Chelsea announced on Monday they had sacked manager Frank Lampard after a poor run in the Premier League.

“This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him,” said owner Roman Abramovich.

Chelsea are struggling in ninth place in the Premier League table, 11 points behind leaders Manchester United.

They have lost five of their past eight Premier League matches after a good start to the season.

Former Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel in line to take over, reports said.

Source: AFP

Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has tested positive for Covid-19, the French champions said Friday, just two weeks after taking up his job.

The 48-year-old Argentine will “respect isolation and is subject to the appropriate health protocols”, PSG said on Twitter.

His assistants Jesus Perez and Miguel D’Agostino will take charge of the team for Saturday’s trip to Angers.

Three PSG players had already tested positive for the virus in the last week — Brazilian Rafinha, Germany’s Thilo Kehrer and French youth international Colin Dagba.

Former Tottenham coach Pochettino has overseen three PSG games so far, notably winning the Champions Trophy in Lens on Wednesday thanks to a 2-1 win over bitter rivals Marseille.

Pochettino took over from Thomas Tuchel and signed a contract until June 30, 2022 with an option for an additional year.

Tuchel was sacked on December 24, reportedly for comments viewed as critical of the Qatari owners despite having led the team to a maiden appearance in the Champions League final last season.

Pochettino also played for the Parisians from 2001 to 2003.

France has reeled from more than 2.8 million Covid-19 infections and 69,313 deaths, according to official figures.

From Saturday, a nationwide curfew, starting at 6pm, will be introduced.

Meanwhile, relegation threatened Lorient’s home game against fellow strugglers Dijon was cancelled on Friday after a virus outbreak in the Breton side.

The postponement of Sunday’s game is the first in Ligue 1 since Marseille’s meeting with Nice on November 17 was called off.

“Following advice from the national Covid commission, it was decided to postpone the match due to the absence of more than 10 of 30 Lorient players after positive RT-PCR tests,” the French Football Federation announced.

Under protocols agreed at the beginning of September, matches are postponed if a team does not have 20 players with negative tests available.

Lorient also confirmed their training centre would close for a minimum of 10 days after positive tests from youth players and management.

There are fears the virus may have spread after the Lorient youngsters played a recent friendly against Nantes.

Lorient sit 19th in Ligue 1, are winless in five games, and are two points and one place behind Dijon.

Strasbourg’s match with Saint-Etienne, scheduled for Sunday at the same time as the Lorient v Dijon game, is also under threat of postponement.

Several players and members of the management team at Saint-Etienne have tested positive, said the club.

“The PCR tests carried out Tuesday and Thursday revealed many positive cases for Covid-19 among the players and members of the management of the squad,” said the club in a statement.

Saint-Etienne are currently in 16th place in the table, five points off the drop zone with Strasbourg a place and a point better off.

Source: AFP

Mauricio Pochettino celebrated his first victory as Paris Saint-Germain coach on his home debut on Saturday as Moise Kean set the reigning champions on their way to a 3-0 win over Brest, but Lyon remain top of Ligue 1 after drawing at Rennes.

Substitutes Mauro Icardi and Pablo Sarabia added late goals for PSG who would have gone top on goal difference had Lyon not recovered from 2-0 down to earn a point in Rennes and extend their unbeaten run to 16 games.

PSG are second at the season’s halfway stage, a point behind the leaders and ahead on goal difference of third-placed Lille, who triumphed 1-0 at Nimes.

With Neymar still missing, it was not a vintage performance from PSG on a freezing Parisian night in an empty stadium — supporters are still barred from games in France with a nighttime curfew in place nationwide as part of the fight against coronavirus.

That meant it was never going to be the return to the Parc des Princes that Pochettino — who was a popular player for PSG two decades ago — would have liked.

Nevertheless the Argentine will be relieved to have his first win in charge after his first game ended in a 1-1 draw at Saint-Etienne in midweek.

He could now get his first piece of silverware when PSG play Marseille on Wednesday in the Champions Trophy, the French equivalent of a Super Cup that in normal times is the curtain-raiser to the season.

It remains to be seen if Neymar, after four weeks on the sidelines, will be fit for that game, while defender Thilo Kehrer will be sidelined after news of his positive coronavirus test fell shortly before kick-off against Brest.

Pochettino again started playmaker Marco Verratti in an advanced role behind central striker Kean, with the latter opening the scoring in the 16th minute.

Captain Marquinhos headed Angel di Maria’s corner against the post and Kean was on hand to nod in the rebound from barely a metre out. It was his 11th goal, and his ninth in Ligue 1, since signing on loan from Everton in October.

– Lyon preserve unbeaten run –

Brest, who sit in mid-table and are one of the best sides to watch in France, could have scored before that but Keylor Navas clawed away Romain Faivre’s early effort for the visitors.

It was only in the final 10 minutes that PSG ran away with the game, as Kylian Mbappe set up Icardi — on in place of Kean — to get the second before Sarabia fired in to make it 3-0.

Lyon’s long unbeaten streak looked set to end as they found themselves two goals down in Rennes, with Clement Grenier and Benjamin Bourigeaud scoring for the home side.

However, Memphis Depay pulled one back with his 11th goal of the season on 79 minutes and Jason Denayer equalised shortly after.

Lille bounced back from a shock midweek home defeat by Angers to win at Nimes thanks to a first-half goal by veteran Turkish striker Burak Yilmaz.

The draw for Rennes, and a goalless draw for Marseille at Dijon, allowed Monaco to move up to fourth spot as they beat Angers 3-0 with German international Kevin Volland grabbing his ninth Ligue 1 goal in between efforts from Guillermo Maripan and Stevan Jovetic.

There were also wins for Bordeaux, Reims and Strasbourg.

Source: AFP

French champions Paris St Germain have named former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach after sacking Thomas Tuchel, with the Argentine signing a deal until June 2022, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday.

Pochettino, who played for PSG as a defender in the early 2000s and also captained the side, has been out of a job since being dismissed by Spurs in November 2019, a few months after guiding the north London club to the Champions League final.

The 48-year-old Argentine said he was honoured to take on the role and that the Parisian club “has always held a special place in my heart”.

“I return to the club today with a lot of ambition and humility, and am eager to work with some of the world’s most talented players,” Pochettino, who has an option for a one-year extension in his contract, said in a statement.

“This team has fantastic potential and my staff and I will do everything we can to get the best for Paris Saint-Germain in all competitions.

“We will also do our utmost to give our team the combative and attacking playing identity that Parisian fans have always loved.”

Pochettino’s first game in charge will be a trip to St Etienne on Jan. 6 when the league resumes following the winter break.

PSG have 35 points from 17 games, one point behind league leaders Olympique Lyonnais and Lille, and are through to the last 16 of the Champions League where they face Spanish side Barcelona.

“The return of Mauricio fits perfectly with our ambitions and it will be another exciting chapter for the club and one I am positive the fans will enjoy,” PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi said.

“With the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, Paris Saint-Germain is committed to continue to build and move the club forward over the coming years.”

Tuchel, 47, was appointed PSG boss in 2018 and guided them to two Ligue 1 titles along with a domestic quadruple in his second season at the club.

The German, who led PSG to the Champions League final in August which they lost to Bayern Munich, was dismissed on Christmas eve following a 4-0 win over Racing Strasbourg with the side sitting third in the league standings.

PSG confirmed they had terminated his contract on Tuesday. Pochettino will take his first training session on Sunday.

Source: REUTERS

West Brom manager Sam Allardyce on Wednesday taunted old rivals Arsenal by claiming the struggling Gunners are in danger of relegation.

Arsenal are languishing in 15th place in the Premier League after their worst start to a league season since 1974-75.

Mikel Arteta’s team are just four points above the relegation zone and were thrashed 4-1 by Manchester City in the League Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Albion are second from bottom with seven points, five adrift of safety, and host Arsenal on January 2 in what Allardyce believes will be a crucial relegation showdown.

Asked if he regarded Arsenal as rivals in the fight to avoid the drop, Allardyce said: “If they are in the bottom eight at the moment, yes, absolutely.

“They’ve only won maybe one in the last 10 or so, and it appears their big results have come in the Europa League.

“And of course getting beat again last night (Tuesday), even though it’s not in the league, as it does with our players, drains the confidence of Arsenal’s players, of course it will.

“Because they’ll be wondering what has hit them, why they are down there, and what it is going to take to get out of that position.”

Allardyce often jousted with former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger whenever his teams faced the Gunners.

A veteran of several successful fights to avoid relegation in his long managerial career, Allardyce is confident he can save West Brom, potentially at the expense of Arsenal.

“I know what it takes, I hope I can convince the players to respond to what I say on what it takes to get out of it, and I hope we can push on Arsenal when they play us because they’ve got a lack of confidence, and try to beat them — or anybody in the bottom eight,” Allardyce said.

Source: AFP

The Bundesliga’s bottom club Schalke 04 on Friday confirmed the sacking of Manuel Baum after just 79 days as head coach, with Huub Stevens returning for his fourth stint to try to end their 28-game winless streak in the league.

Schalke are already on their third coach this season as Stevens, 67, replaces Baum, who was appointed on September 30 after predecessor David Wagner was sacked.

At the time, Baum was described as the club’s “last bullet” in the fight against relegation.

Wednesday’s 2-0 home loss to Freiburg left Schalke three matches short of the league record of 31 games without victory, set by Tasmania Berlin in 1965/66.

This Saturday’s home meeting with Arminia Bielefeld, who occupy the relegation play-off spot, is a chance for Schalke to claim a first Bundesliga win since January.

After nearly 30 years in Germany’s top flight, Schalke are six points from safety.

“The game against Bielefeld has enormous meaning for our club,” said Schalke director Jochen Schneider.

“The team needs a new impulse and we trust Huub Stevens and (his assistant coach) Mike Bueskens to bring just that.”

Stevens is a club legend having steered Schalke to their 1997 UEFA Cup final triumph, beating Inter Milan on penalties when Bueskens was in the side.

Stevens last stepped in at Schalke when Domenico Tedesco was sacked in March 2019.

The Dutchman led the team to a 4-2 win at arch rivals Dortmund the following month which kept Schalke in the Bundesliga at the end of the 2018/19 season.

“That was definitely the last time,” Stevens insisted at the time, yet just over 18 months later he is back.

The Gelsenkirchen club, who have huge debts, are taking a financial gamble with Wagner and Baum, who both signed contracts until 2022, still on their payroll.

Source: AFP

The Cameroon international made a significant contribution for the Bavarians to help them secure an unblemished record in the group stage

Eric Choupo-Moting scored his first Champions League goal for Bayern Munich in their 2-0 victory over Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday night.

The 31-year-old was afforded his second start in the European competition and made the most of the opportunity to open his account for his side.

The Cameroon international teamed up with the Bavarians in the summer from French champions Paris Saint-Germain, and has been in fine form since joining the German Bundesliga side and reigning champions of the European Competition.

The game started with both sides aiming to outwit each other but failed to find the back of the net before the end of the first half.

After the restart, however, Niklas Sule broke the deadlock powering home a fine header beyond the reach of goalkeeper Guilherme. Choupo-Moting then doubled Bayern Munich’s lead with a perfect finish, his third goal for the club since his arrival at Allianz Arena.

The attacker featured for the duration of the game in his ninth appearance across all competitions for the club.

The victory ensured the German side reached the next stage of the Champions League without dropping a single point in the group stage.

Hans-Dieter Flick’s men secured 16 points from six games, finishing above Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow.

Choupo-Moting will hope to continue his fine form in front of goal when Bayern Munich take on Union Berlin in their next league game on December 12.

The forward had previously featured for Hamburger SV, Mainz 05, Schalke 04 before moving to England to feature for Stoke City. He left the club to team up with PSG following their relegation from the Premier League and shone during his time in France.

Choupo-Moting is currently Cameroon captain and has made more than 50 appearances for the Indomitable Lions.

Source: Goal.Com

Paris Saint-Germain’s decisive Champions League game with Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday was suspended in the first half as the players walked off amid allegations of racism by one of the match officials. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he “strongly” condemned the alleged racist remarks.

The row erupted after Basaksehir assistant coach Pierre Webo, the former Cameroon international, was shown a red card during a fierce row on the touchline with staff from the Turkish club appearing to accuse the Romanian fourth official of using a racist term.

Television microphones picked up a furious Webo repeatedly asking why a racist term had been used to describe him.

The game at the Parc des Princes stopped in the 14th minute, with the players walking off around 10 minutes later.

Basaksehir’s Senegal international striker Demba Ba, among the substitutes for the away side, could be heard remonstrating with the official, saying: “When you mention a white guy, you never say ‘this white guy’, you just say ‘this guy’, so why when you mention a black guy do you say ‘this black guy?'”

“I strongly condemn the racist remarks made against Pierre Webo, a member of the Basaksehir coaching staff, and I believe that UEFA will take the necessary measures,” Erdogan tweeted after the incident.

The match, being played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, is decisive for PSG who need a draw to clinch qualification for the last 16 from Group H, which also contains RB Leipzig and Manchester United.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Manchester United star Paul Pogba is “unhappy” at Manchester United and should leave in the next transfer window, his agent Mino Raiola said in an interview with Italian media.

The French midfielder of Guinean descent was at one point the world’s most expensive player.

Raiola said the World Cup-winning France midfielder, 27, needs a “change of scene” after struggling to establish himself under United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

“Paul’s unhappy at Manchester United, he can’t express himself any more as he would like to and as we expect of him,” Raiola told Italian newspaper Tuttosport.

He has to change teams, he needs a change of scene. His contract is up in a year-and-a-half, in the summer of 2022, but I think the best solution for all sides is a transfer in the next window.”

Pogba returned from a spell at Juventus for a then world-record fee of $118 million in 2016.

“The club… knows it risks losing him for nothing, as at the moment the player has no intention of extending his contract,” Raiola said.

It is not known where he will go next but Pogba has also expressed his desire to play for Real Madrid one day, particularly if that means playing under the orders of Zinedine Zidane.

The midfielder’s superb strike in Saturday’s 3-1 win over West Ham was his first goal in eight Premier League appearances this season.

Source: Africa News