Al Duhail in Qatar is sacking manager Hernan Crespo and replacing him with Christophe Galtier. The news breaks only days before the side’s <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/afc-champions-league-tv-schedule/">AFC Champions League</a> showdown with <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/cristiano-ronaldo-hits-back-at-critics-claiming-his-career-is-over-20230924-WST-458289.html">Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr</a> on Oct. 24.



Just six months after the former Argentinian star left Sao Paulo, The Qatari club named him to this position. The 48-year-old has a deal with the Red Knights that keeps him there until the end of June 2024.



Last season saw him lead Al Duhail to the national championship, his fifth such trophy in his coaching career. He went on to earn the league’s triple crown in his first year, after lifting the Qatar Cup and Qatari Stars Cup as well.



But Al Duhail has been struggling as of late, winning just two of their last seven games in all competitions in September. Even bringing in former Premier League star Philippe Coutinho did not help much since he was soon injured.



<h2>Crespo out of Qatar club, Christophe Galtier in</h2>



This has sparked speculation that the Doha-based team’s management would undergo a shakeup. The French sports publication <a href="https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Christophe-galtier-vers-le-qatar/1423310#xtor=RSS-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">L’Equipe</a> reports that former <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/psg-tv-schedule/">Paris Saint-Germain</a> manager Christophe Galtier will succeed Crespo as head coach of the Qatari side.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Christophe Galtier on the verge of being appointed as new Al Duhail head coach, talks at final stages with Qatari club — here we go! 🇶🇦 Hernán Crespo has been fired and the plan is now to appoint Galtier as new manager if all goes to plan. <a href="https://t.co/g58ST8AuWK">pic.twitter.com/g58ST8AuWK</a>— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) <a href="https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1709268725067596240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Since leaving the Parisians at the conclusion of last season, Galtier has remained unemployed. While in charge for only one season, he led the Messi-Mbappe-Neymar trio to a Ligue 1 championship before being replaced by Luis Enrique.



<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/christophe-galtier-in-police-custody-after-racism-probe-20230630-WST-440527.html">Racism charges against Galtier</a>, which originated during his stint as manager at Nice, tarnished the conclusion of his time in the French city. The 57-year-old will stand trial for ‘discrimination and psychological harassment’ on Dec. 15.



<h5>Confirmations arrive</h5>



Additionally, Fabrizio Romano backed up the story. The Italian reporter has confirmed the impending appointment of Lionel Messi’s former manager as Al Duhail’s next boss. With Crespo’s departure and ongoing negotiations with the Qatari club, he continued, “talks are at final stages.”



PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Ex-PSG coach set to replace Hernan Crespo at Qatar side

The future of Hernan Crespo, the manager of Qatari club Al Duhail, is uncertain, since a replacement has already been lined up.

The eternal Hernan Crespo has struck again, ending Fiorentina’s Coppa Italia run. While the Coppa Italia isn’t too interesting in the early stages, I really do enjoy it when it reaches the round of eight, like it has now. Maybe it’s due to the different mentality teams have when they play knockout football, and it occasionally produces spectacular last-minute goals.
Parma hosted Fiorentina in the round of eight of the Coppa Italia, and the match dragged deep into extra time with both sides creating chances, but Fiorentina having more. Fiorentina’s substitute Santana came on in the first half of extra time, and just six minutes from the end of extra time he produced a long-range goal. All of the Fiorentina team celebrated wildly, with Santana taking his shirt off, thinking that he had sealed Fiorentina a spot in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.
But a minute later, the eternal Hernan Crespo got on the end of Lucarelli’s header to volley right at the Fiorentina keeper Avramov. While it should’ve been a fairly simple save, Avramov let Crespo’s solid volley spill into the back of his net. After the late equalizer, Crespo popped up again just two minutes later with the winner. Avramov parried a shot, and Crespo’s predatory instincts took over as he rushed to tap the ball into the goal to make it 2-1. 
So much emotion in just one match, hopefully the other round of eight Coppa Italia matches will be just as exciting. The next ones taking place are Inter – Genoa and Palermo – Chievo on the 11th of January. The day after Juventus will face Catania, and then on the 17th of January Napoli will face Bologna. Then on the 18th we have some very exciting matches, with Roma facing Lazio and Sampdoria facing Udinese. And the final match of the round of eight will be played on the 19th of January between AC Milan and Bari.
Plenty of exciting match-ups in the Coppa Italia, what are your thoughts regarding the competition? And what are your thoughts of Crespo’s magnificent double which puts Fiorentina out of the tournament? Comment below!

Crespo Puts Fiorentina Out Of Coppa Italia

Crespo Puts Fiorentina Out Of Coppa Italia - World Soccer Talk

<div style="float: left;margin-right: 5px"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/ssc-napoli-parma/image/8476161?term=Parma" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/8476161/ssc-napoli-parma/ssc-napoli-parma.jpg?size=380&amp;imageId=8476161" border="0" alt="Apr. 10, 2010 - Naples, Italy - epa02111373 Defender Luca Antonelli (L) of FC Parma celebrates with an unidentified team mate after scoring against SSC Napoli during their Italian Serie A soccer match in Naples&apos; San Paolo stadium on 10 April 2010." width="380" height="253"></figure></div></a></div>
Named one of this blog’s <a href="http://www.serieatalk.com/the-most-surprising-clubs-of-2009-2010/2423" target="_blank">most surprising teams of 2009-2010</a>, Parma not only survived their first season back in Serie A but finished eighth, two spots ahead of the team that finished before them in Serie B and three points behind Juventus.&nbsp; The club scored in all but nine of their Serie A matches last season, better than AC Milan.&nbsp; So the club responded to such incredible success by<a href="http://www.serieatalk.com/why-isnt-guidolin-at-parma/2411" target="_blank"> not retaining their manager</a> and bringing in a manager from a club who finished below them.&nbsp; However, with their young core of players surrounded by productive veterans, Parma will again be a hard club to beat.
The Manager: Pasquale Marino walks into a great situation, much better than his previous position.&nbsp; While he was fired then rehired by Udinese, he is considered one of the top young managers in Serie A (at age 48).&nbsp; He prefers an attacking style and will likely use three forwards this year.
The Transfer Market: Quite possibly the biggest get by Parma this offseason was Sebastian Giovinco, the “Atomic Ant”.&nbsp; The young Juventus midfielder is in Parma on loan after looking for a new team to gain some playing time.&nbsp; He is one of Italy’s bright young stars and should excel with Parma this season.&nbsp; Also added from the English Premier League’s Manchester City is striker Valeri Bojinov, who had stints previously in Juventus and Fiorentina. Their biggest loss is the transfer of Davide Lanzafame to Juventus; the young midfielder’s attacking ability would have been useful for Marino.
Formation and Key Players: Marino will play a 3-4-3 or 4-3-3 if he continues his past habit of fielding an attacking squad.&nbsp; As such, his three strikers will be an important part of the squad, and he does have quality options.&nbsp; The biggest name up front is Hernan Crespo.&nbsp; Although thirty-five years old, the Argentine can still contribute for his original club.&nbsp; Bojinov will also likely start up front and Giovinco may also be moved forward due to the lack of depth at this position.&nbsp; If Giovinco stays in the midfield, young Alberto Paloschi will be the third striker.&nbsp; The 20 year old has good Italian youth team experience and moved to Parma from Milan for playing time.
The midfield and defenders will primarily be returning players.&nbsp; Daniele Galloppa will be counted on to distribute the ball and set up scoring opportunities, so his center midfielder position will be critical to this offense.&nbsp; Parma will also need captain Stefano Morrone healthy from his injuries sustained at times last year to provide quality in the midfield.&nbsp; On defense, a key addition is Gabriel Paletta who came over to the club from Boca Juniors in Argentina.&nbsp; The young center back, who at one time played sparingly at Liverpool, is a seasoned 24 years old and upgrades the backline.
Outlook: Undoubtedly this team overachieved last season, but not by much.&nbsp; There is some young talent on this club, and it has been greatly improved by management.&nbsp; The Atomic Ant will finally be able to showcase his ability and add some punch to their attack.&nbsp; But their level of talent is still not on par with the the top four, so expect a finish right around where they finished last year.

Serie A Preview &#8211; Parma Looks for a Repeat of '09-'10

Serie A Preview - Parma Looks for a Repeat of '09-'10 - World Soccer Talk

Serie A Preview – Parma Looks for a Repeat of '09-'10

<div style="float: left;margin-right: 5px"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/new-genoa-striker-luca/image/9266986?term=Genoa" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9266986/new-genoa-striker-luca/new-genoa-striker-luca.jpg?size=234&amp;imageId=9266986" border="0" alt="July 01, 2010 - Genoa, Italy - epa02232416 Italian forward Luca Toni, new player of CFC Genoa 1893, poses with his new jersey during his official presentation in Genoa, Italy, 01 July 2010." width="234" height="351"></figure></div></a></div>
Italy’s oldest soccer club finished a disappointing ninth last season, and the management has made it clear this offseason that such a result is unacceptable.&nbsp; Disappointing play by a number of key players left the club outside the top six, one year after qualifying for the&nbsp;UEFA Cup and two years after returning to Serie A after a long climb up the Italian leagues.&nbsp; As is his style, club president Enrico Preziosi aggressively spent money this offseason, acquiring a list of talented players that he expects to lead his team back to the top six in Serie A.&nbsp; With one of the best managers in Italy, anything less would be a disappointment for the Griffin.
The Transfer Market: If Genoa does qualify for a European tournament next spring, the genesis of that success can be seen in July 2010.&nbsp; During the summer, the club brought in and sent out a number of players, with the end result being a balanced and competitive club.
A perfect example of this philosophy is the keeper position: Genoa spent the entire summer looking for a top-notch keeper, at times pursuing&nbsp;Chievo’s Sorrentino and Cagliari’s Marchetti.&nbsp; Finally, they bought Eduardo from Sporting Braga and sent Marco Amelia to AC Milan, and if Eduardo plays as well as he did in the World Cup for Portugal, this will be the signing of the summer.&nbsp; Genoa also followed Roma’s path from last season and signed Luca Toni to give them a tall attacking option in the middle.&nbsp; Backing him up is Mattia Destro, an eighteen year old on loan from Inter who has scored 21 goals in 29 matches for various Italian youth national teams!
A key player added for depth and the future is attacking midfielder <a href="http://www.serieatalk.com/8-of-serie-as-best-prospects/2831" target="_blank">Franco Zuculini</a>, who is on loan from Hoffheim.&nbsp; The young Argentine had one goal in seven appearances as a nineteen year old in Bundesliga, and started for Racing Club at age eighteen.&nbsp; While he will likely begin the season on the bench, he is the type of key reserve that will be the difference for Genoa this season – a player talented enough to fill in and contribute if an injury occurs.
Rumors continue to surround the club, with the latest reports that it is still in the running for World Cup star Kevin Prince-Boateng and Tottenham Hotspur’s Giovani Dos Santos (although that rumor is being denied).
Key Players:&nbsp; If Genoa wants to make a run at a European tournament, it has to improve its defense – the rossoblu allowed 61 goals last season.&nbsp; Along with Eduardo, the club added Andrea Ranocchia (on loan from Inter) to bolster the defense.&nbsp; Look for Ranocchia to partner with Italian national team member Domenico Criscito and Rafinha (Schalke 04), but also in the mix are Dario Dainelli (Fiorentina), Salvatore Bocchetti, and&nbsp;a host&nbsp;of other players who have starting experience in major leagues.
In the middle will be captain Marco Rossi and new signed Miguel Veloso.&nbsp; The Portuguese holding midfielder/defender was in high demand this offseason, but the Griffin pried him from his home country by trading money and Alberto Zapater to Sporting Lisbon.
Expect Luca Toni to start in the middle of the 3-4-3 and provide a physical presence for the Genoa attack.&nbsp; On his flank could be returning forward Robert Acquafresca, who spent some time the past few seasons being traded to and from Genoa.&nbsp; Also likely starting is Rodrigo Palacio, who had partnered with the departed Hernan Crespo to form a potent attack.
Outlook:&nbsp; This team has invested heavily in the transfer market (and may continue to do so) with the goal of getting a European tournament spot.&nbsp; Defensively this team is greatly improved and the flexibility of the players they obtained will help Eduardo reduce the number of goals allowed this season.&nbsp; The club last season had balanced scoring, and you can expect the same this year as a number of players on their roster have the ability to score.&nbsp; This team has the talent and leadership to qualify for the Europa Cup OR the final Champions League position, but a top three finish may be out of their reach.

Serie A Preview &#8211; Genoa Aims for European Success

Serie A Preview - Genoa Aims for European Success - World Soccer Talk

Serie A Preview – Genoa Aims for European Success

Inter, Juventus, Roma and Fiorentina all won their matches this&nbsp;match day&nbsp;and&nbsp;can now concentrate on their mid-week Champions League action.&nbsp;
Lazio vs Inter
Surprisingly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hern%C3%A1n_Crespo">Hernan Crespo</a> played his part but required an injury to Julio Cruz to see some playing time while Figo and Mancini also made appearances late in the second half, this one was all Inter I’m afraid.&nbsp; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauro_Z%C3%A1rate">Mauro Zarate</a> had several moments of genius and I’m in the process of finding some good highlights to show off his talents on the Serie A Talk blog, what ball control by the Argentinian. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zlatan_Ibrahimovi%C4%87">Ibrahimovic</a> scored a fabulous header and the first by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Samuel">Walter Samuel </a>wasn’t bad for a defender make sure you check out the highlights.
<h4>Goal Highlights</h4>
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Final score Lazio 0 – 3 Inter&nbsp;
&nbsp;Also this match day,&nbsp;SS Lazio has found a new sponsor&nbsp;even if it was for just one day.
&nbsp;more on PRO&nbsp;EVOLUTION&nbsp;SOCCER moving to Serie A coming up in my next post.&nbsp;
Finally, Genoa came out on top in the Derby della Laterna beating Sampdoria 1 – 0&nbsp;by the singular talent of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Milito">Diego Milito</a> what&nbsp;an amazing transfer he is&nbsp;turning out to be.&nbsp; Some top-drawer goals this match day I might have to post a Goals of the Week article later today, make sure&nbsp;to ferret out all the goal highlights on YouTube or elsewhere.
&nbsp;Saturday, December 6th
Chievo 0 – 1 AS Roma 
Lazio 0 – 3 Inter Milan 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;Sunday,&nbsp; December 7th&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
AC Milan 1 – 0 Catania 
Atalanta 3 – 0 Udinese 
Cagliari 1 – 0 Palermo 
Lecce 1 – 2 Juventus 
Napoli 2 – 0 Siena 
Reggina 2 – 2 Bologna 
Torino 1 – 4 Fiorentina 
Sampdoria 0 – 1 Genoa
Join the Discussion on Lazio vs Inter @ <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6ex5ak">PuntersLounge</a>

Serie A Match Day 15 &#8211; Results

Serie A Match Day 15 - Results - World Soccer Talk

Serie A Match Day 15 – Results

After it was confirmed that Dutch international Ruud Van Nistelrooy would be out for the remainder of the season, the Madrid brass began Operation RVN (Replace Van Nistelrooy).
<a href="http://www.laligatalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/crespo.jpg" title="Inter Striker Hernán Crespo"><div><figure class="external-image"><img src="http://www.laligatalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/crespo.jpg" alt="Inter Striker Hernán Crespo"></figure></div></a>
It would not be easy to find a player that would fill the shoes of one of the top goalscorers in the world the past decade, but it seems like they have just found their short-term solution in Italy.&nbsp;&nbsp; Argentine international Hernán Crespo could be the one that makes this happen mostly due to his own situation at Inter. Crespo is also the man at the top of Madrid’s list.
Crespo, 33, would be the only top-level goalscorer that could satisfy Real Madrid’s pretensions for a league and European double.&nbsp; He is at the bottom of the totem pole at the Neroazzurro as Jose Mourinho considers players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mario Balotelli, Julio Cruz, and Adriano before the former Lazio and Chelsea man.&nbsp; Crespo is not cup-tied.&nbsp; He is not part of Mourinho’s list for the UEFA Champions League which would make him eligible to play for Madrid come February during the knockout stage.
Signed, sealed, delivered?&nbsp; Not quite.
Crespo’s contract with Inter expires at the end of this season and he would want whatever team is interested in him to give him more than a six-month stint.&nbsp; He wants to get at least a year from Madrid.&nbsp; On the other hand, the Merengues are only looking for a short-term fix.&nbsp; They are not looking to invest their future on a 33-year old striker.&nbsp;&nbsp; Their long-term interests lie in players like Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Franck Ribéry.&nbsp;&nbsp; They are also looking at the possibility of Bastian Schweinsteiger or Mario Gomez (currently injured) despite the thumbs down given by Bernd Schuster.
Crespo wants the playing stability because he wants Diego Maradona to consider him for the Argentine national team side.&nbsp; To play for a team like Madrid will give him the forum where he can showcase himself to El Diego and he can make one last push on Batistuta’s record.
For Crespo this could be his last opportunity to showcase himself on a European stage.&nbsp; There have been talks about an eventual return to Argentina to end his career kind of in the mold of a Juan Sebastián Verón or a Kily González.&nbsp; That option will be much tougher for Crespo if his intentions are to wear the Albiceleste yet once more.&nbsp; There are various options that Maradona has at this stage that he would go to before Crespo- Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero, Carlos Tevez (albeit he is on the bench), Germán Denis, Diego Milito, Gonzalo Higuaín, and maybe even a Mariano Pavone.&nbsp;&nbsp; These are options Diego has even if Crespo plays.&nbsp; Once he arrives in Madrid, he is not guaranteed playing time.&nbsp;&nbsp; He would have to get into game shape in a hurry in order to carve out some time from the iconic Raúl or the white-hot Higuaín.
Would it be a great move?&nbsp; Short-term, absolutely.&nbsp; Crespo changes things.&nbsp; He makes things happen.&nbsp; He is the typical goalscorer.&nbsp; He can be inauspicious for 89 minutes and he touches the ball once and it’s in the back of the net.
In the end we will most likely see Crespo wearing white, but it will be in a way to satisfy both sides’ “selfish intentions”- Madrid’s title bids and Crespo’s hopes for self and country.

Crespo To Replace Ruud Van Nistelrooy?

Crespo To Replace Ruud Van Nistelrooy? - World Soccer Talk

<a title="jeremy menez (public photo - stephanie)" href="http://www.serieatalk.com/roma-make-the-move-for-menez/224/jeremy-menez-public-photo-stephanie/" rel="attachment wp-att-225"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="/files/2008/08/jeremymenez03_.jpg" alt="jeremy menez (public photo - stephanie)" width="263" height="162" align="left" border="0" hspace="10" vspace="5"></figure></div></a>
Keeping pace with the other top&nbsp;four clubs Roma have signed young attacking protege, Jérémy Menez, from Monaco&nbsp;to strengthen their frontline.
The French starlet, barely 21 years of age, is seen as one of Europe’s brightest prospects and is&nbsp;being labelled&nbsp;the next Zidane.&nbsp; A key man in the middle of the park for Monaco, Menez can provide&nbsp;a creative spark for Roma.
Starting his Ligue 1 football at Sochaux, Menez made 55 appearances scoring 27 times for the club.&nbsp; The youngster would maintain a similar performance while at Monaco netting 34 goals in 54 appearances.
Menez&nbsp;was being shown interest&nbsp;as early as January of this year by several&nbsp;clubs, including Inter (also Man United,&nbsp;Portmouth and Liverpool the price tag left Wenger and Arsenal off the list), but Les Rouge et Blanc were originally asking no less than €15 million to give away their young jewel and priced the player outside the market.&nbsp; It’s now reported Monaco initially priced the Giallorossi out of current contention by upping their price to €25m, but finally reduced their fee to €15m.
Arrival of the&nbsp;Frenchman should end rumours of either Hernan Crespo or David Suazo making their way to the Eternal City, unless of course a free loan is in the cards but I doubt it.&nbsp; Now the door opens for Suazo or Crespo to&nbsp;head to Palermo or perhaps one of the other middle table clubs.
<h4>Final Thoughts</h4>
In my opinion,&nbsp;if all you’ve heard about&nbsp;from French footie recently&nbsp;is the name Benzema, then keep an eye out for&nbsp;Menez,&nbsp;as this is an excellent addition&nbsp;for Roma and I’m hoping they treat the young man better than his countryman Ludovic Guily.
<h4>Jérémy Menez&nbsp;Video Profile</h4>
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Additional video links –&nbsp;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_YvRvFAyfU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview with coaches,teamates and Menez</a> (video in Francais)
<h4>Related Articles</h4>
Goal.com – Monaco Raise Menez Asking Price

Roma Make The Move For Menez

Roma Make The Move For Menez - World Soccer Talk

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