Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho believes a reduced focus on the rivalry between himself and Pep Guardiola is the correct approach ahead of Thursday s derby at Manchester City.
Guardiola and Mourinho famously locked horns while in charge of Barcelona and Real Madrid on either side of El Clasico s bitter divide between 2010 and 2012.
The stage was set for a similarly memorable battle in Manchester this season, as each team won their opening three Premier League matches before first-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho helped City to a 2-1 win over their rivals at Old Trafford.
Both teams have since fallen off the pace in a title race that is now the preserve of London, as Chelsea aim to hold off Tottenham s impressive charge, and a spot in …
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino joked chairman Daniel Levy was worried and concerned he could leave Spurs.
Pochettino has been linked to the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United after impressing since taking charge of Tottenham in May 2014.
The Argentinian is yet to claim a trophy at the helm, but is often mentioned for a potential move.
Pochettino jokingly suggested Levy was worried about losing him amid the talk about his future.
Daniel does not laugh. I know it gets boring but he maybe is worried, he is concerned. It is normal. It is not nice for Daniel to hear all that history of course, he told UK newspapers.
Building up for Burnley
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)
Do I have to reassure him? No. It is li…
Bibiana Steinhaus will become the first female Bundesliga referee from next season.
The German Football Association (DFB) announced that Steinhaus the first female professional referee in German football has overseen games in the 2. Bundesliga since 2007.
Steinhaus has officiated at international level since 2005. She took charge of the 2011 Women s World Cup final and the showpiece of the women s football tournament at the 2012 Olympic Games.
A 38-year-old police officer, Steinhaus will referee the 2017 Women s Champions League final between Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain on June 1.
And she has now made further history with her promotion to the German top flight.
Speaking to the DFB s official website, Steinhaus said: [Referees chief] Lutz Michael …
Scotland defender Andrew Robertson says their Euro 2016 qualifier with Georgia has the air of a must-win fixture as the race for a place at the tournament heats up.
Gordon Strachan s men head to Tbilisi on Friday sat third in Group D with 11 points, a position that would see them advance to a two-legged play-off in order to secure a spot in France.
The highest-ranked third-placed team will qualify directly, but that position is currently occupied by Albania.
But, given the tight nature of their group, Scotland have plenty of reason for hope. Strachan s side trail second-placed Germany by two points and leaders Poland by three, while Republic of Ireland are still in contention on nine points.
Scotland play world champions Germany next Monday at Hampden Par…
Eric Abidal has been appointed an ambassador at Barcelona, the club where he played for six seasons.
Abidal, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2011 despite undergoing surgery to remove a tumour on his liver two months earlier, rejoined the club on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old made 193 official appearances for Barcelona, winning four LaLiga titles in his time at Camp Nou, but the Frenchman played down his status at the club.
It s a joy to return to officially form part of the club, Abidal told Barca TV. We had been talking for a while and now today it s gone through. As ambassador I am going to represent the club in the best possible way in other countries.
It will always be a pleasure to share moments with the club s former players and, abov…
Galatasaray have announced the signing of Sofiane Feghouli from West Ham for a fee of €4.25million.
The 27-year-old joins the Super Lig side just a year after signing for the Hammers from Valencia on a three-season deal.
Feghouli has signed a five-year contract with Galatasaray and is their seventh signing of a productive transfer window.
West Ham United would like to thank Sofiane for his efforts and wish him well in his future career, the Premier League club said in a statement.
Feghouli: Şampiyonluk için geldim!
— Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK)
Feghouli s exit comes amid reports that West Ham are closing in on a club-record £30m deal for William Carvalho.
The Portugal international was left out of Sporting CP s squad …
Jimmy Greaves, the World Cup-winning former England striker, was taken into intensive care after suffering a severe stroke on Sunday.
A statement from the 75-year-old s family read: Football legend Jimmy Greaves suffered a severe stroke on Sunday May 3, and is in intensive care in hospital.
His wife, Irene, and four children have asked for privacy during what is a worrying time for the family. They will issue a bulletin on his condition when it is appropriate.
England’s greatest ever goal scorer was 75 on February 20, and has been working regularly on the personal appearances circuit in harness with his friend and agent Terry Baker.
Jimmy had a minor stroke in 2012, but appeared to have made a full recovery.
He was due to be inducted…
According to a recent report from Tuttosport, Marco Asensio is also unhappy with his current situation at Real Madrid – in addition to a few of his teammates. It’s no secret that Isco and Marcelo and on the verge of leaving the European champions, but it appears as if they aren’t the only ones. Asensio has been with Real since back in 2014 when he joined from Mallorca, and has also been a member of the Spanish national team since debuting in 2016.
The 23 year old attacking midfielder doesn’t seem to be happy with his role at Real, and the report suggests that a move to Juve could be on the cards. Marcelo and Isco have already been linked with a switch to the Italian champions, and while Asensio jumping ship would be a little bit more difficult, it’s still a possibilit…
Harry Kane wants Tottenham to take inspiration from Chelsea and Liverpool s famous Champions League comebacks as Mauricio Pochettino s men plot their own great escape.
At the fourth time of asking this season, Spurs tasted victory in Europe s premier competition on Tuesday, coming from behind to beat PSV 2-1 thanks to a brace from England captain Kane.
Victories over Inter and Barcelona are still required to turn guarantee Spurs will progress from Group B, but their star striker is keen to add to a story of famous continental recoveries from Premier League clubs.
The Champions League has thrown up some amazing fairytales in the past, he told reporters, before evoking Chelsea s 2012 semi-final victory against Barcelona and Liverpool s comeback from 3-0 down to li…
Germany coach Joachim Low believes Bayern Munich will give themselves a very good solution should they re-hire Jupp Heynckes as Carlo Ancelotti s successor until the end of the season.
Heynckes is expected to be appointed as Bayern coach for a fourth time this week after Ancelotti was sacked at the end of September following a 3-0 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Ancelotti was reported to have lost the support of several key members of the Bayern dressing room before his dismissal, with speculation suggesting his training methods left a lot to be desired.
Heynckes confirmed on Thursday that Bayern have approached him and that he was considering their offer.
Should he accept, Low believes Bayern have made a good choice.
Speaking afte…