Lewandowski and Muller predict brighter future for Sane after winger subbed on and off

Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller hope Bayern Munich will see the best of Leroy Sane next year after the winger was substituted on and off against Bayer Leverkusen.

Sane has had a tough time since joining Bayern from Manchester City for an initial €49million in July, being restricted to just five Bundesliga starts.

He was once again named on the bench for Saturday s trip to the BayArena but was introduced just after the half-hour mark for the injured Kingsley Coman.

However, the Germany international lasted only 36 minutes on the field before being taken off for Jamal Musiala with the game poised at 1-1 and Bayern chasing a goal.

Sane cut a frustrated figure as he made his way back to the bench but head coach Hansi Flick felt he had no other choice b…

Burnley v Leicester City: Pearson in search of continued form

Leicester City head into their crucial Premier League relegation clash at Burnley on the back of three successive wins, and manager Nigel Pearson wants no let up from his players.

After a 4-3 defeat at Tottenham on March 21, Leicester found themselves bottom of the table, seven points from safety.

Since that reverse, however, wins over West Ham, West Brom and Swansea City have breathed new life into their bid to avoid immediate relegation back to the Championship.

Pearson s side now sit 18th, behind Hull City by virtue of one goal s difference, while Saturday s hosts Burnley have replaced them at the foot of the table.

We ve been in decent form, we have to maintain that. Remaining games will impact those around us, but we must stay focused, Pearson said.…

Gerrard: England gripped by a ´culture of fear´

Steven Gerrard admits a culture of fear hinders England s chances of success but he believes the right man in charge can lead to a quick change in the national team s fortunes.

England s Euro 2016 campaign came to an embarrassing end on Monday, as they lost 2-1 to Iceland in the last-16 tie in Nice.

Gerrard who captained England during their disastrous 2014 World Cup campaign that saw Hodgson s squad fail to get beyond the group stages feels the hysteria around England takes a toll on the players.

He also pinpointed the weight of history as another factor to explain such disappointing results England have not won a major international tournament since the 1966 World Cup.

We are not a side or nation with a culture of winning at the European Championship a…

Gervinho a target for Marseille

Marseille are interested in signing out-of-favour Arsenal forward Gervinho, the club s assistant coach has revealed.

The Ivory Coast international moved to the Premier League from Lille in 2011, with Arsenal paying 10.5 million pounds for his services, but he has struggled to find form in England.
He could now be set for a move back to Ligue 1 after Franck Passi confirmed Marseille s interest.
This is a profile that interests us, yes. We want flank players, with dribbling, passing and scoring, and Gervinho has this profile, he told Le 10 Sport.
Gervinho, 26, has scored just nine goals in 46 appearances for Arsene Wenger s side.
However, he underlined his desire to stay at the Emirates Stadium at the end of last season.
I have a contract until 2015 with Arsenal and I intend t…

Shearer ´sickened´ by Kinnear appointment

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer believes Joe Kinnear s return to the club compromises Alan Pardew s position as manager.

Kinnear, who managed the club before resigning for health reasons in 2011, was appointed director of football this week as Mikle Ashley looks to restructure the backroom staff at St James Park.

Controversially, Pardew now reports to Kinnear on footballing matters at the club, with managing director Derek Llambias having stepped down amid the fuore.

The move has been met with widespread condemnation among the club s supporters, and former striker Shearer is sickened by the situation.

While other clubs are all plotting and planning for next season, Newcastle have a manager who has been totally undermined, he wrote in The Sun.

People are laugh…

Adrien Rabiot: France targeting top spot in FIFA rankings ahead of Greece clash

Adrien Rabiot says France are targeting top spot in the FIFA world rankings ahead of completing their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign away to Greece.

Les Bleus secured a place at next summer’s tournament in Germany last month before completing their home fixtures with Saturday’s record-breaking 14-0 demolition of Gibraltar in Nice.

Didier Deschamps’ side have little to play for on Tuesday evening in Athens.

But Juventus midfielder Rabiot dismissed the notion of a dead rubber as he outlined ambitions of leapfrogging Argentina, who defeated France in last year’s World Cup final, in the global rankings and finishing Group B with a 100 per cent record.

“I am motivated by the idea of winning a match,” the 28-year-old told a press conference, accordin…

What is the Confederations Cup? A damn good tournament, that’s what!

The Confederations Cup started yesterday in South Africa. In England, we have hardly seen the tournament reported and I must admit, I thought it was a bit of a ‘Mickey Mouse’ tournament.

Poorly

The reason why the competition is so poorly regarded in England has become clear to me now that I know what it is about. As the tournament is for countries who have won things it is hardly likely to interest England!

For those who don’t know, the Confederations Cup is about as close to the World Cup as any tournament can get. Look at who is playing this year and why. South Africa are there as the hosts. Italy are there as World Cup winners and Spain as the champions of Euro 2008. Add the USA who won the Concacaf Gold Cup, Br…

Tottenham 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion: Kane decisive as Spurs edge fiery top-six battle

Harry Kane hit the winner as Tottenham claimed their first victory since Antonio Conte s departure, beating top-six rivals Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 in a feisty contest on Saturday.

Kane found the net with a deflected effort with 11 minutes remaining after Son Heung-min s stunning goal – his 100th in the Premier League – was cancelled out by Lewis Dunk s header.

Roberto De Zerbi joined interim Spurs boss Cristian Stellini in being sent to the stands during a heated affair, with the visitors denied goals in either half for handball offences.

Tottenham s victory keeps them three points behind fourth-placed Manchester United in the race for Champions League qualification, with Brighton seven points further back after a frustrating loss.

Scenes you lov…

Prediction: Orlando City vs Inter Miami

Verdict: Orlando City win Orlando City to score over 1.5 goals

Best Odds: 20/21

Bookmaker:

Two sides who are looking to make it back-to-back wins in the early hours of Thursday, Orlando will welcome Inter Miami to the Exploria Stadium in midweek.

Orlando City

Starting with the hosts, while Orlando might have shown some worrying inconsistencies throughout July, The Purples will be desperate to prove that was just a minor dip. Putting in what was an action-packed display last weekend, Óscar Pareja s side managed to mount an eye-catching comeback on home soil. Eventually grabbing a pair of late goals against former champions Atlanta at the Exploria Stadium, The Lions picked up a 3-2 victory and they have found a route back to second place in the Eastern …

World Cup rejection hard to take, says Hart

Joe Hart says his omission from England s final squad for the World Cup has been hard to take .

The 31-year-old was overlooked by boss Gareth Southgate for the final 23-man group, with Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland and Nick Pope the three goalkeepers included, while Tom Heaton is on the standby list.

Hart, who has earned 75 senior caps for his country and played in nine of their 10 qualifying matches for Russia 2018, has found it difficult to accept the decision.

Writing on his official Instagram page on Friday, he said: Not going to lie, I m gutted. After two years of trying to make the most of a really tough situation, this is hard to take.

I m proud to have put in the graft and play every minute to qualify with the team and have a really important inp…