Mauricio Pochettino believes enemy Xavi is out to destroy Tottenham s focus after the Barcelona great said he expects Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to make a move for Dele Alli.
The crown jewel at White Hart Lane, PFA Young Player of the Year Alli has developed into one of Europe s most sought-after players since bursting onto the scene with Tottenham in 2015.
Alli s exploits have alerted some of Europe s biggest clubs, including City, who are keen to lure the 21-year-old England international midfielder to the Etihad Stadium, according to Xavi now playing for Qatari outfit Al Sadd.
Former Espanyol boss Pochettino hit back at Xavi and his character in a light-hearted attack amid speculation over Alli s future.
He s in a period when he loves to talk,…
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has piled more pressure on manager Sam Allardyce after calling for a top-six finish next season.
Senior officials at the Upton Park club announced earlier this week that they expect a minimum top-10 place along with a better style of football from the 59-year-old s side in 2014-15, but Sullivan has raised expectations even further.
Sullivan, who bought control of West Ham in 2010 alongside David Gold, has called on West Ham s players to challenge for silverware and push for Europe.
We start next season with three competitions, two of which we can win and we have to be dreaming of winning the third one, he is quoted as saying in the Evening Standard.
I don t want to just aim for top 10. We should be aiming for top six.
I wan…
Controversies continue to plague the Premier League, with the 115 charges for financial wrongdoing still hanging over Manchester City. What s more, the reigning champions have now launched legal proceedings against the league as well.
Former Arsenal captain Tony Adams believes the English top flight needs to ensure it remains as competitive as possible in these circumstances.
We ve spent £200m here at Arsenal just to get near to them
Tony Adams on Man City s 115 charges
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL)
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Breno Lopes scored a 99th-minute winner as Palmeiras clinched the Copa Libertadores title in a dramatic finale with a 1-0 victory over Santos at the Maracana on Saturday.
After a touchline fracas that saw Santos boss Cuca sent off, Breno – who replaced Gabriel Menino in the 85th minute – rose highest at the back post to nod a sensational right-wing delivery from Rony back across goal and into the far corner.
It was Rony s 13th goal involvement (five scored, eight assisted) in this season s Libertadores and it settled what had been a drab game of few chances in front of a small crowd.
Palmeiras were consequently crowned Libertadores champions for the second time in their history, with Abel Ferreira becoming just the third European coach to lead a team to glory…
Cristiano Ronaldo was destined to be one of the best footballers in the world from the outset, according to former Manchester United team-mate Louis Saha.
The pair crossed paths during Saha s four-year stint at Old Trafford between 2004 and 2008, just as Ronaldo burst onto the scene following his arrival from Sporting CP.
The Portugal captain would go on to score 118 times in 292 appearances for United before sensationally returning for a second spell last month.
Ronaldo hit the ground running with a brace against Newcastle United – the only team he has a Premier League hat-trick against – in his first game back at the club last weekend and was also on target in a 2-1 Champions League defeat at Young Boys on Tuesday.
Saha said he recognised Ronaldo…
Robin van Persie handed a UEFA Youth League debut to his son Shaqueel for Feyenoord on Tuesday.
Van Persie, the former Arsenal and Manchester United star, is now coaching Feyenoord s Under-18s team and the Under-19s team.
And while taking charge of the latter side in the Youth League, Van Persie handed his son Shaqueel his debut in the competition as a 56th-minute substitute against Atletico Madrid.
Van Persie junior could not help his father s team avoid defeat, however, with Iker Luque scoring the only goal of the game in the 81st minute.
1 Shaqueel van Persie made his debut today, 5 years and 104 days after his current manager and father Robin van Persie played his last European match for . Footsteps.
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan)
Shaqu…
Halloween is hiding just around the corner, but Week 7 of the season looks like Christmas morning for those who love betting on NFL underdogs: Just look at all those points!
The Week 7 odds board is bursting with big spreads — +17.5, +15, and +12.5 — with the average handicap just under a touchdown. But all big spreads are big for a reason: bad teams.
And boy howdy do we have some bad ones this year.
I’ve always had trouble trusting big dogs, knowing that you were asking a terrible team to be just a little less terrible in order to cover the spread. I’d rather put my faith in a competent contender, knowing that there’s a capacity for improvement rather than just not sucking as much.
So, I dodge the big do…