BREAKING NEWS: Inter appoint Conte as Spalletti´s successor

Inter have confirmed the appointment of Antonio Conte as their new coach following the departure of Luciano Spalletti.

Despite qualifying for the Champions League by finishing fourth in Serie A, Inter announced the dismissal of Spalletti in a short statement on Thursday.

The news came as a surprise to few, as rumours had linked Spalletti with the sack for several weeks with Conte mooted as his potential replacement.

Speculation went into overdrive on Wednesday when a photo of Conte with Inter s media team surfaced on social media, and the club made an announcement on Friday.

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Antonio Conte sarà il nuovo allenatore dell’Inter!

— Inter (@Inter)

A new chapter in my life is beginning, I m really excited, Con…

Roma 0 AC Milan 2: Cutrone and Calabria secure superb win for Rossoneri

AC Milan stretched their unbeaten run in Serie A to eight games as Patrick Cutrone and Davide Calabria sealed a 2-0 win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

Gennaro Gattuso s side were second best during a poor first half but came out for the second period rejuvenated and secured all three points thanks to their young stars.

Their more adventurous approach bore fruit after 48 minutes when Cutrone got a delicate touch to Suso s cross, which flashed past Alisson.

Milan had further chances to add a second before the unlikely figure of Calabria added gloss to the scoreline with a composed finish in the 74th minute.

The win sets Milan up perfectly for a big week, which sees them face Lazio in a Coppa Italia semi-final second leg on Wednesday before a crunch de…

The United Way and Guardiola Way amount to dour derby day cul-de-sac

Whatever the United Way is and it becomes an increasingly nebulous concept the further we get from Alex Ferguson s departure Sunday s Manchester derby was not it.

For all that he likes to stoke that mythology, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not, and should not, make any apologies.

This United team and their manager s time in charge is a bizarre thing to observe and judge. Solskjaer supporters in the boardroom and his detractors and apologists beyond will take supporting arguments for their position from the sludgy 0-0 draw against Manchester City.

When this United are bad, they really are terrible. Last weekend s match at West Ham was a case in point.

Solsksjaer s men chased shadows for an hour, were 1-0 down and should have been further behind. By full-time, …

Klopp wants Liverpool to develop addiction to winning

Jurgen Klopp hopes Liverpool will get addicted to winning trophies after their Champions League triumph, which arrived when he had forgotten what such glorious moments feel like.

The German manager s last trophy came in 2014 when he won the DFL Supercup with Borussia Dortmund, while he narrowly missed out on guiding Liverpool to the Europa League, League Cup and Champions League in subsequent years. 

Having finished as runners-up in all three competitions under Klopp, the Reds finally claimed silverware under his stewardship when they beat Tottenham 2-0 in Madrid to clinch Europe s top prize for the sixth time.

Klopp expressed his relief at having ended his drought and said the memory of the celebrations in Liverpool city centre would spur his players on in 2…

Coppa Italia final as precious as World Cup – Gattuso

AC Milan s desperation to recapture their former glory makes the Coppa Italia final as important as a World Cup, according to Gennaro Gattuso.

The seven-time European champions have won just one trophy since 2011, the Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus in Doha in 2016.

But they can make it a second against the same opposition at Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday, when they will attempt to deny the Bianconeri from adding to a near-certain Serie A title.

Gattuso, who replaced Vincenzo Montella in November, has regularly questioned the mental strength of his players, but says they fully comprehend the need to restore a winning culture.

This is like the World Cup for our enthusiasm, the enthusiasm of the fans and their desire to get back to lifting a trophy aga…

Sterling: Criticism from former Liverpool players affected me

Raheem Sterling revealed that criticism from former Liverpool players contributed to a lack of confidence in the aftermath of his £49million transfer to Manchester City.

The City winger, who was named PFA Young Player of the Year this season, shed light on moments when he doubted himself during his teenage years and credited Pep Guardiola with creating the perfect environment for him to fulfil his potential in a wide-ranging interview with the BBC.

Sterling was just 17 when he made his Premier League debut for Liverpool in a 2-1 defeat at home to Wigan Athletic in March 2012, but he said his rise to the very top of English football was not always plain sailing.

When I was 14, 15, 16, 17, I was so confident. Then there was a gap between the ages of 17 and 20, s…

Belgium 3 Japan 2: Last-gasp Chadli completes comeback

Nacer Chadli s 94th-minute winner completed a sensational comeback as Belgium beat Japan 3-2 to book a World Cup quarter-final against Brazil.

After a goalless first half, Japan struck twice in seven minutes following the interval to take full control of a gripping last-16 tie in Rostov-on-Don on Monday.

Genki Haraguchi and Takashi Inui scored stunners as Japan looked set to reach the first World Cup quarter-final in their history.

But, instead, Belgium became the first team to come from two goals down to win in a World Cup knockout game since 1970 and will now face five-time winners Brazil on Friday.

Jan Vertonghen s looping header somehow beat goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima and Belgium s aerial power started to tell when Marouane Fellaini thumped home Eden…

Barcelona star Lionel Messi ignoring Argentina criticism

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi insists he pays no attention to any criticism his performances for Argentina receive.

Messi has enjoyed a glittering domestic career at Camp Nou, but has failed to replicate that success with the national team.

The prolific forward won Olympic gold in 2008, however Argentina fell short in the final of the 2014 World Cup and were also runners-up in the 2015 and 2016 Copa Americas, the latter defeat seeing him briefly retire from international football.

Messi has often been the subject of criticism for Argentina s failures and the 29-year-old came in for more scrutiny after receiving a four-match ban for verbally abusing an assistant referee during a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Chile last month.

However, the 29-year-ol…

Joao Felix out to emulate Atletico´s Portuguese greats

Atletico Madrid s €126million teenage forward Joao Felix insists he has what it takes to emulate the club s Portuguese greats as he prepares for his first season in LaLiga.

The 19-year-old followed in the footsteps of former Portugal internationals Paulo Futre, Simao and Tiago when he opted to join the club from Benfica, and he has set his sights on surpassing their achievements in the Spanish capital.

In an interview with the club s official website, he also spoke about the importance of head coach Diego Simeone s ability to motivate his players and dismissed suggestions that his relative inexperience would hold him back.

Simeone is a coach that transfers aggressiveness and motivation into the team, which he also did as a player, said Joao Felix, who scored …

I enjoyed every second – Sneijder farewells Netherlands

Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder said he enjoyed every second on the pitch after retiring from international football.

Sneijder farewelled the national team as Netherlands defeated South American visitors Peru 2-1 in Thursday s friendly in Amsterdam.

The 34-year-old, who helped Netherlands reach the 2010 World Cup final, made his 134th and final Oranje appearance before being substituted to a rousing ovation at John Cruyff Arena.

I enjoyed every second on the pitch, Sneijder said after the match.

I know now that it s all over. But I m also very happy to have the chance to show myself just one more time. I was able to say goodbye in this wonderful way.

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Memphis Depay …