There is always one team that defies the odds & emerges as a surprise package of a World Cup.
Unbeaten in their past nine matches against European opposition & fresh from victories over England & Brazil in the past year, could Japan be that team in 2026?
https://t.co/0Nt5SgDjxH
For long periods, Brazil looked second best. In the end, Vinicius Jr spared the Selecao’s blushes and preserved a 92-year World Cup record. They’ll need more – much more – if they are to win the World Cup on US soil again.
https://t.co/t2UUwTYw4V
It takes far more than a heartfelt soundbite to become a successful Liverpool manager, but opening with “I want to become one of you” certainly isn’t a bad place to start.
Is it August, yet?
Manuel Pellegrini provided a superb summary of James Milner in a 2015 interview with @sidlowe:
“I’m Milner’s No1 fan. Find me a more complete English player. There are players who’re better technically, yes. Quicker players, yes. Players who head better, yes. But show me one who does all the things Milner does well. There isn’t one.
“It’s hard to leave him out. Respect, commitment and performance level: 10/10, fantastic. He’s polyfunctional: full-back – the only position he doesn’t like – attacking midfield, wide. I played him as a forward and the team averaged three goals a game. He gives everything.
“You leave him on the bench and he’s absolutely furious but watch him during the game: encouraging, shouting, supporting. And in the next training session he kills himself.
“Milner’s a phenomenon, a guy with big balls and a heart this big,” Pellegrini continues, opening out his hands. “Intelligent, great mentality, one of those players that when you leave him out you’re left with this feeling of injustice; it hurts because he should always play.”
The defining image of Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat was Gabriel standing with his head in his hands as he was consoled by PSG captain and Brazil team-mate Marquinhos.
This was a particularly cruel blow for one of the club’s standout performers.
https://t.co/1gZamBYgcH
@LiverpoolFCse There are reservations, but I think that’s the case with almost every manager on the planet right now. Realistically, Enrique is probably the only one who would come in with very few question marks - and even he hasn’t managed in England before. Even Klopp was a risk somewhat!
Excited by the prospect of Iraola. There’s a clear style to his teams and he’s overachieved at Bournemouth. His record of developing players - Kerkez, Huijsen & Zabarnyi to name a few - is outstanding. The only concern is the step up to Liverpool & from one game a week to three.
There are plenty of moments Slot can look back on with immense pride, but none more so than the way he handled the tragic circumstances of last summer. No manager should ever have to endure something like that, yet he represented the club with a real touch of class throughout.
Sad to see Arne Slot depart little more than a year after delivering one of Anfield’s greatest days in a generation. But the way things unravelled - and how disconnected it all felt - left the club with little choice. #LFC needs a manager with a clear style, identity & direction.
Liverpool FC can confirm Arne Slot is to depart his role as head coach with immediate effect and that the process to appoint a successor is under way.
He leaves with a Premier League title to his name and our deepest gratitude and appreciation.
It’s almost impossible to sum up Mohamed Salah’s impact on Liverpool over the past nine years. His Anfield career has been remarkable & relentless. The consistency he has shown since 2017 is unlike anything I’ve witnessed. He’s scored every type of goal imaginable. What a player.
Hard not to feel sorry for Morgan Gibbs-White after missing out on England’s 26-man squad. Forest’s one constant in a turbulent campaign - and one of the Premier League’s standout players in 2026. Such a talent.
https://t.co/qyTAbRXDIU