Barcelona have been forced to postpone their presidential elections due to concerns around mounting coronavirus cases.

Catalonia's regional government told the club in a meeting on Friday that it could not authorise members to travel to a polling station outside their local area on election day.

Because of these restrictions on movement, Barca have declared it impossible to hold elections as planned on January 24.

There are three candidates still in the running for the presidency: favourite Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa.

In a statement, the club also said: "In this sense, the club has asked the Catalan Government to evaluate the possibility of modifying the current sports legislation in order to enable voting by post on the new date of the elections, a request that the Government has undertaken to study."

While Spain has so far resisted implementing a new stringent national lockdown, regional restrictions have been toughened in recent weeks due to increasing cases of COVID-19.

On Thursday, there were 35,878 confirmed cases of the virus – the second highest daily total – and 201 deaths across the country.

There are at least 19,000 people being treated in hospital having tested positive for the virus, forcing some areas to cancel non-essential surgeries. The country has partly blamed the rise in cases on the highly infectious new strain first identified in the United Kingdom.

Wayne Rooney has been appointed the new Derby County manager after impressing as interim boss.

The former Manchester United and England captain has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Championship club.

Rooney, 35, has overseen three wins and four draws in nine games since taking temporary charge back in November after Phillip Cocu was sacked with the Rams bottom of the table. They are now 22nd and only in the relegation zone due to goal difference.

The decision to take over as full-time boss means Rooney has officially brought his illustrious playing career to an end.

"When I first arrived back in the United Kingdom I was completely blown away by the potential of Derby County Football Club," Rooney said in a statement. "The stadium, training ground, the quality of the playing staff and the young players coming through and of course the fan base that has remained loyal and supportive.

"Despite other offers I knew instinctively Derby County was the place for me.

"To be given the opportunity to follow the likes of Brian Clough, Jim Smith, Frank Lampard and Phillip Cocu is such an honour and I can promise everyone in involved in the club and all our fans, my staff and I will leave no stone unturned in achieving the potential I have witnessed over the last 12 months of this historic football club."

Rooney's impressive impact upon results has come despite turmoil around the club, including a wage delay, a protracted takeover by Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan and a coronavirus outbreak that forced the closure of the training ground.

Derby kept five clean sheets, conceded only four goals and lost just twice in their first nine matches under Rooney. No side conceded fewer goals in that time and only Brentford suffered fewer defeats (zero).

Rooney initially joined Derby in a player-coach role in January 2020 after spending two years in MLS with DC United.

England and Manchester United's all-time record goalscorer played 35 times for the Rams, the last of which was in a 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough on November 25.

Liam Rosenior, Shay Given and Justin Walker will all stay on in Rooney's backroom team, with Rosenior named assistant manager. Former England boss Steve McClaren will continue as technical director.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ready to go through the gears as he attempts to steer Milan to their first Scudetto in a decade.

Ten goals in seven games from Ibrahimovic, at a rate of one every 53.4 minutes, has been a vital spur in the first half of the season that has taken the Rossoneri to the Serie A summit.

"Today I feel like a leader. I drive, the team follows me," the 39-year-old striker told Corriere dello Sport.

Fit again after a seven-week injury lay-off, Milan head coach Stefano Pioli will hope Ibrahimovic can resume leading the attacking line with his familiar panache as the season nears its halfway mark.

A scintillating start to the campaign will count for little if Milan tail off over the coming months, which Ibrahimovic acknowledged when he considered the prospect of earning a place in next season's Champions League.

Inter and Juventus appear to be the biggest threats to Milan's lead, which stands at three points after 17 games. Milan are next in action when they face Cagliari on Monday.

"It is early. How much is still to go? All the second half of the season plus two games," Ibrahimovic said.

"Furthermore, setting goals is like setting limits. I never do it. Second place is the first of the last. I want to get the best out of me and the team, every day, including training."

The former Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain frontman is enjoying a second stint with Milan, after a fruitful first spell from 2010 to 2012, when he featured in that 2010-11 title-winning team.

"Ten years ago it was another Milan. But also the Milan that I found in 2020 was different. Always a very young team. We have worked, we sacrificed ourselves. Here are the results," said Ibrahimovic.

"We are doing great things, it is true, as it is true that we have not won anything. There is the desire to do more."

 Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) director of football, Wendell Downswell, believes the continued absence of the country’s youth football programs and competitions will have a devastating impact on the sport over the next few years.

All official football competitions across Jamaica have been shuttered since March of last year, as the island battled to come to grips with the spread of the deadly coronavirus.  Included in that list are the island’s Premier League competition and all high school football competitions.

Both competitions typically cater to the need of developing players Under 21 years old who are selected for youth national teams and even acquire scholarships to overseas colleges through them.  

With the recent decision by FIFA to postpone the 2021 U-17 and U-20 World Cup and CONCACAF’s decisions to postpone the respective qualifiers, things are essentially at a standstill.

“You won’t see it immediately but in years to come, probably starting in 2023, you will see the results as it relates to our youth football itself,” Downswell told Football GPS.

“Youngsters if you look at it, in three categories, in four categories, at high school you have the U-14, Under-16 and of course the Manning Cup and DaCosta Cup.  At the parish level, you have the Under-15 competition, at the club level, you have the Under-14 competition that takes on an international flavor.  If you look from there you make the transition into the Under-15, Under-17, and the Under-20 national teams and you are looking at both sets of national teams, male and female," he added.

"If we look at it from the perspective that the schoolboy football competition has been abandoned because of COVID, you know the schoolboy competition provides us with a means to identify talent at both the schoolboy level and club level and when that’s not forthcoming it put a damper on our football.”

Over the past couple of seasons, Trent Alexander-Arnold has essentially set the standard for full-backs in the Premier League.

Not only has he been a dependable part of a generally mean defence, but his effectiveness in the final third has helped mark him out from the rest.

A dead-ball specialist, comfortable on the ball and a fine passer, many have even suggested his long-term future could be further up the pitch in midfield – comparisons in this regard with the likes of Philipp Lahm are understandable.

But the adulation has been rather quieter this season. Indeed, he has even been the target of criticism on occasion, which is an awkward position to be in ahead of a huge top-of-the-table clash with bitter rivals and league leaders Manchester United on Sunday.

So, is Alexander-Arnold genuinely having a poor season? Or is he just the victim of his own high standards?

THE KNIVES ARE OUT

With Liverpool not running away with the Premier League title this term, perhaps it was inevitable that certain players were going to start being targeted with harsh words.

The focus on Alexander-Arnold seemingly became most intense after the Reds' 1-0 defeat to Southampton at the start of January.

Many sections of the British media zoned in on the fact Alexander-Arnold lost possession 38 times in the match, more than anyone else, yet virtually all coverage neglected to mention that such statistics are heavily skewed when relating to creative players who are far more likely to lose the ball due to the greater risk involved in their roles.

In isolation, such a statistic proves little. For example, Kevin De Bruyne lost possession 34 times in a game against Watford last season, yet he also had a telling impact with an assist from six chances created. In his entire Premier League career, the Belgian has only ever made more key passes in a single match eight times.

Although focusing on that part of his game may have been unfair, former Liverpool full-back Jose Enrique acknowledged Alexander-Arnold does appear to be a little short of his best, though he is adamant dips in form are normal and could even be explained by fatigue in a packed schedule.

"All of us are humans, you all have up and downs, we don't know what's going on in his life," Jose Enrique told Stats Perform News. "It's probably going amazing for him but at some point, your performance goes up and down. It's very difficult to do what [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo have done [in terms of consistency], it's just them, no one else [can be at such a level for so long].

"At some point in the season, you always underperform. It's normal. At the end [of games] you are more tired, you have many games under your legs. We are talking about international players, players playing at international level as well, Champions League, so it's many games."

STATS SUGGEST A SLUMP

The fact is, Alexander-Arnold has been less effective for Liverpool this season, and the stats back it up.

Across all competitions, the England international has four assists in 19 games at a rate of one every 392.8 minutes. Last term, he laid on 15 in 49 games, or one every 266.1 minutes.

In the Premier League, his frequency drops to 609.5 minutes per goal involvement, having been at 186.8 last term. On the opposite side of Liverpool's defence, Andy Robertson is proving a greater threat (one assist or goal every 255 minutes).

If we look a bit deeper, Opta data tells us Alexander-Arnold is playing fewer passes into the box per 90 minutes (12) than last term (14.4), while his open-play crosses are also down to 5.2 each game from 6.7 despite average position maps showing very little change in his role or the areas he operates in this term.

But, when considering his attacking output, it is worth noting that seven of his 13 Premier League assists last season came from set-pieces – this could partly explain his shortfall in productivity.

After all, he is taking almost 50 per cent fewer corners per game (down from 4.6 to 2.7) in 2020-21, while his key passes from set-pieces is 0.9 per 90 minutes after being 1.1 in 2019-20.

One might expect this to be a reflection of Liverpool simply having fewer corners, but that isn't the case – in fact, their average of 6.7 per game is identical to last season, he just is not taking them as often.

SUFFERING FROM A LACK OF COMPETITION?

Remember, though, this is comparing Alexander-Arnold to a time when he was in an almost unstoppable side that scored for fun and did not have something of a defensive injury crisis.

If we look at his form in the context of his Premier League contemporaries this term, his critics might be a little surprised.

Indeed, his 25 chances created and 162 passes into the box are second only to Robertson (32 and 169 respectively) among defenders, while Harry Maguire is the sole defensive player with more efforts on goal (21) than Alexander-Arnold (20).

It's a similar story with respect to crosses, as his tally of 70 is the fourth highest for a defender. Again, Robertson – who seems to be thriving even more this season – tops the list with 92.

Clearly Alexander-Arnold is still performing at a high standard, though Jose Enrique suggests a lack of competition in the right-back role could be another factor in his slight dip in form.

"I believe he's 22 now, he's won everything he can win as a player but maybe he needs more competition," the Spaniard added. "I believe Neco Williams is a good player, but obviously you can't compare. That's the reality. Neco is still growing, we don't know in the future how he's going to be. That's why he [Jurgen Klopp] puts [James] Milner there sometimes, I believe, to make a point.

"Sometimes it happens as well in players, and he will come back to his best. He's so important for us. Apart from De Bruyne, I don't see any other right foot like his. He puts the ball wherever he wants with his right foot, he's incredible. But like I said, he's a human being and he's not his best right now, but I'm sure against United he will sort out everyone, I'm sure."

There's no time like the present.

Dayot Upamecano is set to leave RB Leipzig – but not just yet – while Eric Garcia is getting closer to joining Barcelona.

Upamecano has been linked with several European giants after impressing for the Bundesliga club.

But the defender looks set to stay at the Red Bull Arena until the end of the season.

TOP STORY – UPAMECANO SET FOR €42M MOVE

Leipzig are not considering selling Upamecano in January even though he can leave for £37.4million (€42m) at the end of the season, according to The Guardian.

Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea have each been linked with a move for the France international.

Upamecano has made 21 appearances in all competitions for Leipzig this season.

ROUND-UP

- Garcia is seemingly getting closer to a Barcelona move. Sport reports the Manchester City defender is a step away from joining the Catalan giants on a five-year deal and Barca are hopeful a move can happen in January.

- Coming out of contract at the end of the season, Hakan Calhanoglu's future has been a talking point. Sky Sport reports negotiations are ongoing between Milan and the midfielder, who has been linked to United.

- Mauricio Pochettino seems eager to get Dele Alli to Paris Saint-Germain. The Guardian reports the Tottenham midfielder is PSG's main target this transfer window.

- Arkadiusz Milik is set to leave Napoli. CalcioMercato reports Marseille want the striker and had an offer of €8m rejected.

- With Frank Lampard under pressure, Chelsea were reportedly considering bringing back Avram Grant to support the head coach. However, The Sun reports the Premier League giants are not lining up such a move.

Zinedine Zidane said missing out on a Supercopa de Espana final showdown with Barcelona was not a failure for Real Madrid after they were beaten 2-1 by Athletic Bilbao.

Raul Garcia's first-half double was enough to knock the holders out and end their nine-match unbeaten run at La Rosaleda on Thursday.

Karim Benzema's 13th goal of the season gave Los Blancos hope after Marco Asensio hit the woodwork twice, but the Basque side held on to secure only a second win over the LaLiga champions in 23 matches and a first victory under new coach Marcelino.

Madrid boss Zidane felt his side fell short of the high standards he expects in the first half, but he will not be dwelling on the setback.

He said: "Our first half was difficult, we didn't get into the game well, they scored two goals. They had two chances and two goals. When you are two goals down it is always difficult.

"Then we had a better second half, we created chances, we had several, scored a goal, but could not score a second."

He added: "It is not a failure. Failure is not trying, not giving everything on the field. Life is like that, you can't always win. What we always try to do is win, but you can't always."

Madrid had not lost since December 1 and Zidane expects his side, who have a weekend off before facing Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey next Wednesday, to respond after missing out on another trophy.

The former France playmaker said: "We had a good run and now it's two draws and one loss [in their past four games]. We have to keep working to change the dynamics quickly.

"The outside will be the same as always, what we can do is keep working and move this forward as a team."

Eden Hazard again failed to show what he is capable of, hitting the target only once from three attempts and making just one key pass.

The Belgium forward has scored just two goals and not provided an assist in an injury-hit campaign, but Zidane remains confident he will come good.

Zidane said: "He must regain confidence, play a good game, score a goal, something different. We know the player he is and we have to be patient, but he is working. We are with him, we have to be patient."

Athletic and Barca do battle for the trophy at Estadio de La Cartuja on Sunday.

Raul Garcia scored twice as Athletic Bilbao secured a rare 2-1 win over holders Real Madrid to set up a Supercopa de Espana final against Barcelona.

Athletic had won only one of their previous 22 matches against the LaLiga champions but beat them for the first time since March 2015 at La Rosaleda on Thursday to hand Marcelino his first victory.

Raul Garcia was set up by Dani Garcia for the opening goal and struck again from the penalty spot to stun Madrid in the first half.

Karim Benzema reduced the deficit after Marco Asensio struck the woodwork twice, but Bilbao held on to end Madrid's nine-match unbeaten run and ensure they will do battle with Barca for the trophy at Estadio de La Cartuja on Sunday.

Athletic did not allow Madrid to settle and they were in front in the 18th minute when Dani Garcia picked up a sloppy pass from Lucas Vazquez and threaded an incisive ball through for the unmarked Raul Garcia to slot beyond Thibaut Courtois.

Having flashed a venomous shot wide as the Basque side continued to press Los Blancos high up the pitch, the experienced midfielder was on target again seven minutes from time.

Another lapse from Vazquez proved to be costly, the defender bundling over Inigo Martinez and Raul Garcia sending Courtois the wrong way with an expertly taken spot-kick seven minutes before the break.

Nacho Fernandez replaced Raphael Varane at half-time and Iker Muniain ought to have put Athletic three goals to the good when he nodded Oscar De Marcos' cross wide of the near post from close range.

Asensio twice came close to halving the deficit in quick succession, rattling the near post from close range before striking the crossbar with a rasping long-range drive.

Benzema pulled one back when he was ruled onside following a VAR check after the flagged was initially raised with 17 minutes remaining.

France striker Benzema had the ball in the back of the net again but this time he was ruled to be offside after Courtois denied Asier Villalibre and Sergio Ramos headed just wide as Athletic held on in a tense finale.

Reggae Girlz goalkeeper Sydney Schneider says she feels blessed to have made history once again and is eager to begin training with the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Trinity Rodman, the daughter of five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman, was taken second in the NWSL draft and is now looking to make her own name.

Two-time Defensive Player of the Year Dennis Rodman was hugely successful in the NBA, winning two championships with the Detroit Pistons and three with Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.

His sporting excellence is also evident in his children, son DJ and daughter Trinity, both born to third wife Michelle Moyer.

DJ Rodman is a forward for Washington State, averaging 5.2 points and 3.4 rebounds through five games this season, but Trinity Rodman has taken her talents to football.

The 18-year-old enrolled at the same college but never made her bow due to the coronavirus pandemic, although she was nominated for US Soccer's Young Female Player of the Year award after starring for the United States Under-20 team.

Trinity Rodman was taken second by Washington Spirit, behind USWNT defender Emily Fox in the draft on Wednesday.

But the forward is keen not to rely on her famous father to catch the eye as she makes her first steps in the professional game.

"[Dennis] was an amazing athlete, and I got those genes from him," she said. "But I'm excited to be known as Trinity Rodman and not just as Rodman's daughter.

"I'm excited to pave my own path and get better throughout this journey."

She added: "To even just be in the draft with my situation and my age is insane, but to be number two to an amazing team is out of this world, like I couldn't ask for anything more."

Dennis Rodman described Trinity as "the number one soccer player in the world right now" last year in a video message to Andrea Petagna.

He mistakenly believed the Napoli striker was a woman, a comical gaffe shared by the Serie A star on social media.

Three candidates are in the running to became Barcelona president after Emili Rousaud withdrew from the electoral process.

Rousaud announced on Thursday that he is no longer in the frame to replace Josep Maria Bartomeu, who stepped down from the role in October.

Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa are the trio of candidates who are in the race to be named president.

Laporta, the favourite to return for a second term, had 9,625 signatures validated, while there were 4,431 and 2,634 for Font and Freixa respectively in the validation process for an election that will take place on Sunday January 24.

Rousaud had stated he no longer wants to be involved in a "dirty war" for the right to succeed Bartomeu.

Marca quoted him as saying: "It was a day of impressive dignity because, to my surprise, the majority decision was not to agree to join another candidacy, because we cannot tolerate the dirty war and we prefer to stay out.

"Our sporting and economic proposals were the best."

Eintracht Frankfurt hope returning to familiar surroundings can help Luka Jovic rediscover his best form after the striker completed his loan move from Real Madrid. 

The Serbia international has rejoined the Bundesliga club for the remainder of the season, having made just five appearances for Madrid in all competitions this term. 

Jovic started only four LaLiga games in the previous campaign, having moved to Spain in a €60million transfer off the back of a hugely productive 2018-19 that saw him finish with 27 goals. 

Eintracht are hopeful the 23-year-old can now "get back on track" in Germany, with the temporary switch suiting all parties involved.

"Luka didn't have an easy time in Madrid recently. It is important for him to get back on track. It was his great wish to return to Eintracht," said Eintracht sporting director Fredi Bobic. 

"Luka can use the next few months to find his way back to old strength in a familiar environment.  

"Real Madrid know that he is in good hands with us and that he can develop here. And it is clear to us that we have another excellent option to play up front."

Jovic – who scored just two goals for Madrid following his big-money move – will not have to serve a quarantine period having already had COVID-19, as confirmed by Frankfurt's health department. 

His previous stint with Eintracht saw him lift the DFB-Pokal in 2018, while they made the semi-finals of the Europa League the following year, their impressive run in the competition ended by eventual winners Chelsea on penalties. 

Reggae Girlz custodian Sydney Schneider created history on Wednesday when she became the first player from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to be selected in the National Women’s Soccer League Draft.

Mikel Arteta is not ruling out David Luiz receiving a new deal at Arsenal and reminded those players on expiring contracts that they can earn an extension through their performances on the pitch. 

David Luiz made his return from a spell out with illness in Saturday's FA Cup third-round clash with Newcastle United, playing 120 minutes in what was just his third appearance since the start of December. 

The 33-year-old has also missed time due to a hamstring problem and a head injury this season, limiting him to 14 outings in all competitions. 

Among defenders to have made at least 40 Premier League appearances since the start of last season, David Luiz is among a group to have kept the fewest clean sheets (eight, along with Adam Webster, Lucas Digne and Yerry Mina). 

However, Arsenal have only conceded 47 goals while he has been on the pitch, with only Virgil van Dijk (44), Serge Aurier (42) and Kyle Walker (35) shipping fewer. 

David Luiz's contract at Emirates Stadium will expire at the end of the season but Arteta suggested he could yet play his way into an offer of fresh terms. 

"David had a really difficult season because he had three different things that have kept him away from training and games, which is unusual because he's normally he's always available," said Arteta. 

"He had to deal with that and then he had to play 120 minutes and I think he was exceptional, just the way he handled the game against a difficult number nine like Andy Carroll and to play for 120 minutes as well at his age with not much was a real test and I really like what he did. 

"He is fantastic. He's one of the leaders in the dressing room. He's one of the most experienced players and he's won everything in the game.

"He is so good with the young kids. When you look at people who can help and be a role model, he is always with them, he is always supporting them, giving them confidence and advice. It is great to have someone like him around.

"We will see what happens. There's a lot of things happening around the club. A lot of decisions to make. I don't want to rush any decisions. I just want players to be focused.

"They know they have six months left or eight months left, some of them a year, they know their contracts are like that and we can't change them right now. I think it's time to be focused.

"We've been through a difficult period in the last few weeks and I just want people to focus on football. If you do what you have to do on the football pitch you will deserve the chance to keep with us if this is what you want."

Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Mesut Ozil are only contracted to Arsenal until the end of the season, while Dani Ceballos' loan deal will end at that point.

Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah, Calum Chambers and Mohamed Elneny are on deals that run until June 2022.

Chile have announced Reinaldo Rueda's tenure as coach has come to an end following an underwhelming start to World Cup qualification. 

Rueda had been in the post since early 2018, replacing Juan Antonio Pizzi after he failed to lead the team to the 2018 World Cup. 

Chile lost their Copa America crown under Rueda in 2019, having won each of the previous two editions, though they did get to the semi-finals. 

But Rueda's spell in charge has been largely unimpressive, with the team winning just nine of his 27 matches in charge, suffering 10 defeats. 

Rueda leaves Chile having only been able to accumulate four points from as many games at the start of qualification for the 2022 World Cup. 

His final game was the 2-1 defeat away to Venezuela on November 17.