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Xavi has been given the dreaded vote of confidence at Barcelona, with sporting director Deco saying the under-fire coach has “200%” backing.

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Argentine icon departed in 2021Domestic dominance restored last seasonSearching for consistency in 2023-24WHAT HAPPENED?

The legendary La Masia academy graduate, who captained the Catalan giants to domestic and continental honours during his playing days, returned to Camp Nou in a coaching capacity back in November 2021. He took over with the Blaugrana sat ninth in the table, and guided them to La Liga title glory in 2022-23.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT THEY SAID

That success was achieved despite “best player ever” Lionel Messi leaving a few months prior to his arrival, while other established stars headed for the exits over the summer – making it difficult for certain standards to be maintained. With that in mind, Deco has told : “We won the league after a period in which people said it would take years for Barca to win La Liga again. Do not forget, we also lost the best player ever. Leo is not here anymore and we thought it would be a big drama until we returned to winning [trophies]. A generation of players have left Barca, players like [Sergio Busquets]. I'd like to have another Busi. We had Jordi Alba, [Gerard] Pique, emblematic players…This whole process, for a coach, is difficult to manage. Xavi has achieved it. We have renewed his contract. The confidence in him is 100%, 200%.

“Now, do we want to improve? Do we want to play better? Of course. We can't hide that, we can't say that's not the case, that we don't want a more attractive team. It's another thing to know why we are not hitting that level. We know we've not had all the players [available]; little by little we have been getting them back. We speak every day. Xavi, more than anyone, wants to play better. We know the areas we have to improve, but we can't forget the good things, either, or who we are. That is important.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Defending champions Barca have already dropped points this season against Getafe, Mallorca and Granada, while defeats against Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk in the club’s last four games have piled pressure on Xavi. Deco added to on having the right man for the job in place: “I have no doubt that Xavi is the best manager for Barca. He accepted the challenge of taking over at a difficult moment and he's the perfect coach to carry out the reconstruction we are undergoing.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Xavi is working on a contract through to the summer of 2025, but he has Barca sat third in the Liga table at present – four points adrift of surprise leaders Girona – while there is still work to be done in order to secure progress into the last-16 of the Champions League.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti complained that referees do not understand coaches after a tense meeting at the Spanish Football Association (RFEF).

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Ancelotti attended meeting at RFEF officesReal Madrid boss left the discussion angryCoach says referees 'don't understand' coachesWHAT HAPPENED?

Ancelotti and his Barcelona counterpart Xavi, along with several other La Liga coaches, were present at a meeting at the RFEF's headquarters. The gathering was held to discuss refereeing and other issues in Spanish football – most notably a lack of severance pay received by coached when they're sacked.

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Ancelotti has previously complained that the referees in La Liga do not show enough respect to coaches, while Xavi has reportedly proposed a joint-press conference so that managers can express their grievances.

WHAT CARLO ANCELOTTI SAID

The meeting at the RFEF headquarters seems to have done very little to resolve the tension between referees, coaches and the RFEF in general, as Ancelotti voiced his anger afterwards. Asked by a journalist how the meeting went, Ancelotti said it was "a mess", adding: "They don't understand us coaches".

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ANCELOTTI?

The Italian left RFEF's headquarters early so that he could lead Madrid's training session on Tuesday. Their next game is against Cadiz on November 26.

Manchester City defender Rico Lewis posted a brilliant photo of himself as a toddler wearing an England kit after making his Three Lions debut.

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Lewis makes England debutSays it's an honour to play for Three LionsImpresses in North Macedonia drawWHAT HAPPENED?

Gareth Southgate handed Lewis his senior England debut on Monday against North Macedonia and saw the 19-year-old go on to pick up the player of the match award. Lewis has now reflected on his maiden bow on social media with an epic photograph showing him in full Three Lions kit as a very young child.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey so far. It is an honor of a lifetime to represent England," he posted alongside the picture on Instagram.

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Lewis certainly impressed his manager against North Macedonia. Southgate said after the 1-1 draw that he felt the Manchester City youngster was "excellent" and the decision to award a penalty against him was "very, very harsh." Lewis will be hoping he can now make a late push for England's Euro 2024 squad and his versatility will make him an attractive option. The youngster can play in both full-back positions as well as in midfield.

DID YOU KNOW?

Rico Lewis has become the second-youngest Manchester City player to feature for England (18 years, 364 days), behind only Micah Richards in 2006 (18 years, 144 days).

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR RICO LEWIS?

Lewis will now return to City and will be aiming for more Premier League starts in a bid to boost his international hopes. The teenager has made five appearances in the top flight so far this season but only two of those outings have been as a starter. The Cityzens return to action on Saturday in a top-of-the-table clash with Liverpool.

Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez appeared to charge at a Brazilian police officer and try to take away his baton during ugly scenes at the Maracana.

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Martinez charged at police officerViolence broke out between police & fansArgentina beat Brazil 1-0WHAT HAPPENED?

As reported by the , the Aston Villa goalkeeper leaped up and tried to take away the baton from a Brazilian police officer's hand amid crowd violence at the Maracana stadium right before Brazil and Argentina's 2026 World Cup qualifying game.

Violence broke out between the fans just before kick-off, leading to the reigning World Cup champions walking off the field. The two sides eventually returned to get the game underway 30 minutes later.

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Apparently, the violence started when the home crowd started booing the visiting team's national anthem. The local police intervened, but the violence only increased. Martinez took it upon himself to try and stop the chaos in the stands, with several of his Argentina team-mates attempting to haul him back, and the squad eventually made their way down the tunnel.

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The match eventually went in the visitors' favour as Nicolas Otamendi's strike helped the world champions edge out their rivals. This was Selecao's third defeat in six games and it left them languishing down in sixth in the CONMEBOL qualifying table with just seven points. From the same number of games, La Albiceleste have 15 points and sit at the summit. The next set of qualifying games will not take place until September next year, after the Copa America.

Erling Haaland has enjoyed a social media meme a day after his furious referee rant during Manchester City's clash with Tottenham.

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Haaland reacts to hilarious memeWas left fuming against TottenhamMissed several chances as Man City were held WHAT HAPPENED?

The Norwegian was left fuming during Sunday's Premier League clash between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur as he felt that Jack Grealish had been denied the chance to score a fourth goal for the club and seal victory in a dramatic game.

A thrilling encounter went down to the wire, with Grealish played through on goal in stoppage time, only for referee Simon Hooper to stop the game for a foul on Haaland. Hooper had appeared to wave play on initially, leaving the goal machine to angrily approach the referee on the pitch. At full-time Haaland also told Spurs' Giovanni Lo Celso to “f*ck off” as he stormed down the tunnel.

AdvertisementWHAT ERLING HAALAND SAID

The 23-year-old seemed to have cooled down after his outburst on the pitch as he shared a meme of himself on X with the caption, "Wtf that made me smile for the first time today."

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While the Cityzens might feel that they were robbed of a chance to score a late winner, they did not have the best of outings against Ange Postecoglou's side. The champions came back from behind to go 2-1 up in the first half but then conceded their lead twice in the second and were extremely wasteful in front of goal.

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(C)GettyImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?

Pep Guardiola's side, who are now three points behind league leaders Arsenal, will aim to get back to winning ways on Wednesday when they take on Aston Villa at Villa Park.

Former Barcelona full-back Junior Firpo has detailed to pressures of playing in Catalonia, taking aim at former boss Ronald Koeman.

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Signed in 2019, never cracked first teamReceived threats after disappointing debutCriticised Koeman for management styleWHAT HAPPENED?

Firpo arrived in Catalunya as an apparent back-up to Jordi Alba. However, he never found his footing for Barca, struggling for minutes, and experiencing difficulties on and off the pitch during a turbulent two-year spell. Firpo detailed the difficulties of playing for one of Europe's biggest clubs in an interview with .

AdvertisementGettyWHAT FIRPO SAID ABOUT HIS FIRST START

The full-back admitted his Barca career got off to a poor start, when he was removed from the game at half-time of his full debut: "Starting like this, with a mistake in my first game as a starter… and on top of that the coach took me off at half-time. That makes you start off on a very bad foot and with criticism. As much as I didn't try to read them, nowadays everything reaches you, especially with social networks. After that game I had thousands of comments and insults, thousands of private messages and threats."

WHAT HE SAID ABOUT WHY HE DIDN'T LEAVE THE CLUB

After his first season, Firpo had a good option to go to Inter, but spurned it due to his newborn son's health problems: "My second child was born with lung problems and I made the decision to stay in Barcelona. The medical services were very good and I did not want to make a move between countries after such a complicated time entering and leaving the hospital.

"I slept in the hospital, I went to train and returned to the hospital. My son Jasson was in the ICU and only one of my wife and I could go visit him for about 5 or 10 minutes two or three times a day."

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GettyWHAT HE SAID ABOUT RONALD KOEMAN

After agreeing to stay at the club, Firpo clashed with new boss Koeman, who forced him out of the side: "Koeman gave me an answer in which he was not being honest: he told me that I was contaminating the group, so I stopped trying."

Jadon Sancho had a forgetful outing in the Netherlands as PSV Eindhoven got lucky with a controversial penalty call to hold the visitors to a draw.

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Dortmund forced to share the spoils with PSVAnother lacklustre evening for SanchoMalen stole the show with his pace and skillGetty ImagesTELL ME MORE

It was another frustrating night for Sancho who huffed and puffed on the left and sometimes through the middle but could hardly create anything substantial. On the other hand, Donyell Malen was in inspired form on his return to the Phillips Stadion as he was the livewire for the Black and Yellows. It was not surprising when he popped up with the opener for the visitors. The 25-year-old danced past a couple of defenders after he was set up by Marcel Sabitzer and then rifled a shot at goal from a tight angle. Although the strike did take a deflection it had enough power to beat keeper Walter Benitez and bounce in off the underside of the crossbar.

It was only after falling behind that PSV started finding some purpose in midfield and gradually started asking questions of Dortmund's defence. Hirving Lozano looked like a threat on the left wing as the Mexican tried creating something from nothing to set up his teammates Ismail Saibari, Johan Bakayoko and Luuk De Jong. However, it was not until a stroke of luck that came their way they got back into the match. It looked like a good block from Matts Hummels on Malik Tillman as he got a sizeable portion of the ball after he slid in leading with his studs. However, the USMNT man hit the ground which led the Serbian referee Srdjan Jovanovic to point to the spot. And De Jong did the rest from 12 yards out.

As the game wore on, Dortmund offered very little going forward and it was a subdued second half from the visitors, which allowed PSV to take confidence from the match before travelling to Germany in March.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Malen's goal marked the end of an eight-year drought for Dutch players scoring against teams from their homeland in the UEFA Champions League. The last player to accomplish this feat was Arjen Robben, who scored for Bayern Munich against the same opponent.

Getty ImagesTHE MVP

Malen was undoubtedly the best player on the pitch. His mazy runs on the wide areas proved to be a constant threat for PSV defenders. He was not afraid to test the keeper from distance on a couple of occasions and if his attempts had a bit more fizz in them, Dortmund would have taken a lead back to Germany. Nonetheless, it was a very well-taken goal in the first half, which was his first strike in the competition since December 7, 2021, against Besiktas.

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THE BIG LOSER

Sancho was an anonymous figure for Dortmund and his performance was reminiscent of his struggles at Manchester United. He lacked imagination and creativity which forced Edin Terzic to replace him in the 68th minute with Marius Wolf.

John Terry shared a bizarre naked photo with the Carabao Cup ahead of the Blues' clash against Liverpool at Wembley.

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Terry posts bizarre throwback photo with Carabao Cup trophyWon three Carabao Cup titles with ChelseaBlues take on Liverpool in Carabao Cup final WHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea will aim to clinch their first trophy in the Todd Boehly as they take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. Ahead of the big clash at Wembley, former Blues captain John Terry shared a bizarre throwback image of himself on Instagram where he is naked and holding the Carabao Cup trophy.

AdvertisementWHAT JOHN TERRY SAID

Terry uploaded the image on his Instagram story with a cheeky caption that read, "It's a good job these tassels are long."

John Terry InstagramTHE GOSSIP

The 43-year-old spent 19 years at Stamford Bridge where he won multiple trophies including three Carabao Cup titles. He first won the title during the 2004/05 season and then repeated the feat during the 2006/07 campaign. His last triumph came in the 2014/15 season where he scored in the final against Tottenham Hotspur in the club's 2-0 win.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

The Reds will be taking the field on Sunday without star attackers like Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez. The pair missed the team's midweek clash against Luton and has once again failed to make the matchday squad for the big final.

Barcelona boss Xavi addressed the rumours that he could reverse his decision to quit Barcelona at the end of the current season.

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Xavi responds to rumours of him reversing decision to quitXavi set to leave Barcelona next seasonBarcelona currently third in La LigaWHAT HAPPENED?

In January, during a press conference, Xavi dropped the bombshell that he would quit Barcelona at the end of the current season. Lately, there has been speculation that suggests the Catalan coach could reverse his decision if the club end the 2023/24 on a positive note.

AdvertisementWHAT XAVI SAID

Speaking to reporters, Xavi refuted all the rumours as he said, "As of today, nothing has changed. There is no more story than that. It all remains the same and we focus on the next game."

He added, "It’s true we’ve done well recently; I see the team training great every day and the group of players is less tense than in the past. But tomorrow is a whole new story, here at Barcelona you have a challenge every day. The moment of the truth this season is coming, and we feel we have been good over the last weeks."

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In his first full season as the Blaugrana boss, the 44-year-old guided the club to La Liga title win and also helped them claim the Spanish Super Cup by beating rivals Real Madrid in the final. In the current campaign, though, the Catalan giants have struggled to find form. They failed to defend the Spanish Super Cup title as Real Madrid reclaimed the trophy and were also ousted from the Copa del Rey quarter-final after losing 4-2 to Athletic Club.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

The reigning champions, who are currently third in the league and are eight points behind Los Blancos, will next face Athletic Club on Sunday.

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their pursuit of Raphinha heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that PIF are plotting a swoop for the Leeds United forward and will need to battle it out with an elite European club to land his signature.

Speaking on the Wondergoal Podcast (12:45), Romano said: “A player they (PIF) love is Raphinha from Leeds. We know that Barcelona are leading the race to sign to him, but Newcastle are exploring the possibilities for a long time.

“They know this is going to be more than complicated because Barcelona are already in advanced talks with the player’s side. It depends if Leeds will get relegated or not (as) it will be important to understand if the clause will be activated or not.”

Imagine him & Allan Saint-Maximin

PIF must work hard to win the race for Raphinha, as he would be an exciting addition to Newcastle’s squad for next season.

Premier League defenders will be trembling at the thought of playing against the Toon if Saint-Maximin and the Brazilian are both lining up on the wings for the Magpies, as they both have the technical ability to cause huge problems in the final third.

Whilst Leeds are struggling at the wrong end of the table, the 25-year-old attacker has been a shining light at Elland Road throughout the campaign.

As you can see from these statistics, via SofaScore, Raphinha – who joined the Yorkshire club for £20m – has been in electric form at the top end of the pitch, both in terms of scoring and creating goals.

He only has three assists to his name, in spite of him creating nine ‘big chances’, and his team’s failure to finish off the opportunities that he is creating could tempt him to make the switch to St James’ Park. Raphinha’s statistics prove that he is a quality player at Premier League level, and Leeds are not making the most of his creative talents.

The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland previously dubbed him “magic”, and the Brazil wizard’s 1.9 dribbles per game to go along with his chance creation figures would suggest that such praise is deserved.

Meanwhile, Saint-Maximin has completed a whopping 4.4 dribbles and 1.5 key passes per game in the current top-flight campaign. This shows that he has been a constant threat with the ball at his feet and that Eddie Howe would have a frightening wide duo if he can play him and Raphinha in the same team next season.

AND in other news, Howe can land the next Shearer as Newcastle “prepares” £59m bid for 68-goal “diamond”…