Coaching

Manchester United are not being awarded penalties this season after a "certain manager" last term expressed concern they were being given too many, coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Friday.

Solskjaer criticised officials last week for denying Cristiano Ronaldo two "stonewall" penalties in the 2-1 league win at West Ham United.

Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp earlier this year said United have had more spot-kicks in two years under Solskjaer than Liverpool have in his entire five-and-a-half year reign.

Jesse Marsch is the best American coach in European football right now. After two wildly successful campaigns with Red Bull Salzburg, the Wisconsin native moved up to the big time with RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga. Ahead of his first season leading Leipzig, Marsch is already being compared to another wildly successful American coach in Europe, albeit a fictional one, Ted Lasso.

Abusive behavior, racist jokes, homophobic slurs — Richie Burke, it seems, is no Ted Lasso, and he appears to be on his way out of the NWSL after a damning report and some confusing reactions from his Washington Spirit club.

MADRID - Former Atlético Madrid striker Fernando Torres has been appointed as the club's youth team coach (Juvenil A).

Torres worked in the academy set-up of his boyhood club last season as an assistant, and will make the step up to head coach for the 2021-22 campaign.

"I'm proud and happy to be returning home. It's an exciting challenge I've got in front of me and we'll give everything we can to continue to serve our club," Torres wrote on Twitter on Monday.

New Everton manager Rafa Benítez says he is hoping to forge a winning mentality at the Premier League club and convince fans that he is the right man for the job, despite facing a backlash over his appointment in recent weeks.

The Spaniard was hired by Everton on a three-year deal last month, but the move proved to be an unpopular one given Benítez's illustrious past with Liverpool, who he managed from 2004 to 2010.

RIO DE JANEIRO - Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni paid tribute to Lionel Messi on Saturday, praising his team captain and revealing he played in the Copa América win over Brazil with an injury.

"If you knew the way that he played in the Copa América you’d love him even more,” Scaloni told reporters after Argentina’s 1-0 win at the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro. “You can never do without a player like him, even when he is not fully fit like in this game and the previous one.”

LONDON - Spain coach Luis Enrique has coped with personal tragedy and the impact of negative public opinion to rally his young squad and lead them to the Euro 2020 semifinals.

Tuesday's game against Italy at Wembley is Spain's biggest match since they won the Euro 2012 final and victory would complete an eventful few weeks for the coach, who has been in the eye of the storm since before the tournament began.