Author: Kate Man

Ancelotti, who has the nickname of ‘Don Carlo’ in Spain, is the most successful manager in European Cup and Champions League history, having won the trophy a record five times.He is also the only manager to reach six finals and, like Guardiola, is one of seven men to have won the tournament as both a player and a manager having triumphed twice with AC Milan in 1989 and 1990.The 65-year-old also holds the distinction of being the only manager to win league titles in all of Europe’s big five leagues – England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.Like the Italian, Guardiola…

Just over four months ago, the talk around Celtic in European football was very different.They were dismantled by Borussia Dortmund, beaten 7-1 on a wretched night, seemingly out of their depth at the top table.And yet, they regrouped and came up with answers. Wins against RB Leipzig and Young Boys followed, along with respectable draws against Atalanta, Club Brugge and Dinamo Zagreb, which all set up a showpiece tie against Bayern.Bayern, who sit 26 points and 10 places above Dortmund in the Bundesliga. Bayern, who Celtic deservedly led in Munich until the dying stages. Despite the heartbreak, it was telling…

After the match, PGMOL said police were investigating “threats and abuse” directed at Oliver and his family on social media.Oliver returned to refereeing swiftly, taking charge of Southampton’s 2-1 win at Ipswich a week after sending off Lewis-Skelly.He then refereed the 2-2 draw between Everton and Liverpool on 12 February.In that last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park before Everton move to Bramley-Moore Dock, he showed Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure red cards after the game had ended when the pair clashed as the latter started celebrating in front of the away fans.In a chaotic ending, Liverpool manager Arne Slot and…

Welsh rider Josh Tarling won stage two of the UAE Tour to take the overall lead in the week-long race.Three days after his 21st birthday, the Ineos Grenadiers rider won a 12km test against the clock ahead of Switzerland’s Stefan Bissegger and three-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar.Victory in Tuesday’s time trial marks a second win for Tarling on the World Tour since turning professional, having previously won at the 2023 Renewi Tour.”From the end of last year, I had a bit of bad luck, and I kept coming second in the TTs [time trials] with Remco [Evenepoel]. I…

That pointed to a wider uncertainty around England, who have not looked close to establishing each player’s role.Their XI looked a batter light for much of the series – Jamie Overton copping criticism for struggling at number seven despite a decent showing with the ball – but was flipped for the final match, in favour of a batting-heavy approach.The result was Root and Liam Livingstone combining to fill the role of the fifth bowler and conceding 104 runs between them. Problems appeared wherever England turned.McCullum and Buttler can point to injuries to Jacob Bethell and Jamie Smith as reasons for…

It may have been a dark, freezing Monday evening on the banks of the Mersey, but Evertonians hope this day signifies the start of a bright new future.Everton’s magnificent new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock opened its doors for the first time to 10,000 lucky Toffees fans successful in a ballot for an under-18s friendly against Wigan.Four years in the making and at an estimated cost of more than £750m, the club will move in fully over the summer in time for the start of the 2025-26 season.The first thing that strikes you on approach to the stadium along Liverpool’s dock…

Nobody will be more disappointed about Luke Williams’ departure from Swansea City than the man himself.Williams walked away from Notts County to try his luck at Swansea after the Welsh club eventually turned to him having failed to appoint Chris Davies as successor to Michael Duff.This was Williams’ chance to prove himself in the Championship, to show that he could cut it at a club attempting to swim with some much bigger fish in the second tier.With Swansea in dire form and Williams gone after a little more than 13 months in charge, those looking on from outside may judge…

The biggest difference between Parker and Dubois is their level of experience. Parker has 38 fights to Dubois’ 24 and has been in the ring with a host of top fighters including Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz, Deontay Wilder, Joe Joyce, Zhilei Zhang and Derek Chisora.Parker’s biggest wins were against Zhang and Wilder, but Dubois’ record is also impressive. The Englishman has faced Joyce, Joshua, Jarrell Miller, Oleksandr Usyk and Filip Hrgovic with his biggest win coming against Joshua last September.Both men have defeats on their record having both lost to Joyce and have often fallen just short at the highest…

“Without Rodri, and before Gonzalez signed, Lewis was coming into midfield too early, and getting stuck in those central areas. Against Newcastle, however, he had Gonzalez behind him and it allowed him to get forward quicker, and give City more options out wide on the right.”On top of that, Gonzalez helped Lewis defensively too, although City’s dominance against Newcastle meant this was not as easy to spot.”Lewis is still a defender, first and foremost, so when City have been losing the ball in the areas I spoke about earlier, he has to decide whether to get back in his right-back…

Former Tottenham midfielder Nabil Bentaleb scored in Lille’s 2-0 win at Rennes on Sunday in his first match since suffering a cardiac arrest last year.The 30-year-old was told his career might be over after suffering the cardiac arrest in June 2024.However, Bentaleb was cleared to return by the French Football Federation on Wednesday and scored just four minutes after coming on in the second half at Roazhon Park.He celebrated by running to the Lille bench, where he was mobbed by his team-mates and coaching staff.”It’s worthy of a film,” said Lille boss Bruno Genesio. “He deserved it, because I don’t…