Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino insisted Kylian Mbappe s below-par display was not solely to blame for Sunday s 2-0 defeat against Monaco.
In-form Monaco upset Ligue 1 champions PSG in a blow to their title hopes as the Parisians slipped four points behind leaders Lille with 12 games remaining.
PSG have already lost six Ligue 1 games this season, their worst tally in a single campaign since the beginning of the Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) era in 2011/-2, and their worst since the 2010-11 campaign (eight).
Mbappe grabbed global headlines in midweek with his hat-trick against Barcelona in the Champions League but Monaco put extra work into minimising his impact in the French capital.
Pochettino, though, leapt to the defence of Mbappe …
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Looking to make it three qualifying victories on the spin this weekend, the Netherlands will travel to Dublin on Sunday night when they meet Ireland.
Ireland
Starting with the hosts, while Ireland might have signed off June’s international break with a much-needed 3-0 romp against Gibraltar, it appears that might have just been a minor boost for Stephen Kenny’s squad. Although the Greens might have opened their European Championship qualifying adventure earlier in the year with their sights firmly set on clinching a top-two finish, it is no secret that Ireland are enduring a real Group B struggle this time around. Marking their return to action on Thursday night as they were eventually hit with a 2-0 loss at the hands of European …
Liverpool have begun the rebuild of their midfield with the signing of Brighton’s World Cup-winning Argentina international Alexis Mac Allister.
A fee has not been disclosed but it is understood the 24-year-old had a release clause – believed to be around £45million – in a contract he only signed in October.
The PA news agency understands the Argentinian has signed a five-year contract.
From Argentina to Anfield
— Liverpool FC (@LFC)
Mac Allister has been on the club’s radar prior to his move to the Seagulls in 2019 but the club felt his development was still in its early stages, although his versatility to play in several positions was a key factor in their interest.
He was subsequently identified as a key target prior to th…
Harry Paton has signed a new two-year contract with Motherwell after initially joining on a short-term deal towards the end of last season.
The 25-year-old Canadian midfielder arrived in April, becoming Stuart Kettlewell’s first addition, and he made seven appearances as the Fir Park side finished the season strongly.
Paton, who previously played under the Well boss at Ross County, has now committed his future to the Steelmen until 2025.
“It’s great that I’ve been given this opportunity,” he told the Well website.
“I really enjoyed my short stint here last season and I’m now just focused on getting going again.”
Kettlewell is excited about what Paton can bring to Motherwell once he gets a full pre-season under his belt.
“…
John Stones scored twice as Manchester City moved into second place in the Premier League by sweeping aside Crystal Palace 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
With league leaders Manchester United and defending champions Liverpool sharing the spoils in a goalless stalemate at Anfield, City took full advantage to move within two points of first place.
On top of another top-class defensive display alongside Ruben Dias, Stones broke the deadlock 26 minutes in with his first league goal for City – Kevin De Bruyne the creator with a sensational cross to bring up his 100th assist for the club.
Ilkay Gundogan doubled the lead early in the second half prior to Stones celebrating an unlikely second, and a classy finish from Raheem Sterling wrapped up a fifth successive league wi…
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a serious knee injury.
The Belgium international is believed to have suffered the anterior cruciate ligament injury to his left knee in training and will undergo surgery in the coming days.
A statement on Real’s official club website read: “Following tests carried out on Thibaut Courtois, the player has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The player will undergo surgery in the coming days.”
Courtois medical report.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
The 31-year-old has made over 200 appearances for the club since joining from Chelsea in August 2018 and has been a near ever-present in the Spanish capital.…
Manchester City must be almost perfect between now and the end of the season if they are to catch Premier League leaders Arsenal, according to manager Pep Guardiola.
Arsenal dropped points for just the third time this season in Tuesday s goalless home draw with Newcastle United, but they are still eight points clear of second-placed City.
The reigning champions play their game in hand away at Chelsea on Thursday, though Guardiola accepts Arsenal may well be uncatchable on current form.
The way you have to reduce the gap is to play good and win games, Guardiola said at Wednesday s pre-match press conference.
They have an average and they re going to do 100 points or more if they carry on, and we won t catch them. We will have to be almost perfect.
…
Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic has revealed that his future remains in the air.
I don’t know what’s gonna happen for my extension with Inter, he said, as quoted by . But you can’t manage the situation like this with important players. You can’t wait until the end.
The 33-year-old Croatia international has had a rather illustrious career so far. Having passed through the ranks at Hajduk Split, Sochaux, Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg, he joined Inter in 2015, and spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Bayern Munich. In all competitions, he s made a total of 252 appearances for the Nerazzurri, scoring 54 goals and contributing 48 assists, helping them take Juventus of the throne of Italian football last season by finally winning the Scudetto, as w…
Antonio Conte has promised to bring attractive football to Tottenham in a bid to earn the trust of supporters.
The 52-year-old was appointed by Spurs on an 18-month contract on Tuesday following the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo.
Conte has enjoyed previous success in English football with Chelsea, whom he guided to the Premier League and FA Cup during his two seasons in charge.
Indeed, of all managers to have taken charge of at least 20 Premier League games, only Pep Guardiola (73 per cent) has a higher winning percentage than Conte (67 per cent).
He also won the Scudetto three seasons running with Juventus and once in his two years with Inter either side of that Stamford Bridge spell and a two-year stint as Italy head coach.
The Italian is now l…
Milan must show courage if they are to overcome Atletico Madrid and keep their dream of advancing in the Champions League alive, according to the great Franco Baresi.
The Rossoneri have made an unbeaten start to their Serie A campaign with five wins and a draw from their first six matches, but they were defeated 3-2 by Liverpool at Anfield in their opening European game of the season two weeks ago.
That was Milan s first match in Europe s elite club competition in seven and a half years, and the narrow defeat leaves them bottom of Group B, with Atletico and Porto sharing a point apiece in the other match.
Milan welcome LaLiga champions Atletico to San Siro on Tuesday and history is not on their side, having won only won of their past 17 games against Spanish op…