Away record cost Spurs the title – Pochettino

Erik ten Hag has been appointed as Ajax s new head coach on a two-and-half-year deal.

Ajax last week suspended boss Marcel Keizer and coaches Hennie Spijkerman and Dennis Bergkamp from active duty due to an underwhelming campaign that has seen them fail to qualify for the Champions League or Europa League – having finished runners-up to Manchester United in the latter last season.

The Amsterdam giants, who last won the Eredivisie in 2014, have now confirmed that Ten Hag with join from Utrecht on January 1 on a deal until June 2020.

Having previously coached Go Ahead Eagles and Bayern Munich s reserve side, Ten Hag took over Utrecht in 2015. He secured a fifth-place finish and a spot in the KNVB Cup final in his first season.

Earlier this week, he sai…

Champions Juventus finally got on the board in Serie A this season but once again failed to convince in a 1-1 draw against surprise high-flyers Chievo.

Paulo Dybala netted an 84th-minute penalty to cancel out Perparim Hetemaj s early opener but Massimiliano Allegri s team could have been further behind at that stage.

Gianluigi Buffon kept out Bostjan Cesar early in the second half with a remarkable reaction save and the Chievo defender had another effort ruled out when he was adjudged to have fouled Leonardo Bonucci.

Allegri, who oversaw defeats to Udinese and Roma in the opening two games of the season, left star midfielder Paul Pogba on the bench with an eye on Tuesday s UEFA Champions League trip to Manchester City.

The France international produced…

Abel Ruiz is looking to leave Barcelona B on loan in the hope of getting more playing time elsewhere. Sport reports that Sevilla are on the lookout for a striker and one of the names on their list is Ruiz.

The Spanish attacker joined the club’s youth setup from Valencia CF when he was 12 years old and has played for the club ever since, renewing his contract in November 2016. He made 50 appearances and scored 7 goals for the reserve team from 2016 until 2019 and made his first-team debut in La Liga last season against Getafe CF.

The 19-year-old is determined to make his career at Camp Nou, but having offers from other clubs has made him decide to leave the Catalan club on a temporary basis. It is believed that Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde is a great fan of th…

Zinedine Zidane has tested positive for COVID-19, Real Madrid have confirmed.

Los Blancos made the announcement via a short statement on their official website on Friday.

It is not known how long Zidane will be absent from the Madrid dugout but he will definitely not be on the sidelines for what has become a potentially crucial LaLiga clash at Deportivo Alaves this weekend.

Zidane s position as head coach at the Santiago Bernabeu has come under increased scrutiny in the wake of the shock 2-1 extra-time defeat to third-tier Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Madrid were crowned LaLiga champions in the heavily disrupted 2019-20 campaign but are seven points adrift of leaders and rivals Atletico Madrid, who also own a game in hand.

The Copa c…

Moussa Sissoko has been rewarded for his emergence as a key player at Tottenham with a new four-year contract, the club confirmed.

Sissoko, 30, joined Spurs from Newcastle United in 2016 for a then club-record fee and has steadily won over many of his detractors, becoming one of Mauricio Pochettino s most dependable players in midfield.

The F
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rance international made just 23 Premier League starts in his first two seasons at the club, with transfer rumours often linking him to an exit.

Criticism from some supporters centred on a perceived lack of technical ability, while even Pochettino accepted in November 2016 the reported £30million acquisition was failing to meet expectations.

I m very proud. At the beginning it was tough, but I never gave…

Matthijs de Ligt scored the decisive goal as Juventus came from behind to beat Spezia 3-2 and belatedly claim their first Serie A win of the season.

Failure to seal maximum points at Stadio Alberto Picco would have seen the Bianconeri go five games without a victory at the start of an Italian top-flight season for the first time since 1955-56.

Massimiliano Allegri s side went ahead through Moise Kean s first goal since he rejoined his boyhood club from Everton, yet Spezia stormed back through Emmanuel Gyasi and Janis Antiste either side of half-time.

Federico Chiesa restored parity with a fine goal, though, before De Ligt ensured a much-needed first win of the campaign with 18 minutes remaining.

The Bianconeri had deservedly taken the lead shortly…

Market: Over 1.5 goals

Odds: 2/5 @

Two sides who find themselves enjoying impressive extended unbeaten runs, Nottingham Forest will welcome Hull to the City Ground on Saturday afternoon.

Starting with the hosts, while Nottingham Forest might have found themselves enduring a nightmare start to the 2021/22 campaign, the Reds have certainly bounced back. Managing to find an immediate boost after bringing Steve Cooper to the City Ground, the one-time European champions have skyrocketed their way up the Championship table. Last seen landing a thumping 4-1 win away at Cooper s former employers Swansea, the mood in Forest s camp will be at a red-hot high. Finding a way to build off of their deserved 2-0 win against relegation scrappers Peterborough on December 4th, Sat…

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has blasted the Premier League for their handling of his side s fixture with Swansea City on Sunday.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has blasted the Premier League for their handling of his side s fixture with Swansea City on Sunday.

Swansea s participation in the League Cup final on Sunday week against Bradford City clashed with the initial date for the fixture and the game has been brought forward as a result.

However, Rodgers, who has seen his side take on both West Brom and Zenit St Petersburg in the space of four days, feels that a third fixture within a week is too much for his players.

I was very disappointed with the Premier League to be honest, the Reds boss told reporters.

To put it in on a week w…

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel says he will fight to regain his place in Brendan Rodgers starting line-up.

The 28-year-old arrived at Anfield in 2008 and was a hit with the fans thanks to his no-nonsense attitude.

However, following a serious knee injury a year later, Skrtel has found it difficult to replicate his initial form.

After losing his place to veteran Jamie Carragher in recent weeks, the former Zenit centre-half is confident he can see off the competition from his counterpart and return to the starting 11.

This is what happens in football and this time it was my turn, Skrtel said.

I have to respect it and wait for my chance. And I hope my chance will come before the end of the season.

Those who know me know that I will fight…

Isco believes Real Madrid have the squad to win LaLiga and retain their Champions League crown this season.

Madrid are on track to claim LaLiga silverware for the first time since 2012 as they sit two points clear of defending champions Barcelona with a match in hand.

The Spanish capital club are also in contention to go back-to-back in the Champions League with a blockbuster quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich to come.

And midfielder Isco fancies Madrid s chances of doing the double in Spain and Europe.

We are going through a very good moment in the season and have the chance to achieve our goals, he said, via Marca. We have the squad to win both tournaments.

This team is accustomed to playing matches against difficult opponents and being a…