Southampton confirm Pied signing

Lionel Messi and Neymar limit the success of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain because they are not team players , according to former Blaugrana coach Louis van Gaal.

Messi is considered one of the greatest players of all time, while Neymar is the most expensive signing in history, yet Barca have not won the Champions League since 2015. PSG, meanwhile, are still waiting on their first such title.

And Van Gaal, who coached at Camp Nou from 1997 to 2000 and 2002 to 2003, believes the two individuals must take responsibility for these failings.

Look at Barcelona. How many Champions Leagues have they won with what they say is the best player in the world? he told El Pais.

Look at Neymar at PSG. How many Champions Leagues have they won? I like Neymar and Mes…

Ronald Koeman is seeking a more ruthless streak in front of goal when his Southampton side visit in-form Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

Southampton have failed to win their past four matches and wasted a series of chances in last weekend s 1-1 draw against the Premier League s bottom side Aston Villa.

The Saints may be out of form but history is on their side against Palace, who have failed to beat Southampton in the last 13 top-flight meetings between the two.

But Southampton manager Koeman accepts that his team must show more composure in front of goal to defeat Alan Pardew s side.

We have to do better than we did against Villa. If you get five or six opportunities and don t take them then you don t win, he said.

We need to be sh…

Derby County are looking to overcome their tough spring of 2019. After failing to beat Aston Villa in the Championship play-off final, they also lost head coach Frank Lampard to Chelsea and making the next season a successful one will be a big task. Part of that challenge will be Krystian Bielik, the new Derby County player.

The Poland Under-21 international was sold by Arsenal to the Championship side in a transfer fee worth reported £10m. Bielik therefore left the Emirates Stadium without ever playing in a Premier League match for Arsenal and will be looking to prove himself to the English audiences at a lower level. Bielik joined Arsenal back I n2015 from Legia Warsaw when he was still just a teenager and only now, at 21, will he get his first real chance to prove himself.<…

Manchester City must learn to manage Kevin De Bruyne s fitness ahead of next season, according to Pep Guardiola, who has ruled the midfielder out of Wednesday s derby against Manchester United.

De Bruyne went off with a knee injury against Tottenham on Saturday, and will miss the game at Old Trafford, though Guardiola is hopeful the playmaker will still be able to feature before the season is out.

The injury is the latest in a string of set-backs for the 27-year-old, who has been restricted to 30 appearances in all competitions for City this term, making just 11 Premier League starts.

And manager Guardiola confirmed that City will reassess how they treat De Bruyne moving forward, in order to ensure he avoids a repeat of his injury hit campaign next season.

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Mikel Arteta is relaxed about his future as Arsenal coach following reports a new contract is on the cards.

Arteta took over from Unai Emery in 2019 and won the FA Cup in his first campaign, also guiding the club to an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League.

He has come under pressure both last term – when Arsenal finished eighth again to miss out on European football – and in the current season, with the Gunners getting off to a shaky start.

But Arteta is generally considered to have made progress at the club, as they head into Friday s clash with Wolves just four points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who have played three games more.

Arsenal, then, are arguably the favourites to take the final Champions League qualification spot ahead o…

Pep Guardiola insists he has to treat all of Manchester City s players as equals after Raheem Sterling suggested he is open to leaving the Premier League champions.

In an interview released on Thursday, England forward Sterling told the Financial Times that he is contemplating a move away from City in order to secure regular game time.

Sterling has been a consistent figure in Guardiola s all-conquering City team since 2016, though his form tailed off last season and he was used sparingly in the latter half of the last term.

The 26-year-old still started the Champions League final before heading off to star at Euro 2020 with England, but has played only 274 minutes of Premier League football so far with just two starts.

Guardiola was unaware of Sterling s…