Kaka believes Fabio Capello has transformed England into a team capable of wrecking Brazil s hopes of claiming a sixth World Cup in South Africa next year.
The Real Madrid playmaker is a keen student of the English game and he has been impressed by the way Capello has resurrected the national squad from the ashes of their failure to reach Euro 2008, guiding Wayne Rooney and co. to the finals with nine wins in ten qualifiers.
I think the character of Capello is the key to understanding this England team, Kaka said ahead of Saturday s friendly clash between the two countries.
We always knew that they had good individual players capable of deciding games but they look more of a team now. They are much sharper collectively, which is what you would expect from a Ca…
Ahead of Arsenal s EFL Cup tie with Nottingham Forest, Arsene Wenger says he was surprised to see Nicklas Bendtner sign a two-year deal at the City Ground.
Bendtner spent nine years at Arsenal, making 171 appearances without ever doing enough to fulfil his self-proclaimed wish to be the best striker in the world.
Released in 2014, Bendtner had a brief spell in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg, before arriving at Forest earlier this month.
And with the 28-year-old set for a showdown with his former employers on Tuesday, Wenger admits Forest s capture of the Denmark international raised an eyebrow.
It was a surprise to me that Nicklas signed for Nottingham Forest, but at some stage Nicklas needs to restart his career, Wenger said.
Of course he has …
Arsenal are eyeing a shock move for Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris,.
Having already brought in Colombia shot stopper David Ospina in the summer, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is eyeing further competition for first choice keeper Wojciech Szczesny, who has frustrated through his inconsistent performances and is ready to raid his fierce North London rivals.
Since arriving at White Hart Lane in the summer of 2012, France number one Lloris has become one of the best goalkeepers in the English top flight, and would command a fee of around £25m.
However, just fifteen players have played for both North London clubs since 1913, with Sol Campbell the last to move from Tottenham to Arsenal in 2001.
Both Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain have also be…
Jose Mourinho says he will not stand in the way of Morgan Schneiderlin s transfer away from Manchester United if the club receive a suitable offer.
West Brom boss Tony Pulis confirmed on Friday that they had launched a bid for the France international, which is reportedly worth close to £13million.
Everton have also been linked with a bid for the midfielder, who has only played 11 minutes of Premier League football this term, having signed from Southampton in 2015.
Mourinho has admitted that Schneiderlin has made his frustrations clear and that he will not deny him an exit if United s board accept an offer.
He s a great professional, a fantastic boy. Very honest, very open, and he s opened his heart a couple of times, said the Portuguese.
My an…
Chelsea has now officially parted company with Italian boss Antonio Conte. The story will come as little surprise to anybody who has paid any attention to the south west London club in the last six months.
The only surprise is that it took the Blues so long to wield the axe on the Italian. However, the main reason for the delay in Conte’s exit was that his potential replacement Maurizio Sarri’s appointment was so complicated.
Sarri left Napoli in the summer, as ironically former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti took the reins at the Naples club. The Italian club still wants compensation for their former boss, despite him leaving the club.
However, now according to Napoli president, Aurelio De Laurentiis Sarri is close to being new Chelsea manager. My lawyers are…
What the papers say
Conor Gallagher could make a move across London as the end of the January transfer window looms. According to The Times, Tottenham are weighing up a potential bid for Chelsea’s England midfielder, 23.
Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri, 22, could be heading for a spell away from Old Trafford. Spanish club Granada have revived plans for a loan move for the Uruguay international, reports the Manchester Evening News.
West Ham have turned their attention to Portuguese winger Jota, 24, from Al-Ittihad, according to the Evening Standard. Hammers talks with FC Nordsjaelland over Ghanaian forward Ibrahim Osman, 19, have stalled.
Leeds have made an offer to Everton for Ben Godfrey, reports The Sun. The Championship club are looking to take t…
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 …
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 …
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…