Ballack doubts Italy can repeat Spain performance

Alan Pardew said Newcastle s successful campaign can be reproduced next season.

The Magpies are fifth in the Premier League table and are challenging to finish in the top four, far above their pre-season expectations.

We have proved this season by breaking into the top six that we can be a force in the Premier League and we have laid foundations that I hope can keep us at the top end of the table in future years, Pardew said.

The 50-year-old also highlighted the financial model in place at Newcastle and expressed his appreciation of the way the fans have warmed to him and the club s decisions.

From day one I ve tried to be open and honest about the financial model we re operating. I understood the fans initial resentment.

Mike (Ashley, the clu…

DC United winger Andy Najar is training with Belgian champions Anderlecht for the remainder of 2012, the MLS club confirmed.

Najar, who trained with Tottenham after the 2011 MLS season, joins a side that is eying another top-flight championship and just completed its run in the UEFA Champions League.

Anderlecht currently employs American midfielder Sacha Kljestan.

DC United general manager Dave Kasper said Najar, 19, would benefit from experiencing a different football culture.

This is a good opportunity for Andy to continue training in the offseason and get another European training experience, Kasper said in a statement.

Najar was converted to right back from the midfield in his third season in MLS during a year in which he participated with…

Bayern Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel re-affirmed his desire Friday to play for the Netherlands again following the departure of coach Marco van Basten.

Van Basten stepped down as Netherlands coach after his side s Euro 2008 quarter-final exit at the hands of Russia and has been replaced by van Bommel s father-in-law Bert van Marwijk as national coach.

Now van Bommel says he is keen to add to the 40 caps he has won for his country with the Oranje.

I always said that I would want to come back, if Marco left. Now he has gone, and coincidentally my father-in-law is the new coach, if he needs me, I am there, said the Bayern midfielder.

The 31-year-old will not be travelling to Beijing as part of the Netherlands Olympic team and will stay in Germany to…

Reading director of football Nicky Hammond is hopeful the club can strike a deal to sign Central Coast Mariners midfielder Tomas Rogic.

Rogic, whose contract runs out the end of the season, was denied a move to Reading in 2011 after he failed to obtain a work permit, but Hammond is hopeful the transfer can be resurrected.

We ll talk to the Mariners and take it from there, Hammond told The World Game.

We ve been monitoring Tom closely for the past year or so and were really disappointed when we couldn t sign him because of those work permit issues.

He s been doing really well and is a smashing lad. I have no doubt he has the potential to play in the Premier League.

When we first tried to sign him we were in the Championship but our opinion of …

According to Bild (via ), Real Madrid are hoping to sign Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Salzburg in January. Head coach Zinedine Zidane has already talked to the midfielder about it by telephone, trying to convince him to move to the Santiago Bernabeu amid interest from clubs across Europe.

Apart from Real, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Juventus have all been linked with the 20-year-old sensation, as well as RB Leipzig who understandably have a special kind of relationship with Salzburg. It has been reported that Szoboszlai has a €25 million buyout clause in his contract which expires in the summer of 2022. If so, none of the clubs mentioned would have a problem parting with that amount for such a talented player, which means the player him…

Jose Mourinho felt Ajax s insistence of sticking to their football philosophy contributed to their dramatic Champions League exit.

The Amsterdammers cruised into a 2-0 half-time lead in the second leg of their semi-final against Tottenham, goals from captain Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech gifting them a 3-0 aggregate lead with just 45 minutes remaining in the tie.

Mourinho felt that was the time to divert from their usual attacking style and adopt a more defensive approach in order to see the job through.

Instead, Ajax boss Erik ten Hag changed little and a Lucas Moura hat-trick, including a 96th-minute winner, sent Spurs into a final meeting with Liverpool in Madrid on June 1.

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax)

Speaking in his role as a pun…

Chelsea are set to sell Nemanja Matic to Juventus this summer, .

The twenty-seven year old was one of the stand-out performers in the Blues’ title winning 2014/15 campaign but has, like many of his teammates has failed to replicate such form this time around.

Across two spells at Stamford Bridge, the midfielder has racked up one hundred and eight appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals.

He played almost a hundred times for Benfica in-between his two stints in England while he has also played for Vitesse Arnhem on loan, MFK Kosice and Kolubara the club where he began his career.

Serie A champions Juve currently have fellow Chelsea man Juan Cuadrado on loan though he is set to return to the London outfit next season once Antonio Conte tak…

Ligue 1 giants Marseille are keeping close tabs on Montpellier starlet Morgan Sanson, .

The 2-1 defeat to la Paillade saw OM slip from the league summit, while the Coupe de France exit at the hands of Grenoble is another cause for concern.

And with two important players leaving for Africa Cup of Nations, Marseille may decide to reinforce the squad in an attempt to keep their title bid alive.

Le 10 Sport has suggested that OM are considering a bid for Montpellier midfielder Morgan Sanson, who has seen his stock rise a great deal over the last year or so.

The 20-year-old joined La Paillade from Le Mans in July 2013 and immediately nailed down a regular starting berth at Stade de la Mosson.

Sanson has since made a total of 52 league appearances, sco…

Erling Haaland became the youngest player to pass 30 goals in the Champions League after the Manchester City forward s first-half hat-trick against RB Leipzig.

The Norway international scored twice in the space of two minutes at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday to reach 30 in the competition, before adding a third on the stroke of half-time.

At just 22 years and 236 days old, Haaland was the youngest man to that mark – 116 days younger than previous record holder Kylian Mbappe.

Other players he trumped included Lionel Messi (23 years and 131 days) and Raul (24 years and 91 days).

It was not the only record Haaland shattered either, with the forward s 30th Champions League goal coming in just his 25th game, setting a new benchmark for the fewest matches req…

There has been much speculation about the future of Harry Kane, with Bayern Munich and Manchester United believed to be holding a strong interest in the Tottenham Hotspur record goalscorer.

As for Spurs, head coach Antonio Conte claims they want the 29-year-old striker to remain in North London for the rest of his playing days.

“This is a question for the club. For sure the club wants to involve Harry Kane for the rest of his career in my opinion.”

Antonio Conte says he believes Tottenham will want to keep Harry Kane at the club until he retires.

— Football Daily (@footballdaily)

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