Xavi considers the style of Antonio Conte s Italy to be a mixture of aspects from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Italy booked their place in the Euro 2016 second round, where they will meet Spain, after winning their opening two Group E fixtures against Belgium and Sweden.
With their section already won, Conte made numerous changes to his starting line-up for a match that ended in a 1-0 defeat to Republic of Ireland.
However, the former Barca midfielder has been impressed by the Azzurri coach s work and can see similarities with two of La Liga s giants in their style.
He s applied what he did at Juventus. They defend deep, and are able to play with or without the ball, Xavi told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
I believe Italy are a mix of Barcelona …
NetEase Games’ Marvel Rivals launched on December 6th, and it’s already off to a strong start. A recent tweet announced over 10 million players in its first 72 hours. Its closest competitor, Overwatch 2, passed 25 million players within 10 days of its launch, so overall, it’s a great start.
Marvel Rivals features 33 playable characters from the Marvel universe, including Magneto, Wolverine, Captain America, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Magik, Cloak and Dagger, and many more. There are eight maps to play on with modes like Convergence (King of the Hill), Convoy (Escort), and Convergence (Hybrid). Conquest is also available, playing like a mix of Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed.
Though it’s currently in the middle of Se…
Landon Donovan still believes he should have been part of the United States squad to travel to Brazil for the recent World Cup.
The 32-year-old was controversially left out of the party by Jurgen Klinsmann, before the US went on to reach the second round, where they were defeated after extra-time by Belgium.
Donovan, who went to three successive finals between 2002 and 2010, is the States all-time record goalscorer.
The Los Angeles Galaxy man will be given a final farewell in Friday s friendly against Ecuador in Connecticut, where he will take the captain s armband and play for 30 minutes before departing.
In a press conference ahead of the game, Donovan revealed he still does not concur with Klinsmann s decision.
I didn t agree and I still know …
Spain have become the fourth European team to qualify for the World Cup, reaching football s biggest competition for an 11th consecutive tournament.
La Roja ensured qualification for next year s event in Russia by winning 3-0 at home to Albania in Alicante.
Spain scored all their goals within 26 minutes, Rodrigo netting a fine close-range effort before Isco s fourth goal in three international matches and Thiago Alcantara s header made the game safe.
That victory for Spain, coupled with Italy s shock 1-1 home draw against Macedonia in Turin, assured Julen Lopetegui s men of top spot in Group G with a game to spare.
They will be looking to recover in the 2018 edition of the tournament proper after crashing out at the group stage at Brazil 2014 as they tr…
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher fears the club could be powerless to keep star attacker Philippe Coutinho amid reported interest from Real Madrid.
Coutinho has enjoyed a fine start to the Premier League season, helping Liverpool emerge as a title contender, level on points with table-topping Manchester City heading into Saturday s trip to Crystal Palace.
The 24-year-old Brazil international has amassed four goals and two assists in nine league matches in 2016-17.
Coutinho s exploits are believed to have alerted Madrid, with ex-striker Ronaldo expressing his desire for his countryman to make the move to the LaLiga giants.
And Carragher believes Coutinho is good enough to play for the world s elite.
There used to be a time when I would ro…
So now we know: Lionel Messi is leaving Barcelona.
Having pushed hard to force through an exit a year ago, the Argentina superstar appeared set to commit his long-term future to the Spanish club by signing a new deal this offseason.
However, his Camp Nou days now appear over due to economic and structural obstacles , despite reportedly agreeing to take a 50 per cent wage reduction. Put simply, the dire financial situation means Barca cannot keep their prized asset.
Unless there is another dramatic twist to the saga (and we definitely should not rule that out just yet), Messi must find a new home.
So where could the six-time Ballon d Or winner end up? The list of options appears to be short, albeit varied.
Hello, Paris!
Paris Saint-Germa…
According to a recent report from France Football, Nicolas Pepe is going to be the subject of a big bid from Italian side Inter Milan during the summer transfer window. They’re said to be gearing up for a bid in excess of £60 million for the winger, who has also been linked with Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Liverpool as of late. Lille’s former valuation of the 23 year old was £70 million, although beyond the money, the biggest factor in the mind of the player himself is said to be the chance to play in the Champions League. Pepe is also an Ivory Coast international having made his debut back in 2016, with many considering him to be one of the brightest young talents in world football today.
Pepe has been with Lille since back in 2017 when he made the jump over from …
Andres Iniesta says Barcelona are determined to leave Stamford Bridge with a win over Chelsea in their Champions League semi-final.
The first leg will be held at Stamford Bridge in London ahead of a return leg at the Camp Nou, and Iniesta insists his team will adopt an attacking approach against the Blues.
We will go out with a winning mentality, trying not to commit any mistakes, because they are so costly here, Iniesta said.
We always go out to win, but we have to think that this is a two-legged tie and we have two matches coming up. We will have a tough game on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old scored the decisive goal in 2009 at Stamford Bridge which sent Barca to the Champions League final, and he admitted that he has fond memories of that strike.
…
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag “can’t be bothered” with criticism of the job he is doing at Old Trafford and claims he has only been able to pick his strongest team once in 18 months.
The Dutchman delivered an encouraging first season, winning the League Cup and finishing in the top four, but this campaign has been far more difficult.
They were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage and are in a battle to finish in the top six in the Premier League, with his position coming under scrutiny following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority purchase and takeover of the football operations.
Boss ||
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
United can salvage their season by winning the FA Cup and they aim to reach a second successive final…
France striker Olivier Giroud said Les Bleus are aiming to reach at least the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and claimed England are particularly afraid of Didier Deschamps side.
The 1998 winners were drawn in Group C and will face Australia, Peru and Denmark as they look to improve on 2014 s march to the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 1-0 by Germany.
Giroud scored four goals in eight appearances as France ran out winners of World Cup qualifying Group A ahead of Sweden and the Netherlands.
The 31-year-old expressed his belief in the talent available to Deschamps, and also indicated he had gauged the mood of the England internationals he plays alongside at Emirates Stadium.
We obviously want to get out of this group, but I have always respected…