Pep Guardiola stood by his decision not to utilise any substitutes as Manchester City ran out 2-0 winners at home to Fulham on Saturday.
Kevin De Bruyne scored one and set up another as City cruised to a comfortable victory, taking them to within three points of Premier League co-leaders Tottenham and Liverpool ahead of Sunday s action.
Despite all but wrapping up the points by half-time, though, Guardiola elected to leave all seven substitutes on the bench.
The City boss and Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp have been the two most vocal managers in pressing for the Premier League to allow five changes in a game amid a congested schedule.
Premier League clubs voted ahead of the season to reduce the number of allotted substitutions back to three, with a …
Carlos Tevez has revealed he has no plans to extend his Juventus contract when it expires at the end of next season.
Tevez has scored 36 goals in 72 games since joining the Italian champions from Manchester City in June 2013.
The Argentina international was Juve s top scorer last season as they won Serie A for a third season in succession and is currently their leading marksman this term.
Despite his successes in Turin, Tevez does not plan on a long-term spell in Italy with a return to boyhood club Boca Juniors reportedly on the cards.
I said I wanted to fulfil my contract and that s my idea, I m not thinking of signing an extension because that’s not how I feel at the moment, Tevez told reporters in his homeland.
As I always said, my idea is …
Luis Suarez has revealed he had concerns about his ability to adapt to Barcelona s playing style before signing in 2014.
In his first season at Camp Nou, Suarez scored 25 goals in 43 appearances as the Catalan side completed a Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble.
The Uruguayan has stepped up his contribution this term, converting 56 times in 51 outings in all competitions.
Upon joining from Liverpool, Suarez did not envision such a prolific spell, admitting he was troubled about fitting into the tiki-taka style.
I never imagined that I would be scoring goals here, he told ESPN. I never felt I would adapt to this team s style of play the way I have.
Sometimes they start the touches and I think that I can t do that, that they will …
Jodi Jones was wooed by Malta on Instagram and now he is looking for a picture perfect finish against England.
The Bow-born forward is ready for Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Gareth Southgate’s side and he has been ready for some time.
Three cruciate ligament injuries in just over three years at Coventry put his career on hold and thwarted a move to Leeds.
Euro Qualifiers vs
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Jurgen Klopp was disappointed Liverpool were not able to produce a special performance against Real Madrid, meaning they would have been eliminated from the Champions League regardless of the first-leg collapse.
Liverpool headed to the Santiago Bernabeu for the return match in the last 16 with a huge task, needing to overturn a 5-2 deficit.
Klopp s Reds were unable to do that as they instead lost 1-0 to a Karim Benzema goal and bowed out 6-2 on aggregate.
While the nature of the heavy defeat at Anfield in the first match impacted on Liverpool s attempts to rescue the tie on Wednesday, Klopp pointed out even a draw at home would not have been enough if Madrid then controlled the second game.
To be honest, if we draw at home and play the game that we playe…
Yann Karamoh says his selection to start against Bologna came as a surprise, but he could not be happier with his first goal in Italian football.
The French teenager joined Inter from Caen on an initial loan deal ahead of the 2017-18 campaign but has had to wait patiently for his chance in the first team.
After four substitute appearances in Serie A, Karamoh was named from the start at San Siro on Monday and scored a stunning left-footed winner in the 2-1 win to break an eight-match winless league run.
It was a very important goal, my first in Italy and it came during a very important moment for the team and myself, he told Inter TV.
Like every player in the world, I want to play but it s obviously up to the coach to decide.
Grande sforzo. Nes…
Phil Neville says he will consider Eni Aluko for future England squads, having left the Chelsea striker out of the 23-woman party to travel to the SheBelieves Cup.
Aluko has not played for her country since April 2016, having become embroiled in a legal battle with the Football Association (FA), but Neville insists his main focus is player performance.
The 102-cap striker has only played 90 minutes once for Chelsea in the WSL this season, but has four goals in her seven appearances.
Neville told reporters: In terms of being selected for the squad, she s not played for Chelsea regularly. If she starts scoring goals and is playing well, then she is no different to anyone else.
First and foremost, is she good enough to play for England? Is she scoring goa…
Valencia defender Adil Rami says he needs to play for a big club in Europe as rumours continue to link him with a move away from Spain.
The 27-year-old is determined to become a permanent fixture in the France side ahead of World Cup 2014, with reports linking the centre-back with a move to Anzhi Makhachkala.
But though he has denied any interest in a move to the big-spending Russians, Rami admits he is considering his future with Valencia.
I m not going to Anzhi Makhachkala, even though I had a good proposition from this team, he told La Parisien.
I have not had my last word on the France team and I will consider this factor when choosing my future. England? Maybe. I need to be at a big club in Europe.
Competition for places in the France side …
Dutch midfielder Urby Emanuelson is hoping he can play an important role at AC Milan when his loan stint at Fulham ends.
The 26-year-old joined the Cottagers on a six-month loan in January and he experienced some problems at the start of his career in England.
Emanuelson has since nailed down a regular starting berth, but he admits that he would prefer to return to San Siro when his loan deal finishes.
“I will have a one-year contract with AC Milan after this season,” Emanuelson told Sport 1 following the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.
“It is important to show what I ve got. My heart is in Milan.”
Emanuelson arrived at Milan in a cut-price deal from Ajax in January 2011, and he has since struggled for regular playing time at San Siro.
He …
Freddie Ljungberg admitted Arsenal must be ready for a backlash from their own fans in Sunday s Premier League game against Manchester City.
The Gunners were booed off after a dispiriting 2-1 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion in their last Emirates Stadium appearance.
Hector Bellerin insisted the team had given 100 per cent but another poor result against champions City will only add to the sense of discontent in north London.
It s the right of the fans to be this way, said interim boss Ljungberg.
Of course I want them to be with us and I know how much it means to the players, and I can see sometimes when it happens they can go a little bit down.
But that s something I will talk to them about. They already know about it but I will try to prepar…