Kompany ends up in hospital, Carrick hangs by a thread: the coaches steal the show before the weekend

Kompany collapses after training: the virus he "didn't listen to"

Vincent Kompany, Bayern's 40-year-old head coach, was taken by ambulance to hospital in Munich on Friday after collapsing following training at Säbener Straße. A rescue helicopter also landed over the complex, but according to German media the Belgian was transported by road and is now in a stable condition. For days he had been fighting a virus that attacked his legs: during the 6-1 win over Leipzig he sat on the bench for almost the whole game, then skipped training and the press conference before Arsenal, yet still stood on the touchline for the 2-2 at the Allianz Arena. He admitted himself that he "didn't listen to his body." Bayern play Freiburg on Sunday, and the club has yet to publish a detailed medical report. How many coaches at this level ever allow themselves to say they need a break?

United: 4-1 to Como, a burgled house and Howe waiting in the wings

Manchester United lost 4-1 to Cesc Fàbregas's Como in the Champions League. While the team was falling apart in Italy, three masked men broke into captain Bruno Fernandes's four-million-pound house in Cheshire and made off with designer jewellery in about five minutes. The family wasn't home, and police are investigating. Michael Carrick will lead the team against Bournemouth on Sunday, but the club is already looking for a replacement: technical director Jason Wilcox reportedly wants Eddie Howe, who ended Newcastle's 70-year trophy drought with the League Cup, while head of recruitment Christopher Vivell is backing Nagelsmann. How many times will United change the man on the bench before admitting the problem sits higher up?

Kane waits for the Ballon d'Or and knows no more than we do

Harry Kane finds out in London on Monday whether he will become the first Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001. His case is weighty: 61 goals in 51 games last season, a domestic double with Bayern and a Champions League semi-final. The competition is Lamine Yamal, a champion with Barcelona and a key player in Spain's world title, and Kylian Mbappé. Kane says he'd like to know the result in advance rather than suffer all evening, but the organisers want a full room and suspense until the last envelope. The bookmakers have already made him favourite, and they rarely run at a loss.

Sileks with two wins in a few days, the federation defends VAR

Sileks went more than two months without a win in the First League, and have now strung two together, both clean sheets: 3-0 against Bashkimi in Kumanovo and 2-0 against Shkendija Aračinovo. Both goals came from Esmir Hasukić, the first a header as early as the 3rd minute, the second in the second half from a Timovski pass. The assistant flagged the second goal for offside, but VAR allowed it after drawing the lines. The federation then issued a statement saying the decision was correct and that it was an "extremely tight" call. The win took the Kratovo side above Shkendija in the table. When a federation has to stand publicly behind a single goal, is that transparency or getting ahead of the complaints?

Stankovski gets off the mark in Ukraine

Luka Stankovski got his chance as a starter for Kolos Kovalivka against Veres Rivne and took it: in the 52nd minute he scored the second goal in a 2-0 win, his first in the Ukrainian league. In the previous round the Macedonia international had an assist against Shakhtar Donetsk. Kolos are eighth with 11 points. A goal and an assist in two rounds, in a league played in a country at war. Is the national coach watching?