West London outfit Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has been under fire with his job speculated to be on the line as a result of the defeats, most especially the 2-0 suffered against Everton before the international break.

A number of names have been linked with his job, including club legend Frank Lampard and Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo as it is speculated that he could be sacked by the club owner Roman Abramovich before the end of the international break.

However, Chelsea midfielder Matteo Kovacic stands with the Italian boss as he noted that Maurizio Sarri is a great personality who has football in his mind.

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He noted that the issue Maurizio Sarri is facing that eh Stamford Bridge is that most of the players are already used to a particular system of play and it would be difficult to change it within a short period of time.

Matteo Kovacic said the former Napoli boss is making efforts to play good football so that he can win trophies.

However, Matteo Kovacic is currently on loan in the Blues team from Spanish La Liga outfit Real Madrid and there are suggestions he could return back, especially if Maurizio Sarri does not keep his job at the end of the season.

Arsenal defender Stephan Lichtsteiner has revealed that his focus is to play regular football ahead of the 2020 European Championship.

The 35-year-old has not seen much football at Arsenal for the past one month but the Swiss international star insists that he’s happy at the club.

Stephan Lichtsteiner went on to hint that he could leave the club in search of regular football.

The former Juventus right-back talked about Arsenal and the need for regular football in a chat with media portal Neue Zurcher Zeitung.

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Stephan Lichtsteiner became an Arsenal player last summer after joining on a free transfer.

The Swiss international right-back signed for the Gunners as a free agent shortly after the expiration of his contract at Italian Serie A champions Juventus.

He was the first signing of the Unai Emery era at Arsenal.

Unai Emery was appointed the Arsenal manager at the start of the season as a replacement for long-serving boss Arsene Wenger who had resigned at the end of last season despite the fact that he had one year left on his then contract.

Stephan Lichtsteiner has already started the discussions over an extension to the one-year contract he signed at the club upon the request of Unai Emery but the defender could still leave the club in search of regular football.

There is hope of a bright future for West London outfit Chelsea youngster Andreas Christensen at the Stamford Bridge with the playing time he has been getting so far this season.

At 22, Andreas Christensen has been able to earn 19 appearances for Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri which makes it a big hope for him to rise higher at the club in the future.

This development has made the star player happy and he has reflected on all the positives so far, especially after a slow start under former manager Antonio Conte.

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Andreas Christensen noted that the season has been full of ups and down because he started slow with little games but he is beginning to get the call from the Italian manager and there are hopes he will get more appearances.

However, he admits the competition for playing time has not been an easy one due to the trust David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger has got before the Italian boss.

Meanwhile, Andreas Christensen might not be regarded as a player for now, but suggestions are that he will form a part of the club’s future with the hope that the defence would be built around him someday.

Liverpool and Man United have held a rivalry culture for so many years and there is no hope of it coming to an end especially as it extends to the clubs legends that still carry the contest between both sides at heart.

This is the reason why Man United legend Wayne Rooney sees it as a nightmare if the Merseyside outfit ends up lifting the Premier League title at the end of the season ahead of Man City.

The rivalry seems to get more to the former Red Devils striker because he was once at Everton where he also had Merseyside rivalry with the Red team.

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However, the manager Jurgen Klopp team are now in the top spot of the Premier League table ahead of Man City with just seven games left until the end of the season which suggests that they could just be the winner.

This will not go down well with Wayne Rooney as he hints that he will not be able to bear the pain, insisting that he prefers their Manchester City rivals to celebrate with the trophy at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, the Reds team have not won the league title for the past 29 years and they are hoping they can break the deadlock this season.

There are fears that Chelsea could part ways with manage Maurizio Sarri during this international window, if emerging reports are anything to go by and that that means a replacement has to be on the sideline.

The Italian boss has been under pressure to deliver following some defeats he suffered against Premier League rivals and all of the bad results were compounded by the 2-0 defeat against Everton in the last weekend.

It is reported that the club owner Roman Abramovich is unhappy with the former Napoli boss and will soon announce his sack after due consultations have been made.

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However, former player Frank Lampard and Nuno Esparto Santo have been named as possible replacements for the embattled manager, according to reports.

Lampard is a Chelsea legend and there could be a need to follow the footstep of Man United in picking a former player to add to the good job he is doing at the Champions League outfit Derby County.

Nuno Esparto Santo has also been doing a good job Wolves who are now seventh in the Premier League table and the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Meanwhile, Nuno Esparto Santo has been tipped as the favourites because of some club chiefs while he has got an experience of the top flight.

The Liverpool hit-man has been the guise in the season for Jurgen Klopp’s side as they climbed to the Premier League table with a win against Fulham.

This was vital as the Reds need not take chances especially with the flamboyant Manchester City side lurking around their neck in second place.

Mane has been one of the pivotal members of his side’s campaign as he’s shown along in this season. His goal scoring exploits had been exemplary even for a center forward not to talk of a winger which he really is.

How about his performance against Bavarian giants Bayern Munich?

He single-handedly sent the Germans home leaving-first class goalkeeper Manuel Never dazed and incapacitated in the goal.

Mane has proved to be an excellent signing after moving to the Premier League from Austrian side SA Salzburg. He was scouted when the Austrian side met Southampton in one of the Pre-season friendlies a couple of seasons ago.

He signed for the Saint Mary side and became a threat to the big side especially Arsenal and Liverpool.

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He’s been a threat down the channel (wings) against Chelsea’s Gary Cahill who covers up for his teammate as Ivanovic advanced further up the pitch to get in a cross in one of his overlapping voyages.

This happened a season after Chelsea’s title-winning campaign as Mane alongside Dusan Tadic (now at Ajax who is set to face Juventus in the quarter-final stages of the UEFA champions league) forced a 1-1 draw at the Bridge.

His performances led to his move to Liverpool as Klopp could not ignore the attacking talent he’s got going forward. Mane would go on to be a threat on the Liverpool shirt starting from the pre-season as he even scored on his Premier (senior) League debut in the 3-4 away defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates.

This has gone on and on as he’s got also a brace against Sean Dyches Burnley following the 4-2 wins at Anfield.

So expect the player to be a big threat and a positive for Liverpool as his performance have got him series of individual accolades like Premier League player of the moment and nomination for Best African player of the award.

He’s just in the form of his life and Liverpool must win something at least this season to keep him at Anfield with offer flying in for the African at the moment.

Author: Obiweluozo Martins

Italian Serie A outfit Lazio seems to be becoming home for Liverpool players as reports claim that Alberto Moreno and Bobby Adekanye could be joining other former players Lucas Leiva and Luis Alberto at the Stadio Olimpico.

Both Lucas Leiva and Luis Alberto has been enjoying life at the Italian outfit and they could now increase the number of former Liverpool stars that will be at the club should a move for Alberto Moreno fall through.

The left full-back has been pushing for a move away from the Merseyside outfit since the last winter transfer window as he has not been able to secure enough playing time under manager Jurgen Klopp due to the competition available in the team.

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The latest report claims the Spanish defender has already jetted out of England to Rome where he will be signing a pre-contract agreement with the club which means he will be leaving the Anfield because of his contract which is set to expire.

However, suggestions are that the Merseyside outfit will seek for a replacement for Alberto Moreno in the coming summer transfer window because they will be lacking in options should he leave ahead of the coming season.

Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are interested in a move for Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar according to his agent.

Mital Halis told Spanish newspaper AS that the two clubs want to sign his client.

He’s the co-partner at the Star and Friends Agency that looks after the interest of Slovakian international centre back Milan Skriniar.

The 24-year-old has been attracting the interests of the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona following his superb form for Inter Milan for the better part of the last two years.

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Premier League giants Manchester United have also been credited with an interest in him, especially during the winter transfer window.

Milan Skriniar joined Inter Milan from Sampdoria in the summer of 2017 in a deal worth €28m and he has seen his stock soar in recent months.

Premier League Manchester City were said to have made a €55m bid for him in January 2018 only for Inter Milan to rebuff them.

The Citizens turned their attention to Aymeric Laporte whom they signed for a club-record £57m at the start of last year.

Skriniar has scored four goals in 76 appearances for Inter Milan in all competitions since his transfer to the club from fellow Italian club Sampdoria.

Former Manchester United winger Memphis Depay produced a complete performance to help the Netherlands to a winning start in their Euro 2020 qualifiers.

Depay struck twice and also provided two assists as the Netherlands thrashed Belarus 4-0 at home to emerge as early pacesetters in Group C.

The Dutch winger didn’t have the best of times at Manchester United following his big money move to the club in the summer of 2015.

He was sold to French Ligue 1 giants Lyon in January 2017 with a buyback option inserted into the contract that took him to France.

Memphis Depay has been able to resurrect his career at Lyon and that has affected his performances for his country.

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He gave the Netherlands the lead inside one minute against the Belarusians before turning provider for Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum in the 21st minute to give the hosts a comfortable 2-0 lead at the halftime interval.

Depay scored his second goal from the spot ten minutes after the restart to hand the home side a 3-0 lead.

Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk wrapped up the win for the Netherlands with four minutes left on the clock.

In the other Group C game, Northern Ireland started the qualifiers on a good note via a 2-0 win over Estonia in Belfast.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is certain that Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho has the perfect mentality for his former club.

Young England international Sancho has been heavily linked with a move to Premier League giants Manchester United following his stellar performances for his German Bundesliga club.

When asked about Jadon Sancho during an exclusive interview with Goal, Rio Ferdinand said that the 18-year-old has the required mentality to play for Manchester United.

The Manchester United legend added that Jadon Sancho would be a fantastic addition to the Manchester United squad.

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Recent reports had revealed that Manchester United want to strengthen their squad with the signing of a right winger and Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho is one of their targets for the job.

Jadon Sancho has seen his stock rise since joining Borussia Dortmund at the start of last season.

Borussia Dortmund secured his transfer from Premier League champions Manchester City in the summer of 2017 in a deal worth £8m.

Sancho will likely cost around £100m right now though Borussia Dortmund have hinted that they want to keep the young English winger at the club beyond this season.

Apart from Manchester United, Premier League clubs Iike Chelsea and Liverpool are also interested in him.