Real Madrid s Thibaut Courtois claimed his status as one of the world s best goalkeepers brought unwarranted criticism in the early part of the new campaign.
Courtois bore a large share of the blame for Madrid s disappointing results at the start of the season, at one stage conceding nine goals in the space of 14 shots on target.
His performances prompted debate over the club s decision to part with Keylor Navas – who moved to Paris Saint-Germain – but the Belgium international has since rediscovered some of his best form.
The former Chelsea man has kept eight successive clean sheets for club and country, restoring his reputation as one of the game s finest keepers.
I don t read the press, I only pay attention to what the coach or my team-mates say t…
Thomas Tuchel dismissed the notion of the Ballon d Or being a distraction for a Paris Saint-Germain side that is set to be without Neymar this weekend.
Brazil star Neymar will be rested for the Ligue 1 match against Amiens following a taxing international window spent representing his country in Saudi Arabia.
Reports in Spain this week have linked the 26-year-old with a return to Barcelona, but Tuchel was in no mood to indulge the speculation beyond insisting it was not necessary to hold talks with the attacker.
The German was more forthcoming with his views on whether Ballon d Or dreams warped his team s motivations.
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is the latest big name to have endorsed Kylian Mbappe s claims for an award that Neymar has long coveted, h…
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger watched his side beat SC Braga 6-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday and then revealed he expected to dream of nothing but Saturday s trip to Sunderland.
The Frenchman was only half-joking as the Gunners have found it difficult to fight on two fronts in recent seasons, although they will travel to the north-east on the back of three straight Premier League successes.
Arsenal have struggled at the Stadium of Light on their last two visits, earning a point with an injury-time Cesc Fabregas goal in 2008 before suffering a 1-0 defeat thanks to Darren Bent s winner last November.
Wenger was hopeful his side, who have not won a major trophy since 2005, would be able to improve on that record in this weekend s match.
Everywhere…
Chelsea return to the scene of one of the most bitter defeats in their history on Tuesday when they take on Spartak Moscow at the Luzhniki stadium.
It was here in the Russian capital that the reigning English champions missed out on the 2008 Champions League title 6-5 on penalties to Manchester United after a 1-1 draw in extra time.
Carlo Ancelotti has all but ruled out Didier Drogba for this Group F run out, the Ivory Coast striker suffering a fever which sidelined him for Saturday s 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.
I don t think he will be able to play on Tuesday because he hasn t trained this week, and he needs to train, said the Italian, who is also having to make do without Frank Lampard (recovering from a hernia-operation).
He (Drogba) will be here at …
AS Roma are expected to complete a Bosman deal for AC Milan full-back Urby Emanuelson, .
The Dutch defender is a free agent after the Rossoneri failed to offer him a new deal and the latest reports suggest he has agreed a move to Stadio Olimpico.
Roma officials were looking for a new left-sided defender and they appear to have secured the signature of the 28-year-old footballer.
Urby Emanuelson signed for AC Milan in January 2011, joining from Ajax, and he has since amassed 75 Serie A appearances, while also enjoying a short-term loan spell with Fulham.
The former Netherlands international seems to have been the victim of his versatility, having been used at left-back, holding midfield and attacking midfield at San Siro.
With AS Roma not exactly …
Cagliari have sacked coach Diego Lopez following the club s 3-1 home defeat to Roma on Sunday.
The Serie A outfit slumped to their fourth defeat in five games, leaving them seven points clear of the relegation zone with six matches remaining.And controversial president Massimo Cellino, who is poised to complete his takeover of English Championship side Leeds United, has decided to pull the pin on Lopez s nine-month tenure.
Cellino had looked set to miss out on Leeds United having been found guilty of tax evasion but won his appeal against the English Football League over the weekend.
The Italian entrepreneur has overseen 36 managerial changes in two separate spells as president of Cagliari.
The necessity to shake up the team in this final stage of the season to a…
MANCHESTER CITY
Defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester City without Fernandinho highlighted the Brazilian s importance to the champions. He is 33 and a successor must be a high priority for City, who have used Ilkay Gundogan and John Stones in that role with little success having missed out on Jorginho to Chelsea. City also have a problem position at left-back, where a succession of injuries to Benjamin Mendy have repeatedly left Pep Guardiola using square pegs to fill a round hole.
TOTTENHAM
Spurs signed nobody in the last transfer window and it does not appear to have harmed Mauricio Pochettino s side. But injuries have since affected his midfield options and a mooted move for Adrien Rabiot, who has made no secret of his desire to leave Paris Saint-Germain, make…
Monaco have further boosted Thierry Henry s midfield options with the signing of William Vainqueur on loan until the end of the season.
The 2016-17 French champions, mired in Ligue 1 s relegation zone, had initially elected not to sign the former Nantes and Roma midfielder from Antalyaspor because of a calf injury.
However, they had a change of heart after being convinced by the 30-year-old, who follows fellow midfielder Cesc Fabregas in moving to the Stade Louis II.
Explaining their decision, Monaco vice-president and general manager Vadim Vasilyev told the club s official website: William showed a determination and a willingness to get involved that led us to reconsider the situation.
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Loan deal complete <…
Women’s football in Scotland has been handed a major new source of funding thanks to a sponsorship deal with ScottishPower.
The energy firm has agreed a deal with both the Scottish Women’s Premier League and Scottish Women’s Football.
The company will sponsor both leagues along with the Scottish Youth Challenge Cups at all three age groups and the Scottish Women’s Highlands and Islands League.
We re delighted to announce that we are now Principal Partner for both
We ll be sponsoring the Scottish Youth Challenge Cups and the Scottish Women s Highlands and Islands League too.
— ScottishPower (@ScottishPower)
Fiona McIntyre, managing director of the SWPL, said: “We’ve just enjoyed one of the most dramatic and entertaining …
Borussia Dortmund boss Marco Rose has revealed that a hip flexor injury will rule out talisman Erling Haaland for the next few weeks.
The striker only returned to action in last weekend s win over Mainz after a muscular problem saw him miss three games for Rose s side.
However, the 21-year-old, who has scored 13 goals in 10 appearances across all competitions this season, is now set for another spell on the sidelines.
Addressing reporters ahead of Dortmund s trip to Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday, Rose said: Erling Haaland won t play and will be absent for a few weeks with a hip flexor injury.
Haaland has, of course, been down. He was happy to be back and still felt really good after the Mainz game.
Time to focus on my recovery. I’ll be back …