Further reading
“I would caution the West Ham manager against using that nickname for his star striker,” emails Peter Oh of those earlier Hammers quotes. “It runs the risk of making the club sound like a Micky Moyes operation.”
And that’s all from me today. Thanks for reading, have a lovely weekend (while trying to contain your excitement at the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to the Premier League), and see you next time.
Updated
Nick Ames previews Brentford v Brighton:
Updated
Ligue 1 fixtures
As I mentioned earlier, Messi and Neymar will not feature for Paris Saint-Germain against Clermont tomorrow but Kylian Mbappé is raring to go, according to head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Friday
Lorient v Lille
Saturday
Paris Saint-Germain v Clermont
Monaco v Marseille
Sunday
Montpellier v St Etienne
Bordeaux v RC Lens
Brest v Angers
Metz v Troyes
Rennes v Reims
Nantes v Nice
Lyon v Strasbourg
Chelsea Women boss Emma Hayes will not be underestimating Everton this weekend despite their 4-0 loss to Manchester City in their opening Women’s Super League fixture of the new season. “I think it was just a 10 to 15-minute period ... the second half, I thought it was a much different game,” she said of Everton’s defeat.
Asked if the Toffees should be aiming to put themselves in among the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal this season, Hayes added: “They’d hope so, especially the amount of money they’ve spent. I’m sure Willie [Kirk, manager] will expect that of his group and I think you’ll see that with the amount of football on show for everybody this year. I’m sure there will be some indifferent results throughout the season. Yes, of course Arsenal started the fastest, but we are one game in.”
Hayes is not one to panic at the fact her Chelsea side lost 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium last Sunday. “As always they are a great group,” she said of the mood in training this week. “They’re brilliant and it is just one game of the season, it’s a long way to go. We have had really good sessions. It is great to have all the players back together in the last couple of weeks so (we are) just preparing as we normally would and just looking forward to being back with our home fans on Sunday.” (PA)
Crunch time for Arsenal and Norwich, writes Nick Ames in his match preview:
According to this, a footballer sticking his tongue out, or doing a ‘thumbs up’ gesture to camera, qualifies as a ‘blooper’. Personally I don’t think any of this would have made the cut for TV’s It’ll be Alright on the Night:
It's all fun and games! 🤣
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 10, 2021
Watch in full here. ⤵️
Updated
Norwich’s Farke says Arsenal head coach Arteta ‘won’t crack’
Encouraging words from Daniel Farke, the Norwich manager, for his Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta. They meet at the Emirates tomorrow, and neither side has a Premier League win on the board.
“It is not my style to comment on the situation for other clubs or circumstances, all I can say about Mikel Arteta is he is a fantastic guy, we have met several times,” said Farke. “He has unbelievable football knowledge with unbelievable experience, who tries to bring his own handwriting on to this team. In this business there is always pressure, and Mikel knows it - especially as he has played for some of the best clubs in the world. He has handled this pressure as a player and believe me, he will not crack under any pressure as a coach. He is much too smart, intelligent and such a good person. Without judging the Arsenal situation, I think he will have a great career as a manager.”
In Scotland, Steven Gerrard is back from his isolation period following the Covid-19 cases at Rangers before their lunchtime trip to St Johnstone tomorrow. “It’s not ideal and I don’t want to experience it again,” said Gerrard after having to isolate. He also confirmed that Ianis Hagi will miss tomorrow’s match after testing positive for Covid-19.
“I am here to manage from the sideline, I feel I can be a bigger help from the side and I like to be hands on. I’m here every session. I could obviously still contribute in terms of preparation, picking the team and making the decisions but to do that remotely was frustrating. What made me the most proud was how we all stuck together during these challenging times ... It showed the strength of us as a club, that we could deal with adversity when we were pushed and we coped extremely well.”
Updated
The West Ham manager David Moyes admits he found it impossible to recruit a capable understudy for Michail Antonio. With a Europa League campaign an additional consideration, Moyes was eager to ease the burden on Antonio. “We have to manage him,” said Moyes, whose unbeaten side go to Southampton tomorrow. “But I do think he’s in a better place than he’s been before: his level of professionalism, the way he’s looking after himself. But obviously you can get an injury that can put you out and we’ve got to always be careful with Micky. We’d have liked to have brought in someone who maybe directly could replace Micky, who could possibly help him out but we just couldn’t find it ... But keeping Micky fit is really important for us, we’ll not play him in all of the games, we’ll try and use him at the right times. He’s been terrific for us and long may that continue.”
Updated
Yes! It’s another photo of Salomón Rondón, who looks absolutely thrilled to have signed for Everton during the recent transfer window.
𝐄𝐥 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 👊 pic.twitter.com/qE97b9nwMi
— Everton (@Everton) September 10, 2021
As Andy Hunter reported then, it’s the third time that Benitez has had Rondon in his squad, after Newcastle, and the Chinese Super League side Dalian Pro:
A bit of vintage Dele Alli, via Tottenham’s Twitter:
📚 A textbook comeback at Selhurst 𝐟𝐭. THE Dele goal.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 10, 2021
⌚️ @IWC pic.twitter.com/dyAUzJBSu4
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday
FC Union Berlin v Augsburg
Bayer Leverkusen v Borussia Dortmund
Greuther Fürth v Wolfsburg
Hoffenheim v Mainz
Freiburg v Cologne
RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich
Sunday
Eintracht Frankfurt v Stuttgart
Bochum v Hertha Berlin
Mönchengladbach v Arminia Bielefeld
Updated
MATCH PREVIEW!
Watford v Wolves, the battle of the ‘W’s:
In Germany, Julian Nagelsmann takes his Bayern Munich side to his former employers, RB Leipzig, tomorrow:
🎙️ @J__Nagelsmann on our opponents: "Leipzig have an excellent squad and they have hired a good head coach. They will definitely get back on track."#RBLFCB #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/oIhRuLGxdI
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) September 10, 2021
Some WSL team news from Manchester City. Filippa Angeldahl, the Swedish midfielder, is in line to make her debut against Spurs on Sunday.
🗣 “We’ll check on training tomorrow and see where Filippa is. She’s had less training than Alanna."
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 10, 2021
Filippa Angeldahl is in contention to make her City debut against Spurs on Sunday! 🤩⬇️
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re
WSL fixtures
Saturday
West Ham United Women v Aston Villa Women
Sunday 12th
Chelsea Women v Everton Women
Birmingham City Women v Brighton and Hove Albion Women
Leicester City Women v Manchester United Women
Reading Women v Arsenal Women
Manchester City Women v Tottenham Hotspur Women
Updated
Gregg Bakowski rides to the rescue with today’s Fiver, in which Cristiano Ronaldo is the talk of the town:
Updated
Andy Hunter reports on Everton’s transfer window trials and tribulations:
In Italy, tomorrow afternoon’s encounter between Napoli and Juventus at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is the pick of this weekend’s fixtures. Juventus are 12th in the early table with a defeat and a draw on the board so far. Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli have two wins from two, are fifth in the table, and following the meeting with Juve are due to visit Leicester in the Europa League next Thursday.
Saturday
Empoli v Venezia
Napoli v Juventus
Atalanta v Fiorentina
Sunday
Sampdoria v Internazionale
Cagliari v Genoa
Spezia v Udinese
Torino v Salernitana
AC Milan v Lazio
Roma v Sassuolo
Monday
Bologna v Verona
Updated
Takehiro Tomiyasu, the defender who Arsenal signed from Bologna, pictured in training today:
Straight down to business 💪
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 10, 2021
🔜 #ARSNOR pic.twitter.com/BRmc7GSR77
“It’s all about money.”
Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp doesn’t like the idea of a World Cup every two years.
The unfailingly modest Tottenham coach Nuno Espírito Santo says his August manager of the month award is for everybody at the club, and especially the players:
“The award is for everybody at the football club. What we achieve before only makes us stronger for the future.”
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 10, 2021
Nuno's press conference 👇
Confirmed: Wolves have struck a deal with the Mexican FA, and the forward Raúl Jiménez is available to face Watford.
“Personally I didn’t talk (to the Mexican FA) but I know the club talked and that’s why we have arrived at a good solution,” Wolves coach Bruno Lage said. “I think it’s a good decision for everyone, especially for Mexico, so we think that we can use Raul because I think the game is about putting the best players on the pitch. So everyone understands that - it is a difficult moment but at this time, the best players from both sides should be on the pitch. So for us we’re very happy to receive that news and thankful for the Mexico decision to help us in this situation.”
Almost two-thirds of Britons are opposed to having a World Cup every two years, according to a new YouGov poll. Sixty four per cent of the 1,000 fans surveyed this week have come out against Fifa’s plans to cut the gap between its showpiece event, joining fans’ groups, Uefa and the world’s major leagues in giving the proposals the thumbs-down. European Leagues, a group which includes the Premier League and the EFL, said its members “firmly and unanimously” opposed the plans brought forward by Fifa’s head of global development Arsene Wenger, the former Arsenal manager.
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira said: “For me I think that it will lose a little bit of its importance to have the World Cup every two years,” the 1998 winner of the tournament insisted. “I think Arsene Wenger is always ahead of everybody, you know. He is a visionary. He has these ideas and worked on this idea to hold a World Cup every two years and he just put it in media for people to discuss.
“It is really interesting, people will come and say it is a good idea, a bad idea and there will be a debate, a conversation. But I believe there is a panel who will make the right decision. Something we need to take into consideration is the physical aspect and what we are asking the players to do. We have to evaluate the risk of having the players play so many games with so little rest.” (PA)
Here is Sean Ingle’s story from yesterday on Uefa threatening a World Cup boycott if the plans are approved:
Everton manager Rafael Benitez says he did not expect to be so limited in the transfer window by financial fair play constraints when he took the job. The Spaniard spent just £1.8m – the fee paid to Bayer Leverkusen for Demarai Gray – with four other players arriving on free transfers.
He said: “We didn’t spend a lot of money, but we had good signings. It could be better, yes, because if you have more money you can do it, but the financial fair play rules were killing us in this window. I was not expecting [this] at the beginning because I was thinking maybe we could sell some players and then we could do well in the window.
“Hopefully in the next window it will be different, but the players we brought in were players that we needed ... We have to start working now, thinking about how to improve the squad, first of all on the pitch, and then afterwards bring in players if we can.”
Updated
Turkey have parted company with head coach Senol Gunes by mutual consent, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said on Friday, after the team were thrashed by the Netherlands in their World Cup qualifier this week amid a run of poor form.
Gunes, 68, was brought back in March 2019 after previously being in charge for four years from 2000, during which he led Turkey to third place at the 2002 World Cup. Despite qualifying for Euro 2020, following a dismal Nations League campaign in which Turkey managed one win, he faced mounting criticism over poor performances that saw Turkey exit the European Championship with three defeats. On Tuesday, the Netherlands ran out 6-1 winners over 10-man Turkey at the Amsterdam Arena to take over at the top of World Cup qualifying Group G, while Turkey fell to third behind Norway, albeit only two points off the leaders.
Jacob Steinberg previews Chelsea v Aston Villa:
WSL news: Aston Villa boss Carla Ward has warned her side they will need to go up another level when they continue their Women’s Super League campaign against West Ham. Villa came from behind to beat newly-promoted Leicester 2-1 on the opening weekend, with debutant Remi Allen on target against her former club. Ward wants a focused display when they go to Dagenham for tomorrow’s televised match.
“We are delighted we have walked away with three points, but the performance needs to be better in order for us to get another win (against West Ham),” Ward said. “For 30 minutes (against Brighton) I thought they were very good. They went down to 10 players, and it was then a different game plan. It will be tough.”
Midfielder Allen left Leicester during the summer after not agreeing a new contract. Ward is confident the 30-year-old can make a major impact on the Villa squad this season. “[She brings] leadership, experience, quality, energy,” Ward said. “She drives standards and gets after people. She will be invaluable for us this season.”
Peter ‘Crouchy’ Crouch, who is now involved in an official capacity at Dulwich Hamlet, has just been doing a Twitter Q and A. He says he believes the south London club can become a Football League team:
That would be a huge achievement and one I believe in https://t.co/EhMZpJjNCj
— Dulwich Hamlet FC (@DulwichHamletFC) September 10, 2021
Hamlet meet Hungerford Town on Sunday in National League South, the sixth tier of the Football League structure.
Updated
If by some freak chance you missed ‘10 things to look out for this weekend’, here it is again:
Tottenham trio to stay in Croatia
Tottenham’s Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sánchez will not return to the club until next Saturday after they defied Premier League rules to go on international duty. Argentinians Lo Celso and Romero and Colombia’s Sánchez travelled to South America for World Cup qualifiers last week, despite the clubs being allowed not to release them due to the games being in red-list countries.
All three are currently at a training camp in Croatia from where they can travel to England after 10 days and circumvent hard quarantine. If they had travelled straight home they would have had to stay in a government-approved hotel for 10 days.
They will miss the game against Crystal Palace on Saturday, the Europa Conference League game with Rennes on Thursday and most likely the match with Chelsea next Sunday.
Nuno Espírito Santo said: “I can tell you that they are in Croatia. That’s what we decided to do to try to avoid more problems. So the solution was to try to get them in a country where after that they can join the group. Now they are working with the sports science, a physio, in Croatia. They will arrive the day before the match against Chelsea so they will not be available for the Conference League game.”
An interesting line from that Bielsa press conference: he said the Saturday 3pm TV blackout for football in the UK is ‘magnificent’ because it prioritises the game over commercial interests.
Some more on those issues, of greed in football and too many matches being played, via PA:
Bielsa said the root cause of the problem was that players worldwide were being asked to play too much football. The 65-year-old Argentinian said that greed was affecting players’ welfare and harming the game. He said: “To ignore the preparation and rest needed for the spectacle and the players is absurd. To ignore the effect on players, the accumulation of the games and long hours of flying, that will end up injuring any player, so clearly there is no way to resolve this by protecting football. They protect the commercial arm, but the game goes unprotected. Football is going to waste in such a way and there will be (a) time when it becomes less attractive.”
It’s what you’ve all been waiting for. Thomas Tuchel’s take on the player availability furore:
Thomas Tuchel has criticised Fifa’s possible ban for Thiago Silva as a no-win situation. Silva did not travel to South America for Brazil duty in the international break, and could now face a five-day suspension. The 36-year-old could miss Chelsea’s Premier League meeting with Aston Villa on Saturday and Tuesday’s Champions League encounter with Zenit St Petersburg. Tuchel revealed Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck is in negotiations to try to avoid a ban for Silva, but lamented the overall situation. Asked if Silva faced a no-win situation, Tuchel said: “Yes, I don’t understand it, it makes no sense from either side.
“Did it make sense from the Brazilian national team? No. Did it make sense for us? No. Because now we are in danger that he maybe cannot play the next two matches, because of a ban. If we would have sent him he would be out for 10 days in a hotel room, not able to train. Which I can understand because these are the travel restrictions at the moment. And nobody wants that. So these solutions where we are right now, these discussions, I don’t know if any fan or anybody involved in the game can understand the positive effect of it. There is simply none. The chairman is still in negotiations, and I’m still positive and he is not out yet officially.” (PA)
Yet more news on Premier League player availability post-international break. Wolves this time:
Wolves manager Bruno Lage suggested the club had come to an agreement with the Mexico football federation over the availability of Raúl Jiménez. After Brazil instructed Fifa that their players must not play for five days, Mexico also wanted the governing body to apply the restrictions. The forward was not allowed by Wolves to travel for the most recent international break as Mexico is on the UK red list.
“I think it’s a good decision for everyone, especially for Mexico so we think that we can use Raul because I think the game is about putting the best players on the pitch,” Lage said. “So everyone understands that – it is a difficult moment but at this time, the best players from both sides should be on the pitch, so for us we’re very happy to receive that news and thankful for the Mexico decision to help us in this situation. Because I want to see the best players from Watford and I also want to see the best players from our side play in the game and I think for the fans, for both clubs, it’s special to see the best players on the best pitch.” (PA)
While checking Manchester United’s website for the press conference time a bit earlier, I came across this absolute belter of a news story:
WOULD CAVANI EVER CUT HIS HAIR SHORT?
Edinson Cavani was he was asked if he would cut his hair short by Louis from the UK as part of a brand-new fans’ Q&A.
“Funnily enough, this is a question that I hear a lot amongst my friends and family when they ask: ‘Can you ever see yourself having short hair, Edi?’ ‘Edi, have you ever thought of getting your hair cut shorter?’” Cavani said. “So, this topic quite often does come up when chatting with friends and family. And I just don’t know, I’m not sure.”
Updated
Marcelo Bielsa has expressed frustration at the club v country row which could see players banned from playing in the Premier League this weekend. The Leeds manager may be without Brazilian winger Raphinha for Sunday’s home tie against Liverpool, if Fifa invokes the five-day rule, which prevents players who failed to report for national team duty from appearing for their clubs.
Bielsa said: “If a player leaves his club of origin for 10 days, comes back one day before the (Premier League) game, can’t play and has to quarantine for 10 days, he did not leave for 10 days, he left for 21 days. So for the four weeks in a month there’s going to be three weeks that he won’t be able to play for the club he belongs to.
“If there are international breaks in September, October and November, in those three months the player is going to participate (for his club) for three weeks. When you face that reality, it is impossible to think that nothing’s going to happen.”
Updated
Lionel Messi and Neymar will miss Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 match against Clermont on Saturday having just returned from international duty but Kylian Mbappé is expected to be in their squad after recovering from a calf injury.
Mbappé picked up the injury during France’s 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw against Bosnia & Herzegovina last week and missed Les Bleus’ two other games against Ukraine and Finland. PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino, however, is confident he will play for the first time since the transfer window closed after media reports he wanted to join Real Madrid.
“Kylian is happy, he is emotionally stable and before the end of the transfer window he stayed in a positive mindset,” Pochettino said. “He wants to play football and enjoy himself. He has been training and recovering well so we hope he will be involved with the squad.” (Reuters)
Updated
The Everton manager Rafael Benítez says the club’s good relationship with the Brazil Football Confederation will allow him to pick Richarlison to face Burnley on Monday. The Toffees were under no obligation to allow the forward to play in the Olympic Games in Tokyo after his involvement in the Copa America just a couple of weeks previously but took a wider view of keeping the player and his association happy.
That appears to have paid off as the 24-year-old will not be subject to the same five-day ban Fifa are imposing on other Premier League clubs for not allowing their players to travel to South America for World Cup qualifiers due to concerns over quarantine restrictions on their return.
“I think we are in a much better position than anyone because when we allowed him to go to the Olympic Games we were in contact with them (Brazilian FA),” said Benítez. “We told them it was a complicated situation for us but we could understand how important the Olympic Games were for the association. We have a very good relationship with them and they said they understand and Richarlison was not an issue. Maybe other players but not Richarlison because we are good with them and they are good with us at the moment.” (PA)
And here is our very own match preview for Manchester United v Newcastle:
Here is Louise Taylor’s story on Steve Bruce’s frustration at the lack of signings at Newcastle:
Crystal Palace may include new signings Will Hughes and Odsonne Édouard in their squad for the visit of Tottenham tomorrow. The pair signed late in the transfer window but have spent the last week getting accustomed to their new surroundings and life under Patrick Vieira. On Hughes and Edouard, Vieira said: “The international break helped them to take time to work and know the team, the players and the way we want to play. I am happy with the two players.”
Michael Olise, who joined from Reading in July, is also fit again after a back injury and could debut against Spurs. Vieira added: “He has been working well in the last two weeks and trained all week with the squad. He will be involved in the game tomorrow. “It’s good news for the football club, good news for him. He was really frustrated but we had to go through a process to get him fit and he has been doing really well.”
Vieira played down his rivalry with Tottenham from his playing days when he captained Arsenal. But the Palace manager did admit he considers ex-teammate Thierry Henry a better player than Spurs forward Harry Kane. “No, no. I am not a player any more so this thing between Arsenal and Tottenham is in the past,” Vieira said. “Kane can finish inside box, outside box, can create chances. He is a modern number nine and can change position. But Thierry Henry, I am sorry he is in a different level. I love Kane, he is a fantastic player but Thierry is Thierry.” (PA)
Guardiola unsure of Brazil players' availability
The Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admits he is still unclear whether Brazil duo Ederson and Gabriel Jesus will be able to play this weekend. The Brazilian football federation has requested the pair be barred from facing Leicester in the Premier League after the club did not release them for international duty. City, in common with a number of other English top-flight clubs, did not want the players to travel because of quarantine restrictions on return to the UK. Guardiola said at a press conference on Friday: “Right now, at 1.35pm, it is unclear. I don’t know, hopefully they can play. We are going to wait to see if they can play or not.” (PA)
Some more quotes from Norwich manager Daniel Farke here before their trip to Arsenal tomorrow:
“We are greedy to win some points and get off the mark at The Emirates. We are very respectful. Arsenal have a lot of quality and they were also struggling in the first few games with their availability. Right now they are all back to fitness and all available.
“There is no extra pressure, but we have the pressure anyway that we want to stay in this league. I think we were quite good in this transfer window. I am quite happy with my squad.”
And on reports that linked Max Aarons with a move away from Carrow Road: “I don’t comment on any rumours. It is not good for us or any other club. It is not our style. I was quite confident in the window that Max was a key player for us and it was never a topic for us to let him go.”
Updated
The Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, is asked if he agrees with the timing of the recent international break: “It is what it is. Every season is the same. We don’t have time to prepare the team ... we have three matches, then they go for the international break ... it’s happened the last 10 years. You have to adjust, adjust, adjust and adapt what you have to do.”
On goalkeeper Zack Steffen: “He’s in the USA, in quarantine, because he got positive [test] ... if he gets a negative PCR test he will be back.”
Updated
Solskjær says Fred situation is 'a farce'
Ole Gunnar Solskjær is asked about Fred’s availability following international duty with Brazil: “It’s a loose situation for everyone. It’s been a farce, really. The players want to play ... We all know the situation we find ourselves in, in the last year and a half ... trying to limit the spread of the virus ... I am disappointed with the whole thing, common sense might not be so common anymore, and we have to prepare for the game without Fred.”
And regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s work in training this week before tomorrow’s meeting with Newcastle: “Yeah, he’s been good. Of course we’ve followed his career from afar since he left here and I think everyone’s very, very happy to have him back. He can speak for himself but he seems like he’s happy to be back as well. The mood’s been very good, he’s worked well and we’re looking forward to Saturday, of course.”
“He’s been having a good pre-season with Juventus, he’s played for the national team, he’s had a good week with us here. He will definitely be on the pitch at some point, that’s for sure.
“The way he’s conducted himself ... we know what he has achieved, but he is here to achieve more ... he’s lived his life with the discipline of a top professional. He’ll have the same effect now on the players ... bit by bit, the determination, desire and focus has [already] improved in our group ... there’s no place to hide when you’ve got winners like them [Ronaldo and Varane] ... that’s what he demands of himself and everyone else.
Updated
The Newcastle head coach Steve Bruce will never be satisfied with his squad as he pushes owner Mike Ashley for more.
“I thought a couple of additions to the squad on loan would help us enormously. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to do that. To enable us to do it, it wasn’t just the money side of securing a loan,” Bruce said. “To bring in two in particular, we would have to make room and we were unable to trade as well. I was hoping that we could trade a couple to bring in a couple, and unfortunately that didn’t work and didn’t happen, so frustrating, but that’s the stance and I knew what the stance of the club was ... I have to accept it and move on.” (PA)
Updated
As luck would have it, Manchester United’s press conference is also kicking off at 1.30pm, and Manchester City’s is about to start, too. I’ll bring you updates from all ASAP.
Meanwhile, Norwich’s Daniel Farke with a fitness update here before their trip to Arsenal:
DF: It is a bit tricky because many of the (international) players arrived back late. There will some late decisions but definitely out will be Christoph Zimmermann with an ankle problem and Dimitris Giannoulis with back and neck problems, but there will be some late decisions.
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) September 10, 2021
Brighton manager Graham Potter rejects the suggestion his side should view the match against promoted Brentford as a “must win”.
“I don’t see any like that because every game in the Premier League is so difficult and so complicated,” said Potter. “Brentford have come up and have a mentality and a belief in what they are doing. There is going to be a passionate home crowd. They have got players who deserve to be here, they have earned the right to play in the Premier League.
“We as a club, as a team, have no right to look at any opposition and think ‘this is a must win for us’. Every game is an opportunity to win, but it is also an opportunity to lose as well if you don’t play well and get the rub of the green. That is why the competition is so good - you can’t on the one hand say the Premier League is the best league in the world and then say there are some easy games in there because there are not.”
Potter, who may hand new signing Marc Cucurella his debut after the Spanish defender joined from Getafe, added: “Everybody is competent. It is as simple as that.
“Everybody knows what they are doing with good players who are well organised, but we are as well. We have got some qualities ourselves, and it’s important that we bring that to the game. We are disappointed after (losing at home against) Everton, because we didn’t get to our level. I have said before if you don’t hit your level in the Premier League, then it is tough. That is the reality.” (PA)
Updated
Aston Villa’s Danny Ings wins goal of the month for August for this Mark Hughes-esque scissor kick against Newcastle:
Perfection. 👌@IngsDanny has won the Premier League's August Goal of the Month award! 🔥
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 10, 2021
Jacob Steinberg reports on the continuing fallout from England’s World Cup qualifying visit to Poland on Wednesday:
The Everton gaffer, Rafael Benítez, will be speaking to media at 1.30pm.
Here’s a photo, meanwhile, of his favourite target man and transfer window signing, Salomón Rondón:
#️⃣3️⃣3️⃣ @salorondon23 🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/qAyvTX8TRS
— Everton (@Everton) September 10, 2021
Just a little more Klopp, this time in video form via Liverpool’s Twitter, talking about the question of the availability of his Brazil players, who went to play for their country and now (officially) need to be in quarantine:
The boss has discussed the situation regarding the availability of our Brazil internationals for Sunday's game at Leeds United 👇
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 10, 2021
Klopp is asked if he is happy with Liverpool’s business in the transfer window and gives a short and sweet answer: “Good ... all OK ... we sold some players, we put some players on loan ... we brought Ibra [Ibrahima Konate] in ... all good.”
The next question is about the possibility of Trent Alexander-Arnold becoming a midfielder: “If you watch our games, you see Trent’s position has already changed,” Klopp replies. “Players play everywhere, especially good players ... on the right wing, he is everywhere on the pitch ... why would you make the best right-back in the world a midfielder? As if the right-back position is not as important as the others? I struggle to believe how you can think that ... being more influential than Trent Alexander-Arnold in the last ... I don’t know how long he’s been playing for me ... is really tricky ... In the end, the right-back is the one who defends the right side.”
Updated
“A pair of 5-0 wins in their last two outings suggests Manchester City are starting to find their form and will fancy their chances of avenging last month’s Community Shield defeat against Leicester.”
Paul Doyle previews Leicester v Manchester City:
The Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp is speaking now. He is asked about Virgil van Dijk’s injury in midweek with the Netherlands: “He had one injury, a really difficult one [his long-term knee injury] ... I saw it, of course I was concerned, but then my broadcaster switched off ... I spoke with my assistant who watched in on Dutch TV. I asked him: “Is he OK?” and he replied: “Not sure ...” so it was not a good moment. But after, he gave the thumbs up, so it was OK.”
On the match at Leeds: “The game itself is already tricky ... the two games with them [last season] were really exciting ... they have a specific way of playing the game, with strict man-marking idea, in defending. Very flexible, very brave, very dynamic in possession ... it’s a really good football team and we have to be at our best.”
Klopp is asked about Fifa’s idea to have a World Cup every two years: “It’s all about money. That’s how it is ... it’s not why we started in football, we do it because we love it, that’s clear, but we get loads of money as well ... the Premier League and clubs. But at some point, somebody has to start understanding, without the players, the most important ingredients of this beautiful game, we cannot play it ... imagine if there is a World Cup every two years we can be 100 per cent sure there will be a European Championships every two years, too. That means the top class player will play a big tournament every year ... that means a three-week break every year ... For them to play without a break, in the long-term, for sure not [possible] ... it’s not important what I say of course because nobody listens.”
Updated
The Watford head coach Xisco Muñoz has been talking Wolves up before they visit Vicarage Road tomorrow, despite the fact Bruno Lage’s side have zero points from three matches:
“I don’t want the people to maybe think about that they have no points; no, no, no,” Muñoz said. Yes, it is true they don’t have points but they have very good players, a good style and a good manager.
“They are very good in transition and we need to give 100 per cent to take the points because it is important for us to continue with the same attitude as the last games, but also important we have a little more ambition to take points.
“We know we have in front a strong team and for sure it will be a good game. I think we need our fans even more for this important game. It is our second (league) game at home and we need everyone to live with passion and power from the first minute.”
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Nuno Espírito Santo wins manager of the month for August
Tottenham’s Portuguese manager scoops the monthly gong after a fine start to life in north London:
🤩 Nuno has been named the @premierleague Manager of the Month for August!
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 10, 2021
Congrats, boss 👏 pic.twitter.com/e4L9J9zwLp
... and gets his entire backroom team together for a photo, to let them share in the glory:
👊 A team effort. pic.twitter.com/S3UtBCiiT8
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 10, 2021
Updated
Thank you Gregg, and good afternoon all. A spot of Sergio Agüero news to begin, courtesy of Reuters:
Sergio Agüero said he has no regrets over signing for Barcelona despite the fact that close friend Lionel Messi left the club in the same transfer window. The Argentinian, who arrived on a free transfer from Manchester City, said he was happy with the decision he had made even if it meant taking a paycut. “No doubt I’d sign for Barça again. Just for the name of the club, many players are open to giving up money in order to come,” Agüero told Spanish radio station RAC1.
“When we spoke to Barca we knew about their finances, but I told my agent that I didn’t care about money - all I wanted was to sign for Barça, even if it meant not earning what I was at City. Aguero admitted he did speak with Messi about his situation, however, he denied media reports he had a clause in his contract allowing him to walk away if his countryman left.
“He told me at the Copa América that it looked like the deal was done, but that’s all we spoke about the situation,” Agüero said. “When we came back he said they were still trying to come to an agreement but then the famous Thursday happened and I was left in shock, like everyone. Someone invented that I had a clause that allowed me to leave if Leo (Messi) did. What actually happened was I was injured when I was due to be presented and it happened just a couple of days after Messi left.”
Updated
Mikel Arteta is hoping that the fit-again Thomas Partey can be the midfield “boss” his limp Gunners have been lacking. Partey is set to go straight back into the side to face Norwich, given fitness doubts around Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny, as well as Granit Xhaka’s three-match suspension for a “brutally surprising” (his words) red card against Manchester City. Here’s what Arteta had to say about Partey:
He has been missed for the last year or so, because he missed almost six months of competition last year, which is a lot, because he came very late as well in the transfer window,” Arteta replied when asked how big a role Partey can play this season. He is a player that has to be one of the leaders, he has to be the boss in midfield and one of the senior players that has to carry responsibility out of the young players and lead. We have been missing that big time. He is a player that has that winning culture, because he has won a lot in the game already.
And with that update I am going to hand over to Luke McLaughlin for the rest of the afternoon. Farewell.
Son Heung-min’s fitness is in doubt and Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez are all unavailable as Spurs take their 100% record to Crystal Palace. Here’s our match preview:
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Updated
Some more from Steve Bruce on Miguel Almirón’s availability despite the Fifa ban. The Newcastle manager doesn’t reveal the detail of the conversations that led to the turnaround but does divulge the Paraguayan’s nickname.
[Discussions have] gone on behind the scenes constantly. What I can say is on behalf of Miggy, he is available - we’ve had confirmation of that, so we are obviously pleased about that - but I think there are still live debates going on as we speak. But as far as we’re concerned, we’re quite happy with Miggy being available … maybe the government has to get involved the next time.
My colleague David Tindall has been looking at Ronaldo’s stats before his return and just by trotting out on to the Old Trafford pitch the striker will break a record.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s last Premier League appearance was in May 2009 against Arsenal – if he plays for Manchester United in this game it will set a new record for longest gap between appearances in the competition’s history (12 years 118 days).
● Ronaldo’s last Premier League goal came 12 years and 124 days ago, against Manchester City in May 2009. Assuming he scores again for United, only one player has ever had a longer gap between Premier League goals – Matt Jackson (13 years and 187 days between May 1993 and November 2006).
● Ronaldo has scored 48 hat-tricks in all competitions in his club career – the first of these came against Newcastle United, in a Premier League match in January 2008.
In a nice touch, Chelsea’s programme for the match against Aston Villa tomorrow features a tribute to the comedian and huge Chelsea fan Sean Lock, who died in August. It’s written by his close friend Jonny Vaughan who was grateful to have been able to watch the match in such good company for many years and will feel his loss intently tomorrow. Here’s what Vaughan had to say on Chelsea’s website:
After a chance meeting at Stamford Bridge, we became friends and Sean soon started to sit with my friends and me. We just became close mates and the rest has become history – a history that is bound together by our love of Chelsea. It was a great experience having Sean as my friend. Since he passed away, it’s been a very difficult and sad time for everyone. I just keep thinking about how privileged I was. I got to go and watch Chelsea every week for the best part of 28 years with the funniest man in the country. It was brilliant and I miss him so much.
Chelsea’s midfield looked strong before deadline day – and then the club snaffled Saúl away from Atlético to give themselves an embarrassment of riches. Here’s Sid Lowe on how the Spaniard hopes to play more as a No 8 after stagnating in Madrid.
Do the British football supporters want a biennial World Cup? Not according to a YouGov poll that has been carried out in which 64% of 1,000 fans surveyed came out against Fifa’s plans to cut the gap between its showpiece event. Overall only one in five (21%) support the plan, and only 8% were strongly in favour. Forty per cent strongly opposed the plan, with a further 24% somewhat opposed.
Uefa and the world’s major leagues have already given the proposals the thumbs-down with European football’s governing body threatening a boycott. European Leagues, a group which includes the Premier League and the EFL, said its members “firmly and unanimously” opposed the plans brought forward by Fifa’s head of global development Arsène Wenger, the former Arsenal manager.
Antonio named Premier League's player of the month
Michail Antonio has won the August Premier League player of the month award. It’s the second time he’s scooped the gong, having won it in July 2020. He’s scored four goals in three games in West Ham’s unbeaten start to the season.
🔥 In fine form 🔥
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 10, 2021
Your @EASPORTSFIFA Player of the Month is @WestHam’s 🔝 #PL goalscorer: @Michailantonio#PLAwards pic.twitter.com/pdzwTT7I6k
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Aston Villa manager, Dean Smith, has been talking about his frustration at not having Emi Martinez and Emi Buendia available after the farcical scenes which saw Argentina’s game against Brazil abandoned on Sunday. The duo are currently training in Croatia after returning from South America.
It was a no-win situation all round. Each club had to come up with the best solution for themselves. Legally I don’t think we had any right to ban our players. It’s a World Cup, they have a right to choose whether they want to go and play for their countries or not. I didn’t want them to travel but when I saw the passion they had we had to come up with a compromise for all parties. We all had a predicament - players, club teams, national teams – on do we allow them to go across and play for their countries and potentially miss two or three games? We were all in a rock and a hard place. Once our players made it clear they had spoken to other players in Argentina and wanted to play we had to come to a compromise. We managed to find that, they played the one game and they are quarantining now and back ready to play against Everton next week. They are in Croatia, we spoke with the relevant authorities and government officials to make sure it was the right thing to do. They are training over there.
Steve Bruce has got his press conference in early. He has revealed Callum Wilson will not be fit to face Manchester United but Miguel Almirón, who had been subject to a ban this weekend after not travelling out to play for Paraguay, is now available.
It’s a difficult one for the players because the ultimate is to play for your country. They’ve been drawn into a difficult situation. However, a bit of common sense has prevailed and he’s available for selection so we’re extremely pleased.
That news is perhaps heartening for the Premier League clubs with Brazilian players but only time will tell. Bruce also spoke about his frustration at being unable to spend more in the transfer window.
In simple terms, there is one pot of money and spending in one area reduces the amount available for others.
For further reading on Bruce piping up and revealing his transfer-kitty frustrations, this piee by Louise Taylor is worth your time:
Bruce also thinks Cristiano Ronaldo is the Best Player in the World TM.
He’s incredible for his age. He’s been a quality, quality player and to hit the heights you can’t get any higher than where he’s been. But we have to stop him tomorrow. [Facing] the best player in the world – that’s what we’re in this for. To take on the biggest and the best. It’s always going to be tough and obviously the added spice of Ronaldo coming back has added to it. But make no mistake, they’ve got quality players all over the pitch, so whenever you go to Old Trafford, the one thing you’re going to have to do is enjoy it … enjoy the challenge of playing against one of the big, big teams of this country and relish the opportunity to go and see if we can spoil the party a bit.
Updated
The transfer window may be shut but that has not stopped my colleague Will Unwin from breaking transfer news!
Former Arsenal defender Joseph Olowu has agreed a deal to join Doncaster following his release by the Gunners. He will wear the No 5 shirt
— Will Unwin (@Will_Unwin) September 10, 2021
The Fifa ban on Brazilian players this weekend is still hanging over Premier League sides. There is still a possibility that the Premier League and Fifa come to some sort of late agreement given the unprecedented circumstances that led to them not travelling but, as yet, nothing has been thrashed out. Five teams are affected: Liverpool (Alisson, Fabinho, Roberto Firmino), Manchester United (Fred), Manchester City, (Ederson and Gabriel Jesus) Chelsea (Thiago Silva) and Leeds United (Raphinha). I’ll bring you any news as it comes in.
Preamble
Good morning. All eyes will be on Manchester United’s returning No 7 at Old Trafford on Saturday. Expect cameras to focus on every stretch, yawn and mumbled word if, as expected, his second coming begins on the bench. If you’re in the UK, don’t expect to see such riveting TV live, as the 3pm blackout means you will have to wait for Match of the Day. There’s nothing wrong with that, mind. It’s nice to be reminded that, even in this “gotta have it NOW!” society we can still be made to wait. For further reading on Ronaldo, this piece by Max Rushden is a good one on why the Portugal star’s return should provoke awkward conversations as well as excitement.
Here are the full weekend fixtures in the Premier League (Sat 3pm BST unless stated otherwise):
- Crystal Palace v Tottenham (Sat 12.30pm)
- Arsenal v Norwich
- Brentford v Brighton
- Leicester v Man City
- Man Utd v Newcastle
- Southampton v West Ham
- Watford v Wolves
- Chelsea v Aston Villa (Sat 5.30pm)
- Leeds v Liverpool (Sun 4.30pm)
- Everton v Burnley (Mon 8pm)
Of those matches, the basement battle between Arsenal and Norwich looks to be a vital one for Mikel Arteta. The pressure will be intense if the Gunners fail to win that one against a side who are more than a little generous in their defending. Tottenham, meanwhile, have the chance to extend their 100% record under Nuno and take a five-point lead at the top before anyone else plays.
Leeds v Liverpool at a packed-out Elland Road on Sunday brings back memories of some fine clashes of old. I’ll also bring you any news on Fifa’s plans for a biennial World Cup after Uefa threatened a boycott. Julian Nagelsmann travels back to Leipzig as Bayern manager on Saturday evening and, in case you missed it last night, Lionel Messi was in scintillating form for Argentina, scoring a hat-trick to break Pelé’s record as South America’s top male international goalscorer. There’s a full schedule of WSL matches this weekend, too. I’ll keep you up to speed on any news ahead of those.
