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EA Sports has revealed the top 100 rated players for FIFA 21 with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Aymeric Laporte not completely happy with how they stack up. 

Alexander-Arnold's overall rating of 87 makes him the upcoming game's highest rated right-back with his passing earning an incredibly high 87. 

That statistic should come as no surprise with the young defender contributing 13 assists in the Premier League last season as the Reds wrapped up the title in emphatic fashion. 

After not making the top 100 for FIFA 20, the England right-back was pleased with his new overall rating but wasn't quite so impressed with his low shooting rating of 66.

"Yeah, I'm happy of course. 87, jeez. Wow, that's high," Alexander-Arnold told BBC's Match of the Day. 

Asked about his low shooting rating, the Liverpool defender added: "I think maybe they put that in there because it's my squad number. I'm hoping. Four goals from full-back...I don't know.

"I'm not going to challenge it too much. I would have liked it to be higher though." 

The 21-year-old is aiming even higher for his FIFA rating next season, declaring he has an overall score of 89 in his sights. 

Manchester City's Laporte, meanwhile, has been named as FIFA 21's equal fourth best centre-back with an overall rating of 87. 

With 88-rated defence and 81 physicality, the Frenchman has faired quite well but was quick to point out his relatively poor pace rating of 63 on social media. 

In comparison, Virgil Van Dijk boasts a pace rating of 76, while even Juventus veteran Giorgio Chiellini is deemed faster with a pace rating of 66. 

In terms of slower centre-backs among FIFA 21's top 100 players, Gerard Pique (57) and Mats Hummels (58) have faired even worse.

Real Madrid's Raphael Varane has been classed as the fastest centre-back so far with an impressive pace rating of 82. 

FIFA 21 is set to be released on October 9 this year having been pushed back from its usual late September slot after EA Sports' plans were disrupted by the coronavirus.

Early access is usually granted to those who pre-order the game, meaning they are able to play in advance of that date - this year, FIFA 21 Early Access will be available on October 6.

Ignatius Ganago continued with his notable goalscoring run against Paris Saint-Germain, as Lens silenced the reigning Ligue 1 champions 1-0 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

Thomas Tuchel faced the Blood and Gold without seven first-team players due to positive coronavirus tests, with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Angel Di Maria, Keylor Navas and Mauro Icardi among those missing, and their improvised XI failed to break down the hosts.

With the first half ending 0-0, Ganago settled the encounter 11 minutes into the second half after capitalising on an error from third-choice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka.

Unfortunately for the visitors, they could not get the equaliser as their Ganago-related gloom continued as they suffered their first loss this term to the newly promoted team.

After an impressive shift, he was replaced by Corentin Jean in the 72nd minute.

The Cameroon international striker boasts of an enviable record against the Parisians, who have consistently been his more long-suffering victim over the years in France.

Of all seven goals scored in the French elite division, he has found the PSG net three times in three games, a strike-rate of one goal a game.

His first goal against them came on May 4, 2019 during his time as a Nice player. Assisted by Dante, he put the Eagles ahead in the 46th minute before Neymar’s penalty ensured the game ended 1-1 at Parc des Princes.

Last season, he put the ball past Keylor Navas although Nice were hammered 4-1 at home with Angel Di Maria getting a brace at Allianz Riviera.

At the other end of the spectrum, Metz, Nimes, Caen and Monaco are the other teams he has scored against.

Thanks to their latest result, Franck Haise’s side are now ranked 12th in the log having accrued three points from two games following their 2-1 defeat to Nice in the opening game of their 2020-21 campaign.

They travel to Stade du Moustoir for a date with Lorient on September 13 with the youngster hoping to get on target again. For the 2019-20 Champions League runners-up, they host Olympique Marseille with the ambition of returning to winning ways. They tackle Metz three days later – a fixture which was their original opening game.

Danny Drinkwater has vowed to 'clean himself up' following a dramatic few years that has seen his career stall significantly at Chelsea. 

The 30-year-old's future with the Blues appears be to all but over after the club opted not to assign him a number for the coming campaign with new signing Thiago Silva taking Drinkwater's former number six jersey.

Drinkwater joined Chelsea in 2017 from Leicester after helping the Foxes to their surprise Premier League title but he has failed to cement himself in the squad and has been caught up in trouble off the pitch. 

From a drink-driving charge and an incident in a nightclub to reportedly headbutting a team-mate while on loan at Aston Villa, things simply haven't gone to plan for the midfielder, who accepts he's got to start turning his career around. 

"I have taken a good look at myself loads of times," Drinkwater told the Telegraph. "I told myself that I needed to clean myself up big time.

"I had a wake-up call after the drink-driving, another wake-up call after the nightclub and then another wake-up call after the incident at Villa. Then it's like, this has got to stop.

"I won't use Chelsea as an excuse for the drink-driving. Obviously, my mental state wasn't the best, but it was ridiculous and it should never have happened.

"There were a few things going on then away from football, my nan and grandad passed away quite close together and, this might sound daft to anyone who doesn't have a dog, but my dog passed away and that hurt me. It was all part of the sticky patch.

"For everything to come in a short space of time with my career not going to plan was too much for me. It hit me."

Though contracted to Chelsea until 2022, Drinkwater is determined to force through a move as soon as possible and believes finding somewhere he can play regularly will help him on and off the pitch. 

"I've got loads more to give. I'm open to going abroad, even though it will be difficult with my son," he said. 

"I need an anchor and I need to sort out one side of my life, so if I can sort my football out, even if it is abroad, then that will help in the long term.

"It probably all comes down to patience and trust with me. I need to change for it to work, otherwise I'll be stuck in this vicious circle.

"If I can trust people who are good at their job and be patient then I can only see me building my career back up now. I can't see me staying in this situation. No chance."

Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold knows his side will be targeted this season as they look to defend their Premier League title. 

Jurgen Klopp's side ended their league drought last season in emphatic fashion and begin their new campaign on Saturday at Anfield against Leeds United. 

The Reds' success over the past 18 months means they have become a benchmark in England and Alexander-Arnold believes the club must remain focused on themselves to ensure they are ready for the bigger challenges to come. 

"For us it's not about topping the points that we got or scoring more goals, it's about if we can all develop as a team and keep winning," Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports News.

"We need to keep that mentality, that is the main thing that helped us get this far.

"We know that there's now a big target on our backs being the champions and teams are going to be extra motivated when they play us, so we need to match that mentality and take it to the next step.

"Winning it back-to-back is harder than winning it once." 

The 21-year-old was recently named the PFA Young Player of the Year after another strong season that saw him contribute 13 Premier League assists and chip in with four goals. 

Despite those statistics, Alexander-Arnold is no longer flying under the radar and has had to adapt to the increased attention being given to him on the pitch. 

"Towards the second half of last season, or even the final quarter after everything that happened, I found it a little bit tougher to find the space and have that freedom," he said.

"I found myself getting man-marked a few more times in games, which I wasn't used to. When you pose a threat to the opposition, they look at it and try and stop it from happening. In my mind, if that's happened to me it means that I'm doing something right.

"I can only try and keep doing that. Every season you've got to adapt and change your ways because everyone is improving. You can't stay the same, you've got to keep improving.

"For me personally and for the team, we have to adapt to the new situation and adapt quickly."

Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel says a draw was the best result he could have hoped for after seeing his side beaten 1-0 at newly-promoted Lens in their first Ligue 1 game of the season.

The Champions League finalists were without a number of key players after Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi, Angel Di Maria and Keylor Navas all tested positive for coronavirus.

A number of youngsters were brought into the starting XI to fill the ranks, but PSG’s patchwork side could only muster one shot on target.

Such an outcome was perhaps to be expected. Of PSG’s 29 goals scored in Ligue 1 in 2020 so far, only six were scored by players available for the game – Pablo Sarabia, Thilo Kehrer, Layvin Kurzawa and Ander Herrera.

Reflecting on the game, Tuchel didn’t seem overly surprised by the result.

“I don't think we could have done any better tonight,” Tuchel told Canal+. “I was happy with the first half we had. We controlled the game completely, and we had possession.

“We struggled to create scoring chances today. No opportunities? Yes, I agree. But we have a small group, and we are missing the players who make the difference.

“With a young team, we made a decisive mistake and we couldn’t take advantage of their mistakes. A draw is the best we could have hoped for.”

Before the game, PSG hadn’t lost in Lens since 2009, and hadn’t lost the opening game of a Ligue 1 season since 2011.

They also missed the chance to set a new French record. They had scored in each of their last 32 away games in Ligue 1, the joint-longest such run tied with Sedan between November 1957 and August 1959. One goal on Thursday evening would have seen PSG claim the record outright.

Tuchel will be keen to move on from the defeat, and he is now ready to bolster his understaffed squad.

He confirmed PSG are set to sign Roma captain Alessandro Florenzi as a replacement for the departed Thomas Meunier at right-back.

“I hope that will be resolved. I am very optimistic for him,” he said.

But, when asked about a rumoured move for Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, he replied: “No, that will not happen.”

Edu has explained that his vision of leading a small and close-knit recruitment team was behind his decision to axe so many of Arsenal’s highly-rated scouting network.

It was revealed last month that former head of recruitment Francis Cagigao would be leaving the club as part of a wide-ranging review that had been carried out by Arsenal’s Brazilian technical director.

The decision to part ways with Cagigao, who had been at the club for 24 years and had been key to signing players such as Cesc Fabregas, Hector Bellerin, Santi Cazorla, Nacho Monreal and Gabriel Martinelli, came as a big shock - as did the departures of some of his trusted staff such as Brian McDermott, Peter Clark and Ty Gooden.

But, ahead of the start of Arsenal’s new season, Edu has explained his thought process behind the move, revealing that he wants to work closely with a smaller team and also focus on using StatDNA, an internal data and analytics company which Arsenal bought in 2014.

“It is clear for me,” said Edu. “I want to work with less people.

“I want to work with StatDNA a lot more, which we have internally here at the club and is very important. The people I want to work with, I want them to be very close to me. I want to create a group of people working together. 

“I don’t want individual people working in one area or for one country. I want a group working together. Less people with much more responsibilities.

“That is my vision and for me in this process the most important thing is that everyone is very clear on the responsibilities which everyone has to make the right decision.”

This is Edu’s first full summer transfer window as technical director at Emirates Stadium and so far he has brought in Willian, Gabriel Magalhaes and Dani Ceballos, while also agreeing permanent deals for defenders Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares.

Arsenal remain in the market, however, and hold a strong interest in Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey as well as Lyon’s Houssem Aouar.

But with several players still at the club that Arsenal would like to move on before adding to their ranks, Edu says patience will be needed during the final weeks of the transfer window - which closes on October 6.

“The market right now is a challenging one,” he said. “Everybody is waiting, everybody wants to do swaps, everybody is talking about loans.

“Where we have to be prepared is with what we really need to receive from the outside. For example many clubs are asking me or talking to me about loan players or swap players but I am not seeing they are really prepared to do the kind of things they are asking me.

“For me what is important internally is that we have a clear plan on the players we want to keep, the players we want to loan and the players we want to sell.

“After that we have to be patient, to understand how the markets are reacting and wait a little bit more to make the right decision.”

Edu’s role at Arsenal has become even more influential in recent weeks following the departure of Raul Sanllehi, who had been head of football at the club.

Sanllehi had previously led the way in terms of negotiating deals with clubs for specific targets, but Edu insists he is now firmly the man in charge of football matters.

“It is important to be clear,” he said. “What I would like from now is for everything related to football to come through me.

“All the contacts, if agents want to talk to the player, internally, externally, outside people have to see me – and my name – as the first one to call or connect to.

“Of course we have a lot of people involved but I just want to be clear, people outside Arsenal have to understand who they need to connect to about football.

“It is important because sometimes they feel unclear about it. To be clear and open with you, that is how we are going to operate.”

One of the criticisms that has been levelled at Arsenal’s recent dealings in the transfer market is how closely they appear to be working with some of the game’s most powerful agents.

But Vinai Venkatesham, who has been promoted to the role of chief executive at Arsenal, is adamant that the identity of a player’s agent has no influence on the club’s transfer business.

“I see, read and absorb a lot of what is being said about how we work with agents,” said Venkatesham. “We don’t select players based on the identity of their agent.

“We select players based on the position we need to strengthen and the characteristics we are looking for in a player and if the player is out there who meets those characteristics.

“Who the agent is comes out at the end, once we have decided who the player is. We are not signing players based on the identity of the agent. That would be a crazy strategy.”

Paris Saint-Germain's depleted squad could not get the Ligue 1 champions' title defence off to a winning start as they were beaten 1-0 away on Lens on Thursday.

Thomas Tuchel was without seven first-team players due to positive coronavirus tests, with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Angel Di Maria, Keylor Navas and Mauro Icardi among those missing, and their makeshift XI failed to break down the hosts.

Lens went closest in the first half as Ignatius Ganago struck the right-hand post after fine individual work, but otherwise PSG controlled proceedings, seeing 78 per cent of the ball in the opening 45 minutes, even though they did not threaten particularly often.

PSG continued to dictate the ball but struggled to create chances and a Marcin Bulka error gifted Lens the lead in the 57th minute, with Ganago's goal ultimately proving decisive.

Despite the unfamiliar look of the PSG side, Lens were unable to put them under a great deal of pressure, though Ganago did go close in the 17th minute when he hit the post after leaving the visitors' defence in knots.

At the other end, Kays Ruiz-Atil showed plenty of promise for PSG, the 18-year-old winger shooting just wide with a nonchalant attempt from just outside the penalty area.

The other teenager in PSG's starting XI, Arnaud Kalimuendo, nearly sniffed out a chance just before half-time as he looked to latch on to Marco Verratti's lofted pass, but Jean-Louis Leca rushed out of the goal to end the danger just in time.

Bulka was significantly less commanding in the PSG net just before the hour, however, as he squandered possession from a short, simple pass, and Ganago took full advantage as he smashed past the youngster to make it 1-0.

It should have been 2-0 soon after, but Simon Banza attempted a diving-header from point-blank range when it made more sense to use his foot, and Bulka made the block.

Florian Sotoca should have done better with a header across goal 11 minutes from time, but PSG never looked like equalising as they succumbed to defeat.

What does it mean? PSG unsurprisingly struggle

It would be fair to say that many considered Lens – only promoted from Ligue 2 last term – as favourites for this encounter, given PSG's situation.

While they saw way more of the ball than Lens - 78.1 per cent to 21.9 - they had immense difficulty creating chances, getting just one shot on target across the 90 minutes.

As a result, PSG's run of scoring in 32 successive away Ligue 1 matches – a joint-record – came to an end.

Ganago keeps the PSG defence on their toes

A recent arrival from Nice, the Cameroonian was a real livewire, having three shots and touching the ball second-most often among Lens players before his late withdrawal.

He was unlucky to hit the post in the first half and then went on to get the winning goal, his pressing paying off handsomely. He has netted more (three) against PSG in Ligue 1 than any other side.

Bulka to blame

The young goalkeeper was only playing because of Navas' illness and Sergio Rico's ineligibility, but in the end he was culpable for the defeat. He gifted Lens the winner, with this other two saves ultimately worthless.

What's next?

The action comes thick and fast over the coming weeks for PSG, who are next in action against Marseille in Le Classique on Sunday, their second fixture in a run of four matches in 11 days. Lens go to Lorient on the same day.

Mikel Arteta looks set to be granted extra responsibility at Arsenal after having his official title changed from 'head coach' to 'first-team manager'.

The Gunners confirmed the switch on Thursday as Arteta looks to take his side up the Premier League table.

After a poor start under Unai Emery, Arteta could only guide Arsenal to eighth in 2019-20, but there were clear signs of their potential as they beat Manchester City and Chelsea to win the FA Cup - as well as wins over Liverpool in the league and Community Shield.

"Mikel's been here since the end of December and the last nine months have probably been the most challenging nine months in Arsenal's history - and we've been around for 134 years. Despite all of those challenges, Mikel has been driving this football club forward," chief executive Vinai Venkatesham said.
 
"He has lifted the spirits and lifted the energy here at London Colney and with Arsenal fans all across the world. He is doing an absolutely phenomenal job.
 
"The other thing that's clear is that right from the day he walked through the door, he was doing much more than being our head coach. So we're going to be changing his job title going forward. He'll move from head coach to be the first-team manager. That's recognition of what he's been doing from the day he walked in the door, but also where we see his capabilities.
 
"He is doing a great job of coaching the first team and that's his primary responsibility, but there is so much more that he can bring and that's why we're making this change, in recognition of his capabilities and also the job that he's doing already.

"So in terms of how that will work, going forward Mikel will join a really strong team with Edu and they'll be working really, really closely together to manage all the other elements of our football operations that are so important, whether that is analysis, recruitment, high performance or medical, they'll be looking after those areas together.
 
"And they'll also together be responsible for our technical recommendations, whether that's players that we're going to buy, whether that's players that we're going to sell, whether that's players that we're going to loan.
 
"Of course, working closely with me and the board and working closely with the owners on the financial elements to make final decisions. But those are going to be their responsibilities and I think we're going to have a really dynamic team to drive this club forward."

Arsenal begin the 2020-21 Premier League season with a short trip to newly-promoted Fulham on Saturday, before their first home fixture against West Ham seven days later.

The Gunners then face Leicester in the Carabao Cup, before an away fixture against English champions Liverpool in their final game of September.

Juventus have terminated Gonzalo Higuain's contract with a year left to run, paving the way for the Argentine striker to make a move to Inter Miami on a two-season deal, sources close to the situation have told Goal.

The 32-year-old, who arrived in Turin in 2016 as one of the most expensive transfers in football history, has seen the curtain brought down on his career with the Bianconeri as he prepares to switch to Major League Soccer on a contract that will run until 2022.

The former Argentina forward, who announced his international retirement last year, was signed from Napoli following a season where he finished as Serie A's top scorer and enjoyed a fruitful first two seasons at Allianz Stadium.

But he spent the 2018-19 campaign farmed out first to Milan and then Chelsea after Cristiano Ronaldo arrived from Real Madrid, surprising onlookers who had expected both to star in attack together.

Though he returned to the club last year, reuniting with his former Blues boss Maurizio Sarri, he has not done enough to figure in new coach Andrea Pirlo's plans going forward, and was thought to be mulling over a number of options surrounding his future.

Now, he looks almost certain to join David Beckham's expansion side in Florida, having agreed personal terms with the club, with a medical set to follow shortly.

There, he will link up with former teammate Blaise Matuidi, who moved on a free transfer last month.

Higuain began his career at River Plate in 2005, before sealing a move to Europe in 2007, where he claimed multiple Liga titles with Los Blancos, ahead of his switch to Napoli in 2013.

During his time at Juventus, he won three Serie A titles and played in the club's Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in Cardiff in 2017.

In addition, he won two Coppa Italia trophies and was voted the club's MVP in his maiden two campaigns in Turin.

On the international stage, Higuain was a member of Argentina's 2014 World Cup squad, and played in the final in Brazil, where his side lost to Germany.

Moussa Zouwairatou netted the only goal for Neman as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Zorka-BDU in Thursday's Belarusian Women's top-flight game.

Neman went into the encounter on a return from their two weeks holiday, having left off on a high following a 4-1 win at Bobruichanka.

In that triumph, the Cameroon international scored her side's second goal of the game, which was also her second in 15 outings this season. 

The 19-year-old Cameroonian broke the deadlock for Neman two minutes from half time.

However, Kristina Kiyanka struck four minutes after the restart of the encounter to ensure Zorka-BDU shared the spoils with Neman.

Zouwairatou's goal was her second on the bounce and third in 16 matches for Neman and, the Cameroonian lasted the duration.

Besides Zouwairatou, Nigeria's Gift Otuwe and Cote d'Ivoire's Mickaela Koutouan lasted the duration, while Ivorian compatriot Aminata Haidara was involved for 67 minutes for Neman.

The draw means Neman remain in fourth position with 28 points from 16 matches, while Zorka are third with 29 points.

In their next fixtures, Neman will play host to ABFF U19 on September 27, while Zorka visit Minsk a day earlier.

Barcelona’s next presidential elections will take place on March 20-21, 2021, the club have confirmed.

Current incumbent Jose Maria Bartomeu, heavily criticised in recent months for his role in Barcelona’s declining fortunes on the pitch, will be replaced as he is not seeking re-election.

However, Bartomeu could find himself ousted before March with a vote of no confidence having received more than 7,500 signatures from Barca members.

16,520 of the 140,000 current members would need to sign the vote by September 14 in order for it to be successful. Election candidates Victor Font and Joan Laporta are both reported to have signed, with fellow candidate Jordi Farre having confirmed his signature to Goal.

If it is not successful, Bartomeu will remain in place until the election in March.

In a short statement, Barcelona confirmed that votes will be able to be cast in a number of locations over the whole weekend as a social distancing measure during the coronavirus pandemic, with postal votes also permitted.

It has also been revealed that the next Ordinary Assembly of the club’s members will take place on October 25 – the day of the next Clasico against Real Madrid at Camp Nou.

That date is subject to change if the pandemic prevents the meeting from going ahead.

The club also released its first public estimate of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with an estimated 30 per cent reduction of income compared to 2019, when a record turnover of €1 billion (£900m/$1.2bn) was projected. That equates to a reduction of around €315m (£290m/$372m) in relation to the 2019-20 season.

Presidential candidate Farre has said Lionel Messi’s recent attempt to leave the club, and his exclusive interview with Goal explaining his reasons for staying, have hastened the desire for change at the club.

"Messi said there is no project and the board lied to him, all 'socios' should sign the motion of censure," Farre said.

"The signature collection got hurried after Messi's quotes to Goal, the rhythm got doubled after it, maybe he should have used another strategy but the important thing is he is staying and I still think it is possible to convince him to sign another renewal.”

AmaZulu general manager Lunga Sokhela has confirmed they will engage former Kaizer Chiefs defender Tsepo Masilela following the end of his contract with the Durban-based club.

The veteran left-back saw his deal coming to an end after the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season and Sokhela explains they are happy with the 35-year-old’s contribution.

Moreover, Usuthu announced the signing of winger Sicelo Mkhize from Jomo Cosmos and Samkelo Mgwazela from neighbours, Golden Arrows.

“We’re going to be engaging Mr Tsepo Masilela. We feel he’s one of the players that have really played a critical leadership role within the squad,” Sokhela told the media.

“He’s come here and brought all that experience into the squad which has assisted us greatly.

“We will be engaging in the next couple of days about continuing with us further. So, we really have been happy with his contribution.”

As they have retained the services of coach Ayanda Dlamini on a three-year deal, AmaZulu have confirmed the arrivals of Mkhize and Mgwazela from Ezenkosi and Abafana Bes'thende respectively.

"When it comes to any new signings, we can confirm that we have Mr Somila Ntsundwana, he was on loan to Royal Eagles and he will be rejoining us," he added.

"We’ve signed Sicelo Mkhize. We signed him on a pre-contract from Jomo Cosmos. We also signed Mgwazela, he’s a youngster. We signed him from the Golden Arrows MDC [MultiChoice Diski Challenge] team.

"He will be joining us this year as well, probably playing a lot of games in the MDC, but we think he is a quality youngster and may feature in the main team as well.

"In the goalkeeping department we have Jean-Noel Amonome, he was also on loan to Royal Eagles. He will be coming back to us to give us back-up in the goalkeeping position."

Coming to some of the payers they plan to offload, the experienced administrator shared an update as they have also parted ways with former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs who served as Dlamini’s assistant coach.

"There are some youngsters that were on loan and we’ll be making a decision on them such as Sbu Maluleke [Eagles] and Mr Xolani Silawula, who was on loan at Uthongathi," continued Sokhela.

Under the former striker’s guidance, AmaZulu survived the relegation battle and finished at number 13 with 30 points from 30 games.

Europe’s top goalscorers’ charts were dominated by more experienced strikers in 2019-20, with Ciro Immobile and Robert Lewandowksi leading the way.

The 30-year-old Immobile won the European Golden Shoe thanks to his 36 Serie A goals for Lazio, while 32-year-old Lewandowski ran him close with 34 – and 55 in all competitions.

With Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Jamie Vardy and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also having familiarly prolific seasons, six of the top 10 league goalscorers in Europe were aged 30 or above.

Former Lazio striker and Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Doll thinks he understands why, telling Sport Bild: “The medical care, the training preparation, the training design has completely changed in the last 10 years.

“A big plus of the older strikers is their inner calm. They have already experienced those ups and downs in their careers and no longer drive themselves crazy if they fail to score two games in a row, or when there is a negative headline about them in the newspaper.

“They just turn the page, while a younger player stops and wonders whether he is in crisis.”

Immobile is fast establishing himself as a club legend at Lazio, scoring 125 goals in 178 games in the last four seasons after disappointing at Dortmund.

In his only full season at the club before being sent out on loan, he managed just three goals in 24 Bundesliga games.

“It didn't work out for Ciro in Dortmund because he didn't get acclimatised there,” Doll said.

“Dortmund are a club that takes incredible care of their players, but he didn’t manage to get used to it.

“In the beginning, the language was certainly a major obstacle for him. In addition, the expectation on a goalscorer who had come from Torino for a big transfer fee was extremely high.

“When it wasn’t working at the beginning, Ciro must have looked at the newspapers. There was something like "wrong purchase".

“That may have weighed on him and slowed him down; he got into a negative spiral. It’s a shame for BVB and for the Bundesliga, but especially for Immobile because he couldn't show what he was made of in Germany.

“That's why it's so nice that football writes these stories and that he exploded at Lazio.”

Ines Nehry scored the winner for Gyeongju as they secured a 1-0 win at Suwon in Thursday's South Korean WK League encounter.

The Cote d'Ivoire international had arrived at Gyeongju Civic Stadium from Turkish side Besiktas in 2018 and has continued to impress to help the Korean giants to a fine run this season.

Before Thursday's fixture, the Ivorian had scored two goals in 12 outings and last registered a goal in a 2-1 win at Seoul on August 10.

Nehry struck the winner in the 35th minute to ensure her Korean side record their fifth consecutive victories this season.

Nehry was involved in the match from the start to finish along with her compatriot Josee Nahi, who also played for the duration.

Both of them have now scored three goals each in 13 matches for Gyeongju this season.

The victory keeps Gyeongju four points adrift of leaders Incheon Red Angels with 20 points from 13 matches.

Up next, Gyeongju will aim to close the gap on the Incheon when they take on fifth-placed side Gumi Sportstoto on September 14.

Simba SC head coach Sven Vandenbroeck has given an ultimatum to his players ahead of the 2020/21 Caf Champions League.

Vandenbroeck wants his players to work harder and ensure they collect as many points as possible in the Mainland Premier League before turning attention to continental football.

Simba will represent Tanzania in the Champions League whereas Namungo FC will take part in the Confederation Cup.

“After having good times last season, I would like to see my players retain the kind of hunger they had because if you win many titles, the hunger of success seems to go down,” Vandenbroeck told Mwanaspoti.

“We want to continue and pick up from where we left and show the urgency that we showed last season. One can think the first matches of the season are not hard as players might reason they are still in pre-season but that is not the case.

“We must collect as many points as possible before we engage in the Caf Champions League, that is very important. We also have to be certain of killing matches early enough.

“We had, together with our fans, an incredible time last season as we won all the domestic titles and for sure everyone was happy. But the fans must understand that getting all the titles in every season is not easy.”

Former Tanzania Prisons coach Mohamed Adolf Rishard echoed Vandenbroeck’s statement and said Wekundu wa Msimbazi must work even harder than they did last time out.

“The players must understand what the coach is saying because the chances of underperforming after an excellent season are always high,” the former Tanzania international told Mwanaspoti.

“The players must fight and keep in mind that they are the team which will represent the nation in the Champions League.

“They need not relax at all."

Tanzanian coach Mrage Kabange supported the Belgian's argument but also called on the fans to be realistic in their ambitions.

“Vandenbroeck is very right because teams have always found it hard to replicate the kind of previous success in the following seasons,” Kabange said.

“Look at Liverpool, they won the Premier League title but I am not very sure whether they will be champions again because every team is eager to beat them.

“The fans must also be ready and do away with the thought that big teams must not be defeated by small teams. They must understand that all the teams are participants in a league contest.”

Simba will face Mtibwa Sugar in Morogoro on Sunday after the 2-1 season-opening victory against Ihefu FC.

Golden Arrows forward Knox Mutizwa says he is discussing with his management to push for a move to Europe.

Mutizwa who turns 27 in October arrived in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in 2016 after signing for Bidvest Wits but limited game time saw him switching to Arrows in August 2017.

Having also cemented his place in the Zimbabwe national team, Mutizwa says it is now time for him to step into bigger challenges in Europe.

“My wish when I was growing up was to play in Europe and that is the dream that I’m still pursuing,” Mutizwa told The Chronicle.

“I think it’s now time for me to consider moving to Europe having spent four years here in South Africa. It’s my dream to play in Europe and I’ve had discussions with my management and said let us first consider the offer from Europe. 

“If I go to Europe I know that my game will greatly improve as I will learn a lot that side. After that, I would want to bring back what I learnt to the national team and effectively compete to become a regular starter in the Warriors.

“Competition in the national team is very stiff because we have a number of deadly strikers. I, therefore, have to work very hard to be considered.”

In the national team, he has been competing for a place with the likes of captain and former Kaizer Chiefs star Knowledge Musona, Tino Kadewere and Evans Rusike.

Mutizwa finished the just-ended PSL campaign with 13 league goals. He was tied on 13 goals together with Cape Town City’s Kermit Erasmus and Bongi Ntuli of AmaZulu as well as Chiefs' Samir Nurkovic.

This season’s tally is an improvement for Mutizwa who managed eight goals last term after he scored seven in the previous campaign.

Mutizwa’s keenness to play in Europe could be highlighted by his turning down a “lucrative" contract offer from a Sudanese side according to The Chronicle.

Other PSL clubs have also reportedly approached the player who hails from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) midfielder Mukoko Tonombe has revealed why he has complete faith in their capability of lifting the Mainland Premier League title.

Yanga have not touched the title since surrendering it to arch-rivals Simba SC three seasons ago but Tonombe has said they have a team capable of winning it again.

They had fought to a 1-1 draw with Tanzania Prisons in the season-opening fixture and the midfielder feels the result should not worry their fans at all.

“People are worried about the draw? No, tell them to be calm because this is the best team. We are going to win in the best way possible,” Tonombe told Mwanaspoti.

“This is a good team which I do not have any doubt about its quality. For now, it is a matter of time. This is a team that is being built and it would have been worse if we were to be defeated in the opening match.

“We played fantastically and it is only that the goals did not go in but I know we are going to get a lot of them going forward.

“We have very experienced players and those who are less experienced are going to gain it and that is what is called a team. We have a team that is capable of winning the league, no doubt about that.

“Every player here wants to see that we come together and win because that is a big step when you are in a team like Yanga. Yes, we did not win the last game, but they [rivals] are going to find it tough in the next matches.”

The former AS Vita player – who took the position of ex-Yanga captain Papy Tshishimbi in the team, did not start the Prisons game but was introduced later on alongside Tuisila Kisinda.

Meanwhile, Yanga’s deputy chairperson Frederick Mwakalebela has revealed the key areas Senzo Mazingisa is going to offer his advice on.

The South African joined Yanga from Simba and is expected to offer administrative advice especially on the consultancy agreement the club reached with both Sevilla and La Liga.

“His [Mazingisa] main role is to offer technical advice especially in regard to the agreement we entered into with La Liga,” Mwakalebela told Mwanaspoti.

“A lot has been done since he joined Yanga but the main job is the advice on the technical management of the club, the day to day programmes, and chairing the legal committee.”