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      Juventus 0 Monza 2: Crisis club Juve fall to 13TH in table with shock defeat to newly-promoted minnows

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      JUVENTUS suffered another blow in their bid for Champions League qualification as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat at home to Monza on Sunday.Juventus are languishing in 13th in the Seria A table with 23 points, two places behind Monza.
      Juventus suffered an embarrassing 2-0 home defeat to MonzaCredit: Rex
      The minnows completed a league double over Juve on their Serie A debutCredit: Rex
      Paul Pogba made his return to the squad but was an unused subCredit: Getty
      Massimiliano Allegri’s side have not been able to recover momentum after being docked 15 points this month following an investigation into the club’s transfer dealings.
      Juventus had won eight league games on the bounce either side of the World Cup to get themselves back into contention for a top four finish and perhaps even a late title push.
      But the deduction, coupled with a three-game winless run, leaves them 15 points behind AC Milan in the last Champions League qualification spot.
      And their season went from bad to worse as they lost at home for the first time since April against the minnows.
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      Remarkably, it was their second league defeat of the campaign to the Serie A debutants.
      Monza took the lead after 18 minutes when Jose Machin sent a well-timed through ball to Patrick Ciurria who shot high into the net.
      Dany Mota doubled Monza’s lead six minutes before half-time when he got the ball inside the box, rounded Wojciech Szczesny and slotted into the empty net.
      Juventus dominated the second half but were repeatedly denied by Monza keeper Michele Di Gregorio.
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      There was one positive for the Old Lady, who welcomed back Paul Pogba from injury.
      The midfielder didn’t get on the pitch but was back named in a matchday squad for the first time since Manchester United’s 4-0 defeat at Liverpool almost 10 months ago. More

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      AC Milan 2 Sassuolo 5: Serie A champs thumped in fiery game with ELEVEN yellow cards in blow to Champions League hopes

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      SERIE A champions AC Milan were thumped 5-2 in a fiery home game with Sassuolo that dealt their Champions League hopes a blow. Tempers flared in Milan with 11 yellow cards shown, seven to the hosts and four for the visitors.
      AC Milan were thumped 5-2 in a fiery home gameCredit: EPA
      The title holders are fourth in the league with 38 points, one ahead of Lazio and Roma, who play later on Sunday.
      Milan are still in a Champions League qualification spot but have a game in hand over their rivals.
      Meaning whoever wins between Lazio and Roma will leapfrog them while both have a better goal difference.
      Olivier Giroud thought he had given Milan the lead in the eighth minute, but his celebrations were cut short after being ruled offside by VAR.
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      Sassuolo’s first goal came against the run of play after 19 minutes when Domenico Berardi sent a cross into the box and an unmarked Gregoire Defrel tapped in.
      Davide Frattesi doubled the lead two minutes later when he hammered a low shot into the net.
      Giroud pulled one back for Milan in the 24th minute, heading Davide Calabria’s cross into the top corner, but Berardi quickly restored Sassuolo’s two-goal lead.
      Ante Rebic had a good chance to get a goal in first-half stoppage time, but Sassuolo keeper Andrea Consigli saved his volley.
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      Their woes continued in the second half when Armand Lauriente converted a penalty two minutes after the interval, and Matheus Henrique added the fifth 11 minutes from time.
      Milan had their second goal ruled offside by VAR in the 54th minute when a set piece found an unmarked Rebic inside the box, who tapped it in the net.
      Divock Origi grabbed Milan’s second goal with a well-placed strike from the edge of the box in the 81st minute.
      It leaves the Italian giants winless in four league matches, beaten in their last two.
      And they also came away with the unwanted record of conceding four goals in successive Serie A games for the first time in their history.
      AC Milan sunk to defeat against SassuoloCredit: Getty More

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      Chelsea boost with N’Golo Kante ‘set to return from injury before Champions League last 16 clash vs Borussia Dortmund’

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      N’GOLO KANTE is reportedly set to return from injury for Chelsea’s Champions League last-16 clash with Borussia Dortmund.The first leg of the Blues’ European tie will take place in Germany on February 15, before the return leg three weeks later on March 7.
      N’Golo Kante could return from injury as early as FebruaryCredit: AFP
      And Graham Potter’s men are hoping Kante could be available for the away leg, although the return fixture is more realistic.
      This is according to a report in L’Equipe, with Chelsea’s midfield currently decimated by injuries.
      Kante, 31, Denis Zakaria, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have all been plagued with fitness issues during the first half of the season.
      Meanwhile, Jorginho has been out of favour since Potter took over from Thomas Tuchel.
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      And while Enzo Fernandez was linked with a January move from Benfica, that transfer now seems highly unlikely this month.
      These selection problems have given Conor Gallagher an opportunity to start for Chelsea in recent weeks, although he has done little to establish himself as a long-term solution.
      Now, though, Kante is closing in on a return at a crucial point of the season.
      The France international has not featured since the Blues’ 2-2 draw with Tottenham at Stamford Bridge back in August.
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      But he could prove to be a key figure in Chelsea’s clash with Dortmund.
      And being crowned European champions may be the team’s best way of qualifying for the competition next season.
      Chelsea currently sit 10th in the Premier League table, 10 points adrift of Man Utd in fourth.
      Meanwhile, the Blues are hopeful they will tie Kante down to a new deal.
      The ex-Leicester midfielder is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
      But the West London outfit have “increasing confidence” around securing an extension. More

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      Harry Kane expects to begin talks over a new Spurs contract in coming months – and hopes Antonio Conte signs fresh terms

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      HARRY KANE expects to begin talks over a new contract in the coming months but maintains all his focus is on finally landing his first trophy this season.While the England captain, who equalled Jimmy Greaves’ Spurs record of 266 goals by scoring the winner against Fulham on Monday, hopes boss Antonio Conte signs fresh terms.
      Harry Kane celebrates after equalling Jimmy Greaves’ Spurs recordCredit: Reuters
      Kane is into the last 18 months of his present deal.
      Manchester United and Bayern Munich are among those who admire the 29-year-old, who would need to be convinced of Tottenham’s ambition if he is to renew.
      Asked about his contract situation, Kane replied: “I’m sure there will be conversations over the coming months.
      “But to be honest I’m just focused on this season and doing my best for the team.
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      “There’s still a lot to play for, trying to get in the Champions League, we have the FA Cup and the Champions League still to win. My focus is on that.
      “I know there’s going to be rumours, a lot of talk and speculation about my future but I’m just focused on what I can do.”
      Kane is a rarity in that he is a one-club man – if you discount loan spells earlier in his career.
      But despite hitting 266 goals in 415 games for his boyhood club, his trophy cabinet remains bare.
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      He pushed for a move to serial silverware-winners Manchester City in the summer of 2021 which did not come off.
      And now England’s joint-highest scorer must weigh up whether he wants to commit further to the club where he made his name and risk ending up potless.
      Yet when asked if he still wants to succeed with Spurs, his reply was unequivocal.
      Kane said: “Of course, I still want to win trophies for Tottenham Hotspur. 
      “That’s been my goal since I started playing first team football with them. It hasn’t happened.
      “I’ve been open about [how I feel about] that but I’ll continue to try to achieve that. 
      “We have a really good squad, a fantastic manager and there’s no reason why we still can’t be successful this season. We’ve just got to put everything we can into it and see where we are come May or June.”
      Spurs have had an up-and-down season both in terms of performances and results.
      Yet Monday’s 1-0 victory at Craven Cottage means they are only three points off the top four, are through the last 16 of the Champions League and have a winnable fourth-round FA Cup tie at Preston on Saturday.
      Conte’s future still very much hangs in the balance though, with his contract up at the end of the season.
      Tottenham have the option to extend it by an extra campaign, but would be unlikely to do so if they felt the Italian wanted out.
      Spurs’ win at Fulham moved them to within three points of the top fourCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Antonio Conte was delighted with his team’s victory at Craven CottageCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Some have suggested that Conte’s decision whether or not to sign a new deal could hinge on if Kane pens fresh terms – and vice versa.
      Quizzed over whether the manager committing his future would make a difference to his own, Kane replied: “I’m not going talk about the manager’s future. That’s down to him. 
      “I’m sure he’ll have conversations with the club and assess where we are as a team. 
      “He’s had a lot going on, on and off the pitch, so he probably needs time to assess it all. From my point of view, I really enjoy working with him and it would be fantastic if he did stay.”
      Conte held a team meeting in the week, having conceded 21 goals in their last ten league games.
      It was rewarded with a clean sheet and three points – while Tottenham’s team seemed to take on his advice of “getting nastier” with some full-blooded tackles.
      Kane added: “(Being nasty) comes in different ways. all fighting together, the clean sheets, grinding out those 1-0 wins, winning fouls at the end. 
      “We’re playing in a tough league so it’s about doing what we can. 
      “We don’t have to win every game two- or three-nil. One-nil is enough. 
      “We’re playing against a really good side last night away from home and I think we showed really good character to win.
      “We have meetings every week anyway but it was more just talking amongst all of us and voicing our opinions on getting back to keeping clean sheets, being strong, compact, fighting, digging deep if a fixture is like last night was.
      “There’s still a lot of games to play in the Premier League, we have an important FA Cup game at the weekend and the Champions League starts again in February. 
      “In football, things can turn around really quick and all of sudden you can be right in amongst two competitions and fighting for Champions League spots.
      “When we looked at where we were last year and managed to get in the Champions League, anything’s possible still.”
      Kane missed a chance to break Greaves’ record when Bernd Leno made a fantastic save from his header in the second half.
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      It is just a matter of time before he breaks it – and there is a good chance it happens at Deepdale on Saturday.
      Kane added: “I had a couple of chances there in the second half but I’ll be ready for the next game.” More

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      Mbappe scores FIVE in 7-0 win over non-league side whose captain is PSG Ultra who questioned whether to tackle Frenchman

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      KYLIAN MBAPPE scored FIVE goals in a 7-0 win against sixth tier French minnows Pays de Cassel, whose captain is a Paris Saint-Germain ultra who feared injuring the France star.Pays de Cassel, an amateur side from a village in French Flanders, near the Belgian border, won three ties against regional sides to earn the right to take on the Ligue 1 juggernauts.
      Kylian Mbappe scored five goals in PSG’s 7-0 win over Pays de CasselCredit: EPA
      Captain Alexis Zmijak is a PSG ultra and got Mbappe’s shirt at half-timeCredit: Twitter
      Club captain Alexis Zmijak was the man who secured his team a date with the dominant French champions, scoring the winner in the last round.
      But incredibly, Zmijak is a PSG ultra and leads the cheers for Christophe Galtier’s side at the Parc des Princes.
      He even admitted prior to the game that he was petrified to tackle PSG star man Mbappe, in case he injured the 23-year-old ahead of the club’s Champions League last-16 tie with Bayern Munich next month.
      He told Le Parisien: “If Mbappe goes through on goal, do I tackle him or not?
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      “Do I say to myself: ‘Wait, he has to play Bayern Munich in the Champions League soon’. I have no stress before this game.
      “We have nothing to lose, it’s the meeting of a lifetime for us. And for me, personally, it’s great to find myself in this situation.
      “I joined the CUP (Collectif Ultras Parisiens) two years ago. I wanted to be among the ultras, because for me, football is lived with passion.
      “I want to go all out, not just watch the game. When I go to the Parc, it’s not to go to the presidential gallery.”
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      And Mbappe’s health was never at risk… as centre-back Zmijak got nowhere near him for 90 minutes.
      Well, except for the half-time interval, when Zmijak’s hero handed him his shirt.
      Mbappe, who captained PSG for the first time, made it look easy as he netted a first-half hat-trick.
      Neymar got in on the act next, sending the Parisians in at the break 4-0 up.
      PSG added three more goals in the second half to run out 7-0 winners.
      Mbappe grabbed another two – a goal shy of a double hat-trick – and Carlos Soler got the other. More

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      Tottenham ‘keen on Maurizio Sarri as they consider replacing Antonio Conte with THIRD former Chelsea manager in 4 years’

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      TOTTENHAM are considering former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri as a potential replacement for Antonio Conte, reports say. The current Spurs boss has yet to sign a new deal with his contract set to run out at the end of the season.
      Maurizio Sarri is an experienced coach who came to prominence after his three impressive years at Napoli before a stint at ChelseaCredit: Getty
      Antonio Conte has been in charge of Spurs since November 2021Credit: Reuters
      Conte has appeared frustrated in recent press conferences amid Tottenham’s dodgy run of form in 2023.
      It is still not clear if the Italian intends to stay on for another season in North London.
      Now, Italian publication Il Messaggero report that the club already have a replacement in mind.
      Sarri, currently in charge of Lazio, is believed to be among the frontrunners to replace Conte.
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      The 64-year-old managed Chelsea in the 2018-19 season, having replaced Conte on that occasion at Stamford Bridge.
      He left after one campaign to take charge of Juventus where he would lead the club to their ninth Serie A title in the Covid-hit 2019-20 season.
      But he would be sacked just a month later after Juve were dumped out of the Champions League during the delayed knockout tournament in August.
      Sarri has bounced back since and is now leading a team Lazio who are fighting for a Champions League spot against Jose Mourinho’s Roma.
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      Both clubs have been helped by Juventus’ 15 point deduction which appears to have taken the Old Lady out of the running.
      If Tottenham were to move for the Italian, he would be the fourth ex-Chelsea boss who would take charge of the club in the last decade and the third since 2019.

      Along with Conte, Andre Villas Boas has also made the jump from Stamford Bridge to White Hart Lane in 2012.
      While Mourinho took charge of Chelsea twice before landing at Tottenham in 2019.
      Sarri had a mixed time at the Blues before being replaced by Frank Lampard.
      He led the club to a 3rd-place finish and won the Europa League during his one season in charge.
      That campaign also arguably saw Eden Hazard’s best season at Chelsea.
      But sizeable sections of the fanbase did not warm to Sarri and criticised the style of play and his use of N’Golo Kante in a more advanced midfield role. More

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      Antonio Conte slams Tottenham flops and claims his Spurs are defending like a relegation-calibre team after City shocker

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      ANTONIO CONTE warned Tottenham are defending like a team scrapping in the relegation zone right now.Spurs have shipped 21 goals in their last ten league games – including four in Thursday’s 4-2 defeat at Manchester City – and have conceded two or more in nine of those fixtures.
      Spurs’ bumpy form has put their hopes of a top four place in perilCredit: Getty
      It is proving to be their Achilles heel which is overshadowing the progress Conte feels the team is making at the other end of the pitch when taking on the bigger opponents.
      The Italian said: “The positive situation is I think we have improved a lot to face important opponents like Manchester City. 
      “On one side, we are doing progress. On the other, compared to last season, we are doing less. 
      “To concede 21 goals in the last ten games, this is usually for a team that fights in the relegation zone.
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      “To turn the season, we have to improve when conceding a goal easily. To concede at the moment at least two goals every game, we have to turn this into a positive.”
      Spurs have kept just five clean sheets in the league compared to 13 last season after Conte had arrived.
      The North Londoners have conceded 31 goals in total in the league, which is five and six more than Everton and West Ham respectively, both of whom are in the drop zone.
      Their form in the last five games is worse than relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest and Wolves.
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      Asked how he can solve his defensive problems, Conte replied: “I think we have to improve the spirit, the collaboration, the will, the desire, the feeling to suffer.
      “Maybe we have forgotten to suffer and to understand that if we want to win the game then maybe you have to stay there, to suffer like last season. 
      “You have to defend the result, the will and desire not to concede a goal.”
      The poor run in the last ten fixtures has left Spurs five points off the Champions League spots, having played a game more than fourth-placed Newcastle.
      While defeat to Fulham on Monday would see the in-form Cottagers leapfrog them in the table.
      Conte feels it will take another “miracle” to finish in the top four – which was how he described last season’s achievement of doing exactly that.
      But he added: “We want to be realistic but at the same time in myself I dream. 
      “I dream, I want to play Champions League. There are 18 games in the Premier League.”
      “There is another competition in the FA Cup and for sure in our mind we need to dream of something important.” More

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      Arsenal could clinch Champions League football in just seven games as stats show average points needed for Europe

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      ARSENAL could clinch Champions League qualification in just seven games, according to recent history.And another 39 points may well secure their first Premier League title since 2004.
      Bukayo Saka and Mikel Arteta are dreaming of Champions League footballCredit: PA

      The Gunners have enjoyed a stunning first half of the season, dropping just seven points from 18 matches.
      They sit top of the table with 15 wins, two draws and just one defeat.
      And ahead of facing Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday, Mikel Arteta knows his side are well on course for a successful season.
      In fact, the Gunners’ current record of 2.61 points per game would see the club finish on a whopping 99 points come the end of May.
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      But SunSport has crunched the numbers and worked out what is usually required for each significant place in the Premier League.
      We worked out how many points was enough to secure first, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and 17th – for the various European places and to avoid relegation – by taking the points tallies for the place below in each of the last season and adding one then averaging it out.
      So to finish top of the league, the winners needed one more point than second place – so 82 in 2017-18, 98 in 2018-19, 82 in 2019-20, 75 in 2020-21 and 93 in 2021-22.
      That averages out at requiring 86 to pip second place to top spot.
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      For fourth and Champions League qualification, the average points for fifth is 67 points over the last five years so 68 would guarantee a top-four finish.
      That is just 21 points more than Arsenal’s current total, meaning seven wins and 68 points could be wrapped up by early March, securing a first Champions League campaign for the Gunners since 2016-17.
      Lower down, 63 is statically on average enough for fifth and 59 for sixth to get into the Europa League.
      And 55 points – just eight more than Arsenal have after 18 games – works out as the benchmark to seal the final European spot in the Conference League.
      Arsenal, though, are already five points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand on the chasing pack.
      And last weekend’s North London derby win means they are 14 points clear of fifth-placed Spurs.
      At the other end of the table, 34 points tends to be enough to avoid relegation.
      However, just 29 was needed in 2020-21 but 36 was required last season.
      A whopping seven teams are still on 17 points or fewer this season – of those, only Leeds are yet to reach the midway mark of 19 games – so will be desperately hoping they can find some form in the second half of the season to ensure survival.
      The Gunners are well on track for a superb and successful seasonCredit: Getty
      Arsenal have not played in the Champions League since March 2017Credit: Getty Images – Getty More