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Mauricio Pochettino says he expects to find out whether he will continue as Chelsea boss at the end of the Premier League season in a week's time.

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Pochettino's Chelsea future is uncertainBlues still have three Premier League games leftDecision to be made on Pochettino imminentlyWHAT HAPPENED?

Pochettino has endured a turbulent first season in charge of Chelsea which has led to speculation he could be fired. However, the Argentine has insisted he does not fear the sack if he is moved on after just 12 months in charge at Stamford Bridge. A decision is expected soon, with Pochettino admitting he expects to know what his future holds within the next week.

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Chelsea have enjoyed an upturn in results in recent weeks to move into seventh place and have the chance of securing European football for next season. Co-owner Todd Boehly has praised the team's recent "beautiful football" in comments that suggest Pochettino could stay on after all. Pochettino signed a two-year deal at the club when he arrived in 2023.

WHAT POCHETTINO SAID

He told reporters: "We are so comfortable. In the way we are not comfortable is to put in doubt — like are you are talking — are going to be here or not here? First, it is not my decision because if the owners are thinking to change — yes, for sure in one week [at the end of the season] we will know.

“That’s an instability with which we are comfortable working. We are going to be very strong in our efforts to help. It’s true that in the last few months, like we were talking, that question has always come up. You need to kill the rumours; if that’s not true, if not, the rumour is there for a different strategy.

"If you ask, is it affecting me? It is not affecting me. Is it affecting the people working with us? I think yes because, in the end, you can kill the rumour and sack me, and that’s not a problem. It happens in a lot of clubs.”

Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA

Chelsea travel to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest next and then head to Brighton on Wednesday. The Blues' final game of the season is at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, May 19. Pochettino is then expected to learn if he has earned himself another season in west London.

Giuseppe Rossi says he leans towards Lionel Messi over former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest player of all-time.

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Rossi plumps for Messi over Ronaldo in eternal debateItalian played with Ronaldo at Old TraffordWitnessed Messi up close during time in SpainGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The former Italy international, who arrived at Old Trafford in 2004 just as Ronaldo was becoming a first-team regular, gave a detailed assessment of both players' attributes but said it ultimately comes down to personal preference as he plumped for Messi. Rossi faced the Barcelona legend on several occasions while playing for La Liga clubs Villarreal and Levante.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT GIUSEPPE ROSSI SAID

"They both bring different things to the game, that’s why it’s so hard to compare them," Rossi told DAZN. "The positioning is different, the style of play is different. The interpretation of the game is different.

"Ronaldo went from a winger to being the best number nine on the planet, scoring goals is all he cares about. Messi is a goalscorer but he facilitates and I appreciate that as a player who likes to come deep and get the ball. He's a more cerebral player, Messi and therefore some people don't understand that part of the game, right? Those who do appreciate it more.

"So that's why I lean more towards watching Messi play. It's all about preference, it's all about preference. I was lucky enough to have had the privilege of playing against them during that era in Spain."

DID YOU KNOW?

Rossi was capped 30 times for Italy during his career but was actually born and raised in New Jersey before moving to Europe at the age of 13. In 2006, the then-USMNT manager Bruce Arena, tried to tempt Rossi into representing the country of his birth but the forward opted to continue with Italy, who he had represented at youth level.

Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI & RONALDO?

Messi is currently plying his trade in MLS with Inter Miami, and will be back in action on Saturday in a crucial fixture against the New England Revolution. Ronaldo has also left Europe, with Al-Nassr tying him to a record-breaking contract after his exit from Manchester United in November 2002, and will be looking to add to his haul of 29 Saudi Pro League goals in 2023-24 when they take on Al-Khaleej on the same day.

Legspinner Yasir Shah will receive the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s third-highest civilian award

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2019Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s two highest wicket-takers in international cricket, will receive the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the country’s second-highest civilian award, later this month.The Pakistan government announced on Monday that along with Akram and Younis, legspinner Yasir Shah will receive the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s third-highest civilian award.In Yasir’s short international career of 35 Tests and 19 ODIs, he has made plenty of heads turn. Against New Zealand last year, he became the fastest bowler, in terms of matches, to take 200 Test wickets and break Clarrie Grimmett’s 82-year-old record. Yasir also holds the record for the best bowling figures for a Pakistan spinner in Tests – 14 for 184 against New Zealand.”The three are deserving recipients,” the PCB said via a press release. “Wasim and Waqar are highly-respected commentators and have played their role in enhancing the image of Pakistan and cricket as broadcasters, while Yasir has had a lion’s share in Pakistan’s major Test wins in the recent past.”The three cricketers will be given their awards on March 23 by president Dr Arif Alvi. Akram and Younis previously received the Pride-of-Performance awards in 1992 and 1995, respectively.

The India captain on what it takes to tackle New Zealand in New Zealand, and how knowing the ins and outs of batting helps his captaincy

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-20196:59

Kohli explains how thinking like a batsman boosts his captaincy

India arrive in New Zealand a confident bunch. They’ve just beaten Australia on their home turf. But, perhaps, somewhere the previous bilateral ODI series they played in New Zealand will be at the back of their minds: played five, lost four, tied one. India captain Virat Kohli admitted the team was not at its best back then in early 2014, but he felt the knowledge gained then would provide a blueprint for success this time around.”We’ve seen a lot of things that happened in the last series in New Zealand, the patterns and the areas the [opposition] guys were looking to get us out,” Kohli said in Napier, on the eve of the first of five ODIs. “We were probably not an experienced side back then in terms of batting together. If you see the last three years or so we have evolved as a batting group, we are more aware of our abilities.”You see New Zealand have the ability to make the game high-scoring, so the key is to not panic when you see 300 posted regularly. You just have to back yourself as a batting group to get those runs or set a big target when you’re batting first. The last time we played we here we didn’t have that kind of composure, to be relaxed while chasing 300.”Kohli pointed out the importance of adapting plans to the relatively small grounds in New Zealand. “You have to be aware of the side boundaries being short on most grounds here, so we need to target the right areas. I think the bowlers require more composure here. Unless it’s a typical green surface, bowlers have to figure out the areas where they can force batsmen to hit so that they can get them out. The team that does that well ends up winning in a place like New Zealand, purely based on the dimensions of the field.”ALSO READ: Five reasons why New Zealand will pose stiffer challenges than AustraliaOn a day when he swept the ICC’s awards for 2018, he said that knowing the ins and outs of batting helped his captaincy. “You get a gut feel of what the batsman’s going to do because you put yourself in that situation and think ‘what is the shot that I would want to play to get myself out of trouble, or how so I see this game going forward, am I in the mindset of just knocking singles around?’ Then you place the field accordingly. If I’m wanting to go after the bowlers, you change the field before the batsman does it.”Being a batsman and captaining the side helps in that regard because you can premeditate at times what the batsman might want to do. That’s a massive factor. Every captain in the world would be doing that, taking that one step ahead.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy is backing the Reds to overturn their 3-0 deficit against Atalanta in the Europa League.

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Liverpool stunned at Anfield in 3-0 lossHoping to replicate Barcelona comebackMurphy backing former club to winWHAT HAPPENED?

Liverpool had no answer to Serie A side Atalanta in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash. A brace from former West Ham man Gianluca Scamacca and a third from Mario Pasalic leaves Jurgen Klopp's side with it all to do when they travel to Italy on Thursday. But Murphy believes the tie is not out of reach.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT DANNY MURPHY SAID

Speaking on talkSPORT, Murphy said: "I think we will see chaos. I think we will see Liverpool go 100 miles an hour from minute one and take a huge risk to try and score the first goal. It wouldn't surprise me if Liverpool go through. If Liverpool get the first goal a few of the Atalanta players will get nervous. They have to take that risk."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The Reds famously came from 3-0 down to beat Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield during their run to Champions League glory in 2019. It will require a similar effort to conquer Atalanta who have already done the hard work at one of the world's most intimidating grounds.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Having already secured silverware in the form of the Carabao Cup, Liverpool still have hope of winning two more trophies this season. They slipped up in the race for the Premier League crown against Crystal Palace last week but they are still within touching distance. A magical night against Atalanta could spark a flourish for the Reds in the final weeks of the campaign.

Inter Miami teenage star Diego Gomez is set to be sidelined for the foreseeable future with an ankle injury, the Herons revealed Monday.

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Diego Gomez suffers ankle injury for MiamiTeenager avoids the worstWill be available for Paraguay in OlympicsGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowWHAT HAPPENED?

The 19-year-old Paraguayan collided with Nashville SC goalkeeper Elliot Panico in their clash Saturday evening – a 3-1 victory for the Herons. The teenager was stretchered off in tears, and ultimately, the worst was feared as a result.

However, the Herons announced Monday that he avoided serious injury and will be back in a timely manner – but still sidelined for over a month.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT INTER MIAMI SAID

A statement read: "Gómez suffered a high-grade ankle sprain in the first half of Inter Miami’s win over Nashville SC on Saturday. He has begun the recovery process and is expected to be sidelined for approximately six weeks."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Only six weeks was a sigh of relief for Miami fans around the world, but more importantly, supporters of Paraguay. The 19-year-old led them to the top of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games from CONMEBOL nations. The news on Monday means that he will be back and training by the end of June, roughly one month before the start of the major U23 men's soccer tournament.

getty imagesWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

The Herons clash with the new England Revolution at the weekend as they take on the last-place team in the Eastern Conference. They'll look to make it three-straight wins in MLS action.

The 35-year-old allrounder will continue playing white-ball cricket, he said on Twitter

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2019South African allrounder Ryan McLaren, 35, announced Thursday that he is retiring from first-class cricket. McLaren posted a screengrab on Twitter where he said it was the “right time” and that it was “time for some white ball fun.””I have learned from many to know when it’s the right time. The time has come for me to retire from first-class cricket. I’m grateful to share a changeroom with some of the best our country has produced. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the support I have had from my wife, family, coaches and teammates both in SA and in county cricket. I have absolutely loved every part of what this game has taught me…time for some white ball fun now,” McLaren’s screengrab read.

pic.twitter.com/tocSW6Er7u

— Ryan Mclaren (@ryanmac23) January 31, 2019

The fast-bowling allrounder enjoyed reasonable success in limited-overs cricket for South Africa between 2009 and 2014, before being left out of their 2015 World Cup squad. He played only two Tests, which came four years apart. During his second Test against Australia in 2014, he picked up a mild concussion after being hit by a bouncer, and missed the rest of what would be his last Test series.He is, however, a well-travelled first-class cricketer. He debuted with Easterns in 2003-04 under Allan Donald, played for the Knights from 2005 to 2014, and briefly moved to Dolphins, before returning to finish with Knights, who he represented at the start of the year against Cape Cobras. McClaren also has stints in County cricket, including one as a Kolpak player for Kent between 2007 and 2009. Most recently, he played for Hampshire and Lancashire.In all, McLaren played 154 first-class matches to score 6298 runs at 33.86 and took 459 wickets at 27.61.

Criticism comes after Nathan Lyon walks off lbw without reviewing – and Mitchell Starc seemingly offers him no guidance – with two reviews at Australia’s disposal

Andrew McGlashan in Sydney06-Jan-20193:00

Martyn: Not enough desperation from Australia

Ricky Ponting has slammed Australia for showing “no desperation” after Nathan Lyon opted not to review his lbw when given out to Kuldeep Yadav despite there being two challenges remaining.Lyon walked off almost straightaway after the decision from umpire Ian Gould, as non-striker Mitchell Starc appeared to not offer any guidance on whether to use the DRS. The ball from Kuldeep was very full and may have hit Lyon’s boot flush, which means the umpire has to consider it goes straight on, and there could also have been a question as to whether Lyon got outside the line.”That dismissal actually says a lot to me about the mindset of this Australian team at the moment. There’s no desperation there whatsoever,” Ponting said on Seven, one of the host broadcasters. “Why wouldn’t they have had a look at that? They’ve still got the two reviews up their sleeve. There had to be some sort of doubt in that.”Given out straight away and Mitchell Starc just puts his hand out and says ‘oh well, it’s not me, it’s up to you to make [a call]’. Well, unfortunately, when you’re out there together it’s a partnership. You’ve got to do whatever you can to try and save your mate. And there was absolutely none of that there. And as it’s shown already that would have been given not out. Slack and not desperate enough.””You can see where Mitchell Starc is standing at the non-striker’s end,” he added. “One, look how wide he’s standing. There’s no need to be that wide in the first place. Nathan Lyon looks up, ‘Oh what do you reckon?’ ‘Oh I don’t know mate. Yeah I don’t know. But let’s not bother looking. We’ve only got two [reviews] up our sleeve.'”After the day’s play was curtailed by bad light with Australia having been asked to follow-on in a home Test for the first time in 31 years, Peter Handscomb insisted there were no issues with Lyon walking straight off”You ask Gazza, he thinks he was hit on the full on the middle toe or his big toe, it’s not often anyone in the world thinks they’re going to review that. So he waked off in no doubt, he knew he was out, so that’s fine. That’s his decision, we back that in completely.”Ponting’s forceful reaction was not his first stinging comment during the match. On the third day he had also made a pointed reference to Australia’s inability to make big runs following comments over the last couple of games that the pitches have not provided enough assistance to the home attack. “If they’re flat, get some runs on them,” he said.There have been suggestions of tensions in the Australia camp throughout this Test following the bowling performance on the opening day, where they went to a short-pitched tactic midway through the first session.When Lyon was asked on ABC Radio how the plans came about, he said. “I’m not really sure about, I wasn’t really happy about it to be honest. We missed out using the moisture in the wicket, thought we could have stuck there longer but the captain and the bowlers came up with a decent plan and unfortunately it didn’t work.”ALSO READ: The puzzle of Mitchell’s stark strugglesStarc himself is the most under scrutiny of the bowling having taken 1 for 123 from 26 overs in the first innings which has taken his average in his last nine Tests to 46.05.David Saker, the bowling coach, then gave an interview where he revealed heated discussions in the changing room which Tim Paine later denied were as hostile as had been made out.”We talked quite heavily about the day, more because we thought it was a really disappointing day and we just wanted to get our point across,” Saker said. “Some of it was quite aggressive and that’s not like me usually. I was quite animated, and I know I was not the only one. JL [coach Justin Langer] wasn’t happy. The bowlers know that.”

Wrexham have delivered back-to-back promotions for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, but the club are already “playing catch up” in League One.

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Red Dragons climbing into third tierAmbition of Hollywood co-owners rewardedBig summer ahead in North WalesWHAT HAPPENED?

That warning has been sounded a matter of hours after the Red Dragons confirmed a top-three finish in League Two. Having claimed the National League title in record-breaking style last season, the Welsh outfit are enjoying a meteoric rise up the EFL ladder.

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They will be playing third-tier football in 2024-25 for the first time in 20 years, with a considerable investment of faith and funds being rewarded. Wrexham have come a long way in a short space of time, and that means their Hollywood co-owners need to find more answers to difficult questions in the weeks to come.

WHAT KER SAID ABOUT WREXHAM

Wrexham’s executive director, Humphrey Ker, has told of the project Reynolds and McElhenney are working through: “Above everything, we have proven again this is not a gimmick, it's not a joke, it's a serious operation. We are playing catch up on infrastructure and facilities, but we will do everything to give players and staff the standards you would expect. And then we go again.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Reynolds and McElhenney have made no secret of the fact that they want to guide Wrexham towards the Premier League, but the playing field will start to level out in League One and that will mean bigger challenges for head coach Phil Parkinson and a star-studded squad to overcome.

The drama surrounding Mithali Raj’s exclusion in the Women’s World T20 has taken another twist

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Nov-2018The drama surrounding Mithali Raj has taken another twist with head coach Ramesh Powar stating in an official report to the BCCI that the player had threatened to pull out of the Women’s World T20 and announce her retirement if she was not allowed to open. Powar has also said Raj, who is India’s ODI captain, should stop “blackmailing and pressurising” coaches and putting her interests ahead of the team’s.These revelations are part of the coach’s appraisal of India’s performance in the Caribbean, where they lost in the semi-final against England. Raj was omitted from that match, triggering the controversy. On Wednesday, Powar met BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and the board’s head of cricket operations Saba Karim before e-mailing his final report to the pair.It was as explosive as the letter Raj herself had sent to Johri and Karim earlier this week accusing the coach of “humiliating” her and threatening to “destroy” her career.His report, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, begins with these strong words: Minimum inputs in team meetings; not a single word of appreciation after finishing at the top of the table. Could not understand & adapt to team plan. Ignored her role and batted for own milestones. Lack of keeping the momentum going which was putting extra pressure on other batters. Worked really hard as a coach to address her power hitting, batting skills and running between the wickets in almost every session. In practice games she was struggling to score quickly, as wickets were low bounce & slow. Intent was missing. Could not lean and execute shots due to limited ability in skills &fitness.In his defence, Powar, who took charge as interim coach, replacing Tushar Arothe, in July, has blamed Raj for manipulating the coaching staff to suit herself at the team’s expense. “I hope Mithali Raj stops blackmailing, pressurising coaches & also stops putting her interest first than team’s,” he wrote. “I hope she will look at the bigger picture & work towards betterment of the Indian women’s cricket.”Raj is understood to be part of the group of high-profile senior players responsible for Arothe being forced to step down.

I'm deeply saddened & hurt by the aspersions cast on me. My commitment to the game & 20yrs of playing for my country.The hard work, sweat, in vain.
Today, my patriotism doubted, my skill set questioned & all the mud slinging- it's the darkest day of my life. May god give strength

— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) November 29, 2018

According to Powar, Raj issued her initial threat to retire and return home on the eve of India’s second group match, against Pakistan. She had not batted in the tournament opener, against New Zealand, during which India posted the highest total in the World T20. She had already been told she would bat in the middle order.Powar explained that Raj, predominantly an opener, had to be pushed down the order because she had struggled to score quickly in the practice games that were played on slow and low pitches. Keeping in mind that scoring against spin would be difficult, especially after the ball loses its hardness, India’s batsmen were told to capitalise on the Powerplay.India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and coach Ramesh Powar at the pre-departure press meet•Annesha GhoshAccording to Powar, Raj had agreed to the plan, which he said was “logical”. “Mithali’s lack of intent to score quickly in practice games prompted us to open with Taniya Bhatia, who always showed intent every time she batted. We used Taniya and D Hemalatha in Powerplay vs New Zealand, which got us 24 runs in 13 balls. It’s not always about individual milestones, it’s always about team strategies and executions.”But, on the eve of the Pakistan match, Powar said, he was “shell-shocked” by the information that Raj was on the verge of quitting not just the World T20 campaign, but her entire career.”Video analyst Mr Pushkar Sawant came to my room with the news that fielding coach Mr Biju George conveyed to him that Mithali is upset about not changing the batting order & not allowing her to open in Pakistan match. She has packed her bags to leave with announcement of retirement in the morning.”I was shell-shocked to understand why? Team had just beaten one of the top teams (New Zealand) and Mithali Raj a legend is still complaining about her batting position(which she agreed upon) & threatening to leave.”Powar said he was “sadden(ed) and baffle(d)” by the senior player’s attitude, which he summed up bluntly as: “for Mithali Raj she comes first and then team India”.To prevent any adverse effects on the team, Powar told the captain Harmanpreet and the vice-captain Smriti Mandhana that Raj would open on morning of Pakistan match. Simultaneously, Raj was also informed the same.”We opened with Mithali Raj due to pressure from travelling selector and Mithali’s threatening behaviour (retirement) to go back home if not given a chance to open the innings.”Chasing 134, India reached the target in the penultimate over with Raj finishing with a half-century but Powar said the late finish hurt the side’s net run-rate, which tends to be a crucial determining factor in global events.In all, Raj played out 17 dots in her 47-ball 56. Powar then gave her “one more opportunity” in the third match against Ireland to “prove her ability” as an opener and “execute the team strategies that is to bat with intent (dominance).” And Raj hit second fifty in a row to bag successive Player-of-the-Match awards. But the coach underlined the 25 dots in the 56-ball 51. “(That) added extra pressure & cost us Smriti, Jemimah’s [Rodrigues] wicket & net run-rate.”Powar pointed out that Raj “questioned” the plan to dominate at all times and that the situation between him and her proved an unnecessary distraction on the eve of the semi-final against England.Powar said Raj raised “tantrums” and created “chaos” and even told team manager Trupti Bhattacharya she “wanted to go back home as she was very upset that coach is not looking after a legend player like her.” There are several references to attitudinal issues and reluctance to participate in fielding and practice drills.Powar said that he and Bhattacharya had a telephone call with Karim, who advised them to sort out the matter “amicably”.