Mauricio Pochettino acknowledged patience is key for his next managerial opportunity amid previous links to Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Former Paris Saint-Germain coach Pochettino was dismissed from the French capital in July 2022 after failing to deliver Champions League glory with a squad assembled purely for that goal.

Lionel Messi moved to Paris ahead of the 2021-22 season, along with Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi, though an abundance of world-class talent crashed out in the last 16 to Madrid.

Pochettino has subsequently been linked to a move to Los Blancos, once Carlo Ancelotti departs, or to United, who preferred Erik ten Hag when the pair were both linked to the Old Trafford role.

When asked by Marca about joining eith…

Fernando Santos acknowledged there is still plenty of work for Portugal to do to finish above Spain in their Nations League group but is content with the fact his side are sitting pretty atop the pool.

Portugal, who won the inaugural tournament in 2019, moved two points clear at the top of Group A2 with a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in Lisbon on Thursday.

Spain leapfrogged the Czech Republic into second place courtesy of a 1-0 victory over bottom-placed and pointless Switzerland, coming on the back of successive draws.

The two heavyweights drew 1-1 last week and are due to meet again in the final round of fixtures, but Portugal must first travel to Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

And with only half of the campaign played, Santos is not taking anyt…

Thiago Silva expressed concern about Brazil s form after a 1-1 draw against Senegal on Thursday left them winless in three matches for the first time since 2013.

Copa America champions Brazil took the lead against Senegal through Roberto Firmino after nine minutes in Singapore, but Famara Diedhiou fired home a penalty before half-time following Marquinhos foul on Sadio Mane.

The Selecao, who drew with Colombia and lost to Peru in the previous international break, were unable to find a winner in the friendly international – Neymar seeing Alfred Gomis deny him a goal to mark his 100th cap in first-half stoppage time.

It could have been worse for Brazil had Mane s 20-yard effort with five minutes remaining not been kept out by the post, with Silva frustrated by …

Pep Guardiola is undergoing the biggest facelift of his Manchester City tenure in a bid to freshen up the squad in pursuit of a fifth Premier League title in six years and that elusive first Champions League crown for the Citizens.

Of the 27 players who made a first-team appearance in Guardiola s first season in charge at the Etihad Stadium in 2016-17, just four – Ederson, Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne – remain in place.

It is very much a case of out with the old and in with the new in the blue half of Manchester this window, with Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko and long-serving Fernandinho all making way.

The arrivals of Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips will arguably make City stronger than they were, while Stefan Orte…

A shot at the sporting immortality of back-to-back continental titles against a formidable opponent in the form of Flamengo.

River Plate face a Brazil v Argentina blockbuster in the first Copa Libertadores final to be staged as a one-off game – a change now mired in the logistical nightmare of moving the showpiece from Santiago to Lima at short notice.

Yet all of this is nothing to fear when compared to the bigger picture.

All us River fans are scared that Marcelo Gallardo could leave,  midfielder Exequiel Palacios told Infobae.

No one wants him to leave. We hope that he ll stay for many more years and keep giving joy to River fans.

Increasingly, for Palacios, his team-mates and a fervent fanbase, this looks like a forlorn hope.

…

Mikel Arteta was left concerned by Arsenal s lack of a cutting edge after they started the new Premier League season with a disappointing 2-0 defeat away at Brentford.

The Gunners had 22 shots but managed to get just four on target on Friday, though their cause was not aided by the absences of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette due to illness.

Folarin Balogun was handed a first league start but was substituted after 59 minutes, by which time Arsenal were already behind following Sergi Canos first-half opener.

Worryingly, Arteta saw his team then concede a second from a long throw, Christian Norgaard heading in to seal a famous result for Brentford. In contrast, Arsenal have much to work on ahead of a home game against Chelsea next.

It s v…

James Rodriguez says he was attracted to Everton by their ambition to win trophies and is aiming to help end the club s long wait for silverware.

The 29-year-old completed a surprise switch to Goodison Park on Monday for a reported fee of  £20million (€22.4m) after falling out of favour at Real Madrid.

He has won an array of team and individual honours, including two Champions Leagues, and was one of the stars of the 2014 World Cup as Colombia reached the quarter-finals.

That is in stark contrast to Everton s recent exploits, the Merseyside club having gone 25 years since beating Manchester United in the FA Cup final for their last major trophy.

However, with midfield pair Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan also being brought in for a reported £42m, James …

Patrick Vieira has been sacked as Crystal Palace manager after overseeing a dire 11-game winless run in the Premier League, which has left the Eagles fighting to avoid relegation.

Palace sit 12th in the Premier League table but are just three points clear of the bottom three following Wednesday s 1-0 loss to rivals Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Eagles are without a Premier League win since New Year s Eve and recently became the first team since records began (in 2003-04) to go three successive games in the competition without having a shot on target.

Club chairman Steve Parish said: It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made.

Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a chan…

Gareth Southgate should leave his role as England manager with his head held high after the World Cup, according to Jamie Carragher, who says the Three Lions have overachieved during his reign.

Southgate has led England to at least the semi-finals in consecutive major tournaments, becoming the only boss to do so since Alf Ramsey (World Cup winners in 1966, Euro 1968 semi-finalists).

However, he has faced heavy criticism since he oversaw England s relegation from the top tier of the Nations League in September, and was jeered by supporters following a defeat in Italy.

While Southgate signed a contract extension to run until the end of Euro 2024 last year, Carragher believes he should call time on his tenure after the trip to Qatar, but says he has earnt the righ…

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Looking to extend on their Anfield purple patch this weekend, Liverpool will welcome Fulham to Merseyside on Sunday afternoon.

Liverpool

Starting with the hosts, eventually cruising their way to the Europa League knockout stage earlier in the week as they secured a 4-0 victory against Austrian outfit LASK, Jurgen Klopp’s side have continued to shine since opening up the 2023/24 campaign. With some around Anfield starting to believe that their side could mount a genuine Premier League title charge this season, the former Borussia Dortmund boss will be calling on his superstar squad to make another domestic statement here. Marking their return from November’s international break with a late 1-1 draw away at defending champions Manche…