Thomas Tuchel rates winning the Champions League with Chelsea as his greatest achievement as a coach but challenged his Blues side to prove they have the hunger to keep on claiming the game s biggest prizes.
Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game as Chelsea became European champions for the second time by beating Manchester City 1-0 in May s final in Lisbon.
It marked an impressive triumph for Tuchel, who had only replaced Frank Lampard at the Stamford Bridge helm in January.
But the German is keen for his squad to now refocus and create a culture of winning.
I would say yes [it s my biggest achievement] but in general I find it pretty hard to rate achievements because who wants to be the judge and who wants to know? Tuchel said ahead of Chelsea …
Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has backed Sadio Mane to shine, expressing his empathy after his recent struggles with the Bundesliga champions.
The Senegal international arrived from Liverpool for a reported €32million fee and initially started strong in his new surroundings, scoring three goals in his opening three Bundesliga appearances.
However, a dip in goalscoring form for Mane has seen the forward fail to score in his last four league matches and has coincided with poor results for Bayern, who are without a win in those games.
Indeed, Mane s only goal in his last seven Bayern appearances came in a routine 5-0 win against Viktoria Koln in the DBF-Pokal at the end of August.
Salihamidzic is not concerned, however, identifying the…
Catania are set to announce a season-long loan for Bordeaux midfielder Jaroslav Plasil, .
The Elephants decided to make a late move on the Czech footballer after it became clear that Pablo Barrientos would be leaving the club to sign for Al-Jaish.
Catania have reportedly reached an agreement with Bordeaux over a season-long loan, with the paperwork likely to be completed well ahead of today s deadline.
Jaroslav Plasil is, therefore, set to leave les Girondins after four years, during which he never lost his place in the starting line-up.
The 31-year-old made a total of 147 Ligue 1 appearances for the club, scoring 11 goals in the process.
Plasil, who spent the majority of his career in France, had started his career at Hradec Kralove, only to joi…
Brisbane Roar trio Tommy Oar, Michael Zullo and Adam Sarota have signed contracts with Dutch Eredivisie outfit FC Utrecht, the Australian A-League club said on Friday.
The two clubs reached agreement on terms this week after the players spent two weeks training with FC Utrecht.
Brisbane Roar chief executive Peter McLennan said the club was disappointed to have lost three talented youngsters, but acknowledged their desire to further their careers in Europe.
You can t help but be disappointed to lose three young players who have the undoubted potential of Tommy, Michael and Adam, McLennan said.
However, for the Brisbane Roar this is tempered by the knowledge we have provided each of them with the platform to potentially become the next generation of Socc…
Leicester City boss Craig Shakespeare feels reaching the Champions League quarter-finals is comparable to the club s stunning Premier League title success last season.
Shakespeare s side shocked Sevilla – winners of the Europa League in the last three seasons – with a 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday, sealing a famous 3-2 aggregate triumph.
Leicester subsequently joined continental heavyweights Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Real Madrid in the last eight.
And even though their title 2015-16 success shocked the world at pre-season odds of 5,000/1, Shakespeare feels their latest achievement is on a par given the stature of Sevilla.
Shakespeare said: It will be memorable for everyone at the football club, myself inc…
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu brushed off rumours of a bid for Paul Pogba as he doubted the ease of completing such a deal.
Links between Pogba and the LaLiga champions have become more frequent with the Manchester United midfielder s relationship with Jose Mourinho appearing to grow more difficult.
The United manager recently stripped Pogba of the vice-captaincy and the pair were seen sharing terse words during a training-ground confrontation last week.
While reports suggest World Cup winner Pogba is seeking an escape route to Barcelona, Bartomeu questioned United s willingness to negotiate.
I read these rumours not just about Pogba but a lot of players, Bartomeu told the Times.
Most of the teams don t want to sell their players. The…
Former England captain David Beckham has backed the Three Lions to go all the way in Qatar, despite a woeful sequence of results this year.
Gareth Southgate s side head to the World Cup after failing to win any of their six Nations League matches and suffering relegation from the top tier of the UEFA competition.
That run is England s longest winless streak in almost 30 years, while it also marks the worst run of form the side has ever faced before a major international tournament.
Despite that and rising pressure on Southgate, Beckham believes England have the capability to win the World Cup for the first time since 1966.
I will always say England. It s going to be difficult but the fact we are now going into a big competition like the World Cup, only p…
Wolverhampton Wanderers are confident of signing Carlos Vinicius in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Tottenham Hotspur have decided not to make Vinicius’s loan deal permanent, and that Premier League rivals Wolves are keen on securing the services of the Benfica-owned forward.
Vinicius joined Tottenham on loan from Portuguese giants Benfica in the summer of 2020. The Brazilian forward has made three starts and six substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, scoring one goal in the process, according to . The 26-year-old made five starts and four substitute appearances in the Europa League this campaign, scoring six goals and providing three assists in the process, according to .
Tottenham are sixth in the Premier Leagu…
This World Cup may not have been the best in the history of the competition but some young players have come out of the competition with their reputations enhanced.
Some of these players could prove the backbones of their national sides for years to come.
Here is a rundown of some of the young players I have been impressed with in South Africa:
Mesut Ozil (Germany)
The Werder Bremen playmaker was highly-rated before the tournament but he has only enhanced his ever growing reputation through some fantastic displays. He has been the creative brain of the German side and could be in line for a big money move this summer.
Spanish giants Barcelona and Manchester United have shown a strong interest in the diminutive star. A fee in the region of £25mil…
German coach Ewald Lienen has been fired by Greek first division club Olympiakos, the day after the team s shock Europa League exit.
Olympiakos stuggled to a 2-1 home win against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the first leg qualifier only to exit on the away goals rule after a 1-0 loss on Thursday night in Israel.
Lienen, 56, took over as coach in June on a two-year contract.
It was a short, but positive experience for me, said Lienen.
It was a tough situation. A new team with new players who were not ready to play in the Europa League. There was a lot of pressure on me and we took the decision to break my contract.
Some 200 angry fans shouted abuse and threw plastic bottles at the players and staff as they arrived home early Friday from Israel.
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