Alou Diarra has taken a swipe at West Ham s style of football during his spell at Upton Park.
Under Sam Allardyce, Diarra had two seasons at West Ham, although half of the second of those was spent on loan at Rennes.
Diarra made just six Premier League appearances for West Ham, before being released at the end of the 2013-14 campaign.
Now at Charlton Athletic, Diarra has spoken of his unhappy time at Upton Park.
My first experience in England was frustrating because I didn t play many games at West Ham, he told Charlton s matchday programme.
I did well in training but it just wasn t football. They played a lot of long balls but for me that is too easy. I ve always played hard stuff. I like to get into position with pressure.
If you…
Spain internationals Xavi and Iker Casillas have jointly won this year s Prince of Asturias Sports Award.
The Barcelona midfielder and Real Madrid goalkeeper, who were put forward by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, got 11 out of the 18 votes, and will receive the award at a ceremony at Oviedo s Campoamor Theatre on October 26.
They asked me in my capacity as judge for the awards, to offer an idea, and the first names that came to me were Casillas and Xavi. Not only for what they ve won on the pitch, but what they ve demonstrated off it, Blatter told AS.
Because they represent the unity of Spain over and above the differences there are between Madrid and Barca.
They re friends first and opponents later, and they put this friendship above the rivalry.
…
England went to Seville last night to take on the might of the European Champions Spain.
Fabio Capello went into the game without the injured Steve Gerrard and Wayne Rooney and Spain had to take to the field without Carles Puyol who suffered a thigh injury at the weekend. Other than that, both managers had a pretty full squad to choose from for what was billed as a friendly, but meant a lot more than that to both countries.
Confidence
Confidence in Spain was sky high after their glorious victory at Euro 2008 and confidence in England was pretty high as well after an unbeaten start to their World Cup qualifying campaign and an excellent win in Germany.
So, who’s confidence was justified and who’s was misplaced?
We…
A first-half brace from Nashville striker Hany Mukhtar propelled his side to a 4-0 home win against FC Dallas in a Western Conference showdown on Sunday.
Less than five minutes into the action, Mukhtar received a pass on the right-hand side of the penalty box and seemingly dribbled himself into too tight of an angle to shoot – but he did just that, rocketing one into the roof of the net to make it 1-0.
Mukhtar then turned distributor for Nashville s second goal, playing with his back to the goal and laying one off for debutant Jacob Shaffelburg in the 22nd minute to make a productive start with his new side after arriving from Montreal.
The incredible first half for Mukhtar was capped off with a picture-perfect free kick from the top of the box, expertly curlin…
Arsenal and Ukraine star Oleksandr Zinchenko believes the return of top-flight football in his home country is important for all Ukrainian people following Russia s invasion.
Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 played on Tuesday to mark the first official game played in Ukraine since Russia s invasion six months ago.
Following that 0-0 draw, three additional fixtures took place and another two were initially scheduled for Wednesday
Football in Ukraine is not fully back to normal, however, with all matches played behind closed doors in the capital Kyiv or the west of the country, while air-raid sirens will also be used in the event of potential danger.
Sirens were heard on multiple occasions during the suspended match between Rukh Vynnyky and Metalist Khark…
Wolves have been cleared of breaking any rules regarding third-party involvement following a Football League investigation into their link-up with Jorge Mendes.
Last month, Championship clubs raised a complaint over the relationship between Mendes and Wolves owners Fosun, who have a subsidiary company that has a stake in Mendes Gestifute agency.
The super-agent has a number of clients at Molineux, including head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and players Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Helder Costa, all of whom have joined the club since Fosun took over in 2016.
Wolves, who were crowned Championship winners with a 4-0 win over Bolton Wanderers last Saturday, have always denied Mendes holds an official position at the club, which would be in breach of third-party regulat…
Valencia have agreed a deal in principle to complete the permanent signing of Denis Cheryshev from LaLiga rivals Villarreal.
Cheryshev, 28, spent last season on loan at Valencia and will return to the club pending the finalisation of personal terms.
The Russia international made 23 starts in all competitions during his second short-term stay at Mestalla, notching four goals.
Copa del Rey winners Valencia will reportedly pay less than the €7million that is said to have been the initial asking price for an outright purchase.
Campeones de Copa! Amunt Valencia! Afición os merecéis esto más que nadie! VAMOOOOOOS!
— Denis Cheryshev (@Cheryshev)
Cheryshev s impending move brings an end to a disappointing stint at Villarreal for the form…
Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki has described playing against Real Madrid in the Champions League as a dream come true , but hopes his in-form side can pick up a positive result.
The Switzerland international has established himself as Dortmund s first choice since joining the club from Freiburg in 2015, and kept a clean sheet in their group stage opener against Legia Warsaw, a 6-0 win for Thomas Tuchel s side.
While Burki is looking forward to facing 11-time European champions Madrid, he is confident the Bundesliga outfit are up to the test.
We are full of confidence after the recent games, he told a news conference. We have scored a lot and not allowed in many goals.
Playing against Real Madrid in the Champions League and doing so for Borussi…
Napoli legend Diego Maradona has refused to solely blame Gonzalo Higuain for his decision to leave the Stadio San Paolo side for rivals Juventus.
Higuain enjoyed a stellar 2015-16 campaign to guide Napoli to second place in the table, but then opted to join Juventus in a deal worth €90million.
The Argentina international has been heavily criticised for his transfer, but Maradona feels Higuain is by no means the only one to blame for what happened.
As a Napoli fan, I really hated it to see Gonzalo join a direct rival like Juventus, Maradona told L Espresso.
But we cannot only blame the player for what happened. Of course, the player has to take responsibility and this would perhaps not have happened in my days, but the ones doing the business are the o…
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting s 93rd-minute penalty earned Roberto Di Matteo s Schalke an incredible 4-3 win over Sporting Lisbon.
Choupo-Moting was the beneficiary of a questionable decision from referee Sergey Karasev, who felt Jonathan Silva handled the ball in his penalty area.
And the Cameroon forward held his nerve, slotting home the stoppage time spot-kick to give Schalke all three points in an incredible UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday.
Sporting took a 16th-minute lead through Nani, but Patricio s second yellow card given 17 minutes later after he barged into Marco Hoger swung the match in Schalke s favour.
Chinedu Obasi first levelled proceedings, and further goals from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Benedikt Howedes after the break gave Schalke a see…