Xavi acknowledged Barcelona did not play well in their pulsating 3-2 win over Levante on Sunday but he believes their winning mentality dragged them over the line.
Levante went ahead through Jose Luis Morales penalty in the 52nd minute and they should have doubled their advantage from the spot four minutes later, yet Marc-Andre ter Stegen kept out Roger Marti s tame strike from 12 yards.
Barcelona moved 2-1 ahead within seven minutes of that miss thanks to goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Pedri, but Levante pulled level again with seven minutes remaining as Gonzalo Melero slammed home their third penalty of the game.
The Blaugrana sealed a seventh straight LaLiga win in stoppage time, though, when Luuk de Jong met Jordi Alba s cross with a thumping h…
Harry Kane and England wrapped up a prolific 2019 with a 4-0 Euro 2020 qualification win against Kosovo on Sunday.
Next year, Gareth Southgate s team will hope to emulate their country s greatest ever side by winning a major tournament at Wembley.
England s current vintage are at least the equal of Alf Ramsey s World Cup winners in one way already – their 38 goals scored in 2019 is the same number that the Three Lions managed in a seminal 1966.
Only once, in 1909, have England managed more goals in a calendar year, when they scored 39 in just seven games.
38 Only in 1908 (39 goals) have England scored more goals in a calendar year than they have during 2019 (38 goals). Style.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
Kane s individual haul of 12 equalled…
Sarri is ready to continue the experiment when the Blues host Leicester City this weekend after Olivier Giroud led the line in more conventionally during the 1-0 EFL Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth – even if it was Hazard who came off the bench to net the winner in midweek.
We started in the last two matches with Eden as a striker. In the first match [against City] it was only a tactical choice. Then I wanted to see if the solution could work in all the situations or not.
I needed two or three matches to be sure if it is the right solution. I explained my point of view to Giroud and we will see.
At the moment the solution is good, I think, because we played a good match against City and against Brighton we were very dangerous for 60 minutes.
…
What the papers say
Chelsea may be forced to sell Ian Maatsen, with the club still yet to make progress in contract negotiations for the Dutch defender, according to the Daily Mail.
Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal are keen to sign Victor Osimhen, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that there is a five-year contract on the cards at £39 million per year, on top of Napoli’s asking price of £173 million.
Juventus have set their sights on Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, reports Italian outlet Calciomercato.
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Serie A side AC Monza are set to sign Papu Gómez as free agent after Caprari ACL injury. Deal agreed in principle.
Medical tests already booked, as per — as Gómez left Sevilla on Deadline Day by terminating contract. <…
Arsenal have moved to bolster their defence with the signing of England international Ben White from Brighton and Hove Albion for a reported £50million fee.
White completed his move to the Emirates Stadium which Brighton have confirmed is a club-record sale on Friday after passing a medical.
The centre-back follows the signings of Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares for Mikel Arteta s side ahead of the new Premier League season.
Ben was a top target for us and it’s great that we’ve completed his signing, Gunners boss Arteta said after securing White on a long-term contract reported by Sky Sports to be a five-year deal.
Ben has been educated with two very good clubs, Brighton and Leeds, in recent seasons.
He has benefitted well from t…
When Aleksandar Kolarov left Manchester City in the summer of 2017, most people expected him to get his career on a somewhat downward spiral, with his last season in the Premier League not really being great. But his move to AS Roma worked so well that it might turn out to be longer than three years.
According to Gazetta dello Sport, AS Roma are ready to offer Kolarov a new deal which would keep him at the club for a little longer. The captain of the Serbian national team is 34 years old and his current contract with Roma is supposed to end at the end of June 2020. However, Roma would offer Kolarov a new contract that would last 12 months longer, until the end of 2020-21 season.
This is not such a surprise considering how well Kolarov has been playing in Serie A, with h…
Alex is eager to help shore up the Milan s defence in his first season at San Siro.
The Brazilian defender completed his move from Paris Saint-Germain in June and was officially presented to the media on Friday.
With new coach Filippo Inzaghi tasked with improving Milan s eighth-placed finish in Serie A last term, Alex feels he can play a part in strengthening their defensive ranks.
Milan shipped 49 goals last term but, in his first foray into Italian football, Alex wants to help repay fans for the welcome he has received.
This season we will put in a lot of effort, while the fans will support us. Yesterday [at the pre-season launch at Casa Milan] it gave me chills throughout the reception, he said.
We will work hard to repay all this affectio…
Thai Premier League champions Buriram United made a winning start to the AFC Champions League with a 2-1 victory over Seongnam.
Two-time AFC Champions League winners Seongnam made a terrible start to the 2015 competition with a 2-1 defeat to Buriram United on Tuesday.
The 2014 Korean FA Cup winners only survived in the K.League last season by four points, and their troubles continued with an round-opening loss in Group F of the continental competition.
Goals from Prakit Deeprom and Gilberto Macena gave Buriram – the Thai Premier League champions – victory at the Thunder Castle Stadium, with Narubadin Weerawatnodom s own goal coming too late for Seongnam.
It was a bad day for former champions as Gamba Osaka – winners in 2008 – also suffered in Gr…
What the papers say
Wayne Rooney is in the running to become Birmingham manager, the Times reports. The former England and Manchester United captain is looking for a now role after leaving MLS side DC United.
The Mirror says Rooney would bring former Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole and former Manchester United team-mate John O’Shea with him if he is to get the job.
Meanwhile, Manchester United are reportedly keeping an eye on Palmeiras midfielder Luis Guilherme and Flamengo winger Lorran, who are both 17, according the the Daily Star. The Brazilian teenagers could cost the club a combined £100million.
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Bayern’s Uli Hoeneß has revealed the exact transfer fee Bayern paid for Harry Kane: “We only spent 95 million euros to sign Kane”, …
Sassuolo forward Domenico Berardi has admitted that he is a lifelong fan of Inter, although he is not interested in discussing a possible move to San Siro.
The 22-year-old has been in fine form after missing most of the first half of the season with a knee injury and has nine goals and eight assists in all competitions.
It was claimed last year that Juventus had agreed that they would not take up their option to sign the player outright, allowing him the chance to decide his next move himself.
There remains confusion around the deal, however, and Sassuolo director Giovanni Carnevali stated in November that Juve s agreement to sign Berardi was still valid.
The Italy Under-21 international has been heavily linked with Inter in the last few weeks as the cl…