Chelsea's season is at a crossroads. Finishing inside the top four is in their hands, but Frank Lampard needs to fall back in love with his players first. 

MARTIN KEOWN: Mauricio Pochettino was sacked after things went stale and Jose Mourinho was brought in to win trophies. But it feels as if Mourinho is setting his side up to be passive.

MARTIN KEOWN: I watched every minute of it, from the build-up, to the players walking out in front of 100,000 at Wembley, to Keegan scoring twice for Liverpool in a very one-sided 3-0 win.

Wales boss Ryan Giggs insists Daniel James' move to Manchester United has not disrupted preparations for their Euro 2020 qualifier against Croatia, and has given the winger his blessing.

LAURIE WHITWELL AT THE STADION GRADSKI At the final whistle Wales players fell like dominoes. Heat being one cause, but also a sense of defeat to Croatia being a huge missed opportunity.

Wales manager Ryan Giggs faces a dressing-room rebellion as his side struggles to qualify for Euro 2020. Defeats by Croatia and Hungary have left Wales fourth of five teams in Group E.

A move to Germany beckons for the Welsh international with RB Leipzig keen to acquire Chelsea teenager Ethan Ampadu on a season-long loan this summer, according to the Sun.

Wales international Bale is on the brink of moving to the Chinese Super League from Spanish giants Real Madrid in a stunning deal which could be worth in-excess of £1million-per-week.

The Welsh winger was one of the club's most consistent performers last season but looks set to miss the start of the 2019-20 campaign following ankle surgery, according to the Sun.

Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey will miss Wales' forthcoming international fixtures against Azerbaijan and Belarus. It is believed that Ramsey's absence may be due to his lacking of match fitness.

KIERAN GILL AT THE CARDIFF CITY STADIUM: Wales got the Euro 2020 qualifying win they desperately needed, with help from the most calamitous own goal and a Gareth Bale winner.

Wales manager Ryan Giggs will consult star man Gareth Bale to see if he can play in Monday's friendly against Belarus, insisting he will not be 'stupid' regarding the forward's fitness.

James - who has scored three goals in four games for United since his summer switch from Swansea - curled home a superb 17th-minute winner from 18 yards.

Since completing his big-money move from Spurs in 2013, Bale has been routinely criticised for not fully immersing himself into Spanish culture, with many claiming the winger cannot speak the language.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) was told on Monday that the national team's 2,137-strong following would be barred from the Group E fixture at the Stadion Antona Malatinskeho.

The fresh design of the 'renaissance' kit, created by Puma, is inspired by a jersey the Azzurri once wore all the way back in 1954, when the side of old managed to beat Argentina 2-0.

Ethan Ampadu's pre-season move to the Bundesliga was hailed as a smart move given that the teenager has had limited opportunities since joining Chelsea from Exeter in 2017.

TOM COLLOMOSSE IN TRNAVA: Ryan Giggs hailed Kieffer Moore after the former lifeguard kept Wales' Euro 2020 qualifying hopes alive with a goal on his competitive debut.

EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION:David Cotterill is facing legal action from at least seven former team-mates after being accused of cheating them out of a combined total of almost £400,000.

Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey faces a late fitness test ahead of their Euro 2020 qualifier against Croatia on Sunday. Ramsey suffered a thigh injury during Juventus' win over Inter Milan last week.

The news comes as a big blow to Ryan Giggs - who was hoping the 28-year-old would regain match fitness after not featuring in the national side for 11 months.

France coach Didier Deschamps has shrugged off talk of revenge ahead of his side's potentially crucial Euro 2020 qualifier against Group H rivals Turkey.

Ryan Giggs has claimed Daniel James was 'acting' despite TV cameras appearing to show the winger knocked unconscious against Croatia on Sunday night. 

A day after qualifying for Euro 2020, the whole squad suited up to visit Pope Francis, presenting him a personalised Italy football shirt, with Francis' actual surname 'Bergoglio' on the back.

CRAIG HOPE IN TBILSI: The subject of Aaron Connolly and whether he will start the Brighton teenager caused McCarthy to bristle, even though he hinted that will be the case.

Ryan and Daniel James have been accused of abusing concussion protocols after the Manchester United forward suffered a head injury during Wales's 1-1 draw with Croatia.

Turkey players celebrated Ayhan's far-post header with a military salute despite UEFA launching an investigation into a similar celebration during Friday's 1-0 win against Albania.

The football advisory panel and technical advisory panel of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) will meet in Zurich on October 23. The agenda for the meeting was released on Tuesday.

Swansea manager Steve Cooper revealed after the 1-0 win over Cardiff that the 22-year-old will be out for two months with an ankle tendon injury. Rodon will have surgery this week.

The Welshman looked set to leave in the summer following interest from the Chinese Super League but while a move collapsed, reports in Spain say his team will make an effort to leave in January.

Gareth Bale faces a race against time to prove he is fully fit for Wales' decisive Euro 2020 qualifiers later this month. The Real Madrid forward has not played since Wales' 1-1 draw with Croatia.

A calf injury has ruled him out of Real's last four games in all competitions, and he won't feature at home to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday, according to Real manager Zidane.

Ryan Giggs has criticised brain injury charity Headway for questioning Wales' medical department following an apparent concussion incident involving winger Daniel James.

Wales defender Ben Davies confirmed Bale completed Tuesday's session in its entirety and he now seems certain to start against Azerbaijan in Baku on Saturday, despite missing the past month.

The UEFA-appointed female translator was removed following the bizarre question with concerns that she didn't possess the knowledge or experience, according to The Sun.

Italy continued their renaissance as they cruised to an impressive 3-0 win away to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday night and made it nine wins out of nine in Euro 2020 Group J.

TOM COLLOMOSSE IN BAKU: Wales comfortably beat Azerbaijan in their penultimate Euro 2020 qualification match to set up an almighty showdown against Hungary in Cardiff.

The winner in Cardiff on Tuesday will qualify for next summer's European Championship, while a draw will be enough for Hungary if Slovakia fail to beat rock bottom Azerbaijan at home.

Gareth Bale poked fun at Aaron Ramsey's lack of game time in Wales' Euro 2020 qualifying campaign after his double against Hungary booked their spot at next year's tournament.

TOM COLLOMOSSE AT THE CARDIFF CITY STADIUM: After a career in top-level football spanning nearly three decades, Ryan Giggs enjoyed one of the best days of his life.

Gareth Bale risked further upsetting the Real Madrid hierarchy as he danced with a Welsh flag bearing the lyrics to the song 'Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order'.

The forward posed with a flag with the words 'Wales, golf, Madrid... in that order' on it after securing Euro 2020 qualification on Tuesday night after fans sang a song with those lyrics.

PETE JENSON IN MADRID: Gareth Bale was back in training for Real Madrid on the day Marca's front page accused him of being: 'irresponsible, wrong, ungrateful. In that order.'

Sir Alex Ferguson has praised Wales boss Ryan Giggs and revealed his pride at the former Manchester United winger enjoying managerial success.

The Spanish media are still raging over Gareth Bale's celebrations this week where he appeared to mock Real Madrid with a banner unfurled after his country had booked their place at Euro 2020.

PETER CROUCH: It is too early to predict what will happen at Tottenham, but watching television on Thursday, something struck me about Jose Mourinho.

TOM COLLOMOSSE: Wales fans face a nightmare odyssey across Europe - including three separate trips to Baku - if they repeat Euro 2016 and reach the semi-finals of Euro 2020.

The draw for Euro 2020 takes place in Bucharest at 5pm on Saturday evening and is live on BBC2 for UK viewers. Sportsmail take you through all you need to know for the draw.

On Wednesday night, Zinedine Zidane's side enjoyed a break from their arduous schedule by hitting the town and going out for a squad meal to celebrate Christmas.

Extra security measures will be put in place for Wales' friendly match with the United States in March following the rising tension in the Persian Gulf.