Sam Allardyce wants England to use the bitter experience of their Euro 2016 failure to inspire a turnaround on the road to the 2018 World Cup.
Allardyce was confirmed as Roy Hodgson s successor in the England hotseat on Friday, agreeing a two-year deal with the Football Association.
Despite the job increasingly being viewed as a poisoned chalice, the 61-year-old said he cannot stop smiling after winning a post he missed out on in 2006.
Far from wishing to bury the memory of a humiliating last-16 loss against Iceland, Allardyce wants this humbling setback to inspire his players when they begin their Russia 2018 qualifying campaign against Slovakia in September.
First and foremost it s about regaining a little bit of confidence they might have lost after …
Marco Reus scored and assisted in his final Bundesliga game for Borussia Dortmund as they thrashed already-relegated Darmstadt 4-0.
The German teed up Ian Maatsen for the opener on the half-hour mark before scoring a stunning free-kick eight minutes later to put Dortmund in control.
Donyell Malen scored his 13th goal of the season to round things off after substitute Julian Brandt had latched onto Jadon Sancho s ball for a third.
Dortmund could have had more as Reus, Malen and Marcel Sabitzer struck the woodwork in either half, but it did not matter as Darmstadt struggled to show a threat.
Edin Terzic s side finished fifth in the final Champions League spot, while Darmstadt are relegated as the bottom club.
Nothing but respect. Legend.
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Week 2 of the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League will take place between Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Here are the three top matches to watch during this week’s slate.
Tottenham vs Bayern Munich (Tuesday, 20:00 BST)
The current UEFA Champions League runner-up, Tottenham Hotspur, stumbled to a 2-2 away draw at Olympiakos in their 2019-20 UEFA Champions League opener. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich secured a solid 3-0 win over Red Star Belgrade at home. Now, both sides will meet in London in what should be a key encounter in the battle for first place of the Group standings.
There are several things to watch ahead of this game. Bayern Munich will have to attempt to stop Harry Kane, while the Spurs will aim to do the same with Robert Lewandowski, who has been the hottest strik…
Massimiliano Allegri reflected on an excellent 2016, despite Juventus rounding out the year with a penalty shoot-out defeat to AC Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana.
Gianluigi Donnarumma saved the crucial spot-kick in the shoot-out from Paulo Dybala, who had previously missed a gilt-edged chance in the dying embers of extra time.
Allegri guided Juve to a fifth-straight Serie A title, as well as a second successive Coppa Italia, in the 2015-16 season, and he takes the Bianconeri into the mid-season break with a four-point lead in the league.
It was an excellent year, the head coach reflected to reporters in Doha.
We won the Coppa Italia, the Scudetto and we had a good performance. We also played the Suppercoppa.
The season was very good, when we…
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has revealed he suffered from depression ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The diminutive playmaker scored the extra-time winner in Spain s 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in the final four years ago, but he says that goal was the culmination of a difficult period for him.
I had a bit of depression, but everyone goes through this kind of thing at least once in their life, don t they? he told So Foot.
I had various personal problems that were accumulating. I also had physical problems. I felt fragile.
This is life, there are good times and bad times. We cross moments of weakness, personal situations that accumulate.
You have an injury, you have a hard time recovering your level, you lose confidence, you feel weak, you do …
Bukayo Saka revelled in banishing previous penalty demons as England edged past Switzerland with a shoot-out victory in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Saka levelled just five minutes after Breel Embolo s 75th-minute opener in Dusseldorf on Saturday, though the two sides could not be separated across 120 minutes.
England had lost more shoot-outs than any other nation across the World Cup and European Championships (seven), with Saka missing in the final of the latter competition just four years ago.
Yet the Arsenal winger converted from 12 yards after Jordan Pickford had denied Manuel Akanji, before Trent Alexander-Arnold sent England into the last four at Dusseldorf Arena.
Saka was understandably delighted to bounce back on penalties after his heartbreak a…
The league’s top defense gets a gut check in Week 4 of the NFL season when the Carolina Panthers come to Texas to tackle the Dallas Cowboys.
NFL betting odds have Dallas anywhere from -5 to a 4-point favorite with a contrast in calendars Sunday. The Cowboys are playing on a short week after a win over Philadelphia on Monday Night Football while the Panthers have enjoyed a mini bye after defeating Houston last Thursday.
Check out our NFL free picks and predictions for Panthers at Cowboys on October 3.
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The NFC Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams might not have the shootout potential the AFC Championship does, but these two teams combined for six touchdowns in their Week 18 meeting and there is plenty of value in these touchdown markets as the total of 45.5 is directly influential on the TD prices.
Without further ado, our NFC Championship touchdown prop picks for the 49ers vs. Rams.
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It’s playoff time, and there’s something about every game, but there aren’t many as hotly anticipated as Sunday’s NFL Divisional Round clash between the Bengals and Bills.
When two of the NFL’s most dangerous high-powered offenses meet, you know it’s going to be an exciting tilt — not only that, but it’s going to offer us plenty of opportunities to cash prop bets.
Let’s get stuck right into this one, where we could well see a shootout between both teams. Don’t miss our NFL prop picks for the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills.
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The Washington Commanders face off against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6 of NFL action on Sunday.
The Commanders are on a three-game skid thanks to a porous defense while the Falcons are fresh off a win against the Texans but need to get their sluggish offense going. NFL odds opened with the Falcons as 2.5-point home favorites with the Over/Under at 41.5 for this NFC clash.
Here are my best free Commanders vs. Falcons NFL picks for October 15.
Commanders vs Falcons odds
Commanders vs Falcons predictions
The Atlanta Falcons are coming off a 21-19 win over the Houston Texans where Arthur Smith finally opened up his offense and allowed Desmond Ridder to throw the ball downfield. After throwing for just 744 y…