Celtic eye historic century
Arsenal’s
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Reuters pic LONDON: Steven Gerrard is set to go back to where it all began and start his coaching career at Liverpool after announcing his retirement.
The former England captain formally ended his playing career on Thursday, admitting he was ‘a tad sad’, and is expected to take an extended break over Christmas with his family, having moved back to Merseyside following an 18-month stint with LA Galaxy.
Gerrard, though, is already preparing for his next move and his ambition is to one day step into management.
He is working his way towards gaining his UEFA A licence and has
The game ended 2-2 following own goals from Marco Verratti and Alex Iwobi.
“It makes a big difference, not just at this (Europe) level but in the Premier League as well. You look at the stats and whoever scores the first goal, they generally go on to win the game,” the 24-year-old said.
“We have let that drop a bit lately and if we get the goal first, nine times out of 10 we win and we need to get back to doing that.”
Arsenal, who are fourth in the league with 25 points, three behind leaders Chelsea, host 10th-placed Bournemouth tomorrow in their next league game. AFP GLASGOW: Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers cannot afford to linger long on his side’s European elimination as they prepare to take on Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup final tomorrow.
The match at Hampden Park is an opportunity for Rodgers to secure his place in the club’s history books days after he watched as the Hoops were powerless to stop a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona secure a 2-0 win at Celtic Park on Wednesday.
They were already certain to bow out of the Champions League in the group stage but that result ended the Glasgow giants’ hopes of even making it into the Europa League, condemning them to bottom spot in Group C.
That was a blow for the ambitious former Liverpool manager who has made a massive impact since his arrival in the summer.
But now Rodgers, who has seen Celtic go 10 points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the Scottish Premiership after just 12 games, has the chance to win a first piece of silverware with the club.
If Celtic do win, it would be an historic 100th trophy for them – and they hope it will be the first leg of a treble, with the league title looking inevitable and the Scottish Cup to come.
Despite their huge success in Scotland, Celtic have only won the treble on three occasions in their history with the last coming in the 2000/01 season under Rodgers’ fellow Northern Irishman Martin O’Neill.
Emilio Izaguirre, who has been at Parkhead for the past six years, is one of the more experienced players in the Celtic dressing room and he insisted their European exit wouldn’t have a negative impact on the players.
“Barcelona are the best team in the world. It’s as simple as that,” said the Honduran international said.
“But now we focus on the cup final. That now means everything.
“We have to put this game behind us. Sunday is a huge match for all of us and I am looking to win another medal for Celtic.” AFP