Top Stories

Wednesday Kickoff: PSG’s Silva out for ‘several weeks’; Argentina appoint Martino; and more

ThiagoSilvaPSGsad1-ASMonaco (LeParisian)

By RYAN TOLMICH

Just one game into the defense of their Ligue 1 title, Paris Saint-Germain are already facing their first major setback.

The French powerhouse will be without captain Thiago Silva for “several weeks”, according to the club, after the defender suffered a right hamstring injury in a friendly against Italian side Napoli.

The timeline will push Silva’s return close to PSG’s entry into the Champions League group stage, which is scheduled to begin on September 16.

Silva, whose absence was apparent in Brazil’s 7-1 hammering at the hands of eventual World Cup champions Germany, will now have to wait a little longer to join with national team running mate and new PSG teammate David Luiz, who made his debut in the Napoli contest.

Here are more of Wednesday’s news and notes from around the world of soccer:

MARTINO APPOINTED ARGENTINA BOSS

It didn’t take long for Gerardo Martino to get his reunion with Lionel Messi.

The former Barcelona boss has been appointed manager of the Argentina national team, with a formal announcement set to come Thursday.

Martino, who was capped once by the team he now manages, has previously taken charge of the Paraguay National Team, who he led to a World Cup quarterfinal appearance.

The 51-year-old manager most recently took charge at Barcelona for the 2013-14 season and led the club to a second place finish in La Liga in what was considered a disappointing season by club standards, leading to the two sides going their separate ways.

Martino will now rejoin Barca stars Messi and midfielder Javier Macherano in the Argentina national team setup.

COURT OF ARBITRATION TO ANNOUNCE SUAREZ DECISION THURSDAY

Luis Suarez will be informed of his official punishment sooner rather than later.

The Barcelona forward will learn the results of his appeal regarding his long-term ban Thursday, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport set to expedite the decision.

Suarez was famously suspended four months from all soccer-related activities for his World Cup bite on Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini.

The player’s legal team took the case to the court, arguing that Suarez should be allowed to train with his new side. Suarez’s ban is the largest handed down by FIFA in World Cup history.

GUARDIOLA INSISTS BAYERN DON’T NEED REUS

After poaching midfielder Mario Goetze and forward Robert Lewandowski from their Bundesliga rival in recent seasons, Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola insists that the team won’t need to go to the Borussia Dortmund well again in the near future.

Guardiola said Tuesday that the club are not interested in pursuing BVB star Marco Reus, who has been linked to the Bundesliga champions in recent weeks.

The former Barcelona manager pointed to his already deep pool of forwards, stating that the club is very pleased with what it already has.

“We already have eight strikers,” Guardiola said at a press conference. “I do not need new players. I am pleased with this squad.”

QUICK KICKS

Liverpool have reached an agreement with Spanish side Sevilla to acquire 22-year-old fullback Alberto Moreno. (REPORT)

Southampton sign Hull City’s Shane Long for £12.5 million fee. (REPORT)

Switzerland star Xherdan Shaqiri is expected to stay with Bayern Munich despite rumors of a move away from Bavaria. (REPORT)

Manchester United target Marcos Rojo is facing discipline from current club Sporting CP for requesting a transfer to the Premier League powerhouse. (REPORT)

How will PSG fare without Silva? Will Martino succeed with Argentina? What do you expect from Luis Suarez this season? Do you see Reus leaving BVB before the transfer window closes?

Shsre your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. You know what I’d like to see? Quality managers like Pep going to small clubs that don’t have such treasure troves of top shelf players. Test out your management skills with a collection of run-of-the-mill players.

    Reply
    • Would be interesting but would never happen. Top level managers only transfer to big clubs will deep pockets. Once there they beg, barrow, and steal any player they can get their hands on.
      Look at the top teams across Europe….Barca, RM, BM, PSG, CFC, Man City, Man United, etc…. They stockpile talent by over paying for players to prevent their competition from signing them. Then loan them out to clubs further down the depth chart of the league. Players on loan usually cannot play against their home club….but can nip points off the home club’s rivals.

      Reply
    • Who would want Brazil’s 2014 first team defense???????? To me as a CFC fan, David Luiz was the defensive equivalent of our Torres white elephant.

      Reply
      • Who said anything about wanting Brazil’s 2014 first team defense?

        Oh, sorry, that should be ???????? (8 question marks — definitely more impressive)

        Also, sorry to hear you’re a CFC fan. 🙂 I’m no huge fan of David Luiz, myself, I just pointed out that, leaving the inflated price tag aside, it’s quite good news now for PSG that they accomplished that signing in the off-season.

  2. So first robinho joins santos in Brazil. Which he could of come to MLS for a good amount of money and his age is good but MLS couldn’t help Orlando or another team.
    Then now ronaldinho will be joining santos on a short term deal with a basic salary, why couldn’t some MLS team bring both?
    Robinho could of been good for DC or red bull and of course Orlando and ronaldinho could of gone to any team following robinho.
    By the way, cosmos want roque from Paraguay and are spending some good money to get him. Is that a signal of them getting a stadium or are they playing mind games with MLS.
    I just wonder what would happen if cosmos would get their stadium first than nycfc.

    Reply
  3. Shane Long for almost $21M…are you kidding me!! Don’t get me wrong, he’s a decent player, but we’ve seen him in the BPL and he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire.

    Reply
  4. It appears Suarez’s legal team has a CAS-appellate strategy of nibbling around the edges of the FIFA ruling, attacking the extension of the ban beyond games to training and such.

    Reply
    • for what it’s worth, i agree with them: fifa shouldn’t have any say over who trains with a team. although i think his official-game ban should’ve been longer.

      and i see what you did there.

      Reply
    • I actually think the length of the ban is too short but the scope of it (training with team, media events, etc.) too large. He’s essentially missing the same amount of games he missed last time, which doesn’t seem right at all.

      Reply

Leave a Comment