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In the world of football, after Roy Keane’s comments, Virgil van Dik stated that there is no arrogance in him for saying that only Liverpool tried to win the Premier League clash against Manchester United, which ended in a 0-0 draw. French former tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga revealed the reason behind less popularity of Novak Djokovic among fans than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Former wrestler Anita Sheoran, who is contesting the WFI auction to become the first WFI female president, said that nobody close to Brij Bhushan should contest elections.
Check out major headlines from the sporting world in today's sports wrap:
Football
Virgil van Dijk responds to Roy Keane’s claim of arrogance in him
The Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk got himself in hot water with Roy Keane for stating that only his team tried to win during their 0-0 draw against Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday. It led to the former footballer calling him “arrogant” on Sky Sports, to which Virgil van Dijk responded, "I like Roy Keane if he said that then it's fine," before stating, "He is Manchester United throughout and I understand he could react like that but I felt what I said and there is absolutely no arrogance in that."
We want to deliver for the club and the fans: Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino
In the build-up to their EFL Cup quarter-final match against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino spoke about how it’s a priority to win a title at the West London club after a tough first half of the season in the Premier League. He was quoted as saying, “We want to deliver for the club and the fans. It's a priority when you're at Chelsea to win a title, it's important so it's in our mind and objectives.”
Manchester United watch VfB Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy during their 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich: Reports
The scouts of Manchester United, AC Milan, Fulham, and West Ham were reportedly watching the Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy during their 3-0 loss against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in the Bundesliga as per 90min reports. The 27-year-old has already scored 16 goals in the Bundesliga this 2023-24 season with only Harry Kane ahead of him, thanks to his 20 goals in the league thus far.
Barcelona ready to listen to offers for selling Brazilian winger Raphinha: Reports
Barcelona are reportedly ready to listen to offers for Brazil winger Raphinha with Manchester United interested in bringing him to the Premier League. As per the report from Sport in Spanish, the English giants are considering a proposal of a swap deal for Raphinha which could involve sending their out-of-favour winger Jadon Sancho to Barcelona during the January transfer window.
Some major results in football are as under:
FIFA Club World Cup 2023
Fluminense 2-0 Al-Ahli
La Liga 2023-24
Girona 3-0 Alaves
Serie A 2023-24
Atalanta 4-1 Salernitana
Tennis
His expectations for Melbourne aren’t sky-high right now: Boris Becker on Rafael Nadal’s comeback
German former World Number 1 tennis player Boris Becker said that Rafael Nadal will have modest expectations on his return to the tennis court after more than a year. Becker said, “I don't think his expectations for Melbourne are sky-high right now: if he wins a few matches there, good for him. He will then concentrate on the clay-court tournaments early on. He'll play Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, and maybe even Rome to be 100 percent fit again in Paris.”
He went on to say, “His goal has to be Roland Garros, and then the Olympics, both of which will be played in Paris on clay. But he has to play first: he will only gain match fitness and match practice by playing in matches. So, he has to suffer a little so that he gets better in March, and April until he can play his best game in May.”
Tsonga reveals reason behind low popularity of Djokovic than Federer and Nadal
French former tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga revealed the reason behind less popularity of Novak Djokovic among fans than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Tsonga spoke on the Generation Do It Yourself podcast, "I consider that he had a period where he didn't want to be himself. He wanted to be Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal when perhaps he should have remained himself all along. I think today he is himself. And even if it is divisive, I think that’s why it is appreciated by many people. Because now he's completely honest.”
Carlos Alcaraz expresses excitement on exhibition match against Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz expressed his excitement on the forthcoming exhibition match against Novak Djokovic. The players will lock horns on December 27 as a highlight of the Riyadh Season festival, organized by the General Entertainment Authority of the country. This event will serve as a prelude for both players for the first Grand Slam of the year, the 2024 Australian Open. Alcaraz took to social media to express excitement over the upcoming match in Riyadh against the 24 Grand Slam winner. He tweeted, "Heading to Riyadh on December 27 for my match against @DjokerNole! @RiyadhSeason.”
Roger Federer’s ex-coach bids on Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz to be top players in Grand Slams
Roger Federer’s ex-coach Paul Annacone feels that Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are currently a little better than the others and will thus have the upper hand at Grand Slams in the upcoming season. He said on the Rock n Roll Tennis podcast, “In my personal opinion right now over the 12 months span, I think Novak and [Carlos] are a little better than everybody. Little better, not a lot. Does that mean they are going to win every single tournament? No. But I would lean towards them in the Majors – in three out of five sets.”
He added, “After Alcaraz, I think there’s Medvedev – [he’s] the next one. He’s right there on the heels. He’s close.”
Wrestling
Nobody close to Brij Bhushan should be contesting WFI elections: Anita Sheoran
Former wrestler Anita Sheoran, who is contesting the WFI auction to become the first WFI female president, said that nobody close to Brij Bhushan should contest elections. Sheoran told the Indian Express, “Nobody close to Brij Bhushan should be contesting these elections. If Brij Bhushan’s loyalists contest and win, there won’t be any reforms in the Wrestling Federation. Brij Bhushan still has a strong grip over the WFI. Everyone knows that the person I am contesting against is close to Brij Bhushan. If women wrestlers are to feel safe, WFI needs a proper cleanup. If the elections don’t bring about change then what is the point.”
