14/05/2025

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | MAY 14, 2025

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Robertson refuses to defend Alexander-Arnold after booing ANDY ROBERTSON was in no mood to lecture the Liverpool fans who booed Trent Alexander Arnold during their game against Arsenal. chorus of boos, drowning out the pockets of applause.

“He made his decision and he had peace with it.” Former player Jamie Carragher said he understood why sections of Liverpool supporters wanted to express their anger towards Alexander-Arnold but added that booing players while they are on the pitch is a “step too far”. Carragher, who was at Liverpool for his entire career, explained on Sky Sports that fans were hurt by Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave but said he was disappointed to see them booing during the game. “I understand there’s a lot of ill-feeling. Some people outside of Liverpool don’t get that – I do. But booing one of your own players while they’re playing is not for me.” – The Independent

“He’s took me to levels I never knew existed. It hasn’t been an easy one for Trent but he has made the decision. “It was not nice to see him get booed but you can’t tell people how to feel. That’s how I feel about it and I’m not going to tell anyone else how to feel about it.” Liverpool skipper Virgil Van Dijk admitted he was surprised by the reception Alexander Arnold received after he was brought off the bench on Sunday. “I wasn’t really expecting something, to be honest,” he said. “But it is what it is. The reaction happened. He has to deal with it. “We as a team have to deal with that as well, by the way. But I think maybe he expected this.

Robertson, who is good friends with Alexander-Arnold, was quizzed on the hostile reception after the final whistle. He made it clear that he did not have the right to tell people what to think about certain situations or how they should react to them. “I’m disappointed to lose a good friend, he’s an amazing player and an amazing person,” said Robertson on Sky Sports . “He has pushed me through and made me a better player. His legacy will always be there, he’s done so much for this club. “He will be missed for me as one of my best friends in the game. We’ve done it all together.

The right-back was loudly jeered as he came off the bench to replace Conor Bradley in the second half. He was making his first appearance at Anfield since confirming that he will be leaving the Reds at the end of the season. There was plenty of frustration in the stands when Alexander-Arnold entered the pitch, with many Liverpool fans still unhappy about his impending departure. He is widely expected to sign a five-year contract with Real Madrid in advance of next season. His first touch of the ball was met with a Ancelotti to leave Real Madrid for Brazil job REAL MADRID coach Carlo Ancelotti will leave the club at the end of the season to take charge of the Brazil national team, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announced yesterday. The 65-year-old Italian will become Brazil’s first foreign coach since 1965, with Xabi Alonso set to be appointed as the new Real Madrid boss after confirming his exit from Bayer Leverkusen last week. “The greatest national team in the history of football will now be led by the most successful coach in the world,” said the CBF in a statement. “He will lead Brazil until the 2026 World Cup and will coach them in their next two qualifying matches against Ecuador and Paraguay next month.” Ancelotti will be the fourth non Brazilian to coach Brazil. The last was Argentine Filpo Nunez who was in charge for one game 60 years ago. Brazil sacked Dorival Junior after a 4-1 thrashing by Argentina in March and are fourth in the South American qualifying table for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. “Bringing Carlo Ancelotti to lead Brazil is more than a strategic move – it’s a statement to the world that we are determined to regain the top spot on the podium,” said CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues. “He’s the greatest coach in history and now he’s in charge of the greatest team on the planet. “Together, we will write glorious new chapters for Brazilian football.” Record five-time World Cup winners Brazil last won the trophy in 2002, enduring more than two decades of disappointment since then. Rodrigues had tried to lure Ancelotti to Brazil two years ago after Tite stood down as coach following a quarterfinal exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. That bid fell apart in December 2023 when Ancelotti extended his contract with Madrid, forcing Brazil to turn to Dorival after the team struggled under Fernando Diniz in his brief spell at the helm. Eighteen months on from Dorival’s appointment, Ancelotti leaves Madrid with a year left on his contract as one of the club’s most successful managers, winning 15 trophies across two spells with Los Blancos , including a La Liga and Champions League double last season. Spanish media reported yesterday that Leverkusen coach Alonso is set to take over at Real Madrid on June 1, ahead of the Club World Cup. Madrid’s first match is against Saudi side Al Hilal in Miami on June 18. – AFP

‘It feels different this time’ Tottenham ready to end trophy drought, says skipper Son S ON HEUNG MIN (pic) is desperate to l e a d Tottenham Hotspur to watched long-serving teammates Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane depart in recent years. The South Korean has been involved in two painful cup final defeats for Tottenham – to Liverpool in the Champions League in 2019 and a Carabao Cup loss at Wembley to Manchester City four years ago – but believes the feeling around next Wednesday’s (Thurs 3am Malaysian time) showpiece is different. Ű BY GEORGE SESSIONS

important final piece and I’ve been trying to find it for the past 10 years. I really hope I can finally complete the puzzle this time. “It feels different this time. I really want to win – more than anyone else, I think. So many people are supporting us with the same desperate passion I feel. If we prepare well, I believe we can achieve it.” Son has watched various Spurs players leave and taste success elsewhere, with Kane the latest after he helped Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title earlier this month. The duo struck up a formidable partnership at Tottenham and while Kane left almost two years ago, he has given his old strike partner “energy” before a date with destiny at San Mames on May 21. “I actually texted Harry and he called me back on a video call! I was really happy to see him happy,” Son reflected. “He is one of my best friends and to see a once teammate achieve so much, I was delighted for him like he’s my family. “With that positive energy, I hope he can support Spurs in the game as well so we can achieve a good result like his. “For me, every game is special and every game is meaningful, but this game feels like an opportunity that may not come back.” – The Independent back up. It’s not straightforward. And we pushed and pushed all season. “We got 92 points, for two teams to get to 100 points is an insane season. Then we’ve had to have the challenges of the narrative of being the team that’s got so close. But how do they deal with it? “The narrative as well of Sheffield United’s playoff history and stuff like that, so we’ve had to to make sure that we were right. “We had to be good tonight, we had everything to lose. The first goal was always going to be a big goal. “We have had to play well and do a lot of things right over the two games to get to the final.” Bristol City enjoyed their best league campaign in nearly 20 years, but ultimately they could not match a team they finished 22 points behind in the table over the two legs. Boss Liam Manning said: “It was a difficult game tonight, obviously going off the back of the first leg. “The message was pretty clear, we had to leave it all out there. We started well but ultimately (there was) a lack of conviction and quality in the box. “Credit to Sheffield United, they are doing it, it is not easy, they definitely deserve it across the two legs. We have to use it to get better.” – The Independent

Europa League glory in Bilbao and complete the missing “final piece” of his career at the club. Spurs captain Son has scored 173 goals in 451 appearances across 10 seasons in north London but failed to land silverware and h a s

While Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have endured a torrid Premier League campaign, they have saved their best for Europe to knock out AZ Alkmaar, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt in impressive fashion and boast three victories already over finalists Manchester United this term. During an interview with Korean media at the club’s Europa League final media day yesterday, Son said: “We’ve been talking about this for years. “The biggest reason I stayed at Tottenham was because I wanted to do something others couldn’t achieve.

“That’s probably why I’m where I am now. You need all the pieces to complete a puzzle. I think I’ve gathered all the other pieces to make that puzzle complete. “It feels like I’ve been missing that one most

Blades out to end playoff misery

SHEFFIELD UNITED boss Chris Wilder believes this is the year his side can “make history” by finally ending their playoff hoodoo at the 10th attempt. The Blades booked their place in the Championship final with a record-breaking semifinal demolition of Bristol City, with the 6-0 aggregate victory the biggest winning margin in playoff history. Goals from Kieffer Moore, Gus Hamer and Callum O’Hare earned a 3-0 second-leg win on home soil four days after their win by the same scoreline at Aston Gate. No team has lost more times in the playoff than the Blades’ nine losing campaigns, which include three defeats in the Championship final. Wilder, who is eyeing a third promotion as Blades manager, says the previous playoff misery, which he has had no participation in, counts for nothing. “I don’t feel there’s a negativity because of our previous campaigns,” he said. “It feels (as if there is) a freshness about it… a real belief that we can make history and put to bed all that, other things have gone on previously. “I think I’ve witnessed (the) majority of it as well. It isn’t easy to go straight