THE SELHURST SHOCK: WHY XAVI HERNANDEZ IS INTERESTED IN JOINING CRYSTAL PALACE
Crystal Palace target Xavi Hernandez as Oliver Glasner decides to leave. Read the latest on Palace's move for the Barca legend.
Word on the street in Spain is that Crystal Palace might try to get former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez to replace Oliver Glasner.
The Selhurst Park team is getting ready for the possibility that their Austrian manager will leave after the season. They're already thinking about who could take his place.
Apparently, Palace thinks Xavi is one of the best choices out there. They like his tactics and how well he works with young players.
Xavi is free after leaving Barcelona at the end of the 2023/24 season. He’s supposedly turned down a few offers already, including one from Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia back in September.
Palace wants Xavi
According to the Spanish paper Fichajes, Xavi has been waiting for the right chance since he left Barcelona—something where he can work without constant drama and put his ideas into action.
He’s supposedly interested in moving to the Premier League. Before coaching Barcelona in June 2021, he spent a couple of years with Al-Sadd in Qatar.
The 45-year-old was in charge at Nou Camp for three seasons, winning La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup in 2022/23.
Xavi was let go in May 2024, even though he had another year on his contract. Just weeks before, club president Joan Laporta had talked him into staying after Xavi wanted to leave when the season ended.
Xavi, who has been called ‘the best manager in the world,’ played for Barcelona for 17 years. During that time, he won four Champions Leagues and eight La Liga titles.
Glasner Expected to Leave Selhurst Park
Palace is preparing for life without Glasner because he’s decided not to sign a new deal at Selhurst Park.
Fabrizio Romano, a senior reporter for GIVEMESPORT, reports that Glasner will probably leave when his current contract runs out at the end of the season.
The Austrian manager took over at Palace in February 2024, replacing Roy Hodgson, and won two trophies this year—the FA Cup and the Community Shield.
Right now, Palace is ninth in the Premier League after 17 games, six points behind Liverpool, who is in fourth place.
Palace Might Buy A New Forward in January
Palace wants to improve its offence in January and is one of the teams interested in Tottenham Hotspur forward Brennan Johnson.
The Eagles also have their eye on Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb as a cheaper option. Pep Guardiola’s team might let him go if they sign Antoine Semenyo.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.