Jorge Sampaoli accepted a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Spain took him by surprise, the Argentina coach saying his team had been slapped .

The joint-worst defeat in Argentina s history came with Sampaoli s men unravelling after the interval, Isco scoring a hat-trick at Atletico Madrid s Wanda Metropolitano.

Argentina without talisman Lionel Messi due to injury had beaten Italy 2-0 in Manchester on Friday but found Spain far too strong on Tuesday.

And Sampaoli conceded there is a lot of work to do to ensure Argentina do not suffer similar embarrassment at the World Cup in Russia.

We have to take charge of this game, these things cannot happen to us at the World Cup, Sampaoli said.

Spain have slapped us, we have to keep working.

They a…

Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores has confirmed the club are close to signing Mario Suarez from Fiorentina.

Reports in the British media have indicated the Premier League club are on the verge of bringing the former Atletico Madrid midfielder to Vicarage Road.

A fee of £4million is said to have been agreed with the Serie A side as Watford look to add more quality to a team that has impressed on their return to the Premier League.

Speaking after his side s late FA Cup fourth-round 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, Flores said: There are little details [to be done] but Mario Suarez is very close to being in our squad.

I think it is practically done. There are little details but I consider him a player of Watford.

It [Suarez s signing] shows …

Ashley Barnes has become the latest member of Sean Dyche s high-flying Burnley squad to commit his future to the Clarets, the striker signing a deal until 2021.

The in-form Barnes has scored three goals in as many games in the Premier League, taking him to six for the season, and in the process cemented his position as Burnley s record goalscorer in the competition with 17.

Barnes previous deal was due to expire at the end of the 2018-19 campaign, but Burnley have moved quickly to tie him down for another two years – which will extend his association with the club to eight years.

The 28-year-old joins Nick Pope, James Tarkowski, Kevin Long and Stephen Ward in signing a new deal at Turf Moor, and he is confident there are exciting times ahead.

I think I…

Luis Enrique called his Barcelona side spectacular following their 8-0 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna on Wednesday.

Barca s title bid has faltered in recent weeks, but they bounced back with a ruthless display at the Riazor, keeping their noses ahead of Atletico Madrid on head-to-head record.

Luis Suarez netted four of Barca s eight to take his 2015-16 tally to 49 goals, matching his best season at Ajax in 2009-10.

Ivan Rakitic, Lionel Messi, Marc Barta and Neymar completed the morale-boosting rout.

We played a great game and were very effective, creating infinite options, Luis Enrique said after the match. 

It was a spectacular result for us. We didn t concede any goals and won away from home.

We moved down the wings really well, …

Diego Simeone marked five years in charge of Atletico Madrid on Friday.

Although the capital club are currently languishing sixth in LaLiga, with their coach s long-term future subject to mounting speculation, Simeone s time in charge of Atleti is likely to be celebrated long after he departs.

From that unforgettable LaLiga title triumph in 2013-14 to those agonising near misses in the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals against bitter rivals Real Madrid, we take a look at the Opta statistics behind one of the finest coaching reigns of the modern era in European football.

DIEGO SIMEONE S ATLETICO MADRID IN NUMBERS

Simeone (190) has been in charge of the second-most matches in Atletico Madrid history. The only coach with more Atleti games u…

Manchester United are interested in signing Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid, according to . The report has noted that Griezmann has a release clause of €25 million in his contract at La Liga club Atletico, and that Premier League giants United are willing to trigger it.

Griezmann, who can operate as a forward or as an attacking midfielder, is 32 now. The France international did not have the best of times during his short spell at Barcelona, but he is now doing well again back at Atletico. The forward has scored eight goals and given one assist in 12 La Liga matches and scored four goals in four UEFA Champions League games this season.

United are sixth in the Premier League table at the moment with 21 points from 12 matches, seven points behind leaders and defe…

It looks like Patrice Evra is ever so slightly looking forward to returning to Old Trafford next week.

The Marseille full-back is due to take part in Michael Carrick s testimonial match next Sunday, in which a team comprising members of the Champions League-winning side of 2008 will face an All-Star XI.

Evra, a winner of 10 major trophies in a glittering United career, will get the chance to line up alongside old team-mates including Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, with Alex Ferguson to lead the team as manager.

The 36-year-old is rarely shy about sharing his emotions via his official Instagram page but his latest post is among the more excitable short videos you are likely to see

…

Sergio Ramos has missed out on a World Cup recall in a Spain squad announcement that saw few surprises.

The Paris Saint-Germain defender was not included in Luis Enrique s 26-man party, having originally been included in La Roja s provisional 55-man list.

Ramos was previously omitted for Euro 2020 following an injury-hit final season at Real Madrid, with his last international cap coming against Kosovo in March 2021 in qualifying for Qatar 2022.

But there had been an outside chance the 36-year-old would have been invited back into the fold for a fifth World Cup, given his improved form and fitness at PSG, as well as his leadership.

Ultimately, Luis Enrique stuck largely with the players he used during Spain s Nations League campaign.

One shock was…

Didier Deschamps has backed Antoine Griezmann and N Golo Kante to be at their best by the time the World Cup arrives, heading into Friday s Nations League clash with Austria.

After a disappointing spell at Barcelona, Griezmann s transfer back to Atletico Madrid did not translate into an immediate return to form, while experiencing fitness concerns for the first time.

In a career that has seen him mostly without injury, missing two games in 2019-20 with Barcelona, the 31-year-old missed 15 games with Atleti due to a combination of muscle injuries and Covid-19 enforced isolation.

With that in mind, though, Deschamps believes the talismanic attacker for Les Bleus will be back to his best.

I know him well, Deschamps said. He has often benefited more from pla…

Lionel Messi has given his representatives the green light to start talks with Barcelona over a new contract, according to .

Back in September, Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed that Messi could choose to leave the club next summer, a year before his current deal expires, for free. He explained such a clause as the right Messi has earned, like Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta before him. Messi himself recently spoke about how he thought about leaving the club back in 2013, when the infamous tax avoidance affair was hanging on his neck and he felt badly treated by the Spanish authorities.

However, the Argentine superstar has now revealed that he would like to stay at the Camp Nou forever , and to that end, he wants a new contract signed.

AS quote Mes…