Key occasions
And that’s my brief and candy stint carried out. Dominic Booth will now information you expertly via the afternoon. Bye.
More emails: “When did Match Day 1 or whatever move across the Atlantic and become accepted, if not acceptable, in reference to the ‘Greatest League in the World’ (TM)?” thunders Richard Hurst. “Please can we put it in the (top)bin along with xG. And bah humbug to early Christmas decorations as well, whilst we’re at it.”
I type of like “top bin”, principally as a result of it doesn’t actually make any sense, although I think it’s an expression beloved of the type of individuals who used to go on about “teckers” again within the Noughties. If doubtful, blame Tim Lovejoy.
Never underestimate the capability of football golf equipment to flip the straightforward pleasures of live fandom into a chore. “Last season I was able to spend some lovely afternoons at Prenton Park with my eldest watching LFC women play,” writes William Preston. “It’s a super way to spend some time and she absolutely loved going. What made it even more special was the players making time to speak to the crowd after the game and being happy to have photos taken, and sign things.
“This season, however, if you aren’t a season ticket holder match day tickets are only available for the Kop (or Cow Shed) ends of the ground (behind thr goals). Being situated there means the great inclusivity and interaction bit is lost, which has really put us off going, because the views aren’t nearly as good as the other stand, especially for a 9 year old. The cost of a season ticket isn’t absurdly high, which is commendable, but the restriction on not being a holder does smart a little bit. In 22-23, LFC women averaged 2,500 spectators a game (if you exclude the derby game, which isn’t at Prenton Park), so there’s plenty capacity there, keeping in mind the current average attendance for the season is 2,000 (derby excluded). It seems a bit of a regressive move, to me, and puts off the more casual fans.”
Want one thing to hear to whereas chomping in your lunch? The newest Football Weekly providing will allow you to just do that.
London is to host Fifa’s clumsily named The Best awards ceremony on 15 January, PA Media experiences. The awards will recognise the top-performing gamers and coaches within the males’s and girls’s recreation in 2023, in addition to hand out prizes for honest play, the most effective objective of the yr and the Fifa fan award. Fifa has not confirmed the exact venue but.
The nominees for this yr’s males’s participant award embody England and Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice together with Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva, plus the previous City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
City supervisor Pep Guardiola is one of 5 nominees for the lads’s coach of the yr award, together with Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou. Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson has been nominated for the lads’s goalkeeper prize whereas Manchester United’s Andre Onana, who helped Internazionale to final season’s Champions League remaining, can be one of the nominees.
In the ladies’s class, 5 of the England workforce that reached the World Cup remaining in August have been nominated. Goalkeeper Mary Earps is up for the award for her place, whereas Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood, Lauren James and Keira Walsh have been nominated for the outfield participant prize. The workforce’s coach, Sarina Wiegman, is nominated for the ladies’s coach award alongside outgoing Chelsea’s Emma Hayes.
Four members of the World Cup-winning Spain workforce – Aitana Bonmatí (who you’d think about is favorite), Jennifer Hermoso and Salma Paralluelo plus goalkeeper Catalina Coll – have been nominated, however the workforce’s coach Jorge Vilda was blanked within the girls’s coach class.
Guardiola: ‘Many good, thrilling and delightful issues are forward of us’
Just caught a transient snippet of a perky Pep Guardiola, shrugging off current stumbles: There’s a lot of video games to play, many good, thrilling and delightful issues are forward of us, now we have to embrace it.”
“Good afternoon Tom.” Good afternoon Krishna Murthy. “If someone told you that Match Day 16 between Arsenal and Aston Villa would be one between two title contenders, would you have believed it? Nice to see two shrewd managers quietly performing exceptionally on a limited budget. More impressive when 1 Bn + team is hurtling toward relegation.” A reference to Man City’s disciplinary elephant within the room? Or the humdrum struggles of Chelsea?
Thanks Luke, afternoon everyone for the lunchtime bit within the center. And we zip off to the west Midlands the place Unai Emery has been talking about workforce of the second Aston Villa’s massive showdown with Arsenal tomorrow. And the Spaniard is stressing the necessity to focus for a fourth recreation in 10 days, and after a euphoric however draining win over Manchester City:
“We’ve had to rest,” says Emery. “Of course we have to be happy but we have to be focused – the match on Wednesday has finished, we enjoyed that moment with our supporters at Villa Park but now have to focus on our professional work tomorrow.
Asked about his own development as a coach, Emery replies: “My past four clubs were all different, the experience at Arsenal was very important, I’ve always tried to learn with the players I have and the coaches working with me, trying to get the best professionals around me to help me with their point of view.
“We are adding experiences for our players, experiences in Europe, experiences like four matches in 10 days, it’s practice for them as well.”
That’s all from me – Tom Davies is right here to information you thru the following bit.
A quick damage replace additionally got here from Klopp, other than the stuff on Matip, earlier than tomorrow’s assembly with Palace. The goalkeeper Alisson and Alexis Mac Allister, who took knocks to his ankle and knee within the win towards Sheffield United on Wednesday, are each uncertain.
“Alisson looks good, but I don’t know if good enough for tomorrow,” Klopp mentioned. “I’ll have to check that with the coaches and the medical department. And with Ali, of course.
“Macca [Mac Allister] doesn’t look good. He’ll have to see day by day. But they were pretty hopeful after the [Sheffield United] game it was not that serious … I don’t expect him to be ready for tomorrow. I don’t know about Thursday or Sunday after that.”
Jonathan Wilson
A chat-in between the Sunderland membership hierarchy and members of the Red and White Army Supporters’ Trust within the newly refurbished Montgomery Suite at the Stadium of Light. Fans might ask questions by writing them on a slip of paper, including their title and handing them to volunteers. Frankie, the compere, took one from the pile. It was for Kristjaan Speakman, Sunderland’s sporting director.
“Why,” it requested, “have we not got a proven centre-forward?” Speakman, half-joking, sighed, appeared visibly deflated. It’s a query he’s been requested in all probability a whole lot of instances this yr. There was no title on the slip of paper. Looking throughout the viewers, he requested who had written the query, wanting to deal with them instantly. One hand went up. Then one other. Then one other and one other. Soon, because the spirit of Spartacus took maintain, everyone within the room had their hand within the air.
Postecoglou: Tottenham have ‘a lot of work to do’
Ange Postecoglou, the Tottenham head coach, is requested for an damage replace after final night time’s loss towards West Ham, earlier than Spurs host Newcastle on Sunday. “Nothing really … Son was a bit sore after the game … we’ll need to see how he recovers today. There were a couple of others with knocks, but nothing significant.”
It’s a dangerous spell for Spurs however that is simply the beginning, opines the questioner: “I think I’ve been consistent in saying that [that it’s just the start of the project] when things are going well,” Postecoglu says. “I don’t think it was a brilliant start [in last night’s match against West Ham] … we’ve got to take advantage of the dominance in games, and we’re not … we had a couple of defensive lapses and West Ham will always punish you.”
“To be brilliant, the football has to be there in its entirety … In the front third we’ve got a lot of work to do, and that’s costing us in terms of results …we’ve got to push on and become better in those areas.
The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg asks where Postecoglu thinks Tottenham are, overall, 15 Premier League games into his tenure: “We’re at the beginning of trying to build something,” he says. “There’s been progress made for sure in many areas … in others we need to do a lot of work. We’ve obviously had some challenges in that time frame, injuries that have affected our ability to have a consistent lineup … but that happens to every club.
“[Cristian] Romero was good last night, but obviously got a bit tired towards the end. He gave everything … good to get him back in the lineup. He gives us a certain security… and he’s a leader, a strong figure, which we will need in this period.”
What has affected Newcastle’s away kind this season? “It’s fair to say Newcastle are the only other club that have gone through any thing like we have from an injury perspective … they’ve battled through it very well with the amount of disruption they’ve had to their first-team squad … it’ll be a tough game on Sunday, for us, because again they’ve got a team that do have goal threats. They work hard as a unit and we’ve got to be able to match that.”
Stephen Robinson insists there stays large perception at St Mirren regardless of their current collapse in kind. After a formidable begin to the season, the Buddies’ 1-0 defeat at St Johnstone in midweek means they’ve misplaced three Premiership video games in a row with just one win in seven, which has seen them drop from third to fourth within the desk.
Before Saturday’s house recreation towards Ross County the Saints boss mentioned the “spirit hasn’t changed”. “I am experienced enough in management now to know everything doesn’t need to be thrown out when you go on a run like this,” he mentioned. “That is the biggest mistake I made before, to scrap everything, rip the script up and start again, that doesn’t need to happen.
“It is about turning those small percentages around. It is up to me to get that back. We spoke about it [belief] after the Ross County game because that was our biggest disappointment. We didn’t play. We have a plan at the football club that we stick to … The players know that they are small margins away from winning football matches again and the belief is massively there. Our home form has been fantastic and we have a group of players who haven’t lost belief.”
Karen Carney
What a week it has been for ladies’s football with the announcement that the federal government has backed the evaluation I chaired and the endorsement of NewCo to take management of the Super League and Championship. It is a incredible begin however there’s nonetheless a lot of work to be carried out.
The girls’s football evaluation has my title on it, so understandably it means a lot to me. It took a lot of arduous work from an extremely proficient workforce who’re keen to ensure that the game progresses and that’s one thing I have to thank them for.
Ange Postecoglu, the Tottenham supremo, is up quickly.
The Bayern Munich coach, Thomas Tuchel, used this week’s shock break to fine-tune his workforce’s aggression and depth forward of Saturday’s Bundesliga match at Eintracht Frankfurt, he mentioned immediately.
Bayern’s league recreation towards Union Berlin final week was postponed after heavy snowfall throughout Bavaria and has been rescheduled for twenty-four January. Having been eradicated from the German Cup, they have been additionally spared from motion on this week’s Round of 16.
“I don’t know if this match-free week is a blessing or a curse,” Tuchel mentioned. “To suddenly have so much time at a phase when you are at your limit … Suddenly you have a week’s worth of training.”
The Bavarians, who’ve certified for the Champions League knockout phases, are in second place within the Bundesliga, on 32 factors with a recreation in hand. Leaders Bayer Leverkusen are on 35.
“What we had wanted to do against Union was to up the level of investment in our game and our aggression. Now it is about keeping that tension high. It is not worth philosophising about whether this match-free week) was good or bad. We tried to use the week to train on our aggression and intensity. We have to bring it on the pitch,” he mentioned.
Tuchel may have midfielder Jamal Musiala again within the squad after the Germany worldwide recovered from his hamstring damage.
“Musiala has been included in the squad,” Tuchel mentioned. “Certainly he will not play over 90 minutes but we will decide if he will start or finish the game for us.” (Reuters)
A Villans-themed electronic mail arrives from Alex:
“Now ‘Fortress Villa Park’ has become a thing, Villa are surfing the crest of a wave & ‘being taken seriously for the title’ and Unai Emery has never had a goalless draw as a manager in the Premier League …
“I’m not wanting to encourage betting cos I hate it, but, if you do a harmless sweepstake with your football friends, make sure you bag the 0-0. Anyway, Up The Villa!”
Lunchtime is quick approaching. Why not put your ft up and revel in Andy Brassell’s massive interview with Xabi Alonso, the Bayer Leverkusen coach, and former Liverpool and Real Madrid legend:
If you missed it – poisoned-chalice Old Trafford news from in a single day:
Erik ten Hag has revealed he was warned not to develop into the Manchester United supervisor as a result of it was deemed an “impossible” job.
Get your self up, man! Put a smile in your face!
MPs have urged the Football Association to amend its insurance policies on transgender inclusion within the girls’s recreation, accusing the governing physique of “turning a blind eye” to the problem.
Klopp: Nobody turned champion on “matchday 16”
Liverpool’s supervisor Klopp is requested concerning the potential to go prime of the desk with a win towards Palace in South London: “Nobody became champion because they were top of the table at 2.15 on “matchday 16”,” he says. “But we need the points. That’s what we prepare for in a short space of time.”
The subsequent query is about Roy Hodgson. The reporter says Klopp was 9 years outdated when the Englishman received his first job in administration. Klopp chuckles after which mentions one thing about watching Arrigo Sacchi on VHS video tapes together with Hodgson (little doubt referring to Hodgson’s Internazionale days). “I’m really pleased I met him in the Premier League. He’s an outstanding person and a really nice man.
“When I see him I ask: ‘What are you doing here still?’ … I couldn’t respect him more … I don’t know how he’s doing that [still managing] to be honest. But yeah, great guy.”
Klopp is requested concerning the comparatively massive quantity of groups battling to be within the prime 5 this season: “I couldn’t be less interested in that,” he replies together with his trademark Friday-morning grumpiness. “But it looks a bit unusual that City are not first, second. Arsenal are doing extremely well. We are doing not too bad. Aston Villa are super strong, pretty impressive performance last game to be honest. United … whatever. I’m not following it really … for sure I forgot somebody, not on purpose … what can I say? We can only beat anybody in the games we play and with consistency over a season. So far that looks all right. But we should have a few points more but we are where we are.”
Klopp is requested about Joel Matip, who has an ACL damage that will hold him out for the remainder of the season. His contract is up at the tip of the season, too. When a reporter says: “it would be a real shame if that was his last action for the club,” Klopp says: “Yes, it’s true … I’m pretty sure the club will show their class … I’m pretty sure the club told him, while he’s injured, everything is fine …”
“So he might get a new contract?”
“I would say so – but it’s not my decision.”
Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool supervisor, is having a chat with media now.
Following final night time’s win over Newcastle, Sean Dyche was requested about how the workforce have responded to the 10-point deduction: “It’s a season’s work … you do the best you can to control the results … the points [deduction] is done.
“Let’s get on with it. The players have responded to that. They’ve gone: ‘Yeah, OK. Let’s get on with things’ … We can guarantee our mentality and playing hard, which we were doing anyway.”
Jonas Eidevall, the Arsenal Women head coach, is having a chat earlier than Sunday’s WSL match towards Chelsea – which could be very almost a sellout. First, he’s requested about profitable the WSL November supervisor of the month gong: “It’s a reflection of a really good month,” Eidevall mentioned. “Credit should go to the wider staff group, and the players.”
Are the gamers completely happy for him? “I don’t know … we all need to individually contribute … the reason we’re here is to win things with Arsenal.
The Emirates is nearly sold out, does that again show the progress being made in women’s football? “I think we have to push and make it a sellout,” says Eidevall. “The atmosphere [created by fans] drives us … we’re 2,000 short of it being a sellout. Let’s push. You don’t want to miss this game.”
“It [the growth of the game] is down to so many people at the clubs clubs, commercial, communications, supporters … It can’t only be driven by a few. It has to be driven by many.”
How about this … 10 issues to look out for within the Premier League this weekend:
The Arsenal head coach, Mikel Arteta, was additionally requested if he’ll probably rejoice up within the stand at Villa Park tomorrow:
“In the director’s box, I don’t think so!” he mentioned. “Never say never, because the game can get very emotional, but I will try not to do that.”
Just a smattering of response from Newcastle’s Eddie Howe to final night time’s loss at Everton, who says accidents are catching up together with his squad:
“We have to do better. There are then reasons behind every performance … [but] there are some quality players, outstanding players who aren’t with us at the moment. And I do think you can potentially do it for a short period of time, but the longer you do it, the harder it gets. I think it was a missed opportunity for us.”
“It was a missed opportunity, I don’t think we really grabbed it and we paid the price”
Eddie Howe reacts to Newcastle’s 3-0 defeat to Everton 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/FfriVgcclL
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 7, 2023
Arteta: “I don’t know how to stop it.”
Or in different phrases: “I’m about to lose control, and I think I like it.”
Arteta: I will not stop displaying my emotion regardless of touchline ban
Mikel Arteta insists he’ll proceed to present emotion on the touchline regardless of touchdown himself with a ban for Arsenal’s journey to Aston Villa.
The Arsenal head coach obtained a third yellow card of the season through the Gunners’ 4-3 win at Luton, so won’t be within the dugout at Villa Park, and will face a additional touchline ban following a cost for his post-match feedback after the controversial loss at Newcastle.
“I don’t know how to stop it,” the Arsenal head coach mentioned. “It was a really emotional moment with everybody bouncing around and you lose sense of where you are and the space you have to be in.
“It was unfortunate as now I cannot be next to my team on the touchline but it is a decision that they make looking strictly at the rules. After that I straight away sat on my seat and stayed there for 30 seconds but that was after the emotion. In the moment I think it is very difficult to demand that.”
Asked if he would need to stop displaying emotion, Arteta mentioned: “If I was given the opportunity, no. I would like to be with my players because we work closely every single day to achieve what we want, which is to win the games and when you get those moments in sport you should be able to do that.
“I understand as well that there are certain boundaries and you have to respect that you are at an away ground but if I was given the chance I would be there jumping.”
Arteta did counsel that not all managers have been punished for related reactions, including: “Maybe we have to extend [the technical area]. We just need a very strong rope, or we don’t move. But it means we don’t move – all of us. The ‘we’ is different in the context and it is important to look at the ‘we’ in that context.”
Arteta mentioned Unai Emery was a supervisor he appeared up to as he began out on his personal teaching profession, saying: “He’s the most experienced and the most successful one, by quite a long distance with everything he’s achieved in the game and everything he’s won. He’s someone I admire. I followed him since he was in Almeria and for every team he has always been remarkable. He always improves the players, the team and the club.
“He’s Basque like I am and he is a manager that I really admire for what he has done in the game. He has done it in various countries at different levels and always been successful. I am really happy for him.” (PA Media)
Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands submit joint bid to host Women’s World Cup 2027
Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands have submitted a joint bid to world soccer governing physique Fifa to host the Women’s World Cup in 2027, the nations’ football associations mentioned on Friday.
The three nations are competing with Brazil to host after the South American nation submitted their bid final month, whereas the US and Mexico additionally expressed curiosity.
Member associations had till Friday to submit their bids to Fifa. South Africa had additionally submitted a bid however withdrew final month, saying they felt it was higher to current a “well-prepared bid” for 2031.
“Extensive and detailed consultations between the three federations along with key stakeholders including central governments dates back to 2021,” the Dutch football federation (KNVB) mentioned in a assertion.
“This has led to alignment around the belief that our three countries are well placed to stage a FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 of unparalleled quality and impact.”
Fifa will subsequent organise inspection visits to bidding nations in February earlier than the hosts are appointed in May by the Fifa Congress.
The 2023 match was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, with Spain beating England within the remaining. (Reuters)
I’m instructed by my sources that Jürgen Klopp might be talking pretty quickly. Liverpool can go prime of the desk in the event that they beat Palace in sunny south Norwood tomorrow (kick-off 12.30pm).
David Moyes has been talking this morning and reflecting on final night time’s win towards Spurs: “A huge win for us in the Premier League,” he mentioned. “Tottenham are one of the top teams and have been playing exceptionally well .. so for us to get a result was exceptional.”
What did he say at half time? “Possession doesn’t win you the games, although it can help … we found another way of getting a result. We hadn’t been particularly good in the first half, we sat off too much … second-half we improved greatly and gave ourselves a few chances.
On Jarrod Bowen: “Jarrod can play centre forward as well … It’s so difficult to find and buy centre-forwards who you can bring in and get success … he’s scored a lot of goals from wide areas but I think he can play centre-forward and he’s proving that he can do it … he could have a really good number of goals this year.”
Let’s begin with two match experiences from final night time.
Everton scored three late objectives to overpower Newcastle, properly following up final weekend’s 1-0 win towards Forest. And they’re out of the drop zone:
Spurs, in the meantime, threw away a lead for a report fifth straight match and fell to a 2-0 defeat by West Ham. “The excuses are starting to run thing,” writes Ben Bloom:
Preamble
Today’s weekend countdown will embody football, football, football and an additional serving to of football. Football has all of it happening this weekend, with Crystal Palace v Liverpool kicking off the top-flight motion tomorrow lunchtime earlier than the leaders Arsenal journey to high-flying Aston Villa within the night. There are eight different Premier League ties throughout the weekend and of course there’s Women’s Super League, Championship, EFL and Scottish motion too. We’ll additionally convey you news from the continental European leagues, with Juventus v Napoli launching this weekend’s Serie A programme in fashion this night.
There will in all probability be a smattering of football politics/football funds news to deal with too, not to point out the humorous and engaging electronic mail you might be about to ship me previewing the weekend.
In abstract then: football.
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