Month: April 2023

Marcus Rashford trained with his Manchester United team-mates on the eve of Thursday’s crunch Europa League quarter-final at Sevilla.

The 25-year-old pulled up holding his groin against Everton 11 days ago, with the club announcing he was expected to be out for a “few games”.

Rashford missed last week’s 2-2 first-leg draw with Sevilla and Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League win against Nottingham Forest, but there appears hope of him being involved in Thursday’s returning meeting in Spain.

The England forward trained with his United’s team-mates at Carrington on Wednesday morning, when Luke Shaw also worked with the main group after an issue of his own.

Fellow left-back Tyrell Malacia missed Sunday’s trip to Forest with a sore knee but also trained on Wednesday.

Marcel Sabitzer, who pulled out of the starting line-up at the City Ground after picking up an issue in the warm-up, also worked with the group, but Scott McTominay did not.

Bruno Fernandes is another out of Thursday’s match as he serves a one-match suspension at Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.

Lisandro Martinez and Donny van de Beek are out for the rest of the season, while Alejandro Garnacho and Raphael Varane remain side-lined.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel concedes his side need a miracle to overcome Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The German giants trail 3-0 on aggregate heading into the second leg of their last-eight tie at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

Tuchel believes his side are capable of turning the tie around but knows it is a tall order.

The former Chelsea manager said: “We need a wonder, a miracle.

“I don’t know if talking about a 4-0 or 5-1 is appropriate – you need to be realistic – but we believe in ourselves.
“It is the second leg. If we manage to play a good first half we can make it happen in the second. Everything is possible.

“It’s a huge mountain to climb and that’s why we need to believe in ourselves but we don’t want to be dreamers. Dreaming for me is always close to sleeping and you cannot sleep for one second.

“We need to believe and believing means we have it in our own hands to make things happen. We need to make it happen by team spirit and performance and energy.

“We are not alone, we can fight as a team and we have our spectators who will be ready to fight with us.”

City produced one of their greatest European performances and underlined their status as Champions League favourites in the first leg last week.

Six-time European champions Bayern had gone into the game with much anticipation but their capitulation led to recriminations and a dressing room bust-up between team-mates Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane.

It was reported that Sane was struck in the mouth by Mane and the former Liverpool forward was subsequently suspended for a weekend by the Bundesliga club.

City manager Pep Guardiola claimed this incident could galvanise and motivate the Bayern squad for the second game but Tuchel played down this possibility.

“I hoped we would use it against Hoffenheim but we obviously didn’t,” said Tuchel, whose side were held to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

“Now the case is already closed, the subject died. I don’t think this will give us a huge boost.”

Tuchel confirmed that striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was winning his fitness battle after a knee injury but was not sure if he was ready to start.

Crystal Palace have sacked manager Patrick Vieira after a run of one win in 14 Premier League games.

The Eagles are just three points above the relegation zone.

Palace chairman Steve Parish told the club website: “It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made.

“Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status.

“That said, Patrick’s impact since joining us in the summer of 2021 has been significant, and he is held in the highest regard by myself, and all of his colleagues.

“He led the team to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final and respectable 12th-placed finish last season playing some exciting football, which was a challenging and crucial campaign for the club given the changes we made to the squad prior to his arrival.”

Three members of Vieira’s coaching staff – Osian Roberts, Kristian Wilson and Said Aigoun – have also left Selhurst Park.

Parish added: “Patrick has given his all to the club, and we all thank him and his team for their service.

“We also wish Patrick, Osian, Kristian and Said the very best for their futures.”

Palace say the process to appoint a new manager is under way and they will provide an update in due course. Dean Kiely will remain as goalkeeping coach.

Former Palace striker Clinton Morrison criticised the decision to sack Vieira.

Morrison told Sky Sports: “Personally I don’t think it’s the right call.

“I know the run they’ve been on, terrible without a win since the new year, but I speak to a lot of people at Palace and there’s still been a lot of togetherness.

“That’s down to Patrick because when he comes into the building he’s got that aura about him.

“I know it’s a results-based business and it’s not been good enough.

“But, after Arsenal, the next five or six games are winnable and I would have stuck with him – and I’m not sure what manager is out there that will come in and turn it around.”

Tottenham have confirmed defender Emerson Royal will undergo surgery on his knee after he suffered an injury while on international duty with Brazil.

The full-back was injured during the closing stages of Brazil’s 2-1 defeat to Morocco on Saturday and is expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks, which could see him struggle to return before the end of the season.

A club statement read: “We can confirm that Emerson Royal suffered a meniscus injury to his left knee while on international duty with Brazil last week.

“The defender will undergo surgery before beginning his rehabilitation with our medical staff.”

It is the latest blow for Tottenham and their new acting head coach Cristian Stellini, who was promoted from assistant on Sunday night following the departure of long-term confidant Antonio Conte by mutual consent.

Both Ben Davies and Richarlison suffered muscle problems in the dramatic 3-3 draw at Southampton on March 18 and the Wales defender has been ruled out until May with a hamstring issue.

Richarlison’s injury is not as severe, but he will miss out on an emotional Goodison Park return for the next Premier League game at Everton on April 3 and target being back in action later in the month.

Wing-back Ryan Sessegnon is another on the treatment table and close to being fit but the Everton clash will come too soon.

Captain Hugo Lloris, though, could be in contention for Tottenham’s first match since Conte’s exit after he featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Ipswich last week following a knee injury.

Republic of Ireland footballer James McClean has revealed he has received an autism diagnosis.

He shared the news in a post on Instagram, where he said he has very similar traits to his daughter Willow Ivy, who was diagnosed with autism four years ago.

The winger says he was assessed to make sure Willow knows there’s no reason it should ever hold her back from reaching her goals.

“As you all know, my daughter Willow-Ivy is autistic,” he wrote on Instagram.

“The last four years have been life changing in the most amazing way but also very difficult at times as her daddy watching her overcome so many obstacles in her life and learning how to manage the challenges she faces on a daily basis.

“The more Erin and I learned about autism the more we began to recognise I was very similar to Willow in more ways than we thought.

“I see so many small traits in her that I see in myself. So I decided to go and get an ASD assessment.

“It’s been a bit of a journey and now having a diagnosis I feel it’s time to share it, for the week that’s in it.

“I have debated for a while going public in sharing this as I’ve done this for Willow-Ivy, to let her know that I understand and that being autistic won’t and should never hold her back from reaching her goals and dreams.

“Daddy’s girl.”

Wales continued their promising start to Euro 2024 qualifying with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Latvia in Cardiff.

Kieffer Moore’s first-half header, his 10th international goal, secured Wales a precious victory to make it four points from their opening two games.

Wales had numerous chances to make their evening more comfortable against opponents ranked among the lowest in Europe.

But Wales boss Rob Page will be delighted with what many will consider an above-par start ahead of June qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey.

Wales were on a high after Nathan Broadhead’s stoppage-time equaliser had given them a 1-1 draw in their opening qualifier away to Croatia.

But Wales’ recent record made grim reading: only two wins in 14 games with their last victory being the World Cup play-off final success against Ukraine in June.

With Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson again ruled out by injury, Page named the same side that had stunned the World Cup semi-finalists in Split.

Latvia were a far different proposition to the one Wales had met on Saturday, 133rd in the FIFA world rankings and 105 places below the Dragons who also had the advantage of a sell-out Cardiff City Stadium behind them.

The capacity crowd of 32,806 paid homage to Gareth Bale, who ended his glittering career in January as the team’s most-capped player and record goalscorer, before kick-off.

Bale was honoured with a pitchside presentation and was clearly emotional as he addressed the supporters, thanking them for being able to play in front of the “best fans in the world”.

The former Real Madrid star and Wales captain barely had time to take his seat before Daniel James sprinted past Roberts Savalnieks down the left.

Moore let his cross run to Wilson and goalkeeper Pavels Steinbors blocked well with his legs to deny Wales the perfect start.

Wilson was sharp down Wales’ right, despite his lack of game time at Fulham, but Latvia defended deep and kept the hosts at arm’s length.

Latvia also had a useful focal point in 6ft 5in forward Roberts Uldrikis and were a nuisance at corners, Danny Ward first denying Marcis Oss with a sprawling save before Kristers Tobers headed over.

Vladislavs Gutkovskis’ flick also had Ward scrambling across goal, but Wales – with skipper Aaron Ramsey operating in a deeper playmaking role – gradually began to sustain pressure and fashion attempts.

Moore flashed wide from 25 yards and Neco Williams and Ethan Ampadu were also off target from distance with well-struck efforts.

The goal Wales craved arrived four minutes before half-time when Ramsey and James combined cleverly.

James located Moore at the far post and the Bournemouth forward sent a thumping header past Steinbors and inside his post.

Wilson tested Steinbors and the goalkeeper produced an even better save moments after the interval to tip Williams’ ferocious drive onto the crossbar.

Steinbors stood tall again to foil Wilson, but Ward stuck out a foot at the other end to stop Gutkovskis from equalising after the striker had done well to twist his way past Joe Rodon.

Latvia applied late pressure and anxiety for the home fans, but Wales held on for their first win in 10 games.

Super Scott McTominay was again the two-goal hero as Scotland stunned Spain with a sensational 2-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win at a delirious Hampden Park.

The Manchester United midfielder, who climbed off the bench to score twice to clinch the 3-0 home win against Cyprus on Saturday, struck again after seven minutes to shock the Spanish side, and probably the Tartan Army too.

Angus Gunn’s goal survived a few scares in the first half as the Spanish reacted fiercely but McTominay grabbed a second six minutes after the restart to take Steve Clarke’s men top of Group A with six points from six.

It was a sobering evening for Luis de la Fuente, in his second game as Spain boss following the 3-0 win over Norway at the weekend.

However, it was a momentous result for Scotland – Spain last lost to the Scots in 1984 at Hampden Park – and it was helped further by the 1-1 draw between Norway and Georgia – June’s opponents – earlier in the day.

But what an occasion in Mount Florida.

Clarke had called for patience against the section’s top seeds and in looking for a positive result he made three changes with McTominay, fellow midfielder Ryan Christie and striker Lyndon Dykes coming in, the latter for the injured Che Adams.

By contrast, De la Fuente, who took over from Luis Enrique after a decade with Spain’s youth team, only kept three from the weekend.

Keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, captain Rodri and midfield team-mate Mikel Merino kept their places with a first start for 33-year-old Espanyol striker Joselu, who grabbed a double against the Norwegians after making his debut off the bench.

The visitors, with just five defeats in their last 68 Euro qualifying games, were odds-on to leave Glasgow with three points but now find themselves with work to do.

Tottenham defender Pedro Porro looked in control of the ball close to the byline but slipped allowing Scotland captain Andy Robertson to cut the ball back for McTominay whose first-time finish ended up behind Kepa.

Spain were stung into a strident reply but left gaps and in the 15th minute Christie’s 50-yard run towards goal ended with him toe-poking a shot from the edge of the box just past the post.

Five minutes later, Gunn was called into action for the first time, saving a close-range header from Joselu who soon afterwards thumped a header against the bar from six yards in what was another let-off for Clarke’s side.

Robertson was booked for a barge on Porro, who seemed to make the most of the incident which enraged the home fans, before Rodri rose high to head a corner on to the roof of the net.

Gunn then made a fantastic fingertip save from Porro’s long-range drive and Yeremy Pino fired over following the corner, albeit Dykes lifed a shot over the bar just before the interval following a breakaway.

Hampden exploded in joy again early in the second half when left-back Kieran Tierney’s cross was half cleared to McTominay who swiftly returned the ball from 16 yards into the Spain net.

Midfielder John McGinn then struck the Spain bar with a free-kick from distance as the Tartan Army began to contemplate a famous victory.

Spain kept pushing and Scotland strained every sinew to keep them out.

In the 75th minute Kenny McLean and Liam Cooper came on to help Scotland withstand more pressure with Nathan Patterson, Lewis Ferguson and Lawrence Shankland also called upon to bolster the battling Scots, and after six added minutes the national stadium, witness to a remarkable night, roared at the final whistle.

Heung-Min Son said he was sorry to see Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte leave the club and feels responsible for the Italian’s exit after failing to replicate his excellent form from the previous campaign.

The 30-year-old finished as the joint-top scorer in the Premier League with 23 goals to help Spurs finish fourth under Conte last season, but the South Korea forward has scored only six times in the league so far.

Tottenham parted ways with Conte on Sunday, eight days after he called his players “selfish” following a 3-3 draw at Southampton.

“As a player, I am really sorry. He’s a world-class coach, and we had a great journey together,” Son said after South Korea’s 2-1 friendly loss to Uruguay in Seoul on Tuesday.

“I should have played better. I feel responsible for his departure, because I haven’t helped the club all that much.

“I am grateful for what he’s done. He’s such a great coach and has so much experience. I will be rooting for him.”

Dean Smith says he can keep Leicester in the Premier League after being appointed as manager until the end of the season.

Former Aston Villa boss Smith, who has been out of work since leaving Norwich earlier this season, will oversee the final eight games of the campaign following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers last week.

The Foxes have lost both games since Rodgers left, leaving them second-bottom and in real danger of dropping into the second tier.

They turned to the 52-year-old having seen a move for former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch collapse over the weekend and Smith will be assisted by Craig Shakespeare and John Terry.

Smith, who will take training for the first time on Tuesday ahead of the weekend visit to Manchester City, said: “I’m really happy to have the opportunity to lead the team during these final weeks of the season.

“The challenge in front of us is clear, but it’s one myself and my coaching team have experienced before and, with the quality in this squad and the number of games remaining, it’s very much achievable.

“Our first job is to rebuild confidence and instil belief in the team and I’m looking forward to getting to work with the players this week.

“If it was something that I thought was unsurmountable, I wouldn’t have come – and Shakey and JT wouldn’t have come also.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge, but we know it’s going to be tough.

“We’ll be putting demands on the players and on ourselves. We’ll be spending every minute of every day making sure we work hard to keep this football club in the Premier League.”

Smith was able to keep Villa up in their first season back in the Premier League and did so in similar circumstances over a short period of time, when the 2019/20 season resumed after the coronavirus lockdown.

And chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha is hoping for something similar.

He said: “His leadership, coaching and motivational qualities will be vital assets for us in the coming eight games as we fight to secure our Premier League status.

“We’ve endured a challenging season, but I have no doubt that we have the quality in our squad to win this fight.

“Dean’s experience will be key to unlocking that potential, helping the team rediscover its confidence and channelling the support of our fans, who will be so important during these final eight games.”

Smith and Shakespeare worked together at Carrow Road and Villa, while Shakespeare had a brief spell as manager at the King Power Stadium in 2017, having been assistant to Claudio Ranieri when the Foxes won a stunning Premier League title in 2016.

Terry was part of Smith’s backroom staff at Villa.

Barcelona were underwhelming in response to their Copa Del Rey humiliation against Real Madrid as they were held to a goalless draw at home to Girona.

Barca were thumped 4-0 at the Camp Nou by their biggest rivals in midweek and they again drew a blank in Monday’s LaLiga clash.

They missed a number of late chances to break the deadlock, but still extend their lead at the top of the table to 13 points and it would take something special to stop a 27th league title.

Robert Lewandowski was at the centre of Barca’s best chances as he was hesitant in a good position, which saw him tackled before shooting, while he had a backheel deflected wide late on.

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paolo Gazzaniga put in an assured display for the visitors, with his best moment coming when he denied Gavi with a fine reflex save.