Foot Ball news Alerts

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Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp gave Jimbo Fisher a  national championship plaque without a date at a ceremony earlier this month. 

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The coaching turnover in the SEC has put new assistants in key positions of power. Who will be under the most pressure?

• Runs to last four of tournaments have earned team respect • Bronze to captain country for first time in SheBelieves Cup Lucy Bronze believes England’s rise towards the apex of women’s football has served a serious warning to their rivals in the lead-up to the World Cup next summer. Bronze, who will captain England for the first time on Thursday night in the SheBelieves Cup opener against France in place of the injured Steph Houghton, was a key member of the Lioness squads which reached the last four in the most recent World Cup and European Championship tournaments. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2GUvkKp

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It's too early to matter, but Wisconsin already has more 2019 four-star commits than it had in each of its past two recruiting classes. 

• Guardiola’s jacket had concealed ribbon during first half at Wigan • Catalan thanks fans for backing gesture in support of politicians Pep Guardiola may argue he unwittingly broke Football Association rules by revealing the yellow ribbon only by accident during the second half of Manchester City’s defeat at Wigan Athletic. On Friday the Catalan was charged with “wearing a political message” and has until Monday to answer the count. The rule applies only to what is worn on the touchline during games and at the DW Stadium Guardiola’s jacket concealed the ribbon during the first half. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2COaaLw

After losing its defensive line coach to Alabama, Miami turns to Jess Simpson, who won seven Georgia high school state titles.

By DAVID WALDSTEIN from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2F3tu9B

Sign up now ! Sign up now ! Sign up now ? Sign up now ! Fortune is not just smiling on Tottenham Hotspur in this season’s FA Cup, it is holding them by the hand and whispering filthy promises into their pr1cked up ears. The draw has treated Spurs to three successive ties against lower-league opposition and, what is more, their fifth-round adversaries, Rochdale, even laid a new pitch for them so the Premier League artistes would not have to navigate any bumps or divots at Spotland, ensuring the only obstacles that might have been in their way were the invisible ones of which some Spurs players seem to keep falling afoul. Happily for Mauricio Pochettino’s loveable band of tricksters, snow has hit the ground in London before Wednesday’s replay against plucky Dale, meaning there could be a soft white coating across the Wembley surface to cushion any tumbles by Dele Alli and Harry Kane. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2HUXeaE

Nate Robinson left the Washington football team after one year, but a booster offered him $100,000 to come back. 

The former Spain and Barcelona striker Quini died aged 68 on Tuesday and in remembering his illustrious career there is no doubt that one extraordinary notorious incident stands out Enrique Castro, ‘Quini’, left the Camp Nou, drove home, set the video to record the highlights of the night’s games, got back into the car and headed to the airport. It was 1 March, 1981, and Spain’s top scorer, who passed away on Tuesday having suffered a sudden heart-attack aged 68, had just scored two more goals and was going to collect his wife and children, who were flying back into Barcelona in from Asturias. It is there, at Sporting Gijón’s El Molinón ground, that his body lies in rest and where the funeral was held on Wednesday, a stadium that will now carry his name, but his loss was felt all over Spain. Related: The chaos of Diego Costa rules for Atlético Madrid in rout of Sevilla | Sid Lowe Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2HTdqcm

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Argentinian can reach 200 goals for the club on Thursday at Arsenal and has proved his worth to Pep Guardiola this season as he has to all his managers in his seven years in Manchester On Thursday night at the Emirates Sergio Agüero has the chance to reach a landmark 200th goal for Manchester City, and if the Arsenal defenders play like they did in the Carabao Cup final he probably will. Despite being on the short side for a centre-forward – it always comes as a slight surprise to be reminded that the Argentina striker is only 5ft 8in – Agüero bullies defences like few others and Sunday’s showpiece at Wembley was as good an example as any. Related: Vincent Kompany leads the way for Manchester City’s old boys in victory | Barney Ronay Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2EYPDd9

Karl Robinson takes time off from Charlton’s League One promotion push to lend LGBT-friendly Charlton Invicta a hand as part of Football v Homophobia’s month of action “Now we’re like the Harlem Globetrotters,” Karl Robinson says, excitedly, only the players smiling back at the Charlton Athletic manager, gradually getting to grips with a passing drill, are not his. Those determined to dazzle are a dozen Charlton Invicta players, who play for the LGBT-friendly team affiliated with the club’s community trust. It is the first time a professional manager has taken a session of this kind. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CQzwso

• Arsenal manager surprised at reaction to Carabao Cup final defeat • Wenger has one year left on his contract but faces summer review Arsène Wenger has reminded his numerous critics that he “turned the whole world down to respect my contracts” at Arsenal, as he expressed his surprise and frustration that his job prospects remained at the top of the news agenda. Arsenal’s 3-0 capitulation to Manchester City in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final represented the latest hole in the club’s season and kept up the chorus of disapproval regarding Wenger’s suitability to continue as the manager. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2GQA2sP

Plus: players sharing names with Oscar winners and the coldest match. Mail us your questions and answers or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU “ Are there any footballing links to the Winter Olympics that we should know about,” asks Ross Quinn. “ Competitors in both, family links, etc.” “It might not come as a surprise that a Norwegian has merits in both football and winter sports,” writes Eivind Krohg, highlighting the illustrious multi-sporting career of Bjørn Wirkola. “He carried Norway’s flag at the Grenoble ‘68 opening ceremony, and won both league and cup with Rosenborg (as top scorer) in 1971, as well as giving the name to the often-used Norwegian idiom ‘jumping after Wirkola’ . Oh, and he is still the only ski jumper to have won the Four Hills Tournament three years in a row.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2oCPUHT

By KURT STREETER from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2ovWd0t

Today’s nonsense has cold feet All good things must come to an end, and so too must Marouane Fellaini ’s career at Manchester United. Even José Mourinho accepts now that he cannot delay the inevitable this time and is preparing to bid a tearful farewell to the towering Belgian this summer, when, apparently, Fellaini will join Galatasaray . This has not been a vintage season for Fellaini at Old Trafford – hampered by injuries, he’s only picked up one yellow card, compared to 14 yellows and a red last term – but Mourinho can reflect with pride on the fact that he brought the best out of Fellaini, a man whose deftness of chest contrasts so oddly with his clumsiness of elbow. With Michael Carrick also set to leave United at the end of this season, Mourinho is on the prowl for new midfielders and has reportedly whittled his shopping list down to six names: Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos , Chelsea’s Willian , Tottenham’s Victor Wanyama , Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic , Nice’s Jean-Michaël Seri...

Steven Taylor and Junior Morias jump into action Managerless Posh win 2-1; Steve Evans linked with role Managerless Peterborough came from behind to secure a 2-1 win against Walsall and end a run of four straight draws to move within three points of the League One play-offs. But only after several of their players grabbed shovels to help clear the lines of play as heavy snow descended on the Abax Stadium. Posh sacked former club captain Grant McCann on Sunday as they aim for a tilt at promotion, with Steve Evans – who resigned as Mansfield boss on Tuesday – in the crowd and linked with the vacancy. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2oywbtm

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British coroner says Zac Cox given substandard equipment by managers at World Cup venue The only western construction worker killed in the building of World Cup stadiums in Qatar was provided with substandard equipment by managers who should have known the risks of a “downright dangerous” environment, a British coroner has said. Zac Cox, 40, died in January 2017 after he fell 40 metres (131ft) from rigging when a catwalk he was helping to install at the Khalifa stadium in Doha collapsed. The accident occurred after lever hoist equipment failed, causing part of the platform on which Cox and a colleague were working to fall. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2Coj1YF

• New head coach says critics’ negativity motivates him • England take on France in SheBelieves Cup on Thursday Phil Neville believes people want him to fail as England Women’s manager. The 41-year-old knows his appointment five weeks ago caused uproar in certain quarters, a situation inflamed by the recall of sexist tweets . Yet Neville spent his playing career with Manchester United, Everton and England trying to prove his worth and is determined to show his appointment was not the mistake many believe it was. He takes charge of his first game on Thursday, against France in the SheBelieves Cup, and then faces Germany and the USA – the top two teams in the world – in New Jersey and Orlando respectively over the following six days. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2F6NBXP

• Mauricio Pochettino in no hurry to have defender back in side • Alderweireld looks to have become a disposable asset Mauricio Pochettino has made it plain Toby Alderweireld will not be fit for Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League match against Juventus next Wednesday. The central defender, who has a hamstring injury sustained in training last Thursday, is still recovering. “He is still not participating with the group,” Pochettino said when asked about Alderweireld’s prospects for the Wembley leg of the last-16 tie, which is finely poised at 2-2. “The answer is clear.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CMI0jS

By ADAM ZAGORIA from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2BRuJKl

Of these five teams that made a big leap last year, who has what it takes to be more than a one-year wonder?

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Since the crimes committed by Barry Bennell at Crewe came to light, the seeming lack of empathy and common decency shown by the people in charge has been incomprehensible Last year I divorced my football team. After 38 years of (a few) ups and (mostly) downs, I let go of Crewe Alexandra. I wasn’t a casual fan, I was obsessed. I was proud of the miracle that transformed the perennial laughing stock into everyone’s second-favourite team. Ours was a story that celebrated everything that was right in the beautiful game. In a world of multimillionaire players, oligarch owners and fickle fans, Crewe Alex were the beacon of hope. A club with a fabled reputation for nurturing local talent and playing a style of football that was a purist’s dream. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CKCEGa

• Premier League clubs would rest for first two weeks in February • FA Cup fifth round would be midweek in plans for 2019-20 season A winter break in the English top flight is another step closer to being agreed after the Football Association, Premier League and Football League reached a provisional agreement to play a round of the FA Cup in midweek. The deal would mean players take off the first two weeks of February from the 2019-20 season in the hope it will improve England’s chances in Euro 2020, should they qualify, and major tournaments in the future. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2GKBYmg

French midfielder suspended for overuse of drip treatment Nasri suspended by UEFA for six months, but can appeal Former France international Samir Nasri has been banned from football for six months for an anti-doping violation dating from 2016. Uefa says Nasri has been found guilty of using a “prohibited method” in violation of the World Anti-Doping Code and Uefa’s anti-doping regulations. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ovFn1P

Valeri Belokon could release the Oyston grip on the League One club but is barred under the EFL’s owners’ and directors’ test At Blackpool, a football club that retains a seaside air of old-school dash despite its modern disgraces, an end to the current turmoil lies just over the horizon, not yet in sight. Having recently mourned the passing of their former captain Jimmy Armfield , universally celebrated as one of English football’s most upstanding gentlemen, Blackpool today are a testing ground for the rules determining who is a fit and proper person to run a professional football club. Owen Oyston, the club’s long-term owner, and his son, Karl, were ruled by a high court judge in November to have taken out £26.77m in an “illegitimate stripping” of the club following their 2010 promotion to the Premier League , which was lauded as romantic at the time. They were ordered to pay the minority shareholder Valeri Belokon, whom they missed out while taking so much money for themselves, th...

• Alessandro Costacurta planning talks with Conte • Former Italy defender in charge of selecting next manager Chelsea’s manager, Antonio Conte, is Italy’s top choice as national coach. “I haven’t chosen yet but I think Conte is the one who could do the best,” the Italian football association’s vice-commissioner Alessandro Costacurta told Tuesday’s Gazzetta dello Sport . “I’ll definitely talk with him in a couple of months.” Related: Antonio Conte says he needs to settle differences with Chelsea board to stay Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CmNN3Z

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Our resident cartoonist looks back at the League Cup final in which Pep Guardiola won his first trophy in England and Arsenal made a young fan cry View all of David’s cartoons here Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2F69BBY

Today’s fluff is only just getting started After devoting many months and well over £100m to prising Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool, Barcelona will hand the player over to Paris Saint-Germain this summer. That, at any rate, is what PSG hope and the Qatari club is prepared to give the Catalans Kylian Mbappé to help make the deal happen. That scenario, which is being circulated by news organs in Spain, may sound preposterous – but the reasoning for it is stranger still. El Pais’ claim, you see, is that PSG want to make the trades because Neymar doesn’t get along with Mbappé but is great chums with Coutinho. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2GNrzGC

Texas A&M wants recruits to think Jimbo Fisher is a DB guru. Not so fast, says Jalen Ramsey. 

Ross Jirgl, who finished his first campaign as Stanford football’s sports performance coach this past season, crashed 'The Bachelor' in Peru to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend.

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Brazil forward set to miss Champions League tie with Real Madrid Dortmund held by Augsburg as fans boycott Monday night match Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed that Brazilian forward Neymar suffered a fractured metatarsal and sprained ankle in Sunday’s win over Marseille. Neymar, who joined PSG for a world-record transfer fee last summer, looks certain to miss the second leg of his side’s Champions League last-16 tie with Real Madrid on 6 March. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2BSt5Ib

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• John Bowler refuses to answer claims the club were given warnings • Heightened security as supporters arrive for Gresty Road meeting The Crewe Alexandra chairman, John Bowler, declined to comment on accusations the club’s board were aware of concerns surrounding the serial paedophile Barry Bennell when addressing a fans’ forum held amid heightened security at Gresty Road on Monday. Related: Barry Bennell branded ‘sheer evil’ as he is sentenced to 30 years Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2osZttv

Daniel Taylor is football journalist and sports writer of the year; Martha Kelner and Sean Ingle share scoop of the year; Donald McRae wins sports feature writer award; plus three other awards Daniel Taylor picked up two of the seven prizes won by the Guardian at the Sports Journalists’ Association awards on Monday night, being named the football journalist of the year and the sports writer of the year. The Guardian’s chief football writer won the football journalist award for his story, published in November, that led to the reporting of hundreds of historical allegations of sexual abuse . The judges at the awards presentation in London said Taylor’s “pieces were powerful and had a major impact on football in this country”. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ETwQQj

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Ex-pros part of £5m scam which took money to train deprived young people as coaches Two ex-footballers have been jailed for their part in a £5m sports leadership scam, which falsely claimed to help young people from deprived backgrounds gain football coaching apprenticeships. Former Wales international Mark Aizlewood, 58, was sentenced to six years in prison on Monday alongside fellow ex-pro Paul Sugrue, 56, who was jailed for seven years, for defrauding “eye-watering sums of government money”. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CmtaoC

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• Fifa’s Infantino says system almost certain to be deployed in Russia • Uefa leader holds different view and believes VAR needs more time Uefa has confirmed that video assistant referees will not be used in next season’s Champions League, on the same day Gianni Infantino said it was almost certain to be deployed at the World Cup. Related: José Mourinho: VAR ‘went against original protocol’ to rule out Mata goal Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ozcjWe

The combine is about more than sheer athleticism, but expect these players to do plenty of talking with standout workouts.

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was on the losing side again as his side were defeated by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. The Frenchman has won the FA Cup seven times along with three Premier League trophies, but the League Cup and European success still eludes him Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2FyUG0O

Max and the pod discuss the Carabao Cup final, Mourinho’s game-changing substitutions, goalkeeping howlers, Sol Campbell’s self-confidence and more Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , Audioboom , Mixcloud , Acast and Stitcher , and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email . Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning , Amy Lawrence and Lars Sivertsen to look back at a weekend of thrills and spills in the Carabao Cup, the Premier League and beyond. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CJk29o

Sign up now ! Sign up now ! Sign up now ? Sign up now ! Wearing or not wearing ribbons in the interests of raising awareness can be fraught with peril. Despite taking part in an Aids Walk, Seinfeld’s Cosmo Kramer was beaten up by fellow participants after refusing to wear one . More recently, Pep Guardiola has found himself in hot water for the exact opposite reason: insisting on sporting one pitchside, despite an FA charge for wearing “a political message”. The charge came in the wake of a couple of warnings by football’s governing body, which is upset at the solidarity Pep is demonstrating for two Catalan separatist leaders who have been imprisoned since last year’s independence referendum which was deemed to have been illegal by the powers that be in Madrid. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ES9mLv

The French third division match between Lyon Duchère and Entente produced two of the goals of the season with wonder strikes for both side. Entente’s William Sea, scored a fabulous flying overhead kick while Lyon Duchère’s Matthieu Ezekian salvaged a 2-2 draw with a top-class volley from the edge of the area Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2GLpQBB

In the blink of an eye, Costa had been and gone, a hurricane tearing though Sevilla, its impact likely to be lasting Diego Costa shot up the left, bundled Gabriel Mercado to the floor, pushed Clement Lenglet into Éver Banega and then bulldozed into the back of the Frenchman, forearm first, sending him crashing to the ground, and tumbled on top of him with a thud. He got up, crashed into Lenglet for a third time and flew backwards, holding his face, which hadn’t been hit, went to ground again and got up again, wearing a menacing look, and paced at his “aggressor”, looking for more. He was held back by Gabi, handed a yellow card by Juan Martínez Munuera, protested “Who, me?”, begged a bit and asked why, like he didn’t know. He walked away momentarily, a “don’t care” that didn’t last long – just long enough to lure them into his trap – and he was off, hunting down Banega, who didn’t see the stampede coming. In the blink of an eye, Costa had been and gone and so had the game, a hurricane...

PSG were superb in their 3-0 win over Marseille on Sunday. If they work as hard against Real Madrid, they have a chance By Adam White and Eric Devin for Get French Football News “Neymar? He’s a top player. I hope it’s nothing big. I’d prefer to see the best players on the pitch, even if it’s against us.” With the Brazilian forward likely unavailable to face Marseille for Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France on Wednesday, Rudi García could afford to be magnanimous on this occasion, even if another loss in that competition looks likely to follow his team’s 3-0 defeat at the Parc des Princes on Sunday. Even before Neymar’s exit late in the match Paris Saint-Germain had not been at their best. That said, in a game that was marked from the outset by a robust physicality (and 11 bookings), the leaders turned in a determined performance, offering a renewed focus with nary a hint of the side that had conceded a raft of chances to Strasbourg a week ago. Perhaps more important than t...

The midfielder has added simplicity to Effzeh’s squad since arriving from Nice and has a nickname that might stick One start and two substitute appearances in, and he is already being lauded as Der Zauberzwerg – the magic dwarf – for FC Köln. Vincent Koziello was one of the most wrong-footing signings of the Bundesliga’s winter window, a player heavily linked with Arsenal and even Barcelona in the past, a mini-Xavi cutting a swathe on the Côte d’Azur before arriving at the bottom club. He has, however, had to bide his time. “Vincent arrived just after we won against Gladbach,” coach Stefan Ruthenbeck recalled last week. “He hadn’t been playing that much in Nice. We didn’t have any friendlies to integrate him. That’s why I said right away that we’ll bring him in when the time is right. That time could be against Leipzig at the weekend.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CnCHvP

• Belgian has scored 22 times for Manchester United this season • Goal against Chelsea was his first against a top-six side for United Romelu Lukaku believes he deserves more respect, with the Manchester United striker pointing to his consistent goalscoring record throughout his career. Lukaku struck for the first time against a top-six side for United in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford . The Belgian also created Jesse Lingard’s winner, crossing for the substitute’s 75th-minute header. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2FwYzn7

Sir Peter Openshaw to determine whether former police officer can be prosecuted for manslaughter A legal hearing to determine whether the former South Yorkshire police chief superintendent David Duckenfield can be prosecuted for 95 counts of manslaughter in relation to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster has begun at Preston crown court. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which announced its intention to charge Duckenfield last June, is applying for a legal bar against prosecuting him to be lifted. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2GND1lJ

The 19-year-old is not elegant but he scored again as Milan’s manager showed he has the nous to win tactical battles too Gennaro Gattuso already had our attention . How could he not, after steering a Milan team that began 2018 in the bottom half of the table to seven wins and two draws in nine games? Under his stewardship, the Rossoneri had climbed all the way to joint-sixth, as well as progressing to the Coppa Italia semi-final and Europa League last-16. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2FAEAnG

• Manchester City manager still wearing ribbon after Friday’s charge • Sanctions would become stiffer with each guilty verdict Pep Guardiola could be sanctioned further for continuing to wear a yellow ribbon in defiance of Football Association’s rules, with Manchester City’s manager facing a potential touchline ban for his current charge. On Friday the FA charged Guardiola with wearing a political message and he has until next Monday to enter a plea. This was regarding Guardiola having the ribbon on his person at pitch-side during City’s FA Cup defeat at Wigan Athletic on 19 February. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2HMiK15

When the former England defender said his was one of the great minds in football Oxford United, looking for a new manager, were entitled to wonder what he had to show for it Sol Campbell found himself the subject of much public derision last week when he described himself as “one of the greatest minds in football”. It was a bold claim and the general reaction to the former player’s modest self-evaluation suggested that if the erstwhile Saturday night quiz show Family Fortunes had surveyed 100 people to fill in the blank in the sentence: “Sol Campbell is one of the greatest [BLANKS] in football”, the word “minds” would scarcely have featured among the few broadcastable answers, let alone those all-important top ones. Campbell made his pronouncement while appearing as a guest on the Highbury & Heels podcast, where he bemoaned the reluctance of the powers that be at Oxford United to give him the vacant manager’s job that looks certain to go to Craig Bellamy. “Maybe it was a lack of e...

Duisburg goalkeeper Mark Flekken will want to forget his side’s Bundesliga 2 match with Ingolstadt after he turned his back on play to have a drink, only to turn back around and see the ball hit the back of his net. Stefan Kutschke was the grateful recipient for Ingolsdadt, but ultimately Flekken’s blushes were spared as his side ran out 2-1 winners Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2EWhYNa

Arsenal’s tactics rattled Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final until an error allowed Agüero to score – though City may be good enough to win in the face of any barriers Football is full of Sliding Doors moments. What if Paul Gascoigne had stretched two inches further and got his toe to that cross in the Euro 96 semi-final? What if Jan Verheyen’s late winner for Belgium that would have meant the Netherlands failing to qualify for the 1974 World Cup hadn’t been wrongly ruled out for offside? What if one of the 73 penalties Chelsea believe they were owed against Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League semi-final had been given and converted? Dynasties, as Pep Guardiola knows, can hinge on the tiniest details. What if Shkodran Mustafi hadn’t reacted to a slight nudge in the back from Sergio Agüero with all the resolve of a flighty Victorian maiden glimpsing a mouse, throwing out his arms in horror and desperately hoping somebody, anybody – a trusted servant, a passing dragoon, Craig ...

Today’s tell-all loves an early-morning blast of Siberian air The future of Robert Lewandowski has become the subject of much speculative chitter-chat in recent days, after the Bayern Munich striker dispensed with the services of his longtime agent Cezary Kucharski and jumped into bed with Pini Zahavi instead. Lewandowski, 29, has spent the thick end of a decade in Germany but his change of representation has prompted no end of talk that he’s ready to leave Bayern Munich and try his luck elsewhere. Real Madrid has been mentioned as one possible destination, while Zahavi’s close relationship with Roman Abramovich means the Polish international is also being linked with Chelsea. More accustomed to snapping up talent than letting it go, Munich is rumoured to be the next destination of Malcom , the Brazilian winger unsuccessfully courted by Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in January. Related: Alan Pardew given a week to halt West Brom’s slump in form Continue reading... from Football ...

England hopefuls have a mixed afternoon, confusion for Serge Aurier and Romelu Lukaku finally does it against a top-six team The weight of goals that Sergio Agüero has scored against Arsenal, with Sunday’s strike a fifth in five matches, should have raised Shkodran Mustafi’s awareness of the Argentinian to red alert. Instead, Agüero was allowed to scamper on and score a route one opening goal from Claudio Bravo’s goalkick. It was a hideous lapse in concentration and application from the Germany defender, by no means the first of a type that frequently costs Arsène Wenger. Arsenal have suffered a drought of gold standard defenders since the loss of Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole as long ago as 2006. There have been quality creative players and forwards galore since then but Wenger’s blind spot for defenders and defensive organisation has been a crucial factor in his team’s multiple failures. John Brewin Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2EXDSQd

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• Premier League match at Watford key to future of manager • Home defeat by Huddersfield leaves club seven points from safety Alan Pardew will cling to his job as West Bromwich Albion manager for another week after the club’s board agreed to stand by the 56-year-old despite growing supporter unrest. However, his future is under serious consideration and another defeat on Saturday, when his side visit Watford, will almost certainly bring the sack. The damaging 2-1 defeat at home to Huddersfield Town on Saturday leaves Albion anchored to the bottom of the Premier League, seven points adrift of safety, with only 10 matches remaining. The club’s hierarchy are deeply concerned by their league position but also the fact that Pardew has had no positive impact on the team’s fortunes since his appointment in November . Albion have won only one of Pardew’s 14 league matches and a section of the fans turned on the manager in the closing stages of the game against Huddersfield. Contin...

Sydney FC 3-1 Western Sydney Wanderers at Allianz Stadium Arnold calls derby ‘most lopsided’ in Australian football Graham Arnold has declared the Sydney derby the most lopsided in Australian football after Sydney FC surged from behind to topple Western Sydney 3-1. Adrian Mierzejewski produced another masterclass as driving rain hit a soggy Allianz Stadium pitch, netting a double before Bobo struck late to bring the Sky Blues within touching distance of defending the Premiers’ Plate. Win their next two games and it will be theirs, while the Wanderers continue their fight to stay in the top six. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2opYOsS

By ALLAN KREDA from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2FwcKZs

At the final whistle, Pep Guardiola carried the air of a man who was perfectly accustomed to these kind of occasions. He embraced his staff, he clasped the hand of the losing manager, Arsène Wenger, and then he made his way on to the pitch to congratulate the players who had delivered him the first trophy of his Manchester City years. The first of many, one assumes, even if Wigan Athletic have shown that too much time was spent debating whether Guardiola’s team could win the lot this season. A treble is still on, however, and a second trophy is guaranteed given the way they have turned this season’s Premier League into a procession. Guardiola’s team will need to play better than they did here if they are to add their name to the list of Champions League winners. Yet it was still another occasion to think the Abu Dhabi masterplan – target: worldwide domination – is gradually coming together. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CidNgV

Jesse Lingard caused Old Trafford to reverberate with noise following a 76th-minute header that grabbed a win that took Manchester United back into second place ahead of Liverpool. The creator was Romelu Lukaku, his neat cross finding the substitute, after the No 9’s first strike for United against top-six opposition had equalised Willian’s opener. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ERuqBO

By THE NEW YORK TIMES from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2BPFzAh

By MOTOKO RICH from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2sOBMjU

This game was approaching its denouement, with Mauricio Pochettino a picture of agitation on the edge of his technical area, when Tottenham Hotspur and Harry Kane finally found their reward. Sustained pressure had thrust Crystal Palace further and further into retreat, their back-line rejigged with James Tomkins a victim of cramp, when Christian Eriksen flung over a corner which was met by Harry Kane, peeling away from the muddle of bodies in the box. The England striker had been guilty of two glaring misses up to then but, having held off the disorientated substitute Damien Delaney, his header was cushioned delightfully to arc over Wayne Hennessey, via a touch from the goalkeeper’s outstretched had, and over two Palace players on the line. This team are back in the top four, at least until Chelsea play at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, with their 15-match unbeaten run their best since 1999. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2oq4va7

By TALYA MINSBERG from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2HKCh27

By VICTOR MATHER, MOTOKO RICH and TALYA MINSBERG from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2orNDje

By TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2F4Pzb1

The Manchester United manager says, with time passing, he demotes match against Antonio Conte’s side to ‘any normal game’ It is the fixture that releases an adrenaline rush at Manchester United according to José Mourinho, the game that carries extra significance for supporters and the rivalry of the Premier League. According to Mourinho that fixture is Liverpool. He has demoted Chelsea to the ranks of “any normal game”. The ramifications of Sunday’s result at Old Trafford ensure it is anything but. The United manager will find few dissenters to his argument that Chelsea’s visit has lost an edge as neither team is competing for the title, despite sitting second and fourth at the start of the weekend. On a personal level he claims the memories of delivering three Premier League titles to Stamford Bridge fade with every encounter against his former club. The importance of victory over a Champions League rival and competitor has not diminished, however, not when those supporters who Mou...

Manchester City’s new centre-half left home at 11 to pursue his dream of being a footballer. Now he wants his first trophy in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal As one door closes another one opens for Aymeric Laporte, dumped out of the FA Cup on a hectic night at Wigan on Monday but now in line for a first taste of Wembley in the Carabao Cup final in what would be only his fourth game since joining Manchester City. “Our job is to keep our heads up and focus on the next game,” the 23-year-old French defender says. “Right now the most important thing is what is ahead of us. Winning a cup final would be a great step forward, it would be good to get a trophy under our belts and then go back to trying to make sure we win the league.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2EMZxP3

Arsenal’s ‘cup keeper’ recalls the joy in Medellín when René Higuita unleashed his scorpion kick against England and is keen to impress at a special venue for Colombian goalkeepers It is fair to say that Colombian goalkeepers have form when it comes to making an impression at Wembley Stadium. None, naturally, could be any larger than life than René Higuita, the extrovert formerly known as El Loco – the Madman – whose extravagant flourish during a friendly game against England in 1995 became the stuff of legend. When Jamie Redknapp scooped a relatively tame ball towards goal, Higuita flipped acrobatically, flinging his legs behind him to clear with a mid-air scorpion flick . Just for the kick of the trick. Back home in Medellín, a seven-year-old David Ospina watched the broadcast and felt a surge of pride that his compatriot, a local hero of goalkeeping, pulled off something so audacious. Of course, he was inspired by what he observed on the television. “We were delighted,” he recalls...

By TARA PARKER-POPE from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2GJuTSX

Monday night’s event is called ‘Let’s Talk About Football’ but some Crewe fans will demand answers from the chairman, John Bowler, no matter what They are holding a fans’ forum at Crewe Alexandra on Monday. The title is “Let’s Talk About Football” and that’s very clever if, presumably, it means that anyone who is impertinent enough to ask about the issues that have made the club international news can be shushed down by the people at the top table. A similar event was held in December 2016 and the chairman, John Bowler, began that one by making it clear it was a football‑only discussion. No awkward questions, thank you very much. No googlies thrown in. And no surprise, to be honest, if we go back to Barry Bennell’s first convictions in England, in June 1998, and the following day’s coverage in the Crewe Chronicle about his nine-year sentence. Crewe’s reaction was contained in a single paragraph at the bottom of the page. “The Chronicle asked Crewe Alexandra to comment but were told...

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By BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2EO1WZH

Substitute Manolo Gabbiadini helped relegation-threatened Southampton snatch a controversial last-gasp point to prolong Burnley’s winless run. Sean Dyche’s Clarets were as high as fourth in December, but their European dreams have diminished thanks to a lengthy run without a Premier League victory. Ashley Barnes looked to have propelled Burnley to a much-needed victory, only for their winless top-flight run to extend to an 11th match as Gabbiadini fired home late on to snatch Saints a 1-1 draw. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2F4j9gK

• Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema score for Real in 4-0 La Liga victory • Bayern’s winning run halted by Hertha in goalless Bundesliga draw Real Madrid ’s strikeforce hit back with a vengeance when Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema all scored in a 4-0 La Liga win over Alavés as the champions moved within four points of second-placed Atlético Madrid. Ronaldo returned to the starting lineup after being rested for Wednesday’s game with Leganés and, after shaking off a painful ankle knock, the Portuguese put Real ahead on the stroke of half-time, taking advantage of a clever backheel from Benzema. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2F2jUad

An afternoon featuring two brilliant goals from Patrick Bamford, two straight red cards and a flock of seagulls persistently swooping low across the pitch concluded with Callum McManaman volleying a dramatic last-gasp equaliser for Sunderland. A game disrupted by the first-half dismissals of Chris Coleman’s centre-half Jake Clarke-Salter and Tony Pulis’s winger Adama Traoré seemed to have been decided by Bamford’s class in Boro’s frontline until the substitute dented their play-off hopes by earning Sunderland a potentially vital point in their fight for survival. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2F5h18q

Rangers closed to within six points of Premiership leaders Celtic with an impressive 2-0 win over Hearts at Ibrox. Both sides had chances to score in an open and entertaining first half before a fine solo goal from Rangers wide-man Jamie Murphy four minutes before the break gave the Light Blues the advantage. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2sM0W2w

It is testament to the power of Liverpool’s attack and momentum that even on a day when Jürgen Klopp’s side were not at their fluent best they cruised to victory over West Ham United and into second in the Premier League. The fab three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané were all on the scoresheet once again as David Moyes’ long wait for success at Anfield was taken into another season. Liverpool’s forward trio, who were all on target in the Champions League rout of Porto last time out, took the team’s tally to 103 goals for the season in a second-half performance that demolished any hope that West Ham harboured of levelling Emre Can’s first-half header. Moyes’ plan was to defend in numbers and use the polished linkup play of Marko Arnautovic, João Mário and Manuel Lanzini on the counterattack. It succeeded to a degree before the interval, with Liverpool often contained and unnerved when the visitors broke, but was swatted aside as Klopp’s team took control after the rest...

Alan Pardew described the last week as one of his toughest in football but there is no respite for the West Bromwich Albion manager, who was left clinging to his job after yet another damaging defeat amid growing unrest at the Hawthorns. “You’re not fit to wear the shirt,” was the chant that reverberated from the Albion supporters after Huddersfield scored their second goal of the afternoon on a day when they gave their own survival hopes a huge boost. Albion, in contrast, look doomed. They remain anchored to the bottom of the table, seven points adrift of safety with just 10 fixtures remaining, and it is hard to see how a team that has registered only one victory in 26 league matches can possibly put together the run of results needed to pull off such an act of escapology. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2BPS5jd

A brave second-half performance by Bournemouth earned them a point they barely deserved as Eddie Howe’s men came back from two goals down to take a point against Newcastle. The visitors were on top after a Dwight Gayle double gave them a convincing half time lead. But two goals in the final 10 minutes from Adam Smith and Dan Gosling undid Newcastle’s good work to leave Rafael Benítez apoplectic on the touchline. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2sQWGPA

Chelsea let two-goal lead slip but remain a point ahead of City Teenager Stanaway rescues point for City with thumping strike Georgia Stanway struck a stunning equaliser for Manchester City as Chelsea let a commanding lead slip to draw 2-2 in an entertaining match between first and second in the Women’s Super League. Millie Bright’s powerful left-footed strike in the sixth minute and Ji So-yun’s low finish after 24 minutes gave league leaders Chelsea a two-goal half-time cushion at City’s Academy Stadium. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ETue0O

By DEBORAH ACOSTA and ALEXANDRA GARCIA from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2EPRHnN

This was a fair result but a deeply frustrating one for Stoke, who glimpsed a precious three points before an uncharacteristic late blunder by Jack Butland, who diverted a cross by Marc Albrighton into his own goal. Until then, thanks to a beautiful goal by Xherdan Shaqiri, Stoke had been on course for a win that would have taken them out of the bottom three. Butland partly redeemed himself by going on to make saves that ensured Paul Lambert’s side at least got away with a point but Stoke’s predicament is such that mistakes seem to carry more weight. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2EQgjsq