Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Mario Gotze has acknowledged he will never again be the player he was when he first rose to prominence.
The 24-year-old earned himself a transfer to Bayern Munich in 2013 following a number of impressive seasons at Dortmund, but returned to Signal Iduna Park during the close season after an underwhelming spell with the Bundesliga champions.
However, he has yet to recapture the form that saw him catch the eye in the early stages of his career.
That said, Gotze feels people should realise that he has become a different player.
Should I get back to playing like the 18-year-old Mario Gotze again?, Gotze asked Bild.
I have played almost 60 games for Germany since, have enjoyed six years of success at Bayern …
Goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller cannot wait for Saturday s Cup final clash between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
Dortmund s Dortmund claims the rivalry between the two German clubs is of similar proportions to the heated relationship of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Dortmund and Bayern have dominated German football in the past three years as BVB have won two consecutive titles after the Bavarian club s successful 2009-10 campaign, and both sides meet again in the final of the DFB Pokal in Berlin on Saturday.
This is a battle between equals, each team has achieved something great. Bayern have reached the Champions League final against Chelsea, while we have won the Bundesliga title, Weidenfeller told Kicker.
This is like Real Madrid versus Barcelona.…
Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar acknowledged he is not a perfect role model nor a superhero .
The Brazil international has spent almost two years with Paris Saint-Germain, but rumours of unhappiness, rocky relationships with team-mates and a lack of commitment have rarely been far away.
More recently, Neymar failed to report back for pre-season training earlier this month amid speculation he wants to return to Barcelona, while PSG sporting director Leonardo confirmed the forward was available for a transfer if the price is right.
Neymar further risked the wrath of PSG supporters on Saturday when highlighting Barca s remarkable 2016-17 Champions League turnaround against his current employers as one of his two favourite football memories, though he showed a mo…
Coupe de France favourites Paris Saint-Germain have been drawn to face Saint-Etienne in the semi-finals.
PSG, who last won the tournament in 2010 and will host the fixture, saw off Monaco to book their place in the last four, while Saint-Etienne required penalties to defeat third-tier outfit Boulogne.
Guingamp are the defending champions and will be fancied to reach a second successive final having been handed a tie at Ligue 2 side Auxerre.
The fixtures are set to take place on April 7 and 8.
…
France national team doctor Fabrice Bryand says Yann M Vila is a serious doubt for his team s Euro 2012 opener against England on Monday.
The Stade Rennais midfielder has been in a race against time to regain match fitness for the tournament after sustaining an ankle injury in France s 2-0 friendly win over Serbia on May 31.
We are doing our best to make him fit, Bryand told RMC.
His sprained ankle is healing very quickly and in a spectacular way.
But right now we are not optimistic about his involvement in the match against England.
M Vila, who broke into the Rennais first team in 2009, has 19 appearances to his name for France.
…
Aston Villa have sacked Roberto Di Matteo with the club languishing in the lower reaches of the Championship.
Di Matteo was brought in over the close season with the target of leading Villa back into the Premier League following relegation in May.
But the former Schalke, West Brom and Chelsea boss he led the London club to the Champions League title in 2012 departs with Villa in 19th place, having won just one of their opening 11 games.
A club statement read: Aston Villa Football Club has parted company with manager Roberto Di Matteo.
The club decided to act following a run of disappointing results which has the left the team occupying 19th position in the Championship.
The club would like to place on record its appreciation to Roberto for all h…
Didier Deschamps is the new head coach of France.
The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed the news in a statement on Sunday.
Having recently vacated his role as Olympique de Marseille boss, Deschamps was immediately installed as the frontrunner to replace former international team-mate Laurent Blanc.
But while initially dismissing such suggestions earlier in the week, the 43-year-old has now opted to accept the French governing body s offer after much consideration.
No details about the length of his contract have been disclosed, but his deal is expected to run until the 2014 World Cup, with the option of a further two years, taking him through to Euro 2016, which will be played in France.
Deschamps started his coaching career at Monaco in…
Laurent Koscielny believes Arsenal are capable of beating Bayern Munich, insisting that the best teams reveal themselves in times of bad form.
The Arsenal captain claimed that following losses to Watford and Chelsea, Saturday s 2-0 win against Hull City was vital for their confidence ahead of their trip to Munich in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.
The Bavarian giants have become something of a nemesis for Arsenal, having knocked the Gunners out at this stage in 2013 and 2014.
But Koscielny feels Arsenal s response to recent successive defeats shows they are more than capable of taking on the Bundesliga leaders.
During the season you know we will have some good and bad moments. During the bad moments you see whether you have a good s…
Zinedine Zidane is adamant that Real Madrid snatching a late draw in Saturday s Clasico at Barcelona has little bearing on the outcome of the title race in LaLiga.
Barca appeared on course to cut Madrid s lead at the top of the table to three points thanks to Luis Suarez s opener in the second half, but Sergio Ramos dramatic late header earned a share of the spoils for the visitors.
The point is seemingly a better result for Madrid given their six-point advantage over Barca, but head coach Zidane warned there is still plenty of work ahead if they are to win a first title since 2012.
I don t think it s a hit to Barca s confidence, he told a post-match news conference.
We have a six-point advantage and I don t think this changes anything. We still have …
Premier League holders Chelsea look set to reignite their interest in AC Milan stopper Alessio Romagnoli, according to Leggo.
The Blues plan to reinforce their back line in the summer, as Antonio Conte only has four central defenders at his disposal at the moment.
This has seen Chelsea rekindle their interest in long-term target Alessio Romagnoli, who could be allowed to leave AC Milan in the summer.
Namely, the Rossoneri could consider selling the Italy international if they fail to qualify for the Champions League, with AC Milan currently eight points behind top 4 positions.
Romagnoli had joined the club from AS Roma in August 2015 and went on to make 82 league appearances for the Italian giants.
…