ROME (REUTERS) - Jose Mourinho's honeymoon period at Roma is well in the past, after a shock 3-2 defeat by Venezia on Sunday (Nov 7) left the capital club in crisis and their Portuguese manager raising familiar gripes. Mourinho enjoyed a strong start to life in Rome, winning six games in a row in all competitions, but since then performances have slid and the 58-year-old has criticised his players, Roma's transfers and referees. He said after the defeat in Venice that "this is not the year to dream big", complaining that his squad is unbalanced and that "when you lose a player to injury or suspension, you have to invent something". A lack of squad depth is already a familiar complaint but there were few excuses for the result. Venezia, promoted from Serie B last season, are fighting relegation and began the day with the worst attack in the league. Roma were the first team to concede three times to Paolo Zanetti's side this season, and did so after holding a 2-1 half-time lead. The result saw the Giallorossi drop to sixth, with just one win in their last seven games in all competitions and four points from their last five league matches. Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport described Roma as in "freefall". Their report highlighted that Roma's average points and goals scored have slid from 3 and 3.1 respectively in their first six games, to 0.8 and 1.3 in the last six, while the average goals conceded per game has risen from 0.4 to 2.3 in that period. Mou moans The Venezia setback was not Mourinho's first embarrassment. Last month, a second-string Roma side lost 6-1 at Bodo/Glimt in the Uefa Conference League, Europe's new third-tier competition. "If I could pick the same players every time I would, but it is a risk. There is a difference in quality between one group of players and the other," Mourinho said after the game in Norway. More on this topic Related Story Exclusive interview with Jose Mourinho: Desire for challenge keeps me feeling young Related Story Football: Some young players lack real motivation to succeed, Mourinho tells Singapore audience Mourinho's subsequently left five players who started in Norway - Bryan Reynolds, Marash Kumbulla, Amadou Diawara, Gonzalo Villar and Borja Mayoral - out of his squad for a 0-0 draw with Napoli, filling his bench with youth players instead. The coach was sent off in that game for complaints to the referee, and has since tried to hold his tongue despite being visibly furious with the officiating in a 2-1 defeat by AC Milan and against Venezia. He also hit out at the club's summer transfer business, complaining that the signings were "reactive" and that "the squad is not better than last year". That was despite a net transfer spend of around €100 million (S$156 million), the highest in Italy. Familiar story Parallels between Mourinho's public outbursts in Rome and those in his previous two jobs at Manchester United and Tottenham have not gone unnoticed. At Spurs, the manager was widely criticised for his treatment of Dele Alli, who was regularly left out of the squad and made two league starts last season before Mourinho was sacked in April. The Portuguese also said in February 2021 that Gareth Bale's social media post saying he had a good training session was a "a contradiction of reality". More on this topic Related Story Football: No longer the special one, Mourinho heads to Roma in search of revival Related Story Football: 'Rome burns everyone': Capello warns Mourinho of pressures awaiting him at Roma At United, Mourinho repeatedly picked out Luke Shaw for criticism, and his relationship with Paul Pogba broke down. The Frenchman was stripped of the vice-captaincy in September 2018 after being dropped for key games the season before, including their Champions League last-16 second-leg defeat by Sevilla. Mourinho has emphasised that he has three years to make his Roma project a success, but the club's demanding fan base will hope to see the slump reversed soon, and a more positive atmosphere return.
PARIS (REUTERS) - Lionel Messi will not be included in Paris St Germain's squad for Friday's Ligue 1 game at Brest, French daily L'Equipe reported, adding that his former Barcelona team mate Neymar has also been left out. L'Equipe added on its website that Italy's Euro 2020 winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has been called up alongside compatriot Marco Verratti, Marquinhos and Angel Di Maria. Verratti was also part of Italy's squad which beat England in the Euro 2020 final on penalties at Wembley, while Di Maria scored Argentina's winner in a 1-0 victory over hosts Brazil in the Copa America showpiece. Earlier on Thursday (Aug 19), PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino had left open the possibility that Messi could feature against Brest when he declined to specify whether the six-times Ballon d'Or winner would finally make his debut. The 34-year-old Messi is yet to feature for the French giants after joining them from Barcelona earlier this month and he was presented to the fans ahead of PSG's 4-2 home win over Strasbourg on Saturday. "Everything is positive," Pochettino told a news conference at PSG's training camp. "There is a good atmosphere in the squad and (Messi) has settled in well and quickly. There is a very good feeling." Messi had not trained for a month after helping Argentina to their Copa America triumph. Having won 10 LaLiga and four Champions League titles during his 17-year career at Barcelona, Messi left them on a free transfer after the Catalan club's president Joan Laporta said they could no longer afford to keep him. Pochettino also suggested speculation that Kylian Mbappe might leave PSG in the current transfer window amounted to nothing, with the France World Cup winner a target for Real Madrid, according to media reports. More on this topic Related Story Football: Barcelona begin life without Messi with 4-2 win over Real Sociedad Related Story Football: Messi unveiled ahead of PSG match but is not included in match squad "Mbappe is our player and I want him to be here this season," said Pochettino. "He has another year left on his contract. Even if he doesn't renew it, he is still a PSG player and we are very pleased with him and from what I can understand, he is pleased with us. "He is very calm and preparing well for tomorrow's game." PSG can provisionally go three points clear at the top of the table if they beat Brest to make it three wins out of three at the start of their campaign to wrestle the league title back from last season's champions Lille. They are currently third on six points, behind leaders Angers and promoted Clermont Foot on goal difference. More on this topic Related Story Football: Too early for Messi to take the field, says Pochettino Related Story Football: Pressure on Pochettino to deliver with PSG 'galacticos' after Messi arrival
LEGANES, SPAIN (REUTERS) - A youthful Spain side outclassed Lithuania to claim an impressive 4-0 victory on Tuesday (June 8), with the hosts' under-21 side drafted in after their first team were forced into isolation. Valencia defender Hugo Guillamon opened the scoring after three minutes, before Brahim Diaz doubled the lead on 24 as Spain's youngsters threatened to run riot - with Abel Ruiz missing a penalty on the half hour. Juan Miranda netted a free kick eight minutes after the restart, before substitute Javi Puado sealed a comfortable victory on 73 minutes. The unfamiliar team were called into action after Spain captain Sergio Busquets tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, sending the entire senior squad and coaching staff into isolation. Under-21 coach Luis de la Fuente was placed in temporary charge, and his squad, who lost in the semi-finals of their European Championship last Thursday, replaced the senior side so that the fixture could be fulfilled. The starting team contained 10 debutants for the first time since 1941 with Eibar's Bryan Gil the only previously capped player. It was also the youngest ever in Spain's history with an average age of 22 years and 102 days, and they gave senior coach Luis Enrique food for thought should he require any replacements if there are multiple Covid-19 cases or injuries. "It was an unbeatable night," forward Puado said. "As a player you always want to get called up by Spain, even if this was under special circumstances. "We don't want there to be any more positive cases, those lads (the senior squad) were picked for the Euros - but we will always be here to help. While this call-up has been because of a terrible situation, we're happy to be here." Six senior players - Kepa Arrizabalaga, Raul Albiol, Brais Mendez, Pablo Fornals, Rodrigo Moreno and Carlos Soler - were called up to train in a parallel bubble should multiple replacements be required. The Spanish FA also said that a number of the Under-21 players will remain in Madrid and train separately to the main squad following the victory.
MIDDLESBROUGH, BRITAIN (AFP) - Trent Alexander-Arnold gave Gareth Southgate a Euro 2020 injury scare as Bukayo Saka scored his first goal for England in Wednesday's (June 2) 1-0 friendly win against Austria. Liverpool right-back Alexander-Arnold limped off late in the second half after injuring himself while clearing the ball. The 22-year-old looked emotional as he needed assistance to hobble around the Riverside Stadium pitch. Alexander-Arnold, who finished the season in fine form, is one of four right-backs in the England squad after being selected despite reports he would be left out. Kieran Trippier, another of the right-backs, was used at left-back against Austria, while Reece James and Kyle Walker were rested Unable to call on players from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United following their European finals, Southgate sent out an experimental team. It was Saka who staked a claim for a place in the starting line-up for their tournament opener against Croatia at Wembley on June 13. The 19-year-old Arsenal winger was a lively presence on the left flank and capped his eye-catching display with a composed second half finish. At the age of 17 years and 338 days, Jude Bellingham became the youngest player to start for England since Wayne Rooney in 2003, when he appeared against Liechtenstein aged 17 years and 321 days. Bellingham was making his first England start after an impressive debut season with Borussia Dortmund, but the midfielder struggled to make his presence felt in an anonymous display. England complete their pre-tournament preparations with a friendly against Romania back in Middlesbrough on Sunday. Aside from his selection issues, Southgate will be alarmed that a section of the 8,000 crowd loudly booed the England players when they took the knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement before kick-off. There was applause after the jeering but Southgate will hope the negative reaction doesn't become a distraction if it lingers during the tournament. Saka sparkles Alexander-Arnold wasted little time showing his class as he surged onto Harry Kane's raking pass and forced Daniel Bachmann to tip over his fierce drive. Southgate will need Tottenham striker Kane firing on all cylinders if England are to fulfil their manager's target of reaching at least the semi-finals. The England captain, who finished as this season's Premier League top scorer, wasted a good chance to break the deadlock when he ran onto Grealish's pass, but took too long to shoot and drilled straight at Bachmann. More on this topic Related Story Football: Lingard among six dropped by England from final Euro squad Related Story Football: England's Greenwood out of Euro 2020 due to injury England lacked a cutting edge in the first half but they carved open the Austrians to take the lead in the 57th minute. Kane's pass picked out Jesse Lingard just inside the Austria area and his attempt to find Jack Grealish was diverted to Saka, who had the simple task of slotting into the empty net from close-range. Like Lingard, Ben Godfrey was one of six players left out of England's final 26-man squad when it was announced on Tuesday. But Godfrey still came on for his debut and was immediately rescued by his Everton team-mate Jordan Pickford when the England keeper scrambled to kick the defender's woeful backpass off the line. Southgate had challenged Lingard to "show me I'm wrong", but the Manchester United forward was unable to replicate the fine form he showed on loan at West Ham. England were grateful to Pickford for preserving their lead when he made a superb save to push Marcel Sabitzer's strike onto the bar.
LONDON (REUTERS) - England coach Gareth Southgate will name a provisional extended squad ahead of Euro 2020, the FA said on Monday. A tweet from the official England account said Southgate would announce the squad before speaking to the media at 2pm local time on Tuesday (May 25). The group will then be reduced to 26 players ahead of the June 1 deadline for squads to be submitted to Uefa ahead of the June 11-July 11 tournament being held across Europe. While the FA did not confirm the size of the squad Southgate is likely to name, various local media reports suggested it could contain more than 30 players. It is believed Southgate's decision is to allow for key players such as Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson every chance to prove their fitness as they recover from injury. It also factors in the number of England players involved in Wednesday's Europa League final between Manchester United and Villarreal, as well as Saturday's Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City. Other nations, including the Netherlands and Italy, have named extended squads that will then be whittled down, while others, such as Spain, have not used their full allocation of 26 players available to them. England face Austria and Romania in friendlies in the first week of June, before their Euro 2020 Group D campaign starts with games against Croatia, Scotland and Czech Republic.
EIBAR (REUTERS) - Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said he did not believe that Saturday's (May 22) 1-0 victory over Eibar would be his last game in charge of the club, adding that he wanted to build a better squad more befitting of it. Koeman, who was appointed by former club president Josep Bartomeu last summer, led his side to the Copa del Rey crown this season, but finished a disappointing third in La Liga and was eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League. In recent weeks, local media speculation has intensified regarding his future, with new president Joan Laporta saying changes were imminent earlier this week and former midfielder Xavi Hernandez linked to the position. The Dutchman, however, said he didn't believe it would be his final act as coach. "I don't think this will be my last game. I've got a contract and I don't know any more than that," he told a news conference. "You (the media) speak a lot about the subject, but I'm relaxed on it. If the club wants to change anything, they need to tell me about it." Koeman also said that he did not currently have the kind of squad he wanted in order to make Barca competitive again. "When we took over here, it was a squad that had been assembled and we only signed Sergino Dest. "For me, this squad isn't to the level that we want to have at Barca. That's clear, and a lot of people in the club think that way, too. "We're trying to improve the squad and with all due respect, there's some senior players here who haven't performed. There's a lot of youngsters, too. "The squad isn't the finished article and you can't make change in just one season." More on this topic Related Story Football: Griezmann strike secures third place for Barca in La Liga Related Story Football: Atletico Madrid crowned Spanish La Liga champions
LONDON • Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne will miss today's home Premier League game against Arsenal after picking up an injury on international duty with Belgium last weekend, manager Pep Guardiola said. The midfielder was substituted in the second half of Belgium's 2-1 Nations League defeat by England at Wembley last Sunday and then withdrew from the national squad with an unspecified injury. "The squad have come back a little better than the previous time. Unfortunately Kevin is out but the rest of the players came back well," Guardiola told reporters. "I don't think it's much but the next games I think he will be out. We will see day by day how he is." City have a busy fixture list, hosting Porto in the Champions League group stage on Wednesday before a league trip to West Ham the following Saturday. They then travel to Marseille for another group-stage game the Tuesday after. Guardiola had better news on striker Sergio Aguero, City's record scorer, after the Argentinian returned to training following a knee injury in June. "Sergio is training well and I'm so happy to see him on the pitch after such a long time," said the Spaniard. "Every team needs a striker and we have played without them the last two, three games." Gabriel Jesus still has a muscle injury and Guardiola said he did not know when the striker might return. Today's match is another clash between Guardiola, whose side have taken only four points from their first three matches, and his former assistant Mikel Arteta. But the City boss questioned any "master and apprentice" headlines. "Maybe we should clarify who's the master and who's the apprentice first," he said. "He settled really well and the way his team is playing right now is perfect for the quality they have." Arteta is hoping to have defender Kieran Tierney available as discussions over his need to self-isolate continue. Tierney and Ryan Christie were told to quarantine for 14 days after Scotland teammate Stuart Armstrong tested positive for coronavirus while on international duty. But both Tierney and Christie returned negative tests and have insisted they complied with social distancing guidelines. Midfielder Kevin de Bruyne was replaced in Belgium's 2-1 Nations League loss to England at Wembley last Sunday. He then withdrew from the national squad with an unspecified injury. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Arteta refused to be drawn on whether deadline-day signing Thomas Partey will make his debut at City, given he is yet to train with his teammates. He also suggested teenage defender William Saliba would not be departing on loan. Asked about facing Guardiola again following July's 2-0 FA Cup semi-final win over City, he said: "I know him really well because we worked together for four years. We both know how we think. "After (that) is to try to prevent them executing on the football pitch when everything is going a hundred miles an hour which is very difficult, much more difficult than just on tactics boards." AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE MAN CITY V ARSENAL Singtel TV Ch102 & StarHub Ch227 tomorrow, 12.30am