Rafa Benitez was left cursing the Premier League fixture computer after Liverpool were handed a Champions League headache by the schedule for the 2009-10 English season.

Benitez s side face a series of three tough away fixtures and two testing home matches immediately after each of the Champions League group stage matches, while their Premier League rivals have several more low-key fixtures.

The possibility of travelling across Europe for a crucial fixture in the continent s top club competition and then returning to England for another daunting domestic game will infuriate Benitez.

The Liverpool boss was embroiled in a row with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson last season, during which he claimed Liverpool were handicapped by the timings of matches.<…

Footballers in Australia found guilty of diving face a two-match ban under new disciplinary measures announced by Football Federation Australia on Friday.

The FFA said simulation was unacceptable and it would act to stamp out the practice, used to win penalties and get opposing players sent off.

FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said an independent match review panel would be put in place for the 2009/10 season, kicking off next week.

I think everyone fans, players and media believe that simulation is unacceptable, and I am sure this change will be appreciated by the whole football community, Buckley said.

It is important to us that the A-League s disciplinary provisions are not only consistent with those of the sport internationally, but also with commu…

Cesare Prandelli wants to see a more compact performance from Valencia in his first match at the helm but acknowledged the need for the team to develop a common idea .

Prandelli was appointed as the replacement for Pako Ayestaran on October 1, with caretaker Voro s final match of a three-game stint in charge a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid last time out.

The Italian, who had been without a club since leaving Galatasaray in 2014, will take the reins for the first time on Sunday s trip to face Sporting Gijon.

He hopes the team show defensive improvement at El Molinon, though he knows there is still plenty of work to be done.

He told a pre-match news conference: I hope, above all, to see a more compact team, to keep clean sheets and defend better.

S…

After completing one transfer from Leicester in this summer’s transfer window – that of Harry Maguire for a world-record amount of £80 million ever paid for a defender –Manchester United are said to be interested in another one of Leicester’s jewels, James Maddison, reports.

The 22-year-old Maddison came to Leicester from Norwich City in 2018, on a five-year contract thought to be worth around £20 million. It is expected that the talented English footballer will receive an international call-up from England manager Gareth Southgate.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wishes to bring down the average age of his squad and the young and energetic Maddison seems to fit the bill. United will most probably make a bid for Maddison during the January transfe…

Wigan confirmed Monday that they had reached an agreement with Erik Edman to cancel his contract in a move that frees the Swedish defender to return to his first club, Helsingborg.

Edman, who joined Wigan from Rennes in January 2008, had been under contract until the end of the season but saw little future at the club after losing his place at left back to Maynor Figueroa.

The 31-year-old has played just four times this season and made only two Premier League starts. In one of those, he was run ragged by Aaron Lennon as Tottenham thrashed Wigan 9-1 in November.

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England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney admitted Friday his agent had helped make him a very wealthy young man, as he testified in a court case involving his former management company.

Rooney, being sued for £4.3 million in a contractual dispute, said he had great trust in agent Paul Stretford and was grateful to him for furthering his career.

The company Stretford founded, Proactive, claims it is owed the money in unpaid commission, even though the agent has now left the firm.

The civil court in Manchester heard that the young football prodigy, then 17, was signed up by Stretford in 2002 as he rose to stardom with his home-town club Everton.

Stretford brokered multi-million pound deals with sponsors including Nike and Coca-Cola for Rooney and a…

Norwich City manager Alex Neil lamented basic errors made by his defence in the last-gasp 2-1 Premier League defeat at Manchester City.

Manuel Pellegrini s league leaders had been in rampant form of late, scoring 16 times in their past three domestic home matches – an ominous sign for Norwich, who lost 7-0 on their previous visit to the Etihad Stadium in November 2013.

But Neil s men contained their opponents, while showing enough attacking intent themselves, until Nicolas Otamendi was allowed room to plant home a header from Kevin De Bruyne s 67th-minute corner.

The stand-out mistake of the match came from England goalkeeper Joe Hart, who inexplicably spilt Robbie Brady s cross to give Norwich striker Cameron Jerome a tap-in seven minutes from time.

D…

Mario Gomez considers the potential of Douglas Costa and Kinglsey Coman to be more exciting for Bayern Munich fans than the talents of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.

Ribery and Robben have frequently struggled with injuries – the former is yet to make an appearance in this Bundesliga campaign, while the Dutchman has been involved in just six of their 12 outings so far.

As a result, former Bayern striker Gomez believes supporters have developed greater enthusiasm about seeing Costa and Coman develop into integral players.

It is something he sees as natural progression, likening the situation to the success achieved by Germany after Michael Ballack s retirement.

At the European Championships, it will mainly be the [Germany] World Cup squad – endless e…

Jamal Musiala should not change his approach while away with Germany, Hansi Flick insisted after the Bayern Munich teenager was handed his first senior international call-up. 

Having elected to represent Germany ahead of England, whom he played for at youth level, Musiala was selected by Joachim Low for Die Mannschaft s upcoming World Cup qualifiers with Iceland, Romania and North Macedonia. 

Musiala has made 18 Bundesliga appearances in 2020-21 – only four players who are younger than him (18 years, 21 days) have played in more matches across the top five European leagues this term. 

On target in a 4-1 win over Lazio in the Champions League last month, Musiala has demonstrated impressive composure for someone of his tender years. 

And …

Jurgen Klopp has no qualms over Liverpool s approach to recruitment and insists he will not conduct transfer business just to be part of a circus .

The Reds only major signing of the recently shut window was centre-back Ibrahima Konate, who cost a reported £36million from RB Leipzig.

It is a sum completely gazumped by the likes of title rivals Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea – all of whom spent heavily in the market.

Liverpool did, though, manage to tie down key players to new deals, with Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Andy Robertson and Alisson among those to commit to extended stays at Anfield.

Klopp, who has led Liverpool to Champions League and Premier League glory during his time in charge, has no intention of changing …