9 h. ago Bellingham must accept Tuchel’s collective structure or risk England exile | Jacob Steinberg

Manager learned at PSG to ignore star power in pursuit of a winning formula that prioritises brotherhoodThomas Tuchel once stood on the touchline at Anfield, watching in disbelief as his self-indulgent Paris Saint-Germain players refused to put in the hard yards against Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool. “Guys, what is this?” he said, but there was never going to be a reaction from individuals with too much power and not enough respect for the basic concepts of teamwork.Intensity? Tracking back? Not for us, thanks. Too many wanted to do their own thing and it ground Tuchel down in the end. The German is a coach who wants structure, identity, sacrifice and energy. At PSG, though, he saw how individualism can bring a dressing room down. How could Tuchel make his mark when he had players who would moan if a teammate looked at them the wrong way? Continue reading...

Events

54 h. ago ‘Don’t collect talent’ – Thomas Tuchel sends warning to Jude Bellingham & Co about World Cup spots after shock snubs

THOMAS TUCHEL claims England will be underdogs at the World Cup finals. And the Three Lions manager, preparing for the friendly with Wales at Wembley, insisted he will not be “collecting talent” when picking his teams with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish all controversially missing out on this squad. Tuchel, who will be...

Events

55 h. ago Tuchel insists England should embrace underdog status at 2026 World Cup

Tuchel: ‘I don’t see why we should burden ourselves’Head coach ‘not just collecting most talented players’Thomas Tuchel has said England would be underdogs at the World Cup and would be stronger if they did not allow themselves to become burdened by expectation.Tuchel, who delivered another warning to Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden by reiterating that he is not looking to collect talents, was adamant that his side would not be one of the favourites next summer. The German stressed that England, who have been losing finalists in two successive European Championships, should not get carried away given they have not won the men’s World Cup since 1966. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Piers Morgan issues grovelling apology to Alastair Cook over decade

Morgan engaged in a number of social media rants about former England cricket captain Cook during the Kevin Pietersen exile saga of the mid-2010s

Society

3 d. ago Club World Cup has left an injury trail that is damaging football. But will anyone listen? | Jacob Steinberg

Response to strained schedule has been more football than ever, and a danger that the best will have nothing left to give at the World CupCole Palmer and Ousmane Dembélé looked great when they were photographed sitting on Top of the Rock on the eve of the Club World Cup final but it is not being wise after the event to suggest that both might have been better off spending their summer lying on sunbeds.Top players struggling with fitness issues was foreseeable before the first edition of Fifa’s expanded tournament took place. “The worst idea ever,” was Jürgen Klopp’s take, citing concerns over the long-term impact of squeezing even more football into an ever expanding calendar. “Last year it was the Copa [América] and the European Championship, this year it’s the Club World Cup, next year it’s the World Cup. That means no recovery for the players involved.” Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Welcome to West Ham, Nuno, the crisis club with no vision and no structure | Jacob Steinberg

Graham Potter’s great mistake was to think that he could build while the fire was raging around himThe timing of the news left a sour taste in the mouth. Graham Potter has been in trouble for more than a month. There was no decision after West Ham continued their dreadful start to the season last Saturday, losing 2-1 to Crystal Palace at a deflated London Stadium, and it seemed Potter had been given one last chance to save his job given that he conducted his usual media duties before facing Everton on Monday night.There was defiance from the 50-year-old on Friday night. Blame the coach all you like, Potter said, but it is worth looking at the wider context. “You have to look at where the club was at,” he said. “Because then you can make an assessment of how long it needs to turn results around. What was the environment like? What was the culture like? What was the team like?” Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Bayern plan to make Chelsea rue letting Nicolas Jackson go in ominous reunion | Jacob Steinberg

Enzo Maresca’s side return to the site of the club’s first Champions League win but the team face a battle against their former strikerA trip to the Allianz Arena offers Chelsea fond memories of the greatest night in their history, a meeting with two what‑might‑have-beens and a swift reunion with a player desperate to prove they were wrong to let him go.Perhaps Enzo Maresca will be feeling nervous if his team have to face Nicolas Jackson when they open their Champions League campaign against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. There are plenty of examples of loanees coming back to haunt their parent club in the tournament and Jackson will not be short of motivation if he features against Chelsea less than a month since he left on loan. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago ‘I was lost but football gave me strength’: Afghan women refugees on their fight for recognition

Exiles from the Taliban in England and Australia are using the sport to battle prejudice and give a voice to women and girls in Afghanistan“I felt quite lost,” says the goalkeeper Elaha Safdari. “I didn’t know anyone, but little by little football gave me the strength and power to start again, to start from zero, to build, to keep going and to keep pushing myself forward.”It is four years since a 17-year-old Safdari arrived in England, part of the Afghanistan women’s development team evacuated first to Pakistan then to the UK after the US withdrawal of troops and the concession of power to the Taliban. Continue reading...

Sport