistically, no relegated trio has ever amassed a decrease mixed complete because the trio completed on a paltry 16, 24 and 26 factors respectively. Even factors deductions for Everton and Nottingham Forest did not make issues overly attention-grabbing, emphasising the rising hole between the highest two divisions.

It was solely the second time in Premier League historical past that each one three promoted groups had gone straight again down, after Crystal Palace, Barnsley and Bolton did so within the 1997/98 marketing campaign. This time round, nonetheless, we may see a repeat.

Christmas Day will see Southampton and Ipswich mired within the backside three, whereas Leicester sit simply above the relegation locations. Nonetheless, the way by which 18th-placed Wolves thrashed the Foxes final weekend indicated Ruud van Nistelrooy has an enormous problem to maintain Leicester up. Southampton are already eight factors from security, whereas Ipswich have did not win at dwelling all season. Is the Premier League changing into a closed store?

Newcastle dealing with defining run

After an detached begin to the season, Newcastle have discovered kind. Eddie Howe’s staff have received three on the spin, scoring 11 objectives within the course of and reserving a spot within the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

The Magpies are 5 factors from the Champions League locations forward of what might be a defining run of video games of their season. High-four rivals Aston Villa arrive at St James’ Park on Boxing Day, earlier than Newcastle tackle Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal (Carabao Cup) on the street in successive video games.

With Alexander Isak in red-hot kind and Sandro Tonali impressing on the coronary heart of the aspect, confidence is excessive within the North East. Sven Botman additionally made his current return for the u-21 aspect and the Dutch defender may have an enormous position to play over the second half of the marketing campaign.

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AC MILAN WORTH EVERY MINUTE: THE CLUB IGNITES THE FESTIVE SEASON WITH SPECIAL INITIATIVES AND COLLECTIBLES

The festive spirit is igniting the AC Milan household in Milan and all over the world. Because the Membership celebrates its one hundred and twenty fifth Anniversary and approaches the tip of 2024, AC Milan is enriching its program of occasions, digital, and social initiatives to strengthen its reference to followers and commemorate this vital milestone within the Membership’s historical past.

These initiatives will embrace celebrations marking the Membership’s one hundred and twenty fifth Anniversary, culminating on 15 December, throughout the AC Milan v Genoa match, the place the Males’s First Group will put on a particular jersey designed with PUMA and with enter from Rossoneri followers. This jersey can even be worn by the Girls’s First Group within the Derby on 8 December.

Off the pitch, the Membership will unveil the primary three “Elected Members” of the Corridor of Fame offered by Emirates, honouring three legends who’ve contributed to writing pages of historical past for AC Milan. Moreover, the Membership will host an unique invitation-only Gala Dinner, the place key figures from the previous, current, and way forward for AC Milan will come collectively to rejoice this momentous anniversary.

THE WARMTH OF THE HOLIDAYS IN THE MULTI-CHANNEL CAMPAIGNThe pleasure and heat of the vacation season spent with family members information the narrative of the brand new Rossoneri digital marketing campaign, which is able to unfold throughout a number of platforms and three key moments main as much as this particular time of the yr.

Many figures from the AC Milan household will collect round a festive desk to deliver the marketing campaign to life: from Coach Fonseca to gamers from each the Males’s and Girls’s First Groups, the youngsters from the Rossoneri Youth Sector, in addition to Honorary Vice President Franco Baresi and Model Ambassador Daniele Massaro.

Baresi and Massaro have already taken middle stage within the first part of the multichannel marketing campaign, visiting the long-lasting Gattullo pastry store in Milan to select up a particular panettone, formally kicking off the vacation season.

FROM THE COLLABORATION WITH GATTULLO TO THE EXCLUSIVE FESTIVE PRODUCT COLLECTIONThe longstanding bond between AC Milan and Gattullo, a logo of custom, high quality, and artisanal craftsmanship for over 60 years, has deep roots. Again in 1963, the pastry store created a particular cake for Nereo Rocco to rejoice the Membership’s victory within the European Cup. In honor of the Membership’s one hundred and twenty fifth Anniversary, this partnership has been renewed with the creation of an distinctive, limited-edition panettone, bringing Rossoneri colours and the genuine style of Milan to followers worldwide.

125 YEARS OF MILAN: THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION IN MILANSince November 11 and operating till December 2, the Membership is sharing a particular open-air photographic exhibition with the town of Milan, the place it has all the time been rooted. The exhibition is hosted on the long-lasting Through Dante, within the coronary heart of Milan, the place the Rossoneri Flagship Retailer and La Bottega del Diavolo idea retailer are situated.

Followers and vacationers from all over the world can expertise 125 years of AC Milan’s legendary historical past by way of evocative archival pictures and unique photographs taken particularly for a particular e-book created in collaboration with Assouline, the long-lasting luxurious writer. The e-book is on the market in two elegant editions: “Classics” and “Final.”

CASA MILAN AND THE MONDO MILAN MUSEUMDuring the festive interval, the Rossoneri headquarters would be the middle of actions and initiatives for AC Milan followers who want to buy merchandise on the Casa Milan Retailer, benefit from the culinary choices at Casa Milan Bistrot, and expertise the historical past of the Membership on the Mondo Milan Museum.

In December, the Mondo Milan Museum will introduce a collection of initiatives for all followers, starting from unique excursions alongside an AC Milan legend to particular promotions. Particularly, on 16 December, to rejoice AC Milan’s one hundred and twenty fifth Anniversary, museum entry will probably be supplied at a diminished price of simply €3, with all proceeds going to Fondazione Milan to assist its social initiatives in Italy and worldwide.

Enhancing the museum expertise even additional, beginning mid-December, 5 everlasting artworks by artist Mimmo Alfarone will probably be displayed. These items depict AC Milan gamers who’ve gained the Ballon d’Or and will probably be put in within the Ballon d’Or Room, celebrating the Membership’s legendary champions and offering guests with a novel alternative to immerse themselves in AC Milan’s storied legacy.

SOCIAL INITIATIVESFondazione Milan can even be on the forefront within the coming weeks with social initiatives, particularly geared toward Rossoneri followers with disabilities, as a part of the “Milan for All” accessibility program.

From the problem in opposition to Empoli on 30 November, when the groups from the FIGC’s Paralympic and Experimental Soccer Division will take pleasure in a novel expertise at San Siro, to an initiative on 3 December for the Worldwide Day of Individuals with Disabilities, the Basis can even arrange fundraising actions at December matchdays to assist the donation of a van to the Gruppo Sportivo Dilettantistico Non Vedenti Milano, serving to the athletes attain sports activities facilities and selling their autonomy and social integration.

As is custom for the Rossoneri household, Fondazione Milan can even go to a number of hospitals within the Milan space, accompanied by gamers from the First Groups and Youth Sector, to deliver pleasure and particular presents to younger sufferers in pediatric wards.