Andrea Pirlo still hopes to stay on as Juventus coach and keep Cristiano Ronaldo at the club as he prepares for Sunday's decisive Serie A clash with Bologna.
Juve sit fifth in the table after 37 matches, a point behind Napoli in fourth and Milan in third, and they know they must win to have any chance of finishing in a Champions League spot.
Pirlo's first season in charge has been difficult. The Bianconeri lost their title to Inter and crashed out of the Champions League to Porto at the last-16 stage.
However, they have still claimed two trophies in 2021, winning the Supercoppa Italiana match against Napoli in January before lifting the Coppa Italia this week after defeating Atalanta 2-1 in the final.
Speculation persists that Juve will look to replace Pirlo before next season, while it has also been rumoured they could sanction the sale of Ronaldo, who has scored 36 goals in all competitions this term.
Pirlo, however, appears eager to keep working with Ronaldo at the Allianz Stadium and improve on his first campaign in the dugout.
"We do this job for the adrenaline that it brings," he said on Saturday. "I want to continue working with this team and this club, but I think that's normal.
"The greatest satisfaction of this season has been the relationship with the boys, who have given me a lot, whilst I haven't liked the results and we didn't reach the set goals.
"I was a winner as a player, I want to be a manager, so I think of this year as an opportunity to improve. I don't think that the club will decide my future on the basis of tomorrow. We'll see what happens.
"After the Milan game [a 3-0 defeat on May 9], we were 'dead'; now, we are still alive. Let's think about ourselves first, and then see what happens elsewhere. We mustn't have any regrets. There is always pressure, but we are calm and there is enthusiasm."
He added on Ronaldo: "I see Cristiano at Juventus and extremely focused, just as I saw him in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday."
One figure who is set to leave Juve after this season is Gianluigi Buffon, with the 43-year-old having announced he will not commit to the club for 2021-22.
Pirlo said of his old team-mate: "With Buffon, Juve is losing a monument of football, both on and off the pitch. It's a sad feeling as we have come a long way together. I admire him very much."
Guyana's national squad finalizing Gold Cup preparations in Kingston
As it ramps up preparations for its preliminary-round match in the Conacaf Gold Cup next month, Guyana’s national football team are currently engaged in a 10-day at the UWI/JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence in Kingston.
The team arrived in Jamaica on Friday, May 26 and will break camp on Monday, June 5.
“We are happy to work with our regional counterparts,” said JFF President Michael Ricketts.
“We all have the same goal of improving the standard of our game and progressing on the international stage. We welcome not only international sporting teams like Guyana, but any other group locally or internationally at our facility. We provide whatever is necessary to ensure that each team or group can concentrate on their main objective. We sincerely hope that Guyana will do well in the Gold Cup and they will be the first of many to be hosted at our centre.”
Guyana will face Grenada in the first round of the Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary round when it gets underway in June, with the winner advancing to the main competition.
What challenges lie ahead for Sarina Wiegman and England at the World Cup?
England boss Sarina Wiegman has finalised her squad for this summer’s World Cup finals as she targets another taste of glory.
The European champions have lost key players since their triumph at Wembley last year, but have potential new stars waiting in the wings.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the challenges which lie ahead in Australia and New Zealand.
How does Wiegman plug the holes at the back?
The anterior cruciate ligament injury which has ruled skipper Leah Williamson out of the tournament not only robs England of their captain, but also of a key defender. Millie Bright’s inclusion – Wiegman has confirmed the Chelsea star will wear the armband – has allayed fears over her fitness, with both she and full-back Lucy Bronze, who is also included, nursing knee problems. Left-back Alex Greenwood is a candidate to partner Bright in the middle, but Rachel Daly’s inclusion among the strikers suggests she will not be asked to play at full-back as she has done for her country in the past.
Who are England’s potential match-winners?
The absence of Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead and Fran Kirby through injury and retired record goalscorer Ellen White might be felt more acutely if Wiegman did not have a wealth of attacking talent at her disposal. Ella Toone, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo proved game-changers from the bench last summer and will target more significant roles this time around, while Rachel Daly will head for the finals having scored 22 goals for Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League this season and the recalled Bethany England has 12 to her name since joining Tottenham from Chelsea in January. In addition, the Lionesses can also call upon emerging talents Lauren James and Katie Robinson.
Who are England’s main rivals?
Holders the United States are looking to lift the trophy for a third successive tournament – a fifth in total – and FIFA’s number one-ranked team will be hot favourites to do so. England beat the USA 2-1 in a friendly at Wembley in October last year but will not be taken in by that success. Germany, who lost to Wiegman’s side in the Euro 2022 final, will also be expected to feature prominently, as will semi-final opponents Sweden. Olympic champions Canada, whose campaign for equal pay prompted calls for a strike earlier this year, and co-hosts Australia, who will have Chelsea goal-machine Sam Kerr in their ranks, could have a say too.
What kind of form are they in?
England’s form had been little short of exemplary until April’s 2-0 friendly defeat by Australia at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium brought their 30-game unbeaten run under Wiegman to an end. However, there is a feeling within the camp that the run was always going to end eventually and it is far better that it did so in a friendly. The accuracy of that view will only become apparent when they embark upon their Group D fixtures against Haiti, Denmark and China.
Can a depleted squad live up to the expectation they have created?
England will head to the tournament having made it to the semi-finals at the last two World Cups, but not managed to go a step further. They cleared a major psychological hurdle last summer when they won the Euros on home soil having negotiated a tense last-eight clash with Spain and nerve-jangling showdown with Germany in the final and will travel Down Under with that vital tournament experience under their belts and confident of making an impression once again.
Adam Legzdins wants Dundee in the Premiership long-term after signing new deal
Adam Legzdins is looking for newly promoted Dundee to become an established cinch Premiership club after signing a new deal which commits him to the Dark Blues until the summer of 2025.
The 36-year-old goalkeeper joined from Burnley in November 2020, and helped the Tayside club to the top flight via the play-offs in 2021.
After dropping back down to the Championship, Dundee won the title this season and will return to the Premiership and Legzdins wants the Dens Park club to stay at the top long-term.
He told Dundee’s official website: “I really am delighted to extend my contract with this fantastic club for another two years.
“Dundee FC is a massive team in Scottish football steeped in history and tradition which you feel every time you represent the Dark Blues.
“My family and I have lived in Dundee and the surrounding area for the last two and half years and we feel so lucky to have found a wonderful place we now call home.
“The people of the city and the fans of our great club have been fantastic with us and I promise them I will continue to be committed and give my all both on and off the pitch to help us accomplish what we want to in the future.
“Last season really was a fantastic achievement by everyone at the club. We made memories that will last a lifetime.
“I will never forget the support from our travelling fans at Ochilview on the final day of the season to the outstanding reception we received at City Square.
“Seeing the next generation of young fans having their pictures taken with the trophy really showed me how lucky we are as players to play for this great club.
“It is now time for us all to work even harder to establish ourselves as a team in the Scottish Premiership for years to come.
“There are some great people at this club who will work tirelessly in pursuit of this goal.
“I want to help them, my team-mates, and the fans whenever I can to bring even more good times to Dundee FC.”
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