Brendan Rodgers: Liverpool lacks big-game mentality

By Apr 19, 2015, 4:15 PM EDT
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Liverpoolโ€™s season will end without a trophy yet again as the Reds fell out of the FA Cup to Aston Villa today.

Manager Brendan Rodgers was bitterly disappointed following the match, saying his side was โ€œsecond-bestโ€ to a Villa team that guaranteed the most recent trophy won by Liverpool would remain the 2012 League Cup.

[ RECAP:ย Aston Villa 2-1 Liverpoolย ]

The Reds took the lead on a Philippe Coutinho goal, but Villa equalized within seven minutes and Fabian Delph would score the winner for Tim Sherwoodโ€™s side in the second half.

Rodgers said Liverpool looked nervous at points, and lacks the big-game mentality necessary to win crucial matches.

We need now to have the courage and bravery to play better in the big games, because we didnโ€™t play well enough today.

We werenโ€™t quite on it. We looked as if maybe the occasion and the energy got to us a bit today, but thatโ€™s what can happen with young players.

We have come up short in a few games and it is something we certainly need to improve. We are a team that is growing, but all these experiences will hopefully help.

We had some chances but I thought they were better than us today to be honest.โ€

After finishing second in the league last year, Liverpool has certainly had a disappointing season. They were bounced from the Champions League in the group stage, sit outside the top four in the Premier League, and have now been eliminated from the FA Cup by a team towards the bottom of the table.

[ PROMOTION WATCH:ย Watford lead the newly reconfigured Championship raceย ]

Rodgers says his side is growing, but at a club like Liverpool, trophies are the goal every season. Without a shot at bringing home any hardware this campaign, the Reds must put all their focus on a top four finish in the league. Liverpool currently sits in fifth place, seven points behind Manchester City but with a game in hand.

With their next three matches against West Bromwich, Hull City and Queens Park Rangers, Liverpoolย mustย improve on the performance today and take all nine pointsย to stay in the top-four hunt.

Antonio Conte, Tottenham part ways

By Mar 26, 2023, 7:05 PM EDT
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Antonio Conteโ€™s belabored but seemingly inevitable exit from Tottenham Hotspur was just that, as Spurs announced the Italian legendโ€™s exit late Sunday.

Conte went off on everyone at the club following a 3-3 draw with Southampton in Premier League Matchweek 28, and the international break did nothing to calm or rectify the situation.

โ€œI see selfish players, I see players that donโ€™t want to help each other and donโ€™t put their heart [into the game],โ€ Conte said at one point, later criticizing ownership, coaches, and staff. See the full press conference atop this post.

Cristian Stellini will stay on and oversee the season as โ€œActing Head Coachโ€ with longtime Spurs man Ryan Mason assisting the Italian.

[ MORE: Saka, Kane scored as England cruises past Ukraine ]

Conte, 53, was appointed Spurs boss on Nov. 2, 2021 following the firing of Nuno Espirito Santo, and helped Tottenham to a top-four finish and a return to the UEFA Champions League.

Spurs went unbeaten in their first seven matches to open the 2022-23 season, only losing away to West Ham and Chelsea, but a 3-1 loss at Arsenal in the North London derby started a run of ups and downs not normally associated with Conte teams.

After beating Brighton and Everton, Spurs failed to win consecutive Premier League matches between October 19 and late January, when Spurs beat Fulham and Man City on consecutive match days.

Tottenham was on a 5W-1D-2L Premier League run when Conte launched into his incredible rants following the Southampton draw. That, combined with a lifeless Champions League exit against AC Milan, was far too much to sustain him at the club.

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Tottenham Hotspur statement on Antonio Conte

From TottenhamHotspur.com:

โ€œWe can announce that Head Coach Antonio Conte has left the Club by mutual agreement. We achieved Champions League qualification in Antonioโ€™s first season at the Club. We thank Antonio for his contribution and wish him well for the future.

โ€œCristian Stellini will take the team as Acting Head Coach for the remainder of the season, along with Ryan Mason as Assistant Head Coach.

Daniel Levy, Chairman: โ€˜We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place. We all need to pull together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our Club and amazing, loyal supporters.'โ€

What now?

Itโ€™s very strange that Spurs would wait one week into the international break and then announce that Conte was leaving without a new coach in place (Stellini was a long time Tottenham assistant).

Spurs are currently in fourth place on the table with 49 points, one point behind Manchester United, but Newcastle (47 points) and Liverpool 42 points) both have two matches-in-hand on Stelliniโ€™s men. Brightonโ€™s also on 42 points and has three matches-in-hand on Spurs.

Stellini actually may have a pretty easy task presuming he didnโ€™t follow up Conteโ€™s comments about the players by yelling, โ€œYeah, I agree!โ€

There are points to be had along the way as Spurs return from break to meet Everton, Brighton, and Bournemouth, but the relatively soft landing ends with Newcastle, Manchester United, and Liverpool in the following three PL matches.

Palace, Villa, Brentford, and Leeds wind down the fixture list, so itโ€™s reasonable to think Spurs will return to the Champions League if they can get through Liverpool on April 30 with a look at the top four.

EURO 2024 qualification live! EURO qualifiers schedule, updates, standings

By Mar 26, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
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EURO 2024 qualifying is here, and youโ€™re in the right spot for groups, fixtures, and results.

Italy outlasted England in penalty kicks to win EURO 2020 and is bidding to become the first repeat winner since Spain in 2008 and 2012.

[ MORE:ย Breaking down Premier League title raceย ]

England is still seeking its first European Championship and will be favored to emerge from Group C with aforementioned Italy as well as Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Malta.

Gareth Southgateโ€™s Three Lions started off 2024 qualifying well as Harry Kane snapped a tie with Wayne Rooney atop Englandโ€™s all-time goals list with a 2-1 win in Italy, the nationโ€™s first in the country since 1961, and then Bukayo Saka led the Three Lions to a 2-0 win over Ukraine on Sunday.

Netherlands and France are also in a spicy group that has dark horse Republic of Ireland and former champions Greece, as well as Gibraltar.

[ MORE: Live scores, updates, standings from EURO 2024 qualifying ]

A number of nations have guaranteed themselves no worse than a playoff spot due to their performances in the UEFA Nations League: Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Georgia, Croatia, Turkey, Serbia, Kazakhstan.

Premier League news

Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte, Tottenham part ways
Premier League
Premier League top four race: Current form, key fixtures, odds, predictions
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Premier League table, 2022-23 season

EURO 2024 qualifying schedule

Thursday, March 23

Kazakhstan 1-2 Slovenia
Slovakia 0-0 Luxembourg
Italy 1-2 England โ€“ Video, player ratings as Kane breaks Rooney record
Denmark 3-1 Finland
Portugal 4-0 Liechtenstein
San Marino 0-2 Northern Ireland
North Macedonia 2-1 Malta
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 Iceland

Friday, March 24

Bulgaria 0-1 Montenegro
Gibraltar 0-3 Greece
Moldova 1-1 Faroe Islands
Serbia 2-0 Lithuania
Austria 4-1 Azerbaijan
Sweden 0-3 Belgium
Czech Republic 3-1 Poland
France 4-0 Netherlands

Saturday, March 25

Scotland 3-0 Cyprus
Israel 1-1 Kosovo
Armenia 1-2 Turkey
Belarus 0-5 Switzerland
Spain 3-0 Norway
Croatia 1-0 Wales
Andorra 0-2 Romania

Sunday, March 26

Kazakhstan 3-2 Denmark
England 2-0 Ukraine โ€” Video, player ratings as Saka leads Three Lions
Liechtenstein 0-7 Iceland
Slovenia 2-0 San Marino
Slovakia 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Northern Ireland 0-1 Finland
Luxembourg 0-6 Portugal
Malta 0-2 Italy

Monday, March 27

Montenegro vs Serbia โ€” 2:45pm ET
Netherlands vs Gibraltar โ€” 2:45pm ET
Poland vs Albania โ€” 2:45pm ET
Austria vs Estonia โ€” 2:45pm ET
Sweden vs Azerbaijan โ€” 2:45pm ET
Moldova vs Czech Republic โ€” 2:45pm ET
Hungary vs Bulgaria โ€” 2:45pm ET
Republic of Ireland vs France โ€” 2:45pm ET

Tuesday, March 28

Georgia vs Norway โ€” Noon ET
Wales vs Latvia โ€” 2:45pm ET
Romania vs Belarus โ€” 2:45pm ET
Switzerland vs Israel โ€” 2:45pm ET
Kosovo vs Andorra โ€” 2:45pm ET
Turkey vs Croatia โ€” 2:45pm ET
Scotland vs Spain โ€” 2:45pm ET

EURO 2024 qualifying standings

Group A

Spain โ€” 3 pts, +3 GD
Scotland โ€” 3 pts, +3GD
Georgia
Norway โ€” 0 pts, -3 GD
Cyprus โ€” 0 pts, -3 GD

Group B

France โ€” 3pts, +4 GD
Greece โ€” 3 pts, +3 GD
Republic of Ireland
Gibraltar โ€” 0 pts, -3 GD
Netherlands โ€” 0 pts, -4 GD

Group C

England โ€” 6 pts, +3 GD
Italy โ€” 3 pts, +1 GD
North Macedonia โ€” 3 pts, +1 GD
Ukraine โ€” 0 pts, -2 GD
Malta โ€” 0 pts, -3 GD

Group D

Turkey โ€” 3 pts, +1 GD
Wales โ€” 1 pt, 0 GD
Croatia โ€” 1 pt, 0 GD
Latvia
Armenia โ€” 0 pts, -1 GD

Group E

Czech Republic โ€” 3 pts, +2 GD
Faroe Islands โ€” 1 pt, 0 GD
Moldova โ€” 1 pt, 0 GD
Albania
Poland โ€” 0 pts, -2 GD

Group F

Austria โ€” 3 pts, +3 GD
Belgium โ€” 3 pts, + 3GD
Estonia
Azerbaijan โ€” 0 pts, -3 GD
Sweden โ€” 0 pts, -3 GD

Group G

Serbia โ€” 3 pts, +2 GD
Montenegro โ€” 3 pts, +1 GD
Hungary
Bulgaria โ€” 0 pts, -1 GD
Lithuania โ€” 0 pts, -2 GD

Group H

Slovenia โ€” 6 pts, +3 GD
Northern Ireland โ€” 3 pts, +1 GD
Denmark โ€” 3 pts, +1 GD
Finland โ€” 3 pts, -1 GD
Kazakhstan โ€” 3 pts, 0 GD
San Marino โ€” 0 pts, -4 GD

Group I

Switzerland โ€” 3 pts, +5 GD
Romania โ€” 3 pts, + 2 GD
Israel โ€” 1 pt, 0 GD
Kosovo โ€” 1 pt, 0 GD
Andorra โ€” 0 pts, -2 GD
Belarus โ€” 0 pts, -5 GD

Group J

Portugal โ€” 6 pts, +8 GD
Slovakia โ€” 4 pt, +2 GD
Iceland โ€” 3 pts, +4 GD
Bosnia and Herzegovina โ€” 3 pts, +1 GD
Liechtenstein โ€” 1 pt, -7 GD
Luxembourg โ€” 0 pts, -10 GD

USMNT upcoming schedule – Nations League, friendlies, Gold Cup

By Mar 26, 2023, 6:45 PM EDT
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After reaching the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup, the USMNT have a big 2023 coming up as they aim to build off a successful showing on the worldโ€™s biggest stage.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]ย 

For the next few months CONCACAF Nations League takes center stage, while the program is very much in transition as Anthony Hudson takes temporary charge and both the general manager (Brian McBride) and sporting director (Earnie Stewart) left in recent months.

[ MORE: USMNT roster for Nations League features Gio Reyna, no Tyler Adams ]

As for now, here is the USMNTโ€™s upcoming schedule for 2023, with plenty more games to be added based on their potential qualification for the 2023 Gold Cup on home soil.

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How to watch USMNT

TV channels in English: HBO Max, TNT
TV channels en Espaรฑol: Universo, Telemundo Deportes
Streaming en Espaรฑol:ย Peacock

USMNT upcoming schedule

* Friendly | ** CONCACAF Nations League | *** 2022 World Cup

2023

vs. Serbia* โ€” Jan. 25, 10 pm ET โ€” Loss 2-1 | Recap & highlights
vs. Colombia* โ€” Jan. 28, 7:30 pm ET โ€” Draw 0-0 | Recap & highlights
at Grenada** โ€” March 24, 8 pm ET โ€” Won 7-1 | Recap & highlights + Player ratings
vs El Salvador** โ€” March 27, 7:30pm ET โ€” Orlando, Florida
vs Mexico* โ€” April 19, 10:22pm ET โ€” Glendale, Arizona โ€“ More details

2023 Gold Cup from June 16 to July 19 (USMNT yet to qualify)

USMNT games in 2022

vs. Morocco* โ€” June 1 โ€” Win 3-0
vs. Uruguay* โ€” June 5 โ€”ย Draw 0-0
vs. Grenada** โ€” June 10 โ€” Win 5-0
at El Salvador** โ€” June 14 โ€” Draw 1-1
vs Japan* โ€” Sept. 23 (in Dusseldorf, Germany) โ€” Loss 2-0
vs Saudi Arabia* โ€” Sept. 27 (in Murcia, Spain) โ€” Draw 0-0

USMNT at 2022 World Cup

Group B
vs. Wales*** โ€” Nov. 21, 2 pm ET โ€” Draw 1-1
vs. England*** โ€” Nov. 25, 2 pm ET โ€” Draw 0-0
vs. Iran*** โ€” Nov. 29, 2 pm ET โ€” Win 1-0

Last 16
vs. Netherlands*** โ€” Dec. 3, 10 am ET โ€” Loss 3-1

USMNT 2022 World Cup qualifying scores, recaps, analysis

at El Salvador โ€” Sept. 2 โ€” Draw 0-0
vs. Canada โ€” Sept. 5 โ€” Draw 1-1
at Honduras โ€” Sept. 8 โ€”ย Win 4-1

vs. Jamaica โ€” Oct. 7 โ€” Win 1-0
at Panama โ€” Oct. 10 โ€” Loss 0-1
vs. Costa Rica โ€” Oct. 13 โ€” Win 2-1

vs. Mexico โ€” Nov. 12 โ€” Win 2-0
at Jamaica โ€” Nov. 16 โ€” Draw 1-1

vs. El Salvador โ€” Jan. 27 โ€” Win 1-0
at Canada โ€” Jan. 30 โ€” Loss 0-2
vs. Honduras โ€” Feb. 2 โ€” Win 3-0

at Mexico โ€” March 24 โ€” Draw 0-0ย 
vs. Panama โ€” March 27 โ€” Win 5-1
at Costa Rica โ€” March 30 โ€” Loss 0-2ย 

Final CONCACAF World Cup qualifying standings

Canada โ€” 28 points โ€“ (QUALIFIED) GD +16 โ€“ automatic qualification
Mexico โ€” 28 points (QUALIFIED) GD +9 โ€“ automatic qualification
USMNT โ€” 25 points โ€“ (QUALIFIED) GD +11 โ€“ automatic qualification

Costa Rica โ€” 25 points (PLAYOFF) GD +5

Panama โ€” 21 points (ELIMINATED)
Jamaica โ€” 14 points (ELIMINATED)
El Salvador โ€” 10 points (ELIMINATED)
Honduras โ€” 4 points (ELIMINATED)

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Follow @AndyEdMLS

Bukayo Saka leads England to 2-0 win over Ukraine in EURO qualifying

By and Mar 26, 2023, 2:15 PM EDT
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Bukayo Saka scored a goal and set up Harry Kane for another as England beat Ukraine 2-0 in a UEFA EURO 2024 qualifier at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday.

That gives England six points from six to start qualifying and Ukraine barely got a sniff of goal after an early chance didnโ€™t go its way. The Three Lions out-attempted Ukraine 18-3 and led the xG battle 2.05-0.12.

England was without Phil Foden, who had his appendix removed, and several others but was minimally troubled over 90 minutes.

[ LIVE: EURO 2024 qualifying scores โ€“ England vs Ukraine ]

It was an extremely emotional atmosphere in London as the war rages on across Ukraine following the Russia invasion just over a year ago. The English Football Association gave away close to 1,000 free tickets to Ukrainians who were forced to flee their country and resettle with families in the UK.

The United Kingdom have been one of Ukraineโ€™s key partners in the fight against Russian forces. Over 4,200 Ukraine fans were estimated in the away end at Wembley. This match was Ukraineโ€™s first of 2023, as they narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2022 World Cup after losing to Wales in a playoff last summer.

[ MORE: Full EURO 2024 qualifying schedule, standings ]

England beat Italy 2-1 in Naples on Thursday as Harry Kane became their all-time leading goalscorer with his 54th goal for the Three Lions and they held on after going 2-0 up as Luke Shawโ€™s red card with 10 minutes to go complicated matters.

Latest USMNT news

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England vs Ukraine player ratings: Stars of the Show

Bukayo Saka

Ben Chilwell

Jordan Henderson

Georgiy Sudakov

England vs Ukraine player ratings
fotmob.com

Harry Kane goal video: Saka cues up North London rival

Bukayo Saka goal video: Sensational curl makes it 2-0

How to watch England vs Ukraine live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 12pm ET, Sunday (March 26)
Updates: Via NBCSports.com
Stadium: Wembley Stadium, London
Stream: Fubo

Key storylines, in-form players

The last time this nations met England ran out 4-0 winners in the quarterfinals of EURO 2020. They will be the heavy favorites in this game but Ukraine should not be underestimate as the No. 26 ranked team in the world have the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Vitalii Mykolenko all playing in the Premier League.

Englandโ€™s forwards ran riot in the first half against Italy with Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka sensational, plus Jude Bellinghamโ€™s driving runs from midfield give this Three Lions side an extra dimension. There is more creativity and cutting edge about this England side compared to recent years and it feels like they are ready to win something. There will be a ceremony before this game to honor Harry Kane becoming Englandโ€™s all-time goalscorer as he passed Wayne Rooney with his goal in Italy on Thursday.

England team news, lineup options

Luke Shaw will be suspended for this game after his red card in Italy, so Ben Chilwell comes in at left back. Jordan Henderson enters for Kalvin Phillips in midfield, while Phil Foden misses out after undergoing appendix surgery. Reece James is also out, but Jude Bellingham perseveres through an injury to start and James Maddison is also in the XI.

Ukraine team news, lineup options

Andriy Yarmolenko (three goals away from equalling Andriy Shevchenko as Ukraineโ€™s all-time leading scorer) has been struggling with a hamstring injury and misses out, while Bournemouthโ€™s Ilya Zabarnyi and Shakhtarโ€™s Oleksandr Zubkov are both out. Roman Yaremchuk offesr real quality in up top while Arsenalโ€™s Oleksandr Zinchenko is the heartbeat of this Ukraine side and Chelseaโ€™s Mykhailo Mudryk will drive the left side in front of Evertonโ€™s Vitalii Mykolenko.