Antonio Conte has criticised Tottenham s fixture crunch in the run-up to the World Cup, stating it is the first time in his career he has seen such a crazy schedule.
The Premier League side get their Champions League campaign under was on Wednesday when they host Marseille, marking their return to the competition after two seasons away.
Coupled with English domestic commitments, they will play 17 games over the next nine and a half weeks, due to the mid-season staging of this year s World Cup in Qatar.
Reflecting on the calendar, Conte has been left stunned by the crush of clashes on his team s schedule, and says he believes organisers can do better to avoid such issues.
It s crazy, he stated at a pre-match press conference. We played three games in s…
Hansi Flick expects a strong performance from his Germany team against the Netherlands, as he assesses his side s prospects ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Germany travel to Amsterdam to face their historic rivals on Tuesday, following Saturday s routine 2-0 win over Israel.
The Oranje, who have won their last 11 games on Dutch soil, should represent a sturdier test, with Flick seeking to build towards a major tournament revival after Germany failed to impress at the 2018 World Cup and then underwhelmed at Euro 2020.
The former Bayern Munich coach is anticipating a tough contest against Louis van Gaal s side, and is expected to name a strong team after announcing that he wants to win the game at all costs .
It will be a good indicator for us, Flick�…
England are getting used to needing more than just regulation to win World Cups.
An extraordinary victory over New Zealand at Lord s on Sunday saw England secure their maiden Cricket World Cup title.
But not even 50 overs each could separate the teams, and they were also level after the Super Over. Hitting more boundaries was what gave England their triumph.
They have now won a FIFA World Cup, a Rugby World Cup and a Cricket World Cup, and each one took a little extra.
ENGLAND LIFT TROPHY! |
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup)
1966 FIFA World Cup final – England 4 West Germany 2 (after extra time)
This remains England s only FIFA World Cup crown and it only came after late drama and what would have been heartbreak had t…
Roma s Leonardo Spinazzola has revealed he chose to miss Italy s Nations League fixtures to conduct individual training this month, as he continues his recovery from a serious Achilles tendon injury.
Spinazzola enjoyed a breakthrough on the international stage during Italy s successful Euro 2020 campaign last year, impressing as an attacking left-back for Roberto Mancini s side.
However, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during the Azzurri s quarter-final win over Belgium in July 2021, returning to feature in just three Serie A matches before the end of last season.
The 29-year-old has appeared in all seven of the Giallorossi s league games this campaign, but revealed his previous injury continues to have an impact after opting to skip Italy s Nations Leag…
Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus has been named Footballer of the Year in Germany for the second time in his career.
The Association of German Sports Journalists, in conjunction with football magazine Kicker, gave Reus 150 of the 540 votes cast to place him ahead of Bayer Leverkusen prodigy Kai Havertz and Bayern Munich full-back Joshua Kimmich.
Reus former Dortmund boss, Jurgen Klopp, earned the Coach of the Year title after leading Liverpool to glory in the Champions League.
The accolades are considered the most prestigious of their kind in Germany and this latest honour holds particular value for 30-year-old winger Reus, who battled back from an injury riddled 2017-18 season to score 21 competitive goals for BVB last term.
It s nicer than it was t…
Bayern Munich head coach Niko Kovac said there is no news regarding defender Jerome Boateng amid reported interest from Manchester United.
Germany centre-back Boateng has been linked with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirming contact between the two clubs.
However, Premier League giants United have joined the race to sign the 29-year-old former Manchester City defender according to German reports.
Asked about Boateng following Bayern s 1-0 win over United in Sunday s friendly at Allianz Arena, Kovac told reporters: Regarding Jerome, there s nothing new.
Jerome has played a really good match today when he came in.
I am happy about him being with us again. Not only him but also the others.
Back…
Kylian Mbappe proved he is already one of the world s greatest players after netting a hat-trick in Paris Saint-Germain s 4-1 win over Barcelona, according to Mauricio Pochettino.
PSG battered Barca in Camp Nou on Tuesday, the Parisian s taking an emphatic away win into the second leg at the Parc des Princes next month.
While all eyes were on PSG-linked Messi before the game, Mbappe showed why he is regarded by many as the Argentinian s heir to the best player in the world label.
After Messi opened the scoring from the spot, Mbappe went on to net a stunning treble that was completed late on with a gorgeous first-time effort that found the top-right corner, in doing so becoming the first away player to net a Champions League hat-trick in Camp Nou since Andriy Shev…
Ilkay Gundogan and Jonathan Tah will join a long list of Germany absentees after they were each ruled out of their friendly with Argentina.
Die Mannschaft take on La Albiceleste in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup final won by Germany in Dortmund on Wednesday.
Toni Kroos, Leroy Sane, Antonio Rudiger, Timo Werner, Leon Goretzka and Matthias Ginter are all unavailable, and coach Joachim Low revealed Manchester City midfielder Gundogan and Bayer Leverkusen defender Tah will also miss out.
Tah has an illness, while Gundogan is struggling with a muscle problem, though he could return for Sunday s Euro 2020 qualifier with Estonia.
Marco Reus is a doubt with a minor knee injury, with Robin Koch and Sebastian Rudy having been called up to the squad follow…
Verona have confirmed the signing of former Italy international Antonio Cassano, who returns to Serie A after a season out of the game.
Cassano, whose previous clubs include Real Madrid, Inter and AC Milan, did not play at all last season due to a contract dispute with Sampdoria, but joined Verona on undisclosed terms on Monday.
The 34-year-old forward has only hit double figures once in Serie A since the 2008-09 campaign but he gets another chance to shine in the top-flight after Verona s promotion from Serie B.
Hellas Verona announces that it has completed the signing of the footballer Antonio Cassano, a Verona statement read.
The forward, after taking his medicals this afternoon, has left for Primiero to join the Gialloblu s pre-season training camp…
Barcelona s philosophy fit Pep Guardiola like a glove but he took the club to new levels, says Dani Alves.
Guardiola won three LaLiga titles during his time in charge at Camp Nou, also leading the club to two Champions Leagues in three years.
The Catalan left at the end of the 2011-12 season but his spell leading Barcelona will go down in history for the club s stunning football and relentless collection of silverware.
Alves was a key player for Barcelona during the Guardiola era, later signing for Juventus and then joining Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.
And the Brazil defender hailed Guardiola s impact on the club while noting he was a perfect fit for the head coach position at Barcelona.
Actually, without talking about the coach, Barcelona…