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Tusker FC and Sofapaka played to a 1-1 draw in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League at Kasarani on Sunday. 

Skipper Elly Asieche scored for Batoto ba Mungu with Luke Namanda equalizing for the hosts.

It took the 2009 champions just six minutes to open the scoring. Titus Achesa was left unmarked in a good area and he brought in a good cross which Asieche tapped in.

The Brewers almost equalized in the 15th minute when Boniface Muchiri was let loose in the danger zone but goalkeeper Kevin Omondi pulled a fantastic save to deny him.

In the 20th minute, the 11-time champions were caught in a counter-attack. Achesa managed to find Nixon Omondi in the danger zone but Mboya managed to make a save and deny Batoto ba Mungu.

The Robert Matano-led charges equalized in the 25th minute. Kevin Okoth's shot was parried by the goalkeeper and the ball kindly fell to Namanda who did not hesitate to head it in.

Sofapaka had a chance to get another goal in the 40th minute. Achesa managed to beat defender Eugene Asike. But he lacked the composure to beat goalkeeper Robert Mboya.

After the break, the visitors continued to push for the second goal and it almost came in the 60th minute. Paul Kiongera received the ball in a good area and took a shot but Mboya was in a good position to stop him.

Moments later, Lawrence Juma managed to beat the goalkeeper but Rodgers Aloro made a goal-line clearance to deny him. 

Both teams increased the tempo hoping to get the winning goal, but neither managed to get it.

The Brewers are now in third position with 11 points after six games while Sofapaka are 11th with four points from five games.

Tusker XI: Robert Mboya, Kevin Monyi, Eric Ambunya, Eugene Asike, Rodgers Aloro, Hashim Sempala, Luke Namanda, Humphrey Mieno, David Majak, Kevin Okoth, Boniface Muchiri.

Subs: Emery Mvuyekure, Christopher Oruchum, Sammy Miseh, Apollo Otieno, Faraj Odenyi, Wellington Ochieng', Jackson Macharia, Brian Marita, George Odhiambo, Christopher Ochieng', Henry Meja, Michael Wanjala

Sofapaka XI: Kevin Omondi, Michael Bodo, Nixon Omondi, Willis Obayi, Michael Kibwage, Sunday Ikekhai, Ambrose Sifuna, Mohamed Kilume, Titus Achesa, Ellie Asieche, Juma Lawrence

Subs: Simon Masaka, Sammy Imbuye, Faina Jacobs, Paul Kiongera, Brian Myakan, Brian Magonya, Michael Karamor, Aswani Kepha, Collins Wakhungu 

Lionel Messi's wages are not sustainable but the superstar forward can be persuaded to stay at Barcelona with a sporting project that appeals to him, according to presidential candidate Emili Rousaud.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner was unsuccessful in his attempt to leave Camp Nou ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, but he is now free to discuss an end-of-season transfer with clubs after entering the final six months of his contract.

He was strongly tipped to reunite with former boss Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, while Inter and Paris Saint-Germain – now coached by fellow Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino – have also been linked.

But while reiterating Messi will have to take a pay cut if he is to stay on at Barca beyond this season, Rousaud has outlined his plan to tempt the one-club man to put pen to paper on fresh terms.

"He did not want to leave the club for economic reasons. It was down to the lack of a sports project," Rousaud told Sport.

"I will look him in the eyes and say: 'Your salary is unsustainable, the club cannot pay you. But we are going to launch a project to surround you with young talent.'"

Despite Barca's financial concerns in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Rousaud has previously outlined his intention to bring in prolific striker Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund if he succeeds Josep Maria Bartomeu in this month's elections.

Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe is another possible target and Rousaud believes the prestige of playing for Barcelona could give the La Liga giants an advantage in the transfer market.

"The market prices in which the players move now are not those of two years ago," he said. "In addition, Barca has something very important: a shirt that has a lot of weight in the world. But of course, we will not stretch the arm more than the sleeve.

"My advisor Josep Maria Minguella has spoken with [Haaland's agent] Mino Raiola to find out the conditions in which he would come and we have started talking. 

"For a player like him, being in a club like ours would give him a great showcase worldwide."

Rousaud has also vowed to attempt to bring Neymar back to Catalonia should he be elected, despite the Brazilian forward leaving Barca for PSG under a cloud that has since seen him embroiled in a court battle over an alleged breach of contract.

However, rather than condemning Neymar for leaving the club for a record €222 million (£197m/$270m) fee in 2017, Rousaud feels Barca only have themselves to blame for wasting the money on two players who have been blighted by injury problems.

"The money left by Neymar was invested in two players: [Philippe] Coutinho and [Ousmane] Dembele, who have not given the expected sporting result," he said. 

"And since they didn't work, we signed others. And since we no longer have cash, we started to get into debt.

"They say that Neymar humiliated us. I respect that opinion, but it left us €222 million. If with that money we had signed Mbappe, maybe we wouldn't talk about Neymar anymore."

East Bengal scored three goals past Odisha to register their first-ever win in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Sunday at the Tilak Maidan.

After failing to pick a win in their first seven matches, Robbie Fowler's team looked desperate to secure three points against Odisha.

The English coach pointed out that his team has lost only one game in their last five outings which shows that they have been making steady progress in the league.

"It's always nice to get a win also our first win," Fowler said after the match. "That's one game in five we have lost now. It was a good, professional performance. This club is all about progression and we will try and get for the future. We are building, there is a lot of work to be done and we will continue to do that. It is a great win and a great start to the new year and hopefully, it will continue.

"It is unbelievable to get a win. I have said this all along that if we keep playing well the win will come. I had said this weeks back - that the results are not far around the corner and we have done that. We made a few changes and it was important that we got the win," said Fowler.

The East Bengal head coach did not want to single out individuals for praise and instead suggested that the entire team delivered against Odisha.

"I think all the players were impressive. Few of the new players came in. (Anthony) Pilkington was once fantastic, Jacques Maghoma probably had his best game, he was brilliant. All our players were good."

Fowler also mentioned that the players are getting adjusted to his style of play and he hopes that the team will continue to churn out more such positive results.

"We didn't change our system. We have our style of play and we want to try and keep it simple. When you do that it becomes a bit easy for everyone. It is not about formations or certain players. Players have a role. With the quality we have, even today if we see, Pilkington's goal, Jacques' goal. Not to mention Bright (Enobakhare). Bright was fantastic. He made the game so simple. He looks like an unbelievable player."

The Red and Golds failed to keep a clean sheet as Odisha scored a late goal. The British coach though wasn't too disappointed with that as he felt that the result was more important than keeping a clean sheet.

"Ideally, all of us want to keep a clean sheet but the most important part of the game is the result. Maybe a little bit disappointed for not keeping a clean sheet but again our lads were brilliant and score three goals. We deserved to win. Clean sheets are great but three points are is more important," said Fowler.
 

Anthony Martial is playing "nowhere near his full potential" according to Andy Cole, who has urged the misfiring Manchester United star to keep "persevering".

Martial headed home his first goal from open play of the 2020-21 campaign to set United on their way to a 2-1 home win over Aston Villa on Friday night.

The Frenchman has won his place back in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's starting line-up in recent weeks after overcoming early-season fitness and discipline issues, but his finishing touch in front of goal has still been lacking.

Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes are now the two main sources of the Red Devils' goals, while summer signing Edinson Cavani has made a strong claim to take Martial's spot through the middle.

However, Cole is convinced that a man who scored 23 goals across all competitions last term still has a lot more to give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, and hopes his effort against Villa can serve as the springboard which propels him onto better things.

"He's [Martial's] super talented, he gets in great positions but sometimes his finishing is a bit erratic," the United legend told Sky Sports. "He hits the goalkeeper, he doesn't make the right decisions at times but he has all the talent in the world. I do genuinely believe, like Marcus [Rashford], he's nowhere near his full potential.

"He just has to keep persevering and hopefully he'll go on a good run. He's another one that could get 25 goals, easily."

Solskjaer also reserved praise for Martial after his side's second successive victory at Old Trafford, telling reporters: "Anthony is going to improve. He’s going to be better and better. 

“He’s still creating chances, he’s just not had that little bit of luck, margins in front of goal. They’ll come. We saw a better version of Anthony, a more confident one.”

The 25-year-old's next chance to shine could come when the Red Devils play host to arch-rivals Manchester City in their Carabao Cup quarter-final tie on Wednesday.

Solskjaer will start preparing his players for their FA Cup third-round meeting against Watford afterwards, with United not due to return to Premier League action until January 12 away at Burnley.

Al Merreikh arrived Nigeria on Sunday afternoon as they get set to face Enyimba in Wednesday’s Caf Champions League first round second leg encounter.

According to a post on the club’s Twitter handle, the Sudanese topflight side landed in Abuja aboard Al Zaeem’s private plane. There, they will board another aircraft to Owerri before heading to Aba by road.

Their inability to show up as planned on Saturday caused the Nigeria Football Federation to write to the Confederation of African Football – asking them of the Leader’s whereabouts.

“We write to bring to your attention that A Merreikh SC communicated to us, its schedule to arrive Nigeria on Saturday, 2nd January 2021 at about 1800hrs via chartered flight through Port Harcourt International Airport. Thus, we mobilize resources in readiness to receive the team as scheduled,” the statement from NFF read.

“However, on 1st January, 2021, we received another correspondence intimating us of its arrival on Saturday, 2nd January 2021 via EgyptAir at about 1345hrs. We deployed vehicles to Port Harcourt Airport and personnel to Lagos Airport in anticipation of the arrival of the team in any of the two entry points.

“Up till 2200hrs of the day, Saturday 2nd January 2021, Al Merreikh SC did not arrive in any of the two entry points and did not communicate to us changes in its plans. Thus, we are handicapped as to what to do and where to receive the team.

“It may also interest you to know that we have tried various communication channels to reach the team, including through its Embassy in Nigeria but all in vain.

“We would very much appreciate if Caf prevails on the team to immediately communicate its movement to us for ease of discharging our obligations and responsibilities as a host.”

Saif Terry’s hat-trick handed Didier Gomes Da Rosa’s side a commanding 3-0 first-leg triumph inside Al-Merrikh Stadium in Omdurman.

The People's Elephant must defeat the 21-time Sudan Premier League winners by at least four unreplied goals in the second leg billed for the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba to progress to the group phase.

Failure to do that would see the eight-time Nigeria Professional Football League champions demoted to the Caf Confederation Cup.

Manchester City defender Eric Garcia has tested positive for Covid-19, the club has revealed.

The Premier League side have been hit by an increase in cases recently, leading to the postponement of the match against Everton hours before kick-off on Monday. 

It has been confirmed that 19-year-old centre-back and a member of staff are the latest to contract the virus, with Garcia now the sixth Manchester City player to test positive.

"Manchester City can confirm that Eric Garcia and one member of staff have tested positive for Covid-19," a statement on the club's website read. 

"Both personnel will now observe a period of self-isolation in accordance with Premier League and UK government protocol on quarantine. Everyone at the club wishes our colleagues a speedy recovery ahead of their return to work, training and competition."

Garcia, 19, has made three Premier League appearances this season - starting two - while he has featured a further three times in the Champions League.

It has been reported that Garcia is one of six first-team players to have returned a positive test at City in the last 10 days. Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker were both revealed on Christmas Day to have contracted coronavirus, while a further three unnamed players have had to self-isolate in the subsequent days.

On Sunday, the club released a statement expressing disappointment in left-back Benjamin Mendy for breaching tier four restrictions by attending a New Year's Eve party. City pledged to launch an investigation into the France international's actions after news of his flouting of the rules came to light.

Despite the increase in cases, City's Premier League match against Chelsea is set to go ahead as planned on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola's team, who are unbeaten in their last 10 games in all competitions, are seven points adrift of leaders Liverpool heading into the match at Stamford Bridge, although they have two games in hand over their rivals.

Chelsea are level on points with their weekend opponents but have won just one of their last five matches in the English top-flight.

After Sunday's encounter, City will take on rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Sam Allardyce says West Brom's transfer plans have been disrupted by the new regulations following the United Kingdon's exit from the European Union.

Following the split, a points system has been introduced that will mean clubs need a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) to sign players from the EU.

A GBE will be awarded on the basis of senior and youth international appearances, the quality of the selling club and the players' club appearances.

The new rules have already hindered West Brom's attempts to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window.

"The new regulations are a problem. I have found three players already who were capable of coming here and they're not allowed. It's a shame," Allardyce told reporters.

"Due to the new regulations in terms of the permit they were unable to come to this country, whereas [previously] they would have done. I have to look at that and think 'can he qualify?'

"That has made life a bit more difficult. It's not so much the pandemic, it's the change of rules because of the Brexit deal.

"We will do what we can and finding a player in this pandemic is going to be the hardest window I have ever worked in.

"No disrespect to my players here because they are all working as hard as they can but I do have to find better to lift the squad.

"Whatever player comes in they have to be better than what we have and capable of going into the team almost immediately."

Allardyce says his side's preparations for matches have also been disrupted in recent weeks, damaging their attempts to end their current seven-game winless streak in the Premier League.

“Training sessions have been almost zero, because of the load of the games, and the recovery periods the players need, and because of the weather on some occasions," he added. 

"We’ve had zero chance to be on the training ground as often as we’d have liked.

"It means that practices we’d normally do haven’t been able to take place - we’ve tried to do that via our analysis room and screen, but that’s obviously an area you go to on top of your training - your training session is backed up by analysis and videos that follow.

"We’ve been on the analysis side of it more than on the training pitch which has left me very frustrated, but the more I can get on the training ground, the more organised we’ll become - particularly defensively.

"I can’t knock the players for trying their best - every player is shattered in there. They’ve run and I can’t knock them for that - they’re just falling short against this opposition."

Inter Milan defender Achraf Hakimi said he is in love with Milan because of their pasta, having made a good start to life in Serie A.

The Atlas Lions full-back joined Antonio Conte’s team permanently on a five-year deal in July from Real Madrid, after he spent the last two seasons on loan at Borussia Dortmund.

Since he arrived at San Siro Stadium, Hakimi's versatility has made him a key player in Inter's defence and attack with a contribution of three assists and four goals in Serie A so far.

Six months into life in Italy, the 22-year-old has found his love in Milan and he disclosed one of the most memorable moments of his career.

“I like Milan a lot, I’ll learn more about it as time passes but one thing I love is definitely the pasta. While I was in Madrid I always loved the food and the people but that’s my home and my family lives there,” Hakimi told Inter Milan matchday programme via Sempre Milan.

“Playing football has always been my biggest ambition since I was a child, playing for the fans and for my national team. One of the biggest emotions I’ve experienced in my career was playing in the 2018 World Cup.”

Hakimi is in contention to make his 15th Serie A appearance when Inter Milan host struggling Crotone for Sunday’s league fixture.

The Nerazzurri are on a 10-match unbeaten run and they are second on the league standings, a point behind city rivals AC Milan.

When quizzed about the fastest player in Antonio Conte’s team, the two-time African Youth Player of the Year said: “As for the fastest player, I think it’s probably me! Besides me… Romelu Lukaku.”

Manchester City have expressed their "disappointment" in Benjamin Mendy after the defender flouted Covid-19 rules to host a New Year's Eve party.

The Sun has reported that Mendy broke tier four protocols set out by the UK government by mixing households on Thursday night.

The 26-year-old is alleged to have invited friends from outside of his household to a party at his residence in Cheshire, with City officials now set to conduct an investigation into the incident.

The Manchester-based club released the following statement on Sunday: "While it is understood that elements of this incident have been misinterpreted in the reports, and that the player has publicly apologised for his error, the club is disappointed to learn of the transgression and will be conducting an internal investigation."

Mendy and the rest of Pep Guardiola's squad have benefitted from extra time off after seeing their Premier League fixture with Everton postponed on December 28.

The clash at Goodison Park was called off after a rise in positive Covid-19 cases within the City camp, but they are due back in action against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Mendy was an unused substitute during the Blues' last top-flight outing against Newcastle, which ended in a 2-0 win for Guardiola's side at Etihad Stadium.

The World Cup winner will be available for the trip to Chelsea, but City will be without five other senior players as they remain in quarantine following positive coronavirus tests.

Guardiola told a pre-match press conference: "Five players are out right now. They are isolated for 10 days ago, some the first cases that were released – four people, two players - and three more the second time."

Mendy is not the only player to have been caught breaking current restrictions, with Tottenham forced to condemn the actions of Sergio Reguilon, Erik Lamela and Giovani Lo Celso after they attended a Christmas party together.

Spurs head coach Jose Mourinho spoke out on the incident after his side's 3-0 win over Leeds United, telling reporters: "We as a club feel disappointed. We give the players all the education, we give the players all the conditions and, of course, we are not happy. It was a negative surprise for us."

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson issued a public apology on Friday on behalf of Luka Milivojevic, who was pictured at an event in London with Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic last week.

"We condemn it, we certainly apologise for it," said Hodgson. "I’m certain Luka will as well. As far as I’m concerned he should take responsibility for that.

"It’s an internal matter and we will deal with it, but there’s literally nothing positive I can say on the matter."

Raheem Sterling has admitted, if he could turn back time, he "wouldn't have any" tattoos - but the Manchester City star also concedes that getting inked is addictive.

He explained to GQ magazine that he got the majority of his tattoos before he was 19, only adding a few more in his twenties, and revealed that his mother "despises" some of his body art.

"If I could go back, then I wouldn’t have any," Sterling said in the 2019 interview with the magazine, which was conducted by Tony Blair's former spokesman Alastair Campbell. 

"It’s another thing that when you’ve started you can’t stop," he added. "If you get one, you get another one."

So, what tattoos does Sterling have, what do they mean and where are they on his body? Goal takes a look.

On this page

Raheem Sterling's sleeve tattoos

Sterling has a number of sleeve tattoos on both arms, which he has added to over the years.

On the outside of his right forearm Sterling has a clock tower, which usually has a meaning related to time and seizing the moment.

Above the clock tower, near his right elbow, Sterling has the letters 'Kgn' tattooed, which refers to Kingstown, Jamaica, where he was born.

On Sterling's inside right forearm, he has two palm trees - again a nod to his Caribbean heritage - with an eagle just above them. Just above those, near his inner right elbow he has an eye.

An angel with wings and a number of black birds are situated on Sterling's right shoulder.

Sterling's left arm is covered in personal symbolism as well, with the inside of his forearm featuring a child, sporting a number 10 jersey and holding a ball in front of Wembley Stadium.

Just below that, on his wrist, is his sister's name - Kimblerly - with a crown. Above the Wembley tattoo is an image of Jesus on the cross, along with a gravestone.

The theme of Wembley - the area of London where Sterling went to school - continues on the outside of his left forearm, with a London Underground sign for Wembley Station near his wrist.

A prayer or poem is inked on the inside of Sterling's left bicep and on his left shoulder is an image of his daughter Melody, along with her name.

Raheem Sterling's body tattoos

The most striking tattoos on Sterling's torso are the large crucifix in the middle of his chest and the two stars which flank it on either side.

Further down his body, on his rib-cage on the right side are a number of black birds surrounding the words 'La Familia' - a tribute to his family.

On the left side of his torso, just about his hip bone is an image of a red lipstick kiss, with the word 'Love' above it.

Interestingly, Lionel Messi has a similar type of tattoo, believed to be based on his wife's lips, situated on the same part of his body.

Raheem Sterling's leg tattoos

Sterling's tattoos went mostly under the radar until he appeared with what looked like the depiction of a rifle on his lower right leg in the summer of 2018 ahead of the World Cup in Russia.

The tattoo of the gun prompted criticism from various quarters, including television personality Piers Morgan, who notably clashed with former England star Gary Lineker on Twitter on the matter.

As the controversy swirled, Sterling issued a brief statement to explain the meaning behind the ink.

"When I was two, my father died from being gunned down to death," he wrote in a message shared on Instagram. "I made a promise to myself [that] I would never touch a gun in my lifetime. I shoot with my right foot, so it has a deeper meaning [and is] still unfinished."

A few years later, in 2020, Sterling reflected on the controversy arising from his gun tattoo during a discussion with U.S. women's national team star Megan Rapinoe.

"The last World Cup I went to was a disappointment for me," Sterling said. "I was so up for it, I thought 'this is my time now', I had a great season with Man City, then bang, straight negative."

The City star added: "I had my tattoo for 10 months and just before I go to the World Cup a story comes out that I have a gun on my foot. I've had this tattoo for 10 months, why at this moment in time?

"I went [to the World Cup] that summer and I was overthinking all the negative press that I had. It was a disappointing one for me on a personal note, but at the same time it was a great experience for the team to do really well."

As well as the controversial gun tattoo on his lower right leg, Sterling has ink high on his upper right thigh, which looks like the rendering of a face. Given its position, however, there are not many clear photos of it, so it is difficult to be sure of whose face it may be.

On Sterling's left leg, he has a tattoo of himself kissing his son Thiago. He revealed the new ink in 2018 after the World Cup.

Who is Raheem Sterling's tattooist?

Sterling's most recent go-to guy for tattoos appears to be Gabriel Maniak, the London-based owner of Gabriel Tattoos.

Maniak, who says his speciality in tattooing is realism, has also done work for television presenter Josh Denzel and the American singer Anderson .Paak, among others.

The tattoo of Sterling with his son Thiago on the footballer's left thigh was done by Gabriel.

In 2019, he shared a photo of Sterling's tattoo, visible during a game, along with the message: "It's great to see my work all over the place! I'm looking forward to our next session."

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson thinks Eberechi Eze and Wilfried Zaha have a good rapport because of their similar skills, abilities and strengths.

Eze has settled in well at Selhurst Park since he completed a permanent switch from Queens Park Rangers in August and he has formed a solid partnership with Ivory Coast star Zaha, thanks to their playmaking skills.

On Saturday, the Nigerian descent came off the bench in the first half to score a wondergoal that sealed Crystal Palace’s 2-0 win over Sheffield United, a strike he has described as his best in South London.

So far in the 2020-21 Premier League season, Eze has contributed two goals and two assists for Hodgson's side while Zaha has a return of eight goals and two assists.

When asked about the relationship between Zaha and Eze after the game, Hodgson said: “I think the rapport will revolve around the fact that they're both so very, very good on the ball.

"When they receive the ball, their footwork is so good, their ability to quickly change pace and eliminate an opponent - they share that. They share that ability.

"They share that skill, which is obviously a very, very important skill.

“Both of them have got the strength and the power that when they've eliminated their opponent, they can keep on the ball, they can keep going, they can attack the next one.

“You'd have to ask Eberechi how much stimulus he's getting and how much inspiration and knowledge he might be getting from playing with Wilf.

“I think personally that the whole of the team are helping him improve his game. He realises as a player that is still quite young and has been a major sensation in the Championship, something had to improve and he had to make one further step up when he comes into the Premier League.

“But he's a young man and has made it very clear that he wants to do that, and what pleased me most about his performance today, strangely enough, was that at 2-0 up at half-time having scored such a wonderful goal, in the second half he showed the intensity and the concentration and determination to defend properly to make certain we weren't under the cosh in any way and at a risk of losing our 2-0 lead."

Crystal Palace are 14th on the Premier League table and the African duo will be targeting a win when the Eagles travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers for their FA Cup fixture on January 8.

New Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has warned his players that they "have to deserve to wear the jersey".

Pochettino landed his first head coaching role since being sacked by Tottenham in November 2019 when PSG handed him a two-year contract on Saturday.

The Argentine, who was a favourite at Parc des Princes after a two-year stint with the club as a player, was drafted in to replace Thomas Tuchel following the German tactician's dismissal in December.

Tuchel led PSG to back-to-back Ligue 1 titles and a Champions League final, but senior officials decided a change in the dugout was necessary after the team's inconsistent start to the 2020-21 campaign.

Pochettino is inheriting a squad currently sitting third in the French top flight, one point behind Lyon and Lille, with a clash against Saintt-Etienne at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Wednesday set to mark his first game in charge.

The 48-year-old will likely have to get the best out of the likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria to build on the platform put down by Tuchel, but has already made it clear that his team selection will be based on effort and professionalism rather than status.

"In this club, it's always been about excellence, the players have to deserve to wear the jersey," Pochettino told the club's official website.

"I think that it's a fantastic squad and I think that we can accomplish what this club and the players want because they are competitors and they want to lift trophies." 

The ex-Tottenham boss added on his return to France: "I think it's so exciting to be here and start to build this relationship again. And I always followed Paris Saint Germain after playing here. 

"I always had very good relationship with the fans, with the supporters. Paris is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and in a club like this, the win is not enough. You need to win of course but by playing well.

"The players here are some of the best here, they are the main actors and they need to love what they do on the pitch, it's really important."

Asked to outline his short-term ambitions at PSG, who have a Champions League round of 16 tie against Barcelona to look forward to next month, Pochettino responded: "Our main goal is to make sure everyone is heading in the same direction.

"We want to put a mentality in place, a philosophy and that everyone takes part. The idea is for everyone to want to win for the club more than anything else.

"We want to be a strong club with a strong structure."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is pleased with the goalscoring contributions from every department of his team as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continues his struggles in front of goal.

The Gabon international managed three shots at the Hawthorns on Saturday but could not hit the back of the net as Arsenal thrashed West Bromwich Albion 4-0 in a Premier League fixture.

A brace from Alexandre Lacazette and goals from Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka secured the Gunners' third straight victory in the English top-flight.

Aubameyang has scored three goals so far in 15 league games this season - with the last dating back to his equaliser in their 1-1 draw against Southampton on December 1.

However, Arteta is happy with how he has been relieved of the goalscoring burden.

“I keep saying, we can’t keep putting all the weight on Auba’s shoulders to score the goals,” the Spanish tactician told the club website.

“We need contributions. The midfielders need to score more and give more assists, and we need goals from our wingers as well.

“Laca is in great form and has scored five goals in his last four games, which is what we need from our strikers. Auba had some chances today to score and it was the same in the last game or so, but I am so pleased because in the final third we looked lively and there was a lot of movement.

“There is good energy, there is a real purpose and everybody is playing forwards. It’s like we are free to play there and the understanding is allowing us to generate a lot of things there.”

Regarding Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey – who is yet to play since he limped off against Tottenham Hotspur in December –  and if he could return to action for their FA Cup outing against Newcastle United on January 9, Arteta said: “Well, he hasn’t trained fully with us, but he has done most parts of training in the last few days.

"He’s feeling good and we will assess him if he needs another two or three sessions to see if he’s 100 per cent available to play.”

Kariobangi Sharks head coach William Muluya is content with a point gained in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League game against Ulinzi Stars at Kasarani Stadium on Saturday.

Neither side could register a goal to separate them despite playing out an end-to-end showdown in the capital city.

"Sometimes a point is just enough, you might not know how it will help in future," Muluya told Goal.

"We had come into the game targeting a win which would have taken us closer to leaders KCB. But we did not break down our visitors owing to their good defending."

The youthful coach has conceded there is work to be done in the attacking department, but did not criticise his forwards for missing scoring chances, stating it is not unusual for that to happen.

"Sometimes a game like this does not require you to get more than two scoring chances, [you need one or so to win]," Muluya added.

"In the first half, we had an opportunity to score, if we could have capitalised on that chance maybe we would have gotten maximum points.

"It is not out of order for your strikers to miss chances, it happens at times and we will work on it to try and make them clinical in the forthcoming assignments."

Ulinzi Stars coach Benjamin Nyangweso has also pointed out his team played well but had scoring problems too.

In the four games played, the four-time champions have managed to score in only one game, a 2-0 win over Kakamega Homeboyz. They lost 1-0 to Gor Mahia and registered identical 0-0 draws against Wazito FC and Sharks.

"We played well but had a problem in taking the chances we created," Nyamgweso told Goal.

"There were several scoring opportunities created but finishing them was a problem.

"There was no problem in defending because we did it as a team. Now we need to go and improve the striking department and see how we should start scoring goals."

Kariobangi Sharks are second on the table with 12 points from six games while Ulinzi are sixth on the table with five points from the four games played.

Hyderabad FC are going through a rough patch of form as they head into their next match in the Indian Super League (ISL) against Chennaiyin on Monday evening in Goa. 

The Nizams have suffered three successive defeats to Mumbai City, Kerala Blasters and FC Goa respectively and have scored just one goal in these matches.

But coach Manuel Marquez feels that teams like Chennaiyin, Kerala Blasters and Hyderabad deserve to have more points than they have so far accumulated in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season.

"They (Chennaiyin) are a very dangerous team with a lot of good players. I was very impressed with their performance in the first half against Goa. They are dangerous in set-pieces because they have very good players, [with] not only (tall players like) [Enes] Sipovic and Eli Sabia but players like [Jakub] Sylvestr, [Rahim] Ali, [Deepak] Tangri in the box. Anirudh Thapa is another good player for set-pieces.

"I think that the coach (Csaba Laszlo) is very brave when they play their games. It's another team like Kerala (Blasters) when we played against them. I think Chennaiyin and Hyderabad deserve more points than we have on the table," said Marquez. 

FC Goa came back from behind to defeat Hyderabad with two late goals to take home the three points and the manager now feels that he needs to shake things up tactically to return to winning ways. 

"I think anyone would agree with me that we didn't deserve to lose this game (against Goa) but these kinds of things happen in football. Sometimes, when you concede in the 87th minute, you have to finalise to end the game at 1-1 and not concede the second goal.

"In the other game (against Jamshedpur which ended in a 1-1 draw), the moment we decided to bring Adil (Khan) to play with five center backs for the last five minutes, (but) they equalised. Sometimes, it's a bad decision. Now the question would be 'why you put five defenders when they equalised'. Of course, we are working on different things tactically and maybe, against Chennaiyin there will be some tactical changes."

India international Adil Khan seems to have fallen down the pecking order and is yet to start a game in this edition of ISL. In fact, he has played just 27 minutes since returning from injury. 

"When you don't put a player, it's normal to feel that 'you don't like this player'. I spoke with Adil and I'm very happy with his attitude. His chance to play is very close but at this moment, the style of the team is very different. In all the teams of the world, when you receive three consecutive defeats, you always remember the players that are not playing. Adil for sure is a fantastic player and he deserves a chance to play.

"If you look at the statistics, we are a team who have allowed fewer chances for the opponents but we are conceding goals in the last four-to-five games. My team is defending well and now the strategy is to try and turn the situation. So let's see what happens. It's very difficult to know who will finish in the top four, except for Mumbai (City) for sure," Marquez reasoned.

Rohit Danu is another player who has not been used often and the former Las Palmas coach believes that it will be risky to use the youngster when the team is trying to arrest their slide.

"Rohit Danu is another player whom I like very much. He's a player with a great future. He trains well but especially for players in attack, you need for example more friendly games to improve some actions. I want him to play as soon as possible but maybe not the right moment after three defeats."

Marquez praised the mentality of Aridane Santana as the Spaniard has struck five goals this season and has been the only beacon of hope for a rather misfiring forward line. 

"He's a guy who is very positive and with fantastic behaviour and attitude. I remember, when he missed a penalty against East Bengal, he scored two goals in the second half. He showed that, in football, you have to continue after you fail because football is about mistakes.

"You can say the same about Goa - 11 goals, eight of [Igor] Angulo, Mumbai with [Adam] le Fondre, ATK [Mohun Bagan] with [Roy] Krishna, Jamshedpur with [Nerijus] Valskis. When you have a top scorer, normally he is the guy who will score goals, but I agree that more players have to score goals. Also, we are the second team - the first Chennaiyin - with more shots in the ISL but unfortunately not on target," Marquez observed. 

Georginio Wijnaldum has been given a transfer warning by fellow Dutch star Ryan Babel, who has admitted that leaving Liverpool is the "biggest regret" of his career.

Wijnaldum is being heavily linked with a move away from Anfield after entering the final six months of his current contract.

The 30-year-old is free to negotiate with any potential suitors in the winter market having yet to receive an extension offer from the Reds, with Barcelona currently being mooted as his most likely next destination.

Wijnaldum has played a key role in Liverpool's return to the top under Jurgen Klopp, scoring 20 goals in 209 appearances across all competitions. 22 of those outings have come in the first half of the 2020-21 campaign, with the Netherlands international helping the Reds qualify for the Champions League knockout stages again and hold onto first place in the Premier League.

Babel has drawn from his own experiences on Merseyside to advise his fellow countryman over his next move, admitting that the grass wasn't greener for him after his Liverpool departure in 2011.

The 34-year-old told The Mirror when quizzed on Wijnaldum's current situation: “I spent almost four years at ­Liverpool under Rafa Benitez and Kenny Dalglish. When I left to go and play in Germany, where TSG ­Hoffenheim had become a big force, it was to become the ­biggest regret of my career.

“The only reason I left was because I wanted to have more playing minutes to keep my place in the Holland team, but you don’t realise how dominating the playing style is at Liverpool until you play in a different team and league.

“I was brought up with really attacking football at Ajax. In the academy, you learn to play that way. When I moved to ­Liverpool, it was exactly the same. It is in the DNA of the club to play attacking football.”

The former Reds winger added on the fond memories he has of his time at Anfield: “I loved every ­minute I was at Liverpool. ­Fortunately, Dirk Kuyt was at Liverpool and he was a massive support to me. As a Liverpool player, you are always in the spotlight. The club is massive.

“Scoring the winning goal against Manchester United at Anfield was the highlight of my time.”

Wijnaldum will be back in contention for a place in Klopp's line up when Liverpool take on Southampton at St Mary's on Monday night.