Samuel Umtiti has made his way back from Qatar where he’s been receiving ‘conservative’ treatment on a knee injury but the latest update is not good.

According to Sport, he has been examined by medical staff who are not too happy with what they’ve seen, and he’s not expected to join in with the team’s first training session after the winter break tomorrow.

In fact, the report reckons that Barcelona are now “convinced” there is no way Umtiti will be able to avoid surgery to fix his current injury problems.

However, Umtiti will only go under the knife as a last resort, and it seems there’s a way to go before we reach that point.

The French defender has made only six La Liga starts this season because of the problem, and his last outing was back in November in the 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona has already moved to bring in Jeison Murillo on loan from Valencia as they seek extra cover at the back with Thomas Vermaelen out again.

There had been reports earlier in the week that Umtiti was targeting a return against his former side Lyon in the Champions League last 16 in February.

However, the latest update suggests Umtiti is unlikely to recover without an operation which is likely to rule him out for a significant period.

Lionel Messi finishes as top scorer and assister in Europe for 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice for Juventus as they defeated Sampdoria 2-1 yesterday, but it wasn’t enough to surpass Lionel Messi as 2018’s top scorer. Messi finished the year at 51 goals for club and country, with Ronaldo “just” on 49.

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowksi finished the year with 46. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah scored once in Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Arsenal to take him to 44 goals for the year. Harry Kane finished with 42, having scored the lone goal for Tottenham Hotspur as they lost 3-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Antoine Griezmann finished the year with 40 for Atlético Madrid and France.

Of Messi’s 51 goals, 4 were with Argentina and the remaining 47 with Barcelona. Ronaldo scored 6 for Portugal and 43 for his clubs in 2018, Juventus and Real Madrid.

Messi also finished as the top assist provider in Europe with 26 for club and country. His Barcelona teammate Luis Suárez finished second with 24, tied with Lyon’s Memphis Depay.

N'Golo Kante earned Chelsea a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace to boost the Blues' bid for a place in the Premier League's top four.

Kante, a World Cup winner with France last summer, has been deployed in a more advanced position on the right side of midfield by Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea.
He netted his third Premier League goal of the season at Selhurst Park as Chelsea ended Palace's three-match unbeaten run to move five points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal in the battle for Champions League qualification.

Willian and Ross Barkley had hit posts in quick succession in the first half and the hosts' performance showed little of the style and substance which had earned the victory at Manchester City eight days earlier.

Olivier Giroud started alongside Eden Hazard as Chelsea named a recognized striker for the first time since the loss at Wolves on December 5. He needed help to hobble down the touchline at full-time due to an ankle injury.

It had been the Frenchman's first start since three days prior to that, against Fulham, while Ross Barkley started for the first time in almost two months, since the November 4 win over Palace at Stamford Bridge.
Hazard had been deployed in the 'false nine' position to good effect in recent weeks, but Sarri switched things up as rumors persist that Chelsea will be in the market for a new striker in the near future.

It took time for either side to get going. A disjointed opening featured few chances of note, with Antonio Rudiger only able to glance on a Willian free-kick which Vicente Guaita claimed.

Giroud beat the goalkeeper with a low shot after 28 minutes, but the strike was ruled out for offside.

Palace was content to play on the break, while Chelsea's play was ponderous. Their best opportunities of the first half came courtesy of two set-pieces.

A Willian free-kick hit the post after Cheikhou Kouyate had been adjudged to have fouled Hazard. Referee Craig Pawson awarded a corner, much to the home fans' displeasure.

Soon afterward a Willian shot was turned around a post by the goalkeeper for a corner. Hazard took it and Barkley improvised to turn the ball on to the outside of a post.

Chelsea breached the Palace defenses early in the second half, as David Luiz stepped forwards into midfield with the ball.
The Brazil defender spotted Kante's run and found him with a lofted pass. The France midfielder chested down and shot left-footed under Guaita.


Chelsea continued to threaten. Hazard fed Willian, who was denied by Guaita, and a Barkley shot deflected wide from the follow-up.

There were mocking cheers as Palace boss Roy Hodgson sent on Connor Wickham, a striker, for Jeffrey Schlupp.

Giroud netted following an offside flag and hurt his ankle in tangling with James Tomkins prior to the referee's whistle. Alvaro Morata was sent on.

Palace created chances for the equalizer, but Wilfried Zaha curled over and Wickham blasted over after the ball had fallen kindly for him in the area.

Barcelona has denied the existence of any agreement with Paris St Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot and insists they have not broken the rules over his potential recruitment.

La Liga's table-toppers, along with several Premier League clubs including Liverpool and Arsenal, have been linked with the 23-year-old six-time France international, whose contract with PSG ends in June.

Reports in France and Spain claim Barca are preparing to offer Rabiot a five-year deal when the transfer window opens on 1 January.

The Catalan club said in a statement on Sunday they had made contact with PSG's management "last August and then a week ago" to express their interest in Rabiot, but had not spoken to the player.


"In response to the news that has appeared in France, Barcelona state that there has been no breach of regulations regarding the signing of PSG players," the statement read.

"The only contact was made last August and then a week ago. In both case, the contact was made with the sporting managers of PSG in order to express Barcelona's interest in the player Adrien Rabiot.

"Barcelona always want to work with the highest level of transparency with PSG and any other club.

"Barcelona deny the existence of any type of agreement with PSG players Adrien Rabiot."


Rabiot graduated from the PSG academy and, having made his senior debut for the Parisians in 2012, has appeared over 200 times for the Ligue 1 club, winning the French title four times.

CHELSEA star Eden Hazard could not go to Real Madrid if Jose Mourinho is appointed as manager.

That’s according to former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson.
The Blues saw off Crystal Palace in a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park.
Hazard, who surpassed 100 goals for Chelsea this month, started once again for Maurizio Sarri.
There has been speculation the 27-year-old would head to Real Madrid, though.
But Robinson, who has 375 Premier League appearances to his name, gave his say on beIN SPORTS about the transfer saga.

In the clip, host Richard Keys asks if Hazard is holding off on a move in case his former boss Jose Mourinho arrives at the Bernabeu.

The Portuguese boss was sacked by Manchester United this week, sparking speculation of a return to Spain.

“Well he doesn’t have to make an immediate decision for anybody,” fellow pundit Andy Gray says.
“The decision will be his and his alone.

“But it looks to me like he’s made it already.”

Keys presses for a reason that the Belgian would not move to Spain.

And the Scot quickly replies: “If Jose turns up at Real, he’s not going.”
This is when Robinson joins the conversation, supporting that argument Mourinho’s presence would affect Hazard.

“I think that will play a real key factor in his decision,” the 39-year-old says.

“That’s a very good point.

“He’s made no secret of the fact he wants to play for Real Madrid and in January he’s able to sign for someone else because he’s a free agent.”
The host then brings up Hazard’s role in forcing the Portuguese manager out of Stamford Bridge two years ago.

“They certainly didn’t get on,” Robinson agrees.

“And I could be a real key factor as to why he hasn’t announced his decision.

“Yes Chelsea won’t want him to leave but because of the service and years he’s been there, he’ll leave with everyone’s best wishes.”

This comes as the Blues were handed a major blow in their pursuit of Christian Pulisic.

Goalkeeper Juan Carlos Has To Win Best Goal Of 2018 After Scoring From 60 Yards

Lugo goalkeeper Juan Carlos Martín Corra smashed a ball from 60 yards to score the most ridiculous goal earlier this year

Carlos had the vision to catch Sporting Gijon counterpart Diego Marino off his line with a weighted hit, and many people are saying it could be a goal of the season contender.

To put the icing on top of the cake, Juan Carlos' goal landed on his 30th birthday - the best present ever?
Apart from Rogerio Ceni and Jose Luis Chilavert banging goals in for fun despite playing in between the sticks, you don't normally see goalkeepers scoring too often, do you?

Well, a goalkeeper in South Africa completely changed the game in 2016 with a ridiculous goal.

Lugo goalkeeper Juan Carlos Martin Corral scores a sensational goal from his own half!

Best of 2018?

(via @LaLiga) pic.twitter.com/ToxTGRY5TE

— Photos of Football (@photosofootball) December 30, 2018

Oscarine Masuluke went up in the sixth minute of stoppage time with his side Baroka FCon the verge of losing to Orlando Pirates.

He was thrown into the mix for a corner with the aim of making a nuisance of himself but when the ball was cleared and fell into his path, with his back to goal, he netted an utterly outrageous overhead kick that flew into the top corner.


He then thrust his hips with his teammates around the corner flag in the wild, but perfectly acceptable celebrations for a goal of this ilk.

It's safe to say that it is the greatest ever goal scored by a goalkeeper.

Another goalkeeper who is famed for scoring is Rogerio Ceni.

In a career spanning over 1250 appearances and 131 goals, former Sao Paulo goalkeeper Ceni called time on his career back in 2015 at the tender age of 42.
If you don't know who Ceni is, the former 'keeper is the highest scoring goalkeeper in football history, scoring 131 goals. The club organized a leaving due for Ceni, because let's be fair, he is a club legend and he marked the event by playing guitar on stage in front of thousands.

Some Arsenal fans have savaged Stephan Lichtsteiner following his disastrous performance during the 5-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday evening.

Lichtsteiner has been deputizing for the injured Hector Bellerin at right-back in recent weeks and the experienced defender once again lined-up alongside the likes of Sokratis, Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac for Arsenal against Liverpool last night.

However, the 34-year-old looked out of his depth at times against a rampant Liverpool attack with Lichtsteiner’s poor attempted clearance leading to the hosts' equalizer just two minutes after Ainsley Maitland-Niles had given the Gunners an early lead.

More shocking defending from Sokratis and Mustafi allowed Roberto Firmino to waltz through to make it 2-1 before another error from Lichtsteiner led to Liverpool taking a 3-1 lead en route to a resounding 5-1 victory over a beleaguered Arsenal side.

It’s safe to say the entire Arsenal team was well below par yesterday but some fans have vented their anger at Lichtsteiner with the Swiss international being savaged on social media.

One fan labeled him a ‘terrible footballer’ after comparing him to former Arsenal defenders Sebastien Squillaci and Andre Santos while another supporter described Lichtsteiner’s performance against Liverpool as ‘shocking’.

Another fan claimed the full-back is ‘a million miles off the pace’ in the Premier League while many disgruntled supporters called for the player to leave Arsenal or simply retire.

While it might be harsh to lay all blame at Lichtsteiner for Arsenal’s heavy defeat on Saturday it’s clear the former Juventus defender has struggled to adapt since joining the Gunners on a free last summer and Unai Emery is going to need to find an upgrade at the end of the season.

Check out what some fans have been saying here:

lichtsteiner is up there with Squillaci and Santos. Terrible footballer

— Omon (@Omo_BE) December 29, 2018

No Mustafi, No Özil, No Bellerin, Ramsey probably not starting. I really can't take this team. I just hope we don't play Xhaka at CB... We will play Lichtsteiner though in back 3... Can't wait for this struggle to end. Injuries have really put a spanner in the way we play.

— Shree G (@ganesh_gooner) December 29, 2018

No Mustafi, No Özil, No Bellerin, Ramsey probably not starting. I really can't take this team. I just hope we don't play Xhaka at CB... We will play Lichtsteiner though in back 3... Can't wait for this struggle to end. Injuries have really put a spanner in the way we play.

— Shree G (@ganesh_gooner) December 29, 2018

Lichtsteiner is questioning Mustafi for not dealing with 3rd goal. Absolutely appalling. He was the main reason for playing every single player onside and he questioning Mustafi

— Shree G (@ganesh_gooner) December 29, 2018

The Argentine is a front-runner to permanently replace Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford and has not yet ruled out a move away from Spurs

Tottenham will not stand in Mauricio Pochettino's way if he wants to go to Manchester United, claims former Spurs and Red Devils striker Teddy Sheringham.
Pochettino has been heavily linked as the permanent replacement to Jose Mourinho following the Portuguese's dismissal in December.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has since been appointed as interim boss until the end of the season, but Pochettino has still not ruled out a move to Old Trafford.
Speaking to Love Sports Radio, Sheringham said: “Pochettino is doing all the right things at Tottenham. People will say he hasn’t won anything but he’s transformed things in north London. He’s got them on the right path.
“He gets players playing to the best of their capabilities and that’s what you want as a manager. I don’t think it’s a case of whether Spurs will let him go and I don’t think it’s about money either.
“It’s just about what Pochettino wants to do. If United want him and he wants to go then I don’t think Tottenham will stand in his way.
“You can’t turn down the chance to join Manchester United as a player and it must be exactly the same as a manager.”
Sheringham made the move from Spurs to United in 1997, and then went back to Tottenham in 2001 after a successful spell in Manchester.
The north London club has managed to join the title race after a strong run of results, although suffered a setback with a 3-1 defeat at home to Wolves on Saturday.
United meanwhile have rallied under Solskjaer with wins against Cardiff and Huddersfield following a poor start to the season under Mourinho, which saw the manager often criticizing his own players.
Sheringham added: “I hate people getting the sack but it just looked to me that Jose was ready to go. He’d been saying the wrong things for the last six months.
“The statement he came out with about how United wouldn’t sack him because they couldn’t afford to was just goading the people above him.
“Ever since then he’s just been talking about how good other teams are, even though he’d spent around €400 million on players.
“If you can’t get a good team out of that then you are struggling.”

Bayern Munich have offered £13.5m plus add-ons for Callum Hudson-Odoi but Chelsea want at least £22.5m, Sky sources understand.

According to Sky Germany, Borussia Dortmund are also interested in Hudson-Odoi, whose current contract with Chelsea expires in the summer of 2020.
The 18-year-old forward, who joined Chelsea at U8s level, is viewed as one of the best talents in the club's academy and one of the best players the Blues have produced in recent seasons.
Hudson-Odoi played a key role in England's 2017 Under-17 World Cup victory, appearing in all nine matches and setting up three goals in the 5-2 victory over Spain in the final.

Another member of that victorious England team, Jadon Sancho, has gone on to achieve great success in the Bundesliga since leaving Manchester City to join Dortmund in 2017.
Hudson-Odoi made his debut for Chelsea in January 2018 when he came on as a substitute in an FA Cup over Newcastle. He made three more substitute appearances under Antonio Conte, including one in the Premier League against Bournemouth.

Hudson-Odoi made his first Premier League appearance of the season on Wednesday against Watford when he replaced Pedro in the 43rd minute, but he was withdrawn late in the game after suffering a hamstring injury.

He has featured four times in the Europa League under Maurizio Sarri, starting twice.

Hudson-Odoi scored his first senior goal for Chelsea in a 4-0 win over PAOK in the Champions League last month but afterwards Sarri cautioned that he is not yet ready for the Premier League.

"I don't know if Hudson-Odoi is able for the Premier League at 18, especially in a big team," he said.

"If he's good enough to play in a big team in the Premier League at 18 then he could be the best player in Europe in two years."

The Brazil international scored from the penalty spot to complete his treble as Liverpool thrashed Arsenal at Anfield

Jurgen Klopp admitted he "almost cried" when Mohamed Salah let Roberto Firmino take Liverpool's second penalty to complete his hat-trick in Saturday's 5-1 demolition of Arsenal.
Arsenal was well and truly outclassed at Anfield despite taking an early lead through Ainsley Maitland-Niles, as the Reds moved nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Firmino hit back with two quickfire goals, before Sadio Mane and Salah – from the penalty spot – had Liverpool 4-1 by half-time.
Klopp was also keen to laud Liverpool's response to initially falling behind, as they bounced back emphatically and swiftly.

"The response [to going behind] was world class," Klopp said. "We stayed calm and really forced the mistakes.
"Firmino's second when Sadio [Mane] won the ball - wow. It was perfect defending."
Up next for Liverpool in the Premier League is a trip to defending champions Manchester City on January 3.
Liverpool knows that they will kick-off at the Etihad Stadium at least seven points ahead of Pep Guardiola's side, and if they can avoid defeat they will be in pole position to claim the title for the first time since 1990.

Tottenham Hotspur fans tear into ‘shocking’ Hugo Lloris after Wolves defeat

Tottenham fell to a shock 3-1 home defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday – and some of the club’s supporters on Twitter fumed with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for his performance.

Spurs were in front at half-time due to a stunning left-footed strike from Harry Kane, but they capitulated in the second period and their good form of late came to an emphatic end.

Willy Boly, Raul Jimenez and Holder Costa were all on the scoresheet for the visitors at Wembley, as Mauricio Pochettino’s side missed the chance to close the gap to three points behind Premier League leaders, Liverpool.
A selection of supporters on social media was furious with World Cup winner Lloris for his display in net.

The 32-year-old has come under scrutiny a coulee of times already this season and some believe he could have done much better against Wolves.

His weak hand was unable to keep out Boly’s equalising header, before Jimenez’s deflected effort also trickled past him.

Paulo Gazzaniga is currently Spurs’ second-choice goalkeeper waiting in reserve and has done brilliantly when called upon, which is why many believe he should now get a shot at the number one.

Here are Spurs fans heavily criticising Lloris for his display against Wolves:

Amateur goal keeping yet again from Hugo Lloris. He's costing @spurs points at this stage. It's time to bite the bullet and play Gazzaniga ahead of him. #COYS #TOTWOL

— David Jackman (@DavidJackman15) December 29, 2018

Hugo Lloris is a disgrace. Sell him in January. An absolute liability #thfc

— Harry Sherlock (@Harry_Sherlock) December 29, 2018

Trippier and Lloris, simple not good enough.

Overall, terrible performance. #COYS

— Richy Bakes (@richybakes1) December 29, 2018

Harry Kane has revealed the moment he found out about his New Year's honours saying he thought it was bad news, not good.

The England striker and captain, who led the team to the semi-finals of the World Cup over the summer, and won the Golden Boot for his six goals in the process, has been awarded an MBE by the Queen in her honours list.
And the 25-year-old has lifted the lid on how he found out - when his partner called him before Tottenham's 3-1 win over Southampton at the start of December.

Kane said: "We got a letter to the house. Kate [his fiancee] opened the letter. It was before the Southampton game.

"Normally we'd talk a little but she would never call me just before the match. I had a missed call and she texted me 'could you answer?'

"I thought something was wrong! But Kate was excited and told me that we'd had a letter from the Queen saying we'd get an MBE.
" I’m proud for her as well and the whole family. It’s not just for me."
“We’re part of a journey together. It shows that the hard work has paid off.”
Kane's England manager Gareth Southgate also received an MBE. He said: "I'm an incredibly proud Englishman so having had the opportunity to have represented my country as a player more than 50 times and then to manage the team at a World Cup has been an absolute privilege."

Chelsea legend Joe Cole will return to the club in 2019 as a technical academy coach.

The 37-year-old will work across various age groups over the next six months, including our Under-18s and development squad, while continuing to study for his coaching qualifications.

A star player for the Blues between 2003 and 2010, during which time he won the Premier League on three occasions, the FA Cup twice and the League Cup, Cole announced his retirement from playing in November, indicating a desire to move into coaching.

He said: ‘Looking to the future, I want to stay involved in the game and I feel I can offer a lot as a coach. To lend my experience to help other young footballers achieve their dreams, just like I did, is a big passion of mine.’

Chelsea head of youth development Neil Bath said: ‘We are delighted Joe has agreed to return to Chelsea and coach in the Academy. It has always been our philosophy to have a number of ex-players involved in our coaching structure so they can pass on their unique experiences and what it means to play for Chelsea.

‘Joe will work across a number of age groups and with various staff to ensure he gets to experience the full range of our programme. I’m sure sharing his experiences and football knowledge, combined with his obvious passion for the game, will help enormously with the development of our young players.’

From animal meetings to Andy Murray getting advice from Naomi Osaka, and Eugenie Bouchard getting new “babies”, Tennis Today has you covered.

What’s on the site
Serena Williams added yet another award to her collection as she was named The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year.

The 2019 tennis season is upon us and our punter Derek Bilton has you covered with betting tips.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has laid down his goals for 2019 after enjoying a stunning breakthrough last season.

What’s in the news
Former world No 1 Lleyton Hewitt has once again come out of retirement as he will play doubles with Alex de Minaur at the Brisbane International, according to Fox Sports.

Robin Soderling says it is “loopy” that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic are still dominating tennis, reports Accent Podcast via Express Sport.

This was a pre-Xmas piece from Telegraph Sport on Johanna Konta admitting that “she needs to get better at ‘chilling out'”.

And going back in even further as this brilliant piece from Camelia Butuliga in Treizecizero.ro is nearly two months old, but a Darren Cahill tweet brought it to our attention.

She writes “Cahill did not just coach Simona Halep. He coached an entire country”.

What’s on social media
Andy Murray has touched down Down Under.

Sir Andy Murray has touched down in Brisbane, welcome back to the two-time champion @andy_murray #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/5vJ3et90Re

— Engr. Faith (@olafaith0001) December 28, 2018

College basketball has produced a dense top end through the first eight weeks of the 2018-19 regular season. 

There are 54 teams with two or fewer losses. That's 15.3 per cent of the schools in Division I. It's a much higher number than I would have guessed.
And with three or fewer losses? Ninety teams total -- a quarter of the sport. Whereas a number of major and multi-bid leagues (Pac-12, A-10, the American, the Mountain West, the Big East) have been underperforming, there's a high number of teams building up strong marks in the binary. From purely a win-loss perspective, there's a lot to sort through.
So here are the 19 most impressive teams in college basketball as of right here, right now. The emojis in each capsule indicate whether a team has risen, fallen or circled back to the same spot from where it was last week.