Gabriel Jesus feels the pressure is on to score in every game at Manchester City.
Brazil international Jesus ended a 10-game drought for club and country with a superb brace as City returned to winning ways with a 4-1 win at Burnley on Tuesday.
A thigh injury to the club s all-time leading scorer Sergio Aguero has granted Jesus an extended run in Pep Guardiola s first XI – an opportunity the 22-year-old knows is weighted with a burden of expectation.
I know I can score every game but it s difficult – football is not like this, he told Amazon Prime.
I have Sergio with me. I have to learn with him because he is a legend of football and of the club.
I have to score when I play because Sergio scores every time. That is my ambition, to play and …
Paulo Dybala announced his return to the Juventus starting line-up with a match-winning brace as the Serie A champions triumphed 3-1 at Verona.
Dybala was handed a start by head coach Massimiliano Allegri for the first time in four Serie A matches – his impressive early season form having collapsed amid calls from Juve vice-president Pavel Nedved for the 24-year-old to make sacrifices in his private life .
The former Palermo favourite s impact was peripheral to begin with, as Blaise Matuidi netted a sixth-minute opener and Gonzalo Higuain regularly threatened more punishment for second-bottom Verona.
But ex-Juve defender Martin Caceres elevated an all-action showing by firing home a long-range equaliser before the hour and Allegri s men were facing reaching th…
Louis van Gaal insisted he has no regrets over turning down Tottenham after watching his Manchester United side suffer a damaging 3-0 Premier League defeat at White Hart Lane.
Van Gaal said he came very close to taking charge of Tottenham during the close season of 2014 before plumping for the vacant post at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman has rarely suggested a repeat of the success he enjoyed with Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich during the latest chapter of a decorated career, while Tottenham have gone from strength to strength under their eventual choice, Mauricio Pochettino.
This apparent gulf was emphatically underlined on Sunday, as second-half goals in the space of six breath-taking minutes from Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela maintained Tottenha…
Inter Milan captain Javier Zanetti feels 2012 has been a year of growth for his side after a difficult 2011/12 campaign.
The Serie A giants sit second in the league with 34 points from 17 games after having to settle for sixth spot last term.
Argentine Zanetti is quite pleased with the progress they have made this season.
This has been a year of growth because it came after a difficult half season. In the first six months of the new season the team grew a lot, Zanetti told reporters.
We re a new group with a strong desire to become a leading contender again and fight for the top spots. We hope we can do it.
The defender spoke about the upcoming league clash against Genoa and said Inter were desperate to record victory.
Following Tuesd…
High-flying Tottenham will be hoping to put an end to Stoke City s seven-match unbeaten run when they clash at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
Spurs climbed to fourth on Sunday with a narrow 1-0 win over a gallant Swansea City, and they can consolidate their spot among the Champions League places with three more points against Tony Pulis side.
But as their recent record indicates, Stoke will not be easy to break down as they have conceded just three goals in their past seven matches.
The defensive solidity and all-round discipline sees Pulis men sitting pretty in ninth spot, just five points behind third-placed Chelsea.
Though both sides are in contention for a Champions League spot, Spurs are expected to exact a more sustained challenge for a top-four bert…
Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez thinks Fernando Torres is finally rediscovering his best form for the Premier League club.
The Spain international has scored six goals in his last five games for the Stamford Bridge side, and is looking confident again after a difficult period following his 50-million-pound transfer from Liverpool in 2011.
However, despite the 28-year-old s fine recent displays, Benitez believes the club need competition in forward positions and revealed that Torres may have to battle for his place in the starting 11.
Fernando is improving physically, he has more confidence and he is scoring goals, Benitez told reporters. He is getting closer to what he was at Liverpool, that is very clear.
His confidence is improving every day. I speak …
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Salzburg, according to . However, the North London club are not the only who are keen on the 20-year-old midfielder. Arsenal, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig are also looking to secure the services of the youngster.
According to the report, Bundesliga club Leipzig are looking increasingly likely to sign Szoboszlai, who is one of the best young players in Europe and has a bright future ahead of him. Leipzig reportedly hope to land the youngster for €20 million when the transfer window opens in January.
According to , Szoboszlai has made eight starts and one substitute appearance in the Austrian Bundesliga so far this season, scoring four goals in the process. The 20-year-old midfielder has …
Ron Vlaar is targeting a marked improvement in Aston Villa s fortunes after a disappointing finish to their Premier League campaign.
Villa endured a torrid end to the season, winning once in their last nine matches, eventually finishing in 15th position, five points above the relegation zone.
Paul Lambert s men also finished 15th at the end of 2012-13, but that came on the back of a strong run in which they won five of their last 10 games to pull clear of trouble.
It needs to be better, one thing is for sure, Vlaar told the club s official website. The most important thing, though, is that we secured our Premier League status.
After last season we had a good feeling in the summer break because we climbed the table and secured safety.
But in the last couple …
Fiorentina forward Giuseppe Rossi has been named in Italy s provisional 30-man FIFA World Cup squad after overcoming injury.
Rossi has been plagued by knee problems and damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his right leg in January, leaving his availability for the World Cup into doubt.
However, after featuring as a substitute in this month s Coppa Italia final and two subsequent Serie A fixtures, the 27-year-old has been selected by national coach Cesare Prandelli.
Antonio Cassano, who last represented Italy in the final of UEFA Euro 2012, is another player to have made the cut.
There are also call-ups for Torino s Ciro Immobile, Serie A s top scorer this season, and Christian Maggio of Napoli, who has recovered from surgery on a partially collapsed lung.
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has predictably missed out on selection for France s FIFA World Cup squad.
The attacking midfielder has displayed fine form for Manchester City this season and scored on Sunday as the club secured the Premier League title with a 2-0 win over West Ham.
However, Nasri who was handed a three-match suspension by the French Football Federation following an expletive tirade directed at journalists during Euro 2012 admitted after that game that he did not expect to be called upon by France coach Didier Deschamps, having been dropped for a friendly with the Netherlands in March.
His prediction was proven correct on Tuesday as Deschamps announced a 23-man party, plus seven reserve players, containing few surprises.
Nasri s club team-…