Janusz Michallik questions whether Ernesto Valverde has much time left at Barcelona after their loss vs. Levante. BARCELONA — Ondrej Kolar made a string of fine saves as Slavia Prague held Barcelona to a goalless draw in the Champions League at Camp Nou on Tuesday. Lionel Messi thumped the bar in the first half and
Month: November 2019
Shaka Hislop feels it’s time for Gareth Bale to move on from Real Madrid amid reports he’ll leave in January. Zinedine Zidane says Gareth Bale’s situation at Real Madrid is a “mess” but insists they have a good relationship. Shaka Hislop picks the manager most likely to be sacked; check the whole convo on ESPN
Unai Emery has to repeat himself on numerous occasions to explain Granit Xhaka is out vs. Wolves. Craig Burley provides personal experience of being booed by his own supporters when playing for Derby County. Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has been stripped of his captaincy, Gunners manager Unai Emery has confirmed. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will skipper the club
Gab Marcotti doesn’t hold back when looking at how Verona handled racist chants directed at Mario Balotelli. Verona’s head coach Ivan Juric claims there was no racist abuse from their fans towards Brescia’s Mario Balotelli. A group of local Verona councillors want the city government to take action against Mario Balotelli after he complained about
Matthijs de Ligt’s second half strike gave Juventus a deserved 1-0 vs. Torino. Watch Serie A on ESPN+. Stewart Robson believes Juventus have lacked “fluency and urgency” all season under Maurizio Sarri. The 2019 Italian Supercoppa between Juventus and Lazio will be held in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, where there will be no limitations
Gab Marcotti says Niko Kovac fell short of Bayern Munich’s “high standards” and was let go as a result. Bayern Munich players are aware they will be “held responsible” after the departure of Niko Kovac, the club’s interim coach, Hansi Flick, has said. Kovac left Bayern Munich following a string of bad results and uneasy
Paris Saint-Germain fans can now purchase more pedal power. Paris Saint-Germain have launched an electric bike branded in the club’s colours, just the latest in their vast collection of merchandise tie-up deals… The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to bring you all the weirdest stories, quirkiest viral content and top trolling that the internet has
A Dortmund fan was kicked by Police following their Bundesliga match against Schalke. Dortmund public prosecution has opened an investigation against German state police after several Borussia Dortmund supporters were injured, one with a broken jaw, following clashes between the police and fans after last month’s Revierderby. Following an altercation between one Schalke fan, who
LIVERPOOL — Alisson Becker apologised for his language when dissecting Liverpool’s defensive record this season but his facial expression suggested that the words he chose weren’t strong enough. “It always annoys me when we concede stupid goals,” the goalkeeper said when asked about the club’s lack of clean sheets ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League encounter
Paul Mariner credits the Sounders and Toronto FC for adapting in order to set up another showdown in MLS Cup. Toronto will meet Seattle in MLS Cup yet again after knocking out 2018 winners Atlanta. Watch MLS on ESPN+. Atlanta United leads Forbes list of most valuable MLS franchises for the second year running, with
Never before have so many major European clubs been in need of a big-name manager to restore them to greatness but, as yet, none of them have been tempted to give Jose Mourinho the chance to prove he is still the ‘Special One’. AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Tottenham and Real Madrid — powerful clubs
Ale Moreno says Manchester United currently being 18 points behind Liverpool is accurate for their level. Janusz Michallik says Man United aren’t capable of top four after their loss to Bournemouth. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer feels Man United are building confidence after their recent run of good form. Paul Mariner feels Marcus Rashford needs consistency from
Janusz Michallik questions whether Ernesto Valverde has much time left at Barcelona after their loss vs. Levante. Steve Nicol feels Gerard Pique shouldn’t stick his nose in Barca’s transfer business involving Neymar. Steve Nicol examines Ivan Rakitic’s situation at Barcelona and if he’ll leave in the January transfer window. Ronald Koeman will not quit his
Ale Moreno says Liverpool’s close results might indicate a dip in form ahead of a clash with Manchester City. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has accused Liverpool’s Sadio Mane of diving, ahead of next week’s clash between the Premier League’s top two. Mane was booked for simulation before scoring an injury-time winner in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory
Ale Moreno says Liverpool’s close results might indicate a dip in form ahead of a clash with Manchester City. Janusz Michallik argues that Sadio Mané is Liverpool’s most important player, after his goal vs. Aston Villa. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp dismissed Pep Guardiola’s labelling of Sadio Mane as a diver ahead of the top-of-the-table showdown
Roma beat Napoli 2-1 thanks a fine Nicolo Zaniolo goal and a Jordan Veretout penalty. Watch Serie A on ESPN+. Italian Serie A: Arkadiusz Milik (72′) Roma 2-1 Napoli. Watch Serie A on ESPN+. Roma vs. Napoli was halted by the referee for apparent discriminatory chants. Italian Serie A: Jordan Veretout (55′) Roma 2-0 Napoli.
Missed some of the action around Europe this weekend? Have no fear: Gab Marcotti is here to catch you up with all the talking points in the latest Monday Musings. Jump to: Bayern reboot without Kovac | Balotelli abused | Liverpool, Man City slipping? | Roma add to Napoli woes | Andre Gomes’ serious injury
A wild weekend of football has thrown up quite the loot of interesting numbers. ESPN brings you the best from the weekend’s action: PREMIER LEAGUE Liverpool and Manchester City both clawed their way back from 0-1 down to win 2-1, Manchester United put in one of their Mr. Hyde performances to lose at Bournemouth, Arsenal
Chelsea continued their strong run of form in the Premier League as they defeated Watford 2-1 at Vicarage Road. Tammy Abraham opened the scoring after just five minutes following a tremendous pass from Jorginho, with Christian Pulisic adding to the lead as Abraham turned provider. Gerard Deulofeu halved the deficit from the penalty spot after
Frank Leboeuf heaps praise on Kylian Mbappe for his stellar UCL performance for PSG off the bench. ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens revels in Kylian Mbappe’s performance off the bench in PSG’s 5-0 win vs. Club Brugge. Shaka Hislop explains why Dani Alves was right to say Neymar has the “sensibility of a child.” Craig Burley