Pep Guardiola is the world s best coach despite Manchester City s Champions League exit, according to Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde.
The Premier League champions were eliminated by Tottenham after a remarkable quarter-final, exiting on the away-goals rule following a 4-4 aggregate draw.
Guardiola has faced some criticism over City s failure, but is a two-time winner of the competition as a coach, leading Barcelona to the title in 2009 and 2011.
Valverde said the Spaniard, who could lead City to a treble this season, was the world s best tactician in his eyes.
For me, the best coach is Pep Guardiola, no doubt about that, he told a news conference on Friday.
FULL-TIME | We gave it everything.
4-3 (4-4)
— Manchester City (@M…
While the Manchester derby might steal most of Sunday’s headlines, we have a stacked schedule from across Europe’s elite this weekend.
With a host of eye-catching affairs from the likes of Ligue 1 and Serie A, we have taken a look at a pair of intriguing Sunday betting markets that are available.
14:00 Brest vs Le Havre
While Brest might have spent the majority of last season looking over their shoulder at a looming Ligue 1 relegation scrap, Sunday’s hosts have enjoyed a stunning domestic flurry this time around. In the midst of what has been a history-making flurry and with the mood in Eric Roy’s camp at a real high, the Pirates will certainly be smelling the chance to make another statement here.
Remarkably opening this weekend’s fixtures s…
Simone Inzaghi wants Inter to take their anger out on Juventus when they do battle in the Derby d’Italia at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
The Nerazzurri have slipped from the top of the table to third after winning just one of their past seven Serie A games.
Inter are six points behind leaders Milan with a game in hand and in-form Juve will move above the champions if they win the derby in Turin.
Head coach Inzaghi expects his side to show what they are made of in such a huge game after the international break.
He told reporters on Saturday: We have only been back in full training for two days. Yesterday we trained well, we need anger, but also character.
We know that in the last seven games we have lost points and results, rather than perfo…
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 West Ham (3-1 agg): Borre sends hosts to Europa League final as Cresswell re
Eintracht Frankfurt clinched a place in the Europa League final and ended West Ham s dream run as Rafael Borre netted in a 1-0 win over the 10-man visitors.
David Moyes team had Aaron Cresswell sent off for preventing a clear goalscoring chance early on, before Borre put Oliver Glasner s hosts in front with a neat finish after 26 minutes.
West Ham struggled to create clear-cut chances despite putting in a spirited performance, as their strong European run came to a disappointing end with a 3-1 aggregate defeat.
Despite sitting 11th in the Bundesliga, Frankfurt could end the campaign by securing a major European trophy and a spot in next season s Champions League by winning the May 18 final in Seville.
After a scrappy start, West Ham were dealt a huge blo…
Football has produced few more divisive figures than Diego Maradona.
The Argentina great died on Wednesday at the age of 60 following a cardiac arrest and, while opinions on his legacy may differ depending on where you live, his remarkable impression on the game is undoubted.
The abiding image of Maradona for most likely stems from the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England.
For so many in England, he will forever be remembered for arguably the most controversial goal in the history of football, which saw the diminutive Maradona somehow rise above the comparatively towering figure of Peter Shilton and divert a sliced clearance from Steve Hodge into the empty net with his hand.
But that act of what can at best be considered deceit did n…
West Ham United have reached an agreement with Sassuolo for the transfer of Gianluca Scamacca, according to numerous reports. The total worth of the deal is believed to amount to £35.5 million, with £30m fixed and up to another £5.5m to follow through add-ons. It has also been agreed that Sassuolo should receive 10% of any fee if West Ham decide to sell the striker on in the future.
Standing 6 4 tall, Scamacca played for Lazio, Roma and PSV Eindhoven at various youth levels before joining Sassuolo s Under-19 side. In 2017, he earned first-team promotion and had loan spells with Cremonese, PEC Zwolle, Ascoli and Genoa. He returned to the club in 2021 to score 16 goals and produce one assist in 41 appearances in all competitions. The 23-year-old has also managed to break into …
Liverpool beat Arsenal at the Emirates on Thursday in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal clash, securing a place in the final at Wembley on February 27th, where they ll be facing Chelsea. Diogo Jota proved the bane of Arsenal, scoring skillfully twice to put his team through.
Jota: Money well spent
Jota first danced through the Gunners defence in the 19th minute and sent a trickling shot which wrongfooted Aaron Ramsdale, and then he made use of a fabulous pass by Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 77th to chip over the onrushing Arsenal goalkeeper. The linesman initially ruled the second goal out for offside, but VAR stepped in and ruled there had been no such infringement.
Liverpool reportedly paid Wolverhampton Wanderers over £40 million to secure the s…
Roberto Mancini has worked miracles in charge of Italy and should not be hounded out of the role after their stunning failure to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.
That is the view of former Italy international Antonio Cassano, who described the current Azzurri vintage as mediocre , citing last year s Euro 2020 triumph as proof of Mancini s brilliance.
Italy suffered a shock 1-0 loss to North Macedonia on Thursday to miss out on the World Cup for a second edition in a row, with some pointing the finger of blame of boss Mancini.
However, Cassano, who played 39 times and scored 10 goals for his country, said those critics should be ashamed .
Let s face it: our national team is a mediocre team and Mancini took them to the top of Europe last summer, making …
Netherlands midfielder Jill Roord has returned to the Women’s Super League with a move to Manchester City, the club have announced.
The 26-year-old, who was with Arsenal from 2019 to 2021, joins City from Champions League runners-up Wolfsburg on a three-year deal.
The PA news agency understands City have paid a club-record fee in excess of £300,000 to sign Roord, scorer of 31 goals in 69 appearances across all competitions for Wolfsburg.
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Manchester United s owners the Glazer family will explore a sale of the club as part of a process aimed at enhancing the club s future growth.
The club confirmed on Tuesday it is commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives .
A statement from Manchester United PLC read in part: The process is designed to enhance the club s future growth, with the ultimate goal of positioning the club to capitalise on opportunities both on the pitch and commercially.
As part of this process, the board will consider all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the company.
This will include an assessment of several initiatives to strengthen the club, including stadium and infrastructure redevelopme…