Spain goalkeeper Victor Valdes has leapt to the defence of Vicente del Bosque, saying the criticism targeted at the coach is senseless.
The 61-year-old had come under-fire following his decision to deploy Cesc Fabregas as a false nine in Spain s 1-1 draw with Italy in their Euro 2012 opener.
Del Bosque was then criticised in the wake of Spain s disappointing display in their 1-0 victory against Croatia, but Valdes has backed the coach s tactical choices.
I do not understand the criticism targeted at the coach, nor do I share it, he told reporters at a press conference.
In football, things can go better or worse, but the results are there. I think the coach has got everything right since he took charge of the national team.
He is calm and seei…
Aaron Mooy is a step closer to join the A-League s new western Sydney club after being granted a free transfer from SPL outfit St Mirren.
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has been expected to join the fledgling outfit since the Saints revealed they were in the process of finalising his release, with the former Bolton trainee now free to become one of western Sydney coach Tony Popovic s first signings.
Mooy an Australian youth international made 30 appearances for St Mirren after joining the Scottish club in October 2010, and will be remembered fondly by Saints fans for his goal against Rangers on December 24 in his side s 2-1 victory.
This move will give Aaron the opportunity to play more first team football which he really needs at this stage of his career…
Leicester City sealed top spot in Europa League Group G as goals from Cengiz Under and Harvey Barnes led Brendan Rodgers side to a routine 2-0 win over AEK Athens on Thursday.
Leicester missed the chance to confirm first place when they lost to Zorya Luhansk last week, but the Foxes never looked in danger of squandering a second opportunity as they opened up an unassailable two-goal lead after 14 minutes at the King Power Stadium.
Under put Leicester ahead with his first goal following a loan move from Serie A outfit Roma before Barnes sixth goal of the season doubled the hosts advantage soon after.
The result meant Leicester finished level on 13 points with Braga, but won the group courtesy of their better head-to-head record against the Portuguese sid…
Milan secured top spot in Europa League Group H with a 1-0 victory at Sparta Prague on Thursday.
A first-half strike from Jens Petter Hauge sealed all three points for a much-altered Rossoneri, who fielded four players born after January 1, 2000 for the first time.
Despite making seven changes to the team that beat Celtic on matchday five, Stefano Pioli s men still made fairly light work of Sparta, who have now gone eight games without a win over Milan in European competition.
A red card for Dominik Plechaty left Sparta with too much to do, with Milan progressing as group winners after Lille s surprise defeat at Celtic.
4 For the first time in their history, in the AC Milan Starting XI there are 4 players born after 1/1/2000 (Colombo, Maldini, Kalulu, T…
Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool again proved their quality in a 2-0 win over Salzburg in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Premier League leaders kept their European defence alive thanks to second-half goals from Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah, moving into the last 16 as Group E winners.
Van Dijk felt Jurgen Klopp s side showcased their quality during a tricky away clash.
I think it says a lot about the quality we have, first of all, the defender told reporters.
I think it s tough to come here. It s their chance of a lifetime to go through to the knockout stages.
We knew what to expect, especially in the beginning, it was tough. They re a very good side. They have good players, a lot of pressure on the ball, a lot of hard work, a lot of des…
La Liga s transfer deadline passed without much ceremony on Friday, but struggling Cordoba completed an eye-catching triple swoop.
Cordoba enjoyed a successful transfer deadline day as they completed the loan captures of midfielders Bruno Zuculini, Rene Krhin and Heldon.
Miroslav Djukic s side looked doomed to be relegated back to La Segunda before the Serbian took over from Albert Ferrer in October, but they have since climbed out of the bottom three and Friday s midfield reinforcements strengthen their chances of avoiding the drop.
Zuculini s loan at Valencia was cut short earlier in the day by parent club Manchester City, while Krhin – co-owned by Bologna and Inter – and Sporting Lisbon s Heldon also joined on temporary deals.
Zuculini was not the …
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says Rafael Benitez s claims he snubbed a pre-match handshake last Sunday are nonsense .
The Chelsea interim manager had said Fergusonignored him ahead of the FA Cup sixth-round clash between the sides at Old Trafford.
Benitez also suggested that reporters ask the Manchester United boss for his take on events if they were brave enough .
That s absolute nonsense, Ferguson said on Friday.
Why wouldn t I shake hands? Think about it. Have you ever seen me not shake hands with anyone?
I never saw him. I was signing autographs at the front. There s that Indian lad who always wants to shake my hand before the game, and says it brings me luck.
I was signing autographs and I moved across the stairway …
France coach Laurent Blanc insists the furious bust-up that followed his side s shock defeat against Sweden has not destabilised his team.
Speaking ahead of Saturday s Euro 2012 quarter-final against Spain, Blanc has quelled the potential for a full-scale revolt.
Defeat against the Swedes saw Les Bleus surrender a 23-game unbeaten run, squander the opportunity to top Group D and fail to avoid facing the reigning European champions in Donetsk.
The frustration felt at passing up such a golden opportunity culminated in a row, understood to have involved Alou Diarra and Samir Nasri, but Blanc said the situation has now been dealt with and should be consigned to history.
There is no conflict. There were some words exchanged and there was a reaction. After th…
France head into their Euro 2012 quarter-finals tonight with World and European champions Spain as slight underdogs.
Most teams that will encounter Spain at the championships will be underdogs but I don’t think France should fear the Spaniards.
Flat
Apart from the 4-0 victory over Republic of Ireland Spain really have looked flat in their other two games and looked very edgy against Croatia in their last group game.
They don’t look like the same team that won the competition four years ago or the side that won the World Cup in South Africa two years ago.
It seems the Spanish are now on a slight downward curve. Spain may still be ranked first in FIFA’s ranking but I think they are far from invincible.
Undefeated
Prior to the …
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw appeared to mock former team-mate Romelu Lukaku after Inter exited the Champions League on Tuesday.
Lukaku s 12th goal of the season for Inter in all competitions was not enough to prevent the Nerazzurri losing 2-1 to a much-changed Barcelona team at San Siro.
The result, combined with Borussia Dortmund s 2-1 win over Slavia Prague, meant Inter finished third in Group F and will therefore drop into the Europa League for the rest of the season.
Shaw was quick to poke fun at Lukaku on social media after the match.
Responding to a post from the striker back in October, showing Lukaku smiling in training with the caption UCL , the acronym for UEFA Champions League, Shaw said on Tuesday: Welcome back.
Welcome back…