Gerard Pique has backed Luis Enrique in the wake of recent criticism and has stressed Barcelona were in deep trouble when their current coach arrived in 2014.
The 46-year-old replaced Gerardo Martino as the man in charge at Camp Nou after a disappointing 2013-14 campaign and led the Catalans to the treble in his first season in charge.
Barcelona have been far less impressive this term, though, and Luis Enrique has come under fire following their 4-0 Champions League defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
Nevertheless, Pique is adamant the squad are still fully behind their coach regardless of their recent struggles.
When the coach arrived, we were in the absolute s*** and with him we won the treble, Pique said.
It would be good if people lo…
According to a recent report from Sky Italia, Juventus are interested in the possibility of signing Kieran Trippier from Tottenham Hotspur. Joao Cancelo is expected to leave the club sooner rather than later, with Manchester City being considered the primary contenders. Trippier, on the other hand, has been Tottenham’s first choice right back since Kyle Walker left the club for Manchester City back in 2017. The 28 year old helped Spurs to reach the Champions League final this season, but stated that his performances throughout the campaign have not been up to scratch. That led to suggestions that he could leave the club, less than a year after a stunning World Cup campaign with England. Juventus don’t seem to mind his most recent form, and see a lot of value in him.
Either …
Alex Morgan produced a masterclass in finishing as United States achieved the largest margin of victory in the history of the World Cup finals men s or women s by beating hapless Thailand 13-0.
Orlando Pride striker Morgan opened the scoring after 12 minutes at Stade Auguste-Delaune and just over an hour later she had become the fourth player in her country s history to hit a World Cup hat-trick, while Rose Lavelle notched a brace and Samantha Mewis and Lindsey Horan netted to make it 7-0 after 74 minutes.
But Jillian Ellis side did not stop there, relentlessly attacking and extending their lead as captain Megan Rapinoe scored along with substitutes Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd, and Morgan bagged two more to leave Thailand s players distraught at the final whistle.
Federico Chiesa and Aaron Ramsey were on target as Juventus sealed a 2-0 Serie A win over Sampdoria at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Saturday.
Italy international Chiesa put Andrea Pirlo s side on their way midway through the first half with his sixth top-flight goal of the season, while Cristiano Ronaldo missed opportunities to extend their advantage.
Fabio Quagliarella twice went close for Claudio Ranieri s side after the break, but Juve wrapped up a third consecutive win over Sampdoria without conceding a goal when Ramsey scored in stoppage time.
The result means Juve leapfrog Roma into third seven points behind leaders Milan although Paulo Fonseca s side will usurp them if they beat Hellas Verona on Sunday.
FT | | THREE MORE BIG POINTS!!!
Juventus are not targeting Eden Hazard, while Sergio Ramos looks set to wait for a new Real Madrid deal.
Hazard s future has become a talking point amid his struggles at Madrid since arriving from Chelsea in 2019.
But just where the playmaker could end up remains to be seen.
TOP STORY – JUVENTUS NOT INTERESTED IN HAZARD
Juventus are not interested in Real Madrid playmaker Eden Hazard for now, according to CalcioMercato.
Hazard has made just 24 LaLiga appearances for Madrid since arriving ahead of 2019-20 after battling numerous injuries.
Madrid reportedly paid €100million for the Belgium international.
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Sergio Ramos future at Madrid is also uncertain. The defender is out of contract at t…
Borussia Dortmund have a 1-0 lead going into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final at Paris Saint-Germain, but to win the tie they would need an improvement in their performance, coach Edin Terzic said on Monday.
Dortmund have never won at PSG in their previous three visits, and their last match at the Parc des Princes ended in a 2-0 loss during the group stage in September.
We showed a good game last week, which gave us that little lead. But that performance probably won t be enough to get us into the final, Terzic told reporters ahead of Tuesday s match.
We have to do everything together tomorrow, with a good plan, with a good idea. Paris will certainly do better than last week. We want to earn this ticket to the final. We ll tackle that togethe…
What the papers say
Manchester City have seemingly pulled the plug on a move for West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta and are instead moving their focus towards 25-year-old Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze, the Times reports. City have reportedly been monitoring Eze for the last six months.
The Daily Mail says City are also interested in Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes. But the Daily Express reports the Molineux club are unlikely to sell him so close to the end of the transfer window unless City up their bid.
Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe is reportedly looking likely to move to the Saudi Pro League after rejecting a move to Besiktas, Metro reports.
Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku could land at Juventus, who would pay Chelsea £35million for his services, but onl…
James Morrison spared West Brom s blushes with a late equaliser to force an FA Cup third round replay against Bristol City, but he believes a cup run is still on the cards for the club.
West Brom trailed Bristol 2-1 at home before Morrison struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time to keep his team in the hat for the fourth round draw.
Saido Berahino had put West Brom 1-0 up after 67 minutes, before Jonathan Kodjia and Kieran Agard scored one each to put the visitors ahead.
It made for a stuttering start to West Brom s campaign, but a drawn third round clash is familiar territory for manager Tony Pulis, who took Stoke City to an FA Cup final in 2011 after drawing their third round clash away to Cardiff.
Morrison is hoping for a similar achievement in 201…
The familiar big names were all successful on Tuesday as the likes of Algeria, Ivory Coast and Nigeria all advanced in the African section of World Cup qualification.
Algeria, who reached the last 16 in Brazil last year before being beaten by eventual champions Germany, were the most emphatic winners of the day as they trounced Tanzania 7-0.
After a 2-2 draw in the second-round first leg, Christian Gourcuff s side brushed aside their opponents in Blida Faouzi Ghoulam and Islam Slimani netting braces while there were further goals from Yacine Brahimi, Riyad Mahrez and Carl Medjani.
Ivory Coast were also comfortable winners, adding to their 1-0 first-leg lead over Liberia with a 3-0 success thanks to Giovanni Sio s brace and one from Jean Seri.
Egypt ove…
Highly-rated Swedish striker Emil Forsberg could be on his way out of RB Leipzig this summer.
Forsberg has been going from strength to strength over the past couple of years, announcing himself as one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe.
He came a long way since 2015 when he joined a then lowly German outfit RB Leipzig. The Swedish striker had a big hand in helping his club win promotion in 2. Bundesliga when he was voted the Player of the Season, whereas his career really took off last season when RB Leipzig put in an unlikely challenge on a Bundesliga title against Bayern Munich.
Known as a technically gifted player who works hard for his team, Forsberg has managed to established as a recognizable name in European football, alarming the host of contine…