“I work to play and I do not have minutes, if I do not play, we’ll see. I want to play, today I had fun and I felt good, at ease. I want to play as much as possible”.
Those are the words of Denis Suarez, in the wake of an appearance for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey. A cameo at all is something of a rarity for Suarez, who has really struggled to make a substantial impact at the Nou Camp. The 24 year old joined Barca back in 2016 from Villarreal, and while he has had a few bright moments here and there, he hasn’t exactly been the most consistent of La Liga stars.
Suarez has bounced around a series of top European clubs over the last few years, and while he’s still young, he hasn’t quite been able to make any of them his permanent home – yet, that is.
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Real Madrid take on Barcelona on Sunday in a Clasico that could prove decisive in LaLiga s title race.
Zinedine Zidane s men are three points clear of their eternal rivals heading into Sunday s clash, and they possess a game in hand.
The match at the Santiago Bernabeu is about much more than two title contenders squaring off, though.
It is about Lionel Messi meeting Cristiano Ronaldo, with the Barca attacker well ahead of his Madrid nemesis in the goalscoring charts.
It is about Barcelona coach Luis Enrique facing the team where he really made a name for himself during his playing career before switching allegiances and moving to Camp Nou.
It is about unexpected heroes coming to the rescue for their respective sides, such as Jeremy Mathieu and Se…
Real Madrid s defence of their LaLiga title will be delayed slightly, but they will not have to wait long to face their Clasico rivals.
Los Blancos dethroned Barcelona to win LaLiga following the resumption of the 2019-20 season after the coronavirus-enforced hiatus.
Because of their involvement in the Champions League in August, Madrid s fixture with Getafe scheduled for matchday one will not take place until an appropriate date in February or March.
Zinedine Zidane s men will instead travel to Real Sociedad for a tricky opening clash, with the first Clasico coming just over a month later at Camp Nou as Madrid are provided with an early opportunity to steal a march in the title race.
The return fixture between Madrid and Ronald Koeman s Barca is schedule…
Carlos Tevez insists he never considered leaving Italian champions Juventus in the wake of Antonio Conte s sudden departure as head coach.
Conte led Juve to three consecutive Serie A titles before he brought an abrupt halt to his three-year stay when he tendered his resignation earlier this month.
The exit of the former Juve captain led to suggestions that Tevez may look to follow him out of the club after just one year in Turin, but the Argentine striker is settled.
We players still have to prove we are playing in a team that won many Scudetti, that we weren t just counting on the strength and hard work of the coach, Tevez said at a press conference on Wednesday.
We need to be stronger and prove we belong at Juve. I never considered leaving. Conte is …
The Asian Champions League campaign is expected to be Robbie Kruse s farewell to Melbourne Victory, with the striker set to move to Germany.
German newspaper Bild has said a deal for Kruse s services is as good as done with a move to Bundesliga II club Fortuna Dusseldorf in the European summer set to be finalised.
Kruse s manager John Grimaud has strong contacts in Germany and secured a dream deal for another promising Victory youngster, goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak, to current Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund 12 months ago.
Kruse s contract with the A-League club expires after the Asian Champions League group stages which begin for Victory on March 1 against Japanese club Gamba Osaka upon which time the club appear resigned to his departure.
Kruse i…
Cesc Fabregas, Carles Puyol and Pedro Rodriguez have withdrawn from Spain s Euro 2012 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Lithuania.
Spain host the Czech Republic in Grenada on Saturday before travelling to Kaunas four days later to face Lithuania, and will be hoping to maintain their unbeaten run in the qualifying rounds.But the reigning world and European champions will need to do so without the services of Arsenal talisman Fabregas and Barcelona duo Puyol and Pedro, all of whom are unavailable due to injury.Spain coach Vincente del Bosque has called up Valencia winger Juan Mata along with Athletic Bilbao team-mates Andoni Iraola and Javi Martinez as cover.World Cup winners Mata and Martinez return to the national side after missing Spain s friendly against Colombia las…
Julian Nagelsmann has become the youngest head coach in Bundesliga history after beginning his tenure at Hoffenheim earlier than planned.
The 28-year-old agreed a three-year contract last October to take the reins from the start of the 2016-17 campaign, with veteran Dutch coach Huub Stevens installed on a short-term deal at the same time
But Stevens resigned on Wednesday due to a heart condition, meaning Nagelsmann will be in charge for the crunch relegation clash against Werder Bremen on Sunday.
Hoffenheim lie second bottom of the Bundesliga having won only two matches all season. They are seven points from outright safety and five behind Werder, who currently languish 16th in the relegation play-off spot.
Official! 28-year-old Julian takes over as he…
Juventus have announced Roberto Pereyra has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2020, while Simone Padoin has agreed a new deal until June 2017.
Pereyra joined Juve from Udinese in July 2014 on an initial one-year loan deal, before the Serie A champions made the Argentina international s stay permanent in June 2015.
The versatile midfielder has developed into an important first-team member over the past 18 months and Juventus have now rewarded him with a new and improved deal.
The 25-year-old s previous contract ran until 2019, but he has now inked a one-year extension.
Pereyra, who recently returned to the pitch after shrugging of a muscular problem, has made 11 appearances in all competitions this campaign.
Padoin, meanw…
Arsenal have joined the race to sign Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, according to the Express.
The centre-back has been strongly linked with a move away from St Mary’s Stadium this summer with a whole host of clubs interested in securing his services.
Liverpool remain in the hunt, while Chelsea and Manchester City have also thrown their hat into the ring though Arsene Wenger is keen to steal a march on his rivals as he looks to assemble a squad capable of finishing back in the top four following last season’s disappointment.
Van Dijk has played sixty-eight times in all competitions since signing for the Saints from Celtic in the summer of 2015, scoring for them seven times.
During his time in Scotland the twenty-six year old won back to bac…
Nuno Espirito Santo has returned to Porto as the club s new head coach on a two-year deal.
The 42-year-old former goalkeeper represented the Portuguese giants during his playing days, earning four Primeira Liga titles and the 2004 Champions League during two spells at the club.
Nuno subsequently turned his hand to coaching and built a fine reputation having led Rio Ave to the Taca de Portugal and Taca da Liga finals in the 2013-14 season and was snapped up by Valencia.
During his first season, Nuno led Valencia back to the Champions League, but the team struggled during his second campaign and he resigned as head coach in November.
Porto subsequently confirmed that Nuno has returned to the club on their official website, with the team having endured a d…