Chelsea vs Burnley: Blues set to make complaint to FA over Clarets’ staff ‘offending’ Maurizio Sarri in touchline row

Chelsea are expected to lodge a format complaint with the Football Associationafter Burnley's backroom staff "offended" Maurizio Sarri in Monday's 2-2 Premier League draw at Stamford Bridge.

Head coach Sarri was sent to the stands and then refused to address the media after the Blues slipped to a frustrating draw against Sean Dyche's Clarets.

Both Chelsea and Burnley can expect FA sanction however, with Antonio Rudiger clashing with Burnley goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer and David Luiz squaring up to Ashley Westwood.

Blues coach Sarri could wind up with a touchline ban, though his assistantGianfranco Zola reported his boss was in an angry state.

Asked if Chelsea will contact the FA over Sarri's frustrations, Zola said: "I think there will be a follow (up) on that. Maurizio felt very unhappy.

"We understand it's a football game. You say words because of the adrenaline, but he wasn't particularly happy.

"If Maurizio said that, probably it's something that could have been avoided."

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Brighton and Hove Albion: Christian Eriksen strikes late to keep Spurs on track for Champions League spot

Christian Eriksen struck with two minutes remaining to boost Tottenham Hotspur’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League.

Despite dominating possession and enjoying the best chances of the game, Spurs could not find a way past Brighton and Hove Albion.

 

However, with two minutes left to play, Eriksen was not closed down on the right-hand side of the box and drove the ball into the corner past the despairing dive of Mat Ryan.

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The victory moves Mauricio Pochettino’s third-place side three points clear ofChelsea after their draw against Burnley on Monday night.

As for the visitors, Chris Hughton set his side out not to lose and perhaps were unlucky not to nick a point for their sterling defensive efforts.

The Seagulls remain 17th in the table, just three points above Cardiff, who are one place below them, with three matches left of the season

It was clear that Brighton had not come to play an expansive game and with Spurs starting all of their fit and available big guns it soon became an exercise in home attack versus away defence.

But the hosts were never going to find it easy to search for a way through the 11 Brighton men behind the ball and clear-cut chances were proving difficult to come by in the opening 45 minutes.

They were denied by some heroic defending in the 20th minute as Lewis Dunk blocked Jan Vertonghen’s low shot, with a goalmouth scramble ensuing while they peppered Mat Ryan’s goal with long-distance efforts as Vertonghen, Eriksen and Lucas Moura all teed off.

Spurs did find themselves susceptible to a rare Brighton counter attack as Florin Andone charged down Toby Alderweireld’s attempted pass just outside his own penalty area and raced the entire length of the pitch only to be stopped by a fine Danny Rose tackle.

Pochettino’s men could have gone at half-time in front had it not been for a great Ryan save.

Alli superbly controlled Kieran Trippier’s clever ball in but Ryan got fingertips to his instinctive left-footed shot, with Shane Duffy in the right place to clear things off the line.

Spurs upped the ante after the restart and set up camp in Brighton’s half as the search for the opener resumed.

Again clear opportunities proved elusive as Brighton defended for their lives and it was long-distance efforts that provided the most threat

Paul Pogba 'tells Man Utd teammates he wants to leave'

Paul Pogba has reportedly told his Manchester United teammates his plans to leave the club this summer.

The Frenchman continues to be linked with a switch to Real Madrid, having previously admitted it would be a "dream" to play for the European champions.

Zinedine Zidane is a big admirer of Pogba's, while Barcelona and former club Juventus have previously been tipped to make a move.

L'Equipe reports Pogba has told his teammates that he wants to leave at the end of the season and he doesn't expect the board to block him.

Pogba is likely to keep his place in the United starting line-up for Wednesday's Manchester derby despite a dismal display at Everton.

The World Cup winner was dropped by former boss Jose Mourinho before his sacking and his return to the side coincided with an improvement in results under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

But Pogba's form, along with the rest of his teammates, has dipped in recent weeks.

Speaking ahead of the clash with City, Gary Neville suggested Pogba was one of a number of United players who needed to improve.

"There are five forwards at that club – Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba – who is nearer to the front," he told Sky Sports.

“Star players, those five, they can be the best in their position, but all of them in this moment in time are well below their standard.

“Paul Pogba looks like he’s back to the Paul Pogba that was playing under Jose Mourinho, even though he’s been outstanding for the past three months."

Manchester United vs Man City: How misguided emotion left Manchester United stuck in the past

If the last few weeks have been a “reality check” for the Manchester United players, to use Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s own words, the Norwegian had another way of putting it for executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. Solskjaer has told his boss that the club are highly unlikely to be set for a title challenge next season, and that this could be a three-year rebuild.

This, then, is going to be difficult.

So much for the view, on 22 December, that “football is easy if you’ve got good players”.

“They are a great bunch of players and their quality is unbelievable,” Solskjaer said at the time.

That view has changed. Solskjaer now wants half the team to change. The reality is that almost everything about the modern United – bar how they accumulate money – must change.

But they all also had some of the finest football minds to put in place sophisticated long-term plans that were based on a defined identity.

By far the most pertinent question at United now is whether they have anything close to the same football intelligence, or will even bring it in.

The evidence suggests not, and the very decision-making process in appointing Solskjaer is the most pronounced exhibit here.

This is not necessarily to write off the Norwegian. He may very well end up – as he proclaimed with typically Ferguson-like zeal on Sunday – “a success”.

The point is that it all remains a massive punt – based on emotion and gut feeling, that is unnecessary and unbecoming for a club of United’s size at this crucial stage in their history.

The momentum behind Solskjaer from those first three months was understandably persuasive. Everything was so much more positive than the toxicity of Jose Mourinho’s regime, and the place “felt like Manchester United again”. That is something always ultimately influenced by results, and results were in that time just too good. But thereby also too good to be true.

At that point, given the importance of the new managerial appointment in the context of three bad choices in a row, it required someone to stand back and take a cool and detached decision. The feeling remains that didn't really happen.

Woodward is described by those who have worked with him as a hugely intelligent man in most areas, but far too guided by emotion when it comes to football. “He is obsessed with headlines,” one source said, “and the mood of the crowd.”

It was, on the surface, a great day. United won away to one of the better teams in the league, and against the manager in Mauricio Pochettino who had been the main candidate for the job.

It was also the first game that illustrated the side’s form would be unsustainable, and that there were deeper issues. The truth was that United were battered in that game, and it was only freak luck and one of David De Gea’s freakishly good displays that prevented that being reflected in the scoreline. Had the goalkeeper been on his current form, that result could have been very different.

Anyone with any football intelligence would have greatly considered this about that match. Anyone with access to the most basic football analytics could have seen this was the basis for wider concerns, and the downturn we’re now seeing.

United instead made it the basis of a huge decision.

And it is just another decision that is either short term or populist, that gets easy headlines at the time, but makes less sense the deeper you delve. To go with this needless reluctance to wait on Solskjaer is the six-year contract handed to David Moyes – in a misplaced sop to “longevity” – and then the new contract for Mourinho, when it was clear there were bigger problems that were revealed by the refusal to back the Portuguese in the market.

Man Utd v Man City: Pep Guardiola surprised by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer comments

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is amazed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's pre-derby warning to his Manchester United players that they should be ready to be kicked at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

On Tuesday morning Solskjaer said: "There will be fouls. They will snap at your ankles and heels and kick you."

"Did he say that? With 65% or 70% possession, how do we do that?" said Guardiola.

"I don't like it. My side is not built like that, not at all."

• Full preview: Man Utd v Man City

Guardiola has previously denied accusations he tells his teams to commit 'tactical fouls' to halt opposition counter-attacks.

Privately, City are bemused at United letting Solskjaer speak about the issue, mainly because the statistics do not back up the Norwegian's view.

According to Opta, City have conceded 170 free-kicks, excluding off-sides, in the opposition half so far this season. In contrast, United have conceded 195.

In addition, City have amassed 38 yellow cards and one red in the Premier League this season - for United, the figures are 64 and four.

"In 10 seasons as a manager, I never prepared for a game thinking about these thing. Never," insisted Guardiola.

"In football, you sometimes do that [foul] because the actions are so fast. But I never said we should do it to punish an opponent or cancel them. Maybe after the game you can ask him in the press conference."

'Solskjaer's comments won't influence referee'

EMERY: ZAHA’S GOAL WAS NOT A MUSTAFI MISTAKE

Unai Emery has leapt the defence of under-fire Shkodran Mustafi, saying the German is a ‘a very good centre-back’, but says his habit of going to ground in the tackle is something he needs to address.

He also, somewhat remarkably, says the mistake which led to Wilfried Zaha’s goal, was one of his system and not an individual error by the defender.

It’s not the first time he’s made mistakes this season, and his apparent willingness to blame anyone but himself only exacerbates frustration. However, the Arsenal boss has given Mustafi his backing, hoping to boost his confidence for our run-in and this evening’s encounter with Wolves.

“I want every player to have big confidence,” he said.

“I want to protect the players. Mustafi is a very good player, a very good centre-back, he has the habit – usually he is doing the tackle and going to ground, using anticipation against the opposition.

“He can win one, win two, win three, win four – but if he loses one he is the picture and if he concedes a goal he is the big picture. For example, Sunday was the same and happened with him.

“I have spoken to him: ‘You are young, you can improve and you need also to work hard because you have a big quality for a centre-back.’”

The turning point of Sunday’s defeat to Palace was that dreadful Mustafi mistake, but Emery says it was a problem of the system, because he is better suited to playing in a back three and he didn’t get enough protection from players around him.

“When we use three centre backs, we protect them more,” he said. “You can anticipate, and you can lose one tackle but we have two who are covering.

“When we have only two, if you lose the anticipation, there is only one behind. That is happening a lot with Mustafi, but I want him not every time to do the tackle on the ground.”

“Sometimes you need to stop, sometimes you need to stay with the player because sometimes we concede a penalty because you want to anticipate.

“He is young, he is improving and Sunday he is in the big picture because of the second goal. Who is in this picture? Mustafi – but it’s not his mistake.

“The mistake was tactical because we need to protect him with two centre-backs against Zaha. I protect him because I believe in him.

“He needs to improve things tactically, decision-making, but he has good quality and needs confidence.

“Now, maybe he has lost a bit of confidence. my work is to help him. We need him. I am going to say to our supporters, ‘Help our players.’ But I know we need to take the criticism and be strong as players, as a coach, as a team, as a club.

“We receive criticism in some moments but it’s our work. We need to improve knowing that.”

We can only assume that with a paucity of options at centre-half, Emery is looking to boost the spirits of a player he’ll need between now and the end of the campaign, but to suggest it was an issue with our system and not a calamitous mistake from Mustafi is no easy reading because that’s just not what happened.

Is it a sign that he’ll play tonight against Wolves? I guess we’ll see soon enough.

Allegri: 'Juve target another Scudetto'

Massimiliano Allegri won’t relish his records until after he’s retired, but reiterates “next season the main Juventus objective is again the Scudetto.”
The 2-1 win over Fiorentina on Saturday sealed Juve’s historic eighth consecutive Scudetto, but it also made Allegri the first Coach ever to oversee five straight Serie A titles.
Adding the one he celebrated with Milan, he is the second most successful Coach in Serie A history after Giovanni Trapattoni’s seven.
“I haven’t thought about all this yet, maybe I will do in a few years once I’ve retired. Then I’ll look back and perhaps realise I’ve done some good things in my career,” he said in a Press conference.
“I am enjoying myself, criticism is part of the job and add extra motivation. I improved by trying to keep up with the best and I never criticised other people’s work. Everyone has their methods, the important thing is to achieve objectives.
“I don’t have the key to the truth of how football works, I just know that in football I’ve worked with many great Coaches who won a great deal. I tried to learn from them and pay close attention.
“That’s a benefit of my unimpressive playing career, that I had Coaches who taught me a great deal and now that I am a Coach, I am able to look back and re-evaluate some of their decisions.”
Juve crashed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage to Ajax, but Allegri is adamant he won’t stray from the usual routine.
“Next season the main objective is again the Scudetto. We’ll be up against the Milan clubs, who are improving, while Napoli are also growing. Roma and Lazio could strengthen over the summer.
“There’s no point enacting a revolution. We have to improve the quality of our football and learn how to deal with unexpected events better, because those moments can change a tournament.
“We will meet with the club when they want and analyse what didn’t work this season. I might try a few players in different roles, which I already did recently using Emre Can as a third centre-back, Federico Bernardeschi and Juan Cuadrado in a three-man midfield, as I am curious to see how they do.
“I also tried Alex Sandro as a centre-back,” he said in a Press conference. “Paulo Dybala had a good season, especially up until January, because it was not easy to play along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Mario Mandzukic. I am happy with what he’s done. Clearly, with Ronaldo by your side, you will play differently.
“Ultimately, Juve had moments in the campaign where a mistake would ruin everything. In those key moments, Juventus did not get it wrong.”

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Mourinho: I wouldn't be shocked if Spurs or Ajax win the Champions League

Jose Mourinho has said that he would not be shocked if Tottenham or Ajax win the Champions League despite both the Premier League and Eredivisie sides being considered underdogs, with Barcelona and Liverpool also in the competition.

Spurs surprised the football world earlier this week as they held their nerve to beat Manchester City on away goals in the quarter-finals, with Pep Guardiola's charges being counted among the favourites to lift the trophy before that result.

That feat was made all the more dramatic due to the absence of Harry Kane, who may not feature again this season through injury, as the club had to rely on Son Heung-min and Fernando Llorente at the head of their attack.

Ajax themselves overcame the odds against European giants Real Madrid and Juventus to make it to the semi-finals, although the Dutch club are still considered by many to be a long-shot bet to secure their first Champions League title since 1995.

Regardless, Mourinho is not putting it past either side to go all the way.

“I'm really happy for both of them,” the former Manchester United and Chelsea boss toldRussia Today. “I always used to say that when you get into the quarter-final you are there for a reason.

“The group phase, sometimes you get a little bit lucky, sometimes your opponent is not as good as expected, sometimes you are lucky in the last-16 draw . But when you get into the quarter-finals, in a very respectful way, I always say there's a 12.5 per cent chance for each team [to win].

“When you get to the semi-finals it's even more, 25% for each one. I wouldn't be surprised if Ajax or Tottenham win the Champions League.

“O kay , maybe I would be a little bit surprised, but I wouldn't be in shock because they are in the semi-finals and one of them will go to the final and the final is a final, it's one game. It's 90 minutes, it's the game of a career for the majority of the people.

“I think they'll both be dreaming about it and they have good reason to dream about it. Ajax are giant killers and Tottenham – we can't say giant killers because City have no tradition of success in the Champions League – but they are a top team in the country and they beat them too. It's a 50/50.”

'I don't go out - apart from football!' - Klopp admits he's become a hermit amid Liverpool title chase

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he is living like a hermit as the Reds close in on a potential drought-ending Premier League title.

Klopp's Liverpool are second and a point behind defending champions Manchester City in their pursuit of a first league crown since 1990.

Liverpool are also preparing for a blockbuster Champions League semi-final with Lionel Messi's Barcelona.

Amid the title hype in Liverpool, Klopp revealed: "I don't go out — apart from football.

"Why should I? I have enough pairs of jeans to last me for the next 20 years, so I'm alright. I don't go to the shops. I don't do any of that.

"I can imagine the mood in the city is pretty good but I don't need to hear it, I don't need to see it.

"But it's football, and for most of my life I have been a pure football supporter, so if my team was doing this I know what I would have been like. My favourite thing would have been a situation like we have now, where it is buzzing.

"I can imagine people want to go out and celebrate, talk about it, but we are not part of that. We have to make sure it stays like this – and that's no problem.

"I love the situation we are in, it's really good, but of course we have to prove it every day and every game. It's all good, but it's not perfect, so we have to carry on working like we have been doing."

Liverpool are in the midst of a 17-game unbeaten streak, including eight consecutive victories after their 4-1 second-leg rout of Porto in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Man Utd sucked into vacuum of negativity, says Jermaine Jenas

Body language tells you a lot about a team, and from watching Manchester United for the first five minutes against Everton, it was obvious what kind of performance we were going to see from them.

United have got a lot of talented players but, right from the start ofSunday's embarrassing 4-0 defeat, they showed no heart, no desire and no will to win. They were woeful.

Everyone was guilty. Even Marcus Rashford, who has got one of the best attitudes of anyone at the club, got sucked in by what I would describe as a vacuum of negativity.

It was the kind of half-hearted display you might expect to see right at the end of the season from a team that have not had a great time of things and do not have anything to play for.

That was not the case with United, because a top-four place was on the table, but there was so little intensity from them. I did not see the work ethic you would expect from a team fighting to be in the Champions League next year.

t is displays like this that make me think there were some players out there who do not care - only a few, but that is enough - and have their eyes on a move elsewhere.

They are the ones who might have the quality to be a United player but are not up to the challenge, who are thinking 'this is not my problem because I am not going to be here much longer - this is your problem'.

That is the situation that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has got to sort out over the summer, and it will make things even harder for him if United are not in the Champions League next season.

I don't see how they will finish in the top four now and, if they do end up in the Europa League, I can already see some of their players being straight on the phone to their agents saying 'get me out of here because I want Champions League football'.

Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool motivated by fans not 'Holy Grail' of title win

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says his players are not motivated by the "Holy Grail" of the Premier League title but by the club's supporters.

The Anfield club have not won the title since 1990 but went back to the top with a 2-0 win in Cardiff. They are two points clear of Manchester City.

"If you are only motivated to win the Holy Grail, then something is wrong with you," said Klopp.

"We want to win football games because we enjoy the ride with the fans."

Second-half goals from Georginio Wijnaldum and James Milner gave Klopp's side a deserved win in south Wales that took them to their highest-ever Premier League points total of 88.

City can go back top if they beat rivals Manchester United on Wednesday.

Liverpool's best Premier League seasons
Points	Season	Final position	Top scorer	Manager
* season ongoing
88*	2018-19	N/A	Mo Salah (23)*	Jurgen Klopp
86	2008-09	2nd	Steven Gerrard (24)	Rafael Benitez
84	2013-14	2nd	Luis Suarez (31)	Brendan Rodgers
82	2005-06	3rd	Steven Gerrard (23)	Rafael Benitez
80	2001-02	2nd	Michael Owen (29)	Gerard Houllier
76	2007-08	4th	Fernando Torres (33)	Rafael Benitez
76	2016-17	4th	Philippe Coutinho (14)	Jurgen Klopp
75	2017-18	4th	Mo Salah (44)	Jurgen Klopp

Klopp said: "In the end, we will see how many points we have and then we get what we get.

"We are motivated to play for this club. We have no influence on the other games, it is how it is. Our next game is against Huddersfield, which will be difficult again for different reasons.

"Some people up in Liverpool might ask us if we are thinking about Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals; we will be completely focused on Huddersfield.

"On Wednesday, there is a game as well [between Manchester United and Manchester City]. When we played Manchester United, they were in a much better moment than they are now and that was 0-0."

Klopp was unhappy - as was counterpart Neil Warnock - that Cardiff had not watered the pitch during the game, but said that his side had prepared for it.

"The ball didn't roll like normal. Everybody saw it," he said. "It doesn't make football easy when the pitch is dry.

"It makes it dangerous as well because of injuries.

"Dry pitches are dangerous for players injury-wise. I don't know exactly why the pitch was dry - but we were prepared.

"We trained yesterday for one hour and 10 minutes on a bone-dry pitch just to get used to it."