Djibril Cisse quits football to focus on DJ career

While Tottenham would have wanted to have seen their name in Thursday s Champions League group stage draw, they did at least manage to extend on their own European adventure.

Despite suffering a shock 1-0 first-leg defeat out in Portugal last week, Spurs completed what was a rampant turnaround in North London as they breezed their way to a 3-0 romp against Paços de Ferreira.

Putting their name in Friday s hat and still tipped as one of the standout contenders in this year s inaugural Conference League, the Lilywhites will be watching closely with the draw scheduled to start at 12:30 BST.

On a night that saw Nuno Espírito Santo s side put on a real show in front of a packed-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, we have taken a look at the major talking points.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has poured cold water on the idea of a Premier League all-star match after Chelsea owner Todd Boehly proposed the idea.

The new Blues owner floated the idea during his appearance in a conference in the United States, where he expressed his desire for English football to follow in the sporting footsteps of America.

Boehly specifically spoke about the potential of a relegation play-off as well as the introduction of an all-star match, where the top flight would be split into two halves, north and south, for an annual match.

Klopp, however, is not a fan of the proposal, highlighting that teams are already stretched by a packed schedule and the end of season period is not as extensive as those in America.

He doesn t hesitate, …

Roma dropped points in Serie A for the first time this season after being held to a 1-1 draw at Torino on Sunday.

The result brings to an end Roma s record run of 10 consecutive league victories, with Rudi Garcia s side now three points clear of Napoli and Juventus, the two teams immediately behind them in the table.

Kevin Strootman had put Roma in front after 28 minutes, sweeping home Miralem Pjanic s cutback after Torino had failed to clear a corner properly.

But the hosts hit back 18 minutes into the second half through Alessio Cerci, just the second goal that Roma have conceded in a remarkable start to their league campaign and first in a staggering 743 minutes.

Leaders Roma pressed hard for a winner in the final stages with a succession of dangerous free-kic…

Stoke City F.C. captain Ryan Shawcross has revealed he hopes the club will be able to keep in-form goalkeeper Jack Butland for the foreseeable future.

Butland, who joined Stoke from Birmingham City for an initial fee of £3. 3 million in January 2013, has become the Potters No. goalkeeper following the sale of Asmir Begović to Chelsea this summer.

The England international, 22, has impressed in between the sticks for Mark Hughes side this season despite having kept just one clean sheet in eight league fixtures, with his 10-save showing against Arsenal certainly catching the eye.

It s good for Jack and it s good for the club to have him involved with England, but he s had an excellent start to the season, Shawcross told The Sentinel.

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Memphis Depay scored twice to help the Netherlands get their World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Montenegro in Saturday s Group G clash.

Louis van Gaal s first game in his third spell in charge ended in a 1-1 draw in Norway on Wednesday, but the Oranje produced a much improved display at Philips Stadion.

Depay fired the Netherlands into a deserved first-half lead from the penalty spot and doubled his tally just after the hour mark with a clinical finish.

Georginio Wijnaldum added a third and Cody Gakpo scored his first international goal as the Netherlands picked up a win that keeps them level with Norway and one point behind Group G leaders Turkey, whom they face next.

2 For the first time in 70 appearances, Mem…

England lost their big friendly game with Brazil 1-0 and its lead me to wonder are England good enough to the World Cup. I have pondered this long and hard but I still don t have an answer.

Shadow team

The England team that took to the field against Brazil was far from England s first eleven. In fact only two out of the eleven that started against the Samba Boys are likely to start for England next summer. Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry and of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

Backups

The team that played struggled against an opposition that was a class above. None of backup players made much of an impact apart from James Milner who had a decent game. They were playing against one of the worlds best teams and showed why they aren t yet fir…

Kevin Phillips has agreed a one-year deal with Crystal Palace after enjoying a successful loan spell there last season.

The veteran striker, who turns 40 next week, scored the winning goal in the club s play-off final against Watford at Wembley in May.

Phillips, who last featured in the top flight for Birmingham in the 2010-11 campaign, will now get another shot at Premier League football.

I am absolutely delighted, I loved my time here at the end of last season and was always hoping to have another chance to play in the top flight, he told the club s official website.

It s unbelievable for me but I am really looking forward to it and hoping I can play a great part in the season ahead.

Everyone I spoke to said to keep going as long as the fitness and hunger…

David Luiz is enjoying a new lease of life at Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri and concedes he might no longer be at Stamford Bridge if Antonio Conte was still in charge.

The Brazil international defender was a key figure in the Blues 2016-17 Premier League title triumph but found himself out in the cold last season as injuries struck and his relationship with Conte soured.

He is back in the starting XI under Sarri, despite the former Napoli boss operating with a back four many felt would not play to the 31-year-old s strengths.

It is amazing to play football, of course last season was not the best for me inside the pitch, but also I learned a lot outside the pitch as a person, as a man, he told Sky Sports ahead of Chelsea s Sunday trip to Newcastle United, where t…

Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha was repeatedly linked with any club in the Premier League (and several others) that needed a winger in the last couple of years. Palace were unwilling to sell, but now his contract is coming to an end and he could leave as a free agent if he chooses to do so.

Meanwhile, his team have gone through a notable upturn in form since bringing Roy Hodgson back from retirement to take charge until the end of the season, and the 75-year-old wasn t expected to continue at Selhurst Park past then.

However, according to TalkSport, Palace are now in talks with Zaha, with the 30-year-old considering the possibility of penning a new deal, and according to Sky Sports, they re also talking to Hodgson, who might still be in charge of the team in 2023/24.<…

Aberdeen interim boss Neil Warnock has insisted his days of immersing himself in a job for the long haul are firmly behind him.

The 75-year-old has become a specialist in short-term fixes in recent seasons and has no desire to overstay his welcome at a club.

Warnock has seen Roy Hodgson – one year his senior – come under fire from Crystal Palace supporters after deciding to stay on for the current campaign following his impressive fire-fighting spell in charge of the Eagles at the end of last season.

Warnock is content to continue in end-of-season interim roles like the one he has taken on with the Dons, even though such a scenario means he is generally unable to recruit players in his mould.

Neil Warnock previews our game with Motherwell.

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