Month: December 2024

Harry Kewell revealed he is doing his coaching badges this year with the long-term goal of returning to Anfield as manager of Liverpool.

Kewell regarded as one of Australia s greatest-ever players has been focusing on developing junior footballers through his academy (the Harry Kewell Academy) since retiring from professional football in 2014.

The 36-year-old open to a gig in Australia s A-League will undergo his coaching exams to fast-track his aspirations of managing in the Premier League, namely with Liverpool , where he spent five years as a player between 2003-2008.

If there s a possibility of getting an A-League job, I don t know, Kewell told Fox Sports.

For me, I reach for the heights; I d love to manage a [English] Premiership team.

[I …

Spain boss Luis Enrique gave Liverpool fans hope for the Champions League final by describing Thiago Alcantara s injury as not serious , while it was confirmed Ansu Fait and Marco Asensio have been recalled to the national team.

Thiago was injured in the Reds Premier League season-finale 3-1 win over Wolves on Sunday, with Liverpool unable to pip Manchester City to the title despite taking the three points.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said Thiago was limping and it was not the best sign ahead of Saturday s European showpiece against Real Madrid in Paris.

But Luis Enrique offered some encouragement to the club s supporters, who are hoping to see their team add to the EFL Cup and FA Cup trophies they have already won this term.

We have spoken with the play…

Lionel Messi paid tribute to team-mates past and present after reaching 400 LaLiga goals for Barcelona in Sunday s 3-0 win over Eibar.

The 31-year-old is the league s all-time top goalscorer by some distance, having surpassed the previous record of 251 – held for 59 years by Athletic Bilbao great Telmo Zarra – in November 2014.

His latest landmark goal doubled Barca s lead over Eibar at Camp Nou, producing a typically clinical finish with his left foot in the 53rd minute.

The Argentina international is now 89 goals ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who left for Juventus in July, and the only other active LaLiga players in the division s top 30 all-time leading scorers are Aritz Aduriz and Karim Benzema.

With 17 already, Messi is well on track to score 25 o…

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Despite things being completely quiet in most leagues around Europe, not counting transfer activities of course, the season is in full flow across the Atlantic. In the Brazilian Serie A, Flamengo will be doing battle for points with America Mineiro at the famous Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday evening, within the 14th round of the campaign.

Flamengo

Having finished second to Atletico Mineiro in 2021, Flamengo will be feeling extremely disappointed with the way this season has been unfolding for them. At the moment, they sit in 14th place with 15 points from 13 matches. Even that can perhaps be described as lucky in relative terms, given that the two teams directly below have the same tally and Goias in 17th, topping the …

Real Madrid enjoyed a brilliant season, winning LaLiga comfortably before also being crown champions of Europe by beating Liverpool in Paris.

That 1-0 win at the Stade de France capped a remarkable run in the Champions League, with Los Blancos having instigated great escapes against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City.

It s difficult to recall any team enduring a tougher run to Champions League success, and yet Carlo Ancelotti – who was seen as a steady if slightly underwhelming appointment – managed to mastermind arguably his greatest triumph as a coach.

There s no sign of Madrid standing still, either. While the Spanish giants may have missed out on Kylian Mbappe, the fact they were in the hunt for him is evidence enough they are in a stron…

Already proving to be Europe s top summer transfer story, the battle to land Jadon Sancho only wages on as have made it clear that the Borussia Dortmund ace is their number one target over the coming months.

However, while might still be reporting that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s side remain confident of striking a deal with the German giants, United have passed the August 10th deadline that Dortmund had set if they were to strike a £108million deal.

With Sancho also making it clear that he is happy at Dortmund and still with the BVB squad on their pre-season tour, the Old Trafford hierarchy could be turning their attention elsewhere.

If the former Premier League champions are unable to lure Sancho away from rural Germany this summer, who are the three other alter…

World Cup, European Championship and La Liga winner Carlos Marchena has announced his retirement from football.

Marchena, 36, made his international debut in 2002 against Hungary and was a member of the victorious Spain squads at Euro 2008 and the World Cup two years later.

A product of the same age group which produced the likes of Xavi Hernandez and Iker Casillas, he was capped 69 times and last appeared for Spain in a friendly against Venezuela in 2011.

Marchena began his career with Sevilla and also played for Benfica, Valencia, Villarreal and Deportivo La Coruna, finishing his career with Kerala Blasters in India.

It was at the Mestalla where he enjoyed the most success, winning two La Liga titles, the UEFA Cup and a European Super Cup during his tim…

After a midweek of drama in European competition, the Premier League returns with plenty of eye-catching fixtures.

As well as the first Manchester derby of the campaign, teams towards the bottom of the table go head to head.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the main talking points ahead of the action.

Haaland v Hojlund

Erling Haaland hit a hat-trick when Manchester City beat neighbours Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium a year ago.

The free-scoring Norway striker, however, drew a blank in a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford and the FA Cup final win in June.

City will be favourites when they make the short trip to the red side of Manchester on Sunday afternoon and Haaland will no doubt be the main goal threat.

United will hope two s…

Everton have no intention of entertaining any bids for Anthony Gordon this summer despite reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle, according to .

In fact, the Toffees are likely to offer the 21-year-old winger fresh terms soon, and idea that has been going among the relevant people at the club for a while, and not simply as a result of other clubs showing interest. The new contract should reflect the plans of manager Frank Lampard to put Gordon in an important role in his team.

Gordon has been with Everton throughout his football journey so far, barring a short loan spell with Preston North End in the second half of the 2020/21 season. In all competitions, he has scored four goals and produced eight assists in 60 appearances, of which 49 have come in the …

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Looking to punch their US Open Cup semi-final spot in the early hours of Wednesday, Seattle will travel to USL outfit Sacramento.

Starting with the hosts, while Sacramento might still find themselves battling it out at the top of the Western Conference standings, the second-tier outfit are seeking some recent stability. Making an immediate return to losing ways last week as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home against the Las Vegas Lights, the Republic have recorded just a single victory from any of their previous four USL appearances. Likewise, mustering just a pair of wins within 90 minutes from any of their last nine consecutive matchups across all competitions, Mark Briggs should also have a headache over his…