Sommaire pour April 2017 de Australian FourFourTwo

1 ADAM LA-LLAMA USA Nashville First prize for the weirdest tattoo of the month goes to Adam Lallana’s biggest supporter, American Andreah De La Hoz. The Liverpool fanatic wasn’t content with just getting a massive tattoo of Lallana’s face inked on her thigh (and that would’ve been weird already). Oh no, she cleverly realised that his name sounds a bit like llama, so asked the tattooist to depict the England ace as a South American camelid. Yeah, that’ll definitely still seem funny in 20 years. 2 SIGNS TUESDAY, LEAVES WEDNESDAY Spain Madrid Roman Zozulya joined Rayo Vallecano on loan from Betis on deadline day, only for the fans to protest at his first training session. The reason? A picture of him with guns and a controversial battalion of the Ukrainian…

“WINNING AT WEMBLEY, THE TEMPLE OF FOOTBALL. THAT GAME WAS A TURNING POINT IN MY CAREER WITH THE ITALIAN TEAM” Inter 0 Milan 1 December 20, 1987 Serie A “My first start for Milan was in the derby! We won with an own goal from Riccardo Ferri. I was very lucky, though – in the second half I made a mistake, but the linesman wrongly disallowed the goal for offside. Who knows how that call could have changed my whole career?” Steaua Bucharest 0 Milan 4 May 24, 1989 European Cup final “That final was the perfect game. Even though we were in Barcelona, it was as if we were playing at home – the Camp Nou was full of Milan supporters. It was my first-ever European Cup final and…

Brandon Borello Age 21 Club Brisbane Roar Country Australia The dynamic winger is enjoying a stunning season at Roar, with a bagfull of goals and growing experience. Paulo Dybala Age 23  Club Juventus Country Argentina Versatile and full of confidence, Dybala is considered one of the best strikers in Serie A but he is yet to break into the national team. Marcus Rashford Age 19 Club Man United Country England Enjoyed a fine spell under Louis van Gaal in 2015-16. Progress has decelerated a tad under Jose Mourinho. Renato Sanches Age 19 Club Bayern Munich Country Portugal The best young player at Euro 2016. He had a terrific season with Benfica, but having to bide time with Bayern. Saul Niguez Age 22  Club Atletico Country Spain Controversially left out of…

HOW DID YOU END UP STARTING IN GOAL? In the previous game match at Coventry, our No.1 Peter Bonetti ruptured his spleen so I’d gone in goal. We did have two more keepers: John Phillips got out of bed on the morning of the Ipswich game and slipped a disc in his back and Steve Sherwood had gone home for Christmas up north – there was a mad rush to get him back for kick-off. The Ipswich boss, Bobby Robson, agreed we could put in two team-sheets – one with me in goal and one with Steve, in case he made it back in time. However, when Steve finally arrived [just before kick-off] Robson said we had to stick with the team with me in goal. DID YOU GET ANY…

Everyone loves it when an outfield player has to go in goal. The reverse situation, a keeper playing outfield, is rarer and perhaps more enjoyable. The rarity is due to the circumstance: a goalkeeper being sent off is a fairly common occurrence, but a situation that requires a stopper to suddenly leave his penalty area involves a far more complex set of circumstances. It happened last summer, though. In a friendly at Huddersfield, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool were forced to play 18-year-old keeper Shamal George in attack for 30 minutes. Lucas went off with an injury and the Reds had used up all of their outfield replacements. The Wirral-born youngster played just off Danny Ings and did a pretty decent job. He even scored a cheeky lob, only to see the…

“The A-League was so frustrating as the referees made it all about themselves...” I was never actually comfortable thinking I’d made it as a player. Throughout my career, I was always thinking ‘if I do this, then I’ve made it’, but then it keeps going and you keep pushing yourself. I suppose the two times I thought I’d made it were when I actually signed a professional contract overseas and the other was when I signed for Wigan and started playing in one of the top five leagues in Europe. It’s hard to say when I was happiest - there were moments at all my clubs when I was happy. When I was in Croatia with the lifestyle, becoming a professional and the mates I had there – it was…

SAMANTHA KERR Forward - Perth Glory Perth Glory captain Sam Kerr has emerged in the past two years as the exciting face of Australian women’s football. Kerr is the attacking lynchpin for each and every team she plays for, be it the Matildas, Sky Blue FC or Glory. Such is her importance that Perth Glory jumped from 8th in the 2015/16 season (minus Kerr) to second and a grand final appearance with a fit Kerr in the 2016/17 season. When Kerr accelerates and takes off down a wing with her explosive and unpredictable dribbling, there are few players in the game who are as devastating. On the scoreboard she again increased her output with 10 goals (second in the Golden Boot race) and her unselfish play saw her turn creator…

A HAT-TRICK AGAINST THREE DIFFERENT KEEPERS? HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT? To be honest, I had no idea I had scored past three different keepers until a local journalist told me after the game – now I probably get asked about that hat-trick more than anything else that happened in my career! It was just a perfect storm. Newcastle started with Martin Thomas – an actual goalkeeper – in goal, but he must have started the game carrying some kind of injury. It was back in the days when teams were only allowed to have one outfield substitute – so Newcastle were always up against it. TELL US ABOUT YOUR GOALS, THEN... My first goal was a little tap-in. Thomas had to go off at half-time and the goals then…

What’s in a logo? After all, who’s ever heard of a football side winning a game because their logo was ‘better’. Yet logos/badges/emblems/crests divide the opinions of football fans worldwide. Just look at the uproar Juventus caused when they unveiled their new crest in January. The A-League got similar attention barely a week later too, when it released its new logos. They’re subjective after all. Coast Design Sydney created the A-League’s original logo and as founder/director Jonathan Nolan explains, a new logo is about starting afresh and setting a new direction. Interestingly, after more than a decade, five of the eight foundation A-League clubs have stuck with their original logos, but there’s strong talk at Sydney FC and possibly Melbourne Victory about an update. On the flipside, the newest logos…

 You’ve played in so many different positions for Manchester United. Which role suits you the best? “I have always admired Andres Iniesta. I watch a lot of videos of him and want to add parts of his game to mine” I think for now, playing on the wing and cutting inside – that’s where I’ll continue to play. However, over the next few years I would really like to become a No.10. I have played there a few times for England and United and that’s my natural position. But while I’m still growing, playing out wide is good for my development. Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen compared you to Andres Iniesta a few years ago – what was your reaction to that? I’ve always admired Andres Iniesta – the…

“HENRY’S HANDBALL? I WAS DISTRAUGHT. BUT IF IT HAD BEEN AT THE OTHER END, I WOULD HAVE DONE IT AS WELL” CLUBS 1996-2003 Blackburn 2003-06 Chelsea 2006-09 Newcastle 2009-14 Fulham 2014-15 Melbourne City 2015 Shamrock Rovers COUNTRY 1998-2012 Republic of Ireland It’s still an hour before we’re due to interview Damien Duff in Dublin city centre, so FFT head for a quiet coffee a few blocks away – only for the man himself to bound through the door. “I see you’ve found the good coffee shop, then!” Duff laughs at this chance meeting. Soon, we’re on our way to our planned rendezvous point, Hogan’s pub. “I’ve never really been one for doing interviews – I’m doing this because it’s FourFourTwo and no other reason,” says the…

As a jobbing plumber in Glasgow, Garry Whyte spends more time in toilets than most, so it’s a wee bit ironic that he’s now a local celeb for not using one. The scene: a vital West of Scotland Super League clash against Shotts Bon Accord, 20 minutes left, and Shettleston Juniors’ number one suddenly needs to go for, er, a number one. “I said to one of the linesmen, ‘I need the toilet!’ and he totally blanked me,” Whyte tells FFT. “Behind my goal is a wall. I went over that, raced into some grass and had a pee. Then the ref sends me off, saying, ‘I cannae believe you have just done that.’” Shettleston did end up winning so their gaffer saw the funny side, as did everyone else.…

“I’VE WATCHED THE GOAL 100 TIMES. WHEN THE BALL CAME TO ME, I THOUGHT, ‘I’M ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE GOALKEEPER, I CAN ACTUALLY SCORE’” There’s not much Ademola Lookman hasn’t seen during his embryonic football career. Relegation, six managers, fan protests, flying pigs, a big-money move and a goal on his Premier League debut – all this inside three years. Since Charlton Athletic plucked him from the muck and nettles of Sunday League football, the 19-year-old has been the star of his own soap opera. The latest twist from his unconventional tale took him to Everton at the start of the year in a deal worth $18million, but now he’s about to face his biggest challenge yet – posing with an ice lolly inside a dressing room at the Toffees’ training…

MAROONED ON THE LINE Outfield players are often a fish out of water when they have to go in goal, so they usually just stay on their line. You may feel vulnerable coming away from your goalmouth, but a forward has far less chance of scoring if you can get out to him and close down the ball. LACK OF DECISION-MAKING A novice does not know when to punch or catch. In fairness, the advice changes – we always used to try to catch it – but the important thing now is being decisive. Decide what you are going to try to do and commit to it, otherwise you will be stuck in two minds and make a mistake. NON-EXISTENT FOOTWORK Inexperienced goalkeepers often find themselves rooted to the spot,…

An outfield player in goal always looks a shambles. Their standard shorts always clash with the vile and luminescent custodian’s top, which somehow suits their regular occupant. And they simply never tuck the thing in properly. Maybe once you have finally got those gloves on, it’s tricky to pull off the fine art of tucking? More likely, though, it highlights the keeper’s psyche, compared to an outfield imposter when they have to go in goal. A keeper’s ‘admin’ must be 100 per cent spot on: just consider the curious private kingdom of the goalkeeper’s glovebag, with its assortment of tapes, gels, chisels and spirit levels (we assume). And then think about the psychological torture – dubbed jelly-fingered and a bunglesplash as you happened to make one…

Age 24 Height 5ft 9in Birthplace Warrington Schoolboy club Fletcher Moss Rangers – the same side that produced fellow United forwards Marcus Rashford & Danny Welbeck. Man United debut He started the 2-1 loss to Swansea in 2014, but had to come off injured after 24 minutes. First United goal Scored the opener in a 2-0 victory at home to West Brom in November 2015. England debut Started England’s 2-0 win at home to Malta last October. Favourite trick “I love a nutmeg, but I’ve also been done by one this season.”…

Brede Hangeland The ex-Crystal Palace defender named the laziest colleagues he ever played with in a hilarious interview. Essam El-Hadary At 44, he’s still Egypt’s No.1 keeper. We want to know what he likes to have for breakfast. Kefir A study says that the fermented drink can boost gut health and help conditions such as lactose intolerance. Sin-bins Football law-makers IFAB are considering introducing sin-bins for bookable offences. Sorry, this isn’t rugby. Championship transfer fees Wolves splashed out $20 million on Helder Costa and Aston Villa parted with $19m for Scott Hogan. Pricey. Daniel Sturridge The Liverpool striker was pictured posing with rapper Drake days after another abject performance.…

CHOCOLATE MILK Working out would be a lot more fun if we could down a pint of lager after a workout, wouldn’t it? Well, modern science is unlikely to suggest we do that anytime soon. However, several experts have backed chocolate milk as a suitable recovery drink. A 2012 study published in the Medicine and Sport Journal revealed a low-fat version of this tasty treat contains a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio. This is the same composition found in many recovery drinks. The same study also found it to be very high in sodium, which aids recuperation. They advised consuming it within two hours of exercise to replenish the body’s glycogen stores. Lovely. 1 “Chocolate milk is cheaper than many branded recovery drinks, but the ingredients can be of poor…

KYLE WALKER ‘He came through the ranks at Sheffield United when I was a first team player there and I helped sort of mentor him into the first team. I remember when he was 16 or 17 and came back from Northampton on loan and broke into the first team and I just remember saying to him, ‘you’re going to play for England.’ The guy just has everything and I’ve never seen an athlete like him.’ PAUL SCHOLES ‘For a midfielder like me to play against someone like Scholesy and the way he made it look so easy – it was like the game stood still whenever he was on the ball. If you looked at him you wouldn’t have thought he was the best athlete you’ve ever seen, but…