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Andrich: “St. Pauli didn’t have the quality today”

Jeffrey Gooding
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Andrich: “St. Pauli didn’t have the quality today”

Bayer Leverkusen is in the semifinals of the DFB Cup after a 3-0 win over St. Pauli. A deserved victory, even if Robert Andrich saw some shortcomings.

The evening in Leverkusen was “unfortunately not” completely relaxed, as Robert Andrich said after the game on ZDF. However, the Rhineland captain immediately added his conclusion without being asked. “St. Pauli didn’t have the quality to pose a threat to us today,” said the defensive organizer. “Even though we really didn’t play well.” But Andrich said he doesn’t care about that now, because the cup is about advancing, and now “we have one more game, then we’re back in Berlin.”

So why wasn’t Andrich completely satisfied? “If you look at the details, there are a few things to improve. We need to make more of our opportunities and the many times we won the ball, and we weren’t as aggressive against the ball as we were against Frankfurt.”

“Two or three dicey situations”

But that didn’t have to be the case, because Andrich was certainly not wrong in his summary and assessment of the opponent’s effectiveness. In contrast to Werkself, who converted their second chance through Martin Terrier into the lead after half an hour, the Kiez lacked efficiency before the break (Martijn Kaars, 4th, 40th). However, Andrich stated that there had been “two or three dangerous situations” that “we ultimately had to defend.”

But that was only before the break. After the restart, Hamburg remained harmless, while Bayer took advantage of their first chance through Patrik Schick (63′). Andrich was then involved in the third goal himself, winning the ball in his own penalty area. With a “very well-executed tackle and my experience,” he initiated the 3-0, which was ultimately scored by substitute Jonas Hofmann (90+2).

That little bit of extra experience

It is also experience that makes the Rhinelanders so successful in the cup – they were crowned cup winners in 2024, and like in 2023, Leverkusen are in the semi-finals again this season, said Andrich. He believes that a little bit of extra experience does make a difference.

This time, however, the journey should not end prematurely as it did last year (1-2 in Bielefeld). This was confirmed by the Leverkusen captain’s longing glance in the direction of the cup positioned next to the interview podium.

Havertz seals the deal: Arsenal reaches League Cup final

Lesley Summerville
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Havertz seals the deal: Arsenal reaches League Cup final

Arsenal FC emerged victorious once again in the second leg against Chelsea FC. Shortly before the final whistle, substitute Havertz sealed the deal and sent the Gunners to the League Cup final.

The Gunners and the Blues played five games each after Arsenal won the semi-final first leg 3-2 at Stamford Bridge. While Mikel Arteta’s team dropped points in Nottingham (0-0) and against ManUnited (2-3), Chelsea remained flawless in all five games.

Hincapie tests Sanchez

The atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium lived up to the significance of the London derby, but the action on the pitch did so only to a limited extent. Arsenal, who had played with substitute goalkeeper Kepa, Eze, and Gabriel Martinelli instead of Raya, Trossard, and Havertz (all on the bench) after their 4-0 win in Leeds, took control of the game early on but were initially unable to create any offensive threat.

The first notable chance finally came in the 18th minute, when Hincapie forced Blues keeper Sanchez into a flying save from the second row. The Spanish goalkeeper was once again in the starting line-up, unlike Badiashile, Palmer, Garnacho (all on the bench) and Gittens (injured). Fofana, Andrey Santos, Cucurella and Joao Pedro moved into the starting line-up compared to the 3-2 win against West Ham.

Few highlights before the break

As the game progressed, Liam Rosenior’s side balanced the possession, but they were unable to prevent the next good chance in the 34th minute. Gusto blocked a swivel shot from Gabriel Martinelli at the last minute.

The draw at half-time accurately reflected the course of the game so far, not least because the visitors had their first compelling chance shortly before the break. Fernandez tried his luck from around 16 meters, but Kepa saved the misplaced curling shot with ease (43′).

Chelsea mostly try their luck from distance

After Chelsea failed to create any chances in the opening quarter of an hour of the second half, Rosenior brought on both Estevao and Palmer (for Delap and Hato, 61′) as part of a double substitution and switched to a back four. This was a fundamentally offensive move, but it initially only resulted in harmless long-range attempts from Cucurella (64′) and Fernandez (65′).

Meanwhile, the yellow cards were piling up, starting with a warning for Gunners coach Arteta (53′). For a long time, referee Peter Bankes had managed without issuing any cautions, but after 71 minutes he had suddenly shown four yellow cards. The Blues gradually increased the pressure, but were lucky that Cucurella made a decisive block on a header from Gabriel (77′).

Havertz seals the deal

The visitors were the slightly superior team throughout the game, but were rarely able to create promising chances in the penalty area. They repeatedly tried their luck from distance – without success.

As Chelsea threw everything forward in stoppage time, gaps appeared in their defense. The Gunners took advantage of this through Havertz, who had come on as a substitute in the 69th minute. After a pass from Rice, the German rounded Chelsea keeper Sanchez and sealed the deal (90+7).

In the final on March 22, the Gunners will face the winner of the second semi-final, which will be decided on Wednesday evening (9 p.m.). Thanks to a 2-0 win in the first leg, Manchester City currently has the edge over Newcastle United.

FIFA gives green light after all: Kanté moves to Fenerbahce

Andrew Jackson
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FIFA gives green light after all: Kanté moves to Fenerbahce

The deal seemed to have fallen through, but now the player swap has been completed after all: N’golo Kanté is moving to Fenerbahce Istanbul, while Youssef En-Nesyri is heading to Saudi Arabia.

After two and a half years, N’Golo Kanté is leaving Saudi Arabia and continuing his career in Turkey. Fenerbahce had been trying to sign the 2018 World Cup winner for some time, but on Tuesday afternoon, the deal, which had already been finalized, fell through at the last minute. In a statement, the Istanbul club explained that Kanté’s previous club, Al-Ittihad, had made incorrect entries in FIFA’s transfer system and that the planned player swap—Kanté to Fenerbahce and striker Youssef En-Nesyri to Al-Ittihad—could therefore not be completed within the deadline. Late on Tuesday evening, there was a U-turn: Al-Ittihad announced Kanté’s departure and presented En-Nesyri as a new player – without giving any further reasons. According to media reports, FIFA had intervened and validated the swap after all. “Giving up is out of the question for us,” Fenerbahce wrote via X that evening. The Turkish club then officially announced Kanté’s signing on Wednesday night. “Some things take time,” Fener wrote on Instagram. The 34-year-old Kanté has now signed a contract with Fenerbahce until 2028, and transfer fees will be paid for both players: Kanté will reportedly bring Al-Ittihad around four million euros, while 15 million euros will go to Istanbul for En-Nesyri. The African Cup of Nations runner-up is said to have signed a four-year contract there.

En-Nesyri replaces Benzema

With the 2021 Champions League winner, the Süper Lig runners-up gain even more experience in central midfield, which Fenerbahce had just strengthened with Kanté’s French compatriot Matteo Guendouzi. Fener is currently three points behind league leaders Galatasaray. However, the comeback will have to be achieved without center forward En-Nesyri, who was still in the starting lineup for Monday evening’s league game at Kocaelispor.

Al-Ittihad had made it a condition that the Moroccan center forward move to Saudi Arabia in return, because Karim Benzema had fallen out with the club and moved to league rivals Al-Hilal. Benzema and Kanté had won the Saudi Arabian championship together in 2025, but now the two former French internationals are both leaving the club within a few days of each other.

“Unbelievable and shameful”: Romero criticizes Tottenham’s transfer policy

Jason Maverick
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“Unbelievable and shameful”: Romero criticizes Tottenham’s transfer policy

Despite trailing 0-2 at halftime, Tottenham Hotspur managed to earn a point against Manchester City in the end. Captain Cristian Romero criticized the club’s management in this regard.

When Spurs came out of the dressing room at halftime trailing 2-0 in their home game against Manchester City (2-2), hardly any of the home team’s fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would have expected a conciliatory final result. Especially since Cristian Romero had to be replaced by Pape Sarr at the start of the second half.

Contrary to initial speculation, the captain’s substitution was not due to disciplinary reasons, but to “illness,” as Thomas Frank explained afterwards. Romero had already been struggling with his health in the previous 2-0 win in Frankfurt, “but he fought through it with a fantastic performance as captain,” said the head coach.

When Spurs came out of the dressing room trailing 2-0 at halftime in their home game against Manchester City (2-2), hardly any of the home team’s fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would have expected a conciliatory final result. Especially since Cristian Romero had to be replaced by Pape Sarr at the start of the second half.

Contrary to initial speculation, the captain’s substitution was not due to disciplinary reasons, but to “illness,” as Thomas Frank explained afterwards. Romero had already been struggling with his health in the previous 2-0 win in Frankfurt, “but he fought through it with a fantastic performance as captain,” said the head coach.

The Argentine, who has worn the captain’s armband since Heung-Min Son’s departure in the summer, was delighted that his teammates had turned the game around in the second half with “great work” even without him.

Romero is aware of his responsibility and does not shy away from expressing his views clearly at times. For example, in the wake of the ongoing results crisis, he complained about a month ago: “We are responsible, there is no doubt about that. But we will continue to face up to the situation and try to change it, for ourselves and for the club. In times like these, other people should actually have their say, but they don’t—as has been the case for several years. They only show up when everything is going well.”

Only two new signings in the winter

This is clear criticism of the club’s management, whose actions have been questioned for some time. Following the respectable result against ManCity, Romero has now added to his criticism, this time triggered by what he sees as poor transfer policy in the winter.

Despite numerous absences—including regulars such as James Madison, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, and Rodrigo Bentancur—Spurs had only announced two external signings: Souza (FC Santos), who has not yet played, and Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid).

“I wanted to help them, even though I wasn’t feeling well, especially since we only had 11 players available—unbelievable, but true and shameful,” the struggling Romero explained in his latest statement on Instagram. The captain promised that they would “continue to be present and take responsibility to turn things around, work hard and stick together”—at least in relation to the Spurs professionals.

No trade requested: Harden sets the record straight

Sotd Editor
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No trade requested: Harden sets the record straight

James Harden has been traded for the fifth time in his career. In most cases, this was his own decision, even though he denied to ESPN that he had requested a trade to Cleveland.
“When things aren’t working out in life, there are always ways to end a partnership,” Harden told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, denying that he had requested a trade from the Clippers. Instead, Harden said that a good solution had been found for both sides. “I didn’t want to limit the Clippers’ future. I wanted to give them the chance to rebuild.” In return, the Clippers received Darius Garland, and Harden noted that the Clippers also received draft picks, but these were only second-round picks.

Harden cited better opportunities in Cleveland as the reason for his move. “I believe we can win the East in Cleveland. It’s a good team with a good coaching staff. I haven’t won a championship yet, and as a basketball player, I see a better chance to finally win there.”

Harden wants championship with Cleveland

The 36-year-old has only been to the finals once in his career – in 2012 as sixth man for the Oklahoma City Thunder. As the first option, Harden failed several times with the Houston Rockets against the Golden State Warriors, and there were repeated disappointments at his other stops in Brooklyn, Philadelphia and most recently L.A.

With the Clippers, he was eliminated twice in the first round. “It was a great two and a half years, but we didn’t achieve our goals,” Harden summed up. “Nevertheless, I will have fond memories of my time there. It’s a business, and I think both sides got what they wanted. I’m looking forward to Cleveland and will do everything I can to win a title.”

Statistically speaking, the playmaker is having his best season in seven years. In 44 appearances for the Clippers, the former MVP averaged 25.4 points and 8.1 assists with a field goal percentage of just under 42 percent.

Dortmund vs. Leipzig – but with a difference: these are the DFB-ePokal play-offs

Jason Maverick
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Dortmund vs. Leipzig – but with a difference: these are the DFB-ePokal play-offs

Eight teams will take part in the DFB-ePokal 2026 final event. Four of them have already been determined – the other half will be decided in the upcoming play-offs. Who is fighting for the tickets?

Unlike in previous years, places in the DFB-ePokal final are in short supply: only eight teams will take part in the two-day final event at the DFB campus in Frankfurt. Four participants have already been confirmed. Bayer Leverkusen, FC St. Pauli, RBLZ Gaming, and Borussia Mönchengladbach secured their tickets by winning a showdown in the VBL Club Championship.

The remaining four starting places will be decided in the play-offs. These will be contested by the winners of the Community Qualifiers and will be played on February 10, 15, and 24, as well as March 1. An interesting match-up awaits right at the start: BLACKYELLOW will face RBLZ Gaming International. But aren’t the Leipzig team already qualified?

BLACKYELLOW vs. RBLZ Gaming International

The background: International offshoots or second teams of professional organizations or clubs were also allowed to compete in the Community Qualifiers. For example, BLACKYELLOW won the seventh qualifying tournament under the banner of Borussia Dortmund.

The team included internationally experienced top eSports players Raffaele Cacciapuoti from Italy and Razvan Puiu from Romania. The Leipzig team also used this model: Alfie Calder, Donovan Hunt, and Guilherme Barros, also big names, competed for RBLZ Gaming International.

In addition to this duel, there will be another highlight: FC St. Pauli eAcademy will host Hamburger SV II in the city derby. Defending champions FOKUS will face SV Drensteinfurt, with Jonas Wirth and Richard Hormes taking control of the controllers.

The playoff field is completed by the clash between MBCeSports (Can Tuna and ‘Krausinhoo’) and Rot-Weiß Erfurt. The Thuringians recently qualified via the regional association community qualifier. The final event will take place on March 20 and 21. The winner will not only receive the trophy, but also prize money of €30,000.

James Vowles: The next step is much more difficult for Williams

Sotd Editor
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James Vowles: The next step is much more difficult for Williams

Despite recent problems, James Vowles is optimistic about the future, but emphasizes that Williams will probably not be able to compete at the front of the field in the 2026 season.

Williams has been on an upward trend in recent years. After finishing the 2022 season in tenth and last place in the world championship, they finished seventh in 2023 and, after a slight dip in 2024, even finished fifth in the world championship in the 2025 season with P9.

Williams last performed better ten years ago, when it finished the 2015 Formula 1 season in third place in the championship. But James Vowles, who has been team principal in Grove since 2023, emphasizes that the next step will be the most difficult one yet for the team.

“We are well aware of the challenge ahead of us,” says Vowles, explaining: “In my experience, the jump from fifth to fourth place is exponentially more difficult than what we have already achieved.”

In recent years, the top four teams in Formula 1 (McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes) have more or less dominated the sport. The last victory by another team dates back to the 2021 season, four and a half years ago. Esteban Ocon won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix for Alpine, and since then, all 103 Grand Prix victories in the premier class have gone to the top four teams. This shows how difficult it is to make the leap from the top of the midfield to the top four. “The only way to achieve this against competitors who are themselves striving to move forward and develop is to push the absolute limits and make bold decisions,” explains Vowles.

Vowles optimistic: 2025 “our established base”

After all, development is not standing still at McLaren and Co. either, which is why it is not enough for Williams to move forward at the same pace. You have to be better than the top teams – which, according to Vowles, will probably not be the case in 2026.

The team boss emphasizes: “We don’t expect to be fighting for the championship [in 2026]. But we assume that 2025 will be our established base and that we will continue to drive the business forward year after year from then on.”

In other words, although Williams had to skip last week’s shakedown in Barcelona and thus did not get off to a good start to the new year, Vowles believes that in 2026, the team will be able to pick up where it left off last season.

“No one really knows what will happen in Melbourne,” he says with regard to the season opener, explaining: “Our most important point at the moment is that we push like crazy, catch up, and go to Bahrain with our heads held high and continue to make progress.”

The last two Formula 1 tests before the season opener in Australia will take place in Sakhir starting next week. The tests will be held in the desert from February 11 to 13 and again from February 18 to 20 – in both cases with Williams.

Delayed FW48: Williams unveils design for the 2026 Formula 1 season

Lesley Summerville
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Delayed FW48: Williams unveils design for the 2026 Formula 1 season

The new car for the 2026 Formula 1 season has not yet been able to drive, but Williams has at least unveiled the livery for the FW48.

After skipping the shakedown in Barcelona last week, Williams at least unveiled the livery of the FW48 for the 2026 Formula 1 season on Tuesday. The basic design of previous years remains unchanged.

However, there are new white accents on the sidepods and on the front and rear wings. In addition, Barclays, as the team’s new sponsor, is bringing the brand’s signature light blue to the car. Williams itself describes the new livery as “bold” in a press release.

Team principal James Vowles has repeatedly referred to 2026 as an important year for Williams in the past. Many fans were therefore all the more disappointed that the team had to skip the Barcelona test because of “delays” with the new car. Vowles recently clarified that Williams could have taken part in the shakedown in Spain. However, given the spare parts situation for the first races of the season, this would have been a risk he was not prepared to take.

Williams intends to participate as normal with the new FW48 in the last two winter tests before the 2026 Formula 1 season in Bahrain (February 11 to 13 and February 18 to 20).

2026 to be “the next step” for Williams

“2026 is the next step on the road back to the top for Williams as we enter a new era of the sport, and we are looking forward to the coming season,” Vowles explains combatively, despite the problems during preparation.
“We have a great driver pairing, some fantastic new partners, a steadily growing fan base, and we want to build on last year’s success. But we are well aware of the challenge ahead,“ said the team boss.
”No one knows exactly what will happen in the first race, but we are looking forward to finding out and hope that our fans will cheer us on enthusiastically with this great new livery,” emphasized Vowles.

Williams finished the 2025 season in a strong fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship. The last time they did better was in 2015, when they even finished third in the World Championship with Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas at the wheel.

In 2026, the driver pairing at Grove will once again be Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz. While Albon is already entering his fifth season as a Williams driver, it is only the second year for his Spanish teammate at the traditional racing team.

Sainz vs. Albon: Who has the edge?

In their first season together, Albon narrowly led the Drivers’ Championship with 73:64 points at the end. However, it was Sainz who provided the highlights of the season, finishing on the podium twice in Baku and Qatar and also coming third in the sprint in Austin. Overall, Sainz, who has also driven for Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren, and Ferrari in Formula 1, is entering his twelfth season in the premier class. The Spaniard has already won four Grands Prix with Ferrari in the past.

Teammate Albon is about to start his seventh Formula 1 season. The 29-year-old finished third on the podium twice for Red Bull in the 2020 season, but has yet to win a race in the premier class.

“It’s always special to see a new livery for the first time, and the FW48 looks incredible. The design really stands out. It’s striking, modern, and unmistakably Williams,“ said Albon of the new livery. Teammate Sainz added: ”The FW48’s livery is a clear statement of our goals for 2026. The design celebrates Williams’ heritage while embodying a fresh, dynamic look for the new era.”

“Four months behind”: Why Adrian Newey is putting the brakes on the euphoria

T0m@dmin1
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“Four months behind”: Why Adrian Newey is putting the brakes on the euphoria

Four months behind schedule, a completely new set of rules, and a car in transition: Aston Martin’s road to the 2026 Formula 1 season is off to a bumpy start

Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey has admitted that his team will be behind schedule going into the 2026 Formula 1 season. The famous designer attributes this primarily to unfortunate timing in the preparations.

Newey said: “I myself only joined the team in March 2025, and the wind tunnel didn’t really get up and running until April. We didn’t have a model of the 2026 car in the wind tunnel until mid-April, while most, if not all, of our competitors had already been working on it since the end of the aerodynamic testing ban in early January 2025.”

“The reality is that this set us back about four months and led to a very, very compressed research and development cycle,” Newey explained.

Newey explains delay in shakedown

That is also the reason why Aston Martin arrived late for the 2026 Formula 1 shakedown in Barcelona: “The car was only finished at the last minute. We had to fight until the very end to be ready in time.”

However, according to Newey, what the public has seen of the Aston Martin AMR26 so far is only a temporary solution: “The car will be very different [at the season opener] in Australia from the one in Barcelona. And the car [at the finale] in Abu Dhabi will in turn be very different from the one at the start of the season.”

A historic technical challenge

For Newey, the key to a successful first year under the new Formula 1 regulations lies primarily in technical development—and in the adaptability of the teams: “The decisive factor will be to remain open to new approaches,” said Newey.

“Because 2026 is probably the first time in the history of Formula 1 that the powertrain rules and chassis rules have changed at the same time. It’s a completely new set of rules, which is a big challenge for all teams—and perhaps even more so for us than for others.”

To meet this challenge, Aston Martin has invested heavily – in its Silverstone site right next to the Grand Prix circuit, but also in high-calibre employees such as Newey. For example, Dan Fallows and Enrico Cardile joined Aston Martin as senior engineers from Red Bull and Ferrari, while former Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell also came on board. However, Fallows has since left the team and now works for Racing Bulls. Newey, who was initially brought into the team as technical director and co-owner, was given an additional role just a few months after taking up his position at Aston Martin: in the fall, he became team principal, succeeding Cowell, who in turn was to concentrate on coordinating the powertrain project with Honda.

Esteban Ocon: Initial forecast for the 2026 Formula 1 season

T0m@dmin1
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Esteban Ocon: Initial forecast for the 2026 Formula 1 season

According to Esteban Ocon, Mercedes made a strong impression at the shakedown in Barcelona—he still sees Haas in midfield, with Audi currently behind them.

Last week’s shakedown in Barcelona did not yet provide a clear picture of the pecking order for the 2026 Formula 1 season. Nevertheless, Esteban Ocon already sees initial signs that the top teams of recent years will remain at the front under the new regulations.

“I think it’s still a bit early to talk about the pecking order,” the Haas driver clarified, “but we saw that Mercedes was very fast throughout the test.” According to their own statements, the Silver Arrows also completed 502 laps in Spain.

Not only was Mercedes fast, it also completed more test kilometers than any other team last week. “We also saw that Ferrari was in a very good position, Red Bull was good, and McLaren was also in the mix,” adds Ocon.

In other words, the four top teams of recent years once again made a good impression in the first test ahead of the new season.
In addition, the test showed “that it will be closer in the group behind – VCARB, Alpine, and ourselves,” believes Ocon. “And a little further back are Audi and Cadillac at the moment,” said the Haas driver, who nevertheless makes it clear once again that we will have to wait for the further tests in Bahrain to get a clearer picture of the order.

Ocon is not making any predictions about Williams and Aston Martin. The Grove-based team skipped the shakedown altogether, while the Aston Martin AMR26 only completed one of the three days allowed, which is why it is also difficult to draw conclusions about their performance.

George Russell has already said that he is not interested in being considered a favorite. “To be honest, it didn’t really affect me,” said the Mercedes driver, who explained: “As I’ve been saying for a long time, I feel ready to fight for a world championship.”

“And whether or not there are these statements about us doesn’t change my approach,” said Russell.

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