Pep Guardiola declares he WILL be Bayern Munich manager next season

A member of the 1994 Barcelona 'Dream Team' before taking over as manager in 2008. Won everything there was to win with Barca, as his side were lauded as one of the greatest of all time. Left Camp Nou in 2012, taking the Bayern Munich job after a year-long sabbatical.

Not budging: Guardiola has declared he will still be Bayern boss next term

Pep Guardiola has declared that he WILL still be manager of Bayern Munich next season.
Mirror Sport revealed over the weekend that Manchester City are becoming increasingly confident that the Spaniard will trade the Bundesliga for the Premier League this summer.
Guardiola has been much criticised recently, particularly following the departure of long-time club doctor Hans Muller-Wohlfahrt and after his side's 3-0 Champions League semi-final first leg loss at Barcelona.
But with his future shrouded in doubt, Guardiola has sought to clarify that he will be staying at the Allianz Arena to see out the final year of his contract.
"I've said 200 million times before, I have another year on my contract," said Guardiola.
"I will be here next year. There's nothing more to say."

Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool: 5 things we learnt

Captain fantastic: John Terry opened the scoring for the home side

Chelsea may have put the finishing touches on their title win last week, but they were in no mood to do Liverpool any favours on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho's men dealt the Reds' hopes of finishing in the top four another blow, holding their visitors to a draw in a slow-burning match at Stamford Bridge.
Mathematically, Liverpool can still overhaul Manchester United in the race for fourth position, but they now need a miracle – and a stupid number of goals – if they hope to play in the Champions League next term.
Here are five things we learnt from the game:

John Terry can only have dreamed of a season like this

They said his race was run. They said it was time for change. They said – and this must have really been a dagger to that ego – that he was past it.
John Terry's critics are nowhere to be seen now, however. This has been a magnificent season for the centre-back, who has been both the chief organising force in Chelsea's mean, lean defence, and an effective attacking gun-for-hire at set pieces.

Trending Transfer gossip Memphis Depay Harry Kane FA Cup Raheem Sterling Sport Technology Money Travel UsVsTh3m Home Sport Football Ipswich Town FC Ipswich player offers to pay for fan's damaged ceiling after he punches HOLE in it celebrating playoff goal

The goal that caused structural damage: Anderson equalises for Ipswich

Ipswich midfielder Paul Anderson has offered to pay for the damage to a supporter's ceiling - after he punched a hole in it celebrating the Tractor Boys' playoff equaliser against Norwich.
Anderson struck to level the scores at 1-1 in the first leg of the semi-final between the East Anglian rivals, and fan Ross Morgan, 25, momentarily 'lost it' and punched the ceiling.
He tweeted a picture of the damage to the goalscorer, who then offered to pay the cost of repair.
Morgan said he was 'shocked' at the response, and the reply wasn't his aim when he sent the tweet.
"I only sent it to him because I thought he might have thought it was funny," Mr Morgan told the BBC. "Then he replied saying he'd pay for it. I was pretty shocked by that. It's a great gesture from him.

Memphis Depay: I was set for Paris Saint-Germain - before Louis van Gaal intervened

Eindhoven fans on Sunday. Depay scored a stunning free-kick to take his tally to 25 for the season as the Eredivisie champions won 2-0 against Heracles.
And speaking afterwards the starlet admitted it was Van Gaal's intervention that swung the deal United's way.
"The transfer to PSG was really close," he said. "I always knew United were interested but it was nothing concrete. Then at the last moment they called and I spoke with their coach.It was a difficult situation but, after I spoke to Louis van Gaal, I said, 'I am going to go to Manchester'.
"I'm really proud and I believe I can be a big player at Old Trafford. I will give everything I have.
"I said to myself when I was 12, 'I want to play there'. It's a dream come true."

Premier League diary: Chelsea are champions but something continues to irk a sleepless Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho arrives at the King Power Stadium

Jose Mourinho grimaced. All around him, Liverpool fans were dancing. Red flags were waving, voices were raised in song. "And now you're gonna believe us, and now you're gonna believe us, and now you're gonna believe us … We're gonna win the league."
Brendan Rodgers bounded towards him, a huge grin smeared over the bottom half of his face. Jose looked quickly for an exit, but too late: Rodgers was on him, shaking his hand, squeezing his elbow. "Hard luck, Jose. Hard luck. Thought your boys were outstanding today. Outstanding. But we've put together something special here …"
Jose smiled weakly and managed to pull his hand away. He felt the bile rise in his throat. His phone buzzed; he didn't need to check, he knew it would be Rafa.
He glanced back out to the pitch. Steven Gerrard was standing in the centre circle, basking in the adulation of his giddy fans. "We go to Crystal Palace!" As Jose looked, Liverpool's captain began to grow. Seven feet, eight feet, ten, twelve - soon Gerrard stood fifty feet tall in the middle of the Anfield pitch. His head blocked out the sun.

Relegation dogfight: How Hull can save themselves and condemn Newcastle to the drop

When Danny Ings swivelled and bludgeoned a left-foot shot into the back of the net for Burnley on Saturday, it was to be in vain for the Clarets; despite the resultant cheers from the away support that accompanied Ings' strike at the KC Stadium, results elsewhere confirmed their relegation.
Manchester City's six-goal thumping of QPR the following day ensured Chris Ramsey's R's dropped without much of a fight. It had been coming.
As such, one relegation spot remains.
And while Ings' goal may have done nothing for Burnley's hopes of survival, it did plenty for supporters of Newcastle and Sunderland. It also darkened the mood of all connected with Hull City.

Who can Manchester United get in the Champions League qualifying round?

 

Back in the big time: But who will United play to get into the Champions League?

Liverpool's draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday all but confirmed Manchester United's place in the top four, report the Manchester Evening News.

Louis van Gaal's side can still finish as high as second if they win their final two games against Arsenal and Hull and other results go their way.
Finishing second or third would earn an automatic place in next season's Champions League group stages. Finishing fourth will mean facing a two-legged play-off in August.
They would enter the competition at the final play-off stage, which is split between the 'champions' route - for teams who have won their national title - and 'league' route, for those who haven't.

Branislav Ivanovic confident Ruben Loftus-Cheek is first of many Chelsea starlets ready to make the grade

Rising stars: Ivanovic is confident many more will follow Loftus-Cheek's lead

Branislav Ivanovic insists Chelsea have plenty more kids capable of following Ruben Loftus-Cheek into Jose Mourinho’s starting eleven.
Chelsea’s record of producing their own is so poor in recent years that John Terry, who made his debut in 1998, remains the last academy graduate to become an established first teamer.
But the Blues believe they have a crop of kids at the club with the ability to end the drought.
Mourinho handed one of them, England under-19 midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 19, his first Premier League start in Sunday’s draw against Liverpool.
After his 60 minute full debut Mourinho insisted “he will be a Chelsea player” and added: “We have other kids I also believe can perfectly do it.”
SCOUTING REPORT: Who is Ruben Loftus-Cheek?

Madrid Masters: Andy Murray upsets Rafael Nadal to win final

Rafael Nadal will continue preparations to defend his French Open crown from his lowest ranking position in 10 years.

The Spaniard lost in the final of the Madrid Masters to Scotland's Andy Murray Sunday, falling to No. 7 in the world as a result.

The last time the Mallorcan was that low in the rankings was May 2005.

Victory for Murray, however, saw him claim a second career clay court title after only clinching his first in Munich last week.

The Scot's feat is all the more impressive given the manner of his triumph.

He fought to a three sets win against Philipp Kohlschreiber in a rain-delayed final in Germany Monday before again beating the same opponent in a late night finish in Madrid two days later.

Though clearly tired, Murray had battled to the final showdown with increasing confidence. Yet in Nadal, he faced an opponent who held a 6-0 lead over him on clay and 15-5 overall.

Manny Pacquiao has shoulder surgery after Floyd Mayweather pounding

Manny Pacquiao is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder, the Filipino's publicist confirmed Tuesday.

Pacquiao had the operation in San Francisco following his defeat to Floyd Mayweather in the megabucks "Fight of the Century" on Saturday.

Surgeon Dr. Neal El Attrache said he could not be "more pleased with the results."

The 36-year-old Filipino suffered the injury during training for his bout against Mayweather.

Even if the prognosis for Pacquiao's recovery is optimistic, the injury could yet prove costly for the boxer.

The former eight-division world champion is being sued amid accusations he lied about the injury in the build-up to the fight with Mayweather, claims the Pacquiao camp denies.

The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) denied Pacquiao a pain-killing injection in the build-up to the fight and is considering disciplinary action against him.

NAC is reportedly considering disciplinary action against Pacquiao for not disclosing the injury in a form ahead of the fight.

Given the huge interest in last weekend's meeting, the undefeated Mayweather is reportedly open to a rematch with Pacquiao in a year's time.

Rory McIlroy: Jordan Spieth's achievements spurring me on

Rory McIlroy revealed he was being motivated by the feats of Jordan Spieth after shooting a three-under-par 69 on the opening day of the Players Championship in Florida.

The world No.1 said the achievements of the 21-year-old Masters champion were inspiring him to push harder in his quest to remain the best player on the planet.

Last weekend, McIlroy warmed up for his 26th birthday by claiming his 10th PGA Tour win in San Francisco.

And he told reporters: "I think everyone -- not just me, but everyone on Tour -- was inspired by seeing Jordan do what he did at Augusta.

"It's always nice to have people pushing you, and I feel like he's one of the guys doing that right now."

And after continuing his fine form on day one at Sawgrass, McIlroy said he felt "sharp" and "comfortable."

The Irishman, whose round included an eagle at the 16th, was quickly into his stride as a confident start left him two shots off the lead -- currently shared by Hideki Matsuyama, David Hearn, Kevin Na and Charley Hoffman.

The 26-year-old said a patient approach had paid dividends in blustery conditions -- and it saw him outscore playing partner Spieth, who was left to rue a difficult day after bogeying his first two holes in a round of 75.

Real Madrid: Spanish club tops 'world's most valuable team list

If Real Madrid and Barcelona progress to the European Champions League final, it will mean not only another all-Spanish showdown -- but also a clash between the world's two most valuable football teams.

Real tops Forbes' latest ranking with a value of $3.26 billion, while Barca is not far behind on $3.16 billion.

The Madrid club, which faces a 2-1 semifinal deficit against Juventus as it seeks to win an 11th European title, has topped the financial magazine's standings for the past three seasons.

However, the gap between Spain's top two teams has closed significantly in the past five years and the Catalan side hopes to soon take top spot.

"FC Barcelona's staggering economic development is patently clear," the La Liga's leader's first vice-president Javier Faus, who heads the club's finance department, said in a statement.

"With the club now valued just $100 million short of Real Madrid, it's the smallest gap for the last five years.

"Barcelona has risen from fifth to second in the ranking of the world's most valuable clubs after multiplying its value by three, and is poised to take over at top spot in future studies."

Forbes said Real's performance was under-pinned by revenue of almost $750 million over the past year -- the most by any sports team.

English club Manchester United -- despite a season without Champions League football -- was in third place, valued at $3.1 billion.