The Dutch midfielder believes that the Reds put down a marker at the Allianz Arena on what was another memorable night for English football

Georginio Wijnaldum believes that Liverpool took “a really big step” in knocking Bayern Munich out of the Champions League, while offering English football another welcome shot in the arm.

The Reds completed a clean sweep for the Premier League contingent in Europe’s elite club competition on Wednesday when claiming a 3-1 aggregate success.

Having held Bayern to a goalless draw at Anfield in the first leg of their last-16 showdown, an impressive victory at the Allianz Arena carried Jurgen Klopp’s side into the quarter-finals.

They will be joined at that stage by domestic rivals Manchester United, Tottenham and Manchester City.

Wijnaldum believes continental dominance highlights the strength of the club game in England, while he also feels that Liverpool have put down a marker in their ongoing bid for major honours.

The Netherlands international midfielder told Sky Sports after helping to down Bayern: “It’s a really big night, not only for Liverpool but I think for England.

“All of the teams have gone through to the next round, and for us of course it was really good because we managed to win an away game at Bayern Munich – which is quite difficult.

“I feel like we’ve taken a really big step, because a lot of people said after the first match that it was not a good result to play a 0-0, but we had a good feeling about it because we didn’t concede a goal.

“We know the way we’re playing, we can always create chances so we were quite confident we would create chances here and score goals. That says something about the team itself.

“A lot of teams struggle here to get a result, but we still did it. We have a lot of confidence but we also work hard to bring things together in a good way.”

Sadio Mane once again proved to be the hero for Liverpool in Munich.

The Senegalese forward, who has 10 goals in his last 10 games for the Reds, bagged a brace in Germany to fire his side through.

Virgil van Dijk was also on target, ensuring that an own goal from Joel Matip mattered little in the grand scheme of things.

Klopp’s side, and the rest of the Premier League hopefuls, will discover their quarter-final opponents on Friday when the draw is made in Nyon.

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The retired defender believes the Catalan’s determination to win the Champions League with City could see him remain for years to come

Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has said he cannot see Pep Guardiola leaving the club in the foreseeable future.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich head coach has been linked with a move to Juventus next summer amid reports that City could face a transfer ban for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations.

While Guardiola himself denied these rumours, Lescott has stated he also believes they have no merit and hinted he thinks the manager may not leave the club until they have won the Champions League.

“I don’t believe Pep Guardiola will move on until he has dominated Europe with Manchester City,” Lescott told Sporting Bet.

“You could say it’s unfinished business as he bids to take their football to a global level. Pep has created so much success at Manchester City in such a short space of time and I believe there’s more success to come.

“Everyone associated with the club wants Guardiola at Manchester City and there would be a lot of disappointed fans, staff and players if he left. I don’t expect Guardiola to look to move anywhere until his contract is up in two years, at least,” he added.

The City boss has previously won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011 respectively, but in three years at Bayern he failed to win the competition.

Guardiola has also faced frustration in the Champions League with City and after being eliminated in the last-16 stage in 2017, failed to progress past the quarter-finals last season, when they lost to Liverpool over two legs.

This year, after navigating past Schalke in the previous round, City face Tottenham in the last eight and will be hoping to win the tournament for the first time.

Lescott believes his former side have the quality to win the Champions League, but might struggle with the lack of European experience in the squad.

“I think Man Utd have potentially cleared the way for Man City to win the Champions League when they knocked PSG out of the tournament,” said Lescott. 

“I believe PSG were the biggest threat to Man City’s potential success in the Champions League this season.

“Man City could still slip up in the latter stages of the tournament through lack of experience within the squad because not many of the Man City players have as much experience within the Champions League semi-finals. It would be a shame as they are definitely ready to win the Champions League.”

Should City win the competition, it might be as part of an historic treble, which the reigning Premier League champions could claim in 2018-19.

City have already wrapped up the Carabao Cup and will return to the summit of the Premier League should they win their game in hand over Liverpool. Guardiola’s men also face Brighton in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

The 27-year-old was knocked out in Saturday’s victory over Georgia

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Brain injury charity Headway has demanded action from UEFA after Switzerland defender Fabian Schar was allowed to play on having suffered a concussion.

The Newcastle United star was knocked unconscious as he clashed heads with Jemal Tabidze early in Saturday’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Georgia in Tbilisi.

Despite requiring treatment for an extended period, during which time Jano Ananidze reportedly prevented Schar from swallowing his tongue, the defender was permitted to continue playing.

Schar had a key role in both goals in a 2-0 win, but Headway is furious that an “incredibly dangerous” risk was taken with the player’s wellbeing.

Charity chief Peter McCabe said: “What is it going to take to make football take concussion seriously?

“How many more players will have their careers and, more importantly, their lives and long-term health put at risk by the sport’s inability to follow its own protocols?

“Put simply, the decision to allow Fabian Schar to return to the field of play after suffering a clear concussion was not only incredibly dangerous, but also a clear dereliction of duty.

“The player’s comments after the match are also deeply disturbing and again show the lack of awareness and understanding among players.  

“UEFA must immediately launch an investigation into the incident and explain why their protocols were not followed.”

Upon seeing footage of the incident, Schar told Blick after the match: “It looks awful. I can’t remember anything. I was out for a few seconds.

“My skull is still humming and I’ve got neck ache and a bruise on my forehead, but it was worth it.”

Following the incident, Schar has been withdrawn from the Switzerland squad as they prepare to host Denmark on Tuesday.

It remains to be confirmed if Schar will be available for Newcastle’s next game against Arsenal in the Premier League on April 1 as the Magpies continue their relegation battle.

Rafa Benitez’s side sit in a reasonably comfortable position, seven points above the bottom three after winning three of their last four matches, but are yet to secure safety with seven games remaining. 

The Juventus forward’s status is now up in the air ahead of a Champions League clash with Ajax

Cristiano Ronaldo suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury in Monday’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Serbia, causing concerns for Juventus as a Champions League clash with Ajax looms.

The forward lined up for Portugal in Monday’s qualifying clash, but was forced out of the match in the 31st minute due to the injury.

At the time, Portugal were losing 1-0 to Serbia thanks to a Dusan Tadic finish from the penalty spot. However, shortly after Ronaldo’s removal, Portugal were able to tie the match through a goal from Danilo Pereira.

Ronaldo was instrumental in guiding Juventus past Atletico Madrid and into the Champions League quarter-finals, as the former Real Madrid star fired home a hat-trick to help the Italian side overcome a 2-0 first leg deficit.

Now, his status for that quarter-final, a clash with Ajax, is up in the air depending on the severity of his injury.

Juventus are set to take on Ajax on April 10 in the first leg in Amsterdam before returning to Turin for the second leg six days later.

Ajax sealed their spot in the quarter-final round by stunning Ronaldo’s former club, Real Madrid, battering the Spanish giants 4-1 in the second leg at the Bernebeu to advance in the competition.

Before facing off with Ajax, Juventus do face a trio of Serie A matches at the conclusion of the international break.

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The Serie A leaders will return on Saturday against Empoli before facing Cagliari three days later. Juve will then take on AC Milan on April 6 ahead of the trip to the Netherlands.

In league play, though, Juve have all but wrapped up the title, having established a 15-point lead on second-place Napoli and a 22-point lead on third-place Inter Milan.

Ronaldo has been pivotal to that Serie A lead, having scored 19 goals in 26 league appearances since joining the club from Real Madrid this past summer.

He’s scored a further four goals in Champions League play as he looks to guide Juve on a tournament run having won the last three titles during his time in Madrid.

Ronaldo also started and played all 90 minutes on Portugal’s Euro 2020 qualifying opener, a scoreless draw with Ukraine. 

Jill Ellis has set her team up in a 4-3-3 for most of the past two years, but she does have options to change her side around

After the U.S. women’s national team shockingly failed to medal at the 2016 Olympics, the team went through a period of reconstruction. 

Head coach Jill Ellis brought in a host of new faces and tinkered with several different formations as she searched for a winning formula. 

Naturally, there were some ups and downs. After a 1-0 defeat to Australia in July 2017, the USWNT had lost three home games already in the calendar year. It was clear a change was needed.

The following game, Ellis lined her team out in a 4-3-3 formation against Brazil. The U.S. won 4-3, and then proceeded to go a year and a half without losing again.

Heading into the 2019 World Cup, it’s safe to say the 4-3-3 will be the team’s preferred setup, but Ellis has options if she wants to change things around.

Here are four looks we could see from the USWNT. 

If the World Cup started tomorrow, this is the lineup that Ellis would likely select. The team’s 4-3-3 formation allows it to relentlessly attack opponents – though there are still questions about its sturdiness at the back against top-tier opposition. 

Ellis prefers her fullbacks to get involved in the attack, meaning Crystal Dunn and Kelley O’Hara are the top options in a back line that features Becky Sauerbrunn and Abby Dahlkemper at center back. With a three-player midfield, much of the team’s width comes from Dunn and O’Hara. 

Lindsey Horan is the centerpiece of that three-player midfield, with the freedom to roam ahead of holding midfielder Julie Ertz. For now, Rose Lavelle gets the nod as the most attacking member of that midfield trio. 

Up top, Alex Morgan is the team’s undisputed target forward option, with Megan Rapinoe and Tobin Heath also near-locks to start in the attacking winger positions on either side of Morgan. 

Sam Mewis was indispensable for the USWNT in 2017, but last year saw her influence on the team wane as she started just two matches. This year started out like 2018 for Mewis, but things could be moving more in her favor now. 

With Horan out, Mewis played a starring role in the USWNT’s final SheBelieves Cup match against Brazil. The 26-year-old’s strong two-way play brought more balance to the team’s midfield and led to suggestions that she could retain her starting spot even when Horan returns to the fold. 

Pairing Horan and Mewis ahead of Ertz in the midfield would add more steel to the side and allow Horan to focus more on attacking than she would with Lavelle ahead of her.

In the team’s first-choice lineup above, Lavelle is a pure No.10 and with the full-backs getting forward often, it leaves the USWNT vulnerable to counterattacks. Against some of the top sides in the world, a lineup featuring Mewis instead of Lavelle would make plenty of sense.

During the SheBelieves Cup, Ellis experimented with dropping Ertz back from her holding midfield role to a spot between the center backs, giving the U.S. a de-facto 5-2-3 look.

Strangely, Ellis opted for this look at times when Lavelle and Mallory Pugh were alongside Ertz in central midfield. With Lavelle and Pugh alone, the U.S. did not have nearly enough strength and ball retention in the middle of the park.

If, however, Ellis played stronger defensive players like Mewis and Horan in midfield, Ertz’s ability to drop deep into possession could be effective against opponents when they press. This setup would still leave Horan and Mewis with an awful lot of work to do in the middle of the field, but they would be much more likely to succeed than Pugh and Lavelle were. 

The USWNT has not gone with a two-forward setup much recently, but Jessica McDonald’s emergence as a viable contributor in recent months could change that calculus. 

McDonald has served mostly as a backup to Morgan, but the pair have shared the field briefly during last year’s friendly against Scotland and January’s friendly against Spain. 

Having McDonald and Morgan serving as dual forwards would likely be more of a late-game option, but it could be an effective misdirection with opponents planning to face a USWNT side that has used a single-forward setup for some time. 

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While the former Red Devils captain is impressed by his successor in the No.10 shirt, he thinks the 21-year-old has plenty of room for improvement

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has claimed Marcus Rashford is a ‘fantastic’ striker, but should focus on improving his heading if he is to continue his development.

Rooney, who now plies his trade for D.C. United, knows a thing or two about scoring goals for the Red Devils, and with 253 goals for United is the club’s all-time top goalscorer.

During Rooney’s 13-year stint at Old Trafford, the 33-year-old played with some of the Premier League’s top forwards, including Rashford, who Rooney claims has continued to grow in the past few seasons.

“He has got a bit of everything,” the former United captain told talkSPORT. “He is quick, he is strong. The only thing he could probably work on is his heading.

“He is fantastic. He has got so much ability and it is great to see him doing so well. For Manchester United and England, he has certainly got a bright future.”

Rashford has enjoyed a superb few months under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and is now performing at a much higher level than under his predecessor Jose Mourinho.

Since the Norwegian took over in December, Rashford has bagged 10 goals in all competitions compared to just two under Mourinho.

For that reason, Rooney believes his former team-mate should be given the job at Old Trafford permanently and even see parallels with Solskjaer and Sir Alex Ferguson.

“Ole obviously played under him [Ferguson] for a long time and knowing how Alex Ferguson is, it wouldn’t surprise me if he is on the phone to him every day.

“It is important for Ole to get that help and that guidance through Sir Alex and also Mike Phelan, who is sat alongside him.

“He has gone in with simplicity and has brought belief back to the fans. He has made the place enjoyable again to go into work every day. The staff around Carrington are enjoying working there again and that does rub off.

“When you see the staff happy around the players, it makes it a happy environment to work in. He is doing a fantastic job and I’m sure he is the only candidate for Manchester United to take that job and it will be great to see him get it and bring some of the players he wants to bring in and keep moving the club forward.”

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Vahid Halilhodzic has criticised the French champions for their lacklustre preparations for the second leg of their last-16 tie, which they lost 3-1

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Nantes head coach Vahid Halilhodzic has slammed Paris Saint-Germain for their “incomprehensible behaviour” prior to defeat against Manchester United in the Champions League.

The Red Devils qualified for the last eight of the competition after securing a 3-1 victory at the Parc des Princes on March 6, overturning a 2-0 first-leg deficit.

Thomas Tuchel’s men put themselves in a great position to progress to the quarter-finals after winning at Old Trafford, but they were undone in shocking fashion in front of their own fans.

Marcus Rashford grabbed the decisive winner in stoppage time at the end of the game, firing home from the penalty spot after Presnel Kimpembe was controversially judged to have handled the ball in the area.

PSG’s season has already been dubbed as a failure in the wake of that result, despite the fact that there are still two months of the campaign to be played and two trophies still up for grabs.

Halilhodzic believes the Parisians got what they deserved, after failing to adequately prepare for the crucial showdown in the hours before kick-off.

Reports in France have claimed that instead of arriving at the Parc des Princes together on a team bus, the players made their own way to the stadium.

“The behaviour of the team before the match was incomprehensible,” Halilhodzic told Le Parisien ahead of Nantes’ trip to Paris in the French Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. “How they could accept that the players arrived alone to the stadium two hours before the match? 

“The preparation of Paris before the Manchester United game was a serious mistake. It’s unworthy for a big club. It’s unprofessional.

“In Paris, there may be traffic jams or an accident [that would delay the arrival to the stadium]. The main lesson is: ‘You acted like a child, so you have the result of a child’.”

PSG have never won the Champions League and they have only managed to appear in the semi-finals of the competition once – way back in the 1994-95 season.

Since they received financial backing from billionaire Qatari investors in 2011, they have only managed to arrive in the quarter-finals once, suffering several damaging defeats against the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Tuchel’s side looked well poised to end that hoodoo this time around, which made the United defeat even tougher to bear for supporters around France.

Instead, PSG have been left chasing another domestic double, with a 20-point lead to protect in Ligue 1 and a French Cup final to aim for in May.

The champions’ top scorer limped off against Fulham last weekend, while the former Monaco star has been out since January

Sergio Aguero will travel with the Manchester City squad to face Brighton in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final, while Benjamin Mendy is ready to fill the problem position of left-back for Pep Guardiola.

City’s top scorer Aguero limped off having netted in a 2-0 win at Fulham last weekend and was on the sidelines as the Premier League leaders beat Cardiff City by the same scoreline in midweek.

Guardiola’s men are approaching a pivotal period in their battle for a clean sweep of major honours, with the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final at Tottenham to come on Tuesday.

It means Aguero is unlikely to be unduly risked but the City manager confirmed his star striker is in contention to face Brighton at Wembley.

“He’s almost fit. He is travelling,” Guardiola told a pre-match news conference.

Mendy has not started a competitive match since November after undergoing knee surgery, while his attitude was again called into question when mobile phone footage of the France international in a Manchester nightclub in the early hours of last Saturday morning emerged this week.

But Guardiola reported the ex-Monaco star has trained freely for the past week-and-a-half – a timely boost in light of Oleksandr Zinchenko suffering a hamstring strain against Cardiff and Fabian Delph’s ongoing fitness struggles.

“Mendy alone cannot help us to arrive at the end of April with the challenge to win something more,” he said, before revealing Zinchenko should be back inside the next two weeks. 

“But of course it’s incredibly good news for us that he is training without problems for the last 10 days.”

Brazil right-back Danilo is another option to fill in on the other side of defence and Guardiola added: “I almost decided [who will play at left-back]. Of course, no [I won’t tell you who].”

Another full-back discussed at Guardiola’s pre-match briefing was Danny Rose, after the Tottenham and England player said he “can’t wait to see the back of football” as problems with racism continue to stain the game.

“Danny Rose has not to do that. Next Tuesday, if I see him, I will tell him,” Guardiola said, offering his support to the 28-year-old. “The best way to combat this kind of terrible situation is fighting, being there every day.

“He is an extraordinary football player.”

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The Nerazzurri have not called upon the Argentine for almost two months but the former captain will return to lead the attack on Wednesday

Luciano Spalletti has expressed his belief that Mauro Icardi is more valuable than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, after ending his exile from the Inter line-up.

Icardi has not featured for Inter since a 1-0 win at Parma on February 9, with speculation over his future, a contract stand-off and conflicting fitness claims all playing a part in the ensuing saga.

The 26-year-old trained before the 1-0 weekend loss at home to Lazio but was told to “stay away” by Spalletti following reports of a fresh dressing room incident.

But the slate appears to be clean once more for the Argentina international, whose head coach was keen to present a united front at his pre-match news conference after fruitful work behind the scenes from chief executive Beppe Marotta .

Spalletti opened by saying Icardi is more important to Inter than Ronaldo and Messi are to Juventus and Barcelona respectively, before praising him for showing the correct mentality during a testing period.

“In the context of our team, Icardi is worth more than Messi and Ronaldo put together. He is now in a position to help the team,” the Italian boss began.

“Icardi is available. The work done by Marotta has been instrumental in ensuring that all parties can take part in real and not virtual discussions.

“He will start. He’s shown the right reaction mentally – something which is more important than the physical side of things.

“We’ll see how long he’ll be able to remain on the pitch and if we’ll need to take him off.

“The squad is together as one. And a strong squad is something that defines Inter.”

Inter remain third in Serie A, two points ahead of rivals AC Milan, although they might still rue missing the opportunity to take Lazio – five points back in fifth – out of the Champions League equation.

“We’ll go again from our third-place position with all of our potential available,” Spalletti added.

“This will allow us to fight right until the very end to reach our goal of qualifying for the Champions League.”

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The Argentine revealed an ongoing injury this week, but his team-mate was not at all surprised to see him deliver the goods for the Catalan side

Sergio Busquets was not surprised to see Lionel Messi overcome a pelvic injury to inspire Barcelona to a 2-0 derby win over Espanyol.

Messi revealed this week that he has been managing a fitness concern since December, explaining his absence from Argentina’s friendly against Morocco.

But the Barca captain was named in Ernesto Valverde’s starting XI on Saturday and scored both goals as the league leaders took another step towards the title.

The 31-year-old opened the scoring with a free-kick in the 71st minute before slotting into the bottom corner after Malcom cut back to him.

Messi is now on 31 goals for the season in La Liga, while he recorded his 334th victory in the Spanish top-flight, matching former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

A tough week might have impacted other forwards, but Busquets always expects the unexpected from Messi.

“He is so important for us and he had a great game,” Busquets said. “It is always an advantage to have him playing for us.

“His performances may be unusual from the outside, but they do not surprise us. What he does in training is more difficult in matches, but we are used to it.”

Describing Barca’s difficulties in breaking down Espanyol, who held out until the 71st minute, Busquets said: “Espanyol took an ultra-defensive approach where it was difficult to find spaces.

“But we still had chances and they did not. In the end, despite the fact that it was difficult, we have got the goals and won – deservedly after what you could see on the field.”

Barca are now 13 points ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid in La Liga and are back in action on Tuesday before taking on their nearest challengers at Camp Nou.

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