(GSM) Liverpool striker Fernando Torres believes that England have what it takes to be a finalist at the World Cup if they can get over their traditional mental meltdown at the quarter-final stage.
The former Atletico Madrid player hailed fellow Reds team-mate Steven Gerrard as the greatest central midfielder on the planet in his appraisal of England s individual qualities.
Torres, who transferred from Madrid to Liverpool in 2008, agrees with the bookmakers that England should be one of the main rivals to Spain at the World Cup in South Africa based on the way their team lines up on paper.
Unlike many of his international team-mates, the Spain striker is in a position to judge England s quality up close in his role as one of the Premier League s leading players…
Great achievement
After writing about the crowd violence and unpleasant side of football yesterday it is much more in keeping with the celebration of the great game of football that we take this opportunity to recognise the great achievement of Tottenham and Harry Redknapp.
Excellent
Their excellent 1-0 win at Manchester City on Wednesday, to add to recent victories over Arsenal and Chelsea, guaranteed them at least fourth place in the Premier League and entry to the qualifying rounds of the Champions League.
It is possible that they could overtake their North London rivals Arsenal for third place and grab an automatic spot in the group stages, but that would necessitate a victory at Burnley on Sunday together with Arsenal losing at home to a Fulham side w…
Former AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato said it is his goal to make a move to the Premier League.
Pato, 26, has been playing in his native Brazil after leaving AC Milan in 2013.
He was once touted as one of the next big things in world football but after his initial few seasons in Serie A, he was reduced to being a squad player.
Pato moved back to Brazil to play for Corinthians and has spent the past two years on loan with Sao Paulo.
And now the 27-time Brazil international wants to go back to Europe to win the Premier League and play in the Champions League.
One day I would like to come to England because I think the championship [the Premier League] is the number one in the world, Pato told the Telegraph.
Now I’m ready for a new c…
Everton are considering a move for West Bromwich Albion full-back Cristian Gamboa,.
The Merseyside club are eyeing potential replacements for Seamus Coleman, who continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United.
Manager Roberto Martinez is also keen on Leeds United youngster Sam Byram and Brentford’s Moses Odubajo, though Gamboa could be a more viable option having fallen out of favour at The Hawthorns.
The 25 year old moved to the Midlands club last August, but made just thirteen appearances for them in all competitions last season and his one and only league start came in a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool back in October.
Internationally Gamboa has thirty senior caps for Costa Rica, five of which were won at last summer’s World Cup finals in Bra…
Napoli got off to a rough start this season and, at one point, it was believed they d get stuck in the middle of the standings for the entire campaign. However, the Partenopei side woke up before it was too late. Even though making the UEFA Champions League for next season is out of the question, they could be in a good position to play in the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League. Their recent form backs that up, as Napoli have won four of their last five Serie A matches, losing just once in that stretch. In fact, the San Paolo outfit has won seven of their last eight Serie A matches (W7, L1) and are on the rise following a slow start to the season. Napoli have also won four of their last five home Serie A matches (W4, L1) and have kept a clean sheet at the break in three of those wins. Thus, get…
Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick refused to be drawn on the stand-off between him and the club after their 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen edged them closer to the Bundesliga title.
Flick declared after Saturday s 3-2 win over Wolfsburg that he intends to leave Bayern at the end of this season and has requested for his contract, which runs until 2023, to be terminated.
The 56-year-old has been heavily linked with the Germany national team coaching role as Joachim Low s successor but Bayern have made it clear they will not let him leave without a fee, causing a stand-off.
Bayern s win over Leverkusen on Tuesday moved them within one victory of the 2020-21 Bundesliga title but Flick s future was a hot topic post-game.
I m not really thinking about it…
One of England s most talented midfielders, Gazza is best remembered for his performances at the 1990 World Cup. Few England fans will ever forget the picture of Gascoigne crying after his foul on Thomas Berthold in the semifinal against Germany. Gazza would have missed the final if England had beaten the Germans. As fate would have it, Sir Bobby Robson s men did not progress as they choked in the shootout.
Unfortunately, Gazza had to deal with various problems in his life that never quite allowed him to fulfill his potential as a player. He suffered from depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and bulimia and often allowed alcohol to get the better of him. He snorted cocaine and even thought that his toy parrots were real in a nightmarish twelve month period that saw him sectioned thre…
In the wake of his side s World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain, Germany coach Joachim Loew remains tight-lipped on his future plans despite now being out of contract.
The 50-year-old s four-year deal with the German Football Federation (DFB) officially expired on June 30 and Loew has said nothing about his own future while his side has played some of the World Cup s best football.
Any talk about the position will only be spoken about after the World Cup, said Loew after his side lost 1-0 in Durban on Wednesday thanks to a 74th-minute goal by Carles Puyol.
This team will get stronger over the next two years, irrespective of which coach is in charge.
Despite losing several key players before coming to South Africa, Loew s young side has impressed with f…
Ezequiel Lavezzi has made it clear that he has entered his last season at Paris Saint-Germain as he appears to have no intention of renewing his existing contract with the Ligue 1 champions.
The Argentina international s deal is due to expire at the end of the season and he is determined to end his time at the Parc des Princes on a high.
I think that this will be my last year with Paris Saint-Germain and I want to end it in the best way possible, the 30-year-old told Telefoot.
I could have left this summer, but I wanted to stay because I believe in this team.
I have had some difficulties to get into the team, but the competition for places motivates me. Some important players have arrived and the team is even stronger than last year.
I am ver…
Manchester United F.C. striker James Wilson has put pen to paper on a new deal which keeps him at Old Trafford until the summer of 2019 with an option to extend for a further year.
The England Under-21 international, who has been attracting interest from several clubs in the Sky Bet Championship in recent weeks, is delighted with the new contract, and rightly so.
I have been at United since I was seven years old and have thoroughly enjoyed my time here so far, Wilson told the club s official website.
Growing up at the club has been an incredible experience and I feel it stands me in good stead for continuing my development as a Manchester United player.
I am delighted to have signed a new contract and look forward to playing a part in the…