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Love him or loathe him, there is simply no denying that Jose Mourinho is pure cinema.

Whether it’s running down the touchline to celebrate goals, shushing opposition fans, throwing water bottles, or even appearing in one of Stormzy’s music videos, there’s rarely a dull moment when the Portuguese icon is around.

During his glistening career, which has seen him win 26 major honours across spells in England, Spain, Italy and Portugal, Mourinho has also never been shy with words, even if he claims to “prefer not to speak”.

Here, we have listed some of the Special One’s best quotes.

The 10 worst Chelsea transfer signings under Jose Mourinho – ranked

Football FanCast takes a look at Jose Mourinho’s worst signings during his two Chelsea spells.

By
Alex Roberts

Dec 15, 2023

1

"I'm a special one."

After arriving at Chelsea in 2004 after leading Porto to an unexpected Champions League triumph, it didn’t take Mourinho long to make an impression on the media.

“Please don’t call me arrogant because what I am saying is true, I’m a European champion. I think I’m a special one,” he said in his first press conference as Blues boss.

While, if you listen closely, Mourinho actually called himself “a special one,” not “the special one” – the latter has been his moniker ever since.

2

"If I speak, I am in big trouble."

In 2014, during his second spell at Chelsea, Mourinho was left seething after his side suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, in which two of his players were sent off.

Asked about the red cards after the game by Sky Sports, Mourinho responded with what has since become one of modern football’s most ineradicable quotes.

“I prefer really not to speak. If I speak, I am in big trouble, in big trouble, and I don’t want to be in big trouble,” he said. “I prefer not to speak, If I speak I am accused of bringing the game into disrepute, because the referees do what they do, they do and they go home, they do and they don’t go to the press.”

3

"A specialist in failure."

Mourinho enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Arsene Wenger during their time together in the Premier League, with the pair often exchanging verbal blows – and on occasion, pushes – during and after games.

So, in 2014, when Wenger claimed that other Premier League managers were playing down their title chances because they “fear to fail”, Mourinho took it personally.

Responding to the Frenchman, who had not won a major trophy for over eight years, he said: “He is a specialist in failure. I am not. If he is right and I am afraid of failure, it’s because I don’t fail many times. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I’m not used to failing.

“The reality is that he is a specialist because eight years without a piece of silverware – that’s failure.”

​​​​​​​

4

"Omelettes and eggs"

Mourinho was used to having a lot of money to spend during his first spell at Chelsea, so when he was afforded just £17 million to bring in Florent Malouda and Juliano Belletti in the summer of 2007, he was less than happy – especially after his side endured a poor start to the campaign.

Addressing the situation ahead of a visit to Rosenborg in the Champions League, Mourinho told reporters: “It is omelettes and eggs. No eggs – no omelettes!

“It depends on the quality of the eggs. In the supermarket, you have class one, two or class three eggs and some are more expensive than others and some give you better omelettes,” he said. “So when the class one eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there, you have a problem.”

Three days later, after Chelsea drew against Rosenborg, Mourinho ended up with egg on his face when he was sacked.

5

"London is safe"

Nobody is safe from Mourinho’s quips, not even the British police. In 2007, police tried to quarantine the Chelsea manager’s Yorkshire Terrier, believing it had entered the country without the proper vaccinations. The dog subsequently went missing.

As a result, Mourinho was arrested and received a caution for obstructing police. Fortunately, he saw the funny side, telling the press: “My wife is in Portugal with the dog. The dog is with my wife, so the city of London is safe, the big threat is away.”

Mourinho later admitted that he put the dog in a backpack, snuck out of a window and took it to a friend’s house.

6

"Melons"

Mourinho may see his senior players as eggs, but his younger players are like… melons.

“Young players are a little bit like melons. Only when you open and taste the melon are you 100 per cent sure that the melon is good,” he said in 2007.

“Sometimes you have beautiful melons but they don’t taste very good and some other melons are a bit ugly and when you open them, the taste is fantastic.” Makes total sense, Jose.

7

"They are not champions."

In 2015, shortly after Mourinho had guided Chelsea to their first Premier League title since 2010, the Blues boss delivered a hilarious speech at the club’s end-of-season awards dinner.

In it, he claimed that his side were not shown the “respect they deserved” for winning the title, and took aim at rivals Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United with what he called a work of “fiction”.

“This is a game with two goals, but there is one team that like to play without the ball,” Mourinho said. “That team plays really well and the ball goes and goes and goes and the quality of the ball possession is good, but they don’t score. No points.”

He went on: “They asked the FIFA committee if they can win like this but they’re told it’s not possible. That the bigger possession is not essential to win matches and they are not champions.”

8

"The story of a donkey"

Mourinho’s first-ever role as head coach was for Benfica way back in 2000, when he was appointed as the replacement for Jupp Heynckes.

At the time, Benfica’s board suggested Mourinho should take on Alverca head coach Jesualdo Ferreira as his assistant, having known each other from their time together at the Lisbon Superior Institute for Physical Education in the 1980s.

Mourinho had other ideas, however, and instead appointed former Benfica player Carlos Mozer.

As if that wasn’t enough, five years later after he had won the Champions League with Porto, Mourinho took aim at Ferreira in a weekly column for Portuguese magazine Record Dez, after his Sporting Braga side had just lost the top spot in the Portuguese league.

“The one with 30 years has never won anything; the one with three years has won a lot,” he wrote. “The one who has coached for 30 years has an enormous career; the one with three years has a small career.”

He added: “The one with a 30-year career will be forgotten when he ends it; the one with three could end it right now and he could never be erased from history. This could be the story of a donkey who worked for 30 years but never became a horse.” The two, understandably, have been bitter rivals since.

9

"He must think I’m a great guy"

If you hadn’t guessed by now, Mourinho has been known to toot his own horn from time to time.

The biggest of those toots came in 2011 during an appearance on Spanish radio when he was asked what he thinks God would think of him.

“He must think I’m a great guy, he must think that because otherwise, he would not have given me so much,” he said. “He must have a very high opinion of me.” You forgot to mention how smart, handsome and charming he made you, too, Jose.

Fleming is now the head coach at all three CSK teams, in the IPL, at the SA20, and at the MLC

ESPNcricinfo staff and PTI22-Mar-2023Stephen Fleming will be the head coach of Dallas-based Major League Cricket (MLC) team Texas Super Kings (TSK), who have a partnership with IPL side Chennai Super Kings.Fleming has been the long-serving head coach at CSK, and has guided the team to four IPL titles. He was also the head coach at Joburg Super Kings, a team owned by the same owners as CSK, for the inaugural season of the SA20 league in South Africa.Super Kings joined Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians to make it four out of six MLC teams to have owners connected with the IPL – the tournament is scheduled to begin on July 13.Related

• What is a local cricketer in the MLC?

• MLC start under threat after dispute between organisers and USA Cricket

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• Finch first overseas signing, named SF Unicorns captain

• Hales hopeful of featuring in MLC amid NOC doubts

The six MLC teams are San Francisco Unicorns, Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings and Washington DC. Capitals, co-owned by GMR Group, are partnering with Seattle Orcas.All six MLC teams completed the domestic player draft at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they selected nine players each from more than 100 eligible to represent the “US cricket community”. The rest of the players are going to be filled later.”Cricket is the second-most popular sport in the world with a global fan base of around 2.5 billion followers, but there has not been an opportunity for the sport to grow in the US,” Anurag Jain, co-owner of TSK, said. “We look forward to having a professional team in Texas for the passionate local cricket community to root for and to introduce the sport to new fans across the country.”

Going into the fourth Test, it’s pretty clear where the urn’s headed

Andy Zaltzman05-Aug-20151. Momentum
After the second day at Edgbaston, England had all the momentum. As the series had shown, this is an extremely vulnerable position for a team to be in. England left Cardiff after a near-perfect team performance with too much momentum. The momentum swang a full 360 and knocked them spark out at Lord’s, whereupon Australia’s counter-momentum back-swang a double-loopie-loop (a technical sports science term), and cleaned them up on the 720-degree reverse slap-round (apologies once again for the necessary use of sports jargon, which only highly qualified experts are able to comprehend).On the third morning, therefore, England cleverly let Australia’s tail-end make a bit of a game of it, then lost a couple of wickets, and chased their target down without too much flourish. They were clearly aiming to decelerate the pendulovelocity of the momentum swingabola down to around the 540-degree mark, to ensure that it would follow through to defeat Australia down in Nottingham with a one-and-a-half somersault clonk-down.Michael Clarke’s clever drop of Ian Bell, at a moment when the departure of England’s No. 3 might have prompted some jitteriness, albeit without the real prospect of Australian victory, astutely tried to un-decelerate the momentum back up to the critical 720-ish range. We will know on Thursday which way the momentum has chosen to go – contrary to widely held belief, it is a flighty little beast with a mind of its own – but rest assured, it could mean that one or both of England and Australia have a distinct advantage.2. The first innings
If these two teams ever conspire to play well in the same match, it could be an all-time classic. In fact, if they manage to play badly in the same match, it could be just as much of an all-time classic. As it is, we have seen a series that has been both compelling and curiously unsatisfying, marked by decisive outbreaks of excellence, and equally decisive outbreaks of rubbishness, as the teams have pitted strength against weakness, and weakness against strength.Only four times in the last 25 Ashes Tests has the first-innings difference between the two sides been less than 100 runs. (This sequence goes back to the MCG Test of 2006-07. The four matches with a sub-100 first-innings lead/deficit: Perth in 2010-11, when Australia led by 81 in a low-scoring game; the Trent Bridge and Durham thrillers in 2013; and the MCG in 2013-14, when an already thrashed England took an illusory 51-run first-innings lead, added 65 before losing their first wicket, and then subsided like an embarrassed soufflé). The average first-innings lead/deficit in those 25 Tests has been 197.By comparison, five of the previous nine Ashes Tests had produced a first-innings difference of under 40 runs, and 155 Ashes Tests from 1950-51 up to Perth in 2006-07 had produced 37 games with a deficit of under 50 runs, and 26 more with a difference of less than 100 (40% of the matches). The average first-innings difference was 138, so close first innings have been the exception rather than the norm, but the recent drought is still marked.Of course, many Tests with evenly matched first innings end up as one-sided powerhoofings, and many Tests with a large deficit turn out to be nail-biting, stomach-churning masterpieces; but this year, as in 2009, the closeness and unpredictability of the series has been in contrast to the lopsided narratives of the individual matches, whose destiny has essentially been all but fixed in the relatively early stages. As fictional TV detective whizz Columbo would no doubt testify, there can be excitement and satisfaction from watching a drama progress to an ending that has already been decided; there is also a reason why most TV detective shows do not reveal the result until right at the end.

The momentum swang a full 360 and knocked them spark out at Lord’s, whereupon Australia’s counter-momentum back-swang a double-loopie-loop (a technical sports science term), and cleaned them up on the 720-degree reverse slap-round

If England/Australia repeat their strength/weakness that was so potently on display at Lord’s/Edgbaston, then they will be well on the way to another vital defeat/victory (delete according to preference).3. Michael Clarke’s batting position
Where should Clarke bat in the remainder of the series? Would dropping down to No. 5, where he has had most success as a Test player, be a sign of weakness? Would staying at No. 4 be a sign of insanity? Is “on the beach” an option? The answers: (a) perhaps, but it might be very vocally suggested to be a sign of weakness, even if it isn’t, and could therefore become accepted as a sign of weakness, regardless of whether or not it actually is; (b) perhaps, but No. 5 has been a highly productive position in the Test batting order for many countries in recent years, so playing one of your best players at five could make sound run-making sense; (c) no, but it would be preferable to “on the plane”, where Clarke claimed he has been playing in the first three Tests. He could bat at four and succeed, or bat at five and fail. Or vice versa.The mantra “class is permanent, form is temporary” undoubtedly has an element of truth, without being an immutable law of science (hence the reason WG Grace no longer plays for England). But the facts remain that class players can have elongated stretches of poor form (as Ian Bell has proved over the last two years, and many before him, including Lara and Tendulkar), and even class players some day reach the end of the physical road. Whether or not Clarke has yet done so is open to question. Back injuries are notoriously unhelpful for batsmen. Whether he bats at four or five, he will remain a “class player”. But he could also remain horrifically out of form. Or score a century. This is clearly a potentially critical issue for both England and Australia.4. Key players missing
If Australia having been struggling without the self-admittedly effectively absent Michael Clarke, then they have been missing the actually absent Ryan Harris like a dolphin would miss its blowhole, or a unicyclist would his seat.England could find life similarly awkward without Jimmy Anderson. He has a mixed record against Australia, averaging close to 36, but has played a major role in several important victories in England’s victorious series (he took four of the top six in the decisive first innings at Lord’s in 2009; Ponting and Clarke in his first seven balls in Adelaide in 2010, and four more in the match; four in the first-day skittling at the MCG later that series, then seven in the match in Sydney; and, most significantly, five in each innings at Trent Bridge two years ago).His absence at Trent Bridge could be a vital boost for Australia. Or open the door for a replacement to have a Finn-like impact on the series.5. Brittle batting
It could all come down to which team is able to play an entire Test match, spanning as many as two innings, without at any point being skittled out in under 40 overs.Following England’s historically awful 37-over fourth-innings floundering at Lord’s, Australia’s 36.4 over capitulation at Edgbaston was the sixth swiftest dismissal of a team in the opening innings of an Ashes Test. (Since 1902, the only more rapid first-day disintegrations have been Australia’s Darren Gough-inspired 31.5-over subsidence on day one of the 1997 Ashes, and England’s woeful 33.5-over capitulation at Leeds in 2009.)One of the rules of Test cricket is “Do not get skittled out in under 40 overs.” The team that adheres to this rule will hold a decisive edge.Michael Clarke: aircraft connoisseur•Getty ImagesCONFECTIONERY STALL TRENT BRIDGE PREDICTION: I just don’t know any more. England, maybe?Wherever Clarke bats – he will be under equal pressure in either position – he is unlikely to match the spectacular batting-order migrations of one of his predecessors as Australia captain. On the 1956 Ashes tour Ian Johnson, an offspinning just-about-allrounder who began his Test career in the middle order but latterly batted mostly at 9 or 10, managed to bat in all seven positions from five down to 11 in just five Tests.He began the series at eight, batted at nine in the second Test, then 10 and seven in the third, and 11 and 10 in the fourth. Having amassed the scoreboard-shattering total of 39 runs at an average of 5.5, he then took the somewhat counter-intuitive step of promoting himself to No. 5 in the first innings of the final Test. Having evidently noticed the opportunity for a small piece of batting-order history, he then batted at six in the second innings. In all: 61 runs at 7.6. But what a journey. Add in six wickets at an average of just over 50 (four of them for 151 runs at Old Trafford, on the pitch where his England offspinning counterpart Jim Laker took 19 for 90 in the match), not to mention zero catches, and losing four tosses out of five, and it is clear that Johnson set a benchmark for “on the plane” captaincy even in the days before touring cricket teams travelled by air.Some Edgbaston stats● Steven Finn’s glorious return was a great story, a great personal triumph, and a great relief. He bowled like the bowler he looked like he had become when taking four in each innings against South Africa at Lord’s in 2012 (seven of his wickets were top-order batsmen). Edgbaston was his fifth Ashes Test. The previous four had been marked by both wickets and run-leaking, giving him Ashes career stats that are now a one-man incarnation of the spirit of 21st-century cricket – of the 116 bowlers with 20 or more Ashes wickets since the First World War, Finn currently has the best strike rate (40.9), the 50th best average (29.08) and the 116th best economy rate (4.26).● Anderson was the first England bowler to take six in the opening innings of an Ashes Test in this country since Peter Such’s debut 6 for 67 in 1993, and the first England seamer to do so since Richard Ellison’s 6 for 77, also at Edgbaston, in the fifth Test of 1985.● Ian Bell became the first England No. 3 to score two fifties in an Ashes Test since Robin Smith, at Trent Bridge, in 1993.● Stuart Broad batted for 50 balls in a Test innings for the first time since the Old Trafford Test in 2013, an innings of valuable and overdue restraint, and the first time he appears to have batted like a batsman for a considerable time.● This is the second successive Ashes in which David Warner has scored 50 or more in the second innings of the first three Tests. Previously, only Herbert Sutcliffe had done so, in 1924-25.● Currently, only one bowler in this series is conceding less than three runs per over – Adam Lyth. From his one over of niggardly Yorkshire-hewn neo-Illingworthian offspin.

Trevor Bayliss’ enlightened knowledge of the game coupled with his ability to make the players feel comfortable could take England out of the mire they have got themselves into

Daniel Brettig in Cardiff07-Jul-20155:51

Ashes Key Battles: Bayliss v Boof

Ask Darren Lehmann how Trevor Bayliss will fare as England coach, and he says all the right things: a good cricket man and a quality mentor who wants the game to be played the right way. Ask Lehmann about his memories of Bayliss the cricketer, and he breaks into a broad grin.”He used to whack ’em! He used to slog ’em at number three for New South Wales.”Lehmann bears no ill towards Bayliss for choosing to coach England, and so far nor do many of his countrymen. If there have been fewer raised Australian eyebrows about this appointment than some expected, it is largely because of satisfaction at how Bayliss’ old Sheffield Shield opponent Lehmann has done his job. There is also the fact that Bayliss has always kept a low profile, letting his work speak louder than his words.Certainly Lehmann’s cavalier batting tendencies were more widely known and celebrated, but there was scarcely less swash in Bayliss’ buckle, something he was able to demonstrate in 1989-90 as the unavailability of Steve Waugh on national duty gave him prime responsibility for the No. 3 spot.Walking to the wicket, the stocky and bespectacled Bayliss gave the appearance of a stodgy grafter. But his love for the game was evident in how he spent years driving the more than two-hour round trip from a job working on Navy armaments at Emu Plains to the SCG for practice as a fringe player, and in how he loved nothing more than to belt the ball. Teammates remember him hitting sixes inside out over cover when such a shot was unheard of.Bayliss was always moving the scoreboard along, buying time for Greg Matthews, Mike Whitney and others to bowl opponents out across the summer of 1989-90. He was also an outstanding cover fielder, often snaffling catches when most eyes had darted from ball and batsman to outfield or boundary. “If you wanted a job done,” says his former state captain Geoff Lawson, “you put Trevor there.”While Lehmann got in first for South Australia, soaring to an innings of 228 against NSW in Adelaide that made national headlines and helped catapult him into Test 12th man duty in January, Bayliss chose his moment in the return match. A run-a-ball 59 set the Blues on the path to a victory that helped push them into the Shield final – the “slog ’em at No. 3″ innings Lehmann remembers.An aggregate of 992 runs was second only to Mark Waugh among the NSW XI, and Bayliss earned the players’ Player of the Year award. His spoils were a week’s holiday for two at Opal Cove Resort at Coffs Harbour, flying Ansett. It was a simpler time, but an influential one for Bayliss, who has never forgotten the importance of building strong relationships within teams.Where Lehmann was heavily influenced by the freewheeling ways of David Hookes, Bayliss was immersed in the value of positive thinking and aggressive play through the liberated approach favoured by the NSW captain Lawson and the coach Steve Rixon. At the time, both South Australia and NSW favoured styles of play somewhat at odds with the more measured, calculated ways of a national team led by Allan Border and ruled by Bob Simpson.Lawson and Simpson often disagreed, as did Hookes and Simpson, and it was the path of the aggressor that both Lehmann and Bayliss chose to carry with them into coaching. At the same time Border’s Australians were laying waste to England on the 1989 Ashes tour, Bayliss was based in Glasgow, playing league cricket for West of Scotland CC and filling the considerable shoes of Clive Rice. It was perhaps the germination of his globetrotting ways.”It’s the first time I’ve been over here,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald that year. “I’ve got my wife here and I’ve got a car and we look around when I’m not doing any coaching at Glasgow High School. The club expects the pro to be the best player on the team … the pressure is on me a bit. But I’m not doing too badly. I’m averaging 150 after six or seven bats and have 18 wickets. I run the practices and do extra practices with the younger players if they need or want it.”The habit stuck. After his playing career fizzled out in the mid-1990s, Bayliss coached NSW junior teams, where he mentored Michael Clarke among others, before taking on the state coaching job. Quickly he showed himself to be a softly-spoken but firm mentor, always preferring quiet counsel to histrionics. As common to his teams as regular trophies is a lack of internal strife.Among his dictums for NSW was to insist that when on tour, all players met in the hotel bar at 7 pm each night and stayed long enough for a drink and shared chat. Other plans were fine, so long as they were scheduled for later. This simple measure meant no player would feel isolated away from home and hearth, while rapport had a chance to build. England’s players can expect similar instructions.”He takes a lot of the anxiety out of a change room and gets guys to enjoy the game for what it is,” says Brad Haddin, who was state captain for much of Bayliss’ first stint with the Blues. “He’s been great for my cricket. He’s been one of the guys that helped me get to where I am now. I think he’s a really good appointment for England.”After four years with Sri Lanka, where Bayliss and Paul Farbrace built the fruitful working partnership they have now rekindled with England, a return to the NSW job was initially denied to him. Instead he was left to coach the Sydney Sixers, where a young Steven Smith was emerging as a batsman and leader. Remembering how their axis developed, Smith remembers Bayliss being strong in maintaining that captains, not coaches, run a cricket team.”He never gives any specific instruction,” Smith says. “I think he realises it’s the captain’s job and it’s up to the captain to make the ultimate decision. However he is very good to talk to about the game, he understands the game really well.”He talks about it non-stop, whether you’re out having dinner or a beer at the bar or anything like that, he’s talking about the game of cricket, and that’s great for learning, particularly as a young player. He’s been very successful wherever he’s coached, whether it be IPL or back at NSW and the Sixers. He understands what a good environment’s all about, what a good cricket team’s all about.”Much like the former NSW administration, England were slow to realise Bayliss’ value, declining to choose him over Peter Moores in 2014. Andrew Strauss proved to be sharper in his analysis than Paul Downton had been, ultimately presenting Bayliss with the “offer he couldn’t refuse” and coaxing his man to the ECB. Lawson reckons that Bayliss will hasten slowly, ensuring he has built constructive relationships before enacting major change.Anthem time at Cardiff will doubtless be the source of mixed feelings, but Australians seem comfortable that an avowed lover of the game is ensuring its virtues are propagated abroad. In 2005, when the Tasmanian Troy Cooley was England’s Ashes-winning bowling coach, not only had Australia let a countryman slip through the net, but the equivalent role did not even exist with the baggy greens. No such oversight exists this time.Should Bayliss’ simple methods reap success this summer, a few more hackles will of course be raised. Lehmann might not grin quite so much at the memory of a blue-capped slugger, either.

Traditionally, football rivalries are based on proximity.

For example, just four miles separates the respective homes of Manchester United and Manchester City, while the venues of the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton are just 0.8 miles apart across Stanley Park.

However, not all rivalries are built on local bragging rights. Whether due to a bizarre one-off incident, significant periods of shared domestic dominance, or even the demise of a club, these are the six biggest non-local rivalries in English football today.

The 9 best derby matches in UK football – ranked

They are some of the most heated matches on the calendar, but which are the best?

By
Ross Kilvington

Nov 8, 2024

6

Liverpool v Manchester City

The rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool is a relatively new one, having only come to fruition in the mid-2010s as the two clubs, under the respective guidance of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp – who briefly held a rivalry in Germany with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund – began to dominate English football.

Since 2017/18, one of the two teams has won every Premier League title, three out of seven FA Cups and six out of seven EFL Cups, while between them, they’ve also set six of the eight highest top-flight points totals since 1995.

The best points totals in Premier League history

No room for the Invincibles here…

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 2, 2024

There have been some feisty moments between them, including when Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez and Guardiola got into a war of words after a hard-fought 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium last year, but more than anything, this rivalry is known for its sheer quality.

“Liverpool versus Manchester City has become the greatest, most intense and highest-quality rivalry in English football history,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said back in 2022. “There is a uniqueness to it. This is the first time the two best teams in England are the two best teams in the world, led by the two greatest coaches of their generation.”

Ahead of Guardiola and Klopp’s final meeting in the Premier League last season, the Spanish coach said of his German counterpart: “Jurgen, as a manager, has been the biggest rival I’ve ever had in my career.

“I will remember my period here, when I’m retired watching and playing golf, I’ll remember my biggest rival was Liverpool, for sure.”

5

Leeds United v Manchester United

The Red Devils’ rivalry with Leeds United predates even their rivalry with Liverpool. In fact, to get to its roots, you’d have to go back over 500 years to the War of the Roses – a series of conflicts in a long-lasting civil war between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, which ended with the extinction of both and the birth of the Tudor dynasty.

Once that was done, the rivalry between the cities of Manchester and Leeds continued through the Industrial Revolution, as both competed for trade.

On the football pitch, however, things didn’t really start to get personal between United and Leeds until the 1965 FA Cup semi-final, which ended in a punch-up between United’s Denis Law and Leeds’ Jack Charlton. Though Leeds ended up winning the tie, United went on to clinch the First Division title by beating Leeds on goal average.

On the 78 occasions the two sides and their supporters have met since then, they’ve fought in a similarly bitter fashion.

4

Brighton v Crystal Palace

The London borough of Croydon, home to Crystal Palace, and the city of Brighton are some 41 miles apart, but that distance hasn’t stopped the two sides from disliking each other.

The rivalry began in the 1970s when Palace and Brighton began to play one another regularly, but reached a flashpoint in 1976 following a dramatic FA Cup tie, which was played at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, due to the first two games being drawn.

Palace won the game 1-0 after Brighton missed a penalty in the dying moments, and tensions boiled over at the final whistle when a Palace fan allegedly threw some tea at Brighton boss Alan Mullery. In response, Mullery infamously threw some coins at the ground in the direction of the fan and shouted: “That’s all Crystal Palace are worth!”

Since then, the two teams have met 46 more times – most recently in February 2024, when seven fans were arrested before the game, which Brighton won 4-1.

3

AFC Wimbledon v Milton Keynes Dons

The rivalry between AFC Wimbledon and MK Dons dates back to 2001, when Wimbledon’s board of directors made the controversial decision to relocate the club 56 miles away to Milton Keynes.

As a result, a number of disgruntled Dons fans formed a new club, AFC Wimbledon, in 2002. Wimbledon continued to play under the same name in Milton Keynes until 2003, when, shortly after going into administration, they were renamed MK Dons and given a new crest and kit.

The newly formed MK Dons initially claimed Wimbledon’s history, silverware and nickname, leading to further anger from AFC fans.

The silverware has since been returned to the London Borough of Merton, but the bitter rivalry between the two clubs, who both now play in League Two, remains.

Over the years, tempers have flared between both players and fans on numerous occasions, most recently in April of this year, when a mass brawl erupted at the final whistle. In the same game, Wimbledon midfielder Harry Pell kept also kicking balls at the MK Dons fans during the warm-up, which led to him being fined and banned by the FA.

2

Arsenal v Manchester United

Do Manchester United hate everyone? Or does everyone else hate Manchester United? Regardless, another of United’s non-local rivals are Arsenal, with whom they have endured (or enjoyed, depending on how you look at it) some fierce clashes over the years.

Between 1995/96 and 2003/04, United and Arsenal shared all nine Premier League titles on offer – United winning six, Arsenal three. They also finished behind one another in five of those years.

During that period, games between the two were often filled with heated exchanges, late challenges and plenty of drama, most notably in September 2003 at the “Battle of Old Trafford”, which saw the two sets of players involved in multiple mass melees, most notably at the final whistle when a posse of Arsenal players ran over to confront United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who earlier in the game was involved in the controversial sending-off of Patrick Vieira and had missed a last-minute penalty.

Arsenal and their players were later charged with improper conduct by the FA, who slapped the club with a record £175,000 fine.

The following meeting at Old Trafford wasn’t much smoother, with the Gunners’ unbeaten run coming to an end, controversial decisions made by referee Mike Riley and an infamous slice of pizza being thrown at Alex Ferguson in the tunnel post-match. This was – and is – a rivalry filled with genuine hatred.

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Liverpool v Manchester United

Manchester City might be Manchester United’s closest rival, but Liverpool are no doubt their biggest.

The rivalry between United and Liverpool can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution and the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894, which was built so that Manchester could avoid importing raw materials through the port of Liverpool and the hefty costs that came with it.

That initial commercial competition extended onto the football pitch that same year, with the two sides meeting 243 times since.

The rivalry between the two clubs really began to hot up in the 1960s when Bill Shankly and Sir Matt Busby’s sides traded league titles in four successive seasons, though it was Liverpool who went on to dominate the 70s and 80s, winning 11 league titles in 20 years as United faded.

However, come the era of the Premier League and the arrival of Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, the tables turned, with United entering a golden age and Liverpool falling from grace. To date, United have 20 league titles to Liverpool’s 19. In terms of the weight of history, this match-up has to top the lot.

Manchester United reportedly retain their transfer interest in RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons but must be ready to shell out a hefty fee.

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• Man Utd looking for a midfielder
• Have set their sights on Simons
• Leipzig set to demand a massive fee

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Simons initially moved to RB Leipzig on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, impressing with his skill and versatility. His performances convinced the German side to make the move permanent earlier this year, completing a €50 million (£42m/$55m) transfer.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to , Leipzig will demand at least €80m (£67m/$87m) for Simons if he chooses to leave this summer. The Bundesliga club intends to secure a major profit after acquiring him from PSG and will not consider offers below their valuation. Simons is under contract with Leipzig until 2027, but there is a growing belief that the club may be open to negotiations.

  Although Simons has faced a brief spell on the sidelines due to an ankle injury, his importance to Marco Rose’s squad remains undeniable. In 25 appearances this season, he has contributed eight goals and five assists, underlining his value in Leipzig’s attacking setup. Given his consistent performances and rising stock, Leipzig are in a strong bargaining position and will not be rushed into making a decision.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  United have been monitoring Simons’ progress since last summer, with their previous manager Erik ten Hag showing a keen interest in bringing him to Old Trafford. Despite a managerial change, with Ruben Amorim coming in, reports suggest that United still consider him a priority target as they prepare for a crucial squad rebuild. However, finances could pose a major hurdle in any potential deal. With the club already facing financial constraints, spending upwards of €80m on a single player may not align with their current budget.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  It has been earlier reported that Bayern Munich are also keeping a close eye on the situation, with reports suggesting they see him as a strong alternative to Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz. Meanwhile, Leipzig have made their stance clear – any club looking to sign the Dutch midfielder will need to meet their price tag.

Mooney, Lanning, Gardner, Brown, Jonassen put in crucial contributions as India fall just short

Firdose Moonda23-Feb-2023Australia have reached a seventh successive T20 World Cup final but not without an almighty fight from India, who came five runs short in a thrilling semi-final in Cape Town. The margin of defeat is four runs smaller than it was at the Commonwealth Games final last year, but that will be little consolation for India, who came agonisingly close while chasing 173.They were clumsy in the field, conceded at least 15 runs through overthrows and misfields and dropped two crucial catches – of Meg Lanning on 1 and Beth Mooney on 32 – and were equally nervy between the wickets. Two crucial run-outs dented their chase including that of Harmanpreet Kaur, which led to India’s slide.The India captain was ill on the eve of the match and briefly hospitalised with a fever but fronted up to lead her side and almost took them home. After a poor start which left India on 28 for 3 in the fourth over, Harmanpreet shared in a 69-run fourth-wicket stand with Jemimah Rodrigues and then brought up her first fifty of the tournament. She had barely celebrated it when her bat got stuck in the ground while sliding it for a second run and Alyssa Healy was quick to break the stumps, leaving India’s middle and lower order to get 40 runs off the last 32 balls.

Shafali Verma fumbles, then flounders, then finally holds on

Shafali Verma was responsible for the first misfield on a messy day for India, when she dived over the top of a Healy drive to allow what should have been a single turn into two in the first over. India let at least two more ones get doubled up on before they got their first wicket when Healy charged against Radha Yadav and was stumped to give them some joy.Radha should have had another in her next over when Mooney lofted a drive to Shafali at long-on. The ball came to her at waist height and should have been easily taken but she let it slip through her hands and bounce over the boundary. Mooney went on to hit three more fours before trying to cut a Shikha Pandey ball that was too close to her body and found Shafali again. She was stationed at point and made no mistake this time for the simple catch. She was clearly relieved and celebrated by banging the ball into the turf. Mooney was dismissed on 54, which meant Shafali’s miss cost India 22 runs.

Ashleigh Gardner’s late attack

After Healy and Mooney’s opening stand of 52, and Mooney and Lanning’s 36-run stand off 27 balls, Ashleigh Gardner arrived to put the finishing touches on an innings that was well set up. She found her first boundary with a clip off Sneh Rana in an over that cost 14 runs and then upped the ante for high-octane entry into the last five overs. Gardner slog swept Radha over midwicket, then lofted her between long-off and cover and then took back-to-back boundaries off Renuka Singh. She had plundered 28 runs off her first 14 balls and put Australia in a position to push for a total above 170. She was bowled by a Deepti Sharma yorker in the 18th over, and Australia still managed 30 runs in the last two overs to reach 172.Ashleigh Gardner’s cameo pushed Australia forward•ICC/Getty Images

Mayhem in the middle

India’s chase started in the worst possible way when Shafali was given out lbw as she missed a flick off Megan Schutt. She was hit above the knee roll and reviewed, with both height and the prospect of the ball missing leg stump on the cards, but was confirmed out on umpire’s call. Five balls later, a Gardner arm ball trapped Smriti Mandhana in her crease as she tried to defend and Australia reviewed on suspicion of pad first. They were right and India had lost their openers.But the worst came in the over after that when Yastika Bhatia, included in the side after last playing in India’s tournament opener, flicked Darcie Brown to Grace Harris at short midwicket and set off for a run even though Rodrigues didn’t move. By the time Bhatia turned to get back, Harris’ throw had already reached Healy, who had the time to run in and break the stumps. India were 28 for 3 in the fourth over.Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur took India close•AFP/Getty Images

Rodrigues rides the wave and Harmanpreet falls short

Rodrigues and Harmanpreet were not rattled by the early wickets and took charge of the innings for the next 6.4 overs. Harmanpreet showed few signs of being under the weather and Rodrigues displayed the confidence she showed against Pakistan. Harmanpreet struck India’s first six with a strong swing over long-on and Rodrigues turned it on with two gorgeous lofted off drives off Georgia Wareham. India were 93 for 3 after 10 overs, with the required run rate at eight an over and the pair were going smoothly.Rodrigues started the second half of the innings with another classic drive and then tried to get cute against a Brown short ball. She shaped up to ramp it over Healy’s head but got a thin edge and was caught behind to leave her captain to complete the chase. Harmanpreet got to her fifty off 32 balls and took India to within 40 runs of victory before she was run-out for the first time in nearly five years in T20Is, and India’s lower order couldn’t take them over the line.

Somerset’s Tom Abell also named for ODIs and T20Is, amid clash with PSL, Tests

Matt Roller02-Feb-2023Rehan Ahmed is set to make his England white-ball debut in Bangladesh next month.Rehan, the 18-year-old legspinner who took seven wickets on Test debut in Karachi in December – including a second-innings five-for – has been named in the ODI and T20I squads for the tour, England’s first to Bangladesh since 2016.Saqib Mahmood returns for the ODI series, nearly a year after his most recent international appearance. He missed the entirety of England’s 2022 home summer with a lower-back stress fracture. Mark Wood also returns after an extended break at the start of the year.Tom Abell, the inventive middle-order batter who captains Somerset, has also been named in both squads and could win his first England cap. Abell will captain England Lions in Sri Lanka this month and has benefited from the absence of several more established players due to a clash with the Pakistan Super League, including Alex Hales and Sam Billings. ESPNcricinfo understands that David Willey also opted out of the tour, in order to spend time with his family between the end of the SA20 and the start of his stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.The tour starts in Dhaka on March 1, the day after England’s second Test against New Zealand is due to end. As a result, there are no players involved in both the New Zealand tour and the ODI series – though ESPNcricinfo understands Will Jacks could be considered for the ODIs if he is left out of the second New Zealand Test.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Jacks and Ben Duckett will arrive from New Zealand ahead of the T20I series, while Chris Jordan will also fly out for the T20I leg of the tour. They replace Jason Roy, James Vince and Mahmood, who will leave the tour after the ODI series.Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone remain unavailable due to injury. Bairstow, speaking at the MCC’s Cowdrey Lecture on Wednesday night, said “things are tracking in the right direction” after his freakish golfing injury in September, which ruled him out of England’s winter. He is due to see a surgeon later this month and has no set return date. Like Livingstone, his Punjab Kings team-mate, he will hope to be fit enough to play in IPL 2023.Rehan’s inclusion gives him the opportunity to confirm his status as England’s long-term replacement for Adil Rashid, and to press his case for inclusion in squads for the ODI and T20 World Cups in 2023 and 2024. He has only played seven List A games but has played 50-over cricket for England Under-19s and England Lions, and already has extensive short-form experience with Leicestershire (in the Blast), Southern Brave (the Hundred) and Gulf Giants (ILT20).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The ODI leg of the tour is part of the ICC’s Super League, the qualification process for the 2023 World Cup, though both teams have already confirmed their spots. More pertinently, it is England’s final away series before the World Cup, and offers preparation in subcontinental conditions against a Bangladesh side who are unbeaten in their last seven home ODI series.ODI squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Tom Abell, Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark WoodT20I squad: Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan replace Saqib Mahmood, Jason Roy and James VinceFixtures: 1st ODI – March 1 (Dhaka), 2nd ODI – March 3 (Dhaka), 3rd ODI – March 6 (Chattogram), 1st T20I – March 9 (Chattogram), 2nd T20I – March 12 (Dhaka), 3rd T20I – March 14 (Dhaka).

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has hailed captain Bruno Fernandes and claimed that he 'deserves' to win titles.

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• Fernandes scores hat-trick against Sociedad
• Amorim claims he deserves titles
• Urges Red Devils to help him win silverware

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Fernandes has been one of the best players in the Premier League over the last decade, with the Manchester United star consistently delivering the goods for the Red Devils since his move to Old Trafford from Sporting CP. The Portuguese has scored 94 goals and provided 79 assists in 276 appearances, but with the team struggling for form, major titles have been a distant dream.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Fernandes has been in superb form this season as well, despite United's abysmal results. He scored a hat-trick in their 4-1 thrashing of Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday, after which Amorim claimed Fernandes 'deserves' to win titles and urged the Red Devils to help him lift silverware.

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  WHAT AMORIM SAID

  Speaking to the media, Amorim said: "We know that sometimes he is frustrated. We know he wants to win so bad so when things are not going well, he is changing position going after the ball.

  "Sometimes he needs to trust his teammate but when we need it, he is always there. He can bring the ball forward, he can score goals, he can defend. It is a perfect captain for our team and we need to help him win titles because he deserves all that."

• WHAT NEXT FOR FERNANDES?

  The United captain won his second trophy with the Red Devils last season in the form of the FA Cup, though his only hope of adding a winners' medal to his collection this term comes in the form of the Europa League. United have been pitted against Lyon in the quarter-finals.

England have been forced by the schedule to select a new-look side to face Ireland but the horror World Cup show would have demanded change in any event. ESPNcricinfo introduces those who aim to be part of the future

Andrew McGlashan07-May-2015James Vince (24, Hampshire, right-hand batsman)Though only 24, Vince has long-been tipped as an England batsman, with a cover drive and pull likened to Michael Vaughan. In his last two seasons he has averaged over 60 in the County Championship although he only has three List A hundreds from 80 matches. Captained England Lions in the one-day series against South Africa A, which the Lions won 3-1, and made 99 in the second match during a stand of 198 with Jason Roy. Is also Hampshire’s limited-overs captain for the 2015 season and could be an outside bet for the England job before the 2019 World Cup.Zafar Ansari (23, Surrey, left-hand batsman, left-arm spinner)Anyone who bowls passable spin has a chance of getting a look-in for England at the moment. Ansari’s left-armers are better than that and he was close to earning a spot in the Test squad to tour West Indies. He has spent considerable time on ECB spin-bowling programmes in recent winters but his first-class record in 2014 was five wickets at 47.50 – and he took just five wickets in four Royal London Cup matches – although did pass 1000 first-class runs. May struggle to get a game in damp Dublin conditions, especially now Adil Rashid has been drafted into the squad.Sam Billings (23, Kent, right-hand batsman, wicketkeeper)The most exciting of the uncapped players in the squad, the Kent wicketkeeper batsman has spoken about wanting to become England’s AB de Villiers. Confidence is no bad thing. He took the Royal London Cup by storm in 2014 with 458 runs at 114.50 and a strike-rate of 154.20. Those returns included a phenomenal unbeaten 135 off 58 balls against Somerset coming in at No. 7. Was promoted to England’s World Cup 30 when Craig Kieswetter withdrew and made two fifties in the one-day series against South Africa A. Will compete for a space in the ODI squads as a batsman alone.David Willey (25, Northamptonshire, left-hand batsman, left-arm fast-medium)A combative allrounder who has inherited the steely, competitive genes of his father, the former England allrounder Peter Willey, David would surely have already made his international debut if it had not been for a back injury which disrupted his 2014 season. He carried Northamptonshire to the T20 title in 2013 when he struck 60 off 27 balls then followed that with 4 for 9, which included a hat-trick. With England desperate to find a left-arm seamer who can justify a place Willey has the chance to tick a major box.Lewis Gregory (22, Somerset, right-hand batsman, right-arm fast-medium)Brought a new level of consistency in 2014 having been promoted to the new-ball role in the Championship, although was limited to nine matches by a hamstring injury, and also struck a maiden List A hundred with an unbeaten 105. Has made an impressive start to the 2015 season with 15 wickets in three Championship matches. Success on Taunton pitches as a seamer also gives a bowler kudos.Mark Wood (25, Durham, right-hand batsman, right-arm fast-medium)Has spent the last month in West Indies as part of the Test squad but could not force his way through the safety-first selection policy. Has a reputation as one of the quickest bowlers on the domestic circuit and also one of the better exponents of reverse swing – probably not a factor against Ireland if Friday’s weather forecast is any guide. Has previously revealed that he has an imaginary horse he brings out when bored in the field.Jason Roy (24, Surrey, right-hand batsman)Not uncapped at international level, Roy made his England debut in the T20 against India, at Edgbaston, last season but if selected against Ireland it will be his first ODI. There is a clamour for him and Alex Hales to be England’s full-time opener pair, given time to build a partnership together without fear of being dropped with each failure along the way. Was England Lions’ leading run-scorer in the win over South Africa A which included an innings of 141 – a List A career-best.