Leroy Sane was hailed by Julian Nagelsmann as one of the best players in Europe as the Bayern Munich head coach defended the winger on Friday.
It was reported Sane was slightly late for the start of training on the eve of this weekend s Bundesliga game against Augsburg, and that it could cost him a club fine.
There is a strong chance of Sane starting that match on Saturday, as head coach Julian Nagelsmann gives some a rest after the Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain.
Germany winger Sane has started just 13 of Bayern s 23 domestic league games this season, with Nagelsmann having such an array of talent in attacking midfield roles he has to mix and match.
Similar applies to Serge Gnabry, who like Sane appeared as a substitute in the 2-0 victory …
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hit a stunning winner as Napoli beat Atalanta 2-0 to move 18 points clear again at the top of Serie A.
The 11th goal of the Georgian s debut Serie A season came in the 60th minute, with his twinkle-toed run into the penalty area followed by an explosive finish.
Fed the ball by Victor Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia still had plenty of work to do and left Atalanta captain Rafael Toloi bamboozled by his shimmying footwork, with the defenders collectively powerless to prevent a masterpiece.
Amir Rrahmani s looping header in the 77th minute made the points safe, as Eljif Elmas sent a corner from the right into the danger zone and the centre-back did the rest.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!
A fabulous goal and it s that man again! Kvara twists one way then an…
Jurgen Klopp has hailed La Liga as the best domestic competition in world football ahead of Liverpool s Europa League final against two-time defending champions Sevilla in Basle.
Spanish sides have dominated European competition in recent years, with Sevilla s success mirrored by Real Madrid and Barcelona winning the Champions League in 2014 and 2015 respectively. This year s final will be contested by Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Klopp told a news conference: It s the best football country I would say, a combination of good managers, scouting, good education of players.
Lots of young players from South America like to go to Spain because they can settle in. There are a lot of reasons, but at this moment La Liga is the highest level and it is the job of ever…
Hulk and Axel Witsel led the well wishes to Andre Villas-Boas as he bids farewell to Zenit.
Head coach Villas-Boas announced in September that he would be departing the club at the end of the Russian Premier League season, which concluded on Saturday.
Zenit overcame CSKA Moscow to win the Russian Cup this month but were unable to prevent Leonid Slutsky s team deposing them as league champions.
Former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Villas-Boas had been linked with the coaching positions at Marseille and Valencia, but confirmed in April he would be taking a year out.
Hulk Zenit s highest scoring player during the Russian Premier League title triumph under Villas-Boas in 2014-15 thanked the Portuguese in an Instagram post.
…
Barcelona and Spain star David Villa says the health struggles of Tito Vilanova and defender Eric Abidal have provided valuable life lessons.
Vilanova is battling parotid gland cancer, which has culminated in surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, while the France defender was diagnosed with a tumour in his liver.
And Villa says his own battle to come back from a broken leg has been put into perspective by the pair s respective struggles with illness.
When you compare my injury to the diseases Tito and Abidal have had, their problems have been a lesson in life – two incredible people, Villa told El Pais.
These examples give us strength. They are the ones who encouraged us, urging us to be strong and fight. You see that the little annoyances of life…
Brazil have dropped out of the top 10 in the FIFA rankings for the first time since the system s inception in 1993.
Mano Menezes side have fallen five places to 11th spot, their worst-ever standing, after losing their last two games to Argentina, who remain seventh, and Mexico.
Brazil have suffered from a lack of competitive fixtures due to their automatic qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on home soil.
England climbed to a joint all-time high of fourth despite their quarter-final exit at Euro 2012. They previously reached fourth in December 1997 and September 2006.
Italy, who beat England on penalties and lost in the final to Spain, have moved up six places into sixth.
Spain retained top spot with Germany rising to second place at the ex…
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Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are set to clash head-on on Wednesday evening at Anfield, in a game that will be the a part of the 13th round of the Premier League roller coaster this season and looks set to decide which team will be topping the table from that point on.
Liverpool
Liverpool won the Premier League title last season after three decades, and already the task of defending it is proving extremely difficult. Injuries have been hitting them hard from the start, but they ve also had some truly woeful performances this term, even with the team almost complete. They were thoroughly hammered by Aston Villa in early October, they were deservedly beaten at Anfield by Atalanta in the Champions League, and their first-half showing …
Jurgen Klopp said Georginio Wijnaldum missing Liverpool s Club World Cup bid was the more likely scenario after the midfielder sustained a hamstring injury against Watford.
Wijnaldum left the field after just under an hour of Liverpool s 2-0 victory at Anfield, the fly in the ointment on an otherwise satisfactory afternoon s work for the Premier League leaders.
Klopp said that injuries are his side s major concern as they look to maintain their lead at the top of the table while negotiating a trip to Qatar during a packed December schedule.
It looks like with each game you lose one player and that s not too cool, Klopp told BT Sport. That s our main problem.
The fixtures are like they are, we know that, but losing players in this type of situation is …
Brendan Rodgers has put titles firmly in Liverpool s focus after bringing UEFA Champions League football back to Anfield.
The Merseyside club came agonisingly close to winning the Premier League last term only for a late slump in form to hand the initiative to Manchester City.
After taking Liverpool from a seventh-place finish in his first season up to second 12 months later, Rodgers is now seeking a tangible reward for the improvements made on the pitch.
Our expectancy this season is to win a trophy, he said. That is what we ll be looking to achieve this year.
My focus when I signed my first contract was purely to get us into the Champions League because we felt that d put the club back where it belonged at that level and give us greater resources as a…
Trabzonspor have announced the signing of Milan defender Kevin Constant for an undisclosed fee.
The Guinea international made 20 Serie A appearances for Milan last season and becomes one of new coach Vahid Halilhodzic s first signings since taking the reins last month.
Trabzonspor had previously announced they were in negotiations over a move for the player, and confirmed the acquisition with a short statement on their official website on Tuesday.
No details have yet been released about the 27-year-old s contract.
After beginning his career with Toulouse, France-born Constant featured for Chateauroux, Chievo and Genoa before arriving at Milan in 2012.
Constant s last appearance for Milan came in a 2-0 friendly victory over Monza on July 20, in whi…