4:00 AM ET Ralf Rangnick is dealing with increased player unrest at Manchester United — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. PLUS: Ed Woodward’s big United regret. Jump to: Woodward’s Kane disappointment | Benzema shirt in demand at Alcoyano | Ruthless Conte plans major Spurs clear-out | Red card romance Rangnick battling with Man United’s
Soccer
1:42 PM ET Caitlin Murray FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, insist that their brewing plan for a biennial World Cup will be a good thing for soccer. The problem is that when they say that, they seem to be talking about the men’s side of the sport. As usual with FIFA, the women’s game
9:30 AM ET When the elevator doors slide open on the third floor of Manchester United‘s offices in London’s exclusive Mayfair district, you’re immediately greeted by full-size replicas of the Premier League and Champions League trophies. For the past eight-and-a-half years, Ed Woodward has had to walk past them, tormented by their presence, every time
11:57 AM ET New year, same him? Kylian Mbappe has welcomed 2022 with open arms; to the surprise of many at the club, the Paris Saint-Germain striker arrived a day early to training after a brief Christmas break. Long rumoured to be joining Real Madrid when his contract expires this summer, he nevertheless arrived the
6:49 PM ET LONDON — Chelsea managers often succumb to the club’s internal politics, but after a challenging week on and off the pitch, it is difficult to imagine Thomas Tuchel emerging from the past week with more credit than this. The only disappointing aspect of Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur is that their
3:48 PM ET Sid LoweSpain writer “We’re back!” Joan Laporta was in a bullish mood, which is the mood he’s in most days, but especially on days like this. It was the first day of the rest of their lives, a sunny morning in the city. Up in the stands at the Camp Nou were
9:00 AM ET Tor-Kristian Karlsen On Monday, FC Dallas 18-year-old striker Ricardo Pepi joined German Bundesliga side FC Augsburg for around €17 million ($20 million) to become the most expensive homegrown player in the history of MLS. 2 Related Pepi had an incredible 2021 with 13 goals in 31 league appearances for Dallas and (after
2:57 PM ET Former U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro is considering a run to reclaim his old position, multiple federation sources have told ESPN, with one source saying Cordeiro has made up his mind and has shared plans to run with others privately. According to the sources, Cordeiro has received multiple nominations from the
8:33 AM ET There are two ways that a manager can impress the players when he walks into a new dressing room for the first time, but Ralf Rangnick is failing on both fronts as he grapples with the challenges as interim boss at Manchester United. – ESPN+ viewers’ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup,
9:48 AM ET Happy New Year! Only the Premier League and LaLiga were in action of the major European leagues, but the leaner schedule still gave us plenty to discuss. Chelsea and Liverpool played to an entertaining draw that helped neither side keep pace at the top of the table, while Manchester City got a
4:00 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — It says everything about Manchester United‘s opening game of 2022 that Phil Jones returned for his first appearance in 708 days and was, by some distance, their best player. It’s no disrespect to Jones, without a game since January 2020 as he battled back from a serious
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4:00 AM ET Chelsea broke their transfer record in August to sign Romelu Lukaku in the expectation he would fire them to the Premier League title. Yet in the first week of January, the Blues find themselves 10 points behind leaders Manchester City and with their €115 million acquisition facing a decidedly uncertain future. Head
2:44 PM ET LONDON — Manchester City have shown themselves to be in a league of their own, so the Premier League should be thankful that Chelsea and Liverpool are still able to keep us all entertained. Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge helped neither team and only consolidated City’s vice-like grip on top spot,
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9:31 AM ET First is first and second is nowhere, as the saying goes, so Thomas Tuchel and Jurgen Klopp fill need to find a way to motivate their Chelsea and Liverpool players ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge. Unless Manchester City suffer an unprecedented collapse in the title race over the
7:04 PM ET FC Dallas and United States international forward Ricardo Pepi is close to finalizing a deal that would see him land with Bundesliga side FC Augsburg, a source confirmed to ESPN. Fabrizio Romano and 90min were the first to report the impending deal. – ESPN+ viewers’ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more
11:30 AM ET Arsenal looked on course for a first Premier League win over Manchester City in six years before two wild second-half minutes turned the game on its head. IAN KINGTON/IKIMAGES/AFP via Getty Images LONDON — The good news for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is that a game many felt would be a landslide, a