And that’s full time! Thanks for reading everyone. Enjoy the weekend and remember you can find our live Ryder Cup blog here.
Let’s head to Spain where Sid Lowe suggests Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman is a dead man walking. You’ll have to scroll down to seventh to find Barca in the table but the problems run far deeper than league position.
More on the alcohol at matches story.
This from PA Media:
Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs’ Council football policing lead, says it would be “irresponsible to fuel” football’s problem with disorder by allowing alcohol to be consumed in the stands.
MP Tracey Crouch will recommend a pilot in League Two and the National League Premier as part of her fan-led review of football governance, which is due to be published next month.
But Roberts said: “Since the Euro 2020 final and the return of fans to stadiums we have seen concerning levels of disorder at matches.
“Sadly this builds on disorder witnessed over recent seasons. In particular we have seen assaults on stewards and hate crime and it would be irresponsible to fuel this by allowing greater alcohol consumption during games.
“We are seeing moves to unpick the measures implemented following the Taylor report which delivered a safer, more secure environment for all at football.”
It’s Friday, it’s five to five. Not Crackerjack, but The Fiver.
Brentford v Liverpool: Omen alert! The Merseysiders tend to win stuff in seasons when they play Brentford.
Last meeting: 1989 (4-0 to Liverpool in FA Cup sixth round; Reds went on to win final against Everton).
Before that: 1983 (8-1 aggregate win in League Cup; Reds went on to win replayed final against Everton).
Last league meeting: 1947 (1-1 draw at Griffin Park; Bees were relegated from the top-flight while Liverpool went on to win the title).
Anyhow, here’s a look ahead to Saturday’s clash.
Manchester United v Aston Villa: Ronaldo’s knocking them in but United have lost two of their last three games and were a botched Mark Noble penalty away from drawing the middle one. Would Sir Alex have put up with the game being moved for a Courteeners concert? The Durutti Column maybe, but not that lot.
Match preview here from Jamie Jackson.
Let’s hit you with some match previews - starting with Chelsea v Manchester City. Just how important could the result at Stamford Bridge be when the points are totted up at the end of the season? I’m oscillating between ‘fairly’ and ‘very’.
Eight Premier League players called up by Brazil.
Story here from PA Media:
Eight Premier League players have been named in Brazil’s squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers.
English clubs collectively agreed not to release players to countries on the Government’s coronavirus ‘red list’ for September’s internationals, which included Brazil.
The Brazilian federation (CBF) was one of four national associations who initially asked world governing body FIFA to bar the players from club duty for a five-day period, but the request was waived late on September 10.
Quarantine exemptions for Premier League players are being discussed in a bid to avoid a fresh row ahead of the October break.
Chairs and chief executives of top-flight clubs were updated on the progress of talks between the league, the Government and FIFA at a league shareholders’ meeting in London on Wednesday.
There remains a possibility of an agreement being reached to avoid players having to quarantine for 10 days on their return.
That could involve strict conditions on players entering Covid-secure bubbles once they join up with their national team, and then returning to a similar set-up at their clubs.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this week in a meeting around the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
FIFA’s statement highlighting the meeting said the pair discussed “the ongoing co-operation established to support travel during international windows and partnership to ensure equal opportunities for all”.
The English-based players called up by Brazil are Alisson and Fabinho from Liverpool, Ederson and Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, Emerson Royal of Tottenham, Thiago Silva from Chelsea, Manchester United midfielder Fred and Raphinha from Leeds.
Brazil are away to Venezuela and Colombia before a home match against Uruguay.
The last of those games kicks off in the early hours of the morning UK time on Friday, October 15, which would mean the players would almost certainly miss any league match that weekend if the federation insists on them remaining with the squad throughout.
Newcastle boss Steve Bruce talked earlier about the link between heading and dementia.
Louise Taylor’s story explains his conflicted view. The former central defender is obviously concerned but admits he wouldn’t have had the career he had without heading.
Golf/football news: Perhaps putting a Manchester United fan with an Arsenal fan was never going to work given past rivalries.
It certainly seems that way so far with Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter getting absolutely gubbed in their opening Ryder Cup match.
They’re 4 down to Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay after 10 holes.
Southampton v Wolves: While they haven’t yet won a Premier League game this season, at least Ralph Hasenhuttl can take consolation from the fact that his team are being referred to as “draw specialists”.
It’s four straight top-flight draws for the Saints after they extended the sequence with an unlikely 0-0 at Manchester City last weekend. That said, it could have been three points rather than one after City escaped conceding a penalty and having Kyle Walker sent off following a VAR review.
That draw followed stalemates with Manchester United, Newcastle and West Ham.
With Wolves losing four of their first five, maybe this is Southampton’s big chance to gain a first top-flight win since May. What say you, Ralph?
“You can see that with one point always you don’t make really big steps forward,” said the Austrian.
“It’s a pity that we had a big chance for winning against Man City. It would have been three extra points and a fantastic win and then the pressure is a little bit lower. But there is always pressure.
“It’s important that we have always a chance to win, to prepare as good as possible, and then it’s not always so important who the opponent is.
“When you see Man City, Man United, we had so far very strong opponents and always took points, so this is good, definitely – only one loss so far.
“But we want to turn things in a way that we also start winning now. This is important for us to get the feeling that we are able to win again.
“This is a good opportunity (against Wolves) but we know that the last two games at home we lost against this team so it will be a tough, tough, tough game, with 90 minutes of full concentration.”
As for team news, Jack Stephens is facing around three months on the sidelines due to a knee problem while midfielder Stuart Armstrong also remains out with a calf muscle injury. Theo Walcott has returned to training.
Speaking of Michael Antonio, he has a score to settle.
- Antonio has never scored in nine previous league games against Leeds – he hasn’t faced an opponent more often without scoring in the English league.
This may help though...
- Leeds have faced more shots on target than any other Premier League side this season (35), with only Newcastle (13) and Norwich (14) shipping more goals than the Whites so far.
Leeds v West Ham: Hammers boss David Moyes is another self-confessed member of the Marcelo Bielsa fan club although perhaps it should be the other way around given that West Ham beat the Whites twice last season.
Anyway, here’s Moyes recalling how watching Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao once helped his Everton side get a 4-4 draw at Manchester United.
“I’ve always admired Bielsa, wherever he’s been. I remember I went to watch his Athletic Bilbao team against Manchester United.
“The day we drew 4-4 – it just about stopped Manchester United winning the league the season before Sir Alex left – I’d seen how Athletic Bilbao played and thought I’m going to have to play like that with Everton, and we got a draw.
“His teams always have incredible energy. Everybody’s man-to-man marking in many areas of the pitch. But they are more than that, they are also a very good passing team. And for that the manager deserves great credit.”
As for Saturday’s match: “It is a really tough game, with the energy they put into their game it is going to be a test for anyone who plays them.
“I think we’re just going to try and do what West Ham have been doing recently, to be positive in our play and score goals, but also to be strong defensively.
“I think if you look at Leeds’ play, you’d consider them a really positive team, so we have to think like that as well.
“We’ll try and attack them and score when we can, but we’ll have another tough job trying to defend against them.”
Top scorer Michail Antonio is back having been suspended for the league defeat by Manchester United and then rested for Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup revenge victory at Old Trafford.
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Leicester v Burnley: It’s been a bit of a weird opening for Leicester City. Usually, they’re fast starters, getting in among the big spenders early on and staying there for most of the campaign before a late slide. But this year there’s a different team in blue and white shaking things up: Brighton.
So what does Brendan Rodgers make of his Foxes side as they enter the weekend in 12th place?
“We are very focused on improving. I never get too high when we win or too low when we lose. We have a brilliant bunch of players and I know we want better results but it’s over the course of 38 games.
“In the second half against Brighton (lost 2-1) and against Millwall (won 2-0) it was a lot more like us in terms of our spirit, some of our football and intensity. That’s the challenge, we have to repeat that and make that consistent.
“The players are human, they will make mistakes, I will make mistakes and we’ll do everything we can do to be better in our next game.”
Defender Jonny Evans played 74 minutes against Millwall in midweek and could make his first Premier League start since April, although Rodgers won’t rush him.
“It’s about managing Jonny. It’s his first 90 minutes since earlier in the year. It’s managing that process and seeing how the foot reacts.
“It’s a long season. I’m delighted he’s got the game time and in and, absolutely, when he is playing we are a better team.
“He gives great authority and assurance to the backline and the team overall because of his tactical ability and the way he plays the game.
“We’ll see if he can start and, if not, he will certainly be on the bench. We know we have other really important games ahead.”
As for other team news, Ayoze Perez is available after a three-game ban but James Justin (knee) and Wesley Fofana (broken leg) remain sidelined.
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Meanwhile in Italy: Just in case you haven’t been following the fortunes of Juventus since Cristiano Ronaldo left, here’s a great piece from Nicky Bandini. The Old Lady has been struggling but perhaps there are signs of perking up.
Mikel Arteta speaks: Some lines from the Arsenal boss ahead of Sunday’s game against Spurs.
On its importance: “It is the most special game of the season at home, for sure. It is a north London derby and emotionally it is a different one to play and we know how much it means for our supporters as well.”
On team news: “Hopefully everyone is available, so good news. We have one more session before the game, but in general everyone is feeling good.”
On captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: “He has been in really good form, I think the way he played at Burnley even though he didn’t score a goal, was extraordinary in the way he played for the team so we are expecting him to keep doing the same. He has generated chances but we have to generate more, we have to put him through on more occasions when we know how it is going to end up and he is in good form.”
North London derby stats: The good people at Opta have come up with these:
- Since consecutive 0-0 draws at Highbury in 1997-98 and 1998-99, Arsenal have scored at least once in each of their last 22 Premier League home games against Spurs.
- Coming into this weekend’s games, Arsenal have used the most different players (26) and had the most starting XI changes (16) in the Premier League this season. The Gunners also have the youngest average starting XI so far in the top-flight this term (24y 328d).
- Spurs’ Harry Kane is the all-time highest goalscorer in competitive meetings between Arsenal and Tottenham, with 11 goals. He failed to score against Arsenal in their last meeting in March, but has never gone without a goal against the Gunners in back-to-back games.
- Just one of the last 10 Tottenham managers (to take charge in a north London derby) has won their first top-flight meeting against Arsenal (D5 L4), though it was José Mourinho in July 2020. Nuno Espírito Santo will be the 10th different individual Spurs manager whose first north London derby came away from home, with just one of the previous nine emerging victorious (Peter Shreeve in January 1985, otherwise D5 L3).
Arsenal v Tottenham: Here’s Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo getting his North London derby chat on.
“It’s not another game. It’s a special game. A special game for us, a special game for our fans. It’s going to be a tough match but no doubt, it’s a different game.
“I had many, many situations in derbies but this is a new one, a tough one and a good one, a special one for our fans. If it’s special for our fans, it’s very special for us.
“We expect a tough match and for us, we have to compete, we have to play and compete well. Give everything that we can and play good.
“Playing good is finding the right balance in our game. Improvements to be made but a lot of positives that we take from the previous games, so let’s keep on going.”
Spurs will have Lucas Moura back after he missed the last two games with a knock, but Steven Bergwijn and Ryan Sessegnon remain out.
Quiz question: What do Gabby Agbonlahor and Younes Kaboul have in common?
Answer: They’re the men responsible for the two outliers in these rather horrid sequences for Aston Villa and Tottenham.
- Aston Villa have picked up just one win in their last 45 Premier League games against Manchester United (D11 L33) and are winless in their last 17 against them.
- Tottenham have won just one of their last 28 away league games against Arsenal (D11 L16).
Agbonlahor’s 21st-minute strike gave Villa victory at Old Trafford in 2009 while Younes Kaboul’s 85th-minute winner for Tottenham completed a dramatic comeback from 2-0 down in 2010.
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More Everton team news: While Pickford and Digne look set to return, it’s not all sweetness and light on the team news front for Everton.
Up front, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (quadriceps) and Richarlison (knee) are out while captain Seamus Coleman (hamstring) is also missing.
Benitez was asked about the trio’s chances of playing for their respective countries during next month’s international break. He gave that short shrift. “No chance. They will not be available, almost 100 per cent sure.”
Everton v Norwich: The Toffees will hope to be the 16th straight team to score a Premier League win over Norwich when they welcome the Canaries to Goodison Park in one of the four Saturday 3pm kick-offs.
And they’ll have the benefit of Jordan Pickford being back between the sticks. The England goalkeeper has been absent with a shoulder problem picked up during the win over Burnley on September 13.
“Pickford is OK, he has been training,” said Everton boss Rafael Benítez said matter of factly.
“Lucas (Digne) has been training. The others are exactly the same situation. They are getting better but still not available.”
Full-back Digne was a possible doubt after suffering a calf strain in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie at QPR.
Mason Mount out: The Chelsea man will miss the big one against Manchester City.
Thomas Tuchel reveals the England man played through a knock in Chelsea’s penalty shootout win over Aston Villa in midweek and hasn’t shaken it off.
“For Mason Mount it’s too soon, he has a minor injury from the Aston Villa game. He made a big step, huge progress, but it’s not enough to be ready for 12.30 tomorrow.
“Mason’s very disappointed. I didn’t feel it during the match because it happened in the second-half and he played through the injury and he finished the game.
“He was even confident enough to take an important penalty. So it was a bit of a surprise. So the steps for recovery he’s doing right now, they are huge, maybe it’s even possible that he could have played if the game was one day later.
“So it’s a very minor injury, but still a disappointment for him and for us. Because he’s a player that we count on.”
In better and perhaps more crucial news, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has shaken off a hip complaint and will start. Christian Pulisic is still out due to an ankle problem.
More from Pep: Some team news for Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge and City have plenty of options in central defence. John Stones and Aymeric Laporte returned to training this week and are in contention. As is holding midfielder Rodri.
But Ilkay Gundogan and Oleksandr Zinchenko are expected to miss out again, with Pep noting: “We still have a few injuries. Some of them have come back a little bit in training and tomorrow we will decide if they are ready to play or not.”
Chelsea v Manchester City: Thomas Tuchel had Pep Guardiola’s number last season, beating him an FA Cup semi-final, the Premier League and, most significantly, the Champions League final.
But Pep insists those results were then and this is now.
“We will prepare for the game like we prepared for Southampton and the previous games. Every game is a new challenge and an opportunity to improve and an opportunity to learn and do it better.
“It is not a final, it is completely different than the previous games. The FA Cup was a (semi-)final, a tight game and we lost it. The Premier League was already done, we had won (the title) already, we were almost champions, and of course the Champions League was a massive, massive game.
“We try to learn, now it is a new competition.”
It’s quite a week for City, who then head to Paris St Germain in the Champions League before taking on Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday.
Pep is focusing on the job in hand though. “It’s one more game. We prepare the game on the strong points we have and see what we can do to be better.
“That’s the mindset we have. It will be the same against Paris St-Germain and Liverpool before the international break.”
Thanks Barry. I’ll start with some hot North London derby video action. It’s Mikel and Nuno.
🗣 "We are going to have our people right behind us."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) September 24, 2021
Mikel Arteta says having the Arsenal fans creating an atmosphere on Sunday will give the team a boost pic.twitter.com/ed1isaSTAg
🗣 "It's not another game, it's a special game."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) September 24, 2021
Nuno Espirito Santo expects a tough game against Arsenal but says their recent results won't affect the performance pic.twitter.com/QZ0L4rgH7B
That’s all from me. Thank you for your time and company, have a great weekend and I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of David Tindall, who has plenty more news from assorted pressers to share with you.
More from Ole: The Manchester United manager was asked about the series of penalty-kicks he feels his side has been denied and bizarrely managed to blame Jurgen Klopp for the reluctance of referees to give Manchester United spot-kicks. The Liverpool manager claimed last season that Manchester United were getting more penalties than Liverpool.
“I don’t know,” he said, his tinfoil hat twinkling under the bright lights. “But there was a certain manager last year who was starting to worry about us getting penalties and after that, it seems like the decisions are more difficult to give. Surely I’ve seen a big, big difference since then on. But we just have to leave it up to the refs and hope that they will make the right calls very soon.”
Manchester United v Aston Villa: Ole Gunnar Solskjær has faced his media firing squad and had plenty to say for himself.
On David De Gea: “He did call me in the summer to end his summer holiday earlier and come back and start his pre-season before, he wanted to be ready, the best possible version of himself.
“Last season was a challenging one, he didn’t play as many games because Dean came in and did very well. David has really worked, focused, physically and mentally he’s better and when you feel you’ve done the work, personal best, a few physical tests, it gives you more confidence and motivation. He plays behind a strong back four but to play in front of David when he’s in this form is good for them.”
On Edinson Cavani: “He’s in the squad tomorrow, he’s been training and now he feels ready to contribute. He came on against Wolverhampton, then he got a slight strain in the international break when we had a game and he’s ready again. he’s worked really hard and diligently and hopefully he’ll have an impact as he did last season.”
On Cristiano Ronaldo: “I think Cristiano has been used to that ever since he came to the club, maybe more in the last 15 years of his career, in his first few years everyone tried to kick him because you wanted to stop him and then he became such a top player everyone had to have an eye on him, his record, he’s used to that challenge, we’re a team, more than just Cristiano and the players I’ve got to choose from would enjoy if they had too much of an eye on Cristiano, it might give space for others.”
Leeds United v West Ham: West Ham travel to Elland Road tomorrow and David M oyes has been looking ahead to the encounter. “I’m a big admirer of Marcelo Bielsa because of his record and the way his teams play,” he said. They’re a great football club, Leeds, fantastically supported, so it’s a really tough game. The energy they put in and how they go about winning, it’ll certainly be a test for us.”
While Leeds will be missing several key players through injury, West Ham have a fairly full squad to choose from. Ryan Fredericks limped off following his assist during their midweek Carabao Cup win over Manchester United and has been ruled out, but Michail Antonio is expected to return.
Brentford v Liverpool: Brentford welcome Liverpool to their small corner of west London tomorrow evening and the invariably entertaining Thomas Frank has been chatting to the ladies and gentlemen of the Fourth Estate ahead of the fixture.
He took time to sing the praises of his Danish midfielder Christian Norgaard. “I think Christian is a late bloomer,” he said. “And I’m very, very pleased that he’s playing for Brentford. Because I think if you took him out and put him into Liverpool, and changed the two players, Fabinho and him, I don’t think you’d see much difference.”
He also gave insights into his own management style. “I think if you want to have success you need to have a clear strategy, be aligned and have a clear and strong culture,” he said. “But if I should only pick one of them I would always pick the culture. Culture eats strategy for breakfast.
“So if your culture is unbelievably strong, which I think ours is at this moment in time, but it can also change in weeks, months, if you are not on top of everything every single day. And I believe strongly in our togetherness, good people, staff, players, that not only think about their role but think about and care about others. And I think that’s key.
“And you need to reinforce that in the way you lead every single day. I believe in hard work, as another value we have. I believe in performance every single day, and then I constantly speak about attitude, to be confident but humble.
“And I think those are the pillars we are standing on right now.”
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Not football: We’re just a few minutes away from the first tee shot of the opening foursomes on Day One of the Ryder Cup. You can follow all the action from Whistling Straights without any of the mindless, unimaginative braying from the galleries with Scott “Mashed Potato” Murray.
Wayne Rooney: It’s been a rotten week for Derby County manager Wayne Rooney but as well as discussing his club going into adminsitration and the 12-point deduction that goes with it, his press conference veered off topic as the sad news of the passing of John Challis, who played Boycie in Only Fools And Horses was raised. Rooney is a massive fan of the show.
@johncrossmirror Only got the audio of it pal I’m afraid… pic.twitter.com/ySrKnKIbO5
— Baz Cooper (@bazdjcooper) September 24, 2021
Mine too. I saw them once at some London university a very long time ago when they were starting out but can’t remember a great deal about the evening, if I’m honest.
My understanding is that they are far more popular in their native Manchester than anywhere else. However, in the wake of some potentially award-winning investigative journalism on my part, I can exclusively reveal that they are playing my local venue, Brixton Academy, in November and that has a capacity of just shy of 5,000.
Meanwhile in Scotland: Leigh Griffiths has been charged by police over an incident during Dundee’s Premier Sports Cup defeat by St Johnstone. The Dundee striker kicked a smoke bomb back into the stand housing Saints supporters after it had been thrown on to the Dens Park pitch.
“Police Scotland can confirm that a 31-year-old man has been charged in relation to culpable and reckless conduct, following an incident at Dens Park, Dundee, on Wednesday, 22 September,” said a Police Scotland spokesperson. “A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
Striker Griffiths, who is on loan to Dundee from Celtic, apologised for the incident on Thursday and stated his intention had been “just to remove it from the pitch”.
Safe standing: It was announced on Wednesday that a pilot programme offering licensed safe standing areas at approved clubs which are currently subject to the Government’s all-seater policy is set to start on January 1 of next year and run until the end of the season.
It is understood Liverpool will not apply to take part in this pilot, because it is already running its own trial with temporary rail seating in two areas of Anfield. The Merseyside club’s current trial is only designed to allow safe standing at particular moments of excitement in a game, rather than throughout a game. Liverpool will then review their trial at the end of the season.
Jurgen Klopp was enthused by the notion that standing in the top divisions of English football was being talked about and tested again. A blanket ban has been in place for more than 25 years, after legislation was passed in the wake of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster which led to the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans.
“I think it’s a good moment to start thinking about how we can get back to where we were,” he said. “Football is really about atmosphere, we all know that and the more people in the stadium, the better the atmosphere is.
“The more people, in the right position, the better the atmosphere is. I’m pretty sure the people on the Kop stand most of the time anyway. But it’s good that we’re talking about it again, that we might reintroduce it again, test it again and I’m pretty sure the people are now responsible enough.
“I like the idea and I’m really excited about how much better the atmosphere could be at Anfield if we have safe standing. I’d be really surprised if it could be even better, but I hope for that, so let’s see.”
Tottenham and Manchester City are among the clubs understood to be keen on applying, while Dean Smith earlier today that he would be keen on having safe standing at Villa Park.
Brentford v Liverpool: Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he does not expect injured duo Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita to be sidelined for too long. Both midfielders have been ruled out of Saturday’s Premier League game at Brentford. Thiago has a calf injury and Keita hurt his foot in the midweek Carabao Cup win at Norwich.
“It’s not 100 per cent clear. It’s a muscle in the calf,” the German said of Thiago’s injury. “It’s an issue, obviously. After the international break probably. I don’t think it would be anything earlier. We will have to see.”
Keita was withdrawn at Carrow Road after catching his foot in the turf and Klopp added: “It’s nothing really serious, but it keeps him out of the next game for sure and maybe a little longer, we will have to see. It’s nothing serious, but it’s obviously painful and we have to see how he we can deal with that.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Roberto Firmino, James Milner and Neco Williams are all expected to return to contention for tomorrow’s match.
Manchester United v Aston Villa: For anyone who might be curious, the reason there are two lunchtime fixtures in the Premier League tomorrow is that the game between United and Villa has been brought forward because Mancunian musicians The Courteeners are playing at Old Trafford cricket ground tomorrow night.
“So, basically the Premier League will move kick-off times to accommodate middling indie bands but not to help clubs have a little bit longer to rest before European games,” mused one sportsdesk wag who shall remain nameless.
Manchester United v Aston Villa: Having gone out of the Carabao Cup on penalties to Chelsea, who also beat them in the Premier League two weeks ago, Aston Villa face another tough assignment at lunchtime tomorrow when they face Manchester United at Old Trafford.
“Our job is to go there and go toe-to-toe with them like we did at Chelsea,” said Dean Smith. “The Chelsea Premier League game was the catalyst - we went toe-to-toe with them and created big chances. A mistake killed the game for us in that one.
“We took that positivity into the game against Everton and it was a bit of a chess game for 60 minutes but once we got our first goal it was all guns blazing and a comfortable win in the end.
“We feel like there’s a lot of confidence and belief in the group and we feel like we’ve got a talented group, so there’s no reason why there shouldn’t be.” Smith is without Axel Tuanzebe, who cannot play against his parent club, Leon Bailey (quad) and Morgan Sanson (hamstring).
Norwich City: It’s early in the season but having lost their opening five Premier League games, all available evidence suggests that Norwich City are going to struggle to avoid a quick return to the Championship following their promotion as champions last season. They need to start winning, quickly.
More from Steve Bruce ...
He’s only been given his own customised Fifa 22 card and it turns out he has quite a turn of speed.
Steve Bruce out running the bench players has me dead.. 💀😭 pic.twitter.com/0t8u4I1mjh
— ً (@ConnorNUFC_) September 23, 2021
Derby County: Football finance expert Kevin Maguire was a special guest on yesterday’s Guardian Football Weekly podcast, where he provided an incisive, easy to follow analysis of the current mess in which Derby County find themselves after going into administration earlier this week. If you’re not already a listener, ou can hear his musings by clicking below, or signing up to Football Weekly on all the usual pod platforms.
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Watford v Newcastle: Steve Bruce has been chatting ahead of his side’s visit to Vicarage Road tomorrow afternoon and cynical Newcastle fans, of which there are one or two, might argue he’s getting his excuses in early. “We’ve got a couple of problems,” he said. “Joe Willock picked up an injury in training and Jamaal Lascelles hurt his thigh against Leeds so they unfortunately go on to the injury list which makes it five or six we’ve got out.
“Joe Willock’s was a complete fluke. He kicked the ground and damaged his toe. He’ll not make this week and it’ll be touch and go for next week as well. Jamaal Lascelles’ is a muscle injury. He tried yesterday but it was no good so it’ll be a couple of weeks.”
Asked if he thinks Newcastle will be able to hold on to their star player, Allan Saint-Maximin, he played a precdictably straight bat. “I haven’t had that conversation, and I don’t want to have that conversation as you can imagine,” he said. “We don’t want to lose our best players. Allan has stayed fit and well. I think it was his fifth 90 minutes and he didn’t do that through all of last season. You can see he’s playing at the top of his game but we need to find a threat from other positions too.”
Saint-Maximin is contracted to Newcastle until June 2026, which means that any club who fancies their chances of prising him away from St James’ Park will have to pay top dollar for the Frenchman.
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Another interesting insight: Here, by contrast, in a similar experiment, are several Arsenal players from the late 1980s slinging a load of very loud effs and jeffs into former referee and Harrow house master David Elleray.
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An interesting insight: Further to our more recent post, here is video from Fox Sports in Australia which has been doing the rounds for years. They mic-ed up Jarred Gillett for his final A-League game, during which somebody with far too much time on their hands worked out that he had awarded his 4,600th career foul. He looks a decent ref and the interaction between himself his Video Assistant Referee and the players around him is quite interesting.
Watford v Newcastle United: Watford boss Xisco Munoz is pleased to be involved in history on Saturday when Australian referee Jarred Gillett takes charge of their match with Newcastle but joked he would reserve judgement until after the game. Queensland-born Gillett will become the first referee from outside the British Isles to officiate a Premier League fixture at Vicarage Road this weekend.
The 34-year-old first moved to England in 2019 after success in the A-League in his native Australia and has continued his upward trajectory in the UK with promotion to the Select Group 1 of referees by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) before the start of the season.
Gillett’s involvement in the Premier League so far in the 2021-22 campaign has been limited to being at Stockley Park to assist with VAR but that will change when he leads out Watford and Newcastle.
“Always it is important to have the referees,” said Xisco. “No, it is perfect. I wish him all the best. It is very well when we have this history and I am sure we have a very good game with him. After the game ... maybe I can change the answer but right now it is like this.”
Meet E10Mess, who is baffled by the fact that a major media organisation might want people to read its free content. The same E10Mess who is so bemused by the pointlessness of this Friday build-up blog that he or she felt compelled to not only read it, but post an accompanying comment. E10mess clearly has no interest in the fact that 15 different Premier League managers will be taking questions from the press today ahead of the weekend’s action. And that’s OK.
While everyone is welcome to read it, I feel compelled to stress for the benefit of E10Mess and other similarly exasperated readers that this is not compulsory. There is lots of other stuff to read, watch or listen to on the Guardian website. Or you could just go for a walk. Or watch the Ryder Cup.
Updated
This is a point of view I’m inclined to agree with ... depending on what kind of game you’re attending. As an occasional non-League match-goer, games where drinking in your seat or standing area is already allowed, I enjoy a pint during the game.
However, in a packed stadium, where drinking during the game means people are constantly leaving their seats to either get the beers in at the bar or get the beers out in the toilets, I will happily go without and would prefer if everyone else did too. But then, I’m old and cranky. Your thoughts.
A World Cup every two years. It’s the subject that just won’t go away and the European Club Association has warned that Fifa’s latest plans for the future of football would have a “direct and destructive impact” on the club game, .
World football’s governing body has been accused by the ECA, which represents 247 different clubs across the continent, of trying to “railroad” through its controversial plans - which include playing a World Cup every two years - without proper consultation.
Its powerful statement also reminded Fifa of its “legally-binding obligations” to ensure clubs are consulted over the structure of the international match calendar (IMC).
“ECA has followed with grave concern and alarm FIFA’s launch of active PR campaigns and much pretence, apparently seeking to railroad through reforms to the IMC,” it read. “Particularly the introduction of a biennial World Cup.”
Let's raise a glass (or plastic cup) ...
Football’s long-standing ban on fans drinking alcohol while watching matches could be lifted if the recommendations of the former sports minister Tracey Crouch’s fan-led review are accepted, it says here. A good idea? Let us know in the comments section.
Leeds v West Ham: Yet to win a game in this season’s Premier League campaign, Leeds host West Ham at Elland Road tomorrow in one of the weekend’s more eyec atching Premier League fixtures. Marcelo Bielsa’s side have taken three points from their opening five matches and the Argentinian says performance levels must improve if they are to beat West Ham tomorrow.
“Our project to play is the same as last year and I don’t see the opponent has any different antidotes to those used last season,” he said. “But now that we’re not able to win means that our game needs to evolve, evolving in the sense that we need to make better what we want to do.
“Even when we receive few goals, we receive more chances than we should and in the games we’ve not only had problems with efficiency, but also to elaborate more chances that create danger. So we have a margin for correction in both aspects.”
Asked about the dip in form of Stuart Dallas, last season’s Leeds players’ player of the year and fans’ player of the the year, Bielsa had this to say. “His performances have not been at the same level as last year, I think you know this when you ask me about it. There are reasons to understand why it is that way and every game he plays a little bit better than the previous one.
“But I have every confidence that next Saturday, or the following Saturday, or in a short space of time, he’s going to come back to his high level. It’s not that I have confidence, I am sure of it.”
Leeds go into tomorrow’s game with further injuries to key players. Patrick Bamford has not recovered from an ankle injury which ruled him out of the midweek penalty shoot-out win over Fulham in the Carbao Cup, while Raphinha (hip), Luke Ayling (knee) and Jack Harrison (Covid) are all doubtful. Diego Llorente (muscle strain) and Robin Koch (pubis) remain sidelined, while their fellow defender Pascal Struijk serves the final game of a three-match ban.
Thank football it's Friday ...
The weekend starts here, as we gear up for another weekend of hot, sweaty football action. With managers thge length and the breadth of the UK sitting down to face the press ahead of the next three days’ fixtures, we’ll bring you asll the news that’s fit to print and much that almost certainly won’t be, as well as keeping tabs on any breaking news, scandal or tittle-tattle across Europe and beyond. Your comments, as always, are welcome, so feel free to post them below.
