Mauricio Pochettino is confident he retains the backing of Chelsea’s owners but conceded his future was out of his hands after defeat in the Carabao Cup final increased scrutiny of his position.
The under-fire Argentinian said he had supportive conversations with the club’s co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali following Sunday’s 1-0 extra-time loss to Liverpool.
Defeat at Wembley sparked further criticism of Pochettino and his expensively-assembled squad – including scathing comments from Gary Neville – as they failed to overcome inexperienced rivals who were missing a host of star names.
Chelsea, who are languishing in 11th place in the Premier League and sit closer to the relegation zone than the top four, return to action on Wednesday evening at …
Sergio Ramos will follow Lionel Messi out of Paris St Germain with the French champions confirming the veteran Spanish defender’s exit at the end of his contract.
Ramos has spent the past two seasons at the Parc des Princes after joining from Real Madrid on a free transfer, but he stands to make his final appearance in Saturday’s match against Clermont Foot.
The 37-year-old has won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles with PSG, scoring five goals in 57 appearances, although his form was often questioned and his departure is not seen as a surprise.
“Wearing the Red and Blue shirt for the last two years has been a wonderful experience,” Ramos said in a statement.
Thank you for two special years in which I was able play in every tournament and give my all. I …
Marseille have reached an agreement in principle to sign Evian defender Brice Dja Djedje.
Ivory Coast international Dja Djedje is poised to move to the Stade Velodrome on a four and a half-year deal.
The transfer will see 26-year-old Marseille defender Kassim Abdallah join struggling Evian, who sit 17th in Ligue 1 with 21 points from 22 games.
A statement on Marseille s website read: Olympique de Marseille and Evian Thonon Galliard have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of Brice Dja Djedje.
The arrival of the 23-year-old Ivorian defender will be formalised on Wednesday after the player s medical examination.
Brice Dja Djedje joins OM for a period of four and a half years.
Dja Djedje moved to Evian in 2010 after progressing through th…
Barcelona star midfielder Andres Iniesta says he has watched his World Cup-winning goal a thousand times on television, but it never feels as good as it did on the pitch.
I watch all my matches many times, the 26-year-old Barcelona playmaker told the Spanish daily El Pais.
It helps me to improve. Also, they repeat it a lot. So whether I like it or not, I have seen the goal a thousand times, said Iniesta, favourite for the 2010 Golden Ball.
But the sensation on the pitch is unrepeatable, he added. Watching it is not the same as scoring it.
Iniesta swept Spain to a thrilling 1-0 World Cup victory over the Netherlands on July 11 with an unstoppable strike past the goalkeeper from inside the box four minutes from the end of extra-time.
There is …
Atletico Madrid supporters would rather go out in the Champions League semi-finals than suffer the prospect of a potential third final defeat to rivals Real Madrid, according to Bernd Schuster.
Former Real head coach Schuster, who also represented Atletico in his playing days, has a feeling the two Madrid sides will be drawn to face each other in the semis.
But if they are kept apart when the last-four draw takes place in Nyon on Friday, he thinks supporters of Diego Simeone s side would be dreading the prospect of progressing to face Real, who beat them in both the 2014 final and last season s showpiece.
Some of my Atletico-supporting friends have told me they would rather lose in the semi-finals than play Real Madrid in another final, Schuster told Marca.
Prediction: Both teams to score and Manchester City to win
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The first Manchester derby of the season gets underway on Sunday afternoon as Manchester City and Manchester United clash at Old Trafford.
Both sides come into the clash off the back of excellent victories in the UEFA Champions League and will be looking to continue their positive form against their fierce rivals.
Manchester United
Despite the inconsistent form experienced at Old Trafford in recent weeks, Jose Mourinho s Red Devils arrive back in England following a stunning 2-1 victory over Italian giants in midweek. As has become the custom for United this season, they went behind due to a fabulous strike from Cristiano Ronaldo, before hitting back in the second-half…
Freddie Ljungberg acknowledged Arsenal s players are going through a crisis in confidence after they slipped to a 2-1 Premier League defeat at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Neal Maupay s late header earned the Seagulls a deserved three points against Arsenal on Thursday, as Ljungberg s first wait for a win since taking over from Unai Emery on a temporary basis rolls on.
Arsenal are now winless in nine matches in all competitions – their worst run since March 1977 – and sit in 10th position, 10 points adrift of the top four.
Ljungberg conceded his side are suffering a severe lack of confidence, claiming this is not Arsenal was the message he issued to the players after a dismal first-half showing.
It was tough. We didn t show up in the first half,…
Harry Redknapp knows what a challenge Blackburn present as his Tottenham team yearn for a return to the English Premier League s top four.
Redknapp s men in fifth on the table travel to Ewood Park to face Rovers, who have been guided to eighth by Steve Kean since he took over from the sacked Sam Allardyce in December.
Kean s efforts have landed him the full-time role at Rovers, and won him the praise of Redknapp.
That was a hard act to follow but Steve has done a good job there, got them playing really well, and it will be a tough game, Redknapp said.
They are playing some good stuff and are dangerous. Blackburn is never an easy place to go.
Redknapp missed out on signing Charlie Adam and Phil Neville on the final day of the transfer window, a…
Blackburn captain Ryan Nelsen has described the departure of former manager Sam Allardyce as a real shame .
Allardyce, 56, was appointed in January 2008 and helped the Rovers one of just four teams to win the Premier League to 13th on the table, with four wins from their last seven games seeing them just a point behind eighth-place Newcastle United.
But heavy away defeats to Tottenham (4-2) and Manchester United (7-1) tested the patience of the club s new Indian owners, The Venky s Group.
A 2-1 derby loss to Bolton on Sunday proved decisive, with the sacking of Allardyce and his assistant Neil McDonald announced on Monday.
Everybody says this is football, and that s the world we live in and all that, but what s happened to Newcastle and what s happened …
Alex Wilkinson is back on home soil after being announced as Melbourne City s latest signing.
The Socceroo will play for the A-League premiership hopefuls for the remainder of the 2015-16 season as the club enhanced their defensive stocks.
Head coach John van t Schip welcomed the addition of the 31-year-old defender.
Alex brings with him a lot of experience, having played for the Socceroos and in club football in Asia, and his qualities will help strengthen our defence, Van t Schip told the club s official website.
He is an important addition to the squad having enjoyed success both in the A-League and abroad.
Wilkinson is out of contention for City s away game against the Newcastle Jets on Sunday and will link up with his new club on Monday.