The prospect of European qualification is motivating Everton to finish the season strongly, midfielder James McCarthy says.
Everton sit a point adrift of Arsenal in the final UEFA Champions League spot and six ahead of sixth-placed Tottenham with three Premier League games remaining.
A run of eight wins from their last nine top-flight outings has put Roberto Martinez s team in a strong position to play in continental competition for the first time since being beaten by Sporting Lisbon in the last 32 of the 2009-10 UEFA Europa League.
The Merseyside club s 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday kept them on course for Champions League or Europa League qualification, and McCarthy is determined to ensure they end the campaign well.
It (reaching Europe) is a b…
Germany coach Joachim Low has called on his side to end their sensational 2014 on a high with victory in Spain on Tuesday.
In a football sense, the year has belonged to Germany, so deservedly crowned FIFA World Cup winners in Brazil.
It followed a series of near-misses Germany were second in 2002 and third in both 2006 and 2010 and highlighted the outstanding talent and depth at Low s disposal.
Germany s breathtaking style of play endeared them to fans all over the world, but, perhaps understandingly, there has been a big drop off since they become world champions for a fourth time in July.
Since the World Cup, Germany have won just two of five matches, losing to both Argentina the team they beat in the Brazil final showpiece and Poland.
And even …
Liverpool and Arsenal are set to battle for the services of Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, .
The Spain international is ready to end his sixteen year association with the European Champions, and England is his most likely destination.
Both Brendan Rodgers and Arsene Wenger are keen to add another goalkeeper at the end of the season and Casillas is on both of their radars.
Since making his first team debut in 1999, the 33 year old has racked up over seven hundred appearances in all competitions, and has won a whole host of trophies including five La Liga titles, two Spanish cups and three Champions Leagues.
Internationally, he has been capped one hundred and sixty times, and captained his country to success in three consecutive major tournament…
manager Jose Mourinho has dismissed the possibility of David De Gea leaving the club this summer.
The goalkeeper has regularly been linked with a move to , and was at one time excluded from the squad because of it by the manager at the time, Louis van Gaal. Now, it seems the situation has changed significantly on that front.
De Gea, whose team hasn’t won the Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, recently of his intention to win trophies with Manchester United. He expressed his desire to get the club back as champions of England and to properly challenge in the Champions League.
Mourinho, when asked about the possibility of the Spaniard leaving the club this year, simply replied that there is “no chance” of that happening. De Gea …
The Telegraph has learned that Chelsea are weighing up shock bid for Inter Milan stopper Andrea Ranocchia.
The former Italy international joined Hull City on loan in the January window and he in turn put in several very good performances for the Tigers.
With a summer return to Stadio Giuseppe Meazza unlikely, Ranocchia could remain in England for the foreseeable future.
Namely, Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is thinking about bringing the 29-year-old to Stamford Bridge as a back up option.
The Italian tactician has already worked with Ranocchia at Arezzo and Bari, as well as in the Italy national team, and he now hopes to get reunited with one of his favourite players in London.
Ranocchia has been at Inter Milan since January 2011, having joined from…
Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham has raised the prospect of the game’s lawmakers examining whether audio between referees and VARs should be available live.
Miscommunication between VAR Darren England and referee Simon Hooper led to a Luis Diaz goal for Liverpool at Tottenham being wrongly disallowed last month, leading to further calls for such conversations to be played out in real time.
The incident caused huge controversy, with Reds manager Jurgen Klopp even calling for the match to be replayed.
Referees body PGMOL have released the full audio from the VAR hub relating to the Luis Diaz goal that was incorrectly disallowed in Spurs v Liverpool
— Premier League Communications (@PLComms)
Broadcasting the conver…
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang re-established himself as the Premier League s top goalscorer this season ahead of Mohamed Salah by netting a brace as Arsenal bounced back from consecutive defeats with a 3-1 win over Burnley.
Salah s strike against Wolves on Friday left Aubameyang second among the division s top marksmen, but the Gabon international was clinical in either half of a game that saw Arsenal bury the memory of their 3-2 loss at Southampton and 2-0 League Cup reverse against Tottenham.
Alex Iwobi added a third for the hosts in stoppage time when he beat the Burnley offside trap.
Unai Emery started Mesut Ozil for the first time in a league game since November 11 and the German made a strong case for a regular spot in an Arsenal side pushing Chelsea hard…
James Milner has a warning for any players wanting to join Liverpool ahead of their European return: Do not sign if the sole reason is Champions League football.
Liverpool are set to play in the Champions League next season, albeit initially via the play-offs after finishing fourth in the Premier League.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has already made it clear Liverpool will invest in quality but Milner wants any potential recruits to move to Anfield for the right reasons.
It s disrespectful to the club if you say the only reason you are going to Liverpool is for Champions League, said Milner.
With the history, the manager and the players at this club, it s slightly disrespectful if the only reason you come is that.
Maybe [we are more attractive] but i…
Jose Mourinho has set a new unwanted record for the longest time without a home win in his senior coaching career.
Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw by Valencia in Tuesday s Champions League clash at Old Trafford.
The result means Mourinho s side have now failed to win any of their last four games on home soil in all competitions.
Since their 2-1 win over Leicester City on the opening day of the Premier League season, United have lost 3-0 to Tottenham, been held 1-1 by Wolves and knocked out of the EFL Cup by Derby County on penalties following a 2-2 draw.
The last time they went four games without a home win was in 2015-16 under Louis van Gaal, when they drew 0-0 with PSV, West Ham and Chelsea and lost 2-1 to Norwich City in November and Decembe…
Havard Nordtveit has joined Hoffenheim from West Ham for an undisclosed fee.
The Norway international heads back to Germany a year after arriving in London from Borussia Monchengladbach on a free transfer ahead of the 2016-17 season.
Nordtveit made 21 appearances in all competitions for West Ham, but has been deemed surplus to requirements at the London Stadium.
I would like to thank Havard for his commitment and hard work last season, said West Ham manager Slaven Bilic.
He is an excellent professional and we wish him all the very best at Hoffenheim.
Nordtveit spent the early part of his career in his native Norway before heading to Arsenal, where he had to rely on loan spells at Salamanca, Lillestrom and Nurnberg for first-team action.
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