Roberto Martinez has defiantly defended his Everton team s style of play following criticism from the club s supporters.

Everton are 14th in the Premier League after accumulating just 28 points in 28 matches, a far cry from an impressive 2013-14 season. 

Martinez s first campaign in charge saw him steer the club to a fifth-placed finish, securing UEFA Europa League football.

And while Everton have played with swagger in Europe this term, domestically they have been far from their best.

Some supporters have put Everton s woes down to Martinez s insistence on patient build-up play and retaining possession, but the Spaniard believes concentration issues are responsible for the throwing away of leads.

Never I don t think you can [over-pass], he…

In the wake of Tottenham s last-gasp 2-2 draw against Chelsea on Sunday, Spurs boss Antonio Conte poked fun at the situation after both he and Thomas Tuchel were shown red cards.

The game featured a number of twists and turns, with Chelsea feeling they had won the game when Reece James put them 2-1 ahead in the 77th minute, only for Tottenham to snatch a point deep into stoppage time through a Harry Kane equaliser.

After the final whistle sounded and the managers came together to shake hands, Tuchel refused to let go, indicating he did not appreciate Conte s lack of eye-contact, sparking an exchange where the pair had to be separated, and both were shown red cards.

When queried about the altercation after the game, Tuchel insisted that it s between two competitor…

Chelsea played a thrilling match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, which ended in some controversy as Harry Kane equalized for Spurs in the 96th minute. Quite apart from the tussle which got both managers sent off after the final whistle, an incident in which Spurs defender Cristian Romero pulled the bushy hair of Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella and brought him down that way preceded the late equalizer.

It happened right in front of referee Anthony Taylor who showed no signs of seeing anything against the rules. VAR considered awarding a red card to Romero, but such punishment was eventually deemed too harsh.

“No, never! This is my style!”

Marc Cucurella says he has no plans to cut his hair when asked by reporters.

— Football Daily (@football…

Julen Lopetegui said Spain were pleased to claim a 1-1 draw against world champions Germany in an engrossing international friendly on Friday.

Rodrigo Moreno s second international goal gave Spain an early lead in Dusseldorf, but Thomas Muller struck a superb finish to level before the interval.

Both sides – the last two winners of the World Cup – had chances to win the game, but David de Gea was the busier goalkeeper, making two brilliant saves to deny Julian Draxler and Ilkay Gundogan.

Lopetegui, though, highlighted the strengths of Germany as both European giants extended unbeaten runs that date back to Euro 2016.

Germany are a physically stronger and faster team, said Lopetegui.

They are more comfortable in the transitions than we ar…

Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri has criticised Pep Guardiola s communication with his players, saying he will not explain why they have been dropped from the first team.

Guardiola has come in for criticism for his treatment of Joe Hart at Manchester City, having said he will allow the goalkeeper to leave after he was left out of the side for the opening two competitive games of the season.

Shaqiri played under Guardiola at Bayern Munich but was limited to few first-team opportunities before joining Inter in January 2015.

And the Switzerland international admits it can be tough to work under the ex-Barcelona boss given his reluctance to explain his selection policy.

He is a very good coach in terms of what happens on the pitch but his communication was…

Mario Balotelli has arrived at Liverpool for his medical, though Milan have been dealt a blow in their attempts to replace the striker.

Italy international Balotelli is on the verge of an estimated £16million switch to the Premier League runners-up, and was photographed at the club s Melwood training ground on Friday evening, UK time.

He is expected to hold talks with Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers and undergo a medical over the weekend.

Liverpool face Balotelli s former club Manchester City on Monday, though the 24-year-old will not be able to play, even if signed ahead of the clash.

Jackson Martinez is thought to be top of Milan s wishlist to replace Balotelli, having scored 61 goals in 93 games since moving to Portugal from Jaguares in 2012.

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Antonio Conte has left striker Mario Balotelli out of his first Italy squad for fixtures against the Netherlands and Norway.

Conte was appointed as Cesare Prandelli s successor earlier this month, having enjoyed a hugely successful spell at Juventus.

The former Italy international s first game in charge of the national side will come against the Dutch in a friendly on Thursday, before Italy s Euro 2016 campaign begins in Oslo five days later.

However, Conte has left out Balotelli the Liverpool striker who has 33 caps to his name and was taken to the European Championship in 2012 and this year s World Cup in Brazil by Prandelli.

Balotelli, who is suspended for the Norway match but could have featured against the Netherlands, recently moved to Anfield fro…

Steve Clarke savoured the chance to celebrate Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualification with the Hampden crowd after his side rounded off their campaign with a “strange” 3-3 draw against Norway.

Scotland had qualified with two games to spare and finished second behind Spain in Group A after a second consecutive draw ensured they have only lost once in the section.

The players, including injured captain Andy Robertson, did a lap of honour afterwards to mark their achievement.

Clarke said: “It was nice – and nice for the supporters – to say thank you to the team, a nice night for the team and staff to thank the supporters.

“It’s always nice to qualify for a major tournament. Obviously the last one was Covid-restricted so we missed that connection a…

Championship outfit Huddersfield Town have signed James Vaughan from Norwich City on an undisclosed fee.

Vaughan, 24, has inked a three-year deal with Huddersfield after impressing on loan last season, scoring 14 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions.

The former Everton forward signed for Norwich in June 2011 but made just six appearances for the club.

Huddersfield manager Mark Robins was delighted to have finally confirmed the signing of Vaughan, a player he feels can improve even more in the upcoming season.

James arrival is a significant signing for the club and one that I know our supporters will be very pleased with after his excellent debut season in a Huddersfield Town shirt, Robins told the club s official website.

Equally, I m delighted that …

Following the expiration of his contract with Manchester United earlier this summer, Edinson Cavani is prioritizing a move to Spain, according to Fabrizio Romano, and the clubs showing strongest interest in this moment are Valencia and Real Sociedad. The race is wide open, given that the Uruguayan striker hasn t made any decision other than the league he wants to play in.

Cavani enjoyed success in Italy and France with Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively, and he spent two years at Manchester United where he scored 19 goals and provided seven assists in 59 appearances in all competitions. At the age of 35, he has 133 caps and 58 goals for his country, and it seems he wants to experience another challenge in one of Europe s top leagues before calling time on what has cle…