Darren Bent believes Mikel Arteta should not play Kepa Arrizabalaga for the remainder of Arsenal's season and insists David Raya should start every game.

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Italy legend Dino Baggio shared his opinion on why Diego Maradona is considered even better than Lionel Messi. Approaching the end of his professional career, Lionel Messi is regarded by many as the greatest player of all time. However, in that debate, other heavyweights come into play, such as Diego Maradona, whom Italy icon Dino Baggio considered the number one. During an interview with Diario AS, the former Juventus and Parma midfielder was asked about his view of modern soccer, particularly Serie A, comparing it with the 1980s and 1990s. Baggio acknowledged that it was more difficult to play in Italy back then: “Perhaps Messi could have had problems here in his day.” That led the conversation toward the differences in soccer over the years. Dino based his opinion on the fact that a few decades ago referees were more lenient when it came to physical contact, resulting in a harsher sport for talented players. “Today, fouls are called before contact, practically,” Baggio noted, before highlighting who he considered the best player in the world during those years. “Maradona, in modern times, would score a thousand goals per season. You can’t imagine what they would hit him with when he was at Napoli,” said the 1994 FIFA World Cup finalist. Dino Baggio playing for Italy vs England in a World Cup qualifier in 1997. Immediately, Dino Baggio compared the two Argentine superstars and pointed out the difference between them: “Messi, back then, would have been equally brilliant, but completely, absolutely crushed. That’s why I say Diego was the greatest. The God of world soccer.” Comparisons between Messi and Maradona Dino Baggio is not the first to highlight the contrast between the leniency of the past and the extreme caution of modern soccer. This is usually one of the arguments used to place stars from previous decades, like Diego Maradona, Pele, or Alfredo Di Stefano, above modern geniuses like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Some statistics support this view. FIFA shared an analysis on its official website a few years ago regarding the number of fouls committed in each edition of the World Cup (with records starting in Chile 1962) and the players who were most frequently fouled. There is an indisputable leader in the rankings. Diego Maradona is the player who received the most fouls in World Cup history, totaling 152 across his four tournaments (1982, 1986, 1990, and 1994). He doubles the second player on the list, Lionel Messi, who was fouled 75 times across his five tournaments from 2006 onwards. Further down are Brazil’s Jairzinho (64), Neymar (60), and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (58). The most astonishing fact is that Maradona ranks first, second, and third for the most fouls received in a single World Cup. In Mexico 1986, he was fouled 53 times; in Italy 1990, 50 times; and in Spain 1982, 36 times. Only in fourth place does another player appear—curiously also Argentine—Ariel Ortega, with 33 fouls in France 1998.

Mikel Arteta discovered that playing your best goalkeeper can be a good idea as his side recovered from cup exits with late win in Lisbon There was a temptation to fixate on the moment when Arsenal won this game with a goal that could change their season. Mikel Arteta had urged his players not to panic, not to sink away with hopes of a quadruple long gone, and Kai Havertz got the memo. Gabriel Martinelli crossed from the left and, as the ball dropped, Havertz caught the Sporting defence napping at last, controlled with a feathery touch, took a breath and rolled a finish past Rui Silva to give Arsenal victory in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. It had been a slog at Estádio José Alvalade. Arsenal attempted 488 passes and it was not until the first of two added minutes that they made one really count. Before then it was a grind. Arsenal were often constipated in open play. Although they controlled the game, at least until allowing it to become ragged during a fraught finale, there were long spells when the best the Premier League leaders offered was set-piece wrestling. Noni Madueke, mostly ineffective as he deputised for Bukayo Saka on the right wing, curled an early corner against the bar. Viktor Gyökeres was recorded as being on the pitch. Leandro Trossard tried to score from 40 yards. Leandro Trossard did not score from 40 yards.

Arsenal have guaranteed the Premier League a fifth Champions League spot for next season by beating Sporting Lisbon. The Gunners snatched a dramatic 1-0 victory in Portugal on Tuesday night. Kai Ha…

The last-eight rubber looked to be heading for a goalless draw before Havertz latched on to Gabriel Martinelli’s ball to deliver a fine finish.

How Mikel Arteta treasured this win. All the tension that had built up in the Arsenal manager after devastating defeats in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup was suddenly released in the moment that Kai Havertz calmly slotted home from fellow substitute Gabriel Martinelli’s cross in the first minute of injury time and he set off on a celebration charge down the touchline, fists pumping. He had been a frustrated presence until then as Arsenal put in another anxious performance against a ­spirited Sporting side who could have established a precious lead ahead of next week’s second leg in north ­London if they had taken their chances. But having scored in the last round against his former club Bayer Leverkusen, once again it was Havertz who edged Arsenal closer to the last four for only the fourth time in their history.

Thibaut Courtois has missed Real Madrid's Champions League match against Bayern Munich due to a thigh injury.

Santos boss Cuca revealed Neymar is “raring to go” after undergoing a knee procedure during the international break. Neymar was left out of Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad for the March break, dampening his chances of featuring at this summer’s World Cup. Neymar is Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals and has represented the Selecao […] The post Neymar ´raring to go´ after knee procedure, says Santos boss Cuca appeared first on Soccer News.

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