New Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says his focus is on bridging the gap to fourth place and not mounting a Premier League title challenge.
Tuchel was appointed Blues head coach on Tuesday following Frank Lampard s dismissal and his tenure got off to an underwhelming start a day later as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Wolves at Stamford Bridge.
Despite enjoying 79 per cent possession and completing 820 passes – the highest totals by a team in their manager s first Premier League game in charge since the 2003-04 campaign – the hosts could not find a way through against Nuno Espirito Santo s side.
The result means Chelsea are eighth in the Premier League table having won just eight of their 20 games this season.
Tuchel scoffed at suggestions hi…
Denmark were the surprise package at Euro 2020 and by the end of the group stage, were also everyone s second team.
This was partly due to their impressive performances, recovering from losing their first two group matches to thrash both Russia and Wales, before beating the Czech Republic to reach the semi-finals.
Denmark ultimately lost to England in the final four, but there was another reason why non-Danes had developed a soft spot for the team.
The harrowing scenes in their opening defeat to Finland in Copenhagen as medics attempted to revive Christian Eriksen on the pitch after he collapsed left those watching hoping for the best outcome for the player and his team-mates, who created a barrier around him.
Thankfully, not only did Eriksen survive, but…
Liverpool and Tottenham each conceded late equalisers in 1-1 Premier League draws on Sunday.
Sam Allardyce, the last visiting manager to win a top-flight game at Anfield, frustrated the champions as West Brom claimed a point, before Wolves followed suit and pegged back Spurs.
West Ham and Brighton and Hove Albion had also earlier drawn, with Leeds United the only winners on the day.
We reflect on the action using Opta data.
Leeds United 1-0 Burnley: Bamford makes it back-to-back wins
Patrick Bamford s 10th goal of the season gave Leeds their second straight home Premier League win as Burnley were beaten 1-0 at Elland Road.
It marked the first time since April 2004 a month before their relegation Leeds have won consecutive top-flig…
For so long, Real Madrid have been linked with Kylian Mbappe but will the LaLiga champions bring the French forward to the Santiago Bernabeu?
Mbappe is reportedly open to the idea of making the move to the Spanish capital.
However, Liverpool could be ready to hijack any transfer.
TOP STORY – MBAPPE TO MADRID?
Kylian Mbappe dominates the front pages of Tuesday s Diario AS and Mundo Deportivo as Real Madrid try to sign the Paris Saint-Germain star.
Mbappe – out of contract in 2022 – has been tipped to swap Ligue 1 holders PSG for LaLiga champions Madrid at the end of the season.
While the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic impacts Madrid, the Spanish giants are still working on a deal to prise the Frenchman to …
Tottenham’s disappointing campaign took another turn for the worse after Bryan Mbeumo’s second-half brace earned Brentford a fine 3-1 win at their London rivals.
Harry Kane’s early opener gave Spurs the perfect start in their quest to stay in the hunt for Europa League football, but the visitors turned the tables with an impressive display after the break.
Mbeumo grabbed a quickfire brace to help fill the void of Ivan Toney, who on Thursday received an eight-month ban from all football activities from the FA for betting breaches.
He is him
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC)
Yoane Wissa then sealed the victory late on for Thomas Frank’s side with Spurs suffering a 14th defeat of the Premier League season and leaving the pitch to boos after a…
Joao Felix has a role to play at Atletico Madrid despite his differences with the club, says Diego Simeone, who expects the forward to give his maximum while he remains with Los Colchoneros.
The Portugal international has been linked with a move away from the Metropolitano after appearing to criticise Simeone s methods while at the World Cup earlier this month.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have all been linked with a move for the 23-year-old, whose tally of 33 Atleti goals since his 2019 arrival is only bettered by Luis Suarez (34) in that span.
While Simeone hinted Joao Felix s exit was in the offing when he warned no one is essential last week, the Argentine says the forward must continue to contribute until any move is agreed.
We have a go…
Italy and Belgium will meet in a knockout tie for the first time at a major tournament on Friday, with two European heavyweights ready to fight it out for a semi-final spot at Euro 2020.
So impressive in the group stage, the Azzurri had to be patient before landing the decisive blows against Austria in a last-16 clash at Wembley that went to extra time.
Roberto Mancini s side prevailed 2-1 in the end, setting a new national record in the process as they extended their unbeaten run to 31 games.
That streak now faces a serious test against Belgium, who knocked out reigning champions Portugal in the previous round. Victory did come at a cost, however, as both Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard suffered injuries in the 1-0 result.
While the Italy game may come…
Stefano Pioli wants Milan to shut up and work after they lost more ground in the Serie A title race with a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Lazio on Tuesday.
The Rossoneri lost for the first time in seven league matches with goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Mattia Zaccagni giving Maurizio Sarri s side the advantage heading into the break.
Luis Alberto then added a third with a well-taken penalty before Felipe Anderson rounded off the scoring as Milan failed to win for a fifth straight game in all competitions.
With Pioli s men remaining 12 points behind Napoli, the Milan head coach believes it is time for less talk and more action from the reigning champions.
Right now there are many things that are not working, mental and tactical aspects, Pioli told …
Harry Kane has been named March s Premier League Player of the Month, winning the award for a joint-record seventh time in his career.
The England captain s award takes him level with former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, the only other man to have won it on seven occasions, and represents his first monthly prize since December 2017.
Tottenham s talisman scored four goals in March, netting a brace in a 5-0 home thrashing of Everton, as well as getting on the scoresheet in an away win over Brighton and Hove Albion and in Spurs 3-2 defeat at Manchester United.
Kane ended the month s league action by recording two assists for Son Heung-min as Antonio Conte s side recorded a crucial London derby victory over West Ham, taking him to 17 league goal involvemen…
Barcelona travel to fellow heavyweights Juventus in the pick of the second round of Champions League group-stage fixtures on Wednesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo will not get the chance to resume his rivalry with Lionel Messi after contracting coronavirus, but a number of other superstars will be on the field at Allianz Stadium.
Juve and Barca picked up victories in their opening games and that was also the case for Manchester United, who triumphed away at Paris Saint-Germain and now welcome RB Leipzig to Old Trafford.
PSG head to Turkey for their first competitive meeting with Istanbul Basaksehir while Chelsea, held by Europa League champions Sevilla in their first game, face a potentially tricky trip of their own at competition debutants Krasnodar.
Here is some…