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Azam FC coach Aristica Cioba has pleaded with the fans to remain calm after his team managed a 0-0 draw against Transit Camp in a friendly to gauge the squad ahead of the Mainland Premier League's resumption.

The friendly played at Azam Complex on Saturday night saw the ‘Ice Cream Makers’ fail to find the back of the net and their overall display was not to satisfaction of many supporters.

The Romanian believes the friendly gave him a good opportunity to gauge the players, and fans should not be worried as they head to their first league match against Mbao FC on June 14.

“It was the kind of build-up I had wanted to check on my players and I am happy they are all looking good despite not winning or finding the back of the net,” Cioba told reporters after the match.

“We needed to play a high-quality match and Transit gave us the kind of game I was looking for, the fans should not get worried because this was just a friendly and the league proper starts in June 14 and that is when they will see the real Azam.”

In a recent interview, Cioba remained confident of catching up with run-away leaders Simba SC when the league resume.

The ‘Ice-Cream Makers’ are second on the table, 17 points behind Simba, who have 71 points, while Young Africans (Yanga SC) are third, though they still have a game in hand.

Despite the huge number of points separating the two sides, the Romanian coach is not giving up and revealed they can still catch up with Simba with nine rounds of matches remaining to the end of the season.

“The league is not finished, we have another 10 games to play and that is 30 points if you win all matches,” Cioba told reporters.

“I can see everybody talking about Simba winning the title, yes! They have the advantage but it is not over yet. We have the same number of matches to play and anything can happen in between.”

Cioba, who rejoined the team five days ago from his native country where he relocated to after the league took a break in mid-March owing to the coronavirus pandemic, however, admitted the remaining matches will not be easy.

“Our plans remain the same…to win the title but we will also battle to settle for the second position if the first plan fails,” Cioba concluded.

Kaizer Chiefs academy coach Tshidiso Letsholonyane has revealed what he plans to achieve with the club.

The retired midfielder was nurtured in the Amakhosi academy and played for the reserve team before he was promoted to the first team in 2011.

Letsholonyane was part of the Chiefs first team at the same time as his older brother, Reneilwe, after signing a three-year deal, but the club decided to loan him out.

“I started playing football at the age of eight and joined the Kaizer Chiefs Youth Development in 2009. I played for the under-19 team and then moved to the reserve team a year later," Letsholonyane told the club's official website.

“I was loaned out to a National First Division side Dynamos FC. I was there for a season but didn’t get that much of a game-time though. It was a disappointing experience for me but I never looked back. I continued to focus on the future.

“I came back to Chiefs from the loan spell and spent the last two years of my contract in the reserves team where I enjoyed my football and we won the SAB league. The Kaizer Chiefs U-19 was coached by legend Ace Khuse when we won the SAB League in 2013/14 season.”

Letsholonyane parted ways with the Soweto giants in 2014 after his contract with the club expired, but his career was hampered by injuries

“I went on to try my luck at another National First Division side Thanda Royal Zulu. I struggled to secure a contract due to a recurring knee injury," he added

In 2017 Letsholonyane retired from professional football and decided to pursue a coaching career and Amakhosi offered him a chance to do his practical training in their academy.

“I felt I no longer had the desire to play football and that’s when I decided to take a different route. I decided to go to school and do a short course to help kick start any role in a football environment," he revealed.

"I did a Sports Coaching Science course with Trifocus Fitness Academy. As part of the course, I was expected to do practicals and shadowing in a football environment.  I am glad Kaizer Chiefs offered me the opportunity to do my practical in the Development Academy.

“My passion for coaching grew from there onward. I proceeded to do coaching badges with Safa Coaching Education. I decided from there on to pursue a career as a coach.”

The 28-year-old played with the likes of Hendrick Ekstein, Zitha Macheke and Kgotso Malope in the Chiefs reserve team.

“I’m glad to have witnessed the promotion of my reserves teammates to the first team. I saw Hendrick Ekstein [now with Sabail FK in Azerbaijan], Zitha Macheke [now with Bidvest Wits] and Kgotso Malope [now with Richards Bay FC] gaining promotion to the senior team," he said.

Letsholonyane is currently in charge of the club's under-17 team and he is planning on securing a Uefa Coaching Badge.

"And, as a coach, I saw Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, Njabulo Blom, and Happy Mashiane promoted to our senior team. I am happy to see football changing lives of these youngsters," he continued.

Furthermore, the former PJ Stars player hopes that he will ascend to be at the helm of coaching the first team.

“Hopefully one day I will help to be part of the successful history of Amakhosi. I want to repay the club for everything they have done for me and my family."

Football never stops - pandemics aside - whether it is the Premier League, Champions League or the international games such as the European Championship, there is almost always some action to watch on television.

Here are all the fixtures that are being shown live in the United Kingdom tonight, tomorrow and this week on channels such as Sky Sports, BT Sport, Premier Sports, La Liga TV , BBC, ITV and more.

Click here for soccer on US TV.

*All times are UK.

**Live football has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, but updates will appear here**

Sunday June 7

BT Sport 1 will have all of Sunday's Bundesliga matches, beginning with Werder Bremen vs Wolfsburg at 12:30pm. Schalke follow in their match against Union Berlin in the afternoon, with Koln vs Augsburg in the evening.

Monday June 8

Monday evening will see just one live match broadcast on UK TV: the game between Hamburg and Holstein Kiel.

Tuesday June 9

FreeSports are showing Polish football live on Tuesday night, with Lech Poznan hosting Pogon Szczecin.

Wednesday June 10

Premier Sports and FreeSports are showing Polish and Portuguese football on Wednesday night. Benfica play Portomonense in the earlier kick-off, while Porto host Maritimo in the late kick-off.

In Poland, Ekstraklasa leaders Legia Warsaw face off against Arka Gdynia.

Manchester United are still hoping to add to their attack in the summer transfer window despite extending Odion Ighalo’s loan move, but a deal for a striker is no longer a priority. 

Ighalo’s deal was finally extended on June 1 and will run until January 31, 2021 after protracted talks with the striker’s parent club, Shanghai Shenhua.

The 30-year-old remaining at Old Trafford gives manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer another option up front alongside Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, who is set to return from injury when the Premier League resumes in the coming weeks.

England international Rashford is expected to be fit for United's first game back against Tottenham on June 19 having missed the first few months of the year with a fractured back.

Ighalo’s extended stay and Rashford’s return from injury - along with Solskjaer's desire to continue to give Mason Greenwood an opportunity - mean a move for a striker has fallen down United’s priority list.

Jadon Sancho remains their top target as Solskjaer hopes to bolster his attacking line, but Goal has learned that there is less focus being placed on bringing in a centre-forward given Ighalo’s extended terms.

The new loan deal for the former Watford star does not include an option to buy and it is understood the club have not been considering a long-term deal.

Harry Kane is of interest, although a move has already been ruled out with the price tag prohibitive. Lyon’s Moussa Dembele has been monitored as was Timo Werner, though the latter has agreed to join Chelsea in the transfer window.

While United were interested in the RB Leipzig striker, it is understood a formal approach was never made for the 24-year-old and the club do not plan to hijack Werner’s move to Stamford Bridge at the last minute. Instead they will continue to prioritise moves for Sancho and Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish.

With Ighalo’s deal running out next January, and the club deciding against bringing in a replacement for Romelu Lukaku last summer, they will continue to monitor striker targets ahead of future moves.

Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward warned it would not be “business as usual” when the transfer window opens due to the financial impact of Covid-19.

However, it is understood there is still a budget available for transfers this year, though deals worth £100 million or more have been ruled out due to the current climate.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has suggested holding a Premier League title parade next season when coronavirus restrictions could be eased.

The Reds were just two wins from securing their first league triumph in 30 years when the 2019-20 season was halted in March due to the pandemic.

The Premier League is set to return on June 17, but matches will be held behind closed doors for the foreseeable future, denying fans the opportunity to celebrate inside Anfield.

Regulations limiting mass gatherings outdoors also means a parade with the trophy through Liverpool is likely to be impossible. Klopp, however, thinks there is no reason why such a celebration could not simply be deferred until it is safe.

"That you can't celebrate in the way you've always dreamed of, that's not nice, I totally understand that," he told Sky Germany. "I feel the same way. It's not that my ideal is to celebrate alone in the stadium, then just drive home.

"It wasn't like that when you thought about it. But that cannot be changed now. Why should we now make a big deal about something that can't be changed?

"There comes a day when life will get back to normal. When someone has found the vaccine, when someone has found a solution to the problem, when infection rates are zero or below – that day will come eventually. Then we have the right to celebrate what we want to celebrate on that day.

"If this is the 12th or 13th matchday of next season and we want to celebrate it, who is going to stop it? Then we still have the trophy and then we can drive it around town and stand on the bus. If other people then think that we are completely crazy, I honestly don't care.

"Can it then still be a special celebration? No question. It's different, but different is sometimes absolutely okay."

Liverpool won 27 of their first 29 league games of the season and are on course to break Manchester City's record points tally of 100, something Klopp wants his players to target.

"This [season] can become historic, I have to say so clearly," he said. "And not only club historical, but historical in general. We have the chance to get an unbelievable number of points and so we prepare ourselves and then we will see what comes out of it."

Klopp also praised his players for the decision to take a knee around the Anfield centre-circle this week as a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

"I have been very proud of the boys for a long time, but this was another extraordinary moment," he said. "When I saw them there and this photo was taken, I was really proud, because it is also an important message. No question about it."

Paul Pogba must be more "consistent" to earn a move to Real Madrid, according to Ander Herrera, who does not think the Manchester United midfielder has reached his full potential.

Pogba has flattered to deceive at Old Trafford since making his way back to Manchester for a second spell at the club in 2016. United forked out £89 million ($113m) to bring the 27-year-old back from Juventus, but he has only shown flashes of the brilliance which saw him emerge as one of the top players in Europe at the Allianz Stadium.

Critics have often singled Pogba out as a scapegoat for United's mediocre performances in recent years, leading to plenty of speculation over his future.

The World Cup winner was reportedly courted by Real Madrid last summer after admitting that he was ready to undertake a new challenge away from United.

Real have been tipped to revive their interest in Pogba when the transfer window reopens, despite the fact he has sat out the majority of the 2019-20 campaign through injury.

However, Herrera is not so sure that Madrid will pursue his old team-mate, with it his belief that the mercurial playmaker has yet to prove that he can maintain his best form over an extended period.

The ex-United midfielder - who now plies his trade in France with Paris Saint-Germain - told AS: "As a footballer, Paul has everything: he cuts through the opposition, he wins the ball back, he’s good in the air, he’s aggressive, he defends, he attacks, he scores goals, but he’s had his ups and downs in Manchester.

"He’s played games where he completely made the difference and others where he just didn’t, and for a player at that price, you have to always be awesome.

"If he’s able to be consistent then, of course, Madrid or any big European club would want him. However, it’s the same as with [Kylian] Mbappe and Neymar, he’s at one of the biggest clubs in the world and for him to leave it’s difficult."

Pogba has worked his way back to full fitness in recent weeks, and is currently preparing with the rest of the United squad for the return of the Premier League, which has been on hiatus since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men will officially resume their season on June 19, with a trip to north London to face Tottenham on the cards.

Renovations at Nyayo National Stadium is set to be completed in the coming week, satisfied Parliamentary Committee on Sports Chairman Dan Munyaka has said.

The stadium has been under renovations for close to three years and Munyaka has confirmed the contractor working at the facility is about to get his work done and hand over it to the government.

The contractor is now racing against time to finish landscaping and drainage as the changing rooms and VIP sections are already done.

Initially, the government had promised the public facility will be ready by the end of May but it has not been the case as the due date has been pushed back by another week.

“The committee is pleased by the progress of the work at Nyayo National Stadium and the assurance that it will be ready by next week has been made by the contractor,” Munyaka told the media during his visit at the Stadium inspecting the progress.

Nyayo's unavailability has made Nairobi teams scramble for stadiums outside the city with Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos and Narok Stadium in Narok County offering their services for the city's clubs.

Tusker have been enjoying home advantage given their ownership of the Ruaraka Grounds, which has undergone renovations and was unavailable in the past.

Moi International Sports Complex has always been designated for Caf Confederation and Champions League matches as well as the Mashemeji Derby, an encounter between arch-rivals Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards.

Nyayo Stadium, when available, has always been preferred to Kasarani to host the Gor Mahia vs AFC Leopards clash.

Posta Rangers coach Sammy Omollo, in an earlier interview with Goal, explained the importance of the availability of Nyayo Stadium, especially for the city clubs.

“We have had a problem with availability of grounds and in such situations, everything is always in a mess. Most teams are located in Nairobi and their home ground is usually the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos,” Omollo said.

“Most times you see AFC Leopards going all the way to Bukhungu Stadium or Mumias Sports Complex while Posta Rangers, after training in Nairobi, go to Narok Stadium and Gor Mahia will always have to travel to Kisumu to host matches.

“In all these scenarios there is no home ground advantage for teams. These are the things that have affected our leagues for sure.

“Having a ground in the city centre is very good especially for Nairobi teams because it will greatly cut the cost of travelling to stadiums located in far-flung areas. I am happy Nyayo will be back soon.”

Nyayo Stadium, opened in 1983, has often been used for other national functions as well.

Former Brazil defender Cafu has backed Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold to one day be crowned the best player in the world. 

The 21-year-old has become a key member of Jurgen Klopp's side since 2018 and claimed a Premier League record for most assists by a defender last season. 

Cafu, who has previously predicted Alexander-Arnold to win a Ballon d'Or in the future, welcomed comparisons between himself and the Reds defender, who he believes has the potential to become a superstar of the modern game. 

"He’s a sensational player, a rare talent," Cafu told FIFA.com. "If he keeps playing the way he has been he will be regarded as one of the best players in the world. He has the potential to win [The Best FIFA Men’s Player] award.

"He’s technically brilliant, he has so much quality. He has a Brazilian style of play. I love watching him play. And playing in such a great team will help him grow." 

Alexander-Arnold has played down Cafu's praise in the past, stressing he's not chasing individual awards. 

"Obviously massive praise from a legend of the game. It's something that I'm really thankful for and obviously I have to give thanks to him for them words," he said in February. 

"I try to be the best player I can be. I think it's obviously a team game, so it's about the players I have around me. The players I have in training, the manager, the support I have all around me that enables me to be as good as I can be.

"Accolades may or may not come in the future, it doesn't really faze me as much as maybe it does other players."

While Cafu has picked Alexander-Arnold to potentially become the world's best player, he struggled to pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when pushed. 

"We’re talking about the two powers of world football. They’ve been at the top for 15 years," Cafu said.

"One has won six awards, the other five. It’s so hard to pick between them. They’re both magnificent players."

As for who will immediately succeed them, Cafu added: "Neymar. I think Neymar has everything to be the best player on the planet." 

Ronald Koeman said "everyone knows it's my dream to coach Barcelona", but the Dutchman remains focused on the Netherlands.

Koeman had been linked to Barca after Ernesto Valverde was sacked, before the La Liga champions eventually turned to Quique Setien in January.

Former Barca defender Koeman previously revealed his Netherlands contract contains a clause that allows him to depart for Camp Nou following Euro 2020, though the European Championship has been pushed back 12 months due to coronavirus.

Koeman, who underwent heart surgery in May, addressed the Barca speculation and his future.

"I had a phone call [from Barca], as I've explained many times. But I want to keep my word with the national team, I thought we'd have Euro 2020 this summer," Koeman told Catalunya Radio.

"I'm happy with how things are with the national team and for me, that's the most important thing at the moment. None of us know what will happen in the future.

"In my contract, there is a clause that will let me leave the national team job after the Euros but now's not the time to be thinking about that. Everyone knows it's my dream to coach Barca.

"Hopefully I might have the opportunity to do so in the future. But as always, that depends on your performance and successes as a coach - you need a lot of experience to coach a team like Barca."

La Liga leaders Barca were two points clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid when the 2019-20 season was postponed in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"It's really difficult for me to say what I think about Barca," said Koeman, who won four La Liga titles and the European Cup/Champions League during his time at Camp Nou.

"Today's Barca isn't the same as [Pep] Guardiola's, but it's still a fantastic team.

"Because of [Frenkie] De Jong, I've been watching more of their games. I hope they go on to win La Liga. As for the Champions League, they'll need to improve to be in a chance of winning it."

Netherlands international midfielder Frenkie de Jong joined Barca from Eredivisie champions Ajax at the start of the season.

De Jong had scored two goals and supplied as many assists in La Liga before the league's suspension.

Koeman adding: "I think De Jong is a player who can adapt to a new position in midfield, playing a little further forward. But I still think his best position is just in front of the back four - where [Sergio] Busquets plays. That's his best position- where he plays for the national team and where he played with Ajax.

"It's not a bad thing to adapt to other positions. He's still only young and you have to give young players time. In no time he will show his quality with Barca. He's done that with Ajax and with the national team.

"I'm in no doubt that he's the right player for Barca. He knows he can do more, but he's taking it all with calm because he's happy at Barca."

Amiens striker Serhou Guirassy is wanted by Ligue 1 side Rennes as they chase Champions League football next season. 

After the recent Ligue 1 campaign was abandoned, Rennes have secured a spot in the preliminary round of the Champions League and are eager to reinforce their attack over the summer. 

According to Goal sources, Guirassy is firmly on Rennes' radar with discussions between the player and club ongoing. 

The 24-year-old is contracted to Amiens until 2022 with his transfer fee expected to be around €10 million ($11m). 

Along with Rennes, a host of clubs in the Premier League are also circling for Guirassy, who scored nine goals across 23 Ligue 1 appearances this season. 

Guirassy only joined Amiens permanently in July 2019 after impressing on loan from German club Koln but is tempted by Rennes' interest and the chance to play in the Champions League. 

Amiens President Bernard Joannin recently confirmed that Guirassy has been attracting transfer interest since January. 

“We have an arrangement with him, he stayed in winter to save the club. We have significant offers from England," he told L’Equipe du Soir in May.

Guirassy himself may prefer a move to England, according to one of his intermediaries Mark McKay. 

"A number of clubs in England and across Europe have shown an interest in Serhou after he performed so well for Amiens," McKay was quoted by the Metro.

"In the current climate due to the impact of the pandemic, clubs might not be able to pay huge transfer fees like they used to and in that respect Serhou could prove to be a bargain in this window.

"Serhou’s preference has always been to play in the English Premier League, but Amiens will evaluate all offers that come in for him and make a decision from there."

Rennes' desire for attacking reinforcements, meanwhile, comes in the wake of news both M'Baye Niang and Jordan Siebatcheu are likely to move on from the club.

Niang recently confirming he's had talks about a move to Marseille after a strong season with Rennes. 

"It's flattering, there is no smoke without fire, there were discussions, but today nothing concrete," Niang told Canal Football Club.

"Yes, it's a club that interests me, that has a good history, warm supporters, which I like. If it has to be done, it will be with great pleasure and whatever happens Stade Rennais will remain in my heart, it's a club that revived me." 

Playing at the redeveloped Santiago Bernabeu would be the "perfect retirement" for Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, according to his agent and brother Rene.

Ramos' current contract expires in 2021 and the 34-year-old defender's future with Madrid is far from certain.

The Madrid star and Spain skipper has won four La Liga titles and as many Champions League crowns among other honours since joining from Sevilla in 2005.

As Madrid's iconic Bernabeu stadium undergoes renovation work, Rene Ramos addressed the centre-back's future in the Spanish capital.

"The chewing gum will be stretched as long as we can," Rene told Onda Cero.

"Playing at the new Bernabeu would be the perfect retirement for him. Physically, he's fine and he's climbing the walls [ahead of La Liga Santander returning]."

Ramos had made 25 La Liga appearances and scored five goals this season, while he played 34 matches across all competitions.

The 2019-20 La Liga season is set to resume on June 11 after the campaign was postponed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Madrid were two points behind bitter rivals and defending champions Barcelona with 11 matches remaining at the time of postponement and are set to host Eibar on June 14.

After such a long break in play, Ramos is desperate to start playing regularly again as Spain looks to put the worst of the coronavirus pandemic behind it. 

"Getting going needs time, the country needs football as an economic support and the people need it as a distraction," Ramos told Movistar. 

"I'm dying to compete again, for La Liga Santander to be normal again, we have to be disciplined so that we can eliminate this virus.

"I want to send a message of support to everyone who has lost a loved one, we'll get through this and we have to come together."

While Ramos has endeared himself to Real Madrid fans, he's seen as a controversial figure by others, with Liverpool youngster Harvey Elliott recently revealing he turned down the chance to meet him while touring the Santiago Bernabeu. 

Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas meanwhile has opened up on the special praise he reserved for Ramos after they won the Champions League final in 2014 against Atletico Madrid. 

With the emergence of technology, a lot of things have changed in sports. In football, the way coaches see and take notes from the training sessions and matches has altered. And for a lot of coaches across the world, football analysts are the ones to thank for the work they put in to support the coaching team. 

As with all things football, data and video-based analysis of the sport also took its sweet time to get into the Indian football industry. Once it firmly gripped the scene, since sometime around the start of the decade, clubs have caught on with how it can help improve the existing coaching setup and output on the field. 

What does an analyst do? 

Analysts are now an integral part of the coaching staff. There are subdivisions to an analyst's job - opposition analysis, set-piece analysis, own-team's analysis, training session analysis etc. In India, a few ISL teams used to have two analysts when they started out but now it's mostly all done by one person per team. 

An analyst's workflow and output entirely depend on the head coach. Some coaches prioritise data and video output and have no qualms about trusting them and making decisions on that. Others consider it only as a backup tool. A research on the work of analysts in Indian football throws up the suggestion that Spanish coaches hugely favour analysis and usually wants all training sessions and matches on video. (Although it would be unfair to generalise as the methods differ from person to person). It must be noted that for analysis, TV footage is almost never used due to the camera angles. When shot, the footage needs to be taken from the top and it should cover the entire pitch so that the coaches can get a full view of all the players on the field. 

The coaches let the analysts know what they require and the analysts then put their brains to work on the footage they have collected. They use data analysis software (such as Sportscode and ProZone) which help in exporting a report which is then sent to the coach's desk.

The workflow varies from one analyst to another. But usually, if there are 5 days between two games, the analyst creates documents and reports ahead of the fixture on day one. On the second day, the coach makes use of the analysis from the last game. Then there is a training session to correct the issues that were spotted. Then the preparation for the next game starts and opposition analysis comes into effect. Based on the key findings and weaknesses of the opposition, a report is prepared and submitted to the head coach. There is a boatload of data that is being transferred from the analyst to the head coach before and after every match. The data is also used as a scouting report at the end of the season to help decisions about recruitment and retention of footballers. 

Analytics in Indian Football 

SportsKPI, an Indian analytics agency, has Indian national team, FC Goa, NorthEast United, Indian Arrows etc as clients. Several ISL clubs are thought to be using the expensive tool Sportscode. Most Indian teams have subscribed to the video tool InStat which helps them collect and edit videos of matches. Nowadays, some of this work can also be done via mobile phones. 

Data like statistics, player movements, patterns in training and its effectiveness can be picked up from the videos. Player attributes and his grasping levels can also be picked up from training footages and these help coaches in arriving at decisions regarding the players in his squad. 

While the role of analysts has become important in India, it can be argued that Indian football still does not have enough resources to make full use of the technology available. There is a practical difficulty to pull off a Julian Nagelsmann, who has live data and video feed of training sessions available to him on a screen. As it stands, not all Indian clubs, especially in the I-League, invest in the analysis of the game. There are exceptions -  Gokulam Kerala, Chennai City, Punjab FC, Mohun Bagan etc have put in the effort to make full use of opposition and own-team analysis.

ISL has helped Indian football take a step in the right direction when it comes to football analysis. Foreign coaches at several clubs made analyst a mandatory position among the staff. The clubs got access to tools which required the management to spend money on their licenses and steadily, analysis became a part of the process. While foreign coaches gave analysts an integral role, Indian coaches, like Derrick Pereira, have also used them to good effect in the past. During the I-League era, Mahinda United an Pune FC were the first sides to use technology and analysis.

For Aspiring Analysts

There are no specific courses to pick up for aspiring football analysts in India compared to Europe that has performance-learning training. Youngsters have to keep working hard, generate their analytical reports and they also have to get in touch with football clubs by sending them their work. If your work is good enough, you will get an internship and that is how most of the current analysts working in India started out. 

Analysts are created out of sheer passion for the sport. Beginners mostly are interns who are given laptops, workspace and a monthly wage somewhere between 5000-10000 INR. ISL club analysts get paid more compared to those in I-League, as you can imagine and the average cost is between 30000-40000 INR.

Fun fact: an Indian football analyst once earned more than one 1 lakh INR after the head coach was impressed with his work and wanted to work only with him. So kids, if you are really good, you will soon have your grand payday. 

If you speak to football analysts at any club, they will tell you that it is a full-time job that takes a lot of hard work. But one that's very rewarding if you love the game. Indian football clubs could soon go from having one analyst on their roster to employing a team of analysts to extract the full potential of what technology and excellent observational skills can do. 

Manchester United duo Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford featured in a training match at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The duo had been sidelined with long-term injuries before the Premier League campaign was halted in March by the coronavirus pandemic.

Having come through some non-contact sessions unscathed, Pogba (ankle) and Rashford (back) took part in an intra-squad contest at the weekend.

For the Frenchman it was a first outing on home soil since December 26, while Rashford last played at the stadium on January 15.

The friendly kick-about pitted Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes as opposing captains under the watchful eye of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United's previous competitive fixture at the so-called 'Theatre of Dreams' was a 2-0 win over rivals Manchester City on March 8.

Solskjaer's side, who sit just three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, face a trip to Tottenham in their first game back.

All remaining games will be played behind closed doors. 

While the pandemic came at the wrong time for the Red Devils, who were in good form, the break in play has allowed Rashford to fully recover with the young attacker desperate to finish the campaign strongly. 

“I think coming out of this lockdown we are in a much stronger position than we were going into it," Rashford told Stretty News. 

“I think we just need to take each game as it comes and not get too ahead of ourselves. We are working hard in training, gelling as a team with players coming back from injury, etc.

“For me personally I felt I was having my best season to date before the injury hit so now I’m back fully fit I’m determined to push on.”

Pogba, meanwhile, looks set to link up with Fernandes in midfield for the first time with many in and around the club looking forward to such a promising combination. 

“He [Fernandes] was paired with Paul in a small training group last week, which people saw on the videos, and we saw flashes of what they were capable of," Luke Shaw told Man Utd's official website. 

“The coaches have switched it up so it’s not just them on the same team and it’s quite nice to see them battling against each other – they’ve already had some great games against each other – but, personally, I’m really looking forward to seeing them line up together.

“They’re probably two of the best midfielders in the [Premier League] right now, I’d say, so it’s going to be fascinating to see them play together.”

Ivan Rakitic fondly remembers Barcelona's treble season in 2014-15, believing the attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar left opponents unsure who to focus on.

Led by their formidable 'MSN' strikeforce, Barca dazzled in Luis Enrique's first campaign in charge. Having already wrapped up a domestic double, Rakitic scored the opener in a 3-1 Champions League final win over Juventus in Berlin.

Suarez and Neymar, now at Paris Saint-Germain, also scored that day, and their partnership with the talismanic Messi was one the Croatia international relished playing with.

"It was very enjoyable," Rakitic said to Marca about playing with 'MSN' five years to the day of that European final success.

"You could see the opposition's concern, because they had to fully focus and didn't know where to concentrate most. 

"We attacked at every possible chance, we were dangerous and deep and had everything. It was a joy to play with them.

"We were very strong and got stronger with time. We reached the final at our peak and I remember how we felt.

"We said that we didn't want the season to end because we wanted to keep playing. There was a strong sense of superiority that kept us wanting to play.

"[The key was] how the players mixed together and how hungry the new players were. All of that was coupled with a great coach who knew the finer details and how to handle everything.

"It was an impressive season and I still remember it all today: what happened before the final, the game, the goal, the post-match - it was unforgettable. That final will always be engraved in my mind."

Barca, two points clear of rivals Real Madrid, are poised to resume their La Liga campaign away to Real Mallorca on June 13.

While the 2019-20 season will have an unusual feel once it restarts due to the impact of the coronavirus crisis, Rakitic hopes it can prove to be a successful one for the club.

"It will be different for everyone," he said. "There's a clear before and after with the virus. 

"We have come through a hard time, everyone worked at home and now the games will be behind closed doors, so everything will be different."

Asked if Barca could win the Champions League for the first time since that 2015 success, Rakitic added: "We want to improve a lot of things because we know that we need to. 

"There's a fantastic atmosphere in the dressing room and we have clear objectives.

"Hopefully we'll end August with both trophies [La Liga and the Champions League], we are working for that and I think it is possible. 

"We want it. We will have to be prepared and see how the competition is formatted, but we have an opportunity that we want to take advantage of."

Michael Ballack believes that Timo Werner's prospective move to Chelsea could work out fantastically for both sides, although he warned that the striker would need time to settle in the Premier League. 

Goal revealed on Friday that the Blues have struck a deal to meet the estimated £54 million (€60m/$68m) release clause that ties Werner to RB Leipzig. 

Chelsea have now offered the 24-year-old forward a contract worth £9m ($11m) per season and are the hot favourites to seal his signature this summer, even if Leipzig managing director Oliver Mintzlaff maintained on Saturday that no such bid had yet been received by the Bundesliga side.

Ballack is no stranger to life at Stamford Bridge having spent no less than four seasons with the club, winning the Premier League in 2009-10; and he has backed his compatriot to make a success of the mooted transfer. 

"I think it's a good decision for both sides. For Timo, because he fits there, because the way [Chelsea] play football suits him," the former Germany midfielder explained to Sky.

"I think that in Chelsea he has decided on a club where he has a better chance of playing, which is very important to him.

 "The team will be renewed, it will certainly be strengthened and a lot of money will be spent in Chelsea to knock again at the top. A good young team is being built there, which is very promising."

Werner has helped himself to 25 Bundesliga goals this term, a record that has made him one of the German top flight's hottest properties. 

But while Ballack expects big things of the striker, he admitted that the added physicality of the Premier League would require no little adaptation.

"That is the biggest difference in England that there is less whistling (from referees), especially for strikers," he added.

"It is much more intense, with a lot more duels. He has to get used to it quickly because that's the point.

"He is a robust player, is very fast, but he is also physically good in a duel and he will quickly get used to it."

Nicolas Anelka believes Paris Saint-Germain allowing Edinson Cavani to join another club next season would be a "very big mistake".

After moving to Paris in 2013 from Napoli, the 33-year-old has fallen down the pecking order under Thomas Tuchel with his contract due to expire at season's end. 

PSG's recent purchase of Mauro Icardi would seem to suggest Cavani, who has been linked with interest from Inter and Atletico Madrid, won't be staying in Paris. 

Cavani's departure could however come back to haunt PSG, according to Anelka, who himself began his career at the club. 

"To let Cavani go would be a very big mistake," Anelka said during a fan interview on Instagram. "He remains a No.9 as there is no more. He has a lot of trash [in his game], but he makes crazy plays and he scores. He will serve you no matter what.

"In Paris, you need competition. He is a super striker that you risk giving to a competitor because he will necessarily go to another big club. And when he plays against PSG, he will score for sure. And this is where they will have great regrets."

Tuchel's side were handed the Ligue 1 title this season after the campaign was called off due to the coronavirus. 

While PSG are regularly succeeding domestically, continental success continues to allude them, with Anelka suggesting their lack of serious competition in Ligue 1 hasn't helped. 

"PSG today is a great team. With the players they have, they are good enough to win the Champions League. They will end up doing it," Anelka added.

"The only problem is the weak competition that exists in Ligue 1. To be champion of France is good, but to progress on a European scale, they need difficult matches regularly.

"I hope that Marseille will soon be bought by a wealthy Gulf businessman so that they have real adversity in Ligue 1."

Speaking about his future last month, Cavani stressed he's hoping to dictate the final stages of his playing career and not the other way around. 

"My career will last for maybe several years still, here or elsewhere, I don't know," Cavani said in May. 

"I've spoken about it a lot with my entourage. I've always said that I would like to quit football rather than football quitting on me.

"I'd really like to finish having given everything. To get to that point where I'd say, 'Guys, this is the point where I have to go.' I don't want life to lead me to play when I wouldn't be capable of giving my best. The day will come where it will be obvious that the time's come to move on to something else."

Borussia Dortmund head coach Lucien Favre highlighted the importance of Manchester United target Jadon Sancho following the team's 1-0 Bundesliga victory over Hertha Berlin.

After the German Football League (DFL) fined Sancho this week for violating social-distancing protocols following a haircut at home without wearing a face mask, the England star helped Dortmund past Hertha on Saturday.

Emre Can, who urged Dortmund team-mate Sancho to "grow up" and improve his discipline post-game, scored the winning goal at Signal Iduna Park.

Sancho continues to be linked with Premier League giants United and Liverpool, and Dortmund boss Favre praised the 20-year-old attacker.

"It's important that he's here. I know Jadon very well. He was injured for a long time," Favre said of Sancho, who scored a hat-trick against Paderborn last week.

"He couldn't train with the team for three or four weeks. We should be patient with him. He's back now."

Can's 57th-minute goal proved decisive as Dortmund strengthened their grip on second place in the Bundesliga with their latest win.

Dortmund – who are seven points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich – moved four points clear of third-placed RB Leipzig and seven ahead of Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League race with four games remaining.

"It's very good that we won today," Favre said. "We now have a seven-point lead ahead of two teams.

"But it doesn't matter. We want to keep going like this. We've got four games left. We'll go at it game by game. We want to do our best."

Favre added: "We created chances without a real centre-forward. That is the most important thing for us and for me. For example, our goal: it's a good pass from Sancho, [Julian] Brandt plays a fantastic ball on, the ball comes to Emre Can, and he scores the goal.

"We created more chances before and after that and could have won more than 1-0. But Hertha also made it difficult for us – they had a good team on the pitch. But in the end, we won."

Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Clinton N'Jie has confirmed interest from the Premier League but says he is doing "well" at his current Russian club Dynamo Moscow where he is focused on completing the current season.

The 26-year-old spent the 2015/16 season at Spurs but his game time was limited by injuries, before joining Olympique Marseille from where he went to Russia in July 2019 after three seasons at the Stade Velodrome.

Despite making 15 league appearances for Dynamo Moscow so far this season and scoring one goal, N'Jie admits that he has been approached by clubs from "everywhere" including England.

"Right now I'm in Moscow. We haven't finished yet. We still have eight matches to play," N'Jie told Radio Sport Info.

"Then I have a contract that spans three years. Then this is football where everything can change very quickly. It is true that I have received offers from everywhere and even from England. However, I am well at Dynamo Moscow and I am focused on finishing my season. I hope I can give a little more in football here."

Turning to his international career, the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) winner appears unsure of what the future holds.

N'Jie last turned out for Cameroon at the 2019 Afcon finals under Clarence Seedorf. But the arrival of new coach Toni Conceicao in September 2019 saw the forward missing out on three games taken charge by the Portuguese so far.

"Not really [in contact with Conceicao]. With what's going on in the world today we don't have enough information regarding the selection. But apparently, there are meetings scheduled in the coming days. We will know a little more about Afcon qualifiers. We wait," said N'Jie.

The former Olympique Lyon star shares his experience of a game in Cameroon colours when he struck a brace in the 4-1 win over Ivory Coast in a 2015 Afcon qualifier in Yaounde.

"It was the first time my mother watched me play live inside a football stadium. The other day, I posted this video [of the match] on Instagram. Memory! And I know that many people remember this famous day. Here I think it remains the most beautiful memory with the Cameroonian team," N'Jie said.

Liverpool will not just win the Premier League title in 2020, they will do so “in style”, says Gerard Houllier, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson helping to lift the club to impressive heights.

The Reds came agonisingly close to ending their long wait for English top-flight supremacy in 2019, only to see Manchester City pip them to the post by a solitary point.

Rather than wallow in the pain of that setback, Jurgen Klopp’s side responded in style by capturing a Champions League crown that has opened the trophy floodgates at Anfield.

Just two wins are required by a record-breaking outfit when football resumes amid the coronavirus pandemic to get their hands on another piece of silverware, with Houllier delighted for a club that he once pushed into contention for major honours but was unable to get over a Premier League line.

The former Reds boss told The Mirror: “The DNA of Liverpool is silverware. To get the title it is a special reward for everyone.

“It has been a long wait of 30 years. It is a title which is a reward to the fans for their loyalty and what they have gone through.

“It rewards all the Liverpool supporters all around the world. It is a title which rewards the players and their staff.

“Not only will they win it, but they will do it in style with a 25-point lead at the moment which has never been seen before.

“In my time we were lucky to have six trophies.

“But Jurgen Klopp won the Champions League last season then the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and now this. It is just a shame to me Liverpool fans won’t be able to experience it at Anfield.

“The fans I hope will be disciplined enough to wait until better times to celebrate the title. I hope to be there then too, but we don’t know yet when they are going to be crowned.”

Liverpool have seen key men on and off the field make important contributions in their recent successes, but Houllier believes two players in particular stand out above the rest – with Klopp having found significant value in the transfer market.

“He bought two players who made a huge difference – [Virgil] van Dijk and Alisson,” added the Frenchman.

“He spotted the weak points of the team and if you look at the results since Van Dijk and Alisson have been there it is phenomenal.

“Even last year I would say they nearly deserved to win the title as well. They had one defeat in 38 games and had 97 points.

“It was just because Manchester City were outstanding as well and had one more point.

“You have to give credit, which Jurgen did, to Manchester City who were phenomenal. City also won the title the year before with 100 points.

“Then the following season to have 98, that is tremendous and you have to acknowledge that.”