Stefano Pioli feels team spirit will be crucial ahead of the 2021-22 campaign and he pointed towards Simon Kjaer and Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the men who lead by example at Milan.
Having been appointed in 2019, with the Rossoneri slumped in 13th in Serie A, Pioli guided his side up to 6th at the end of the campaign before a second-place finish last season – their joint-highest since winning the Scudetto in 2010-11.
Simon Kjaer, who ranked second among Milan defenders for aerial duels won (55) and first for interceptions (42) in 2020-21, was a standout performer as the Rossoneri undertook something of a transformation under Pioli.
And after Kjaer s heroics at Euro 2020, involving the potentially life-saving actions he performed to deal with Christian Eriksen s conc…
Rasmus Hojlund s return to form presents a luxury problem for Manchester United ahead of this weekend s FA Cup final against Manchester City, says Erik ten Hag.
Hojlund came off the bench to score United s second goal as they rounded off their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, having also netted in last week s 3-2 victory over Newcastle United.
He finished his debut Premier League season with 10 goals, becoming the youngest player to reach double figures in 2023-24 (21 years, 105 days old as of Sunday).
Hojlund has battled injury problems and dips in form throughout the campaign, and in his absence, Ten Hag has often opted to deploy Bruno Fernandes as a false nine.
The Portugal international started United s l…
Antonio Conte is not willing to take any risks with Romelu Lukaku as Inter prepare to host Parma without both the Belgian striker and Alexis Sanchez.
Lukaku played the entire game but suffered a thigh issue as Inter drew 0-0 with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday, their first goalless draw in the competition since September 2009.
The 27-year-old had scored in nine straight European matches up until then, while he has already found the net five times in as many Serie A appearances at the start of the new campaign.
However, with a huge Champions League clash against Real Madrid looming on the horizon, plus a trip to Atalanta to come before the November international break, Conte is wary of pushing the player too hard despite his obvious importanc…
Frank de Boer acknowledged the Netherlands must tighten up after letting slip a two-goal lead before eventually overcoming Ukraine 3-2 in their Euro 2020 opener.
The Netherlands appeared to be in complete control of the Group C clash in Amsterdam when Georginio Wijnaldum and Wout Weghorst scored in a six-minute burst early in the second half on Sunday.
However, Andriy Yarmolenko s brilliant curling strike from distance halved the deficit, with Ukraine then drawing level when Roman Yaremchuk headed in from a free-kick.
Denzel Dumfries was the unlikely hero for the Netherlands with an 85th-minute winner, though De Boer was concerned at the way his team conceded twice to let slip such a commanding position.
You know Yarmolenko is left-footed, he s famous…
Harry Kane was delighted for Cole Palmer after the Chelsea forward marked his full England debut with a first goal for the Three Lions.
Palmer, who was making his first international start at senior level, opened the scoring from the penalty spot as Gareth Southgate s side overcame Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-0 at St James Park.
Kane was also on target later on, coming off the bench to round off a commanding win with the third goal in England s penultimate warm-up game ahead of Euro 2024.
Palmer, who made his senior debut against Malta in November, continues to thrive following a superb 2023-24 with Chelsea, with his 33 goal involvements (22 goals, 11 assists) in the Premier League earning him the Young Player of the Season award.
Saluting the former Manchester …
Wayne Rooney hopes “incredible talent” Marcus Rashford can help bring titles back to Manchester United and put himself at the same level as the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
The 20-time league champions have now not won a Premier League crown for a decade, with neighbours Manchester City establishing themselves as the dominant force during that period.
United have endured a topsy-turvy time since Rooney helped Sir Alex Ferguson’s side lift the 2012-13 title but things are looking up under Erik ten Hag.
Mason Mount has joined from Chelsea and Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana is set to follow him to Old Trafford as the Dutchman looks to build on last season’s Carabao Cup triumph and third-place finish.
United have been further boosted…
Central Coast Mariners head coach Nick Montgomery is on a five-man shortlist to become the next Hibernian manager, the PA news agency understands.
Hibs have received permission from the A-League champions to hold talks with the 42-year-old former Scotland Under-21 international.
But reports in Australia claiming that Montgomery has already been selected as Lee Johnson’s successor are premature.
Hibs have spoken to two candidates and plan talks with three more this week, including Montgomery.
Former Hibs manager Neil Lennon has been among the favourites for the role and had declared himself open to discussions.
Leeds-born Montgomery initially moved to Mariners as a player in 2012 after making almost 400 appearances for Sheffield United.
H…
A relieved Diego Simeone credited the work of his players after Atletico Madrid marked his 400th LaLiga game in charge with a 2-0 win away to Elche on Wednesday.
Atleti also secured Champions League qualification with the victory, opening up a six-point gap to fifth-placed Real Betis via goals from Matheus Cunha and Rodrigo de Paul.
In Simeone s 11 years at the club, Atleti have been able to disrupt the hegemony of Barcelona and Real Madrid, winning LaLiga, the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup twice, as well the Copa del Rey.
Simeone showed humility after the win, saying the support he has at the club is rare, allowing for such an uncommonly long tenure.
It s an important moment because if it weren t for all the players who have passed through the c…
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente says world football should take note after La Roja s Under-23 side claimed Olympic gold in Paris on Friday.
De la Fuente oversaw a record-breaking fourth European Championship crown with victory over England last month, and Spain s youthful Olympic side followed up that success in the French capital.
Sergio Camello came off the bench to score twice in extra time, beating hosts France 5-3 to add the Games top prize to their glittering trophy cabinet.
De la Fuente, who led the Under-23 side to silver at Tokyo 2020 before taking the senior role, believes Spanish football deserves more credit.
We are not aware of what we have achieved this year and we do not value Spanish football enough. Let s get rid of our prejudices, re…
Eberechi Eze says Crystal Palace s 4-0 thrashing of Manchester United is a big statement but insists there should be little surprise that it happened.
Micheal Olise scored twice as Palace ran riot against the sorry Red Devils at Selhurst Park on Monday.
Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell also got in on the act as Palace sealed their first league double over United.
Palace have now won four of their last five Premier League games, with Oliver Glasner having turned the tide in the past few weeks.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Eze said: It says a lot, it s a big statement, but we re not surprised.
We know what we re capable of, we know what we can do. The quality we ve got in the dressing room is high – we don t see it as a surprise. We know what …