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LONDON: Thomas Tuchel needs to win the World Cup next year to prove the English Football Association’s (FA) decision to appoint him as England manager was the right one, says Harry Redknapp.

The German becomes the third foreign head coach to take charge of England after succeeding Gareth Southgate last year. Tuchel will make his debut against Albania at Wembley on Wednesday.

Former West Ham United, Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur boss Redknapp said Tuchel, who was given an 18-month contract, was not his first choice but he inherited a squad the world had been dreaming of.

“It’s an awkward situation actually. I heard (former Arsenal goalkeeper) Jens Lehmann this morning saying, can you imagine Germany having a manager from England? It’s impossible.

“When we had (Italian manager Fabio) Capello, he had a lot of success, Champions League, Milan, everywhere he was. He was an icon. Tuchel was here, quite good,” Redknapp said.

Tuchel, 51, won the league title with Paris Saint-Germain, the Champions League with Chelsea and the Bundesliga at Bayern Munich, but this is his first job with the national team.

England’s World Cup qualifying campaign begins against Albania before they host Latvia on Monday and for Redknapp it is a small test for Tuchel.

“It’s hard to judge him now. He picked a squad to play against two weak teams. I’m not interested in watching that match.

“What do we get from watching us beat Latvia 5-0 or 6-0? What can we learn about the players? It’s tough, until we’re in the competition.

“He has to win something to be considered successful. Gareth has brought us this far. He has the opportunity, a great squad, a group of talented players.

“You wouldn’t trade him for anyone. So he has everything to win trophies,” he said.

England also face Andorra and Serbia in Group K.

Southgate led England to two Euro finals and the World Cup semi-finals but failed to win any trophies.

Redknapp, who has often missed out on the chance to coach England, said he would prefer an English coach for the job, but felt only Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was currently qualified.

“I only support English operators, myself. If there is no English operator, it means there is something wrong somewhere.

“It’s not because of the coaching system, because they can get a license. The FA can’t decide who coaches the club, that’s the owner’s decision.

“All the owners are from outside. When they come in, they also want operators from outside,” he added.

LONDON: Newcastle ended their 56-year trophy drought in style as Dan Burns and Alexander Isak secured a 2-1 win over Liverpool in the League Cup final on Wednesday.

Eddie Howe’s team made history at Wembley with a solid performance that surprised the Premier League (EPL) leaders.

Burn put Newcastle ahead in the 45th minute and Isak’s 27th goal in all competitions saw them consolidate their lead after 52 minutes.

Federico Chiesa pulled one back in the fourth minute of injury time, but Newcastle held on to lift their first major trophy since the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969.

The success in the old name competition for the Europa League has been forgotten, but this long-awaited victory will forever remain in the memories of Newcastle fans who turned half of Wembley into a sea of ​​black and white as they celebrated the victory with joy.

It is also Newcastle’s first major domestic title in 70 years since the 1955 FA Cup.

Since the Magpies lifted the Fairs Inter-Cities Cup, 30 different English teams have won the title, while Liverpool have collected 38 major trophies in that period.

But after losing the 2023 League Cup final to Manchester United, Howe’s team returned to Wembley and finally set a record.

“We are aware of the history and we want to do the club proud. We want to score goals, we want to perform well and we want to win,” said Howe.

“We’re starting something. I thought we were great today.”

Newcastle have been relegated to the second division five times since winning their last trophy, with club legends such as Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne and Malcolm MacDonald failing to win the title while playing on Tyneside.

Except for a brief period when Kevin Keegan’s team challenged for the title in the 1990s, Newcastle endured a decade without any notable achievements that made them the butt of jokes for a long time.

That all changed in 2021 when a Saudi-backed consortium took over from unpopular owner Mike Ashley and quickly secured Howe as their manager.

Thanks to Howe’s wise leadership and Saudi financial support, Newcastle went from a relegation contender to a cup winner.

The defeat was another heartbreaking blow for Liverpool just days after they were knocked out in the last 16 of the Champions League on penalties at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.

But despite failing to win their first trophy under boss Arne Slot, Liverpool still lead by 12 points at the top of the EPL, getting closer to equalling the record of 20 English top league titles.

“It was a very disappointing result. The game went the way Newcastle wanted it to. They deserved to win. We failed to deal with their style. They won more aerial battles than we did,” said Slot.

Liverpool are 23 points clear of Newcastle in sixth in the league and have not lost to their opponents in 17 games since 2015.

BARCELONA: Barcelona has the chance to win three trophies this season but manager Hansi Flick said it was too early to think about it after they beat Benfica 3-1 in the Champions League return leg.

Barcelona advanced to the quarter-finals with a 4-1 aggregate after winning 1-0 in the first leg in Lisbon last week.

Barca maintained their brilliant streak with a comfortable win over Benfica to extend their unbeaten streak to 17 matches in all competitions this season.

While Barca also took the lead in La Liga and reached the semi-finals of the King of Spain’s Cup, Flick was reluctant to add pressure to his squad and said it was too early to be thinking about the cup.

“Most importantly, we need to focus on the final quarter and prepare ourselves for the next opponent.

“The Champions League is the most difficult trophy and of course we hope to go on and win it all, but it’s still too early,” said Flick.

Raphinha scored twice and one from Lamine Yamal in the first half for a 4-1 aggregate win over Benfica.

Barca will face either Lille or Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals. The two teams are tied 1-1 from the first leg.

In La Liga, just one point separates Spain’s three giant clubs in the championship race, with Barcelona leading on 57 points.

Real Madrid is in second place, behind only by difference in points while Atletico Madrid is in third place on 56 points. Barca played one match less than the two Madrid clubs.

In the Spanish King’s Cup competition, Barca will travel to Madrid to face Atletico for a semi-final tie after being tied 4-4 in the first leg.

PARIS: Doubts about Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) ability to remain a dominant force in the Champions League following the departure of Kylian Mbappe are beginning to fade amid a stunning performance that has put the French club in perfect position ahead of a blockbuster last-16 clash with Liverpool.

The Qatari-owned club won the French league and cup double and reached the Champions League semi-finals in Luis Enrique’s first season in charge, with Mbappe scoring 44 goals.

With the France captain gone, PSG splashed out on new signings in the summer with the arrivals of Joao Neves, Desire Doue, Willian Pacho and Matvey Safonov.

However, the decision not to recruit a top scorer was seen to be self-defeating as they struggled in Europe while Randal Kolo Muani was ignored.

PSG have found the net just three times in their first five Champions League games this season, as defeats to Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich left them on the brink of elimination before the knockout stages.

But their achievements in the last three months have been sensational, with the statistics proving it.

Since losing 1-0 to Bayern on November 26, PSG are unbeaten in 22 games in all competitions.

They have won their last five Champions League matches, scoring 21 goals in that period, including 10 in the second leg against Brest in the play-off round.

The 4-1 home win over Lille last Saturday was their 10th in a row in all competitions and allowed them to maintain their unbeaten domestic record this season.

“We are in great form, all systems are working,” said captain Marquinhos, who has been at the club since 2013.

“We really rely on the collective. It takes a long time. We are progressing step by step. But there are still things we need to improve.”

Ousmane Dembele is now the leader of PSG’s attack, transforming from a dazzling winger but without a good finish, to one of the most clinical strikers.

He has scored 26 goals this season, including 21 in 16 appearances since mid-December while playing mainly through central midfield.

“The team is doing well at the moment,” said Enrique, but he was concerned about Liverpool’s challenge, perhaps the toughest PSG has faced in recent months.

“We will play against the best team in Europe, who are impressively qualified, but it is not in our minds to speculate, to try to protect ourselves, to act defensively,” insisted Enrique.

“We will attack and try to change the game our way.”

MADRID: Kylian Mbappe is fit to start at Real Betis this weekend after being rested in Real Madrid’s recent Copa del Rey match due to dental surgery, manager Carlo Ancelotti said.

The French striker was rested as Real Madrid recorded a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final yesterday.

“But then he was in good shape, he was ready to play, with high spirits.”

Defending La Liga champions Madrid trail leaders Barcelona on goal difference in the title race while Atletico Madrid are just one point behind in third place.

They are scheduled to face a difficult trip to Betis this Sunday before hosting Atletico for the first leg of the last 16 of the Champions League next week.

Mbappe has been in fine form in recent months – scoring 14 goals in 12 appearances across all competitions.