LaLiga requests Valencia vs. Madrid postponement​​

Laliga has requested the postponement of first and second division matches in the Valencia area this weekend, the Spanish federation said Wednesday, after floods in the south-east of Spain left at least 70 people dead.

​Laliga has requested the postponement of first and second division matches in the Valencia area this weekend, the Spanish federation said Wednesday, after floods in the south-east of Spain left at least 70 people dead. Laliga has requested the postponement of first and second division matches in the Valencia area this weekend, the Spanish federation said Wednesday, after floods in the south-east of Spain left at least 70 people dead.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Laliga has requested the postponement of first and second division matches in the Valencia area this weekend, the Spanish federation said Wednesday, after floods in the south-east of Spain left at least 70 people dead.

U.S. double: McKennie, Weah keep Juve unbeaten​​

Juventus twice came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Parma on Wednesday, maintaining their unbeaten record but dropping to fourth in the Serie A standings.

​Juventus twice came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Parma on Wednesday, maintaining their unbeaten record but dropping to fourth in the Serie A standings. Juventus twice came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Parma on Wednesday, maintaining their unbeaten record but dropping to fourth in the Serie A standings.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Juventus twice came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Parma on Wednesday, maintaining their unbeaten record but dropping to fourth in the Serie A standings.

Man Utd to visit Spurs in Carabao Cup quarters​​

Tottenham will host Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup, while holders Liverpool will travel to Southampton.

​Tottenham will host Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup, while holders Liverpool will travel to Southampton. Tottenham will host Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup, while holders Liverpool will travel to Southampton.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Tottenham will host Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup, while holders Liverpool will travel to Southampton.

Savinho goes off in tears as City face injury crisis​​

Manchester City winger Savinho was carried off on a stretcher during the 2-1 loss at Tottenham in the English League Cup on Wednesday, adding to the injury crisis enveloping the Premier League champions.

​Manchester City winger Savinho was carried off on a stretcher during the 2-1 loss at Tottenham in the English League Cup on Wednesday, adding to the injury crisis enveloping the Premier League champions. Manchester City winger Savinho was carried off on a stretcher during the 2-1 loss at Tottenham in the English League Cup on Wednesday, adding to the injury crisis enveloping the Premier League champions.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Manchester City winger Savinho was carried off on a stretcher during the 2-1 loss at Tottenham in the English League Cup on Wednesday, adding to the injury crisis enveloping the Premier League champions.

U.S. vet Girma scores her 1st WNT goals in win​​

Naomi Girma scored her first two international goals, leading the United States women to a 3-0 victory over Argentina on Wednesday night in Louisville, Kentucky.

​Naomi Girma scored her first two international goals, leading the United States women to a 3-0 victory over Argentina on Wednesday night in Louisville, Kentucky. Naomi Girma scored her first two international goals, leading the United States women to a 3-0 victory over Argentina on Wednesday night in Louisville, Kentucky.   

Naomi Girma scored her first two international goals, leading the United States women to a 3-0 victory over Argentina on Wednesday night in Louisville, Kentucky.

The other USWNT tally was an own goal by Argentina’s Aldana Cometti.

The victory kept the USWNT unbeaten (12-0-1) in 13 matches under coach Emma Hayes.

United States goalkeeper Mandy Haught made one save while posting a shutout in her first international appearance. Haught was called up to the squad after Jane Campbell sustained a muscle injury.

Argentina dropped to 0-6-0 all-time against the USWNT, having been outscored 35-1.

The USWNT had an 18-4 edge in shots and put six on target to Argentina’s one.

Getty Images

Wednesday marked Girma’s 42nd career international appearance. She is highly regarded for her defense and appeared to be stunned when she scored for the first time.

That goal came in the 37th minute. Argentina goalkeeper Solana Pereyra and Cometti both went after a ball close to the net and neither was able to clear it. It bounded over to Girma, who headed it into a gaping goal.

Seven minutes later, Rose Lavelle took a corner kick and Girma attempted a header. The ball went toward Cometti, who knocked the ball into her own net with her leg to give the United States a 2-0 lead.

Girma was at it again early in the second half. Alyssa Malonson delivered a pass to Girma, who sent a header into the upper right corner of the net in the 49th minute to make it a three-goal margin.

In the 82th minute, Jaedyn Shaw had a chance for the USWNT, but sent a right-footed free kick over the net.

Haught’s lone save came in the fourth minute when Argentina’s Vanina Preininger put a very long shot on goal.

Eva Gaetino and Malonson joined Haught in making their first appearances for the United States.

Pereyra had four saves for Argentina.

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Naomi Girma scored her first two international goals, leading the United States women to a 3-0 victory over Argentina on Wednesday night in Louisville, Kentucky.

Ruud would stay with Man United in ‘any capacity’​​

Ruud van Nistelrooy said he is ready to stay at Manchester United “in any capacity” whenever a new manager is appointed after overseeing a 5-2 Carabao Cup win against Leicester City at Old Trafford.

​Ruud van Nistelrooy said he is ready to stay at Manchester United “in any capacity” whenever a new manager is appointed after overseeing a 5-2 Carabao Cup win against Leicester City at Old Trafford. Ruud van Nistelrooy said he is ready to stay at Manchester United “in any capacity” whenever a new manager is appointed after overseeing a 5-2 Carabao Cup win against Leicester City at Old Trafford.   

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Ruud van Nistelrooy said he is ready to stay at Manchester United “in any capacity” whenever a new manager is appointed after overseeing a 5-2 Carabao Cup win against Leicester City at Old Trafford in his first game as interim head coach following Monday’s dismissal of manager Erik ten Hag.

United are continuing to negotiate with Sporting CP for the release of head coach Ruben Amorim after agreeing to pay the 39-year-old’s €10 million ($10.8 million) clause to replace Ten Hag.

However, sources have told ESPN that although United are “getting there” in their efforts to seal a deal for Amorim, the terms of his contract with the Portuguese champions could see his arrival at Old Trafford delayed until the start of the next international break on Nov 11.

Such a delay to Amorim’s arrival at United would likely see Van Nistelrooy remain in interim charge for the Premier League games against Chelsea (Nov. 3) and Leicester City (Nov. 10) as well as the Europa League tie against PAOK Thessaloniki at Old Trafford on Nov. 7.

Having been hired by United as assistant manager to Ten Hag in the summer, Van Nistelrooy’s time at the club where he spent five years as a player could yet be short, but he said after the Leicester game that he will stay as long as he is wanted.

“Of course,” Van Nistelrooy told Sky Sports. “I came here as an assistant to help the club. Now in this role, I’m helping as long as needed.

“In the future in any capacity, I’m here to help the club further to build towards the future that’s what I’m here for.

“To go back to yesterday [Tuesday], of course receiving the players and getting together for the first day after Erik [ten Hag] had to leave was a sad day to share. Mixed emotions.

“He was the one that asked me to work back here again, and in the first conversation we had I felt such a passion and care for this football club. That is why I was so sad to see him go.

“Having said that, football and life continues, and we knew that 75,000 people would be waiting for us here today, with millions more watching at home behind their screens and radios and you have to switch then as players.

“We tried to switch that button for the players, try to get the mindset going and go out tonight and give everything for the fans.”

United sealed a Carabao Cup quarterfinal tie away to Tottenham Hotspur with the win against Leicester, but they remain in 14th position in the Premier League table. Results and performances must improve quickly for United to salvage their season, and Van Nistelrooy said that his only job now is to ensure that the team continues on an upwards curve.

“It is clear that this is going to be short term, so for me today was the most important day after what happened,” he said. “In such short notice we had to have things getting going and get into the quarterfinals.

“Credit to the players, they were fantastic today.

“For now, the focus is on Chelsea on Sunday, and I do not really look any further.”

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Ruud van Nistelrooy said he is ready to stay at Manchester United “in any capacity” whenever a new manager is appointed after overseeing a 5-2 Carabao Cup win against Leicester City at Old Trafford.

By beating City, do Spurs have a blueprint for silverware success?​​

Could Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Man City finally be the breakthrough to end their long silverware drought?

​Could Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Man City finally be the breakthrough to end their long silverware drought? Could Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Man City finally be the breakthrough to end their long silverware drought?   

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Oct 30, 2024, 08:14 PM ET

LONDON — You could feel the relief in the stands at the final whistle when Tottenham fans lept from their seats, as head coach Ange Postecoglou strolled calmly onto the pitch and the song “Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur” rang out of the stadium speakers.

That song may not seem fitting these days. Nobody here needs reminding that it has been almost 17 years since Spurs last won a trophy. However, in Postecoglou’s second season at the helm, the clear goal is to end that streak.

Wednesday night’s narrow 2-1 victory over Manchester City takes them into the Carabao Cup quarterfinals and one step closer to being able to do that. Their performance, though, potentially leaves questions about whether this side can achieve it.

“I thought we defended well because we really didn’t give away too many clear-cut opportunities,” Postecoglou said.

“We had some really good chances to finish the game off, which we didn’t take but great resilience by the boys to open out play.”

There are clear positives to be taken from the game. Beating City — a team Postecoglou described as the “gold standard” — is never to be scoffed at. They’re the first team to do that this season, the first since Manchester United in last season’s FA Cup final.

“They [City] can ask every question there is and for the most part I thought we had it,” Postecoglou said. He will grin, too, his side showing a refreshing look of pragmatism, with their two holding midfielders mostly keeping City at bay.

Maybe, then, it’s harsh to pour water on a Tottenham win — “ultimately,” Postecoglou said, “the main thing you’ve got to do is to win” — but questions over whether they are ready to end the trophy drought remain.

This game was theirs for the taking. City named a weakened starting XI, and it took just five minutes for Timo Werner to net his first goal of the season after Dejan Kulusevski picked him out at the back post with a low cross toward the opposite side of the box. Pape Matar Sarr followed that up 20 minutes later, with a superb curled effort from outside the box that found the bottom right-hand corner.

Yet, even with that two-goal lead in the first half, Spurs failed to capitalise and never looked suitably assured. The missed chances stacked up. In the first half, Werner was gifted the ball by a stray and sloppy İlkay Gündoğan pass on City’s 18-yard box. The German forward should have scored, but he only found goalkeeper Stefan Ortega‘s gloves. When City reduced the deficit to just one goal when Matheus Nunes tapped home at the back post on the stroke of half-time, Spurs’ task turned to a consolidation job.

The second half brought more missed attempts. Werner squandered a one-on-one just minutes after the restart before Kulusevski did the same on the other side. Later on, substitute Richarlison had the best of the bunch, being gifted a one-on-one of his own through an errant City throw-in, but again Spurs failed to convert.

Meanwhile, after seeing Savinho substituted through injury, City almost levelled through teenager Nico O’Reilly, only for Yves Bissouma to make a heroic block on the line.

Spurs have been criticised this season for failing to see games out, most recently throwing away a two-goal first-half lead at Brighton & Hove Albion. Domestically, this is their first victory this season by a single goal — this time they took a punch and stayed standing. Maybe in that light, lacking ruthlessness but showing resoluteness will come as little concern for Postecoglou.

The Australian has been adamant over his ability to turn the tide at Spurs, from removing the “Spursy” tag to hoping he can continue his streak of lifting a trophy in his second season in charge at a club.

“It’s about trying to continually push this group to become the team we want to be,” he added.

“We’re not there yet, that’s fair to say. As I said yesterday, I’m really bullish on this group of players. They’ve got a really high ceiling and we’ve just got to keep focusing on that.”

Spurs fans will be praying Postecoglou is right. They sang with relief after the final whistle. “Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur” continued over the speakers, followed by Gala’s “Freed from Desire.” Spurs fans were bouncing.

An hour later, though, came more sobering news. Tottenham were drawn to face Manchester United at home in the quarterfinals. It means another difficult draw as they bid to lift their first trophy since 2008 and cutting short that feeling of relief.

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Could Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Man City finally be the breakthrough to end their long silverware drought?

Carabao Cup win doesn’t let Man United’s players off the hook​​

Wednesday’s triumph was a much-needed win for Man United, but make no mistake: this is not evidence that the club has turned a corner.

​Wednesday’s triumph was a much-needed win for Man United, but make no mistake: this is not evidence that the club has turned a corner. Wednesday’s triumph was a much-needed win for Man United, but make no mistake: this is not evidence that the club has turned a corner.   

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MANCHESTER — It was one of the weirdest scenes of a strange season at Manchester United. Moments after sealing a 5-2 Carabao Cup win against Leicester City at Old Trafford in the first game following the firing of manager Erik ten Hag, the players performed a lap of honour before leaving the pitch.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, the interim head coach, was already back in the dressing-room, having made a brief diversion to applaud the fans and celebrate the win with clenched fists before heading up the players’ tunnel.

But despite being 14th in the Premier League and with yet another manager paying the price for their failure to perform, the players made sure they milked every second of applause as they saluted the four sides of the stadium.

Perhaps they were just desperate for some adulation and to enjoy a rare moment of success this season. Never mind that it was a comfortable win against a half-strength Leicester side — any win will do for United these days.

“All of a sudden we had some luck on our side,” Van Nistelrooy said. “That made it a great day today.”

But as United wait for Ruben Amorim, the Sporting CP coach, to confirm his departure from the Portuguese champions in order to replace Ten Hag — United are in talks with Sporting over a deal to secure his release having triggered his €10 million release clause — Van Nistelrooy and the players did their bit to paint a picture normality following Ten Hag’s exit.

It’s usually the same story when a manager is fired. The team gets an immediate bounce and boost of morale that is enough to seal a much-needed win, but more often than not, it proves to be an illusion. The failings that led to the previous manager being sacked soon return and the new manager quickly discovers that the job they have walked into was made vacant for the simple reason that the players didn’t perform often enough.

That is the harsh reality of Manchester United right now. In truth, it has been pretty much the same since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as manager in 2013 after delivering 13 Premier League titles in 20 years.

That Van Nistelrooy became the ninth manager to take charge of team selection at United since Ferguson stepped down is a damning statistic. Ten Hag was the fifth permanent manager to lose his job at United since Ferguson’s exit, with Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Ralf Rangnick all taking charge temporarily prior to Van Nistelrooy’s stint in the hot-seat.

It may be one game only for Van Nistelrooy if United are able to get Amorim signed and sealed before the home game against Chelsea on Sunday, but the likelihood is that the former PSV Eindhoven coach will still be at the helm this weekend due to sources telling ESPN that “patience” will be needed before negotiations with Sporting reach a conclusion.

But at least Van Nistelrooy oversaw a victory — only United’s fifth this season. Ten Hag’s dismal record this campaign was the reason for his dismissal, but even though his tactics and selections became increasingly unpredictable, there is no question that many of his players drastically underperformed and contributed to him losing his job.

Don’t be fooled into believing that this win was evidence that United are ready to turn a corner, however.

Yes, Casemiro gave his best performance of the season, scoring twice and helping to create another, and captain Bruno Fernandes was also impressive.

But Leicester’s two goals, from Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady, exposed United’s defensive issues once again and there plenty of other moments when Steve Cooper’s team created chances and could have scored more goals. The two occasions that Jordan Ayew easily dispossessed Victor Lindelöf and Manuel Ugarte will have alarmed Van Nistelrooy, and will worry Amorim when he gets to watch the playback of this game.

This is an imbalanced United squad, but its players are certainly capable of doing much better.

They may even continue their revival with a win against Chelsea at the weekend, but if, or when, Amorim takes charge, he would be wise to be wary of trusting this group of players to deliver on a consistent basis. They did not do that for Ten Hag and the evidence of 90 minutes against Leicester is not enough to suggest that Van Nistelrooy has found a missing ingredient.

There were no major team changes and no tinkering with tactics. It was the same players and formation that had delivered so many bad results and performances for Ten Hag, so it will need much more than this to convince anyone that United are suddenly set for a surge up the table now that Ten Hag has gone.

Amorim will know that. He will watch United’s games, study the data and work out which players can survive the new regime, and which are past their use-by date.

But at least United won. Casemiro will be happy with his two goals, as will Fernandes who also scored twice, with Alejandro Garnacho netting United’s other.

This game did not offer a clear picture of the state of United, though, and that had nothing to do with the mist that hovered over Old Trafford on Wednesday.

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Wednesday’s triumph was a much-needed win for Man United, but make no mistake: this is not evidence that the club has turned a corner.

BRIGHTON 2-3 LIVERPOOL: Cody Gakpo scored twice as Arne Slot's side saw off the Seagulls to reach the quarter-finals of a competition they won last season ​BRIGHTON 2-3 LIVERPOOL: Cody Gakpo scored twice as Arne Slot's side saw off the Seagulls to reach the...

MANCHESTER UNITED 5-2 LEICESTER CITY: Interim Manchester United manager Ruud van Nistelrooy made a winning start to lead his team into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals ​MANCHESTER UNITED 5-2 LEICESTER CITY: Interim Manchester United manager Ruud van Nistelrooy made a...

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NEWCASTLE 2-0 CHELSEA: An Alexander Isak strike and an own goal from Axel Disasi earned the Magpies a place in the final eight of the Carabao Cup to breathe new life into their season ​NEWCASTLE 2-0 CHELSEA: An Alexander Isak strike and an own goal from Axel Disasi...

PRESTON 0-3 ARSENAL: Ethan Nwaneri starred for Mikel Arteta's side as they booked their place in the last eight of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable win at Deepdale ​PRESTON 0-3 ARSENAL: Ethan Nwaneri starred for Mikel Arteta's side as they booked their place in the...

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2-1 MANCHESTER CITY: First half goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr earned Spurs a heard-fought win over City in north London ​TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2-1 MANCHESTER CITY: First half goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr earned Spurs a...

Ruud van Nistelrooy enjoyed a winning start to life as Manchester United manager, with the Red Devils delivering on his pre-match promise of "lots of attacks" as they beat Leicester 5-2 ​Ruud van Nistelrooy enjoyed a winning start to life as Manchester United manager,...

MANCHESTER UNITED 5-2 LEICESTER: The Red Devils put in an electric performance under interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy as they scored five goals in their first game after Erik ten Hag's sacking ​MANCHESTER UNITED 5-2 LEICESTER: The Red Devils put in an electric...

Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool all won in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, and the final eight teams in the competition all come from the Premier League ​Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool all won in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, and the final...

Manchester United tasted victory in their first match under the guidance of interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy as they comfortably beat Leicester in the Carabao Cup ​Manchester United tasted victory in their first match under the guidance of interim boss Ruud van...

The White Sox are hiring Rangers coach Will Venable to be their next manager after a 121-loss season, sources told ESPN, confirming a report by MLB.com. ​ The White Sox are hiring Rangers coach Will Venable to be their next manager after a 121-loss season, sources...

UEFA pledged Wednesday to steer €1 billion ($1.08 billion) toward all levels of women's soccer over the next six years as part of a comprehensive strategy to grow the game in Europe. ​ UEFA pledged Wednesday to steer €1 billion ($1.08 billion) toward all levels of...

The Jets placed Greg Zuerlein on IR rather than cutting the struggling kicker while adding Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader to their practice squad. ​ The Jets placed Greg Zuerlein on IR rather than cutting the struggling kicker while adding Riley Patterson and...

The Wayne County Prosecutor's office is reviewing a warrant request for the arrest of Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams on a concealed weapon charge, WXYZ-TV in Detroit reported. ​ The Wayne County Prosecutor's office is reviewing a warrant request for the arrest...

Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid will miss two to three weeks with an ankle injury. ​ Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid will miss two to three weeks with an ankle injury. Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid will miss two to three weeks with an ankle injury. ...

Two fans at Yankee Stadium were ejected from Game 4 of the World Series after one pried a foul ball out of the glove of Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts on Tuesday night. ​ Two fans at Yankee Stadium were ejected from Game 4 of the World Series after one pried a...

Colts coach Shane Steichen defended his decision to replace Anthony Richardson with Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback, saying the veteran gives Indianapolis "the best chance to win right now." ​ Colts coach Shane Steichen defended his decision to replace Anthony...

Our reporters check in on 10 QB situations. How are top signal-callers around the NFL looking at midseason? ​ Our reporters check in on 10 QB situations. How are top signal-callers around the NFL looking at midseason? Our reporters check in on 10 QB situations. How...

Can the Steelers hold up defensively? Can the Patriots win a big game? Here's what to know as the 2024 season hits the midway point. ​ Can the Steelers hold up defensively? Can the Patriots win a big game? Here's what to know as the 2024 season hits the midway...

Napoli target is Europe amid title talk – Conte​​

Serie A leaders Napoli continued their unbeaten run with a victory at AC Milan on Tuesday with Antonio Conte saying European football is the target.

​Serie A leaders Napoli continued their unbeaten run with a victory at AC Milan on Tuesday with Antonio Conte saying European football is the target. Serie A leaders Napoli continued their unbeaten run with a victory at AC Milan on Tuesday with Antonio Conte saying European football is the target.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Serie A leaders Napoli continued their unbeaten run with a victory at AC Milan on Tuesday with Antonio Conte saying European football is the target.

City forward Miedema undergoes knee surgery​​

Manchester City have confirmed that striker Vivianne Miedema has undergone knee surgery, although the club did not specify the extent of the injury.

​Manchester City have confirmed that striker Vivianne Miedema has undergone knee surgery, although the club did not specify the extent of the injury. Manchester City have confirmed that striker Vivianne Miedema has undergone knee surgery, although the club did not specify the extent of the injury.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Manchester City have confirmed that striker Vivianne Miedema has undergone knee surgery, although the club did not specify the extent of the injury.

Tebas criticises Madrid for Ballon d’Or no-show​​

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has criticised Real Madrid for boycotting the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday.

​LaLiga president Javier Tebas has criticised Real Madrid for boycotting the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday. LaLiga president Javier Tebas has criticised Real Madrid for boycotting the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has criticised Real Madrid for boycotting the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday.

Valencia’s cup game postponed after fatal floods​​

Valencia have has their request to postpone Wednesday’s Copa del Rey game against Parla Escuela in Madrid accepted by Spain’s football federation (RFEF) after floods in the southeast of the country killed several people.

​Valencia have has their request to postpone Wednesday’s Copa del Rey game against Parla Escuela in Madrid accepted by Spain’s football federation (RFEF) after floods in the southeast of the country killed several people. Valencia have has their request to postpone Wednesday’s Copa del Rey game against Parla Escuela in Madrid accepted by Spain’s football federation (RFEF) after floods in the southeast of the country killed several people.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Valencia have has their request to postpone Wednesday’s Copa del Rey game against Parla Escuela in Madrid accepted by Spain’s football federation (RFEF) after floods in the southeast of the country killed several people.

Van Nistelrooy: ‘Mixed emotions’ for Utd job bow​​

Manchester United’s interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy has admitted he has “mixed emotions” ahead of his first game in charge of the club after the sacking of Erik ten Hag.

​Manchester United’s interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy has admitted he has “mixed emotions” ahead of his first game in charge of the club after the sacking of Erik ten Hag. Manchester United’s interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy has admitted he has “mixed emotions” ahead of his first game in charge of the club after the sacking of Erik ten Hag.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Manchester United’s interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy has admitted he has “mixed emotions” ahead of his first game in charge of the club after the sacking of Erik ten Hag.

Wrexham’s Hollywood owners buy local brewery​​

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have bought another piece of Wrexham — its brewery.

​Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have bought another piece of Wrexham — its brewery. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have bought another piece of Wrexham — its brewery.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have bought another piece of Wrexham — its brewery.

Klopp defends Red Bull move after fan backlash​​

Jürgen Klopp has defended his decision to head up Red Bull’s group of football clubs, saying he “didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes” after his decision prompted a backlash from fans of his former teams in Germany.

​Jürgen Klopp has defended his decision to head up Red Bull’s group of football clubs, saying he “didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes” after his decision prompted a backlash from fans of his former teams in Germany. Jürgen Klopp has defended his decision to head up Red Bull’s group of football clubs, saying he “didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes” after his decision prompted a backlash from fans of his former teams in Germany.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Jürgen Klopp has defended his decision to head up Red Bull’s group of football clubs, saying he “didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes” after his decision prompted a backlash from fans of his former teams in Germany.

Arsenal’s next gen: Who are the teenagers ready to step up amid injury woes?​​

Arsenal have used many teenagers on their first-team squad this season. Who could be a future star?

​Arsenal have used many teenagers on their first-team squad this season. Who could be a future star? Arsenal have used many teenagers on their first-team squad this season. Who could be a future star?   

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Arsenal operate with a smaller squad than most, and this season has seen manager Mikel Arteta call a number of youth-team players onto his bench as backup. With injuries to stars like Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Magalhães, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurriën Timber to worry about, it could be sooner than later that we see some of them called into Premier League action, so what do you need to know?

Ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Preston in the Carabao Cup, here is a look at some teenagers who have made the breakthrough into the first-team squad this season — we have left out talented midfielder Ethan Nwaneri as, even though he is still only 17, he has established himself already.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, LB/DM/CM

The first in line for a breakthrough, alongside 21-year-old central midfielder Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand, Lewis-Skelly has already seen minutes in three senior competitions for Arsenal this season. Not only was he rewarded with a start in the Carabao Cup against Bolton in September, in which he impressed at left-back, but he also came on late vs. Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Arteta even trusted the youngster in the frenzied last minutes of the Premier League encounter at Manchester City while trying to hold a lead with 10 men — when he was actually booked before even stepping foot on the pitch.

Whether he is best equipped to play as a No. 6 or No. 8 midfielder, or even as a left-back, is a question still to be answered, but the England under-19 international does appear to be developing most of the tools to succeed in both roles.

As a holding midfielder, Lewis-Skelly takes few risks, shields the ball well with his body and his excellent coordination. Put with fine dribbling skills, that sees him escape pressure and crowded areas with the ball at his feet. When used further up the pitch, he links with his forwards and his decision-making is of a standard usually associated with more senior players.

On early evidence, Lewis-Skelly does look to be a player destined for a bright future in the game for club and country.

Ismeal Kabia, 18, FW

While Kabia might have gone under the radar due to recurring injuries, his impact for the under-21 side this season has been impressive enough to suggest that he could soon see his first Premier League minutes (in addition to his recent cameo in the Carabao Cup and being named among the substitutes in the North London derby.)

Indeed, the 18-year-old — who just signed his first professional contract — possesses some rather spectacular attributes. More than anything, his acceleration from a standing position is nothing short of remarkable. Though he could still do with some added upper-body strength to withstand challenges, Kabia’s dribbles down the right wing are a sight to behold. Nimble and quick on the turn, he is a tricky customer for opposing left-backs and chances are that Arteta will want to see what impact the Dutchman can make against more seasoned adversaries.

Ayden Heaven, 18, CB/CM

One of Arsenal’s academy graduates who drew praise from Arteta during preseason, Heaven mostly played in midfield (as a No. 6 or No. 8) during his early years but his future role is likely to be in defence as the England U19 international seeks regular first-team football.

His upbringing as a midfielder does show; Heaven is comfortable on the ball, doesn’t rush in possession, and his left-footed distribution is usually of a fine standard. However, while composure is a great asset for a teenager to possess, he can sometimes appear too casual on the ball and increased faith in his right foot when playing out from the back, paired with a tad more urgency, might be needed if he is to progress.

Maldini Kacurri, 19, CB

Named after legendary former AC Milan and Italy captain Paolo Maldini, Kacurri is a disrupter in more than one sense of the word. There is a trend at elite club academies of churning out cultured defenders, with brilliant passing skills and technique like midfielders. But the Albania U19 international is every bit a throwback centre-back who enjoys the physical aspects of the job and “assertive” may not do justice to his style. He fearlessly goes into challenges with total commitment, be it through an uncompromising tackle or emphatic shoulder charge.

Kacurri is more than just physical though, he’s quick too — especially over longer distances — and his powerful right foot sees him able to hit impressive long passes. Though the competition for a first-team spot in the heart of defence is ruthless (with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães starring), Kacurri has already reached a couple of important milestones since the start of the season: in September he ticked off his first-team debut with 20 minutes against Bolton in the Carabao Cup and he just received his first call-up for Albania’s U21 side.

Josh Nichols, 18, RB

Following a string of promising performances in the UEFA Youth League last season, Nichols was drafted in to the first-team squad for preseason and played the full 90 minutes vs. Bolton in the Carabao Cup in September.

The 18-year-old has spent nearly a decade at Hale End, joining the academy at the age of nine. Though he’s made his name at right-back, he started his footballing trajectory as a forward and his skills on the ball are clearly inherited from his formative years. While his attacking inclination and front-foot enthusiasm may generate the most attention, he’s also becoming a reliable defender; quick to close down a threat and, by way of his excellent pace, nipping in to pinch the ball in front of an opponent.

Much like fellow right-back Josh Robinson (who made the squad for the PSG game), at this point in his development, Nichols is arguably ripe for a loan move to a Championship side (or even abroad) for even stronger competition than he faces in the U21s.

Jack Porter, 16, GK

With David Raya and new signing Tommy Setford injured, and AFC Bournemouth loanee Neto cup-tied, Porter was thrown in at the deep end to start against Bolton. Indeed, at 16 years and 72 days, he became the youngest-ever starting debutant for Arsenal, which is not bad considering that the Essex-born youngster only made the switch from central midfield to goalkeeper four years ago.

As a result of his early career, Porter is confident with the ball at his feet — though learning to rely more on his left foot as he plays out from the back will improve his ability to cope better when being closed down. Among his top attributes are his agility, speed coming off his line, and sharp mental focus. The England under-17 international also boasts fine reflexes and the command of his penalty area (catching crosses; navigating spaces) is also remarkable for a player of his age.

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Arsenal have used many teenagers on their first-team squad this season. Who could be a future star?

How Man City’s remarkable academy keeps producing talent​​

Ahead of Man City’s Carabao Cup clash vs. Tottenham, we take a closer look at their academy, how they prepare young players and manage their minutes.

​Ahead of Man City’s Carabao Cup clash vs. Tottenham, we take a closer look at their academy, how they prepare young players and manage their minutes. Ahead of Man City’s Carabao Cup clash vs. Tottenham, we take a closer look at their academy, how they prepare young players and manage their minutes.   

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Before the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008 transformed Manchester City into a European superpower, things were very different for the youngsters growing up with dreams of playing for the first team.

Thomas Krucken is City’s youth academy director, but for a year in the early 2000s he was a foundation phase coach — the term used for those who oversee ages 5-11 — working with young players including Shaun Wright-Phillips, Kasper Schmeichel and Kieran Trippier. The 47-year-old has one particular memory of how life used to be.
 


“Jim Cassell [City’s former academy director] asked me to do a training session and I wanted to do something special,” Krucken tells ESPN. “So I went to a pet shop in the city centre and brought sticks from a bird cage and built this coordination ladder. It’s a bit different now.”



Krucken spoke to ESPN from his office overlooking the pristine pitches at the City Football Academy (CFA), a short walk from the Etihad Stadium. The days of running sessions at Platt Lane Sports Complex in southeast Manchester are over. City can now offer young footballers state-of-the-art facilities at the CFA and a link-up with local private school St. Bede’s College, which would normally cost more than £14,000 a year to attend.

Overall, however, the goal of producing professional footballers remains the same as it was 25 years ago.



“We had nothing,” says Krucken. “But we developed players at a Premier League level. The facilities have changed and now we have everything we need to develop top players.”
 


Krucken, back at the club after a spell as VfB Stuttgart‘s head of youth development, is now in charge of one of Europe’s premier talent factories.

Everyone knows about Phil Foden, associated with City since the age of four and now English football’s reigning player of the year, but the production line doesn’t stop there.

City ended the first game of their preseason tour of the U.S. against Celtic with nine academy graduates on the pitch. Four — Rico Lewis, Nico O’Reilly, James McAtee and Oscar Bobb — were in manager Pep Guardiola’s starting XI for the Community Shield against Manchester United in August.

Guardiola’s set to raid the academy again when he selects his team for the Carabao Cup tie at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. Guardiola picked O’Reilly, McAtee and 16-year-old Kaden Braithwaite against Watford in the last round, and has already stated his intention to “play the second team” against Spurs. Braithwaite was handed his debut after training with the first team just once, a session that took place the day before the game.



The benefit in Guardiola looking to the academy for new players is that, from an early age, City’s young players are taught the basics of what it takes to play in his team and so the transition period can be relatively short.

“Coming through the academy, you learn about how a City player should play,” Bobb told ESPN in April. “Things like where you’re supposed to move. Obviously, when you get to the first team it’s a different level. Pep gets that new players won’t know certain things or won’t have the mind of a Bernardo Silva. He accepts that and he wants to teach me, so it’s really nice.

“The likes of Phil Foden and Rico Lewis have shown it’s possible to make it.”

Bobb and McAtee impressed so much in the summer that the club decided against signing a replacement for Julián Álvarez, who left for Atlético Madrid in an £81 million deal. Bobb has since suffered a broken leg that will keep him out until the new year, but McAtee is benefitting from Álvarez’s departure.



“He’s a player who comes from the academy,” Guardiola said on McAtee’s prospects of playing first team football this season. “He knows all the process and how he moves in the pockets. When you find players in the small spaces that attack the final thirds, have a sense of goal, it is difficult to find these sorts of players. McAtee has that quality and that’s why I said to [director of football] Txiki [Begiristain] in the beginning of the season, I don’t want to loan him or sell him. I need him.”

McAtee, 22, has made 12 senior appearances for City since making his debut as a teenager in 2021, but spent the past two seasons on loan at Sheffield United; one in the Championship and one in the Premier League. He scored his first senior goal in the 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League earlier this month. With Álvarez gone and Bobb injured, he’s got the opportunity to establish himself in the first-team squad. At least for now.
 


The reality for young players at City is that, at any moment, an expensive new player can arrive to fill your spot in the squad. Lewis broke through during the 2022-23 campaign playing at both full-back and in midfield. The following summer City spent a combined £161m on two midfielders (Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes) and a full-back (Josko Gvardiol). 



“It’s something you have to deal with,” said Bobb.

”It’s one of the reasons there was scepticism about me coming here at 16. But it shows that you don’t just have to perform well, you have to perform very well to get that chance. I remember some of my closest friends were asking if I was sure and saying it was going to be very tough to even get a sniff of first-team football. But for me, just getting close to it was an opportunity of a lifetime.



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Guardiola: Man City won’t be surprised when I leave

Pep Guardiola speaks about Txiki Begiristain’s departure from Man City and reflects on his own future at the club.

“What can be a misconception is that the manager and the staff don’t see players differently if they’ve been brought for a big transfer fee or come through the academy. It’s just two players and the one who’s better in training or fits the team plays.”

While Bobb and McAtee are hopeful of being part of City’s present, academy staff are already looking well ahead. Part of Krucken’s philosophy is to create “players of the future.” In layman’s terms, it means anticipating what the game will look like in 10 years and producing players with the right attributes so that a 10-year-old in 2024 will be ready — in theory, anyway — to play for City’s first team in 2034.



“The speed of the game has increased: if you compare a game with a game 20 years ago, it’s very different,” says Krucken. “This is our idea of creating the future player because we are sure the speed of the game will keep increasing. We have to adapt to what a player will need in the future. That means thinking now about what an under-10 player will need in 10 years. This is always the challenge for an academy.”



Not everyone who passes through City’s academy over the next decade will play for the first team. The level required to break through at a club that wants to win the Champions League every year is extremely high and for some it will be out of reach.
 City, though, have become masters at ensuring that those who don’t make the grade earn moves to other clubs, often for big fees.

Sources have told ESPN that the club has agreed deals which could total £276m for academy graduates over the last five years alone. This summer, Taylor Harwood-Bellis joined Southampton for £20m while Liam Delap signed for Ipswich Town for £15m. Cole Palmer moved to Chelsea for £42.5m in 2023.

It means that if City do eventually choose to use the transfer market to replace Álvarez, there’s money to spend without having to walk the tightrope of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.



“Look at the generation from the academy years ago with Jadon Sancho, Cole Palmer, Brahim Díaz,” said Guardiola. “A lot of players that are shining have come from there. That’s why we are really pleased with how the academy worked in the past. Hopefully it can continue to do it for the club.”
 


Those players have gone on to make an impact elsewhere. The ones still hoping to be part of City’s future will get their next chance to impress against Tottenham this week.

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Ahead of Man City’s Carabao Cup clash vs. Tottenham, we take a closer look at their academy, how they prepare young players and manage their minutes.

This year's Kansas City team stands where the 2006 Patriots once stood. Here's why they could chart the same course -- and what could get in the way. ​ This year's Kansas City team stands where the 2006 Patriots once stood. Here's why they could chart the same course...

Marc-Andre Fleury, who turns 40 next month and has indicated this season will be his last, stopped 26 shots in what will likely be his final game in the Steel City as the Minnesota Wild defeated his first team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-3, Tuesday night. ​ Marc-Andre...

Bulls guard Lonzo Ball sprained his right wrist in the first quarter Monday night at Memphis and will be reevaluated in 10 days, the team announced Tuesday. ​ Bulls guard Lonzo Ball sprained his right wrist in the first quarter Monday night at Memphis and will be...

The Vikings acquired left tackle Cam Robinson in a trade with the Jaguars on Tuesday, sources told ESPN, adding a potential replacement for injured incumbent Christian Darrisaw. ​ The Vikings acquired left tackle Cam Robinson in a trade with the Jaguars on Tuesday,...

The Colts are benching 2023 first-round draft pick Anthony Richardson and turning to veteran Joe Flacco as their starting QB, sources tell ESPN. ​ The Colts are benching 2023 first-round draft pick Anthony Richardson and turning to veteran Joe Flacco as their starting...

Manchester United are closing in on a deal for Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim and Red Devils icon Paul Scholes has now shared his thoughts on his potential Old Trafford arrival ​Manchester United are closing in on a deal for Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim and...

Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim is on the cusp of being named Manchester United boss, eight years after his compatriot Jose Mourinho was handed the reins at Old Trafford ​Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim is on the cusp of being named Manchester United boss, eight...

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes reckons his old club made a mistake in not doing everything they could to appoint Thomas Tuchel in the summer ​Manchester United legend Paul Scholes reckons his old club made a mistake in not doing everything they could to appoint...

Ruud van Nistelrooy has spoken for the first time since becoming Manchester United's interim boss as he takes charge of his first game against Leicester on Wednesday night ​Ruud van Nistelrooy has spoken for the first time since becoming Manchester United's interim...

Novak Djokovic will soon be the last man standing from tennis' 'Big Three' in the New Year, but even he may consider heading for retirement is one condition is met ​Novak Djokovic will soon be the last man standing from tennis' 'Big Three' in the New Year, but even he...

British stables will now have two live challengers in the £4.5 million race after Sea King won the Bendigo Cup to join Onesmoothoperator in the field ​British stables will now have two live challengers in the £4.5 million race after Sea King won the Bendigo Cup to...

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has hailed Manchester City star and newly-crowned Ballon d'Or winner Rodri as the Premier League's greatest midfielder - better than Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira ​Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has hailed Manchester City...

With Erik ten Hag finally being shown the exit door at Old Trafford, a former Manchester United ace believes one group of players contributed most to his sacking ​With Erik ten Hag finally being shown the exit door at Old Trafford, a former Manchester United ace...

Arsenal have drawn their Premier League matches against title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool and Paul Scholes says they are yet to prove they have the mentality to lift the trophy ​Arsenal have drawn their Premier League matches against title rivals Manchester...

Walker Buehler, who had spent all year wondering if he'd ever recapture who he was, reemerged at the most important time Monday night to help the Dodgers take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Yankees in the World Series. ​ Walker Buehler, who had spent all year...

Mourinho: UEFA not giving me ‘honest treatment’​​

Jose Mourinho believes he is not getting the same treatment by UEFA as other coaches ever since the 2023 Europa League final.

​Jose Mourinho believes he is not getting the same treatment by UEFA as other coaches ever since the 2023 Europa League final. Jose Mourinho believes he is not getting the same treatment by UEFA as other coaches ever since the 2023 Europa League final.   

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Oct 29, 2024, 02:56 PM ET

Jose Mourinho believes he is not getting the same treatment by UEFA as other coaches ever since the 2023 Europa League final.

While in charge of Roma, Mourinho was last year hit with a four-match touchline ban by European football’s governing body for verbally abusing referee Anthony Taylor following his team’s painful defeat on penalties to Sevilla in the Europa League final in Budapest.

“The feeling is, I am in trouble in Europe,” Mourinho told Sky Sports in an interview released Tuesday. “I lost a final in a way that I still don’t accept, and since then I feel it.

“I don’t want to have special treatment, I want to have honest treatment. Just that. So if I do something wrong punish and pay, but if I do nothing wrong leave me in peace, but it’s getting difficult.

“Since that Budapest final it’s getting difficult.”

Mourinho, now at the helm of Fenerbahce, was shown a straight red card in last week’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the Europa League.

He was handed his marching orders after a heated dispute with the referee when his side were denied an appeal for a penalty.

“I deserve to be [treated] like everybody else,” Mourinho said.

“On the pitch it doesn’t matter if you are Lionel Messi or playing your first match. The rules are the same for Messi and the young kid. And for coaches it’s the same thing.

“It doesn’t matter if you are Carlo Ancelotti or a young coach just starting. Ancelotti has to behave the same way as the young kid has to behave.

“That’s what I want for myself, and that’s what I am not getting.”

Mourinho said after the game against United that his next job will have to be at an English club not involved in UEFA competition.

However, the former Chelsea manager has clarified his comments.

“I made a joke,” he said. “I’m never going to a team fighting relegation. I will never go.

“I get upset, and I’m not in the period of my career to get upset. I’m in the period of my career to be happy all the time and at this moment playing in European competitions, I am getting upset all the time.

“But I’m not going to fight relegation. It’s too hard! Honestly, I believe that has to be the hardest thing. It’s more difficult than playing for titles.

“It has to be very hard emotionally, because it’s something that changes lives. “I think it’s brave guys that do it.”

The former Man United, Chelsea and Tottenham manager said he would still welcome a return to the Premier League, although not for at least a couple of years.

“London is home, so one day I have to be back, unless no one wants me. But one day I would like to go back.

“But don’t get me wrong, and let’s make it very very clear, for the next two years, this season and next, no one will take me from Fenerbahce.”

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Jose Mourinho believes he is not getting the same treatment by UEFA as other coaches ever since the 2023 Europa League final.

Leroux in L.A. until ‘end’ with new Angel City deal​​

NWSL veteran forward Sydney Leroux agreed to a new three-year contract through 2027 with Angel City FC, the club confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.

​NWSL veteran forward Sydney Leroux agreed to a new three-year contract through 2027 with Angel City FC, the club confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday. NWSL veteran forward Sydney Leroux agreed to a new three-year contract through 2027 with Angel City FC, the club confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

NWSL veteran forward Sydney Leroux agreed to a new three-year contract through 2027 with Angel City FC, the club confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.

Al Nassr out of King’s Cup on missed Ronaldo pen​​

Al Nassr are out of the Saudi King’s Cup at the hands of Al Taawoun after Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in second-half stoppage time on Tuesday.

​Al Nassr are out of the Saudi King’s Cup at the hands of Al Taawoun after Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in second-half stoppage time on Tuesday. Al Nassr are out of the Saudi King’s Cup at the hands of Al Taawoun after Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in second-half stoppage time on Tuesday.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Al Nassr are out of the Saudi King’s Cup at the hands of Al Taawoun after Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in second-half stoppage time on Tuesday.

Amorim confirms Man Utd interest, no decision yet​​

Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim has acknowledged Manchester United’s interest in making him the Premier League club’s new manager but insisted he had not yet decided whether to make the move to Old Trafford.

​Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim has acknowledged Manchester United’s interest in making him the Premier League club’s new manager but insisted he had not yet decided whether to make the move to Old Trafford. Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim has acknowledged Manchester United’s interest in making him the Premier League club’s new manager but insisted he had not yet decided whether to make the move to Old Trafford.   

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Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim has acknowledged Manchester United‘s interest in making him the Premier League club’s new manager but insisted he had not yet decided whether to make the move to Old Trafford.

The deal moved closer earlier on Tuesday with the Portuguese club informing the country’s financial regulator that United had confirmed their willingness to pay Amorim’s €10 million ($10.79m) release clause.

Sources have told ESPN that United are determined to seal a deal for the highly-rated coach to replace Erik ten Hag before Sunday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea.

Speaking after his team’s 3-1 win against Nacional in the Taca da Liga on Tuesday night, Amorim would not be drawn on whether Sporting’s Primeira Liga game against Estreia Armadora on Friday would be his last with the club.

“There was the club’s statement and it’s the only thing that exists at the moment,” he said. “There is an interest from Manchester United. But it has to be my choice. Until everything is decided, we won’t be creating noise. I have nothing to say. I will take on whatever I want to do, as I always have.

“There is a club that is interested and has contacted the club and is willing to pay the release clause. That I cannot control. We will see what happens in the next few days. My focus tomorrow is to prepare for Friday’s game against Estreia Armadora.

“Nobody knows if it’s a farewell game, if there will be a farewell game, it’s something that hasn’t been decided yet, so let’s analyze the game. Once I have made a decision I will come out and explain my decision. But everything has to be defined.

“As the club statement said, it will be my decision. But saying half things now doesn’t seem the best thing.”

Asked how good his English is, Amorim replied: “It’s rudimentary.”

Due to their listing on the stock market, Portuguese champions Sporting have an obligation to inform the CMVM — Portugal’s financial regulator — of any significant impact on the club’s business and they released a statement outlining United’s offer for Amorim.

The statement to the CMVM said: “Sporting comes, under the terms and for the purpose of fulfilling the information obligation arising from the provisions of Article 17.º of Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014, of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 16, inform the market in the following terms: “1. Manchester United FC expressed interest in hiring coach Rúben Amorim, and the Board of Directors of Sporting SAD referred to the terms and conditions provided for in the employment contract in force between the Company and the coach, specifically for the respective termination clause and for the amount of Euro 10,000,000.00;

“2. Manchester United FC expressed interest in paying Sporting SAD the amount of said clause.”

Ruud van Nistelrooy, hired as assistant manager to Ten Hag during the summer, has been named as interim head coach by United until a permanent appointment is made and the former United and Real Madrid forward will be in charge for the Carabao Cup tie against Leicester City on Wednesday at Old Trafford.

However, it is likely that the Leicester game will be Van Nistelrooy’s only fixture in charge if talks with Sporting and Amorim continue to move at pace.

Ten Hag was sacked on Tuesday following Man United’s 2-1 loss to West Ham that left them 14th in the Premier League.

Amorim has guided Sporting to two league titles since arriving at the club from Braga in 2020. Prior to Amorim’s appointment, Sporting had endured a 19-year wait to end their title drought.

The former Portugal midfielder was considered by Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and West Ham for their vacant managerial roles last season before committing his future to Sporting at the end of last season.

However, reports in Portugal have said that Sporting are now preparing for Amorim’s departure this week by lining up the club’s B-team coach João Pereira to take charge for the rest of the season.

Amorim has drawn praise for his time at Sporting from United captain Bruno Fernandes.

“Since coach Amorim arrived to Sporting they became one of the teams that play better and most consistent football. I think the signings have been right, and they are in a very good moment. They’ve won last year and this season have started leading in the standings. It’s a very well-prepared team,” he said at a news conference with Portugal earlier this month.

“Regarding Mr. Amorim, I spoke about him several times and I said that at this moment he is well prepared because it is not easy to win titles at Sporting. Sporting was 20 years without winning trophies. Mr. Amorim came and won two and that proves his work has been good.

“Now, if he will be able to do the same in England or Spain or anywhere else? We’ll never know until he gets there but I’m sure that Mr. Amorim qualities are there in everyone’s eyes.”

Information from ESPN’s Adriana Garcia contributed to this report.

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim has acknowledged Manchester United’s interest in making him the Premier League club’s new manager but insisted he had not yet decided whether to make the move to Old Trafford.

Hayes: Ballon d’Or award timing not fair to women​​

United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has criticized the timing of the Ballon d’Or awards during a women’s FIFA window.

​United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has criticized the timing of the Ballon d’Or awards during a women’s FIFA window. United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has criticized the timing of the Ballon d’Or awards during a women’s FIFA window.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has criticized the timing of the Ballon d’Or awards during a women’s FIFA window.

Why Ten Hag failed at Manchester United: From player disputes to bad results​​

Two trophies, disputes with star players, and a litany of poor results; here’s the complete story of Erik ten Hag’s Man United tenure.

​Two trophies, disputes with star players, and a litany of poor results; here’s the complete story of Erik ten Hag’s Man United tenure. Two trophies, disputes with star players, and a litany of poor results; here’s the complete story of Erik ten Hag’s Man United tenure.   

Erik ten Hag craved control at Manchester United but it meant that, with problems piling up, there was nowhere to hide. In the end, his fingerprints were all over too much of the failure — there were no excuses left — and Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham United proved to be his final act as manager.

Ten Hag did it his way, accommodated by the club at almost every turn, but still couldn’t make it work. On a preseason trip to Oslo in the summer of 2023, he complained to club staff that the grass at the Ullevaal Stadion was longer than had been agreed. He was told that rain in the Norwegian capital overnight led to unexpected growth, and it was just one of those things; Ten Hag replied that it wasn’t good enough.

The Dutchman enjoyed a lot of control while at Man United. He dictated details from the length of the grass to aid quicker passing to the layout of Old Trafford. Early on in his reign, Ten Hag was allowed to redesign a group video analysis room at Carrington — complete with a huge screen, tiered flooring and interior decoration featuring images of United fans — at a cost of more than £200,000. Yet his changes weren’t restricted to the facilities.

Ten Hag changed the way players prepared for games, asking them to arrive four hours early for matches at Old Trafford in their own cars rather than spending the night before at a Manchester hotel and arriving together on a coach. He repurposed a large hospitality suite and turned it into a prematch room for his squad. He moved the lockers in the dressing room so the defenders sat to his left, and the midfielders and forwards sat to his right, when he stood in front of his tactics board.

At Old Trafford, Ten Hag insisted on switching the benches around to be nearer the tunnel, even though it meant his technical area would then straddle the halfway line, which, in his opinion, would give him a better view of the game. He was told it would cost money to make the change because the home benches are heated and the away benches are not, but Ten Hag put his foot down and got his way. He often did.

United knew what they were getting when they hired him from Ajax Amsterdam in the summer of 2022. Club bosses were told a story that when he first arrived at Ajax in December 2017, he continued to use a suitcase embroidered with the branding of his former club, FC Utrecht. He was told it was perhaps not the best look for the Ajax manager to be carrying Utrecht merchandise, but he liked the bag and used it anyway. Ajax bosses told their United counterparts that it showed “Ten Hag’s stubbornness in a nutshell.”

Ten Hag was the same at Old Trafford, but with so much control came ultimate responsibility for performances and results that were eventually deemed unacceptable. After a little over two years, four months in charge, Ten Hag was sacked on Monday after a run of just four wins from 13 matches in all competitions to start the 2024-25 season. Languishing at 14th in the table — as close to the relegation places as the top four — United were on course to place even lower than last season’s worst-ever Premier League finish.

Ten Hag leaves with a record of 70 wins and 35 defeats in 128 games. The signs of discord have been there for a while and even though United sources insist Ten Hag has conducted himself with professionalism and dignity throughout his time at Old Trafford, his departure is no surprise.

Conflict with players from Ronaldo to Sancho

After completing the purchase of a 27.7% stake in the club early in 2024, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team were initially sympathetic to the issues faced by Ten Hag, but increasingly found that many of the problems pointed back to the manager.

Ten Hag survived their extensive end-of-season review largely because of the surprise FA Cup success over Manchester City on May 25, and because agreements couldn’t be reached with other candidates including Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino. That victory was such a shock that a postmatch party had to be hastily arranged with no prior planning.

Ten Hag’s contract was soon extended by a year after, but there was a feeling within the Ineos hierarchy even then that a change might be necessary if the form that saw them finish eighth in the Premier League last season — United’s lowest-ever finish in the league’s 31-year history — didn’t drastically improve during the early part of the new campaign.

Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake also arrived in a summer revamp of Ten Hag’s coaching staff. Ten Hag had a previous relationship with Hake, but not with Van Nistelrooy, and it prompted some players to speculate that the former Netherlands international, who spent a year in charge of PSV Eindhoven between 2022 and 2023, would be a ready-made replacement if Ten Hag was sacked; exactly what ended up happening when Van Nistelrooy was appointed as caretaker manager on Monday.

It was telling that CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth — hired in by Ratcliffe and Ineos to revamp the club’s footballing structure — both distanced themselves from the decision to keep Ten Hag by making it known privately that they weren’t involved in the conversations because they had not officially started in their new roles in July. It gave their public backing of Ten Hag in early September a hollow feel.

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Why Ruud van Nistelrooy as interim manager is a risk for Man United

Gab & Juls discuss how long Ruud van Nistelrooy will get as interim manager at Man United.

Ten Hag’s time in charge ultimately delivered two trophies in two years, but it was never easy.

After beginning his reign with defeats to Brighton and Brentford in August 2022, sources told ESPN there were early complaints from some players that Ten Hag struggled to communicate, and concerns that instructions were being lost in translation leading to confusion on the pitch. Following the 4-0 defeat to Brentford, one player told close friends that Ten Hag didn’t know how to motivate, with players often finding him difficult to read. He could be jolly one day, and extremely serious the next. One source described Ten Hag as “too strict.”

His disciplinarian approach was initially welcomed by senior players who believed standards had slipped under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, but some of his rules would cause additional issues.

Most players agreed that Cristiano Ronaldo was in the wrong when he refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham in October 2022 but, after seemingly winning the battle of wills initially, sources told ESPN many within the club soon started to think Ten Hag had taken the punishment too far.

Ronaldo was initially ordered to train away from the first team, but when he tried to enter the dressing room and retrieve a pair of his trainers, he was told by staff he wasn’t allowed in. The stand-off ended only when Ronaldo enlisted an academy player to go into the dressing room for him, with a number of senior players viewing the blanket ban as an unnecessary humiliation.

The fallout with Ronaldo was seismic, but although the Portugal legend’s departure from Old Trafford during the break for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was relatively clean, a similar situation with Jadon Sancho was not.

Sancho was a high-profile and highly coveted signing when announced on July 1, 2021. His arrival, fresh off the back of four brilliant years at Borussia Dortmund, was seen as a coup for United in the face of interest from other top clubs, but things quickly devolved after a promising start.

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Ogden: Ten Hag sacking suggests INEOS don’t know what they’re doing

Mark Ogden reacts to the timing of Man United’s sacking of Erik ten Hag.

A public fallout between the England international and Ten Hag was followed by four months of Sancho being made to train, eat and change on his own. A number of players tried to encourage Sancho to apologise, but the longer the situation went on, the more players began to believe that — again — Ten Hag had taken things too far. Sources have told ESPN that Ten Hag wanted Sancho to say sorry publicly because the player had made the conflict public on social media, but sources tell ESPN that some players viewed the demand as an unnecessary humiliation.

The Sancho situation increasingly became an embarrassment. As Sancho — sent on loan to former club Dortmund in January 2024 — was tearing holes in Paris Saint-Germain during the Champions League semifinal first leg in April, United representatives sent messages to high-profile pundits telling them to stop talking up the forward’s contribution because it reflected badly on the club.

With no one willing to match Sancho’s valuation over the summer, Ten Hag was convinced to allow him back into first-team training. He remained reluctant throughout the uneasy truce, feeling that it could be viewed as a loss of his authority. Eventually Sancho joined Chelsea in a cut-price loan deal on Deadline Day in August 2024.

Players question his training methods as injuries mount

Sancho was one of a number of issues Ten Hag faced during a particularly difficult second season. Injuries were a problem, and not just the volume of them: United had to deal with 45 separate cases during that campaign.

Players questioned the intensity of some of the training sessions and were often left thinking they would benefit from more individually tailored programmes. One senior player put his injury problems down to being asked to train in the same way as much younger squad members, believing instead that he should be allowed longer to recover after games.

Sources have told ESPN that Ten Hag would use extra training as a response to poor results and performances, which many players found counterproductive. They would feel tired ahead of the next game, lose, and then be given more extra training. Ten Hag’s answer was always that Premier League football is intense, so training must be the same.

Towards the end of last season, Ten Hag was cutting an increasingly isolated figure. Members of his own staff began to question why the team was being set up in the same way despite often conceding 20 or more shots. Players, too, began to feel the team was “too open.”

Ten Hag never lost the entire dressing room in the way Jose Mourinho did before he was sacked but, over time, more and more individuals began to develop their own gripes. Ratcliffe’s right-hand man at Ineos, Sir Dave Brailsford, held one-on-one meetings with the squad in February and again in April. There was an overriding feeling that support for the manager within the dressing room had dipped significantly during the intervening two months.

Ten Hag put his case forward to Ratcliffe and Brailsford, insisting that “no team in the world” could have coped with the amount of injuries Man United had suffered. He pointed to his promotion of youngsters Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, and voiced his frustration that the club had missed out on signing stars like Frenkie de Jong (who stayed at Barcelona), Alexis Mac Allister (who joined Liverpool), Federico Valverde (who remained at Real Madrid) and Harry Kane (who went to Bayern Munich).

Sources have told ESPN that Ineos was told during conversations with the recruitment team that many of Ten Hag’s transfer demands were “unrealistic.”

Tension over recruitment and transfer policies

Recruitment was a contentious issue throughout Ten Hag’s time at Old Trafford. His demand for control over transfers saw United terminate their collaboration with Rangnick, who had agreed a two-year deal to act as a consultant. When Ten Hag took over in the summer of 2022, Rangnick expected to meet face-to-face for a detailed meeting about the state of the squad only to discover the new United manager was willing to only grant him a phone call.

One player Ten Hag did get was Antony. Having worked together at Ajax, Ten Hag was the driving force behind signing the Brazilian winger, but the transfer has been an unmitigated disaster. During talks with Ineos, Ten Hag said that, while he wanted Antony, it was not his fault that the fee had risen to more than £85 million when he was available for a much lower price earlier in the summer of 2022. A source has told ESPN that Ajax could not believe the offer United eventually made because it was so far above his market value, while other sources note that signing Antony and Casemiro was partly driven by the panic caused by those early defeats to Brighton and Brentford.

There was further tension in recruitment meetings following the Ineos takeover, with Brailsford keen to stress that responsibility for signings would ultimately be handed to Ashworth and technical director, Jason Wilcox.

Ten Hag at first struggled to build a working relationship with Wilcox, dismissing him as somebody who lacked the credentials for his job, having previously run Man City’s academy set-up and then a year as Southampton director of football. Things improved following talks over the summer, but Ten Hag was still reluctant to give up control, arguing that he had been granted a transfer veto in his contract. Sources have told ESPN that Ineos was not impressed with his record in the market.

Ten Hag insisted that he hadn’t pushed for every transfer made under his watch and instead was forced to accept certain players because positions had to be filled. He wanted Kane — an experienced goal scorer — when the club was looking for a striker in the summer of 2023 and instead got Rasmus Højlund, a young player with vast potential but very much a work in progress.

Furthermore, Ten Hag was exasperated by the club’s financial situation and viewed both January transfer windows during his reign as missed opportunities. He was allowed to only sign Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer on short-term loans in January 2023, and his request for a striker in January 2024 to help ease the burden on Hojlund was turned down.

According to a source, Ten Hag insisted that he had to sign Antony, Lisandro Martínez and Casemiro in part because they were strong characters who were vital to deal with a dressing room that was in a mess post-Rangnick. Antony and Martinez demanded Ajax let them go — Martinez at one point argued directly with an Ajax official over a move to United — which impressed Ten Hag and football director John Murtough.

Martinez, a staunch Ten Hag supporter, was missed in the dressing room and on the training pitch during a long injury layoff between September 2023 and January 2024. The Argentinian was encouraged to spend more time around the squad during a particularly poor run of form in December 2023, when staff reported back to Ten Hag that he was close to losing the support of some influential senior players.

Defenders Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs De Ligt and arrived from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024, but the United hierarchy was initially unconvinced as to why the club needed the latter player, having just signed Leny Yoro to a long-term deal. Mazraoui was seen as a straight replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who ultimately joined West Ham, while De Ligt was felt to be decent value and added more depth at a problem position. After discussions with Ten Hag, they sanctioned it due to the low costs involved.

Ten Hag did his best to manage the squad with an emphasis on individual meetings but, privately, he accepted it was a step up from what he had known at Ajax and found United players were almost “businesses” in their own right with huge entourages around them, all with their own opinions. On one occasion, a request made by a player’s PR representative for more exposure on the club’s social media channels ended up on his desk.

Ten Hag, according to sources, made a conscious effort to avoid criticising individuals in the media for fear that it would do more harm than good. After almost capitulating to Championship side to Coventry City in the FA Cup semifinal in April, he kept the players in the Wembley dressing room for so long that by the time they came out, the Coventry players were lined up waiting to swap shirts. But in his news conference immediately afterward, he decided to shield his squad, instead focusing on the fact United had won the game on penalties to reach a second successive FA Cup final.

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Dawson: Man United interested in Thomas Frank to replace Erik ten Hag

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Some staff felt Ten Hag protected his players too much and instead inadvertently made himself a lightning rod for criticism. Ten Hag, though, believed that many players didn’t respond well to public criticism and that it was important to keep the dressing room behind him as best he could. He repeatedly backed Marcus Rashford despite concerns about his body language during training and games.

Ten Hag wanted to stay in control, even if it increased an already massive workload. He picked the squad numbers for new signings — it was his decision to hand Mason Mount the No. 7 shirt rather than to Garnacho — and wanted to know what media commitments players had, why they were doing it and whether or not they were contractually obliged.

When club staff were worried Ten Hag was being asked to hold too many news conferences, they suggested former assistant Steve McClaren could take over before a Carabao Cup tie. Ten Hag declined, insisting the “message” always had to come from him. According to a source, a request made by a TV company to speak to Van Nistelrooy in August was turned down on Ten Hag’s say-so.

On one occasion Ten Hag cancelled his own interview with Robin van Persie, who had flown to Manchester to conduct it, because it clashed with his training schedule. Nothing got in the way of his work — something acknowledged by Ratcliffe and Brailsford — but it wasn’t enough to save him after a disastrous end to his second season and miserable start to his third.

In the end, too many bad results

Ten Hag is one of only four managers in United’s history to win trophies in consecutive seasons alongside Ernest Mangnall, Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson, but winning the FA Cup was achieved against a backdrop of United’s worst league season for 34 years.

When Ratcliffe and Ineos began the process of investing in United in November 2022, they had no intention of sacking Ten Hag. Even early this year, their feeling was that the structure at the club was wrong and that any manager would struggle to perform. But after finally formalising their agreement to buy a minority stake in February, setbacks on the pitch came thick and fast.

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Has Gareth Southgate been warned-off Manchester United job?

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The 2-1 defeat to Fulham at Old Trafford on Feb. 24 was considered a watershed moment. Ten Hag called the squad into Carrington the following day and made them watch a replay of the game in full before going out to train.

Six weeks later, Ratcliffe was in the stands at Stamford Bridge as United conceded twice in stoppage time to lose 4-3 to a Chelsea team that was also in a state of flux. Sources have told ESPN that Ratcliffe made his frustration with the performance well-known both during and after the game. Ratcliffe was in the stands again at Wembley as United threw away the three-goal lead against Coventry, and it was followed two weeks later by the humiliating 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.

Ten Hag had started to seriously fear that he was not in Ratcliffe’s long-term plans in March when he was informed that assistant Benni McCarthy — a key member of staff in his first two years — had not been approached about signing a new contract. Chelsea’s surprise decision to part company with Pochettino in late May prompted concerns among United’s new leadership team that they had to act quickly because both clubs would be picking from the same pool of managers.

It led to discussions with potential candidates in the week leading up to the FA Cup final, a situation considered so humiliating that close friends advised Ten Hag to quit.

Sat in the Wembley news conference theatre after beating Man City, Ten Hag was defiant saying that if Ratcliffe and the new co-owners “don’t want me, then I go somewhere else to win trophies because that is what I do.”

In the same room in February 2023, he walked into his news conference carrying the Carabao Cup — United’s first trophy for six years — and nearly left it on the desk before joking that he was “already thinking about the next one.” After two in two years, he won’t get the chance to make it three in three.

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Slot backs Ten Hag for ‘big club’ job in the future

Liverpool’s Arne Slot reacts to the sacking of fellow Dutch manager Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

The surprise victory over City in the FA Cup final was enough to keep him in a job for another six months, but the goodwill built up after that day at Wembley eventually eroded. Their 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in September caused renewed worry among United’s leadership that Ten Hag may not be able to turn things around.

After that, United’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham a month later was another nail in his coffin. A source has told ESPN that after Bruno Fernandes had been sent off late in the first half, the players were unsure what Ten Hag’s plan was as they emerged for the second 45 minutes and conceded just two minutes into the half.

Serious consideration was given to sacking Ten Hag during the October international break and, despite beating Brentford when domestic fixtures resumed, the 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday was the tipping point. The final decision was made on Sunday night, and Ashworth and Berrada were waiting at Carrington early on Monday morning to deliver the news.

With Van Nistelrooy left to prepare for his interim role and a Carabao Cup game against Leicester City on Wednesday, Ten Hag was driven out of Carrington for the last time and on Monday afternoon arrived at Manchester airport to fly home to the Netherlands.

United handed Ten Hag the keys to Old Trafford when he arrived. Two years on, he’s been told to give them back.

Additional reporting by Mark Ogden.

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Two trophies, disputes with star players, and a litany of poor results; here’s the complete story of Erik ten Hag’s Man United tenure.

Mourinho: UEFA not giving me ‘honest treatment’​​

Jose Mourinho believes he is not getting the same treatment by UEFA as other coaches ever since the 2023 Europa League final.

​Jose Mourinho believes he is not getting the same treatment by UEFA as other coaches ever since the 2023 Europa League final. Jose Mourinho believes he is not getting the same treatment by UEFA as other coaches ever since the 2023 Europa League final.   

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Oct 29, 2024, 02:56 PM ET

Jose Mourinho believes he is not getting the same treatment by UEFA as other coaches ever since the 2023 Europa League final.

While in charge of Roma, Mourinho was last year hit with a four-match touchline ban by European football’s governing body for verbally abusing referee Anthony Taylor following his team’s painful defeat on penalties to Sevilla in the Europa League final in Budapest.

“The feeling is, I am in trouble in Europe,” Mourinho told Sky Sports in an interview released Tuesday. “I lost a final in a way that I still don’t accept, and since then I feel it.

“I don’t want to have special treatment, I want to have honest treatment. Just that. So if I do something wrong punish and pay, but if I do nothing wrong leave me in peace, but it’s getting difficult.

“Since that Budapest final it’s getting difficult.”

Mourinho, now at the helm of Fenerbahce, was shown a straight red card in last week’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the Europa League.

He was handed his marching orders after a heated dispute with the referee when his side were denied an appeal for a penalty.

“I deserve to be [treated] like everybody else,” Mourinho said.

“On the pitch it doesn’t matter if you are Lionel Messi or playing your first match. The rules are the same for Messi and the young kid. And for coaches it’s the same thing.

“It doesn’t matter if you are Carlo Ancelotti or a young coach just starting. Ancelotti has to behave the same way as the young kid has to behave.

“That’s what I want for myself, and that’s what I am not getting.”

Mourinho said after the game against United that his next job will have to be at an English club not involved in UEFA competition.

However, the former Chelsea manager has clarified his comments.

“I made a joke,” he said. “I’m never going to a team fighting relegation. I will never go.

“I get upset, and I’m not in the period of my career to get upset. I’m in the period of my career to be happy all the time and at this moment playing in European competitions, I am getting upset all the time.

“But I’m not going to fight relegation. It’s too hard! Honestly, I believe that has to be the hardest thing. It’s more difficult than playing for titles.

“It has to be very hard emotionally, because it’s something that changes lives. “I think it’s brave guys that do it.”

The former Man United, Chelsea and Tottenham manager said he would still welcome a return to the Premier League, although not for at least a couple of years.

“London is home, so one day I have to be back, unless no one wants me. But one day I would like to go back.

“But don’t get me wrong, and let’s make it very very clear, for the next two years, this season and next, no one will take me from Fenerbahce.”

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Jose Mourinho believes he is not getting the same treatment by UEFA as other coaches ever since the 2023 Europa League final.

Dwyane Wade defended his new statue from criticism, saying it represents an "artistic version" of an iconic moment that was trying to be captured. ​ Dwyane Wade defended his new statue from criticism, saying it represents an "artistic version" of an iconic moment that...

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Manchester United have made Ruud van Nistelrooy their interim manager after sacking Erik ten Hag, though a new permanent boss could be in place before the next league game ​Manchester United have made Ruud van Nistelrooy their interim manager after sacking Erik ten...

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Manchester United briefed major pundits and asked them to stop complimenting Jadon Sancho during his Borussia Dortmund loan spell - conscious that they looked bad after allowing him to leave ​Manchester United briefed major pundits and asked them to stop complimenting...

Former Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho is currently in charge of Fenerbahce, but there have been questions over a return to England ​Former Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho is currently in charge of...

Ruben Amorim is set to be named the next Manchester United boss after the Red Devils sacked Erik ten Hag - and the Portuguese manager will have plenty of work to do at Old Trafford ​Ruben Amorim is set to be named the next Manchester United boss after the Red Devils...

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Sporting Lisbon were in action in the Taca de Liga with Ruben Amorim potentially taking charge of his last game as boss with Manchester United looking to secure his services ​Sporting Lisbon were in action in the Taca de Liga with Ruben Amorim potentially taking...

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Madrid players back Vini. Jr after Ballon D’Or snub​​

Vinícius Júnior’s Real Madrid and Brazil teammates have backed the star forward after he lost out to Manchester City’s Rodri in the race to win the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or.

​Vinícius Júnior’s Real Madrid and Brazil teammates have backed the star forward after he lost out to Manchester City’s Rodri in the race to win the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or. Vinícius Júnior’s Real Madrid and Brazil teammates have backed the star forward after he lost out to Manchester City’s Rodri in the race to win the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Vinícius Júnior’s Real Madrid and Brazil teammates have backed the star forward after he lost out to Manchester City’s Rodri in the race to win the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or.

Source: City rule out Amorim, Utd given clear run​​

Manchester City are not planning on getting involved in the pursuit for Rúben Amorim, a source has told ESPN, leaving Manchester United with a clear run as they negotiate with Sporting CP for the Portuguese coach.

​Manchester City are not planning on getting involved in the pursuit for Rúben Amorim, a source has told ESPN, leaving Manchester United with a clear run as they negotiate with Sporting CP for the Portuguese coach. Manchester City are not planning on getting involved in the pursuit for Rúben Amorim, a source has told ESPN, leaving Manchester United with a clear run as they negotiate with Sporting CP for the Portuguese coach.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Manchester City are not planning on getting involved in the pursuit for Rúben Amorim, a source has told ESPN, leaving Manchester United with a clear run as they negotiate with Sporting CP for the Portuguese coach.

‘A pity’ – Prem coaches react to Ten Hag’s sacking​​

Liverpool boss Arne Slot described his compatriot’s dismissal as “a pity” and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola said he feels “sorry” for him.

​Liverpool boss Arne Slot described his compatriot’s dismissal as “a pity” and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola said he feels “sorry” for him. Liverpool boss Arne Slot described his compatriot’s dismissal as “a pity” and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola said he feels “sorry” for him.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Liverpool boss Arne Slot described his compatriot’s dismissal as “a pity” and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola said he feels “sorry” for him.

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Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag following a dismal start to the season but co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe should be facing questions nearly a year into his reign ​Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag following a dismal start to the season...

Rodri was named the winner of the Ballon d'Or on Monday night in a surprise result, with Richarlison leading the fury of Premier League players who expected Vinicius Junior to be handed the award ​Rodri was named the winner of the Ballon d'Or on Monday night in a...

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Bruno Fernandes has already made his feelings perfectly clear on Ruben Amorim, who is the hot favourite to succeed the sacked Erik ten Hag at Manchester United ​Bruno Fernandes has already made his feelings perfectly clear on Ruben Amorim, who is the hot favourite to...

Following Erik ten Hag's dismissal, I thought I'd rewatch his first game in charge of Manchester United, a 2-1 defeat to Brighton back in August 2022, and the signs were ominous... ​Following Erik ten Hag's dismissal, I thought I'd rewatch his first game in charge of...

Real Madrid-Barcelona fallout, Man United sack Ten Hag, Arsenal vs. Liverpool recap​​

Barcelona and Hansi Flick humbled their Clasico rivals, Man United finally moved on from Erik ten Hag and Arsenal delivered plenty to talk about in its draw against Liverpool.

​Barcelona and Hansi Flick humbled their Clasico rivals, Man United finally moved on from Erik ten Hag and Arsenal delivered plenty to talk about in its draw against Liverpool. Barcelona and Hansi Flick humbled their Clasico rivals, Man United finally moved on from Erik ten Hag and Arsenal delivered plenty to talk about in its draw against Liverpool.   

The European soccer weekend is over, but we have so much to talk about as a result — where to begin? How about Barcelona‘s young stars visiting Real Madrid in El Clasico and emerging 4-0 winners to take a six-point lead atop LaLiga? Still not enough? How about Manchester United losing in dramatic fashion at West Ham and then sacking manager Erik ten Hag on Monday morning?

Still insufficient? There was a lot to admire from two high-profile, top-of-the-table draws — Inter Milan 4-4 Juventus in Serie A, Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool in the Premier League — and talking points galore around Manchester City, Chelsea, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and many, many more.

It’s Monday. Gab Marcotti reacts to the biggest moments in the world of soccer.

Flick’s leap of faith pays off as Barcelona dole out a beatdown for the ages in El Clasico

Two clubs, two different attitudes towards risk. For Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid, you limit the risk with two banks of four in defense and midfield while you wait for your superstar strikers, Vinícius and Kylian Mbappé, to do something at the other end. (More on this later.) For Hansi Flick and Barcelona, you embrace risk by playing a ridiculously high defensive line, compressing the spaces and going direct whenever you can.

Yet, it’s a bit simplistic, but the broad brushstrokes paint an accurate picture. Flick didn’t change his approach one iota, even as he was going into the Bernabeu knowing that defeat in the Clasico would leave his side level on points. (Instead, the 4-0 win means they’re six points clear.) And it was especially risky because a high line against roadrunners like Mbappé and Vinicius is — conventional wisdom would say — downright foolish. So is going direct (and therefore turning over the ball frequently) while attempting to counterpress with a 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski up front.

But heck, it’s what Flick has done all season on the pitch and, in fact, leaps of faith and taking risks are what he does. Not so much by stuffing the lineup with kids from “La Masia” — injuries and the club’s precarious financial state forced his hand. Rather, by departing from the club’s long-held and much vaunted possession-oriented DNA, and transitioning to this version of pinball-and-pressing football, designed to maximize the skills of guys such as Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.

On the night, it worked a charm. Real Madrid’s forwards were caught offside no fewer than 12 times, Lewandowski scored twice — he could have had four — and the psychological blow inflicted on Barca’s age-old adversary with the 4-0 away win will resonate for a long time.

Flick, right, was daring and embraced the risk of his approach for Barcelona’s trip to Real Madrid. It worked to perfection, too, as his side ran out 4-0 winners. Angel Martinez/Getty Images

By the way, let’s be clear here. Flick isn’t just some high-risk/high-reward gambler, and there’s a ton of hard work behind his game plan.

Those same Barca kids whom everybody lauds grew up in an academy where they preach a very different type of football. It’s a credit to his coaching — and their coachability — that they adjusted so quickly to his approach. And there were important tweaks, too. You can’t play a high line without pressing from the front and, with Lewandowski’s legs being what they are, the way Fermín López ran around for the first 45 minutes was critical to Barca’s success.

Equally, you can only play the offside trap if your back line is disciplined and well-marshalled: that comes from the training pitch. Sending on Dani Olmo once Madrid were 2-0 down and forced to gamble was critical, too: he was instrumental in the third goal.

As for Real Madrid, Ancelotti said they were evenly matched until the first goal, but “were not efficient.” He’s right. But the reality is that Real Madrid are rarely efficient this year if, by efficiency, we mean the ability to dominate opponents with your patterns of play, controlling games and creating chances. We’ve said it before — heck, Ancelotti has said before — this is a team still striving for balance.

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There’s no escaping the fact that Vinicius and Mbappe both do little work off the ball and both gravitate toward similar spaces. And with Toni Kroos gone and Luka Modric now literally the oldest player in the history of the club (he came on at the hour mark: having started in midweek you couldn’t ask any more of him), there’s a serious dearth of creativity coming from the middle.

And so Real Madrid become what some have called “a team of moments” — moments of genius and brilliance from Mbappé or Vinicius, or Jude Bellingham, or Fede Valverde or whomever. With so much firepower, the keep-it-tight-and-wait-for-something-to-happen game plan may be uninspired, but it’s probably the right choice. Except on this night, there were no “moments” because the offside went against them. (Would this match have turned out differently without VAR and a single human with a flag deciding on the sideline whether or Mbappe was onside? We’ll never know: it’s one for the VAR-haters to mull over.)

Also, their back line was anything but tight. Ferland Mendy played Lewandowski onside for the opener, Éder Militão and Antonio Rüdiger lost him for the second goal, and there was no Thibaut Courtois (injured) to deliver miracles between the sticks.

This Madrid team needs a pick-me-up, and they need in double-quick time. Perhaps realising they were two goals down at home to Borussia Dortmund and understanding just how the pieces aren’t fitting together would be a good start.

As for Barcelona, Flick deserves to bask in the glory of the win. You’ve probably seen the numbers. Six players aged 21 or younger (including two 17-year-olds, Marc Casadó and Yamal) in the starting lineup. Three projected starters on the bench (Gavi, Frenkie De Jong, Olmo) and another two (Ronald Araújo, Marc-André ter Stegen) out injured. A goalkeeper (Iñaki Peña) so distrusted that when ter Stegen went down hurt, they persuaded Wojciech Szczęsny to come out of retirement. A 33-year-old central defender (Iñigo Martínez) who arrived as a free agent last year and started just 13 games. A superstar, Raphinha, who many wanted out in the summer because he was a “sellable asset.” A center-forward, Lewandowski, who looked cooked late last season.

And here they are.

The challenge now for Flick is integrating the likes of Olmo, Gavi and De Jong into the starting lineup without losing momentum or upsetting the balance. But at least he has the balance — the sort of balance Ancelotti would kill for right now.

Erik ten Hag is gone. What’s next for Man United?

If you only watched selective highlights of Sunday’s trip to West Ham, you might even feel a bit bad for Erik ten Hag getting fired after a game in which Manchester United created a ton of chances and only succumbed to a very controversial late penalty (which saw referee David Coote inexplicably change his mind following the on-field review). If you watched the game, you’d probably agree that, a bit like at Brentford, United collapsed badly after the break as evidenced by the Expected Goals: 1.72 to 0.04 to United in the first half, 2.97 to 0.62 in the second. (Even if you exclude the dubious penalty, that’s still way too one-sided.)

Besides, grown-up clubs do not sack coaches based on one result, and I don’t want to believe that now they have grown-ups in charge — Dan Ashworth, Omar Berrada, Jean Claude Blanc, Dave Brailsford, Jason Wilcox and, of course Jim Ratcliffe — they pulled the trigger based on Coote’s decision. There’s not much point in looking back at this stage, other than to note the earlier mistakes — like not parting ways earlier and giving him a contract extension and making Ten Hag looks silly with his “fairy tales and lies” comment — so let’s look forward.

Broadly speaking, there are two options. You either appoint your long-term coach in the coming weeks, or you find an interim guy and take your time to find the right person for next season. With Thomas Tuchel (now with England) off the table, the list of credible bosses available basically amounts to Graham Potter, Roberto Mancini (freshly sacked by Saudi Arabia), Max Allegri, Xavi, Gareth Southgate (except he’s already said he wants a sabbatical) and not many others. It’s not the most inspiring list, and all of them (other than Mancini) were available in the summer, which suggests they were passed over once before.

So do you go the season-long interim route with Ruud van Nistelrooy (or someone else) and put all your eggs into luring a top name? Maybe, but that has its cons as well. You want your club to be building towards something, and that’s hard to do with an interim boss. And you still need to get results on the pitch — at least good enough to qualify for meaningful European football next season — otherwise you’ll take a hit commercially (and in terms of your rebuilding budget) and risk impairing your ability to attract talent.

It’s a big call to make.

The good news is that this United squad is ripe for a rebuild. Victor Lindelöf, Harry Maguire, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are all free agents come June, which gives you flexibility on the wage bill, and there is a legitimate young corps of talent in Kobbie Mainoo, Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho, Manuel Ugarte, Amad Diallo and Joshua Zirkzee: they might not all work out, but they all have something to give. With the clock ticking on Ratcliffe’s time in charge of the football side, this will be one of the biggest calls he makes.

Inter Milan and Juventus serve up an eight-goal thriller, so why is Simone Inzaghi so glum?

I’m kidding. I know why! It’s because Inter were 4-2 up at home with 20 minutes to go and had to settle for a point. This is still Serie A we’re talking about; you can be the most progressive, innovative guy (and Inzaghi remains one of the most underrated coaches out there), but you’re still stuck to the old canons and unwritten rules. So when Inter concede a goal, like Kenan Yildiz‘s first (which made it 4-3) because the center-backs are way up the pitch counter-pressing, you look stupid. And you look stupid when, at 4-2, you create a ton of chance that you fail to convert.

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Defensive errors will happen, especially when you take risks. You hope Inzaghi remembers that — just as he remembers that Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s absence weighs heavy, too. It’s not that Piotr Zielinski did a poor job replacing him, just that he’s a different sort of player. If you want to nitpick and play the grouch after a thrilling like this, then point the finger at Lautaro Martínez having one of his poorest outings of the season. But that too can happen, and it’s beyond Inzaghi’s control.

As for Juve, coach Thiago Motta was beaming and rightly so. To get this sort of reaction after one of the poorest outings in recent memory (the Stuttgart debacle) means a lot. Unleashing Weston McKennie through the middle was also inspired, and the decision to take off Dusan Vlahovic was both brave and vindicated by the outcome. And then there’s Kenan Yildiz, still just 19, but with quality and personality. Let’s leave the Del Piero comparisons to one side for now, but the kid is special. Oh, and lest we forget, this is a Juve side without their defensive leader (Bremer) and two of their top summer signings (Teun Koopmeiners, Nico Gonzalez).

Motta is different, for better or worse. Just enjoy the ride.

Arsenal show personality, Liverpool show staying power and humility in 2-2 draw

Defeat at Bournemouth, an ugly win at home to Shakhtar Donetsk, three defenders missing (and another two, Jurriën Timber and Gabriel, who would join them shortly), no Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka just coming back after a two-and-a-half week layoff … and the Premier League leaders, Liverpool, coming to the Emirates. Slip up and you’re fifth in the table. So much for challenging Manchester City.

The stakes were high for Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta found the right blend of players to get the reaction he needed. Arsenal outworked Liverpool for long stretches and went into half-time with a deserved 2-1 lead. When Timber went off, leaving them with a back four of (from right-to-left) Thomas Partey, Ben White, Jakub Kiwior and Myles Lewis-Skelly, they had no choice but to go into lockdown mode. They gave up Mohamed Salah‘s equaliser, but otherwise mitigated the damage, limiting Liverpool’s chances.

It might have felt like two points dropped to some, but the reaction and spirit they showed will stick with Arteta’s men for a long time. They are for real.

As for Liverpool, Arne Slot showed Arsenal respect by switching to a 4-3-3 formation, dropping Dominik Szoboszlai and putting Curtis Jones in midfield. That shouldn’t have come as a surprise as Slot himself, when asked about the club’s excellent start, pointed out that they hadn’t faced many top sides. Nearly three months into his tenure, it’s pretty obvious that he’s more pragmatic than his predecessor and that’s frankly what Liverpool need right now. There will be time to get fancy down the road…

Quick hits

10. Sometimes you wonder if it’s “Pinocchio Pep” in charge: Manchester City beat Southampton at home by a single scrambled goal from Erling Haaland (who could easily have had a hat-trick) on Saturday, with the visitors hitting the woodwork. Still, it was surprising to hear Pep Guardiola call Southampton — who are dead last with one point from nine games — “so demanding” and “one of the best teams in the Premier League” given not just the chances missed, but the final xG that favoured City 2.73 to 0.21. Pep said he admired the way Southampton kept possession, blunting City’s press (“defending with the ball,” he called it). Isn’t the point of defending not to concede quality chances? (Southampton have the second worst xG conceded in the league.) Sometimes you wonder if Pep is just overly polite towards colleagues, or perhaps having a secret giggle to himself with some of his postgame comments.

9. Bayern vent post-Barcelona frustrations on little Bochum: They overcame an early brain fart from Min-Jae Kim (who did very well to recover) and then it was lights out: Bayern’s 5-0 away demolition of Bochum felt like a side with something to prove. It’s not just the score and the opponent — Bochum are terrible, winless in the Bundesliga while losing seven of eight — but the quality of the goals, from Michael Olise‘s free kick to Leroy Sané‘s curler to Kingsley Coman‘s long-range effort. Plus, of course, Jamal Musiala. He didn’t start in midweek, but this time scored a rare header and his mazy run set up Harry Kane‘s goal. Normal service resumes.

8. It’s not just about Cole Palmer, as Chelsea are now a point out of third place: Palmer has been phenomenal (his pass, his goal, he’s just great) this season, but what you saw in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Newcastle was a team continuing to develop an identity and not just winning because of individuals. There’s a ways to go — they lost the xG battle against a Newcastle side who are nothing to write home about right now — and it’s not a great sign they look better with Romeo Lavia than Enzo Fernández in midfield because this remains a poorly put together squad. However, coach Enzo Maresca has put his stamp on the side and for the first time in a while, there’s a real sense of positivity at Stamford Bridge.

7. Another 1-0 win for league-leading Napoli, but this was better: Against Empoli, a week ago, things could have gone the other way. This time, Antonio Conte is correct when he says his team dominated. Sure, it would be better if they converted their chances (looking at you, Romelu Lukaku … still far from his best) but it was nice to see him rotate and the second-stringers pull their weight. It’s a cliche, but with no European football, this season seems tailor made for Conte. And with Inter and Juventus sharing the spoils, the lead is up to four points.

6. Leverkusen drop points (again), but is Xhaka right to rage? Xabi Alonso’s side drew 2-2 away to Werder Bremen, twice giving up the lead. Unlike other outings, the xG went against them (1.33 to 1.60), they only equalised thanks to a weird sliced botched clearance and they’ve now won two of their last six games in all competitions. Team captain Granit Xhaka let it all out, and not for the first time: “This feels like a defeat … We all need to give 10-20% more … I have to be careful what I say … but we need to face reality.” As a journalist, you love it when players are honest. If I were a club official (or Xabi Alonso) though, I might not appreciate such bluntness. But he’s right about facing reality: this year’s version of Bayer is several notches below last year’s.

5. Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs take a big step backwards: A week ago, I praised Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou for turning the game around and beating West Ham after taking off one of his midfield ballers (James Maddison) for the more physical and athletic Pape Sarr. This time, a goal down against Palace, he didn’t just take off Maddison, but also his other creative midfielder, Dejan Kulusevski, ending with a kind of 4-2-4 formation that simply didn’t work. Yeah, the absence of Heung-Min Son weighs heavy, but changes like that — when you throw out the baby with the bathwater — don’t help either.

4. Le Classique is over after 20 minutes as PSG cruise to victory: It would have been nice to see the Roberto De Zerbi vs. Luis Enrique clash fully blossom on Sunday, but in essence we never did. Gerónimo Rulli‘s early mistake gave PSG the lead and Amine Harit‘s red card (harsh, in my opinion) left Marseille a man down and without the brains of the operation midway through the first half. PSG scored twice more before the break, and it was lights out as the champs ran out 3-0 winners. As a neutral, it’s a shame and it’s probably a shame for Luis Enrique too. The three points are great, but he didn’t learn too much about his team given the circumstances.

3. Álvarez isn’t working as Atlético Madrid slip to fourth place with defeat at Real Betis: It’s not all on him obviously (it wasn’t his uncoordinated attempted clearance that led to the own goal) but in some ways, Julián Álvarez is the symbol of Atleti’s current strife: a team caught between two identities who spends big in the summer and now can’t commit to either. We can debate the Álvarez fee until the cows come home, but what’s clear is that at Manchester City he had 10 other guys looking to get him the ball in dangerous areas (and succeeding) — now, he doesn’t. The basic plan of putting a gigantic Norwegian (Alexander Sorloth) next to him at half-time is also predictable and ineffective (one shot on target after the break) when the rest of the team doesn’t execute.

2. Everton be warned! Friedkin circus continues in Roma after 5-1 defeat to Fiorentina: When you substitute uninjured players after half an hour, you’re either Jose Mourinho looking for some motivational boost, or something is seriously wrong. It was the latter in Roma’s case Sunday, and it did not prevent a resounding 5-1 defeat for Ivan Juric’s team. Roma fans can be a difficult bunch, but it’s safe to say their anger at the club and their owners, the Friedkins — more than Juric and more than the players, though they’re obviously on the hook too — has never been higher. The vibe is that of absentee landlords who weigh in occasionally with rash decisions. It’s not just the sacking of Mourinho and then, shortly after giving him a long term contract, Daniele De Rossi — it’s the way the whole front office has been a continual revolving door, with the Friedkins’ horrendous communications only making things worse. (It’s not that they never speak — some owners don’t like to — but that nobody speaks on their behalf … not credibly, anyway.) To their credit, they have poured a ton of their own money into the club, but their relationship with the city and the fanbase has deteriorated severely, and the fact they’re on the verge of buying another club, Everton, isn’t helping allay fears that Roma is going to be further neglected.

1. No bounce-back from Dortmund, and no surprise either: You know the old trope about falling down and getting back up? Well, Borussia Dortmund only sunk deeper after the debacle at the Bernabeu, throwing away an early lead against Augsburg and losing 2-1. More than the result, we saw another lame performance: Serhou Guirassy getting little service (though at least he makes the most of what he does get), the midfield going AWOL and the usual defensive frailty. Coach Nuri Sahin is on the hot seat.

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Barcelona and Hansi Flick humbled their Clasico rivals, Man United finally moved on from Erik ten Hag and Arsenal delivered plenty to talk about in its draw against Liverpool.

Balotelli seals Serie A return with Genoa move​​

Former Italy forward Mario Balotelli has joined Serie A strugglers Genoa as a free agent, it has been announced.

​Former Italy forward Mario Balotelli has joined Serie A strugglers Genoa as a free agent, it has been announced. Former Italy forward Mario Balotelli has joined Serie A strugglers Genoa as a free agent, it has been announced.   

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Former Italy forward Mario Balotelli has joined Serie A strugglers Genoa as a free agent, it has been announced.

Haaland skips Ballon d’Or for Swedish title clash​​

Erling Haaland won’t attend Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, preferring instead a trip to Sweden where his friend can win the league with Malmö.

​Erling Haaland won’t attend Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, preferring instead a trip to Sweden where his friend can win the league with Malmö. Erling Haaland won’t attend Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, preferring instead a trip to Sweden where his friend can win the league with Malmö.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Erling Haaland won’t attend Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, preferring instead a trip to Sweden where his friend can win the league with Malmö.

Vinícius, Real Madrid skip Ballon d’Or awards​​

Vinícius Júnior and his Real Madrid teammates will not travel to Paris for the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday, sources told ESPN, because they believe Manchester City midfielder Rodri will receive the award.

​Vinícius Júnior and his Real Madrid teammates will not travel to Paris for the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday, sources told ESPN, because they believe Manchester City midfielder Rodri will receive the award. Vinícius Júnior and his Real Madrid teammates will not travel to Paris for the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday, sources told ESPN, because they believe Manchester City midfielder Rodri will receive the award.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Vinícius Júnior and his Real Madrid teammates will not travel to Paris for the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday, sources told ESPN, because they believe Manchester City midfielder Rodri will receive the award.

Utd sack Ten Hag; Van Nistelrooy named interim​​

Erik ten Hag was sacked as Manchester United manager following Sunday’s 2-1 Premier League defeat against West Ham United, the club announced Monday.

​Erik ten Hag was sacked as Manchester United manager following Sunday’s 2-1 Premier League defeat against West Ham United, the club announced Monday. Erik ten Hag was sacked as Manchester United manager following Sunday’s 2-1 Premier League defeat against West Ham United, the club announced Monday.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Erik ten Hag was sacked as Manchester United manager following Sunday’s 2-1 Premier League defeat against West Ham United, the club announced Monday.

Barcelona’s Yamal becomes youngest Kopa winner​​

Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal became the youngest ever winner of the Kopa Trophy at Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, an award which recognises the best U21 player in men’s football.

​Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal became the youngest ever winner of the Kopa Trophy at Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, an award which recognises the best U21 player in men’s football. Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal became the youngest ever winner of the Kopa Trophy at Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, an award which recognises the best U21 player in men’s football.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal became the youngest ever winner of the Kopa Trophy at Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, an award which recognises the best U21 player in men’s football.

Bonmatí wins second straight Ballon d’Or Féminin​​

Aitana Bonmatí has retained the Ballon d’Or Féminin, seeing off competition from teammate Caroline Graham Hansen to win the award for the second straight year.

​Aitana Bonmatí has retained the Ballon d’Or Féminin, seeing off competition from teammate Caroline Graham Hansen to win the award for the second straight year. Aitana Bonmatí has retained the Ballon d’Or Féminin, seeing off competition from teammate Caroline Graham Hansen to win the award for the second straight year.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Aitana Bonmatí has retained the Ballon d’Or Féminin, seeing off competition from teammate Caroline Graham Hansen to win the award for the second straight year.

Source: Amorim leading contender for Man Utd job​​

Ruben Amorim has emerged as the leading contender to take over from Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, a source has told ESPN.

​Ruben Amorim has emerged as the leading contender to take over from Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, a source has told ESPN. Ruben Amorim has emerged as the leading contender to take over from Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, a source has told ESPN.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Ruben Amorim has emerged as the leading contender to take over from Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, a source has told ESPN.

City’s Rodri claims Ballon d’Or after Vini Jr. snub​​

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been awarded the Ballon d’Or after a stellar season that saw him pick up silverware with both club and country.

​Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been awarded the Ballon d’Or after a stellar season that saw him pick up silverware with both club and country. Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been awarded the Ballon d’Or after a stellar season that saw him pick up silverware with both club and country.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been awarded the Ballon d’Or after a stellar season that saw him pick up silverware with both club and country.

Rodri’s Ballon d’Or is a win for team players and unsung heroes​​

Attackers have dominated the Ballon d’Or, but midfielder Rodri winning the 2024 trophy shows what is possible for players in less glamorous positions.

​Attackers have dominated the Ballon d’Or, but midfielder Rodri winning the 2024 trophy shows what is possible for players in less glamorous positions. Attackers have dominated the Ballon d’Or, but midfielder Rodri winning the 2024 trophy shows what is possible for players in less glamorous positions.   

Editor’s note: This article, originally published on Oct. 25, has been updated to reflect the result of Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Can the ultimate team player ever hope to win the Ballon d’Or, the most prized individual award in football? That was the question being asked of Rodri, the Manchester City and Spain midfielder, and we got the answer when he lifted the 2024 Ballon d’Or at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday.

While the award is decided by the votes of a panel of journalists from the top 100 ranked nations in the FIFA Men’s Ranking, with the candidates drawn from a 30-player shortlist, the 2024 award came down to the claims of two players — Rodri, and Real Madrid and Brazil forward Vinícius Júnior (who did not travel to Paris after finding out that he would not win).

The race for the 2024 Ballon d’Or is football’s version of the immovable object against the irresistible force — the defensive brilliance and awareness of deep-lying midfielder Rodri against the goals, pace and creativity of Vinícius. With Rodri ruled out for the rest of this season due to a cruciate ligament injury sustained last month, and Vinícius emphasising his claim with a stunning Champions League hat trick against Borussia Dortmund last week, the odds seemed stacked against Rodri in his attempt to become the first defensive player since Fabio Cannavaro won the Ballon d’Or in 2006 after leading Italy to World Cup glory.

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Cannavaro’s success was the first non-forward since Germany defender/midfielder Matthias Sammer won the award in 1996, again after helping his national team to success at Euro ’96, while only Germany defender Franz Beckenbauer (1972 and 1976) and Russia goalkeeper Lev Yashin (1963) had previously denied attacking players the Ballon d’Or since it was first awarded in 1956.

So history was not on Rodri’s side and neither was current form or fitness, but the 28-year-old was a Premier League winner with City last season — 12 months after his goal in the Champions League final win against Inter Milan sealed the club’s Treble — and he was also named as Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament after helping Spain to success in Germany this summer. He is the player who has forgotten how it feels to lose in the Premier League, with his recent injury halting his run of 52 games without defeat in the competition, dating back to Feb. 2023.

Regardless of whether he was fit or not heading into Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, people would still wonder if Rodri could buck the trend with football’s most prestigious individual award.

“I really think there’s a lot of marketing involved,” Rodri told ESPN when asked about the Ballon d’Or in an exclusive interview last month. “But how it works when they give you the cards in a game, you just have to play with these cards — you cannot say ‘I would like to play another game.’

“No, this is what it is. We all know how it works and that’s why it’s something that doesn’t frustrate me. I hope that sometimes in the next 10 years we have one or two players in my position, or different position, that people can value what they do on the pitch. There’s great players on the defensive side, on the midfield. We all agree about this. But yeah, let’s see.”

Attacking players have dominated the Ballon d’Or award, but Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri has upset the natural order after winning the trophy in 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

When a defensive midfielder excels, it can be transformative for the team and the player. France international Claude Makélélé dominated the position during the early-2000s with Real Madrid and Chelsea to such an extent that everybody wanted that type of player. The position eventually became known as the “Makélélé Role.”

Xabi Alonso (Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Spain), Michael Carrick (Manchester United, England), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus, Italy), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich, Germany), N’Golo Kanté (Leicester, Chelsea, France) and Sergio Busquets (Barcelona, Inter Miami, Spain) have all followed the Makélélé blueprint, with Alonso and Carrick also adding goals and creativity to their game, just as Rodri has done with Villarreal, Atlético Madrid and City.

For City manager Pep Guardiola, whose success at Barcelona owed plenty to the work done by Busquets away from the spotlight shining on his teammates Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, there is no doubt as to Rodri’s status in the world game.

“He’s the best midfield player in the world currently by far because he is able to do everything,” Guardiola said. “The holding midfielder has to play positive, for him and for the team, and make the team play. This is the role for the holding midfielders. All the highlights have to be for the guys up front who score goals and make assists and so on.

“But Rodri always has the ability in important moments to score goals so he’s an unbelievable player. What a signing. It’s difficult to understand how we could have done what we have done in recent years without him.”

Guardiola’s view is shared by Luis de la Fuente, the Spain coach, who has known Rodri since working with him as youngster during Spain under-19s’ winning campaign at the 2015 European Championship in Greece. Rodri was central to that success as well as Spain’s emergence as champions at Euro 2024 this summer.

“I think he’s the best player in the world at his position and he’s accomplished enough to win the Ballon d’Or,” De La Fuente told ESPN. “It would be an injustice if he wasn’t one of the players in the running to win the Ballon d’Or.

“Those of us who have known Rodri from an early age, like I know him, aren’t surprised. We knew he had a lot of room to improve, and he’s improving still, but the growth he has experienced and above all his production now is the production of a genuine No. 1 in the world.

“One follows natural leadership, and Rodri has it. He’s a player who grabs his teammates’ attention and influences action. That’s why he is one of the strongest leaders. For us, Rodri’s importance is huge.”

It is another coach that Rodri regards as having the greatest impact on his career, however, in terms of making him the player that he is today. Rodri spent just one season working under Diego Simeone at Atlético Madrid, having moved to the Estadio Metropolitano from Villarreal in 2018 before City triggered his £62.6 million release clause 12 months later. But Rodri says that Simeone, a former defensive midfielder with Argentina, Lazio, Inter Milan and Atlético, added crucial elements to his game in their short time together.

“Well I think, I never said this, but I met Simone in the right moment,” Rodri told ESPN. “It was a great experience with him.

“The knowledge I got from him was great in the way I was playing because I thought that football just was with the ball and trying to be a beautiful footballer. But if I want to play holding midfield, you have to be also a bad guy sometimes and be trying to be better defensively and he improved me in that sense.

“The first time I met him he said, ‘I know you’re very good with the ball. I don’t care about that. I know you got it. I’m not going to work in that. I’m going to work in the other side. I think you can improve.’ And that’s what really happened: [Simeone taught me] blocks defensively, running the games, being competitive. And this is something I gained before I came here [to City].

“We all know how the rhythm of the Premier League is and how tough it is for the players to adapt into this league and I think that year [at Atlético] made it easier for me.”

Moving to City and linking up with Guardiola, after Simeone had toughened him up, proved to be Rodri’s finishing school.

“With Pep, we know I improve in all the aspects,” Rodri said. “I mean there’s a thing with him that he never gives up on. He never stops. He always thinks that you can be better and I agree. It’s something I’ve managed to try to improve in the areas that I think I can do better every day than every season.

“Now, I have to visualise all the players, visualise where the spaces are. Not only focus on the ball, but also what happens when you don’t have the ball. Like look in the sides, detect where the problems are.

“These kind of things that you might not think it’s useful before because no one tells you, but the first time someone tell you, you realise, oh yeah, you’re fine. If I move more intelligent, I can run less, but I can run better. It’s these kind of things [with Pep.]”

At the peak of his career and with multiple successes with City and Spain on his roll of honour, Rodri has made himself the reference point for every aspiring midfielder in the game. For Javier Calleja, Rodri’s coach at Villarreal, his progression has been everything he expected.

“I’m not surprised by his evolution,” Calleja told ESPN. “I didn’t know how far he was going to go, since obviously I can’t read the future, but I knew that he was going to have a brilliant career because he puts everything together to make him who he is. From his technique to his vision, positioning, intelligence on the pitch … and another thing that sets him apart that I’ve said puts him at the top is his character. His demeanour has made him the best midfielder in the world, every year getting better.

“I don’t think there’s a better player right now. It’s true that scorers get the most attention, but it would say a lot about football to recognise a player with Rodri’s ability and accomplishments toward winning a Ballon d’Or. Because he’s done it and he deserves it.”

Rodri was a key player to Spain’s dominance at Euro 2024. Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Rodri has been selected by his fellow professionals in England as part of the Premier League Team of the Year for the past two seasons and, barring his injury, would have been expected to secure a spot for third successive year this time around. While pundits and supporters have their opinions, it is those who share the same space on the pitch who know best.

“He [Rodri] doesn’t get so much credit because he’s playing a position that doesn’t score, assist or it’s not so much on the scoresheet all the time,” City midfielder Ilkay Gündogan said. “But for me he’s one of the best players right now in the world.

“He’s someone that if there’s someone maybe in our team right now that is irreplaceable, for me it’s definitely Rodri. He’s such an important puzzle piece and he deserves to be named with the best players in the world.”

Former Spain international Juanfran played with and against Rodri during his eight-year career with Atlético, and told ESPN that Rodri’s calmness and humility mark him out as a special player.

“Rodri is a sensational and very simple guy,” Juanfran said. “He brings calmness in most situations on the pitch and he symbolises the success of a real humble guy. He’s a very normal guy who surrounds himself with normal people and acts normal. That’s a great virtue and it’s one of the keys to his success.

“He has gone from strength to strength and will continue to grow. He has also had very good teachers to learn from as he has been coached by two of the most important midfielders who played in Spain like Simeone and Guardiola, with two very different ways of interpreting football.

“If I could, I would vote for him to win the Ballon d’Or without even having to think about it for a second. He’s the No.1 in his position.”

City teammate Rico Lewis, who has been tried out by Guardiola in the defensive midfield role following Rodri’s injury, says that his teammate is “nine times out of 10 right” when making judgement calls on the pitch and is always “two steps ahead.”

But perhaps the greatest praise comes from Busquets, the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder, who Rodri has replaced in the national team. Busquets was the Rodri of Guardiola’s great Barcelona team and the crucial midfield cog in Spain’s 2010 World Cup-winning team, and he believes Rodri has become the world’s best in his position.

“You could always see the potential he had since he started at Villarreal, then at Atlético, then at City,” Busquets told ESPN. “He’s learned a lot, improved a lot, and today for me, he is the best midfielder in the world in terms of his position.

“It was a shame the injury he had. It’s the worst thing for a footballer. I talked to him and I hope he can return to the level he was at because he made us enjoy a lot and also in the team he was in, which I believe that the role he has is very important and his characteristics come to light individually and collectively.”

Michael Owen won the Ballon d’Or in 2001 after helping Liverpool win a treble of FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. It was another era — the former England striker didn’t even know what the award meant.

“When I first got told by [Liverpool manager] Gerard Houllier that I’d won it, I said to him, ‘What is it?'” Owen told ESPN. “I didn’t know what it was. I knew there was an award to vote for the best player in the world of that year, but I didn’t know what it was called and I didn’t know much about it. It’s very different now.”

In the age before Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, who won the award 13 times between them from 2008 to 2023, the importance of the accolade was nowhere near the level that it enjoys today. But nonetheless, Owen was merely the latest in a long line of forwards to win it and he expected Vinícius to add to the list of attacking players who have won the Ballon d’Or this year.

“I’m not saying that a defensive midfielder can’t win it, but I think it’s a rarity for that to happen and I think it should be a rarity,” Owen said. “Why? Because the hardest thing is to score a goal. Lots and lots of players can ruin, can kick a ball into Row Z and get a clap, but to score a goal, to create a goal, every young player, when they start on the football pitch wants to score.

“So I will always favour an attacking player, but Rodri is the dominant force in his position and he has such an influence on the teams he plays for and those teams have been so successful, so this could be the year that a holding player could win the Ballon d’Or.”

Overcoming football’s inclination to favour the goal scorers and the creators — the headline-makers — was Rodri’s biggest challenge. Vinícius ticks every possible box for a potential Ballon d’Or winner, but Rodri, as Owen says, performs a different role. And while Rodri accepts the commercial aspect of the Ballon d’Or and that it is about more than simply what is achieved on the pitch, he believes that his position is as important as that of a goal scorer.

“I understand the debate, I understand the people that say they don’t see what they can see in a winger or a striker in a holding midfielder because we do such a different task on the pitch,” Rodri said.

“And I understand because football is about goals, it’s about the excitement of scoring and I get it. But on the other hand I can show you that being a midfielder, a defender, is as beautiful as being as a striker and it has different things to manage on the game. And in my opinion, the holding midfielder is a bigger role on the football pitch than a striker.

“I think we all agree that scoring is the most difficult thing in football and there’s a few players who they can score 30, 40 goals in the season. But the [holding midfield] role in terms of football is the most important.”

“I hope that the people that vote and the people that when they watch football, they don’t see the fancy cars or the fancy way you live, they just watch a game and we are equal on the game, no matter what you are or wherever you come from, you’re equal,” Rodri said. “So let’s see what the people [voters] think.”

Now we know what the voters think: yes, the ultimate team player can win football’s biggest individual award.

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Attackers have dominated the Ballon d’Or, but midfielder Rodri winning the 2024 trophy shows what is possible for players in less glamorous positions.

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The VAR mistake which helped to get Man United boss Ten Hag fired​​

Were Manchester United hard done by with the penalty which resulted in their defeat at West Ham United? That, and all the other big VAR decisions.

​Were Manchester United hard done by with the penalty which resulted in their defeat at West Ham United? That, and all the other big VAR decisions. Were Manchester United hard done by with the penalty which resulted in their defeat at West Ham United? That, and all the other big VAR decisions.   

Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made, and are they correct?

After each weekend we take a look at the major incidents, to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.

In this week’s VAR Review: Were Manchester United hard done by with the penalty which resulted in their defeat at West Ham United? Should Arsenal have been given a spot kick against Liverpool? And was Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven lucky not to be sent off?

Possible penalty: De Ligt challenge on Ings

What happened: A cross was played into the area in the 87th minute, with the ball eventually dropping between Matthijs de Ligt and Danny Ings. Both players moved toward it, with the West Ham striker going down holding his shin. Referee David Coote didn’t see any foul and play continued, but it was looked at by the VAR, Michael Oliver.

VAR decision: Penalty, scored by Jarrod Bowen.

Matthijs de Ligt and Danny Ings clash shins inside the penalty area. James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images

VAR review: Whether it was right or wrong comes down to how VAR is applied in the Premier League, what we’ve come to expect from the video assistant.

In European competition, where pretty much any unexpected lower-body contact appears to result in a penalty, it would come as no shock to see the VAR get involved. In the Premier League, not so much,

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There are some grounds here for a foul, because while both players do go into the challenge in a similar way, there is slightly more force from De Ligt. But that doesn’t mean there’s enough in it for the VAR to get involved. It’s more a collision between two players, from which Ings comes off worse.

(Though the ball touched the hand of Ings as it bounced up, this would be considered accidental and not a handball offence.)

The Premier League has been determined to get the term “referee’s call” into the lexicon this season, and this would be a perfect example. If Coote gave the penalty, you could see a reason. But it doesn’t reach the clear and obvious threshold in English football to send the referee to the monitor.

Bowen’s penalty led to a 2-1 defeat for Man United, with boss Erik ten Hag sacked on Monday morning.

Matthijs de Ligt protests against the penalty decision to referee David Coote. Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

PGMOL has been talking up how much faster VAR reviews have got this season, down from an average of 70 seconds per game to 25 seconds. But this took 2½ minutes from the foul to Coote pointing to the penalty spot (and another 2½ minutes until Bowen struck the ball.)

There’s a secondary question about the use of the monitor. Why is it there, if we always see the referee change his decision?

The answer is simple, though the waters are muddied by protocol. The screen is supposed to be a safety net on subjective decisions, to give the referee the chance to spot an error by the VAR. That’s the idea, but it doesn’t really work.

David Coote chose not to stick with his own decision at the monitor. James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images

Last season, there were five incorrect VAR interventions where the referee went to the screen and still changed his decision. Refs go to the screen knowing they are being told they have made a clear and obvious error, and not just to have a second look. The limitations of this VAR process condition referees to think they have screwed up, so the “fail safe” doesn’t really work.

Two referees rejected an overturn last season, yet only one of those was deemed correct — when Oliver turned down a review to rule out an Arsenal goal against Everton for handball.

Verdict: Incorrect VAR intervention. Oliver had one recorded error as the VAR last season, when he failed to award a penalty to Brentford at Nottingham Forest, and this will go down as a mistake.

Possible red card: Van Dijk challenge on Havertz

What happened: The game was only six minutes old when Virgil van Dijk and Kai Havertz tussled off the ball, with the Arsenal player going to ground. Referee Anthony Taylor had words with the two players but took no action.

VAR decision: No red card.

Virgil van Dijk appeared to kick out at Kai Havertz. BBC

VAR review: Long gone are the days where a little kick is seen as a red card, as it was when England midfielder David Beckham was sent off against Argentina at the World Cup in 1998.

Today, referees look for an act which has a level of brutality to it. While Van Dijk should probably have been booked for throwing his boot back towards Havertz, this would be seen as petulant rather than violent conduct.

Verdict: No violent conduct so correct not to intervene.

Possible penalty: Konaté challenge on Martinelli

What happened: Arsenal were on the attack in the 31st minute when Gabriel Martinelli tried to break past Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konaté. The Arsenal forward went to ground, but referee Taylor waved away the penalty claims.

VAR decision: No penalty.

Ibrahima Konaté got a touch on the ball ahead of Gabriel Martinelli. BBC

VAR review: It looked a clumsy situation, as two Liverpool players challenged Martinelli at the same time.

However, Konate got contact on the ball first, knocking it away with his leg, just below his knee. There’s then natural contact between the two players after the ball has been played. There’s no foul contact by Alexander-Arnold.

Had Konaté gone through Martinelli to play the ball, that would have been grounds for a VAR intervention. However, much like the overturned penalty for Liverpool against Chelsea last weekend, the defending player played the ball first and didn’t make the challenge in a reckless way.

Verdict: Correct decision not to award a penalty.

Possible red card: Van de Ven challenge on Sarr

What happened: A long ball was played over the top by Tyrick Mitchell in the 64th minute which Jean-Philippe Mateta flicked on to find the run of Ismaïla Sarr. The Crystal Palace forward looked to have a run on goal when he was fouled by Micky van de Ven. Referee Darren Bond produced a yellow card, and the VAR checked for a possible red.

VAR decision: No red card.

Ismaïla Sarr and Micky van de Ven started their run for the ball from the centre circle. BBC

VAR review: Last week we discussed in detail the various factors a referee takes into account when deciding if the boxes have been ticked to give a red card for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO). That was around the dismissal of Arsenal’s William Saliba at AFC Bournemouth, so what’s the difference in this case?

There’s no chance of a covering defender getting over, while goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is backtracking so not a consideration. Sarr is also much closer to goal than Evanilson when he’s brought down.

The yellow card in this instance is an acceptable outcome due to the general direction of play, as Van de Ven and Sarr are running on a diagonal away from goal to get to the ball. For the Saliba red card, Evanilson had a direct run to goal through the centre.

This might seem to be a trivial differences, but it’s crucial in the assessment and deciding if the clear and obvious threshold has been reached.

Verdict: The VAR wouldn’t have stepped in to cancel a red card had Bond made than decision but, unlike with Saliba, this falls just below a VAR intervention on DOGSO. Van de Ven was definitely fortunate, however.

Ismaïla Sarr and Micky van de Ven were running diagonally towards the corner flag, rather than to the goal, and this is the only thing that prevented a red card. BBC

Possible penalty overturn: Burn challenge on Nkunku

What happened: Referee Simon Hooper awarded a penalty to Chelsea in the 90th minute when Christopher Nkunku went to ground when he appeared to be pulled back by Dan Burn. The VAR, Jarred Gillett, checked the decision.

VAR decision: Penalty cancelled.

VAR review: Nkunku went down very easily, and while there was some contact on his shoulder by Burn it appeared very slight and not enough to make the Chelsea striker go to down as he did.

Last season, Chelsea were wrongly awarded a penalty against Burnley when Lorenz Assignon was judged to have pulled down Mykhailo Mudryk. There was minimal contact and the VAR should have intervened, as he did in this case.

Though the penalty was cancelled, Sean Longstaff‘s booking for dissent isn’t removed as it’s considered an offence of a player’s behaviour, rather than directly related to the award of the spot kick.

Verdict: A good intervention, and the kind of penalty VAR should be overturning.

Christopher Nkunku went down theatrically from contact by Dan Burn. BBC

Possible ball out of play: McGinn goal

What happened: Aston Villa took the lead in the 27th minute through John McGinn. However, AFC Bournemouth players had appealed for the ball being out of play in the buildup when Ollie Watkins had attempted to keep it in. It was checked by Matt Donohue, who was acting as VAR for the first time.

VAR decision: Goal disallowed.

VAR review: Arsenal fans will be triggered by the goal scored against them by Newcastle United almost a year ago to the day. In that match at St James’ Park, there was uncertainty about Joe Willock keeping the ball in play in the buildup to Anthony Gordon scoring the only goal of the game.

So, why was the VAR in this game able to intervene and disallow the goal, yet wasn’t in Newcastle-Arsenal? It all comes down to the position of the play and the available camera angle.

The VAR wasn’t able to make a judgement on the Newcastle goal from a goal-line view. Premier League

Willock was close to the corner flag, an area which isn’t covered by the goal-line camera as, understandably, the primary focus is the goal itself. So the VAR, Andy Madley, had to use a camera which wasn’t directly in line, and due to the curvature of the ball it was difficult to be certain the whole of it was over the line.

Watkins was within the goal-line camera, so the VAR has the best possible view. It was very close, but “daylight” looks to be present between the ball and the line.

A more direct comparison comes from Manchester United vs. Brighton & Hove Albion last September. Rasmus Højlund thought he had equalised, but there was a check for the ball being out of play before it was cut back by Marcus Rashford.

Just like Watkins, Rashford was within the goal-line camera and the VAR was able to be certain that the ball was out.

Marcus Rashford was in view of the goal-line camera. Premier League

Verdict: It was certainly a close call, but the evidence is there that the whole of the ball was over the line … just.

Possible penalty: Cash challenge on Semenyo

What happened: Bournemouth were on the attack in the 80th minute whenAntoine Semenyo went to ground when trying to go past Matty Cash. Referee Chris Kavanagh blew his whistle, but to book Semenyo for a dive.

VAR decision: No penalty.

Antoine Semenyo is already going down before contact by Matty Cash.. BBC

VAR review: The VAR is looking at both the actions of the attacker, and any contact from the defending player.

While Cash slides in to make a challenge, Semenyo is already going to ground before there’s any contact between the two players.

If this had been awarded as a penalty, the VAR wouldn’t have intervened due to the contact from the defender (remember the spot kick Newcastle United‘s Anthony Gordon won against Manchester City), but at the same time the way the attacker goes down means it won’t be seen as a clear and obvious error not to give and penalty.

The contact comes from Matty Cash when Antoine Semenyo has started to fall. BBC

And this is where VAR protocol gets very confusing for fans. You can argue it’s not a penalty, but also not truly a dive either. So, is it a clear and obvious error to book Semenyo? And if so, does that mean the overall decision should be reviewed? But VAR cannot get involved in yellow cards, so will only send the referee to the monitor if a penalty has been missed, and for no other reason.

Verdict: Not enough for a VAR penalty.

Possible penalty: Handball by Bailey

What happened: Bournemouth won a corner in the 84th minute. As it dropped over the head of Leon Bailey it hit the Aston Villa player’s arm. David Brooks, who was behind Bailey waiting for the ball, appealed for a penalty.

VAR decision: No penalty.

Leon Bailey had his back to the ball when it hit his arm. BBC

VAR review: Had this incident happened last season, there’s a strong chance it would have been a VAR penalty. But this season, the arm really does have to be fully extended. The only handball penalty was given against Cash at Fulham last weekend when his arm was pointing out from his body.

Both of Bailey’s arms are in a similar position as he spins to follow the dropping ball, and the argument is this is natural movement and not a deliberate act.

We saw two similar situations not result in a handball penalty earlier this season in a game between Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers, including when the ball dropped the arm of Jørgen Strand Larsen as Chris Wood waited to collect the ball.

Verdict: Consistent with other handball decisions this season.

A dropping ball hit the arm of Jørgen Strand Larsen, which didn’t result in a penalty. BBC

Possible penalty: Position of foul by Harrison Clarke on Lewis-Potter

What happened: Brentford were on the attack in the 49th minute when Ipswich Town‘s Harrison Clarke brought down Keane Lewis-Potter on the edge of the area. Referee Lewis Smith blew for a free kick, but the VAR, Peter Bankes, had to consider if the offence had continued into the area.

VAR decision: Penalty, scored by Bryan Mbeumo.

VAR review: If holding starts outside the area and continues into the box, then a penalty should be awarded. This is different to a foul tackle, when the point of contact on the opponent’s body is used to determine where the offence took place; such a foul can take place outside the box and momentum take both players into it, but that won’t be a penalty.

As the position of a foul is considered a factual decision, rather than subjective, it’s made solely by the VAR without the referee needing to visit the pitchside monitor.

Verdict: A decision the referee will be disappointed to get wrong, as it was very clear that the holding continued into the box. An obvious VAR overturn.

Harrison Clarke was still holding Keane Lewis-Potter when the Brentford player got into the area. Stephanie Meek – CameraSport via Getty Images

Some factual parts of this article include information provided by the Premier League and PGMOL.

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Were Manchester United hard done by with the penalty which resulted in their defeat at West Ham United? That, and all the other big VAR decisions.

Saka ‘disappointed’ after draw with Liverpool​​

Bukayo Saka became the youngest Arsenal player to score 50 Premier League goals when he returned from a hamstring injury in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool, but the winger was disappointed to drop two points after being on the verge of a crucial win.

​Bukayo Saka became the youngest Arsenal player to score 50 Premier League goals when he returned from a hamstring injury in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool, but the winger was disappointed to drop two points after being on the verge of a crucial win. Bukayo Saka became the youngest Arsenal player to score 50 Premier League goals when he returned from a hamstring injury in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool, but the winger was disappointed to drop two points after being on the verge of a crucial win.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

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Louis Rees-Zammit is currently plying his trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL, but has not ruled out a return to rugby in the future after watching every Gloucester game this season ​Louis Rees-Zammit is currently plying his trade with the Jacksonville...

Both Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka found the net in Sunday’s 2-2 draw between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium and the Gunners wideman has been roundly praised ​Both Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka found the net in Sunday’s 2-2 draw between Arsenal and...

Weekend Review: Palmer shines for Chelsea, eight-goal thriller between Juve and Inter​​

Cole Palmer remains on top form for Chelsea as Juventus and Inter share a point in a 4-4 thriller. That and more in our Weekend Review.

​Cole Palmer remains on top form for Chelsea as Juventus and Inter share a point in a 4-4 thriller. That and more in our Weekend Review. Cole Palmer remains on top form for Chelsea as Juventus and Inter share a point in a 4-4 thriller. That and more in our Weekend Review.   

Another entertaining weekend of European football action is in the books, with the main headlines going to Barcelona, sending a statement to Real Madrid with a 4-0 thrashing at the Santiago Bernabeu to remain top of LaLiga.

Meanwhile in the Premier League, Arsenal were unable to close the gap with league leaders Manchester City as they could only settle for a 2-2 draw against Arne Slot’s Liverpool. Meanwhile, Cole Palmer continues to create an instant impact for Chelsea as he was instrumental in the Blues beating Newcastle United 2-1.

In Germany, there was further disappointment for Borussia Dortmund as they lost 2-1 to FC Augsburg, while Bayern Munich continued to set the pace at the top of the Bundesliga. In France, Paris Saint-Germain made easy work against their rivals Marseille in Le Classique and in Italy, Internazionale and Juventus played out an eight-goal thriller that ended in a 4-4 draw.

What else happened around Europe this weekend? ESPN’s Weekend Review puts a bow on all the continental competition.

Top takeaway: Reds snatch crucial point away at the Emirates

Following the 2-2 draw between Manchester City and Arsenal last month, the second big clash between two title contenders this season in the Premier League offered another top game.

As we wait for Liverpool against Manchester City on Dec. 1, Arsenal against Liverpool didn’t disappoint on Sunday and also finished in a 2-2 draw. However, for the first time this season, Liverpool boss Slot admitted that his team, who had won 11 of their 12 games in all competitions, were second best.

The Gunners led twice but the Reds showed some character and great depth despite the absence of Diogo Jota. They never gave up while waiting for a mistake from their opponents. That mistake happened late and only after the North Londoners — who were already without Martin Ødegaard, Riccardo Calafiori and William Saliba — were further depleted by Gabriel’s injury and Jurriën Timber‘s cramps. Their back four for the last 20 minutes consisted of Thomas Partey, Ben White, Jakub Kiwior and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Mohamed Salah subsequently punished Arsenal’s makeshift defence and the draw felt a bit fortunate for Liverpool, but hard to take for the hosts. Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola, was watching at home on his sofa and surely enjoyed both teams dropping points.

It meant that his City side was not only top of the table but one point clear of Liverpool and five of Arsenal.

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Best match: Brentford 4-3 Ipswich Town

On paper, Brentford against Ipswich might not have appealing on a Saturday afternoon, but it should have been because it was epic. The visitors led 2-0 before Frenchmen Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo changed everything to put their team 3-2 up. There was still time for Ipswich to come back to 3-3 just minutes before the final whistle. However, Mbeumo’s late dramatic 4-3 winner was enough to cap off an incredible game at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Best goal: Mateta’s winner gives Palace their first win

Once again, this is more about the assist than the finish itself. Eberechi Eze‘s superb back-heel pass for Jean-Philippe Mateta for Crystal Palace against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday was something else. And above all, it gave their team its first league win of the season.

MVP of the weekend: Chelsea‘s Cole Palmer

Another cold performance for the Chelsea star in their 2-1 win against Newcastle United. One goal, coming off a solo effort at the start of the second half which would prove to be the winner again and one wonderful through-ball for Pedro Neto who put it on a plate for Nicolas Jackson to score the opening goal. The England international might just be the best player in the Premier League at the moment.. — Julien Laurens

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer scored his seventh Premier League goal of the season in their 2-1 win over Newcastle United. (Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)

Top takeaway: Barcelona’s Clásico dominance dispels all doubts

There was a lot of talk ahead of Saturday’s Clásico about the potential weaknesses in Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, waiting to be exploited by Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and company at the Santiago Bernabeu. Barça’s high defensive line was vulnerable to a pacey forward line. Iñaki Peña was a rookie liability in goal, and so was Marc Casadó in midfield. Also, none of the front three consisting of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha had ever scored against Real Madrid in LaLiga.

Instead, all of those projected weak points turned out to be Barcelona’s match-winning strengths in their 4-0 thrashing of their archrivals. Mbappé alone was caught offside a career-high eight times by Barça’s inch-perfect offside trap. Peña made four saves, keeping a clean sheet with an xG (expected goals) against of 1.48. Casadó, 21, excelled, playing a line-breaking pass from deep for Barça’s opening goal. And all of Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha were on target. Lewandowski scored twice and could have had a hat trick, hitting the post with a straightforward chance.

It was hard to pick a highlight, but Yamal’s top-corner finish — with his wrong foot — might have been it. “They [my teammates] said they didn’t know I had a right foot!,” he said afterwards. “I said I do, when I have to.” Yamal is 17. Six of Barça’s starters were 21 or under. No wonder Flick was doing somersaults on the touchline.

Best match: Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona

Sorry. It’s El Clásico. Were you expecting something else? This was a thrilling, statement win from Barcelona, confirming Flick’s team as the best side in Spain, and one of the best in Europe. And it was also a chastening experience for the hosts, such a comprehensive defeat that it’s already causing soul-searching about this entire Real Madrid project. Four goals, 10 big chances between both teams and enough storylines and debates to keep the Spanish media busy for weeks to come. What more could you want? Unless you’re a Real Madrid fan, obviously…

Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal both got on the scoresheet to help Barcelona defeat Real Madrid 4-0 and remain top of the LaLiga table. (Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

Best goal: Lukebakio with a stunner

Both Yamal and Raphinha could easily have been awarded goal of the weekend, and probably should have — we spoke about Yamal’s finish above, and Raphinha’s late scoop over Andriy Lunin was a delight — but let’s move on from El Clásico and celebrate some other highlights from this weekend. On Friday, Dodi Lukebakio scored twice to give a Sevilla team in desperate need of points a 2-0 win at Espanyol, his first goal an effortless shot from distance. Sevilla fans haven’t had much to cheer about this season. Thanks to Lukebakio, they’re now safely in midtable.

MVP of the weekend: Villarreal‘s Álex Baena

Lewandowski or Lukebakio’s braces might have been recognized here, but let’s go for Baena, who created a season-high seven chances in Villarreal’s 2-1 win at Real Valladolid on Saturday. Villarreal are the third-best team in LaLiga this season, and Baena is a shoo-in for the best player outside the big two. It’s hard for any non-Madrid or Barça player to stand out on Clásico weekend, but Baena managed it. — Alex Kirkland

Top takeaway: Şahin under pressure following yet another loss

The top teams in the Bundesliga experienced a horrible week in European competition. Other than Stuttgart who beat Juventus, everyone else suffered some sort of disappointment in the UEFA Champions League. Coming off a 5-2 loss at Real Madrid in which Dortmund conceded five goals in the second half at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Schwarzgelben tried to bounce back against Augsburg on Saturday.

However, Augsburg had displayed strong results at home going into the game on Saturday, and Jess Thorup’s side proved to be more than just a stumbling block for Dortmund once again. After scoring an early goal, Dortmund became surprisingly ineffective offensively for most of the game, ultimately losing 2-1.

With that result, Dortmund manager Nuri Şahin finds himself under considerable pressure. The desired turnaround following the managerial change during the summer has not come to fruition thus far. While the likes of Julian Brandt, Jamie Gittens and Donyell Malen might form an impressive attacking force on paper, they are not living up to their potential because, to a degree, Dortmund lack the necessary fundamentals in possession and thereby also remain defensively vulnerable.

For now, Şahin has the backing of Dortmund’s higher-ups, as Sebastian Kehl, the sporting director, confirmed after the game.

“I see the coach and his staff work with the team every day,” he said. “Nuri prepares the team meticulously, and has worked out a matchplan for today as well. In the end, the team must execute it on the pitch.” Nothing really has changed at Dortmund compared to last season. Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig may have also had disappointing showings in the Champions League, but these two at least get the job done in the Bundesliga.

Best match: Werder Bremen 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen

Werder Bremen fans had to wait 161 days for their team to score at home again, and they did so twice against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday evening. The 2-2 draw between these two teams also entailed a few dramatic twists, as Bremen’s Felix Agu scored an own goal only four minutes after Marvin Ducksch had finally caused the goal anthem to be played again in Weserstadion. Romano Schmid who turned the tables on Leverkusen — a side renowned for their late comebacks — by firing in an equalizer in the 90th minute, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

Best goal: Impressive strike from Toure

Following Serhou Guirassy‘s departure during the summer, questions were raised about whether Stuttgart would be able to fill the void up front. They certainly did. Not only have starters Ermedin Demirovic and Deniz Undav impressed in many games thus far, but Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeneß can also seemingly count on his backups. El Bilal Toure scored the second goal for Stuttgart against Holstein Kiel after roughly an hour when Jeff Chabot intercepted a pass attempt by Marvin Schulz and then found Toure, a loanee from Atalanta, who needed no time to shoot the ball from 27 yards out into the upper right corner.

MVP of the weekend: Augsburg’s Alexis Claude-Maurice

Alexis Claude-Maurice is finally making a splash in the Bundesliga following his move from Nice to Augsburg in late August. He picked up his first minutes on matchday six against Borussia Monchengladbach and scored only eight minutes after being brought on. Against Dortmund, Claude-Maurice’s brace sent Dortmund home packing. That’s quite the impact for a player that came on a free transfer. — Constantin Eckner

What else you missed this weekend

Derby d’Italia serves up an all-time Serie A classic

We’re nine games into the Serie A season, and we’ve already got a strong contender for game of the season. Internazionale against Juventus might just be the biggest match in the league — it’s known as the Derby d’Italia, Italy’s Derby, for a reason — and Sunday’s 4-4 draw at San Siro lived up to its billing. Forget all the stereotypes about Italian football being defensive; this was anything but. Inter went ahead through Piotr Zielinski‘s penalty. Then Juve fought back, Dusan Vlahovic and Timothy Weah putting them in front.

Two goals in two minutes — from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and another Zielinski penalty — had Inter back on top, in a five-goal first half. Inter thought they’d secured the three points when Denzel Dumfries gave them a two-goal lead, only for a late brace from superstar-in-waiting Kenan Yildiz, 19, to make it 4-4. The two teams couldn’t be separated, and that means there’s still just a point between them in the table, with Inter second, four points behind leaders Napoli, and Juve in third. — Kirkland

Klose building coaching reputation

Remember Miroslav Klose? The all-time World Cup top scorer has transitioned into coaching in the past couple of years and is now in charge of 2. Bundesliga side Nuremberg. Last weekend, his team beat Greuther Furth 4-0 in the tradition-rich Franconian derby, causing Furth to sack both their head coach and sporting director.

On Friday, Klose’s side made headlines once again, beating Regensburg 8-3 in what turned out to be a game-of-the-year contender. Granted, Regensburg are last in the league table and have seemed overmatched in many games, but it was nevertheless impressive how Nuremberg swept across Regensburg in the second half after the guests had staged a comeback before the half-time break, as they scored two goals making it 2-2 at the interval.

Nuremberg don’t have the financial resources to compete with some of the powerhouses in the 2. Bundesliga, but they at least provide their fans with some excitement and goals — something Klose became famous for during his active playing career. — Eckner

Le Classique serves more controversy as PSG dominate

We will never know what would have happened if Amine Harit, the Paris-born and bred Marseille player, had not been sent off for a dangerous high foot on Marquinhos after just 20 minutes at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday night, but the red card did change everything.

Before that, PSG were very dominant and already 1-0 up but for a match being played 11 vs 10, there was no match. There was nothing that Adrien Rabiot, the former PSG midfielder and now playing in the south of France, and his teammates could do. In the end, they only lost 3-0 despite the Parisians creating many more chances. While Luis Enrique’s side were wasteful in front of goal, and they have continued their incredible unbeaten run in Ligue 1 in Marseille: in the league, PSG have not lost there since 2011 and haven’t there since 2017.

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Hummels’ nightmare debut in Roma’s rout

Five months ago, Mats Hummels played in the Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid. He hadn’t played an official game until Sunday night with his new club AS Roma, away at Fiorentina. And let’s say that the evening didn’t go well at all for the 2014 World Cup winner.

After coming on in the 67th minute, Hummels took just four minutes to score an own goal, adding further insult to what was already a humiliating 5-1 defeat. After only making the bench in the last few games, his very anticipated debut was an absolute nightmare. It will join a long list of terrible debuts with the likes of Jonathan Woodgate with Real Madrid or Chris Smalling more recently in the Saudi league. — Laurens

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Cole Palmer remains on top form for Chelsea as Juventus and Inter share a point in a 4-4 thriller. That and more in our Weekend Review.

Vinícius slams racist ‘criminals’ in Clásico loss​​

Vinícius Júnior has condemned racist insults aimed at Barcelona’s players by fans during El Clásico as “terrible” after LaLiga said it was reporting the incident to police and hate crime prosecutors.

​Vinícius Júnior has condemned racist insults aimed at Barcelona’s players by fans during El Clásico as “terrible” after LaLiga said it was reporting the incident to police and hate crime prosecutors. Vinícius Júnior has condemned racist insults aimed at Barcelona’s players by fans during El Clásico as “terrible” after LaLiga said it was reporting the incident to police and hate crime prosecutors.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Vinícius Júnior has condemned racist insults aimed at Barcelona’s players by fans during El Clásico as “terrible” after LaLiga said it was reporting the incident to police and hate crime prosecutors.

Palmer on Zola parallels: Only know him on FIFA​​

Chelsea striker Cole Palmer brushed off comparisons with Gianfranco Zola after his latest goal and standout performance in a 2-1 defeat of Newcastle United on Sunday, saying he only knew of the former Blues and Italy great via a video game.

​Chelsea striker Cole Palmer brushed off comparisons with Gianfranco Zola after his latest goal and standout performance in a 2-1 defeat of Newcastle United on Sunday, saying he only knew of the former Blues and Italy great via a video game. Chelsea striker Cole Palmer brushed off comparisons with Gianfranco Zola after his latest goal and standout performance in a 2-1 defeat of Newcastle United on Sunday, saying he only knew of the former Blues and Italy great via a video game.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Chelsea striker Cole Palmer brushed off comparisons with Gianfranco Zola after his latest goal and standout performance in a 2-1 defeat of Newcastle United on Sunday, saying he only knew of the former Blues and Italy great via a video game.

Juve stage comeback to earn 4-4 draw at Inter​​

Piotr Zielinski converted two penalties for Inter Milan as they played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with Juventus, for whom Kenan Yildiz scored a late brace, in Serie A on Sunday.

​Piotr Zielinski converted two penalties for Inter Milan as they played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with Juventus, for whom Kenan Yildiz scored a late brace, in Serie A on Sunday. Piotr Zielinski converted two penalties for Inter Milan as they played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with Juventus, for whom Kenan Yildiz scored a late brace, in Serie A on Sunday.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Piotr Zielinski converted two penalties for Inter Milan as they played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with Juventus, for whom Kenan Yildiz scored a late brace, in Serie A on Sunday.

Van Dijk puts off future talk until end of season​​

Virgil van Dijk said he will put his Liverpool future on hold until the end of the season and “enjoy the ride” of the Premier League title race after helping Arne Slot’s team to a 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates.

​Virgil van Dijk said he will put his Liverpool future on hold until the end of the season and “enjoy the ride” of the Premier League title race after helping Arne Slot’s team to a 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates. Virgil van Dijk said he will put his Liverpool future on hold until the end of the season and “enjoy the ride” of the Premier League title race after helping Arne Slot’s team to a 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Virgil van Dijk said he will put his Liverpool future on hold until the end of the season and “enjoy the ride” of the Premier League title race after helping Arne Slot’s team to a 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates.

Arteta brushes off gap to City: ‘We are alive’​​

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has played down the significance of a five-point gap to Premier League leaders Manchester City by backing his team to respond in the title race after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

​Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has played down the significance of a five-point gap to Premier League leaders Manchester City by backing his team to respond in the title race after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has played down the significance of a five-point gap to Premier League leaders Manchester City by backing his team to respond in the title race after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has played down the significance of a five-point gap to Premier League leaders Manchester City by backing his team to respond in the title race after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

Ten Hag slams VAR process after Utd’s latest loss​​

Erik ten Hag has slammed the “process” behind the controversial decision that saw Jarrod Bowen earn West Ham a 2-1 win over Manchester United at the London Stadium on Sunday.

​Erik ten Hag has slammed the “process” behind the controversial decision that saw Jarrod Bowen earn West Ham a 2-1 win over Manchester United at the London Stadium on Sunday. Erik ten Hag has slammed the “process” behind the controversial decision that saw Jarrod Bowen earn West Ham a 2-1 win over Manchester United at the London Stadium on Sunday.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Erik ten Hag has slammed the “process” behind the controversial decision that saw Jarrod Bowen earn West Ham a 2-1 win over Manchester United at the London Stadium on Sunday.

Brazilian soccer fan dies after ambush by rivals​​

Brazilian authorities said a Cruzeiro soccer fan has died after a roadside ambush by rival supporters in São Paulo state on Sunday morning.

​Brazilian authorities said a Cruzeiro soccer fan has died after a roadside ambush by rival supporters in São Paulo state on Sunday morning. Brazilian authorities said a Cruzeiro soccer fan has died after a roadside ambush by rival supporters in São Paulo state on Sunday morning.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Brazilian authorities said a Cruzeiro soccer fan has died after a roadside ambush by rival supporters in São Paulo state on Sunday morning.

Vets pull off USWNT rally as Sears nets in debut​​

Lynn Williams and Lindsey Horan scored minutes apart in the second half as the United States rallied to beat Iceland 3-1 on Sunday.

​Lynn Williams and Lindsey Horan scored minutes apart in the second half as the United States rallied to beat Iceland 3-1 on Sunday. Lynn Williams and Lindsey Horan scored minutes apart in the second half as the United States rallied to beat Iceland 3-1 on Sunday.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Lynn Williams and Lindsey Horan scored minutes apart in the second half as the United States rallied to beat Iceland 3-1 on Sunday.

LeBron James said his fourth-quarter burst in Saturday's win over the Kings isn't something that will be necessary for entire games for the Lakers to win this season. ​ LeBron James said his fourth-quarter burst in Saturday's win over the Kings isn't something that...

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Our college football experts break down how each team in our top 25 performed in Week 9. ​ Our college football experts break down how each team in our top 25 performed in Week 9. Our college football experts break down how each team in our top 25 performed in Week...

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Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score 29,000 career points. ​ Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score 29,000 career points. Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score 29,000 career points.  play KD hits...

Liverpool were forced to settle for a point at Premier League title rivals Arsenal as Arne Slot's side struggled to break down their stubborn hosts at the Emirates Stadium ​Liverpool were forced to settle for a point at Premier League title rivals Arsenal as Arne...

George Russell said he would be tempted to "bet some money" on drama between Formula 1 title rivals Max Verstappen and Lando Norris on track at the Mexican Grand Prix ​George Russell said he would be tempted to "bet some money" on drama between Formula 1 title rivals...

Liverpool twice fought back against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon at the Emirates Stadium to secure a point but ex-Reds star Jamie Carragher was not convinced by their performance in North London ​Liverpool twice fought back against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon at the...

Many Formula 1 fans look forward to Martin Brundle's grid walks before races, but the Sky Sports F1 favourite was absent from the build-up to the Mexican Grand Prix ​Many Formula 1 fans look forward to Martin Brundle's grid walks before races, but the Sky Sports F1...

Former England midfielder Henderson broke through at Sunderland before his trophy-laden time at Liverpool and is now captaining Dutch giants Ajax in Dutch football, but has been linked with a return to Wearside ​Former England midfielder Henderson broke through at...

Mohamed Salah scored a late equaliser for Liverpool as they claimed a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium - where Arne Slot was far from happy with some of the hosts antics ​Mohamed Salah scored a late equaliser for Liverpool as they claimed a 2-2 draw with...

ARSENAL 2-2 LIVERPOOL: The Gunners have finally managed to force themselves among the Premier League elite but it already looks set to be a season of frustration for Mikel Arteta's side ​ARSENAL 2-2 LIVERPOOL: The Gunners have finally managed to force themselves among...

Sky Sports pundit Jamie O'Hara feels that Erik ten Hag's time at Manchester United is up and has questioned why the club gave the Dutchman a contract extension in the summer ​Sky Sports pundit Jamie O'Hara feels that Erik ten Hag's time at Manchester United is up and...

A week on from their furious on-track fight at the US Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris resumed their feud in Mexico as the McLaren driver fumed as his F1 title rival ​A week on from their furious on-track fight at the US Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Lando...

Julen Lopetegui rang the changes for West Ham and then was allowed to change it up against because of Manchester United's complete inability to finish their chances ​Julen Lopetegui rang the changes for West Ham and then was allowed to change it up against because of...

Mbappé set a dubious new record in El Clásico as Real Madrid were trounced by a superior Barcelona. ​ Mbappé set a dubious new record in El Clásico as Real Madrid were trounced by a superior Barcelona. Mbappé set a dubious new record in El Clásico as Real Madrid were...

Big wins by Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev anchored a drama-filled card in Abu Dhabi. ​ Big wins by Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev anchored a drama-filled card in Abu Dhabi. Big wins by Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev anchored a drama-filled card in Abu Dhabi. ...

Commissioner Rob Manfred said Saturday the league hopes to know by Christmas whether Tropicana Field will be playable to begin the 2025 season. ​ Commissioner Rob Manfred said Saturday the league hopes to know by Christmas whether Tropicana Field will be playable to...

Two receivers who have generated the most conversation ahead of the NFL trade deadline are Carolina's Diontae Johnson and Jacksonville's Christian Kirk, sources told ESPN. ​ Two receivers who have generated the most conversation ahead of the NFL trade deadline are...

Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN in an email that "we're not trading Maxx Crosby." ​ Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN in an email that "we're not trading Maxx Crosby." Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN in an email that "we're not trading Maxx Crosby."  play Why...

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, listed as questionable for Sunday's game due to a foot injury, is expected to play vs. the Arizona Cardinals, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday, and he may reunite with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. ​ Miami Dolphins...

Quinn Ewers settled into the kind of rhythm his Texas coaches and teammates are accustomed to Saturday night in a hard-fought 27-24 win over Vanderbilt. ​ Quinn Ewers settled into the kind of rhythm his Texas coaches and teammates are accustomed to Saturday night in a...

Yoshinobu Yamamoto retired 15 of his final 16 batters and allowed just one hit, as the Dodgers won 4-2 to take a 2-0 lead over the Yankees in the World Series. ​ Yoshinobu Yamamoto retired 15 of his final 16 batters and allowed just one hit, as the Dodgers won 4-2 to...

The Dodgers downed the Yankees, but now await word on the status of their superstar. ​ The Dodgers downed the Yankees, but now await word on the status of their superstar. The Dodgers downed the Yankees, but now await word on the status of their superstar.  play...

Mbappé sets career offside record in Clásico bow​​

Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé was caught offside a career-high eight times against Barcelona on Saturday — matching the highest total for any player in a LaLiga game in the last 15 years.

​Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé was caught offside a career-high eight times against Barcelona on Saturday — matching the highest total for any player in a LaLiga game in the last 15 years. Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé was caught offside a career-high eight times against Barcelona on Saturday — matching the highest total for any player in a LaLiga game in the last 15 years.   

​www.espn.com – SOCCER

Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé was caught offside a career-high eight times against Barcelona on Saturday — matching the highest total for any player in a LaLiga game in the last 15 years.

Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce was quite the womaniser long before pop icon Taylor Swift arrived in his life, with plenty of his antics unfolding in the public eye ​Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce was quite the womaniser long before pop icon Taylor Swift...

Willliam Gallas won plenty of silverware during his time at Stamford Bridge, but the ex defender insists the current backline is not up to scratch ​Willliam Gallas won plenty of silverware during his time at Stamford Bridge, but the ex defender insists the current...

Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard has endured a tough week after missing a penalty against Shakhtar Donetsk in the aftermath of last Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth, when he was criticised for a sloppy pass which eventually led to William Saliba being shown a...

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has insisted that the team are not far away from turning their season around despite losing four games in a row ​New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has insisted that the team are not far away from turning their season...

Manchester United need more rottweilers and fewer labradors as Erik ten Hag's struggling team travel to West Ham for a vital Premier League game this afternoon ​Manchester United need more rottweilers and fewer labradors as Erik ten Hag's struggling team travel to...

Unai Emery has worked with many clubs throughout his decorated managerial career, and if things had panned out differently, he could have prevented Mohamed Salah from ending up at Liverpool ​Unai Emery has worked with many clubs throughout his decorated managerial...

Curtis Jones starred in Liverpool's win over Chelsea and the Merseyside-born midfielder is exactly the type of player manager Arne Slot likes, according to John Barnes ​Curtis Jones starred in Liverpool's win over Chelsea and the Merseyside-born midfielder is exactly...

Conor McGregor has lost a huge bet after Robert Whittaker and Max Holloway were beaten by Khamzat Chimaev and Ilia Topuria at UFC 308, with the Irishman losing $500,000 ​Conor McGregor has lost a huge bet after Robert Whittaker and Max Holloway were beaten by Khamzat...

People have been left gobsmacked after only just noticing a 'hidden detail' in the old F1 logo used between 1994 and 2017 - with some social media users amazed it took them 30 years to spot it ​People have been left gobsmacked after only just noticing a 'hidden...

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have shared their thoughts on qualifying at the Mexican Grand Prix, with the Mercedes drivers set to start in fifth and sixth respectively ​George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have shared their thoughts on qualifying at the Mexican...

Our college football experts preview LSU-Texas A&M and other big games. ​ Our college football experts preview LSU-Texas A&M and other big games. Our college football experts preview LSU-Texas A&M and other big games.  Oct 24, 2024, 07:00 AM ET Week 9 in...