It’s nearly Christmas, so I’m going to wrap this blog up now. I’ll leave you with a video asking is Mikel Arteta the man to bring the good times back to Arsenal? Thanks for all your emails and tweets. Bye!
Will Mikel Arteta lead Arsenal back to glory? pic.twitter.com/i4akRKa5UI
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) December 20, 2019
Meanwhile in non-London centric news, here’s some hope for Bury fans:
Here’s the latest team news for Everton v Arsenal, when Frederick Ljungberg will sign off as caretaker manager and Duncan Ferguson will probably do the same in his role at Everton too. Look out ballboys!
Not everybody is convinced, mind:
@GreggBakowski If Arteta shares Pep's philosophy then he'll have Arsenal playing out from the back...which the current Arsenal defenders have shown they cannot do?....I'm not convinced by this appointment. #arsenal #arteta #bbcfootball #premierleague #AFTV
— Noel Fitzpatrick (@Noelito40) December 20, 2019
And that’s that. If I was an Arsenal fan, I’d be encouraged. If a large part of management is about communication, Arteta does it very well. He looks and sounds like he cares and his Pep-like emphasis on believing every act is important suggests there will be no getting away with slacking. By the sounds of it, standards will not be allowed to slip any further than they already have and, in fact, should be raised over time.
Arteta speaks really well. He’s engaging and passionate and if you were a player you would warm to him. It’s little wonder he captained Arsenal. He says he has been influenced positively by both Arsène Wenger and Pep Guardiola. So, expect to see Wengerolia-style football Gunners fans:
I was born in Barcelona and the club that had the most similar value, styles and ambition was Arsenal. One man believed in me, Arsene Wenger, he gave me the chance to play for this club.
On Guardiola’s influence, he says he has learned that:
Every day is important, every act is important. The secret is that the people, players and staff have to believe what you are trying to deliver.
What are his expectations?
The ambition of this football club is very clear. You have to fight for trophies and be in Europe. The rest is not good enough.
He says no decisions have been made about January transfer targets but he does make a point of saying that he thinks Mesut Özil is a very important player.
He is a massive player for this football club.
While the press conference is going on, Freddie Ljungberg has tweeted suggesting he will be staying at Arsenal.
The message from me is still the same, get behind us and support the team! It’s been an honour to have helped the club I love for the last few weeks and I am excited to work with @m8arteta and his staff moving forwards pic.twitter.com/rj6xTrcLuV
— Freddie Ljungberg (@freddie) December 20, 2019
Arteta says contracts are still be ing arranged but his backroom staff “will be announced very shortly”.
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Was it hard for him to leave Pep Guardiola and Manchester City?
The relationship between [Guardiola] and me is incredibly good. Obviously he was sad and the timing wasn’t the best for him but he understood. If I had admiration for him before, after working with him I can’t explain [how much I have now]. When Arsenal knock on any door it is hard to say no. When they knock on my door, with them in my heart, it is very difficult.
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Arteta says he wants his players to believe in themselves again. Too often Arsenal players look scared in possession. As a ball playing midfielder he has a strong opinion on this:
I don’t want people hiding. I want people taking responsibility for the job. Anybody that doesn’t buy into this is not good enough for this environment or culture.
On how close he was to taking the job in the summer of 2018, he had this to say:
I was a little bit close [but] it wasn’t the right time. The right time came now and I’m glad ... I learned a lot from that experience.
On Arsène Wenger’s influence he said:
I wouldn’t be sitting here if he didn’t have the vision to give me this opportunity to enjoy this incredible football club.
Arteta sounds confident and and very determined. He wants the supporters to be onside too.
We need the fans. We need to give them [something]. Give them a little bit and they will maybe respond. When you look at this football club you think ‘Wow!’ this club is massive. I have a good feeling.
What has he learned from his time away at Manchester City?
What I have learned mostly is you have to be ruthless. I have so much respect for this football club that if I did not feel ready I would not be sitting in this chair. The first thing I have to do is change the energy. The players have to accept a different process, a different way f thinking. If we don’t have the right culture the tree is going to shake.
On his commitment to the Arsenal cause he has this to say:
I will give every drop of blood for this football club to make it better. I know the expectations and the stature of this club and what it deserves. I’ve got a good vibe. I’m sensing a good energy. I feel so happy!
New Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaks!
Mikel Arteta is here. This is what he has to say: “I’m extremely happy and proud to have been to been given the opportunity to be manager of this football club. I’ve been preparing for a few years now. I know the expectations. I’ve sensed good energy since I walked in at London Colney. [When leaving as a player], I said to the people [at Arsenal] ‘I’m going outside [the club] I’m going to get prepared and then hopefully I’m going to come back one day when I feel prepared and ready”
Updated
Mikel Arteta is in the Arsenal media room! Once he’s posed for pictures with an Arsenal shirt, we should get to hear from him.
OK, well this is what we’ve been waiting for. It’s … our Bournemouth v Burnley match preview. The Eddie Howe derby!
“Congrats to Unai Emery,” writes Charles Antaki. “I never thought I would read a sentence that came straight out of the Philosophy lectures I vaguely recall attending sometime last century, but his ‘I do believe this is a good decision and I would also like it to be a good decision’ is a cracker. One of the big brains who lectured us used to insist that believing something to be true mean that you couldn’t at the same time wish it to be true, due to a complex argument which I didn’t understand at the time, and which I’ve now thankfully forgotten. Anyway here’s Unai with a categorical disproof. Sacked Manager 1, Philosophy Prof 0.”
A heartwarming story now. Real Sociedad have invited the whole village of Becerril (population of around 800 people) to watch a match at their Anoeta Stadium after thrashing the lower league team 8-0 in the Copa del Rey on Thursday. CD Becerril president Juan Antonio Redondo told MARCA.
We’re very grateful for the treatment of Real Sociedad and how they supported us despite the big scoreline. The president told me that whenever we wanted, we’re invited to go to San Sebastian to see a top-flight match, whichever one we want, with tickets, travel and lunch for the team and board paid for. He also told me that the invitation was extended to the whole town and that he’d send coaches to take the residents to San Sebastian. We have to look at our calendar and we’ll be delighted to go when we can.
Manchester City really should have invited the whole of Watford to the Etihad shouldn’t they?
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What better way to power you into the last weekend before Christmas than some red-hot Nigel Pearson quotes on bottom-of-the-table Watford’s predicament before they prepare to face Manchester United on Sunday.
We know we are in a very difficult situation, but I’ve seen nothing to suggest the players are not up for the challenge. We’ve got some really good, technically-gifted players here. What we’ve got to do, especially at home, is establish some sort of momentum during a performance which builds pressure on opponents. The statistics don’t paint a false picture, We know we are in a very difficult situation... and we’ve got to start winning points. That’s the bottom line. While it’s mathematically possible, it allows you to keep working in the most positive way. We are fully aware of the danger we are in, the precarious nature of our status if we don’t rectify it sooner rather than later.
They played well against Liverpool last weekend but it would help if his players had their boots on the correct feet when they were shooting.
Unai Emery has reacted to news that Mikel Arteta will succeed him at Arsenal exactly how you would expect him to:
He really is prepared to make that next jump. He has been at Arsenal before, he’s been in the Premier League and he has been working with Pep Guardiola. I do believe this is a good decision and I would also like it to be a good decision.
While we wait for Mikel Arteta to be wrapped in red and white Arsenal Christmas wrapping paper for his official unveiling shortly, why not take a look at our match previews page for the weekend’s Premier League games here.
This might turn out to be good news for anyone involved in grassroots football:
Former FA chief exec Martin Glenn appointed chairman of the Football Foundation, which distributes Premier League, FA and Govt money for grass roots facilities. Looks a good appointment.
— David Conn (@david_conn) December 20, 2019
Spurs’ rough treatment of Wolves winger Adama Traoré shows how rotational fouling has become more complex and embedded, writes Barney Ronay. Read all about it here:
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An early Christmas present for Manchester City fans:
Flamengo’s midfielder Everton Ribeiro says the players will dedicate the Club World Cup to the academy players who were killed in a fire earlier this year if they beat Liverpool in Doha. Ten young footballers died in a blaze at the Sao Paulo club’s training ground in February, with president Rodolfo Landim saying it was “without a doubt the worst tragedy” in its 123-year history. Everton said the plan was to remember those teenagers if they won the title.
It was a huge tragedy, the death of the young players at the training ground. Our message to the families of the players is that may God be with them and we will always support the families of those players. We will dedicate this title to the players and their spirits. We will do our best to win the title. We will never forget those young players. It is a sad story in the history of Flamengo and it is a source of inspiration and motivation to exert all our efforts. We hope the families will have strength again and maybe winning the title will bring comfort to those of the deceased.
Darren Randolph could be heading back to West Ham, but only if Boro lower the Republic of Ireland goalkeeper’s asking price. Here’s Jacob Steinberg’s story:
If Carlo Ancelotti is ever announced as Everton manager we’ll all miss Big Dunc’s touchline antics as caretaker won’t we? Not since my days of going to Liverpool’s 051 nightclub in the mid-90s have I seen a man wearing a shirt and smart trousers move around with so much aggressive enthusiasm. And Ferguson says he’ll be pushing for a central role in the Italian’s backroom team, if they confirm Ancelotti. I guess Ferguson would be quite hard to turn down.
Nobody knows the players better than me. I’ve been with the players for many a year and hopefully, whoever the new guy is, he uses me. I’ve loved it [being caretaker]. The adrenaline’s through the roof and of course the players have responded, which is the most pleasing thing. It’s only been a few games but it gives you confidence. I’m happy with the job I’ve done. I just want Everton to be successful. I want the new manager to come in and do a fantastic job, which I’m sure he will, and if I can be a part of that, brilliant. But I love the club, I love my job and, if I go back to being a coach, that’s fine by me.
It is genuinely heartwarming to see and feel how much Ferguson loves the club.
Hello, it’s Gregg here. Enjoy your lie down Will! So, Arsenal fans, what happens to Freddie Ljungberg now? Does he go back to his old role under Mikel Arteta or might that be a bit too awkward? Various reports are doing the rounds that Ljungberg is in talks with Malmo over succeeding Uwe Rosler, who left last week. That could be a good move for him if he wants to be a No 1 in his own right.
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Anyway ... what a mammoth session of fun that was. I am off for a lie down and to see what wine I can find. On the upside, Gregg Bakowski is coming your way.
Ben Lake is saving this blog: “I’m largely filling time at work until the end of year. So have time to ponder long term football trends. I also work remotely so have no one to bore them with, so what better than to fling them pointedly into the liveblog void?
“I used to despair at former (often recently retired) players being parachuted into major jobs with little to no experience. See Mark Hughes (multiple times), Gianfranco Zola (also multiple times), Robberto Di Matteo, Gary Neville, Tony Adams etc.
“Not un-noticed by other commenters, there seem to be a reason trend of players transitioning fairly rapidly from playing to managing. Pep is obviously the test case for this. However, I though this was a one off example, bolstered by Barcelona’s famous production line of young talent and genetic level adherence to a particular style.
“Then Real Madrid did the same thing with Zidane, although I’m still not sure he is actually that good a manager. Since then, everyone is after a slice of that young manager pie and it hasn’t blown up as often as I thought. Frank Lampard, Sol Campbell, Scott Parker (ignore Solskjaer for the purpose of not ruining my argument) and Arteta is thought of very highly. I’m hoping lives up to it and I’m all up for a big shake up at Arsenal.
“Anyway, I’m mostly wondering, what changed? Are younger players actually bothering to do their coaching badges now? Has the Traditional Football Man bluster been found out as mostly nonsense?”
Gregory Greene says: “Very curious to know what discussions the Kroenke’s (and the rest of the Arsenal circus) had with Arteta about the fans. Particularly the empty seats and Arsenal fan tv.”
Surely the fans will come back to give Arteta a chance.
A quick reminder that Arteta will face the media at 5pm. What would you ask him?
This is Mikel Arteta’s most recent tweet. Good to see him doing some research.
Thank you @easportsfifa for this gift. Can’t wait to enjoy it. #FIFA20 #VOLTAFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/ibE2eZRBvZ
— Mikel Arteta (@m8arteta) September 27, 2019
I hope Arteta’s first move is to play a goalkeeper at centre-back.
City have thanked Arteta for his work at the club.
Pep Guardiola said of Arteta’s departure: “Mikel has been an excellent coach for Manchester City. He has shown impressive dedication, hard work and knowledge of football during his time here and has been a real contributor to the Club’s achievements over the past years. We all wish him well in his new role; I am sure he is ready for it.”
Meanwhile, Director of Football Txiki Begiristain said: “Mikel, as a member of Pep’s team, has contributed significantly to the Club in his time here in Manchester. His work on the training field and detailed preparations have helped us become a side that wins with regularity and in style. This move to Arsenal is a further step in his football development and I am sure he will become a top-class coach.”
Charles Antaki points out how cool Mikel is: “What I like about that Arsenal publicity photo of Arteta is his unmistakably chilly thousand-yard stare straight at us. Yes, there is something resembling a smile on the lips, for form’s sake. But the whole thing screams ‘Never mind the arithmetical illogical of it, when I say 120% effort, I mean 120% effort and that means you, Ozil’.”
Peter Oh emails to say: “Isn’t Unai Emery from the Basque country too? Is this the first time a top, top English club have appointed back-to-back Basque bosses? In any case, it’s nice to see Mikel Arteta bask in the limelight.”
Very much so. They are both from San Sebastian (Emery is from a little outside).
Needless to say, Jose Mourinho says he will have no split loyalties when Chelsea come to visit Spurs on Sunday.
“For me, it’s a game. I am 100 per cent Tottenham, 100 per cent my club always , all my career,” he said. “No space at all for my previous clubs. I gave everything to all of them. Everything. I kept nothing.
“I gave everything but they are my previous clubs. I give everything to my club - my club is Tottenham. It’s so easy for me to play that game. Difficult because of Chelsea’s quality but not difficult from an emotional point of view.”
If Mikel Arteta has anything about him he will appoint all the players bought by Arsenal on the same day he arrived. Those players were Per Mertesacker, Yossi Benayoun and Andre Santos. What could possibly go wrong?
Good to know ...
The top three scoring PL players with all the letters in 'Arteta' in their name are Dimitar Berbatov, Jonathan Walters and Mikel Arteta.
— Duncan Alexander (@oilysailor) December 20, 2019
Relations between Arsenal and Manchester City seem poor.
Man City not best pleased that they found out Arsenal had appointed Arteta by turning on the TV when they came out of the press conference 🙈 had expected Arsenal would let them know
— Simon Bajkowski (@spbajko) December 20, 2019
Here is Nick Ames on Arteta’s route to the top job at Arsenal.
Have Sky Sports News superimposed Arteta’s head onto a generic man in a suit? It looks odd.
My great fear for Arteta is that the stress of Premier League management might mean he will be unable to maintain his perfectly coiffured hair.
Sam Hedges emails in about Graeme: “You say he’s not happy about Arteta’s appointment... is Souness happy about anything? I can’t remember a time he wasn’t fulfilling the stereotypical role of miserable Scot.”
He was really happy talking about how great Brighton Pride was.
Elsewhere in London ... Frank Lampard says he is his own man and will not become a clone of Jose Mourinho, who he played under at Chelsea.
“There’s not one thing no; he’s obviously a good manager with loads of good attributes. But there’s not one specific thing I learned working under him, and I wouldn’t strive to be a clone or anything.
“I’m happy to go up against Jose; for me to play under him, he was a big influence in my career. To go up against him for Derby against Manchester United last year was a big deal for me. And that still remains.
“I’ll always have respect for him. The bigger thing is Chelsea-Tottenham, and what that rivalry means to our players and us. Rivalries are what you feel about your club. Our fans will demand on Sunday what we feel for the game - passion.”
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Here he is ...
🥁 Introducing our new head coach...
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 20, 2019
Mikel Arteta ✍️ pic.twitter.com/PTmElGDMR3
Sky Sports are speaking to Graeme Souness next to a massive Christmas tree. He is not a fan of the inexperienced Arteta being given the job.
It has taken a while but Josh Kroenke is pleased to have got his man.
“We’re delighted to be bringing Mikel back to Arsenal,” Kroenke said. “He knows our expectations and those of our fans around the world are high and we are confident he can play a lead role in taking the club back to the levels we all demand.
“I also want to thank Freddie Ljungberg for skilfully guiding us through the last three weeks. He stepped up at short notice and has helped us through this difficult period with great professionalism.”
The Gunners say Arteta’s backroom staff will be announced in due course.
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'This is a huge honour'
Mikel Arteta has signed a three-and-a-half year deal at the Emirates. The Basque will not start work until Sunday. He knows he has a job on his hands.
This is a huge honour. Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world. We need to be competing for the top trophies in the game and that’s been made very clear to me in my discussions with Stan and Josh Kroenke, and the senior people from the club.
We all know there is a lot of work to be done to achieve that but I am confident we’ll do it. I’m realistic enough to know it won’t happen overnight but the current squad has plenty of talent and there is a great pipeline of young players coming through from the academy.”
Here is the story of Mikel Arteta’s return to Arsenal. There will be a press conference at 5pm.
Mikel Arteta appointed as new Arsenal head coach
The deal is done!!
Welcome back, Mikel! 👋
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 20, 2019
Head coach of The Arsenal 👔 pic.twitter.com/lhsAfQ7cfq
Paul Doyle on Brendan Rodgers ...
A little bit more from Guardiola on Arteta as we close in on some sort of announcement or other.
“He’s in London and is close to agreeing a deal with Arsenal,” Guardiola told a press conference before Saturday evening’s home game against Leicester.
“It’s almost done. Yesterday not in training, today not in training. He’s moving to Arsenal. I don’t know the details of the contract.”
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Norwich defender Ben Godfrey is expected to be out until February with a knee injury, head coach Daniel Farke has said.
The England Under-21 international suffered the problem during last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Leicester, but will not need an operation.
“We have some sad news. Ben has a LCL (lateral collateral ligament) tear, but no surgery is required. He will be out until February,” Farke said at a press conference reported by the club.
“Grant Hanley has been back in team training for a while so he is an option for us. We also have Alex Tettey and Ibrahim Amadou who can play there.”
Jose Mourinho says he is not the man who has convinced Toby Alderweireld to stay. Mourinho says his only impact was showing he believes in the Belgian and what he can do.
Brendan Rodgers is offering some pretty tedious lines out about the game against Manchester City being an “amazing opportunity”.
He is asked if Leicester are favourites for the match but quickly puts that one down.
Guardiola also spoke about how John Stones and Sergio Aguero have returned to training this week and will feature over the festive period.
Guardiola says he had to allow Arteta to “follow his dream” and backs him to do an “excellent job” at Arsenal.
Guardiola says he will not bring someone in to replace Arteta. City do not have a big coaching staff, so I find this surprising, but who would argue with Pep?
Pep Guardiola says Mikel Arteta’s departure is “almost done.”
Alfie Haaland has sent in some banter ...
Come on @StigNilssen Have another guess😁 pic.twitter.com/YZedQUD2TX
— Alfie Haaland (@alfiehaaland) December 20, 2019
Jurgen Klopp hopes Liverpool can change the impression of the Club World Cup in Europe.
The German was criticised for taking a full squad to the competition in Doha, leaving a team of teenagers in England to lose 5-0 to Aston Villa in the League Cup.
“The situations are different from Flamengo and us,” Klopp said. “Flamengo got sent here with a clear order to win it and to come back as heroes, we got told stay at home and play the Carabao Cup. That is a massive difference.
“When Flamengo go back, and if they win, they will have a proper party - we play Leicester City. That is how it is. The view in Europe is different to the rest of the world and I’d very much like to change that.
“Will it (a Liverpool victory) change the view in Europe? Probably not. Liverpool fans want us to win, most of the other fans don’t really care. We cannot make the competition bigger for us but for us it is the most important because it is the only game we play tomorrow.”
I quite like the prospect of Arsenal not getting the Arteta deal done today, forcing them to wheel out Freddie Ljungberg for the press conference.
Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhüttl is hoping his side can improve their defensive record in the coming weeks. They have been linked with a few centre-backs who could potentially arrive in January.
“In general our clean sheets have not been as much as they should be,” the Southampton manager said.
“It is difficult in the Premier League, but this is something of a behaviour, to defend the box and defend our goal, which we do not do with the same intensity as we have maybe sometimes in attack and when running in behind.
“The run on the way back is the more important, the recovery runs and the duels there are more important than the duels in the opposition half.
“When we do it, when we act together and work together, then it looks good. If we forget about our behaviours, save doing these runs back, then it doesn’t look good. This is a behaviour we cannot accept and we must demand we do this.”
Bournemouth defender Adam Smith has revealed on Sky Sports News that he prefers goose to turkey at Christmas! More as we get it.
Bon anniversaire!
Kylian Mbappé turns 21 today! 🎊
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) December 20, 2019
• 76 goals for PSG
• 27 goals for Monaco
• 19 goals in 30 UCL matches
He's already been lighting up the Champions League for four seasons!
🌟 A generational talent! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/iv7uKy3LZ6
Premier League champions Manchester City have been handed their winter break a week later than their top-six rivals.
Pep Guardiola’s City will host West Ham on Sunday, February 9, while leaders Liverpool, second-placed Leicester, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United have been given that weekend off.
Following an agreement in June 2018 between the Football Association, the Premier League and EFL, this season is the first to feature a mid-season player break.
Full list of fixtures: Saturday, February 8: Everton v Crystal Palace (12.30pm), Brighton v Watford (5.30pm). Sunday, February 9: Sheffield United v Bournemouth (2pm), Manchester City v West Ham (4.30pm).
Friday, February 14: Wolves v Leicester (8pm). Saturday, February 15: Southampton v Burnley (12.30pm), Norwich v Liverpool (5.30pm). Sunday, February 16: Aston Villa v Tottenham (2pm), Arsenal v Newcastle (4.30pm). Monday, February 17: Chelsea v Manchester United (8pm).
It’s 30 years since the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu in Romania, which means I can gleefully pad out this blog with a link to this piece:
Andy Brassell has been writing about Dortmund ...
Sean Dyche says he is not planning to sell any Burnley players in January, unless someone asks to leave.
“We are not at this stage thinking of anyone going out because we carry a small squad,” Dyche said.
“There are people that want football, of course, and if a situation arises where it is right for us then we try and be fair to the players where we can but equally the bigger picture is to perform in the Premier League and keep that going.
“We do need everyone, and recently has shown that with six key injuries as that is a lot for us to carry and that did stretch us to the bare minimum. It is a tricky balance to give people what they want and what we need.
“I am very open with the players here and they have been open with me when they are not playing and get frustrated. That is the way it goes but as well as being open they are also professional and they understand being in the Premier League.”
Sky Sports News are tracking their presentation team driving around the country for little to no reason. Think of your carbon footprint, lads.
Three mentions for Miguel Almiron in the blog today. Finally he speaks for himself. Louise Taylor went to go and have a lovely chat with him.
Jurgen Klopp has been speaking in Doha about Virgil van Dijk’s chances of facing Flamengo on Saturday.
“We will see. Virgil was part of training today, Gini has had a session today, so we will see how it will look at the end,” he said.
“We have no new injury concerns. It was Wednesday when we played and now it is Friday.
“We use each hour for recovery so that is what we did. We will see who can line up tomorrow.”
Big Copa del Rey news in the Basque Country. Athletic Bilbao will play Sestao in the next round!
🏆 ¡Ya conocemos a nuestro rival en la segunda eliminatoria de la #CopaDelRey!
— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) December 20, 2019
🆚 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗼 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯
🤝 ¡Nos vemos la segunda semana de enero, @SestaoRC!#SestaoAthletic #AthleticClub 🔴 ⚪️🦁 pic.twitter.com/szQDc9NWgM
Eddie Howe wants Bournemouth to build on their fine win over Chelsea when they face his former club Burnley this weekend.
“You could see how much the game meant to us. The players gave everything, we needed a lift and it was a big moment,” the Bournemouth manager said.
“When you win you naturally get a bounce, the players feel better about themselves, and it’s the same for the supporters who will have had a lift.
“It is key now that we push that on and get a good result against Burnley. They are a team that work incredibly hard, are a very effective team and we are going to have to make sure that we are good.
“We will need all the qualities that we showed against Chelsea, to show them again against Burnley.”
We are closing in on noon! Will we get the the big announcement? Will I decide what to do for lunch? Will I put wine in the fridge for tonight? Will I bring you a bit of hot transfer gossip?
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As mentioned earlier, the Guardian’s top 100 make footballers is complete. Spoiler: Lionel Messi is top.
Live footage from Manchester City’s training ground shows that Mikel Arteta is not there. I wonder where he could be ...
Arteta will need to put together a backroom staff. I am hoping he will be bringing Richard Wright back to Arsenal from Manchester City where he’s been working as a goalkeeping coach.
I enjoyed this from Ben Fisher earlier this week. Will they be making moves in January?
And Macclesfield have released a statement about their match tomorrow:
Further to issues regarding our ground safety certificate, Macclesfield Town are desperately trying to get these resolved ahead of tomorrow’s Sky Bet League Two clash with Plymouth Argyle.
We fully accept that this is far from ideal - especially for those Plymouth fans who have a gargantuan trek ahead of them so close to Christmas. As a result of the above, ticket sales for tomorrow’s game have been suspended until we gain further clarity regarding this situation.
In addition, we are in constant communication with the EFL regarding this matter and our efforts relating to it.We unreservedly apologise for this and will provide a further update as soon as we possibly can.
An update from the EFL about Macclesfield Town, whose game with Plymouth is in doubt due to safety concerns.
EFL statement: Macclesfield Town.#EFL pic.twitter.com/NBrjLO8n9x
— EFL (@EFL) December 20, 2019
Football and ethics are not always the best of friends.
Chris Wilder has bemoaned the cynical tactics of Premier League players, which has seen his midfielders pick up plenty of bookings this season.
“There are players in the Premier League when the ball has not even come to them and they are looking to go down,” Wilder explained.
“They are looking to put the referee in a tough position and asking a question of the referee before they have even dealt with the ball. That is fact from what I’ve seen and the clips I’ve got on store.
“We try to make it competitive on a Saturday but I sometimes shake my head with some of the bookings we pick up for non-contact tackles, they’re so soft. Fleck was a disappointing decision last week and now he is suspended for a game.
“I think people who watch us and our supporters have been disappointed in the attitude of some of the opposing, or opposition, players and how easy it is for them to go down, but we won’t change our approach.
“Unfortunately at times, with the speed of the Premier League and the athletes in the Premier League, if you mistime a tackle then it sometimes looks a little bit worse than what it is - especially when players are rolling about all over the place for about five minutes and then the physio doesn’t go on.
“I quite enjoy that part because I go to the physio and say: ‘Don’t worry about it mate you won’t be going on will you?’ And nine times out of 10 he doesn’t.
“He jumps up out of his dugout with his bag and then, lo and behold, the player gets up and he has to sit back down.
“It’s something that has aggravated us a little bit and it seems very common in the Premier League and it is something we haven’t really had to deal with in the Championship.”
Steve Bruce has been speaking glowingly about Miguel Almiron despite his lack of goals since arriving at Newcastle.
He said: “I understand that he hasn’t scored. After speaking to a lot of people about last year in January when he arrived, he gave the impetus to the team, and really nothing has changed in that respect, as far as I’m concerned.
“He’s a smashing player who we all enjoy playing in the team, and as long as he contributes to the team...
“Look, we’d love him to score a few more goals, of course we would, but he works every day as if it is his last, he’s a wonderful professional, a great lad, good player, so I’ve got no problems with Almiron because of what he gives the team and the threat he causes a team.
“If he can add a few goals to it, great, but at the moment, I’m very, very pleased with him.”
An interesting David Conn story from yesterday ...
Anyway ... back to disappointing football-related Xmas presents. Two years ago my mum purchased me a football annual, something similar to Match. I was 30 at the time and therefore far too old for it, so gave it away to a child on Boxing Day and she did not speak to me for 24 hours.
Jamie Jackson has the very latest from Manchester United.
Albert Camus and t-shirts:
Tomorrow’s 3pm kick-offs are not the most exciting on paper. which is the pick of the matches?
- Aston Villa v Southampton
- AFC Bournemouth v Burnley
- Brighton & Hove Albion v Sheffield United
- Newcastle United v Crystal Palace
- Norwich City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
I think this is what they describe as a ‘healthy’ addiction.
Norwegian media reported this morning that Erling Haaland was on his way to Manchester for talks but Ole Gunnar Solskjær has quickly quashed that claim. “I know the boy and his friends and he’s on a Christmas holiday,” Solskjær explained in his pre-match conference.
Guardian's Top 100 Male Footballers of 2019
MORE BIG NEWS! The list is complete. Who has come top? Has Scott Carson made it in? Is this further proof that democracy does not work? Check out the list to find out and then shout into void your own view.
Updated
The big news we’ve all be waiting for in north London ...
Defender Toby Alderweireld has signed a new deal with Tottenham which will run until 2023, the club have announced.
Newcastle could have two key players back this weekend after they missed out against Burnley. Miguel Almiron and Jonjo Shelvey are in contention to face Crystal Palace following hamstring and calf issues, respectively. Steve Bruce has a few injury problems, though.
“Almiron and Shelvey have a chance. They trained yesterday. As we speak at the moment, we haven’t seen them just yet, but they both seemed OK yesterday,” Bruce said.
“It’s still too early for (Allan) Saint-Maximin, and Ki (Sung-yueng) and Ciaran Clark are still struggling. Matt Ritchie and (Jamaal) Lascelles are not there either, but from what we had last week anyway, Almiron and Jonjo have got a chance.”
Arteta is an exciting gamble, says David Hytner.
Elsewhere in English football ... Macclesfield were docked six points yesterday and their game with Plymouth tomorrow is currently in doubt.
Daniel Serridge asks: “I was wondering, will this weekend’s game between Everton and Arsenal be the first time both teams have new managers, as the cliche goes, ‘in the stands’ to watch their new clubs?”
I cannot remember a similar time. Can we think of a game when both managers have been caretakers?
There’s been plenty happening at Arsenal this week, including Mesut Ozil’s run-in with China. Eni Aluko wrote about speaking out:
Sky Sports News are going across the country, ground-hopping as they go. I offer similar commitment to Premier League press conferences by watching SSN while drinking coffee from London.
It is a waiting game but Arsenal still expect to announce Mikel Arteta’s appointment imminently, with a mid-afternoon press conference to unveil him looking highly likely. Still expecting him to take on a watching brief at Everton tomorrow, along of course with Carlo Ancelotti.
Updated
Chris from Stockport emails in a question: “Just wondering what you think made Arsenal think – other than desperation – that Arteta is more ready to be gaffer now than he was when they appointed Emery?”
Well ... I think they panicked last time and did not want to take the risk, so went with a safer, more experienced pair of hands. Seeing as that was a massive failure, it’s time to take a punt on someone with potential.
After missing the semi-final victory over Monterray, Virgil van Dijk was seen as a doubt for the Club World Cup final but the Dutch defender trained briefly on Friday. Jurgen Klopp did send Van Dijk straight back to the team hotel after the media section of the session closed, meaning he could still be absent on Saturday. Van Dijk’s compatriot Georginio Wijnaldum was absent, though, so could miss out on the final.
Some top top rumours this morning.
Arsenal were supposed to hold their pre-match press conference yesterday but cancelled it at short notice due to the fact Mikel Arteta’s appointment will be confirmed later today. It is likely though that Freddie Ljungberg will be the man in the dugout when they face Everton, with Arteta in the stands.
Ten things!
While following this blog, you will probably be searching the internet for Christmas presents to purchase for people you have forgotten about or dislike. What is the worst football-related Christmas present you have ever received?
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Barney Ronay has done the research to find out about the process of picking a new manager.
Preamble
Good morning!
Today we can expect at least one major managerial appointment in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta will be announced as the Arsenal boss sooner or later (probably this afternoon). The Basque is heading into his first top job and will have a long to do list when he arrives at Colney. Players are looking restless and he needs to build a coaching staff in double quick time as Arsenal look to get back in the top six. Will he keep Freddie Ljungberg on? Will he cheer up Mesut Özil? Can we sort out the defence? We might start getting answers today.
Additionally, Carlo Ancelotti could return to England at Everton after plenty of time away in Spain, France and Italy. The Toffees host Arsenal on Saturday, meaning you could be forgiven for forgetting all the other games. Duncan Ferguson, admittedly, will definitely be in charge at the weekend, so we have one final game of the wristband at the helm.
In a match involving two managers not facing the sack, Pep Guardiola faces Brendan Rodgers as third play second on Saturday evening as the race to finish runners-up to Liverpool hots up.
Speaking of the Reds, they could become the best team in the world on Saturday night if they get the better of Flamengo in Qatar.
Lots to get through!
