EURO 2016 football
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Real Madrid vs Man City-composed
Managers
Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso
Manager
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola
Manager
Substitutions
Fran González
26Fran González
Andriy Lunin
13Andriy Lunin
Fran García
20Fran García
Joan Martínez
36Joan Martínez
Víctor Valdepeñas
40Víctor Valdepeñas
Arda Güler
15Arda Güler
Brahim Díaz
21Brahim Díaz
Franco Mastantuono
30Franco Mastantuono
Jorge Cestero
28Jorge Cestero
Endrick
9Endrick
Kylian Mbappé
10Kylian Mbappé
James Trafford
1James Trafford
Marcus Bettinelli
13Marcus Bettinelli
Nathan Aké
6Nathan Aké
Abdukodir Khusanov
45Abdukodir Khusanov
Rico Lewis
82Rico Lewis
Tijjani Reijnders
4Tijjani Reijnders
Rayan Aït-Nouri
21Rayan Aït-Nouri
Savinho
26Savinho
Oscar Bobb
52Oscar Bobb
Omar Marmoush
7Omar Marmoush
Injuries and suspensions
Éder Militão
Éder Militão
Out
Dean Huijsen
Dean Huijsen
Out
David Alaba
David Alaba
Out
Daniel Carvajal
Daniel Carvajal
Out
Ferland Mendy
Ferland Mendy
Out
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Out
Eduardo Camavinga
Eduardo Camavinga
Out
Mateo Kovačić
Mateo Kovačić
Out
Rodri
Rodri
Out
Man City transfer news, rumours and gossip: Live updates and latest on deals, signings, loans and contracts
Haaland: Man City suffered from mentality shift in poor season
Appearing on The Rest Is Football podcast, Erling Haaland has suggested that Manchester City's dramatic drop-off last season was in part down to a "different mentality", having won the Premier League four times in a row prior to finishing third.
Pep Guardiola's side ended the 2024/25 campaign 13 points shy of champions Liverpool, their worst total points total for over a decade. Haaland said that previous success to such a level is "difficult to maintain", hinting that complacency may have had a part to play.
“It’s injuries, first of all," the 100-goal striker said. "I don’t want to blame injuries and I’m not doing it. I’m just saying it was a part of it.
"I think it’s just so difficult to maintain and to keep it up after winning. There is something psychologically, if you haven’t won it for 25 years, compared if you’ve been winning it for the last four years, for example.
"I think it’s just in our human nature to have a different kind of mentality of it. And it’s so difficult to maintain and to keep it up after doing something great, even though there’s nothing better.
"When we win the treble, to be able to win four in a row, this was incredible. This was amazing. And it will be spoken about for the next 100 years because I don’t think anyone will do it.”
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Barcelona to limit ticket sales for Frankfurt clash after 2022 fiasco
Barcelona will limit ticket sales for next week's Champions League game against Eintracht Frankfurt to members only to avoid a repeat of when the German club's supporters flooded Spotify Camp Nou in 2022.
Over 30,000 Frankfurt fans managed to get into Barça's stadium for the Europa League tie, creating a sea of white shirts as the Bundesliga side secured a famous victory on their way to winning the trophy.
The two teams meet for the first time since then next Tuesday, with Barça taking the decision to restrict ticket sales leading up to the game.
"This decision has been taken to safeguard the safety of Barça supporters and to prevent a repeat of the situation experienced in April 2022, when the majority of spectators in the stadium were not supporters of the home team," the Catalan club said in a statement.
"With this measure, the club grants absolute priority to its members, who are the backbone of the institution, and ensures that the stadium will be a space of celebration and exclusive support for Barça fans."
Tens of thousands of Frankfurt fans filled the Camp Nou in 2022. Getty
Barça president Joan Laporta also underscored the club's desire to avoid a repeat of what happened last time.
"I don't want to have the feeling we had during that game in 2022," he said at an event on Thursday. "It's a horrific memory, the stadium full of opposition shirts."
The match will be Barça's first in the Champions League back at Camp Nou since they returned to the stadium in November.
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Barça have spent the last two years playing at the Olympic Stadium while the arena is redeveloped, but have played their last three LaLiga games back home with a capped capacity of 45,000 as work continues on the rebuild.
After losing to Chelsea last week, Frankfurt's visit is also important for Barça's Champions League hopes.
Hansi Flick's side currently have seven points from five games, leaving them 18th in the standings, three points off the top eight and an automatic spot in the round of 16.
Frankfurt, meanwhile, are also in desperate need of a win. They sit 28th with four points from their five games, two points short of the top 24 and a place in the knockout round in the New Year.
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Sadio Mane had 'no respect' from Senegal fans, despite Liverpool success, until he won AFCON
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Liverpool manager Arne Slot has revealed that Mohamed Salah still has a "big future" at the club despite being on the bench in their 2-0 victory over West Ham. (0:37)
Colin Udoh
Dec 4, 2025, 01:44 AM ET
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Senegal striker Sadio Mané says despite his successes with Liverpool, winning the English Premier League title and UEFA Champions League, he had no respect from his countrymen until he won the Africa Cup of Nations.
Mane scored the decisive penalty that helped Senegal defeat Egypt and claim their first ever African title in 2022, and he told Rio Ferdinand in an interview that it was a huge weight off his shoulders.
"When I was young, Senegal never won the African Cup," Mane said in an interview with the former Manchester United and England defender.
"That was the mentality of everybody in Senegal: 'Senegal will never win anything because they go close, they don't win.'"
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Before their eventual triumph, Senegal had chased the continent's top football crown for 60 years without success. The closest they came was in 2019 and 2002 when they were losing finalists to Algeria and Cameroon respectively.
Even when they hosted the tournament in 1992, they failed to get past the quarterfinals. Despite a gradual rise following their World Cup qualification in 2002, Mane added that those failures, especially the near misses in the two Finals, had left the country scarred.
Mane said he refused to accept such a defeatist attitude, even before he became a professional football player, and was inspired instead, to be an African champion.
Speaking of his younger self, Mane added: "The time I say, when I become a football player, I will win the African Cup.
"That was something on me, but I don't know how. And I said, I'm not even a football player, but I think like this, that I will win something."
Sadio Mane led Senegal to the AFCON title in 2022, and their stability makes them one of the favourites again. Joao Rico/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
That determination put pressure on him, especially from fans expectations to deliver, pressure which sometimes affected his game: "Before I won the African Cup, sometimes I play bad because of this.
"Because of pressure. Especially of myself. I remember when we went to 2021 African Cup [played in Jan/Feb 2022], I never slept in the night more than five hours.
"And then, that time, I had the biggest problem because I was at Liverpool. And the people in Senegal were expecting, they were talking too much about, 'You only playing good in Liverpool, you play bad in Senegal.'
"I didn't have no respect, I can say. I won Premier League, I won Champions League, but nothing in Senegal. So all this on your shoulder, it's not easy."
Mane, who now plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, added that the pressure of playing in Africa was heightened by real world consequences of failure, where fans could express their unhappiness in less than ideal ways.
He said: " In national teams in Europe, it's OK. But Africa is different. They can burn your house for nothing. Because for them, they don't have big clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, they don't have this. They only have their national team.
"I think people in Europe love the national team, but they love clubs more. But Senegal is the opposite. That's why it's big pressure. So for me, I just had to win that."
Sadio Mane was beloved by Liverpool fans, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, and Club World Cup. He departed for Bayern Munich in 2022, and then to Al Nassr in 2023. Jan Kruger/Getty Images
All of that pressure was released with victory in 2021/2. President Macky Sall declared the Monday after the final a public holiday, cancelling the last leg of a diplomatic trip in order to greet the team at the presidential palace in Dakar after they returned from Cameroon.
Sall was just as excited as the regular Teranga Lions fan, congratulated the team in a tweet, that read: "What a game! What a team! You did it. Beautiful moment of football, beautiful moment of communion and national pride. Congratulations to our heroes!"
Scoring the decisive penalty elevated Mane to even more legendary status than he already enjoyed among his compatriots, especially after he had missed one early in the game during regulation time.
He added: "To win the African Cup, the pressure for me is over. It's a privilege to be recognised and also be a role model for kids, especially in your country.
"It's just amazing when you're passing on the street, you are in the car or you are somewhere, you see your name on the back -- Mané, Mané, Mané -- everywhere you go.
"I think this is something which just gives you extra motivation to be the role model. That's why I'm always trying to be this kind of person for those kids."
While Senegal gear up to add a second crown when they travel to Morocco later this month, Mane will once again be at the forefront of that chase. But there is a different sort of contribution he has been making in his home town of Bambali.
The forward is renowned for his charity work, helping to fund the construction of a hospital, school, stadium, petrol station and post office over the years, as well as financing the provision of internet services, donating money to the government for COVID relief, providing scholarships and stipends to families.
The striker said it is borne from his own personal experience: "Being just a football player, for me, it's just not enough. I want to be a very, very big impact in my society. In the pitch and out of the pitch.
"Maybe if you came from this, you will do the same because you will know these people condition, how they live, the struggle. That was my case, to give back to those people."
Alisson says Liverpool dropping Mohamed Salah a 'consequence'
Alisson says Liverpool dropping Mohamed Salah a 'consequence'
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Beth Lindop
Dec 8, 2025, 03:40 PM ET
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MILAN -- Alisson Becker said the Liverpool squad still believe in head coach Arne Slot despite Mohamed Salah saying his relationship with the Dutchman has broken down.
Salah has not been included in Liverpool's squad for their Champions League match against Internazionale on Tuesday after venting his frustrations at having been left on the bench for the duration of Liverpool's Premier League draw with Leeds United on Saturday night.
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Salah's longtime teammate Alisson called the decision to drop the Egyptian for the game against Inter a "consequence" of his actions.
"It is not an easy situation, but as a group we take as best as we can take," Alisson told reporters Monday. "We have the personal relationship with him, I have been playing with Mo since I came to Europe, one year in Roma, eight with Liverpool. He is a great guy, great character and a legend with Liverpool FC. It is not something that makes me happy. But we have in football not too much time to stay moaning about any situation.
"We have a big challenge tomorrow, a big team to play against. Inter has been doing so well this season, so my focus and the focus of the team is on the challenge we are going to face tomorrow.
"[Salah] not being available is just a consequence of what he did and he is smart enough to know that. I didn't speak to Mo about that. We have a good relationship. It is not just a teammate, we spend so much time together, we don't spend much time away from the training ground. We are good friends. We share good moments, happy moments so that creates a bond. We will have a conversation but that is personal."
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson reacts after conceding a late goal in a draw with Leeds on Saturday. Getty Images
Asked whether he thinks Salah will play for Liverpool again, Alisson said: "I don't think anything, but I hope he plays again for the club. That's a personal situation between Mo and the club. We as his teammates and his friends, we hope the best thing happens for him, but as Liverpool FC players we want the best for the club as well. We want a win-win situation for everyone."
Liverpool have won just four of their last 15 games in all competitions, with the Reds in need of a result against Inter to boost their hopes of automatically qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages.
Asked whether the Liverpool dressing room are still behind Slot, Alisson said: "Of course, yeah. I think [winning] the Premier League last season, before Arne came in everyone talks about the huge challenge being a substitute for Jurgen Klopp.
"Now it looks like everyone takes for granted what we achieved in the last season. It should not be taken for granted. That should be enough, but we believe in his knowledge. We believe in his style of play and that he is capable of helping us to turn around this situation. I believe this is not only about ourselves, but that is the situation with the club as well."
Once his mentor, could Guardiola spell Xabi Alonso's end in Madrid?
Once his mentor, could Guardiola spell Xabi Alonso's end in Madrid?
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Graham Hunter
Dec 9, 2025, 02:44 AM ET
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Soon after Pep Guardiola tempted Xabi Alonso away from Real Madrid to instal him as Bayern Munich's midfield general in August 2014, the Catalan coach admitted that "if I can help a player of mine become a coach, by adding something to his development, I'll be happy. Johan Cruyff and others did that for me, and now it's my obligation to pay it forward."
So it was Alonso who studied, learned and duly ripped up the history books at Bayer Leverkusen, then landing where he is now: the obvious choice to take over from Carlo Ancelotti at the Bernabeu, but also a man whose job security is diminishing by the weekend.
Madrid's under-pressure manager recently told the Coaches' Voice that when working for Guardiola at Bayern, "I was 32, I already had a lot of career under my belt, but in two or three years, I learned so, so much."
Making the first-ever reunion between master and pupil, billed as Pep vs. Xabi, bittersweet in that it comes this week, when the perpetual winners of the UEFA Champions League are shuddering at the menace that Manchester City bring just as everyone at Madrid -- Alonso especially -- is up to their necks in problems.
If there's a worse imaginable preparation for facing City in a big Champions League match than winning once in five domestic matches, shipping three daft goals to lowly Olympiacos last time out in this competition, slumping apathetically to defeat against Celta Vigo on Sunday, showing total physical and mental indiscipline in the three red cards Madrid incurred during that defeat, losing Éder Militão to yet another long spell on the sidelines with a muscle injury and watching Barcelona turn a five-point deficit into a four-point lead atop the LaLiga table in the space of five matches, then I'd love to know what it is.
There will be time enough, and sufficient surrounding noise, to work out the odds of Alonso lasting much longer if another damaging result comes along on Wednesday.
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I don't see the need to add much to the incessant, unpleasant speculation about Alonso's job security and the very lukewarm brand of football his team is producing. Except that, for the record, if I were club president Florentino Pérez, I'd stick by Alonso, reinforce his position, support his squad remodeling and assess things after two seasons
But, as Alonso said the last time he was asked on the subject, "I know where I am."
Meaning, he is at a club with a president who has little patience for the idea of ... patience; who treats anything other than domination of Spain and Europe as something of a personal humiliation; and who not only believes, but usually proves his point, that changing coach after a few months can be a solution -- not a symptom of the problem. During Pérez's reign alone, he's had 10 coaches who lasted between three months and a year.
None of this is to say that City, even under a genius like Guardiola -- a guy who admires, likes and mentored Alonso -- will automatically come and put the 43-year-old Basque on the precipice of being replaced. Los Blancos usually treat City like unwelcome arrivistes when they come to Spain's capital -- lots of wins, only one home defeat ever and a habit of scoring three times against the Sky Blues. Sometimes in the most dramatic of circumstances.
It's also a bit ironic that the last time Guardiola's team played Champions League football, a couple of weeks ago, they lost at home to the club Alonso transformed into trophy winners after decades of failure and frustration: Manchester City 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen was one of the shocks of the European season.
So don't build up to this fixture thinking, It's an absolute given -- City will win. But there are some harsh facts that point you to that conclusion and, thus, to the idea that Alonso's current situation might be done fatal damage by the same guy who said in May: "Every single coach who ever had the marvelous pleasure of training Xabi as a player knew without any doubt that he'd become a coach." That's high praise from the high priest of player whispering.
Xabi Alonso ended his playing career at Bayern Munich, where he began his coaching education under Pep Guardiola. CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images
However, Madrid, right now, look disconnected, sloppy, overly reliant on Kylian Mbappé (they've only won twice in 21 matches when the Frenchman hasn't scored) and like a team of moments not a team of magic or momentum. They press poorly, they're debilitated by constant injuries, the Bernabéu pitch is a foe, not a friend, and if Thibaut Courtois has an off day then they're going to be easy meat.
Even though this version of Guardiola's City is far from his most complete, most devastating or consistent, the truth is that Pep is brilliant at analyzing an opponent's weakness, producing exactly the right strategy to damage them and then drilling it in to the heads of his players that This is how we can win.
Alonso, looking back at his time learning under Guardiola, told me when I interviewed him this earlier this season, "In terms of understanding the game -- understanding, explaining and anticipating it -- Pep was ahead of his time, and, in my opinion, he still is."
One key phrase comes back to inform those of us who want to understand the dilemma that faces Alonso right now. As much as City are tough, hard-running, well-coached opponents, the fact remains that his own squad is under-performing and looks unconvinced as well as unconvincing.
When Alonso was still playing for Guardiola at Bayern, en route to winning five trophies despite coming up short in this very competition, he said: "Pep dominates all aspects of football, but he doesn't impose his philosophy on his players -- he convinces them." What's crystal clear is that it has been Alonso, rather than his players, who has had to adapt and reconfigure ideas, even if temporarily, in Madrid.
"Football today is really demanding; it's like a game of chess with lots of pieces, different boards and different contexts," he told me. "You have to try to make sure that your players share your vision. Because I could have a fantastic idea, but if the team doesn't embrace it, it's going to be very difficult for it to be effective."
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From the outside, frankly, it looks as if there are some players who either can't come to terms with, or are unable to apply, their coach's philosophies.
One final comparison with Guardiola is that when the Catalan took over at City in 2016, he was told, explicitly, that the club definitely would not be willing or able to satisfy the squad rebuild he was determined to impose as quickly as possible. City's executives and owners told him there would be at least a 12-month period when they would be ultra patient with him, the team's image, the trophy count, and results -- but he needed to be patient with them, too.
Both sides stuck to their deal and, lo and behold, City have become a genuine seismic force in English and European football, that patience proven to be a virtue. No such culture exists at Madrid -- which, admittedly, partially helps explain their constant overachieving.
Guardiola, one year into his coaching career, was able to show both Ronaldinho and Deco the exit because he was certain that his then club, Barcelona, would benefit and certain that his authority would be reinforced. However, no such conditions apply for Pep's former apprentice because Madrid, frankly, is unique. It's the president's club first and foremost, then the players'. The coach is always jostling with the fans and the media to ensure he's the third-most important force.
There's a "B plot" here, of course, in that the world's two scoring behemoths, Mbappé and Erling Haaland, go head to head for only the fourth time, in what is now also an appetizer for the France-vs.-Norway group-stage fixture in next summer's FIFA World Cup.
Mbappé craves emulating Haaland by winning this elite tournament for the first time. He will view Wednesday as an opportunity to lay down a marker. Alonso needs his guy, his chess piece, to produce a masterclass, to silence the white noise around the club, to buy him some elusive patience while Madrid find something approaching form, consistency and positive momentum.
Jamie Carragher slams Liverpool star Mohamed Salah as a 'disgrace' over outburst
Jamie Carragher slams Liverpool star Mohamed Salah as a 'disgrace' over outburst
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ESPN
Dec 9, 2025, 02:56 AM ET
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Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has branded Mohamed Salah's outburst as "disgraceful" and "choreographed" in a scathing attack on the Liverpool star.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Salah vented his frustrations at having been left on the bench for the duration of Liverpool's clash at Elland Road. A match that Liverpool eventually drew 3-3 after a late Leeds equaliser. Salah singled out Carragher in the interview saying "tomorrow, [former player and now pundit Jamie] Carragher is going to criticize me but that's fine."
On Tuesday, Liverpool confirmed that Salah was left out of Liverpool's squad for their Champions League match against Inter Milan on Tuesday.
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Carragher, who made 737 appearances for Liverpool in a 17-year senior career, didn't hold back when asked about the current situation on Sky Sports' 'Monday Night Football'.
"I thought it was a disgrace what he did after the game. Some people have painted it as an emotional outburst, I do not think it was," Carragher said.
"I think whenever Salah stops in the mix zone, which he's done four times in eight years at Liverpool, it's choreographed between him and his agent to cause maximum damage and to strengthen his own position."
Carragher, who made also defended his previous criticism of Salah, took particular issue over one remark.
"The one line that stands out for me is 'thrown under the bus.' He's thrown the club under the bus twice in the last 12 months. With the manager right now, he should be doing as much as he can to help the club get out of the worst run they've had since the 1950s and he hasn't done that.
"When we are talking about throwing people under the bus, he's thrown every Liverpool right-back under the bus for the 8 years. Can you imagine playing behind him for eight years? But we accept it because he's a superstar and he's scored 250 goals and he's given me as a Liverpool supporter some of the greatest nights of my life."
In a further dig, Carragher also questioned Salah over his record with Egypt.
"You weren't a big star before you came to Liverpool, you haven't really won much for Egypt, no matter how big you are, you need help from your teammates, your manager and fans, it's important that he remembers that," Carragher said. "When he talks after Leeds, it's all about me, me, me."
Salah, who has just four goals in 13 Premier League appearances this season, trained with the first team at the AXA Training Centre on Monday morning however the club made the decision to leave him out of the travelling party for Tuesday night's match at the San Siro against Inter.
Sources told ESPN the decision was taken in consultation with Slot and with the manager's full support.
Everything Jamie Carragher said in eight-minute Mohamed Salah rant
"I thought it was a disgrace what he did after the game. Some people have painted it as an emotional outburst, I don't think it was.
"I think whenever Mo Salah stops in a mixed zone, which he's done four times in eight years at Liverpool, it's choreographed, with him and his agent to cause maximum damage and strengthen his own position. He did that 12 months ago -- and I called him out about it -- and he played on the heartstrings of Liverpool supporters.
"Liverpool were on top of the league; he'd scored the winning goal at Southampton. That was the time to come out and put pressure on the Liverpool ownership, so for the rest of the season you have banners in the crowd -- 'Give Mo his dough.'
"He's chose this weekend to do this now and he's waited, I think, for a bad result with Liverpool -- concede a last-minute goal... Everyone involved with the club feels like they're in the gutter at the moment, and he's chose that time to go for the manager, and maybe try and get him sacked. That's the way I felt about it.
"The one line that stands out for me is 'thrown under the bus.' He's tried to throw the club under the bus twice in the last 12 months with the situations that I've just mentioned.
"Going after the owners -- these are owners who have been paying him £100ks for six years -- and complained a year ago that they hadn't given him a contract at the age of 32. He is entitled to do that.
"With the manager right now, he should be doing as much as he can to help the club get out of the worst run they've had since the 1950s and he hasn't done that.
"When I've thought about it over the weekend, and I've put myself in Salah's position or how I was as a player -- I'm not Mo Salah.
"Mo Salah is a world-renowned player, who is famous around the world, and should those players be treated differently? I think they should.
"When you think of players in that bracket over the last eight years, I would say [Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Kylian] Mbappe. I wouldn't put Salah alongside them, but he is very close for what he's done for Liverpool, so a legendary figure.
"All of those players get privilege, exactly the same one Mo Salah gets at Liverpool. He doesn't have to defend, he doesn't have to chase back, so that's the privilege he has with Liverpool.
"But when you talk about throwing people under the bus, he's thrown the Liverpool right-back under the bus the last eight years. Can you imagine playing behind him for eight years? But we accept it because he's a superstar.
"He's scored 250 goals, and he's given me, a Liverpool supporter, some of the greatest nights of my life watching him and what he's done.
"When you think of the ego of these types of players, Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe, Salah, I think they have a feeling that the success of a football club is down to them.
"I have no problem with that, because I think that drives them on to get more goals and get more success, and it benefits Liverpool.
"It then becomes a problem when you're in a situation like this. When Mo Salah's talking about how many goals he's scored, 'I've got more than anyone else in the Premier League,' he's always speaking about himself.
"I'd remind Salah and maybe his agent that before he came to Liverpool he was known as the man who failed at Chelsea, that's just a fact. He'd never won a major trophy before he came to Liverpool. He's also the greatest player his country have ever had in Egypt. Egypt are the most successful country in the Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] and he's going there in a couple of weeks.
"Salah's never won the AFCON. That's not me trying to put Mo Salah down as a player. I've just said he's one of the best players in the world over the last eight years, very few better. But, what it tells Salah and his agent is that it's not about an individual.
"You weren't a big star before you came to Liverpool. You haven't really won anything with Egypt. All that tells you is that no matter how good a player you are, you need help from your teammates, your manager and fans. I think it's really important that he remembers that. When he's talking after the game, all it's about is me, me, me.
"Have I ever criticised Mo Salah on the pitch? I don't class that [legs gone comment as criticism], that's something that happens for every player, I've never criticised him for not working back, I've never criticised him when he's gone for games without scoring, I've never criticised him when he hasn't passed to someone he should. He's an absolute legend, because what you get from him you have to put up with certain things.
"Some of the criticism has been excessive, I've said that publicly, but I will go after Salah when he tries to throw my club under the bus off the pitch and just think about himself.
"Let's understand Arne Slot, he's conceded 10 goals in three games, one of them against PSV, Salah was embarrassing in terms of the challenge that he puts in.
"He then goes to West Ham away, Nuno [Espirito Santo] team, big on set-pieces. We need to keep a clean sheet, that's all he cares about. What's the one thing you're going to do as a manager? You take the one player out in your team you have allowed not to defend.
"You play Sunderland at home, I'd have played him, but it's understandable that he keeps the same team. He brings him on at half-time. West Ham away and Leeds away, why would you bring him on when you're winning those games? You don't need a goal, you need not to concede.
"So if you're bringing Salah on, you're bringing on a guy who can't defend set pieces and doesn't run back.
"The one time I wanted to be really critical, and I held back, this season about Salah on the pitch. As I've said before, I've never been critical of him on the pitch.
"He is a legend of the club, his legacy is there, if he doesn't score another goal or make another assist for this club, I don't care. He's been amazing.
"Where he really let himself down, in my eyes, was this season in Frankfurt and in another game.
"Where there's a guy who signed for Liverpool who needs a goal more than anyone, Florian Wirtz. Instead of being a great player for the club, be a great ambassador for the club and roll that ball to him for an easy tap-in and go over and give him a hug and say, 'You're the guy that's going to take this Liverpool team forward. I don't need anymore goals'.
"I've seen [John] Barnes at the end, Ian Rush, Steven Gerrard, do you think they're the same players as they were in their pomp? Of course they weren't.
"Do supporters think any differently of them now when they see them? They say no, you're in the top five or six players to ever play for Liverpool, and the same will be said of Salah.
"So in terms of on the pitch, the one criticism I've got -- help the other players. Help Florian Wirtz, help [Alexander] Isak, don't be obsessed with your own numbers.
"I think the club have made the right decision in terms of him not going abroad. Whether he will play for Liverpool again, I don't know. I hope he does, because he's one of the greatest players we've ever had.
"But if you continue like that, and statements like that. If he doesn't play, who knows."
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Tottenham team defeated Red Star 4-0 in the Champions League group
Tottenham team defeated Red Star 4-0 in the Champions League group stage and will almost certainly qualify for the 1/8 finals of the tournament. Spurs starter Giovanni Lo Selso started for the first time in the 34th minute, and in the second part Hyun-Min Son scored two quick goals. Christian Eriksen added the fourth goal.
The British started off well, claiming a penalty shot at the beginning. However, when checking with VAR, it became clear that the ball had met the thigh of a Star player.
In the 13th Harry Kane missed a good chance of finding the result.
The Serbs were one step away from the opening goal in the 23rd minute. Then Milan Pavkov only had to overcome Paulo Gazaniga, but his shot was weak and the keeper saved.
Tottenham came forward in the 34th minute after a comic series of beams and gaps. After the counterattack, Harry Kane and Son hit the beams, but in the end Lo Selso was correct.
The Serbs missed the tie in the 44th, when a cannonball in Tottenham field led to two beams, but the ball never hit the net. Both beams were touched by guest players - Gazaniga and Davinson Sanchez.
In the 13th Harry Kane missed a good chance of finding the result.
The Serbs were one step away from the opening goal in the 23rd minute. Then Milan Pavkov only had to overcome Paulo Gazaniga, but his shot was weak and the keeper saved.
Tottenham came forward in the 34th minute after a comic series of beams and gaps. After the counterattack, Harry Kane and Son hit the beams, but in the end Lo Selso was correct.
The Serbs missed the tie in the 44th, when a cannonball in Tottenham field led to two beams, but the ball never hit the net. Both beams were touched by guest players - Gazaniga and Davinson Sanchez.
Paris Saint-Germain1-0 Belgian Bruges
Paris Saint-Germain team won with a minimum of 1-0 when hosting the Belgian Bruges in the fourth round of Champions League A. The only goal in the match was noted by Argentine shooter Mauro Icardi in the 22nd minute.
By the end of the first part again Di Maria had a chance to threaten the visitors' door, his shot boundary on the penalty box was inaccurate.
Last season's Belgian vice-champion stepped up in the second half. Within 60 seconds, David Okereke and Emmanuel Dennis missed chances in the 50th and 51st minutes.
In the 75th minute came the golden chance for Philip Clement's boys. Mbaye Dignier was shot down in the penalty box by Thiago Silva Parisians, after which Judge Bobby Maden decided that was enough to rule on the penalty. Behind the ball was Digner, who did, however, produce a terrible shot that fell straight into the hands of Kaylor Navas.
Bayern Munich won with 2: 0 Olympiakos in a Group B
Bayern Munich won with 2: 0 Olympiakos in a Group B match in the Champions League. Robert Lewandowski opened the score in the 69th minute. Just before the end of regular time, Ivan Perisic sealed Bayern's victory. Bayern's team was the better team on the pitch, and they fully controlled the initiative on the pitch. The Bavarians fired 11 accurate shots, but only good interventions by goalkeeper Hode Sa prevented the result from swelling more. It was also the first Champions League game since the departure of Nico Kovac. With that win, Bayern continues to lead the group with a full pool of points, and have already secured themselves the qualification for the semifinals in the tournament.
The team of Bayern Munich won with 2: 0 Olympiakos in a Group B match in the Champions League. Robert Lewandowski opened the score in the 69th minute. Just before the end of regular time, Ivan Perisic sealed Bayern's victory. Bayern's team was the better team on the pitch, and they fully controlled the initiative on the pitch. The Bavarians fired 11 accurate shots, but only good interventions by goalkeeper Hode Sa prevented the result from swelling more. It was also the first Champions League game since the departure of Nico Kovac. With that win, Bayern continues to lead the group with a full pool of points, and have already secured themselves the qualification for the semifinals in the tournament.
Nikas Zule and Luca Hernandez missed Bayern Munich this evening. For the Greeks, only Papa Abu Cisse was not available to coach Pedro Martins.
Bayern Munich - Olympiakos 2: 0
1: 0 Robert Lewandowski 69 '
2: 0 Ivan Perisic 89 '
The meeting started with pressure from the hosts. In the fifth minute Leon Goretska fired the first accurate shot, but he was saved by the goalkeeper Jose Sa.
In the 15th minute, the visitors had a chance to level with their first more dangerous attack. Lazar Rangelovic got a good pass in the penalty area and fired, but the ball went past Manuel Neuer's left post.
Ten minutes later, Robert Lewandowski delivered a nice header after a centering pass but Ca made a brilliant save.
Kingsley Coman could have found in the 34th minute, but again Sa managed to save his team. A minute later, Thomas Mueller fired, but straight into the keeper.
In the last minute of the first half, the beam saved the guests after a hit by Benjamin Pavar.
Five minutes after the start of the second part, Goretzka scored with a header centered by a foul, but once again Sa displayed a great reflex to keep the score even.
In the 60s, the Portuguese guard parried another blow to Kingsley Coman.
In the 69th, however, even Jose Sa had nothing to do and Bayern found the result. Coman centered very sharply and Lewandowski directed the ball into the net for 1-0.
Two minutes later, the Bavarians had a chance for a second goal, but Coman did not detect a single pass from Serge Gnabri.
In the 89th minute Bayern sealed their victory with a second goal. Kingsley Coman went for a break from his own half and reached the penalty area, where he passed to the left to Serge Gnabri. He tried a pass to the penalty spot, where a guest player failed to clear the ball and Ivan Perešić from close range scored for 2: 0.
Lokomotiv Moscow 1 Juventus 2
Juventus sealed their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with an injury-time winner against Lokomotiv Moscow in Group D.
Substitute Douglas Costa struck the decisive blow with a cool finish as the visitors rallied late on.
Aaron Ramsey handed Juve an early lead after Guilherme spilled Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick, before Aleksey Miranchuk equalised.
Juventus will be joined by Atletico Madrid if they beat Bayer Leverkusen.
Maurizio Sarri made seven changes to his side that won the Turin derby last weekend, handing Ramsey a first European start for the club, and the Juve boss was rewarded early on.
Guilherme allowed Ronaldo's long-range free-kick to bounce and trickle through his legs, and the Welshman tapped his side's 300th Champions League goal into an empty net.
Lokomotiv, who knew victory would have kept their qualification hopes in their own hands, responded after going behind and Miranchuk scored his second goal in as many games against the Italian giants to level.
The forward headed against the post to beat the diving Wojciech Szczesny before converting the loose ball into an empty net.
Ronaldo - who was denied breaking the record for scoring against the most clubs in the Champions League by Ramsey's final touch in the first half - improved after the break.
The Portuguese forward forced Guilherme into a terrific save from a fierce shot as Juve pushed forward, while Leonardo Bonucci had to be sharp to clear Joao Mario's shot off the line at the other end, as the hosts threatened to snatch the winner against the run of play.
Qualification was secured when Costa finished off Gonzalo Higuain's through ball to send his side into the knockout stages, with two group games to play.
Juve become fifth club to hit 300 - the stats
- Juventus have now beaten Lokomotiv Moscow in each of their four meetings in European competition, winning both matches in the 1993-94 Uefa Cup as well as the two matches in the Champions League this season
- Juventus have kept just one clean sheet in their last five group stage matches in the Champions League - this after keeping six shutouts in their previous seven games at this stage of the competition
- Aaron Ramsey's opening goal became the 300th goal Juventus have scored in the Champions League; the fifth club to reach this after Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United
- Aleksei Miranchuk's goal for Lokomotiv Moscow (11:45) was the earliest goal the club has scored in the Champions League since Dmitri Loskov netted against Inter Milan in the third minute of their meeting in October 2003 (02:38)
- Miranchuk became the first player to score home and away during the group stages of a Champions League campaign against Juventus since Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2013-14
- Ramsey's goal in the third minute of the match made him the first British player to score a European Cup/Champions League goal for Juventus
Real Madrid's 6-0 defeat of Galatasaray
Brazilian forward Rodrygo announced himself on club football's biggest stage with a 'perfect' hat-trick in Real Madrid's 6-0 defeat of Galatasaray.
The 18-year-old became the second youngest player to score a Champions League treble, behind only Real legend Raul.
He has already been labelled the "new Neymar", having followed in the Paris St-Germain star's footsteps by moving from Brazilian club Santos to Spain.
Outside of South America, little was known about the 5ft 9in youngster - who is the the same height as Neymar - before his summer switch to Real.
Since then, Rodrygo has scored five times in his first six appearances for the club in all competitions.
"Hearing the Bernabeu singing my name is a dream come true," Rodrygo said. "I'm so happy, it has been a joyous night but I must try and stay calm."
The Bernabeu were saluting the teenager as early as the fourth minute when he clinically opened the scoring, left-footed, from his fellow countryman Marcelo's pass.
He got his second three minutes later as he headed in superbly from another Marcelo cross, becoming the first player to score twice in the first seven minutes of a Champions League game.
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
England's road to Euro 2020
England are on the brink of Euro 2020 qualification - but what steps must they take to achieve a dream Wembley final win next summer?
After near-misses at the World Cup and Nations League finals, Gareth Southgate will be hoping it's third time lucky for him and his squad, as they edge towards a third shot at silverware in consecutive summers.
What do England need to confirm qualification?
Three points against Czech Republic on Friday will be enough to guarantee England their place in next year's finals. Even without that, victory in Bulgaria on Monday would also seal qualification before the end of the international break.
However, England are in such a commanding position that even if they weren't to achieve that total, their final two qualifiers in November, against Montenegro (h) and Kosovo (a), would offer another chance to get over the line if necessary.
When is the draw and how does it work?
The draw for the finals will take place in Bucharest, Romania on November 30, with group games set to be played in 12 stadiums across 12 European countries.
- Group A: Rome and Baku
- Group B: Saint Petersburg and Copenhagen
- Group C: Amsterdam and Bucharest
- Group D: London and Glasgow
- Group E: Bilbao and Dublin
- Group F: Munich and Budapest
Because each group has been assigned two stadiums and host nations play two of their three group games at home, we know England will go into Group D. As well as Wembley, their other group game will take place at Hampden Park, as Glasgow is the other host city assigned to Group D.
With that in mind, Southgate and England supporters can start to plot a potential route to the final…
What's England's potential run to the final next summer?
If England were to win Group D, they would play a Round of 16 match at the Dublin Arena in Dublin against the second-placed team from Group F. With Munich and Budapest hosting fixtures in Group F, Germany or Hungary could lie in wait, should they qualify.
Win their last-16 clash and England will be on their way to Rome to play their quarter-final in the Olympic Stadium. The winners of Group E - which is set to include Spain - will be on a similar path.
Then it's back home to Wembley, which is hosting both semi-finals and the final…
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lichen Glückwunsch, Männer! 
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