Former France coach Laurent Blanc has hailed the talent of Blaise Matuidi and believes he will only get better.

The midfielder has caught the eye for Paris Saint-Germain this season and has retained his place in the side despite a host of big name signings.

And as France and Matuidi prepare to face Georgia in a World Cup 2014 qualifier on Friday, ex-national team boss Blanc was glowing in his appraisal of the 25-year-old.

Blaise has all the qualities, the 47-year-old coach told francefootball.fr.

He is an unusual worker and I think he can only grow, grow and grow.

He s in the perfect state of mind. With him we cannot have any problems. Everything is easy, clean and square.

The Frenchman joined PSG in 2011 from Saint-Etienne and has p…

Melbourne Victory have signed 2010-11 Johnny Warren medallist Marcos Flores as their international marquee.

The 26-year-old former Adelaide United playmaker, who dazzled the A-League before moving to Chinese outfit Henan Construction 12 months ago, has joined the club on a two-year deal.

The news is a major boost for Ange Postecoglou s side only weeks after marquee star Harry Kewell s departure from the club.

Marcos is the type of player you don t really want to come up against as an opposition coach, so having him on board with us now will be really exciting not only for the club, but for our fans also, Postecoglou said in a club statement.

He s a quality player and I m confident he ll show us the type of form that saw him win the Johnny Warren Medal …

Andrea Pirlo acknowledges Juventus are facing a strange season in Serie A but believes the impact of coronavirus on the schedule has restored balance across European football.

Italian champions Juve are fourth in the table after 11 matches, four points off leaders Milan, but they are not the only top side struggling to match the high standards of previous campaigns.

Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain – all reigning champions – are being kept off the top of their respective divisions.

Indeed, each of the leaders in Europe s top five leagues – Tottenham, Real Sociedad, Bayer Leverkusen, Milan and Lille – are playing in the Europa League in 2020-21, rather than joining Juve in the Champions League.

It s a strange champions…

Substitute Bafetimbi Gomis scored with 17 minutes remaining as Al Hilal defeated ES Tunis 1-0 to book a Club World Cup semi-final against Flamengo.

Gomis was a surprise omission from the starting XI in Saturday s match between the champions of Asia and Africa at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

But he made a rapid impact after coming off the bench late on to send the side from Saudi Arabia through, the victors holding on despite Mohamed Kanno receiving a red card with five minutes left.

Buoyed by a vocal support, ES Tunis should have moved ahead when Anice Badri fired wide after Ibrahim Ouattara forced a mistake from goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayoof.

Fans on

— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom)

At the other end, Moez Ben Cherifia rushed out to save from Car…

Arsene Wenger is hoping for an improvement against the Premier League s bigger teams as Arsenal aim to end their league drought.

Arsenal s wait for Premier League glory is approaching its 11th year after the club finished fourth last season, five points adrift of champions Manchester City.

During that 2013-14 campaign, which saw them win the FA Cup, Arsenal lost seven games, with four of those coming against the so-called elite clubs.

The London club were humbled by Manchester City (6-3), Liverpool (5-0) and Chelsea (6-0), while they lost 1-0 to 2012-13 champions Manchester United.

Arsenal were also beaten 3-0 by their rivals for UEFA Champions League qualification Everton, who finished fifth.

Speaking to reporters after Saturday s 1-0 pre-season …

Mauricio Isla has revealed that he has completed his move from Juventus to Premier League new boys QPR.

Juve general manager Giuseppe Marotta revealed on Saturday that the Chile international was set for a switch to Loftus Road.

Neither club have confirmed the deal, but the 26-year-old full-back stated on Twitter on Tuesday that he had finalised his transfer to the London club.

He tweeted: A new challenge in my career begins.

I am pleased to be a new QPR player.”

Isla has been with Italian champions Juve for the last two seasons having moved from Serie A rivals Udinese in June 2012.

QPR are also reported to be on the verge of signing Jordon Mutch from Cardiff City as they prepare for their return to the top flight.

…

Harry Wilson celebrated his 50th cap with a brilliant double as Wales boosted their Euro 2024 automatic qualification hopes with a 2-1 win over Croatia in Cardiff.

Wilson rewarded an excellent home performance with two clinical second-half strikes, enough to stave off a late Croatia rally that saw Mario Pasalic convert 15 minutes from time.

Wales came into the contest knowing victories in their final three group games were probably necessary to secure a top-two place and avoid the play-offs in March.

On this day exactly years ago, a boy from Corwen made his Cymru debut.

Tonight, on his 50th cap, he kept our dreams alive

— Wales

…

Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt was surprised by the club s decision to part company with head coach Julian Nagelsmann and says it has been hard to swallow .

German heavyweights Bayern officially called time on Nagelsmann s 20-month reign on Friday and swiftly appointed Thomas Tuchel as his successor.

Nagelsmann won the Bundesliga in his only full season in Bavaria, but Bayern find themselves a point behind Borussia Dortmund with 25 games of this campaign played.

Bayern face leaders Dortmund in a huge clash on Saturday, while they also have DFB-Pokal and Champions League quarter-final ties to play in April.

And with the club still in the hunt for a treble, De Ligt – who has been away on international duty with the Netherlands – did not see Nag…

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Merry Christmas, football fans! This may not be the festive season that any of us would ve anticipated this time last year, but such is the nature of the global pandemic that we re currently in the midst of. While the news can be a depressing place right now it s important to focus on the positives in life and even though it may seem like a small thing, the escapism of sport can t be undervalued. Today, we re going to be previewing what should be an intriguing Boxing Day showdown: Fulham vs Southampton.

Fulham

After looking dead and buried within the space of just a few short games, Fulham are now starting to show the sort of fight that you need in a relegation battle. They re still widely considered to be one …

Jurgen Klopp expects to have to embark on a rebuilding process at Liverpool after extending his contract to 2024.

Klopp signed a contract renewal last week ahead of attempting to lead the Reds to Club World Cup glory in Qatar.

Saturday s final against Flamengo offers Liverpool the chance to secure the first of a possible five trophies this season, with Klopp s side – who won the UEFA Super Cup in August – 10 points clear in the Premier League and through to the last 16 of the Champions League, where they will face Atletico Madrid.

Liverpool do not have an old squad – Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana and James Milner are their only regulars aged 30 or over – but Klopp feels freshening up his options will be vital in the years to come.

The signing of 24-y…