Mike LaBelle gives the rundown on the best attacking formations in FIFA as well as a guide on 4-3-2-1!

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The Wales international and Vinicius Junior have been encouraged to show their quality at Real Madrid by the club’s new interim boss

Santiago Solari has urged Gareth Bale to make the most of his time in the “spotlight” and show his quality consistently for Real Madrid.

So often the understudy to Cristiano Ronaldo during the Portugal star’s time at the club, it was hoped Bale would become the leading figure of the Madrid attack following Ronaldo’s move to Juventus.

However, a return of four goals in 12 appearances in all competitions this season, coupled with a disappointing display in last Sunday’s 5-1 Clasico thrashing, has led to increased scrutiny of Bale’s credentials to take up Ronaldo’s mantle.

Despite this, Solari still hopes to see the Wales international take his chance to shine for Madrid on a regular basis.

“He has the spotlight. I hope he shows us his huge talent,” he told a news conference. “We want to enjoy him every day; he’s a fantastic player.”

When asked whether a softer or more strict approach towards Bale and his other players was required, Solari replied: “I don’t believe in characteristics like that. There is time for everything. You like to put people in boxes, pigeonhole them… everyone has their own style.

“I want to show you the values of Real Madrid: ambition, the desire to attack, to go for goal, sacrifice, not giving up… values that we know this club instills.”

Solari secured a 4-0 Copa del Rey win over Melilla on Wednesday in his first match since taking over as interim head coach following Julen Lopetegui’s dismissal.

Vinicius Junior impressed in that victory and has been tipped to play in Saturday’s La Liga clash with Real Valladolid.

And Solari, who is set to stay on in his first-team role this weekend as a full-time appointment is yet to be made, suggested he is willing to give several youngsters a chance to impress.

“He [Vinicius] is one more member of the squad and everyone has to be there to be a first-team choice,” said Solari, who has been Madrid’s Castilla boss since 2016. “They’re all good and each one can offer their own contribution.

“For me, it’s simple: time and playing. He needs to play to build experience and with experience he’ll become a better footballer. We all see the talent he has.

“The ‘B’ at this club is the Castilla, and the ‘A’ is Real Madrid. There are never indispensable players because you have injuries, losses of form…

“There are players here who have survived many battles and won them, but there are also young footballers with a lot of talent.”

The Columbus Crew coach and former U.S. national team defender will take charge as U.S. coach after the 13-month search for a new man in charge

U.S. Soccer has officially announced the hiring of Gregg Berhalter as the new head coach of the U.S. national team, confirming the long-anticipated appointment on Sunday.

Berhalter’s appointment was formally ratified by the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors on Saturday  by a unanimous vote. He will be officially introduced during a press conference with Earnie Stewart, U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro and U.S. Soccer CEO/Secretary General Dan Flynn on Tuesday in New York.

“This is a tremendous honor,” Berhalter said in a statement provided by U.S. Soccer. “Having played for the National Team I know what it means to represent our country. I believe in our players and our program, and together we will work to build something special and develop a team that will make our supporters proud.”

The 45-year-old will formally begin work as U.S. coach in January when the national team convenes for its annual winter training camp. Berhalter’s debut will come in late January against an opponent that has yet to be determined. That will be followed by a friendly against Costa Rica on February 2, in San Jose, California.

Berhalter’s hiring ends a 13-month saga that saw the USMNT go without a full-time head coach since Bruce Arena stepped down following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Nine of those months went by before Stewart formally began the search after being hired as USMNT general manager. During those nine months, and then the additional four months the search took place, Dave Sarachan served as caretaker coach, leading the team through a dozen matches and compiling a 3-5-4 record.

Stewart’s search included putting together an initial list of 33 candidates, which he eventually whittled down to 11 leading contenders. Stewart spoke to all 11 of those contenders before settling on a final two, after which he decided Berhalter was the best man for the job.

“After a very thorough process, I am absolutely convinced Gregg is the right man to lead the National Team program moving forward,” Stewart said. “He ticks all the boxes with his background as a person, a successful coach and an accomplished former international player.

“His willingness, work ethic and ideas about developing this player pool and influencing these players in and outside of camp and the thought process he has about that — constantly seeking new things — set him apart.”

Berhalter’s managerial career began in 2012, with Swedish club Hammarby. He spent two seasons in Sweden before being fired.

He joined the Columbus Crew in 2014, spending five seasons as head coach and sporting director, helping lead the team to the playoffs in four of those five seasons, including a run to the 2015 MLS Cup final.

During his time in Columbus, Berhalter’s Crew teams developed a reputation for playing attractive, possession-based soccer, and the club enjoyed success despite having one of the lowest payrolls in MLS. 

As a player, Berhalter spent much of his career in Europe, with stints in England and the Netherlands before a seven-year run in Germany. He eventually returned to the United States, spending three seasons with the LA Galaxy.

The last of those seasons, in 2011, saw Berhalter serve as a player-assistant coach on a Galaxy team that won the MLS Cup final. 

Berhalter made 44 appearances for the USMNT and was part of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup teams. He played in two World Cup matches, starting in the team’s historic 2-0 round of 16 win against Mexico and was a starter in the 2002 quarter-final loss to Germany.

That match is remembered for Berhalter sending a shot toward goal that was blocked by what appeared to be a handball by German midfielder Torsten Frings. The penalty wasn’t awarded, and the Americans were eliminated 1-0.

The superstar scored twice against Heerenveen, though that was overshadowed by the stunning goal he set up with a cross

Worried that the injury that kept Hirving Lozano out of Mexico’s friendly matches against Argentina would hold back “El Chucky”? Worry no longer.

Lozano had an incredible performance for PSV against Heerenveen, scoring two goals, assisting another and getting a player sent off by drawing a hard foul in the 3-0 victory. His first goal ended up being a tap-in, when the 23-year-old showed up at the back post and found Steven Bergwijn’s cross had drifted across for him to finish. Later, Lozano intercepted a pass from the goalkeeper and was taken down from behind by Morten Thorsby. After consulting the video review system, the referee gave Thorsby a red card for stopping Lozano’s goal-scoring opportunity.

Later, Lozano finished off another PSV attacking move to put the cherry on top of a win. It all was overshadowed, however, by the stunning bicycle kick Luuk de Jong scored from a Lozano cross – a stunning goal the Dutchman will hope to repeat when PSV takes on Barcelona in the Champions League this week. Erick Gutierrez came into the contest in the 75th minute, replacing Lozano, who should be fresh for Wednesday’s matchup.

It was an unconventional position for Jesus Corona in Portugal, but the winger slotted in at right back and started the play that led to the first goal for Porto in a 2-0 cup victory over Belenenses. Hector Herrera played the full match in his normal midfield role.

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In Spain, Hector Moreno started again for Real Sociedad when it took on Celta de Vigo on Monday afternoon. Moreno has been in and out of the lineup but said last week he wasn’t going anywhere in the winter window.

“I haven’t thought about leaving at all,” he told Marca. “Obviously, there are situations that you have to go through, but you know you have to support and help the team however you’re asked. It’s normal that the people who play in my position also deserve to play. In soccer anything can happen, but my head is here because I’m really happy with La Real and in San Sebastian and my family is as well.”

Nestor Araujo is in Celta’s starting lineup as well after returning early from Mexico’s friendly matches last week after suffering a knock.

Neither Mexican was in the squad for Villarreal’s game against Real Betis with Miguel Layun and Andres Guardado perhaps seeing minutes in the Europa League later this week.

Raul Jimenez thought he had scored for Wolves, but goal-line technology showed his diving header was stopped just short of going over the whole line. Wolves fell to Huddersfield, 2-0. Elsewhere in England, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez came on for West Ham United in the 55th minute but could do nothing to stop Man City from delivering a 4-0 beatdown.

Guillermo Ochoa kept a clean sheet for Standard Liege in a 3-0 win over Eupen. In Turkey, Diego Reyes was an unused substitute for Fenerbahce’s 2-1 loss to Trabzonspor.

The ex-Red Devils striker admits Jose Mourinho needs more time in which to establish “stability” at Old Trafford and rebuild towards title challenges

Manchester United “have the same goals”, says Andy Cole, but the ability to challenge for the Premier League title has “gone away from them a little bit”.

The Red Devils captured the English top-flight crown on 13 occasions under Sir Alex Ferguson, with the last of those triumphs coming in the legendary Scot’s final season at the helm.

A humbling fall from grace has been endured at Old Trafford since then, with a runner-up finish under Jose Mourinho last term as close as they have come to restoring domestic dominance.

Even those efforts saw them finish well short of record-breaking neighbours Manchester City, with there clearly still plenty of work to done for a club that has stumbled backwards again in 2018-19.

Former Red Devils striker Cole told Sky Sports on the state of play heading into another Manchester derby on Sunday: “Manchester United still have the same goals. But we have got to be brutally honest, the league has changed again.

“Manchester United used to dominate, especially in the Premier League and won the FA Cup a few times.

“To a certain extent now it has gone away from them a little bit. Manchester City have invested heavily, changed manager, brought in a lot of good players and changed the way they play football.

“Last season they ran away with the league at a canter.”

Cole added on the challenges facing United: “It is a case of getting some stability now and finding the formula whereby they can challenge Manchester City over the next couple of years.

“Manchester City are only going to get better. Liverpool and Chelsea are also only going to get better so the league will become as tight as ever.”

United will face City this season sat nine points adrift of their old adversaries, but they did prove last season at the Etihad Stadium that they are more than a match for Pep Guardiola’s side – with Paul Pogba inspiring a dramatic 3-2 win.

Cole said of the Red Devils’ mindset heading into the latest instalment of a long-running rivalry: “Everyone has got to fear them but you can’t fear them too much. Because if you are going to go into a match with that kind of attitude the game is going to be over before you play it.

“I know Manchester United will go into the game believing they can win it. A derby is a completely different game.”

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The Red Devils legend admits recent recruitment has not been good enough, with more funds required in order to close the gap on the title chasers

Manchester United “have to match the spending of City”, says Bryan Robson, with Jose Mourinho “three excellent additions” away from being competitive.

The Red Devils have continued to invest heavily over recent years, with big money splashed out on the likes of Paul Pogba, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Nemanja Matic, Romelu Lukaku and Fred.

Mourinho has, however, claimed to have been handed a rebuilding project at Old Trafford, with more fresh faces required in order to bridge the gap in Premier League title races.

Robson agrees with that assessment, with the United legend conceding that more quality needs to be drafted in if arch-rivals City are to be chased down and more major silverware delivered.

He told the Daily Mail: “Manchester United have to really improve their recruitment.

“Though the gap between them and Manchester City seems large, I still believe two or three excellent additions will make them competitive.

“During my time in management it was always proved that if you buy average players you end up with an average team.

The club can still attract players but they will have to match the spending of City to give Jose Mourinho a better chance.

“They should allow him to identify who he wants and then go out and get them. Then it’s up to Jose to deliver a title-chasing squad and I still believe he is the man who can take them forward.”

United’s struggles for consistency with their current squad have them sat eighth in the English top-flight, with 12 points separating them from the summit and seven from the top four.

Robson believes Champions League football can be secured, with a challenge for the crown “never realistic”.

He added: “The World Cup took its toll on United’s start to the campaign but there have been signs of recovery up until Sunday [against City]. Now it’s a case of recharging and going again.

“United fans shouldn’t be too despondent. It’s a long, hard season and there’s plenty of twists to come.

“A league title was never realistic but, with a couple of additions, it is realistic to think they can make the top four and Champions League, then look to step up next season. City have set a high standard but it’s not insurmountable.”

United suffered a 3-1 derby defeat to City in their latest outing, with Mourinho’s men struggling to counter the loss of Paul Pogba to injury and ultimately paying the price for a slow start to a crunch clash.

“There are mitigating circumstances for United’s performance against City on Sunday,” said Robson.

“The squad didn’t get back from Turin until 3.30am on Thursday [following a Champions League clash with Juventus] and that saps your energy ahead of a derby game — plus they were without Paul Pogba. 

“He has plenty of critics but I’m not one of them. He’s a big-game player and the team sorely missed his dynamism across the park.”

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The pair meet for the first time in the Premier League and both will be hoping to bounce back form disappointing defeats last weekend

Cardiff City could climb out of the relegation zone with a victory against Brighton in the weekend’s early kick-off.

The Bluebirds are currently 19th in the table, with a meagre five points from their opening 11 games.

Brighton, on the other hand, sit 12th having won four Premier League matches so far this season, the last of which came two weeks ago against Wolves.

Chris Hughton’s men will be aiming to make it five when they travel to the Welsh capital, a result which could move them into the top half off the table.

In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League, and it can be streamed online via the Sky Go app.

Joe Ralls returns from suspension at the perfect time, as Harry After misses Saturday’s game after picking up five yellow cards last week. Jazz Richards, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Kenneth Zohore misses out through injury.

Cardiff City XI: Etheridge, Manga, Morrison, Bamba, Cunnigham, Camarasa, Gunnarsson, Ralls, Murphy, Harris, Paterson

Alireza Jahanbakhsh misses the game with a hamstring injury, and has been replaced by Anthony Knockhaert. Davy Propper and Pascal Gross will not return to the side until after the international break.

Brighton XI: Ryan, Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Knockhaert, Kayal, Stephens, Izquierdo, March, Murray

The away side are slight favourites for this one and are priced at 11/5 by bet365. You could back Cardiff at 31/20, while a draw is 21/10.

Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

If Cardiff are to avoid the drop it’s game like these where they must start picking up three points.

Neil Warnock’s men have been victorious just once in the Premier League this season, when they beat Fulham 4-2 a few weeks ago.

Since then, they have suffered back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and Leicester City, and with Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town winning their first games of the campaign last week the pressure has been ramped up on the Bluebirds.

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For the visitors, they are aiming to make it four wins from five ahead of the international break. Last week Brighton suffered a 3-1 defeat to an in-form Everton side and they will be hoping to bounce back at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The Seagulls will again look to Glenn Murray to supply the goals for the side. Having netted six times so far this season he is one of the league’s top scorers – in fact, only three players (Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang) have scored more than him in the Premier League in 2018-19.

The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner has picked out a strike that played a big role in leading his country to glory in Japan and South Korea

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Ronaldinho has picked the goal he scored against England at World Cup 2002 as the greatest of his illustrious career.

With the quarter-final between Brazil and the Three Lions locked at 1-1 after Michael Owen’s opener was cancelled out by Rivaldo, the Selecao were given a free kick around 40 yards from goal in a seemingly impossible position to score from.

However, the former Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan star spotted that goalkeeper David Seaman had strayed from his line and sent a looping shot over his head and into the net. 

It proved the winner in the tie and sent the South American side on course to the final, where a couple of goals from Ronaldo saw them secure a 2-0 win over Germany.

And Ronaldinho, whose career was marked by many memorable strikes, including a stunning scissor kick against Osasuna in 2004 and a brilliant toepoke against Chelsea in the Champions League 12 months later, considers his effort against England to be a personal best.

“I scored some great goals, some over kick goals and from open play in my career and I would admit it is very hard picking my favourite,” Ronaldinho, who is on a three-day tour of Kenya told Goal.

“But scoring for the national team and against England in the quarter-finals was quite something. For that reason, I will pick the one against England just because I scored it for Brazil.”

The 2002 World Cup proved the highlight of a career that saw him twice claim the FIFPro World Player of the Year, the 2005 Ballon d’Or and, on a team level, two Spanish league titles, an Italian crown and the 2006 Champions League while with Barca.

During his career, which began in 1998 at Gremio, he played 728 senior club matches and scored 280 goals, while he enjoyed cult status at many of the teams he graced.

He confirmed his retirement from the game on January 16, 2018.

The Spanish striker has been back among the goals of late, with it considered that a new approach at Stamford Bridge is better suited to his game

Alvaro Morata considers Maurizio Sarri to be the “perfect” Chelsea boss for him, after suggestions that Antonio Conte’s tactics were responsible for his testing debut season in England.

The Spanish striker arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2017 and was charged with the task of filling Diego Costa’s boots and leading the line for the Blues.

He did find the target 15 times in all competitions, but endured struggles for form and has admitted to suffering from a lack of confidence.

That is now being rebuilt under Sarri, with six goals recorded this term, and the 26-year-old is enjoying life under a popular coach whose approach is better suited to his game.

Morata told Gazzetta Dello Sport about his experience with the new Italian boss in west London and the benefits of ‘Sarriball’: “I was told that he’s a coach who plays very well with the ball and loves tactical work, but he also has a good personal relationship with the players.

“Sarri knows perfectly the difference between the various moments in the life of a squad: when you need to work he’s like a general and is the first to set the example when it’s time to joke he can have you dying of laughter.

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“That’s all reflected in the group, we’re getting on well together and we’re playing good football. The only reason we’re a little behind in the table is that we’ve had some draws.

“We haven’t been with Sarri for a long time though, we haven’t lost yet and that’s good because the competition is very tough in the Premier League. And we’ll improve.

“I was surprised that to talk to him you don’t need something to have happened, you’re injured or playing badly, or well.

“He’s always available and interested, he wants to know how you are, how your life is. Football issues, sure but also, I don’t know… the political situation in your country.

“One of the first times I met him, he asked me what I thought of Basque independence. I gasped, I didn’t expect that! We then talked about it passionately, and that’s something about him that’s not so obvious.

“His system is perfect for me, almost all the balls come to me when I’m in front of goal, and it’s much better than when I was playing with my back to goal and had to turn around – that’s not my game.

“One of the places I played best was Juventus, and there too I didn’t have to turn around, I just had to attack the space and run forward with the ball.

“That’s the same as now, and I’d have been able to score a few more goals if I’d been more precise.”

Morata opened the 2018-19 campaign with just one goal in nine appearances but has now netted five times in his last seven outings.

He has also returned to the Spain squad after seeing his struggles last season cost him a place in La Roja’s World Cup plans.

The executive vice-chair was speaking in an investors’ call as United reported a £7.1m rise in wages following Alexis Sanchez’s arrival

Jose Mourinho and his Manchester United players are ‘fully united’ in their determination to get their season back on course, the club’s executive vice-chair Ed Woodward said on Thursday.

United headed into the international break sitting in eighth place in the Premier League following their 3-1 derby loss to Manchester City on Sunday, and they are now 12 points adrift of their league-leading neighbours.

But Woodward insisted that, despite talk of rifts between players and manager which have dogged their progress so far, the playing staff are unified in their hope to get their league campaign back on track.

“On the pitch we remain well positioned in the Champions League, and although we’ve had a mixed start to our domestic campaign the squad and the manager are fully united in their determination to regain our momentum in the Premier League,” Woodward told investors.

He was speaking after the release of the club’s financial results for the first quarter of 2018-19, which detailed a significant raise in salary costs following the arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January.

United’s total wage bill for the quarter ending September 30, 2018 was £77 million, an increase of £7.1m (10.2 per cent) on the same period in 2017-18 before the winter signing of the Chilean attacker.

The club have also handed new contracts to Marouane Fellaini and Luke Shaw since the spring, but it is the £390,000 weekly wage of Sanchez which has seemingly had the biggest impact on the club’s costs.

There was also some regression in revenues, with commercial incomings being down 5.7% year-on-year and matchday revenues having dropped 27.2%. However, the club reported that the reduction in commercial money is in large part due to them having undergone a shorter summer tour in 2018.

Meanwhile, managing director Richard Arnold added that the £6.1m drop in matchday revenue was entirely foreseen due to the one-game reduction in both Premier League and Champions League home fixtures before the end of September compared to last season.

As a result, the total revenue loss of £8.7m is expected to be made up during the current financial quarter, which ends on December 31, 2018.