Gatland says he has done some soul searching after Wales' miserable 2024 results.

He acknowledged that there was "no doubt it has been challenging" because his job is "all about performance and results".

"There has been a fair amount of criticism which is completely understandable when you are dealing with professional rugby," he added.

"You question yourself and think about the things you could implement to improve and make a difference.

"It's also about trying to strike a balance between not making radical changes and finding some tweaks to improve things."

Gatland's second spell in charge of Wales has contrasted to his first 12-year period at the helm, when the national side won three Grand Slams and four Six Nations titles and reached two World Cup semi-finals.

"It's also about looking back historically and asking why have we been successful in the past, what I did that made those teams that won trophies in the past so successful," he added.

"It's about making sure you don't go away from some philosophies that have made you successful with teams.

"Sometimes you can lose a little bit of that. You have to trust your own instincts and experience."

Gatland added: "I've thrived on challenges. In the past when people have written us off and haven't expected us to do well and we've done exceptionally well.

"I'm proud of the achievements I've had in sport, whether it's my time at Wasps or with Wales or the British and Irish Lions.

"In particular in World Cups, where there's been four campaigns where we've done pretty well, in terms of being unlucky not going further than the semi-finals and potentially making finals."

Tierney has said there will be another review of Wales' progress after the Six Nations.

After naming his squad for the tournament, Gatland says he has not been given a set of results which must be achieved.

"I've never been given targets before in the past, there has never been a number that's been set about 'you've got to win so many games'," said Gatland.

"It's the way it has always been. Everyone is talking about it being challenging, but we definitely need to show an improvement in performance."

If Ireland are to make history with three Six Nations titles, they will need the players who have delivered on the big stage.

It is expected that consistency will be key for Easterby and all the big hitters will remain.

Caelan Doris will lead a whole host of Leinster team-mates, including Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe and Hugo Keenan.

Key prop Tadhg Furlong's return from injury is timely, especially now Ulster's Tom O'Toole is suspended for the opening two matches, but hooker Dan Sheehan has yet to return to action.

While Leinster will dominate, Munster are also likely to be represented in the squad with Tadhg Beirne, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley and Calvin Nash all squad regulars.

Prop Oli Jager could be recalled after missing November's Tests through injury, but Peter O'Mahony is currently sidelined and time is ticking before Ireland's opener on 1 February.

Connacht will be represented by centre Bundee Aki, prop Finlay Bealham and wing Mack Hansen, who will be free to play against England when his suspension ends.

Pep Guardiola said he turned down the chance to revamp his Manchester City squad in the summer and admitted it was the wrong decision after watching injuries play a significant role in their disappointing start to the season.

City are set to bring in fresh faces during the January window with a fee already agreed for Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov and ongoing interest in Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush.

It's a response to the injuries which have hit the squad since the beginning of the campaign. And Guardiola said that he should have sanctioned more incomings during the summer after only signing Savinho and the returning Ilkay Gündogan.

"I always said in the summer time -- the club thought about doing it -- and I said: 'No, I don't want to make any signings,'" Guardiola said.

"I rely on the team and I want to stay with them. Just Savio came, Gundo back -- I wasn't expecting that at the end -- but he came back and just Savio came.

"And I said, because I rely a lot with these guys and I thought still I can do it again, do it again with those guys and do it. But after the injuries, wow, maybe we should have done it."

Guardiola is preparing his team to face Brentford in the Premier League on Tuesday. He's likely to be without captain Kyle Walker after he told the club he wants to explore the possibility of a move abroad in January.

AC Milan are interested in the 34-year-old England defender who has 18 months left on his contract at the Etihad.

Guardiola is also fighting to keep James McAtee at the club following interest from Germany.

"Kyle is our player right now, so that's all," Guardiola said. "What's going to happen, I don't know. I would love to say categorically yes [McAtee will stay] but I don't know. I would love him to stay here.

"I was the one to say, I want Macca here. He didn't play much minutes so far, but I was the one who said I want James here with us."

Colombia international James Rodríguez has signed with Liga MX's León, the Mexican club announced on Monday.

Recently a free agent after terminating his contract with Rayo Vallecano -- who initially signed James in August -- the 33-year-old will now join a León side that kicks off their 2025 Clausura run on Jan. 18.

"Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and Club Leon of Mexico have reached an agreement for the transfer of James Rodriguez," the Spanish club said in a statement.

They did not give any details of the deal.

"From the club, we wish James the best of luck in his new stage," the club added.

Eight-times Mexican champions León posted several images of Rodriguez on their social media accounts, but also did not give any details of the deal.

In June, León will then take part in the Club World Cup, beginning with group stage matches against Chelsea, Esperance de Tunis, and Flamengo.

The Colombian's move to Mexico marks his sixth team since 2021 after playing for Rayo Vallecano, São Paulo, Olympiacos, Al-Rayyan, and Everton in recent years.

Earlier in his career, the Golden Boot winner at the 2014 World Cup was noted for high-profile runs through the likes of European giants such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. The midfielder has also played for Envigado, Banfield, Porto, and Monaco.

With Colombia, Rodriguez has amassed 29 goals across 112 caps, including a successful run at last summer's Copa América where his team lost to Argentina in the final.

On Sunday, León also made headlines when former Mexican international Andrés Guardado hinted at a return from retirement after stating "I'm back" on social media.

Lyon's American owner John Textor was highly critical of Nasser Al Khelaifi, the Paris Saint-Germain president, and Vincent Labrune, the head of Ligue 1, in an interview for French radio RMC on Monday.

Amongst other barbs about Al Khelaifi's position, Textor called Labrune PSG's "lapdog" to highlight the relationship between Labrune and Al Khelaifi, who is also in charge of the BeIn Sport media group.

Textor, who is also the majority shareholder of Crystal Palace, Botafogo and Molenbeek, considers the links between the two men unacceptable because of the conflict of interest it creates.

"I wasn't aware of the protection that comes institutionally. I was not really focused on the dominance of this one man [Al Khelaifi] on the European club association, on the executive committee of UEFA" Textor told former PSG and France midfielder Jerome Rothen who host in own radio show on RMC.

"I was completely shocked in July to be in the meeting of the presidents [of Ligue 1] to discuss viable alternatives on the TV rights deal and the president of the league [Labrune] who should've been running the meeting barely opened his mouth. And Nasser sat there and ran the meeting and should not have even been in the meeting because he is an interested party with his own TV channels," Textor went on to say.

"And every time anybody would raise an alternate idea, Nasser would bark at them and intimidate and bully. And the president of our league just sat there like a lapdog, didn't say anything."

ESPN received a statement from PSG later on Monday, dismissing Textor's comments and defending both the club and Ligue 1.

"It's a shame that you can't buy class and elegance as it would have enabled M. Textor to avoid ridiculing himself through his rude and dense excessiveness towards our President, our institution and our fans," the club said. "He better come back to earth, and to France, too, to comprehend this league that we love so much."

The feud between Textor and Al Khelaifi has been going on since the summer. They have never seen eye to eye and since he bought Lyon in June of 2022 and highlighted the conflict of interest resulting from Al Khelaifi's position as the head of BeIn Sport.

"So no I wasn't aware that the league was so incredibly dominated by this man [Al Khelaifi]," Textor said. "I was not aware, I think of the influence from PSG on the league and even on the DNCG [the French FFP regulator]."

Ligue 1 also issued a statement on Monday responding to the comments from Textor, which read in part: "We were surprise to see John Textor's comments. We are even more amazed of the words used by John Textor as [we] had a very cordial discussion this afternoon."

PSG beat Lyon 2-1 in the French Cup final in 2024 in what was Kylian Mbappé's last game for the Parisien club before moving to Real Madrid.

MIAMI -- Mauricio Pochettino has led some of the most distinguished clubs in Europe, but when he accepted the role of U.S. men's national team manager, he made the choice to step into a new environment in the international game. Four months into the job, Pochettino continues to navigate the nuances of his new role.

"Yes, it's been months, but there have been very few weeks working together," Pochettino said to ESPN. "The time we have together is very [limited] that we can spend with the players, but it is about discovering new things every time we are with the players."

He and his staff are still working on understanding what the group needs in order to be successful at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be played partially on home soil. The former Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager noted that the biggest challenge he faces is creating a winning mentality within the team.

"If you speak to any coaches from different national teams, different countries, clubs, coaches talk about mentality and the challenges to create the winning mentality," Pochettino said. "The belief -- that is the truth. If we are able to identify the players, 26 or 30 players that share the same mentality, I think we could be a very good group of players with the possibility to compete at our best. It is not only to identify the talent -- it's about the talent and the strong mentality, the winning mentality."

Mentality is one of those traits that often is defined as "I know it when I see it." These days, though, there are metrics that can reveal how effective a team is in this area. Is the team winning its duels, in the air and on the ground? How effective is it in defending set pieces? Nevertheless, it remains a highly subjective assessment.

Attitude and competitiveness are topics that Pochettino is passionate about. In his interview with ESPN, when the subjects come up, he goes from having one hand in his pocket to gesticulating to get his point across, and the Argentine points to his home country as the best practitioners of mentality.

"We talked about Argentina because it's the [world] champion and they have very good players, but for me the most important difference is the mentality -- how they compete as a group and the belief that they have ... when they go to the pitch," he said. "They go to war and to defend your badge, your flag, and that is what we need to create."

Pochettino believes that his players "have a really good mentality, a really good culture." Center back Tim Ream said he felt Pochettino's emphasis on the topic was more down to making sure his players understand that every detail matters.

"I think it's more of [having] a winning mentality every single day, every single training session, every single pass," Ream said. "Everything matters, right? And I think that's more what [Pochettino's] desire and his meaning is, is that everything counts."

That Pochettino has referred to the team's mentality and competitiveness practically from the moment he took the job, however, suggests that there is room for improvement.

There was a time when the U.S. mentality couldn't be questioned. When the USMNT was just beginning to assert itself on the world stage in the 1990s, the team's attitude was what helped make it competitive, even when there was a talent deficit, which was often the case. Now, it's not as consistent.

"Sometimes there's a moment when you go up and down," Pochettino added. "The most important is to be consistent, to keep your capacity and your mentality. We are very happy with them."

The issue of consistency predates Pochettino's tenure as manager.

When the U.S. flamed out of last summer's Copa América, then-manager Gregg Berhalter and some players spoke of how the team didn't always bring the requisite intensity. At the time, the U.S. looked like a team of players who had gotten comfortable. Only when a performer was injured or suspended was there any change in the lineup.

The issue seems to run even deeper, though. Pochettino's arrival has opened up the competition for places, yet there have still been moments in his brief tenure when the team hasn't brought the requisite attitude.

In a 2-0 friendly defeat to Mexico, the U.S. appeared to wilt in the face of El Tri's pressing. The performance in that match of substitute Alejandro Zendejas was notable for just how much more intensity he brought to the field compared to his teammates. Even in the 4-2 win over Jamaica, in the second leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, the U.S. took its foot off the proverbial gas in the second half, conceding twice.

The extent to which the USMNT can be challenged in this area during games is a concern given the lack of competitive fixtures on the calendar ahead of the 2026 World Cup. There are the Concacaf Nations League matches in March, followed by the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer, but that's it.

Pochettino's hope is that the carrot of playing in those tournaments will be enough to drive his players forward.

"I think it's a good opportunity, because of that competitive stress that makes you evolve, [where] you have to compete to get to the World Cup," he said. "But now there's the challenge that we put into the team and players.

"We planted a seed of competitiveness to understand that there are no friendlies. Each game is an opportunity for a player to demonstrate that he can be competing for a spot at the World Cup. The American player is competitive, and we have to understand, and are understanding, that the upcoming games against Costa Rica and Venezuela are games to play and compete. That is something important that we are transmitting."

Pochettino knew that upon signing the U.S. Soccer contract, the hopes of an entire country rested on his shoulders. The coach smiled while insisting he feels no additional pressure from the responsibility to bring joy to a nation's fan base, but his serious tone conveyed the seriousness of the matter.

Although he can only do so much to guide the USMNT to the coveted trophy presented on July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium, Pochettino assured that he will do everything in his power to make the country proud.

"The priority is to transmit the values that are the idiosyncrasy of this land and people," he said. "The culture of the United States, it's clear that in the U.S., if you see all sports, everyone is very competitive, we want to win. So that, a brave team, a team that is the protagonist and that gives a show and joy."

Pochettino is just months into his tenure, but he realized quickly that a lot needs to be done before this team can dream of being world champions. Slowly, his staff is making adjustments to turn the USMNT back into the hungry and electric team it was once projected to be.

It's too early to tell what will happen in 2026, but Pochettino has come to the U.S. determined to take the USMNT to new heights -- and that'll start with the right frame of mind.

FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys are in the early stages of their search to replace Mike McCarthy as head coach, but one name is already known: former Cowboys cornerback and current Colorado coach Deion Sanders.

A source said Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and Sanders spoke Monday, and while an interview has not been scheduled, the two are expected to continue their dialogue. Fox Sports first reported the conversation between the two sides.

Sanders was linked to a Cowboys job that was not even open in the fall.

"To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it's intriguing," Sanders told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday night. "I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up and process it, and think about it, it's intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community."

Sanders just completed his second season at Colorado, where he has posted a 13-12 record, including a 9-4 mark in 2024 during which the Buffaloes had the Heisman Trophy winner in wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter.

In November, Sanders was asked about potential interest from NFL teams.

"I'm happy where I am, man," Sanders said. "I've got a kickstand down. You know what a kickstand is? ... That means I'm resting. I'm good, I'm happy, I'm excited. I'm enthusiastic about where I am. I love it here, truly do."

Sanders received a five-year, $29.5 million contract when he was hired at Colorado in late 2022 after his successful run at Jackson State.

Sanders played five seasons of his Hall of Fame career for the Cowboys, helping the team win Super Bowl XXX in 1996 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He remained in north Texas after his playing career ended, and he has maintained a close relationship with the Jones family.

Per the NFL's Rooney Rule, teams must interview two external minority head coach candidates in their search.

The Cowboys announced Monday that they and McCarthy would part ways after five seasons. McCarthy posted a 49-35 regular-season record, including a 7-10 mark this season.

Rules prohibit any interviews to be scheduled yet, but McCarthy is expected to interview with the Chicago Bears as early as Wednesday, according to multiple sources. The New Orleans Saints also are expected to interview McCarthy.