Wesley Sneijder has paid tribute to Bert van Marwijk following his dismissal as Netherlands coach.
The 60-year-old mutually agreed with the Dutch FA (KNVB) to terminate his contract following a disappointing Euro 2012 campaign in which the Netherlands finished bottom of Group B and failed to earn a point from any of their three games.
However, Sneijder was quick to defend van Marwijk, who had previously enjoyed great success with the national team, guiding them to the 2010 World Cup final, where they were eventually defeated by Spain.
After we dropped out of the Euros a lot of things were said. It s a shame that a decision has already been made, it s very fast, he told NOS.
Van Marwijk has been always very positive with this group of players. We all kn…
The French squad are fully behind under-scrutiny national coach Raymond Domenech ahead of this weekend s World Cup qualifier, William Gallas said on Wednesday.
Speaking from the team s training camp outside Paris, the Arsenal player gave the 56-year-old coach a ringing endorsement.
We are behind the coach. We have started with him and we will end with him, the defender told L Equipe.
He knows the pressure is on him now, and he needs results.
On Saturday Les Bleus face Romania in the third 2010 qualifier, in what is seen by many as a must-win match for Domenech, whose team sit second bottom of Group 7.
There have been renewed calls for Domenech to stand down since his side s catastrophic opening defeat at Austria, but a strong 2-1 win over S…
Andy Robertson dubbed Alisson s performance against Tottenham in the Champions League final an absolute joke as he marvelled at the Liverpool goalkeeper s string of superb saves.
The Brazil international was in fine form at the Wanda Metropolitano, keeping stinging shots from Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen out as Tottenham pressed for a way back into the game after Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool an early lead.
The 26-year-old goalkeeper did not have a shot to save in the first half as Spurs struggled to find their rhythm, but Robertson was grateful that Alisson remained alert when it mattered most as Jurgen Klopp s side claimed a 2-0 win.
He s the man, isn t he? Robertson told Liverpoolfc.com. He s the man.
It was an absolute joke the way he made the…
Daniel James is having his medical ahead of a transfer to Manchester United today (Thursday), according to .
As the 20-time English champions prepare for some serious squad surgery after a disappointing season, acquiring the Swansea winger is set to be the first step taken.
The Welshman made 33 Championship appearances for the Swans in 2018/19, scoring four goals and laying on seven assists. He was given his international debut during the season, by United legend Ryan Giggs, now Wales manager. His pace and alert presence in the box is expected to give a new dimension to the attacking threat of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s team.
The 21-year-old has already agreed personal terms with United, and the fee that Swansea are set to receive is a base of £15 million, plus £3…
Sunderland boss Paolo Di Canio has revealed he offered to resign after facing accusations of fascism just days into the job.
The Italian was appointed at the Stadium of Light in March after a poor run of form under Martin O Neill had led the Wearside outfit to the brink of the relegation zone.
However, the 44-year-old faced immediate scrutiny as MP David Miliband resigned from the club s board days later and cited Di Canio s political leanings as his reason for doing so.
A 2005 interview in which Di Canio declared himself a fascist, not a racist was repeatedly referenced in the aftermath of the former West Ham forward s arrival.
And he has now claimed that he offered to walk away from the role as a result.
I said to the directors, If I represent a problem, I will go away , he …
Manchester City s Jack Rodwell has been called up by England for the international matches against Republic of Ireland and Brazil.
The 22-year-old midfielder was added to his country s squad by manager Roy Hodgson on Monday as a potential replacement for Tom Cleverley.
Manchester United s Cleverley has not yet officially withdrawn from the friendly fixtures, but the English FA confirmed that he was doubtful for the double-header after he was substituted during his club s 5-5 draw with West Brom on Sunday.
Rodwell already has two England caps to his name, but he has not featured for his country since appearing in the 1-0 victory over Sweden in November 2011.
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Torino are set to play host to Lazio in the second round of the 2022/23 Serie A campaign on Saturday afternoon at the Olimico di Torino. It should be an interesting meeting of teams that started the season in a good way.
Torino FC
Always in the shadow of their great neighbours and city rivals Juventus, Torino finished in 10th place with 50 points last season, meaning they were comfortably distant from any relegation issues, but also on the other hand, from the battles for the places in the three European competitions. They will surely be aiming to do somewhat better this time around, and they got off to a fine start by beating Monza away by 1-2, courtesy of goals from Aleksei Miranchuk (43 ) and Antonio Sanabria (66 ). Lazio will surel…
Thomas Tuchel says Chelsea were clearly the better team in their 3-0 loss to Leeds, as the Blues suffered a first Premier League defeat of the season.
A howler from goalkeeper Edouard Mendy gifted Brenden Aaronson the opener for the Whites, with Rodrigo and Jack Harrison both adding further goals for a remarkable victory at Elland Road.
Chelsea struggled to exert sustained pressure upon their hosts, and a late second yellow card for Kalidou Koulibaly ensured they finished the game with 10 men.
Despite that, Tuchel believed his team to be superior across the match, instead suggesting their defeat came down to individual errors rather than a failed game-plan.
We lost the game in the first 20 minutes where we were clearly better and had huge chances, he …
Luis Enrique thanked Spain s squad, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the media after deciding to step down as La Roja coach.
It was confirmed on Wednesday that the former Barcelona boss would not be continuing with the national team, while Robert Moreno has taken over until the end of Euro 2020.
Moreno had been in charge for Spain s previous three matches, with Luis Enrique absent since March due to personal reasons.
And, in an emotional statement, the outgoing coach paid tribute to Spain s players, staff and the RFEF, as well as the Spanish press, with whom he has endured a difficult relationship in the past, for respecting his privacy and their understanding of his decision.
Sending you all of our love and respect, Luis
— FC…
Gennaro Gattuso has backed Torino forward Andrea Belotti to bounce back from a difficult season with club and country.
Belotti was one of the most highly sought after forwards in Europe after starring in Serie A with 26 goals last season, but he has struggled to repeat that form, netting only nine league goals this term and failing to fire Italy to the World Cup.
But ahead of going up against Belotti as AC Milan boss, Gattuso who briefly coached the forward at Palermo has highlighted his desire to improve as key in the years to come.
Two or three years ago, I said that he had impressed me the most since [AC Milan great Andriy] Shevchenko, but now he is going through a difficult time, Gattuso told a pre-match news conference.
When he is well, he has gre…