Sid Lowe in Spain

Sporting Gijón's 5-1 hammering by Sociedad raises real questions about the future of La Liga's longest serving manager.

Even great survivor Manolo Preciado may not be able to ride out this storm.

England: Tuesday's Premier League Preview & Predictions

Manchester City return to Premier League action against Everton on a key night in the title race, with Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea also taking to the field.

Preview

Paul Merson's Predictions

Lawro's Predictions

Americans Abroad

Landon Donovan, M/F, Everton -- Started, played 90 minutes and assisted on two goals in Everton's 2-1 victory over Fulham in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday. Donovan delivered a left-footed cross from the right side that found Denis Stracqualursi in the 27th minute, and the Argentine striker headed it in from the center of the box to level the score. Donovan then sent in a right-footed cross from the right to find Marouane Fellaini, who headed home the winner in the 73rd minute. SEASON: 6 games, 6 starts

Oguchi Onyewu, D, Sporting Lisbon -- Started, played 90 minutes, picked up a yellow card and scored both goals in Sporting's 2-0 victory over Beira Mar on Sunday. Onyewu scored on nearly identical plays in the 18th and 27th minutes, first heading home a corner kick from the edge of the 6-yard box and then doing the same off a free kick taken from the same side of the field nine minutes later. SEASON: 23 games, 23 starts, 5 goals

The Rest

Ben Lyttleton: Support Henry finds at Arsenal remains missing at home in France

Despite the celebration in England, his words rang hollow in France, where he is admired for being France's best player when it won Euro 2000; rated for scoring more international goals, 51, than any other France player; and respected for marking the history of the Premier League with his record 226 (now 227) goals for Arsenal. But he is also seen as manipulative, image-obsessed and arrogant. In fact, Henry might be unique in sports for the total disconnect between his perception at home and abroad. Take the minor story of his tears at that statue unveiling; in England, it was seen as honest emotion out of love for the club; in France, a calculated ploy to further cement his place in the history of Arsenal and English football.

Paolo Bandini in Italy

The Nerazzurri's streak of form had some talking about a push for title but the wheels came off at the Stadio Via del Mare.

Crazy Inter's unbeaten run ends at lowly Lecce.

Raphael Honigstein in Germany

Michael Ballack is a legend who has become a pariah at Bayer Leverkusen – a club who are now desperate to sell him.

Pride, pig-headedness and glee: Leverkusen's Project Ballack fails.

Tim Vickery in South America

I have often mentioned the single greatest pleasure of covering South American football -spotting a future superstar on the way up, spying on the early steps of someone with the talent to become a household name all over the world. Another pleasure comes from following some of those big names at the end of their playing days, when they come back from Europe to wind down their careers. One of the fascinating aspects here is that they can fit into so many different categories.

African Cup of Nations: Drogba's mother dishes up for Ivory Coast fans

While Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba is on the football pitch, his mother is cooking for Africa Cup of Nations fans. Clotilde Drogba's makeshift kitchen is at a dusty stadium on the outskirts of the Equatorial Guinea capital of Malabo, the Associated Press reports. She serves up chicken and fish with rice, plantains and spicy sauces to fans, while her Chelsea star son eats at the hotel with the other players.

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Tuesday's Rumours




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Roberto Gotta in Italy

While even well-funded scientific researchers have apparently not been able to find out what the best thing before sliced bread was, you got the impression on the week leading up to the Milan-Inter derby on January 15 that this latest chapter of the intercity rivalry would certainly be the most compelling event since the dawn of the sandwich.

African Cup of Nations: Sudan in quarters for first time in 42 years

Sudan reached the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations for the first time in 42 years on Monday, beating Burkina Faso 2-1 to end an 11-game winless streak at the tournament and edge out Angola on goal difference.

African Cup of Nations: Jonathan Wilson: A wonderful spectacle for both host and fans

Equatorial Guineans celebrate...

and celebrate...

and celebrate...

This has been a tournament that has restored the joy to African soccer. Without the traditional powers of Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt, it is as if a great weight both of expectation and fear has been lifted. Only Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana are playing with the albatross of favoritism around their necks, and both have been notably cautious in their opening matches; everybody else seems liberated, as though the subconscious dread of humiliation at the hands of one of the great names has gone (Botswana, who lost by a record 6-1 to Guinea, might regret that). It has been a tournament of fluid, constant attack.

African Cup of Nations: Senegal left soul-searching

Papiss Cisse and  Demba Ba = No Goals

For some, a road without any obstacles can be just as tricky to travel on as one that is punctured with potholes. Some like Senegal. Without record-breaking continental giants Egypt, heavyweights Cameroon and Nigeria in the ongoing African Nations Cup (ANC), the path was considered clear for the likes of them, Ghana or Ivory Coast to emerge champions. But, Senegal will not get anywhere near the trophy after finishing Group A in last place. They limped out of the tournament without a single victory, despite being FIFA ranked the highest of the four teams in their pool, 20 places above the nearest challenger, Libya.

Phil Ball in Spain

On Sunday afternoon I attended the Real Sociedad v Sporting de Gijon encounter, which finished 5-1 in favour of the home side. However, I'd like to share a personal record with you. During many years of watching live football, I don't think I've ever managed to miss fifty-percent of the goals. The first miss came courtesy of a quick trip to the loo, just as the half-time break was drawing to a close. Why not go at the beginning, you ask? Well, I had been delayed in conversation with the legendary Alex Calvo-Garcia, who sometimes sits behind me in Anoeta. Now retired, he famously scored the winning goal at Wembley to promote Scunthorpe United via the play-offs in 1999, upon which he ripped off his shirt to reveal the Ikurrina below (the Basque flag), a point missed by almost everyone in the stadium that day. You can check it out on YouTube. He has a bar named after him now, at Scunthorpe's ground, but it was his fault entirely that I missed Sporting's first goal, netted in the opening minute of the second half. Lovely bloke though.

Phil McNulty: 'Tormented' De Gea a great concern for Ferguson

Patrice Evra's ordeal concluded with his Manchester United captain's armband tossed away in the despair of defeat on the Anfield turf. For David de Gea, the torment shows no sign of ending.

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Monday's Rumours




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England: FA Cup Weekend Reviews, Reports, Team of the Weekend, & Fifth Round Draw

Rafael Van der Vaart's 30-yard strike proved just enough for Tottenham Hotspur to see off a spirited Watford side 1-0 in their FA Cup clash at Vicarage Road and book a place in the fifth round. Headers from Denis Stracqualursi and Marouane Fellaini sent Everton into the fifth round of the FA Cup as they came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 on Friday night. Friday

Liverpool remain on course for a cup double this season after Dirk Kuyt's late winner secured a 2-1 victory in their FA Cup fourth round clash with Manchester United at Anfield. Gus Poyet once again ended the FA Cup hopes of Newcastle as Championship side Brighton pulled off a shock 1-0 win. Juan Mata's penalty secured Chelsea's place in the fifth round with a 1-0 win against West London rivals Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. Saturday

Arsenal came thundering back from two-down at half-time to record a pulsating 3-2 victory over Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup, with captain Robin van Persie netting a brace. Fraizer Campbell emerged from his latest bout of injury misery to keep Sunderland's FA Cup dreams alive with a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough. Sunday

Everton 2 - 1 Fulham
Andy Hunter at Goodison Park


Queens Park Rangers 0 - 1 Chelsea
Jason Burt at Loftus Road
Dominic Fifield at Loftus Road


Liverpool 2 - 1 Manchester United
Kevin McCarra at Anfield
Duncan White at Anfield


Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa
Henry Winter at the Emirates Stadium
Kevin Palmer at the Emirates Stadium
Amy Lawrence at the Emirates Stadium

Five Things We Learned


Team of the Weekend

Ties will be played on the weekend of February 18-19.

Games to be played weekend of February 18

Liverpool	v	Brighton & Hove Albion
Everton	v	Blackpool or Sheffield Wednesday
Chelsea	v	Birmingham City
Crawley Town	v	Stoke City
Stevenage	v	Tottenham Hotspur
Norwich City	v	Leicester City
Sunderland or Middlesbrough	v	Arsenal
Millwall or Southampton	v	Bolton Wanderers

European Round-up: Real Madrid surge, Barca slump, Juve and Bayern still lead

Real Madrid jumped seven points clear at the top of La Liga with a comeback victory as their title rivals dropped points, while Juventus maintained a one-point lead in Serie A at the weekend. Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain kept up their 100 percent record since the arrival of new coach Carlo Ancelotti and Bayern Munich stayed just out in front with three teams level on points at the top of the Bundesliga.

Round-Up

African Cup of Nations: Updates & Previews

Zambia beat already-qualified Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in the African Cup of Nations on Sunday to snatch first place in Group A and join the co-host in the quarterfinals.

Ihaab Boussefi's two goals weren't enough to send Libya through to the quarterfinals at the African Cup of Nations despite a 2-1 win over Senegal on Sunday. Boussefi struck in the fifth and 84th minutes to give Libya victory at Estadio de Bata, but Zambia's 1-0 win over co-host Equatorial Guinea in Group A's other game in Malabo - which was played at the same time - saw the Zambians progress. Senegal slumped to a third straight loss at the tournament and a humiliating end to its Cup of Nations after being tipped as a possible contender.

Ivory Coast, Angola in top-of-table showdown

The Fifth Official

Tubbs

Few of us like a Monday morning, but The Fifth Official does, for it brings with it a chance for him to point the finger and laugh. Here he pulls out the pretty, the puzzling and the downright pig-ugly from a week brimming with potential victims.