Spain coach Vicente del Bosque insists his side will be unaffected by Cesc Fabregas move to Chelsea on Thursday.
Fabregas confirmed his return to the Premier League after a three-year stay at Barcelona and also revealed former club Arsenal rejected the option to re-sign him.
But Del Bosque says the high-profile transfer will have little impact on his preparations for Spain s FIFA World Cup opener against the Netherlands on Friday.
Everyone is in top condition, he said. No transfer will affect the selection everyone is very focused.
Spain were 3-0 losers to Brazil on their last trip to South America for the FIFA Confederations Cup last year, but Del Bosque is confident his side can rediscover the form that saw them win the 2010 World Cup.
Our players are ex…
Chile must be braced for a Spain backlash after the reigning champions were humiliated by the Netherlands in their FIFA World Cup opener.
Vicente del Bosque s men arrived in Brazil as one of the pre-tournament favourites having triumphed in South Africa four years ago, as well as retained their UEFA European Championship title in 2012.
However, Spain s World Cup defence began in a disastrous fashion as Louis van Gaal s side stormed to a shock 5-1 Group B victory in Salvador on Friday.
Xabi Alonso s 27th-minute penalty had appeared to put Spain in a strong position, but Robin van Persie s superb headed equaliser shortly before the break triggered a second-half demolition from the Dutch.
Several Spain stars came in for heavy criticism following the crushing defeat,…
When James Rodriguez became the latest Galactico to join the star-studded ranks at Real Madrid in July 2014 it was obvious what part of the puzzle he provided for Carlo Ancelotti.
It says everything about James quality that a team that had finally achieved their La Decima dream by winning the Champions League saw it necessary to fork out €71million to Monaco for his signature.
You don t have to ponder for long to realise why Madrid made the decision.
James had just taken the football world by storm at the World Cup, winning the Golden Boot award with six goals including a volley against Uruguay that will forever be among the pantheon of great goals at football s most prestigious tournament.
He did so after spending a solitary season at Monaco in which h…
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Unai Emery confirmed right-back Serge Aurier wants to leave the Ligue 1 giants amid interest from Manchester and Juventus.
Aurier was left out of PSG s touring party for the International Champions Cup in the United States, with Manchester United, Manchester City and Serie A champions Juve reportedly circling.
And Emery said the 24-year-old Ivory Coast international is set to depart the French capital, having first arrived from Toulouse in 2014.
I ve spoken with Serge to tell him I wanted him to stay here and continue with us, he told L Equipe.
He told me that he wanted to leave and that he wanted to stay in Paris to prepare for going.
So, we signed Dani Alves, a very experienced player who has the spirit of …
Amari Cooper is staying with the Dallas Cowboys after agreeing a new five-year, $100million contract, according to widespread
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reports.
The Cowboys handed quarterback Dak Prescott the exclusive franchise tag to keep him under their control for 2020 and have now also retained Cooper, the top wide receiver to hit free agency.
They have given the 25-year-old a guaranteed $60m in the fresh pact.
Cooper’s deal pays him an average of $20m-a-year, which is second only to Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons when it comes to receiver contracts.
He was reportedly strongly pursued by the Washington Redskins when the legal tampering period for free agents began on Monday, but ultimately opted to stay in Dallas.
The have placed the franchise tag o…
Andres Iniesta accepts Barcelona will be unable to reproduce his golden generation, yet he does not see why future teams cannot replicate their success.
Midfielder Iniesta was one of a host of world-class stars who came through the famed La Masia academy in quick succession, with Lionel Messi, Xavi, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets also making the grade.
It resulted in huge success for the Blaugrana, who won the Champions League four times in nine years while also dominating domestically.
Though they were top of La Liga when the current season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, those who have followed Iniesta et al from the academy have been unable to match their brilliance.
While acknowledging the club will never again have a clust…
Market: PSG win
Odds: 2/5 @
With a Coupe de France final ticket hanging in the balance on Wednesday night, PSG will welcome Rennes to Paris.
Starting with the hosts, while Luis Enrique might have come under plenty of reported pressure this season, PSG are in the midst of a real purple patch. Holding a commanding 12-point buffer at the top of the Ligue 1 table and cruising their way to more domestic history in 2024, the former Barcelona boss will be looking to make another statement here. Marking their return from March’s international break with a 2-0 victory away at historic rivals Marseille, the French giants are unbeaten in all of their previous 25 straight appearances across all competitions a purple patch that stems all the way back to November 7th. Exten…
Colombia beat Peru 3-2 in the Copa America third-place play-off thanks to a sublime stoppage-time strike from Luis Diaz.
Porto winger Diaz, who had put Colombia 2-1 ahead midway through the second half, settled a thrilling contest in the 94th minute with an exceptional long-range effort.
It came 12 minutes on from Gianluca Lapadula s equaliser, after Juan Cuadrado had cancelled out Yoshimar Yotun s opener, with the match seemingly destined for penalties – Colombia having gone the distance in both previous knockout rounds.
Yet Diaz ensured third place was theirs without the need for such drama, capping off an impressive campaign for Reinaldo Rueda s side, who also gained revenge for a group-stage defeat.
Peru should have gone ahead in the 28th minute �…
Genk midfielder Daniel Tozser has revealed that he has already agreed to join Genoa when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The 26-year-old midfielder has been attracting a lot of attention with his performances this season, with several English Premier League clubs expressing interest in his services.
The player’s contract with the Belgian giants is set to expire at the end of the season, and he is now free to speak to interested clubs.
However, despite the heavy interest from England, the player reveals that he is set to sign for Serie A side Genoa.
It is a good sign that the club offered me a long contract, Tozser told Hungarian newspaper Origo.
It means that they have faith in me and appreciate what I have done in my career so…
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has decided the 2012 Copa del Rey will be held at the Vicente Calderon.
The match between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao was initially scheduled to take place at the Santiago Bernabeu, but was moved to another venue as Real Madrid s stadium was unavailable due to planned maintenance.
Barcelona and Bilbao failed to reach an agreement on where the final should be held, but RFEF has now ended all uncertainty by naming Atletico Madrid s ground as the location for the encounter on May 25.
The Vicente Calderon received 22 out of the 40 votes, while the Estadio de La Cartuja (Sevilla) got 14 votes.
The Copa del Rey final last took place at the Vicente Calderon in 2008, when Valencia beat Getafe 3-1.
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