Luis Enrique shoulders blame following Barca defeat

We’ve seen this scenario before but Barcelona is still in a very precarious position as it heads into its UEFA Champions League quarterfinals second leg against Juventus.

The La Liga side fell 3-0 to Juventus on Tuesday after Paulo Dybala’s brace and Giorgio Chiellini added a third for the Italian side.

While there were some chances to be had for Barcelona, particularly over the second half of the match, manager Luis Enrique refused to blame his players following the defeat at the Juventus Stadium.

Report: Steven Gerrard to manage Liverpool U-18 team next season

A familiar face could be making a full-time return to Anfield next season, but it won’t be with the senior team for Steven Gerrard.

According to several outlets, the former Liverpool midfielder will manage the Reds’ Under-18 team next

Report: Real Madrid to target four Chelsea stars

A report from Spanish outlet Don Balon claims Real Madrid are keeping a close eye on four Chelsea stars ahead of the summer transfer window.

The players who are said to be interesting the reigning European champs are Eden Hazard (Real are long-time admirers of his), plus N'Golo Kante, Thibaut Courtois and Marcos Alonso.
Rumors of Hazard and Courtois swapping Stamford Bridge for the Santiago Bernabeu have been circulating for the past few months, while the report about Zinedine Zidane wanting to sign Kante last summer but being shut down by Real’s president Florentino Perez suggests they may go back in for the France superstar after his stunning debut season for Chelsea.

'Diego Costa is a big-game player' - Alonso warns Man Utd ahead of Chelsea visit

The Blues are due at Old Trafford on Sunday, with their 18-goal top scorer looking to end a five-match run without finding the target

Marcos Alonso considers Diego Costa to be “a big-game player” as Chelsea prepare to face Manchester United in the Premier League.

The Spain international has been a key figure for the Blues this season, with his 18-goal return helping to guide them to the top of the table.

He has, however, suffered a dip in form since becoming embroiled in a distracting transfer saga during the winter transfer window and is on a five-game drought at club level, having scored just four times in 2017.

Alonso, though, is adamant that the 28-year-old remains a talismanic figure, telling the Evening Standard: