Thomas Tuchel has been dismissed by Chelsea following Tuesday s Champions League loss to Dinamo Zagreb, ending a near-20-month stay at Stamford Bridge.
The German arrived midway through the 2021-22 season as Frank Lampard s successor, and steered the Blues to an improbable Champions League triumph just weeks later.
But despite success for the former Paris Saint-Germain boss in Europe, domestic glory has been harder to come by.
This week s defeat to Zagreb was the final straw for new owner Todd Boehly, after a slow start to the new Premier League season that has seen Chelsea win just three of their first six games.
In the wake of his departure, Stats Perform takes a look at the highs and lows of the Tuchel era at Stamford Bridge
HIGH: European gl…
Rafael Benitez had a bad philosophy and was never a good fit for Everton, according to Lucas Digne.
France international Digne left Everton in January, joining Aston Villa.
That move came after a falling-out with Benitez, with reports claiming that Digne – who did not feature for Everton after a 4-1 defeat to Liverpool on December 1 last year – had criticised the manager s conservative approach.
With Everton signing Vitaliy Mykolenko from Dynamo Kyiv, Digne was sold to Steven Gerrard s Villa for a reported £22million, less than a year after the left-back had signed a long-term contract with the Toffees, who he joined from Barcelona in 2018.
Yet less than a week after the switch to Villa had been finalised, Benitez was sacked after a defeat to Norw…
Victor Valdes has returned to Barcelona to become head coach of the club s premier under-19 side.
The homegrown Blaugrana great and retired goalkeeper replaces Denis Silva on an initial one-year deal, which Barcelona announced includes an option for a second season.
Valdes, 37, made 539 competitive appearances for the LaLiga giants after debuting in 2002.
He left the club after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in 2014 and went on to have brief spells at Manchester United, Standard Liege and Middlesbrough, before moving into coaching at Madrid-based Moratalaz last season.
A legend returns to FC Barcelona
Welcome home, Víctor!
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
Valdes, who also won 20 caps for Spain, is scheduled to beg…
Barcelona eased to a 5-2 victory over rivals Real Madrid at Camp in front of a record crowd to reach the semi-finals of the Women s Champions League 8-3 on aggregate.
Holding a 3-1 lead from last week s first leg in Madrid, Barca did not let the occasion get to them on home soil in front of a confirmed attendance of 91,553 spectators.
The previous record crowd for a women s football match at club level was 60,739 for Atletico Madrid against Barca at Wanda Metropolitano in 2019.
Barca, who have now won 76 of their past 79 matches, will face the winner of the Paris Saint-Germain versus Bayern Munich match later on Wednesday.
Culers, the world record for attendance at a women s football match is ours!
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
Maria …
Saudi Arabia have appointed former Morocco boss Herve Renard as head coach.
Renard resigned as coach of Morocco after three and a half years in charge following their last-16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Now, the 50-year-old Frenchman – who led Zambia (2012) and Ivory Coast (2015) to AFCON glory – has joined Asian powerhouse Saudi Arabia.
Renard wrote via Twitter: Happy to start a new adventure in Saudi Arabia on a new continent!
Heureux de démarrer une nouvelle aventure en Arabie Saoudite sur un nouveau continent !
Happy to start a new adventure in Saudi Arabia on a new continent !
— Hervé Renard (@Herve_Renard_HR)
Saudi Arabia were searching for a new coach after Juan Antonio Pizzi stood down following the countr…
Long-serving Burnley centre-back Ben Mee has agreed terms on a new three-year contract with the option of an additional 12 months.
The Clarets were keen to agree fresh terms with the 28-year-old as his previous deal was up in a year s time and Mee is now under contract until at least June 2021.
Former Manchester City defender Mee has been at Turf Moor since 2011, initially on loan, and among Sean Dyche s squad only Kevin Long has been at the club longer.
Mee is approaching 250 appearances for the club and was Burnley s skipper for most of last season due to Tom Heaton s injury.
…
Ronald Koeman paid tribute to Kylian Mbappe while admitting Barcelona must accept Paris Saint-Germain have a more complete team following their Champions League rout at Camp Nou.
PSG last season s runners-up took a commanding lead in the last-16 tie thanks to hat-trick hero Mbappe, who fuelled a stunning 4-1 demolition on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi, whose has been heavily linked with PSG, opened the scoring via a penalty before the French visitors seized control courtesy of Mbappe and Moise Kean.
Ligue 1 champions PSG outclassed and overpowered Barca to put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals ahead of the return leg on March 10.
Barca head coach Koeman acknowledged PSG s superiority was clear to see and conceded the embattled LaLiga giants have som…
Almost two years after completing the deal and bringing Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool, Barcelona still owe the Champions League holders just under €100 million for the Brazilian s services, according to , who quote the 2018/19 figures released by the Catalan club as their source.
In its day, the move was perceived as a heavy blow for Liverpool, one that follows the trend of their best players leaving them in order to win trophies elsewhere, largely set by Luis Suarez who also moved to Barcelona in 2014 and Raheem Sterling who made his way to Manchester City a year later. However, Liverpool have invested wisely since by signing defender Virgil van Dijk, goalkeeper Alisson Becker and midfielder Fabinho. Jurgen Klopp s team gained balance and went on to play in two consecutiv…
The decision of Dani Alves to reject Manchester City has apparently caused great consternation at the Etihad Stadium, but Pep Guardiola s team should have known better than to try and interfere with the love affair between Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil s best.
Fernando, Fernandinho and particularly Gabriel Jesus have earned plenty of affection in sky blue of late, but that s nothing compared to PSG s Joga Bonito credentials.
Approaching the twilight of his career at 34 but having impressed greatly at Juventus last season, Alves is just the latest in a long line of Selecao talents to grace Parc des Princes.
Indeed, the ex-Barcelona wing-back told a news conference at his presentation that it was fellow Camp Nou alumnus Maxwell who encouraged him to try his la…
Erik Lamela continued his fine run of form as he scored the winning goal in Tottenham s 1-0 London derby triumph away to West Ham on Saturday.
The Argentina international was often a nuisance to the Hammers defence and he got himself a deserved goal just before the break, adding to the six goals and three assists he accumulated in his previous eight games across all competitions.
Spurs just about edged an unremarkable first half, with Lamela breaking the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a neat header.
West Ham offered a little more going forward after the break and did threaten through Marko Arnautovic, but at no point did Spurs appear to be struggling with the pressure and they held on to move up to third at least for a few hours.
10 Erik Lamela…