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German football legend Lothar Matthaus has issued a stark warning to Xabi Alonso, suggesting that Real Madrid superstars Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior may struggle to adapt to his rigid tactical demands after years of "freedom" under Carlo Ancelotti. The Spanish side's recent struggles have sparked claims the coach could be sacked, with his damaged relationship with the Brazilian a major point of contention.

Alonso under pressure already

The atmosphere at the Bernabeu has shifted from expectant to anxious in the space of a few turbulent weeks. Following the departure of Ancelotti, who delivered three Champions League and two La Liga titles, Alonso arrived with a mandate to modernise the club's tactical identity.

Arriving from Bayer Leverkusen with an unbeaten legacy and a reputation for meticulous, system-based football, Alonso was seen as the natural heir to the throne. However, the transition has been far from seamless. With Los Blancos trailing in the Spanish league title race and facing a mounting injury crisis, questions are already being asked about whether the squad's individualists can function within Alonso's "machine".

Writing in his latest column for , Matthaus offered a forensic breakdown of the cultural clash currently taking place in the Spanish capital.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSuffocating the stars: Why Vini and Jude are struggling

The former Bayern Munich and Inter icon did not hold back in his assessment of the contrasting styles, pinpointing the loss of autonomy as a potential friction point for Madrid's most creative talents.

"He's a different kind of coach than Carlo Ancelotti," he wrote. "The Italian was more like a father figure, giving his players more freedom – especially on the pitch. Alonso, as everyone knew beforehand, values details like discipline, punctuality, and organization on the field. Under Ancelotti, Real Madrid relied more on the individual quality of its players. Alonso continues to give them freedom, but he also gives the stars more guidance on the pitch. Players like Jude Bellingham or Vinicius might not cope as well with that approach.

"For Alonso, the focus isn't on the individual player, but on the team. That worked well in Leverkusen. Florian Wirtz certainly had his freedom there. But Alonso expected all his players to contribute defensively. If a player doesn't like that, he'll have a hard time with the coach.

"You have to question yourself, you have to speak openly, you have to talk to each other. Ultimately, though, the coach decides how the team plays and who plays. And I'm convinced that Alonso is a good fit for Real Madrid, but in his own way."

The friction of transition

Under Ancelotti, Vinicius and Bellingham were the architects of their own destiny, often roaming from their positions to overload specific areas of the pitch based on instinct. It was a strategy of chaos that opposition defences found impossible to predict. Under Alonso, that chaos has been replaced by structure. While effective in the Bundesliga, the system places a heavy cognitive load on players who are used to playing on impulse.

The friction was evident during Sunday's disastrous 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo as frustration boiled over spectacularly, with the team picking up three red cards, including a dismissal for Brazilian prodigy Endrick from the bench, signalling a loss of emotional control that was rare under the previous regime.

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Getty Images SportA defensive crisis ahead of Man City showdown

To compound the tactical headaches, Alonso is currently navigating an injury crisis of biblical proportions. The loss of Eder Militao to a serious hamstring injury against Celta was the latest blow to a backline that has already been decimated.

With Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold and David Alaba all in the treatment room, and Ferland Mendy struggling for fitness, Alonso is trying to implement his complex high-line system with a defence held together by tape and prayers.

On Wednesday night, Madrid host Manchester City in the Champions League and the stakes are high. For Alonso, it is a trial by fire. Facing Pep Guardiola's side without his best defenders and with his best attackers reportedly struggling to "cope" with his demands, the Basque coach needs a result to silence the doubters. It has already been reported that the result may determine whether or not he stays in charge of the club.

Harry Kane and his Bayern Munich team-mates have wished former team-mate Thomas Muller luck ahead of Vancouver Whitecaps' MLS Cup Final against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami. Muller had an immediate impact at his new club after joining the MLS side this summer. He has led the team from the front and helped the Whitecaps to their first-ever MLS Cup final.

• Kane and Bayern stars send message to Muller

  Muller's club mates at Bayern Munich came up with a surprise for the German legend as Kane and Co. sent out good wishes for him ahead of the all-important MLS Cup final against Inter Miami on Saturday. Muller, who served Bayern Munich throughout his career, parted ways with them this summer after his contract expired. The former Germany international followed Messi's footsteps and moved to the US and signed for the Whitecaps.

  In his first season in Vancouver, the 36-year-old scored nine goals in 12 matches across all competitions, including seven goals in as MLS league stage appearances. As he gears up to win his first-ever trophy with his new side, Bayern stars wished him luck. Kane said in the video message: "Congratulations on getting to the final. Wishing you the best of luck. We'll be watching Saturday evening. It'll be late here but we will make the effort for you for sure. All the best. Hope it goes well. I'll see you soon. Stars like Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala and Dayot Upamecano also had some words of support for Muller. 

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  Messi excited to face Muller in MLS Cup final

  Messi, who has faced Muller on multiple occassions in the past during their stints at Barcelona and Bayern respecively, is excited to meet his old rival once again at the grandest stage. Speaking to reporters, the Herons captain said: "First of all, it is very nice that Muller has come to play in MLS and the repercussions that this represents. It’s good that this final came to be and that we can face each other again. We have already faced Vancouver, and we know what kind of team they are. 

  "In fact, they eliminated us in [the CONCACAF Champions Cup]. It was also a very consistent team throughout the year that finished among the top teams and competed in all competitions until the end, just as we did. And well, we know it's going to be a very, very tough game. And the addition of Muller coming to that team, makes them much better still. It brings more awareness to the game, to the team, and it will be a very, very special final, in which we hope it will be in our favour."

• Inter Miami overdependent on Messi?

  Muller earlier claimed that Vancouver Whitecaps are a more balanced until compared to Inter Miami as he felt that their MLS Cup final opponents were overdependent on their captain. Speaking to MLSsoccer.com, the German said: "It's not about Messi against Thomas Müller; it's Miami against the Whitecaps. Maybe they rely a little bit more on him than we do on me, because we are such a good group, you know what I mean?" 

  He went on to call Messi "the greatest player who played our game and is still playing our game" and added that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has brought a new audience to MLS. He added: "If more people are watching, the value also for you as a player, as an individual, also for your team and also for your franchise, is way bigger."

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  Kane and Co. thrash Stuttgart before cheering for Muller

  Bayern faced Stuttgart in the Bundesliga earlier on Saturday. The reigning German champions thrashed their opponents 5-0, courtesy of yet another hat-trick from Kane as they extended their unbeaten run in the league to 13 matches and are now 11 points ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig.

  Vincent Kompany's side next face Sporting CP on December 9 at home in a key Champions League fixture. 

Australia’s selectors have still not locked in a consistent opening duo since David Warner’s retirement

Andrew McGlashan14-Oct-2025

David Warner has urged Australia’s selectors to stick with Sam Konstas for the first Ashes in Perth believing he has the game to take on England’s fast bowlers.Australia have been through a revolving door of partners for Usman Khawaja since Warner’s retirement in early 2024. Konstas, who is the incumbent but made just 50 runs in six innings against West Indies earlier this year, is one of five options used across the last 15 Tests.The selection race will resume this week with the second round of the Sheffield Shield, where Konstas will feature for New South Wales against Victoria at Junction Oval, facing an attack including Scott Boland and Fergus O’Neill.Related

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Konstas endured a difficult first outing of the domestic season with scores of 4 and 14 against Western Australia in Perth on what Nathan Lyon termed a “naughty” WACA pitch while NSW coach Greg Shipperd also urged context around Konstas’ returns.Meanwhile, Marnus Labuschagne peeled off 160 for Queensland, which came between two one-day hundreds as he makes a compelling case for a recall and looms as another opening option.”I’d like them to try and probably stick with Sam and give him a crack,” Warner said at Kayo Sports’ Summer of Cricket launch in Sydney. “He scored that hundred in the Australian A series [in India last month]. He batted outstanding there.”I don’t think we’ve seen exactly what we know Sam Konstas can do. Last year… he probably got overwhelmed by the occasion and we saw some very highlighted cricket. But I’ve seen him build innings, I’ve seen him play some fantastic innings and I’d like to see him go back to just doing that.” When Konstas made his debut at the MCG against India he was picked with the specific role of disrupting Jasprit Bumrah, who had dominated Australia’s top order. He was an immediate success in that role with 60 off 65 balls and then produced two cameos at the SCG. However, he was left out in Sri Lanka, when Travis Head opened in a conditions-specific selection, before being tasked with taking on difficult batting conditions in the Caribbean.Warner believes his early salvos in Test cricket left him uncertain about the tempo needed for sustained success but, while acknowledging England have a stock of fast bowlers, does not see their attack needing such a left-field approach.”They don’t have a Jasprit Bumrah so he doesn’t have to worry about that,” Warner said. “They’ve got some fast bowlers but he can tackle that.”Last year, I felt like he just got caught up in the occasions. He got caught up in thinking it was the only way to play that way against Bumrah and then did it to the other players.Marnus Labuschagne brought up a century in his first Shield innings of the season•Getty Images

“I don’t think he needed to change his game to the other bowlers. He could have just stayed there and played the normal way. There was one guy that was getting a lot of people out and… [Konstas] just didn’t want to get out to him because he was bringing the ball back in.”He countered that and he could have went back in and just batted normally. So I think if he can work out that and identify those periods, I think he’ll go a long way.”Warner added that Labuschagne had probably already done enough to return to the line-up but was less convinced about him opening. “I think when you’ve got a lot of Test cricket under your belt, you know what he’s capable of and know what he can do,” he said. “If someone’s averaging 50 in Test cricket, you’ve probably got to go back to that. Does he open? I wouldn’t like to see him open. I’d like him to shuffle back down to three.”If Labuschagne did return at No. 3, it would mean pushing Cameron Green down the order and would leave Beau Webster struggling to retain his place. Webster has been forced to sit out the opening two rounds of the Shield with an ankle injury but, barring a major form slump on his return, is expected to be part of the squad for Perth.

Richard Thompson insists 100-ball format will not change before end of current rights cycle

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2025The tight turnaround between England’s international and the Hundred is a “short-term issue” which ECB chairman Richard Thompson has pledged will be solved for the next TV rights cycle.England’s men played one day before the start and two days after the end of the Hundred this year, leaving all-format players short on relevant preparation for the ongoing ODI series against South Africa. The same scenario will play out in 2026, with the Hundred expected to start two days after an ODI series against India and three days before the first Test against Pakistan.New investors in the Hundred will expect their England players to be available throughout the tournament. Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton and Ollie Pope missed London Spirit’s first game of this season, the day after the fifth Test at The Oval, which their incoming co-owner Nikesh Arora described as “disappointing” while calling for “better planning” by the ECB.Thompson acknowledged that the schedule is too crammed, speaking in his capacity as an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society during England’s third ODI against South Africa on Sunday. “There are no easy answers, but the reality is we can’t have our cake and eat it,” Thompson told Sky Sports.”We want England players to play. This is our premium white-ball competition and we want England players to play in it. What we have to do is find a way of ensuring the schedule before and after the tournament [is better]. Take this year: the gap was a day or two days… That can’t be right.Related

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“If we’re going to get this level of investment, we’ve got to commit to ensuring our England players are available. We don’t want that to be at the expense of the success of England. We need to find a balance, and ultimately we can look at the schedule and we can try and free up time.”We’ve done this deal in the middle of a rights schedule. Come ’28, when we then cut the next deal for the next four years, we can cut this in a different way. We might have a short-term issue here, but we can overcome that.”Ultimately, if a player feels they’re injured, they’re going to rest themselves. They won’t want to play on an injury. England is still everything here. But we are not prepared to accept that you can’t find a halfway house and work with the owners to ensure that the owner will get what they need, and England will get what it needs.”Thompson also said that the tournament’s format will not change from 100-balls-a-side to T20 during the current broadcast cycle, which runs to the end of the 2028 summer, and denied that the sale of stakes in the eight Hundred franchises equates to selling the month of August to private investors.”I can categorically tell you it’s 100 balls next year,” he said. “I don’t think anything will change in this rights cycle. Sky [the Hundred’s main broadcaster] have bought 100 [balls a side]. Sky are not going to want to change that. It’s up to the owners and the ECB to decide what that might be in the future.”This is not English cricket selling off the family silver. This is English cricket bringing in investors to enable us to have a tournament that could challenge the IPL.”

With less than a year left until his current contract expires, Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic future is in serious doubt and reports are now suggesting that an ex-Premier League manager is considering the job.

Update on Brendan Rodgers' Celtic future

It’s been all focus on the dugout in Glasgow, with Rangers eventually finding their next manager in Danny Rohl and the future of the Celtic position thrown into more and more doubt by the week.

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Following defeat against Dundee at the weekend, the Bhoys sit five points behind surprise leaders Hearts in the Scottish Premiership and questions are beginning to arrive for Rodgers.

A lot of former players have had their say on the current situation at Celtic, including former Motherwell attacker Don Goodman, who believes that they may struggle to keep hold of Rodgers.

If Celtic can’t match Rodgers’ ambitions, then they may face losing their manager for the second time. Just who they’d turn to if that scenario arrives is the big question.

Those in Scotland have just watched on as Rangers have struggled to convince their top targets to take the job and Celtic will be desperate to avoid a repeat by hiring a familiar face.

Postecoglou seriously considering Celtic return

According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Ange Postecoglou is now seriously considering a return to Celtic if the opportunity comes his way at the end of the season. His return would see the Bhoys turn towards another former manager after only just welcoming Rodgers back to the club to replace the Australian in 2023.

That said, Postecoglou needs Celtic just as much as he needs them. Since leaving the club, the 60-year-old has taken Tottenham Hotspur to Europa League glory before facing the sack thanks to a 17th-place finish in the Premier League, and then survived just 39 days in charge of Nottingham Forest. It has been a disastrous year for the former Scottish champion.

Postecoglou was last at his best during his time at Celtic, losing just 18 games. A return to Scotland would be the perfect way for him to rediscover that winning touch.

Described as “brilliant” by Paul Lambert during his time at the club, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager desperately needs to restore his reputation after a humiliating Nottingham Forest spell and Celtic may well need a replacement for Rodgers sooner rather than later.

Season to run from December 14 to January 25, with Australia’s Test stars possibly available for the end of the tournament

Alex Malcolm02-Jul-2025

Australia’s Test players are going to have a rare uninterrupted two-week window to play in the BBL 2025-26 season following the home Ashes series, fostering hopes within Cricket Australia (CA) that the upcoming season could be one of the best ever following the fixture announcement on Thursday.The BBL season will begin on December 14 with Perth Scorchers hosting Sydney Sixers, three days before the start of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide between Australia and England. The 40-game regular season will run until January 18 before the finals are played from January 20 to 25, with the tournament ending on the Sunday night before the Australia Day public holiday on January 26.Full BBL fixture listThe fifth Ashes Test in Sydney runs from January 4 to January 8, meaning Australia’s Test players will theoretically be available for the last ten days of the regular season. It is more likely that only select batters will be available following a gruelling five-Test series. But there remains a hope from the BBL that some of the bowlers and allrounders may play as part of their preparation for the T20 World Cup in February. However, CA’s high performance team and the players themselves will have the final say on their availability.Related

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Nonetheless, it is a significant improvement on the last three years, when Australia had Test assignments in late January and early February, which did not allow Test players to play many matches in the competition. Head of the BBL leagues, Alistair Dobson, was optimistic that this could be one of the best BBL seasons ever.”We earmarked this season from a while back,” Dobson said. “Anything we do around international summer is huge. But then to have a good, clear run of nights available from mid-December through to the end of January, where we can play the BBL every night, is one that adds up to a pretty strong season for us.”Inevitably, at other times, there are things that don’t allow that, whether it’s different scheduling of Test matches, whether it’s the Australian team having content at the end of the summer, which might restrict potentially availability of some of our Test players and Australian players. So all those things in the mix this year give us confidence this is as good a year as we’ve had almost ever.”The schedule has been designed to give every team a home game in the last week of the season, with the hope that the Test players will be able to play for their clubs at home in that week as well as in the finals. Nathan Lyon looks likely to play his first game for Melbourne Renegades in that period after being contracted for the previous two years without playing a game.But a number of other Test players are currently uncontracted, including the three fast bowlers in Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Travis Head is also uncontracted after not playing a game for Adelaide Strikers, while Cameron Green has not played in the BBL since January 2020.”It’ll ultimately come down to an individual case by case basis with players of how they’ve gone through the summer and what their recovery is like, and their availability,” Dobson said. “But certainly we see a great opportunity there for a number of them to come and play the back end of the season and through the finals, so hopefully that’s a way to finish off a big season.”Pat Cummins is currently uncontracted in the BBL•Getty Images

The league wasn’t tempted to move the season back one more week to give those players a chance to play more games and also allow for some of the overseas players like Sam Curran to play more games after the ILT20, which finishes on January 5.”I think our season has found a nice spot where it is for now. In terms of that school holiday finish, we work really closely with our broadcasters and our clubs to find a window there that works for everyone,” Dobson said. “I think we’ve found a good rhythm in the past couple of seasons, particularly around finishing around the long weekend that was always our footprint that we set down from day one, and we think with the players that we picked up in the draft from around the world, shows that there’s still lots of interest and excitement about coming and playing in the BBL.”Once again, the BBL has opted not to play games on Christmas Eve (December 24) or Christmas Day (December 25) and will not play a game on Australia Day (January 26). Dobson said the prospect of a game on Christmas Day continues to be discussed and said it could still happen in the future.”Never say never,” he said. “I think it’s one of the ones where each year, when we sit down to lay out how the season might look. We consider it, and ultimately, the interest and the demand from our key stakeholders probably isn’t there right now, whether that’s broadcasters or clubs to push into that particular day, albeit it’s discussed regularly.”Dobson also wasn’t concerned about the prospect of three games being played at Marvel Stadium after the surface was substandard during last year’s BBL. Renegades will host three games at the venue, including a Melbourne derby, but their first two matches will be played in Geelong.

Danny Murphy has revealed why he thinks Leeds United “will” get relegated, despite the victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and named Daniel Farke’s “biggest problem”.

Leeds four clear of the drop after impressive start

Undoubtedly, Leeds’ number one goal this season will be to avoid relegation from the Premier League, and they have certainly made an impressive start to the season, collecting seven points from their opening five games.

Consequently, the Whites are now four points clear of the drop at this early stage of the season, after picking up what could be a vital result come May, defeating a struggling Wolves side 3-1 at Molineux.

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Kelan Sarson

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The Peacocks’ summer signings were responsible for turning the game on its head, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin cancelling out Ladislav Krejci’s opening goal, before Anton Stach and Noah Okafor got in on the act to secure all three points.

Although Farke’s side have made a solid start to the campaign, Murphy has since claimed he still believes they will get relegated, saying: “I still think Leeds and Burnley will go.

“I think the biggest problem for Burnley and Leeds is firepower. I agree with what we talked about earlier. I think all the newly promoted sides doing well is great for the Premier League.

“I’d like to see them all stay up, actually. But I don’t think it’ll be the case. Burnley struggled in front of goal. Leeds had only scored one, and that was a penalty, until Wolves kept giving them goals the other day. I like Leeds. Calvert-Lewin is a handful; that’s a great goal he got.”

Leeds' summer signings could lead them to safety

After making a poor start to life at Leeds, missing four big chances in the EFL Cup defeat against Sheffield Wednesday, Calvert-Lewin got off the mark against Wolves, and the 28-year-old’s top-flight experience could be key to their survival.

The former Everton man is vastly experienced in the Premier League, scoring 58 goals in the competition, and BBC Leeds’ Adam Pope was left very impressed with his all-round performance against Wolves, saying: “His attitude and confidence said ‘even if I don’t score, I’ll be fine’. His performance was fantastic from everywhere and having players like that in your team who know the Premier League makes such a difference.

“It’s not just the fact he scored, it was his overall play. His hang-time, winning headers, winning free-kicks.”

The Englishman is not the only new signing that has caught the eye in the early stages of the season either, with Stach receiving an 8.4 SofaScore rating against Wolves, the highest figure of any player.

It is understandable that Murphy thinks the Whites will go down, given that none of the promoted teams have managed to stay up across the past two seasons, but Farke has clearly recruited well in the summer transfer window, and Leeds have a fighting chance.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras dá como praticamente encerrada a negociação com o argentino Roberto Pereyra. Isso porque, segundo soube a reportagem, o jogador está 99% acertado com a Udinese, clube com o qual tinha vínculo até o fim de junho. A informação foi inicialmente publicada pelo jornalista Gianluca Di Marzio e confirmada pelo Lance!.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Até o momento, o Verdão não recebeu uma resposta oficial do estafe do meio-campista, mas já conta com o “não”. Desde o início das conversas, os dirigentes palmeirenses sabiam da preferência de Pereyra por permanecer no futebol europeu, deixando o Brasil e qualquer outro mercado em segundo plano.

+ Já pensou em ser um gestor de futebol? Participe da nossa Masterclass com Felipe Ximenes e descubra oportunidades

Com a reaproximação da Udinese, time com o qual tem identificação, o caminho natural foi acertar as bases com os italianos para definir sua permanência por lá. O jogador seguia em Udine treinando em um clube menor, que é de propriedade de seu ex-companheiro Antonio Di Natale.

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De acordo com a apuração da reportagem, a proposta do Palmeiras era de 2 milhões de euros (R$ 10,7 milhões) por um contrato de 16 meses. Embora o estafe do atleta tenha se mostrado contente com a oferta alviverde, que também apresentava um projeto interessante ao argentino, a resposta ficava na condição das oportunidades no Velho Continente.

+ Saiba como Roberto Pereyra poderia se encaixar no time do Palmeiras

Ainda não foi oficializado o acordo de Pereyra com a Udinese, mas a tendência é de que isso aconteça este este sábado (9) e domingo (10). O Verdão também aguarda o posicionamento formal dos representantes do jogador sobre a opção por não prosseguir com a negociação.

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A intenção do Palmeiras em negociar com Pereyra era a oportunidade que se apresentava bem no momento em que Dudu sofreu uma lesão grave no joelho e somente vai voltar a jogar em 2024. Dessa forma, o clube não deve buscar outra alternativa no mercado.

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PalmeirasRoberto Pereyra

Real Oviedo captain Santi Cazorla has been forced to defend his reputation following the sacking of coach Veljko Paunovic. Amid social media accusations, the ex-Arsenal star strongly denies any involvement in the decision, revealing the squad was shocked by the news as the club struggles at the bottom of La Liga and turns to a controversial replacement.

• Cazorla denies involvement in Paunovic sacking

  The former Arsenal star responded to accusations on social media by defending his professional integrity, stating he could not allow his reputation to be damaged by such claims. Cazorla revealed the news of Paunovic's dismissal came as a complete shock to the squad, who only found out just before a training session on Thursday.

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  What Cazorla said about the dismissal and his reputation

  The 40-year-old midfielder was quick to defend his character and highlight his long, unblemished career record. 

  "I've been a professional for 22 years, and you can ask all the presidents, sporting directors, and coaches I've worked with. I've never had anything to do with a club's decisions to let go of a coach," Cazorla insisted at a press conference. "I can't allow my image to be tarnished, because I've always tried to contribute in every way." 

  He also expressed his gratitude to the departing manager, adding: "I'd like to thank Paunovic for his work, with whom I have a great relationship and was able to speak with him yesterday personally. I want to thank him and his coaching staff for everything we've achieved; they've become part of this club's history forever."

• Oviedo's poor start and controversial Carrion return

  The decision to dismiss Paunovic follows a difficult start to the La Liga season, which sees Real Oviedo sitting 17th in the table, level on six points with the relegation places after just two wins and six losses from their opening eight games. The club moved to reappoint Luis Carrion, a move that has been met with a mixed reception from the fanbase. Cazorla addressed the potential for division and issued a stark warning to the supporters. "There are two options: Kill each other or die together. I'm clear about that, and nothing is above Real Oviedo," he said.

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  What next for Real Oviedo?

  Under the returning management of Luis Carrion, Real Oviedo's immediate task is to prepare for a challenging home fixture against Espanyol on Friday evening. Their opponents currently sit ninth in La Liga on 12 points, making the match at the Carlos Tartiere a significant test for a struggling Oviedo side desperate to pull away from the relegation zone and find stability after a turbulent week.

Strong all-round performances from Suzie Bates and Brooke Halliday along with a breakout bowling display from Bree Illing helped New Zealand breeze to a seven wicket win against Sri Lanka in Christchurch to level the series at 1-1.New Zealand’s bowlers set the tone with a frugal display after winning the toss and electing to bowl, restricting Sri Lanka to 113 for 7 in their 20 overs before Bates and Halliday made 47 and 46 not out respectively as the hosts cruised home with seven wickets and nine balls to spare. Bates was named player of the match after also bowling four overs for just 16 runs while Halliday also took 1 for 12 with the ball in addition to posting her highest T20I score.Illing made use of the early morning start picking up a wicket in the opening over and a second in the seventh as she bowled straight with the new ball to finish with figures of 2 for 18 in just her second T20I after going wicketless in her debut in game one of the series on FridaySri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu was well held as Eden Carson, Jess Kerr and Bates were rotated at the other end with the latter bowling a maiden to Athapaththu in her first over. The scoreboard pressure told when Kerr castled her for 23 off 29 in the following over, the ninth of the innings, with Sri Lanka stalled at 3 for 46.That soon became 4 for 53 when debutant Flora Devonshire picked up a wicket in her first over in international cricket.Sri Lanka steadied thanks to a 54-run stand between Manudi Nanayakkara and Nilakshika Silva. Nanyakkara made 35 from 32 with four boundaries while Silva made 20 from 22. But neither player could break free as Bates bowled four overs for just 16 runs while Halliday also took a wicket in her two overs for 11 runs. Kerr took a wicket in the final over to finish with figures of 2 for 29.New Zealand’s chase started poorly with Georgia Plimmer caught behind in the second over for just 4. Emma McLeod followed suit in the seventh over for a sluggish 11 from 13 but Bates controlled the chase at the other. Safe in the knowledge she needed less than a run-a-ball, she struck just four boundaries and only faced consecutive dot balls once in her 46-ball innings before she was caught and bowled in 15th over with 29 still needed to win.Halliday ensured they were knocked off with ease striking multiple boundaries in both the 16th and 18th overs as she made 46 not out from 40 balls to steer her side home and go past her previous T20I best of 38.The series will be decided in the third T20I in Dunedin on Tuesday.