That’s all for now. Thanks for your shin splints chat and musical offerings. Barry’s done the Fiver business again (though I’m now a little concerned for his safety). I’ll leave you with a nugget from him - and one from me. Stay warm, folks.
Mikel Arteta has insisted it wasn’t a shock to see his Arsenal players flop at Brentford on the opening night of the Premier League season.
“We knew the difficulties that we were going to have on the opening game in the league, which is always difficult,” he said. “But with the amount of players out that we had, with the team that we played on the day and with a newly-promoted team who had done exceptionally well, I wasn’t shocked because I knew it was going to be very difficult.”
The Gunners are unbeaten in their last 32 Premier League home games against promoted sides (W27 D5) but they’ll want to tighten up at set-pieces this time...
Michael Olise’s return of two goals and three assists from the 314 Premier League minutes he had played for Crystal Palace by the start of January meant that with a goal contribution every 63 minutes, the 20-year-old was the division’s most productive player.
Ed Aarons has the lowdown on a forward who left Chelsea at 14 and struggled to find a new club - but now looks a top-flight natural.
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Christian Eriksen is closing in on a competitive Brentford debut, according to Thomas Frank.
Frank has said that Eriksen - who has told his teammates “not to go easy” on him after being fitted with a type of pacemaker following his cardiac arrest - will not be in the squad to face Arsenal but could be included for the match against Newcastle next weekend: “We have another friendly on Monday behind closed doors - which will be really beneficial for him - so we are aiming for the Newcastle game.”
No taking cover for West Ham. They decided to brave the hoolie and swap rondos for handstands, ahead of Newcastle’s Saturday lunchtime visit.
“It’s a massive game,” Rice said between back-flips. “If we want to stay up there, competing around the top four places, the European places, it’s a game we have to win.
“Newcastle have had a mixed season. They’ve won their last three games and they’ve been excellent in all three, so it would be wrong to overlook them.”
Windy conditions at Rush Green! 💨 pic.twitter.com/CMT92ivNoz
— West Ham United (@WestHam) February 18, 2022
Ten Premier League things! Feat. Dan James and Donny van de Beek! Dig in...
Match preview bonanza
Who’s in? Who’s out? Fill your boots...
- West Ham v Newcastle
- Arsenal v Brentford (to follow)
- Aston Villa v Watford
- Brighton v Burnley
- Crystal Palace v Chelsea
- Liverpool v Norwich City
- Southampton v Everton
- Manchester City v Tottenham
- Leeds United v Manchester United (to follow)
- Wolves v Leicester (to follow)
Antonio Conte has been purring about Pep Guardiola and the Man City boss has returned the Friday feels.
Conte served up a statement result with Chelsea against City in 2016 and could do with a big mood-lifter after scrutiny off the field and three straight league defeats on it.
“He show it in Juventus, and many things since his arrival,” Guardiola said of his next opponent in the dugout. “Always my first season here was tough, managers need time and investment to be there for a long time, especially in this country.
“I have incredible respect for when I watch his teams, I can learn something new and improve.”
Back in the Premier League, Ralf Rangnick played down reports of Maguire-Ronaldo tension earlier but he did toggle his filter back off to admit some “unhappy players” had affected the atmosphere in camp.
Rangnick did not dish the dirt further but said: “There were players unhappy, the squad was too big, players realised they wouldn’t get game time and the atmosphere is better than it used to be a couple of weeks ago. Now, for us it’s about performing well, showing togetherness on the pitch, winning games and those are the things we can influence.”
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Big Championship game off
Storm Eunice has claimed another football fixture and a tasty one, too: Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest has been postponed.
Forest say they are “extremely disappointed” but a Cherries statement says that “structural engineers have carried out an inspection of the stadium and have confirmed that the damage could pose a significant risk to supporters’ safety”.
Tonight's game against Nottingham Forest has been postponed for safety reasons following damage to Vitality Stadium caused by Storm Eunice.
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) February 18, 2022
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Man City v Tottenham: The build-up to this one has heavily focused on Antonio Conte’s candid thoughts about Spurs’ transfer dealings.
“They asked me about the club and if I’m happy,” Conte says of the Sky Italy grilling in question.
“I said the club did the best it can do. We lost four players, important players for Tottenham. These players we sent away on loan cost a lot of money. Numerically you could be a bit weaker. Then I said also with Kulusevski and Bentancur we are as a squad more complete.
“I don’t understand why someone wants to create a problem between me and also in the past. A lot of stories between the chairman and the club. He knows my thoughts. It’s not important for me to go to the media. I can speak to him.
“I always say that I’m enjoying my time at Tottenham and with the players. I’m always saying this.”
Hmm.
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Scary storm stuff: forget wheelie bins, look at the roof at Tottenham!
The roof of the @SpursOfficial football ground is currently pulsating up and down in the wind!
— Paul McNamara (@PGMcNamara) February 18, 2022
(Turn your phone landscape and look at the suspended lighting rigs)#StormEunice pic.twitter.com/wzXTpzH4K3
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Leicester news: Ricardo Pereira has signed an contract extension that will keep him at the King Power until at least 2026. “I would say this is the natural thing to happen,” he says. “I’m happy here. I think the club is happy. It’s a win-win situation.”
Your correspondence: Peter Oh reckons West Ham should blast out a 1983 number from The Cure ahead of kick-off for the PR boost they and Kurt Zouma need.
Oh, Peter, the link’s broken! But I see what you did there.
This one shouldn’t be.
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Roy vs Stevie G: Roy Hodgson has been in front of the mic today and the venerable Watford manager is delighted the midfielder he worked with at Liverpool and England has followed him into the dugout.
“When it comes to people like Steven, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney, who were icons as players, the only question was going to be whether they wanted to take the step into football management and coaching,” Hodgson said ahead of the Hornets’ trip to Villa Park.
“It’s a precarious step, it’s not a long-term profession for most people starting off in their mid-30s. It gives you a lot of wonderful things, but it also brings uncertainty. So I wondered whether they would choose to go into punditry like many of their other famous contemporaries.
“I’m delighted they have chosen that route because they have so much to give. All three have shown that already and, perhaps Steven in particular with his stint at Glasgow Rangers and his beginning at Aston Villa, has shown that he has the making to be a really top manager.”
Hodgson can’t afford any niceties on the pitch, mind; Watford are four points from safety - leapfrogged by Newcastle and Norwich - and are still seeking their first goal under the new boss.
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Stern Saints test for Frank Lampard’s Everton
Arsenal v Brentford: The Gunners’ media team whetted the appetite for this one by teasing that Mikel Arteta would have his say on Storm Eunice as well as serving up some team news.
“It was too windy to do what we wanted to do so we had to adapt: one [session] outside and one inside,” Arteta tells us about a dramatic change to training. “We managed to do some bits.”
Phew. Any fitness updates?
“The doubt was Tomiyasu, which is still not perfect, but he has trained the last few days so he is in contention and we can use him so that’s really positive.”
Your correspondence / shin chat (unfortunate typo thankfully avoided): James Kelly gets in touch. “Beth in Tott-ing-ham makes a good point. Shin pads do stop the old close-to-bone knock when tackling. But unless they are on the end of a really brutal tackle, I can’t see these being the issue. My guess is shin splints. In my experience, very painful, and wearing shin pads can cause them to flare up. Might explain why it’s the small version of the shin pads he wears. Anyway, The Shins, what a band.”
Pivotal Chelsea week starts at Palace
Doubting Thomas? Realistic Thomas. Herr Tuchel has told Chelsea to adopt a “realistic approach” to their Premier League ambitions this season after seeing his side’s string of stutter leave them in a top-four scrap.
The new club champions of the world trail Manchester City by 16 points, with any thoughts of the title seemingly long gone but, buoyed by some Abu Dhabi swag, it was time for a different kind of pep talk.
“The 16 points (gap on City) sounds too much, is too much, to where we want to be and what we demand of ourselves, but it’s the reality,” Tuchel said, ahead of a trip to Crystal Palace.
“To reach your targets, a realistic approach is also necessary. So we should not get confused about winning the Premier League. And we still have to realise we are in the race for top four right now, which is a huge thing in Premier League in general.
“You can do of course stuff within the season, try to improve, and this is what we do. But right now the focus has to be on a realistic approach, that we are in the race for the top four, and that maybe in the moment things are not super easy for us.
“We will not start judging competitions now, the most important game is at Crystal Palace tomorrow. And after that we go switching competitions, which is positive because it shows how we are progressing. So we should not lose faith now, and not get frustrated or less passionate about what we do. We must keep on going and push ourselves to the limit.”
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is fit after an Achilles problem but Reece James needs more time to recover from his long-standing hamstring issue.
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West Ham special report: A seemingly broken club has risen unexpectedly but will Kretinsky’s arrival herald a new era on and off the pitch? Jacob Steinberg’s deep dive is a must-read for Hammers fans...
Zouma set to return
Kurt Zouma pulled out of West Ham United’s 2-2 draw with Leicester - less than half an hour before kick-off - with what David Moyes insisted was sickness rather than stress but the defender is set to play against Newcastle.
Zouma came down ill overnight after a week in which the defender was fined £250,000 for kicking his cat in a video posted on social media and one investigated by the RSPCA.
Moyes, who has said he “knows exactly where his moral compass is,” gave this update on the player at his pre-match press conference: “Well, he’s better, but it’s taken him a couple of days to get over it. He had quite bad sickness and illness, but he’s trained the last couple of days, so I’m hoping that he’ll be available.”
Asked how Zouma was mentally, Moyes added: “I think he’s probably really disappointed about what he’s done and he’s thinking about it a lot, no doubt, but overall we have tried to get him to move on. We want him to concentrate on his training. He’s really well-liked here amongst the supporters, the performances he’s put in throughout the season already, so hopefully he can focus on his football and we’ll give him as much support as we can until we get him right back to his best.”
Another Mo milestone?
Aston Villa v Watford: Angry Steven Gerrard promised changes to his side after their drab display at Newcastle last time out.
Villa have won just one of their last seven games in all competitions. Let’s check back in on his mood.
“The most important thing for everyone to know is that we need to see a change in the level of performance,” a steely-toned Gerrard says.
“I’m not going to sit here and talk about what my decisions are and how many changes in terms of personnel but our level has got to change. We want to finish the season strong.
“We’re in an area of the league where we have a choice. We can allow [ourselves] to be sucked in or we can push on and a good strong positive performance certainly pushes us where we want to go to.”
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Your correspondence: Beth in Tottenham has some fresh advice for Jack Grealish and the Manchester City doctor. “Just a thought but do you reckon Jack Grealish might avoid so many shin injuries if he wore shin pads that actually covered his shins rather than those stumpy little things that barely cover his ankles?”
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Match postponed: Exeter’s League Two clash against Barrow has fallen foul of Storm Eunice. We’ll bring you news of any more footballing disruption as we get it.
Power struggle at Old Trafford?
Manchester dis-United? Ralf Rangnick has addressed that talk of a power struggle between Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo over the captaincy.
“I must say that this is absolutely nonsense. I have never spoken with any player about a possible change of captaincy. Harry is fully aware of that and so is Cristiano. This has never been an issue. Harry is our captain and he will stay our captain.”
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Wolves v Leicester: Back to the football and ahead of this one on Sunday, Brendan Rodgers has been talking up his Leicester gig.
Rodgers has of course guided the club to successive fifth-placed Premier League finishes in the last two seasons, as well as winning the 2020-21 FA Cup, but his side - comprehensive winners in Europe last night - are 11th in the top flight and he’s found himself the subject of a bit of chatter about his future.
You don’t need to be a “rocket science” to know it’s been a challenging season, he says, but he’s been purring that he’s still loving every second.
“I think it’s one where you can only do your best. I think we’ve started out on a journey here of which we are nowhere near finished. We’re nearly three years in working together and we’ve made some greats steps going forward.
“Progress isn’t always linear, there’s going to be fits and starts and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist, I think it’s logic, when you see where we are this year, if you look at the players we’ve been missing.
“It’s a challenge in itself to be up there competing when you have all your players fit. But we’ll keep fighting and for me, it’s about returning to our level of football and I know in time we will get to that and we’ll get players back and then that’s all you can do.
“I’ve loved every second of being here. I understand the criticism, because when you don’t get results, that will always come your way. So I will take that. But for me, I love working with the players, the club have been very supportive of me and I will continue to do that until I’m told otherwise.”
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Your correspondence: Dean Kinsella asked for more weather pics earlier. Plenty of dramatic, crashing-wave shots about but hang on, someone’s gone running in this? Eunice has just put paid to another wheelie bin in these parts. I’m staying indoors.
Edinson Cavani woe! The Manchester United striker missed the draw against the Southampton and the win over Brighton with a groin problem and he is still injured.
“As it seems, Edinson Cavani will still be out,” Rangnick has told reporters.
“He’s still having some problems with his groin and on the other hand also some stomach (issue). The same is true with Tom Heaton.
“Apart from that, everybody else seems to be available.”
How’s Jack Grealish? He’s missed Manchester City’s last couple of games with a shin injury but could he return to face Tottenham?
Pep Guardiola doesn’t think so but, hey, he’s only the manager.
“I am not a doctor, I am sorry. The shin, the symptoms, seem much less than last season. I didn’t talk with the doctor but we will see. I don’t think he will be ready for tomorrow but hopefully for the next week.”
More from Klopp: Here’s some more from the Liverpool manager about the Diogo Jota prognosis... well, sort of.
“No, he will not be available but the extent is still not clear.
“We need further assessment. It’s something with some ligaments in and around the ankle, but not the ligament, some others. And so, pretty much everything is possible in the moment: that it will go really quick and the other way around unfortunately as well. So we have to wait.
“Everybody saw the picture with him in the boot, it’s a normal procedure; even when you just feel something they put you in that boot. For the weekend, for sure not.”
Big Storm outside, another brewing at Old Trafford? Not according to Harry Maguire in response to newspaper reports but Ralf Rangnick is facing the media very shortly ahead of that tasty Leeds game so we’ll see what he makes of it all...
PS. Thanks, Barry. (Barry’s off to pen a Friday Fiver special.)
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That’s all from me for today. I’m off to watch planes trying to land at Heathrow in 70mph winds on YouTube but will leave you in the very capable hands of Kate Burlaga. Thank you for your time, stay safe if you’re in the path of Storm Eunice and have a great weekend.
Southampton v Everton: Following their win over Leeds United last weekend, Everton are bidding for back-to-back league wins for the first time since September and Frank Lampard says he has plenty to think about as far as team selection is concerned.
“There’s an argument for going same again,” he told reporters. “I felt similar going into Newcastle and it didn’t quite work, so it’s not a statement of fact.
“The players have to feel through the week that they can find a way into the team, if we have to change our approach to the opposition because Leeds to Southampton - two very good teams in lots of different ways. The good thing is we’ve got players who are playing well and who are hungry to get into the team.”
Southampton are 10th in the table after taking four points off Tottenham and Manchester United in their previous two matches and are unbeaten in their last eight home league games. Lampard believes they are reaping the rewards for sticking with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, who has presided over two 9-0 defeats since taking charge in late 2018.
“At those points, that’s when you rely on the belief from the people above and around you and the structure in place,” he said. “They clearly have that and I think they’re a good symbol. It’s testament to the club and testament to the manager.
“He keeps working in the same direction and then you see his ideas come out on the pitch and the players buying into them and they’re a very, very strong unit.”
The Big interview: Rotherham manager Paul Warne: “Conversation flows with Warne,” writes Ben Fisher in a delightful interview with the manager of League One leaders Rotherham. “Whether he is discussing dressing up for the Super Bowl, being a big James Bond fan – “although the Timothy Dalton phase was a bit cheesy” – his mother tuning into every Rotherham game on iFollow, comparing the nauseating feeling of wanting his players to succeed to watching your child play the lead role in the school pantomime, or taking his labrador, Chief, for a walk to decompress after a game.” In the very unlikely event that snippet hasn’t piqued your interest, read on ...
Liverpool v Norwich City: It’s not a huge surprise but Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Diogo Jota will miss Liverpool match against Norwich City at Anfield tomorrow after he suffered ankle ligament damage during his side’s midweek Champions League win over Inter. The Portuguese forward now faces a race against time to be fit for the Carabao Cup final next weekend.
Your comments are welcome: Due to a technical glitch (specifically a colleague who is currently packing up the contents of their Guardian Towers desk and locker forgetting to toggle a button when they were setting up this rolling report) the Below The Line comments section has been unavailable for the past few hours.
The situation has now been rectified and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. Feel free to opine or vent politely on the football, the weather or anything else that takes your fancy from this point on.
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Damien Duff: For anyone who might not be aware of his current activities, the former Chelsea and Republic of Ireland winger kicks off his reign as manager of the famous old League of Ireland side Shelbourne tonight. Shels host St Patrick’s Athletic at Tolka Park tonight to get the league’s first round of fixtures tonight, in a game that has sold out and is being broadcast live on RTE.
“I’m really nervous and I guess just interested to see how we go because you never know until the season starts,” he told the Irish national broadcaster.
The Damien Duff era is about to start at Shels - @Corktod reports from Tolka Park where resolve, on and off the pitch, has been strengthened #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/l41whxpsKJ
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) February 17, 2022
Brighton v Burnley: Brighton boss Graham Potter has been talking up Burnley’s chances of avoiding relegation ahead of his side’s appointment with the Clarets at the Amex Stadium tomorrow.
Burnley are bottom of the Premier League, seven points from safety and have not won a game since October. They do, however, have a game in hand against their rivals. After seeing Burnley hold Manchester United to a draw before being edged out 1-0 at home by Liverpool last weekend, Potter is not about to take their challenge lightly.
“This league is so competitive, you only need a few things to go wrong and you can find yourself in trouble,” he said. “But Sean Dyche is a vastly experienced manager who organises the team really well. They have a fantastic attitude all the time, are a together team and everyone knows what they are doing.
“The reality in the Premier League is that there are a lot of other good teams and it is hard to get points. If you draw a few games, miss the wins, maybe pick up a few injuries to key players or you fall behind in the fixture schedule, then you are playing catch-up a bit and it can be tough.
“But Burnley have got the experience, they have got the know-how. I don’t think they will be writing themselves off - and I am certainly not writing them off at all. I think they will get points between now and the end of the season - we just have to make sure it is not against us.”
Leeds United v Manchester United: Ahead of one of the weekend’s stand-out and more exciting, unpredictable fixtures, Marcelo Bielsa has refused to discuss his future at Elland Road. Rather bafflingly, some sections of the Leeds United support feel it might be time for a change of manager, despite the success and entertaining football the Argentinian has provided in his three-and-a-half years at the club.
Bielsa, who has been repeatedly hamstrung by a series of injuries to key players this season, tends not to sign deals of more than a season in duration at the end of each campaign and one suspects Leeds need him more than he needs them even if there are plenty of supporters (and neutrals) who would be devastated if he left.
Leeds are believed to be working on a succession plan in case Bielsa decides to take his business elsewhere and the American former RB Leipzig boss Jesse Marsch has been linked with the club.
“It’s not a subject that we should talk about at this moment,” said Bielsa, who went on to talk about what avoiding relegation would mean for the club this season. “It’s an obligation and the injuries don’t justify the season that we’re having.”
Bielsea said Stuart Dallas, who has been sidelined with injury, could be fit to play some part against Manchester Un ited but added that Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips will not be avaialable until March. “Dallas is recovering,” he said. “He hasn’t been discarded from Sunday’s game. Kalvin and Cooper are continuing their normal processes. The objective is that they get to March and are available. The medical calculation was 12 weeks and that hasn’t changed.”
Patrick Bamford and Leo Hjelde remain out indefinitely with respective foot and knee injuries.
More correspondence: My thanks to Jon who has written in to point out that I somehow managed to omit Aston Villa’s game against Watford from my original list of top flight weekend fixtures ... a state of affairs that has now been rectified. It’s just another example of the outrageously blatant anti-Watford and Villa bias for which the mainstream media has long been renowned.
Some correspondence: “Please can we have more pics of weather Barry?” asks Dean Kinsella. “I tried to snap a shot of the wind here in the west of Ireland yesterday but it didn’t come out very well. We’ve been having so much weather lately. Oh, and I support Charlton Athletic.”
Liverpool v Norwich City: Four points from safety having played one game more than Newcastle in 17th place, Norwich City face a difficult trip to Anfield tomorrow to take on Liverpool. Their manager Dean Smith is not under-estimating the task that lies ahead of his players.
“Our mindset is going to be a really important part of it. We have to try to out-think Liverpool where we can. I saw them during the week and it is amazing what Jurgen has done at Liverpool in the time he has been there, it is something like 50 Champions League wins alone now.
“So, yes we are coming up against a grandmaster and I am really looking forward to it. We have had some good battles against him before, but obviously I was at a different club at the time, so it would be my first with Norwich.
“We will have two in the space of two weeks [including an FA Cup tie], so we have to come up with some tricks where we can. We certainly have to limit our mistakes, that is the biggest thing.”
Norwich will be without Republic of Ireland striker Adam Idah, who is expected to miss the rest of the season following knee surgery. Idah, 21, picked up knee and ankle problems during the draw against Crystal Palace. Following initial tests, it was determined an operation was needed.
West Ham v Newcastle: Newcastle fans making the long journey from Tyneside to that there Big London via rail for their lunchtime kick-off against West Ham tomorrow are advised to check their train timetables. Lots of trains appear to be being cancelled, presumably for weather-related reasons.
Tottenham Hotspur’s plans to get to Manchester today for their game against Manchester City tomorrow evening also appear to be have been disrupted although there is no suggestion the game will be postponed.
One suspects these won’t be the only teams whose players and supporters will be inconvenienced by Storm Eunice and we’ll bring you more news of any disruptions as we get it.
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Newcastle United: Marquee January signing Kieran Trippier has undergone surgery to repair his fractured metatarsal and is now facing a battle to be fit before the end of the season.
The 31-year-old England defender, brought in from Atletico Madrid for £12m, broke a bone in his left foot after scoring the only goal in last weekend’s Premier League win over Aston Villa, Newcastle’s third in succession since his arrival.
“He had his operation yesterday and that went well, so that was good news,” said Eddie Howe. “I don’t know at this moment in time how long he’s going to be out. We hope to have him back before the end of the season, but it’s obviously a significant injury, which is a big blow to us because he was performing so well.
Pressed on whether or not Trippier might return before the end of the current campaign, Howe was non-committal. “In terms of a definitive time, no,” he said. “We’re going to have to see how his early rehab goes. As I said, the operation was a success, but it’s an opportunity now for someone else to step up in his place.
“But sadly, we’re going to miss his leadership skills on the pitch and everything that he was delivering for us. He’s scored two goals in the last two games which have been defining moments for us, but we’re confident we have enough quality in the squad to cover.”
Women’s football: England, Spain, Canada and Germany are the participants in the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup round-robin and the first two matches were played at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium last night.
Germany and Spain drew 1-1 in the curtain-raiser, before England were pegged back by Canada in the second game, which finished with the same scoreline. Millie Bright opened the scoring for England with a sensational hook over her own shoulder to give them a half-time lead, but Canada equalised through Janine Beckie.
England’s next game is against Spain at Carrow Road in Norwich on Sunday and kicks off at 3.15pm. In the meantime, here is Louise Taylor’s report from the Riverside last night ...
Manchester United: The Mirror has reported on a power struggle in the Manchester United dressing-room, where they say Harry Maguire is feeling increasingly undermined by Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Maguire is said to feel marginalised in terms of his authority within the United dressing-room, leading to him thinking some of the players are losing respect for him,” they say.
“There is now a growing belief within the Old Trafford dressing-room that it is inevitable Ronaldo will replace Maguire – who has been struggling for form – as captain.”
Responding to the Mirror’s claims on social media, the out-of-form Maguire pooh-poohed the exclusive. “I’ve seen a lot of reports about this club that aren’t true and this is another,” he said responding to the Tweet. “Not going to start posting about everything that is written but I needed to make this one clear. We’re united and focused on Sunday. Enjoy your day everyone.”
I’ve seen a lot of reports about this club that aren’t true and this is another. Not going to start posting about everything that is written but I needed to make this one clear. We’re united and focused on Sunday. Enjoy your day everyone 💪🏻 @ManUtd https://t.co/YxLhQn8pqf
— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) February 18, 2022
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The weekend's Premier League fixtures
- West Ham v Newcastle United (Sat 12.30pm GMT)
- Arsenal v Brentford (3pm)
- Brighton v Burnley (3pm)
- Aston Villa v Watford (3pm)
- Liverpool v Norwich City (3pm)
- Southampton v Everton (3pm)
- Crystal Palace v Chelsea (3pm)
- Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur (5.30pm)
- Leeds United v Manchester United (Sunday 2pm)
- Wolves v Leicester City (4.30pm)
- View the Premier League table
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The weekend starts here ...
With another busy weekend of football very much ahoy, assorted top flight managers get to participate in arguably their favourite part of the job today by facing barrages of interrogatory projectiles from the ladies and gentlemen of the press.
It promises to be a busy Friday so we’ll bring you news of their musings and cover all the other major talking points on a day in which Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has already said “now is not the time to talk about his future” and Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire has felt compelled to deny media reports that he has fallen out with Cristiano Ronaldo”.
Hmmm.
