Chelsea manager Antonio Conte insists it is too early to talk about a potential Premier League title challenge.

The 2014-15 champions moved to within a point of leaders Manchester City with a 4-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Former United boss Alex Ferguson did not name Chelsea among the title contenders when asked for his view this week, despite having witnessed the emphatic defeat of his old side last weekend.

Yet with just a single point separating the top five after only nine matches, Conte believes it is pointless to discuss who will be challenging for the trophy in May.

A win or a defeat does not change my ideas or the confidence of the players. This system is a good fit, Conte, whose side were knocked out of the EFL…

Marseille youngster Maxime Lopez is on the radar of Premier League giants Arsenal and Liverpool, according to Le Parisien.

The 18-year-old was handed his senior debut back in August and he has already amassed four Ligue 1 appearances.

Marseille coach Rudi Garcia has been impressed with the midfielder’s development, and so have clubs from abroad.

Namely, Le Parisien claims that both Arsenal and Liverpool are keeping close tabs on the attacking midfielder and they had scouts present as Marseille shared spoils with Bordeaux last weekend, where the talented footballer played full ninety minutes.

Maxime Lopez has came through the youth academy at Stade Velodrome and he signed his first professional contract in July 2014, but he had to wait for some two year…

Iago Aspas says a stubborn streak means he has not given up hope of winning over Luis Enrique before the World Cup.

The Celta Vigo striker was left out of Enrique s latest Spain squad, meaning he will play no part in the upcoming Nations League games against Switzerland and Portugal.

Those are La Roja s final games before their World Cup squad is announced, and those that have missed out might naturally fear the worst.

Since the start of last season, Aspas has scored 23 goals and had seven assists in 43 LaLiga games for Celta, with that goals return only beaten by Real Madrid s Karim Benzema (30).

Those goals have come at a rate of one every 157.96 minutes, and from an expected goals tally of 16.42, with his return suggesting he is exceeding normal per…

Both Manuel Neuer and Leon Goretzka have been withdrawn from the Germany squad ahead of their two upcoming Nations League fixtures.

The Bayern Munich duo tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and have since been in isolation and left the team hotel.

The German Football Association (DFB) stated: Due to a positive coronavirus test within one of the players private circles, the medical team conducted a rapid antigen test on the whole nation team.

All members of the coaching staff and the team are required to test negative before travelling. Confirmed contact of both players will be tested daily.

Hoffenheim s Oliver Baumann has been called up as a replacement goalkeeper. Any further squad additions will be announced later in the day.

— German…

Premier League strugglers West Ham United have signed Roger Johnson on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers until the end of the season, .

The centre-back had spent most of the first half of the season on loan with Sheffield Wednesday after falling out of favour with his parent club, who he signed for from Birmingham City in 2011.

Johnson, who has also played for Cardiff City and Wycombe Wanderers was, along with three other high-earning players, transferred following Wolves’ relegation to League One, which came just a season after they dropped down to the Championship.

With manager Sam Allardyce so short in defence following injuries to James Collins, James Collins and Winston Reid, he could go straight into the squad for Wednesday evening’s Capital One Cup…

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah have all been nominated for UEFA s Champions League positional awards, with the list dominated by Real Madrid players.

Madrid won their third consecutive European title with thanks to a 3-1 win over Liverpool in Kiev, Gareth Bale netting a brace.

Bale did not make the cut of players voted for by coaches of the 32 teams from the 2017-18 Champions League group stage and 55 journalists representing each of UEFA s member nations, with Ronaldo, Messi and Salah the attackers put forward.

Keylor Navas may have his position at Madrid under serious threat following the signing of Thibaut Courtois but is nominated in the goalkeeping category alongside Alisson and Gianluigi Buffon.

Madrid have a clean sweep among the…

Glen Johnson is confident former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard will manage the Premier League side one day.

Gerrard spent 17 years in Liverpool s senior ranks as a player and had a brief stint coaching the club at youth-team level before being appointed by Rangers in May 2018.

The 39-year-old has performed well in his first year-and-a-half at Ibrox and has been tipped by Johnson, who he played alongside for six years at club level, to make a return to Anfield in the future.

Stevie will be the manager of Liverpool one day, or at least certainly involved in some way one day, he told the Daily Star.

Pure technique 

 A Steven Gerrard special against  

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

Obviously Stevie s gone away and learned the rope…

Italy and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon on Thursday played down the world champions chances of retaining their title in South Africa.

Italy claimed victory in the World Cup in Germany four years ago following a penalty shoot-out with France in the final.

But speaking from the nerazzurri s altitude training base in Sestriere, Buffon said a repeat would be a hard ask.

We have less chance of retaining the World Cup than we had of winning it in 2006 because after winning, it becomes more difficult to repeat that, he said.

But I have a lot of confidence because everyone, in particular the new-boys, is ready.

Therefore we have the foundation necessary to make an impact at the World Cup, even if to win it you need many things to happen as well…

El Salvador’s National Civil Police have launched a criminal investigation after at least nine people died in a football stadium crush in San Salvador.

Dozens more fans were injured during Saturday’s incident at the Primera Division play-off quarter-final second leg between Alianza and FAS at the Cuscatlan Stadium in the country’s capital.

The match was suspended and the National Civil Police confirmed in a preliminary report posted on Twitter that nine people – seven men and two women – had died.

El Comisionado General de la , Mauricio Arriaza Chicas, detalla que llegarán hasta los responsables de la estampida de este día en el Estadio Cuscatlán, donde fallecieron nueve personas.

— Noticiero El Salvador (@NoticieroSLV)

National C…

I am a lover of good football and a cr7 fan too..but i respect Messi to the core at a very higher level as high or a bit higher than my idol cr7
However, i refuse to agree that messi is a more complete player .based on the criteria
hit target with both feet
hit target with head
dribbles
positioning
pace
ronaldo and messi cn do all of this but ronaldo beats messi by a very far margin on the head target and distance target goals even though messi outshines him in dribbles not by enough margin to cover for his other lack
Platini said the same of messi when he was to equal his ballon dor so am not surprised ronaldo phenomenon delima is saying this He should stop watching the back of his tv and should be babysitted to ensure he watches the front of the tv

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