We are going to close this out in the usual way, with the Fiver, looking ahead to tomorrow’s Club World Cup jamboree between Manchester City and Palmeiras, and also hearing from Mason Mount ahead of that game.
Some transfer news, with Arsenal signing USMNT goalie Matt Turner from the MLS, where he plays for New England Revolution. Competition for Aaron Ramsdale and suggests Bernd Leno could on his way this summer. Leno has a year left on his contract from this summer.
OFFICIAL: USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner is joining @Arsenal in the Summer. 🧤 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/vjmkA7HFiS
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 11, 2022
Big game for Ted Lasso’s lads, this one.
Andy Hunter reports on that injury blow to Everton.
Norwich won 3-2 the last time Manchester City visited Carrow Road.
News from Abu Dhabi.
Thomas Tuchel has arrived in Abu Dhabi for Chelsea’s Club World Cup final against Palmeiras after a negative Covid test. The manager had been forced to miss his team’s opening game after contracting coronavirus but will be in the dugout on Saturday subject to the result of a further PCR test that he took after landing.
Impressive that you can see the big smile on Thomas Tuchel’s face despite the fact he’s wearing a mask. #CWC pic.twitter.com/UqvGT4Zvoh
— Adam Newson (@AdamNewson) February 11, 2022
Updated
David Beckham’s Inter Miami have signed the Finnish Robert Taylor, as opposed to the Bolton and West Brom legend or the Gillingham and Manchester City legend also called Robert (Bob) Taylor.
#InterMiamiCF signs Finnish international attacker Robert Taylor from Norwegian top-flight team Sportsklubben Brann to a contract through the 2023 #MLS season!
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 11, 2022
Find out all the details on our newest player below: https://t.co/H4O6J9Qa74
Red-hot soccer content in this week’s sporting quiz.
And here’s our preview of a vital game for Brentford. They have begun to slip of late.
The Brentford manager, Thomas Frank, has been talking about Christian Eriksen taking part in training.
I think he’s fine, he’s training well and he looks like the quality player we know he is. It’s a joy watching him play football - so natural for him - so that’s fantastic to see, but he will not be available for the team tomorrow. That would always be too early after just one week. We will have a friendly game on Monday where he will play minutes and that’s the right way to do it.
I must say he’s bubbling. We are having him seven months after the incident so he missed badly being part of the group, being part of a club and hopefully we can add new chapters to the Brentford story. He loves to be with the boys, being on the grass, playing football.
He’s one of those where he needs to touch a ball all the time, so when the drill is done, and I start talking and as soon as we start again, he just needs to touch a ball or something like that. He’s just enjoying it, he’s bubbling and just wants to play football.
Our match previews come in, starting with a big game here. Everton can pull Leeds almost down to their level. The league table says Everton have 19 points from 21 matches, and that would be relegation form in other Premier League seasons.
More on Manchester United from Jamie Jackson.
Ronaldo, the top scorer with 14, has not registered for five games. Rangnick was asked whether he knew how to best use the Portuguese for the benefit of the team. “It’s not only about Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said. “That we should score more goals, it’s obvious. We created enough chances in the last couple of games but we just didn’t score enough goals. This is not only an issue with Cristiano – it’s an issue with other players, especially with the offensive players: we don’t score enough goals.”
Things are not good at Manchester United, with an ESPN report suggesting that players are not happy with Ralf Rangnick’s training regime and that assistant Chris Armas, the American, has been nicknamed “Ted Lasso”.
Ralf Rangnick replied to those reports in today’s press conference.
I haven’t read any newspapers and don’t know about those articles. What I can assure you is that the training is...I mean, the way that the team has developed over the last couple of weeks, it’s obvious tactically and this is due to the work that we do in training, both on the pitch but also if we do the video analysis.
The training that we are doing, including all the important training games - and the little games as well as the 11 versus 11 games - and we do a lot of rondos and little games to increase fluidity and get better in possession of the ball, it’s part of the training session.
The latest Football Weekly is here.
Steve McManaman, 50 today. Imagine Fletch got him a nice card.
Bad news for Tottenham, per PA Media.
Tottenham defender Eric Dier will again be missing for Sunday’s clash with Wolves. The centre-half has a thigh injury picked up before the international break and is not ready to return at the weekend.
Boss Antonio Conte said: “No, unfortunately he’s not fit. For sure, he’s a big loss for us. He needs a bit more time to recover. “I hope to have him available for the next game, away at (Manchester) City. But for this game he’s not available.”
Here’s our story on the David Moyes press conference, which doesn’t appear to have closed the Zouma issue in any sense.
Updated
Bad news for Everton in what looks like a relegation battle. Yerry Mina will be out for what looks like two months after getting injured at Newcastle on Tuesday.
"Yerry is an unfortunate injury which will probably be between 8-10 weeks. Demarai won't be fit for Leeds but with any luck, he should be fit next week."
— Everton (@Everton) February 11, 2022
Watch live: https://t.co/O8MkO82B2W pic.twitter.com/wR3LzAXLRs
Chelsea chase history tomorrow in a game that matters more if you are not in England.
Thanks, Dave, for your diligent work. Here’s some further comment from David Moyes, via PA Media’s reporter.
Moyes; "I know where my moral compass is. I can look in the mirror. But I understand why people would be disappointed with the decision to play him." #whufc
— Andy Sims (@AndyCSims) February 11, 2022
Right, that’s it from me. I’ll hand you over to Mr John Brewin for the rest of the afternoon.
Zouma available for Leicester trip, says Moyes
West Ham boss David Moyes says Kurt Zouma remains available for selection as he plans his line-up for the trip to Leicester on Sunday.
Moyes received criticism for playing his defender against Watford on Tuesday after footage appeared on social media of Zouma kicking and slapping his cat.
Zouma has been fined £250,000 by West Ham, which will go to animal welfare groups. The player’s two cats have been taken into care by the RSCPA.
Moyes said: “Yes he’s available to play against Leicester. There are different views and opinions on should he be available. We as a club took that decision and I stand by that.
“I don’t think the club could take more action or any quicker. West Ham have fined him the maximum wages. We all accept the actions are terrible and diabolical.
“We are so disappointed it is completely out of character from Kurt. He is a really good lad – we are going to get him some help and trying to give him as much help as we can.
“Like drink-driving offences, most people have to go to classes and the RSPCA are going to provide him with classes. We will do everything we can to make sure Kurt is looking into it, and getting better, and understanding it.”
Updated
Our beady-eyed trio of Nick Ames, Paul Doyle and Will Unwin have spotted 10 things to look out for in the Premier League this weekend. Take a peek here:
That Wilf Zaha penalty miss, eh. Despite fluffing his lines spectacularly in the 1-1 draw at Norwich, Zaha remains on penalty duties says Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira.
“People always remember the last penalty but when you look at his record on penalties it has been really good so there is no reason why he should change,” said Vieira.
It’s true, although the sample size is small. Zaha has taken five in his Palace career, scoring four and missing one.
"HE'S DRIFTED THAT WOEFULLY WIDE" 😳
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 10, 2022
Wilfried Zaha with one of the misses of the season from the penalty spot ❌ pic.twitter.com/HKKYk4lg8s
To be fair to the Eagles winger, he did score a beauty to equalise at Carrow Road although Vieira wants more goals from him.
“I have said he has to score more because he has the ability to do so. He is a player who I believe, with his ability, can create more and score more,” said Vieira.
“But that isn’t going to be about him by himself, he needs the team around him to perform to create those chances or put him in a situation where he can express his talent.
“When I say he can do more, it is not about him as an individual, it is about him using the quality of the players he has around him as well.
“The way we play, the chances that we are creating, to be more decisive. He has the ability to do it but the way we play as a team will allow him to do it more often.”
Some Wayne Rooney reaction to the news that an accord has been agreed between former Derby owner Mel Morris and Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson.
“Obviously, that’s been the main stumbling block in moving forward,” said the Derby boss.
“I’ve been pushing and pushing about getting new owners in and this is a big step to allow that to happen.
“So now the next step is obviously the administrators engaging with the preferred bidders and getting the right one in.”
Some stats ahead of tonight’s WSL showdown between Chelsea and Arsenal.
- Following their 3-2 win over Chelsea on the opening weekend this season, Arsenal are looking to complete the WSL double over the Blues for the first time since the 2013 campaign under boss Shelley Kerr.
- Chelsea’s Pernille Harder has scored more WSL goals against Arsenal than she has against any other side (3), with all three strikes coming in her last two such games. The last player in the competition to net in three successive matches against the Gunners was Jane Ross in September 2017.
- Arsenal’s Beth Mead has assisted 35 goals in the Women’s Super League and needs one more to surpass Karen Carney as the player with the most assists in the competition’s history.
- Only Toni Duggan (11) has scored more WSL goals against Chelsea than Arsenal’s Beth Mead (8), though each of those strikes have come in home matches, failing to score in seven away appearances against the Blues.
Jurgen Klopp certainly liked what he saw from new signing Luis Diaz against Leicester last night. A penny for Antonio Conte’s thoughts after Liverpool moved swiftly for the Colombian, who had been a target for Spurs.
Dazzling on his @PremierLeague debut ✨ pic.twitter.com/SP7QhSqcVR
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 11, 2022
Middlesbrough settle legal claim against Derby
Derby have announced they have reached an accord between their former owner Mel Morris and Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson in relation to the Teesside club’s legal claim against the Rams.
Derby were placed into administration last September and the sale of the club to new ownership has been complicated in part by the claims of Middlesbrough and Wycombe.
The club said details of the accord between Morris and Gibson had been shared with administrators Quantuma ahead of the sides’ meeting in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday.
Club update: 11th February 2022#DCFC
— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) February 11, 2022
News of the accord follows the release of a lengthy statement by Morris issued last Friday which included an invitation to Boro and Wycombe to take up their claims against him personally at the High Court.
Morris said this would allow his old club to “move on for the benefit of the fans, the city of Derby, the sport and the EFL”.
Details of the accord were not released, but Derby’s statement said Morris and Gibson had been keen to develop it ahead of Saturday’s game at the Riverside Stadium.
“The claim has clearly been the source of much concern to both sets of fans, and especially those of Derby County,” the statement said.
“The fact that a resolution has been discussed and agreed should be comforting to both sets of supporters.”
“However, it is important for all interested parties, including potential bidders, to be confident that the Middlesbrough claim will not be an impediment to Derby progressing its plans for a sale of the club.”
Administrator Carl Jackson added: “We are pleased to see that an acceptable resolution has been identified which allows us to push forward with our plans for the sale of the club.”
Updated
Kane v Son. Who is more important to Spurs? Well, try this stat from Opta:
- Since the first game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April 2019, Spurs’ Son Heung-min has both scored (23) and assisted (16) more Premier League goals than any other player at the ground. Indeed, the Korean has scored more goals in 50 Premier League appearances at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (23) than he netted in 61 home games for Spurs at Wembley and White Hart Lane combined (22).
Important piece here about how education and engagement are crucial in the fight against homophobia.
From the PA news agency:
Education and engagement must continue to play a crucial role in football’s ongoing battle against homophobia, according to the co-founder of LGBTQ+ fans group Proud Canaries.
Norwich are dedicating Saturday’s programme for the home game against Premier League leaders Manchester City to both LGBTQ+ History Month and the Football v Homophobia campaign.
It will include articles on former Canaries striker Justin Fashanu, who in 1990 became the first male professional to come out as gay while still playing. He took his own life in 1998, aged 37.
Di Cunningham helped found the Proud Canaries in 2013, at a time when it felt very much like LGBTQ+ supporters “parked identity at the turnstyle when you come in”.
While the outlook is now much more inclusive, she feels football remains “a little bit behind the curve”.
Cunningham told the PA news agency: “We have been really, really lucky. Because of the Justin heritage (at Norwich), it hasn’t been that tricky – but that is not to say that there haven’t been hiccups along the way.
“When we went on that first pitch parade – which was a pretty ‘outing’ experience because you are just there because you are gay or trans – somebody shouted out from the crowd: ‘don’t clap them, shoot the F-words’.
“But that in itself was an opportunity, because it was an opportunity for other fans around this person to say ‘mate, that is not acceptable’, he was reported and he was dealt with (by the club), but it wasn’t a ban.
“Some clubs will say: ‘you will have a life-time ban for that kind of thing’, but football is changing, the world is changing. We need to recognise that and give people the opportunity to change and to learn.”
Earlier this year, the Crown Prosecution Service announced a decision to define the use of the term ‘rent boy’ in a chant as a homophobic slur.
Any fans singing the words during matches will be committing a hate crime and so be liable to face prosecution.
Cunningham feels tackling the issues raised head on can also help educate supporters.
“The key really is to understand that people get swept up in these things – with the ‘rent boy’ chant, people don’t even know what it means, that it is homophobic,” she said.
“Once you point it out to people, there are a lot who will say ‘I’m really sorry, you are a fan of my club and I want you to be welcome, so I’m not going to sing that anymore’.
“Other people kind of double-down, and they are the difficult ones, who say ‘well we have always sang it, it’s not homophobic so I am going to carry on singing it.’”
Cunningham added: “Our visibility as LGBTQ+ fans, whether it is at our clubs, on a national or international platform, changes the game because people recognise that football has changed and that we should be made to feel as welcome as everyone else.
“And a lot of people are saying ‘thank goodness we can see LGBTQ+ fans at football because that makes us feel better and it means that the game that we love is developing and it’s keeping up with society’.”
Updated
Tonight’s Chelsea v Arsenal WSL clash is being cranked up on social media. Just a note at the healthy number of Twitter followers both teams have: Chelsea 473.6k, Arsenal 409.6k.
It's derby day! 🔵🔴
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) February 11, 2022
COME ON CHELSEA! 👊 #CFCW pic.twitter.com/sBTHNVfPhg
It’s the matchday you’ve all been waiting for…
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 11, 2022
Chelsea v Arsenal at Kingsmeadow.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS! 💛 pic.twitter.com/qlOneonDil
Brighton seem to draw every game 1-1 but ninth place in the table with 30 points is a far cry from what seemed a perennial battle with relegation.
Graham Potter has been talking about the club’s ambitions in his morning press conference.
“It’s hard to say that you can think the sky is the limit. We have to be realistic, we have to be pragmatic and also be ambitious, so it’s a tough one,” the Brighton boss said.
“What you have got to do is to go step by step and it isn’t always obvious. When we started our journey here in the season before we came, the team finished with 36 points and performance wise was probably a third or fourth bottom team. Now we have taken steps and are a little bit higher than we were, but it hasn’t always been an obvious journey up.
“Along the way you get your bottom kicked and you have to get up off the floor, face all this criticism and you have to keep going. Different headlines happen, but you have to maintain progress. If you can do that and things become aligned and you can have an understanding of what you are trying to achieve as a football club, then it is quite amazing what you can achieve.
“So I would never say never, but at the same time I do respect the financial game that we are playing in. You have got to maintain the good things you do, keep open-minded in your thinking, keep challenging your position.
“For example, Swansea at one point was seen as a model Premier League club and then all of a sudden, relegation happened and it doesn’t look so good. Again it’s about how you position your club – being strong with your ideas, aligned in the resources that you have, being realistic, communicating with the key people, but at the same time having ambition because otherwise what is the point?
“We want to dream, we want to come to the football club to believe that we can win. That is really important, I think, for supporters.”
Updated
Here’s a remarkable story from Will Unwin about Galatasaray defender Omar Elabdellaoui.
Here’s a chance to find out more about Arsenal’s Rafaelle Souza in this excellent piece from Julia Belas Trindade. Could the Brazilian play a key role against Chelsea tonight?
Back to Marcelo Bielsa and the Leeds boss has taken a swipe at commercial decisions in football overriding player welfare.
It’s a well-trodden path with managers and Bielsa isn’t happy with Leeds having a run of three games in six days coming up when they face Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham.
“There’s no time for preparation because there also isn’t time for adequate recovery. The games are scheduled clearly ignoring that aspect,” he said in Friday’s press conference.
“The commercial aspects and the commitments due to the sales of the games make the decisions exclusively dependent on that. All of the aspects that make a competition fair for all those in it are not there in my opinion. Teams are facing each other in different conditions.
“The games are planned without the possibility of rest and ignoring the potential injuries, but that’s the same for everybody. There are aspects that increase the difficulty and complexity, and there are also aspects which can be resolved in a better way than the one chosen.
“But the compromises that should be made for the spectacle of the game, and for the fairness of the competition, are a second thought.”
His solution: “You guys (the media) know better than us what the best solution is – to play less and to admit that to play less means less revenue. The less revenue there is means we’re all going to have to earn less.”
God forbid, eh. Viva Marcelo.
It’s back-to-back wins for Newcastle after they followed up a 1-0 win at 15th-placed Leeds with a 3-1 home success against 16th-placed Everton.
Boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the press this morning and the chat has focused on French dribbling wizard, Allan Saint-Maximin, who played a key role in the Everton win.
Here’s Howe with his wax about Max: “You look at his performance the other day – the cross for Ryan Fraser’s goal from a position in which there was no space to get that ball into the box was incredible, but his overall work-rate and endeavour and attitude were very good and if he can hit that consistently, then what a player he can be.
“There’s no doubt he’s got the talent to do anything he wants to do, but finding that on a consistent basis will be the challenge for any player of his type. It’s not easy, but I’ve been very, very pleased with him in recent weeks.
“He’s unique as a person and as a player. I’m excited by him. Every time he steps onto the pitch, there’s that feeling that you don’t quite know what he’s going to do and how he can win you this game because he is a match-winner, there’s no doubt about that.
“Some of the things he did in his last game, I thought, were exceptional, but I want to see that again and again on a more consistent basis.”
The eyes tell us that Manchester United are still struggling to rise above the ordinary and so too do the numbers. Here’s stats boffin Josh Wright of WhoScored with a Guardian Sport Network piece about the lack of a revolution emerging under Ralf Rangnick.
Norwich were thrashed 5-0 by Manchester City in August but, as The Monkees sang in their forgettable mid-80s comeback single, that was then (Daniel Farke) and this is now (Dean Smith).
Chuck in a couple of FA Cup triumphs over Charlton and Wolves and Smith has guided the Canaries to four wins and a draw from their last six matches. Impressive stuff. Meanwhile, Man City aren’t quite setting the world alight having scored only seven goals in their last five Premier League starts although, to be fair, Pep Guardiola’s leaders have taken 13 points out of 15 across those matches.
Here’s Smith: “I am not going to anger Pep again by suggesting they are the best team in the world, but they are certainly up there. They are a very good team, littered with stars all over the place and, whatever team they put out, you know it is going to be a challenge.
“But there is an opportunity for players as well – all players want to pit themselves against the best. Hopefully you can then go and get the right performance, then have a bit of fortune go our way as well.”
Smith has also given his backing to Jack Grealish. The two were together at Aston Villa but Grealish has only scored two Premier League goal this season following his £100million move in the summer.
“Jack is going to be a top, top player – and he has shown moments at City. I still speak to Jack quite regularly. He wants to find more consistency within the team there, but he is playing among a litter of star players there and he is one of them himself.
“He is enjoying the experience of it and working with the likes of Pep Guardiola, he is learning more and more. Jack is a top talent and a top lad as well – and anybody who has worked with him will tell you that.”
Arsenal are top of the table again although I’m talking here about the one for having players sent off.
The Dirty Gunners topped the red card charts in 2019/20 with five, were second (again with five) behind Brighton last season and are now setting the pace alongside Aston Villa with three this term after Gabriel Martinelli’s sending off last night.
Here’s how Ben Fisher described it in his match report: “Arsenal had Wolves at arm’s length but Martinelli picked up two yellow cards in a matter of seconds – the first for obstructing a throw-in and the second for a hot-headed trip on Chiquinho – to ensure a nervy crescendo.
Mikel Arteta wasn’t best pleased.
"It's the first time I've seen a red card this like this in 18 years"
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 11, 2022
Mikel Arteta reacts to Gabriel Martinelli's red card against Wolves. pic.twitter.com/wzGu3rOFqw
Teams news from Leeds and boss Marcelo Bielsa has given an update on midfield linchpin (I do like that word) Kalvin Phillips.
“He is expected to return in the first few days of March and his recovery has been going as predicted,” said Bielsa matter-of-factly ahead of Saturday’s trip to Everton.
The England midfielder suffered a hamstring injury against Brentford in early December and underwent surgery later that month.
He’s not the only Leeds player with a gammy hammie. Junior Firpo and Liam Cooper are still out with the same problem while contrarian Patrick Bamford is absent due to a foot injury.
Mane back in Liverpool training
After scoring the decisive spot-kick in the Africa Cup of Nations final, it seemed fair to allow Sadio Mane some time to drink in (not literally; he’s tee-total) the celebrations and relax after his exertions in Cameroon.
Ahead of last night’s 2-0 win over Leicester, Jurgen Klopp said “Sadio is in bed” but, hot news, Mane will return to training on Friday morning. Perhaps the Senegalese striker noted how well new signing Luis Diaz performed in his position last night and decided he best emerge from his slumbers.
Klopp said on Friday: “Sadio will be available. He will come now this morning for training and will be in full training.
“We make a decision after that. Emotionally he will still be high flying but we have to see how he is.”
Klopp also confirmed captain Jordan Henderson will be back in the squad for the trip to Burnley after being rested against Leicester due to a back problem.
Updated
Before we crack on with some press conference chat and team news revelations, let’s wind back to what happened in the WSL last weekend. It sets up tonight’s big game nicely.
Emma Hayes insists tonight’s Chelsea v Arsenal showdown isn’t a title decider.
“A draw or even a loss in either direction isn’t necessarily defining,” says the Blues boss.
We’ll have a John Brewin MBM tonight, just to mark your cards. Here’s Suzanne Wrack’s scene setter.
Talking of Portugal, it didn’t go so well for Bruno Lage and Wolves last night.
A quick look back to last night where Diogo Jota again proved he’s the most prolific Portuguese striker in the Premier League (12 top-flight goals to Ronaldo’s 8).
And the other key fixtures this weekend...
Friday
Women’s Super League
Chelsea v Arsenal - 7.45pm
Saturday
World Club Cup
Chelsea v Palmeiras - 4.30pm
Those Premier League fixtures in full...
Saturday
Man Utd v Southampton - 12.30pm
Brentford v Crystal Palace - 3pm
Everton v Leeds - 3pm
Watford v Brighton - 3pm
Norwich v Man City - 5.30pm
Sunday
Burnley v Liverpool - 2pm
Newcastle v Aston Villa - 2pm
Spurs v Wolves - 2pm
Leicester v West Ham - 4.30pm
Preamble
Opinions on who’ll win the Premier League fall into two camps. Liverpool fans still believe it could be them: a game in hand and the chance to win at the Etihad in April could cut the current nine-point gap to three. Everyone else says Man City. It’s doubtful that argument will have moved on after this weekend with the top two facing trips to sides in the bottom three (Norwich v Man City and Burnley v Liverpool).
With Newcastle starting to build up a head of steam, the battle for relegation is expanding. Everton (home to Leeds) and Brentford (home to Crystal Palace) are certainly getting twitchy, their main hope being that crafty old-timer Roy Hodgson doesn’t pull some stunts at Watford.
As for the battle to be least-worst of the rest, Manchester United, West Ham, Arsenal and Tottenham seem to take it in turns to trip over their own feet. Who do you trust? At the moment, it’s no-one.
That, of course, leaves Chelsea who occupy a no-man’s land currently called third spot. Tommy T’s men don’t have a Premier League game this weekend because they’re taking on Palmeiras in the Club World Cup final on Saturday - a huge, huge deal in Brazil; a bit of an afterthought over here.
What’s not in doubt is the importance of Chelsea’s home game in the Women’s Super League tonight. Emma Hayes’ side are at home to leaders Arsenal and this could go a long way to deciding the title. The Gunners, who rather got away with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United last weekend, have the chance to pull five clear. But if Chelsea win, they’d go top by a point with a game in hand.
Your weekend starts here. Let’s get this thing going...
