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Wales manager Ryan Giggs has said that he is unconcerned with the limited gametime for Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey at the club level. The attacking duo have been sidelined with a couple of minor injuries during the course of the current campaign and they have recently found themselves on the bench for their respective clubs.

In an interview covered by Sky Sports, Giggs acknowledged that the duo have not had a regular run of games this season but he is not overly concerned over the same, he told: “He’s done OK this season Gareth regarding games. Obviously the last couple of weeks he has not featured but the hope is for every player that they get enough games. I’ve always said he’s [Ramsey] at a fantastic club. It’s his first year, I think he’s done well, scored the winner a couple of weeks ago and obviously he was a big reason for us qualifying with his contribution in that last game against Hungary scoring two goals.”
Continue reading Ryan Giggs unconcerned with reduced gametime for Bale and Ramsey

Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson has urged Reds boss Jurgen Klopp to consider a move for Gareth Bale during this summer’s transfer window. The Wales international has been deemed surplus to requirements under the guidance of Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, but so far, he has remained in the club’s ranks with no suitable offers.

Speaking to Goal.com, Lawrenson suggested that the Reds should seek to land the signature of Bale from the former European champions. He added that Klopp could get the best out of the former Tottenham Hotspur man with the assurance of regular gametime from the left side of the midfield, he said: “I think Klopp could get the best out of him.
Continue reading Lawrenson urges Jurgen Klopp to sign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid

Wales manager Ryan Giggs has said that he is still learning the art of management despite coaching the nation for the past 16 months. The Manchester United legend has not enjoyed the best of fortunes since taking over the Wales job, but he remains optimistic that he can learn from the mistakes and become a better head coach.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Giggs said that he is still learning through the head coach role and has yet to find the right balance for the team, he told the publication: “I am learning. I’m still a relatively young coach. When there is such a short turnaround you have to decide whether you should pick players who should definitely be in the team or the ones who are playing. It’s a definite factor for us that, for players who aren’t playing regularly, two games in three days is very difficult – especially against top opposition. I’m still juggling with getting that balance right and you’re not always going to be able to do that.”

Wales suffered back-to-back defeats to Croatia and Hungary during the recent round of internationals and that has delivered a potential blow to the prospects of qualifying for the European Championship next year. Nonetheless, they could turn things around during the final five games in the group and one of those is scheduled against Azerbaijan at home at the beginning of September.

Under the guidance of Giggs, a number of young prospects including Daniel James and David Brooks have made the breakthrough to the national team and it remains to be seen whether they can produce the same level of performance as displayed at the club level. James has been hitting the headlines of late after making the move to Manchester United from Championship side Swansea City for around £15m.

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has said that the club may not pursue a direct replacement for Aaron Ramsey when the transfer window reopens at the end of the campaign. The Wales international has already agreed a pre-contract with Juventus and he is scheduled to join the Bianconeri in the summer when his Gunners deal expires.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Emery suggested that the club may not necessarily enter the market to replace Ramsey, considering they have plenty of young players, who can progress from the academy, he said: “Yes, but there are also players coming through from the academy who are producing good performances and who could progress. We could replace him with a player from outside, or with a player who is already here who can grow like he did himself.”

When asked whether the qualification for the Champions League would enhance the transfer business for the summer, Emery refused to give away much by going with the 50/50 route, he added: “There could be a lot of movement in terms of signings and departures. Or there could be a little, but first of all I believe there is a good base for the team already here.”

The north London giants have succumbed to defeats in four of the previous five league matches and this has dropped them outside of the top four. Nonetheless, they are within two points off fourth-placed Chelsea and they could yet qualify for the Champions League through the division, should the Blues stumble during the remaining two matches.

Elsewhere, Emery’s team are competing for potential silverware through the Europa League, where they have reached the final four. The north Londoners are scheduled to face Valencia during the semi-final stage of the competition and a victory through both legs could see them tackle either Chelsea or Eintracht Frankfurt for the title, which offers them another route to next season’s Champions League.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has praised the performance of midfielder Aaron Ramsey following the club’s 2-0 league triumph over Newcastle United on Monday night. The Wales international has already confirmed that he will be joining Juventus on a free transfer in the summer but this has not lowered his performance levels at the north London side.

Ramsey opened the scoring with a delightful shot at the 30th-minute mark and he was thereafter a regular presence in the opposition box before being substituted in the second half with a minor concern. Speaking after the game, Emery raved about the Wales international and stated that the midfielder is content to ply his trade for the club during a crucial stage of the campaign, he said: “I think Aaron Ramsey is happy, he is helping us and is playing with a very good performance and scoring. Each energy from the players is very important for us and he is doing that. We are at the most important moment of the season.”

With the victory, “the Gunners managed to leapfrog both United and Tottenham Hotspur to the third spot on the table but Emery has refused to acknowledge that the club“ are favourites to secure one of the Champions League places for next term, he added: “We are making progress in the table but we “know it is difficult“, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United are going to win a lot of games.”

Arsenal have seven matches remaining in the Premier League for the campaign but five of those are on the road where they have not experienced the best of times. Their record has remained average on their travels for another season and they need to produce a huge around, considering they have accumulated just one league win at Huddersfield Town since the turn of the year.

Wales manager Ryan Giggs has said that Gareth Bale should shed the disappointment with Real Madrid when he arrives on international duty. The attacker has been picked by Giggs for the games against Trinidad & Tobago and Slovakia this month and he is confident that the Los Blancos ace will give his best for the national side.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “He loves coming away. It is with his mates and he loves being away on international duty. Cristiano has left and there is a void there. That has a big effect on Real Madrid when you lose 40 to 50 goals. Gareth has always said he has been happy, even when he has been criticised and things have gone wrong or not gone right. You have to take that criticism when you are at a big club, whether it is just or not.”

Bale was touted to take the goalscoring burden after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo from the Bernabeu last summer but that has not happened with injury concerns and the occasional average run of form. As such, he has found himself jeered by the club’s faithful and this has spread speculation regarding his future at the club.

“Los Blancos have recently reappointed Zinedine Zidane at the helm but this has further presented doubts whether the Welshman has a future at the club“. Bale found himself in-and-out of the starting lineup during the previous stint with the Frenchman and the forthcoming months “could give an indication“ whether the Welshman can win over the manager this time around.

Meanwhile, reports suggest Bale could make a probable return to the Premier League in the summer, though he may have to take a pay-cut to seal the comeback. Bale is expected to feature for Real Madrid against Celta Vigo this weekend before heading on international duty with Wales.

Craig Bellamy is a player that his career suggests that there could have been more from the player. Checking through the list of clubs he played for his stints at Manchester City and Liverpool are the major reference points of his career.

The Welsh forward began his career at Norwich City scoring a good return of 32 goals in 84 appearances for the club which earned him a record transfer move to Coventry. However, his volatile and weird character which would affect his career showed at the club as he scored a paltry 6 goals in a season which saw the club relegated from the Premier League.

Subsequent moves to Newcastle, Celtic failed to showcase his talent properly before he signed for Blackburn in 2005. Bellamy at Blackburn was one of the key players in the club’s excellent season in which Blackburn qualified for the Europa League after finishing 6th on the table.

His performances drew the attention of the top clubs and he moved to Liverpool in the summer of 2006. His time at Anfield was notable for the golf club incident in which he attacked his teammate Arne Risse with a golf club during a training retreat in Portugal.

After a single season with the club, he moved to West Ham before securing a big move to Manchester City. He was one of the key players under Mark Hughe with his combination of pace and power proving a nightmare for defenders.

His performances in the 4-3 loss to United in derby saw Bellamy at his finest, as he terrorised United’s defence scoring to goals. Just like his previous stints Bellamy did not last long at the Etihad and left the season after to boyhood club Cardiff City.

“Subsequent stints at Liverpool proved to be underwhelming before he returned to Cardiff to end his career“. Bellamy has proven to be a decent pundit “after his playing career“ with Sky Sports providing in-depth knowledge.

However, his recent accusation of bullying as a coach of Cardiff youth team suggests that the volatile nature that plagued his playing career could affect his young coaching career.

Former Liverpool star Craig Bellamy has said that caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has given more freedom to the Manchester United players which have brought the best out of their abilities. The Red Devils had dropped 11 points behind the top-four positions under Jose Mourinho at one stage before they took the decision to sack the Portuguese tactician.

Since then, Ole has been put charge on a temporary basis for the season and the move has certainly paid dividends with a team going through a seven-match winning run across all competitions. Owing to this, there has been widespread praise over the impact made by Ole and Bellamy has joined the bandwagon to praise the former Cardiff City head coach.

He said: “The challenge will come later on at a club like Manchester United. If you think about the Champions League, they’ve got PSG coming in that so there’s going to be a couple of really big tests. But I think the timing of the decision was good by the club. I would have expected them to win them games with Jose Mourinho. But now it’s given a new lease of life to the football club, it’s one of their favourites as well. The supporters are always going to back it, it’s lifted the club massively.”

“Ole has certainly passed the initial test with the Mancunian giants with a seven-match winning run which has included a hard-fought league triumph over Tottenham Hotspur“. Nonetheless, there remains work to be done with United still three points behind the top-four positions and the next few months could define whether they can secure Champions League “status for next season“.

Meanwhile, United could still qualify for the elite competition by securing the European crown this term but their challenge remains stiff as they must first overcome Paris Saint-Germain at the round of 16 stage.