#dutch-championships

#dutch-championships

Frenkie de Jong's return is critical. His combination of passing, dribbling, defending, and movement in attack is hard to replace.

The table is so tight that the title race and the fight to survive relegation looks like going to the wire, with teams battling for Europe still also looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone.

I never had this feeling - I'm not involved in all this social media thing. I think that's a good thing. Every supporter of Barcelona can see it's great to have him in the team. For me it's fantastic to see, because he enjoys training, he enjoys playing with these guys. And he has huge quality.

Italy's elimination from the World Cup playoffs, sealed in a penalty shootout against Bosnia and Herzegovina, marks a watershed moment in European football, as they become the first former World Cup winners to miss three consecutive tournaments.

Ngumoha was handed just his fourth senior start, yet he played like someone far more experienced, driving relentlessly at defenders, injecting tempo into Liverpool's attack, and offering the kind of directness and unpredictability supporters have long craved.

Image source, Getty Images "Football obsessive." Ask people who know Steve Holland well how they would describe the former Chelsea and England coach and the same phrase is repeated. "Football is his life," a source told BBC Sport. "Whether it's Champions League, thoughts on players or something else, he has a hell of a brain when it comes to football detail."

The UEFA Conference League is considered Europe's third-best continental tournament, and through four seasons it's delivered titles to four clubs from three countries. Three-quarters of the finalists have come from three of the top-four leagues in the world while 2023-24 champion Olympiacos of Greece and 2021-22 finalist Feyenoord of the Netherlands have also reached competed for the crown.

Michael Carrick may have won it all with Manchester United as a player, but he came from humble beginnings. The classy former midfielder, who played 464 times for the Red Devils in an illustrious career, was appointed as the club's interim manager until the end of the season earlier this week. But a video showing a teenaged Carrick making his way as a youth footballer in the North East highlights the remarkable journey he has been on.

Barcelona are said to be one of several clubs interested in Ajax winger Mika Godts who has caught the eye this season with the Eredivisie giants. Reports in Belgium say that Barcelona, Arsenal, Napoli, and Roma are all keen on the youngster ahead of the summer transfer window. Godts is believed to be valued at around €15 million, although Ajax would only really consider a sale for a higher price, and seem to be braced for offers this summer.

When you lose, you're never in a good mood. But we're all experienced enough and know how to deal with defeats. You experience defeats not only in football, but also off the pitch, and you learn from them. We're fully focused and motivated for the game tomorrow,