Month: November 2024

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi believes the 12 teams who attempted to form a European Super League tried to break the ecosystem of football .

In April 2021, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Milan, Inter, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool tried to form a breakaway competition.

Along with Bayern Munich, PSG were a notable absentee, with the Ligue 1 side having opted against joining the plan.

The proposal swiftly broke down, with the six English clubs, the Milan teams and Atletico all dropping out, though Juve, Madrid and Barca are still pushing for a Super League.

Al-Khelaifi has been one of UEFA s firm backers in the divide, and replaced Juve chairman Andrea Agnelli as head…

Roberto Mancini suggested he is likely to continue as Italy head coach despite the Azzurri missing out on a second straight World Cup.

Italy responded to failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia by winning Euro 2020 on penalties against England in late July last year, their first European Championship since 1968.

The Azzurri also embarked on a world record 37-game unbeaten run, which ended at the hands of Spain in the Nations League semi-final in October, as they looked to make Qatar 2022.

However, Mancini s side failed to top their World Cup qualifying group and could not get past North Macedonia on Thursday in the play-off semi-final as they fell to a late 1-0 loss in Palermo.

That led to speculation over the future of the former Manchester…

Neymar needs to put wellness before wallet when it comes to choosing between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, according to former Brazil boss Dunga.

PSG signed Neymar in a world-record €222million deal two years ago but reports suggest the free-scoring forward now wants to rejoin Barca, despite the likelihood of having to take a pay cut.

Part of the 27-year-old s motivation appears to be his desire to reunite with close friends Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, alongside whom he forged a fearsome forward line.

Dunga knows Neymar better than most in football, having handed him the Brazil captaincy in 2014, and thinks a comfortable environment should be his first priority.

It s important that he chooses where he s going to be happy, where he will enjoy pla…

Germany boss Hansi Flick says he must take responsibility for his side s Nations League defeat to Hungary, after suffering the first loss of his tenure.

Adam Szalai s outrageous first-half flick was the only goal of a 1-0 loss in Leipzig, as the hosts failed to turn almost three-quarters of possession into a response on the scoreboard in Group A3.

It condemned Germany to a first loss against Hungary since 2004, with Flick s side often looking uncomfortably despite their control, with Jonas Hofmann dropped to right-back instead of his traditional midfield role.

Speaking afterwards, the former Bayern Munich boss admitted he has gambled incorrectly, though England s loss to Italy means they are safe from relegation, excusing further blushes.

We wanted to …

Marco Giampaolo s complex ideas have made AC Milan more adventurous than under Gennaro Gattuso, according to Fabio Borini.

Ex-Sampdoria boss Giampaolo took charge at San Siro after his predecessor agreed to a mutual termination in May.

Shortcomings in attack – Milan scored fewer goals than all bar one of the top nine teams in Serie A last season – contributed to club great Gattuso s demise.

But while Giampaolo s reign began with a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the International Champions Cup, winger Borini is a firm believer in the new man s methods.

The coach s ideas of football are different and more complex, but also more fun and engaging for us players, Borini said.

There isn t a desire to wait for the opposition, we want to get at …

Sergio Aguero brought up 200 goals in Manchester City colours when he found the net against against Chelsea in Sunday s Community Shield clash at Wembley.

The Argentina striker became City s all-time record scorer when he was on target last November s 4-2 Champions League triumph at Napoli, surpassing Eric Brook s previous best mark of 177 that stood unchallenged for 79 years.

Since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2011, the 29-year-old has firmly established himself as a crowd favourite on the back of countless superb displays and one goal in particular.

Aguero won his third Premier League title last term and has as many EFL Cup medals after opening the scoring in February s 3-0 win over Arsenal at the national stadium, although injuries subsequently made the 30…

Jurgen Klopp was delighted with Liverpool s performance in their win over RB Leipzig, particularly as he felt people expected us to slip up again .

The Reds took charge of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday as they claimed a 2-0 first-leg win in the relocated fixture in Budapest.

Goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in the second half, each coming from defensive errors from Leipzig, gave Liverpool a victory that makes them firm favourites to progress to the quarter-finals.

The result and performance was a notable departure from their recent run of form, which had seen them win just three of their previous 12 games in all competitions.

Manager Klopp felt it was a timely response to those who expected his players to struggle against the Bundes…

Tottenham will not sack Mauricio Pochettino in a million years , according to their former manager Tim Sherwood.

Pochettino has presided over a torrid start to the campaign, which reached a new low over the past week with a 7-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and a 3-0 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League.

That defeat to the Seagulls means Spurs are languishing ninth in the table, a whopping 13 points behind leaders Liverpool after just eight games.

Sherwood, who managed the club for five months before Pochettino s appointment in May 2014, believes the Argentinian s position is safe and remains confident he is the right man to get them back on track.

Daniel Levy [Tottenham s chairman] is one of the most astute men in foo…

Wayne Rooney has defied the old cliche that you should never go back, returning to Everton 13 years after leaving the club.

After falling out of favour at Manchester United, Rooney rejoins an Everton side that has been bolstered by the signings of the likes of Davy Klaasen, Michael Keane and Sandro Ramirez and boasts a highly rated manager in Ronald Koeman.

Rooney is far from the first player to have succumbed to the lure of their old club, with plenty of stars having felt it irresistible to go back to what they know.

But how did they fare in their second spells? Here, we take a look at six global stars who returned to their former teams.

THIERRY HENRY

A legend of of the Premier League era, Henry returned to Arsenal on loan after three seasons in …

Tiago Fernandes praised Sporting CP s discipline as they claimed a rare Europa League clean sheet away from home against Arsenal to put them within touching distance of the knockout stage.

For the first time since September 2011, Sporting managed not to concede in a Europa League away clash, ending a run of 18 games with Thursday s 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium.

While the Group E clash was far from a classic, for Sporting it represented a job well done in London and Fernandes was pleased with his side s display.

The players did exactly what I asked them to do, he told UEFA.com.

In our gameplan we know we had to be rigorous and they were almost perfect on that.

We were aware of the opponent s quality, but we, knowing our capacity and being cr…