For much of his pre-match news conference, Pep Guardiola stuck to a familiar mantra of recent weeks.
Manchester City were 2-1 to the good against Paris Saint-Germain, with two away goals in the bank and a first Champions League final within touching distance.
All they had to do was be who we are and be more calm . A two-time winner burnt five times at this stage of the competition with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Guardiola exuded an authoritative air.
However, when the rampaging nature of some of City s European exits were put to him – most notably Mauricio Pochettino s previous visit to the Etihad Stadium with Tottenham – he conceded there was only so much he could do.
Nobody can control the chaos, Guardiola said. Perhaps he d checked the weather f…
Manchester United would be willing to offer Sporting Lisbon two out-of-favour players for the services of Bruno Fernandes this month, according to Mirror who quote reports in Portugal as their source.
The midfielder, recently described as the best player in the league by coach Jorge Silas, has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford for a long time now, though Tottenam Hotpsur are also believed to have held a strong interest in his services.
Apparently, one of the players being considered for the move the other way is Marcos Rojo. The 29-year-old defender played over 60 games for Sporting before arriving to Old Trafford after the 2014 World Cup. However, even though the Argentina international might favor a move back to Lisbon, the Primeira Liga club are a bot c…
Gianluca Vialli told Roberto Mancini Italy must triumph at the 2026 World Cup the last twice the two great friends were together.
Former Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea striker Vialli died aged 58 last Friday, having been re-diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2021.
Vialli served as head of delegation for the Azzurri until last month, working closely with his long-time friend Mancini – his strike partner during a hugely successful spell at Sampdoria – as they won Euro 2020.
Following Vialli s passing, Mancini described him as his little brother and pledged to dedicate any future successes with Italy to him.
On Tuesday, Mancini revealed Vialli demanded he leads the Azzurri to glory in the United States, Mexico and Canada in three years time.
I…
Manchester United players must be prepared to continue to suffer if they are to maximise their potential this season after beating Liverpool, according to manager Erik ten Hag.
United stunned their bitter rivals as they claimed a hard-fought 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Monday, with the result made even more surprising by the manner of the defeats in their two previous games.
The Red Devils began Ten Hag s tenure with back-to-back losses to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford, the latter of whom ran out emphatic 4-0 winners in London.
Ten Hag dropped Harry Maguire, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luke Shaw from his starting XI for the visit of Liverpool, with their respective replacements – Raphael Varane, Anthony Elanga and Tyrell Malacia – all acquitting th…
Watching Real Madrid lift their first La Liga title since 2017 last week, many across Europe have continued to speculate on what is going on behind the scenes at the Nou Camp.
With the likes of big money arrivals Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann failing to set the world alight after making the move to Catalonia, it isn t just on the pitch where the Spanish giants could be seeking a revamp.
Failing to fully find a long-term successor since Pep Guardiola left in 2012 and growing uncertainly over Lionel Messi s future with the former European champions, it appears that Barcelona are a side looking to rebuild.
With a quick turnaround until the 2020/2021 season gets underway, who do the bookmakers think will be in the dugout at the Nou Camp come the end of the…
Football can feel like a Formula One race at times, with things moving so rapidly that if you blink for a second, you could miss something.
For example, few would have been able to predict six months ago that in January 2023, a player called Enzo Fernandez would be joining Chelsea for a British-record transfer fee of £106.8million (€121m).
Not even many Benfica fans knew much about the midfielder when he arrived from River Plate for a reported fee of €12m in July.
Fernandez had been making a name for himself in his home country, with a loan spell at Defensa y Justicia under former Chelsea and Argentina striker Hernan Crespo convincing River Plate to give him a chance, which he took.
After 52 appearances for Los Millonarios, interest from Europe saw F…
Juventus are interested in signing Evan Ndicka from Eintracht Frankfurt in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Ndicka is out of contact at German club Frankfurt in the summer of 2023, and that he is available for €10 million in the middle of the season.
Ndicka has been on the books of Frankfurt since 2018 when he joined from French club Auxerre. The 23-year-old has developed and progressed a lot in Germany and is now regarded as one of the best young centre-backs in the Bundesliga.
The Frenchman has made seven appearances in the Bundesliga and two in the UEFA Champions League for Frankfurt so far this season. Ndicka scored four goals and gave four assists in 32 Bundesliga matches and made 10 starts and one substitute appearance in t…
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Max Aarons from Norwich City in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Tottenham are looking into the possibility of bringing in a full-back in the middle of the season, and that Aarons is one of the players the North London club are keen on.
Aarons has been on the books of Norwich since 2016 and has established himself as one of the better right-backs in England. The 22-year-old has experience of playing both in the Premier League and in the Championship. The youngster has made 18 starts and one substitute appearance in the Championship for the Canaries so far this season, scoring one goal in the process.
Tottenham are fourth in the Premier League table at the moment with 26 points from 14 matc…
Antoine Griezmann admitted to being hurt by his omission from the three-man shortlist for FIFA s The Best award.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah were chosen as the finalists for the annual honour, which will be conferred on September 24.
Atletico Madrid star Griezmann compiled a strong case for inclusion with World Cup and Europa League success within the voting period.
France team-mate Lucas Hernandez described the snub as an injustice and Griezmann conceded his annoyance at being overlooked.
The Best bothers me, he said at a promotional event for Spanish broadcaster Movistar.
It is FIFA s prize and that no French player is nominated is weird.
Buenos momentos con mis amigos de
— Lucas Hernández (@Luca…
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Two sides who find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the Premier League table, Arsenal will welcome Burnley to the Emirates on Saturday afternoon.
Arsenal
Starting with the hosts, while Arsenal might have opened November in the midst of a minor domestic rut, the Gunners certainly claimed a welcomed European boost earlier in the week. Breezing their way to a routine 2-0 victory against Sevilla and cruising their way to the knockout stage, Mikel Arteta’s young squad will certainly be smelling a golden opportunity here. Left furious last weekend as they eventually suffered a hugely controversial 1-0 defeat away at Newcastle, Arsenal will be excited to make a return to the Emirates here. Suffering just a single Premier Lea…