Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez is confident his side can close the gap on LaLiga’s leaders but will need to cut out the errors.
Last season’s champions are nine points off the top after winning just one of their last four games in the competition.
Barca are currently third, trailing second-placed Real Madrid by seven points with Girona – who beat their Catalan rivals earlier this month – leading the way.
Xavi told reporters at a press conference: “The conviction in both areas is marking our season a little and that is what needs to be fixed and improved to be competitive in all competitions.
“Yes, I see it as recoverable but, of course, we have to be competitive rather than fail ourselves. In the end, what is costing us is our mistakes.”
Barca were held to a 1-1 draw at Valencia in their last outing but will be expected to get back to winning ways as they host bottom side Almeria – who are yet to win a game – on Wednesday.
Xavi said: “It is a very important game for us. We need a victory for the feelings of confidence, three points and to continue believing.
“There is still the league. There are still mathematical possibilities to win it. It has become difficult for us, but we have to go step by step and tomorrow is an important step.
“We have been playing good football but we need to win games. We need the fans and need to play that complete game that we have been missing until now.”
Xavi also gave his thoughts on his side being drawn against Serie A winners Napoli in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Like Barca, Napoli are finding defending their crown tough going.
“We are playing against the current Italian champions and I think it’ll be difficult,” said Xavi. “I think we have a 50 per cent chance because they are in a similar situation to our own.”
Despite their predicament, Almeria, who are eight points from safety, are hoping to make life difficult for the champions.
Head coach Gaizka Garitano, whose team claimed a goalless draw with Mallorca in their last outing, said: “We’ve competed on pitches where it’s very difficult to win.
“We’re going to go all out to obtain a good result with courage and desire to compete but, if we don’t give 100 per cent, they can hurt us.”
Philippe Clement believes sacrificing the personal for the collective can help Rangers to an “amazing” season.
The Belgian boss is still basking in the glory of the 1-0 Viaplay Cup final win over Aberdeen at Hampden Park on Sunday, his first trophy since taking over from Michael Beale in October.
Coincidentally, Beale’s departure came after a 3-1 home defeat to the Dons in the cinch Premiership which provided a body blow to the Gers’ title hopes.
However, Clement has also rekindled those aspirations amid his 14-game unbeaten run since arriving in Glasgow, while guiding the Light Blues into the last-16 of the Europa League with a stunning 3-2 win over Real Betis in Spain last week.
Ahead of the visit of St Johnstone to Ibrox on Wednesday night, where a win will take Rangers to within two points of leaders Celtic having played a game fewer, former Genk, Club Brugge and Belgium defender Clement said: “I think it’s logical, when I came into the club the confidence was not there but I saw what I saw in the games and the first days in training.
“Every experience makes you stronger. The strongest teams I played in were teams that were together for two or three years and those were teams that had a lot of experience together.
“Good but also bad because you not only become stronger out of good experiences but also out of bad experiences if you take the right conclusions together.
“Every experience with this group will make it stronger and winning in Seville, winning a cup and winning the first silverware, proving a lot of things that had been said not so long ago about these players, that it was wrong.
“They need to continue doing that and keeping this hunger. If they keep the hunger, if they also keep the collectivity and this solidarity that it’s not important to start or not to start, and it’s not about them but about the team then we’re going to make an amazing season. I’m confident about that.
“The moment players start to think about themselves and to take themselves out of the collective, it will be more difficult.
“Then we will speak with them. It’s going to happen, I’m not naive and I know if there is success there are also people around the players who are influential or who try to become more influential.
“We have to make it clear it’s about the collective and if the collective is good then the individual is also good because it works like that in a team sport.”
Nottingham Forest have sacked boss Steve Cooper and are in talks to appoint former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo as his replacement, the PA news agency understands.
The 44-year-old has paid the price for a run of just one win in 13 Premier League games, which has seen Forest plummet to just five points above the drop zone.
The Portuguese is the preferred candidate to take over at the City Ground and has met with club officials ahead of a possible appointment.
Nuno has been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in November. He appears set for a return to the Premier League two years after his sacking from an ill-fated four-month stay at Spurs.
Cooper has had the support of the Forest fans after taking them from the bottom of the Championship to Premier League survival last season.
It was fan power that saved him from the sack last term, but with another summer of heavy investment from owner Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek businessman has lost patience.
Forest host Bournemouth in a crucial Premier League clash on Saturday before festive fixtures against Newcastle and Manchester United.
Marinakis was eyeing a top-half finish this season after spending north of £100million in the summer, but, after a solid start to the campaign, results have not followed and they have won just once since beating Chelsea at the start of September.
Cooper has kept his dignity in tact following speculation surrounding his position and leaves the City Ground a hero after becoming the man to end Forest’s 23-year exile from the top flight when he guided them to promotion in the summer of 2022.
A difficult first year in the Premier League followed, where Cooper’s job was under continual threat before a late-season rally saw them finish 16th.
Expectations of a push towards the top 10 came after a heavy spending spree in the summer, but results have been disappointing and Cooper has paid the price.
Rangers have expressed “extreme disappointment” after confirming their fans will not be at Celtic Park for the cinch Premiership game on December 30.
Celtic refused around 700 tickets for the trip to Ibrox earlier in the season, citing safety concerns, with the Parkhead club keen for a return to the more traditional away allocation at both grounds of around 7,500 supporters.
Rangers were keen to take 7-800 tickets for the trip to the east end of Glasgow and took their case to the Scottish Professional Football League but despite SPFL Rule I27 currently stating that “the home club must make provision for the admission of such reasonable numbers of visiting supporters” the Ibrox club were left unhappy.
Rangers released a statement which read: “Despite winning a case put to an SPFL board sub-committee, Rangers FC, with extreme disappointment, will not have any supporters present at Parkhead for the Old Firm match on December 30.
“The sub-committee agreed with Rangers that Celtic FC’s stance of providing zero tickets to Rangers’ fans was unreasonable.
“Despite the fact that the sub-committee agreed with Rangers, the sub-committee was unwilling to determine what a ‘reasonable’ number of tickets for the fixture would be.
“The sub-committee was unable to determine this reasonable number due to the fact that the other party had not submitted enough evidence on this issue, despite having ample opportunity to do so in the weeks and months leading up to the hearing.
“Rangers’ position has always been clear. We want away fans from all clubs at our stadium and wish for that to be reciprocated when we travel to other clubs’ grounds.
“This decision calls into question the effectiveness, and highlights the procedural defects, of SPFL Rule I27.
“To Rangers, it is grossly unfair that if a club (in this case Celtic) fails to submit sufficient evidence as part of such proceedings, it effectively ties the hands of a sub-committee in being able to determine what a reasonable number of tickets should be; especially when the sub-committee agrees that the reasonable number cannot be zero.
“Conversely, if a club (in this case Rangers) complies fully and provides all necessary information in good faith, it can still be penalised.
“The club will consider its position before participating in any further SPFL led hearings.
“Rangers, alongside several other SPFL clubs, also looks forward to the overdue findings of the ongoing, protracted SPFL Governance review.
“Rangers will be making no further comment at this time.”
Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has extended his contract with the club until June 2025.
The 34-year-old has been with Bayern since he was 10 years old and, since making his senior debut for the club in 2008, he has gone on to amass 684 competitive appearances for the first team, ranking him second in Bayern’s all-time appearance list.
Muller has helped the club win 12 Bundesliga titles, two Champions Leagues, the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup trophies as well as six DFB Cups and eight German Supercups.
On the international stage, the German forward won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Muller told the Bayern website: “I’m happy my journey at Bayern is continuing. I want to play my part in us remaining successful, both as a team and the whole club.
“It’s important to me to be a foundation and to help steer the team in the right direction. I want to excite our fans with goals, helping create goals, my love of the game, my passion for football – and hopefully with many more titles.”
Sporting director Christoph Freund added: “We’re very pleased that Thomas Muller will be staying at FC Bayern for another season.
“He’s a leader both on and off the pitch, always a role model and incredibly valuable for the entire team. Thomas pushes every team with his open and positive manner on and off the pitch.
“The way he plays is extremely clever, for the team, and he’s very versatile in where he can play. Thomas is also almost never injured, always there – just quality and reliability personified.”
Bayern Munich will check on Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich ahead of their final Bundesliga match before the winter break against Wolfsburg.
The midfield pair missed the weekend win over Stuttgart with illness and they are still being monitored.
Goalkeeper Sven Ulreich is not fit to return to the squad so Daniel Peretz will continue to deputise.
“We hope there are no more ill players,” Thomas Tuchel said on the club’s official website. “It’s an hourly update with Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich. It’ll be tight for both. We think the rest are fit.
“It looks like Daniel Peretz will be in the squad again with Ulle not yet back.”
Bayern are guaranteed to go into the winter break in second position in the Bundesliga table following an excellent first half of the campaign by Bayer Leverkusen.
They will have work to do if they are to claim a 12th title in a row, but Tuchel wants his side to finish on a high.
“Our work is always about looking ahead,” he added. “A lot has happened this year. We’re making good progress and are trying to meet our tasks.
“We want to continue developing our team. It’s all good and we’re looking forward to a break. But we want to take the next step in Wednesday’s game.
“We want to be better in possession. Wolfsburg have different tactics from Stuttgart. We’re again expecting a back five.
“We want more of the ball and will now take on a new task. It’s down to us. How good are the movements and distances? Let’s see what challenges the game brings. We hope we can have the right answers.”
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Tuchel is keen to temper expectations of teenager Aleksandar Pavlovic following his breakthrough in the team in recent weeks.
The former Chelsea boss said: “We knew before that we have Aleks and what he can do. He was always good in training. It helps nobody if Aleks is our solution in that position now at 19.
“We’ll do everything that makes sense for the club and youth development. We’re the biggest fans of our own youth players from the Campus. Aleks has earned it with the way he is and how he trains. It’s good if we don’t overpraise someone.
“It’s good what he’s doing. He always has a smile on his face and is very grounded. Quality always comes through.”
Luis Enrique believes Kylian Mbappe can continue to develop at Paris St Germain as the forward prepares to face Metz on his birthday.
Wednesday’s Ligue 1 clash at the Parc des Princes coincidences with Mbappe’s 25th birthday, with the France international having already hit 16 league goals in 15 games this season.
Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick in France’s World Cup final defeat to Argentina, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, reports surfaced last week suggesting Mbappe’s relationship with Enrique has soured – but the Spaniard insists he wants to see the former Monaco man continue to make waves in Paris.
“Kylian is still very young at 25,” he told reporters at his press conference ahead of the visit of Metz.
“He is the age of my son which is quite something. I hope that Kylian Mbappe achieves so much more success both collectively and individually.
“We hope that will be here at PSG and we hope to help him develop.
“Of course, he is at a fantastic level and I’ve had the chance to get to know him as a person. So I am very lucky to have a player like him in my squad.
“With everything he brings, his individual statistics, he is impressive. He is at the top of world football”
PSG lead the way in Ligue 1, while Metz sit just three points clear of the relegation zone following their return to the top flight.
Despite the gap, Enrique is not expecting an easy night against Laszlo Boloni’s side.
“It will be a really difficult game,” he said.
“They will leave us with very little spaces to attack. We will need to be very precise and accurate to exploit those spaces.”
Enrique took charge in the French capital in the summer and has enjoyed his first half-season coaching in Ligue 1.
“I’m very pleased with the first half of the season in terms of results,” he added.
“Sometimes there were points when we weren’t so good but we are top of Ligue 1 and we hope to stay there.
“It is just the beginning, the most difficult part is still to be done in the second half of the season.”
PSG will be without Ousmane Dembele for the game, the winger sitting out as a precaution over a potential hamstring injury.
Liverpool assistant boss Pep Lijnders says Darwin Nunez is having “a much better season than last year” and that he sees him as a player “full of fire”.
The 24-year-old Uruguay striker, signed from Benfica in 2022 and scorer of 15 goals in all competitions for the Reds in the last campaign, has seven so far this term.
Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Manchester United made it 10 club appearances without netting, his last Liverpool goal coming in the 2-1 Carabao Cup fourth-round win at Bournemouth in early November, but Lijnders says Nunez should not be judged on goals alone.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at home against West Ham, Lijnders said: “I think Darwin is full of desire, you see this in each game, and if we would only judge players on the goals that would be so unfair, because in our way, always when we reach our targets or really were there to compete, it was always about the collective.
“I feel there is a good connection between Mo (Salah) and Darwin, the way they see each other, assist each other, and I feel above everything that Darwin is playing a much better season than last year, the way how he defends for the team, goes, chases back, his counter press as well. He helps us a lot when we are deep and we can play with him as a reference.
“It’s a long time we play with a false nine, and now its Darwin Nunez. He is learning but I like a lot, and I think this guy is full of fire. That’s what our stadium likes and that’s what we need as well, to lead the line in this way. He can only become better.
“It’s always with goals, if you create a lot, the goals will come naturally. We are creating and sometimes you have to be a little bit lucky. He feels our trust, that’s the thing we can give him.”
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper’s position is under severe threat after the club held talks with former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo about taking over at the City Ground, the PA news agency understands.
Cooper’s tenure is in doubt following a run of just one win in 13 Premier League games, which has seen Forest plummet to just five points above the drop zone.
Officials from the club have spoken to the Portuguese about replacing Cooper, PA understands.
Nuno has been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in November. He appears in line for a return to the Premier League two years after his sacking from an ill-fated four-month stay at Spurs.
Cooper has had the support of the Forest fans after taking them from the bottom of the Championship to Premier League survival last season.
It was fan power that saved him from the sack last term, but with another summer of heavy investment from owner Evangelos Marinakis, it looks as if the Greek businessman has lost patience.
Reports in Portugal suggest a deal for Nuno could be tied up before Saturday’s home clash with Bournemouth.
The go-ahead goal inevitably came when Nickoy Christian's well-timed pass sent Fletcher on his way, and the player sporting the number 15 jersey drove a right-footer past Carlye Holmes in goal for Treasure Beach.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz Captain Andre Blake describes his first staging of a two-day goalkeeper clinic a tremendous success, as he offered guidance to some of the country's upcoming stalwarts at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on December 14 and 15.
Over 20 goalkeepers from across the Manning and daCosta Cup, and two women goalkeepers from the Reinas Academy attended the invitational clinic to receive world-class training from several coaches.
The goalkeeper coaches included Blake’s Philadelphia Union coach, Phil Wheddon, Jamaica’s Under 20 Goalkeeper coach, Andrew Sewell, Reinas Academy’s Neo Oxford, Kingston College’s Robert Beckford and Reggae Boyz Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite.
Blake pointed out that the two-day clinic delivered as expected.
“The commitment and focus from all the goalkeepers was good, and the hope is that they will return to their clubs and schools realising what they need to work on to get to the next level," Blake said.
“Playing at the highest level teaches you a lot, and this is what I’m sharing. We may find gems slipping through the cracks here, so if we can find them and help them, that’s good for our country and their personal and professional development," he added.
The clinic exercises included handling, diving, cutbacks, repositioning, functional play and more.
“Over the two days, we did a lot of footwork because goalkeeping is changing, and if you can’t use your feet, you’re at a disadvantage, so if we can get them into that from now, we can set them up for success," Blake reasoned.
Clarendon College’s starting goalkeeper Roshae Burrell praised the clinic highly: “It was a great experience; I learned a lot from Andre Blake. He’s a good trainer, and Coach Phil is a vibe; he is a good coach!”
For Hydel High’s Tajarie Lee, it was a wonderful experience, “The clinic has been great; I learnt a lot and all that they teach us, I intend to put it on the training ground and the pitch going forward."
National Under-20 Coach Andrew Sewell was both a teacher and a student. “The experience was pretty wonderful, I must say. It was top-notch and professional. The clinic was well-needed, and I learned a lot as well. I must commend Mr. Andre Blake for this initiative.”
The Andre Blake Goalkeeper Clinic was made possible by the kind support of the JFF, ISSA, The Sagicor Foundation, Spectrum Systems, PrintWare Tech, Tru Shake, Powerade, Wata, Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Leep Marketing and Uhlsport.
What the papers say
Crystal Palace are interested in a move for Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah this January, with the 24-year-old yet to play under Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, the Daily Express reports. There is also reportedly interest from Serie A teams and Bayern Munich.
The Daily Mail reports Manchester United are willing to sell Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial and Casemiro after their director of football John Murtough spent time in Saudi Arabia this month.
However, the Manchester Evening News says Varane is hoping that the club will trigger their one-year contract extension option for him.
Wolves are reportedly looking to sign Nigerian striker Rafiu Durosinmi from Viktoria Plzen for around £7million, despite reportedly being set to report losses of £65million.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Ian Maatsen: Chelsea are reportedly willing to sell the 21-year-old Dutch defender in January, with Manchester City, West Ham, Roma and Napoli among clubs interested in him, 90min says.
Clement Lenglet: The Aston Villa defender’s loan deal from Barcelona could be terminated by the Spanish club as they look to sell the 28-year-old, Football Insider reports.
Mark Hughes was sacked as Manchester City manager on this day in 2009, paying the price for a run of two wins in 11 games.
Roberto Mancini was installed as Hughes’ replacement, with Brian Kidd as his number two, in a move which confirmed speculation that a decision had already been taken before an eventful 4-3 win over Sunderland, at which the Italian was present.
A three-goal hammering at Tottenham convinced owner Sheikh Mansour and chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak that Hughes could not steer City into the top four, as had been expected following a summer outlay of £120million.
“A return of two wins in 11 Premier League games is clearly not in line with the targets that were agreed and set,” Khaldoon said in a statement.
“Sheikh Mansour and the board felt there was no evidence that the situation would fundamentally change.
“The targets were agreed as a result of the player acquisition strategy of the club being radically accelerated in the summer as a result of very favourable conditions for any buying club.
“It was also based on the fact that the infrastructure of the club had been overhauled completely at great cost in order to create the best possible environment for the team.”
City also confirmed that Mark Bowen, Eddie Niedzwiecki, Kevin Hitchcock and Glyn Hodges – all part of Hughes’ coaching staff – had left the club.
There was an argument Khaldoon should have waited until after the Christmas fixtures against Stoke and Wolves, and even an FA Cup tie at Middlesbrough and a League Cup semi-final – the first time City had reached the last four of any domestic competition in almost 29 years – against Manchester United.
But, with another transfer window about to open, Khaldoon took the view it was better to act when he did.
In Mancini, he brought in a manager who had guided Inter Milan to three successive Serie A titles from 2006 before being sacked in 2008 after failing to make any impact in Europe.
In a bid to foster a new era of athletic excellence across multiple sports, St. Lucia's Sports Minister Kenson Joel Casimir, has revealed the government's strategic investments in developing young talents on the island.
The success of notable athletes like Bowerman Award winner Julien Alfred, cricket icons Darren Sammy and Johnson Charles, and rising star sprinter Naomi London has ignited a wave of inspiration and paved the way for broader support for sports development.
Minister Casimir shared insights into the government's commitment to nurturing talent across various sports, including track and field, cricket, and football. The shift in paradigm also involves reimagining the island's inter-school track and field championships to enhance stakeholder engagement.
“We as a government, we've decided that we are going to take the added step of moving our inter-schools’ competition, that we have coined Island Champs, to a weekend event. And of course, we've been trying to get public buy-in, you know, parental support," the minister revealed in an exclusive interview with Sportsmax.TV
Explaining the rationale behind the change, he added, "We found that during the week in St Lucia, we've not been able to really get the amount of support that we want from the commercial sector, from parents, and from all walks of life and so we have rebranded our schools’ championship in track and field to ensure that the likes of a Julien (Alfred) or Naomi London could be on display for all of St Lucia to see, not just on television. (So), a Sunday event, a Sunday afternoon family event for St Lucians to see some of the next athletes that we are going to be exporting to the world."
Highlighting strides made in cricket, Minister Casimir revealed that plans to develop the next great cricketers from the island are well underway.
“We have a high-performance centre that has been set up for cricket for the first time in our history where we've put 15 of our best male and female cricketers into a program where they are given nutritional support, they're given the best facilities to work with, the best coaches to work with."
The government has collaborated with the St Lucia Kings, a CPL franchise, to bring in coaches from India, contributing to the holistic development of cricket talent on the island.
Turning to football, Minister Casimir revealed exciting plans for grassroots development with renowned figures in the sport.
“With the likes of Coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier and Earl ‘Ball Hog’ Jean, we're going to be seeing the launch of a grassroots development program in football," Minister Casimir revealed while highlighting the contributions of Stuart Charles and Earl Jean to St. Lucia's global representation and their involvement in an elite program for under-17 footballers.
The initiatives revealed by Minister Casimir reflect a broader vision to elevate sports in St. Lucia and create a lasting legacy of sporting excellence.
Girona’s dream season continued as they brushed aside Alaves 3-0 to return to the top of the LaLiga table.
Artem Dovbyk scored twice and Portu also hit the mark as Michel’s men stretched their unbeaten league run to nine games.
The hosts started well in their quest to leapfrog Real Madrid as Dovbyk connected with a cross from Yan Couto but his header was deflected wide.
The Ukrainian finally broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute after Couto’s initial effort was deflected by Alaves keeper Antonio Sivera into his path and he headed the opener.
Alaves fought back strongly and Girona keeper Paulo Gazzaniga had to be alert to catch a header from Samu Omorodion as the visitors continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack.
However, no-one was making a bigger impact than Couto who repeated his service for the second goal by firing in the cross from which Portu steered his first-time shot into the net.
Girona were well in command but Alaves continued to have their chances with Rafa Martin heading just wide from a Ruben Duarte free-kick.
Girona effectively wrapped up victory in the 59th minute when Couto fell under pressure from Javi Lopez, and Dovbyk swept home from the penalty spot.
Valery and Pablo Torre had further chances to increase Girona’s lead but their job was already done as they booked their place back at the LaLiga summit.
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