'I want to apologise,' Sevilla coach Vicenzo Montella said. 'It hurt,'It hurt the fans most of all, but it didn't take long for he and his players to be forgiven. Disaster became delirium in four days. On Sunday morning, Sevilla Futbol Club were a goal down after 40 seconds and were hammered 5-1 at Ipurua, the second time they had conceded five in five games. By the following Wednesday night, they were celebrating reaching the Copa del Rey final on Apr. 21 at
Paris Saint-Germain's final action before their Champions League round-of-16 first-leg clash with Real Madrid is in Toulouse on Saturday and coach Unai Emery has a few important decisions to make based on what he sees at Stadium Municipal.Things might have been easier for the Ligue 1 leaders as Toulouse were struggling for form under previous coach Pascal Dupraz but have picked up since he was replaced by Mickael Debeve. Since the change in boss, Toulouse have won their last two matches in the
Long gone are the days, in which Shinji Kagawa was filmed by a Japanese camera team in Dortmund's shopping street, slurping a coffee at the gelateria 'Dolce Vita' and flicking through a football magazine, where he was depicted as the best player of the German Bundesliga on its front page.The then-21-year-old had conquered the German top flight in a storm after joining the Westfalenstadion from second-division side Cerezo Osaka for the negligible fee of €350,000 in the summer of 2010. He scored eight
Wednesday night's fourth round FA Cup replay win against Newport County couldn't have gone much better for Tottenham. Mauricio Pochettino was able to make 10 changes from the side that had drawn 2-2 against Liverpool the previous Sunday; Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Harry Winks were given their first starts since returning from injury; and Spurs cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory without ever really getting out of second gear.It leaves them in great shape for Saturday's North London derby against Arsenal. It
Southampton fans are no doubt warming up their vocal chords in readiness for this Sunday's clash with Liverpool. Former Saints stars Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren are always given a rough ride from the home crowd whenever they return to St. Mary's, and it's a certainty that Virgil van Dijk can expect similar treatment as he returns to face the teammates he left behind when he moved to Merseyside last month.Sadio Mane and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will complete a quintet of former Southampton men
Arsenal's January transfer window was certainly eventful: Two star attackers arrived, another three departed, and there's now an entirely different feel to the side up front. Their problem this season, however, has rarely been in the final third.Instead, Arsenal have struggled defensively -- they're on a run of eight league matches without a clean sheet, and have a terrible goals-against record of 35 in just 26 games -- a worse record than the five sides above them, plus Burnley. Brighton and Leicester have
Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery has said that his club are more ready for their Champions League round-of-16 tie with Real Madrid next week than they were for Barcelona at the same point last campaign.Speaking at a prematch news conference ahead of PSG's Ligue 1 trip to Toulouse on Saturday, Emery feels that his players are ready for the challenge that awaits them at Santiago Bernabeu and more so than they were for their ill-fated outing at Camp Nou a year ago.'The team
Wayne Rooney has expressed his wish to become the Everton manager one day and is keen to make inroads into coaching next season.The former England international is top scorer for Everton this season and is set to be recalled to the starting line-up for Saturday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace.Rooney, though, has already set sights on the next stage of his career. Speaking to the Telegraph, he talked about his future after retiring.'The main thing I want to have a go at
Jose Mourinho has hit back at Ryan Giggs' suggestion that Paul Pogba should be given more freedom in the Manchester United team while insisting the Frenchman can become a complete midfielder.Giggs claimed this week Mourinho could get more out of Pogba if he played in a three-man midfield alongside more defensive-minded players Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera. Wayne Rooney also claimed Mourinho has not used Pogba properly.Mourinho, however, insisted at a news conference on Friday the 24-year-old will always have to balance the
Juventus defeated Fiorentina 2-0 in Gianluigi Buffon's 500th league match for the club to leapfrog Napoli at the top of Serie A.The deadlock was broken by Federico Bernardeschi, who moved from the home side to Juventus in 2017, with a free kick on the edge of the area 10 minutes into the second half.And with Fiorentina pushing for an equaliser late on, Gonzalo Higuain's strike sealed all three points for the Old Lady.However, in a tight game which neither side dominated, a controversial
Leicester manager Claude Puel holds no hard feelings towards Manchester City over the Riyad Mahrez saga.As the two teams prepare to play each other at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, City boss Pep Guardiola says his club are not responsible for the Algeria international's absence.Mahrez ended his self-imposed exile on Friday morning by returning to train alongside his teammates for the first time since City's failed bid to sign him at the end of the January transfer window.Leicester blocked what would have been
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hit back at criticism from TV pundit Gary Neville who claimed his decision to name only six substitutes against Burnley last weekend was 'a joke.'The City boss defended his call saying that a combination of injuries and a youth team game at the same time had contributed to his decision to travel to Turf Moor with just 17 players.Guardiola, who has John Stones and Phil Foden back for City's game with Leicester City on Saturday, insisted Neville
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has refused to take any credit for Harry Kane's success, insisting the striker would be just as good in any league and in any era.Pochettino compared Kane to Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Brazil legend Pele -- both of whom, along with Diego Maradona, are considered among the greatest ever players.In an article for The Players' Tribune, published after he reached 100 Premier League goals, Kane said nobody 'has had a bigger impact on my career than Mauricio' and thanked
Arsene Wenger says new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang already reminds him of Thierry Henry, and has called on the striker to prove his greatness in the Premier League.Aubameyang became Arsenal's record signing when he joined in a £56 million deal from Borussia Dortmund last week and it hasn't taken long for the Gabon international to draw comparisons to the Gunners' all-time record scorer.When asked which of his former strikers Aubameyang most reminds him of, Wenger said: 'I would say Thierry Henry with his quality
Arsene Wenger has admitted Arsenal should have sold Alexis Sanchez last summer, even without the self-imposed requirement of finding a replacement.The Chile international moved to Manchester United last month after a prolonged summer transfer saga saw Arsenal pull out of a proposed deal with Manchester City because a deal for Monaco's Thomas Lemar fell through.And Wenger said the uncertainty over Sanchez and Mesut Ozil's futures with the club cast a cloud over the first club of the season, leading the manager to rethink
West Bromwich Albion striker Jay Rodriguez was charged by the FA on Thursday following allegations he racially abused Brighton and Hove Albion defender Gaetan Bong during a Premier League match last month. Cameroon international Bong said Rodriguez abused him during West Brom’s 2-0 home win last month. “Jay Rodriguez has been charged following an incident during the West Bromwich Albion versus Brighton and Hove Albion match on 13 January 2018,” the FA said in a statement. “It is alleged he used abusive and/or
Our YEP Jury have their say on Paul Heckingbottom’s appointment and Leeds United’s Yorkshire derby at Sheffield United. MIKE GILLAfter the capitulation against Cardiff City last Saturday and the departure of the decent but ultimately ineffective Thomas Christiansen – on Sunday evening – the Whites visit Sheffield United. Paul Heckingbottom now takes charge of a depleted side ravaged by suspensions and injuries. All true fans will wish him well. In the short term, it will be tough for him and he will need
Chelsea Are Better Off Without Swapping Hazard For Asensio And Here’s Why Chelsea are reportedly interested in a sensational summer move for Real Madrid attacker Marco Asensio. A deal of £119m is understood to be on the table but the Blues might risk losing Eden Hazard. He has been subjected to attention from the Spanish giants for quite some time and Real might be willing to let Asensio leave if they were to get Hazard in return. That said, Chelsea are highly unlikely to agree to that
BARCELONA legend Xavi sees Paris Saint-Germain stars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as the natural heirs to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. When asked about Neymar, Xavi told RMC Sport: “I have a huge respect for him [Neymar]. 'He's a fantastic footballer, when Messi and Cristiano lower their level, he will win the next Golden Ball.' When quizzed about Mbappe, Xavi added: “When Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo retire, the debate about the best in the world will be between Neymar and Mbappe.” Neymar, meanwhile, has
DAVID DE GEA will swap Manchester United for Real Madrid and it is only a “matter of time” before he makes the switch, according to Craig Bellamy. De Gea has been coveted by Real Madrid for the past few years. A deal collapsed on deadline day in 2015 due to a faulty fax machine which would have seen Keylor Navas head to Old Trafford. With a trophyless campaign beckoning for Real, a serious rebuild is expected to happen at the end of the campaign. A