Telling Rangers revelation after Prague, Aberdeen fume, John McGinn shines - Scottish football news
Jack Butland has explained why Rangers required a change of manager, Aberdeen are left furious by VAR and John McGinn continues his excellent form at Aston Villa:
Butland: Rangers needed a change
Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland has revealed Rangers "needed a change" as the new era under Philippe Clement continued with a 0-0 Europa League draw at Sparta Prague. The Belgian has replaced Michael Beale as manager and Butland said: “I think it’s been a fresh start for everyone. Some boys needed it and I think as a club we needed a change, which is obviously what the club felt as well. I’ve been impressed by the new manager and the way he carries himself and the points he’s got across so far. I know there’s a lot more he wants to work on but he’s conscious on giving us too much right now. I think we're taking on board what he’s trying to get over to us and doing a good job of it. It’s been a good start and it’s up to us to make sure that continues.”
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Hide AdRobson proud of Aberdeen display in last-gasp PAOK loss but questions VAR
Aberdeen manager Barry Robson maintained his pride in his side’s performance after their Europa Conference League defeat at the hands of Group G pacesetters PAOK Salonika, but questioned the purpose of VAR after a controversial evening. It had all been going according to plan for Robson’s side, who weathered a first-half storm before going 2-0 up by the hour mark thanks to classy finishes from Bojan Miovski and Dante Polvara. Defensive errors allowed the visitors to find their way back into the game, substitute Kiril Despodov handing his side a lifeline before captain Vieirinha fired home an 84th-minute leveller. There was further heartbreak as a VAR-awarded penalty was converted by Stefan Schwab to complete the turnaround and seal a 3-2 win. But what grabbed the ire of Robson was the lack of intervention from VAR Alan Kijas in what looked a stonewall spot-kick for the Dons when Jack MacKenzie was kicked in the penalty area with the score at 2-1. “We all know the answer,” he said when asked if he felt his side had been denied a penalty. “We all make mistakes. I make mistakes, and we lost the game with players making mistakes. When VAR comes in, they’re there to look at things six times, and they still get it wrong? That’s my problem.”
Watkins continues red-hot form as McGinn scores for Aston Villa
Ollie Watkins continued his red-hot form as Aston Villa cruised to a statement 4-1 Europa Conference League win at AZ Alkmaar. The striker netted his 10th goal of the season and fourth in Europe this season on Thursday. Leon Bailey and Youri Tielemans – his first for Villa – put them in control in AZ Stadium after less than 25 minutes. Vangelis Pavlidis wasted the hosts’ best chances but Watkins and Scotland midfielder John McGinn added more goals after the break in Holland before Ibrahim Sadiq grabbed a consolation. It was the second time in two games Villa had scored four after their 4-1 Premier League win over West Ham on Sunday.
Klopp excited by Liverpool squad after big European win over Toulouse
Jurgen Klopp called his Liverpool team “easy to fall in love with” after watching them ease to a 5-1 win over Toulouse that puts them in complete control of their Europa League group. Ryan Gravenberch was outstanding in midfield, creating one and scoring another, Diogo Jota got his eighth goal in seven in Europe’s second-tier competition, Wataru Endo opened his Liverpool account and there were also goals for Darwin Nunez and substitute Mo Salah. But the night also demonstrated the depth in Liverpool’s squad as Klopp made eight changes from the 2-0 win over local rivals Everton, handing a full debut to teenager Luke Chambers while Calum Scanlon and James McConnell both made their bows off the bench. Klopp had to conduct a significant rebuild of his side this summer after last season’s disappointments and the unexpected exits of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, but the early signs are promising with Liverpool three points off the top of the Premier League and firing on all fronts. “I think it’s really easy to fall in love with this team,” Klopp said. “There is so much excitement in it. We have to make massive steps, we have to grow, we have to do a lot of things but a lot of the signs are really promising. How the team interacts with each other is really nice because when you talk about a rebuild of the team it’s all about the things you see on the pitch, obviously, but to see that there has to be a rebuild off the pitch as well and that’s going really well.”
Moyes defends team selection as West Ham’s unbeaten European run ended
David Moyes defended his team selection after West Ham’s unbeaten European record was reduced to ruins in Athens. The Hammers came a cropper in the shadow of the Acropolis as they crashed 2-1 at Olympiacos, their first loss in continental competition in 18 matches. Moyes, who led his side to the Europa Conference League title last season, made seven changes for their Europa League Group A clash in the Greek capital with one eye on Sunday’s visit of Everton. But his tinkering backfired as a soft goal from Olympiacos captain Kostas Fortounis and an own goal from stand-in Hammers skipper Angelo Ogbonna brought their undefeated run to a halt despite Lucas Paqueta’s late volley. “Look, we changed a lot of players tonight, we’ve got the Premier League coming up and we’ve got a League Cup game next week and we’d won the first two games in the group, which gave us leeway to make changes tonight,” Moyes told whufc.com. “But maybe I have to recognise that while we didn’t win the Conference League games easily, as they were all tough games, coming to Olympiacos after winning away in Freiburg – which was a good result – this wasn’t a good result and wasn’t a good performance. In our heads we certainly had a bigger picture in our heads and that was going into Sunday. I don’t think anybody could say the team we started with wasn’t a good team and wasn’t a team capable of winning or performing. Many of them have been very good players for us over the years and still are.”
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