Roberto Mancini has been backed to stay on as head coach by FIGC president Gabriele Gravina despite Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
The Azzurri succumbed to a sensational 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia in a play-off semi-final in Palermo on Thursday, ending their hopes of securing a place in the tournament in Qatar this year.
Having missed out on a spot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Italy will not feature in two successive editions of the competition for the first time in their history.
However, with Mancini having led the team on a 37-game unbeaten run that included Euro 2020 glory and only ended last October, Gravina still believes he is the right man for the job.
I hope Mancini will continue with us. He has a commitmen…
Newcastle United have been warned Unai Emery is enjoying life at Villarreal after he was linked with the newly-wealthy Premier League club.
Former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain boss Emery is said to be a prime target for Newcastle, whose new Saudi majority owners are seeking a successor to Steve Bruce.
According to reports in England on Tuesday, Emery and former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe have both been considered for the job at St James Park. Newcastle are said to want Emery in place before Saturday s game against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Whether Emery is tempted by a return to the Premier League remains to be seen, after he endured a difficult time with Arsenal. He would be inheriting a team who are facing a relegation battle, albeit he would likely ha…
Roberto Mancini has agreed to open talks over becoming Italy s new national team coach, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has confirmed.
Mancini will lead Zenit to the end of the Russian Premier League season before starting negotiations over the role, FIGC head Roberto Fabbricini said on Tuesday.
The former Manchester City manager had been considered a frontrunner for the post, with Carlo Ancelotti among the other names reportedly in the frame.
Gian Piero Ventura was dismissed after Italy surprisingly failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the Azzurri losing a play-off against Sweden in November.
And Mancini is set to take over in time to lead Italy through their qualifying campaign for the 2020 European Championship.
Yesterday [Monday] …
The 2019-20 La Liga season will begin on Friday with a thrilling encounter between Athletic Club and FC Barcelona. Two of the oldest, most historical teams in Spain will play the first match of the league campaign and while the reigning Liga champions will aim to begin their title defence with a strong performance, Bilbao will attempt to pull the upset in front of their fans. Kick-off for this match will be at 20:00 hrs BST.
Athletic Club
The Basque side had a decent run during preseason since they lost just once in eight matches (W4, D3, L1 counting extra-time and penalties) and that run of matches included decent opposition such as West Ham United, Borussia Monchengladbach and AS Roma, among others. They will also try to begin their 2019-20 campaign on a strong note, essentia…
Ander Herrera believes star goalkeeper and Real Madrid target David de Gea will stay at Manchester United thanks to the love of the supporters.
Spain international De Gea has continually been linked with a move to European champions Madrid after a transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu fell through in 2015.
Madrid s goalkeeping situation has dominated headlines again this off-season, with Chelsea s Thibaut Courtois also a candidate to swap London for the Spanish capital.
Red Devils team-mate Herrera, however, feels the loyalty of United s fans will keep De Gea at Old Trafford.
I remember that difficult summer when everyone was talking about Real Madrid and he played the first game at Old Trafford and everyone was singing his name and he told me this is amazin…
Manchester United s Antonio Valencia has impressed early into the new season.
Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera singled out right-back Antonio Valencia for praise in the aftermath of Friday’s 2-0 win over Southampton, calling the Ecuadorian “the best right-back in the world”.
His comments have been taken in jest by most, but here’s why Antonio Valencia is deserving of praise this season.
Unwavering professionalism and consistency after seven years
Antonio Valencia joined Manchester United in 2009 from Wigan Athletic for around £16M. The Ecuadorian international has gone on to make more than 250 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions, and has still retained his pace and athleticism despite turning 31 now. Every summer, Valenc…
Benfica have defended their former player Bernardo Silva after the Manchester City star faced criticism for a racially insensitive tweet he sent to team-mate Benjamin Mendy.
Silva has been charged by the Football Association (FA) after likening a picture of a young Mendy to the mascot of Spanish confectionery company Conguitos.
The likes of Pep Guardiola, Raheem Sterling and Tiemoue Bakayoko have offered support to the Portugal international, who faces a possible six-match ban if found guilty of racist behaviour by the FA.
Benfica, with whom Silva started his career before moving to Monaco in 2014, initially on loan, have hit out at suggestions that the 25-year-old could be in any way racist.
Can’t even joke with a friend these days You guys
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Everton picked up their first Premier League win since August after seeing off Fulham 3-0 at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Second-half goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Cenk Tosun secured only a second victory of the league season for the Toffees and ended a run of back-to-back defeats.
The win, which leaves Fulham three points outside the relegation zone, extended Everton s record run of wins at home against Slavisa Jokanovic s side to 22.
Fulham s bright start was not affected by the loss of Timothy Fosu-Mensah to a serious-looking injury eight minutes in, and Andre Schurrle wasted a great chance to put the visitors ahead when he blazed over the bar after being teed up by Ryan Sessegnon.
There was another huge let-off for Everton before half-time, with Sesse…
Marcus Rashford can become one of the world s best players after carrying his Manchester United form onto the international stage at the World Cup, according to Harry Maguire.
Rashford lost his place in Gareth Southgate s England squad earlier this year after enduring a miserable 2021-22 campaign, making just 13 Premier League starts for United and scoring four goals.
However, Rashford has been rejuvenated since Erik ten Hag took charge at Old Trafford, finding the net eight times in all competitions this term to force his way into the Three Lions squad.
Rashford scored twice on his first start at the World Cup as England thrashed Wales last time out, moving level with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Alvaro Morata at the top of the tournament s goalscoring charts,…
Juventus have total faith in Gonzalo Higuain during a slow start to the season for the star striker, according to coach Massimiliano Allegri.
Higuain, signed from Napoli for €90million in July 2016, has netted just twice from seven appearances in all competitions for Juve early in 2017-18.
He fired blanks in a 3-0 Champions League loss at Barcelona and also failed to hit the back of the net as the Scudetto holders defeated Sassuolo away and Fiorentina at home in Serie A.
Allegri, though, has no concerns about the Argentina international ahead of the derby against Torino on Saturday.
The most important thing is that Higuain has total faith from his team-mates, the coach, the club and the fans, he told a news conference.
These periods happen to…