The recent news that Bayern Munich dispensed with the services of Croatian head coach Niko Kovac did not come as a major surprise. It always felt like he was just one bad result or run away from the sack. The bad result that ended his Bayern tenure was a 5-1 drubbing at Eintracht Frankfurt at the weekend.
Kovac had been in charge of the team from Munich for just 16 months. Soon after his sacking thoughts turned to who would replace him. The list of candidates is a notable who’s who of unemployed European coaches.
Mourinho the favourite for Bayern job
The man who has emerged as . The Portuguese boss has already conquered the English, Italian and Spanish leagues. However, he is yet to manage in the German Bundesliga, which would complete a nice quartet of leagues for t…
The returning Lionel Messi scored twice but was unable to prevent LaLiga leaders Barcelona slipping to a chaotic 4-3 defeat to Real Betis at Camp Nou.
Messi – making his first appearance since fracturing his arm against Sevilla on October 20 – could only watch on as Barca s defence was ripped apart by Betis, who ended a run of eight straight defeats away to the Catalan side.
Ernesto Valverde s men started sluggishly and were punished after 20 minutes when Junior scored his second league goal of the season before veteran winger Joaquin doubled their advantage 11 minutes before the interval.
Messi pulled one back from the penalty spot after 68 minutes before Marc-Andre ter Stegen spilled Giovani Lo Celso s shot into his own net three minutes later.
…
Xavi warned Barcelona they have no margin for error in Wednesday s Champions League meeting with Inter, declaring only a win will do for the Blaugrana at Camp Nou.
Hakan Calhanoglu s long-range strike condemned Barca to their second defeat in three Champions League outings last week, leaving them three points adrift of the Nerazzurri in Group C.
That defeat was just the second Barca have suffered in 11 Champions League meetings with Inter (W6 D3), but another reverse would see them eliminated if Bayern Munich avoid defeat to Viktoria Plzen.
The importance of the occasion was not lost on Xavi at his pre-match news conference, where the former midfielder outlined his team s desire for retribution.
We expect an Inter very similar to the one in Milan. They w…
Italy suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Spain in the Nations League at San Siro in Milan on Wednesday, with Manchester City forward Ferran Torres scoring twice before Lorenzo Pellegrini provided some comfort for the European champions.
Italy hadn t lost any of their previous 27 matches, and even though he would have preferred the run stretched further, boss Roberto Mancini was always aware this was going to happen at some point.
I would prefer this defeat to not happen, but sooner or later we were going to lose. Better tonight than in the European Championship final or in the final of the World Cup.
Roberto Mancini accepts that Italy s unbeaten record coming to end was going to happen eventually
— Football Daily (@footballdaily)
…
Australia captain Lucas Neill has signed for Championship side Watford until the end of the season.
The 35-year-old defender had been training with former club Blackburn Rovers after his contract with J-League side Omiya Ardija came to an end.
Yet Neill has now signed a short-term deal with Giuseppe Sannino s side, subject to international clearance, and will be keen to gain regular football with the FIFA World Cup on the horizon.
I want to add my experience to the Watford squad and I m hoping that some of my natural leadership skills can benefit the group here, he told the club s official website.
I m highly motivated to keep playing. There s still a huge passion within me for football.
I ve had experience in different territories across recent years. I to…
Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc hopes his team can maintain their motivation levels late in the season.
The Ligue 1 leaders have moved eight points clear after just one league loss in 28 matches, and with a goal difference (plus 49) more than double the next best (Monaco with plus 24).
Blanc s side could be forgiven for focusing on the UEFA Champions League, in which they qualified for the quarter-finals with a 6-1 aggregate win over Bayer Leverkusen completed on Wednesday.
While Blanc said there was potential for his players to lose concentration, he hopes they understand there is still work to do.
It (motivation) is always there for every game. There is always a risk and this is the case in all the clubs. It takes focus and preparation for matc…
The departure of Victor Valdes after the 2013-14 campaign marked the end of an era at Barcelona.
Valdes had been Barca s undisputed number one since 2003-04 making over 500 appearances for the Catalan club before leaving on a free transfer.
Barca acted quickly to bring in Marc-Andre ter Stegen from Borussia Monchengladbach, while also signing Claudio Bravo from Real Sociedad.
After three impressive seasons with Gladbach, Ter Stegen seemed destined to become Barca s first-choice shot-stopper, with Chilean Bravo expected to serve as an experienced deputy.
Things have turned out rather differently, though, with a back injury sustained by Ter Stegen handing Bravo the opportunity to start the 2014-15 season.
Since then Bravo has not looked back …
Paris Saint-Germain forward Ezequiel Lavezzi is keen on a return to Italy, according to his agent Alejandro Mazzoni.
The Argentina international has been in the French capital since 2012 after a €26million move from Serie A outfit Napoli.
And with his contract set to expire in June, clubs are lining up to sign the 30-year-old on a free transfer.
Inter and Juventus? We don t know anything yet, but it could all happen very quickly, Mazzoni told Le10Sports in France.
Italy is his preferred destination, but there is absolutely no hurry.
The interest of big clubs is normal when they can get a player like Lavezzi for free.
…
Olivier Giroud does not fear for his Chelsea place despite the arrival of Timo Werner.
The Blues have brought Germany international Werner into the fold after a 2019-20 campaign in which he scored 34 goals in all competitions for RB Leipzig, becoming the Bundesliga club s all-time top scorer in the process.
However, Giroud does not see him as a direct threat to the central striker role that he made his own in the second half of the season, with Werner often playing off the left flank for club and country.
Giroud scored seven times in 12 games when the season resumed and, at 33, the former Arsenal forward is used to seeing big clubs make expensive acquisitions in his position.
In every big club, there s competition, and it always motivated me to fight for…
Barcelona s chances of landing Inter star Lautaro Martinez could reportedly become clearer this week.
The LaLiga giants remain interested in the Argentina forward, who scored 21 goals for Inter in 2019-20.
Just whether they can get a deal done, however, may become known this week.
TOP STORY – BARCELONA S CHANCES OF SIGNING MARTINEZ SET TO BECOME CLEARER
Martinez s agents will meet with the leaders of Inter this week to assess his situation, according to Sport.
The report says Barcelona and Inter are in regular contact, but there is a big difference between the clubs.
It says Barca want to pay a maximum of €65million plus a player, while Inter are demanding a minimum of €85m.
Los agentes de Lautaro viaj…