Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino is not worried by Lionel Messi s lack of goals in recent games.
The Argentina international has added just one to his tally in four matches since returning from a thigh injury.
But Martino insists that Messi is judged by higher standards than anyone else, meaning even a small run without a goal is made out to be something much worse.
And he has backed the current holder of the Ballon d Or to get on the scoresheet again soon, praising his mental strength.
With Leo, he is expected to score goals in every game and if he he doesn t score every game then people say he has problems, Martino said.
He played very well against Celta and just because of circumstances he didn t score. It is not a crisis, it is just what happens but I d…
Gareth Southgate is not planning to rush into a decision about his England future before Christmas, insisting he has few regrets about the Three Lions World Cup campaign.
Southgate s team suffered a heartbreaking quarter-final exit against world champions France on Saturday, with Harry Kane missing a late penalty after scoring an earlier spot-kick.
The England boss said he would take time to ensure he made the correct decision on his own future in the aftermath of the 2-1 defeat, with his contract set to expire after Euro 2024.
He then hinted an immediate decision was unlikely in an interview with England s media channels on Sunday, adding he was struggling to see where the Three Lions went wrong.
There will be standard debriefing sessions with the Footba…
Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has admitted that the club are in talks with wantaway Real Madrid midfielder Kaka.
Kaka, 31, expressed a desire to leave the Spanish capital on Thursday after struggling to become a permanent member of Real s first team.
The Brazilian – who played for Milan between 2003 and 2009 – is reportedly keen on a return to the Serie A giants.
Galliani, who ruled out a potential return for the playmaker in June, confessed to being in talks with him on Friday.
Galliani also confirmed that Milan are trying to sign CSKA Moscow s Keisuke Honda and that both of them coming to the club would be unlikely.
It is complicated at this time, Galliani told Milannews.it.
We are closer to signing Keisuke Honda than Kaka and a deal for…
Porto coach Paulo Fonseca insists he will keep fighting after his team s first home league loss in over five years.
A 78th-minute penalty from Evandro saw Estoril to an upset 1-0 win at the Estadio do Dragao, where Porto had been unbeaten in the Primeira Liga since October 2008.
The end of the 81-match unbeaten league run at home saw Porto stay third, four points behind leaders Benfica, who have a game in hand.
In a television interview after the game, Fonseca, whose team were jeered off, said he would speak to the president about his future.
But in his post-match news conference, Fonseca said his side would continue fighting despite their first home league loss since October 2008.
If this game had gone as usual, FC Porto would have won, he said.
Ther…
Atletico Madrid ended Porto s eight-match unbeaten run at home in the UEFA Champions League with a 2-1 win
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on Tuesday.
The Portuguese champions found it difficult to get through their visitors’ defence for much of the match, but Jackson Martinez did give them the lead with an excellent header.
Chelsea were the last side to defeat Porto at Estadio Dragao in November 2009 and that run came to an end in the second half as Diego Godin and Arda Turan hit the goals.
The hosts made just two changes from their weekend 1-0 win over Vitoria Guimaraes as Lica and Juan Fernando Quintero dropped to the bench in favour of the more experienced Steven Defour and Silvestre Varela.
Atletico picked up their first league victory over Real Madrid since 1999 at the…
Morgan Schneiderlin has insisted that he is happy at Southampton amid rumours of interest from Arsenal and Manchester United, .
The French midfielder is a number of Saints players to have caught the eye this season, making thirty-four appearances in all competitions and scoring two goals.
His form has led to calls for him to receive a full international cap, after so far gaining recognition at every level from U16 to U21, and has seen some of the Premier League big guns register and interest in securing his services.
The 24 year old has been with Southampton since signing from Strasbourg in 2008, and will make his two-hundredth league outing for the club if selected to face Everton tomorrow afternoon.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men currently sit eight…
Liverpool s Martin Skrtel has warned his team-mates that anything less than UEFA Champions League qualification will be unacceptable.
The 28-year-old central defender believes the club s future will be indelibly affected by what Brendan Rodgers Liverpool side can achieve in the 2013/14 English Premier League.
Ahead of Liverpool s 13th match of the Premier League campaign, Rodgers team sit second and could move within four points of leaders Arsenal if they overcome Hull on Sunday.
Liverpool have not played in the Champions League since the 2009/10 season and with the likes of Luis Suarez at the club, Skrtel believes they cannot afford to miss out on Europe s top continental competition again.
We definitely wouldn t be happy finishing fifth, Skrtel said.
The …
Market: Brentford win
Odds: 4/5 @
Hoping to make an immediate return to winning ways this weekend, Brentford will welcome a struggling Everton to west London on Saturday evening.
Starting with the hosts, left disappointed last weekend as they were eventually hit with a 1-0 loss away at Newcastle, Brentford will certainly be seeking an immediate response here. Nevertheless, although Thomas Frank’s men might have missed out on the chance to lay down a heavyweight marker at St. James’ Park, the Bees have once again gained a string of plaudits since opening up the 2023/24 campaign. Consistently demonstrating that they can mix it with the Premier League elite, the one-time Brondby boss has seen his squad suffer just a single defeat from their opening six appearan…
Barcelona midfielder Rafinha is a transfer target for Celta Vigo, according to the Galician club s sporting director.
Rafinha is yet to feature in LaLiga this season after he twice underwent knee surgery during 2017, although last month he was cleared to return to action.
Rafinha s father, Mazinho, previously indicated the 24-year-old was not interested in leaving Barca, but the club-record signing of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool could push Rafinha down the Camp Nou pecking order.
Celta sporting director Felipe Minambres confirmed he is keen to take Rafinha who played for the club on loan in the 2013-14 season back to Balaidos.
We are in contact with Rafinha, Minambres said.
There are options and we want to advance them in the coming days. <…
Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre has spoken in glowing terms about Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin to heighten speculation the LaLiga champions could try and bring him back to Camp Nou.
Bellerin is a product of Barca s feted youth system but left the club at 16 to work under Arsene Wenger.
Now 21, the Spain international is a first-team fixture at Emirates Stadium but, in an interview with Sport, Mestre hinted Bellerin could complete the same return to Catalonia made by ex-Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas in 2011.
We ve already seen him as a Cule [Barcelona follower], Mestre said. He s a great player, there s no doubt about that.
Wenger convinced him to move and promised him something which we couldn t.
We could not promise him that within…