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Welcome back to Stick to Football, brought to you by ARNE. Paul Scholes joins Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Ian Wright as the team tackle the biggest talking points in football. Following Liverpool’s Champions League exit and Manchester United’s first loss under Michael Carrick, the panel assess where things went wrong. What can Carrick learn, and does PSG defeat sum up Liverpool’s disappointing season? The focus then shifts to the title race, with Wrighty losing faith in Arsenal ahead of a huge trip to the Etihad. Is this the title decider? Sports psychologist Dan Abrahams joins the show to break down Arsenal’s struggles, before the panel make their Super 6 predictions and call the title race run-in. What are your predictions for Sunday’s showdown? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe so you never miss an episode. 00:00- Intro 07:33- Lisandro Martinez red card 18:42- Liverpool Rebuild Questions 23:22- Rory McIlroy Masters victory 27:22- Arsenal Title Nerves 46:27- Declan Rice 53:25- PL Companion by Microsoft Copilot 57:30- Dan Abrahams on mentality in football 01:10:36- Title Run In Predictions 01:23:15- Super 6 01:31:54- Spurs Relegation Debate 01:38:44- Community Questions This episode is sponsored by Microsoft Copilot as part of their partnership with the Premier League. This episode is sponsored by Huel. Gary Neville and the Stick to Football team know - when your day’s full-on, you need fuel that’s fast and actually good for you. Huel is the ultimate meal on the go - high protein, packed with 26 essential vitamins & minerals, and ready in seconds. 🏆 Exclusive for The Overlap listeners: Get your first Huel with a special discount AND a free gift. That goes for all of their range, including Huel Lite! 👉 Claim Your Offer Now – and see why millions have made the switch. Go to https://huel.com/theoverlap This episode is sponsored by Heineken. Enjoy Heineken responsibly. Heineken contains 5% ABV. Heineken 0.0 contains no more than 0.05% ABV. For the facts about alcohol, visit https://wwww.bedrinkaware.co.uk This episode is sponsored by Sky Bet’s Super 6. Visit super6.skysports.com for your chance to win. Terms and conditions apply: https://super6.skysports.com/terms Stick to Football is brought to you by our partners ARNE clothing https://arneclo.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Big questions lie ahead for Real Madrid following their defeat to Bayern Munich in an instant UCL classic.

Former U.S. men's national team player Dax McCarty joined "First Things First" to discuss the USA ahead of the World Cup.

Argentine youth developer Facundo Alvanezzi discusses his 11 years at FC Basel, his role in shaping stars like Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, and why fostering "hunger" and embracing mistakes is the secret to producing elite talent. Alongside the technological leaps of the 21st century, soccer has evolved through the implementation of new instruments and methodologies embraced by clubs across all levels of the game. Yet technology alone does not always translate into better players or better human beings. World Soccer Talk had the opportunity to sit down with Argentine youth developer Facundo Alvanezzi, who spent 11 years at Swiss club FC Basel between 2008 and 2019. Having trained in South America and studied the methods of some of Europe’s most renowned clubs, including FC Barcelona, AC Milan and Bayern Munich, Alvanezzi applied his knowledge to help produce elite talents such as Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabian Schär, among others. A former professional player in Argentina who also played in Italy, Alvanezzi began his coaching career at Aldosivi before departing for Basel in 2008. Moving from scheduled training sessions with limited soccer balls, “compensated by the amount of talent,” to an environment where every youth team trained on a heated pitch, had balls for every player, full kits and access to psychologists, nutritionists and other health professionals represented a dramatic shift in perspective. FC Basel and a commitment to youth development Already proficient in Italian from his playing days, Alvanezzi still had to immerse himself in the cultural and linguistic demands of his new environment, all in service of what he considers the cornerstone of his work: communication. In a single training session, he might move between Italian, French, and German while coordinating multiple groups of young players across state-of-the-art facilities designed to maximize their development. FC Basel’s U-14 squad. “A club like Basel worked with all 14 or 15 age groups all at the same time. The First Division had its own separate pitch. But for everything related to the youth levels from U21 down, everyone had their own respective pitch. Even the littlest ones, the 5 and 6-year-olds, had their own synthetic fields with dimensions suited for 5 or 6-year-olds. Just to give you an idea—no time was wasted there. In other words, time is utilized in a way that enriches you instead of being a deficit that hinders the development of future players.“ Alvanezzi then put into context the remarkable achievement of a small nation punching well above its weight. “You can’t forget that Switzerland has a population of between 6 and 7 million inhabitants, so the emerging talent back then was very scarce. They did an extraordinary market study so that today they have 17, 18, 19, and 20-year-olds—which didn’t happen before—playing and qualified for the next World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada. So, basically, everything related to infrastructure and planning… whether you like it or not, having that entire grid set up allowed me—as someone passionate about football who loves being on the pitch—to work peacefully. I knew I had my designated pitch to work with the U15s, the U16s, the U17s,” he added. The role of a youth developer and the cultivation of talent A fluent Spanish speaker, Alvanezzi describes himself as a “formador de juveniles,” a youth developer rather than a coach, drawing a sharp distinction between the two roles: “The developer (formador) teaches and builds; they earn very little, if anything at all. In terms of titles—U14s, U15s, the Reserves… I don’t care about those. The coach (entrenador) is there to train, to play, to compete, to get points, to win a domestic league, a Libertadores, a Euros, a Champions League, or a World Cup. They are two completely different things. That’s why there aren’t many coaches developing players, and there aren’t many developers coaching elite teams.“ Another key principle in his approach is trusting the creative instincts of young players rather than issuing directives, recognizing that the youth phase is when information can have the most profound impact. He pairs this with a cosmopolitan perspective while never abandoning his own core beliefs. Facundo Alvanezzi on the touchline. “In other words: at no point do I impose. I don’t impose knowledge, authority, or didactics—nothing. I seduce. Those are two completely different things. And I try to seduce through knowledge. Because when you have knowledge, you can ‘disarm’ the player; when you explain the how, the when, the where, and the why. Of course, when I go somewhere else, I adapt, but I cannot renounce my genes.“ When he arrived in Switzerland, Alvanezzi found himself surrounded by cutting-edge technology, GPS tracking and gym equipment, yet he remains committed to the idea of developing players “with a ball.” “In player development, I adapted to the systems, but with my own imprint. I carry the Argentine imprint everywhere. It’s this: I watch a player—how he walks—a 5-year-old, a 10, 15, or 20-year-old. I watch him walk. I throw him a ball. I watch him make a couple of touches—juggling in the air, a change of direction. And right then, I realize what that footballer might be capable of. Or not,” he explained. The value of mistakes in youth development Elite clubs increasingly measure the success of their youth teams by silverware, mirroring the pressure placed on the first team. But for Alvanezzi, perfection is not the goal. Forcing young players into rigid systems, he argues, sends them to the first team with significant blind spots, and he views the ability to make mistakes as one of the most valuable learning tools available. “Here are players I can ask to play a football of possession and position. And then there are footballers to whom I have to say, ‘You: control the ball, don’t carry it, and pass it to a teammate.’ Meanwhile, for another player—because I go against the establishment and the system—,” Alvanezzi said. “I believe one of the virtues I have in this vocation of developing players is that I value the error. From the error, I create the virtue of the success. In the context of teaching, I don’t criticize the player; I seduce him. ‘But what if I struggle, I lose the ball, it’s hard for me, and they score on us?’ And what’s the problem? I don’t want my trophies and medals hanging in my house. What good are they to me? If, in the end, I didn’t get any player to move up to the First Division. If I didn’t develop a single player for the first team,” he added. Alvanezzi, who says he has not a single medal or trophy displayed in his home, considers the players he has helped reach the elite level to be his true honors: “Now, my ‘medals’ are an average of 45 to 50 players who reached the top level. Especially at Basel. We had a coach like Thorsten Fink, who helped us a lot and used to play for Bayern Munich. He helped us bring up kids at 16 or 17 years old. I had the pleasure of training players like Yann Sommer, Granit Xhaka, Shaqiri, Breel Embolo, Noah Okafor, Fabian Schär , Eray Cömert, Neftali Manzambi, Raoul Petretta, Cedric Itten—an immense number of players. Those are the medals one gets to hang up.“ He then stressed that the developer’s job demands patience and an embrace of the mistake. “They need to learn to play with the right foot, with the left foot, and have a lot of contact with the ball. When I arrived at Basel and asked for—for example, the squads there are 18 players—I asked for no less than one ball per player. At first, they just looked at me. ‘Why one ball per player?’ Because, what did I achieve over the years? That in an hour and a half, the players went from an average of 200 touches in a standard session… once I integrated the technical and game-based training, that multiplied to 1,400 daily touches with the ball. The more touches you have, the more you polish the errors.“ In an environment dominated by innovation, Alvanezzi believes the fundamentals are often left behind, and his street soccer mentality changed the culture at Basel. “In Europe, ‘soccer practice’ (11v11) doesn’t exist. From Monday to Friday, it’s all small-sided games. Everything. So when I got to Basel, imagine the resistance from the other coaches. They told me, ‘No, Facundo, you’re crazy. The players will get injured; we don’t do that here; everything is small-sided.’ “And I told them, ‘The 11v11 is the symptom for Saturday or Sunday; it’s how you know which player you can count on and which one you can’t. You might think you can count on someone, but on a full pitch, it becomes too big for them, and they become completely disorganized. We need a parameter.’ Well, I implemented it at Basel until it became their own ‘modus operandi’ that on Thursdays, we did the 11v11 practice. The teams started improving exponentially because they were finally playing football not in a 20×20 or 30×30 space, but in 100×65—which is where real football is played,” he added. ‘Hunger’: the defining trait of the players who made it Among the many stars Alvanezzi has helped develop, a common thread runs through the backstories of those who reached the highest level: adversity. Both Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka were born and raised in a disintegrating Yugoslavia amid violence before finding asylum in Switzerland. Breel Embolo‘s path was similar, leaving Cameroon with his family before settling in France and eventually Switzerland. That contrast between their upbringing and those of more comfortable peers is precisely what Alvanezzi calls “hunger,” the spark that gave them a decisive edge. “From an early age, when you watch them train—unlike the vast majority of Swiss youth developers who never experienced need—these were kids of struggle. They are born, raised, and developed out of hardship. So, the only possibility they had to emerge—unlike other great Swiss talents I had at Basel who didn’t make it—they weren’t going to make it because they lacked that ‘hunger.’ That potentiality of saying, ‘Through soccer, I am going to help my family; I am going to emerge; I am going to be somebody.‘” Alvanezzi then reflected on the social realities that shaped Xhaka, Shaqiri and Embolo. “They lacked even the most basic conditions in an elite, first-world country. They were segregated because they weren’t Swiss. They are three starters for the Swiss national team who have played in World Cups, but Breel is from Cameroon, and the other two are Kosovar. When society wasn’t integrating them, but they were useful to the national team football-wise, they nationalized them.“ Alvanezzi with Neftali Manzambi, Breel Embolo, and Charles Pickel. He then illustrated how that hunger translates into a measurable competitive advantage. “Genetically, all of that plays in their favor, 80 or 90% more than the well-off Swiss player… That “plus” works in your favor. While they came to training on foot or by tram, the vast majority of players of Swiss origin came every day with their fathers in a different car—a Mercedes-Benz, a Porsche… That factor of having nothing missing ends up working against you. Since you have everything, what am I going to be ambitious about? Playing in a World Cup? I’m not interested. Reaching the first team? If I make it, I make it, and if I don’t, I still have everything,” he stated. A memorable trip to South Africa In 2010, following the World Cup in South Africa, Alvanezzi traveled to the country for fifteen days representing the Swiss U15 national team with Basel at the Danone Nations Cup, competing against teams from Japan, Argentina, China, England, Italy and others. What left the deepest impression on him, however, was not the competition itself but the cultural awakening it triggered among his Swiss players and the youth developers around them. “They didn’t know what it was like for a kid not to have a cell phone, or to walk around barefoot. They couldn’t understand why colored people sat at one table and white people at another because of the legacy of apartheid. All the Swiss kids traveled with the latest cell phones. They would leave half of their plates full of food. And 50 meters away, at the fence in a gated area of the complex, local kids would come to beg for food,” he recalled. FC Basel youth squad in 2010 Danone Cup. “Along with several other Latino coaches, I would gather the leftover food and give it to them. It reached the point where FIFA was going to fine me, because they said I wasn’t allowed to feed the people. And I told them: ‘Why not? It’s the most important thing; they’re hungry. The only one who understood it on that trip was Breel Embolo,” Alvanezzi added. Talent, mentality and the cohesion of a group One of the most enduring debates in sports is whether the right mentality can outshine raw talent through sheer hard work, or whether that notion is simply wishful thinking. For Alvanezzi, the two qualities are not in competition but are complementary, with every player on a team assigned a specific purpose that allows both to coexist. Using the contrasting examples of Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki, one a physical force of nature, the other a pure embodiment of technical brilliance, he illustrates how different profiles can coexist within the same system “They are complementary and different at the same time. You can link this to the aspect of mental construction. Mentality is also something you develop. If I convince you that in three years you have to improve your heading or your left foot, and you end up doing it in a match to stop a counter-attack… that is mentality,” Alvanezzi stated. “When you see Haaland playing with his back to the goal, he looks like an average player; put him facing the goal, and he’s an animal. He hides his deficit in back-to-goal play—and tries to do it as little as possible—but he has an above-average mentality that allows him to fail ten times and try again. Cherki, on the other hand, relies entirely on his talent. He has a different mentality, but he understood that to stay at the elite level, he must not interpret that (reliance on talent) as a fragility,” he added. While Alvanezzi acknowledged that mental strength is partly something “you bring it with you, but you can also incorporate it,” he was equally quick to point out that he has seen players with extraordinary talent but no capacity for hard work, and others with far less natural ability but the psychological resilience to make it to the top. Bridging that gap, he argues, is just as much the developer’s responsibility as any technical instruction. “Mental construction is also developed. If I talk to you and try to seduce and convince you of your errors with respect, you will be more receptive. Today, kids are given 20 hours of leisure time outside of training, and we don’t teach them how to think. But to develop players, you must be emotionally well-constituted and rationally grounded. If you aren’t vocational and emotional, you cannot develop players; you should do something else.“ Beyond individual qualities, Alvanezzi insists that everything must be considered through the lens of the collective, where a single weak link can unravel even the most talented group: “The developer has to work with a clear idea and a common goal. The ‘mind’ of the team, 90% of the time, has to be uniform. If it isn’t uniform, the group disintegrates, no matter how much talent you have.“ “If mentally you are thinking ‘white’ and I am thinking ‘black,’ and we have to play with a red ball, but neither of us wants to yield, it means we aren’t complementary. Individualism and egocentrism generate a very large negative impact. We all row to reach the shore and save ourselves; it can’t be that one rows right and another rows left, leaving us in the high seas until a wave drowns us,” Alvanezzi concluded. Stress: the invisible enemy of athletes As in any high-performance discipline, stress management has become one of the defining challenges in modern soccer, a sport that has seen its fixture calendar grow to near-unsustainable levels. “Players today have an enormous match load. They play 80, 90, 100 matches a year. In my era, that didn’t exist. And that carries an enormous physical, mental, and psychological toll, which is one of the many reasons why footballers get injured. Everything is connected. And if the head isn’t right, the body will never be right,” Alvanezzi stated. Xherdan Shaqiri of Basel (Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images). With stress affecting muscles, tendons and bones alike, conventional metrics like GPS data and weight measurements become meaningless when the mental aspect is ignored, he argues. “A player will always tell you they are at 100%. I liked, and I still like, for the player to train at 50% or 60%. If a kid trains at 100% five days a week and then tries to play at 200% on the weekend, they end up getting hurt. Sooner or later. It’s a universal law.“ These pressures are not confined to the professional game, extending deep into the youth system as well. “Let’s take away the weights, take away the GPS, work more on the mental side, and talk to the footballer. When a footballer tells you they want to stay 60 minutes longer after training… ‘No. Go home. Rest. Eat well. Take a nap. Look after yourself. Read, watch a movie. Relax. Do yoga. Meditate.’ But for all of that, you have to talk, and you have to be prepared,” he stated. Alvanezzi also addressed the lack of preventive awareness he has observed at the youth level: “That’s why I like it when a player comes and tells me: ‘This and that is happening to me.’ ‘Don’t worry. You’re not playing this match; you’re going to train at 50%.’ I’d rather give you two weeks of rest than have it be six months of forced leave due to a ligament tear. Today, there is no prevention because we, the developers, aren’t prepared to prevent; we are competitive, egocentric beings who want to win everything, forgetting that we don’t play anymore.“ U.S. soccer and MLS evolution: the legacy of 1994 Through friends living and working in the United States, and despite acknowledging that his English is far from perfect, Alvanezzi has been able to witness a genuine transformation in the country’s soccer culture, one he traces directly back to the 1994 World Cup, when MLS was widely seen as nothing more than a retirement league. That perception, he says, has been thoroughly dismantled. “Today, football in the US—I’m not saying it competes head-to-head with baseball, basketball, or ice hockey—but it has gained a very prominent position. It’s no coincidence that Lionel Messi, the most emblematic figure in world football today, is playing in MLS. Players who before, as you said, came perhaps for a final retirement to spend their last seasons in a low-caliber competition, find it’s a different world now. It has grown so much that renowned players prefer to come to MLS rather than go to a country in the Middle East or Asia.“ While acknowledging that MLS remains a league in the midst of its evolution, Alvanezzi offered a measured timeline for when it could fully establish itself at the highest level. “The evolution in terms of the training and qualification of the coaches and developers is very good. I have excellent references. Like any expanding football in a developmental stage, I think it will take them another 5 to 10 years to consolidate. It usually takes 10 to 15 years for a major league to stabilize and reach an international competitive level. They are currently in that developmental process from every point of view,” he stated. The influence of Latinos in U.S. soccer Once considered a secondary destination for professional development, the United States has transformed into a country that offers genuine, high-level opportunities for coaches and developers alike. That growth has been driven in part by soccer’s surging popularity, the influence of the Latino community, and high-profile figures like Lionel Messi and David Beckham, who have brought the sport to new audiences across the country. Lionel Messi greets David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami CF (Elsa/Getty Images). “There are many Latinos and Argentines working in development at important clubs and academies. It is expanding in a very interesting way. They take the culture they don’t have—they are very pragmatic in that sense. Whatever they lack, they acquire it. Don’t ask me how, but they go after it. If they don’t have a qualified scientist, they go find one in Germany, Norway, or Sweden and bring them to their country to make it evolve. They do exactly the same with soccer.“ For youth coaches specifically, the shift in available resources has been nothing short of transformative. “They start from the foundation: youth development. And because of their immense purchasing power as a nation, they can leverage incredible infrastructure. Being in an academy there—even one not affiliated with a famous MLS club—means having 4, 5, or 6 pitches to train on. They have indoor gyms for “fast football” when the weather is bad. Material in abundance. For a developer like me, who dealt with hardships starting out in Argentina—not in terms of talent, but in terms of equipment and structure—imagine what that solves.“

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has taken the extraordinary step of consulting the country's president, Lula, over whether Neymar should be included in the squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Real Madrid are set for a trophyless season, after they were dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday. They are nine points adrift of Barcelona in the La Liga title race, meaning that it could be a second dismal campaign in a row for the Bernabeu club. In the lead-up to […] The post Real Madrid ready to cut ties with Alvaro Arbeloa after Champions League exit appeared first on Football España.

Real Madrid were knocked out of the 2025-26 Champions League in controversial circumstances on Wednesday. Bayern Munich won 4-3 on the night to ensure a 6-4 aggregate success, but that came about after two late goals – which came after Eduardo Camavinga was shown a controversial red card. Camavinga was booked on 78 minutes, and […] The post Alvaro Arbeloa blasts referee as Real Madrid exit Champions League – “He ruined a beautiful tie” appeared first on Football España.

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal's progression to the Champions League semi-finals can act as a massive boost for his side's pivotal top-of-the-table Premier League clash against Manchester City.

Arsenal secured their place in the Champions League semi-finals for the second consecutive year following a tense, albeit uninspiring, 0-0 draw against Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night. The Gunners progressed 1-0 on aggregate thanks to Kai Havertz’s late heroics in the first leg, but the performance in North London left many […] The post “Who cares what people think” – Arsenal star Declan Rice fires back at critics after 0-0 draw vs Sporting appeared first on CaughtOffside.

ISAAN KHAN AT THE EMIRATES: Arsenal reached the Champions League semi-finals for the second successive year as they beat Sporting Lisbon 1-0 on aggregate.

Leeds United continue to pull further away from the relegation zone. They recently picked up a massive result that silenced the critics, beating Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford. This win marks the first time the Whites have won at the Theatre of Dreams since 1981, giving them a huge boost in their fight to […] The post 27-Year-Old Leeds United Player’s Agent Backed To Push For A Coventry City Move: Long-Term Deal Needed? appeared first on The 4th Official - A view from the sideline.

Oliver Glasner has revealed he would be open to managing in Serie A in the...

Jonathan David has faced considerable scrutiny this season, largely due to his relatively low goal output, which has often… The post Juventus star says they are the “most scrutinized club in Italy” appeared first on Juvefc.com.

In a recent report, AS stated that Manchester United are facing stiff competition for Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio. It has been mentioned that the Red Devils would have to rival Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona in the race to land the Portuguese talent this summer. Inacio’s Impressive Form In Portuguese Football Inacio has […] The post Manchester United Are Facing Stiff Competition For This Talented Defender: Is He Worth The Fight? appeared first on The 4th Official - A view from the sideline.

BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has suggested that Arsenal star William Saliba is no longer performing at the world-class level that saw him dubbed the rock of Mikel Arteta’s backline. The comments were made during a tense Champions League quarter-final second leg against Sporting CP. Sutton argued that the individual aura and reliability of the […] The post Chris Sutton singles out Arsenal star with brutal ‘not the same player’ verdict appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Jonathan Rowe has insisted Bologna were unfortunate in the first leg defeat and is backing...

The mood around Ibrox has changed completely as the Scottish Premiership moves into the final phase this April. Following a messy start to the season, Danny Rohl has tightened things up for the Rangers, giving the squad a much clearer sense of direction on the pitch. You can see that shift in the recent scorelines, […] The post Rangers Are Bracing Up For Offers For 12 G/A Player: Can The Gers Justify Keeping Their Star? appeared first on The 4th Official - A view from the sideline.

German-Ghanaian striker Ragnar Ache is enjoying the most stable spell of his career at FC Koln, turning a difficult start to the season into an impressive success story.After an up-and-down first half of the campaign and repeated physical setbacks, the 27-year-old is now fully fit and repaying the club’s faith with standout performances.When he arrived from Kaiserslautern, where he scored 18 goals but struggled with injuries, Koln handled him carefully and focused on building his fitness step by step. Looking back, Ache believes that approach was key to his current form, admitting that throwing him straight into constant action “would not have been smart.” Now he is a guaranteed starter, having made eleven consecutive starts and becoming a central figure in the team’s attack.His numbers underline that impact: one goal before the winter break has turned into six league goals in the second half of the season, plus a total of eight goals and six assists in all competitions. Ache still insists others can handle “the spectacular things,” but his hard work, pressing, and link-up play have made him indispensable as Koln push toward a strong finish.

In a recent report, Fichajes mentioned that Liverpool are set to rival Real Madrid for Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck. It has been revealed that the Reds have set their sights on the German centre-back ahead of a potential move for him this summer. Schlotterbeck’s Impressive Form In German Football Schlotterbeck has enjoyed a good […] The post Liverpool Are Set To Rival Real Madrid For This Borussia Dortmund Defender: Good Choice For Slot? appeared first on The 4th Official - A view from the sideline.

Qualifying for the Champions League league phase requires significant investment, but the financial rewards far outweigh the initial costs,… The post How much Juventus stand to gain from Champions League qualification appeared first on Juvefc.com.

Aston Villa currently sit in a strong fourth place in the Premier League as the 2025/26 season enters its final phase. Unai Emery has turned the team into a real threat to the traditional big six, shown by their recent 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest and a solid 3-1 win over Bologna in the Europa […] The post Aston Villa Make A U-Turn Regarding 29-Year-Old’s Future: Why They Must Prioritise His Extension? appeared first on The 4th Official - A view from the sideline.

Oh how Spurs could do with Heung-min Son this season...

Paolo Vanoli has called on his Fiorentina players to cast aside inhibition and play with...

Morten Hjulmand has been linked with a move to the Premier League in recent months, and Manchester United are on him. According to a football insider, Manchester United are leading the race for the 26-year-old Danish international midfielder, despite links with Manchester City. The report further claims that the player is pushing for a move […] The post Man United leading race for €80m Man City-linked star as player pushes for move appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Gerald Asamoah has waded into the argument of courting foreign-born players into the Black Stars. With less than two months left to start the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Ghanaians have been left divided over the potential inclusion of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Eddie Nketiah to the Black Stars for the tournament.Although both players and some in the diaspora are yet to show interest in playing for Ghana, it is reported that the FA has engaged a couple of them.In recent times, Derrick Kohn and Patric Pffeifer switched nationalities to play for the Black Stars.And according to Asamoah, the process could become easier for the FA if they move to these players at a younger age.“We are waiting to see Kevin Prince Boateng here, and we go for him or Hudson-Odoi, and they say no we don't want to come because they didn't see how Ghanaians fought for them when they were young,” Asamoah told 3 Sports.“The British people did everything for them, and now they are done. They are now good players, and we want them. You need to start in the youth teams. You need to go there.“You don't need to go out. You...

Goncalo Inacio has been linked with a move to the Premier League in recent months. The 24-year-old Portuguese defender has done quite well for club and country, and multiple clubs are monitoring his situation. According to Edu Burgos, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United are interested in signing the Sporting CP defender. He has consistently shown […] The post Chelsea, Liverpool & Man United circle for €60m-rated versatile defender appeared first on CaughtOffside.

1. FC Köln President Jörn Stobbe has confirmed that the Bundesliga side are ready to offer Saïd El Mala an improved contract amid interest from the Premier League. “Of course,…

Former Germany international, Gerald Asamoah believes Ghana's biggest weakness is in its defence ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. The four-time African champions will be embarking on their fifth World Cup in June, but the team has been without a win since beating Comoros in the final qualifier in Accra last year.The Black Stars have conceded ten goals in their last four friendlies, including a 5-1 defeat to Austria last month, leading to the sacking of Otto Add as coach of the national team.Former Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz has been appointed as replacement for the ex-Ghana midfielder.Ahead of Queiroz's first assignment as Ghana coach, Asamoah pointed out that the Black Stars have a leaky defence, and that should be a priority for the Portuguese trainer."What are we good in? Are we good in defending or offensive game? We are really good in offensive games, so we need to work on our offence, so we need to work on our defensive play," Asamoah told 3 Sports."Keeping the defence is one of the important things you can do as a coach."The Black Stars will face World Cup co-hosts Mexico in...

In a recent report, Fichajes mentioned that Chelsea are determined to land Aston Villa playmaker Morgan Rogers. It is believed that the Blues are eyeing a move to acquire the services of the English talent later this summer. Rogers’ Impressive Form In English Football Rogers has enjoyed a good run of form at the West […] The post Chelsea Are Determined To Land This Aston Villa Playmaker: Good Choice For Rosenior? appeared first on The 4th Official - A view from the sideline.

Lucas Bergvall has been outstanding for Tottenham since joining the club, and he has been linked with a move away from the London outfit in recent months. According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Fabio Paratici could look to swoop for the Swedish International midfielder at the end of the season. The Italian helped Tottenham […] The post Tottenham face nightmare scenario as Paratici “could try to sign” rising star appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The former Arsenal captain believes the club can still win trophies this season despite a poor run of form

If a recent report from the Turkish outlet Fotomac (as cited by A Spor) is believed to be true, Celtic are expected to rival Besiktas for Eric Martel. But the FC Koln youngster has multiple other suitors, with Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart and Serie A side Fiorentina also in the mix, according to rumours. The 23-year-old […] The post Celtic Among A Host Of Clubs To Keep Tabs On This Bundesliga Star: Why His Versatility Would Bolster The Bhoys appeared first on The 4th Official - A view from the sideline.

Join us for live blog coverage of our Champions League quarter-final second leg clash at home to Sporting, kick-off 20.00. We’ve got up to the second live text commentary, updates, goal clips, observations and occasionally witty asides. If you want to join the chat, register an Arseblog Live account. To do that, go to Arseblog […] The post Arsenal v Sporting – live blog appeared first on Arseblog ... an Arsenal blog.

By: Ben Dixon We are only a few months away from the summer mercato and AC Milan are keeping tabs on a young Spaniard who could leave Real Madrid to head to Italy. The next month and a half could be vital for Milan. Not only could Massimiliano Allegri’s future be decided, but the mercato will be studied […] The post CM: Milan have ‘good chance’ of signing Real Madrid starlet due to Tare links appeared first on SempreMilan.

Juventus will have an important opportunity in the next transfer window to strengthen the quality of their squad, a… The post Riccardo Cucchi says Juventus need to revamp their squad appeared first on Juvefc.com.

In a recent report, Fichajes stated that Manchester City are keeping tabs on Bayer 04 Leverkusen playmaker Ibrahim Maza. It has been mentioned that the Mancunian giants have identified the Algerian youngster as a target for the summer transfer window. Maza’s Impressive Form In The Bundesliga The 20-year-old is having a decent campaign at the […] The post Manchester City Are Keeping Tabs On This Bundesliga Playmaker: One For The Future? appeared first on The 4th Official - A view from the sideline.

Eddie Howe is past his sell by date. According to some. Me? I doubted the bloke when he first arrived on the scene in the Autumn of 2021 (would have... You can click here to read the full article.

In a recent report, Fichajes claimed that Manchester United are facing stiff competition for Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali. It has been mentioned that the Red Devils would have to rival Arsenal and Manchester City in the race to land the Italy international this summer. Tonali’s Impressive Form In The Premier League Tonali is having […] The post Manchester United Are Facing Stiff Competition For This Newcastle United Star: Is He Worth The Fight? appeared first on The 4th Official - A view from the sideline.

By: Oliver Fisher All of AC Milan’s previous certainties went up in smoke inside 37 first-half minutes in their damaging defeat to Udinese. The build-up to the game was dominated by the attacking struggles that Milan are enduring, which then gave rise to the news that Massimiliano Allegri was considering a switch to playing with three forwards, removing […] The post Evolution not revolution: The tweaks Allegri must make to get Milan over the line appeared first on SempreMilan.

Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike picked up a serious Achilles tendon injury against PSG in the UEFA Champions League last night. The French International could be sidelined for 9 to 12 months. They are now looking to bring in two quality attackers at the end of the season. According to a report from TEAMtalk, they are […] The post Liverpool want Premier League duo with combined 31-G/A this season after Ekitike injury appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick faces a defensive crisis ahead of Saturday’s clash against Chelsea, with both Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martínez confirmed to miss the trip to Stamford Bridge. The news would come as a significant blow to United’s pursuit of a top-four finish, as Carrick will be forced to field a makeshift backline […] The post Massive blow for Carrick: Man United to be without two key players for match against Chelsea appeared first on CaughtOffside.

L'attaccante del Liverpool e della Francia si è rotto il tendine d'Achille e sarà costretto a saltare il torneo: porte aperte per il giocatore dell'Inter?

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has refused to be drawn on who is the best goalkeeper of all time, claiming that in each era, a different shot-stopper could be given the title. Neuer is one of the names in the conversation, alongside his would-be opposite number, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Neuer has been one […] The post Manuel Neuer on greatest goalkeeper of all time debate: ‘It depends on the era’ appeared first on Football España.

There’ll surely be huge demand for Manchester City vs Arsenal tickets as this weekend’s game...