Full-time: Brighton 0-0 Burnley
And that’s your lot. Brighton should have won. They were far better than Burnley, who will be delighted to come away with a point. I have nothing much more to add so I’ll wrap this Friday football blog up. Thanks for reading. Maybe Southampton v Newcastle will be more interesting. Good night:
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90+2 min: Brighton really should have won this game. They’re pretty on the eye but are they ruthless enough? They might be a bit too nice, you know.
90 min: Mee slips and takes out Jahanbakhsh, who was running through to a ball played in behind the Burnley defender. I don’t think Mee even knew the Brighton player was there but I’m surprised it wasn’t given as a free-kick.
88 min: Lallana, with two defenders for company, scoops a delicious pass over Lowton to the onrushing Burn, who blazes a hopeless cross behind goal under absolutely no pressure. Lallana’s invention deserved better than that.
86 min: Danny Welbeck is replaced by Aaron Connolly. He’s been lively tonight but lively doesn’t win you games. Might he have done better with one of his first-half chances?
82 min: Jahanbakhsh is on for Veltman. Brighton have gone to a back four as Potter sets his team up to go for a winner. Wood is off for Burnley, with the more mobile Vydra taking his place.
81 min: Lallana flicks a cross into the box that deflects off Lowton’s arm. It probably would have been a VAR penalty a few months ago but with Lowton only five yards away it was hard for him to get his arm out of the way. VAR has been absent tonight. Refreshing. Or maybe I’ve just tempted fate.
77 min: Ben Mee has collapsed to the turf with cramp after flashing a header wide after Lowton whipped a free-kick in from the left. Sean Dyche seems unimpressed that his returning captain has got cramp in his calf muscles. Dyche really does smell of all things masculine. Having regularly suffered from cramp in my calf muscles when playing football, it’s just something you can’t prevent. Mee will soldier on. He better had. Wouldn’t want to upset Dyche.
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The team news is in at St Mary’s:
Southampton: McCarthy, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Stephens, Walker-Peters, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Djenepo, Walcott, Armstrong, Adams. Subs: Long, Redmond, Tella, Diallo, N’Lundulu, Forster, Ramsay.
Newcastle: Darlow, Murphy, Schar, Lascelles, Fernandez, Lewis, Sean Longstaff, Hendrick, Almiron, Wilson, Saint-Maximin. Subs: Clark, Matthew Longstaff, Carroll, Joelinton, Hayden, Manquillo, Gillespie.
Referee: Peter Bankes (Merseyside)
You can follow that match with John Ashdown here:
71 min: Lamptey fires at goal at the back post but Taylor stretches to make a desperate block. Brighton have now had 18 attempts at goal. They really need to make this dominance pay.
70 min: Rodriguez is on for Barnes, who has held the ball up well on the rare occasions he has seen it but otherwise not had a sniff. I often feel Wood and Barnes up front is too much meat and not enough veg.
68 min: Maupay cuts inside and tries to find the near post with a low fizzing shot but his effort is blocked. Lamptey was rushing into space inside him and might have been a better option. After a decent spell for Burnley, Brighton are back on top and looking threatening again.
It’s Cardiff City 0-1 Bristol City at half-time, with Chris Martin’s second minute goal still the difference between the two sides.
62 min: Gross clatters a shot at the far post that Guardian columnist Ben Mee does well to block with his thighs. Strong defending colleague!
60 min: Burnley play some lovely stuff, popping the ball up the right-side, before Brady dinks a pass into the path of the onrushing Lowton. He crosses low to Barnes, who lays the ball off to McNeil but the winger slices his shot wide. That was slick play and deserved a better finish.
58 min: Maupay is slipped into the inside-left channel by Welbeck but he dithers as he tries to shape to curl into the far corner and his attempted shot is blocked by Tarkowski.
57 min: Lallana clatters a volley into Taylor’s elbow from 12 yards out. The Burnley defender’s arms were tucked in as he stretched to block the shot and a corner is the only fair result. Webster stoops and tries to direct a header into the far corner from the resulting corner but it lands on the top of the netting.
54 min: Suddenly Burnley are seeing more of the ball and treating it with a little more TLC than they did in the first half. TLC? If only there was a song lyric that summed up Burnley’s change of attitude: “Don’t go chasing waterfalls/Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to.”
52 min: Lamptey slides into a tackle with Taylor on the right. Corner to Burnley. This one fails to beat the first man. Bissouma volleys clear at the near post.
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50 min: Ryan shepherds a ball out at the back but missed the fact that it touched a Brighton player on the way through. It’s a needless corner to give away. McNeil curls it at goal again and Bunrley’s player surround Ryan, who gets a weak punch to it amid the throng. I think a set-piece is Burnley’s most likely route to a goal.
48 min: Brighton have very quickly established their authority in this half. they look so comfortable in possession and their shape means they always look like they have a man more than Burnley.
Brighton 0-0 Burnley: the second half is under way!
45 min: Peep! The second half begins. There are no changes. I’ve been impressed with Welbeck’s sharpness considering he has played so little football since the summer. If he keeps finding space between the two Burnley centre-backs he will get on the scoresheet this evening.
12 - Brighton had 12 shots in the first half against Burnley; it's the most the Seagulls have ever had in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League game. Knocking. #BHABUR pic.twitter.com/saeok9Nbzk
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 6, 2020
A little more from Mikel Arteta before Arsenal host Aston Villa on Sunday. The Gunners boss appears to have got his whiteboard out and drawn a graph with a line heading diagonally up to 100 on it. He wants goals you see!
It is something that we have been working on in the last two weeks. You could see last night that we were much more fluent in attack. We scored the goals and we had more opportunities. To be a top team you have to score 90-100 goals [a season] if you want to be competing with the top guns. It is a challenge for us and an area we have to improve and get better.
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Half-time: Brighton 0-0 Burnley
It’s been a better game than the scoreline suggests but Brighton look the most likely to win it. Burnley really could have done with a free signing like Lallana in the summer. They lack any kind of invention in midfield and their chief creator, the winger McNeil, has been quiet so far.
45 min: Welbeck takes a wonderful first touch after a long ball floated in from Veltman, but as he tries to get his right-footed shot away Pope is out like a flash to smother the chance.
42 min: Lamptey and McNeil accidentally run into each other and both collapse to the floor apparently winded. Little Lamptey is up first though. McNeil gingerly clambers to his feet and we’ll be under way shortly.
40 min: Lamptey turns on the afterburners and whips a cross in to the penalty spot where Lallana tries to find the far corner but heads so far wide it’s actually kept in near the corner flag by Maupay.
38 min: Bissouma fires a free-kick straight into the wall from 20 yards. He didn’t even try to whip that over the wall. Maybe he spotted a hole in it and thought he could sneak it through.
Cardiff 0-1 Bristol City: Chris Martin wastes little time in giving the Robins an early lead, firing home in the second minute after Semenyo’s cross from the right.
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33 min: Brighton press Burnley into giving the ball away on the right. Lallana prods a ball through to Welbeck, who takes a touch and fires towards the far corner … but Pope makes a fine stop with an outstretched leg. Brighton are bossing possession here. Burnley are offering very little going forwards.
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31 min: Mee times a tackle to perfection as Lamptey scoots into the box on the right-channel with ambitions to get a right-footed shot away. Brighton waste the resulting corner, playing it short and then failing to get a cross into the box.
28 min: McNeil whips a vicious inswinging corner in from the right that Ryan punches out from under his crossbar unconvincingly. Brady’s eyes light up as he swivels and attempts an overhead-kick from 10 yards that bounces a foot wide of the left-hand post.
25 min: Lallana whips in a cross from the left that takes a deflection on its way towards Gross, who has to readjust and can’t quite get the power he would like to cause Pope any trouble in goal with his header. Moments later Welbeck tries to stab a shot past Pope at the near post but he is under pressure and can’t quite get a full connection. Lallana is starting to have a real influence on this game.
There’s a big game in the Championship kicking off in a few minutes, when Cardiff host Bristol City. Here’s the team news for that one:
Cardiff: Smithies, Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett, Wilson,
Pack, Ralls, Hoilett, Ojo, Kieffer Moore. Subs: Phillips,
Vaulks, Glatzel, Murphy, Whyte, Bamba, Bagan.
Bristol City: Bentley, Hunt, Vyner, Kalas, Dasilva, Nagy,
O’Dowda, Semenyo, Paterson, Wells, Martin. Subs: O’Leary, Moore,
Rowe, Edwards, Brunt, Towler, Massengo.
Referee: David Webb (County Durham)
20 min: Dan Burn brings a long ball down with a lovely spot of chest control before firing a fizzing shot inches wide. It was a half-volley that flies into the side netting that Nick Pope was struggling to get across to.
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16 min: Sean Dyche is bellowing instructions out from the sidelines as though he has a foghorn to hand. Graham Potter must feel a little cowed in the company of such a thunderous larynx. Taylor clips the ball to the back post where Wood heads down into Ryan’s hands. It’s a comfortable save but better by Burnley.
11 min: Brighton are getting on top. Lallana and Maupay are combining well and the Seagulls are cutting through Burnley’s midfield with more ease than Sean Dyche will be comfortable with.
8 min: Lamptey outwits Lowton on the left and floats a cross towards Welbeck who, six yards out, is adjudged to have fouled Taylor, who was diligently marking him. Lamptey easily had the beating of Lowton there, not that he should be on the left. He’s playing right wing-back, as far as I can tell.
A little more from uncle Carlo before Everton’s big lunchtime kick-off against Manchester United tomorrow. Sort it out, Jordan, is the general gist:
4 min: Lowton hits the bar! The Burnley right-back miscues a cross that catches Ryan off guard, looping over him and clattering the underside of the bar. It’s a lively start at the Amex.
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2 min: Lamptey has skied over from six yards out after some good work on the right by Welbeck. That was a golden opportunity for the Brighton wing-back. Guardian columnist Ben Mee slipped in the buildup and Welbeck squared to the youngster, who thrashed the ball over when he should have scored.
Brighton v Burnley has kicked off! I’ll be providing sporadic updates on that game while keeping you up to speed with news and previews before the weekend’s matches. Speaking of which:
It’s almost time for kick-off at the Amex Stadium, where the Brighton and Burnley players have emerged from the tunnel on a crisp evening on the south coast. Burnley’s Chris Wood loves playing Brighton. He’s scored eight goals in his 16 league matches against them. If the Clarets are to get that elusive win, he will likely be on the scoresheet.
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Sean Dyche has hinted that Burnley may not be pretty to watch this evening, because they need points. Now, I’d argue that Burnley have never been particularly easy on the eye under Dyche so I’m not sure that means much. But they need to be more successful in doing what they have always done so well.
Styles are out of the window at this stage. We need a win. We’re going to work hard for that win, like we’ve done many, many times before. That’s my main focus. We want to get that first win. I think psychologically that’s good for the group. Ideally you want to get it with a performance, but you’ll take it however it comes. That’s the way it goes. Get that first win, you take it, move forward and you look to build on that. As I’ve said, I would take an ugly one, or a lucky one. We’d all take that as a manager, but your ideal way is to earn the right to win games.
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Here’s Jacob Steinberg’s match preview for West Ham v Fulham:
It’s five o’clock, which can only mean one thing, it’s Fiver time!
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Andy Hunter has filed his take on Jürgen Klopp’s press conference before the Manchester City game:
I see Pep Guardiola has revived the “coatigan” again this year after selling his lucky grey one at the end of the 2018-19 season. Will the good times return for Manchester City with this old friend keeping their manager warm?
I think Carlo Ancelotti was trying to show support for Ole Gunnar Solskjær with this message but it does come across like your grandad telling you to stop whining and get on with it:
I have more experience than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, I can say to him that when things are not good, there is only one responsible. That is the manager, no doubt for this. Every manager is under pressure. I can say this is a privilege, the pressure that we have is a privilege. We have to be able to analyse ourselves, but with a cold mind.
And Everton captain and all-round good egg, Seamus Coleman, used his chance to preview the match in the Everton programme by highlighting the free school meals campaign that Marcus Rashford continues to lead from the front on:
It would be remiss of me not to make mention of Marcus Rashford. He has led from the front during these worrying times for everyone and I take my hat off to him. He has been a credit to himself and his family.”
Brighton v Burnley team news
I will be bringing you updates from the 5.30pm kick-off at the Amex Stadium this evening. Here’s the team news:
Brighton: Ryan, Lamptey, Webster, Veltman, Burn, White, Gross, Bissouma, Lallana, Maupay, Welbeck. Subs: Connolly,
Mac Allister, Jahanbakhsh, Alzate, Steele, Propper, Bernardo.
Burnley: Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, McNeil,
Westwood, Brownhill, Brady, Wood, Barnes. Subs: Gudmundsson,
Peacock-Farrell, Rodriguez, Vydra, Long, Thompson, Dunne.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Brighton manager Graham Potter makes three changes, with Mat Ryan returning in goal, Neal Maupay back after being dropped for disciplinary reasons and it’s nice to see Danny Welbeck back in a starting lineup too. He’s had awful luck with injuries in recent years. Burnley’s Sean Dyche makes two changes, with Ben Mee back from injury and Robbie Brady replacing Dale Stephens in midfield.
Here’s what Brighton’s Adam Lallana had to say before the match: “It’s a great opportunity to get a win on the board tonight. It’ll be a difficult game and they’ve had a difficult start to the season so I’m sure they’ll be fired up.” When asked about the penalty decision when he collided with Harry Kane in the defeat at Spurs, he said: “Harry had eyes on me twice. It’s clever. If the ball is in the air tonight I will go and win the header.”
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Here’s Jamie Jackson’s take on Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s glass-half-full pre-match press conference before tomorrow’s early kick-off at Everton:
With West Brom third from bottom and rumours circulating about Slaven Bilic’s job security, the Baggies boss was feisty in his press conference before the Sunday lunch scrap with Spurs:
The pressure is always there and the expectations are always high. My expectations are high, I thought we were going to do better. But there are many reasons why this is real for us. Everybody predicted us to be rock bottom. Are we rock bottom? No we are not, we are one point below the (relegation) zone. Am I happy with that? No. But are we going to panic now and lose confidence and belief? No. We have to be ready for a gunfight. We are in a gunfight with a few other teams at the moment. Let’s not be desperate that we are there. [Tottenham] are very physical, very organised, very committed and they have talent and pace up front that is making them score a lot of goals.
That last appraisal of Spurs makes them sound like Tony Pulis’s Stoke with a tuned-up engine.
I've got Slaven Bilic getting passionate in my kitchen. Maybe he wants the building work to hurry up... pic.twitter.com/e32AT6y0jb
— Jonathan Overend (@jsoverend) November 6, 2020
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Here’s an interesting piece from Paul Doyle about the first-round minnows who could perhaps be given a TV lifeline amid a Covid lockdown thanks to the FA Cup being an “elite” competition:
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Mikel Arteta is confident that none of his Arsenal players who took part in the 4-1 victory over Molde yesterday will be injured for the match against Aston Villa on Sunday evening.
We didn’t have any major problems so I am expecting the ones who are fit at the moment to continue to be available at the weekend. [Aston Villa are] a really competitive side, they have played some very different matches with different approaches to certain matches, having some big results against big teams and after two defeats they need a win as well and they will show that right from the start I think. [Jack Grealish] is a top player, great talent, he is player who can make a difference at any moment in the game. He has this personality against any opponent, at any ground, to take the ball in any area of the pitch and he can make the difference, so we have to look after him.
Arteta was also among a growing number of managers in the Premier League to back a rethink on the five substitutes rule, which was voted down in September. David Moyes earlier said he would now encourage West Ham to back five subs if it came back on the table. Here’s what Arteta said:
I think it gives options to the manager as well to make some changes and keep everybody more together. I think it has to be reviewed and with the amount of injuries that the Premier League are having already at this stage, I think it’s something to consider seriously.
Another tenuous football link to crowbar a music video in here, courtesy of Peter Oh: “Hi Gregg. Jota is Portuguese for the letter ‘J’. Diogo J. I only point this out to shoehorn into your blog this song from yesteryear by the similarly-monikered David J. If it helps the shoehorning process, Diogo J always works hard to show for the ball and then chauffeur it into the net. (He certainly shows great Love for the ball and Rockets it into the goal.)“ Job done, Peter.
Borussia Dortmund manager Lucien Favre has been speaking in advance of a mouthwatering Klassiker tomorrow. He has a few injury doubts but he’s still hopeful of a result against the treble-winners:
With Emre Can, we won’t know until tomorrow. He trained with the team for the first time yesterday and has not been fully active for a while. We’ll also have to wait until tomorrow for more news on Mats [Hummels]. The last two games against Bayern were good, even if we just lost. We just have to deliver an even better performance and of course defend very well as we did last time.
Here’s a timely reminder of how Bayern won the last Klassiker:
Still not over this goal 🤤🍟
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) November 6, 2020
Last time out in Dortmund ⏪#BVBFCB #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/o54qOeB47A
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Good news! Gregg is back. Bye.
Roy Hodgson meets Marcelo Bielsa for the first time on Saturday when Crystal Palace host Leeds United. There are not many more experienced managers than these two in world football, with both having worked all over the globe but their paths have never crossed. Admittedly, their styles are a little different, so it should be an interesting fixture.
Hodgson said:
Marcelo is a man who has had a lot of success since he came to Leeds. I think it was an inspired decision to take him on as manager because first he got them back in the Premier League, something so many have tried and not been able to do.
Now he has started extremely well in the Premier League and his team have played some outstandingly good games.I have never met him unfortunately, but of course I have always known about him and I look forward to meeting him tomorrow. He is a person who I very much respect and I have been impressed by the type of football Leeds are playing.
Frank Lampard has praised Thiago Silva for his influence on the Chelsea defence since arriving from PSG for absolutely nothing. The Brazilian has been key in securing five consecutive cleansheets, the first time Chelsea have done so in a decade.
Lampard said:
His influence has been huge; even without the language his professionalism has been very clear, that rubs off on players, they respect him. His performances have been very, very good. He manages himself, he trains well, he prepares well, it’s very obvious from him and understandable why he’s had the amazing career he’s had so far.
And it’s been great to have him as part of the squad. I think players look up to him in how he goes about his daily business and how he performs. It’s great for younger players, every player in the squad. It’s certainly a pleasure to coach and manage a player with that much intensity in wanting to perform at the highest level.
We’re managing him slightly, but when you look at his performances and how he trains, it’s just been a real positive story so far. Long may it continue not just for him but for the influence he has on the team.”
And here come the previews!
Everton v Manchester United
Crystal Palace v Leeds
Nuno Espirito Santo is really pleased to see Diogo Jota banging them in for Liverpool which is making him look like the perfect fit at Anfield. The Portuguese forward moved from Wolves to Liverpool in the summer for a fee of £41m.
Jota has scored six goals in his last four appearances, including a hat-trick against Atalanta in the Champions League this week. Jota could force his way into the starting lineup against Manchester City on Sunday.
“We are very happy for Diogo,” said Nuno, who also worked with the 23-year-old for one season at Porto. “He is enjoying his football, enjoying his momentum, he is doing amazing for Liverpool. I think (Liverpool manager, Jurgen) Klopp is really happy with him. For us, we worked together for four seasons and when a player goes and succeeds, it makes us happy.
“In the case of Diogo it’s not a surprise. Diogo loves the game, he is committed, he lives for football, he plays and watches all the games. I am really happy for Diogo and I hope he continues and enjoys it game by game. It’s a joy to see him smile.”
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Right, I’m going to hand over to Will Unwin so I can grab a bite to eat. One other thing to note from Klopp’s press conference is that he took some time to encourage everyone in Liverpool to go and get a Covid-19 test as the city-wide testing trial begins today:
It’s a little effort everybody has to put in but it’s a big step and it is really good to keep safe our loved ones. I really hope as many people as possible use this opportunity.
It’s not football but it is important. Right, Will’s here. See you shortly …
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“Hi Gregg,” writes Leonard Cohen (yes, real name). “From the questions at his press conference, it seems as though it was Knives Out for Solskjaer?” Top, top crowbarring, Leonard! Solskjær was bullish – you could say he showed Street Spirit but he might want to start thinking about his Exit Music and How to Disappear Completely at United.
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Frank Lampard has confirmed that that Christian Pulisic is injured for the home match against Sheffield United while Kai Havertz is also out and is still self-isolating after his positive Covid-19 test. It sounds like Pusilic has had a setback after returning to training following his hamstring injury. My own experience with hamstring-twang is that you just can’t rush back without popping it again.
[Pulisic] is not fit to play. He is still suffering with his hamstring and he is not training. In midweek he was training at a low level but was not comfortable so we have to keep looking for the right solution. Kepa has recovered. He still is getting a slight bit of pain [in his shoulder] but he is in the squad for tomorrow. With Kai, we must wait until he is symptom-free first of all and then he will have to have a negative test, so at the moment [his involvement with Germany] is not decided, that is not clear.
Jordan Pickford will be back between the sticks for Everton against Manchester United: “I have no message. I talked to him every day this week, we laughed, we are together. He knows what to do tomorrow. He starts,” confirmed Carlo Ancelotti. Maybe Pickford has been weaned off caffeine in the past week and will have a new zen-like aura about him.
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I wish more Premier League managers would use Radiohead song titles in their pre-match quotes so I could link to them. I can’t help but think of Solskjær strumming along and singing this sorrowfully when he got home on Thursday morning:
♬ ♬ ♬ Forget about your house of cards ♪ ♪ ♪ And I’ll do mine ♩♩♩
Agüero 'not ready' to face Liverpool yet
Pep Guardiola has confirmed that the challenge of facing Liverpool is a step too far for Sergio Agüero, as the striker continues his recovery from a knee injury that required surgery. “No [Agüero] is not ready, not yet,” he confirmed, before saying that even if Liverpool win and go eight points clear of City, he is not overly concerned.
It is an important game but, like the presidential elections in the USA, all the votes must be counted – there are a lot of points to play for. It’s always nice to play against the strongest teams and last year they were stronger. They are an exceptional team, they have had the same manager for a long time and it is nice to face him all the time to improve our level. When you play against teams like Liverpool you always have moments where you have to suffer. We know it, we have to do it and try to use our strength as much a possible. We know each other quite well, we play many many times and I don’t expect a game like 90 minutes we will be there or they will be there. There will be ups and downs, we have to be stable and take our good chances and be clinical.
Are Liverpool the team to beat this season?
They are the biggest favourite [for the Premier League] but with the pandemic the situation it is a bit different. I see other teams strong, Leicester maintained the level from most of last season, Arsenal made a big step forward to be contenders and at Tottenham Mourinho has the team that he wants. Chelsea in the beginning is so stable now and has a huge squad for rotating top players. I think this season [there] will be a lot of teams being there [and] the last five or 10 games will be important to arrive being there to fight for the title. Hopefully we can be there and arrive at the end with a chance to fight for the title.
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Carlo Ancelotti has received an injury boost after he confirmed that James Rodriguez will be back in his squad for the lunchtime kick-off against Manchester United but Richarlison is not fit enough to return just yet. “[James] said that he’s 100%. I have some doubt that he’s 100% but it doesn’t matter for me. We have practically all the squad apart from Richardson and [Fabian] Delph who have little problems. All the others are available. It is important to have not only James Rodriguez back but Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne too. Richarlison is really important but we have to break this statistic [that Everton don’t win when he doesn’t play] tomorrow.”
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Solskjær won't 'fall like a house of cards' after defeats
Ole Gunnar Solskjær has arrived for his press conference and he says the sun is shining in Manchester and he’s not feeling any added pressure after the sorry loss at Basaksehir followed the limp defeat at home to Arsenal:
Why shouldn’t I be [successful at Manchester United]? If I don’t trust my beliefs and values and my staff’s quality and the players’ quality, who else should? I don’t look at one or two results and fall like a house of cards. I think there has been too much made of us not scoring against Arsenal and Chelsea. Not long ago we were the best thing since sliced bread when we beat Leipzig and PSG. The club have shown strong leadership and I have had good dialogue with them. There is always a pressure and expectation on us. I became a man at Manchester United and I have learned how to deal with good and bad times. You’re a top coach when you win and you’re bad when you lose. Every game of football becomes history quickly.
On the reaction of his players?
We had avery long and late flight home and were here early Thursday morning. Thursday was a day of tired minds and tired legs and we couldn’t do a lot. Today has been a sunny day and the boys are ready for a reaction. It’s never easy or enjoyable when you lose two on the bounce but that’s football. Champions League games are difficult but the manner of the goals … we gifted them those goals. You have to be mentally strong. There are demands on a Manchester United player, coach and manager. We’re at the biggest and best club in the world. It’s about how you deal with a setback and the boys are ready to give a response. I’m good. You don’t have to be happy to still stay positive. you know that on difficult days on hard days, in life, there will be better days.
On the challenge of facing Everton:
Every time you play for United passion and fight are things you expect to see, to earn the right to win a game of football you need that and definitely against Everton, with or without fans at Goodison Park you still have to have that fight and passion in you, that’s a given. Times are different, times are strange, a strain on the players, football is not the same without fans and passion. I don’t think anyone’s been in the situation the players are now, had months and months of playing with uncertainty and unknown with the virus and pandemic. Sometimes it’s easy to sit at home and we have to look after them, physically and mentally and think how my players cope with the whole situation. I’m a definite believer in these boys and will come and show how much they care.
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We will hear off Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Pep Guardiola soon. With an international break following this weekend’s matches and Mauricio Pochettino sniffing around, if Everton beat United comfortably could we have a new Manchester United manager before we know who the next US president will be?
Nigel Clough is back in management. The 54-year-old (yes, 54!) has been appointed by League Two strugglers Mansfield, who sacked Graham Coughlan last month and remain without a win so far this season. “Nigel has an outstanding pedigree in football and a proven track record of significantly improving the teams he has managed. He brings 20 years’ managerial experience to the club and can provide the stability and leadership which we require.”
Some classic José Mourinho fun and games here. The Tottenham manager is uneasy with Gareth Bale working with an Arsenal coach while on international duty.
It doesn’t make me very comfortable. National team matches should have coaches that work exclusively for them, not coaches who work for other clubs.
Oh José! People have bills to pay you know.
Another intriguing game on Sunday is the one between Aston Villa and Arsenal at the Emirates. Villa have suffered back-to-back defeats but are still level on 12 points with the Gunners and have a game in hand. Dean Smith is not concerned after losing 4-3 to Southampton and 3-0 to Leeds: “We still feel that we’ve had a good start [even if] the last two results have been disappointing,” he said. “The players are still confident, that’s for sure, they want to put it right. We believe we have a really good squad and players that can play the way we want to play.
“There was a good reaction in the Southampton game, they showed an awful lot of character and played some really good football in the second half, but we can’t give teams four-goal leads. They have started with good performances, so Mikel [Arteta] has done a fantastic job. It was a big win for us [against Arsenal last season] that helped us to retain our Premier League status, and we played them in pre-season, so we know a lot about them.”
Goalkeeper Tom Heaton has returned to full training after being out since January with a serious knee injury, although striker Wesley remains out with his own long-term knee issue.
Klopp: playing City 'the most difficult game in the world'
Jürgen Klopp is speaking at Melwood [for the last time before they move to the new Kirkby training ground] before Liverpool travel to Manchester City on Sunday. Here’s what he’s had to say about the game. Is it a title-decider?
It looks like even you [the media] think it’s not a decider. It’s a very difficult game for both teams and both will perform in a high level. So much is different this year. Everything is different. We just have to make sure we get through a very intense period and keep the players fit and play the best football we can against Manchester City – one of the best teams in the world.
On Jota and Firmino:
Pretty much all of [our attackers] delivered for us in the important moments. It’s very good for us that Diogo has settled that quick and has gained confidence so early. It makes everything easier. Not scoring all the goals he has would not make him a worse player. I love it the way he did it so that’s all very positive but we have more than three offensive players and they are all good. I don’t have to say one word about Bobby Firmino and how important he is to us! I would feel really embarrassed now if I have to mention the quality of Bobby Firmino. I am not surprised [by Jota’s performances]. He is the player we thought he would be but we can help him to reach the next level and he can help us reach the next level. He played in one of the hardest working teams you can face [at Wolves].
Klopp confirmed that Thiago was still not fit enough to train and Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are still not in contention. He then praised the young defenders Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips for stepping up in recent weeks as well as Joe Gomez’s growing maturity.
The boys have enjoyed the challenge and we have seen that [Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams] are able to do some special stuff. Also Joel [Matip] is back seven, eight, nine days in training. We will see what we do for Sunday. [Joe Gomez] has played very good [in recent games]. He has has so many different partners and was always the kid in the backline and was thrown into cold water but he has had to grow in recent games and I am very happy with the performances he has had.
On the challenge of playing City:
I don’t think we make a big difference in our approach to home and away games … but saying that against Manchester City, the quality they have, there is a danger on the counter-attack. We lost heavily there last season but it is not a game that I like to consider as three days before we were champions. It’s really important we compete that we have our game plan, that we are brave that we play football and defend well … but this is the most difficult game in the world of football. We have to prepare well.
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Of course, there is no reason why Firmino and Jota can’t play together regularly for Liverpool at some point this season but if that were to happen from the start this weekend it would probably be with Jota playing in midfield.
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Southampton can go top of the Premier League for the first time in the history of the club (yes, I know football began before 1992) if they beat Newcastle this evening. And the fine work that Ralph Hasenhüttl is doing at Southampton has been recognised by the Premier League. The Austrian has been nominated for the manager of the month award for October alongside Nuno Espírito Santo, José Mourinho, David Moyes and Dean Smith. This time a year ago, he was fielding difficult questions after that 9-0 home drubbing by Leicester. He seems a very likeable manager and I’m delighted he is doing so well. Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has been effusive in his praise for the job Hasenhüttl has done in the past year:
Since the turn of the year, they’ve been in and around it. They’ve had a remarkable 12 months – I think it was only 12 months ago since they lost heavily to Leicester. The way they’ve all performed since then and turned it around, fair play to them. They’ve got a very, very good side, so it’s going to be a tough place to go, that’s for sure. One of the main reasons they’ve had the 12 months they’ve had is the performance of Danny [Ings], and I think I speak on behalf of all football fans when I say I’m so pleased it’s not one of those [injuries] that will keep him out for another 12 months.
Ben Fisher has been speaking to former Watford manager Nigel Pearson about being halted by Hornets security guards, riding horses and how it doesn’t sit right with him that smaller Football League clubs have gone bust while the Premier League spent £1bn in the transfer window.
A little bit of FA Cup first-round news: AFC Wimbledon v Barrow has been postponed after a number of Dons players tested positive for coronavirus after their 2-2 draw with Doncaster in League One. Darren Moore, Doncaster’s manager, and his coaching staff will self-isolate after coming into contact with someone who tested positive so Andy Butler will take charge for Saturday’s FA Cup tie against FC United of Manchester.
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Should Roberto Firmino or Diogo Jota start in attack for Liverpool against Manchester City on Sunday? Jota is in fine form, and he gave Liverpool’s forward line added dynamism in a central position against Atalanta, but I suspect Jürgen Klopp will revert to his tried and trusted forward trident on Sunday afternoon. Firmino’s defensive ability will be extra important at the Etihad and the Brazilian enjoys facing City – he’s scored five goals against them and weighed in with six assists to boot. Mind you, Jota has seven in 10 for Liverpool compared with Firmino’s seven in 36. It’s a tough choice for Klopp, but a nice problem to have.
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West Ham have had an impressive start to the season considering they have faced some of the bigger sides in the Premier League. David Moyes is hoping that the Hammers can continue to play with the consistency that has led to some good results – and performances – against the top sides when they face 17th-placed Fulham. “If you’ve been to Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Leicester away from home in the first seven you’d say that’s tough for any club,” Moyes said. “So I”m pleased with the way we’ve started. I still wanted more points, but the level of performance has been good. We try to be the same all the time. We’re trying to get consistency, whether that’s against teams at the top or those who you’d consider to be nearer the bottom.”The motivation is the same every week.”
With Michail Antonio still missing for this one, Sébastien Haller will likely get another start and Said Benrahma willprobably be on the bench. “[Haller] can make an impact in the Premier League. I think it takes time to settle in the Premier League and people expect a lot from the start,” Moyes said. “Sometime it takes time. It’s a big chance for him to show what he can do. He has a great reputation throughout Europe, so let’s hope he can bring that to West Ham.”
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Morning all! How are we then? Great. As Tom mentioned earlier, it’s Der Klassiker this weekend and with both sides on 15 points at the top of the Bundesliga what a match it could turn out to be. Bayern’s treble-winning manager, Hansi Flick, has been speaking in his pre-match press conference and had this to say:
It’s Der Klassiker, so everybody will be motivated. We know the whole world will be watching, which will spur us on even more. We are confident and will do everything we can to win the game. Dortmund have an outstanding team. They have one of the best defences in the Bundesliga, a lot of quality up front and they are dangerous once they win possession. It’s important that we play as a team. Winning is always what matters. It was important that we got the three points in Salzburg. It was a great game for the neutrals. Our mentality and desire to win are great. I have to give the team a lot of credit for this. Leon Goretzka trained yesterday. We expect him to be available. Niklas Süle and Joshua Zirkzee won’t be in the squad.”
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Right, I’m jumping out of the hot seat now and ushering Gregg Bakowski into it. Bye for now.
Marcelo Bielsa’s been chatting about turning around Leeds’ mini-blip when they face Palace tomorrow. “We want a response, but the response will be evaluated in the performance in the next game,” said the manager.
“The response is always subject to the result in the next game. What happens during the week, we don’t give too much importance to it. There are things to improve and work on - the coach too. I didn’t distribute the players properly on the pitch against Leicester, the help I gave the players on how to defend and attack better, I didn’t give it.”
Bielsa also spoke of his respect for the Palace manager, Roy Hodgson. “I sincerely respect him a lot. I’m not the best person to have an opinion as I have only been here for two years but I have the opinion that he’s a very valued member in the English community, given the trajectory of his career and his behaviour.
“They are a team who has very important players in attack and a team who has a stable base. They have a distinct style of play that they don’t change, but they do improve.”
Leeds will check on the fitness of Raphinha before travelling. Diego Llorente (groin) and Kalvin Phillips (shoulder) remain out injured, while Rodrigo will miss a second match as he continues to self-isolate following a positive Covid-19 test.
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David Moyes is a good thing: so says Jacob Steinberg here, arguing that Moyes has bought well and brought focus at West Ham after the directionless extravagance of recent years:
Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala has been given his first England Under-21s call-up. The forward has been included for this month’s Euro 2021 qualifiers against Andorra and Albania. The Derby defender Lee Buchanan is also in the squad for the first time but there’s no place for Mason Greenwood.
Musiala, 17, came through Chelsea’s academy before moving to Germany in 2019.
England host Andorra on 13 November 13 and Albania on 17 November, both at Molineux, having already qualified for next month’s tournament in Hungary and Slovenia.
England: Austin (Tottenham), Bursik (Stoke, on loan at Doncaster), Ramsdale (Sheffield United), Aarons (Norwich), Buchanan (Derby), Guehi (Chelsea, on loan at Swansea), Justin (Leicester), Kelly (Bournemouth), Lamptey (Brighton), Panzo (Dijon), Williams (Liverpool), Wilmot (Watford), Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Dasilva (Brentford), Eze (Crystal Palace), Gallagher (Chelsea on loan at West From), Jones (Liverpool), Skipp (Tottenham, on loan at Norwich), Brewster (Sheffield United), Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea), McNeil (Burnley), Musiala (Bayern Munich), Nketiah (Arsenal), Sessegnon (Tottenham on loan at Hoffenheim)
Takeover news: it looks like English football is about to have more Abu Dhabi club owners, at Championship strugglers Derby. A statement from the club this morning announced that the Derby owner, Mel Morris, has been in talks with Derventio Holdings (UK) Limited since May and a takeover has now been agreed. The deal with Derventio – whose ultimate controller is Bin Zayed International LLC, owned by Sheikh Khaled Zayed Bin Saquer Zayed Al Nayhan – passed the EFL’s owners and directors test yesterday.
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West Ham v Fulham news: David Moyes will be without Michail Antonio and Mark Noble for the visit of Fulham. Antonio is recovering well from a hamstring problem but will not be fit in time, while Noble suffered a rib injury in training. The on-loan striker Saïd Benrahma could make his full debut. Fulham could be without their new signing Mario Lemina.
Anyone thinking far enough ahead to be planning Christmas? Some essential information if so - the Carabao Cup quarter-final dates and times have been released. Starting on Tuesday 22 December at 5.30pm, Brentford host Newcastle, followed by Arsenal v Manchester City at 8pm. The following night Stoke face Tottenham at 5.30pm, followed by Everton v Man Utd at 8pm. You’d wonder what sort of crowds those ties might have pulled if fans had been let in.
Staying in Scotland, Steven Gerrard says Alfredo Morelos is targeting the Champions League after he become the club’s all-time top scorer in continental competition with 22 goals in the 3-3 draw at Benfica.
All those goals have come in the Europa League but Gerrard knows the 24-year-old has ambitions to go even higher (though he didn’t say whether that would be at Rangers). He said: “Yes, he was very happy after the game about his record-breaking (achievement). I think he’s got his hunger back and you can see it in his eyes, he wants to go and score more goals in the competition.
I know he’s got dreams and aspirations of playing in the Champions League one day, which is good for him.”
While much of football pulls down the shutters, Ross County are letting fans in this evening, a socially distanced crowd of 300 being allowed in for their Scottish Premiership match against Livingston. The Highlands have been placed in tier one under the Scottish government’s new Covid restrictions, which allows limited crowds in stadiums.
Anyone off to that one? How are you feeling about it?
Ole Gunnar Solskjær can expect some serious scrutiny of Wednesday’s capitulation of Manchester United at Istanbul Basaksehir during his early afternoon by-zoom media conference. He really has to guide United to a win at Everton though do not think it is a fait accompli he will definitely be sacked if they lose in Saturday’s early kick-off. Unless it is a particularly torrid mode of defeat he may well continue. But who knows: this is football, after all...
Preamble
Morning everyone, and welcome to the last weekend of a full programme of domestic action before the next international break. It feels as if everyone’s played about 20 games since the last once, with fortunes hiding and rising on an almost-daily basis. As is the form these days, it all kicks off on Friday evening as Brighton face Burnley in what was once the rush hour in a clash between two sides who haven’t really got going this season. Further along the south coast, one side who have – Southampton - can actually go top if they beat Newcastle in tonight’s later kick-off. They’ve been fun to watch this term, not least because of James Ward-Prowse’s set pieces. He talks about them here to David Hytner.
And then … we’re going to have to talk about Manchester United again aren’t we? They’re first up on Saturday against Everton at Goodison, and with speculation again swirling around Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s managerial future after they let in the kind of goals against Istanbul Basaksehir on Wednesday that many of us can last remember conceding in cub football on Wanstead flats. They’re perhaps lucky to be catching Everton on a bit of a dip after their sparkling start but it’ll be an intriguing one. Jonathan Liew says United are at risk of drifting while Ole’s at the wheel.
Elsewhere on Saturday, we’ve got an impossible to call Crystal Palace v Leeds set-to – Marcelo Bielsa’s side having suffered a chastening walloping by Leicester last time out – and what look like home bankers for Chelsea and West Ham against Sheffield United and Fulham respectively, but you never know at the moment. Then the spotlight turns to Sunday’s big match between, in theory, the two best teams in the country when Manchester City face Liverpool at the Etihad. Both have been brilliant and occasionally baffling this season, without looking like the trophy-hogging machines of recent years.
Also, it’s the Klassiker in Germany with Dortmund hosting Bayern Munich at the Westfalenstadion. Bayern have been mercilessly, thrillingly relentless for almost a year now but Dortmund’s form has picked up, at home and in the Champions League, in recent weeks.
And let’s not forget it’s FA Cup first round weekend too, with many teams whose leagues have been halted under the new lockdown restrictions granted a tilt at glory against Football League opposition. If groundhopping were allowed this week, I’d be all over ties such as Tonbridge v Bradford, FC United of Manchester v Doncaster and Eastbourne v Blackpool.
In the meantime, here are some things to look forward to in the top flight:
