Kroos: Real Madrid have no magic recipe for success

Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane was left to rue a wasteful display from Los Blancos as the defending champions dropped two points off the pace in LaLiga.

Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Elche on Wednesday, with Fidel s penalty cancelling out Luka Modric s 20th-minute opener.

Modric scored his first header after 26 goals and 364 games in all competitions for Madrid.

LaLiga holders Madrid mustered 14 attempts, managing six on target, with substitute Eden Hazard squandering a chance late on – the Spanish giants have hit the woodwork 18 times across all competitions this season, more than any other club in the top five European leagues.

The draw, combined with Atletico Madrid s earlier win over Getafe, leaves Zidane s side two points behind their …

Mohamed Salah said it was very special to win the Premier League s Golden Boot award in his first season at Liverpool.

Salah struck his 32nd goal of a superb season as Liverpool thrashed Brighton and Hove Albion 4-0 at Anfield on Sunday to secure Champions League qualification.

The Egypt international finished two goals clear of Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who had won the award in each of the last two seasons.

And after adding the Golden Boot to individual honours including the Premier League s Player of the Season award and the PFA Players Player of the Year prize, Salah was thrilled with his latest achievement.

This is very special, Salah told Sky Sports.

It s always in my mind to help the team to win games, now we are in the Champions Lea…

Cristiano Ronaldo will lead European champions Portugal in their bid for World Cup glory but there is no place for Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes in Fernando Santos squad.

Ruben Neves also misses out despite an outstanding season in the Championship with Wolves but Joao Mario is included after being loaned to Premier League strugglers West Ham from Inter.

Experienced winger Nani misses out, although fellow seasoned campaigner Ricardo Quaresma bolsters an attack featuring the likes of Ronaldo, AC Milan striker Andre Silva and Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva.

Rony Lopes has impressed for Bernardo Silva s for former club Monaco but he is one of the names cut from Santos preliminary squad of 35, along with unlikely Euro 2016 final hero Eder.

Portu…

Inter will hope to put a week of turmoil behind them with victory at Cesena in Serie A on Sunday.

The Italian giants were rocked on Thursday when club icon Massimo Moratti resigned as honorary president.

Reports have suggested that Moratti a former president and revered figure at Inter wanted coach Walter Mazzarri sacked in response to the club s poor league form.

Inter sit ninth in Serie A and have won just two of their seven league matches this season.

An embarrassing 4-1 home loss to Cagliari last month was followed by a 3-0 defeat at Fiorentina.

And although Inter rescued a point in a 2-2 draw with Napoli on Sunday, a lacklustre showing in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday proved they still have a long way to go.

Inter, who top Group …

New Juventus signing Aaron Ramsey believes he has secured a dream move and insists he paid offers from other clubs no mind once he heard of the Old Lady s interest.

Ramsey left Arsenal on a free transfer at the end of the 2018-19 season, with the two parties failing to agree a new contract.

Juve are reported to have struck a deal with the Wales international in January, with their agreement being made official a month later.

It brought an 11-year association with the Gunners to an end, but also ensured he is able to return to the top of the European game, with Serie A champions Juve in the Champions League, unlike Arsenal.

It had been clear since the start of the season that it was to be Ramsey s final campaign at Emirates Stadium and numerous Italian clu…

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has praised the early work done by new Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, believing the Spaniard is just what the club requires as they move in a different direction .

Arteta started his reign with a 1-1 draw away at Bournemouth on December 26, with Aubameyang scoring a second-half equaliser to secure a point.

His first home game sees Chelsea visit Emirates Stadium on Sunday, the London derby a key fixture for the Gunners as they look to make up ground and get back involved in the battle to finish in the top four in the Premier League.

In his programme notes, Aubameyang revealed how Arteta has been  very rigorous and demanding during training sessions as he aims to put his imprint on the team – something you could already see in t…

Italian World Cup winner Luca Toni faces a second weekend of exile with Bayern Munich s reserves instead of spearheading the German giants Bundesliga clash against league leaders Hamburg.

The 32-year-old striker had been told by Bayern coach Louis van Gaal that he will play for the reserves against Aue in the German third division, despite having featured for the first team for 30 minutes in the 5-0 midweek German Cup win against Oberhausen.

He needs to find the rhythm of competition , said Van Gaal.

Toni, the Bundesliga top-scorer in 2007/2008, played for the reserves last weekend as he returned to action following a lengthy lay-off with an Achilles tendon injury and insisted he was ready for a first-team recall.

Tests showed that I was in better shap…

Spanish international midfielder Andres Iniesta marked his comeback from injury in style with a crucial goal as leaders Barcelona defeated Real Mallorca 3-1 on Saturday to continue where they left off before Christmas.

A first victory in 2009 takes Barca 13 points clear of second-placed Sevilla and 15 points in front of champions Real Madrid who are in action against Villarreal on Sunday.

Barca had fallen behind to a 15th-minute strike from Aritz Aduriz, but a ninth goal of the season from Thierry Henry and Iniesta s goal turned the game in their favour.

Iniesta, a star of Spain s Euro 2008-winning squad, had been injured since the beginning of November, but came on as a 67th-minute substitute and netted eight minutes later after a pass from Eidur Gudjohnsen.…

Real Madrid midfielder Asier Illarramendi has been the subject of interest from a number of top clubs, .

Los Blancos are looking to offload the 25-year-old now that they have signed Mateo Kovacic from Inter Milan, but they have just 11 days before the summer transfer window closes.

Illarramendi s former club Real Sociedad are set to try and lure the midfielder back to Anoeta, but reaching an agreement with their La Liga rivals could prove to be a difficult task.

Meanwhile, Arsenal and Liverpool are both believed to be keen on the defensive midfielder, with even Athletic Bilbao showing interest of late.

Having splashed out €30 million on his services two years ago, Real Madrid will want to recoup at least a portion of the money invested in Illarramendi.…

Manchester City will aim to finally make a lasting impact on the UEFA Champions League when they open their campaign against Viktoria Plzen.

City’s two previous ventures into Europe s elite club competition saw them crash out in the group stages, as they finished third in their group in 2011-12 before ending the first round at the bottom of the table last season largely thanks to their wretched away record that saw them fail to pick up a single point on the road.

The Premier League club also lost their domestic crown to arch-rivals Manchester United last term, with dual league and European failure combined with an FA Cup final loss to Wigan proving to be the final straw for boss Roberto Mancini, who was replaced in the dugout by Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini during the cl…