Mauricio Pochettino has revealed how he carried the burden of Tottenham s last-day collapse through to pre-season, when he held a meeting to tell his players he wanted to kill them.
Spurs succumbed to a 5-1 loss at Newcastle United to slip to third at the end of a 2015-16 campaign that at one stage held the promise of a maiden Premier League title.
With many of Pochettino s squad heading away on international duty, the Argentine had to wait before delivering a dressing-down following their pre-season tour of Australia.
When we came back from Australia, we talked a little bit about the end of last season, he said.
The players needed to hear from the manager my feelings, how I felt after the game and after the season, because there was no time to share it…
Monaco boss Claudio Ranieri helped his club to promotion to Ligue One last season and is likely to bring in a host of players this summer
It seems that French club Monaco are determined to make a big splash on their return to Ligue One next season.
The club are owned by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who looks like he is serious about his club becoming a force in French and European football.
Onwards and upwards
PSG have already started the upward trend in French football and have spent big to clinch the Ligue One title.
PSG also made it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season. No doubt, the Parisians will strengthen again this summer.
While PSG clinched the Ligue One title, Monaco were busy winning the Ligue Two…
Table-topping Argentina face a tough task against Colombia as they look to keep their impressive qualification form going on Friday.
Alejandro Sabella s side have been in dominant form as they look to secure a spot in Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, losing just once in eleven games, a 1-0 reversal in Venezuela.
Since that defeat in October 2011, Argentina have gone on to live up to their billing as favourites to win the CONMEBOL qualifying section with six victories including a 2-1 success in Colombia and three draws.
The two-time World Cup winners now sit comfortably top of the group, four points clear of second place Ecuador and five above Colombia, although Jose Pekerman s charges do have a game in hand on the leaders.
Colombia will also be buoyed by the start they…
German side Schalke 04 said on Thursday that thay had parted company with their Dutch coach Fred Rutten.
Mike Buskens, Youri Mulder and Oliver Reck, all members of the club s backroom staff, will take charge of training.
Earlier Thursday, the 46-year-old Rutten said he had expected to leave the struggling Bundesliga side at the end of the season.
Rutten had a contract with Schalke until 2010 having only taken over as trainer of the Royal Blues in July 2008, but the club are eighth in the table and have been blighted by erratic form this season.
…
Louis van Gaal put an end to a decade-long trophy famine by guiding AZ Alkmaar to the Dutch league title on Sunday and he promptly hailed the achievement as arguably the highlight of his career.
Van Gaal, who won back-to-back Spanish titles with Barcelona in 1998-99, said on Monday: This was perhaps the most notable because it was the most unexpected.
I am truly very proud.
Since leaving Barcelona in 2000 the 57-year-old had struggled to make his mark, failing to qualify Holland for the 2002 World Cup in his stint as national coach.
A brief return to the Nou Camp between 2000 and 2003 came to nothing after which he had a spell as technical director at Ajax, a club he had guided to three Dutch titles between 1994 and 1996.
But the call of the du…
Sadio Mane claims lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy with Senegal would top his Champions League success with Liverpool.
The 27-year-old played a key part in Liverpool s triumphant run in 2018-19, culminating in a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the final on June 1.
But Mane, who started all 13 of the Reds European matches last season, now has a chance to eclipse that achievement by leading Senegal to glory in the continental showpiece for the first time in their history.
It is up to us to achieve something great, he told France Football. Of course we are one of the favourites, we cannot hide from that. But this standing is not enough to go all the way.
FULL TIME | Senegal Tanzania 2-0
— CAF (@CAF_Online)
Winning with my coun…
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The new year is almost upon us and while there has been some speculation over the next few weeks and months, both in wider society and football itself, all fans can do is sit back and enjoy the games that they do get a chance to watch. Today we ll be taking a look at what should be an intriguing clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, although it should be noted that there has been rumours circulating about this showdown potentially being postponed due to COVID-19.
Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur have gone from title contenders to battling for a place in the top four and it s all happened in the space of just a few weeks. Many will attribute that decline to the style of football that has been implement…
Jose Mourinho and David Moyes offered messages of support to Wayne Rooney as England and Manchester United s record goalscorer reportedly considers a move to DC United.
Rooney was reportedly close to moving to MLS at the end of last season, but instead rejoined Everton at the end of a 13-year trophy-laden spell at Manchester United.
Moyes and Mourinho both coached Rooney during his period at Old Trafford, the Scot overseeing the striker s breakthrough at Everton too, and both managers believe the 32-year-old can be a success in America.
Rooney s former England team-mates Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard both headed to MLS in the latter stages of their career, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira both working in the league now.
When he made it at …
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp joked he thought star forward Mohamed Salah would win an award for simply getting out of his car.
Salah set a record for the most goals in a 38-game Premier League season, scoring his 32nd in a 4-0 thrashing of Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
The Egypt international claimed the Golden Boot, adding to numerous individual honours he has already won this season, including the PFA Players Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year.
Klopp suggested Salah – who has scored 44 goals in all competitions this season –could be given an award for just getting out of his car.
We all can imagine how it would be if everybody said you are brilliant every day, he said.
They don t only say you re brilliant, they give …
The signing of Radamel Falcao does not represent a risk for Chelsea, according to former Stamford Bridge star Clive Walker.
Falcao became one of the most feared strikers in world football due to his goalscoring exploits at Porto and Atletico Madrid, but a serious knee injury ended a promising debut season at Monaco in the 2013-14 campaign in which he scored nine goals in 17 Ligue 1 appearances.
Having recovered from that setback, Manchester United brought the Colombia international to Old Trafford last season, but Louis van Gaal s move failed to yield reward as he scored just four Premier League goals in a disappointing and expensive loan spell.
Despite his struggles in England, Jose Mourinho has long been an admirer of Falcao and, after weeks of speculation, …