Normal service has been resumed in Germany. It has in the Champions League, too, given Bayern Munich are in the quarter-finals for a sixth consecutive year. If they treat Inter with the same disdain they showed Bayer Leverkusen, whose brief spell as domestic kryptonite appears to be comprehensively over, then they may move closer to winning the trophy on home soil in May. They never looked like losing even a fraction of the three-goal lead amassed in the first leg and could count once again on Harry Kane, whose simple opener and subsequent assist for Alphonso Davies floored a weakened Leverkusen. The home side could point to the absence of Florian Wirtz, whose next action in this competition will come in Bayern’s colours if his suitors have their way. The playmaker’s weekend injury meant that, to all intents and purposes, dreams of a comeback were over as soon as they had begun. Not even Xabi Alonso’s magic touch could compensate and a team that had outplayed Bayern here in the Bundesliga last month looked bereft of confidence here. Continue reading...

A new left wing-back could be a priority for Manchester United's new head coach Ruben Amorim, but the club face a battle for one of the players best-suited to the task

Manchester United's new manager Ruben Amorim has plenty of work to do in order to put his stamp on a struggling squad - but has been warned a move for Alphonso Davies isn't worth his time

Manchester United could rival Real Madrid for Canada and Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, who will be out of contract at the end of the current Bundesliga season

Manchester United are ready to enter the race for Alphonso Davies, whose contract at Bayern Munich expires in the summer, with the club gathering information ahead of a potential offer

Manchester United want to sign a new left-back due to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia's ongoing injury problems, but Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies may be tricky to land

Bayern Munich trio Alphonso Davies, Leroy Sane and Leon Goretzka have all been linked with moves to Manchester United but all three could opt against moving to Old Trafford

Bayern want Liverpool defender Andy Robertson to replace Alphonso Davies, Arsenal's search for a striker goes on, plus more.

Real Madrid close in on Alphonso Davies deal, Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea future in doubt, Manchester United prepare to offload Antony, plus more.

Xabi Alonso, perhaps Bayern’s coach of the future, was able to thwart the club whose midfield he once graced Even at the close of over 98 absorbing minutes, there was enough energy in their (unfamiliarly) green-clad legs to make a beeline in the same direction. Thomas Tuchel and a few of his players, led by Thomas Müller and Sven Ulreich, made plain their unhappiness to referee Daniel Schlager and his team – mainly at the penalty given to Leverkusen for Alphonso Davies’ challenge on Jonas Hofmann late on and, perhaps, the even later ruling out of a potential Dayot Upamecano winner, with the clear offside not stopping some of those on the Bayern Munich bench pointing towards the VAR screen. Whether you thought they had a point or not they, and most of the fans inside the Allianz Arena, with boos ringing out at the whistle, were in the minority. This laying down of an early-season gauntlet, not just in terms of result but in its manner, was a timely shot in the arm for the Bundesliga. There were moments when Bayern looked like Bayern, moved like Bayern. Yet what we ended up with was far less clear-cut, replete with possibility. Continue reading...

The Englishman is leaving his post with Canada to join the ranks in club football. He will find a team whose best days lie firmly in the past The chase is on for Inter Miami. Victory over the New York Red Bulls in Lionel Messi’s first Major League Soccer match was enough to lift the club off the foot of the Eastern Conference. They have 11 regular season matches left to make up an 11-point difference and qualify for the playoffs. Toronto FC, bottom of the East on a run of 10 consecutive losses, now have the worst record in MLS, along with the Colorado Rapids. It wasn’t meant to be this way. Only last year, Toronto FC were being spoken about as a resurgent force with Lorenzo Insigne, signed from Napoli on a league-record contract, hailed as the most notable transfer in MLS history. Federico Bernardeschi was another statement signing, at least in pre-Messi terms. While Inter Miami’s new stars have prospered, though, TFC’s have flopped. Continue reading...

Rottach-Egern thrashed at pre-season camp in TegernseeSouth Korea defender Kim completes move from Napoli Summer football friendlies are intended to prepare for the cut and thrust of a new competitive campaign, but it is questionable how much Bayern Munich learned from their first assignment of pre-season, a distinctly one-sided 27-0 victory against Rottach-Egern. At the Bundesliga champions’ camp in picturesque Tegernsee, Jamal Musiala opened the scoring for Thomas Tuchel’s side after three minutes, with Serge Gnabry doubling the lead a minute later. By the 13th minute it was 5-0, Musiala and Gnabry both having scored twice, with the Canada international Alphonso Davies adding the third on eight minutes. Continue reading...