Luis Enrique lamented Paris Saint-Germain's failure to convert their chances in Saturday's Ligue 1 draw with Nantes, but stressed the need for perseverance.
After a lacklustre Champions League campaign has them in 25th place following a recent narrow loss at Bayern Munich, PSG's 1-1 home draw against struggling Nantes was another disappointing result for the Ligue 1 leaders.
Luis Enrique's team dominated possession against Nantes to such an extent that they set a new Ligue 1 record, with 84.1% possession, the highest since Opta began collecting such data in 2006.
PSG turned that possession into 24 shots, with 10 of those on target, and finished with 2.7 expected goals while also creating six big chances (defined as an opportunity from which a player would reasonably be expected to score), but could not find a winner after Matthis Abline had cancelled out Achraf Hakimi's early opener.
"Efficiency is the key to football. It is very difficult to be efficient, to attack an opponent who is very compact in his area," Luis Enrique said.
"It’s incredibly tough to create as many chances as we did. But it’s clear that if you don’t score, it becomes frustrating and draining.
"In the end, there’s only one way forward: to persist, persist, continue trusting the players and the team, and keep moving forward."
Goncalo Ramos' return to the squad after he recovered from an ankle injury at least provided a positive for PSG.
"I felt good, I managed to play the whole match without any pain and I think that from now on, we have to raise the level and gain confidence," the Portuguese striker said.
"We are capable of working hard, with a lot of desire. We tried everything today, which was visible during the match. But now we have to think about the next match and work during the week."
Mount Pleasant crush Molynes United 4-0 to go top Jamaica Premier League table
Mount Pleasant FA delivered a commanding performance on Sunday, defeating Molynes United 4-0 at Drax Hall to reclaim the top spot in the Jamaica Premier League standings. The victory, their third in succession, extended Mount Pleasant's unbeaten streak.
Substitute Shaqueil Bradford starred with a second-half double, breaking the resistance of a Molynes team that had come into the match on a two-game winning run. The win puts Mount Pleasant on 25 points from 12 games, while Molynes remain in 12th place with 10 points, precariously just one point above the relegation zone.
Mount Pleasant could have taken the lead earlier, but Daniel Green missed a penalty in the 35th minute. However, the home side eventually found the breakthrough in the 56th minute when Raheem Edwards slotted home. Bradford then took over, scoring twice in quick succession in the 66th and 74th minutes, before Nicholas Nelson rounded off the victory with an 83rd-minute goal.
Tivoli Gardens secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season, edging Chapelton Maroons 3-2 at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex. Goals from Nickalia Fuller (11') and Kavan Wilson (34') gave Tivoli an early 2-0 lead, but Leaughn Williams (38') and Jahvon James (60') brought Chapelton level. With the game finely poised, Shaquille Jones scored the decisive goal in the 78th minute, lifting Tivoli to eighth place with 13 points.
Dunbeholden United staged a dramatic comeback at home, scoring twice late to earn a 3-3 draw against Portmore United. The visitors appeared to be cruising, leading 3-1 after goals from Tarick Ximines (18'), Nickoy Gayle (49'), and Emilio Rosseau (72'). Dunbeholden, however, refused to go quietly. Chantamoi Taylor (61') gave them a lifeline, followed by strikes from Shakeen Powell (75') and Chevoy Watkin (90+1'), rescuing a point in added time.
At the Ferdie Neita Sports Complex, Racing United and Humble Lion played to a 1-1 draw. Nickyle Ellis opened the scoring for Racing United in the 47th minute, but Roshane Sharpe equalized in the 58th minute, ensuring both teams shared the spoils.
Mount Pleasant’s dominant display and unbeaten streak keep them in pole position as the league heats up. With more exciting fixtures ahead, the race for the Jamaica Premier League title continues to intensify.
Bayern can cope without Kane, claims Kompany
Bayern Munich have enough talented players to replace the injured Harry Kane, so says Vincent Kompany.
The England captain, who has netted 20 goals across all competitions this season, suffered a thigh injury in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund.
Kane is expected to be out for a couple of weeks but Kompany is hopeful the England captain could still return to action before the winter break.
Bayern are top of the Bundesliga with a four-point lead over Eintracht Frankfurt.
"It is difficult to say at this moment but there is a chance for him to still play this year," Kompany told reporters ahead of Bayern's DFB-Pokal clash with holders and reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
"But he will miss several games and to replace him, you know you cannot replace the goals or the player one-for-one. That's why he is a top player."
Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, Michael Olise and Leroy Sane have enough experience to fill the gap, according to Kompany.
"We have talent in the team and need to solve it differently. We won't be lacking talent tomorrow but it will look different," Kompany explained.
"We have many options. Thomas Muller, Mathys Tel, Gnabry, Olise, Leroy. I now named almost everyone. Obviously, Harry has scored 20 goals, but we have dangerous players in attack."
Bayern last won the DFB-Pokal in 2020 and have failed to get past the quarter-finals since, losing in the second round in three of the past four seasons.
"We play the holders. One of the top two or three games in Germany, and I hope our performance will match the importance of the game," Kompany said.
"We have played against almost every team in the league now. Leverkusen's squad is one of the best.
"They defend very deep and did the same against us in our first meeting this season. I don't know if they will approach things in a similar way. I hope that we will build on our strengths and concentrate on ourselves, no matter how Leverkusen play."
Premier League MD13: Lucky winners and unlucky losers
Liverpool are now nine points clear at the top of the Premier League, after claiming a 2-0 win over Manchester City at Anfield.
It is fair to say the Reds, who accumulated 3.3 expected goals and had 18 shots, were more than worthy of their victory on Sunday, as City lost a fourth straight league match.
But was that the case across the board this weekend? Which teams were unlucky, and which sides got lucky, when comparing the underlying metrics to their actual results?
Here, we use Opta data to find out.
Unlucky losers: Everton
The away end at Old Trafford was mostly empty by the time full-time rolled around on Sunday, as Manchester United claimed their first league win under new boss Ruben Amorim in style, beating Everton 4-0.
But it's fair to say that Sean Dyche's team had started brightly, albeit without offering too much in the way of a threat. United's opening two goals came via a deflection and then a mistake from Jarrad Branthwaite, who was heavily linked with a move to the Red Devils in the summer.
While Everton cannot be considered unfortunate to lose, the metrics do suggest United were far more clinical than would have been anticipated based on the chances that came their way, as Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford both netted doubles.
United created just 1.0 xG, while having 11 shots, just three more than the Toffees. Amorim's side took all three of their big chances (defined as an opportunity from which a player would reasonably be expected to score). Everton had only 13 touches in United's box, though, as for all their bright play in the opening 30 minutes, they failed to make any real inroads.
Lucky winners: Newcastle United
Newcastle did not get all three points against Crystal Palace on Saturday, though they were just moments away from doing so. Daniel Munoz headed home late on after connecting with a cross from Marc Guehi, who had bundled in an own goal to give the Magpies the lead.
Yet Newcastle should really consider themselves fortunate to come away with even a point, considering the match metrics.
Eddie Howe claimed his team were in control, yet they failed to have a single shot on target, had only one attempt throughout the entire match and finished with 0.04 xG - by some distance the lowest of any Premier League team this weekend.
Palace's 1.8 xG was the fifth-highest total, on the other hand. The Eagles had 16 attempts, meaning their per-shot xG of 0.11 was higher than Newcastle's entire xG across the match.
Unlucky losers: Brighton
Brighton were left to rue some missed opportunities as they drew 1-1 with Southampton in Friday's south coast derby.
The Seagulls accumulated 1.7 xG and had 22 shots, which is at least four more than any other team in the division across the weekend's matches, while their 44 touches in the opposition box was also a league-high.
Yet they could not build on Kaoru Mitoma's opener, and were ultimately punished when Flynn Downes netted just before the hour.
Southampton created 1.0 xG, so it is not as though they were unworthy of at least a goal, but Fabian Hurzeler will no doubt believe his team should have been out of sight.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
