John Stones is confident Manchester City will continue to perform at an elite level following a period of change, with the Premier League champions recruiting the likes of Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips amid the departures of several big names.
Meanwhile, Stones City and England team-mate Phil Foden has hailed Pep Guardiola s style of management as the biggest factor in creating a harmonious atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium.
Having clinched a second consecutive Premier League title – their fourth in six seasons under Guardiola – with an exhilarating comeback victory over Aston Villa in May, City have used the transfer market to kick-start an evolution of their squad.
Haaland and Phillips represent City s two marquee signings during the off-season, whi…
Oscar Tabarez branded Edinson Cavani a scoring expert after his superb goal gave Uruguay a 1-0 victory over Chile and sealed top spot in Copa America Group C.
Cavani showed tremendous instincts to flick Jonathan Rodriguez s delivery past Gabriel Arias with his head in the 82nd minute at the Maracana on Monday, booking a quarter-final meeting with Peru.
Although Tabarez acknowledged the Paris Saint-Germain striker produced a far from exemplary display, he felt his goal was one that only a select few players could have scored.
That s the way Cavani is. He made a few mistakes, but he never gave up. He did three different roles during the match, but he never lost his main feature. He is a goalscorer, said the Uruguay boss.
It was a good cross, but the ball …
Thomas Muller says Bayern Munich have fond memories of facing Juventus after they were drawn against the Serie A title-holders in the Champions League round of 16.
The Bundesliga heavyweights saw off Juve in the 2012-13 quarter-finals on their way to winning the European Cup, while they also faced the Turin side in the 2009-10 group stage, drawing 0-0 in Bavaria before thrashing the Italian club 4-1 away.
Now led by Pep Guardiola, Bayern must overcome last season s beaten finalists as they seek to add to their five European crowns.
Juventus have a very clever team and Mario Mandzukic is obviously a great striker. We all know him from his time at Bayern, Muller told the club s official website.
We have nothing but good memories of Juventus in the Champio…
Megan Rapinoe hailed her United States team-mates as an example for the country to follow but told a huge crowd celebrating their Women s World Cup triumph that she will not be running for president, saying: I m busy.
During the victory parade through New York, the 34-year-old forward stoked the fire of her spat with president Donald Trump, which began during the tournament when she said that she and her colleagues would not be going to the White House if they lifted the trophy.
Having helped defend the title on French soil, Rapinoe reiterated her stance when it comes to visiting the president a job she cheekily rejected was in her future plans.
I couldn’t be more proud to be a co-captain of this team with Carli [Lloyd] and Alex [Morgan], she said. It s an…
Inter boss Antonio Conte is holding out hope of a deal for Romelu Lukaku after Manchester United reportedly ended talks over a possible swap deal with Juventus involving Paulo Dybala.
Striker Lukaku has long been believed to be Conte s top transfer target but the Nerazzurri have been unable to match United s asking price, despite making what CEO Giuseppe Marotta described as a fair offer.
It seemed a move to Juventus was looking more likely as the Serie A champions discussed a deal that would also see Dybala move to Old Trafford.
However, widespread reports on Sunday said United have ended interest in the Argentina international due to his wage demands, the agent fees involved and concerns that he does not particularly want to join Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s side.
Arsenal avoided any undue alarms as they cruised to a 3-0 Europa League win over Swedish minnows Ostersunds.
Arsene Wenger s men emerged in sub-zero temperatures at the Jamtkraft Arena and there was little prospect of the contest warming up after defensive errors from the hosts gifted a 13th-minute opener to Nacho Monreal.
Sotirios Papagiannopoulos own goal compounded matters for Ostersunds and their English coach Graham Potter and, although their performance improved, Mesut Ozil marked his first appearance in the Europa League this season with a third in the 58th minute.
A run to the last-32 featuring wins over the likes of Galatasaray and Hertha Berlin has seen Ostersunds produce a modern footballing fairytale in the Europa League this season.
They will…
Tottenham missed the chance to close the gap on the Premier League’s top four after they were beaten 1-0 by relegation-threatened Burnley.
Ben Mee headed the only goal 19 minutes from time at Turf Moor to boost the hosts survival hopes, moving them to within two points of safety.
For Spurs, it was a case of being brought back down to earth with a bump following Saturday s thrilling 3-2 win over champions Manchester City.
Antonio Conte s side remain eighth and seven points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United, but still with two games in hand on the Red Devils.
78 Our skipper 1-0 |
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial)
Burnley had only won one of their 12 previous Premier League meetings with Tottenham; a 2-1 success here in Febr…
Sergio Aguero cannot claim to have played a meaningful role in Barcelona s much-needed 3-1 defeat of Valencia, but his Camp Nou debut was a significant step nonetheless.
A free transfer from Premier League champions Manchester City, Aguero spent more than two months recovering from a calf injury before being included in Ronald Koeman s squad on Sunday.
Aguero finally took the field in a Barca shirt officially for the first time in the 87th minute, coming on to replace Sergino Dest shortly after Philippe Coutinho s goal sealed the win for the LaLiga giants.
Argentina international Aguero became the third oldest player to debut for Barcelona in LaLiga in the 21st century (33years and 137days) after Lilian Thuram in 2006 (34years and 251days) and Demetrio Alb…
As one of the most decorated stars in United States soccer history, Carli Lloyd isn t a stranger to the international stage.
But those who have witnessed her heroics in past Olympics and World Cups will see the 36-year-old in a bit of a different role in France this summer.
Lloyd has had a history of success as a midfielder with her club teams and for the US, but as she’s got older, she has seen her duties evolve.
I’ve played center midfield alongside Shannon Boxx for so many years where one of us goes forward and one holds and vice versa. I’ve played holding mid in the 2012 Olympics, I’ve played left mid, I’ve played right mid, I’ve played attacking mid, Lloyd told Omnisport.
But now, she’s primarily a striker who comes off the ben…
Prediction: Leeds to Win
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Leeds United will be aiming to stave off the threat of three consecutive defeats as they host struggling Brighton Hove Albion at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.
The Whites have been entertaining upon their return to the Premier League but have hit a somewhat sticky patch of form. Meanwhile, Graham Potter s Seagulls are also experiencing a few poor results and will be aiming to notch their first league victory since mid-November in Yorkshire.
Leeds United
Coming into the clash, Marcelo Bielsa s Leeds have sustained two consecutive 3-0 losses. One came against Tottenham Hotspur in North London, whilst the most recent came at the hands of League Two outfit Crawley Town in the FA Cup. Should they sustain…