Tricks

One of the most important jobs a manager must accomplish in order to be successful is earning the respect of his or her players. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, including but not limited to leading by example through hard work, displaying superior soccer knowledge while gameplanning, showing players they are truly cared for or displaying actual soccer skills to impress players.

The ship has probably sailed on that last bit for England U-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd. Look what Everton youngster Ademola Lookman did to Boothroyd in training.

It’s not going well for Chelsea at the moment. Manager Antonio Conte has already admitted that the nine-point gap to Manchester City in the Premier League will be extremely difficult to overcome while emphasizing the need for Chelsea supporters “to have patience, to understand we are trying to build something important for the future.”

When Barcelona visit the San Mames on Saturday to take on Athletic Bilbao, we’ll all bear witness to a historic matchup featuring two of the three clubs that’ve never been relegated from the top division — the other being Real Madrid. The history between the two sides goes way back, but perhaps no individual performer has shone as brightly as Ronaldinho when the Blaugrana have locked horns with los Leones.