Arsenal 0-2 Tottenham: Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli sink Gunners and fire Mauricio Pochettino's men into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup

   

Heung-min Son gave Pochettino's team the lead midway through the first half and Dele Alli put them two up with a delectable finish after the interval.

Both goals targeted Arsenal's greatest area of vulnerability, long balls arrowed into the heart of a makeshift defence.

It proved their undoing at Southampton on Sunday and it returned to haunted them and Unai Emery's creative forces were not able to compensate as his side crashed to a second defeat in four days.

Man United players is deafening as NONE of their big names post message of thanks to sacked manager Jose Mourinho

                                                                                       The Portuguese manager was sacked on Tuesday morning, after a disastrous first half to the Premier League season, when the club released a 65-word statement two days after the 3-1 loss to Liverpool.

Mourinho has fallen out with several of his big-name players during the campaign and nobody from the dressing room has posted any messages of thanks or farewell since the news of his departure.

The likes of Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford have more than five million followers each on Instagram and regularly post to the site.

new look’: Manchester United's Marouane Fellaini shows off dramatic new hairstyle as he cuts off famous curly locks...

                                                                                            Fellaini got the cut done with his usual barber Mitchell's in Belgium as he posed happily wearing his Manchester United training top.Among the first to respond was his Manchester United team-mate David de Gea who looked less than impressed with his 'flushed face' emoji on Twitter.But the midfield battering ram has now opted for a neat and tidy short cut, posting his new appearance on social media.

Uploading his new, almost unrecognisable appearance, Fellaini tagged his photos with 'new year, new look #birthdaytommorow' in reference to his birthday which is on November 22.

Juventus 1-2 Manchester United: Juan Mata and Alex Sandro own goal help Jose Mourinho's men secure incredible late comeback

                                                                                       It was a reward for a resolute defensive display, one that had kept United in touch with a superior Juventus side until a remarkable five minutes in which the game turned on its head.

It was injury time when Ashley Young curled in a free-kick that seemed to leave Juve’s defence in chaos. A bundle of players attacked the ball at the far post, Paul Pogba among them. He was claiming the goal, but it looked as if full-back Alex Sandro got the final touch.

Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool, Arsenal come from behind to draw with Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp's men maintain unbeaten start to season

                                       

 Arsenal are back as a force in British football.

The notion was confirmed eight minutes from time when Alexandre Lacazette, a player at the hub of the nascent re-emergence of this club, span back away from the Liverpool goal with the ball at his feet, turned and unfurled a shot which arced into the far, right corner of the net. But it had been evident long since. The people knew. The stadium bounced: a phenomenon which has been as rare here as 82nd minute equalisers in recent years.

It helped that a little of the light was again dimmed in Liverpool, who allowed Arsenal 62 per cent of possession. The home side deconstructed that high intensity philosophy of Liverpool's, dominating a midfield where Jordan Henderson was sorely missed.  Emery, as a yardstick of how far and how fast Arsenal are travelling. 'Now is the time for us to write new history,' he wrote in his programme notes... We want to create a new future here. We are at the beginning.' He did not add much in his faltering, almost unfathomable English, on Saturday night but the touchline told the story.

Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester United: Marcus Rashford to the rescue as late goal completes dramatic comeback against impressive Cherries

                                                                  Manchester United. Impersonate a relegation team for half-an-hour and then play the second half like champions.

Following on from great comebacks against Newcastle and Chelsea, Jose Mourinho’s were at it again on the south coast. Over-run by Bournemouth from the opening whistle, Mourinho admitted to Eddie Howe afterwards United should have been 5-1 down at interval.

Players dedicate win to late chairman in first match since helicopter tragedy away to against Cardiff City

                                                          

Thousands of football fans united across the country today to pay tribute to Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha as his seven-day funeral procession in Thailand officially began.

In Bangkok, hundreds of mourners attended a Buddhist ceremony with Thai royalty, dignitaries and sporting figures paying their finals respects to the billionaire businessman.

Manchester United 'told that even bid of £65m won't be enough to convince Inter to part with Milan Skriniar'

                                                                                         The Slovakian international has been linked with a move to Old Trafford this season with Jose Mourinho crying out for defensive recruits.

However, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, they will need to stump up a significant amount, with the Italian paper reporting that not even a bid of around £65m would convince the Serie A side to sell.  Inter are in talks over extending the 23-year-old's contract but they have yet to reach any agreement, putting United, and rivals Manchester City, on red alert.

Dejan Lovren jokes about reaching 'three per cent body fat' like Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah

                                                                                             The duo are regularly sharing clips of their time together on social media and now Croatia defender Lovren has been complimenting Salah's physique.

He shared a picture of them both shirtless, the image of Salah taken from after full-time in Liverpool's 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday.'I told him to wait to publish his 3 per cent body fat picture! I was so close...only 20 months behind. But I am not giving up!! Late night training session come on Dej' Lovren wrote.

Juventus 'planning January swoop for Paul Pogba which could see him leave Manchester United for just £60m'

                                                                                              The Italian champions, who signed Pogba for a nominal fee from United back in 2012, are now looking to test the Premier League outfit's resolve in the next transfer window.

According to Italian daily Tuttosport, they are looking to bring Pogba back to the club on loan in January with a view to a permanent switch in the summer worth £60m.

Liverpool 3-2 PSG, Jurgen Klopp's side begin Champions League campaign with thrilling victory at Anfield

                                                                                      it was the goal that launched a thousand puns. Eye Carumba; The Eyes Have It – look, we’ve all got homes to go to and you can probably do you own. To the delight of pitchside photographers, Firmino then celebrated with a hand over his eye, as if doing the Moorfield test. In fairness, that probably won’t catch on like the antics ripped from Fortnite.

Chelsea have left Eden Hazard and David Luiz at home for Europa League clash

Maurizio Sarri has decided to rest Hazard and Luiz for the European tie, while Mateo Kovacic and Emerson Palmieri have also not travelled to Thessaloniki.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who has recovered from his recent calf injury, has made the trip with the midfielder hungry for game time.The England international is fighting to start against the Greek opponents on Thursday, having been left frustrated by a lack of minutes so far this season.

It remains to be seen who Loftus-Cheek could replace if he is in the line-up, with Jorginho and N’Golo Kante two candidates who would drop to the substitutes’ bench.

Mohamed Salah had a very eventful game as Egypt thrashed Niger 6-0 The Liverpool star was involved throughout in Africa Cup of Nations qualifier

                                                                                         The Liverpool star scored twice, created two assists and missed two penalties as Egypt thrashed Niger 6-0 at home in their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Salah saw his first-minute penalty saved but he was soon on hand to help break the deadlock on Saturday, setting up his team-mate Marwan Mohsen for the opener.

Cristiano Ronaldo is relaxing on holiday while Portugal prepare for Italy game The 33-year-old was pictured posing topless on a luxurious boat on Sunday

                                                                                             Ronaldo opted to skip international duty in a bid to work on his fitness after missing much of pre-season, but was pictured relaxing on a luxurious boat while on holiday in the Mediterranean with his partner Georgina Rodriguez and son Cristiano Jnr.

The 33-year-old has taken part in several training sessions with Jventus this week but has seemingly been enjoying his downtime as well away football.

Manchester United target Jerome Boateng, The defender has reportedly told the club he wants to move from Bayern Munich

                                                                                                                         The defender opted against a move to the Premier League, while Man United were wary of his recent injury record.They were also unwilling to meet the £40million valuation of a player who missed 33 games last season through a variety of problems.  I would say the odds are 50-50.' 

Since joining Bayern Munich from Manchester City in 2011, Boateng has won six Bundesliga titles and the 2013 Champions League.

The 29-year-old was a also a vital part of Germany's 2014 World Cup-winning squad, and has 74 caps. 

Chievo 2-3 Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo made his competitive debut, starting up front following his £100m move from Real Madrid

                                                                                                      the 33-year-old angled his foot and cushioned a ball around Bani to Dybala before spinning and running off. Bani looked like the victim of a mugging, chasing haplessly after a Ronaldo but disorientated by the event.

Then, inexplicably, Juventus allowed all their efforts to be ruined. Chievo were gifted an equaliser just before half-time when striker Mariusz Stepinski was left alone in the area to bury a header past Wojciech Szczesny from 10 yards.

Crystal Palace 0-2 Liverpool, Sadio Mane made sure of the points for Jurgen Klopp's men with a lightning breakaway in stoppage time

                                                                                            Roberto Firmino was smothered by Palace for much of the night but on this occasion threaded the ball successfully to Salah. Sakho was trying to get the ball, but it was clumsy and always teetering on the brink of calamity. Salah was preparing to shoot but tumbled instead. Maybe he exaggerated the fall, but not the foul. Milner stepped up and, in front of a raucous home end, stuck the ball smartly past Wayne Hennessey.

Chelsea 3-2 Arsenal, Marcos Alonso scoring the winner

                                                                                             The game seemed set. But then came the fifteen minutes that demanded a nictotine fix for Sarri. ‘If we want to defend by looking only at the ball, we need to stay very compact and we need to press in the other half. In that 15 minutes, we were not able to do this. And so we were in trouble.’ When he complained about the collapse of the defensive shape, he made it clear he didn’t mean the back four, but that midfielders and attackers had stopped pressing effectively.

And so Mkhitarayn missed just as easy a chance as Aubameyang’s on 32 minutes; Willian then lost possession on 37 minutes, Iwobi recovered it, wriggled forwards and pulled the ball back for the Armenian to try again and this time score, making it 2-1. Kepa got a hand to it and should have made it a stronger, more decisive one.

Brighton 3-2 Manchester United, Brighton with a lovely flicked finish from close range past David de Gea

                                                                                                United team traditionally do but this United team did not. They do not have enough fibre for that. Occasionally it can happen, as it did at Manchester City last season. But that was freakish while what we saw here was more representative of this vastly-diminished football club. Brighton began this game knowing they had beaten United narrowly on this ground back in May and while they had improved their squad since then their opponents largely had not.

So while they won last season on the back of hard work and organisation, they did so this time just by being the better team.

Cristiano Ronaldo has settled into Juventus life even better than hoped And he has already started to form a close friendship with forward Paulo Dybala

                                                                                        The Portuguese megastar has made an optimal impression on everyone he has met thus far, although one high-profile comedienne is allegedly less than enthused by his arrival.  On Monday, fashion model Rodriguez posted a photo from the balcony demonstrating the fantastic view. 

The player's mother Dolores will be returning to Portugal, as she revealed at his unveiling press conference. Naturally, the house features a gym and according to some reports an indoor and outdoor swimming pool.

Barcelona, Supercopa success over Sevilla in Morocco as stars train ahead of Spanish Super Cup final

                                                                                                          Barca having won both the league and the cup, Sevilla provide the opposition once again.They have been less dominant in the Supercopa, beating Sevilla in 2016 but losing to Athletic Bilbao in 2015 and Madrid 12 months ago

The 26-year-old was celebrating Brazilian Father's Day with his family

                                                                                                                 The Brazilian forward posed with his wife Larissa Pereira and their two young daughters, including four-year old Valentina, at home as they marked Brazilian Father's Day.
The happy family were pictured sat lazing in front of their leather sofa and in front of a collection of balloons to celebrate the occasion.The forward featured for 69 minutes before he was replaced by captain Jordan Henderson as he works his way back to full fitness following his exertions at the World Cup.

Brazilian had a difficult relationship with club's former boss Antonio Conte

                                                                                               The Brazilian endured a difficult relationship with the Italian during their two years working together at Stamford Bridge.He admitted after the game he would be elsewhere by now had Conte been stood in the technical area: 'Would I be here if Conte stayed? No chance. No.But Willian has remained, and even started Maurizio Sarri's first game in charge on Saturday - a 3-0 win away at Huddersfield.Willian's relationship with Conte deteriorated throughout his troubled second season in charge, with the Brazilian photoshopping the Italian out of an Instagram post celebrating the club's FA Cup triumph in May.But he is now enjoying working under new boss Sarri and implementing his style of play, even in these early stages of the new campaign.

Roberto Carlos and marcelo, these are two Brazilans, who both play left back for Real Madrid and the Nation team. Who is the Greatest?

                                        

Cristiano Ronaldo gets mobbed by fans after scoring goal on his debut

                                                                                         The fan was swiftly dealt with by stewards and was escorted off the pitch. Shortly after the match resumed, Claudio Marchisio scored a fifth by finishing off a well-worked team move.
But minutes later a huge swarm of fans invaded the pitch and the game was subsequently abandoned.A pitch invasion takes place during this fixture every year, but this time with the extra excitement of Ronaldo's presence, fans ran on prematurely.

Liverpool 4-0 West Ham, Mohamed Salah opened the scoring for the hosts

                                                                                             Mo Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino have clearly not been discouraged by relatively modest World Cup efforts and captain James Milner was absolutely magnificent.

Over the coming weeks, however, Liverpool will have to work considerably harder than this.

West Ham, supposedly reborn and remodelled under Manuel Pellegrini, looked desperately familiar, despite the presence of five new signings. The London club defended with too high a line, inviting Liverpool to execute their favourite attacking plays at will. Both Liverpool full backs were able to play like wingers and that pretty much said everything. West Ham did none of these things and never looked like they believed they could take something from the game.

manager Unai Emery's debut but were still outclassed by Manchester City,2-0

                                                                                    Emery had just about taken his seat when Raheem Sterling was strutting across the face of Arsenal’s goal to score with an ease which screamed superiority, making Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis and Granit Xhaka look very ordinary in the process.

Emery did not deny that the goal was very much the old Arsenal. Much like the way that Riyad Mahrez and Benjamin Mendy eased easily beyond Ainsley Maitland-Niles down City’s right. Emery frowned, ground his teeth, chewed his nails on the touchline, though even as City dished out a serious football lesson there was something materially different about Arsenal. 

Huddersfield 0-3 Chelsea, Chelsea took the lead through an unlikely source with N'Golo Kante arriving at the back post to volley home

                                                                                         Chelsea's class ultimately made the difference. An example would be Jorginho, who spent much of the half looking slightly aghast at the pace of Premier League life – Wagner is one of the few coaches whose players could out-press and out-run Sarri's – and a little lost.

But he would find his feet. Firstly on 34 minutes, there was a little touch in the centre circle which would release Pedro. His run stretched Huddersfield and freed up Willian. The Brazilian toyed with Hadergjonaj, dashing past him to the by-line and pulled the ball back. There was N'Golo Kante, as befits his new role further forward in midfield. He shot the ball into the ground and the bounce deceived debutant keeper Ben Hamer, looping into the net.Huddersfield's pain was extenuated by their nearest miss on 38 minutes, when Aaron Mooy's corner was flicked on by Mathias Zanka and Steve Mounie demonstrated excellent movement to drift away from his marker and connect with the header, only to see his chance rebound of the inside of the post.

Yet even as Huddersfield remained the more coherent team, comfortable in their system, they faltered. Just before half time, came a moment which hinted at how Chelsea might player. Kepa touched the ball to Jorginho on the edge of the Chelsea box on 43 minutes. Jorginho and his team-mates worked the ball up the pitch incisively, with speed and precision, until the new signing was now poised just outside the opposition box. The Italian coach suggested his players were not ready for the 3-5-1-1 system Huddersfield played, or, rather, that they lack sufficient grounding in what became known as Sarri-ball, to adapt.

'Maybe for Napoli in the last year it wouldn't have been a problem but for Chelsea, with some of the players only having had three days of training, it was a problem,' he lamented. That they found themselves 2-0 up at half time despite having been out-thought and out-fought for much of the half was not a exactly a travesty. They have excellent player who invariably can dig the team out of such holes. But it was in no way a reflection of the balance of play.

'The players left everything on the grass,' said David Wagner, speaking principally of his team in the first half. 'I have seen passion, desire, the spirit we usually have in our game. I felt the energy in the stadium. We played tactical well and pressed them in the right area and then dropped it into the deep block and limited their chances. Everybody has known how difficult this can be. I have seen enough to take a lot of positives. We were shocked I think to be 2-0 down [at half time].' Pedro put the game out of sight and sealed the three points after combining with Eden Hazard to score a third.

Andy Murray answered questions from fans in hilarious Instagram session

                                                                                              Murray was then asked whether he would do a collaboration with Peppa Pig and he couldn't resist a joke at former Prime Minister David Cameron's expense. He wrote: 'I heard they were collaborating with David Cameron'.Murray then received a message from somebody pretending to be Nick Kyrgios, which read: 'Am I your best friend, it's Kyrgios'. To which Murray responded, 'If you come to Kings Island Ohio with me tomorrow then yes'.Another interesting response from Murray came when he was asked 'Would you please dab in your next after match celebration?'.

Manchester United 2-1 Leicester City: Paul Pogba penalty and Luke Shaw's first senior goal get Premier League

                                                                                          Mourinho celebrated with gusto but, given his struggle for defensive reinforcements this summer, won't have liked the look of Leicester's late riposte – poached by Vardy after David De Gea and Eric Bailly had left a cross from Ricardo, which clipped the far post and came out to the lurking England striker. The visitors could be forgiven for experiencing a feeling a déjà vu. In the three campaigns since winning the league, Leicester have now conceded the first goal of the season. Hull, Arsenal and Manchester United the opponents, yet if this fact makes them appear in some way soft, the 90 minutes here could be submitted as evidence to the contrary.

Premier League title challengers begin their campaign by hosting West Ham Jurgen Klopp handed a boost as Fabinho trained despite injury

                                                                                              Klopp prepares to begin his fourth season at the helm, he admits they are gearing up for a title challenge after their summer of spending. 

'My own expectations are always pretty high, we'll have to make the most of it (the pressure after spending a lot). It's always my expectation to reach the highest level but it doesn't work all the time, Jurgen Klopp was handed a boost, with Brazilian midfielder Fabinho taking to the field despite being named a doubt for the opening game.

Ernesto Valverde puts his Barcelona stars through their paces in training…

                                                                                                Ernesto Valverde put his Baca stars through their paces on a sunny Tuesday morning, as questions continue to swirl as to who will still be there for the start of the season.Barcelona have already struck up a relationship with the Toffees having sold left back Lucas Digne to the Premier League side earlier this summer. 

Unai Emery prepares for his first Premier League game in charge of Arsenal... but how will he line up against champions Manchester City?

                                                                                             Emery's first Premier League clash in charge of Arsenal couldn't be any harder against the record-breaking reigning champions but he will be desperate to make his mark immediately.

Here,let takes a look at how Arsenal will line up for the mouth-watering clash against Pep Guardiola's side on Sunday afternoon at the Emirates..Arsenal begin their fresh era under the leadership of Unai Emery when they take on Manchester City on Sunday.Unai Emery mixed formations up during pre-season, playing 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 most regularly, but with City's frightening attack, Emery may opt for a more defensive minded set-up.

Petr Cech and new signing Bernd Leno both were handed starts in pre-season but Emery is expected to start the latter after bringing him in for £20million from Bayer Leverkusen. The Spaniard will look to give the German goalkeeper his confidence early on.

Someone here will be without trophy this Season....Who please?

                    

Dillian Whyte digs deep to survive a late onslaught and defeat Joseph Parker by unanimous decision

                                                                                      Dillian Whyte edging a decision over Joseph Parker and putting himself back on a course for a rematch Anthony Joshua.

That will ultimately be worth millions to the man from Brixton but right now he will simply count his lucky stars that he didn’t suffer a second career defeat.

For make no mistake, this was a hard night, and not just because he was smashed to the canvas in the final seconds of the fight by Parker.

Arsenal unveil 2018-19 third kit during pre-season tour of Singapore as they get set to wear turquoise for first time in Premier League

                                                                                               The 2018-19 kit will provide the squad with a lightweight 'second skin' feel, which will help with the players' movements.The new shirt features a 'W' engineered into the shirt, in tribute to the attacking part of former boss Herbert Chapman's WM formation, which was introduced in the 1930s. It is directly linked to the 'M' graphic on the away shirt.

Carl Ikeme says goodbye to his Wolves team-mates

                                                                                               Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme has announced his retirement from football following a year-long battle with acute leukaemia.

He revealed the news to his team-mates on Tuesday morning before training.

The 32-year-old's decision comes following a discussion with medical experts after 18 years at the club.'When Carl came to tell us his news, yes there was sadness, but also great happiness to see him so healthy and hungry for the opportunities that lay ahead of him.

'Carl is strong, a fighter, something he has proven in his playing career and also during what has been a very challenging time for him, so I have no doubt he will be a success in whatever he does next.

'We wish Carl all the very best for the future, but remind him he will always remain a part of the Wolves family.'

Ikeme was diagnosed last July during pre-season when a blood test returned an abnormal result. 

The Nigeria shot-stopper revealed he was in remission last month. I would like to thank my family/friends to start with who have gone above and beyond for me.

'The support I have received from Wolves/Nigeria, the football world and from people from all over the world has been hard to put into words.

Real Madrid fans favour Harry Kane as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo

                                                                                                                     Tottenham striker Harry Kane was voted as R. Madrid fans' preferred choice to replace C Ronaldo who made a £100million transfer to juventus this summer.  

The poll which was run by marca, asked 200,000 Madrid fans which striker they want to come to the Bernabeu with nine choices listed. 

Kane came out on top with 26 percent of the vote, with Edinson Cavani and Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi both coming out next best with 14 percent. Ronaldo joined the Bernabeu in 2009 and went on to score a whopping 450 goals in 438 games for the club.

10 Incredible World Cup Facts You Never Knew

                                                                                                                          

10 Incredible World Cup Facts You Never Knew                             The World Cup, the world’s biggest football festival has kicked off with all the frenzy that goes with the football fiesta, with fans, friends and foes meet to do battle on the pitch for the coveted trophy which is up for grabs. To your amazement, there are 10 World Cup facts you never knew nor took notice of and here they are                                                

1 Brazil are the last team to have reached three consecutive finals where they emerged winners in USA 94, runners up in France 98 and winners in Japan South Korea 2002, they are also the only country to have won it three times out of four, 1958, 1962, 1970.

2 Three defending champions were beaten in the opening match of the World Cup, Argentina were beaten 1-0 by Cameroun in Italia 90, France were beaten 1-0 by first timers Senegal and Spain were beaten 5-1 by Holland whom they defeated four years earlier in South Africa 2010

3 Italy came third when they hosted the World Cup in 1990 with then West Germany becoming the tournament winners, sixteen years later Germany hosted the tournament where they came third and Italy emerged champions

4 Diego Maradona’s Hand of God remains the most controversial World Cup goal to be scored

5 Argentina and Germany have met three times at the finals, in 1986, 1990 and 2014. Argentina beat West Germany in Mexico 86 but West Germany avenged their defeat four years later at Italia 90. When both teams crossed paths in Brazil 2014, it was a playback of Italia 90 where Argentina lost by the same margin they did twenty-four years ago 1-0

6 The third place matches since 1982 has been won by European nations

7 Senegal is the only African country to have reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in their first appearance.

8 Nigeria and her next door neighbours Ghana have reached the second round of the tournament on their debut in 1994 and 2006 respectively.

9 Cameroun, Senegal and Ghana are the only African countries to have advanced to the quarter-final stages of the Mundial, Cameroun and Senegal were eliminated by European powerhouses, England and Turkey while Ghana was eliminated by Uruguay.

10 Only four times has the Golden Boot Winner emerged champion, Vava and Garrincha of Brazil  in 1962, Mario Kempes of Argentina in 1978, Paolo Rossi in 1982 and Ronaldo of Brazil in 2002.

10 Incredible World Cup Facts You Never Knew

                                                                                                      

10 Incredible World Cup Facts You Never Knew                                                 1 Four of the last five Golden Glove winners ended up on the World Cup winning team, Fabian Barthez of France in France 98, Gianluigi Buffon with Italy in Germany 2006, Iker Casillas of Spain in South  Africa 2010 and Oliver Neuer of Germany in Brazil 2014. Oliver Kahn won the Golden Glove Award but Germany didn’t win the World Cup in 2002

2 Holland has appeared in three World Cup finals and losing all three in 1934, 1938 and 2010

3 Norman Whiteside, Pele, Ringobert Song and Michael Owen are the youngest players to have played in a World Cup.

4 Lothar Matthaeus has made the most appearances in a World Cup, twenty-five appearances, two more than Italian legend, Paolo Maldini and four more than Argentine legend Diego Maradona.

5 The match between Portugal and Netherlands was the worst in times of discipline as it saw sixteen yellow cards, four  red cards with even those on reserve bench spoiling for a piece of the action. Luis Felipe Scolari kept his men under control but it wasn’t the same with Marco Van Basten who had lost control over his men.

5 Inspirational Lessons From France's World Cup Victory

                     

5 Inspirational Lessons From France's World Cup Victory

The Blues of France came out tops on Sunday after defeating favourites Croatia 4-2 to lift the coveted trophy for the second time in two decades yet there are five inspirational lessons the French team taught us, lessons we should learn from.

1 Persistence: The French team have been one of the most persistent teams, coming year after year to win the coveted trophy they won in 1998 when they were the hosts. It was no easy ride to victory as they were humiliated in 2002 not going beyond the group stage, lost narrowly to Italy in 2006 in the final in penalty shootout, fell out in the quarterf-finals in 2014 yet emerged champions in 2018 proving that saying that persistence is stubborness with purpose

2 Unity: The Blues on and off the pitch were a united unit not caring who was black or white neither did they crumble when they fell behind to Argentina. Unity was the name of their game, from their first match to the finals they remained as the band of brothers.

3 Consistence: The French team maintained their consistency from the last World Cup even when they lost narrowly at home to Portugal. The coach Didier Deschamps maintained his squad that eventually became champions.

4 Competence: The French national team was headed by an ex-international player in person of Didier Deschamps who two decades ago captained his generation to a victory in 1998. If you must hire a hand for a job, hire the best hand

5 Setbacks: It was no easy run for the French national team who were humbled out of the tournament in 2002, lost narrowly in 2006, were shown the way out in 2014, lost at home in the Euros to a wobbly Portuguese team yet emerged winners in 2018. They looked beyond their setbacks in made a major comeback in 2018.

If they can do it anybody else can succeed, to your success.

THE WORLD CUP WINNING CAPTAIN WHO BECAME THE WORLD CUP WINNING COACH

THE WORLD CUP WINNING CAPTAIN WHO BECAME THE WORLD CUP WINNING COACH

It was all smiles for coach Didier Deschamps who on Sunday the 15th of July 2018 made a feat in which few coaches in the world have attained, he won the World Cup as a coach precisely two decades ago when he won it as the captain of The Blues as the French football team are called. Funny enough his former team mate, Thierry Henry a twenty year old was also at the World Cup not as a member of the winning squad but an assistant coach of Belgium who claimed the bronze. It was no easy ride for coach Deschamps who was eliminated in 2014 in Brazil, lost narrowly to Portugal at Euro 2016 where Portugal became champions of Europe before he led the new generation of French players to another title twenty years after they won their first. It took a World Cup winning captain to bring home the trophy as he did two decades ago. Didier Deschamps, the World Cup winning captain who became the World Cup winning coach

Lionel Messi is off on holiday with wife Antonella Roccuzzo after World Cup

                                                                                                                  The 31-year-old is now enjoying some downtime in Formentera, the smallest Balearic Island which is reachable by boat from Ibiza, with friends and his wife Antonella Roccuzzo,They were pictured out on a yacht in the sunshine on Wednesday with the Barcelona star enjoying a spot of swimming.

When Spanish football resumes next month, Messi will be the unrivalled star of La Liga following Cristiano Ronaldo's £100m move to Juventus.

Ronaldo's former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney, now playing in the United States with DC United, said earlier this week that he thinks Messi is better than Ronaldo.

'They're both probably the best two players to ever play the game, I just think Messi is, in my eyes, the greatest ever,' Rooney said to online podcast Barstool sports.

The Spanish season, and Barcelona's La Liga title defence, begins in a month on August 18 with fixtures still to be released.   

Jose Mourinho will let Anthony Martial leave this summer as long as Man United can find right price and club

                                                                                           Mourinho warned Martial that he cannot dictate his own terms after the 22-year-old winger failed to impress in a goalless draw with San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday.

But it’s understood that the United manager has no wish to keep an unhappy player and will urge the Old Trafford board to sell Martial so he can sign a replacement before the transfer deadline on August 9.United would demand around £80million for Martial who cost £36m, rising to a possible £58m, when he arrived from Monaco three years ago.

Mesut Ozil is the second highest paid player in the country who splits opinion like no other.

                                                                                             Ozil's stance divided opinion, whether it was perceived as a dignified and belated act of defiance in the face of unacceptable bigotry or an act of self-pity by an under-performing player.Ozil is a third-generation immigrant born in Gelsenkirchen, the son of a Ruhr Valley coalminer who resisted the advances of Turkey as a teenager and pledged his footballing life to the country of his birth, winning 92 caps and the World Cup.

He is also a practising Muslim who spends much of his free time in Istanbul, the city which is home to his girlfriend Amine Gulse — a model and actress who was born in Sweden of Turkish descent and is a former Miss Turkey.

Chelsea reject latest Barcelona bid of £65m for Willian... but Blues WILL accept if they up offer to £70m

                                                                                            Chelsea have rejected a £65million offer for Willian from Barcelona but may agree to sell at £70m.

The Spanish champions made their third bid, which includes add-ons, over the weekend and the midfielder is understood to be keen to go. 

However, Maurizio Sarri would like Willian to stay and that is reflected in Chelsea's asking price for the 29-year-old. Chelsea's hierarchy are holding meetings over the next 24 hours as they look to add new signings. Barca are also looking at Bordeaux star Malcom, but face fierce competition from Roma, which could affect any potential move for Willian.

Chelsea target Gonzalo Higuain, the 30-year-old Juventus man could be a snip at £53m

                                                                                     Maurizio Sarri's Napoli had just secured two 5-0 victories in the space of three days in September 2015 when the boss was asked about Gonzalo Higuain.

'If he improves a few things he can cause chaos,' said Sarri, almost anticipating the sensational season that was to follow. 'He is at the centre of our world.

Higuain went on to score 36 goals in 35 games under Sarri, setting a new Serie Arecord that Cristiano Ronaldo will try to break this season.Higuain could be set for a reunion with his former coach at Chelsea.

Unai Emery puts Gunners through their paces ahead of the new Premier League season

                                                                                     Arsenal's players were in buoyant spirits in training on Friday as new manager Unai Emery stepped up preparations for the forthcoming season.

A host of first-team players including Alexandre Lacazette and Hector Bellerin took part in a varied session at the club's London Colney base, while summer signing Matteo Guendouzi also participated after his £7million move from Lorient this week.

Ronaldo has touched down in Beijing where he was afforded a hero's welcome

                                                                                               The Portugal captain made his way to the famous Lama Temple in the city, where he showed off his skills with a dazzling silver football.

Ronaldo took to his social media accounts to share photos of him performing the freestyle tricks at the sacred location, for his 136million Instagram followers to enjoy.

Captioning the snap, Ronaldo wrote: 'Excited to be back in China! Ready to inspire the future of football.' The former Real Madrid and Manchester United man was then called up onto a stage which had been specifically erected for his visit, branded all over with his 'CR7' signature logo.

Manchester United's new pink away kit for the 2018-19 season

                                                                                              Man United  new home kit may be making headlines for its excessive cost, but their away strip looks set to cause an even bigger stir, albeit for very different reasons.

Several pictures have emerged of a previously unseen Manchester United kit on sale in a Taiwanese adidas shop. They appear to confirm what has been rumoured for many weeks, that the away strip will be pink next season.

It is a bold move for both adidas and the club, who are reputedly paying tribute to the now-extinct Football Pink section of the Manchester Evening News, which was printed on light-pink paper similar to that of the Financial Times.United released their 2018-19 home strip on Tuesday, which features a nod to the club's railwaymen founders of 140 years ago in the shape of black train line.