Arsene Wenger says clashes against Stoke City are even more aggressive than against Arsenal s bitter rivals Tottenham.
The feud with Stoke stretches back to 2010 when Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey suffered a double fracture in his leg after a brutal Ryan Shawcross tackle.
Wenger compared tackles from Shawcross and his defensive partner Robert Huth as more like rugby , prompting abuse from the Stoke supporters.
While Stoke have employed a different approach under Mark Hughes than previous manager Tony Pulis, Wenger said he felt more aggression from Stoke fans that Tottenham supporters.
Yes – I don’t know why [there is more antipathy from Stoke fans]. You should ask them. I don’t bully them, he said.
It is maybe more aggressive than…
Paulo Fonseca is confident that Sunday s heavy defeat at Belenenses will have little bearing in Braga s quest to recover from a 1-0 first-leg loss against Fenerbahce in the Europa League last 16.
Goncalo Silva, Miguel Rosa and Tiago Caeiro were all on target as Belenenses struck a potentially fatal blow to Braga s already slim hopes of making the Champions League places in the Primeira Divison.
Thst setback came just three days after Mehmat Topal struck late to hand Fener a 1-0 win in Istanbul.
With Braga also into the final of the Taca de Portugal and semi-finals of the Taca da Liga, Fonseca has had to manage his players through a busy season.
Fonseca believes that the hectic schedule may have played a part in the Belenenses defeat, but is sure that …
Cristiano Ronaldo may have helped Real Madrid seize control of the Supercopa de Espana, but he s left them facing a sizeable quandary.
The 32-year-old produced one of the most eventful substitute appearances El Clasico has ever seen on Sunday, scoring a stunning second goal for his side, earning yellow cards for removing his shirt and diving and then pushing the referee, all in the space of a little over two minutes.
Ronaldo s loss of temper has earned him a five-game ban from the Royal Spanish Football Federation, which means that, barring a successful appeal, he will not play again for Madrid in domestic competition until the LaLiga match with Real Betis on September 19.
Losing your club s record goalscorer is a daunting prospect for any head coach, but Zinedin…
Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal was taught how to play football by Andrea Pirlo at Juventus, says former Chile boss Claudio Borghi.
Vidal spent four years playing alongside the Italian maestro in Turin, winning Serie A in every campaign and finishing as a runner-up in the 2014-15 Champions League.
The 30-year-old moved to Bayern for the following campaign but it is Pirlo who Borghi – Vidal s coach at Colo Colo during the early stages of his career – feels is responsible for establishing him as one of the world s top midfielders.
He is much more mature, he is bigger and has experience, Borghi told La Tercera.
In my humble opinion, his great change occurred in Italy, playing for Juve next to Pirlo.
I think Andrea Pirlo was the one who i…
Neymar did everything possible to return to Barcelona before the European transfer window closed, according to Luis Suarez.
Paris Saint-Germain retained the Brazil superstar despite strong speculation he would leave, two years after joining from Barca for a world-record €222million fee.
Neymar was reportedly the subject of a series of offers from the Catalans, whose LaLiga rivals Real Madrid were also said to be interested, and there were even rumours the player offered up to €20m of his own money to facilitate a transfer back to the Spanish champions.
Despite PSG bringing in Inter striker Mauro Icardi on loan to boost their forward options, Neymar is now set to stay at the club until January at least.
There has long been speculation Neymar regretted …
Philippe Coutinho is on the same level as Brazil team-mate Neymar, according to Costa Rica captain Bryan Ruiz.
Neymar is Brazil s star attraction at the World Cup and got on the scoresheet to round off Friday s dramatic 2-0 win against Los Ticos in Group E.
But, as was the case in the opening 1-1 draw with Switzerland, it was Coutinho who broke the deadlock and inspired most of the Selecao s best work.
I think they have a lot of big quality, both players, Ruiz said.
Coutinho and Neymar, when they both do a good game it is a big difference for Brazil.
I think they have the same quality.
Costa Rica s hopes of repeating the heroics of their 2014 run to the quarter-finals are over following two defeats out of two.
Ruiz feels they m…
Liverpool s hopes of producing another famous European comeback at Anfield will be reduced due to the lack of fans, manager Jurgen Klopp has conceded.
The Reds lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie in the Spanish capital, leaving them with an arduous task to reach the last four.
Liverpool have only progressed twice in the previous 13 European knockout ties in which they lost the first leg by at least two goals, the most recent example coming two years ago when they stunned Barcelona with a 4-0 win at Anfield after losing the first game 3-0.
Anfield has become much less of a fortress this season while games have been played behind closed doors, with last weekend s 2-1 win over Aston Villa ending a six-game losing stre…
Aleksandar Mitrovic cancelled out Andre Gray s early opener as Fulham fought back to draw 1-1 with Watford in the Premier League on Saturday.
Having lost their 100 per cent record with defeat to Manchester United last time out, the visitors appeared to be on course to return to winning ways after Gray found the net just 87 seconds into the early kick-off.
Watford were unfortunate not to lead by more during a dominant first-half performance, with referee Martin Atkinson waving away strong shouts for a penalty after Alfie Mawson s ill-timed sliding challenge on Will Hughes.
However, Fulham improved after the break, their consistent pressure eventually rewarded when Mitrovic flicked home his fifth goal of the season from Luciano Vietto s low cross.
That s it…
Pep Guardiola was overjoyed with the match-winning performance of Kevin De Bruyne in Manchester City s 1-0 defeat of Chelsea but is convinced the Belgian has even more to offer.
De Bruyne got City s decisive goal in the second half on Saturday, curling a sumptuous effort past Kepa Arrizabalaga from 25 yards out.
It was his fifth Premier League goal against his former club, a record bettered by no other former Chelsea player, making them his favourite opponent.
Victory put City 13 points clear of Chelsea, and that could yet remain their lead at the summit if Liverpool cannot beat Brentford on Sunday.
De Bruyne now has six league goals this season, as many as he managed in 2020-21, though Guardiola s post-match praise also suggested the City boss does not t…
Georginio Wijnaldum has entered the last year of his contract with Liverpool and no extension has been agreed as yet, and recent reports have spoken about the interest of the newly appointed Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman to link up with the player he once coached in the Netherlands national team as he embarks upon a huge rebuilding job at the Catalan club.
However, according to and several other sources, Wijnaldum held talks with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp on Wednesday to discuss his future, and the talks have been branded as positive . Wijnaldum s first-choice option is to stay at Anfield, and he hopes that the conversation with the manager will lead to club offering him a new deal soon. Klopp is also keen on keeping the services of the 29-year-old midfielder, who has been a …