How champions have lost their way1. MIDFIELD THREE MISSINGManchester City coasted to the title last season because they had the best midfield. Between them, Kevin de Bruyne, Fernandinho and David Silva either scored or assisted in 52 of City's 106 league goals. Silva missed 10 games because of his son's premature birth,...

Spurs self-destructENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUEBournemouth 1 Tottenham 0LONDON • Tottenham are not making things easy in their quest for a top-four Premier League finish.On a madcap afternoon yesterday at Bournemouth, they played for 42 minutes with nine men, after seeing Son Heung-min and substitute Juan Foyth sent off, and...

Football: Guardiola expects Man City to suffer in tricky FA Cup trip to NewportMANCHESTER, England (REUTERS) - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola predicts his side will "suffer" against fourth-tier Newport County in their FA Cup fifth round match on Saturday but has urged his players to adapt to a battered playing surface...

Football: Paul Pogba grateful to Mourinho for improving him as a person even if 'not everything worked well'(REUTERS) - Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has thanked Jose Mourinho for helping him "improve as a person" despite the breakdown of their relationship in the last few months leading up to the former manager's...

Title cannot soothe PSG's pain in EuropePARIS • Paris Saint-Germain may have clinched their long-expected sixth Ligue 1 title in the past seven seasons, but that triumph cannot mask the French club's shortcomings on the European stage where results have failed to match their huge investments.Thomas Tuchel's side claimed...

Football: 'Decisive' Messi downs Sevilla with 50th career hat-trickSEVILLE, Spain (REUTERS) - Lionel Messi scored his 50th career hat-trick to fire Barcelona to a 4-2 win at Sevilla on Saturday (Feb 23) after the champions had twice fallen behind, giving the Catalans a 10-point lead at the top of La Liga.Sevilla, who have...