Frustrated Hasenhuttl ´very clear´ on areas for Southampton improvement

Ralph Hasenhuttl says he is clear what Southampton need to do in the transfer market before next season, having been frustrated by their end to the 2018-19 campaign.

The Saints were steered away from relegation trouble by Hasenhuttl, but they finished on a five-game winless run, including a final-day 1-1 draw at home to rock-bottom Huddersfield Town.

Angus Gunn s error allowed Terriers to equalise and the Southampton coach believes his side s mentality must be improved.

The former RB Leipzig coach suggested he has identified signings that will be required before they attack the Premier League again.

It is a very clear picture for me now what we are still missing in our game, he said. Maybe we know that we only win games when we have the perfect commi…

FIFA World Cup Preview: England v Italy

England open their FIFA World Cup campaign on Saturday against an Italy side who knocked them out of their last major tournament.

The Group D rivals meet in Manaus just short of two years since they last met competitively at UEFA Euro 2012, when Italy won on penalties in the last eight before reaching the final.

A number of players who featured in Kiev will again lock horns as the respective nations look to gain early momentum as they seek to reach the knockout stages.

With a dangerous Uruguay side taking on Costa Rica earlier in the day, defeat for either England or Italy could prove costly.

There has been something of a change of personnel for both nations, with England perhaps shading it in terms of new faces and systems.

Forced to rely on a defensiv…

Bowen puts England disappointment aside to become West Ham´s record European scorer

Jarrod Bowen put the disappointment of missing out on England s latest squad behind him by scoring twice against AEK Larnaca to become West Ham s record European scorer.

David Moyes men booked their place in Friday s Europa Conference League quarter-final draw with a 6-0 aggregate win over the Cypriot side.

Bowen, who earned all four of his caps last June, was not named in Gareth Southgate s squad earlier on Thursday for England s opening two Euro 2024 qualifying fixtures.

The 26-year-old was clearly not affected by that snub as he struck twice in as many minutes at the start of the second half against Larnaca at the London Stadium.

Gianluca Scamacca had earlier opened the scoring for West Ham and teenager Divin Mubama rounded off a 4-0 win on the day –…

Tenerife star Crosas investigated for killing endangered shark

An investigation has been launched after Tenerife midfielder Marc Crosas was pictured having killed a baby endangered shark.

The town council of Santa Cruz, the island s capital and largest city, announced they will probe the incident, which occurred as the team took part in pre-season training exercises on Las Teresitas beach.

Crosas, who was seen holding a slalom pole used for training drills with the angelshark harpooned on the end, apologised for what he described as an unfortunate incident , adding in a statement: I accept the consequences and will try to do everything in my power to make amends for the issues caused .

The club also issued an apology, but Zaida Gonzalez, Santa Cruz s deputy mayor, said the appalling act would face further scrutiny from the r…

West Ham submit record bid for Carroll; United keen on Wanyama

English Premier League newcomers West Ham United have made a record bid for Liverpool striker Andy Carroll, .

Carroll joined Liverpool for £35 million from Newcastle United in January 2011, but has been linked with an Anfield exit this summer.

In fact, the Magpies tried to for the England international in mid-July. However, Liverpool rejected Newcastle United s loan bid for the 6 3 front-man.

Now the Reds and new boss Brendan Rodgers must answer to West Ham, who have submitted their own massive bid for Carroll.

West Ham have offered the Merseysiders £2 million to take Carroll on loan until the end of the 2012-13 season, with the option of making the move permanent for an additional £16 million.

The aforementioned proposal will be …

Messi confirms commitment to Barcelona after ´very bad time´

Lionel Messi is determined to help Barcelona win trophies after admitting the saga surrounding his future has affected him this season.

The Argentine superstar appeared determined to leave Camp Nou in the previous transfer window, believing he was entitled to depart on a free transfer due to a clause in his contract.

However, Barca refused to sanction a move without a fee being involved, so Messi confirmed he would stay for the 2020-21 campaign, the final year on his current deal.

His long-term future still remains unclear, with more potentially becoming known when an in-depth interview with the 33-year-old is broadcast by LaSexta on December 27.

RAC1 released a short excerpt on Monday, in which Messi outlined his continued commitment to the caus…

Leicester face Chelsea, Northampton host United in League Cup third round

Leicester City will host Chelsea in a mouthwatering third-round League Cup clash, while minnows Northampton Town will face a visit from Jose Mourinho s Manchester United.

Claudio Ranieri s Leicester will take on the team they surprisingly deposed as Premier League champions last term, with Chelsea aiming to reclaim the League Cup prize they also won in 2015.

That triumph came under former manager Mourinho, who is now looking to add to his impressive haul of trophies at United, but they must negotiate their way past a potential banana-skin in the form of League One Northampton.

Holders Manchester City face a trip to Swansea City, while the other all-Premier League ties see Hull City visit Stoke City and Southampton tackle Crystal Palace.

Liverpool will pl…

Hitzlsperger signs short-term Everton deal

German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger has joined Everton on a short-term deal that will keep him at the club until January.

The 30-year-old, who has had previous spells in the Premier League with Aston Villa and West Ham, had been without a club since his contract with Bundesliga side Wolfsburg expired at the end of last season.

The former Germany international has signed in time to gain international clearance and is available to be part of Everton s matchday squad for QPR on Sunday.

Hitzlsperger had been training with Everton since the start of the season and recently featured in an under-21 league game as an allocated over-aged player.

His last stint in England came in 2010 when he signed for West Ham on a free transfer.

Godin demands respect for Uruguay

Diego Godin says the Uruguay national should be given more respect by their supporters following tournament success.

Uruguay have failed to win any of their last four qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and have dropped to fifth in the standings, prompting criticism from fans.

Godin, who was part of the side that finished fourth at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and lifted the Copa America a year later, has insisted the team s achievements should not be forgotten.

Inside the camp we re keeping calm, but when criticism comes your way it does bother you how short people s memories are, the former Villarreal man told the FIFA website.

You can t just forget everything that we ve achieved because of what s happened in the past couple of mo…

Manchester City 6-0 Nottingham Forest: Haaland scores perfect hat-trick as champions run riot

Erling Haaland scored a perfect hat-trick inside 38 minutes to make history as Manchester City crushed Nottingham Forest 6-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Having put City 2-0 up with two early close-range finishes, Haaland converted from John Stones header to make it nine goals in his first five Premier League matches – a new competition record. 

Joao Cancelo then extended City s lead further with a fine long-range effort, before Julian Alvarez opened his Premier League account with two more goals on his first start.

The dominant win ensured Pep Guardiola s side maintained their unbeaten start to the new season and laid down an ominous marker to any would-be challengers, with the champions now fully up to speed.

Dean Henderson made a reflex save to deny Alv…