Looking for Soccer News?

Simba SC have come out to state they are not interested in the services of Young Africans (Yanga SC) midfielder Mukoko Tonombe.

Social media has for the past week linked Tonombe, who signed for the Jangwani giants in the just concluded transfer window, with a move to rivals Simba, a few days after it emerged Yanga had also shown interest in signing midfielder Clatous Chama from the league champions.

Simba chairman Mohamed Dewji has now told reporters in Dar es Salaam they have not discussed Tonombe as a target, and rubbished the reports, terming them as propaganda.

“We don't need Tonombe, those are propaganda,” Dewji told reporters during a weekly press meeting.

“To tell the truth, we have not even talked about this issue on the board, this thing is propaganda...so the issue of this player we have not talked about it and there is no official news to say that this player we are following him.”

On Saturday, Yanga official Herdi Said dismissed the reports that Tonombe was headed to rivals Yanga SC by stating he is happy at the Jangwani giants.

“What is being said on social media platforms concerning Mukoko is just propaganda by a certain fraction of people who do not wish Yanga well and have run out of ideas,” Said said as quoted by Daily News.

“The truth is Mukoko signed a two-year extension contract to serve at our club as such, people should not be misguided from what they see on social media outlets since he is our legal player.” He further revealed that already Yanga have completed payments of transfer and signing fees of Mukoko from his former club AS Vita hence the two parties have nothing to worry about.

“As you know, Tonombe is the third captain in our team and I can assure you that he is happy to serve Yanga,” Said continued.

His statement came just a day after Simba CEO Barbara Gonzalez stated there is no way they are going to let midfielder Chama join Yanga.

“Simba are a big brand who know what to do so that the fans might not end up regretting their support for the club,” Gonzalez told Mwanaspoti.

“On matters Chama, we have had some negotiations with him which are ongoing and in a direction we like but for now we have not come close to an agreement. What I can tell fans is that soon, they will know the answer to the questions surrounding the midfielder and his future."

Tonombe has so far scored one goal for Yanga in the Mainland Premier League.

Bruno Fernandes believes Manchester United have the mental strength to compete for the Premier League title.

The Portuguese midfielder has made a massive impact since making the move to Old Trafford from Sporting CP in January.

He has been a bright spot during a spell when United have struggled for consistency, and they currently sit 14th in the Premier League.

United are eight points behind leaders Leicester City, albeit having played one game fewer, and are long shots to lift the title this season.

But winning silverware was one of the reasons the Portugal international made the move to United - and he is not prepared to throw in the towel.

“For me, it doesn't matter about the other teams," Fernandes told UTD Podcast. "People may say they're better than us, they have a better first XI than us, guys who come from the bench are better.

"People can say what they think, I don't care. For a club like United, it's a long time since we won the Premier League. It's too long, I think.

"So you have to have in your mind - all the players, all the staff - we're here to win. And I think we have that mentality.

"I came to Manchester to win trophies. You're playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world. This club has made history in the past, an amazing history."

Fernandes’ passing is one of his primary assets, but he is still keen to improve his game and is learning from coach Michael Carrick.

Carrick spent 12 years controlling the pace of play in United’s midfield, and he is still capable in training.

“I was watching in training and Carrick was playing – maybe there was one player less, and some of the players in the last first XI are in recovery – and I was watching Carrick, and he didn’t miss a pass,” Fernandes said.

“He’s a player who has that quality of passes and also when we need to do some finishing or passing exercises, he’s always there helping us with the balls. I’m learning a lot from him and he’s one of the people I like to listen to, because he was a big player, he won a lot of trophies for the club and for me you have to learn from these players.”

Former RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick believes centre-back Dayot Upamecano would be a success at Bayern Munich.

The 22-year-old has been linked with many top European sides in recent years, with Liverpool and Bayern currently tipped to make a move for him.

The Reds are expected to sign a new centre-back in the January transfer window after seeing Virgil van Dijk ruled out for several months with a knee injury amid a growing defensive crisis.

Bayern, meanwhile, are likely to lose David Alaba and Jerome Boateng at the end of the season and will have to invest in their back line. 

France international Upamecano was recently backed to become a world-class star by current Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann and his former boss Rangnick believes he is good enough for the European and German champions.

Asked if he believes he would excel in Bavaria, Rangnick told Sport1: "Why not? Bayern know this player well, you can assume that. Physically, Bayern saw that in direct duels: no one will run away from him.

"He might still have one or two risky balls too many in a game, but he will certainly learn in the next few years.

"I got to know Upa and his family over many years. They not only make decisions that sound good to them in terms of his image, but they also make decisions based on the feeling of what is best for the player himself."

But Upamecano is not the only defender in Nagelsmann's side that can reach the top level according to Rangnick, as he highlighted 21-year-old Ibrahim Konate as a star.

"There are a few others in Leipzig: I see Ibrahim Konate on the same level," he said.

Bayern signed promising defender Tanguy Nianzou from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window and although the 18-year-old is yet to feature for Hansi Flick's team, Rangnick believes he will become a regular starter before long.

"I was in contact with the player and his parents for two years," he added. "He is an exceptional talent and will be one of the best central defenders of the next 10 years.

"If he stays healthy, he will be a regular in a year."

Liverpool should move for David Alaba, according to Emile Heskey, as he feels the Austrian ticks all the boxes for his former club.

Alaba’s future at Bayern Munich is in doubt after the club took the decision to end contract talks with the versatile defender.

It is not inconceivable that Alaba commits to a new contract with Bayern, but Heskey feels that the Reds should step in when the transfer window opens in January.

“You’ve got a player who plays left-back, left side centre-back and left wing-back and he can step into midfield as well,” Heskey told Rousing the Kop of a player whose present deal is due to expire at the end of the current campaign.

“You’ve got a younger version of James Milner, someone who can tick all the boxes but tick them well.

“If you look at what he’s achieved, he’s a winner, so he knows what it takes to win and that’s what you want within your squad.

“Because that rubs off on the younger players as well because what you do and what you’ve achieved, they want to do as well.”

Liverpool could arguably do with having Alaba in their ranks now, given the injury crisis they are facing.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is without Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Fabinho from the centre of his defence, while full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are nursing knocks, albeit the latter’s hamstring complaint does not appear to be serious.

Even if they had to wait until the summer to bring in Alaba, it would be worth the wait as the 28-year-old is one of the most accomplished players in the game.

Equally at home at left-back or in the centre of defence, Alaba can also operate in midfield and is a proven winner having secured domestic and European success with Bayern.

Alaba has lifted the Bundesliga title on nine occasions, and earlier this year he played the whole 90 minutes as Bayern beat Paris Saint-Germain to secure Champions League glory - his second success in Europe’s elite club competition following their win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in 2013.

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has called out the Daily Mail for the manner in which it has reported his off-field investments.

While the 23-year-old striker has been in good form for the Old Trafford club this season, scoring seven times and laying on three more in 12 outings, his contribution off the field has also caught the headlines in 2020.

Rashford has spearheaded a campaign for free school meals, which has ensured that kids from disadvantaged backgrounds will be granted access to food throughout holiday periods until at least Easter 2021.

He has taken exception to the manner in which the Daily Mail has portrayed his property investments, with a headline reading: “What a result! Campaigning football star Marcus Rashford has bought five luxury homes worth more than £2 million.”

The young striker has been angered that his charity work has been cited in the report.

He took to Twitter to state: “Ok, so let’s address this. I’m 23. I came from little. I need to protect not just my future but my family’s too. To do that I made a decision at the beg of 2020 to start investing more in property. Please don’t run stories like this alongside refs to ‘campaigning’.”

Rashford was awarded an MBE for services to vulnerable children in the UK during Covid-19 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his work that secured 1.3 million children the right to claim free school meals vouchers over England’s summer holidays.

Speaking at that time, he said: "It's a nice moment for me personally but I feel like I'm still at the beginning of the journey that I set out to try to achieve.

"I think what I would like to do now that I'm in this position is just speak directly to the prime minister and really ask for the vouchers to be extended until at least October half-term because I think that's what the families need.

"Speaking to them and knowing how much they've been helped, and how much it's going to affect them if they don't have it, that's got to be my main focus now - to get that message across."

Former England, Liverpool and Tottenham goalkeeper Ray Clemence has died at the age of 72.

Clemence was one of the greatest goalkeepers ever to play the game, and played a massive part during Liverpool’s era of dominance through the 1970s.

Signed by Bill Shankly form Scunthorpe United in 1967, Clemence was a commanding and towering presence behind the Reds’ impressive back line.

Clemence won five league titles with Liverpool, along with an FA Cup, League Cup, two UEFA Cups and three European Cups.

After leaving Liverpool in 1981, Clemence went on to enjoy FA Cup and UEFA Cup success with Tottenham before retiring in 1988.

Clemence was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005 and was at the forefront of the campaign to raise awareness of the disease.

The Clemence family issued a statement on Sunday, which read: “With great sadness, we write to let you know that Ray Clemence passed away peacefully today, surrounded by his loving family.

“After fighting so hard, for such a long time, he’s now at peace and in no more pain.

“The family would like to say a huge thank you, for all the love and support that he’s received over the years. He was loved so much by us all and he will never be forgotten.”

Clemence won 61 caps for England, but that figure would have been far higher had he not shared the stage with Peter Shilton.

The pair were head and shoulders above their peers, and for a time the England management found it so difficult to split them that they played alternate games.

Clemence’s final game for his country was against Luxembourg in 1983, a career that spanned 12 years.

He briefly went into management, taking charge of Barnet in the mid-1990s, before taking up a coaching role with England under Glenn Hoddle.

Clemence kept his role under Hoddle’s successors Kevin Keegan, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren but was replaced when Fabio Capello took the reins and inserted Franco Tancredi as goalkeeping coach.

The former goalkeeper’s son Stephen followed him into the professional ranks, being a midfielder for Tottenham, Birmingham and Leicester before retiring from the game in 2010.

Bafana Bafana forward Percy Tau says he will continue to work hard in order to realise his dream of playing in the Premier League.

The 26-year-old player is still on the books of English outfit Brighton and Hove Albion having joined the Premier League side from Mamelodi Sundowns in August 2018.

However, due to work-permit complications in the United Kingdom (UK), Tau has spent three seasons out on loan from Brighton in Belgium. 

The left-footed player is currently with Belgian giants RSC Anderlecht having also had spells with Club Brugge and Union Saint-Gilloise.

"I'm not aware, I'm not aware [laughs]. I think I've been doing well, I've been trying my best every time," Tau told the media when asked how far he is from playing in the Premier League. 

"For sure I've been on loan for three years. I think there's been progress in my game. I went to Brugge and won the league so I don't see issues with that.

"I've always said there have been issues that were forcing me out, it was never about talent or belief, so we will have to see when it does happen. But I have to keep on working hard."

Tau is widely considered to be Bafana's best player at the moment having enjoyed some success in Belgium where he has won the First Division A title and played in the Champions League and Europa League during his time with Brugge. 

The Witbank-born player also played an instrumental role in helping South Africa qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals and he is among the Bafana players who ply their trade abroad.

Tau urged his Bafana teammates to maintain their good performances at club level in order to give the national team head coach Molefi Ntseki a selection headache

"It is very important, it also gives hopes to local guys because they also have a chance to grow and also believe they can go overseas as well," he added.

"It gives us confidence and a headache for the coach to choose the starting line-up. It's always good to have players doing well locally and abroad."

Tau was on the scoresheet for South Africa as they secured a 2-0 win over Sao Tome and Principe in the 2022 Afcon qualifier in Durban on Friday.

The two teams are set to meet again on Monday at Nelson Mandella Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth where Sao Tome will officially be the home side. 

Youssoufa Moukoko should be given his chance in Borussia Dortmund’s first team, according to youth-team boss Lars Ricken.

Moukoko will turn 16 next Friday but has already been lighting it up for the Under-19 team this season.

In just three matches for the U19s, he has scored 10 goals and laid on another one. Indeed, he has netted at least a hat-trick in all three matches he has played this season and has captained the team on each occasion.

Ricken says that the young forward has earned his chance to play in the Bundesliga.

“I hope he can fulfil his dream because he deserves it,” he told Welt am Sonntag. “He’s a great and very sociable guy who’s worked hard to get to where he is.”

Ricken is well placed to understand Moukoko’s feelings, having been something of a BVB prodigy himself. Although he went on to score a goal in the 1997 Champions League final, in which Dortmund beat Juventus 3-1, there is a sense that he failed to fulfil his potential, despite 14 years at the club.

Nevertheless, he holds no fears about throwing Moukoko in early.

“There’s no youth player who has had as many minutes of play and training as he has in recent years,” he said. “This is an indicator that he is able to cope with the stresses of professional football.”

Meanwhile, Nuri Sahin, who is presently the club’s youngest-ever player, does not believe fielding the forward would be wise.

“You're not doing a young player a favour by throwing him in too early,” he said.

“I am sure that there is no better club for young players. Especially because I know the people involved, but can he handle it if he runs up to the goalkeeper alone four times in front of 80,000 fans and still doesn’t score?”

Dortmund will play Hertha Berlin in their next Bundesliga match. Lucien Favre’s side currently lie third in the standings, three points behind leaders Bayern Munich, having suffered a 3-2 defeat to the Champions League winners when they met in their previous outing.

Lothar Matthaus has suggested Bayern Munich have an interest in Dominik Szoboszlai, a player he has described as a ‘gem’ who is being compared to Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas.

Red Bull Salzburg man Szoboszlai is a hot topic at the moment, with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid all being linked with the 20-year-old.

Bayern great Matthaus feels every top club in Europe is monitoring a player whose stock increased further last week when he scored a superb solo goal to secure Hungary’s place in next summer’s European Championship.

With the scores level heading into injury time, Szoboszlai picked up the ball in his own half, drove at the Iceland defence before arrowing a shot into the bottom corner to seal victory for Hungary.

Matthaus has connections to Hungary and Bayern, having coached the former and played a large chunk of his career for the latter, and he feels Szoboszlai is out of the top drawer.

“He is a gem,” Matthaus said in an interview with Munchner Abendzeitung. “He’s like Kai Havertz.

“He could move to RB Leipzig in January, but I'm convinced that every top club in Europe has him on their list, including FC Bayern."

Bayern are not short of attacking talent, which they added to in the summer with the capture of Leroy Sane from Manchester City.

However, as European champions, Hansi Flick’s side will be well aware of the need to keep growing - and Szoboszlai does look to have enormous potential.

Szoboszlai is at the fledgling stage of his career, but Hungarians feel they have a potential great on their hands - with Matthaus revealing that the nation believes he could be the successor to its greatest player, Real Madrid legend Puskas.

“In Hungary, Szoboszlai is already being compared to the great Ferenc Puskas,” Matthaus said.

Comparisons to a player who won five league titles with Real Madrid and was named the best player at the 1954 World Cup will only increase the pressure on the attacking midfielder.

But if his goal against Iceland is in any way a barometer, Szoboszlai looks capable of scaling great heights in the game.

Szoboszlai will have the chance to impress further on Sunday when his Hungary take on Serbia in Nations League action.

Bloemfontein Celtic defender Justice Chabalala says he will do his best to help Siwelele overcome Orlando Pirates in the 2020 MTN8 final on December 12. 

The 28-year-old player is on a season-long loan deal at Celtic from Pirates and he is looking forward to playing in another major cup final. 

Chabalala helped Celtic reach last season's Nedbank Cup final where they succumbed to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in September 2020. 

“I like Pirates and Celtic. They both treated me well. It was the same at Chippa United and Free State Stars, but now I am with Celtic," Chabalala told Daily Sun. 

"I have to be honest with my job and compete to ensure we get what we deserve. I will work hard and give it 100% effort to win the game.

"We got there [in the final], so we should fight and at the end of the day, we will see who wins. Celtic haven’t won a trophy in a long time and it’s the same with Bucs, so this will be an interesting final.”

Despite their good form in the MTN8, Celtic have had a slow start to the 2020/21 PSL season having recorded two draws and one defeat in the league.

The lanky centre back remains hopeful that Siwelele can challenge for the PSL title and win it for the first time in the club's history. 

“We are taking it one game at a time. Celtic are not a small team. I can’t say we want to save our PSL status or reach the top eight. We’re competing for the Premiership," he said. 

"We also have many quality players who can help the team reach the goal.”

However, Chabalala is concerned by Celtic's poor finishing having scored once in three league matches this term and he also praised coach John Maduka. 

“We need to score. We play beautiful football, but we lack goals. We also need to stop conceding. We can do much better.”

“We have a good coach who is also a father figure to us. Together with coach Wire [Abram Nteo], Mototo [Ditheko] and [Samuel] Kgopane, they treat the players equally.

"It’s nice to work with them as they are professionals who know what they are doing.”

Celtic will take on Cape Town City in a league match at Cape Town Stadium on November 22 as club football resumes following the current international Fifa break.

Six out of 11 Indian Super League (ISL) clubs have managed to procure the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) club licensing for the 2020-21 season.

Clubs who have passed the licensing criteria are ATK Mohun Bagan FC, Jamshedpur FC, Chennaiyin FC, Mumbai City FC, Bengaluru FC and FC Goa.

On the other hand, SC East Bengal, Kerala Blasters FC, Hyderabad FC, NorthEast United FC and Odisha FC have not cleared the licensing procedure. 

The clubs will now have to either appeal against the decision of the Club Licensing Committee or can apply for an exemption. If they choose to appeal, it will be heard by the Club Licensing Appeals Body of AIFF. The clubs will have to do so within a stipulated time to participate in any national club competition in the 2020-21 season.

Sources close to Goal have confirmed that SC East Bengal who were the last team to enter the ISL this season have decided to apply for an exemption. 

Earlier the clubs had to comply with five mandatory licensing criteria but this season, the AFC has been lenient owing to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The criteria which were exempted by the AFC are youth development program, medical support services, grassroots program, club youth academy, security officer, youth physiotherapist, head of youth development, youth coaches, security and safety organisations and a club development program.

It has to be noted that Jamshedpur FC, Chennaiyin FC, Bengaluru FC and FC Goa have cleared the licensing process for the third consecutive year.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had opened up the club licensing system for the 2020-21 season on July 14. The Club Licensing Application Pack (CLAP) was sent to all eligible clubs and they were asked to submit a signed copy of the Club Licensing agreement which is a declaration that they are ready to undertake the initiative of procuring a license. 

Later in October, the AFC had extended the deadline for submitting the necessary documents for the Club Licensing to November 13. 

South Africa resume their rivalry against Sao Tome e Principe when they meet the islanders at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in a return leg of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Monday.

Following a 2-0 victory in Durban on Friday, Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki would want to make a follow-up on that win with another set of maximum points to attain a strong standing in Group C.

However, even if South Africa win and Group C leaders Ghana lose in Sudan, Bafana will not go top due to their head-to-head record against the Black Stars, who beat them in November 2019.

But still, Ntseki and his men are keen for victory against their lowly-ranked opponents who have lost their last three games.

For Bafana to stitch three consecutive wins in this campaign, it would be the right tonic going into their next match when they host Ghana in March 2021.

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

The game will be shown live on SuperSport TV and SABC. 

Squads & Team News

After going into Friday's match in Durban with a depleted strikeforce, there has been good news for Ntseki who welcomes back Kermit Erasmus from injury.

The Mamelodi Sundowns forward was a last-minute withdrawal from the starting line-up in the reverse fixture, leaving Ntseki to start Kaizer Chiefs' Lebogang Manyama who has attracted a lot of criticism at both club and national team level.

Erasmus' return is a major boost for Bafana Bafana who have managed three goals from as many matches in this campaign so far.

A combination between Themba Zwane, Percy Tau and Erasmus could prove too strong for Sao Tome. Not much changes are expected from the Bafana team which started on Friday.

Sao Tome coach Tino might not make too many changes on his squad that started in Durban.

A valiant first-half display frustrated Bafana who were struggling to score.

Maintaining that starting line-up and repeating the ability to hold Bafana in that opening half could be what Sao Tome need to do on Monday.

Iniesta and Ronaldo who came on as substitutes in the reverse leg could start, while it is not yet clear if first-choice goalkeeper Aldair D'Almeida will play after he was replaced by Nilson Taty.

Match Preview

Despite winning 2-0 last Friday, South Africa put up an unconvincing showing which is regarded as risky if they adopt the same approach on Monday.

That kind of performance could inspire hope on Sao Tome to collect their first points in this campaign.

Struggling to breach the Sao Tome defence especially in the first half saw impatient Bafana fans venting their anger on social media.

It took a penalty converted by Percy Tau to break the deadlock as the team continued to struggle to score from open play.

Substitute Bongani Zungu rose from the bench for his 90th-minute strike to double Bafana's advantage but glaring shortcomings, especially in terms of creativity upfront, remained major talking points.

Improving on such a performance could see Bafana knit a third straight win in their bid to qualify for Cameroon 2022.

Sao Tome would, however, not want to lose as they still hunt for their first ever points in a group they anchor.

A defeat for the Atlantic Ocean islanders will throw them out of contention for the 2022 Afcon finals.

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos admits that he was “amused” by the angry reaction he received for criticising the celebration of Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Speaking last week, the Germany international commented that he felt the Gabon star’s decision to mark goals by pulling on a superhero mask was a step too far.

Aubameyang fired back with a post on his social networks telling Kroos to lighten up, while Mesut Ozil, an Arsenal player and a former Germany international, chipped in against his compatriot.

Speaking to Bild, Kroos said of Ozil: “I’m not surprised by anyone anymore. I found it very amusing, but in the meantime I’ve put it behind me.”

The controversy started when Kroos was speaking on podcast ‘Einfach mal Luppen’, which he runs with his brother Felix.

During one episode, he commented: “I find it (choreographed celebrations) very silly. Even worse is if there are any objects hidden in their socks. Aubameyang once celebrated and took out a mask. That's where it ends with me. I don't think that's a good role model, either. What nonsense.”

Aubameyang’s response was quick to arrive once the story broke.

“By the way - does this Toni Kroos have kids? Just remember, I did it for my son a few times and I will do it again. I wish you have kids one day and make them happy like this junior school pupil. And don’t forget #maskon #staysafe,” he posted on his Twitter feed.

Ozil joined in the debate and made clear his loyalty to his club-mate as he posted a video of Aubameyang in a Black Panther mask with the comment: “The best goal celebration.”

Kroos has been playing a leading role for Real Madrid this season and has played in nine of the club’s 11 matches so far this term, lending one assist to the cause.

Madrid have made an inconsistent start to the season but he has offered his backing to head coach Zinedine Zidane to turn things around.

Prior to the international break, Los Blancos suffered a 4-1 defeat to Valencia, which saw them fall to fourth in the Primera Division standings.

Dante Rossi broke down in tears during a post-match interview following San Marino’s draw with Gibraltar, but was able to dedicate the unlikely result to the whole nation.

San Marino have been European football’s whipping boys for years, but the draw at home to Gibraltar - which came despite the team playing for most of the second half with 10 men following the sending off of Davide Simoncini - was their second in succession in the Nations League, following an identical 0-0 scoreline against Liechtenstein in October.

Centre-back Rossi was particularly pleased with back-to-back clean sheets, so much so that he broke down in tears during his interview.

“For me it's really a dream,” the 33-year-old Chiesanuova defender said during an interview with RTV San Marino. “I can't talk much.

“My family is happy, my wife too. I want to say thank you to my team-mates and all the staff. We hope to stay here for a long time. 

"I dedicate this draw to the whole country. We are a small country but we have a big heart. 

“To my family, my wife and all my friends, I apologise."

The draw with Gibraltar concluded San Marino’s Nations League Group D2 campaign, and they will finish bottom of the pool on two points.

But for a nation who have often been the butt of jokes as their team is often filled with amateurs whose day jobs vary from accountants to salesmen, to secure back-to-back draws is some achievement.

The next target for San Marino is a win in competitive action. They have only one victory to their name, a 1-0 success over Liechtenstein in a friendly way back in 2004.

Choking back tears, Rossi urged the nation’s supporters to stay with them as he says it is only the beginning of the journey.

At 33 years of age, Rossi may not have many years ahead of him on the international stage, but the Argentina-born defender is not ready to walk away any time soon.

For Gibraltar, they will need to bounce back from failing to beat San Marino as they take on Liechtenstein on Tuesday for what is a decider for top spot in the table.

To constructively criticise or analyse Joe Aribo’s performances since making his debut for Nigeria last year, one needs to consider the appropriate context.

For one, he’s entirely dissimilar to Mikel John Obi, so maybe finding similarities between the retired Africa Cup of Nations winner and the 24-year-old does no one any sort of good. It gets tiring having these debates as they tend to put undue pressure on the player in question.

Consider Alex Iwobi, Jay-Jay Okocha’s nephew, who’s struggled to shake the expectation placed upon him to be as exemplary as his uncle for the national team. Even Mikel was earmarked as Nigeria’s answer to an extended search to find the maverick’s replacement for the Super Eagles.

This continued deep into the ex-Chelsea midfielder’s career in which, despite his career making him into one of the finest anchorman in the game — even though he strangely divided opinion in West London, illogically most times — there was a tendency by coaches of the West African nation to utilise him in a number 10 role.

Indeed, this was odd as the 2012 Champions League winner’s strengths had moved away from the sensation that emerged at the 2005 Fifa World Youth Championship. He wore the number 10 shirt until his retirement and was largely played behind the striker in a renaissance under Gernot Rohr but Mikel’s strengths were an antithesis of a playmaker.

Back to Aribo, whose usage in the Nigeria set-up under Rohr since that debut vs Ukraine in 2019 has made for interesting observation.

While little was known about the midfield man at the time of his international bow, events since then and his deployment under Steven Gerrard at Rangers suggest he’s played out of position with the Super Eagles.

On his debut appearance in Dnipro, Aribo was used in a midfield pivot along with Oghenekaro Etebo, who partnered him in Friday’s 4-4 draw with Sierra Leone. Against the European nation, Rohr’s side also raced into a lead — 2-0 on that occasion — but then surrendered the lead late on with the concession of two goals inside two minutes to draw 2-2.

However, Friday’s was even worse, given that the three-time African giants led 4-0 and looked to be cruising to one of the more comfortable victories under the German manager before the late capitulation ensued.

The midfield pairing? Etebo and Aribo.

Make no mistake, this is no slight on the pair, who are good players in their own right. Rather, it’s a criticism of Rohr who not only played two largely attack-minded players in the middle of the park but bizarrely had no replacements on the bench at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium — the bench comprised four attackers, six defenders and two goalkeepers.

For Aribo’s part, effectively utilising him in the current side would be tricky especially without the immaculate presence of Wilfred Ndidi. Given his natural tendency is to drive forward and be a presence in the box to finish up moves, playing him in a partnership with Etebo was always going to be awkward.

With Rohr opting for a 4-4-2 — the German boss had, until recently, approached games in a 4-2-3-1 — the burden already placed on the midfielders was going to be taxing, despite the opponent.

So, it was then exasperating that there was no midfield body on the bench, a scenario envisioned after the 67-year-old’s squad announcement revealed a certain imbalance.

Indeed, as the Leone Stars rallied in the second-half with Aribo and Etebo clearly needing help, there was absolutely no one to call upon from the bench to either change the shape or replace either midfielder.

The profile of the Rangers man offers possible solutions to the West Africans but it equally poses several questions. He’s clearly not best utilised in a two-man midfield — particularly without Ndidi and evidently not along with Etebo — and isn’t someone to be placed as an out-and-out playmaker.

Theoretically, the former Charlton Athletic player functions effectively in a three-man midfield but that potential tweak would mean the African giants change their shape going forward.

This would have ramifications for most players in central midfield and the attack, with someone like Iwobi most likely shunted out wide to the left. It has to be noted that the Everton attacking midfielder did score twice on Friday playing in this position, where he mostly tucked in to allow Zaidu Sanusi to push forward effectively.

Still, it remains to be seen whether Rohr sticks to the recently utilised 4-4-2, moves back to the 4-2-3-1 or changes completely to a 4-3-3 to get the best out of Aribo, who’s also capable of moonlighting as a wide attacker.

These questions facing the coach have to be answered. Is the former Bayern Munich player capable or willing to tweak his system to get the best out of players like the Rangers man or will he continue to play square pegs in round holes?

Current uncertainties mean we’re a long way from having the debate regarding Aribo effectively replacing Mikel, an argument that shouldn’t be had in the first place due to the pair’s different profiles.

The Premier League is one of the most difficult competitions in the world and it can be particularly tough at the bottom end as clubs fight to avoid relegation.

Received wisdom suggests that clubs need to reach the magic total of 40 points in order to guarantee their safety in the division, but that is not strictly true and, in reality, the magic number is usually lower than that.

Relegation battles are often keenly contested, but every now and then one team is by far the worst of them all - much to the chagrin of their fans, naturally.

So, which teams have produced the worst-ever points totals and goal differences in Premier League history?

Derby County have the inglorious honour of the worst-ever Premier League points total, having earned just 11 points on their way to relegation in the 2007-08 Premier League season.

The Rams won just one match all season, losing 29 and drawing eight. They scored just 20 goals in 38 games, conceding a staggering 89 times.

They were the first team in the history of the Premier League to be relegated from the division as early as March and they finished an incredible 24 points behind 19th-placed Birmingham City.

Derby chiefs stuck with manager Billy Davies until the end of November 2007 before replacing him with Paul Jewell, who could not arrest the slide.

*Correct as of the conclusion of the 2019-20 season

Sunderland's 2005-06 campaign follows Derby's ignominious season as the Black Cats finished bottom of the league with just 15 points.

They won three games and drew six, scoring 26 goals and conceding 69. Mick McCarthy's side finished the term 15 points behind the nearest team, West Brom.

Sunderland teams actually feature three times in the worst 10 Premier League seasons, with their 2002-03 (19 points) and 2016-17 (24 points) campaigns being particularly poor.

In 2018-19, Huddersfield managed just 16 points (five of which came after Christmas) and were officially relegated from the Premier League in March after a truly dismal showing.

The Terriers, who did well to survive the season before, scored just 22 goals all season and their defence conceded a disappointing total of 76 times.

Aston Villa may have a European Cup in their trophy cabinet, but they also endured one of the worst-ever seasons in Premier League history.

Back in 2015-16, Villa were relegated as the bottom side after scraping together a dismal total of just 17 points. They lost 27 matches all season, winning three and drawing eight.

Tim Sherwood was at the helm until the end of October when he was replaced by Remi Garde, but the French coach was unable to turn it around and Villa ended up 17 points adrift of 19th-placed Norwich City.

Norwich themselves were the absolute worst team in the Premier League during the 2019-20 season, with Watford, Wolves and Queens Park Rangers completing the roll of dishonour.

Interestingly, all of the worst 10 Premier League relegation campaigns come after the turn of the millennium, while the majority of those occurred from 2010 onwards.