With Mr Roy having taken the headline slot, that’s us done for the day. Thanks for reading. Hope to see you all tomorrow: there will be MBMs of City-West Ham, Leeds-Villa and Newcastle-Wolves, plus Clockwatch of course. Enjoy your Friday night in!
In-form Fulham hope to make it five matches unbeaten at Crystal Palace on Sunday. Their former boss Roy Hodgson will do all he can to deny them, but once his current team conclude their business with the Cottagers, he’ll be “rooting” for them to stay up. He says: “It’s a club I have enormous affection for and, alongside Palace, there’s no doubt they would be the two clubs where I would have the most affection here in England. Once this game’s over, and hopefully we’ve sent them packing without any points from this game, I shall be 100 per cent behind them in every other game and certainly rooting for them to stay in the league. In Scott and his coaching staff they have the men there to do it and they have the playing staff, too. We have enormous respect for them. We’ll have to pull out the stops if we’re going to be smiling at the end of the game.”
Celtic host Aberdeen tomorrow, hoping to close the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership to a mere 15 points. With Rangers now a dot on the horizon, a tenth title in a row appears little more than a pipe dream, a state of affairs that cost Neil Lennon his job this week. Their captain Scott Brown has made it clear that he doesn’t want to take over. “I am still too young for that,” he says. “Now is not the right time for me to be jumping into becoming a player/coach or a coach or anything like that. I think I’ve still got a lot to offer on the field or with the lads on the training ground.” Brown also paid tribute to his old boss. “The manager is a legend of the club as a player and as a manager. He’s had two spells and there’s always going to be ups and downs, always going to be heartbreaks but I’m sure the manager will be feeling as bad as everybody else.”
Tomorrow’s lunchtime game could see Manchester City go 13 points clear at the top before anyone else has had a chance to kick a ball. The match preview is in. Here ‘tis.
Some very sad news regarding Leeds United legend Peter Lorimer. The club have announced that he is “currently in a hospice battling a long-term illness”. A statement adds: “Peter, his wife Sue and their family would like some privacy at this time, but also want to thank the Leeds United fans across the world for their wonderful messages of support. The club will update fans on Peter’s progress in due course.”
God speed, Lash. Even in that Revie side, packed to the rafters with genuine all-time greats, Lorimer stood out. Here are 20 snapshots of his genius.
The last Fiver of the week, thank goodness, has landed. Here it is. If you’re not a subscriber, get on board. It’s free, and the unsubscribe tool is easy to use, if you suddenly feel you’ve made a terrible mistake.
Just clock-watching until you knock off for the weekend? Us too. This quiz may help you waste a few minutes. We’re wishing our lives away, you know.
Some rare good news for Newcastle, with the Toon hovering precariously above the relegation zone. Federico Fernandez could return to the defence for the visit of Wolves; Joelinton has recovered from the knock he received in the defeat to Manchester United; and the fit-again Martin Dubravka could return in goal in the wake of Karl Darlow’s average performance at Old Trafford. Wolves, who are looking to make it five Premier League matches without defeat, will still be without Willy Boly and Daniel Podence.
A bit more on the upcoming Chelsea-United clash. Thiago Silva, out with a thigh injury picked up during the 1-0 win at Tottenham at the start of the month, won’t make it. He’ll return to full training next week. Chelsea have no other injury concerns, though. By contrast, while Manchester United are hopeful that Edinson Cavani, Donny Van De Beek and Scott McTominay can return, and that Dan James recovers after limping off with a calf problem against Real Sociedad, nothing is yet certain.
Aston Villa return to Elland Road tomorrow for the first time since April 2019. That was a brouhaha for the ages, huh? Both teams were gunning for promotion, and the tinderbox exploded when Mateusz Klich played on after Jonathan Kodjia was down injured, scoring to put Leeds ahead. Cue a big cartoon cloud with boots and fists sticking out of it. Anwar El Ghazi was sent off after locking horns with Patrick Bamford, the striker later copping a two-match ban for conning the referee with a dive. Marcelo Bielsa cooled everyone’s boots by allowing Villa to score an unchallenged equaliser, a gesture of sportsmanship that earned the Leeds boss a Fifa Fair Play Award. The match finished 1-1, a fatal blow to Leeds’ promotion hopes.
Now, we’re supposed to think of the kids, aren’t we. But come off it and come on. More, please!
Bamford himself takes a much more mature view, mind you, and has asked Villa fans to kindly forgive and forget. “It seems like over the last couple of years we have become rivals with Villa, I don’t know why,” the extremely likeable striker said on the Official Leeds United Podcast. “Maybe it’s that whole thing I did with that stupid dive and we had to give them a goal and that kicked it off. That was one game though, surely you let go of that? I still get sent gifs and memes of me falling on the floor from that game and I’m like, ‘Come on, let it go, I’m so sorry’.”
Stamford Bridge hosts the game of the weekend, if we’re playing by the usual rules, as Chelsea host Manchester United. It’ll be the third time Thomas Tuchel has faced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season, PSG and United having met in the Champions League groups last autumn. They also went up against each other in the 2018-19 knockouts, and as things stand, both managers have two wins to their name. Interestingly enough, all four of those PSG-United matches were won by the away side, so United’s long unbeaten run on the road is understandably giving the new Chelsea boss pause. “We know that it is a big challenge because of their unbeaten away record so far,” he says. “We know what we are up against, a team that can hurt you any second with individual quality and with speed. They are a strong team away, they can defend very compact and they are very, very good in transition. Whoever plays it will be a big challenge to defend all this, to defend counter-attacks. The implications are huge. If we get a win out of this game, it is huge and if they get a win, it is huge for them to increase the difference between us.”
Nuno Espirito Santo is “totally confident, for sure” that Raul Jimenez will play again before the end of the season. Jimenez fractured his skull at Arsenal in November, clashing heads with David Luiz, but the 29-year-old striker has returned to light training, raising the prospect of a return this season. “The speed [of his recovery] is the speed that we need to follow,” Nuno says. “We have to be very aware of the circumstances and avoid any kind of contact. He’s been able to participate in the initial part of the training sessions. Just him being with his teammates is a big help for him, and for us. We are following the right protocols with no rush, but we’re delighted Raul is getting better and better day by day. It’s fantastic for us.” The Mexican international has been a big miss for Wolves, having scored 27 goals in all competitions last season and seven in 15 appearances for club and country during this one.
Jurgen Klopp reports that Diogo Jota has looked sharp in training, to the point that he may return from injury on Sunday evening at Sheffield United. Fabinho and James Milner are unlikely to make it, though, while Jordan Henderson is out for at least a month after groin surgery. Klopp also declined to comment on whether Alisson would be involved, in the wake of the tragic death of the keeper’s father in a swimming accident back home in Brazil. “No comment about that. There’s nothing to say. I don’t want to read anything tomorrow I said this or I said that. It’s not the time for that. We didn’t think about that [his playing on Sunday] so far, really.”
First Jose with his pressure-as-oxygen musings, now Zen Pep. There must be something in the air today. Patchouli oil, we’ll be bound.
A bit more on Pep from Jamie Jackson, our man in Manchester: Pep Guardiola has spoken of his admiration for David Moyes, comparing him to the zen-like presence of a certain deity. “The season [of West Ham] speaks for itself, the way he understands football - he has a lot of experience. I dream of arriving one day in his position - like everything is calm. He is like Carlo Ancelotti: everything is calm, they live like Buddha life, in the good and bad moments.”
Blues blues. Birmingham City are in a right state at the minute. They host QPR tomorrow, desperate for a win that would keep their heads above water: they’re currently just one place and two points above the relegation zone, having played a couple more matches than 22nd-placed Rotherham. A run of four losses in the last five, and 11 in the last 16, suggest hopes won’t be stratospherically high. Time perhaps to dream of better times, salad days, and our Sports Network can take you there.
Pep has also been heaping praise on his opponent in the dugout tomorrow, the rejuvenated David Moyes. “I admire this type of person, like [Roy] Hodgson. They have incredibly long careers. I would love to have these careers for many years and the passion to do the job. I cannot forget my first game in the Premier League was against Sunderland and [Moyes] was the manager there. He was so kind to me, he gave me some advice about the Premier League: try to buy the best wine as possible to invite the manager when you win the game!” Should you still need help, Pep...
Manchester City are hoping to make it 20 wins in a row in all competitions tomorrow night. Twenty in a row! This carry-on is beyond outrageous, but City’s amazing run can be partially explained by Pep Guardiola’s mindset, and his ability to compartmentalise, taking things one careful step at a time. Ahead of tomorrow’s visit of West Ham, he insisted: “The challenge is not to win 20 or 21, the challenge is to beat West Ham. This is the only challenge that we have. The results are a consequence of what we do day by day. When you win you are a genius and when you lose you are a disaster. I don’t listen much.” And to think City have done much of this without the injured Kevin De Bruyne, who could return to the starting XI this weekend. “He’s fully fit.” Three small words from Pep that will send a shiver all the way up and down the division.
On the subject of Burnley, and indeed Spurs, Sean Dyche has laughed off reports linking the Lilywhites to Nick Pope. A £50m summer bid for the Burnley keeper has been mooted, but Dyche isn’t having any of it. Workshopping another of his stand-up bits, the Clarets boss quipped: “If they offered a bag of crisps and a pint of lager, the way things are going, I might actually take it. If someone can find a way of changing the rules of the country to get me a pint and a bag of a crisps, I’d have to try and hang on to Popey best I could.” A strong whiff, post the success of Lookie Likeys, of difficult second album syndrome here. But good news for Burnley fans, who will be hoping the club keeps hold of a very fine shot-stopper.
Jose Mourinho has responded to folk questioning his work at Tottenham Hotspur. Mourinho has come under intense scrutiny after five Premier League defeats in six, but he exuded calm this afternoon, claiming that pressure is his oxygen. In a statement that veered dangerously close to beat poetry, he explained: “The problem is if you don’t have pressure. I felt in trouble when I was at home and did not have pressure for a few months. That’s the problem. It comes like oxygen. It is our life.” Spurs host Burnley on Sunday afternoon, and could do with three points that would take them up to eighth, providing Leeds do a number on Aston Villa tomorrow night.
Thanks Baz. Right, I’ll just need to acclimatise, see what’s what, a process that could take anything between five minutes and two-and-a-half hours. In the meantime, I can exclusively reveal, having just come off Fiver duty, that today’s edition of everyone’s favourite tea-time football email will be as teeth-grindingly unfunny as ever about the Europa League draw. If that’s not incentive to stay awhile, I don’t know what is.
Parish notice: With piping hot press conference chat to come from Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp, among others, it’s time to hand this blog over to somebody who knows what they’re doing. Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for Mr Scott Murray ...
Southampton: Hasenhuttl has also told reporters that Takumi Minamino will miss Monday night’s ding-dong with Everton, while Theo Walcott will not be fit until after the international break.
Southampton: Ralph Hasenhuttl has announced that Oriol Romeu is out for the rest of the season. Having made one of the greatest tackles in Premier League history, the Spanish midfielder later hobbled off during his side’s midweek defeat at the hands of Leeds. X-rays have revealed he has fractured his ankle and will miss the rest of the season.
Manchester United: Speaking of Ole, the Manchester United manager has revealed that Juan Mata will be out for a couple of weeks with injury, but Donny van de Beek, Scott McTominay and Edinson Cavani are all available for selection for United’s game against Chelsea on Sunday. Daniel James, will need to be assessed, while Paul Pogba remains sidelined and will miss “a few weeks more”.
Newcastle United: Steve Bruce further incurred the wrath of Newcastle United fans for having the temerity to actually smile while talking to Ole Gunnar Solskjær in the immediate aftermath of Newcastle’s defeat at the hands of Manchester United last Sunday.
“Listen, I’ve known Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for 20 years,” said Bruce when this very, very important issue was raised at his press conference this morning. “If I’m caught smiling with him ... he was complimenting us on how well we played. That’s it. If that’s a bad thing that I’ve smiled with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer then ... unfortunately ... OK. Let it be.”
Some Europa League admin: Because Uefa rules preclude teams from the same city playing at home on the same night, it seems likely that the fixtures in Tottenham’s tie against Dinamo Zagreb will be switched around. Spurs have said they will confirm the nitty-gritty of their schedule in “due course”.
West Brom v Brighton: Deep in the relegation mire, West Brom host Brighton in tomorrow’s 3pm kick-off and are in desperate need of a win. Graham Potter’s side somehow contrived to lose against Crystal Palace on Monday despite bossing them in every available metric apart from the only one that really matters: the scoreline.
Dinamo Zagreb v Tottenham Hotspur: Tottenham last met Dinamo Zagreb in the old Uefa Cup on 6 November 2008. It was an easy win for Spurs, who prevailed 4-0 courtesy of a Darren Bent hat-trick and a goal from Tom Huddlestone.
Olympiacos v Arsenal: These clubs are no strangers to each other, having met in last season’s Europa League knockout stages and the 2015 Champions League group stages. In all four games, the home side lost. They also met in the Champions League in 2009-10, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Manchester United v AC Milan: The last of Manchester United and AC Milan’s meetings came in the 2009-10 Champions League Round of 16. United progressed on that occasion, winning 3-2 at the San Siro before spanking the Italian side 4-0 at home. It was a bittersweet return to Old Trafford for David Beckham, who came on as a sub for AC Milan on a night Wayne Rooney scored twice. Ji-sung Park and Darren Fletcher also chipped in with goals to see their side into the last eight.
Rangers v Slavia Prague: Slavia Prague will probably also be happy with what looks like a pretty kind draw. The sides have never met before.
Rangers v Slavia Prague: Rangers will probably be happy with what looks like a pretty kind draw.
And that concludes the draw for the Round of 16 for this season’s Europa League and there’s some interesting match-ups, with perhaps Manchester Un ited’s tie against AC Milan the pick of them.
That draw in full
- Ajax v Young Boys
- Dinamo Kyiv v Villarreal
- AS Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
- Olympiacos v Arsenal
- Dinamo Zagreb v Tottenham Hotspur
- Manchester United v AC Milan
- Slavia Prague v Rangers
- Granada v Molde
- Ties to be played on 11 and 18 March
- Granada v Molde
- Slavia Prague v Rangers
- Manchester United v AC Milan
- Dinamo Zagreb v Tottenham Hotspur
- Olympiacos v Arsenal
- AS Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
- Dynamo Kyiv v Villarreal
- Ajax v Young Boys
Some draw admin: “It’s a completely open draw,” says Mr Heselschwerdt. He invites Hakin to give the balls in the official Uefa tombola a good swirl as he reads out the teams who are left in the comeptition. Here we go ...
Sound the Hakin Yakin klaxon! The former Swiss midfielder, who played for Basle and Young Boys, is welcomed on stage and proceeds to address Pedro in German, a language I’m sorry to say I do not speak. He appears to be singing the praises of Young Boys for making it to the last 16. “For a Swiss player, it’s always a highlight to play in European competition,” he says.
Michael Heselschwerdt speaks. Uefa’s head of club competitions takes to the stage to express his regret that delegations from the various clubs left in the comeptition can’t be in attendance today. He goes on to thank clubs for their cooperation and flexibility in these difficult times and congratulates Granada and Slavia Prague for making it through to the final 16.
Good things come to those who wait. As ever, these Uefa draws are preceded by what can seem like no end of pomp and ceremony and we’re currently being treated to a montage of highlights from The Road to Gdansk, where this year’s final will be played.
They’re ready to go in Nyon. Handsome, debonair Uefa media chief and former Guardian Football Weekly contributor Pedro Pinto is chairing proceedings and is looking typically dashing in a nice navy blue suit.
Europa League: The Round of 16 draw is scheduled to take place at Uefa HQ in Nyon at noon (GMT) and fans of Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal and Rangers will be tuning in with interest. The four British teams will be joined by AC Milan, Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb, Dynamo Kyiv, Granada, Molde, Olympiacos, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Slavia Praha, Villarreal and Young Boys . There is no seeding or country protection, which means teams from the same leagues can be drawn against each other.
Everton: Carlo Ancelotti has announced he is in for the long haul and wants to be in charge of the club when they move into their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in 2024. Everton’s plush new 53,000-capacity ground is scheduled for completion in time for the 2024-25 season after being approved by local councillors this week, while the Italian’s contract is due to expire at the end of the previous season.
I would like to stay as long as possible,” said Everton’s manager. “I would like to be there when the new stadium will be opened. It will be a good achievement for me, of course. I think to finish the contract in 2024 you did a good job and when you did a good job the contract will not be stopped in 2024, it will continue.”
Newcastle United: Steve Bruce has been addressing the press ahead of Newcastle’s match against Wolves at St James’ Park, where a large banner calling for his dismissal was left last overnight. Fourth from bottom of the table and just three points ahead of upwardly mobile Fulham, Newcastle are in grave danger of sleepwalking towards relegation and the natives on Tyneside are increasingly restless.
“When the daffodils are up the crux of the season is upon us,” he said, channeling his inner William Wordsworth while talking about the likelihood of Newcastle getting relegated. “We’ve still got a lead but it seems Newcastle are the only ones in it. There are six or seven teams. You can talk about tactics as much as you like, it’s all about players.”
West Ham: David Moyes has dismissed talk linking him with the vacant manager’s job at Celtic, telling reporters he is “going nowhere”. The Scot is one of several men to have been linked with the Celtic gig since Neil Lennon’s resignation earlier this week.
“I’ve got no intentions of going anywhere,” he said this morning. “I’ve already spoken to David Sullivan, we’re up to date and things are quietly ticking along. “I don’t want anything to get in the way of what we’re doing just now. I’m not going to come out and say I’m signing a big contract or doing anything else that in any way might change things around. I just really want to go about the job and try and be professional.”
The West Ham manager’s next assignment is a tough one – a lunchtime trip to Premier League leaders Manchester City tomorrow.
Aston Villa: Dean Smith has revealed that Jack Grealish will miss out on Villa’s match against Leeds United at Elland Road tomorrow evening as he recovers from a leg injury. Villa’s star was also absent for his side’s defeat at the hands of Leicester City last weekend, prompting a subsequernt storm in a teacup after Leicester got wind of his injury when several Aston Villa players removed Greealish from their Fantasy Football teams.
Speaking to the press yesterday, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa said he hoped Grealish would be fit for the encounter, despite the threat he poses. “He is a great player who can unbalance you,” he said. “But I always prefer that opponents have their best players available because even if that fortifies a team, and makes them more scary to face, it’s also a stimulus for us to face such players, to try to neutralise them.”
Rangers’s season gets better and better
With their coronation as Scottish champions a formality, Rangers spanked five past Royal Antwerp to make it to the last 16 of the Europa League for the second consecutive season. “We wanted to be very bold and we picked two very aggressive, ambitious teams,” said a very proud Rangers manager, Steven Gerrard. “The players deserve all the plaudits that will come their way.” Ewan M urray was at Ibrox for the Guardian.
Manchester United held but breeze through
Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side were held at Old Trafford by Real Sociedad, but the four first leg goals they scored without reply were more than enough to see them through to the next round of the Europa League. Jamie Jackson was at Old Trafford for the Guardian ...
Arsenal leave it late
Arsenal put their fans through the wringer, relying on a late goal from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to send them through to the last 16 of the Europa League. Bukayo Saka was the hero, picking out his team-mate with a sublime cross to the far post, putting the ball on a plate for Aubameyang in the 87th minute.
Leicester City go out with a whimper
Brendan Rodgers has taken full responsibility for his side’s strangely flat performance against Slavia Prague last night, when goals from Lukas Provod and Abdallah Sima tsent the Czech team into the last 16.
“It’s my responsibility,” he said. “I pick the team to try to get the result and that clearly didn’t work as well as I would have liked.
“We’ve changed the team often enough because we’ve carried injuries all year, so we’ve had to be able to do that. The players returning from injury, especially Ricardo and Barnesy, they’ve been playing non-stop and we had to find a way to freshen up the team.
“I would still expect us to do better but when you’re missing the players we are, that’s going to affect the quality of your game.
“There are no excuses. It’s my responsibility. I pick the team and the set-up. It wasn’t to be. The best team won.”
Jordan Henderson
The big news this morning is that Liverpool’s skipper is recuperating after surgery to repair his groin injury and will be sidelined for six to eight weeks. Having been forced off the pitch during last weekend’s Merseyside derby, Henderson joins the very long list of Liverpool’s lame and halt, and will miss as many as 10 Liverpool matches, as well as three England games. We wish him a speedy recovery.
Greetings and welcome to our rolling blog covering all the news that’s fit to print (and plenty more that may not be) as we look forward to another hectic weekend of football action. We’ll bring you top content from various managerial press conferences, keep you posted on any big developments and bring you a blow-by-blow account of the Europa League Round of 16 draw from the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland at noon (GMT). Leicester City are out following their surprise defeat to Slavia Prague, but Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Manchester United and Rangers are all in the upturned Uefa hat.
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