New Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari hit back at comparisons with his flamboyant predecessor Jose Mourinho and also resisted pressure for more attacking play.
Scolari has appeared jovial and friendly in his appearances as Chelsea boss but showed flashes of his famous temper as he snapped back at the latest mention of the Special One.
My name is Luiz Felipe Scolari. I m not Jose Mourinho. I have my own personality. I follow my way, not another way, Scolari said.
I don t know if Mourinho says yes or no and I say different or not. To my players and the fans, I say what all coaches say: we need to win. Only this.
The Brazilian also ducked questions about whether he would liven up Chelsea s defensive style as reportedly demanded by billionaire owner Ro…
Luis Enrique paid tribute to the strength of Barcelona s squad after Ivan Rakitic s goal earned a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao – his 100th victory as head coach of the Spanish champions.
Since his appointment in May 2014, Luis Enrique has claimed a century of wins from just 126 Barcelona matches, and the latest victory came after a hard-fought battle in rainy conditions at San Mames.
Rakitic scored with a simple header midway through the first half, but Luis Enrique saw his team – missing the likes of Andres Iniesta and Neymar – play some excellent passing football to ensure they made it two wins out of two LaLiga matches this season.
I am very happy with the result achieved against a team of this magnitude, said Luis Enrique.
It is a result…
Nicolas Pepe has hit far cleaner shots in his career but, for him and Mikel Arteta, it s unlikely many will have felt sweeter.
Arsenal s record signing had plenty of time and space to size up Sead Kolasinac s cut-back but still could not connect properly with the ball. But connect he did, and Arsenal, Arteta s Arsenal, had lift-off.
Not only was this the new head coach s first win in charge, it was just the Gunners second in all competitions since October 24. Thirteen of 14 matches had come and gone without a victory, including those against Crystal Palace, Vitoria Guimaraes, Southampton, Norwich City, Bournemouth, and Chelsea in brutal fashion three days ago.
Pepe had looked a lost cause in some of those matches, a £72million passenger this team could no longer…
Bolton v Aston Villa
Safety for Bolton is close enough for them to be able smell it. Six points clear of the drop zone with five games left. Surely another three points will be enough for them to guarantee Premier League football next season. Can they get it today?
Aston Villa have lost their chance of Champions League qualification although it is still mathematically possible. Eight points behind Arsenal is a step too far. They are guaranteed Europa League football next season and will be looking to finish the season on a high.
SoccerNews prediction: 0-1
Everton v Manchester City
There is no stopping David Moyes’ Everton team. In the last week they have beaten Manchester United to reach the FA Cup final and drawn at Chelsea to all but end thei…
Malaga have denied to comment on speculation that they have agreed a deal to release Manuel Pellegrini from his contract.
59-year-old Pellegrini has been in charge at the club since November 2010, guiding them to fourth place in La Liga in his first full season in charge and to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League this season.
He is the favourite to
replace Roberto Mancini at Manchester City and reports on Wednesday had
suggested the club had come to a deal with him to release him early from
his contract.
However, a spokesperson from Malaga s communication department denied any agreement had been made with the Chilean and as the club still had a UEFA Europa League place to play for they would make no further statement until the end of the season on…
Monaco have agreed a permanent deal to sign defender Jonathan Panzo, who helped Chelsea youth team win the National Under-18s Premier League.
Highly rated as a left-back or central defender, Panzo joined Chelsea at the age of nine and captained England at under-16 level before winning the Under-17 World Cup with the Three Lions in 2017.
The 17-year-old was part of the double-winning Chelsea under-18s team in 2017-18 and was linked with moves to Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt, RB Leipzig and Valencia before Monaco made a bid believed to be in the region of £2.5 million.
A statement on the official Chelsea website said: We thank Jonathan for his service and wish him the very best of luck for the next stage of his career.
Academy defender J…
Former England star Paul Gascoigne was arrested at the weekend on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, police said on Monday.
The 42-year-old, who has struggled with alcoholism and depression, was arrested after officers were called to a disturbance at a takeaway restaurant in Leeming Bar, Yorkshire, northern England, on Sunday evening.
Gascoigne claimed last year to have given up drinking but he was arrested and fined in December for being drunk and disorderly in his hometown of Newcastle, northeast England.
As well as his drink-related problems, Gascoigne has admitted heavy use of cocaine and has undergone treatment for bulimia and obsessive compulsive disorder. He was sectioned three times under the Mental Health Act in 2008.
Gascoigne…
Everton manager Ronald Koeman still aims to become Netherlands coach at some stage in his career.
The 53-year-old was widely regarded as the favourite to replace Louis van Gaal after the 2014 World Cup, but the Dutch football association eventually opted to appoint Guus Hiddink
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instead, who in turn made way for Danny Blind in 2015 following an underwhelming start.
Koeman left Southampton to take charge of Everton ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, signing a three-year deal at Goodison Park, but still has designs on the top job in his homeland.
Coaching Netherlands remains one of my ambitions, Koeman told Fox Sports.
But I think every coach would like that. If I get the chance to coach Netherlands, I would like to take that chance.
Lyon have denied issuing an ultimatum to coach Peter Bosz, with the Ligue 1 giants also rejecting reports of captain Alexandre Lacazette making tactical complaints.
After taking 13 points from their opening five games this season, Lyon have slumped to three successive defeats, losing to Lorient, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain.
Former Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen coach Bosz is in his second season with seven-time French champions Lyon, and last term saw them finish a disappointing eighth, therefore missing out on a place in European competition.
The dip in the early stages of this season has been followed by Lyon being closely scrutinised, and the club have taken issue with various claims.
They said a report of a post-match crisis meet…
Blackpool winger Tom Ince has been granted permission to open negotiations over a possible loan move to a Premier League club.
The likes of Monaco, Everton and Swansea City have been linked with the England Under-21 international in recent weeks, with that speculation increasing following the departure of his father Paul as manager earlier this week.
Ince has been a revelation for Blackpool, scoring 33 goals in 113 appearances for the Championship club after he moved to Bloomfield Road from Liverpool in 2011.
The 21-year-old now wishes to make the step up to the Premier League and Blackpool will not stand in his way.
A statement on Blackpool s official website read: Blackpool Football Club can confirm that, following discussions with Thomas Ince and his represent…