Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique insisted there was no excuse for the LaLiga champions stalemate against Malaga, despite the absence of star duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Barca failed to score at home for the first time since February 2015 as they played out a goalless draw with Malaga on Saturday.
Messi missed the clash due to illness, while Suarez was sidelined due to suspension.
Pique, however, refused to use the missing pair as an excuse after Barca fell four points behind leaders and arch-rivals Real Madrid.
We re Barca and we can t blame absences, he said.
We have players that cost a lot of money and a huge budget if we compare it with Malaga s. There are no excuses for not winning.
It s worrying that we ve dropped so many p…
Former Everton striker Kevin Campbell believes Romelu Lukaku will need to improve his all-round game at Manchester United.
The Belgium international is expected to finalise a move to the Red Devils in the coming days after the club confirmed that a reported £75million fee had been agreed with Everton.
Lukaku, who underwent a medical in Los Angeles on Sunday, scored 87 goals in 166 appearances for the Merseyside club in all competitions after being sold by Jose Mourinho when he was Chelsea manager in 2014.
Campbell, who spent six years at Goodison Park, thinks Lukaku is the right fit for United s style but he expects Mourinho to demand certain improvements once he takes to the pitch at Old Trafford.
His attributes will suit the style of play and the pla…
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Liverpool halted Michael Owen s potential as a footballer.
Ferguson suggested that the Anfield club played the forward too often without allowing him to develop technically.
The Stoke striker joined the Red Devils in 2009 after his contract at Newcastle expired but his three-year spell at Old Trafford was dogged by injury problems.
And the United manager feels that the 32-year-old could have been a better player had he been given the chance to develop as a player without the demands of constant games at Anfield early in his career.
You can play too much football, particularly young players growing and developing physically, he told reporters.
That s exactly what happened with Michael. He wo…
Kylian Mbappe scored one and created another as Paris St Germain brushed aside Strasbourg 3-0 at the Parc des Princes.
The France forward got his side up and running with an early penalty before his trickery set up the second goal for Carlos Soler just after the half-hour mark.
Another Spaniard, Fabian Ruiz, added a third late on for Luis Enrique’s side, who made it back-to-back wins in the league for only the second time this season.
FULL-TIME: Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 Strasbourg
3 goals3 points
A fine afternoon at the Parc des Princes!
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)
Mbappe went into the game on the back of three goals in two games for France in victories over the Netherlands and Scotland during the recent internation…
In what was a repeat of last summer s European Championships final, Italy once again broke English hearts as the Azzurri picked up a 1-0 victory on Friday night.
Only pilling more pressure onto a Three Lions squad who are in the midst of an extended nightmare, Gareth Southgate s side were also hit with a shock League A relegation.
Failing to pick up any kind of momentum before they make the trip out to Qatar in six weeks time, Friday s meeting at the San Siro was eventually decided by Giacomo Raspadori s wonderful second-half strike.
In what was another night to forget for England, what were the main talking points from a cagey affair in Milan?
Is it time up for Southgate?
While many across the globe might have tipped England as a standout pick to lift …
This year’s rendition of the Super Bowl features a litany of offensive playmakers on both sides, including San Francisco 49ers star wide-out Deebo Samuel. Samuel was the Niners’ undisputed top weapon two years ago, but with the addition of Christian McCaffrey and the ascent of Brandon Aiyuk, touches are harder to come by these days.
Still, with more competition for targets and a strong Chiefs pass defense in front of him, Samuel’s Super Bowl odds are a even a bit lower than usual. Does that make for betting value on taking the Over on his NFL odds? I let you know as I assess the Deebo Samuel odds and give my best NFL picks and predictions for Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, February 11.For more Super Bowl predictions, be sure to check out Jason Logan’s 49e…
data-mm-id=”_omhywttcz”>The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the longest-held tradition in American soccer. The knockout competition was first played in 1913-14 and has gone through several rebranding efforts in the years since, but it remains a fixture in the country's soccer institution. This year's Cup is already down to four teams. The semifinal matches will take place later this month on July 27 and the final match will commence on September 7. In preparation for the upcoming excitement, let's look at some of the best players to have ever won the U.S. Open Cup. Find all soccer tickets at our trusted ticket partner TicketSmarter.com today.Kenny Cooper Cooper ranks second in goals scored during U.S. Open Cup competition for his career with 13 and had a legendary run with…
Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund has been blasted for being annoying to watch as his teammates have been a negative influence on him .
The Red Devils invested an initial fee of around £64m to sign Hojlund from Serie A outfit Atalanta during last year s summer transfer window.
Hojlund was pursued after Man Utd pulled out of the race to sign Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen as they were ruled to be too expensive.
The 21-year-old enjoyed a purple patch at the start of this year as he scored seven goals in six Premier League games. But since then, he has struggled and has just one goal in his last seven league matches.
Man Utd are having to ask a lot of Hojlund too soon as they are short of options in attacking areas and he expressed his frustrations…