Key occasions
And with that, John’s again to see you thru the remainder of the afternoon. Enjoy your weekend, and no matter soccer you get to see.
To the WSL, and Tottenham’s interim supervisor,Vicky Jepson, has been talking earlier than tomorrow’s derby with Arsenal, having had a correct week to put together after being parachuted in shortly earlier than their match towards Leicester, which they received, following Rehanne Skinner’s dismissal. “I’m so pleased with how we handled the pressure given we only had 45 minutes training together,” Jepson mentioned of that win, “the three points was massive. It’s been a bit more back to normal in this buildup, we’re now focusing on Arsenal because that’s the next objective.”
Her Arsenal counterpart, Jonas Eidevall, expects a feisty encounter. “Spurs are a physical side, they foul a lot, and we need to handle that together with the referee,” he mentioned, “we know the pitch [at Brisbane Road] is not perfect but if we establish control we can win.” (I can definitely vouch for the pitch remark, having sat via a stodgy draw between Orient and Colchester final week.)
Eidevall mentioned Spurs have “probably been a bit unlucky” in video games this season – they work exhausting and so they’ve bought high quality within the group. We have a variety of respect for them. They will make life very exhausting for us and we’d like to be no prime of our sport.”
Asked whether or not VAR must be launched within the WSL, the Arsenal supervisor replied that sources within the ladies’s sport can be higher spent on academies. “We need to look at [what should be a priority] with a holistic perspective and see where it’s needed. One of the most underfunded parts of the system is the academy system. I don’t want investment in the senior game to come at the expense of that.”
Jürgen Klinsmann’s tenure as South Korea supervisor bought off to an uneven begin as they have been pegged again in a 2-2 draw with Colombia. Son Heung-min scored twice to give the Koreans a snug lead at half-time however two targets in 4 minutes after the restart from James Rodríguez and Jorge Carrascal earned Colombia a draw.
More on the expectations surrounding Klinsmann from Jon Duerden right here:
A bit extra from PA Media on the state of affairs at Wigan, whose gamers skipped coaching this morning in protest at non-payment of wages. It’s all a little bit of a multitude at a membership whose present proprietor, the Bahraini group Phoenix 2021 Limited, solely arrived two years in the past to “rescue” the membership from a equally turbulent possession.
Wigan gamers have been absent from coaching on Friday after not receiving their wages on time for the fourth time this season.
The PA information company understands coaching has been “pushed back to Monday” with a collective determination made by gamers and coach Shaun Maloney. The gamers are apparently not in the proper psychological state following the late fee of wages.
The Sky Bet Championship’s backside membership haven’t paid gamers or employees on time on 4 events this season, which has already resulted in a three-point deduction by the EFL for breaching an settlement the membership had with the governing physique in January, the place they accepted a suspended penalty.
The Latics are at present eight factors from security within the Championship with solely eight video games left to play.
Wigan have continued to play and prepare regardless of the disruptive off-pitch information all through the season however each gamers and coach collectively took the choice not to prepare on Friday morning.
A Wigan spokesperson mentioned: “We are nonetheless ready on the gamers’ wages and that’s no secret.
“Naturally from a coach’s standpoint it’s the right determination and right this moment’s coaching session has been pushed again to Monday.
“The players are not going to be in the right mental state, given they are still waiting on wages.”
Nagelsmann linked with Tottenham job
Thanks John, and as I return comes “breaking news” from Sky that Julian Nagelsmann is among the many names being ruminated over by Tottenham as a substitute for sacked-man-walking Antonio Conte. Not wholly a shock, after all, although nor does it provide any contemporary proof that Spurs’ homeowners are working to any form of long-term strategic plan
Ok, the reins are again with Tom for some time. I’ll be again later.
A peak at that 800th profession aim for Lionel Messi, scored for Argentina towards Panama.
An uncomfortable press convention for Joshua Kimmich, who had to reply questions throughout Germany’s preparation for his or her pleasant with Peru on Saturday. Julian Nagelsmann and he have been shut at Bayern. He makes an attempt a no remark however does say the next:
Julian Nagelsmann is an impressive coach. I’ve had a variety of prime trainers. But he’s in my private prime 3!
Joshua Kimmich will sich zum bevorstehenden Trainerwechsel beim FC Bayern nicht äußern, betont aber: „Julian Nagelsmann ist ein überragender Trainer. Ich hatte schon viele Top-Trainer. Aber er ist in meiner persönlichen Top 3!“ @SPORT1 pic.twitter.com/ZztVFbLB16
— Kerry Hau (@kerry_hau) March 24, 2023
Bob Wilson and Sir Trevor Brooking are pictured collectively at John Motson’s funeral.
Wales have misplaced the companies of Brennan Johnson, the Nottingham Forest flier for his or her opening Euro 2024 qualifier towards Croatia.
Per PA Media: Johnson didn’t hyperlink up with the Wales squad earlier than their departure for Split on Friday.
The in-form Nottingham Forest ahead was due to have been examined by the Wales medical group after struggling a groin pressure on membership obligation.
Johnson suffered the damage throughout Forest’s 3-1 defeat at Tottenham on March 11 however recovered in time to play the total 90 minutes towards Newcastle the next Friday.
It stays to be seen whether or not 21-year-old Johnson might be match sufficient for Wales’ second Euro 2024 qualifier, at residence to Latvia in Cardiff on Tuesday.
Steve Clarke signs new Scotland deal
Clarke signs on till after the 2026 World Cup.
Ian Maxwell, Scottish FA Chief Executive: “This has been one of the easiest decisions and conversations during my time as Chief Executive. Steve has united the nation behind a successful men’s national team and as we look forward to a new UEFA EURO 2024 campaign, it was important we demonstrated our commitment to Steve and his backroom team, and acknowledged the continuity that has been key to our improvement in the past four years.
“I know how determined the squad are to return to a major final after experiencing Euro 2020 and while everyone was disappointed not to have reached the World Cup in Qatar last December, securing promotion to Nations League Group A was another sign of the undeniable progress made.”
Typically understated from Clarke himself: “I am proud that my coaching team and I will continue to lead the team through the next two qualifying campaigns, as well as Nations League Group A, but being able to do so is a testament to the squad of players who have been central to our improvement. The immediate focus is ensuring a positive start to our EUROS campaign against Cyprus, who were the opposition for my first match in charge in 2019.”
New marketing campaign, new contract ✍
Steve Clarke has signed a brand new contract to stay as Scotland Men’s National Team Head Coach till 2026.
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) March 24, 2023
John Brewin
Good afternoon, readers. Yes, let’s prepare to obtain the information from Munich and Tottenham. Wouldn’t or not it’s neat to have all of it tied up right this moment, although reminiscences abound of Antonio Conte being shooed off the Chelsea premises simply as Maurizio Sarri got here in. The identical might now occur with Julian Nagelsmann.
Anyway, as we await white smoke over the Allianz Arena, and lots of different issues, I’m off for some sustenance and John Brewin will slide into the chair. Catch you’se later.
Wigan gamers boycott coaching over non-payment of wages
Wigan Athletic’s squad stayed away from coaching on Friday as they proceed to wait for his or her wages to be paid, 4 days after the Championship membership have been deducted three factors for not paying the gamers’ March wages. It’s the fourth time this season the gamers haven’t been paid on time. We’re gonna want that regulator …
Finnish entrepreneur Zilliacus declares curiosity in Man Utd bid:
A brand new runner within the race? the Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus says he has submitted a bid to purchase Manchester United, speaking of preserving the membership’s “values”. Zilliacus says he desires to purchase half of the membership with the opposite half purchased by followers, who might be a part of membership decision-making.
There is scepticism in regards to the bid’s plausibility although, and Sky’s Kaveh Solhekol says it doesn’t appear severe. Zilliacus, who has beforehand been concerned with HJK Helsinki and ice hockey membership Jokerit in his homeland, is the founder and chairman of a social media group novaM Group.
He says he desires to purchase United via XXI Century Capital, which is an funding agency owned by his holding firm.
Zilliacus mentioned: “Any sport club ultimately should belong to its fans. My bid is built on equality with fans. The current development, where billionaire sheiks and oligarchs take over clubs and control them as their personal playgrounds is not a healthy trend.
“The current market value of the club is just under $3.9bn (£3.17bn). That means that if every one of the fans of the club would join in buying the club, the total sum per fan would amount to less than $6.
“My group will finance half of the sum needed to take over the club, and will ask the fans, through a new company that is being set up for this specific purpose, to participate for the other half. If every fan joins it means less than $3 per fan.”
Hmm.
Tributes have been paid to John Motson on the broadcaster’s funeral this morning: Sir Trevor Brooking, who commentated alongside Motson for the BBC, was joined by a lot of former footballers at Crownhill Crematorium in Milton Keynes, experiences PA Media.
Mark Lawrenson, Garth Crooks, Martin Keown, Ray Stubbs and Bob Wilson – all of whom have labored as pundits for the BBC – have been current. Martin Tyler of Sky Sports was additionally pictured arriving.
And our readers have been paying their very own tributes right here:
Is soccer getting nearer to equal pay for women and men? Fifa confirmed final week that it’s tripling the prize cash out there for groups competing on the Women’s World Cup in July and August to $110m (£90m) and is dedicated to making the lads’s World Cup and girls’s World Cup prize pots equal by the 2026 and 2027 tournaments. Suzanne Wrack has been talking to the final secretary of Fifpro, Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, and its director of worldwide coverage and strategic relations in ladies’s soccer, Sarah Gregorius, about what the modifications imply.
David Hytner has written some extra about Harry Kane’s England document achievement and what it means to him:
The 29-year-old faces a battle to course of the magnitude of what he has achieved – Harry Kane, England’s all-time main scorer, shudder – however the very first thing to say is that it really is the fulfilment of a dream. With all of the love and respect for Spurs, Kane has at all times thought of England as his No 1 precedence and he has by no means hidden that.
He loves to look again on the pictures of himself and his elder brother, Charlie, of their England shirts as youngsters or bear in mind how they’d go together with their mother and father, Pat and Kim, to The Sirloin pub in Chingford, east London, to watch the most important match ties.
Kane noticed nearly all of England’s video games at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup within the Sirloin’s large beer backyard and he would think about when he was older that he might grow to be one of many gamers on the massive display, possibly the captain like his idol, David Beckham.
I used to go to the Sirloin pub (now known as the Dovecote, reality followers) with my people after I have been a child too – good huge beer backyard. But it didn’t lead to wealthy footballing fortunes for me.
Southgate tells England to comply with up win with one other towards Ukraine
Some extra strains from the England supervisor wanting forward to the match towards Ukraine, from PA Media:
Gareth Southgate has informed England’s gamers that the victory in Italy will solely be a improbable consequence in the event that they comply with it up by beating Ukraine in Sunday’s European Championship qualifier.
… Southgate mentioned it was a “massive result” at first of the Group C marketing campaign however warned it is going to depend for little until they comply with it up by beating Ukraine at a sold-out Wembley this weekend.
“We have to go and get a result at Wembley now because this will be a fantastic result if we win and that’s exactly what we’ve said to the players straight after the game,” the England supervisor mentioned.
“Then (on) Monday they will head off wherever they need however it’s going to be exhausting as a result of Ukraine have had no aggressive sport (on Thursday).
“We’ve bought to fly, we’ve bought to recuperate, we’ve bought fairly a number of knocks, so we’re going to want Wembley at its most vocal and supportive on Sunday as a result of it is going to give us an enormous raise.
“If we can play as we did in the first half, then I am sure the fans will enjoy that but we are going to be playing against a very good team and we’ve got to get that right.”
The points Southgate alluded to concerning participant health led to him saying “we will have to have a think about the squad” earlier than the Ukraine match. Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount and Nick Pope have already withdrawn from the preliminary choice, with Fraser Forster to this point the one participant to be introduced in.
Southgate mentioned the gamers are in a interval of the season “where energy is in limited supply” however downplayed considerations over Jordan Henderson having surprisingly not known as on the skilled midfielder from the bench as England noticed out Thursday’s victory.
“He’s missed a lot of training, basically,” the 52-year-old defined. “And the less that we could take out of him (against Italy) the better for the next game, so, yeah, he’s fine.”
First-choice left-back Shaw is unquestionably out of the match towards Ukraine – ranked twenty sixth within the FIFA world rankings – after choosing up a pair of quickfire bookings towards Italy.
Ben Chilwell will certainly are available for his first England look in 16 months after Shaw was dismissed amid a flurry of yellow playing cards from referee Srdjan Jovanovic in Naples.
“I think he tried to kick the ball against the fence for it to bounce back to him and it went over the fence,” Southgate mentioned, reflecting on Shaw’s first reserving for time-wasting.
“I simply thought there have been a variety of counter-attacks that have been stopped going the opposite manner that weren’t yellow playing cards.
“But, yeah, other than that referees have a difficult job and there’s always a lot of pressure from the opposition as well, so we just have to accept it and get on.”
“Security threat” at Elland Road – extra on the Leeds ticket workplace closure: Sky Sports News experiences that police have been known as to Elland Road following experiences of a “security threat to the premises” late final evening. Police investigations are ongoing into the credibility of the alert.
“What moral minefield exactly is there concerning MU?” asks Jeff Sax. “All looks par for the course.” Well in a way it’s, since bids from governments with poor human rights information, fracking fanatics and possession by rapacious wealth extractors are certainly half and parcel of recent elite soccer.
Thomas Tuchel’s seemingly imminent appointment by Bayern Munich has prompted constructive remark from João Cancelo, at present on mortgage with the Bundesliga champions. “I’ve only found out now,” mentioned Cancelo. “I know I won’t find Nagelsmann when I return to Munich. He wanted me at Bayern, I’d like to thank him. As for Tuchel, he made me lose a Champions League final, so I hope he will win it for me this year!”
And a little bit of Spurs fan response, from reader Yash Gupta: “I was mixed on Tuchel’s apparent move to Spurs. You see he’s not Poundland Mourinho aka Antonio Conte, so that was a plus. But he isn’t Mauricio Pochettino either.”
Australia have overwhelmed Ecuador 3-1 in a pleasant within the socceroos’ first outing since their spectacular World Cup marketing campaign. Find out extra right here:
Leeds shut ticket workplace and membership store on police recommendation
This is a curious one, from Elland Road. More as we hear it.
Leeds United’s places of work, ticket workplace, Foundation places of work and membership store at Elland Road might be closed till additional discover on the recommendation of the police.
We apologise for any inconvenience and we are going to inform the general public when regular service resumes
— Leeds United (@LUFC) March 24, 2023
Another speaking level from Naples final evening: the rendition of the guests’ nationwide anthem, which was stricken by technical points and a false begin. The singer, Ellynoar, as apologised for the glitches. “I’m just so angry with what happened because I wanted it to be perfect but what happened wasn’t my fault,” she informed The Mail.
“I want to say sorry to all the England fans who were at the stadium and watching on TV,” she mentioned. “I’m mortified for what happened and I want people to know that I wasn’t being disrespectful. I’m more of a pop artist but at the ground there was a sound issue.
“I had rehearsed the anthem twice the day before the match and then on the night three times but when it came to the actual performance, I had a problem with my earpiece.
“I had the music in my ear and then it stopped and started again, and I was hearing it twice, so it meant I was out of synch, and it was hard for me to catch up.”
There’ll be fairly the debrief among the many sound crew I’m positive.
Brennan Johnson out of Wales’ journey to Croatia
Wales start the post-Gareth Bale period with a fiendishly powerful opening qualifier, away to Croatia, who got here third on the Human Rights World Cup. Joe Allen, Jonny Williams and Chris Gunter have additionally hung up their worldwide boots. And they’ve suffered one other blow with the absence of Brennan Johnson, maybe their most essential attacker now, and the defender Ben Davies.
A little bit of worldwide goss now, with Vinicius Junior speaking up the potential of his Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti, taking on as his worldwide one, with Brazil. The seleçao have had a emptiness for the full-time publish because the departure of Tite following Brazil’s World Cup exit.
Another huge rolling home soccer story is, after all, the ethical minefield that’s the Manchester United takeover saga, and we’ll be preserving them peeled for developments at Old Trafford. Here’s the newest from Sean Ingle:
Concerns are rising amongst some events concerned within the Manchester United sale that the Glazers might need “played them for months” – and as a substitute of promoting the membership they would like to both push up the worth to create leverage for a mortgage, or offload a minority stake to a hedge fund.
Wayne Rooney, England’s earlier document goalscorer, has congratulated Harry Kane on overhauling his worldwide tally and predicted he’ll transcend 70 targets for the group. The former Manchester United striker wrote in The Times: “Knowing Harry, it’s not something that will go to his head. He will kick on and, in fact, I believe that when he stops playing he will leave the England record in a place where it will be very difficult for someone else to break it.
“He wants to be like Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, a goal machine who is still at the very top in his mid-30s, and he has it in him to make that happen. I think Harry will finish with an England goals total well into the 70s.
“You could see it was natural to him. He didn’t have to look where the goal was — he already knew — and he would get his shot away at any opportunity. He was shooting from anywhere, all these mad angles, and that turned out to be a feature of his game.
“The only other person I’ve seen like that is Cristiano Ronaldo and both he and Harry have what you would call a good kind of selfishness, an obsession with goals that is in-built. It is important to their success.
“Records are great when you have them but are always there to be broken. It was a huge honour to be England’s top scorer, but there’s an evolution in football, isn’t there?”
Everton go into their WSL derby towards Liverpool at Goodison as favourites and in fairly buoyant temper, and Louise Taylor’s had a chinwag with their Holmsgaard twins, Sara and Karen:
More on Argentina’s pleasant win over Panama, and the post-World Cup celebration vibes therein, from Reuters:
Argentina beat Panama 2-0 in a pleasant on Thursday with targets from Thiago Almada and Lionel Messi amid a festive environment of their first sport in entrance of their residence followers after profitable the World Cup in December.
Lionel Scaloni picked the identical beginning lineup from the World Cup last win over France as they seemed dominant from the beginning, however couldn’t break via the Panamanian defensive wall till late within the second half.
Atlanta United’s Almada opened the scoring within the 79th minute along with his first worldwide aim after capitalising on a rebound following a free kick by Messi that hit the left publish.
Captain Messi lastly bought his 800th profession aim and doubled the lead within the 89th minute with a superb free-kick that went into the highest proper nook to excite the greater than 80,000 followers chanting his identify on the Monumental Stadium.
“I always dreamed of this moment, to celebrate with you in my country Argentina, lifting the greatest thing that is the World Cup,” Messi mentioned at a post-match ceremony organised by the Argentinian FA to rejoice the nation’s third World Cup title and first in 36 years.
“Let’s keep doing what we are doing and enjoy this, because we have been waiting a long time to win it again. Let’s enjoy the third star.” A tearful Scaloni added: “Eternal gratitude to these gamers. Football belongs to them, and with out them we wouldn’t have received the World Cup.
“Everyone who wears this shirt gives their all and sometimes the results don’t come. But this time we got it and it’s incredible,” mentioned the coach earlier than a victory lap of gamers and households paying homage to the one his group did 95 days in the past on the Lusail Stadium.
Argentina will proceed their World Cup winners’ homecoming with a pleasant towards Curacao on Tuesday, whereas Panama face Costa Rica within the CONCACAF Nations League.
Preamble
Morning everybody. And it’s an excellent one when you’re an England fan, following one of many extra spectacular outcomes and performances of the Gareth Southgate period, in Naples final evening. It’s definitely up there with Spain 2018 and Germany 2021. And hats off to Harry Kane, for burying reminiscences of that penalty miss and blootering residence his newest spot-kick final evening to grow to be England’s document goalscorer.
Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo was breaking information too – turning into the all-time document worldwide look maker and marking his 197th cap with two targets in Portugal’s simple win over Liechtenstein. His previous mucker Lionel Messi scored too, a luxurious free-kick for Argentina towards Panama. Elsewhere within the Euros Northern Ireland started their marketing campaign with victory over San Marino.
The huge membership soccer information is Bayern Munich’s binning-off of Julian Nagelsmann in response to the shame of the champions not being out of sight on the prime of the Bundesliga for a change. Thomas Tuchel is in line to substitute him, which is able to scupper one in every of Tottenham’s post-Antonio Conte choices – maybe they’ll go for Nagelsmann?
We’ll convey you information from Bayern because it occurs plus all of the buildup to the weekend’s internationals, with a tasty assembly of France and the Netherlands tonight and Wales and Scotland in motion tomorrow. It’s additionally a giant weekend within the Women’s Super League, with a Merseyside derby tonight, a north London derby tomorrow and Manchester City taking over Chelsea on Sunday. And we received’t overlook that there’s some essential EFL video games this weekend too. Peterborough v Derby in League One and Stevenage v Salford in League Two look the choose of tomorrow’s matches.
In the meantime, right here’s some content material from final evening in Naples:
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