Big-name European coaches were considered when Bob Bradley became coach of the US football team, but the veteran American mentor made the job his own and melded a squad in his own image.

The pay-off for 3 1/2 years of team-building has come at the World Cup, where the American band of brothers bounced back from a 2006 first-round exit and have booked a date with Ghana on Saturday in the round of 16.

Confidence shown in Bradley when he took the job for six months on an interim basis has paid off with a team devoted to one another, bonded as a group with more concern about playing a role than individual glory.

We believe in what Bob does, US playmaker Landon Donovan said. It has taken a long time for some of us to wrap our heads around what Bob wanted from us. No…

Nacho Monreal has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, the club have confirmed.

The Spain international arrived at the Emirates Stadium from Malaga in 2013 and has since become a regular start in Arsene Wenger s first-choice XI.

Monreal has featured in all 22 of Arsenal s Premier League fixtures so far this season and has been rewarded with a new deal by the title-chasing side.

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Sampdoria striker Eder is the answer to Inter s goalscoring problems, according to former club president Massimo Moratti.

Inter s Serie A title bid has stuttered over recent weeks, with a solitary win since the mid-season break dropping them to fourth in the table.

Roberto Mancini s side have amassed 41 points, despite scoring only 26 times in 21 league matches this season, and they have been linked with Paris Saint-Germain s Ezequiel Lavezzi along with Eder as possible options to bolster their forward line.

Moratti, who was replaced as Inter owner by Erick Thohir in 2013, believes Sampdoria s 13-goal forward is a better fit than Argentina international Lavezzi.

I think the problem is there, right there – in scoring goals, he told Gazzetta dello Sport…

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.

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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)

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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 …