He has everything necessary to be a success
There was never any doubt about Kulusevski s ability – technically gifted and a fine dribbler, but he wasn t without fault, as Engelmark explained: The first time I coached him I was like, this guy has a great skill set but he s not working hard enough, not defending, he needs to use his team-mates more .
Engelmark found a player receptive to such feedback and always willing to learn, taking criticism on board and using it to further himself, which subsequently improved him individually and the team.
His work rate got higher and higher, but when we played good opponents he worked even harder, Engelmark continued. In the last six months to a year with me, I think something happened – he started working harder tha…
Arnautovic endured something of a troublesome relationship with staff and team-mates at Bremen before leaving for Stoke City in 2013, where he had a far happier spell.
The 28-year-old, who cost West Ham a reported £28m in the transfer window, admits his attitude as a youngster did not help matters early in his career but says he made an important decision to turn away from his friends life of crime and focus on football.
Everywhere they threw me out, he said of his days in youth teams. I didn t give a f*** about what I did. I didn t care about anyone or listen to nobody, only my father or mother.
I would fight my coaches and say: Who are you to scream or shout at me? Are you my dad? Talk to me normally . Everywhere I went, Rapid Wien or Austria Wien, there …
Thomas Tuchel condemned Paris Saint-Germain s attitude in their shock collapse to Monaco but could at least use the match to prepare for RB Leipzig, where Neymar will start.
PSG were cruising at half-time on their return to Ligue 1 action on Friday as the fit-again Kylian Mbappe scored twice.
But a third effort from the France international was ruled out and the half-time introduction of Cesc Fabregas changed the game.
Kevin Volland swiftly pulled a goal back for Monaco, before Fabregas teed up the German forward s second and then swept in the winner from the penalty spot after Abdou Diallo was sent off.
Fabregas created three chances no player managed more despite the midfielder only playing 45 minutes and also had three shots, trailing only Volland.
Manchester City Women boss Nick Cushing will end his six-year reign next month to become assistant manager of New York City FC.
Cushing said it was incredibly difficult to reach the decision to leave, as he prepares to join the City Football Group s Major League Soccer outfit.
Appointed at the end of 2013, Cushing led City as they joined the Women s Super League, bolstered by new signings Steph Houghton, Karen Bardsley, Jill Scott and Toni Duggan.
Those England stars helped Cushing establish City as a major force when they were handed a place in a new-look WSL for the 2014 season, prominent among clubs spearheading the move to full-time professionalism.
City won the WSL title in 2016 and added FA Cup victories at Wembley in 2017 and 2019, also reaching th…
Ederson insists ´I don´t think I influenced much´ as playmaking keeper approaches 100 Man City clean
Manchester City star Ederson does not believe he has been a huge influence on the way goalkeepers in England play as he bids to keep a 100th clean sheet for the club.
The Brazil international will reach a century of shut-outs on Saturday if he does not concede against Watford, a team who have never beaten City in the Premier League and lost the previous 10 meetings by an aggregate score of 37-4.
Since signing from Benfica in 2017, Ederson has been an integral part of Pep Guardiola s set-up, his distribution proving both a valuable counter-attacking weapon and a vital component to City s possession-based approach.
However, he feels the importance of keepers using their feet is simply part of the evolution of the game.
Nowadays, having a goalkeeper with g…
Inter need to be as close to perfect as possible if they are to overcome Juventus in their Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday, says Antonio Conte.
Juve won the first leg at San Siro last week 2-1, with a double from Cristiano Ronaldo overturning Lautaro Martinez s opener.
Inter bounced back with a 2-0 win at Fiorentina on Friday and need a victory at Allianz Stadium on Tuesday if they are to make the Coppa final for the first time in 10 years.
However, the Nerazzurri have not been victorious away at Juve since a 3-1 triumph in November 2012, while the Bianconeri are unbeaten at home in the Coppa since a 2-1 loss to Fiorentina in March 2015.
Inter beat Juve 2-0 at San Siro in Serie A in January and Conte knows it will be a tall order for them to repeat the…
“The club would like to pay tribute to his professionalism and commitment, which helped the Rouge et Bleu win a historic eleventh French Championship title and a Trophee des Champions.
“The entire Paris Saint-Germain team would like to thank Christophe Galtier, as well as his assistants Thierry Oleksiak and Joao Sacramento, for their professionalism and commitment throughout the season, and wish them all the best for the rest of their careers.”
Galtier’s departure comes after 36-year-old Messi’s exit for MLS side Inter Miami, with PSG still the dominant force in France but having once again failed in their mission to win the Champions League.
The 2020 runners-up went out in the last 16 last season after a 3-0 aggregate defeat by Bayern Munich to prolong…
Pep Guardiola was delighted to belatedly take Manchester City into the Champions League semi-finals but acknowledged his side were potentially a refereeing decision away from another painful exit.
City had lost in the last eight in each of the prior three seasons, beaten by Liverpool, Tottenham and Lyon.
The Spurs defeat was particularly painful, with Fernando Llorente scoring a contentious goal at the Etihad Stadium before a last-gasp Raheem Sterling winner was disallowed.
On Wednesday, at Borussia Dortmund, a handball call went in City s favour as Emre Can was penalised and Riyad Mahrez s spot-kick his first Champions League goal since September 2019 cancelled out Jude Bellingham s opener.
This competition is nice but, at the same time, it s so unfair,…
Southampton have completed their club-record signing of Ghana and Rennes winger Kamaldeen Sulemana for £22million (€24.95m).
Sulemana, 22, arrived at Rennes prior to the 2021-22 season for a €20m fee. He made 11 starts among his 20 appearances during his first Ligue 1 campaign before his season was cut short in February due to a back injury.
He has struggled to force his way back into the club s best XI this time around, with only two league starts to his name, but his stock received a massive boost after a terrific showing for Ghana at the Qatar World Cup.
Sulemana appeared in all three of Ghana s group stage matches, where he clocked the fastest sprint speed (35.7kp/h) out of every player at the tournament.
Saint Sulemana
— Southampton F…
Gaizka Mendieta and Stiliyan Petrov are determined for others not to make the same mistakes and suffer in the way they did, as they outlined the aims behind a new project committed to helping footballers with the transition into life after playing.
The pair are two of five former professionals involved in Player 4 Player, which deals with areas ranging from finance and brand management to education and lifestyle.
They are joined on the seven-strong team by Emile Heskey, Michael Johnson and Gareth Farrelly, plus communications expert Pedro Pinto and entrepreneur Neil Meredith.
Speaking about the inspiration behind the initiative, ex-Barcelona midfielder Mendieta said: We felt that there was something in football that was kind of missing.
We know it per…