Will the number one shirt be England’s achilles heel?

He has a goalkeeping problem

As we go into a World Cup qualifying weekend it is nice and unusual for an England fan to be relaxed. Having already qualified for next summer’s jamboree in South Africa we go into the games against Ukraine and Belarus with an air of smugness, watching other teams scrabbling around to fill the remaining places.

Unrealistically

Of course, as an England fan, I am always smug. I always think we have the best team and that this next tournament might just be the one that we win. In my lifetime we never have, but that doesn’t stop me and millions of other English people unrealistically thinking it.

In some ways we have a right to feel more confident at the moment than we have done for many years. We …

Navas: Manchester City can win anywhere

Jesus Navas believes Manchester City have what it takes to beat any opponent as they prepare for Wednesday s Champions League match against Sevilla, even if he has conceded that his former club could cause them trouble.

Premier League leaders City were beaten by Juventus on matchday one, but bounced back with an away win over Borussia Monchengladbach and Navas who swapped Seville for Manchester in 2013  feels that result in Germany is proof that they can win anywhere.

It s going to be a difficult game against Sevilla. They are a solid defensive unit and we ll need to be at our best to win this game, the Spain winger said at Tuesday s pre-match news conference.

The return match will be even harder because the Sevilla supporters are renowned for their passion …

Ghana 1 Mali 0: Gyan heads Black Stars into quarter-finals

A solitary Asamoah Gyan goal was enough for Ghana to see off Mali 1-0 and book their place in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Saturday.

The Black Stars captain handed his side the lead in the 21st minute when he headed home a Jordan Ayew cross and 2015 s losing finalists successfully held on for the remainder.

Avram Grant s men had every reason to be confident heading into the encounter as the only team to have reached the semi-finals in each of the last five AFCON tournaments, having also won their Group D opener against Uganda 1-0.

Mali, on the other hand, recorded a scoreless draw against Egypt on matchday one and had set their sights on another surprise result in Port-Gentil.

But it was all Ghana before the break, although Gyan s goal wa…

´We are talking the Fodens of this world´ – Rio Ferdinand compares Arsenal debutant to Man City star

Rio Ferdinand is calling 15-year-old Arsenal debutant Ethan Nwaneri a rare talent after he broke the record for the youngest Premier League player in history during his side s 3-0 win against Brentford on Sunday.

Nwaneri came on in stoppage time and had no effect on the outcome, but it was the next step in a rapid rise for the England under-17 representative, who is still classified as a schoolboy until he turns 16 in March.

Since his debut, a report from The Times has claimed Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool all have a strong interest in the impressive youngster, and Ferdinand believes it is not out of the blue.

Speaking on his Youtube channel FIVE, the United legend said he has heard from sources within the game that Nwaneri could be a once-in-a…

Inter Milan interested in Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante

Inter Milan are interested in signing Chelsea central midfielder N Golo Kante in the summer of 2023, according to . Kante is out of contract at former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea at the end of the season, and former Serie A champions Inter are keen on then signing him on a free transfer.

Former Italian champions Inter have made contact with Kante in regard to signing him on a pre-contract in January. The 31-year-old has had injury problems in recent seasons and has not been a regular for Chelsea for a while.

Kante has made only two appearances in the Premier League for Chelsea so far this season. The former Leicester City midfielder made 21 starts and five substitute appearances in the league for the Blues last season, scoring two goals and …

Norwich complete Hooper signing

Norwich City have completed the signing of Gary Hooper from Celtic, .

The 25 year old has put pen to paper on a three-year contract with the Canaries, who have the option of keeping him for a further year.

Queens Park Rangers had also been interested in signing the striker, who scored sixty-three goals in ninety-five appearances since arriving in the Scottish Premier League in 2010.

The former Scunthorpe United man also boasts Champions League experience, and scored four goals during last season’s campaign, where Celtic reached the last sixteen of the competition.

He began his youth career with Tottenham Hotspur, where he worked under current Norwich boss Chris Hughton and his assistant Colin Calderwood.

Hooper becomes the eighth new arri…

Pastore coy on Roma speculation

Javier Pastore insists he is happy at Paris Saint-Germain, but failed to rule out of the prospect of a move to Roma.

The attacking midfielder has been linked with a transfer away from the Parc des Princes, with the Argentina international mooted as a potential makeweight in a deal to take Roma s Miralem Pjanic to the French capital.

Despite the speculation, Pastore who has previously played in Italy with Palermo has no immediate desire to leave PSG, although he was coy on the rumours of a return to Serie A.

I am happy here (at PSG) and, as I ve said, I don’t want to leave, Pastore told Fox Sports.

Roma? There are teams that have spoken with the club and with my agent. Roma are doing very well and have a strong squad.

If they were to call me then I d have …

Watford 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 0: Pereyra at the double to down flawed Seagulls

Roberto Pereyra scored both goals including a sublime volley as Watford began the new Premier League season with a comfortable 2-0 win over Brighton  Hove Albion at Vicarage Road.

Javi Gracia s hosts controlled the game throughout to pick up the three points against a travel-sick Brighton side who, despite a busy transfer window, carried little threat in attack to continue a worrying trend on the road.

Pereyra opened the scoring in the 35th minute with the one moment of genuine quality in a first half where Watford huffed and puffed in open play without enjoying too much success.

However, a clever set-piece move saw the hosts deservedly take the lead. Jose Holebas  deep corner picked out his unmarked team-mate on the edge of the penalty area, allowing Pereyr…

Liverpool duo Alisson and Van Dijk join Messi and Ronaldo in FIFA World XI

Liverpool duo Alisson and Virgil van Dijk lined up alongside familiar faces Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the FIFA FIFPro Men s World11 for 2019.

Messi and Ronaldo were voted in by their fellow professionals for a 13th straight year, maintaining their ever-present records since 2007.

Goalkeeper Alisson and centre-back Van Dijk have been rewarded after helping the Reds to Champions League glory earlier this year, although they missed out on the Premier League title to domestic treble-winners Manchester City who were not represented in the XI.

Real Madrid have the most players with four, albeit Eden Hazard only moved to the Spanish capital in the close season from Chelsea after winning the Europa League in his final game for the English club.

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Bremen pen Austrian striker Arnautovic

(GSM) German side Werder Bremen have come to terms with striker Marko Arnautovic after they agreed a fee with Dutch champions FC Twente for his services.

Austrian striker Arnautovic, 21, did not get to take part in Twente s celebrations this past season as he spent the year on loan at European champions Inter Milan, playing in three Serie A games for the Nerazzurri.

While the terms of the transfer fee were not disclosed publicly, it has been reported in German media that Arnautovic and Bremen have agreed to personal terms as part of a four-year contract.

Arnautovic, who is of Serbian ancestry via his father, has appeared four times for Austria though sparingly since debuting in 2008.

Arnautovic had spent his entire professional career with Twente dating …