James Rodriguez has made a huge impression on Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes, who believes the Colombian has been a godsend since arriving on loan from Real Madrid.
The attacking midfielder gradually fell out of favour at the Santiago Bernabeu after initially impressing in the wake of an €80million move from Monaco which came on the back of an immense 2014 World Cup showing.
He also got off to a slow start in Munich, initially struggling to get into Carlo Ancelotti s starting XI on a regular basis, but things have improved since the Italian s dismissal.
James has become an important part of Heynckes team and has so far managed four goals and six assists from 12 Bundesliga starts.
And, although Heynckes expects James to keep keeping better, he could n…
Vinicius Junior insists being criticised is to be expected when playing for Real Madrid, who he describes as the biggest club in the world.
The Brazil international has struggled to cement himself as a first-team regular at the Santiago Bernabeu since arriving from Flamengo in 2018.
He has made 53 LaLiga appearances since the start of 2018-19 25 of those being starts and has scored just seven goals and set up one more.
That sees the 20-year-old rank below the likes of Marco Asensio (nine), Lucas Vazquez and Isco (both eight) for goal involvements in an almost identical number of games.
Vinicius has his fair share of critics but says he blocks out the out the opinions of those who do not matter to him.
I always think about those who want the best …
Paul Pogba wanted to leave Manchester United before the 2019-20 season, but Opta numbers suggest the midfielder can help turn the Red Devils poor start around.
Pogba is set to make his 100th Premier League appearance at home to Arsenal on Monday, the France international having missed recent action for club and country with an ankle injury.
The 26-year-old has been a lightning rod for criticism since returning to Old Trafford, becoming the world s most expensive player when he left Juventus in 2016.
Pogba is still United s key man their sole world-class talent and a performer capable of winning games on his own when operating at the top of his game.
Here, we assess his Premier League career to date, comparing the upcoming landmark with his time at Juve,…
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appeared to reignite a feud with Jurgen Klopp over penalties ahead of Manchester United s clash with Aston Villa on Saturday.
Solskjaer s men were knocked out of the EFL Cup by West Ham on Wednesday, losing 1-0 at Old Trafford to a Manuel Lanzini goal as they failed to beat Alphonse Areola in goal despite 27 attempts.
United felt they should have had a penalty when Jesse Lingard went to ground in the box after having his shirt pulled by Mark Noble, but nothing was given.
There were similar frustrations in the 2-1 Premier League win over the Hammers last weekend, when Cristiano Ronaldo was felled by robust challenges from Vladimir Coufal and Kurt Zouma, neither of which were penalised.
West Ham were then given an injury-time penalty fo…
Manchester United target Kalvin Phillips was born and belongs at Leeds United, according to the Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa.
Phillips, who came through the academy at Leeds and has developed tenfold under Bielsa, has repeatedly been linked with a move away from Elland Road after impressing in his debut Premier League campaign.
A subsequent call-up for England s Euro 2020 squad followed and the midfielder received praise once more, forming a remarkable partnership with Declan Rice as Gareth Southgate s side marched to their first major final in 55 years.
Indeed, Phillips recovered possession a team-high 45 times, while only three team-mates completed more than his 293 successful passes at the tournament.
And Bielsa, who transformed the 25-year-old in…
Former Manchester United and Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has joined Major League Soccer outfit Portland Timbers.
Former Manchester United and Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has joined Major League Soccer outfit Portland Timbers.
The Frenchman was acquired from rivals the Seattle Sounders in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2014 MLS Supplemental Draft and a conditional 2015 draft pick.
The 35-year-old is best known for the 10 seasons he spent with Manchester United between 1999 and 2008, where he won five Premier League titles and one Champions League before joining Arsenal for a two-year stint.
Mikael will bring a tremendous amount of experience and a presence on the field and in the locker room, said Timbers head coach Caleb Porter.
Olympiacos will face Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final after an Ayoub El Kaabi double secured a 6-2 aggregate win over Aston Villa.
After a stunning 4-2 win at Villa Park last weekend to take the ascendancy in the semi-final tie, first-leg hat-trick hero El Kaabi struck early before netting again late on to stamp out any hopes of a Villa comeback.
After a strong start from the visitors, El Kaabi scored his fourth goal of the tie just 10 minutes into Thursday s second leg at Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki, getting on the end of Quini s low cross to turn home at the far post.
It looked an uphill battle for Villa, who dominated the possession throughout the contest in Greece but struggled to make a dent in the stubborn hosts.
Douglas Luiz saw a lo…
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino described Mousa Dembele as a genius as he compared the midfielder to Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho.
Dembele arrived from Fulham in 2012 after a fierce battle for his signature but the Belgium international is only now showing his quality on a consistent basis.
The 29-year-old is a key member of Tottenham s side and Pochettino believes he is in the same bracket as two of the game s greats.
Mousa Dembele is completely different to two-and-a-half years ago when we arrived here, Pochettino said.
He didn t play too much in his first season, he always had problems, or physical problems. I must give all credit to these guys, the sports science and all the medical staff, to create now a Mousa Dembele that is strong and can …
Barcelona will look to repeat the performance they delivered in the Clasico as they host Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Luis Enrique s side dispatched Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in a ruthless display which has seen them pull six points clear of their fierce rivals in the Liga table.
Barca, with 10 points from the first four games, can clinch a spot in the last 16 for the 12th season running if they earn just a point against Rudi Garcia s Roma, or if Bayer Leverkusen fail to beat BATE in Group E s other encounter.
The European champions are now eight games without a defeat and have kept a clean sheet in each of their last five, and Ivan Rakitic who returned to the team against Madrid following a calf injury wants to sustain that form for a…
Sebastian Rudy will spend the 2019-20 season on loan at Hoffenheim, who have re-signed him from Schalke.
Rudy enjoyed seven seasons with Hoffenheim before joining Bayern Munich in 2017.
He is heading back to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena after the season-long loan deal was announced on Wednesday.
Last season did not go optimally for me, which makes me all the more motivated to return to my former strength here at my former club, Rudy told Hoffenheim s official website.
To that end, the conditions here at Hoffenheim are almost perfect – I know the people and conditions at the club, and I know that me and my way of playing football are valued here.
I m looking forward to working together with Alfred [Schreuder] and his coaching staff, and so far I ve …