Joao Pedro Watford
Posted inDaily News

Roberto De Zerbi says he made Joao Pedro ‘mistake’ after loss against Arsenal

April 8, 2024
The Brazil international started on the bench in the 3-0 defeat by Arsenal. De Zerbi put that down to his decision to leave him on for the full game at Brentford after a two-month absence forced by injury. Albion had just gone 2-0 down when he was sent on as a substitute along with Facundo Buonanotte. De Zerbi said: “I made a mistake at Brentford because Joao Pedro couldn’t play in the first XI (on Saturday) because I kept him on the pitch for 90 minutes. “In my head before the Brentford game was to change him after 65 minutes. “But to try to win the game and on the bench there wasn’t another striker, I made a mistake.” Albion have a clear week to plan for their trip to Turf Moor. De Zerbi said: “When we prepare the game with the right time and not every three days we are a completely different team.”
Rob Edwards
Posted inDaily News

Hatters duo declared fit for Burnley as Hatters boss Rob Edwards vows to manage injuries #LutonTownFC

October 2, 2023
Watch more of our videos on Shots!and live on Freeview channel 276Visit Shots! nowHatters boss Rob Edwards has been given a selection boost ahead of tomorrow night’s Premier League clash at home to Burnley with both Tom Lockyer and Reece Burke having been declared fit.The pair started Saturday’s 2-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park, following the half time whistle, Burke didn’t reappear for the second period, replaced by Danish centre half Mads Andersen.Then with 10 minutes gone of the second period, Lockyer was also forced off having taken a blow to the face before the break, his eye starting to swell up fairly badly, Teden Mengi on for his Premier League debut.Tom Lockyer goes off injured against Everton on Saturday - pic: Lewis Storey/Getty ImagesDespite the much-changed back-line, Luton still managed to secure their first three points of the season, but ahead of a home match with a winless Clarets on Tuesday night, there is every chance both will feature, as Edwards said “We’re okay, we had a couple of knocks and made two changes, were forced into a couple of changes at the weekend."Both Burkey and Locks have come through today so that’s good news for us."They’ll be okay, no fresh injury worries from the weekend, so the squad will be the squad that it was from Saturday.”Burke’s stint at Luton has been blighted by injury at times, as in his first two years, he has never begun more than six league games in a row.Saturday was his fifth successive start in the top flight this term, as Edwards knows keeping him fit will be a huge shot in the arm for the Hatters’ chances of staying up, continuing: “His groin was sore, he’s seen a few people over the last couple of days, so he’s all right."It’s just that groin area, but he’s seen someone this morning and got the all-clear, it’s just going to be a little bit sore."He trained today, no problem, so that was a big plus.“He’s been excellent, he’s a really good player and an important player for us as well.”Monitoring the former West Ham United and Hull City centre back will now be key to ensure his body can withstand a full campaign in the Premier League, with Edwards adding: “We don’t want to lose him for a period of time, so it’s just something we’re going to have to manage over the next week or so, get through to the international break and then we can get a little bit of work into him."What he does, he puts every ounce of it into everything, every day."Sometimes you want to say ‘Burkey, just be steady, slow down, just chill out a little bit and manage yourself.’"But I’d rather be doing that and rein people in than kick them up the backside and get them to work hard."He’s just a really good pro and he’s an important player for us.”
Gary O’Neil
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil accepts red card but bizarrely claims Wolves deserved to beat the Hatters instead of draw #WOLVESFC

September 25, 2023
Watch more of our videos on Shots!and live on Freeview channel 276Visit Shots! nowWolverhampton Wanderers boss Gary O’Neil bizarrely claimed that he felt his side deserved to emerge triumphant from their 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road yesterday.The visitors were on the back foot for almost all of the first half in which they were reduced to 10 men following Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s red card, as Luton dominated proceedings, going closest when Carlton Morris’s 20-yard rasping drive smacked against the post.Town then fell behind early in the second period, Neto breaking away to score a fine individual goal, as home stopper Thomas Kaminski made an important double save, but following that the Luton keeper wasn’t unduly tested.Referee Josh Smith sends off Wolves defender Jean-Ricner Bellegarde - pic: Liam SmithHatters drew level through a disputed penalty midway through the second half and almost won it, Chiedozie Ogbene flagged offside when tapping home from close range.The stats showed Town had the upper hand throughout, with 20 shots, three on target as opposed to three from the visitors, all of them on target.Hatters also won 10 corners to one from Wolves, having 55 percent of possession, but despite that, O’Neil said: “I’m extremely disappointed with the first 20, 25 minutes, but we knew today would be a test of mentality and being ready to go."Luton were aggressive, went man for man and we lost every duel."Every time it went into our forward players, it bounced off them, every time it went into theirs, it stuck."When it dropped into midfield they were faster to it, so I’m extremely disappointed with the first 20, 25 minutes, so much so that we had to change shape and try and get a foothold, which I thought we did."We saw off that terrible spell and managed to make the game slightly more even."We suffer a crazy moment from Jean and from that moment it’s going to be a tough hour or so."I asked a big question from the players at half time and they managed to produce second half to be fair."To come from the first 20 minutes, and lose a man, to respond the way they did and fight the way they did to the very end and deserve to win the game was a big effort from them.”One thing O’Neil didn’t really have any complaints with was the decision to send off Bellegarde late in the first period, the French defender dismissed for kicking out at Luton skipper Tom Lockyer.The former Bournemouth manager added: “I only saw it back on the iPad when they were doing the check."It looked like there was a coming together and it looked like a kick out a little bit."I’ll watch it back to have a clearer look at it but if he has kicked out I can understand the red card."Jean is very disappointed about it, he apologised to the group, apologised to me, it’s just something we can’t have."I spoke a lot about trying to fix some of the craziness within the group and that’s an extreme version of it."You can’t be successful in football matches if someone does that."The fact we leave with a point after that, is one hell of an effort from everyone, but more often than not it someone does something like you’re going to walk away with no points, which we can’t afford to do.”
Roberto De Zerbi
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Roberto De Zerbi feels lucky after worst performance yet winning against Bournemouth 3-1 #BHAFC

September 25, 2023
The win sees Albion move up to third in the Premier League following an emphatic brace by super-sub Kaoru Mitoma. De Zerbi said: “Today we played one of the worst games of my time (here). Two, three or four times we were lucky. Bournemouth were great in the first half. "We were better in the second half, but still not at our best level. "When you play with the young or new players, they need time to understand the new ideas on the pitch. “We won with character, passion, behaviour and not with the style of play. It's a very important part, maybe the most important. De Zerbi also highlighted the significance of Mitoma to the team and emphasised the need for him to be rested to ensure his performances remain consistent, crediting Albion owner Tony Bloom in the process for retaining the Japanese winger’s services for the season. “The credit is to Tony Bloom, not me. I think Mitoma is one of the most important players but sometimes he needs to stay on the bench to rest, to play better the next game.”
Andoni Iraola
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola on goal against Brighton and positive performance despite loss #AFCB

September 25, 2023
Dominic Solanke lofted the ball into an empty net after Ryan Christie had pickpocketed goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, but Cherries were unable to hold on, Milos Kerkez’s own goal levelling scores before the break. Karou Mitoma came off the bench to score twice and turn the game around in the hosts’ favour. Verbruggen saw a lot of the ball in the first period, being tasked with building moves for Brighton. The goalie was allowed to dwell on the ball, but Christie picked the right moment to tackle the Dutchman and set up Solanke for the opener. Cherries anticipated this, according to Iraola, who told the Daily Echo: “We knew when you come here they are going to try and build up. “We have a lot of decisions to make. “We decided to go man-to-man, taking risks and the only free man was the keeper. “We had to decide very well the moment where you have to run to the keeper, otherwise they find the spare man very easily and they are out. “I think we did really well, not only on this play, but overall during the game. We lost because of other reasons.” It took Brighton just 15 seconds to take the lead in the second half, leaving a shellshocked Cherries struggling to find a response. “I think we had the chances, especially with Antoine, the two chances he had for us,” continued Iraola. “He was very good from the bench. “Also the one that they cleared from the line and we had some chances there. “But it was much more difficult, because when they don’t have the need to attack you, they can play with the ball, they can attract you and it is much more difficult to play against Brighton once they are winning. “For me the key is having the first half where we were winning, you have to make more damage.”
Thomas Frank
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Thomas Frank praised Brentford mentality after Bournemouth draw #BRENTFORDFC

September 4, 2023
Mbeumo’s fourth of the season cancelled out goals from Dominic Solanke and David Brooks after Mathias Jensen put Brentford in the lead for Brentford in the first half. And Frank praised his team’s second-half display which saw them extend their unbeaten start to the season, with six points on the board. “First half we were good but second half we were fantastic,” Frank said. “I think we ran over Bournemouth in the second half and we created chance after chance. "The only chance I can remember from Bournemouth was the goal, and that was a mistake from Rico (Henry). "But the mentality in this team is incredible. What character. They never give up, they will never die. "After we got a more than well-deserved equaliser, we still went for it, with centre-backs Nathan Collins and Kristoffer Ajer still overlapping. "I am very proud of the team's performance. "If we play this 100 times, we win it 98, draw one, that was (Saturday), and lose the other time, because there were so many big chances."
Rob Edwards
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Rob Edwards saw signs of real improvement in his Luton side despite Chelsea defeat #LUTONTOWNFC

August 28, 2023
Town boss Rob Edwards insisted he saw signs of real improvement in his side despite their 3-0 defeat at Chelsea on Friday night.The Hatters were going up against a team that on paper, cost just under the princely sum of £450m to assemble, with two £100m-plus midfielders patrolling the central areas in British transfer record holder Moises Caicedo and Argentina World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez.They dominated possession early on as expected, having the quality to take the lead through a fine solo goal from England international Raheem Sterling, himself a £47.5m acquisition last summer.Luton boss Rob Edwards greets opposite number Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge - pic: Liam SmithTown weren’t without their spells of pressure though, particularly before and after the break, but crucially they couldn’t find the net, Ryan Giles’ deflected shot saved by Robert Sanchez the closest they came.Sterling then added a second with 68 minutes gone, while Senegalese forward Nicholas Jackson, who cost a mere £31.8m, still far more than Town’s entire squad was put together for, completed the scoring.Despite that, Edwards felt Luton had been better than their opening day 4-1 reverse at Brighton & Hove Albion, saying: “We don't like losing, I’ve got to stress that.“We know we want to win games, we know we want to get points, but I've seen improvement from 13 days ago.“I saw we can compete with a top, top team for massive spells of the game, so that's a huge thing to be proud of and to take positives from.“The lads have reacted so, so well from Brighton."We’re going to be able to take loads from this game and a lot of it are positives, but we know there are areas we need to keep working on and improving, but we were competitive with Chelsea Football Club.“I’m not going to go through the numbers, we all know, they're a huge club who have won the Champions League a couple of times in recent years, so lets be honest, should we be competing with them?“But we did, so loads of good stuff.“Where we've got to improve now, is continue to work really hard, and those moments, at both ends of the pitch are really, really key now.“We did create half opportunities, and one decent one.“You don't get many when you come here, so we've got to try and be a bit more ruthless and then at the bottom end, if we get a little bit stretched we've just got to make sure we close those gaps really, really quickly."They've got the quality to pick someone out, they’ve got the quality to then finish it, but lots to take, lots of positive things.”Town looked like they might be able to cause an upset in the early stages of the second period, as they began to have the better of proceedings, none more so than when Giles went close.Edwards knows it’s moments like that they need to really drive home their advantage at this level, as he continued: “I felt we started the second half really well, very positively."We had the territory, it was in their half, we weren’t able to create loads of chances, but I felt we’re looking strong in this game now, maybe they were ready to have a little bit of a wobble."We had moments to cross, we just lacked that little bit of quality, that little finesse, we didn’t pick someone out."Ryan Giles had a good opportunity that was half blocked, probably our cleanest one“It was a big moment for us, you’re not going to get many chances here at Stamford Bridge, but that was a really well-worked opportunity and really they defended it well as they got the block.“Then the game was going a bit more end-to-end, getting a bit stretched, and clearly then they become very dangerous as well, but because we’re in the game you can't change too much."You’ve got to hope that we can see any dangerous moments out, that second goal probably deflated us a little bit, we've got to make sure that we learn that third one doesn’t come, because even at 2-0 you’re still in the game.”After being breached by Sterling’s close-range finish for the crucial second goal, and then conceding again shortly afterwards, Jackson prodding home, with 15 minutes to go, there was a worry Town could go under and their goal difference take a hit.However, they didn’t and almost grabbed a consolation for the 3,054 away fans to celebrate, substitute Jacob Brown going close, lofting his effort off target when looking to capitalise on some defensive hesitancy.Edwards added: “I’m extremely proud of the group, as I saw full commitment to the gameplan, saw a group that stayed together right to the very, very end, didn't go under, and it competed with a brilliant football team.“I can see a real cohesion in the group, well organised, and a commitment there as well, so there’s a lot of good things, but we don’t like losing, none of us like losing and we want to pick up points.“We're a new group as well, I've got to stress that."There's a lot of new players there experiencing Premier League football for the first time and it doesn't get more difficult than Brighton away and Chelsea away.“Maybe one or two games, but we can take a lot from it, we'll learn and learn quickly, but I think we'll see more improvement in a week's time.”
Tom Lockyer
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Tom Lockyer left ‘speechless’ after being made Hatters captain by Rob Edwards #LUTONTOWNFC

August 12, 2023
Luton defender Tom Lockyer said he was left ‘speechless’ after being made club captain by manager Rob Edwards. Previous captain Sonny Bradley left in the summer, meaning 28-year-old Lockyer will become the first Hatters player to step foot onto a pitch in a Premier League game when Luton take on Brighton in tomorrow’s season-opener at the Lamex Stadium. “It’s surreal,” said the central defender. “I’m a little bit speechless and how to describe how it feels, but it’s incredible – a massive honour not just for me but my family as well. It’s not something I take lightly. I’m speechless.Tom Lockyer“Saturday will be a special occasion. As I’ve said, it’s a massive honour to lead such a good club, which has felt like home since I stepped through the door, to walk out the lads in the Premier League with the armband on. It’s really special.“It’s a great squad and good that we don’t have to manage any massive egos. Everyone is pretty grounded, we’re all normal fellas. We all get on really well but it won’t just be me driving the standards or keeping people in line. That comes from everyone. Everyone’s got their own high standards, and whatever those were last year, this year they need to be higher.”Explaining why he chose Lockyer, Edwards said: “He was the natural choice. His performances for us since we arrived have been incredibly high and incredibly consistent. He demands high standards and has the respect and trust of us all.“We’re delighted to have him as captain, it’s something he thoroughly deserves.”
Andoni Iraola
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola on new signing Max Aarons #AFCB

August 12, 2023
Signed on Thursday for an initial £7million from Norwich City, Aarons has only had one training session with his new teammates. Cherries start their Premier League campaign with the visit of West Ham to Vitality Stadium tomorrow afternoon (3pm). The absence of Adam Smith and Ryan Fredericks means head coach Iraola has a headache at right-back, with Aarons the only fit senior player who is a natural at the position. Aarons did not feature in any of Norwich City’s pre-season friendlies this summer after it was made abundantly clear that he was looking to move to pastures anew. The 23-year-old had entered the final 12 months of his deal at Carrow Road, and after 213 appearances for the Canaries, had felt he had accomplished all he could with Norwich. Whilst Aarons was absent for Norwich’s pre-season fixtures, he did compete for England’s under-21s this summer, helping the Young Lions lift the under-21 European Championships. The injured Smith missed the final pre-season of the season, with winger Jaidon Anthony deployed in his stead. Iraola mentioned that Anthony was again in his thoughts at right-back, but that he could also turn to Chris Mepham if he needed a more defensively-sound alternative. Primarily a centre-back, Mepham has previously played as a full-back under former Cherries managers. James Hill is another centre-back that has moonlighted as a right-back, both for loan club Hearts last year and for Cherries this pre-season. Asked if Aarons was available to start against West Ham, Iraola told the Daily Echo: “Yes, I think it's an option. “It's an option. “We can start also with Jaidon (Anthony). “We can go with Chris (Mepham) if we want to go more defensive. “We have two, three options that we could use. “But first I would like to see how they train today and take the final decision.” The deal for Aarons could potential rise to £13million. The England under-21 international is viewed both as a prospect for the feature, but experienced, having already played 70 times in the Premier League. Discussing his defensive recruit, Iraola shared: “I think for his age, he has already a good bunch of Premier League games. “I think he has been playing in this level. “He has international experience. “He has been playing this summer with national teams. “And I think he will help us straight away, even if he's young. “He's not as young as some of the signings we made. “He has the experience and he will help us for sure.”