Luciano Spalletti has taken responsibility for Italy s Euro 2024 exit, though the Azzurri boss feels his limited time to prepare the team contributed to their poor displays.
The defending champions crashed out in the last 16 on Saturday, with Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas scoring as Switzerland claimed a deserved 2-0 victory in Berlin.
Following the Azzurri s defeat, the reigning champions have been eliminated in the round of 16 at three successive editions of the tournament, with Spain going out to Italy in 2016 and Portugal doing so versus Belgium at Euro 2020.
The loss was Italy s first in a knockout game at the Euros since the 2012 final versus Spain (90 minutes only), ending a run of six such matches unbeaten (three wins, three draws).
Spalletti only…
Nigeria beat Honduras 3-2 on Saturday to secure the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics courtesy of two goals from Sadiq Umar and one from Aminu Umar.
The Nigerians Olympic dream came to an abrupt end in the semi-finals as Germany proved to be too strong, whereas Honduras were outclassed by Brazil in the final four as they were thrashed 6-0 by the hosts.
Both sides went all out to make sure they would not leave Brazil empty handed, but it was Nigeria who seemed to have dealt with the disappointment of missing the final the best, going three goals up following an impressive opening hour.
Honduras refused to give up, though, and fought back to within one goal in the closing stages of the match thanks to efforts from Anthony Lozano and Marcelo Pereira, only to see …
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the secret to the success of Spanish coaches is their development when it comes to the tactical side of the game.
Guardiola, who has led City to four successive Premier League titles, will go up against compatriot Julen Lopetegui when his team travel to West Ham on Saturday.
It has been a summer of success for Spain on the international stage, with La Roja winning Euro 2024 before their Under-23s won gold at the Paris Olympics.
Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Andoni Iraola form the rest of the Spanish contingent of managers in the Premier League, and Guardiola shared what he believes is the reason for coaches from his nation enjoying such success.
The secret is [Spanish coaches] work really well from early ages on …
With the break between the quarter-finals and the semi-finals at Euro 2008 we can finally draw breath and look at the tournament so far. One thing is for sure. It has been a great success on the field.
The host nations didn’t disgrace themselves in the way their fans, particularly the Austrians, feared that they would. The negative sides, Greece, Italy and Romania have been knocked out. The exciting Spanish and Russians have made it to the semi-final and the powerful ever reliable and enterprising Germans are there once again. Turkey have made it with some remarkable last minute performances and they fill the underdog slot in the last four.
Portugal and Holland flattered to deceive but were a joy to watch when they were still there and Croatia produced …
LaLiga is over. Barcelona have won. Lionel Messi is untouchable. For some, it is the same old boring story.
The Catalans 25th top-flight crown, secured with a 4-2 win against Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday, has involved not so much a race but a 10-month victory parade.
They have been top of the table since matchday three and are 11 points clear, with a goal difference of 66. They are on the brink of the first unbeaten season since Athletic Bilbao in 1930.
Crucially, they have had Messi in the kind of form that has left opponents practically giving up before setting foot on a pitch. Somehow, it has invoked as many yawns as cheers.
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12 R Madrid
2012/13
2013/14 At Madrid
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17 R Madrid
2017/18
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Manchester United have just about been unbeatable at Old Trafford this season.
A 2-1 extra-time win over Anderlecht to send them into the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday saw United extend their unbeaten home run to 26 matches.
It includes 17 wins and nine draws, and is their longest since a 37-game streak in 2011.
United s last home loss came in the Manchester derby in September.
26 Man Utd are unbeaten in their last 26 games in all comps at Old Trafford (W17 D9); their longest run since Oct 2011 (37 games). Edge.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
Injuries to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo soured United s win on Thursday as they reached the last four thanks to a 3-2 aggregate victory.
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Sunday night brings us a classic AFC West showdown as Patrick Mahomes brings his struggles to the Death Star as the Las Vegas Raiders play host to the Kansas City Chiefs in what could be a potential shootout.
We bring you our favorite free prop picks and predictions for Chiefs vs. Raiders.
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Following a highly-entertaining opening week of the NFL season, Week 2 has arrived and should be just as riveting.
Make sure to check out our NFL betting picks for the second week of the 2022 season, as I’ll be diving into the marquee matchups, odds movement, and injuries and weather factors you should watch out for.
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The season-opening Week 1 edition of Monday Night Football is set to be a great one, with the New York Jets welcoming the Buffalo Bills to MetLife Stadium in our MNF odds.
Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen being under center opens up some fascinating prop wagers for us. Both quarterbacks have great supporting casts with the likes of Stefon Diggs and Garrett Wilson catching passes and Breece Hall and James Cook pounding the rock.
The NFL odds suggest this should be a fun game, so let’s look at my best free NFL picks for MNF — with a focus on NFL player props tonight.
For more MNF coverage, also check out Jason Logan’s Bills vs. Jets picks and predictions, as well as Ed Scimia’s Aaron Rodgers pro…
The Los Angeles Chargers head to Lambeau Field on Sunday for a Week 11 odds clash against the Green Bay Packers. Both of these teams are coming off close defeats with the Bolts losing on a last-second field goal to the Lions and the Pack coming up just short on the road in Pittsburgh.
NFL odds have bounced around that key number of 3 for this showdown with the Chargers currently installed as 3-point road favorites. Here are my best free NFL picks and predictions for the Chargers vs. Packers on Sunday, November 19.
Chargers vs Packers odds
Chargers vs Packers predictions
It’s tough to trust an average Los Angeles Chargers squad as favorites on the road but it’s even harder to have faith in a Green Bay Packers&nb…