EPL: Rudiger slams rumours that he was responsible for Lampard's sack
Chelsea defender, Antonio Rudiger, has denied that he had anything to do with Frank Lampard’s sack last week.
Lampard was fired following a run of five Premier League defeats in eight matches.
He has since been replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
Rudiger has made only six Premier League appearances this season, with Lampard mostly consigning the Germany defender to a role on the bench.
Rumours claim that Rudiger caused a rift behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.
But speaking to The Athletic, he said: “There have been so many nonsense rumours about me since last week. I’ve never talked with the board about the situation of the coach or on any other topics.
“Frank Lampard trusted in my abilities after Christmas in a very difficult situation and I was thankful for this. It was also the main reason why I told my representatives not to look for a possible winter move anymore.
“Unfortunately, it was not meant to be for our team to turn things around for the coach. We always wanted the best for the manager and for the club.”
Juventus forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, on Tuesday night, made football history in his side’s Coppa Italia semi-final first leg 2-1 victory over Inter Milan.
Ronaldo’s brace against Inter Milan gave Andrea Pirlo’s men an edge ahead of the second leg semi-final tie next Tuesday in Turin.
Lautaro Martinez did score a goal for Antonio Conte’s men at San Siro.
Ronaldo’s two goals against Inter Milan means the Portugal captain now stands alone as football’s most prolific goalscorer, Marca reports.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star now have 763 career goals, a figure that beats the 762 of Josef Bican and Pele.
Bican and Pele’s records have been disputed, but there’s no confusion over Ronaldo’s goals.
Ronaldo netted 5 goals for Sporting, 118 for Manchester United, 451 for Real Madrid, 87 for Juventus and 102 for Portugal.
However, various sources give Bican up to 805 goals, but Marca has only counted goals in the professional or similar category.
Romario has 740 goals, while Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has scored 720 goals to make the top five list.
Ronaldo’s position in the history books is secured according to their records, for now at least.
The Juve number 7 will now hope to continue his impressive display for the Old Lady when they take on Roma this weekend in a Serie A fixture.
Juventus manager, Andrea Pirlo, has defended his decision to substitute forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, during his side’s Coppa Italia semi-final first leg 2-1 victory against Inter Milan on Tuesday night.
Pirlo explained that there is no contract clause that says Ronaldo can’t be substituted during a match.
Ronaldo was visibly unhappy to be replaced by Alvaro Morata with 14 minutes remaining, but Pirlo is now saying that he wanted to keep the 35-year-old fresh for Sunday’s Serie A match against Roma.
Two goals from Ronaldo gave Pirlo’s men the victory against Inter Milan at San Siro.
Lautaro Martinez did score a goal for Antonio Conte’s side.
Juventus will face Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg tie next week Tuesday in Turin.
“It’s normal that when you go out in a match like this, you want to play to help the team,” Pirlo told Rai Sport.
“There is no contract clause that says he [Cristiano Ronaldo] can’t be subbed off. He knows he is a fundamental player for us but to get his breath back, he must always be at the top.
“He proved it with his performances after some criticism. He couldn’t have done better than that.
“I said [to him] that he had to rest, we have an important match on Saturday. He has played many consecutive games, every now and then a little rest is good for him.”
