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It is nearly matchday and the countdown to kick-off in the Conference League final in Wroclaw is getting closer.Can Chelsea overcome Real Betis end their season with silverware?If you're out in Poland already, or heading out there, we'd love to hear from you. Tell us about your trip and let us know your route. What's the atmosphere like?Were you confident the Blues would make it and booked up early? Or was it more of a last-minute job?Get in touch with your photos and stories here
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The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Mauricio Pochettino plays down links with Tottenham return: ‘It's not realistic'
United States coach Mauricio Pochettino has played down speculation about a return to his former club Tottenham Hotspur after the Premier League side sacked Ange Postecoglou, saying it was not a realistic option at this stage. Spurs sacked Postecoglou on Friday, 16 days after the 59-year-old Australian guided them to a first major trophy in 17 years with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final. But the north London club also endured their worst domestic season for nearly half a century under Postecoglou, finishing one place above the relegation zone after losing 22 games. Argentine Pochettino, 53, guided Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final and turned them into Premier League title contenders as they finished in the top four for four straight seasons before he was fired in 2019. "After I left in 2019, every time that I was free, and the place of the position of the manager or head coach in Tottenham Hotspur, my name is appearing on the list," Pochettino told reporters after the United States was defeated 2-1 by Turkey in a friendly match in Connecticut on Saturday. Several managers have been linked to the Spurs job, including Brentford boss Thomas Frank, Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner and Fulham's Marco Silva, with the club searching for a fifth full-time manager in six years. "If you have seen the rumours, I think there are 100 coaches in the list. I think, don't be worried about that," Pochettino said. Pochettino, who left his position as Chelsea manager in May last year after one season in charge, has a big job on his hands, having been tasked with leading the United States at the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. The former Espanyol, Southampton and Paris Saint-Germain manager signed a two-year contract with the United States in September. "If something happened, for sure you will see, but we cannot talk about this type of thing, because I think today, it's not real. It's not realistic," he said. "And look at where I am, where we are. And the thing is, the answer is so clear, no? But we're talking about it because it's my club, like Newell's (Newell's Old Boys) or Espanyol." The United States will next host Switzerland in a friendly in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday as Pochettino's side looks to avoid a fourth straight loss.
Daily Mirror
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal transfer target's awkward Instagram post after £70m bid was rejected
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had the vision of pairing Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo in midfield, but his plans were scuppered after Brighton rejected two bids for the Ecuadorian star Moises Caicedo previously took the unusual approach of going to Instagram to force a move away from Brighton, after having seen a bid rejected for his services from Arsenal. Prior to his British-record £115million transfer to Chelsea in the summer of 2023, the midfielder was subject to interest from Mikel Arteta's side in the January transfer window of that year. Desperate to get his man mid-season, the Gunners boss sanctioned two bids to acquire the Ecuadorian worth £65million and £70million. But both were swiftly rejected by the Seagulls. Despite playing less than 30 games for Brighton at the time, the then-21-year-old impressed massively as he himself made it publicly known that he was already wanting to move on from the club. In a strange move, Caicedo took to Instagram and wrote a message directly to Brighton chairman Tony Bloom following the opening bid to first offer his gratitude to the executive then pleading for him to allow the sale to go through. "I am grateful to Mr. Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best for them," he wrote. "I always play football with a smile and with heart. I am the youngest of ten siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador. My dream is always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador. "I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful. "The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity." Caicedo's poignant message ended up falling on deaf ears as Brighton remained firm and kept onto him for the rest of the season. His Instagram account 'moises_caicedo55' was also nowhere to be found on the social media platform weeks after his message but has since returned. The season ended up being Caicedo's last at Brighton as he ended up the centre of a bidding war between Liverpool and Chelsea in the summer. Despite the Reds having a bid of £110m accepted by the club, the midfielder had given his priority to the west London club who offered a British record of £115m – including add-ons – which was subsequently accepted. Having just finished his second season at Stamford Bridge, Caicedo was the only Chelsea player to start all 38 Premier League games and ended the campaign by scoring in their 4-1 win over Real Betis to win the UEFA Conference League. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'My family and I escaped Soviet soldiers after World War Two'
A woman whose family were captured by the Soviet Army just 24 hours after VE Day has written a book about their Smeed, 83, from Bridgwater, grew up in Silesia. It was historically part of Germany but the land was handed to the Polish after the Potsdam Conference in three, she and her mother Maria Gebauer were made to march towards Russia. Her father, a non-commissioned Luftwaffe officer, was taken to a Soviet labour camp."Few people in England know what happened in mainland Europe after the war ended: the brutality, the disease, and the starvation," she said. The family were among 12 million ethnic Germans who were forcibly evicted or fled from their homes after World War Two Potsdam Conference was a meeting between Winston Churchill, Clement Atlee, Harry Truman, and Joseph Stalin to decide the future of postwar the meeting, it was decided that Germany's territory was to be reduced by 25% of what it was in 1937, displacing many like Ms Smeed's family. Forced march Speaking to Radio Somerset, Ms Smeed said that on VE Day itself, "neither side knew the war was over". The next day, Russian soldiers arrived and "took whatever jewellery and luggage they fancied", before forcing her family to march, she said."The men and women were separated, and we began walking through Austria."The people in the towns and villages we came through couldn't believe what the Russians were doing after the war had ended."They were incensed, they were shouting at the Russians and throwing food to the women. "My mother and I were suddenly grabbed by a couple of Austrians and taken into the crowd. "They took us home, and many days later they helped us to get back to my grandmother in Silesia," she said. Meanwhile, her father, Alfred Gebauer, who had refused to join the Nazi Party while in the Luftwaffe, was taken to a labour camp in became very ill after six months, and when he left the labour camp he weighed just 38kg (83lbs).He was released from the camp and sent home, and the family reunited in Świebodzice, there, the family sought refuge in Braunschweig, West Germany, and opened a shoe shop using an heirloom necklace as a guarantee for the Smeed's mother had smuggled the necklace into Germany by baking it into a cake to stop it from being years after VE Day, Ms Smeed became pen friends with an English teenager, Philip Smeed, which eventually led to love and marriage, and her relocating to couple have three children, and six grandchildren, including Somerset County Cricket player Will Smeed, and German rugby player Henry Smeed. Ms Smeed said she wanted to write the book, called Silesia, A Homeland Lost – One German Family's Story of War and Survival, for her grandchildren."It was important to me that my grandchildren would know their Silesian as well as English roots, and that our family's story lives on for future generations," she said."This is also my parents' story, their love for each other and for me, and their determination to survive firstly the Nazi regime, then the war and its aftermath."Millions of Germans were forced from their homeland, with little idea of where they were going, and often in freezing temperatures taking only what they could carry."
