Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery was happy to avoid injuries ahead of facing Real Madrid in the Champions League as his side cruised through to the Coupe de France quarter-finals with a 4-1 win at Sochaux.
With Neymar rested after celebrating his 26th birthday at the weekend, Angel Di Maria took a starring role with his first PSG hat-trick helping secure a comfortable win for PSG, who are seeking a fourth straight Coupe de France title.
Edinson Cavani was also on target in a win that never felt in doubt despite Florian Martin cancelling out Di Maria s first-minute opener at the Stade Bonal on Tuesday.
After Di Maria wrapped up his first treble since 2010, Emery was able to rest Marco Verratti and Cavani for the closing stages, although Dani Alves had to g…
By contrast Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have quickly settled and Postecoglou said recruitment is a big factor for him, especially at the start of his tenure.
He added: “Wherever I’ve been, I’ve made sure that I have the biggest say over recruitment. I don’t do all the work, but I really think it’s an important part of my function and particularly when I first go into clubs.
“When you first go into a club, there are two measures that people will always put up against you.
“One is the results, that tells its own tale, but as a manager, and I’ve certainly had that experience, you can’t always guarantee the results early on.
“The other thing you get measured on is the people you bring in. Because at…
Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt insisted he was still assessing his future amid links to Barcelona and the Premier League.
De Ligt, 19, is widely expected to leave Ajax – who sealed the Eredivisie title on Wednesday – in the off-season.
The centre-back has been linked to the likes of Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United, Juventus and Bayern Munich.
But after Ajax beat De Graafschap 4-1 for their first league title since 2014, De Ligt said he needed time to consider his future.
This is not the time to talk about my future, he told Fox Sports.
I don t know if I will go with Frenkie de Jong [to Barcelona]. I still have to analyse things and see everything. We ll see what happens.
I cannot say anything. We ll see at the end of summer. …
Chelsea s fringe players justified their selection as Callum Hudson-Odoi, Olivier Giroud and Ruben Loftus-Cheek played crucial roles in Wednesday s 3-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
Maurizio Sarri shuffled his pack from Sunday s contentious 2-1 win at Cardiff City, handing Hudson-Odoi his first league start in the process, and Chelsea rarely looked like dropping points as they produced an excellent display at Stamford Bridge.
Hudson-Odoi certainly made an impact out wide, setting up Giroud with a pinpoint cross to give the dominant Blues the lead just before half-time with his first Premier League goal since November.
Eden Hazard doubled their advantage with an hour played and Loftus-Cheek – who set up the Belgian – wrapped things up three minutes later …
Departing Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta dismissed reports his next move is tied to securing a lucrative distribution deal for his family s wine.
Iniesta announced in April that his 22-year association with Barca will come to an end when the season concludes, as he prepares for a new challenge.
For several weeks he looked destined to join Chinese Super League side Chongqing Lifan, amid speculation the club had offered Iniesta a deal that would boost the sales of his family s wine, which they have produced since 2010.
But Lifan eventually came out and distanced themselves from the story, giving rise to reports about apparent interest in Iniesta from Japanese and Australian sides.
And Iniesta was keen to stress he is open to lots of possibilities over …