Chelsea s Champions League final win in May was their third consecutive victory over Manchester City in all competitions.

Only two managers have ever beaten Pep Guardiola three times in a row since he left Barcelona B: Jurgen Klopp, and now Thomas Tuchel.

It was Klopp s Liverpool who denied City three Premier League titles in three seasons when they triumphed in 2019-20. It s Tuchel s Chelsea who look best placed to wrestle the crown from the head of the champions in 2021-22.

The Blues begin their campaign in the UEFA Super Cup against Europa League winners Villarreal: no pushovers, as Manchester United will tell you, but a team who will not be expected to win in Belfast.

It could be a double celebration for Chelsea fans, too, as a deal to bring Romelu L…

Samir Nasri has confirmed his retirement from football at the age of 34.

The former France international announced his decision on Canal+, where he is now a pundit, on Sunday.

Nasri came through at Marseille and transferred to Arsenal in 2008, spending three years at Emirates Stadium before he joined Manchester City.

At City, Nasri won two Premier League titles, an EFL Cup and a Community Shield. He joined Sevilla on loan in 2016-17 and seemed to have revitalised his career in LaLiga, though the move was not made permanent.

A short spell in Turkey with Antalyaspor followed, but Nasri mutually terminated his contract in January 2018, before he received a six-month ban from football by UEFA for breaching WADA rules in December 2016 by receiving an intr…

Simone Inzaghi has regrets after Inter twice blew the lead in Sunday s 2-2 draw at Sampdoria on what was his 200th Serie A game as a coach.

Federico Dimarco s first Nerazzurri goal, an unstoppable free-kick, and a sublime Lautaro Martinez volley twice had champions Inter on course for victory at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

However, a luckless own goal from Edin Dzeko and an expert Tommaso Augello volley earned Sampdoria a point, with Inter s misery compounded when Stefano Sensi went off injured late on.

There are regrets, because it s a game we should ve and could ve won. A team like ours took the lead twice, then made mistakes with the Ivan Perisic, Hakan Calhanoglu and other easy chances, Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia.

We conceded two goals, one was an…

Jose Mourinho said he wants to deliver titles to Roma as the Portuguese boss embraces the eternal passion in the Italian capital.

Mourinho is back in Serie A with Roma in 2021-22 following his Tottenham sacking in April.

Roma are fourth in the league standings, six points behind flawless leaders Napoli through seven rounds during the international break.

The Giallorossi have not won Serie A since 2001, while not since 2008 have they claimed silverware, something head coach Mourinho is looking to change.

I would give Roma titles, because a club lives with titles and they fuel the passion of the fans, former Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid and Manchester United boss Mourinho told Esquire magazine.

 Lorenzo Pellegrini |

— AS Roma (@Officia…

Mick McCarthy has been appointed as the new Republic of Ireland manager but will be replaced by Stephen Kenny after the Euro 2020 finals.

McCarthy previously managed Ireland between 1996 and 2002, guiding them to the last 16 of the World Cup in Japan and South Korea in the final year of that tenure.

Kenny – who has led Dundalk to four League of Ireland titles in the last five seasons – will take over Ireland s Under-21 side before moving up to the senior post in two years  time.

McCarthy – who left his role as Ipswich Town boss in April – replaces Martin O Neill, who stepped down on Wednesday after a difficult year.

They failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and then endured a miserable start to life in the Nations League, ultimately getting …

Zlatko Dalic is optimistic Luka Modric will play for Croatia at Euro 2024.

Modric won the Ballon d Or after leading Croatia to the World Cup final in Russia four years ago, and the Real Madrid star enjoyed another fine tournament as Dalic s men reached the final four in Qatar.

However, the 37-year-old was unable to inspire his team to a semi-final victory over Argentina on Tuesday, leading to suggestions he may retire from the international game.

Modric refused to give anything away regarding his future after the defeat, and Dalic is hopeful he will stay on for at least another 18 months.

I hope that he [Modric] will be there [at Euro 2024], Dalic said. I am looking forward to it.

It is not certain that he will there be and he will personally de…

Premier League clubs have voted to continue using VAR in the competition, following a motion from Wolves to abolish it from the start of next season.

However, clubs have committed to tweaking the way VAR is operated for the benefit of the game and supporters .

VAR has been used in the Premier League since 2019, and though England s top flight has published statistics to demonstrate increased accuracy in decision-making, it has continued to cause controversy.

Wolves were on the wrong end of several contentious decisions in 2023-24, starting from their opening game last August as Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) representative Jon Moss apologised for a failure to award them a penalty during a 1-0 loss to Manchester United.

In April, Wolves …

Lionel Messi wants to continue enjoying his football with Argentina while he can after helping his nation reach another Copa America final.

The Inter Miami forward netted early in the second half of Tuesday s 2-0 win over Canada as Argentina reached a sixth final in eight editions.

Julian Alvarez had earlier given the reigning champions a first-half lead at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey against a valiant Canadian side.

Messi s international future remains unclear, while team-mate Angel di Maria will definitely call time on his Argentina career after this tournament.

Speaking to TyC Sports after setting up a final with either Uruguay or Colombia, Messi said: Let s enjoy what we are experiencing as a group.

I m living it as I have been living every…

England s campaign to host the 2018 World Cup suffered a major blow on Sunday when Lord David Triesman quit as head of the bid team following claims he had accused Spain and Russia of bribery.

Triesman, 66, also stepped down as president of the English Football Association after a hastily-arranged meeting with the FA board at Wembley.

The meeting was called in the wake of allegations made in the Mail on Sunday newspaper, which suggested Triesman told a former aide that Spain could drop its 2018 bid if rival bidder Russia helped bribe referees at this summer s World Cup.

The England 2018 World Cup bid team faxed letters of apology to the Spanish and Russian associations as they attempted to minimise the damage caused.

I have decided to resign as chairman…

Nathan Patterson’s Euro 2024 hopes have suffered a major blow after the Scotland and Everton right-back was told he needs an operation.

Patterson has been ruled out for the rest of the domestic season after suffering a hamstring injury against Chelsea on Monday.

The news will be a serious concern for Scotland head coach Steve Clarke, who also has a major doubt over Brentford right-back Aaron Hickey’s fitness.

Everton manager Sean Dyche said: “Patto will be out for the season, he will need surgery. It’s a very unfortunate injury. We’re disappointed in that one, for him as much as us as well.

“It’s a shame for Patto, he came on and looked sharp the other night, he’s been training really well, just getting back to where I think he can be – …