The centre-back put pen to paper at Anfield on Friday morning and committed his future to the club.

Van Dijk has spent three-and-a-half years at the club, joining the side from Southampton in January 2018 for £75 million.

Asked how it felt to have inked the fresh terms, Van Dijk told Liverpoolfc.com: “Amazing. It is something to be very proud of, that I am very proud of, that my wife and my kids are very proud of and obviously my agency.

“All the hard work we’ve put in so far continues and I am looking forward to what the future brings together with Liverpool. I’m delighted, very happy and proud.”

Van Dijk has been an established figure in the side’s defence and has made 130 appearances for the club.

In that time, the defender has scored 13 times for Liverpool and has picked up winner’s medals in the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Individually, he was voted the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year and UEFA Defender of the Season for 2018-19, while he finished second in the 2019 Ballon d’Or and The Best FIFA Men’s Player in 2019.

“Since day one when I joined the club, I felt so much appreciation from the fans and from my teammates and the staff, that I could be a very important member of this football club,” Van Dijk continued.

“It has been going well; unfortunately last season for me personally has been a season to forget, to learn from and take with me, but I have enjoyed my time here and will keep enjoying it in the next couple of years altogether with all of you.”

Van Dijk is currently working his way back to full fitness after knee surgery last October curtailed his 2020-21 season prematurely.

The 30-year-old heads into the new campaign – which begins on Saturday for the Reds at Norwich City – with a full pre-season under his belt and three friendly runouts.

Van Dijk said: “I feel good. Obviously [they were] friendlies, you get your match fitness up, get into repetitions of doing things again and again.

“I feel like I am ready for the weekend, so we’ll see what the manager decides. It is going to be a totally different atmosphere and mindset for me personally as well. It is something we fight for, for the points, and hopefully we can get a positive result out of it.”

The post Liverpool Defender Virgil van Dijk Signs New Contract appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Blues’ manager Thomas Tuchel has told the press that extra time was the worst thing physically going into their first game of the season. Just three days after the final, Chelsea will face Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener.

The Super Cup finished 1-1 after 90 minutes with Hakim Ziyech and Gerard Moreno scoring. Extra time was a stalemate and the game was decided on penalties, where substitute Kepa Arrizabalaga made the winning save.

Tuchel has also said that winning the cup was the perfect message for the squad “mentally and psychologically.”

Speaking after the game, the Chelsea manager said:

“Physically this was the worst thing that could happen to us, playing extra time.

“Mentally, it was the best thing to happen. First, because there was no delay or playing it in four weeks. It was the moment we needed to start and that is why we choose the line-up.”

We did it!

SuperCup@ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/HqzUNBJxAQ

— Kepa Arrizabalaga (@kepa_46) August 11, 2021

Tuchel’s lineup for his next game may include a few changes to the one that played the Super Cup final. Goalscorer Ziyech was forced off before halftime with a shoulder injury and is likely to be out for a few weeks.

Players such as Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mateo Kovacic, and Trevoh Chalobah were also given rare starts in the final. There is a good chance that they will be left out for Tuchel’s preferred choices, Reece James, Jorginho, and Thiago Silva.

With Romelu Lukaku yet to confirm his return to Chelsea, it is unlikely that he will make an appearance on the pitch at the weekend.

Chelsea will mount their Premier League title charge on Saturday 14th at 15:00 in Stamford Bridge against Crystal Palace.

EPL
FA Cup
UCL
UEL
Super Cup
Club World Cup ?

Club football almost complete for Kante pic.twitter.com/0FSR0Su94k

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 11, 2021

The post Tuchel worried about league opener after Super League extra time appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

An hour before kickoff and there was one unexpected face on the team sheet. 22-year-old Trevoh Chalobah was named as one of the three center-backs instead of the much more experienced Thiago Silva, Cezar Azpilicueta, and Andreas Christensen.

This decision was made after good performances in recent club friendlies against Arsenal and Tottenham where he played more than 80 minutes in each.

What Thomas Tuchel saw in Chalobah was true and he was the strongest of the defenders on the pitch in the final. He completed the most passes in the game with 124 and won five of his eight duels.

With five interceptions and five recoveries, he became a big part of why Chelsea held out Villareal for so long.

Trevoh Chalobah's Super Cup by numbers vs. Villarreal:

147 touches
140 passes
95% pass accuracy
5 duels won
5 clearances
5 interceptions
2 tackles made
0 fouls conceded
0 x dribbled past

Cobham does it again. pic.twitter.com/hJXzdpuZR3

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 11, 2021

What will be Chalobah’s future at Chelsea?

The young defender is a product of Chelsea’s academy and much more famous loan system. Since becoming a senior player in 2018, he has played for clubs like Huddersfield Town, Ipswich, and Lorient.

He caught the eye of many fans while in France as he scored two, assisted two in 29 games.

His main problem is that he comes back to a Blues team stacked to the brim with central defenders and looking for more. The club is already edging closer to signing Jules Kounde from Sevilla.

When someone needs to get dropped, Chelsea’s normal response is to sell the young players. Fikayo Tomori was a great example of a promising English center back now plying his trade in AC Milan.

Trevoh Chalobah has played one match for Chelsea but got two trophies. pic.twitter.com/tMGhhZEyEr

— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) August 11, 2021

Some speculate that Tuchel played Chalobah to showcase him to any available suitors and to up his price tag. With three weeks left in the transfer window and Chelsea currently full of qualified center-backs, expect to see Chalobah on loan again this season.

The post Young defender Chalobah impresses on competitive Chelsea debut appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The match will kick off at 20:00 on Wednesday 11th August in Windsor Park. Coverage of the match will be shown live on Virgin Media 2.

Since Thomas Tuchel became Chelsea’s manager, they have only been getting better and better. This culminated in the side beating Manchester City 1-0 in the Champions League final last May.

They have built a strong defense around veteran Brazilian, Thiago Silva while allowing the fast youth to be creative up the field.

They are hours away from announcing the resigning of Romelu Lukaku but expect his role in this final to only be as a fan.

After Unai Emery was laughed out of Arsenal, he has recouped his career and became successful in Villareal. The team took the Europa League title after a thrilling 22-man penalty shootout against Manchester United with only one miss.

The side is built to frustrate big clubs, playing compact and physical. This does not mean that they do not have talent, their main striker Gerard Moreno scored 23 goals in the Spanish league last season.

Villareal has become a club where forgotten Premier League stars have come to refind their form such as Alberto Moreno, Etienne Capoue, and Francis Coquelin.

This trophy is not worth much in the grand scheme of things but it would be nice for both clubs to start their season on winning ways. Chelsea will start their league campaign on Saturday at home to Crystal Palace while Villareal begins theirs on Monday to Grenada.

European champions go head-to-head in Belfast

It's #SuperCup day!

Chelsea or Villarreal? pic.twitter.com/QgJIDJZDPm

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 11, 2021

Predicted Starting 11s

Chelsea

Formation

3-4-2-1

Predicted Lineup

Mendy(GK), Zouma, Silva, Rudiger, James, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso, Havertz, Ziyech, Werner

Injuries

None

It's #SuperCup matchday!

Let's go, Chelsea! pic.twitter.com/jKhFKYahx7

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 11, 2021

Villareal

Formation

5-3-2

Predicted Lineup

Asenjo (GK), Moreno, Albiol, Mandi, Foyth, Gaspar, Capoue, Trigueros, Morlanes, Nino, Moreno.

Injuries

Parejo, Chukwueze

Betting

Chelsea are favourites to claim the tie in 90 minutes with odds of 4/6 with Boylesports. If you place a bet of €10 you get €40 free bet. Click here to get the €40

Also you can back Ziyech to score first and Chelsea win at 100/1, click here

A draw in normal time has odds of 13/5.

Villareal are heavy underdogs to win the match with odd of 9/2.

Score Prediction

Chelsea are a team brimming with confidence, their squad includes four players who were in the Euro 2020 final. Although, they will likely rest Mount and Jorginho for the Premier League.

Villareal are a team known for causing upsets in Europe but this will not be one of them.

Expect this to be a cagey affair ending 2-1 to Chelsea.

It's UEFA Super Cup day!

Who will win?

Chelsea or Villarreal? pic.twitter.com/pF3BhFNRnT

— Goal (@goal) August 11, 2021

The post Super Cup Final: Chelsea v Villareal – Team News, Betting, Predictions appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.