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MADRID — Champions Barcelona moved five points clear at the top of La Liga with a 2-1 win at Getafe, while Real Madrid fell to a 2-0 defeat by Real Sociedad. Here are five talking points from the weekend's action.

Crises cover-up 

Real Madrid's stumble against Real Sociedad saw them slump to fifth in the standings, 10 points behind leaders Barcelona.

Their performances under Santiago Solari, even when they win, have been uninspiring and as a result just 53,412 turned up to watch the match on Sunday, their second worst attendance of the campaign.

Little over an hour afterwards, Madrid announced the signing of Manchester City midfielder Brahim Diaz. It was an attempt to bat away crisis headlines, but it did not work.

The club are in "a crisis that never ends", said Madrid daily Marca, while editor Jose Luis Calderon singled out Solari for blame.

"If he weren't the second coach of the season and if Real Madrid hadn't already run out of ammunition then he'd be fired," wrote Calderon.

However, midfielder Luka Modric said fingers should not be pointed at the manager.

"You cannot blame the coach, he's doing a fantastic job and it's not him failing to score goals or keep them out at the other end," said the Croatian, turning the blame on the players.

Coutinho’s resolution 

A year on from signing for Barcelona from Liverpool in a 160 million euro deal, Philippe Coutinho did not imagine he would be relegated to the bench.

The Brazilian has started just one of the last six games in all competitions, the Champions League clash with Tottenham Hotspur which was irrelevant from a Barcelona perspective, with the Catalans already qualified top of their group.

Against Getafe he played the final few minutes as a late substitute and offered little, giving away the ball badly on one occasion.

"He is one of the best players in Europe and is ready to play for five minutes or 90 minutes," Barcelona director Guillermo Amor told Movistar.

Coutinho's New Year's resolution must be to force his way back into coach Ernesto Valverde's good books.

Valencia frozen out 

Alaves moved fourth, ahead of Real Madrid, with a 2-1 win over Valencia at Mendizorroza on Saturday, but visiting coach Marcelino was furious about the pitch.

The surface was icy, creating slippery conditions that made things difficult for both teams.

"Of course [it should have been postponed]," said Marcelino.

"I think that at 9am you would know the pitch would be frozen at 4pm. In England the climate is much worse than here, and I've never seen half of a pitch frozen like we saw here today.

"We have to make sure that we have some of the best playing surfaces in the world. The players looked like dancers trying not to fall over, and this happened in 2019."

Valencia slipped to 12th in La Liga, continuing a disappointing campaign.

Griezmann’s mistake 

Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann scored a brilliant freekick to earn his team a 1-1 draw at Sevilla, although the result leaves his side second, five points behind leaders Barcelona.

The French striker had a glorious opportunity to win the game for the visitors in the final stages but fired straight at Tomas Vaclik, who denied him.

"With more accuracy from Griezmann, we could have won the game," said Atletico coach Diego Simeone.

But the Frenchman might feel his real mistake was not signing for Barcelona in the close season when he had the chance, with Atletico's project appearing to stall.

Messi and Suarez outgun Madrid 

Real Madrid have struggled to find the net this season in the absence of all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, who left for Juventus in July.

By contrast, Barcelona's strikers have been the league's most lethal.

Lionel Messi leads the scoring charts with 16 and is followed by team mate Luis Suarez on 12, the duo netting 28 goals out of Barcelona's 50.

The South American pair have outscored Madrid's whole side, with Los Blancos managing a paltry 26 in total.

Although goals have reappeared in the Solari era after the second longest drought in club history under his predecessor Julen Lopetegui, Madrid lack menace in attack. 

As well as derailing their title challenge, it could also cost them in their bid to retain the Champions League for the fourth season running.

Al AIN — Yemen will be making its Asian Cup debut when it faces three-times champion Iran today and while the players are set to be thrust into the limelight like never before, the team’s assistant coach is confident stage fright will not be an issue.

Milos Brozek told Reuters that Yemen, the tournament’s lowest-ranked national team at No. 135, had nothing to lose when it faces the highly fancied Iranians in Abu Dhabi. “Sometimes if you are somewhere for the first time you don’t really realise just how big it is,” the Czech said in a telephone interview. 

“We will show our best without any problems with nerves.” The path to the 24-team competition was an unlikely one for a nation embroiled in a nearly four-year long war that has killed more than 10,000 people and triggered the world’s most urgent humanitarian crisis with the country on the brink of famine. 

Their journey has been a rare source of good news for both the country and its players, who play abroad because the war has forced the suspension of the national league. “We have players from all over Yemen,” Brozek said.

“Sometimes we talk with the players about the conflict but we keep the focus on football. We have had big support from Yemeni supporters around the Gulf and we see how the people support the players.”

It has not been easy for Brozek and Slovak head coach Jan Kocian, who only took over at the end of October.  The pair had little time to experiment with tactics and formations and instead have had to focus on simply getting to know what the players could do, Brozek said. And with most of the team scattered around the Gulf, logistical issues such as contacting players and clubs to get them to training camps gobbled up time, he added. “It was a very short time to know everything and to collect the players,” Brozek said. 

“Playing-wise there was no time to try different systems. We are not in a position to switch from system to system because we have not had time to test different ones.”

The Czech and Slovak coaches have guided the team to three narrow pre-tournament warm-up losses to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Syria, matches that have offered a glimmer of hope the team will not be a walkover at the Asian Cup.

But Brozek said whatever happens at the competition — where the Yemenis also face Iraq on January 12 and Vietnam on January 16 in Group D — the team led by former Slovak national team coach Kocian would be ready.

“The players are not afraid,” he said. “They are fighters and want to represent their country the best way they can.”

BUENOS AIRES — Argentine football great Diego Maradona was released from hospital after being admitted earlier on Friday with internal bleeding in the stomach which was discovered during routine examinations, his daughter Dalma said.

"For those who were really worried about my dad I can tell you that he is well," Dalma wrote on Twitter after fears over her father's health spread. "He is going home soon."

The 58-year-old was having a routine medical check in his homeland before returning to Mexico, where he is coach of second division side Dorados de Sinaloa, when doctors discovered the problem.

However, a source close to the family told Reuters the problem was not serious and that the former Boca Juniors, Napoli and Barcelona midfielder, who famously led his country to the 1986 World Cup title, was not in any danger.

Another source said Maradona, who left the hospital without talking to the media, may have to undergo more tests.

Friday's scare was the latest for Maradona, who has suffered frequent periods in hospital over the years, often due to the extravagant lifestyle that helped make him one of the most admired and iconic footballers of the 20th century.

He fell ill at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he was filmed passing out in an executive box at the Argentina-Nigeria game. Argentina won 2-1 to reach the last 16, where it was knocked out of the tournament by eventual winners France.

Maradona was taken into hospital in 2004 with severe heart and respiratory problems linked to cocaine use. He later underwent drug rehabilitation in Cuba and Argentina before a stomach-stapling operation in 2005 helped him lose weight.

In 2007 he checked himself into a clinic in Buenos Aires to help him overcome alcohol abuse problems.

In recent months he has walked with the aid of crutches due to problems with his knees.

The unexpected news of his admittance to hospital on Friday came just hours after Maradona's lawyer confirmed he would coach in Mexico for a second consecutive season.

Maradona took over at struggling Dorados de Sinaloa in September and got them into the playoffs where they lost to Atletico San Luis.

"Diego Maradona has arranged to continue with the Dorados de Sinaloa and will stay as coach of the team for the whole season," his agent Matias Morla wrote on twitter.

Australia named striker Apostolos Giannou as a replacement for injured winger Martin Boyle, with the Cyprus-based 28-year-old joining Graham Arnold's Asian Cup squad on Thursday.

Boyle was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a left knee injury in Sunday's 5-0 friendly win over Oman and returned to club side Hibernian to continue his recovery.

Giannou's registration was completed by the Asian Football Confederation on Wednesday, allowing the AEK Larnaca player to link up with the team in Al Ain ahead of their opening clash against Jordan on January 6.

"Apostolos has been playing regularly in Cyprus with his club, as well as in the UEFA Europa League throughout 2018. He has arrived with the determination to impress and make the most of the opportunity," Arnold said in a statement.

"Our group has welcomed 'Apo' back into the Socceroos family and having been with us in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait earlier this year, Apo has a clear picture of how we work and the principles of play."

Champion Australia was already without midfielders Daniel Arzani and Aaron Mooy before Boyle's injury, but Arnold said that Giannou had the necessary qualities to make up for the loss of the Scotland-born winger.

"Apo offers us something a little bit different in attack — he is a hard-working player who can press and has a sharp eye for goal," Arnold said.

Giannou, who scored his first goal for Australia in a 4-0 win over Kuwait in October, completed a medical with the team ahead of his first major international tournament.

"I'll be doing everything I can to impress in training and perform in matches here in the UAE. We have a great squad with a great culture and together I believe we will achieve our goals," he said.

SYDNEY — The New Year’s Test has more often than not been a sun-drenched celebration of Australian cricketing domination, but this year it looms as a desperate scrap to prevent India from finally exerting their superiority down under.

The last time a touring party turned up at the Sydney Cricket Ground with a Test series still up for grabs was in the 2010-2011 Ashes and, eight years on, there was a similar “fin de siecle” feeling about the place on Wednesday.

Then, Australia had already relinquished the Ashes on home soil for the first time in a quarter of a century and their hopes of a series-levelling win were shattered by England’s rampant bowling attack in an innings and 83-run defeat.

Today, India will embark on a bid to end 70 long years of fruitless attempts to win a Test series in Australia from a similar position of strength, 2-1 up with one to play after a crushing victory in Melbourne.

India’s fortunes have also been built on the back of disciplined pace bowling against fragile home batting and they take their advantage to the one ground in Australia, which has traditionally favoured its strongest suit — spin bowling.

The “Will he? Won’t he?” saga around whether Ravichandran Ashwin might return for the decisive Test aside, the tourists, as England in 2011, looked in confident mood as they trained under bright blue Sydney skies.

Virat Kohli rarely betrays anything, but the greatest confidence and Wednesday’s traditional captain’s press conference was no exception.

Kohli, whose single century in the series alone betters the entire Australia effort, took questions about where a series triumph would rank in his own glory-filled career as well as in the annals of his country’s cricketing history.

This was not about making history, he said, more about proving that a team already ranked number one in the world in Tests could do the business on the rock hard wickets of Australia as well as the slow, brown pitches of home.

“The reason why we want to win this Test is because we understand as cricketers how difficult it is to come here and play,” he said. 

“Every team that comes here wants to win, obviously. I’m sure that they would have had the same intention, but the motivation has never been to change history.

Which 11 players will take up that challenge will not be known until today’s toss but what is certain is that batsman Rohit Sharma, who has returned home for the birth of his first child, and injured quick Ishant Sharma will not be among them.

Must win Test

Australia also decided against naming a team on Wednesday as they searched for the perfect “balance” to their side for a fourth and final Test they must win on a wicket they believe will offer some turn. 

His bowlers pick themselves so captain Tim Paine fielded questions about batting permutations should, as has been reported, opener Aaron Finch and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh be dumped for Marnus Labuschagne and Peter Handscomb.

Senior batsman Usman Khawaja, whose 37 on debut in that 2011 Ashes Test was one of the only highlights of a miserable five days for the hosts, would open if Finch was dropped, Paine said, with the other batsmen shuffling up one in the order. 

Many of the remainder of the questions Paine faced revolved around how Australia, who travel to England for an Ashes series later this year, could get better.

“We’re a work in progress,” he conceded. “It’s about keeping perspective and reality about where we’re at and I think the main thing for us is that we’re improving. I think we’re showing signs of getting better.

“The silver lining is that in a few months we’re going to have some world class guys returning and we’re going to have some younger guys with eight to 10 Tests under their belts.”

Ah yes, the asterisk that some Australians are likely to append to this series forever — Paine is captain because Steve Smith and David Warner were banned for their part in the ball tampering scandal and will not return until the end of March.

That will, of course, be far too late to play any part in this series and Australia’s home record against India may end up being another line to add to the long list of damage done to the game by that catastrophic misjudgement at Newlands.

AMMAN — Jordan has returned from the Arab Gymnastic Championships held in Marrakesh, Morocco, with nine medals.

Ahmad Abu Soud led the way with two gold medals in the pommel horse and parallel bars, while his teammate, Ruba Dawood, took three silver medals in the parallel bars, floor and overall.

The men’s team of Abu Soud, Majdi Hmoud and Saleem Nagoug added a bronze medal. Lara Awwad took two bronze medals in the pommel horse and floor, while Majdo Hmoud took bronze in the men’s floor.

MANCHESTER, England — Five talking-points from the Premier League weekend after Liverpool crushed Arsenal, Tottenham's great run of form ended with defeat to Wolves and Manchester United, won their third game in a row under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Klopp right to curb enthusiasm 

There is something slightly tedious and certainly cliched about a top of the table manager refusing to talk about the title race and insisting his team are taking “one game at a time”. But there is a reason why they do so and Juergen Klopp is certainly justified in his stance.

Liverpool are in sensational form at the moment, they swept aside Arsenal at Anfield in Saturday's 5-1 win and look unstoppable.

A seven-point lead over Manchester City at this stage puts the Reds in the driving seat but with the two sides meeting at the Etihad on Thursday, that advantage could be cut back to just four points. Four points can be wiped out in two games.

The German coach knows his Liverpool history, as much as he likes to downplay its significance, and there is plenty in the club's past, not least the doomed 2014 title bid, to suggest that excessive expectations and excitement can sometimes get the better of the players.

Pogba answers all questions 

Was Paul Pogba's poor form at Manchester United a result of being unhappy under Jose Mourinho's leadership? Or was he over-rated, petulant and as much to blame for United's poor season as the Portuguese manager?

It was a question many United fans have pondered this season but three games into the post-Mourinho era — and he has provided an answer.

Pogba has scored four goals in those games and he has shown, especially in Sunday's 4-1 win over Bournemouth, that when he feels valued, his confidence returns.

With his newly rediscovered belief, Pogba lives up his billing as a genuine world class talent. Strutting on the ball, delivering killer paces and making devastating runs into the box, the Frenchman was superb against Eddie Howe's side.

Pogba has been told, by caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his coaching staff, to be himself, to express his creativity but not to let that freedom cross into self-indulgence.

The message has been a welcome one for the former Juventus midfielder and United are reaping the benefit.

A happy Pogba's influence is rubbing off on Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, both of whom look full of life and invention. Suddenly United are having fun and are fun to watch.

City back together in time for the big one 

With Fernandinho, David Silva and Sergio Aguero all fit again and in the starting line-up, Manchester City returned to winning ways at Southampton after defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester City.

The absence of all three of those players in recent weeks has hampered City's progress and their return is timely given the crunch match with Liverpool at the Etihad on Thursday.

Kevin De Bruyne missed out on the trip to St Mary's with a muscle injury but if he is 100 per cent by Thursday, City could line-up with last season's midfield trio of David Silva, Fernandinho and De Bruyne for the first time in this campaign.

Pochettino nails Spurs’ problem 

The stunning 6-2 win at Everton and the 5-0 crushing over Bournemouth saw Spurs move up to second in the Premier League and prompt talk of a genuine title bid from Mauricio Pochettino's side.

But a 3-1 home loss to Wolves on Saturday has put such optimism on hold and has led to some crowing that Spurs lack the “bottle” to cope with such expectations.

But Pochettino highlighted the real issue. To be title winners in the Premier League you need constant focus, constantly.

"You need to play 95 minutes your best. We dropped a little bit our energy and focus, and in the last 20 minutes we conceded three goals. 

"That's why it's so tough to win the Premier League because you need to be consistent. And [Saturday] it's a clear example if you are not consistent enough, with not only good quality during the game but the right energy, it's difficult to compete for these things."

Heaton return 

inspires Burnley 

For weeks Burnley fans have been suggesting that while Joe Hart, the former Manchester City and England keeper, had not made any howling mistakes, the team's defence did not look as solid with him in goal as they did under predecessors Tom Heaton and Nick Pope.

Hart was signed after injuries sidelined both the club's other keepers but with Heaton sat on the bench while the team slumped into the relegation zone, many Clarets supporters wanted manager Sean Dyche to recall the club captain.

The 5-1 home loss to Everton on Boxing Day was evidence the problems at Burnley, who finished seventh last season, were getting serious.

Dyche bit the bullet for Sunday's visit of West Ham and with the crowd welcoming that move, Burnley looked back to their form of last season as they enjoyed a 2-0 win over the in-form Hammers.

Heaton had been expected to move in the January transfer window, but now says that is unlikely.

"With January coming and me not playing it was uncertain," he said. "Does that change now? I'd imagine so."

Manchester City bounced back from two consecutive defeats to beat Southampton 3-1 on Sunday and cut the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to seven points before the top two meet on Thursday. 

Pep Guardiola's champions needed to regain their footing after stumbling against Crystal Palace and Leicester, and did so with strikes from David Silva, Sergio Aguero and James Ward-Prowse's own goal at St Mary's.

Charlie Austin should have put Southampton ahead, but miscontrolled the ball after being played in on goal and City immediately took advantage, with Bernardo Silva teeing up David Silva to slot home unmarked in the 10th minute.

Alex McCarthy made a good save to keep out Aguero from point-blank range after good work by Sterling and City were made to pay for their profligacy when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg slammed home after robbing Oleksandr Zinchenko.

City regained the lead when Sterling's cut-back deflected against Ward-Prowse and in after 45 minutes and Aguero headed home another from Zinchenko's cross in the third minute of first-half stoppage time.

McCarthy made good saves to deny Sterling and Mahrez after the break, while Aguero hit the crossbar and Hojbjerg was sent off for a rash tackle on Fernandinho.

City's Brazilian defensive midfielder returned to the side after missing three matches with a thigh injury and added security in the City defence, but missed chances, particularly from Mahrez, prevented them from adding to their tally.

"We missed a lot of chances, [it could have been] 6-1, 7-1, we had to score. Liverpool are not going to give us that amount of chances," warned Guardiola.

"We had 30 exceptional minutes, made chances, we conceded a goal and when Saints were at their best we scored our second one. It's amazing in terms of the result, in terms of the play.

"Unfortunately we lost two [matches] and our next opponent is one of the top teams in Europe."

Defeat left Southampton 17th in the table on 15 points, the same as 18th placed Burnley, who beat West Ham United 2-0 on Sunday.

With the scores level at 1-1 Southampton appealed for a penalty after Ward-Prowse tumbled in the area following pressure from Zinchenko, but referee Paul Tierney correctly waved away their claims.

City, who had suffered three league defeats in four matches, might have wobbled again had it been given, but regained composure to sweep to a comfortable victory.

Crystal Palace 0, Chelsea 1

Chelsea kept up their pursuit of the Premier League's top three clubs with a 1-0 win away to London rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday, thanks to a strike by N'Golo Kante early in the second half.

Chelsea had to work hard to break down Palace who had taken seven points in their previous three matches, including a shock win over champions Manchester City, but seemed content to allow their visitors most of the possession.

After a sterile first 35 minutes, Willian smacked the post with a swinging free kick and Ross Barkley hit the same upright soon afterwards with an acrobatic overhead effort.

Kante broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when his darting run into the Palace penalty area was spotted by defender David Luiz who fed the France World Cup winner to score from close range.

"It is never easy to play here or control it here especially when they [Palace] play long balls but we did well. We could have scored early but they also did a great match defensively which is why it was so difficult," Chelsea's Luiz told reporters.

Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud had two goals ruled out for offside and then was forced off injured.

Coach Maurizio Sarri said the Frenchman had an ankle problem which looked set to rule him out of Wednesday's game against Southampton and adds to the team's fitness problems, particularly in attack with Pedro, Cesc Fabregas and Ruben Loftus Cheek also currently sidelined.

"We played against a dangerous opponent so we had to have possession, we played well in the first 45 minutes and even better in the second half, the only thing I didn't like is that we didn't kill the match off," added the Italian.