And that concludes today’s weekend preview blog. Plenty more to come overnight before the big one between Manchester City and Liverpool.
More Ten Hag, on reports Luke Shaw has/will sign a new Manchester United deal. That would take him beyond 2024, his testimonial year.
If he’s signed then I don’t know, I haven’t heard until now. I have to wait for that, but if true I would be really pleased. Definitely we want to keep him because he’s a really important player for our team.
Rashford fit for Newcastle trip?
Erik ten Hag has been speaking ahead of Manchester United’s trip to Newcastle on Sunday. Marcus Rashford missed England’s Euro 2024 matches but was pictured somewhere that appeared to Stateside.
I’ve got hope for Marcus [Rashford]. He’s trained but he had to do some treatment, he had to do some individual training and today he joined in with the group. We have one more day so I have good hope he will be available. We also have players like Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, Scott McTominay and Antony dos Santos, so we have enough players with the capabilities to score goals.
Updated
Messi back to Barcelona?
Oh, go on then.
Barcelona’s vice-president Rafael Yuste has said the club have been in contact with Lionel Messi about a possible return. Messi made a tearful farewell to Barcelona in 2021 after the club were unable to offer a new deal amid major financial woes and his contract at Paris Saint-Germain expires this summer.
Tuchel speaks out about losing Chelsea job
Thomas Tuchel – remember him? – has been speaking ahead of his first game in charge of Bayern Munich, which just happens to be against former club Borussia Dortmund, Der Klassiker itself. But he also has some words to say about Chelsea, another of his former clubs, from where he was unceremoniously dumped in September.
It was a kind of a shock. It was an unusual and very short meeting at eight o’clock the morning after the Champions League game [against Zagreb]. It was a 3-5 minute meeting. I was also not in the mood to talk longer.
We had the feeling we were in the right spot at the right time to achieve big things and stay longer. We had big relationships, huge relationships, within the staff. We still do. How long did it take to get over it? It still hurts not to see these people on a daily basis.
I’ve said it before, I love this job. I have the passion. The week here [at Bayern] was very demanding but there’s no funnier place than a dressing room and a football staff. It has so much love, so much joy, so many good jokes. That is what I have missed the most.
We built an extraordinary bond because of the circumstances. We started during Covid and Brexit, then came the change of ownership. So we were a strong, strong, strong group on the training ground and it was not in my hands to take the decision [to leave].
I was no longer part of this group, and it felt like a family. So now I have found a new challenge. I am happy to be back at a very ambitious, big club and straight away I feel the energy.
I still have a good bond with the [Chelsea] players. We still text. There are many, many messages. I still have a lot of friends there and this will not end because of a new job. There will always be people in the football industry that say I am difficult or complicated. I don’t think I am difficult to work with. I think I am easy to get on with.
Updated
Hertfordshire v Bedfordshire, a manager wronged before taking their rivals close to promotion, it’s all here from Jacob Steinberg, before Luton go to Watford on Saturday lunchtime.
It was the right fit for Edwards. Luton Town had a vacancy after losing Nathan Jones to Southampton last November and were quick to capitalise on Watford’s folly. Everyone had seen the former Wales international’s potential when he led Forest Green Rovers to the League Two title last season. It was why Watford, bruised after relegation from the Premier League, went for him. They were crying out for fresh ideas after Roy Hodgson’s pointless tenure and, when Scott Duxbury, Watford’s chief executive, insisted that Edwards would be backed “come hell or high water”, it seemed that a club who have been known to burn through three managers in a single campaign were about to usher in an era of stability.
Yet it was an empty promise from Duxbury. Edwards was out by the end of September, fired after three wins, two defeats and five draws. Watford, who felt a talented squad was underperforming, expected better. They turned to Slaven Bilic in the belief that he would know how to handle the Championship after taking West Brom up in 2020. This time Watford were ready to wait. They gave Bilic 25 games. Then they sacked him and hired Chris Wilder last month.
Significant landmark for the WSL, ahead of what is going to be a thrilling end to the season.
A record breaking HALF A MILLION fans have attended #BarclaysWSL matches so far this season 🤩
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) March 31, 2023
And we’ve still got six gameweeks left to go 🤯
Thank you to our incredible fanbase for being a part of history 💜 pic.twitter.com/CgNH4NmidC
Some stats: “In September, Arsenal broke the individual league attendance record, with 47,367 fans witnessing the north London derby at Emirates Stadium.
“The Barclays Women’s Championship has also seen impressive numbers this season, with over 100,000 fans attending fixtures, with Sheffield United breaking the league attendance record in the autumn with a crowd of 11,137 for their match with London City Lionesses.”
Updated
Sad news from Notts County, of the National League, who have reported the loss of their chief executive Jason Turner.
Jason, who passed away suddenly last night aged 50, was appointed in 2016 and devoted himself to the club thereafter.
He was an outstanding CEO who was respected across football having also worked for Bath City, Newport County, Plymouth Argyle and Cardiff City.
A statement from his mother, Jen, and father, David, reads: “Words cannot describe our sadness following the loss of our beloved son, Jason.
“We know this feeling will be shared by all of his colleagues and his many, many friends.
“While we come to terms with this news, we ask for our family’s privacy to be respected.”
The club will be closed until Monday at the earliest. There will be no further comment at this time.
Updated
Saliba ruled out for Arsenal
Mikel Arteta on William Saliba’s fitness ahead of Arsenal’s match with Leeds. Saliba sustained a back injury when playing in the defeat to Sporting Lisbon.
He is progressing, unfortunately he still has some discomfort. He is not going to be fit for this game. He is trying to do everything he can to feel better. I am very hopeful and he is as well.
Shaw to sign new Manchester United deal
Luke Shaw is very close to agreeing a new contract with Manchester United, it is understood.
Haaland a doubt for City, Foden out
Pep Guardiola says he will see how Erling Haaland does in training on Friday afternoon before deciding if he is available to face Liverpool on Saturday.
The striker missed Norway’s games during the international break due to a groin injury suffered against Burnley.
Guardiola confirmed Phil Foden will miss out after having his appendix removed. “Phil had the surgery, Erling is recovering, we are going to do the last training session and see how he feels,” Guardiola said.
Foden’s absence is expected to be two to three weeks.
Updated
That’s the lot from me. John Brewin has returned to take you through the next bit.
Football’s world governing body Fifa is considering sanctions against Indonesia after stripping the country of its hosting rights for the Under-20 World Cup, Indonesia’s football federation chief (PSSI) Erick Thohir said on Friday.
Fifa removed Indonesia’s hosting rights over what a PSSI official said was a failure to honour its commitments to the tournament, following outrage among some politicians in the predominantly Muslim nation about Israel’s participation.
Fifa took the action after PSSI said it had cancelled the draw for the tournament because the governor of Bali refused to host Israel’s team. The removal caused anger and dismay among fans and players in the south-east Asian country.
Erick told a news conference the toughest sanctions FIFA might bring in included barring Indonesia from competing at the highest level of the sport internationally.
“I am working hard to negotiate again with Fifa so that sanctions can be avoided,” he said. Indonesian President Joko Widodo did not want the country “ostracised” from global soccer and had ordered PSSI to transform the sport in the country after losing the hosting rights, Erick said. (Reuters)
And our story from Wednesday:
Updated
Speaking to Sky Sports, Philipp Lahm says that he thinks Jude Bellingham would be better off staying at Borussia Dortmund rather than pursue a big-money move in the summer (in terms of his development as a player). Lahm’s point is that Bellingham is better off playing every week, rather than joining a club where he may not get so much game time.
“He’s a very good talented player,” Lahm says. “He has the responsibility for the club, for the team, and I think he is an outstanding talent. For young players, for these top guys, [it is important] to play week for week at a top club, and Dortmund is a top team, they are always in the Champions League and competing for the Bundesliga.”
Here’s Lahm’s latest column for the Guardian, meanwhile, looking ahead to Euro 2024:
Updated
Courtesy of PA Media, a little more here from Sean Dyche, the Everton manager, before Tottenham’s trip to Goodison Park on Monday night:
After Everton scored five goals in their current unbeaten run of three games, Dyche has seen reasons for optimism. The former Burnley manager, who succeeded Frank Lampard in January, said: “The stats have improved since I’ve been here on some of the markers that you want – getting bodies in the box, getting better quality going into the box, getting better quality of chances and, of course, different scorers.
“It’s a responsibility for the whole team to score goals, to be productive from different areas of the pitch. I’ve always said effective football is what I want from the team and we’re showing good signs of that.”
Everton are two points above the bottom three ahead of this weekend’s round of fixtures. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has made just 12 appearances this season, is still out having not yet returned to full training following the thigh injury he sustained last month.
Updated
Fancy some lunchtime quiz action?
Pit your wits against 15 questions on the EFL Trophy Final, from Richard Foster:
Sky Sports run some VT of the Chelsea Women manager, Emma Hayes, reacting to last night’s epic Champions League quarter-final penalty shootout win against Lyon:
“I had to be so concerned in extra-time: were the penalty takers on the pitch? I didn’t see a goal in us … when I saw Lyon’s substitutes coming off bench, one after the other, all world-class talent … we managed them as best we could in the circumstances.
“I only take it one game at a time. I felt like, yes we went away from home and performed well last week .. but I knew Lyon would come for us today. I’m just relieved it’s over and we’re though …
“We didn’t have much depth. Players have had to come into the game and play multiple roles. For Maren (Mjelde), to do what she did … last kick of the game … she’s a Chelsea legend. She deserves her night … Drama! I’m exhausted, to be honest with you.
“Maren’s got blue blood. Everybody knew Marin was going to take that penalty, and everyone knew she was going to score.”
Updated
Also on Twitter, Aston Villa have chipped in with a textbook, essentially pointless, training photo #FridayFeeling
The Villans are off to Chelsea tomorrow evening – kicking off at 5.30pm.
#FridayFeeling pic.twitter.com/zsMRhcGctR
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) March 31, 2023
Can’t beat a bit of nutmeg-in-training banter. This from Liverpool and Arthur Melo.
— Arthur Melo (@arthurhromelo) March 31, 2023
Updated
Luke Shaw – good little player, isn’t he? But one that divides opinion.
Mourinho had it in for him, of course, but who’s laughing now?
Updated
I understand that Luke Shaw is very close to agreeing a new contract with Manchester United.
In more awards-of-the-month news, the irrepressible Bukayo Saka, of Arsenal, scooped the player of the month for March:
First @premierleague #POTM ✅
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) March 31, 2023
Congratulations to March's winner, Bukayo Saka 👏#FIFA23 #FUT pic.twitter.com/PGnkBs7TFH
The Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers believes his team will never fall into the trap of thinking they are too good to be relegated from the Premier League.
The Foxes are among the nine teams separated by just four points in the bottom half of the table and lie a point above the drop zone after taking a solitary point from their last five league games.
However, Rodgers was encouraged by the way that point was achieved at Brentford in the last fixture before the international break and will be hoping for more of the same against relegation rivals Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
“Most coaches are never going to be blessed to be only working with winning teams and be up there challenging for titles,” Rodgers said. “This is a different side (to the game), this is something you have to deal with but it’s the challenge we have in front of us and a challenge I’m really excited about, along with the staff, and making sure we can get as safe as we can, as quick as we can.
“It’s just (about) ensuring and retaining the confidence of the players because when results are a bit mixed and not quite as consistent as you want them, of course confidence can drop. But we saw in our last game at Brentford, at a really difficult place, there was a fight there in the team, there’s a spirit there in the team, and when we have that and showed the moments of quality then we can get good results. That’s our plan over the course of the next 11 games.”
Asked about the need to avoid a “too good to go down” mentality in the squad, the former Liverpool and Celtic manager said: “That’s something that will never be the case. That’s one of the pitfalls within the game, if you think you’re better than what you are. I think we’ve shown we can win games this season, and win games playing really well, but we haven’t been able to do it consistently enough to put us in the top half of the table.
“The reality is there for us and we can’t hide from that. We’re under no illusions about the challenge. We know the qualities we have in the team, but it’s more than that. It’s about consistency and consistency of mentality and when you do that you’ll pick up results on a consistent basis.” (PA Media)
Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta has been named Manager of the Month for March.
Well done him. And them.
Four matches. Four wins. Fourteen goals. ✅@PremierLeague Manager of the Month for March 🏅
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 31, 2023
Big congratulations to Mikel and his staff ❤️
The Premier League website’s story on the matter helpfully fills in a bit of detail:
“His team scored an incredible 14 goals in four matches, beating Everton, AFC Bournemouth, Fulham and Crystal Palace.
“The Spaniard had a big influence on the incredible 3-2 turnaround win over Bournemouth, bringing on Reiss Nelson to set up the equaliser before scoring the winner.
“Arteta wins the award for a fourth time this season, moving just one behind Jürgen Klopp’s record of five in a single campaign, set in 2019/20.”
Updated
In “by the way” news:
What a goal it was by Frida Maanum, by the way:
WHAT A STUNNER BY FRIDA MAANUM TO LEVEL THE TIE UP FOR ARSENAL!!!
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 29, 2023
WATCH #UWCL LIVE NOW ⬇️
🇬🇧 https://t.co/8tuXTubgjN
🇩🇪 https://t.co/YlEs7drA2Z pic.twitter.com/p9q4xWIx5k
Following that stirring comeback win against Bayern on Wednesday, Suzanne Wrack reflects on why Arsenal Women moving permanently to the Emirates would be a step forward for the wider game:
Thanks John. Hello everyone.
For the next hour or so, the blog falls to Luke McLaughlin to cover.
Everton stadium is falling behind schedule
A three-month delay to the overall project would mean the new ground would not be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season, an ambition previously indicated by the club.
The planning documents imply that the stadium should be completed by July 2024, when successful test events would have to be held before the stadium can host a competitive match. Any delays will likely increase the costs of the project which the club says stand at about £760m.
Talking of Harry Kane, how big a chance does he have of individual awards this season?
Harry Kane is in a similar position to [Marcus] Rashford. He is an outsider for the award but he has broken the goalscoring records for Tottenham and England this season so never say never. Kane is Haaland’s main competitor for the Golden Boot, having scored 21 times for Spurs.
Haaland has a seven-goal lead in that battle but Kane is playing in a team plagued by uncertainty. Tottenham’s season threatens to peter out after Antonio Conte’s sacking on Sunday night, but Kane’s performances in front of goal have been consistent throughout. If, by some miracle, the 29-year-old can overhaul Haaland, he has a good chance of winning the award too.
Sean Dyche has been garlanding record-breaker Harry Kane with praise ahead of Tottenham’s visit of Everton.
Congratulations to him. I’m lucky enough to know a little bit and what a fantastic fellow he is, an all-round professional. Of course he is a threat, he has been season after season and even when he gets questioned he certainly shuts the question down pretty quickly with what he does.
But he’ll be aware it’s not just about him. They’ve got good players there in general. I know there’s a bit of noise out there and varying things going on, it seems, but at the end of the day, they’ve still got a good group of players there and we’ve got to be ready for that.
It’s been a huge week for women’s football, and the WSL rages on this weekend, all while the World Cup draws ever closer. Louise Taylor interviews one of the hopefuls, Lucy Staniforth.
The success of her adaptation to a new, deeper role, anchoring midfield for Carla Ward’s upwardly mobile side, has not merely silenced those inner doubts but re-kindled the 30-year-old’s case for an England recall for the World Cup in Australia.
More immediately, there is an intriguing double header against Chelsea to look forward to with Villa at home and hoping to extend their seven-match unbeaten WSL run on Sunday before facing the same opponent in the FA Cup semi-finals on 16 April.
Tottenham don’t play until Monday at Everton but the stories continue to flood in.
Questioning and criticizing me as a player for my performance is part of football and I got it. However, telling lies about me, I don't accept! I’ve always had a lot of respect for Conte and for all my coaches. pic.twitter.com/uWZmOa8MVx
— Richarlison Andrade (@richarlison97) March 30, 2023
Eddie Howe has been speaking ahead of Newcastle United’s Super Sunday fixture with Manchester United, a reunion of the Carabao Cup final won by Erik ten Hag’s team.
The games at this stage get bigger and bigger because you are running out of opponents to correct yourself if you make a mistake. We’re at home in front of our supporters. The last result was really positive [at Nottingham Forest]. It has been a long two weeks, we were keen to play again quite quickly.
We felt we were good going into [the cup final]. We were as positive as we could be. We had a good rhythm. Maybe the two previous results before this one will help us. I’m really pleased with how we’ve trained.
You have to move on very quickly. I don’t think I ever get over a defeat, every one you have is in there somewhere. But I tend not to dwell on it because it’s history and you have to move on.
He was also asked about his club’s ownership being questioned in the House of Commons. Howe answered in the usual way.
I don’t think anything will affect the players. They are used to being in the headlines. It has always been about the football and for us, making sure we’re the best team we can be.
Last night’s was a classic match, one to remember. Big WSL action this weekend, too, with Arsenal playing Manchester City and Chelsea off to Aston Villa on Sunday.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man Utd Women | 16 | 33 | 38 |
| 2 | Man City Women | 16 | 20 | 38 |
| 3 | Chelsea Women | 15 | 25 | 37 |
| 4 | Arsenal Women | 15 | 29 | 35 |
| 5 | Aston Villa Women | 16 | 7 | 29 |
Newcastle United and Manchester United fans have joined forces before the teams meet on Sunday to call for a ban on the sale of clubs to states who could use their ownership for sportswashing human rights abuse.
NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing and United Against Sportwashing issued a joint statement in the buildup to the game at St James’ Park. Newcastle are majority-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani is trying to buy Manchester United.
And here we go with 10 things to look out for. Let’s start with, well, me actually.
Over four seasons, there was a total of one Premier League point between them. This season there are 19 points between Manchester City and Liverpool. City still don’t have things their own way: Erling Haaland’s presence remains a double-edged sword. Without Haaland’s goals, Arsenal would be on a title victory lap while with the Norwegian – an injury doubt for Saturday’s match – City have never quite hit the fluency shown when they were duking it out with Liverpool over those years. By contrast Jürgen Klopp’s problems run rather deeper than implanting a guaranteed goal machine. Virgil van Dijk was criticised this week by the Dutch legends Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten for his leadership style. And even though Stefan Bajcetic is only 18, losing him for the season was a blow. Liverpool, though, retain significant danger, as Manchester United found out, and as Guardiola recognised after losing 1-0 at Anfield in October to a Mo Salah strike.
Preamble
The Premier League is back, and this time we are on an interrupted run to the finish. And for a kickoff on Saturday lunchtime, Manchester City v Liverpool is a belter, even if it does carry something of a faded glory these days. The game behind the actual leaders, Arsenal v Leeds, is behind a 3pm TV blackout, and it’s beginning to feel like England will have mysterious champions. Amid a full deck of 3pm matches, each carries weight. Bournemouth v Fulham is a huge match for Gary O’Neil’s battlers, while Brighton v Brentford is a match between two teams on an unlikely rush for Europe.
Huge six-pointer as Roy Hodgson returns for Crystal Palace v Leicester. Lose that and Leicester could be in the bottom three. Six points on the line, too in Nottingham Forest v Wolves. Saturday’s late game is the lowest amped, between mid-table trundlers, Chelsea v Aston Villa.
Sunday sees a further six-pointer in West Ham v Southampton while there’s six points on offer in the battle for a Champions League place in Newcastle United v Manchester United.
And all that topped off by battle of the crisis clubs in Everton v Tottenham. Our League is just the bloody best, isn’t it?
