Mauricio Pochettino pledged to keep open a path to the Chelsea first team for academy graduates who prove themselves good enough.
The manager has given debuts this season to six players aged 20 and under, including defender Levi Colwill who has become an England international after featuring in all but one of Pochettino’s games in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Alex Matos, the 19-year-old forward signed from Norwich in the summer, was an unused substitute during Saturday’s 2-0 win against Sheffield United having made his Premier League debut in October against Fulham.
19/12: Newcastle United (H) 24/12: Wolves (A)
A big week ahead! Let s get it, Blues.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
There have also been Chelsea bows for academy graduate Bas…
Scotland manager Steve Clarke is focused on finishing their Euro 2024 qualification campaign on a high after sealing their place in Germany amid a hat-trick of defeats.
A 2-0 loss in Spain was sandwiched by friendly defeats against England and France, but five wins from their opening five games in Group A proved enough for a second successive qualification for the European Championship finals after the Spaniards won in Norway.
With a five-month international hiatus to follow, Clarke is eager to ensure Scotland come away from their final competitive matches with points against Georgia and Norway before next summer’s tournament in Germany.
Speaking ahead of Thursday’s clash in Tbilisi, Clarke said: “The idea with the friendly matches against England and Franc…
Carlo Ancelotti has the experience and quality needed to help Brazil win their sixth World Cup, according to former Selecao midfielder Lucas Leiva.
Ancelotti is reportedly set to become Brazil s new head coach at the end of the 2023-24 season when his contract expires at Real Madrid, where he has enjoyed a hugely successful association, winning a pair of Champions League titles over two spells with the club.
Brazil, meanwhile, are coming off the back of a disappointing World Cup that saw them crash out on penalties to Croatia in the quarter-finals, ending their hopes of lifting the famous trophy for a record-extending sixth time and leading to head coach Tite resigning from his post.
It has been 21 years since the Selecao last won the World Cup, but Lucas believe…
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes Raheem Sterling has a point to prove following his deadline-day move from Chelsea.
Sterling made the journey across London late in the transfer window after being deemed surplus to requirements by Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.
The 29-year-old, who is with the Gunners on a season-long loan, could make his debut in the North London derby against Tottenham on Sunday and Arteta, who worked with him during his time as an assistant coach at Manchester City, has enjoyed linking up with the Englishman again so far.
Arteta said of Sterling: He looks great. First of all, because he has a big smile on his face, a lot of energy. He s at it and wants to prove a point.
The Spaniard has already seen a desire from Sterling to return to…
Manchester United’s wild defeat to FC Copenhagen put their Champions League progress in doubt and increased the scrutiny on manager Erik ten Hag.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the records of United’s managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
David Moyes
Played 51: Won 27, Drew 9, Lost 15. Win rate: 53 per cent
Trophies: Community Shield 2013
The Scot took just one game to win a trophy, the Community Shield against Wigan, as Ferguson’s hand-picked successor. There was little else to celebrate, though, as he failed to even see out the first of the six seasons on his contract. He was sacked after 10 months, with Ryan Giggs finishing the campaign as caretaker manager. Moyes struggled subsequently at Real Sociedad and Sunderland but has rebu…
Luis Suarez will be forever grateful to Atletico Madrid for giving him a chance to lead a title charge following his departure from Barcelona.
Suarez had been a star at Barca since his arrival from Liverpool in 2014, yet his six-year spell at Camp Nou came to an abrupt end when he was deemed surplus to requirements by the club.
Lionel Messi was unhappy with the decision, which has proved even more bizarre given Barca s troubles, with Suarez ultimately proving decisive in the title race.
Atleti clinched their 11th LaLiga crown thanks to his goal on Saturday, which sealed a 2-1 comeback win over Real Valladolid, meaning Real Madrid s late turnaround against Villarreal was irrelevant.
Suarez s 21 top-flight goals have been worth 22 points to Atleti this sea…
Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has promised to give some “very blunt views” on the Premier League charges facing the club in due course.
City were charged in February with more than 100 breaches of the competition’s financial fair play regulations dating back to 2009.
The club could face a points deduction or even expulsion from the competition if found guilty but City have vociferously denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight their case. It is unclear how long this process will take with some suggestions proceedings could run for several more years.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak pinpoints the main emotion he felt in the immediate aftermath of City’s momentous win.
Watch part one of the Chairman s annual end-of-season interview
— M…
With Europe’s elite once again stealing centre stage in midweek, Wednesday promises another stacked Champions League schedule from across the continent.
Watching Aston Villa welcome German giants Bayern Munich to the Midlands for what will be a famous European showdown, Premier League rivals Liverpool will be looking to lay down another early marker.
With a host of intriguing Champions League betting markets available on Wednesday night, we have taken a look at some of the most appealing tips.
20:00 Liverpool vs Bologna
While many around Anfield might have been heartbroken over the summer as Jurgen Klopp announced his farewell, Liverpool have only continued on a remarkable rise since Arne Slot’s arrival. Marking their Champions League return with a…
D.C. United and Juventus, the Italian Serie A champion have confirmed their match at . The match, to football fans delight is finally official.
The Turin-based team clinched its 28th Serie A title two weeks ago and recorded the first undefeated season (23-0-15) in the country’s top division since AC Milan in 1992. The club scored 68 goals and conceded just 20. This weekend it will seek the Italian Cup title against Napoli.
The squad included three of the greatest players of this Italian generation: goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, midfielder Andrea Pirlo and forward Alessandro Del Piero, 37, who isn’t expected to return after 19 years in Turin. Juventus forward Mirko Vucinic and United midfielder Branko Boskovic are teammates on Monte¬negro’s national team.
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Antonio Conte apologised to Napoli s supporters after his side were humbled 3-0 at Verona in Serie A, taking responsibility for Sunday s opening loss.
Conte and Napoli endured a dreadful start to the campaign as Verona scored three goals in the second half, with the 2023 Scudetto champions unable to prevent the hosts from creating a plethora of chances.
Dailon Livramento opened the scoring after 50 minutes before a late double from substitute Daniel Mosquera condemned Conte to a torrid start in his first game back in charge of Napoli.
We immediately let Verona have a shot at the start of the second half, and in the second instance we went behind, Conte told Sky Sports Italia.
Then we melted like snow in the sun. What I feel like saying is that we should…