Xavi believes Barcelona s supporters will be proud of their team despite a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to Real Betis on Saturday.
After LaLiga wins over Espanyol and Villarreal and a Champions League draw against Benfica, the result marked Xavi s first defeat in charge of the Blaugrana since he took over from Ronald Koeman.
Barca s tally of 23 goals in LaLiga this term is their lowest at this stage since the 2003-04 campaign when they scored 19, while their points total of 23 is their lowest since the same season (20).
Xavi refused to be too downbeat, though, and believed his side deserved more from the game, which was ultimately won by Juanmi s breakaway goal with 11 minutes remaining.
It is a shame because we did not deserve to lose, he to…
Stoke City are closing in on a deal for USA international defender Geoff Cameron, the club have confirmed.
The versatile 27-year-old, who can play as part of a back four or in midfield, had a medical on Wednesday and will rendezvous with the Potters on their pre-season tour in Orlando.
Whilst we would not normally confirm a transfer until everything is complete, we have agreed a fee and personal terms in this instance and the player will now join up with the squad in Orlando to have his medical, chief executive Tony Scholes told the club s official website.
Cameron began his senior career in the USL Premier Development League with Rhode Island Stingrays, before being picked by Houston Dynamo in the third round of the 2008 MLS Super Draft.
The defender w…
Celtic have released a statement offering their thoughts and support for their former midfielder Evander Sno.
The Dutchman suffered a heart attack playing for Eredivsie outfit NEC Nijmegen during their 5-1 defeat at Feyenoord at the weekend.
Sno previously suffered a cardiac arrest while playing in an Ajax reserve match in 2010, and as a consequence was fitted with an internal defibrillator which in this instance helped reverse the dangerous situation and enabled him to walk off the pitch.
Sno spent the night being monitored in hospital, and Celtic have said the 25-year-old could always count on the support and assistance of his former club.
The news that former Celtic midfielder Evander Sno had suffered a heart attack during a league game on Saturday …
Corinthians have slapped an £18.6m price tag on Manchester United target Alexandre Pato, .
The Brazil international was approached by United in the summer, though the deal never happened so he remained in his home country on loan at Sao Paulo, where he has been for the past eighteen months.
However, Louis van Gaal has now been given the green light to make another move for the former Milan man when the transfer window reopens.
In five and a half years with the Serie A side, Pato scored sixty-three times in one hundred and fifty appearances in all competitions while he was part of the squad that won the Serie A title under Massimiliano Allegri in 2011.
He has also scored ten goals in twenty-seven senior caps for his country, while he has also played …
Joe Hart believes Manchester City have found a simple solution after progressing to the last 16 of the Champions League.
City have qualified for the group stage each year since 2011-12 but have found competing in Europe a tougher task compared to their domestic dominance.
However, after securing qualification to the knockout round with a confident 3-1 win over Sevilla on Tuesday, City and England goalkeeper Hart believes the club have finally downed their Champions League demons.
I think we managed to do that against a really confident Sevilla side, who play with a lot of attacking intent, he said.
I think we set ourselves up well, we controlled the game, we defended well and took our chances well.
It s pretty simple, but sometimes we ve not p…
Final reports have been submitted by the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, requesting sanctions for the suspended Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini.
Both FIFA president Blatter and UEFA chief Platini were provisionally banned last month for an alleged disloyal payment made to the Frenchman in 2011.
The two men appealed the suspensions, but both were rejected by FIFA on Wednesday.
And on Saturday, the world game s governing body published a statement confirming that the final reports on both Blatter and Platini had been submitted.
The investigatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has submitted its final reports containing requests for sanctions against Joseph Blatter and Michel Platini to the adjudicatory chamber chaired by Hans-…
Swansea City reluctantly parted company with manager Garry Monk on Wednesday but must regroup ahead of a daunting trip to face Manchester City in the Premier League.
Monk had become part of the furniture in south Wales, joining as a player in 2004 before succeeding Roberto Martinez as captain and eventually following in the Spaniard s footsteps by managing the club.
However, a run of one victory in 11 league matches prompted the Swansea board to take action, bringing the curtain down on the former defender s 11-year involvement with the club.
With assistant manager Pep Clotet and coaches James Beattie and Kristian O Leary himself a long-serving player with the club having also departed the Liberty Stadium, it remains unclear who will be at the helm for Saturday…
Saint-Etienne midfielder Yann M Vila is not ruling out a return to the Premier League at the end of the season.
The 22-cap France international starred on loan for Sunderland in the 2015-16 season and, while his former club have since been relegated, he is open to the possibility of going back to England.
However, M Vila says his focus for now remains on Saint-Etienne, where he has one year remaining on his contract.
I m only 27 years old, he told SFR Sport. I signed with Saint-Etienne until June 2019.
I am very happy there and I think only about football, about being on the pitch. My agent takes care of the rest.
I spent an amazing year in Sunderland. [The Premier League] is the best championship in the world. Why not [return to England]? Only…
Three top-ranking members of the Italian referees association (AIA) have received packages filled with bullets, according to the body s president Marcello Nicchi.
Nicchi claimed he, vice-president Narciso Pisacreta and referee selector Nicola Rizzoli who officiated the 2014 World Cup final were all sent the parcels in the mail.
The incident follows a string of controversies surrounding the usage of VAR in Serie A, with hundreds of Lazio fans last month gathering to protest outside AIA headquarters.
In December, an aggrieved group of Biancocelesti supporters also initiated legal action against match officials Piero Giacomelli and Marco Di Bello over perceived errors in a 3-1 loss to Torino.
Yesterday Di Bello managed the Milan derby very well, yet he and …
Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi could be available for Chelsea s Premier League meeting with Aston Villa on Boxing Day following negative COVID-19 tests.
Lukaku and Hudson-Odoi were among a group of seven players to miss last weekend s 0-0 Premier League draw with Wolves due to a positive coronavirus test.
However, Tuchel confirmed the duo could be back in training on Thursday if they return a negative result for the second straight day.
Ben Chilwell has also tested negative but will not be involved against Villa on Sunday as he continues to recover from a serious ankle injury.
If I understand correctly we a negative test first of all, and we had a negative test for Romelu and Callum and Ben Chilwell, said Tuchel following Chelsea s 2-0…