Thiago Motta has criticised Paris Saint-Germain s failure to replace either himself or Zlatan Ibrahimovic upon their departures from the Parc des Princes.
Motta and Ibrahimovic were both key men as PSG established themselves as the dominant force in Ligue 1, winning four consecutive titles between 2013 and 2016.
But star striker Ibrahimovic left for Manchester United at the end of that run and the French giants did not recruit a replacement, seeing Monaco win Ligue 1 in the following season before responding with the signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
PSG do not appear to have learned their lesson, though, as they have encountered well publicised problems with a lack of options in midfield this season, having seen veteran Motta retire.
Of his own situa…
Albin Ekdal believes Sweden will not be affected by the pressure of taking part in their first World Cup since 2006 ahead of their Group F clash with South Korea.
Sweden overcame Italy in a play-off to secure their place in Russia and get their campaign started in Nizhny Novgorod on Monday.
Ekdal is confident Janne Andersson s side without the retired Zlatan Ibrahimovic have the quality and experience to progress from a group that also includes Mexico and world champions Germany.
There is more attention. There is a lot of advertising. More media focus, Ekdal told Swedish publication Expressen.
Look at social media. I think it s horrendous. But I do not want to believe it affects us too much. I myself do not read too much.
It s the Wor…
Philippe Lahm announces retirement plans / Image via dfb.de
He might not be the most imposing figure on the football pitch, but Germany international fullback Philippe Lahm is nevertheless a player of huge impact.
Lahm’s intelligence, technical ability, tactical knowledge and overall professional character have made him a footballing legend and a player whose legacy will be sealed and extremely difficult to match once he goes out to hang up his boots.
That time will come sooner than most of the true football aficionados would have liked it since Philippe Lahm himself confirmed that ongoing season in Bundesliga could very well be his last ever.
Football will miss Philippe Lahm, one of the last specimen of a dying breed.
Bayern Legacy
With the l…
The German Football Association (DFB) has apologised to the nation the morning after Joachim Low s side were sensationally knocked out of the World Cup with a 2-0 defeat to South Korea.
Sweden s 3-0 victory over Mexico ensured Germany finished bottom of Group F and were eliminated in the opening round of a World Cup for the first time since 1938.
Germany s failure to progress beyond the group stage mirrored that of three of the previous four world champions: Spain in 2014, Italy in 2010, and France in 2002.
The DFB Twitter account posted a message saying: Dear fans! We are just as disappointed as you!
Dear fans, we feel just as disappointed as you. The World Cup only comes around every four years and we expected so much more from us. We re sorry for not p…
Paris Saint-Germain escaped a costly slip-up in the Ligue 1 title race as Edinson Cavani s 80th-minute penalty earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over a resilient Nancy at the Parc des Princes.
Cavani, selected from the start despite a trip to Barcelona in the Champions League to come on Wednesday, struck his 27th league goal of the season from the spot to keep the pressure on leaders Monaco, who entertain Nantes on Sunday.
The Uruguayan made no mistake from 12 yards, punishing Nancy for a rare error that saw goalkeeper Sergei Chernik send Serge Aurier tumbling inside the box as the match looked destined to finish as a dour goalless draw.
It could have been a very different outcome for the defending champions, though visiting substitute Alexis Busin saw his shot st…
Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Callum Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Chelsea want to sell Hudson-Odoi this summer, and that Forest are the favourites to secure the services of the 22-year-old winger.
Forest manager Steve Cooper is a big fan of Hudson-Odoi and personally wants him at the City Ground. Chelsea are willing to cash in on the England international and want £20 million in transfer fees for the 22-year-old this summer.
Hudson-Odoi spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen from Chelsea. The 22-year-old winger made seven starts and seven substitute appearances in the Bundesliga last season, providing one assist in the process. The England international played two minutes …
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The leaders of Group C in the Champions League, Real Madrid and Napoli, will clash at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Carlo Ancelotti, managing Real Madrid, will confront his former club again, secure in the knowledge that his team has already secured a spot in the knockout stages for the upcoming year. On the other hand, Napoli would need to win this game to do the same, though a draw would suffice as well if Braga fail to beat Union Berlin at the same time.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid have been dominating in their Champions League Group C, securing four wins out of four matches. The upcoming one against Napoli provides an opportunity to secure their place at the top of the group. With just a point needed in this fixture, Real…
As for the visitors, while they might not have been at their best over the weekend, Tottenham managed to avoid a scare after battling from behind to snatch a 2-1 win off of Brighton in North London. With Chelsea also slipping up against Southampton in the capital on Boxing Day, Jose Mourinho s new men sit just three points adrift of the top-four and leapfrogging his former employers. While leading marksman and attacking talisman Harry Kane may have once again found the net against the Seagulls 48 hours ago, Spurs are another outfit who are dealing with some issues at the back. Managing to record just a single clean sheet in any of Mourinho s eight matches since taking charge, the Lilywhites have also managed to record just a single Premier League clean sheet since the 14th of September,…
Andrew Robertson says Liverpool s players will just focus on playing amid talk of the Premier League giants being up for sale.
Fenway Sports Group is looking for outside investment to help pursue the club s goals, while also being open to the possibility of a full sale.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Robertson said he and his team-mates cannot be distracted by talk of a potential takeover, with the Premier League season set to resume following the World Cup, which concludes in Qatar on Sunday.
Honestly, we just focus on playing football, he said. Obviously you see the stuff in the press and you see stuff around potential new buyers or that the club has been put up for sale and things like that, but we can t control it.
All we can do is play football, a…
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has refused to rule out the club parting ways with head coach Ernesto Valverde at the end of the season. As relayed by , he told a radio show called El Suplement that if Barca don t win everything, it hasn t been a good season.
Barcelona haven t won everything in a single season since the treble (La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League) in 2014/15 under Luis Enrique. Their fierce rivals Real Madrid took the Champions League three times in a row after that, with Liverpool winning it this year after knocking the Catalans out in a stunning semi-final comeback. They also missed out on the Copa del Rey last term, losing the final to Valencia. Valverde did, however, lead his team to the La Liga title in both seasons he s been in charge of the …