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Flick “threatens” with a trio – and calls for “training mode”

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Flick “threatens” with a trio – and calls for “training mode”

FC Barcelona wants to get back on track quickly after losing 3-0 in London during the week. Coach Hansi Flick is already radiating optimism again for the home game against Alaves.

There was no shortage of criticism of FC Barcelona this week. The Catalans lost 3-0 to Chelsea FC and dropped to 18th place in the Champions League. As things stand, even the play-offs are in jeopardy. But Hansi Flick is not letting himself be infected by such hysteria.

“When we lose and concede three goals, it’s easy to say it wasn’t a good game,” the former national coach made clear at Friday’s matchday press conference: “It seems as if the defense is to blame, and that’s not fair. If we don’t all apply pressure, we’ll run into problems.”

After all, defense and attack are always a collective effort. However, Flick currently sees room for improvement, particularly in attack, and is hoping for a return to “training mode”: “I want to see what I see in training and what I like. Our players show quality, they are focused.”

Despite the setback at Stamford Bridge, Flick believes his team is in a “good phase” and that there is a “good atmosphere” in the dressing room. At the same time, the 60-year-old ‘threatened’ Alaves and upcoming opponents: “Pedri, Raphinha, and Marcus Rashford are back. They will help us move forward.”

Fans are particularly excited about the return of Pedri, who has been out with a thigh injury since the end of October. “He will play a few minutes in the second half, but will not be in the starting lineup,” Flick said.

Raphinha is no less important. “I’ve missed him,” Flick admitted openly: “He’s one of the most important players in the team, fits in with our style and has a very positive influence on our game. He’s hungry and, after a great last season, now wants to show how good he is.”

Flick demands the best version of Lamine Yamal

Finally, Flick, who confirmed that Ronald Araujo would be out for the weekend due to illness, spoke about Lamine Yamal. He had not made an impact against Chelsea and was not particularly thrilled when he was substituted in the 80th minute: “Many players are not happy when they are substituted. I was also a player and often didn’t react as I should have.“ He said he had no reason to be upset about the top performance of his opponent Marc Cucurella. ”He is one of the best fullbacks in the world and very intelligent.“

Nevertheless, Lamine Yamal now has to ”show his best level” again. Which would mean more bad news for Alaves.

After toe fracture: Maresca confirms Palmer’s early comeback

Jason Maverick
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After toe fracture: Maresca confirms Palmer’s early comeback

Cole Palmer has only played three games in the current Premier League season. The Chelsea star was initially sidelined with groin problems and then broke his little toe. Now he is set to make his comeback in time for the top match against Arsenal.

Originally, Chelsea officials had expected Cole Palmer to miss at least the game against Arsenal with his broken toe, which he sustained when he kicked a door at home. But on Friday, Blues coach Enzo Maresca announced the good news at a press conference: “Palmer is available.” And he’s even available for the starting lineup.

A few weeks ago, the coach described the attacking midfielder’s injury as not serious but painful. Now, the healing process has progressed faster than expected, which could give the team, currently in second place in the Premier League and winners of 3-0 against Barcelona in the Champions League this week, a further boost: “His teammates are happy, we are all happy. But the most important thing is that Cole is happy. He needs to play games,“ said Maresca.

Palmer could be the missing piece of the puzzle in the title race

However, the coach did not want to talk about the Blues’ title ambitions yet, because it is still too early: ”It’s important that we are where we are now in March/April.” With Palmer, the crucial piece of the puzzle may be back to make Chelsea a serious contender for the Premier League title: “He’s probably our best player. We’re glad he’s back. We have to give him time to get back to 100 percent fitness. He’s done fantastic things in the past and there’s no doubt he’ll do that again in the future.”

Sunday evening’s London derby against the Gunners (5:30 p.m.) will show whether Chelsea FC is ready to compete at the top. Arsenal FC is the team of the moment in the Premier League and the Champions League. In their last 16 competitive games, Mikel Arteta’s team has recorded 14 wins and two draws. They currently have a six-point lead over the Blues in the Premier League.

Maresca is also aware that this game will be a real test for his team: “Arsenal defend fantastically. Every team has problems scoring goals against them – even creating chances. And they have real weapons in attack. They are top of the Premier League and the Champions League.” With Palmer’s help, the Blues will try to inflict Arsenal’s first defeat since August at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

New TV deal for La Liga: Spain leaves Bundesliga behind

Sotd Editor
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New TV deal for La Liga: Spain leaves Bundesliga behind

Soccer is big business—especially when it comes to TV money. In Spain, clubs can look forward to more cash.

Not everywhere is looking rosy in terms of broadcasting rights. France’s Ligue 1 has to market its games itself after DAZN withdrew as a partner and no other interested party could be found. Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League is also facing a similar fate, as DAZN wants to withdraw from its current contract there as well.

In Spain, however, the situation is different. The sun continues to shine there, because, as La Liga president Javier Tebas announced on Friday via the short message service X, the Spanish soccer league has signed a new TV deal worth €6.135 billion.

Premier League remains the richest, La Liga still ahead of the Bundesliga

Spanish soccer fans won’t have to make any changes, as streaming platforms DAZN and Movistar Plus+ have extended their expiring contracts for another five years—and on improved terms from the clubs’ perspective. Starting in the 2027/28 season, the annual payout to clubs will increase from €1.125 billion to €1.227 billion. This is a clear improvement, but still far from what English Premier League clubs receive. In the UK, the equivalent of €1.91 billion per season has been distributed to clubs since this summer. This means that the English continue to have a large financial gap between them and their European competitors. However, Spain’s La Liga remains ahead of the Bundesliga. In Germany, the 36 first and second division clubs have been receiving €1.121 billion per season since this season.

Coaching shake-up in Hütteldorf: Rapid parts ways with Stöger

Andrew Jackson
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Coaching shake-up in Hütteldorf: Rapid parts ways with Stöger

One day after the debacle against Rakow Częstochowa in the Conference League, Rapid Vienna announced the departure of coach Peter Stöger and his assistant Thomas Sageder.

The crisis at SK Rapid has claimed its expected victim. The day after the 1-4 defeat at Rakow Czestochowa in Poland, the traditional Viennese club announced the departure of head coach Peter Stöger. His assistant Thomas Sageder must also leave the club.
“This decision is extremely difficult, as not only I greatly appreciate Peter Stöger and Thomas Sageder for their expertise and character.
However, developments in recent weeks have made these dismissals necessary,” said sporting director Markus Katzer in an initial statement from the club. For the time being, former professional Stefan Kulovits, who once played for Sandhausen, will take over as head coach; he will be assisted by Luka Pavlovic. On Sunday, Rapid will play away at LASK in the Austrian Bundesliga.

Stöger also coached in Germany during his career, taking charge of Borussia Dortmund and 1. FC Köln, whom he led back to the Bundesliga. The former international led Wiener Austria to the championship title in 2012/13. As a player, he had previously won the Austrian championship with both of Vienna’s big clubs.

Decision made: Ulm decides against signing Tibor Pleiß

T0m@dmin1
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Decision made: Ulm decides against signing Tibor Pleiß

Due to numerous injuries, ratiopharm Ulm recently signed all-rounder Justin Simon. However, there will be no further reinforcements.

In recent weeks, rumors have been swirling about the signing of Tibor Pleiß. The two-time EuroLeague winner had already completed a trial training session in the twin cities. As sports director Thorsten Leibenath confirmed to basketball-world.news, both parties were ultimately unable to agree on a contract. “The reasons for this are complex. Ultimately, we decided on a different profile because we saw a greater need in the forward position.”

After numerous injuries in recent weeks, the club signed all-rounder Justin Simon instead. The American can play several positions and is also very familiar with the club and the league from his past.

Zak Brown: The rules are draconian—and the FIA knows it

Jeffrey Gooding
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Zak Brown: The rules are draconian—and the FIA knows it

Why Zak Brown considers the Las Vegas disqualification excessive, but is still taking responsibility, and how the team is dealing with the setback internally

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has voiced strong criticism of the regulations after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were retrospectively disqualified in Las Vegas. The reason: the wooden planks on the underbody were slightly more worn than permitted – by a few hundredths of a millimeter in Norris’s case and slightly more in Piastri’s.

However, Brown emphasizes that McLaren was not seeking an illegal advantage. It was a small mistake with enormous consequences. Other teams have been removed from the standings for the same reason in recent years, but that is no consolation: “It remains a mistake – even if it was unintentional.”

According to Brown, the cause was not that the car was set too low. Instead, excessive wear was caused by severe “porpoising” – the aerodynamic bouncing of current cars. Rain on the practice days also prevented reliable setup data from being obtained. In the end, however, nine teams did their homework correctly.

Why even the FIA is critical of the penalty

Brown confirms that the world governing body itself recognizes the disproportionate nature of the penalty internally. In the case of a rule violation that has hardly any measurable impact on performance, immediate disqualification is extremely harsh. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella had already stated the day before that the FIA wanted to examine how such cases could be dealt with more fairly in the future.

Brown describes the deviation as “the thickness of a sheet of paper” and criticizes the harsh consequence. At the same time, he makes it clear that McLaren does not suspect a conspiracy. When asked whether the exclusion was intended to add extra excitement to the title race, Brown responds firmly that he does not want to entertain such speculation.

“We messed up,” he says openly to Sports Agent. “The rules may be tough, but they are the rules.” As a team, you can’t demand that others be punished – and expect exceptions for yourself.

Emotions, responsibility and a title race that is getting closer again

Immediately after the race, there was anger and frustration at McLaren. Brown himself admits to having been “very upset” – as was the entire team. It was only with a little distance that the situation calmed down. He deliberately left the drivers alone for two days before the review began.

Before the disqualification, Norris had a comfortable lead in the World Championship. The loss of his points significantly reduced his lead, and both Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri moved closer again. However, Brown refuses to make excuses or look for alibis: a season consists of 24 races, not just one.

In the end, one thing matters to the McLaren boss: “We have to abide by the same rules that we demand of other teams.” The penalty is excessive, he says, but the mistake lies with McLaren.

Tsunoda has no regrets after switching to Red Bull: except for one thing

Phil Laffertey
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Tsunoda has no regrets after switching to Red Bull: except for one thing

Yuki Tsunoda takes stock after switching to Red Bull and has only one regret – his future with the team is currently still up in the air

Yuki Tsunoda has only one regret after switching to Red Bull: his crash in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Japanese driver joined the Milton Keynes-based team ahead of the third Formula 1 race weekend of the 2025 season. Since replacing rookie Liam Lawson alongside Max Verstappen, Tsunoda has scored 25 World Championship points (the current standings in the Drivers’ Championship). Tsunoda has clearly struggled to get the same level of performance out of the Red Bull as the Dutchman.

Ahead of the Qatar weekend, the 25-year-old was asked if he regretted the move from Racing Bulls to Red Bull in hindsight. “No, I don’t regret it. But if I had to name one thing, it would be the crash at Imola,” Tsunoda explained. “I think that set me back quite a bit in the following races. That’s the only thing.”

Imola cost Tsunoda his confidence

“I don’t regret my decision to go to Red Bull. I would make the same decision again. I even think it has made me stronger. But yes, the only big mistake this year was the accident at Imola. That’s it.”

Tsunoda spectacularly rolled his car in qualifying in Italy after crashing into the tire wall as a result of a driving error. The Japanese driver was uninjured, but the accident clearly had an effect. “I think it shook his confidence a little bit in the last few races,” said then-team boss Christian Horner.

Meanwhile, Tsunoda’s future with the Austrian racing team – and in Formula 1 in general – remains unclear. As things stand, Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar is considered the favorite to take Tsunoda’s cockpit in the Red Bull team for 2026. Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad is also said to be a candidate for the Racing Bulls. This would mean that Tsunoda and Lawson would be fighting for the last available seat in the sister team.
Red Bull and Racing Bulls are the last two teams that have not yet confirmed their driver lineups for 2026. For the driver who ends up empty-handed, the only option is likely to be to look for a contract as a reserve driver, otherwise they may have to move to another racing series.

There are still two race weekends left in the 2025 season. The Qatar Grand Prix marks the last sprint race of the year before Formula 1 heads to Abu Dhabi for the grand finale next week. In theory, that means two race weekends for Tsunoda to convince the Red Bull bosses.

Formula 1 Qatar: Oscar Piastri sets fastest time, Verstappen rants

Phil Laffertey
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Formula 1 Qatar: Oscar Piastri sets fastest time, Verstappen rants

McLaren duo lead practice with Oscar Piastri ahead of Lando Norris – Max Verstappen rants like a madman – Nico Hülkenberg in eleventh place

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri narrowly set the fastest time in free practice for the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, ahead of championship leader Lando Norris, his teammate. Max Verstappen in the Red Bull finished practice in sixth place among 20 drivers after many complaints over the radio.

Sauber driver Nico Hülkenberg missed out on a top 10 finish by less than a tenth of a second and finished eleventh after the one-hour session.

There were no major incidents. However, there were numerous minor crashes and slips that had only minor consequences: most drivers abandoned their respective laps. Among others, Charles Leclerc struggled and radioed: “I can’t feel anything and can’t get a feel for the balance.”

Yuki Tsunoda was irritated by a radio message. His team told him: “Bottas behind you has DRS.” Tsunoda replied: “I didn’t even know Bottas was driving!” Shortly afterwards, the TV director showed Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes pit – in his role as an observer.

How did the three title contenders fare?

Oscar Piastri got off to the best start in practice and was in the top 10 right from the start. He only made a few minor mistakes, such as going slightly off track at turn 10. He set the fastest time at the very end on soft tires.

Lando Norris didn’t get off to such a good start and spent most of the session in the second half of the standings. He also spent a long time in the pits. After a good half hour, he radioed: “Where can I find 1.6 seconds?” His team radioed back: “Mostly in turn 7 and at the apex of turn 10.” Shortly afterwards, Norris improved to a top-5 position. Norris was actually on track for the fastest time on soft tires, but on his final attempt, he seemed to be irritated by slow cars, causing him to veer off the track in the final corner and abort the lap.

Max Verstappen had difficulties right from the start. After just five laps on hard tires, he radioed: “The left front tire is losing grip.” Shortly afterwards, he said: “The steering suddenly feels strange.” After half an hour: “The gearshift feels slow and hard.” And: “The car is poorly damped. Every time I take my foot off the gas, the car bounces wildly.” He also complained about too little energy coming out of turn 6. Sky expert Ralf Schumacher said: “That’s not good. It means you started with the wrong setup again.”

However, Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies reassured viewers, saying on Sky: “Everything is fine, no problem.” In fact, Verstappen set the third-fastest time on hard tires behind Norris and Piastri, but was half a second off the pace. On soft tires, he was also more than 0.5 seconds off the pace.

WRC Rally Saudi Arabia 2025: Small advantage for Sebastien Ogier in the World Championship battle

Sotd Editor
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WRC Rally Saudi Arabia 2025: Small advantage for Sebastien Ogier in the World Championship battle

Elfyn Evans loses a lot of time in the second stage due to a puncture and tire change – Sebastien Ogier has a slight advantage in the World Championship battle

After a turbulent second stage at the new rally in Saudi Arabia, Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai) led the overall standings, a few seconds ahead of Martins Sesks (M-Sport Ford) and Thierry Neuville (Hyundai). In the chasing pack, the World Championship battle intensified in the Toyota camp.

Fourmaux received a one-minute time penalty at the end of the stage, which dropped him back to fourth place. However, this had no effect on the three-way battle for the World Championship. Due to the cleaning effect on the sandy and sometimes very rocky terrain, the three World Championship contenders played no role in the battle for the top of the overall standings after the first stage. Fourmaux was already in the lead after Thursday.

Ogier was seventh (+44.2 seconds), Rovanperä eighth (+1:21.2 minutes) and Evans ninth (+1:25.3). On Friday, the second stage consisted of three special stages, which were driven twice. With 134 kilometers counted, it was the longest day of the rally.

Once again, the cleaning effect played a major role with each car, which is why the World Championship contenders struggled. In a direct comparison with Ogier, Evans continuously lost time in SS9 (Alghullah 1) and SS10 (Um Al Jerem 1).

Key scenes took place in SS11 (Wadi Almatwi). With lots of rocks, it was the toughest special stage of the loop. And both Evans and Rovanperä suffered damage to their Hankook tires.

Evans suffered a flat tire on the rear left after just four of the approximately 25 kilometers of the stage. The Welshman stopped and changed the tire. Rovanperä had his fourth tire problem of the rally. His occurred towards the end of the stage and he was able to limp to the finish.

“There were rocks everywhere,” Evans reported. “I have no idea where or how it happened. When you’re so far behind, there’s not much you can do. It’s frustrating. All is not lost yet, but it’s getting harder by the minute.”

At the midday service, the situation was as follows: Fourmaux led by 2.9 seconds ahead of Sesks, 4.5 seconds ahead of Sami Pajari (Toyota) and 9.2 seconds ahead of Ott Tänak (Hyundai). Ogier was seventh (+1:32.1 minutes), Rovanperä eighth (+1:52.0) and Evans tenth (+4:08.4).

Although everything was going Ogier’s way in the title fight, he didn’t want to talk about a decision at lunchtime: “We don’t want to take any risks. When I saw Elfyn’s puncture, I took a more cautious approach.“

”But actually, not much changes for the race. We have to stay ahead of Kalle.“ The eight-time world champion was not enjoying himself: ”I don’t like playing casino, but that’s how this race is.”

More punctures in the afternoon

In the afternoon loop, the decisive scenes took place in SS13 (Um Al Jerem 2). First, Tänak had to change a punctured tire. Then it was Pajari’s turn. Fourmaux was irritated by the dust from Pajari’s stationary car and missed a turn.

This meant that Sesks led by 22.1 seconds ahead of Fourmaux going into the final stage of the day. Neuville was now third, 50.3 seconds behind. Ogier was sixth, Rovanperä seventh and Evans ninth, having overtaken Gregoire Munster (M-Sport Ford).

In SS14 (Wadi Almatwi 2), Sesks suffered a puncture to his left rear tire, but so did Fourmaux to his left front! Both made it to the finish. Fourmaux retook the lead, 2.4 seconds ahead of Sesks. The tire problems suffered by both drivers allowed Neuville to close the gap to 5.8 seconds.

Fourmaux was then given a one-minute time penalty for checking in too early at the control point before the service park. This puts Sesks 3.4 seconds ahead of Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota/+41.5) moved up to third place. Fourmaux dropped back to fourth.

Rovanperä set the fastest time in SS14. At the same time, Ogier had a slow puncture, allowing the Finn to overtake him. Rovanperä is fifth (+1:15.0 minutes) and Ogier sixth (+1:15.2).

With Tänak dropping out of the top 10 due to tire problems, Evans moved up to eighth place (+3:55.0). As things stand, Ogier would collect eight World Championship points and Evans four. This would give Ogier a one-point lead in the World Championship standings.

With a 19-point deficit, Rovanperä would remain in an underdog position. A maximum of ten bonus points are also up for grabs in tomorrow’s third stage. The rally ends on Saturday with three special stages. The Power Stage begins at 11:15 a.m. German time.

First title for Russia

Phil Laffertey
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First title for Russia

Ajub Blijew wins shortly after the decision at the Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi.

Ajub Blijew is the first Russian judoka in more than two years to win a title under his own flag at the Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi.

After the 28-year-old’s triumph over Ariunbold Enkhtaivan from Mongolia, the Russian flag was raised and the national anthem played at the award ceremony—the International Judo Federation (IJF) had only announced on Thursday that this would be allowed again.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 had resulted in the imposition of neutral status. This has now been lifted, even though the war of aggression continues unabated.

Belarus had already been reintegrated into judo.

Loud criticism from Ukraine

While the decision was received with euphoria in Russia, as expected, it was met with loud criticism in Ukraine.

On its Instagram account, the Ukrainian federation categorically condemned the measure, saying that judo was thus the first sport to “openly ignore” the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

This decision violates “the principles of peace, justice, and responsibility and undermines trust in international sports institutions,” it continued.

The federation announced that it would “take all possible measures to prevent the implementation of this decision.”

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