More team news:
Everton Seamus Coleman is out of the game against Fulham. But Yerry Mina, James Rodriguez, Allan and Richarlison have all returned from international duty Covid-free and raring to go.
Leeds Kalvin Phillips is expected to start against Arsenal after recovering from his shoulder injury. Rodrigo also returns to the squad after two weeks of isolation following his Covid positive.
Wolves Conor Coady has made 121 consecutive league appearance for Wolves but that run is in doubt with after the defender was forced to leave the England squad due to covid protocols. Rayan Ait-Nouri should be fit after a knock.
Sheffield United Lys Mousset and John Fleck should be back in the Blades squad on Sunday – Mousset has been out all season, while Fleck has not played since the start of October.
A bit more from Mourinho, who definitely “didn’t want to spend too much time on the national team stuff”:
“He has the right, he has the power to call the players he wants. He wants to win matches, especially after a defeat, the next match even being a dead rubber is an important match. I sympathise with that. And of course we all know Sterling will play tomorrow.
“When Eric Dier left the national team injured in the previous month, he didn’t play two matches for Tottenham. He didn’t play a Premier League match and a Europa League match. He needed a couple of weeks to recover and Raheem is going to play tomorrow. These are the little details I think Gareth should explain to us all.”
Sterling missed England’s fixtures with a calf problem.
Another row that keeps bubbling along: José Mourinho v Gareth Southgate. The England manager said during the international break that his players “face huge pressure from clubs” over international duty. Mourinho wants him to name names.
“I don’t want to spend much time on the national team stuff,” the Spurs manager said. “Gareth Southgate, I read, supposedly told that some football club managers put pressure on their players not to play for the national team. And because of that he feels the need sometimes to call club managers to try and cool down the emotions and cool down difficult situations for him.
“I would like him to say who. I would like him to say which are the coaches who put pressure on the players not to go? And I would like him to say which are the coaches that he calls and speaks on the phone with them.”
Here’s a bit more on Steve Bruce v Miguel Almiron’s Agent.
Fifa has banned Jean Yves-Bart, the president of the Haiti Football Federation, from all football-related activities and fined him 1m Swiss francs (£827,000) after its ethics committee found him guilty of having abused his position and sexually harassed and abused various female players, including minors.
Speaking of Lionel Messi, Barcelona’s Ronald Koeman has also been facing the Spanish media today. This is from Reuters:
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has played down notions of a rift between club great Lionel Messi and fellow forward Antoine Griezmann. This month Griezmann’s former agent, Eric Olhats, told France Football that the Argentinian had a problem with his ex-client, leading Messi to snap at journalists upon his return from international duty.
When asked about the subject ahead of Saturday’s visit to Atlético Madrid, Koeman said the duo get along. “I can understand why Leo (Messi) snapped. After such a long journey you’re asked about Antoine (Griezmann). It smacks of a lack of respect,” he said. “I know you might be looking for a problem, but in the changing rooms I’ve never seen any notion of a bad relationship between those two.”
On Messi’s future, Koeman said: “I hope he will stay in Barcelona; it’s unbelievable what he did for this club. But he is the main person to know and make the decision about his future.”
It sounds like Raheem Sterling, who missed out on England’s trio of games, and Sergio Agüero, who has been out for a month, face a race against time to find fitness ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Spurs tomorrow. Pep Guardiola said this afternoon: “Sergio was training this week and Raheem, today was the first training with the team.”
A bit more from Solskjær from PA Media:
The match may come too soon for Mason Greenwood judging by what Solskjær said, but the United boss has backed the 19-year-old to kick on after a slow start to the season. “You have to take a step back sometimes. The boy’s only 19 and he’s had a fantastic year.
“If we go a year back, I left him out of the Carabao Cup against Chelsea. Mason stayed back and played against Doncaster in the Checkatrade to get game time and that’s how far he’s come. Now he’s got 19 goals for the first team, he’s made his England debut, he scored on his first under-21s game. He’s had a fantastic development.
“Of course the headlines are going to be there about him when he scores, if he doesn’t play. Everyone’s allowed to not be well and if you’re not well, you can’t train. He’s now stayed away, he’s been away eight or nine days from training. We’re just starting building him up again. I have no doubts about him. He’s got a very good head on him and his talent is there for everyone to see.”
This one doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon does it? Definitely one to watch in the summer …
jamie jackson (@JamieJackson___)
Pep on Messi joining @mancity - says player's Barce contract is over next summer and he does not know what is in his (LM's) head: that's a yes please, then...
November 20, 2020
Manchester United haven’t been able to record back to back wins in the league yet this season but a home game against West Brom tomorrow offers a fine chance for them follow up their win over Everton before the international break with another victory. Ole Gunnar Solskjær says the injury situation at Old Trafford is “looking good”.
“The short version is Luke Shaw, Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones are the only ones who didn’t join in parts of the training today,” he said. “Then there are different stages. Some of them had recovery after internationals on Wednesday and travels. Some are just working back after illness and fitness and we’ll make a decision tonight. But most of them have joined in today and then some joined in yesterday, so it’s looking good.”
Marcus Rashford is expected to be fit, Victor Lindelöf is more of a doubt and Eric Bailly is definitely out.
Our weekend match previews are beginning to pop up on the site. No surprise, given it’s the lunchtime Saturday kick-off, Newcastle v Chelsea is the first:
Lower League Eastern European Screamer II: Electric Boogaloo
Burnley’s Sean Dyche is the latest to face the press today and he says he wants his team to realise their attacking potential against Crystal Palace on Monday.
“The balance has somewhat come back with the clean sheets as we look resilient and defensively organised which is important at any level but certainly in the Premier League,” he said. “We’ve still got to tidy up in the attacking third, of course. We have created chances we haven’t always taken but can we create more and better quality? That’s what we’re looking to do. If we can find that balance we know that historically we can deliver in the Premier League.”
It’s a big weekend for Burnley and the bottom five. They’re already at risk of being cut adrift.
Thanks David. Ah Subbuteo. There were plenty of orange balls out there but did they ever make a frosty pitch? I can’t remember even having seen one.
I’m vanished down a rabbit hole of ball colours now so this is probably a good time to hand back over to John Ashdown. Did anyone else paint their subbuteo balls with a red stripe way back when?
Any stats, though, for meetings between the two based on ball colour?
Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)
❄️ That time of year again...
⚽ Hi-vis balls are back@nikefootball ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/a8IrdCUQ4z
November 20, 2020
It’s the latest instalment of Mourinho v Guardiola when Tottenham host Manchester City on Saturday. Here’s a fun fact: This will be the 24th meeting in all competitions between the two – Mourinho’s 10 defeats in these games is more than he’s suffered against any other manager, while Guardiola has only beaten Manuel Pellegrini more often (12).
Some more Opta stats to peruse and delight your friends with...
- Manchester City have scored 10 goals in their seven Premier League games this season, their fewest at this stage of a season since 2010-11 (9) and 17 fewer than they had after seven games last season. Indeed, the Citizens have scored exactly once in each of their last five Premier League games, having netted 16 in their previous five.
- Tottenham have only lost two of their 20 Premier League games against Man City when above them in the table (W15 D3), though this is the first such meeting since January 2017 (2-2).
- Tottenham’s Harry Kane has been involved in 23 goals in just 14 games in all competitions this season (13 goals, 10 assists), at least eight more than any other Premier League player. Indeed, the next highest player on the list is teammate Son Heung-min (10 goals, 5 assists).
- Man City’s Gabriel Jesus has been involved in 11 goals in his last 11 games in all competitions (8 goals, 3 assists). The Brazilian has scored in each of his last three appearances for Man City, last scoring in four in a row in April 2018.
A bit more from Klopp on Salah. “He is probably back today, that’s all I’ve heard. We are obviously in close contact with him all of the time and, how it always is in these cases, in the moment when you have a negative test then the process really starts. He’s in a good place, he feels well, no symptoms, so that is all fine.”
Happy birthday Jose Mourinho. Well, sort of. It’s not his actual birthday (he’ll be 58 in January) but today marks exactly one full year of Mourinho at Tottenham. So, hit, miss or maybe? The current league table - Spurs sit second - is useful supporting evidence for the ‘hit’ voters, as is the stat that only Liverpool and Manchester City have taken more Premier League points during Mourinho’s first 12 months. But are we fully convinced?
Klopp’s opening question was about Mohamed Salah and the Egyptian star attending his brother’s wedding. Confirmation of Salah’s first positive Covid-19 test arrived four days after the event in Cairo. Footage posted on social media appeared to show the 28-year-old dancing with other guests and not wearing a mask on more than one occasion. Salah, who commenced a self-isolation period last Friday, was reported to be showing mild symptoms. He’s since tested positive for a second time. Klopp’s response: “Nothing to say in public about the situation. A brother’s wedding is a very special moment. My players are incredibly disciplined. They really know about the situation. Sometimes it doesn’t work out like this. The rest is between Mo and me - we have done that already. Things are fine.”
Thanks John. I’ll open with some Liverpool team news. Jurgen Klopp has just spoken ahead of Sunday’s home clash with Leicester and the main angle is that Jordan Henderson will miss out. The Reds skipper withdrew from international duty earlier this week after feeling “a bit of tightness”, according to England boss Gareth Southgate. However, Klopp confirmed the Reds will check on Fabinho and Thiago to see if they’re ready to return for the meeting with Brendan Rodgers’ side.
And with that I’m off for a lie down in a darkened room. My estimable colleague David Tindall will take you through the lunchtime rush.
Manager of the moment Ralph Hasenhüttl has been speaking ahead of his Southampton side’s trip to Wolves on Monday. Ryan Bertrand and free-kick maestro James Ward-Prowse should be fit to return and Hasenhüttl is grateful fo the extra time to prepare following the international break. “All the guys are back today and it’s an advantage that we play on Monday,” he said. “So we have a few sessions to work on a few parts, which is definitely good.”
And here’s our story on today’s news from FA HQ:
A bit more on the FA’s search for a new chair. Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, says it will be a “tough ask” to find someone from a playing background with the necessary corporate credentials. Asked if there was anyone who possessed both a playing pedigree and the corporate experience, he said: “I think possibly it’s a tough ask. I’m not saying no, but I do think it’s difficult.
There are two main areas of the role. There’s one to be an absolutely brilliant ambassador and represent us on both the international and domestic stage. I think players can absolutely do that. I think there’s a second requirement to run the board. To be clear this is a non-executive role, it was a non-executive role with Greg. The role is not to run the FA, it’s to run the board.
“But we do have a complex stakeholder board and I think its hard to see that someone who has never run a board would be able to step in and run a complex stakeholder board of a £450m organisation.
“That’s not to rule anyone out, that’s just to tell you my views on the different skill sets required. You know my views, we are doing a board review and I would love to have player representation on the board. But if you are asking me does that have to be the chair role, my personal answer would be no. But I’m clearly not the only person who has influence over that decision.”
League leaders Leicester travel to Anfield on Sunday to take on Liverpool in one of the weekend’s big fixtures. Jürgen Klopp’s side have gone 63 league matches unbeaten at home but the Foxes have history when it comes to ending unbeaten streaks on Merseyside …
After Pep Guardiola signed a fresh two-year deal at Manchester City, Txiki Begiristain, the sporting director (and close friend of the manager), has told City TV this “guarantees” the club’s future.
Begiristain suggested Guardiola is in a different phase of his career now. “The future of this club is absolutely guaranteed with him and the players we have,” he said. “He is always in a constant evolution so he is not the same as at Barcelona, he is not the same as at Bayern [Munich] and he is not the same as his first season [at City].
“It’s wonderful – when you win 100 points in the Premier League [to win 2017-18 title] – such a difficult league – and then in the next one, you have to win 98 to beat an unbelievable team like Liverpool by one.”
A bit of FA news: Liam Rosenior (once of this parish) will be part of a six-person panel who will oversee the appointment of a new FA chair. It’ll be a busy old time for him, given he’s also giving Wayne Rooney a hand managing Derby County.
The panel will be chaired by Stacey Cartwright, a non-executive independent director of the FA. The other panellists are interim FA chairman Peter McCormick and board members Rupinder Bains, Jack Pearce and Kate Tinsley.
Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has also been facing the press pack today. He’ll definitely be without Ryan Fraser for the game against Chelsea, Jonjo Shelvey and Matt Ritchie are doubts and Callum Wilson faces a fitness test.
Bruce had some stern words for the agent of Miguel Almiron, Daniel Campos, who used the international break to tell Paraguayan radio that Almiron was interesting Internazionale and Atlético Madrid and would already have left St James’s Park if it were not for the pandemic.
Bruce said: “I couldn’t miss them [the quotes] because they were so outrageous it was bordering on the ridiculous. If it was Miguel, who I’ve had the pleasure to work with for the last 15 months, knocking on my door and having a problem, I’d listen.
“An agent who, two years in, is probably trying to profit again and take him somewhere else, is just hugely disrespectful to all of us basically, and to the club in particular who have served Miguel so well. I will have a conversation with him of course, but Miguel is an unbelievable pro and has a great attitude to everything. But the agent proves to me he is an amateur looking to make a fast buck again, which is pretty ridiculous.”
In Scotland Rangers manager Steven Gerrard says Jordan Jones and George Edmundson can get back into the good books at Ibrox after the duo apologised for breaking government Covid guidelines. This from PA Media:
The Ibrox pair have been ruled out until after Christmas after being handed hefty seven-match bans for breaking strict government guidelines when they attended an illegal house party earlier this month. Winger Jones, 26, and 23-year-old defender Edmundson were given two-week club suspensions and ordered to self-isolate after Gers chiefs learned of the incident, while they were also issued with fixed penalties by police officers called out to break up the early-hours get-together in a flat in Glasgow’s west end.
But there was a considerable section of the Rangers support who wanted the club to go further and boot both out for good after accusing them both of placing the club’s title hopes in jeopardy with their antics. But Gerrard says he is willing to forgive and forget so long as there is no repeat after both men issued apologies to the fans.
He said: “I think the important thing here was to get the players out of the isolation period, first and foremost. Then it was about sitting down with the players face to face to gauge a reaction to how they feel and where they were at at that time.
“I spoke to them both individually and they were both very sad over the incident, they were remorseful, apologetic and full of regret. They first and foremost wanted to apologise to the supporters and their teammates for their actions. Now it’s about me giving them the support and managing the two to come back to being top players because they’re good players, we need them here to help and support us moving forward.”
Quiz! Quiz? Quiz! After a stuttering start, I hit the heady height of 7/11 this week:
Megan Rapinoe – World Cup winner, sporting icon and scourge of everything from Donald Trump to Sports Illustrated – has written a book (with the Guardian’s very own Emma Brockes). It’ll doubtless be a terrific read and this extract shows why:
West Ham have made a fine start to the season despite a challenging fixture list and they head to Bramall Lane on Sunday to face a Sheffield United side still looking for their first win of the season. The Hammers are hopeful that Michail Antonio will be fit for the game having missed the two fixtures prior to the international break.
“Michail is back training and we’ve got a couple of days yet to see how he is,” says David Moyes. “The truth is I can’t give you a complete answer [as to whether he’ll be available] but he’s getting much closer that’s for sure.”
Angelo Ogbonna is also fit after picking up a knock against Fulham.
The glitz and glamour of the Premier League may be returning this weekend but we’re unlikely to see a goal better than this effort from the Romanian third division this week:
Here’s the full story on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee’s crunching tackle on English football’s governing bodies this morning:
Christian Pulisic will miss out for Chelsea against Newcastle with a troublesome hamstring and Thiago Silva gets a rest after a long trip to Montevideo with Brazil. Frank Lampard, meanwhile, has been about the workload resting on the shoulders of young Mason Mount, who started all three games for England in the international break.
“I think it shows how much Gareth Southgate sees in him and relies on him and trusts in him. It’s nice to see a lot of positivity around Mason. It is well deserved. Maybe he’s a player who has more quality passes in pressing moments in a game than a show-reel of stepovers and flicks. Maybe that’s not as exciting to the modern fan, but, for us managers, I think you can see how much we rely on him.
“I get Gareth’s position in playing him. He played three games. He was the only player in the England squad, of all the European-playing players at club level, to play all three games.
It’s is quite remarkable really that Mount has played as many games for England already this season (seven) as he has Premier League games for Chelsea.
A bit more from Arteta on the possible return to five subs being permitted again in the Premier League: “I am all for it and not only that but to extend the numbers in the squad. At the moment, we have a big squad for different reasons and we have to leave seven or eight players at home. And at home means at home because from the training ground you go home and then from home you go to the training ground. So even mentally, to feel involved you are travelling away and you are two days without the squad and without your teammates. It will be really helpful for the. Let’s hope we can change it.”
He also confirms Thomas Partey is definitely out with the injury he picked up against Aston Villa.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has played down reports of a training ground fracas between Dani Ceballos and David Luiz. Asked what happened with the players, Arteta replied: “Nothing. Training is very competitive and issues happen a lot of times. Those things get resolved immediately within the team and there is not much to say. There is no problem at all.” So not “nothing” then. He was also asked if he saw what happened between the two: “No. I’ve got a really bad vision from far away. That’s why we train behind closed doors.”
The first two-footed lunge of the weekend doesn’t come on the pitch but from the well-appointed Whitehall offices of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. Conservative MP Julian Knight, who chairs the DCMS committee, has called the failure of the Premier League and Football League to reach an agreement over a financial rescue package as “a fiasco” and has urged the parties to “stop squabbling”. “We expect, and the fans deserve, better,” continued Knight. All of which may not seem that much, but given the usual dryness of these sorts of government missives it’s a knee-high studs-up reducer.
Who will be fit for Liverpool this weekend? Jürgen Klopp is contending with a raft of knocks and niggles in his squad with Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Rhys Williams and Thiago Alcântara all thought to be doubtful for the game against Leicester on Sunday. That quartet, though, have all been familiarising themselves with the club’s swanky new training facilities (although Thiago’s involvement seems to have been limited to carrying a box):
Club managers may not have enjoyed the international break but it’s unlikely any boss enjoyed it less that the Republic of Ireland’s Stephen Kenny. Not only did his side fail to score – the 3-0 defeat, 1-0 defeat and 0-0 draw this month coming on the back of the 0-0 draw, 0-0 draw and loss on penalties, and 1-0 defeat in October – but he now faces a disciplinary hearing after showing his players an “anti-English” video before the game at Wembley.
Manchester City face Spurs in the Saturday teatime kick-off with Pep Guardiola having signed up for another couple of years at the the club. It’s a fascinating decision, one that busts what was a nascent narrative of Ragnarok around Pep’s City regime, and it should put a spring in the collective step of the squad as they look to close the gap on second-placed Tottenham. Here’s Jonathan Wilson on what may lie ahead:
Morning everyone, and welcome back to a Premier League and Football League weekend. And it’s nice to return to domestic matters after an international break that, if my calculations are correct, went on for just over three months. Quite what shape the players are in after cramming three more matches and a whole heap of travel into an already overcrowded schedule remains to be seen. There are are host of managerial press conferences today and you wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of bosses coming in off their long runs.
All the news will be right here when it happens. Before it does, here are 10 things to whet the appetite for the weekend:
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