Unai Emery has to repeat himself on numerous occasions to explain Granit Xhaka is out vs. Wolves. Craig Burley provides personal experience of being booed by his own supporters when playing for Derby County. Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has been stripped of his captaincy, Gunners manager Unai Emery has confirmed. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will skipper the club
Leagues
2019 MLS MVP Carlos Vela details how LAFC coach Bob Bradley influenced his record-breaking season. Ale Moreno rips Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi for their ineffectiveness in LAFC’s season-ending loss to Seattle. MLS MVP Carlos Vela preferred to stand aside from the Mexican national team after the 2018 World Cup, but the 30-year-old has refused to state
3:06 PM ET RB Leipzig were dominant as they followed up on last Saturday’s eight-goal demolition of Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga by beating Zenit St Petersburg 2-0 away to stay top of their Champions League group on Tuesday. Marcel Halstenberg thought he had given the visitors an early lead with a long-range shot, but
Shaka Hislop feels it’s time for Gareth Bale to move on from Real Madrid amid reports he’ll leave in January. Zinedine Zidane says Gareth Bale’s situation at Real Madrid is a “mess” but insists they have a good relationship. Shaka Hislop picks the manager most likely to be sacked; check the whole convo on ESPN
Matthijs de Ligt’s second half strike gave Juventus a deserved 1-0 vs. Torino. Watch Serie A on ESPN+. Stewart Robson believes Juventus have lacked “fluency and urgency” all season under Maurizio Sarri. The 2019 Italian Supercoppa between Juventus and Lazio will be held in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, where there will be no limitations
Gab Marcotti says Niko Kovac fell short of Bayern Munich’s “high standards” and was let go as a result. Bayern Munich players are aware they will be “held responsible” after the departure of Niko Kovac, the club’s interim coach, Hansi Flick, has said. Kovac left Bayern Munich following a string of bad results and uneasy
Paris Saint-Germain fans can now purchase more pedal power. Paris Saint-Germain have launched an electric bike branded in the club’s colours, just the latest in their vast collection of merchandise tie-up deals… The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to bring you all the weirdest stories, quirkiest viral content and top trolling that the internet has
LIVERPOOL — Alisson Becker apologised for his language when dissecting Liverpool’s defensive record this season but his facial expression suggested that the words he chose weren’t strong enough. “It always annoys me when we concede stupid goals,” the goalkeeper said when asked about the club’s lack of clean sheets ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League encounter
Paul Mariner credits the Sounders and Toronto FC for adapting in order to set up another showdown in MLS Cup. Toronto will meet Seattle in MLS Cup yet again after knocking out 2018 winners Atlanta. Watch MLS on ESPN+. Atlanta United leads Forbes list of most valuable MLS franchises for the second year running, with
Janusz Michallik questions whether Ernesto Valverde has much time left at Barcelona after their loss vs. Levante. Steve Nicol feels Gerard Pique shouldn’t stick his nose in Barca’s transfer business involving Neymar. Steve Nicol examines Ivan Rakitic’s situation at Barcelona and if he’ll leave in the January transfer window. Ronald Koeman will not quit his
Roma beat Napoli 2-1 thanks a fine Nicolo Zaniolo goal and a Jordan Veretout penalty. Watch Serie A on ESPN+. Italian Serie A: Arkadiusz Milik (72′) Roma 2-1 Napoli. Watch Serie A on ESPN+. Roma vs. Napoli was halted by the referee for apparent discriminatory chants. Italian Serie A: Jordan Veretout (55′) Roma 2-0 Napoli.
Janusz Michallik feels Niko Kovac’s is job hanging by a thread after Bayern’s embarrassing defeat to Frankfurt. Bayern Munich have sacked Niko Kovac as manager following Saturday’s embarrassing 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, the club announced on Sunday. “The performance of our team in recent weeks and the results have shown us that there was
Frank Leboeuf heaps praise on Kylian Mbappe for his stellar UCL performance for PSG off the bench. ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens revels in Kylian Mbappe’s performance off the bench in PSG’s 5-0 win vs. Club Brugge. Shaka Hislop explains why Dani Alves was right to say Neymar has the “sensibility of a child.” Craig Burley
Liverpool came from behind to beat Aston Villa and preserve their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Ale Moreno says Liverpool’s close results might indicate a dip in form ahead of a clash with Manchester City. Janusz Michallik argues that Sadio Mané is Liverpool’s most important player, after his goal vs. Aston
Herculez Gomez explains why the Sounders will beat Toronto FC in their third MLS Cup showdown in four years. Paul Mariner credits the Sounders and Toronto FC for adapting in order to set up another showdown in MLS Cup. Toronto will meet Seattle in MLS Cup yet again after knocking out 2018 winners Atlanta. Watch
5:13 PM ET Nov 3 (Reuters) – Real Sociedad went level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona after snatching a 2-1 victory away to fellow high-flyers Granada on Sunday thanks to a late strike from forward Cristian Portu. Portu had given the Basque side the lead midway through the first half, latching on to
Brescia’s Mario Balotelli picks the ball up and kicks it into the crowd after hearing racist chants in Verona. Mario Balotelli threatened to walk off the pitch after he was the target of racist abuse during Brescia’s Serie A defeat by Hellas Verona on Sunday. Referee Maurizio Mariani paused the game and began the anti-racism protocol
12:30 PM ET BERLIN, Nov 2 (Reuters) – Borussia Dortmund’s Thorgan Hazard scored one goal and helped to set up another as his team beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 on Saturday to snap their unbeaten league run and move into second place, three points behind leaders Borussia Moenchengladbach. Belgium international Hazard scored on the break in
5:48 PM ET (Adds details) PARIS, Nov 2 (Reuters) – Memphis Depay’s last-gasp goal earned a recovering Olympique Lyonnais a 3-2 victory at Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Saturday. Lyon twice came from behind, Depay and Moussa Dembele cancelling out Yaya Sanogo’s goal and keeper Anthony Lopes’s own goal, and Depay got the winning strike
Chelsea continued their strong run of form in the Premier League as they defeated Watford 2-1 at Vicarage Road. Tammy Abraham opened the scoring after just five minutes following a tremendous pass from Jorginho, with Christian Pulisic adding to the lead as Abraham turned provider. Gerard Deulofeu halved the deficit from the penalty spot, after