Tanguy Ndombele was relaxing at his apartment in Hadley Wood, north London. It was 7 April 2020, the coronavirus crisis had taken grip, the United Kingdom was in lockdown and Ndombele did not expect any visitors. And, certainly, not the visitor he got. It was José Mourinho, his manager at Tottenham, summoning him outside for an impromptu fitness session on the common.
“On a scale of one to 10, how surprised was I?” Ndombele says. “Honestly? Ten. I asked why I should have to run and he said I just had to do it. So it was nothing, really. Afterwards he congratulated me and said that I’d run well.”
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It was a sensitive time, heavy on paranoia and introspection. Ndombe…
Arsenal’s Champions League hopes were snuffed out as Joshua Kimmich’s bullet header was enough to take Bayern Munich into the semi-finals.
After an enthralling 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium last week, this tie was finely poised but it was the hosts who progressed as Kimmich headed home in the second half to seal a 1-0 win for Bayern.
Thomas Tuchel became just the second man to lead three different clubs into the last four of the Champions League and his side are now closing in on a Wembley final on June 1.
Bayern showed the sort of pedigree in the competition that comes from years of being involved in the business end of the tournament – they have now qualified for 13 semi-finals and have reached the stage nine times since Arsenal’s last semi-final app…
When Real Madrid brushed Liverpool aside in the Champions League final, Cristiano Ronaldo was nowhere to be seen as Gareth Bale led the charge – little did the world know that this was a sign of things to come.
That 3-1 win brought an incredible era to an end at Los Blancos, as Zinedine Zidane stepped down as coach less than a week after guiding the club to a third successive Champions League title.
It proved to be Ronaldo s final match in a Madrid shirt as well, with the Ballon d Or holder securing a shock €112million move to Juventus last month, bringing a nine-year association with the club to an end.
Ronaldo s presence had been vital in Madrid s previous two Champions League successes. He scored the winning penalty in the 2015-16 shootout and netted tw…
Tottenham face a difficult tie with serious injury problems against a resurgent Everton.
All seemed to be going so well for Harry Redknapp s Tottenham Hotspur, but as we head into the tail end of the season and Tottenham s attempts to break into the top four come under scrutiny, the Tottenham team seems to be hanging together by a thread. Bentley, Jenas and Lennon all miss out from midfield, and Assou Ekotto and Woodgate are missing from the defence. The likelihood of Ledley King playing hangs in the balance. Two goalkeeepers out and a doubt over Jermaine Defoe, and it doesn t paint a pretty picture. However, Tottenham can be boosted by the return to form of Pavyluchenko and the threat posed by him and the towering Peter Crouch should cause Everton trouble.
Everton ar…
Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergey Palkin believes Giorgi Sudakov will go onto big things if he can produce more stand-out performances in the Champions League.
The 22-year-old is thought to be one of the rising stars in European football, having helped Shakhtar to the Ukrainian Premier League in the last two seasons.
He was also one of the standout players of Ukraine s Euro 2024 campaign, creating the third-most chances (four) and having the most shots (nine), though he failed to hit the back of the net as they exited in the group stage.
With the start of their next Champions League campaign just around the corner – they kick off against Bologna on Wednesday – Palkin is expecting big things from the young midfielder.
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The Football Association (FA) hopes to complete the 2019-20 FA Cup and Women s FA Cup when it is safe and appropriate to do so .
English football has been suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the Premier League, Football League and Women s Super League all paused.
There have been almost 10,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the United Kingdom and close to 500 deaths.
League action has been put on hold until at least April 30, although the FA has extended the season indefinitely in a bid to complete the 2019-20 campaign.
And in a statement released on Thursday, English football s governing body outlined its commitment to its cup competitions.
Referring also to the non-league FA Trophy and FA Vase, the FA said of the FA Cup and Women s FA …
Vicente del Bosque wants Spain to recapture the form they showed in the Euro 2012 final on their return to Ukraine on Monday.
An emphatic 4-0 win over Italy in the showpiece in Kiev three years ago saw Spain become the first side to win back-to-back European Championships, which came either side of a World Cup triumph following their victory over Netherlands in South Africa in 2010.
As he prepares to take his side back to the scene of their triumph in Ukraine, Del Bosque admits it remains the finest performance he has seen from his side in his seven-year spell in the role.
The final in Kiev in 2012 was the best game in my time as head coach. I hope we can reach that standard again, he said.
We come here at an ideal time. We ll play with complete cour…
Sunday night brings us the Los Angeles Rams playing host to the Tennessee Titans. Derrick Henry is out, Adrian Peterson is in. A.J. Brown is Questionable, Julio Jones is a go. Matthew Stafford and Robert Woods are both questionable after not practicing, but coach Sean McVay expects them to suit up. Von Miller is also questionable after coming over from the Broncos. Let’s try and navigate the minefield that is SNF.
We bring you our favorite free prop picks and predictions for Week 9’s Sunday Night Football matchup.
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Sunday is a day of reunions in the desert, as Patrick Mahomes and Kliff Kingsbury, years after torching Big 12 defenses, will square off while Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown join forces again after enjoying life as Sooners together.
Two of the league’s most unique quarterback talents clash in a game with the highest total of Week 1, and there’s no shortage of flashy players on either side. We dive into it all with our best NFL player prop picks for the Chiefs vs. Cardinals.
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With the 2023-24 NFL season fast approaching, the time to bet season-long NFL props was yesterday. Fortunately for you, it isn’t too late to go out of your beach chair and get in the game.
I’ve been breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of all 32 teams in my 2023 NFL season previews, and have taken the time to isolate the best player prop bet for every franchise below.
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