Key occasions
I’m interested in this expanded Membership World Cup – it appears a ridiculous extravagance to me, however am conscious the earlier iteration meant much more to golf equipment exterior Europe. Is anybody on the market excited for it? There are some intriguing fixtures (Bayern v Boca Juniors sounds enjoyable) however I concern it’ll have a severely pre-season vibe with the calendar so packed already.
Arising quickly: Julen Lopetegui, Mikel Arteta, Enzo Maresca and Pep Guardiola. The latter two managers have came upon their Membership World Cup opponents for subsequent summer time; we’ll see if both has something to say about participant burnout right now.
Right here’s an perception into Premier League managers’ scorching beverage habits. Twenty cups of tea, Gary? Twenty? That’s insane.
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Staying with England internationals at struggling second-tier sides, right here’s Wayne Rooney, beneath strain at Plymouth: “I’m a fighter, I’m going to guide us and be an instance to gamers,” he stated earlier than Argyle host Oxford tomorrow. “I’m loving the job, we’ve had good days, dangerous days. Hoping to guide the workforce to some higher days.”
Frank Lampard is settling in as the brand new Coventry supervisor, and can take his workforce to Millwall on Saturday afternoon. “I nonetheless have the identical perception within the squad after per week, it’s a very good group, we’ve had a very good week’s work, I’m beginning to get to know them. It’s a proficient group, not likely mirrored [in results] so I need to see development.”
“I’m wondering what number of objectives Ian Rush would possibly tuck away if he performed within the present Liverpool workforce,” writes Tim Woods. “I’ll exit on a limb and wager it is perhaps a pair greater than our present quantity 9.”
Everton host Liverpool for what might be the ultimate time at Goodison Park on Saturday. The membership are resulting from transfer into their new waterfront stadium subsequent season, however worrying clips emerged of water operating down steps and concourses amid heavy rain on Merseyside. Everton have performed down issues, telling the Liverpool Echo {that a} new drainage system, but to be put in, will forestall repeat incidents.
Listed here are this weekend’s Premier League fixtures because the match weeks pile up, decreasing fantasy soccer groups to mud.
Saturday (3pm until said)
Everton v Liverpool (12.30pm)
Aston Villa v Southampton
Brentford v Newcastle
Crystal Palace v Manchester Metropolis
Manchester United v Nottingham Forest (5.30pm)
Sunday (2pm until said)
Fulham v Arsenal
Ipswich v Bournemouth
Leicester v Brighton
Tottenham v Chelsea (4.30pm)
Monday
West Ham v Wolves (8pm)
Within the WSL, extra Chelsea damage information: Sonia Bompastor has confirmed striker Sam Kerr will stay sidelined till at the least February. The Australia ahead sustained an ACL damage in coaching final January. “We want to perhaps have her again with us February, March, not earlier than that,” stated the Chelsea supervisor, who can also be with out Lauren James till the brand new 12 months.
I’ve been having fun with this sequence – and would love to listen to your membership’s finest five-a-side workforce, whether or not Italian or in any other case. You may electronic mail me right here.
‘I received pretty’, Mourinho tells Guardiola
Earlier this week, Pep Guardiola talked about José Mourinho in his pre-game press convention, and to no one’s shock, Mourinho has hit again after Guardiola identified he has received twice as many Premier League titles as his former rival.
“He received six trophies and I received three, however I received pretty and cleanly,” stated Mourinho, now in cost at Fenerbahce. “If I misplaced, I need to congratulate my opponent as a result of he was higher than me. I don’t need to win by coping with 150 lawsuits.”
The Spurs supervisor provides that Ben Davies received’t characteristic in opposition to Chelsea after a hamstring damage final evening. Cristian Romero, out since November, is again in coaching. “We’ve accomplished properly in opposition to the groups on the prime of the desk,” Postecoglou says. “It’s at all times a tricky sport in opposition to them however we’re at house, and we have to produce a efficiency like these video games [against top teams].”
On the larger image: “I’m right here, I’m going to combat to deliver success to this soccer membership, nothing adjustments. The place there’s doubt, internally or externally, that simply makes my resolve stronger to get issues proper. The supporters will really feel what they really feel, whether or not they see what we’re making an attempt to do or not, I can’t change that with out proof on the pitch. It’s as much as me that they do see that.”
Postecoglou: “The frustration final evening is a repeat of the cycle of us going into video games, beginning properly however letting the opposition get into it by conceding sloppy objectives, or not taking probabilities. There’s not a whole lot of alternative to relaxation and rotate gamers … [but] we’ve repeatedly shot ourselves within the foot in video games this season.”
Postecoglou ‘taking suggestions on board’
“We received again at 2am, not a lot time for reflection. A disappointing evening, and we’ve received work to do,” says Postecoglou. On followers expressing their discontent after the 1-0 loss at Bournemouth, he says: “They aren’t behind me, they’re behind the membership. I’ve received no real interest in who’s behind me.”
“Final evening you must determine the followers who journey to Bournemouth are pretty hardcore supporters. They weren’t pleased with what they noticed and so they felt like they wanted to provide some suggestions. I took the suggestions on board and we transfer on.”
Thanks, Dave. We’ll begin off with Ange Postecoglou, who’s again in entrance of the press round 14 hours after rowing with away followers down on the Vitality Stadium.
And on that, I’ll hand over to Niall McVeigh to take you thru the afternoon.
And for stability, right here’s Ian Rush’s hat-trick in Liverpool’s 5-0 win at Goodison in 1982. Notice the same equipment to this 12 months’s. omen?
It’s the Merseyside derby this weekend, the 245th when you’ve been counting.
A bit surprisingly given Liverpool’s latest dominance of the fixture, the win rely is 41 every at Goodison, the Blues drawing stage with a 2-0 win final season, their first at house since 2010.
Right here’s a well-known Everton win from the vaults, together with the well-known aftermath. Choose that out Ray Clemence.
First Trent Alexander-Arnold stated it and now Cole Palmer has his eyes on the last word particular person prize – successful the Ballon d’Or.
This was TAA a couple of weeks in the past: “I need to be the primary full-back to ever do it.”
That is Palmer speaking on the latest Males In Blazers podcast: “Ballon d’Or, that’s what everybody desires to win. I want.”
Was this at all times the case? Is it an indication of ambition or barely skewed priorities?
Or is it only a approach of securing a future transfer to Actual Madrid?
Palmer completed twenty fifth within the race to be named the very best participant on the planet for 2024, with Manchester Metropolis’s Rodri claiming the prize.
Lauren James has missed Chelsea’s final eight video games resulting from a calf drawback and boss Sonia Bompastor expects her to stay out of motion till the brand new 12 months.
Bompastor informed a press convention on Friday: “LJ is progressing very well together with her rehab.
“I believe will probably be troublesome to see her earlier than the top of the 12 months. We nonetheless have a small hope on that, so we’ll see. However I’m extra anticipating her with the ability to play with us in January.
“She’s in a very good place mentally, bodily progressing. I noticed her on the pitch, she is beginning to run, she has began to the touch the ball. So it’s a very good sign and she or he shall be contemporary in January for positive.”
Chelsea have actually coped properly with out her, successful all eight video games within the WSL this season and 12 out of 12 in complete.
And that dominance has prompted this…
A bit extra from Eddie Howe, this time regarding workforce information for Newcastle’s journey to play Brentford at Fortress Gtech on Saturday.
“There have been some drained our bodies within the workforce,” admitted Howe after the Magpies performed out a blood-and-thunder 3-3 draw with Liverpool on Wednesday.
“Anthony Gordon was fatigued on the finish of his efficiency and naturally if you empty like that and also you give a lot to the sport, there’s going to be successful.
“Alex[ander Isak] labored extraordinarily laborious and he was drained on the finish of the sport, so our job is to refuel the group and go once more in what is a superb alternative for us.”
Kieran Trippier, who missed the Liverpool sport resulting from sickness, is prone to be included within the travelling squad.
Eddie Howe has admitted he “can’t assure” that Newcastle won’t promote extra gamers within the January switch window with a view to adjust to Premier League spending guidelines.
The Magpies had been compelled to dump Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh in the summertime to make sure they didn’t fall foul of Revenue and Sustainability Guidelines (PSR) and face a potential factors deduction.
And talking at a press convention forward of Saturday’s journey to Brentford, Howe hinted that extra motion is probably going subsequent month because the membership proceed to work inside the parameters of a system he not too long ago criticised as “not proper”.
Howe stated: “The times when groups don’t promote gamers, until your income streams are so large, are gone. So I believe our income streams aren’t the place we would like them to be.
“We are attempting to develop them, so I believe buying and selling out and in goes to be important. Hopefully it’s not going to be gamers that we’re compelled to promote like we had been in that scenario (in the summertime) with a few days of deadlines approaching.
“Hopefully it’s a extra steady setting however you’ll be able to’t assure something. Nothing is totally mounted and there shall be numerous twists and turns.”
(PA Media)
In our newest Shifting the Goalposts publication, Esther Appiah-Fei seems at how a luxurious tax on overseas sanitary pads is tainting the expertise of some gamers and harming their progress in Ghana’s Premier League.
Tom Garry
Lauren Hemp’s knee surgical procedure was a hit however it stays too early to say when she’s going to return to full health, though the Manchester Metropolis head coach, Gareth Taylor, has sought to ease issues on the damage’s severity.
Taylor confirmed it was Hemp’s meniscus (knee cartilage) that had required remedy in November, relatively than a longer-term restoration timeframe reminiscent of an ACL, when requested whether or not Hemp’s damage was prone to be season-ending.
“It was a meniscus damage,” he stated. “Right away if you hear ‘knee surgical procedure’, I believe everybody thinks of the worst which is ACL, so no, she did it within the sport in opposition to Crystal Palace and performed within the Spurs sport [after that], which most likely tells you it wasn’t something important however it’s clearly important sufficient for her to overlook this run of video games.
“The surgical procedure was actually profitable, that’s the optimistic information. It was simply a difficulty she had that wanted taking good care of, related in a approach to Viv’s [Vivianne Miedema’s].
“It’ll [Hemp’s return] be the brand new 12 months, there’s little question; there’s no approach we’re going to see her on this subsequent run of 4 video games. Hopefully the nearer that’s to new 12 months, the higher for us.
“After all, with somebody like Lauren, they’ve vastly fast restoration powers. She’s aligned with what she must do to get robust and prepared and having her again can be wonderful.”
Taylor additionally confirmed that Hemp’s fellow England winger, Chloe Kelly, would miss Sunday’s go to of Leicester Metropolis whereas she concludes concussion protocols.
Justin Kluivert scored a hat-trick of penalties for Bournemouth at Wolves final weekend – a primary for the Premier League. However who was the final participant to do it within the English prime flight? The Information is aware of.
Measuring how a lot strain a supervisor is beneath can typically be detected by refined adjustments within the English language. Elongating to full, formal titles and third person-speak are the same old giveaways, reminiscent of this from an ex-Leicester boss: “Micky Adams must get again into the behavior of successful soccer matches.”
I concern Wolves boss Gary O’Neill goes the identical approach. Right here he’s speaking forward of Monday’s conflict with West Ham.
“Wolverhampton Wanderers wants to remain within the Premier League no matter whether or not there are seven managers on this season or whether or not it’s me that takes it the entire approach by means of. We have to discover a approach to maintain this soccer membership within the Premier League, that’s all that issues.”
West Ham United’s supervisor, Mr Julen Lopetegui, can also be susceptible after all. Monday evening is an enormous one for these two Premier League golf equipment – West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Brentford’s house type is among the nice issues of the 2024/25 season. The Bees have performed seven occasions on the Gtech, received six, drawn one and misplaced none. Their tally of house factors, 19, is the very best within the Premier League as is their tally of house objectives, 22. The following guests are Newcastle and the Brentford boss, Thomas Frank, has heaped reward on his oppositie quantity.
Frank stated: “This season I believe they’re again to the excessive stage of two years in the past. I don’t suppose they’ve been rewarded sufficient with factors and outcomes.
“If I see their video games, they had been good at house to Arsenal, good at house to Liverpool, excellent away to Chelsea – unfortunate to not get one thing out of the sport. House to West Ham, they completely dominated them.
“So, I believe it’s an Eddie Howe workforce that’s as much as its finest and so it will be an enormous take a look at for us. This would be the largest take a look at that we’ve confronted at house up to now this season.”
Each groups have 20 factors up to now, Brentford (eleventh) simply nudging forward of Newcastle (twelfth) on aim distinction.
Thrilling 2025 Membership World Cup information as Messi’s Inter Miami are doing one thing or different and Man Metropolis have been drawn with Wydad AC and Al Ain. Within the group stage. Subsequent summer time. Learn all about it or learn Philippe Auclair’s piece on all this shenanigans.
The 100 finest feminine footballers on the planet 2024. Right here’s the third instalment of our annual rating. Temwa Chawinga, Ewa Pajor and Lauren James all characteristic as we transfer as much as eleventh.
Tom Garry
The England midfielder Ella Toone will stay sidelined with a calf damage till at the least the beginning of 2025, the Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner has stated.
Toone has been absent since sustaining the damage in mid-November and missed England’s latest friendlies in opposition to the USA and Switzerland.
Manchester United have two extra league fixtures earlier than the Ladies’s Tremendous League enters its winter break and Skinner stated of Toone: “We’re hoping she’s again and prepared for choice for the early video games in January, to face Man Metropolis [19 Jan] and so forth.
“Her return to play shall be scheduled. That’s after we’re seeking to get her again. She’s missed it, she loves enjoying soccer to her core.”
Skinner additionally revealed that his workforce’s Norway midfielder Lisa Naalsund will equally be out till the winter break, however that the Norway striker Elisabeth Terland is obtainable for Sunday’s WSL assembly with Liverpool.
Anyway, overlook the highest 4, let’s take a second to pay tribute to Fulham and Alex Iwobi.
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Fulham are sixth within the desk after beating Brighton 3-1 final evening.
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Alex Iwobi (4) has now scored twice as many objectives as Erling Haaland (2) within the final six Premier League video games.
A report right here on how Iwobi’s double lifted the Cottagers into the highest six.
So to this weekend’s Premier League fixtures. Enjoyable truth: the highest 4 all face away journeys.
Saturday
12.30 Everton v Liverpool
15.00 Aston Villa v Southampton
15.00 Brentford v Newcastle
15.00 Crystal Palace v Man Metropolis
17.30 Man Utd v Nottingham Forest
Sunday
14.00 Fulham v Arsenal
14.00 Ipswich v Bournemouth
14.00 Leicester v Brighton
16.30 Spurs v Chelsea
Monday
20.00 West Ham v Wolves
The Premier League desk is beginning to take form now with a really clear and apparent prime 4.
And to finish a very good midweek for the chasing pack, even Manchester Metropolis managed to win. After fever dream type of LLLLLDL, Pep lastly received a W because of a 3-0 house victory over Nottingham Forest. They’re now 9 off the tempo after a sport that noticed them double their season’s aim distinction to +6.
Arsenal additionally pulled to inside seven of Liverpool after scoring twice from corners of their 2-0 win over Manchester United on Wednesday evening. That ended Ruben Amorim’s three-game unbeaten begin as Outdated Trafford boss. The Portuguese had stated previous to the Emirates conflict: “The storm will come. We’re going to have troublesome moments and we shall be came upon in some video games.” This was one in all them.
Are Chelsea within the title race or not likely? Their 5-1 win at Southampton says sure and whilst you learn the report of that one and ponder if they’ve it in them to win the Premier League, take pleasure in an image of the week contender: the stunning blue tones of Christopher Nkunku blowing up a balloon after he scored Chelsea’s second.
Liverpool’s lead on the prime was reduce to seven factors after their thrilling 3-3 draw at Newcastle on Wednesday evening. Conceding a Ninetieth-minute equaliser is at all times going to harm – simply punch it Caoimhin! – however at the least Arne Slot made some promising noises about Mo Salah signing a brand new contract after the Egyptian continued his ridiculously good type with two objectives and an help.
And now for Coleen, who has made fairly a mark throughout her time on I’m A Celeb. She’s second favorite with the bookies by the best way. Function right here:
Let’s take you into Rooney world and we’ll begin with Wayne, who’s coming to phrases with latest 6-1 (Norwich) and 4-0 (Bristol Metropolis) losses which left Plymouth twenty first place within the Championship. Their away type exhibits two factors from a potential 30; the Pilgrims’ aim distinction on the street is -24.
Nonetheless, Plymouth proprietor Simon Hallet informed a followers discussion board this week that “there aren’t any conversations occurring about changing Wayne” and, to be truthful, Rooney’s aspect have been fairly respectable at House Park with only one defeat in eight matches. time then for Plymouth to have back-to-back house matches. The primary is in opposition to Oxford, who’re additionally winless on the street.
Ange is sucking it up after Tottenham’s depressing defeat at Bournemouth. It ended 1-0 however may have simply been three of 4. “You’ve received to cop it,” he growled later. Right here’s the response as Spurs’ extremely miffed followers let him know what they thought.
Preamble
A midweek spherical of Premier League video games is a superb alternative for groups to make a decisive transfer up the desk or, alternatively, for followers to get much more narked and the narkiest of the lot after MD 14 are Tottenham’s after their aspect served up a heap of piling dung, mate in a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth. That’s one level from six in video games in opposition to Fulham and the Cherries for Spurs since they mistakenly raised expectation ranges with the 4-0 gubbing of Manchester Metropolis on the Etihad. What does Ange should say? We’ll deliver you response to that and all of the supervisor press conferences and workforce information because the day goes on.
Leaders Liverpool face one other robust away take a look at following their 3-3 draw at Newcastle once they tackle Everton within the final ever Merseyside derby at Goodison earlier than the Blues transfer to their new stadium. One other slip and the hooves of chasers Arsenal and Chelsea would possibly simply begin to rattle that bit louder.
The Premier League fixture listing is rounded off on Monday evening with a cracking version of ‘managers beneath strain’ that includes Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham tackle Gary O’Neil’s Wolves. You wouldn’t need to be the loser in that one. And staying on the theme of actuality TV, how’s Coleen getting on within the jungle (sure, we have now a characteristic!) whereas hubby Wayne is compiling one of many worst away data a soccer league workforce has ever seen. Will Plymouth resolve to get him out of there?
All shall be revealed. Let’s get this factor on.
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