Guardiola calms Kompany fears as Stones nears return

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola expects to have Vincent Kompany and John Stones available soon, as he seeks to keep the runaway Premier League leaders focused on short-term objectives.

Fears were raised of a recurrence of Kompany s chronic injury problems when he was forced off after just 11 minutes of the 1-0 win over Newcastle United on Wednesday.

Guardiola, though, speaking ahead of City s trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday, assured supporters the club captain will be back soon.   

It s not as bad as we thought, he said.

He will be ready for the next fixtures. We will know exactly tomorrow. 

[It s] not a big issue, fortunately he can soon be ready to help us.

Good news from the boss

— Manchester City (@ManCity)

Chelsea v West Brom: Leaders out to maintain perfect home record

West Brom came agonisingly close to winning at Chelsea last season but it would be a surprise if they were to take even a point on Saturday.

Eden Hazard s controversial last-gasp penalty won by Ramires ensured Jose Mourinho s side salvaged a 2-2 Premier League draw against Albion at Stamford Bridge just over a year ago.

Referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot in stoppage time after the Brazilian midfielder had gone down following a collision with Steven Reid, a decision which then Albion head coach Steve Clarke described as galling .

The West Midlands club also secured a 1-1 home draw with Chelsea in the 2013-14 campaign, but Mourinho s side are a different proposition this season as they have surged into a four-point lead at the top of the table.

Chel…

Monaco confirm Ranieri departure

Monaco have confirmed that they have parted company with coach Claudio Ranieri.

Ranieri took over the Principality club in May 2012, guiding them to promotion in his first season in charge.

Monaco spent heavily ahead of their return to Ligue 1, with the likes of Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho all making big-money moves to the Stade Louis II.

It did not take long for Monaco s new additions to gel and mount what looked to be a significant challenge to defending champions Paris Saint-Germain for the title.

However, Falcao suffered a season-ending knee injury in January, and Monaco were unable to keep pace with PSG minus the services of the Colombian striker.

Monaco finished the season in second place, nine points adrift of PSG, securing a pl…

Simplicity is genius – Mourinho hails Hojbjerg after derby win

Jose Mourinho labelled Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg a phenomenal player after Tottenham s derby win over Arsenal on Sunday.

Son Heung-min and Harry Kane combined twice as Spurs recorded a 2-0 win in the north London derby to remain top of the Premier League.

Hojbjerg, an August arrival from Southampton for a reported £15million plus add-ons, played a key role.

The midfielder had more touches (61), passes (44), successful passes (35), passes in the opposition half (15) and interceptions (three) than any other Spurs player.

Hojbjerg s performance earned praise from Spurs boss Mourinho, with the 25-year-old also having Tottenham s only other shot on target.

Pierre is, first of all, very intelligent. He reads the game very well. He s going to be a coach on…

Barca winning La Liga hurts less than Madrid – Godin

Atletico defender Diego Godin admits it hurt a little less to see Barcelona lift the La Liga trophy instead of bitter rivals Real Madrid. 

A final-day win over Granada saw Barca clinch a back-to-back league crowns, beating Madrid by just one point.

Atleti finished three points behind the eventual champions but saw their title race come to an end after a 2-1 loss to Levante in the penultimate round. 

While Godin said it was hard to see Atleti come up just short, he was relieved that Barca managed to lift the trophy over their Madrid rivals. 

If Barcelona win the league it hurts less, because our city rivals are Real Madrid, the Uruguayan international told COPE.

I do not hate them or anything, I have a lot of respect for Real Madrid, but…

Bayern´s Toni hits back at Italian press

Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni has slammed the press in his native Italy for consistently criticising him since he joined the German giants last year.

The 2006 World Cup winner claims he has been given a rough ride by the Italian media since Fiorentina sold him to Bayern for 11 million euros (15 million US dollars) in the summer of 2007.

Despite scoring 24 goals in 31 Bundesliga matches last season, Toni played poorly for Italy during last June s Euro 2008 tournament where the world champions were beaten by Spain in the semi-finals.

If the Italian national team wins, Toni played badly. If Italy loses, it is Toni s fault, the striker moaned to German agency SID after Italy s 2-0 win over Georgia in Udine, Italy, on Wednesday night in a World Cup qualifier.

Fonte leaves West Ham for Dalian Yifang

Jose Fonte has joined Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang for an undisclosed fee, West Ham have confirmed.

The 34-year-old signed for the Hammers from Southampton for a reported £8million in January last year, but has managed only eight appearances this season.

West Ham United can confirm that Jose Fonte has agreed a deal to sign for Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang for an undisclosed fee, the club said in a statement.

Everyone at West Ham United would like to thank Jose for his efforts during his time at the club and wish him a successful future with Dalian Yifang.

Fonte, who has been recovering from an ankle injury in recent weeks, saw his relationship with West Ham sour following comments from owner David Sullivan.

The Portugal i…

Carroll to miss start of season

West Ham striker Andy Carroll is to undergo surgery and will miss the start of the new Premier League campaign.

The 25-year-old has been ravaged by injuries since his move from Liverpool was made permanent at the start of last season.

Carroll made 24 Premier League appearances on loan at Upton Park during 2012-13, but during the previous campaign he was troubled by a foot injury and played just 15 times in the league.

On Thursday, the England international took to his Twitter account to break the news.

Going under the knife tomorrow morning and absolutely devastated to be missing the start of the season, the tweet read, along with an image baring the words I m busy getting stronger attached.

Jack Sullivan, son of West Ham co-chairman David Sulliv…

Netherlands 3-0 Gibraltar: Ake nets twice as Koeman gets first win of second spell

Ronald Koeman claimed the first win of his second spell in charge of the Netherlands as the Oranje dispatched 10-man Gibraltar 3-0.

Nathan Ake scored twice in a game that saw the Netherlands have 50 attempts without allowing one at the other end, as Koeman s team got up and running in Euro 2024 qualifying following last week s heavy defeat to France.

Ake s second-half double came after Memphis Depay had put the Dutch ahead against the Group B minnows in Rotterdam on Monday.

It marked a 19th straight defeat in Euro qualifying for Gibraltar, who had Liam Walker sent off for a rash challenge on Dutch debutant Mats Wieffer.

In need of a response following their hammering in Paris, the Netherlands had control from the off, and the lead came in the 23rd minute.…

Emery relieved with PSG point after ´worst half of the season´

Unai Emery was happy to see Paris Saint-Germain escape with a point against Saint-Etienne after describing their first half as the worst of the season .

The Ligue 1 leaders snatched a 1-1 draw at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard courtesy of an own goal from Mathieu Debuchy in second-half stoppage time.

Emery made seven changes to the team that beat Monaco in the Coupe de la Ligue final and watched his side produce a miserable first-half display, in which Remy Cabella put Saint-Etienne ahead and missed a penalty.

Presnel Kimpembe was sent off four minutes ahead of the break but PSG improved in the second half, although Edinson Cavani missed an open goal before they were eventually saved by Debuchy s misfortune.

Emery was pleased with the response shown after the in…