Monaco coach Thierry Henry believes the appointment of former distance runner Bouabdellah Tahri as a member of the medical staff to aid mental preparation will be a great thing for the club.

Henry s arrival as coach has not sparked a revival in fortunes for Monaco, winning just two games since the former Arsenal and Barcelona star took charge.

The club sit second bottom in Ligue 1 and crashed out of the Champions League with just one point from six group games.

Their struggles have led to the principality club turning to Tahri, a 2009 World Championship bronze medallist, to help deal with a host of injury problems that have hindered their season. He will be in charge of the performance, re-training and mental preparation of the professional team .

I …

“There are certain things you need to do on a football pitch. OK, I was training with the best team in the world, but games get you sharper.

“You can train all you like but you are never going to really get match fit and match sharp unless you play games, do you?

“So, that’s the reason I’m frustrated and gutted.”

West Ham were trailing to Taiwo Awoniyi’s first-half opener when Phillips picked up two quick bookings in the second half, the first for grappling with Nicolas Dominguez and then fouling Morgan Gibbs-White.

He tried to speak to referee Thomas Bramall after the game, but left the City Ground frustrated.

“I’m annoyed with myself over the first booking. He’s got my shoulder and I’ve tried to push him off – perhaps nex…

Could Lionel Messi perform on a cold, wet, Wednesday night in Stoke? Of course he could, and the Barcelona forward has a record against English clubs in the Champions League to prove it.

The Potters are unlikely to test the derided adage any time soon but, in anticipation of Barcelona s quarter-final against Manchester United, Messi s record certainly stands up to scrutiny.

Barca s captain goes into the last-eight clash in fine form, having scored 10 goals in his last six appearances in all competitions for the Catalan giants – putting them on the verge of another LaLiga title.

Ahead of Wednesday s first leg at Old Trafford, with the use of Opta numbers, we assess Messi s record against Premier League clubs in European competition.

1992 final
2011 fin…

Burnley moved five points clear of the Premier League s relegation zone with a 2-0 win at home to Wolves secured thanks to Conor Coady s second-minute own goal and a late Dwight McNeil strike.

Sean Dyche s side had lost their last four league outings to drop closer to the bottom three but on the day the Clarets boss marked his 300th game in charge they collected three precious points.

Clear chances were hard to find at Turf Moor on Saturday but Burnley s fast start saw them nudge in front when Chris Wood s shot bounced in off Coady after hitting the woodwork.

McNeil settled matters in the 77th minute after Ivan Cavaleiro wasted the best opportunity for the FA Cup semi-finalists, who remain seventh, although they are now winless in their last four away Premier L…

Gary O Neil is confident Wolves will overachieve again in the Premier League this season despite falling to a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle on Sunday.

Mario Lemina had given the hosts a half-time lead, only for Fabian Schar and Harvey Barnes long-range efforts completing the turnaround for the Magpies.

Wolves have now failed to win any of their opening four league games this term and occupy the final place in the bottom three.

Their single point against Nottingham Forest makes this their joint-worst start to a Premier League campaign, along with 2003-04, when they were relegated in last place.

O Neil s side have now also lost six of their last seven league games at Molineux, losing more games on home turf in 2024 than any other team in the top-flight (eight)…

In the battle between two English rivals that hold the most trophies at Anfield on Sunday, Liverpool and Manchester United played a disappointing goalless draw and shared the points between them.

The outcome will have obviously come as a great relief for the visitors, having lost there 7-0 last season. But for the home side, it s vital two points dropped in what will surely be a captivating race for the Premier League title.

The game

To say that Liverpool dominated the game against their arch-rivals would arguably be an understatement. The Merseysiders had the ball at their feet for 69% of the time, taking a total of 34 shots towards Andre Onana s goal. Unfortunately from their point of view, none of those shots found their way into the net, with 13 of them blocked, ei…

Lionel Messi is entering the final six months of his Barcelona contract. The end of an era is, potentially, in sight and that would usher in a strange new world, particularly for Barca and his possible next employers.

Messi declared his desire to leave Barcelona back in August, but the club and then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu stood firm – their talisman and most iconic player in the institution s modern history was reluctant to drag them through the courts.

Although his initial announcement came as a shock, in some ways it was entirely predictable. The turmoil engulfing Barca s hierarchy and their decision-making in the past few years looked destined to come to a head – there would be major consequences, and Messi leaving was always going to be the worst-case sc…

Michael Owen has questioned Alan Shearer s loyalty to Newcastle United amid a feud on social media.

The former England team-mates played together for a season at Newcastle, before Shearer took over for an ill-fated spell as the club s interim manager in 2009.

Shearer failed to save Newcastle from relegation, with Owen leaving St James Park for Manchester United in the following transfer window.

In excerpts from his new book published by The Mirror, Owen revealed he never wished to join Newcastle from Real Madrid, and had instead preferred a return to Liverpool.

Owen said Newcastle s fanbase have a blind delusion , while also stating his relationship with Shearer broke down during the 2008-09 campaign.

My new book has made plenty of headlines this …

Inter Milan are interested in signing Jules Kounde from Barcelona in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Inter, who have won the Serie A title this season, view Kounde as a perfect complement to their three-central system and think that he will form a great defensive line with Benjamin Pavard and Alessandro Bastoni.

Kounde is one of the best defenders in La Liga and has been superb for Barcelona since his move from Sevilla in 2022. The 25-year-old France international is a versatile defender who can operate as a centre-back or as a right-back and has his best years ahead of him.

The defender has made 28 starts and three substitute appearances in La Liga for Barcelona this season. He has scored one goal and given two assists in those ga…

If Kyogo Furuhashi is any indication, Celtic should be looking to Japan for more players, right?

Former Yokohama F.Marinos boss Ange Postecoglou used his J1 League insight to lure the previously unheralded Kyogo to Parkhead and what a signing it has proven to be – the Japan international has taken Glasgow by storm with 14 goals in all competitions.

Now, Celtic manager Postecoglou is reportedly preparing another raid on Japan s top flight, including his former club, to help bolster his title-chasing side in the January transfer window.

F.Marinos star and joint Golden Boot winner Daizen Maeda, Kawasaki Frontale utility Reo Hatate and Gamba Osaka s Yosuke Ideguchi are believed to be all closing in on moves to Celtic as the Bhoys Japanese contingent grows.

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