Neymar must be given freedom to focus on his game rather than worry about leadership, Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel said on Saturday.
The French champions have an internal system whereby they have five captains, with on-field skipper Marquinhos supported by Presnel Kimpembe, Kylian Mbappe, Keylor Navas and Marco Verratti.
Although Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani left the club and that group at the end of last season, Neymar was not added to it.
Given his seniority, the Brazilian may have been an obvious choice, but Tuchel wants Neymar to keep all his attention on scoring goals and creating for others.
I often speak to Neymar on his own and I m always close to him. We speak a lot, said Tuchel, ahead of Sunday s Ligue 1 clash with Lyon.
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Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus has admitted he struggled to cope with the weight of expectation on his shoulders prior to his recent goalscoring run.
Jesus has filled in for injured team-mate Sergio Aguero over the past fortnight and scored a hat-trick in Wednesday s 4-1 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb.
That made it five goals in three matches for the Brazil international, who ended an eight-match wait for a goal with a brace against Burnley last week.
Jesus revealed his confidence took a battering during his recent goalless run, but he refused to give up and is pleased to have been rewarded.
Honestly, last month I was no good and I wasn t happy, he said, quoted by several British newspapers. I played nine or 10 games, didn t score and I …
Valencia join race for Falcao
ESPN is reporting that La Liga giants Valencia are exploring the possibility of recruiting Monaco striker Radamel Falcao.
The Colombian is currently on loan until the end of the season at Manchester United, but even though the Red Devils have the option to buy, they are unlikely to exercise it.
According to ESPN, Valencia aim to take advantage of the situation and lure the striker to Mestalla, with their owner Peter Lim enjoying very good relations with the player s agent Jorge Mendes.
But, while los Che plan to sign Falcao on loan with an option to buy, Monaco would prefer an outright sale.
Radamel Falcao joined Manchester United as a marquee signing in the summer, but he hasn t quite managed to prove his worth in E…
Belgium s Eden Hazard finally returning to form in time for the 2016 European Championships.
Belgium forward Eden Hazard scored in the national team’s pre-Euro 2016 friendly win over Norway, and looks in fantastic shape ahead of the summer tournament.
After a difficult season with Chelsea, Hazard has come into some fantastic form right at the tail-end of the campaign, and has picked up where he left off with Belgium to put himself in a good position to shine on the grand stage.
Hazard finally back in form after a disappointing season
The 25-year-old scored and created seven goals in 25 Premier League starts last season, suffering a dramatic dip in form considering he was coming off the back of winning the title as the PFA Player of the Year. Eden Hazar…
Just a couple of days ago I wrote an article saying that Sunderland needed Roy Keane to get back some of the fighting spirit, will to win and passion that he has always possessed by the bucket load.
Walked away
Yesterday, after five defeats in six games and with the side sitting third from bottom of the Premier League, Keane walked away from his post.
A statement from Sunderland said that they had reluctantly accepted his decision.
Right man
Keane has been looking and sounding less and less happy over the past couple of weeks and his comments about questioning whether or not he was the right man to manage the Club at this time would have raised the alarm bells with anyone who was listening to what he was saying.
He has been holding talks …
Atlanta United lost their position atop the MLS Eastern Conference standings after a surprise 6-1 hammering at the hands of the Columbus Crew on Saturday.
Atlanta boasted three wins and a draw from their first four matches of the season – and had won their past two by a combined margin of 8-1 – but they were no match for an inspired Columbus outfit in front of their home fans.
Crew forward Christian Ramirez bagged a brace in the second half, while Alexandru Matan was credited with three assists in Columbus second win of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Seattle Sounders striker Jordan Morris raced out into the Golden Boot lead with a four-goal haul in his side s 4-1 away win against Sporting Kansas City.
That s FOUR for Jordan Morris!
— Major League…
Market: Notts County to beat Chesterfield
Odds:
Two sides that are currently enduring battles at both ends of the League Two table, on Sunday afternoon Kevin Nolan s Notts County side will travel to Chesterfield looking to close the gap on the top two.
For the hosts on Sunday afternoon, Jack Lester s Chesterfield side now look like their preparing for life outside of the football league next season. After finishing rock bottom of League One last season, Chesterfield have carried on their poor form this year and now find themselves sat 23rd in the table. With just a single point separating them and Barnet sat below them, The Spireites are now chasing down a six-point deficit over League One safety. Boasting the second worst defensive record in the entire leagu…
North London club Arsenal have reportedly approached their fellow Premier League side Leicester City over a potential summer deal for Wilfred Ndidi.
Nigeria international joined former Premier League champions in January 2017 from Belgian outfit Genk and has gone to thoroughly impress at Foxes.
The host of Premier League top clubs have taken notice of his emerging performances with Liverpool, Manchester United and City all credited with an interest for the 21-year-old.
The latest reports from Britain however claim that Arsenal have already approached both club and the player, looking to beat their competition to the signature of this highly-rated Premier League star.
Ndidi has thus far started every game for Leicester City this season. He made the total …
Burnley manager Sean Dyche says he has no regrets over the way the club conducted their transfer business ahead of this season.
Dyche guided Burnley to second in the Championship at the end of 2013-14 and they were many people s favourites to drop straight back down.
Relegation was confirmed on Saturday despite a 1-0 win at fellow Premier League strugglers Hull City and some have questioned Burnley s decision not to spend big in the transfer market.
The likes of Matt Taylor, Steven Reid and George Boyd all arrived at Turf Moor with minimal fees spent, but the additions could not save Burnley from losing their top-flight status.
I don t have any regrets. If there are any decisions go against you, you only hope they will balance out over the season, �…
Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor has revealed he contemplated suicide over issues with his family.
Adebayor has published two previous Facebook posts hitting out at his family following accusations he failed to support them financially.
And the former Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid man released a third lengthy statement on the social media website on Wednesday, focusing on brothers Kola and Peter, the latter of whom passed away in August 2013.
In it he claims Kola and Peter held a knife to his throat following a dispute over money during his time at Monaco.
And in the penultimate paragraph of the post, Adebayor wrote: Many times I wanted to give up. Ask my sister Iyabo Adebayor how many times I have called and was ready to commit suicide?