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New Hearts of Oak coach Kosta Papic has urged the club's supporters to allow him enough time to turn the Accra-based outfit's fortunes around.

The Serbian, who has also worked in Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and eSwatini, was appointed head coach of the Phobians on Tuesday, marking his return to the club after 11 years.

Hearts have not begun the 2020-21 Ghana Premier League (GPL) season on a good note as they have drawn one and lost one of two matches played so far.

"I would like to tell the supporters to be patient with me, I have just arrived. I did not have a preseason with the club and I barely know the players here. I will start training with the squad to know what to do," Papic told Wontumi FM.

During his first stint between 2008 and 2009, Papic helped Hearts clinch the league title, the club having failed to defend the cup the season earlier.

The Phobians, the second most successful club in GPL history, have not won the title since Papic's inspired success.

“I have 100 per cent confidence that Papic can will turn things around," former Hearts attacker Kofi Abanga, who played under the supervision of Papic in 2009, told Silver FM on the coach's return to the helm of affairs.

"With Hearts when there is a new coach, almost all players get rejuvenated and give their all so as to get selected by him.

“He is a great talent spotter and if he repeats what he did during our time, things will work out nicely.

“Individually, Hearts have good players… the likes of Emmanuel Nettey, [Benjamin] Afutu and others… Individually they are good so with Kosta Papic, Hearts will become prominent again.”

Papic worked in Nigeria before first making the trip to Ghana in 2008, managing Lobi Stars, Enugu Rangers, Kwara United and Enyimba. The 60-year-old had also coached South African outfits Orlando Pirates, Maritzburg United and Kaizer Chiefs.

His most recent job being a one-year spell in charge of the eSwatini national team which ended last year, Papic has also worked with Young Africans of Tanzania as well as South African clubs Black Leopards, Chippa United, Polokwane City and Royal Eagles.

Former Rizespor and Morocco defender Mohamed Abarhoun has passed away at the age of 31 after suffering from stomach cancer.

Abarhoun played for Rizespor in the Turkish Super Lig until February 2020 when he was diagnosed with the ailment which abruptly brought an end to his football career.

He died in an Istanbul hospital on Wednesday after a nine-month battle with the illness.

“We wish Allah's mercy to Mohamed Abarhoun, who passed away, and our condolences to his family, relatives and community," Rizespor announced on their website.

“While his active football life continued in the 2019-2020 season, he played his last match with Rizespor on 24.02.2020. Our football player, who started treatment for stomach ailment, died in Istanbul on December 2, 2020."

Abarhoun moved to Turkey after a short stint in Portugal and he played 36 matches for Rizespor with three Super Lig goals to his name.

On the international scene, the Tetouan-born defender played for Morocco U23 team at the 2012 Olympics in London and he also represented the Atlas Lions at the 2014 African Nations Championship in South Africa.

Meanwhile, tributes have started pouring in from around the world with Fifa, the Moroccan Football Federation and his former teammates including Nigeria’s Aminu Umar, former Juventus star Medhi Benatia and Schalke 04’s Amine Harit.

Ben Davies has backed his team-mate for club and country Gareth Bale to find his best form at Tottenham.

Bale has failed to hit the ground running on his return to Spurs after he joined his former club on a season-long loan from Real Madrid.

After an injury delayed his second Tottenham debut, the 31-year-old has scored only one goal in seven appearances, five of which have been starts. Bale has started just one Premier League match, and has been an unused substitute in Tottenham's last two league matches. 

Davies, who has played with Bale for years with Wales, has insisted that the winger will rediscover his best form in north London.

"I think Gareth's an amazing player," Davies said ahead of Thursday's Europa League match against LASK. "He doesn't need to prove anything to anyone – he's shown what he can do over the years. He's got the quality there and I'm sure it will shine through at Spurs this year."

Davies added that even though Bale has yet to find his best form on the pitch for Spurs, it is clear that he is enjoying being back with his former club. 

"I feel like I always saw him at his best when he was with Wales so I haven't seen too much difference in him personally," Davies said. "But if you listen to the way people speak and how happy he is here, it is evident to see every day.

"He is buzzing around the place and playing, not playing, he is supportive of the guys and having someone of his presence and the history of winning stuff like he has got, lifts everyone here."

Bale and Davies are both expected to start Thursday's match, with Spurs needing just a point to secure progression from Group J into the last 32 of the Europa League.

Spurs will face a quick turnaround after the Europa League match in Austria, as they are set to host rivals Arsenal on Sunday in the north London derby.

Jose Mourinho's side currently top the Premier League table on goal difference ahead of reigning champions Liverpool in second place.

Premier Soccer League (PSL) giants Kaizer Chiefs have announced several changes to the club's coaching staff in the reserve team.

Tshidiso Letsholonyane and Dillon Sheppard have been appointed reserve team assistant coaches and they will report to head coach Arthur Zwane.

This comes after the PSL and MultiChoice announced the rebranding of the MultiChoice Diski Challenge on Monday and will henceforth be known as the DStv Diski Challenge

Chiefs released the following statement on Wednesday ahead of their opening Diski Challenge match against Mamelodi Sundowns which will be played on Sunday.

"On the bench for Chiefs in their DStv Diski Challenge opener will be first-team assistant coaches Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard," a club statement read. 

"Zwane who has been in charge of Chiefs reserve team since 2016 will lead the line from the bench with support from Sheppard as well as another of Chiefs coaches from the youth ranks Tshidiso Letsholonyane.

"The Chiefs reserve team has provided a number of players to the Chiefs senior team with current first-team squad members Njabulo Blom, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and Keletso Sifama all previously campaigning for the Chiefs reserve team."

Letsholonyane, who is the brother to former Chiefs midfielder Reneilwe Letsholonyane, has been serving as Amakhosi's under-17 team head coach.

Tshidiso is a retired midfielder having been nurtured in the Amakhosi academy before being promoted to the first team in 2011, but his career was cut short by injury in 2017 following a spell with Thanda Royal Zulu in National First Division (NFD). 

The former Dynamos FC and PJ Stars player has already stated that he hopes to ascend to be at the helm of coaching the Chiefs first team one day.

Meanwhile, Sheppard arrived at Amakhosi prior to the start of the current season after he was appointed first-team assistant coach under Gavin Hunt. 

Hunt and Sheppard worked together at Bidvest Wits, but they became free agents after the club sold its PSL status to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila at the end of last season.

Sheppard served as Wits' reserve team head coach after retiring from professional football in 2017 having turned out for Sundowns and Russian side Dynamo Moscow during his playing days. 

AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has claimed head coach Tomas Trucha is at the same level as European top managers like Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.

Appointed before the 2020/21 Football Kenya Federation Premier League, Trucha is a Uefa Pro Licence holder and qualifies to coach in the country as well as in the Caf matches.

The question of qualification remains a hot topic of discussions in the country since Gor Mahia’s Roberto Goncalves was barred by Caf from overseeing the continental matches for his new side as his coaching papers were dismissed.

“This is a top-notch coach with the same qualifications as [Jose] Mourinho, [Pep] Guardiola and [Jurgen] Klopp,” Shikanda said during a press conference.

“The coach is here to help us. The salary we are giving him is not commensurate with his qualifications or what he is giving.”

Shikanda’s claims come at a time he confirmed Trucha is facing uncertain times as few members have threatened his agent.

“But now what they have decided is to stabilise the team and make sure that he does not operate peacefully. I do not know what they want. The coach is definitely not happy with what is happening,” Shikanda told reporters on Wednesday. 

“The same people were saying he does not have papers and that he is just a tourist. But when they saw his credentials they went silent.

“If I invite you to a place and people start threatening will you be comfortable in that place? There are a lot of threats on our coach and his agent and the people who are bringing all these threats are also agents.

“There is a serious issue with the coach. We shall do a press conference on Thursday and from here we will go and organise to get the nitty-gritty.

The threats, according to Shikanda, are meant to destabilise the club and work against the gains made by the national office.

“It is unfortunate that some people who call themselves our members are trying to destabilise our team. They have seen us doing well and they are surely not happy," he suggested.

“They are trying to kill the club and are trying to kill the work that the National Executive Committee has done.

“We are taking the threats seriously and we shall write a statement with the police. We are handling that because the coach feels he is not safe. He is in Kenya to help us and add skills to the team.”

Shikanda also confirmed they will hold a presser on Thursday to reveal further steps taken in order to address the threats.

Liverpool star Diogo Jota has said Cristiano Ronaldo was his hero when he was growing up in Portugal. 

Jota has been one of the signings of the season so far, scoring nine goals in 15 appearances for Liverpool since his summer move from Wolves. 

Although many players take some time to adapt to a bigger club, the 23-year-old has quickly taken to life at Anfield. He credits head coach Jurgen Klopp as a major reason for his early success.

“When you reach a new club, having an open mind is key to be able to adapt as quickly as possible,” Jota told The Athletic. “With the season underway already, it was up to me to find a way to get into the team and not the opposite. That’s what I did with the help of Jurgen.

“He’s a fantastic manager who took care of me. When I first arrived, he had a meeting with me and he explained how the team works. Then it’s down to the player to try to learn as fast as you can and to prove to the manager that you can be an important player for him on the field."

Jota developed his love for football at an early age and especially remembers Portugal's run to the Euro 2004 final, when they were defeated by Greece. Leading the Portuguese at the time was a teenage Ronaldo, a player Jota says became his idol as a kid. 

“My earliest memories are from the 2004 Euros when Portugal reached the final and unfortunately we lost," Jota said. "I was seven and I remember it well. Football has always been my passion.

“Cristiano Ronaldo was my hero. At that time, he was 19 but he was already playing at the Euros with so much quality. During my childhood, he was at Manchester United and Real Madrid. As Portuguese guys, we always looked upon him as our main reference.”

Because of his exploits at club level, Jota has now earned the chance to play alongside Ronaldo with the Portugal national team.

Jota has become a regular for Portugal since his debut in November 2019, earning 10 caps and scoring three goals.

Mamelodi Sundowns have likened winger Gaston Sirino to Barcelona star Lionel Messi, saying there is no cap on the asking price for the Uruguayan’s suitors.

African champions Al Ahly are keen on Sirino and reportedly upped their offer for the player from R18 million to R46 million in the latest bid, but Downs are sticking to R92 million.

Earlier this week, Sundowns general manager Yogesh Singh was quoted as saying that they are abandoning Sirino negotiations with Al Ahly and will only listen to the Egyptians if they return with an offer that “shows respect.”

In his latest remarks on Sirino, Singh revealed that they want R92 million for the 29-year-old as he compared him to Messi.

"Whoever wants to contract with Messi has to pay a lot of money to contract with him and not say that there is a limit to his deals, and the same is true for Sirino,” Singh told Yallakora.

“Al Ahly requested to buy Sirino and made an official offer about a week ago and we rejected it, because it was in financial terms. What Al Ahly offered is much less than the expected offer. We want to charge €5 million in order to agree to the departure of Sirino from the team.”

If the Cairo giants agree to Sundowns’ asking fee, it would be a record transfer fee Sundowns would have ever received for a player.

Al Ahly offloaded Senegalese midfielder Aliou Badji on Tuesday in a move seen to create space for Sirino in their foreign slots.

They are now left with Tunisian left-back Ali Maaloul, Nigerian forward Junior Ajayi, Angolan striker Geraldo and Malian defender Aliou Dieng as their foreign players.

“Al Ahly does not have an influential foreign player in the team. Ali Maaloul was here [in South Africa] when we beat Al Ahly 5-0,” added Singh.

Sirino is yet to play a league match for Sundowns this season after getting injured in the MTN8 quarter-final match against Bloemfontein Celtic but there is speculation that he has since recovered and is refusing to train in order to push for the Al Ahly move.

Singh, however, insists that the Uruguayan is injured.

“Indeed, he has been absent from training recently, but because of his suffering from a muscle injury, he is expected to return in the coming days,” Singh said.

Jamshedpur FC managed to snatch a point from Hyderabad FC as the teams played out a 1-1 draw in their third match in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Wednesday at the Tilak Maidan, Goa.

Aridane Santana handed the lead to the home team in the 50th minute but Stephen Eze's equaliser in the 85th minute sealed a point for the Men of Steel.

Both teams underwent a few changes in their lineups from their previous encounters. Manuel Marquez made four changes in the Hyderabad starting XI as Laxmikant Kattimani, Hitesh Sharma, Mohammed Yasir and Liston Colaco were given the nod ahead of Subrata Paul, Lluis Sastre, Joel Chianese and Nikhil Poojari. Meanwhile, Owen Coyle replaced a suspended Rehenesh TP with Pawan Kumar and Isaac Vanmalawma with Amarjit Singh.

It was a cagey start to the match as both teams took a safety-first approach. As the game progressed Hyderabad grew into the game in spite of them playing with just three overseas players. They were dominating proceedings and were frequently venturing into the attacking third but lacked the final pass which would split open the backline. 

Interestingly, the first significant chance of the match fell for Coyle's men when Jackichand Singh came close to scoring but his attempted shot was palmed out by Kattimani.

But the best opportunity of the half was carved out by Hyderabad's Halicharan Narzary when the winger shrugged away Dinliana and fired in a curler from the left side of the penalty box. The keeper was beaten but the ball hit the wrong side of the far post before going out of play. 

Hyderabad took an early lead in the second half thanks to some sloppy goalkeeping by Pawan Kumar. Hitesh Sharma sent a long ball for Halicharan, who cut in from the left inside the box and attempted a shot on goal. Pawan unconvincingly slapped the ball away from going in but Aridane pushed the rebound ball into the net.

Jamshedpur were denied a genuine goal in the 76th minute when Kattiman's attempt to fist Aitor Monroy's free-kick hit Aridane and went in. But the linesman flagged Peter Hartley offside and ruled out the goal. The replays though suggested the Jamshedpur skipper was in no way in an offside position.

The Men of Steel finally restored parity in the game in the 85th minute thanks to a thunderous strike from Stephen Eze. Valskis initiated the move with a cross which Adil Khan cleared but the ball fell to Monroy who set up for Eze to shoot and the Nigerian found the back of the net.

In the dying moments of the match, Hyderabad manager Manuel Marquez was sent off for allegedly stepping on to the field of play.

The Nizams moved up to the fourth position on the league table with five points from three matches while Jamshedpur climbed up to the eighth position with two points from three games.

The Uganda U20 national team have emerged as the winners for the 2020 Cecafa Championship after beating Tanzania 4-1 at the Black Rhino Academy in Arusha on Wednesday.

The Hippos got the goals from Richard Basangwa, Steven Sserwada, Ivan Bogere and Kenneth Semakule while the immediate former champions scored their only goal via Abdul Suleiman.

Uganda looked a dominant side all through the game and got the opener in the 12th minute from Basangwa’s strike. The Ngorongoro Heroes fought back and equalised at the half-hour mark from Suleiman’s effort before Sserwada scored the second for Uganda in the 44th minute.

The Hippos came from the half-time break more determined to bag the title and deservedly added the third goal in the 61st minute through Bogere. Semakule scored the final goal in the 72nd minute to seal Uganda’s victory against the hosts.

Both Uganda and Tanzania sailed to the final lap without losing a match, setting the stage for what was expected to be an epic final game in Arusha.

Meanwhile, Kenya were defeated in the third-place playoffs by South Sudan when they went down 2-1 at the same venue.

It was the second loss the Rising Stars registered in the tournament after Uganda had beaten them 3-1 in the first semi-final.

South Sudan went ahead in the second minute courtesy of Phillip Biajo’s goal but Stanley Okumbi’s side fought and equalised in the 10th minute when Nicholas Ochieng found the back of the net.

Nelson Elia scored five minutes prior to the half-time break to give South Sudan the lead yet again and Rising Stars’ concerted efforts in the second half were not able to help them level matters.

The result posted by Kenya was not well-received by the former Gor Mahia national treasurer Sally Bollo.

“Football has always lacked manners!” Bolo said on a Twitter post.

“Our national team that I had hoped will bring the trophy home has been beaten by South Sudan in the playoffs.”

She, however, was quick to commend the junior Rising Stars and stated their future looks good.

 “There is something good happening in the virgin land of South Sudan,” she added. “The only secret that remains is football structures at grassroots levels.”

Uganda and Tanzania will represent the Cecafa region in the upcoming U20 African Cup of Nations tournament set to be held in Mauritania.

Arsenal goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson says he is “100 per cent” ready to challenge Bernd Leno for the No.1 shirt at Emirates Stadium.

The 25-year-old joined the Gunners from Dijon ahead of the 2019-20 season as a replacement for Emiliano Martinez, who left for Aston Villa in search of more regular first-team football.

The Iceland international has made just two competitive appearances for the club so far, both in the Europa League, with Leno the undisputed first choice of head coach Mikel Arteta.

Runarsson, though, insists he is not just in north London to make up the numbers and is ready to push Leno for a regular starting spot.

“That should be the mindset for everyone, that you want to play,” he told reporters.

“It doesn't matter what position you play. Maybe as a goalkeeper it's a little bit different but definitely you have to have the mentality to push to become No.1.

“If it happens in one week or one year that always has to be your mentality otherwise you're in the wrong profession I think.”

Asked whether he was capable of challenging Leno for a starting spot, Runarsson added: “Yes, 100 per cent. Otherwise I wouldn't be playing for this club.

“I have to have this mentality that I can play and I have to believe it.”

One thing Runarsson is yet to experience is playing in front of the Arsenal fans, with matches in England so far this season played behind closed doors because of ongoing coronavirus restrictions.

That will change on Thursday, with the Gunners set to welcome 2,000 supporters through the turnstiles for their Europa League clash with Rapid Vienna thanks to a relaxing of government regulations.

Though it is a long way from the 60,000 who usually attend the Emirates, Runarsson feels it is an important first step after nine months of empty stadiums.

"I believe it's going to be a big change. It's always better to have some fans than no fans,” he said.

“I believe they can help us a lot in getting results and getting the extra five per cent we need to win the games. As I said we'll see tomorrow how big the impact will be but I believe they will be a huge help.

“It's not the same environment with or without fans. You can see that in the results as well. There's never been more away wins in Premier League history. That shows how important the fans are and I hope it's going to help us tomorrow night.”

Emiliano Viviano claims he was "one of the few" who supported Bruno Fernandes during his time in Italy, with it his belief that the Manchester United star '"lacked tactical nous and intensity" in the earlier stages of his career.

Fernandes' professional journey began at Novara in 2012, where he spent one season before being snapped up by Udinese. 

The Portuguese playmaker went on to appear in 95 games for the Serie A outfit, but never quite managed to live up to his full potential.

Udinese eventually sold Fernandes to Sampdoria in 2016, however, he opted to return to his homeland after just one year at Luigi Ferraris Stadium when Sporting CP came calling.

José Alvalade Stadium proved to be the perfect place for the midfielder's talents to grow as he scored 63 goals and laid on 52 assists in 137 outings across all competitions, earning a regular place in Portugal's national squad in the process.

United were impressed enough to fork out €55 million (£50m/$66m) for Fernandes in January, and he has since taken his game to new heights under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford.

Viviano says he quickly realised that the 26-year-old possessed the quality to reach the very highest level of the game while playing alongside him at Sampdoria, and that he just needed to develop a confident streak to take that next step.

The former Sampdoria goalkeeper told Tuttomercatoweb: “I was one of the few who supported him… Bruno has always had everything, it's just that when he arrived in Italy, he lacked tactical nous and intensity.

"He learned it and now he has exploded, also because he has everything: right foot, left foot, technique but also an incredible dribbling ability. 

"He is a technical leader, what Manchester United perhaps lacked.”

Fernandes inspired United to a third-place Premier League finish and three semi-finals in 2019-20, and has picked up from where he left off at the start of the new season.

The ex-Sporting star already has 10 goals to his name, with his latest strike helping Solskjaer's men earn a crucial 3-2 win away at Southampton on Saturday.

Fernandes will be back in action with the rest of the Red Devils squad when Paris Saint-Germain arrive at Old Trafford for a Champions League group-stage encounter on Wednesday.

Simba SC have promised to entertain and score beautiful goals when they take on Plateau United in a Caf Champions League match at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Saturday.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi are carrying a 1-0 advantage from the first leg battle after Zambia midfielder Clatous Chama scored the all-important away goal in the match played in Abuja.

Simba media officer Haji Manara has now said Simba will play to entertain millions of Tanzanians, at a venue he described as not friendly to any visiting team.

He further said they will also use the occasion to honour the late Tanzania President Benjamin Mkapa with a resounding win.

“On December 5, 2020, at 17:00, all of us will be singing tiki-taka, it is because we want Simba to win and not only win but also to entertain, we want to entertain all our Tanzanians who love football,” Manara told reporters in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.

“If you love Simba, then it means you want to be entertained, so apart from winning [which we always do], you love Simba because you want to be entertained, so we will do exactly that, we will entertain millions of Tanzanians at a venue where we as Simba, have ‘killed’ many visiting teams, a venue we have not lost at.

“We are also looking to win the match because it will be our first match since President Mkapa [who was behind the building of the stadium] passed away, so we are going to honour him, by scoring many goals and entertaining, plus passing the ball quickly, we are not going to play only, but we want to entertain too.

“If I say it, know that Simba have said it, even the players [where they are eating now], their eyes are looking at me, and I have not lied anything, we will entertain to win.”

Manara’s sentiments come a few days after Simba coach Sven Vandenbroeck insisted they have not finished their job yet after managing to secure a vital 1-0 away win.

“It was a tough game, against a very strong opponent who tried all tricks technically to find a goal but I congratulate my players because all 90 minutes were running to prevent them from scoring,” Vandenbroeck was quoted by the club’s social media after the match.

“I think we need to be very happy with the victory, it is a very great result [considering we won away from home] but we still haven't finished the job yet, because next week we have 90 minutes.”

Simba will now need a draw of any kind in the return leg to advance to the next stage of the competition.

Istanbul Bakasehir midfielder Okechukwu Azubuike has expressed his delight after returning from a long injury lay-off.

The 23-year-old teamed up with the Fatih Terim Stadium outfit in the summer permanently after impressing on loan with the side.

The midfielder was part of Okan Buruk’s squad that won the 2019-20 Turkish Super Lig title for the first time in their history.

Azubuike suffered a knock against Alanyaspor in June last season which ruled him out of action for the remainder of the campaign.

The Nigeria international has also missed his side’s opening nine league games due to the injury problems.

Azubuike, however, returned in Istanbul Bakasehir’s draw against Denizlispor on Saturday and featured for 22 minutes in the game.

The midfielder has revealed his joy after bouncing back from the setback and hopes to remain fit in order to contribute to the progress of his side.

“It felt terrible to be out and for that long and not have a chance to play the game you love,” Azubuike told AOI.

“I feel good that I am back now and I can’t wait to play as many games for my club, while I also pray that this injury doesn’t return again.”

Azubuike has now featured in 18 league games for Buruk’s men since teaming up with the club from Egyptian Premier League side Pyramids FC in 2018.

The 23-year-old will hope to get more minutes under his belt when the Fatih Terim Stadium outfit take on German club RB Leipzig in Wednesday’s Champions League game.

The midfielder has featured for Nigeria’s U23 side and made his Super Eagles debut appearance in 2016.

Football Manager 2021 is here and the show goes on with the world's best football management simulation game, despite the difficulties of the Covid-19 pandemic.

So, you've loaded up your leagues, got your list of wonderkids to hand and now you're trying to figure out which team you should lead to the promised land of silverware and success.

Choosing a team to take over on Football Manager is exciting and who you choose depends on what sort of challenge you are after.

To help you, Goal brings you 10 of the best teams to manage on Football Manager 2021...

A veritable institution of European football, Ajax have earned their place among the continent's elite, but it has become increasingly difficult for the Dutch masters in the Champions League.

Ajax have won the European Cup/Champions League on four occasions, but their last time lifting the trophy was in 1995, when Louis van Gaal's side overcame AC Milan in an exciting final.

The expectations are, naturally, to continue dominating the domestic scene, but a Champions League triumph would exceed even the wildest dreams of the club in the current climate.

It is attainable, however, with the club boasting a considerable transfer budget of £45 million, along with players such as David Neres and Edson Alvarez, as well as wonderkids like Ryan Gravenberch.

With Euro 2020 coming up (albeit in 2021 thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic), taking the reins of England provides a different sort of challenge.

While they won the World Cup back in 1966, the Three Lions have never won the European Championship and when better to change that than the tournament where the final is being hosted at Wembley?

With stars such as Jadon Sancho, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling in attack, as well as rising stars like Jack Grealish in the ranks, England are well placed to mount a challenge.

Indeed, the work that has been put in by the Football Association over the past 10 years or so means that England's ranks are positively swelling with talent that should help the team challenge for glory.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the best full-backs in the world (if not the best), Marcus Rashford is maturing into a key player at Manchester United and Phil Foden is tipped to replace David Silva at Man City.

Gareth Southgate managed to guide the country to a fourth-place finish at the 2018 World Cup in Russia - can you do any better?

AC Milan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has returned to repair AC Milan's reputation and restore its status as one of the powerhouses of world football, but the Rossoneri need a manager to take them over the line in that challenge.

"It was a big challenge to come back here to try to change the mentality, to try to change the situation and to make the players understand what Milan was about," Ibrahimovic said recently. 

"The Milan I know, the Milan that the whole world knows."

It is a long time since the San Siro club have scaled the heights of domestic football, never mind European football and they have been forced to live in the shadow of Juventus (known as Zebre in FM21).

Indeed, a decade has passed since Milan's last Scudetto and they have toiled in the Europa League, failing to truly resurrect their former glory.

However, a formidable squad has finally been assembled, with the likes of Sandro Tonali, Theo Hernandez and Brahim Diaz offering youthful enthusiasm to complement Ibrahimovic's vast experience.

Should you need to bolster the panel, a decent transfer budget is available, though it is likely that you will need to dip into the loan market first.

The enduring appeal of managing Bilbao outfit Athletic Club lies in the challenge of cultivating a team of only Basque players and attempting to upset the Clasico cartel of La Liga.

While Barcelona and Real Madrid will mine South America and the rest of Europe for gems, you have to rely mainly on your youth system when managing Los Leones and, though difficult, it can be highly rewarding.

Athletic have not won La Liga since 1984 - also the last time they won the Copa del Rey - and they have never been crowned European champions (Marcelo Bielsa's team lost the Europa League final in 2012).

Though the targets are limited, a not insignificant transfer budget of £22 million is available if you can identify worthy Basque players to sign.

However, the squad is already in pretty healthy shape with the likes of Inigo Martinez, Inaki Williams and Iker Muniain in the ranks.

Manchester United

Things have not been the same at Manchester United since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.

The question is: can you do what Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, David Moyes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer couldn't?

The Red Devils have had five different managers (including Ryan Giggs) since Ferguson passed the torch and none of them have been able to deliver Premier League glory.

Van Gaal won the FA Cup and Mourinho won the Europa League, but those pieces of silverware alone won't cut it at Old Trafford; you have to win the league and Champions League.

The good news is, in addition to having a very decent squad, United have a massive transfer budget of £52 million to play with - the biggest in the Premier League and one of the biggest in the game.

Sunderland

Believe it or not, Sunderland are not just reality TV fodder for Netflix, though recent seasons have been very difficult for everyone associated with the club as they tumbled down the divisions into League One.

The Black Cats are six-time English champions and two-time FA Cup winners, who have historically been one of the best-supported teams in England, so the challenge here is to return them to the top table.

With players such as Aiden McGeady, Lynden Gooch and Conor McLaughlin in the ranks, there are plenty of senior internationals in the squad and enough quality to mount a promotion charge in the first season.

However, be under no illusions: a major rebuilding job is on the cards at the Stadium of Light.

With a team captain called Max Power, though, anything is possible, surely?

The time has come to end Bayern Munich's hegemony over German football and finally give the people of Germany's capital a team to be proud of.

Taking over Hertha Berlin represents quite a challenge, not only because of Bayern's strength, but because you must first catch up with the likes of Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Hertha have only been German league champions twice and both of those occasions came back in the 1930s. It has been a fallow field at the Olympiastadion since then, with very little to cheer about.

A transfer budget of £22 million (which is second only to Bayern's) will help you on your way, but you will have to be shrewd and bring in the right players.

A solid core of talent exists there too, including players such as Krzysztof Piatek, Matheus Cunha and Dedryk Boyata providing a good platform from which to work.

Wrexham

It's always sunny in Wrexham? Maybe not yet, but it could be if you usher in a new era of unbridled success at the Racecourse Ground, with a place in the Premier League being the ultimate goal.

There is the added intrigue of Hollywood sparkle at the Welsh club nowadays after they were taken over by Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

While Reynolds and McElhenney are expected to inject cash into the club, it will be a while before you will have a transfer budget worth shouting about, but you'll be able to call upon the likes of Fiacre Kelleher (brother of Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher) and Guyana international Anthony Jeffrey.

The pair explained that their aim is to "grow the team, return it to the English Football League in front of increased attendances at an improved stadium while making a positive difference to the wider community in Wrexham.”

Are you up to the task?

David Beckham could never have imagined Inter Miami's first season in Major League Soccer panning out as it did, disrupted by a global pandemic, but he will be aiming to gather momentum from here on in.

Some major stars have joined the roster in Florida, including former Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain (who is reunited with his brother Federico) and World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi.

The star power of Higuain and Matuidi is complemented with the talent of players such as Wil Trapp and Rodolfo Pizarro, as well as Generation Adidas youth prospects like Robbie Robinson.

Obviously, the dynamics of managing in MLS are entirely different to those you can expect in Europe, with things such as the MLS Draft and the Conference play-offs to look forward to.

Once you have figured out the domestic scene, the next challenge is to win the CONCACAF Champions League - a competition that has only ever been won twice by clubs from the United States.

Rangers have been forced to watch on through gritted teeth as their eternal rivals Celtic lay waste to all before them in Scotland and the Bhoys are chasing 10 league titles in a row.

Your job at Ibrox Stadium is to halt Celtic's procession and re-establish Rangers as the dominant force in Scottish football - something that has not been the case since the 1990s.

Rangers actually boast quite a strong squad by Scottish Premiership standards, cobbled together over the past few seasons by Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard.

Experience comes in the form of Jermain Defoe, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield, with the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Glen Kamara and Ianis Hagi providing flair and technique in abundance.

Should you not be content with your squad, Rangers' wage budget this season is comparable to Celtic's and, with Europa League football on the cards, you should be able to attract talent.

If you are still playing Football Manager 2020, take a look at our recommendations for which teams to manage on the game.

While it seems strange to laud Manchester City’s goalless encounter with FC Porto on Tuesday night, Pep Guardiola’s side were utterly dominant at the Estadio do Dragao and deserved the win.

Cynics would point to the fact that a stalemate was always going to be a convenient result between both sides but the flow of the game presents a different argument, given the front-foot nature of Pep’s team in Portugal, something the Spaniard seemed overly keen to emphasise in his post-match presser.

Frankly, the ex-Barcelona boss was right. His team’s inability to score at the Dragao was a mixture of brilliant goalkeeping from Agustin Marchesin, poor finishing and aware defending from the hosts — the case in point being Zaidu Sanusi smartly dropping to the goal-line to clear Raheem Sterling’s goal-bound effort in the opening half.

City edged every attacking metric on the night — possession (68-32 percent), shots (18-2) and Expected Goals (2.1-0.1) — to affirm their superiority against the Portuguese giants.

The fact the Cityzens achieved the performance without Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez gave it a better feel, due to the rested pair’s importance to the team’s attack. Even though the Belgium playmaker gets the lion share praise, particularly last season where he equalled Thierry Henry’s assists record, Mahrez’s influence was oddly underrated.

The Algeria star’s 20 goal contributions may have been his third-best return in English football — he posted G+A of 28 in 15/16 and 22 in 17/18 — but he achieved last season’s in 21 starts. For context, he started 36 games in Leicester City’s title-winning season and 34 in his final campaign with the Foxes.

A greater dive into 19/20’s numbers amplify the North African impact in the Premier League. While Mahrez ranked sixth for total Shot-Creating Actions, SCAs per 90 placed him second behind teammate KDB. He fared equally well for Goal-Creating Actions, ranking second with 31, three behind the Belgian but topped the entire division for GCA’s per 90 — 1.44 to KDB’s 1.10 and David Silva’s 0.99.

As such, the upshot of the wide attacker’s drop off at the start of 2020/21 and Silva’s departure to Real Sociedad meant Pep’s side had undertones of becoming a one-man team that relied on the ex-Chelsea man for creativity.

Mahrez’s great decline and City’s general issues in the final third was examined before their encounter with Liverpool last month, a reality that seemed unusual for a Pep team.

Thus, it is for this reason their smashing 5-0 win over Burnley last Saturday and authoritative showing in Portugal on Tuesday will have impressed the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager.

The Algerian netted a stunning hat-trick against the Clarets at the Etihad — his maiden treble for the side to end a five-year wait since scoring three in Leicester’s 3-0 win at Swansea City in December 2015 — and created a staggering six shooting opportunities for the home side.

Six key passes was a game-high for Pep’s team and the winger also topped the shot-creating actions log with seven, along with...KDB.

Man City had xG of 2.8 against Sean Dyche’s struggling side, which was their highest Expected Goals tally in the league this season and indeed in all competitions. The mere fact that their 2.1 xG vs Porto on Tuesday night, without KDB and Mahrez, was their second-highest projected goals count so far was striking.

At this stage last season — after nine league games and five group games in the Champions League — Pep’s troops had recorded xG greater than 2.8 on six occasions, which only puts this year’s difficulty under the microscope.

The inconsistency in neither fashioning out quality opportunities regularly nor scoring unrelentingly this season has been odd from the outside looking in and frustrating to the City players, according to Mahrez.

“We are happy to score a lot of goals and create a lot of chances,” the maverick told BBC Sport after City dismantled Burnley. “When you play well and you don't score in games you have a bit of frustration but we have to keep working.

“It's always good to score goals so I am very happy but the most important thing was to win and create chances.”

Again, cynics may try to water down the improvement in the last days, given both came against an out-off-form Burnley team (who City habitually thrash in Manchester anyway) and a largely unambitious Porto side seemingly uninterested to go forward against Pep’s team.

Indeed, they will also be eager to remind Guardiola that his team’s soft underbelly in preventing counter-attacks was still brutally exposed in that 2-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur on November 21.

However, it will be up to the Cityzens to silence critics and produce performances seen against the Clarets and Portuguese giants regularly over the coming weeks.

Curiously, the underlying numbers show that Man City have improved defensively, somewhat evidenced by their xGA (Expected Goals Against) of 9.6, the best in the division. The problem has been in attack, substantiated by their eighth-place rank on the xG table and the pair of games on the trot — despite not scoring at Porto — bodes well.

Guardiola’s team sit seven points adrift of Spurs but have a game in hand at home to Aston Villa to play, so a title challenge can’t be ruled out just yet.

Provided that Mahrez builds on that showing vs Burnley and the team’s level at both ends of the pitch continues to grow steadily, then the Cityzens may well regain the fear factor that’s apparently been lost in the last 12 to 18 months.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has revealed Joe Aribo’s involvement in their Europa League clash against Standard Liege on Thursday is base on his full participation in their training session.

The 24-year-old midfielder missed the Gers’ Europa League game against Benfica and their League Cup tie against Falkirk.

There were rumours the Nigeria international was not involved in the encounters because he tested positive for the coronavirus.

Gerrard, however, swiftly dismissed the report and revealed the versatile player is suffering from an undisclosed illness.

Aribo is now gradually overcoming the problem and could make a return against the Belgian club at Ibrox Stadium.

“Ryan Jack is a major doubt, he still has a good chance for the weekend,” Gerrard said in a pre-match press conference.  

“Aribo will hopefully be back with us, assuming he comes through today's session.”

Aribo has been with the Ibrox Stadium outfit since the summer of 2019 and has been a key part of Gerrard’s team.

The midfielder featured prominently for Rangers last season as they finished third, clinching the Young Player of the Season award.

Aribo has made more than 40 appearances across all competitions for Rangers since his arrival in Scotland.

In the 2020-21 season, the midfielder has featured in 11 games across all competitions, including three in the Europa League, scoring four goals.

Rangers currently lead Group D with eight points from four games and victory over Standard Liege could seal their place in the knockout stages of the competition.

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is sweating on the fitness of Harry Kane ahead of a crucial clash with Arsenal this weekend.

Kane has played a key role in Tottenham's rise to the top of the Premier League standings this season.

The 27-year-old has scored seven goals in 10 appearances, while also laying on an impressive nine assists, helping Mourinho's side record six wins, three draws and only one defeat.

However, the Spurs striker was forced to sit out the club's latest training session after picking up a knock, and now looks set to miss a Europa League trip to LASK on Thursday night.

Mourinho confirmed at a pre-match press conference that Kane, Carlos Vinicius and Sergio Reguilon have joined Erik Lamela on Tottenham's crocked list.

"They're all injured. Lamela is an injury of three weeks, a month. I don't believe he has a chance for the weekend," he told reporters. "Harry, Vinicius and Sergio there is a chance for the weekend."

Asked if Kane's injury is serious enough to keep him out of Sunday's north London derby, Mourinho responded: "I'm not going to tell you the nature of his injury.

"I think he has a good chance [vs Arsenal]. I think he's going to play. That's my feeling."

Kane boasts an exceptional record against Arsenal, having scored 10 goals against Spurs' local rivals in 11 Premier League outings.

Tottenham supporters will hope a talismanic figure recovers in time to lead the line against the Gunners once again, with eight points currently separating the two sides in the table.

Kane played the full 90 minutes of a 0-0 draw with Chelsea on Sunday as Mourinho successfully stifled his former club's best attacking players, but the Portuguese played down his current side's title aspirations after the game.

"We are not even in the race so we are not a horse," he said. "We are the small, young horse - a pony. We are just a pony, and you see the difference."