Quite a story to close the day with. Recommended reading.
Here’s today’s Football Daily, as written by Barry Glendenning.
Brentford are for sale, or at least a share of them. Per PA Media:
Bees owner Matthew Benham is seeking fresh investment, with reports suggesting that could come from the United States. A figure of around £400m has been suggested for the valuation of the club, with Benham reported to be considering selling a minority stake to remain in some capacity or opting for a complete buy-out.
Thomas Frank, a fine frontman for the club, said today:
Ultimately it is down to Matthew to take a decision about that. What I can say is that Matthew has been fantastic for us. If there is one person that the fans should support and be very grateful about, it is Matthew. Without him we would not be where we are today, without his vision and leadership, it would be impossible to be where we are.
The thing I get out of it is he would like to stay, which I think would be very clever. He has been a good owner and done fantastic.
Quote of the day from Oliver Glasner, new manager of Crystal Palace.
“I’m no magician, I am not David Copperfield.”
Presumably, he means the Vegas-residence former beau of Claudia Schiffer, rather than the eponymous hero of Charles Dickens’ semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel of epic length, originally titled “The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery.”
Or even the third wheel of Three Of A Kind with Tracey Ullman and Lenny Henry.
Updated
Will Unwin heard Pep Guardiola on those City-United comparisons.
With Ole [Gunnar Solskjær] and José Mourinho they were second; I would say not close like Liverpool have been but they were there. Always since I arrived on day one, I always expect United to be there for their history and traditions. I don’t know why it didn’t happen.
More Wilder, on Mason Holgate, after *that* red card: “He understood it straight away, he’s not jumping through hoops. We understand the reckless attitude of the challenge and the out of control bit. He spoke to the group - me and the staff and have to deal with it.”
Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder’s putting a brave face on last week’s smoshing by Brighton.
Of course we are disappointed but we have got to go again, not feel sorry for ourselves, nobody else is going to help us - all the stuff we always talks about. You have just got to get back on the bike.
Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s mention of Manchester City in his press call this week has Pep Guardiola opining. His suggestion that City admired the United of old seems a stretch, but he also seems confident the two clubs will go toe to toe on a more even basis soon enough.
It’s the truth. They will be closer to us. If they want to deny it because of things which are not their reality that’s their problem. Not our problems. Always when we have been below teams I have admired them and ‘what do you have to do to be close and challenge them?’. This is the real competitive people they want to be. when they want to judge on things they feel comfortable on one day they will not arrive at where we are today.
When we were below and United were winning we were watching and admiring them. We learn from them. In the days of Sir Alex Ferguson and the generation from Roy Keane, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville. All the big players were there. I am pretty sure then City admired them and wanted to be there. Now we are there. So that’s why I had the feeling they would be back.
David Moyes offered West Ham contract: decision at season's end
After so much discussion of his future, and bedsheets emblazoned with fans’ hopes he gets tinned, it appears the decision lies with West Ham’s manager himself.
I’ve had really good conversations with the owners, with David Sullivan and Karren Brady. There’s a contract there for me and I’m the one deciding I want to wait until the end of the season.
Luckless Erik ten Hag has lost both Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund. But he and Manchester United soldier on.
Of course that is an issue but other clubs have this and we have to deal with this. I feel we can deal with it better. All the players will have the opportunity to show their qualities. We have the confidence that they can. This is why we constructed this squad. We see players that are progressing that didn’t have a chance in the first half of season or were injured. Now they have the opportunity to fit into the team, but they have to prove it.
Manchester City’s other Norwegian has been signed up.
Everyone has seen him. They see his speed, his courage and he’s done really well. Like him playing not in his natural position. We are delighted and hopefully he can stay with us for many many years.
🚨 Oscar Bobb is set to sign a new long-term contract with #ManCity.
— City HQ (@City_HQs) February 22, 2024
[via @Jack_Gaughan] pic.twitter.com/p2SJLHhMDq
Catch a falling star. Louise Taylor examines Newcastle’s failing fortunes.
The concession of four goals to Luton and two against Bournemouth in Newcastle’s past two home draws suggests Howe has been reluctant to modify his approach at a time when a counterattacking philosophy has become many opponents’ default mode – and not only during trips to Tyneside.
John Brewin is here to bring you all the rest of the day’s hot managerial chat.
Right, John Brewin here, taking the reins from Barry.
Manchester City: Having sat out his side’s win over Brentford last time out as a precaution, Kevin De Bruyne will almost certainly travel with the Manchester City’s squad to face Bournemouth tomorrow.
“Not injured,” Pep Guardiola tells reporters, whose life isn’t as good as his is. “I don’t know if he is 100% but we took a good decision [against Brentford]. We didn’t take a risk. People ask why didn’t Kevin play but it’s because he didn’t feel comfortable. This week he came and trained by himself but I am pretty sure he will travel.”
Manchester United: Erik ten Hag is next off the managerial rank and is immediately asked about the injury to Rasmus Hojlund. “It is a small injury, two or three weeks,” he says. “It is a risk in high-intensity training. It is not a big injury but he has to wait for two three weeks.”
Li Tie sentenced to life in prison
It is being widely reported that the former Everton midfielder, Li Tie, has been sentenced to life in prison in his native China after being found guilty of match-mixing and bribery.
A linchpin of the David Moyes Everton side that finished in seventh place in the 2002-03, the 46-year-old also had a brief stint with Sheffield United before finishing his career in China and going on to manage the national team between 2019 and 2021.
Li is reported to have admitted paying three million yuan (£330,000) in bribes to become coach of the national team in a televised confession on state broadcaster CCTV. He has also confessed to taking part in a match-fixing scandal to win promotions with various club teams he managed.
Chelsea: “It’s not fair to say only mentality,” says Mauricio Pochettino, upon being asked if his side’s recent upturn is down to a change in mentality among his players. “Always with young teams need time to be more mature and improve in different areas. I think when you talk about to play football and compete, it’s in a whole area you to improve. Now the team is improving. Maybe we have the chance to be more consistent and I think the team is competing really well.
“I think for me, it’s not about the change. The transformation of the team and the way they compete in a differents way. To be more mature and have this a type of process. You need this to happen and to really wake up about the situation, or realise, that when you experience some moments, you have possibility to be and behave different. The team always needs to learn from the good and not so good experiences. I think for us in a moment it was positive.
“After Liverpool, the result was completely unfair because if you watch the game, there were a few penalty [decisions] which would have changed the game. Maybe that was good for us, to feel the pain, the negative situation, and to be stronger now and to find the way to compete better and to start to see that we need to live in a different way.
“The spirit of the team you can see. You can see it before the start of the game they are together. Always that needs to be natural, you cannot force it. If they arrive naturally they are strong, but when not forced.”
Crystal Palace: “The players are listening and are great characters,” said the new Palace manager, when asked about his first impressions of the club. “We have had more meetings than training sessions on the pitch, but the important thing is the game tomorrow and to get the three points at Selhurst Park.
“The short-term goal is to get ourselves - myself and my staff - known. It is important what we want to do in terms of playing football - how we can improve and finish the season with as many points as possible. We can see what can happen in the future but I am a guy who lives in the present, working with this squad and preparing them to play games.”
Crystal Palace: With his new side in 15th place, five points from the drop zone, Glasner is asked if he will be able to keep Crystal Palace in the Premier League. “I’m a positive guy,” he says. “We are five points clear of the relegation zone but we are five or six points from 11th so that is not that far. I’m sure we will have enough points by the end of the season.”
Crystal Palace: Oliver Glasner is conducting his first press conference as Crystal Palace manager, having replaced Roy Hodgson earlier this week.
He says Eberechi Eze is back in training after recovering from a thigh injury but will not be available for this weekend’s game against Burnley. The ongoing absence of Mark Guehi and Michael Olise means Palace will be without their three best players when they host Vincent Kompany’s struggling side.
Glasner says Eberechi Eze is back training with the Crystal Palace squad but won't return against Burnley. Still no Marc Guehi either
— Ed Aarons (@ed_aarons) February 23, 2024
Chelsea: Jurgen Klopp has said Chelsea are favourties to win the Carabao Cup final, even if the bookies disagree and have Liverpool in the box-seat, despite all their injury woes. Pochettino is asked about his opposite number’s comments and laughs them off as mind games.
“He’s clever enough,” he says. “He knows that when you arrive and play a final, circumstances can happen. If they are not favourites, we are not favourites! It’s a final you cannot say there’s a favourite!
“But for me, I think Liverpool are the favourites. I think it’s their eighth year and the last few years they have experience to compete like a team, be involved in different finals. I think for many of our players they are new into the Premier League and into the Carabao Cup. For some of them it’s maybe their first final. He [Klopp] is clever enough to say ‘it’s 50-50’. He knows this.”
“Yes. Because he’s one of the best - with Pep [Guardiola] - coaches in the world. He’s clever enough. He knows that when you arrive and play a final, circumstances can happen. If they are not favourites, we are not favourites! It’s a final you cannot say there’s a favourite!
“But for me, I think Liverpool are the favourites. I think it’s their eighth year and the last few years they have experience to compete like a team, be involved in different finals. I think for many of our players they are new into the Premier League and into the Carabao Cup. For some of them it’s maybe their first final. Klopp is clever enough to say ‘it’s 50-50’. He knows this.”
Højlund out for up to three weeks
Manchester United: Erik ten Hag’s side face Fulham at Old Trafford tomorrow and will be without their in-form striker Rasmus Højlund.
The 21-year-old Dane has scored in six consecutive games for Manchester United but has been ruled out for up to three weeks with an as yet unspecified muscle injury. We’ll hear more about that from Erik ten Hag when he faces the press later this afternoon. Hojlund joins Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw on the sidelines; three big absentees for United.
Updated
Chelsea: Mauricio Pochettino has just begun his pre-Carabao Cup final press conference and kicks off by saying that Thiago Silva might be fit for the final despite missing Chelsea’s draw with Manchester City last weekend with a groin injury.
The 39-year-old Brazilian has played in three Wembley Cup finals with Chelsea and lost them all: FA Cup finals against Leicester City and Liverpool, as well as a Carbao Cup final against Liverpool. With his contract due to expire this season and his employers unlikely to renew it, this could be Silva’s last chance to taste victory under the Wembley arch as a Chelsea player. “He has the chance to play,” says Pochettino. “Tomorrow, we will see if he’s ready to play in the game.”
Asked about the prospect of breaking his trophy duck in England, Pochettino said: “It is good you say in England because I have won other titles as a coach. I think it means a lot for us, the coaching staff to have the opportunity to arrive in the final and to challenge a team like Liverpool to win our first title here.
“I think it’s a dream for us, the coaching staff. Of course it’s a possibility. We have 90 minutes to achieve that and the team are going to fight. The team is ready. We are going to be very competitive. It’s an amazing chance for us.”
Updated
Europa Conference League R16 draw
Servette v Viktoria Plzn
Ajax v Aston Villa
Molde v Club Brugge
Union SG v Fenerbahce
Dinamo Zagreb v PAOK
Sturm Graz v Lille
Maccabi Haifa v Fiorentina
Olympiacos v Maccabi Tel Aviv
Ties take place on the 7 March and 14 March.
Europa Conference League draw ...
Round of 16 draw: Aston Villa have been drawn against Ajax.
Europa Conference League draw ...
We go back to Uefa HQ in Nyon, where the draw for the Europa Conference League Round of 16 is about to take place. Aston Villa are the British representatives hoping to make this year’s final in Athens and become the third team after Roma and West Ham to win Uefa’s third tier competition. We’ll bring you news of who they get as soon as the draw is made …
Liverpool v Sparta Prague: Liverpool will play the first leg of their Round of 16 tie in the Czech capital just three days before what will almost certainly be a crunch Premier League match against Manchester City.
The game against Sparta Prague could be an occasion for Jurgen Klopp to rest several key first-team players, although given his mounting injury list, that might be an option for the German.
Europa League: An already exciting maiden season in Europe gets better for Brighton. Having already qualified for the last 16 by finishing top of a group containing AEK Athens, Marseille and Ajax, they get to play another storied European club in the form of Roma, who scraped past Feyenoord on penalties last night. Pack your bags, Brighton fans – you’re off to the City of the Seven Hills! And if you haven’t been lucky enough to visit Rome before, you’re in for an absolute treat.
AS Roma home and away. Bring it on. ✊ pic.twitter.com/j6BNq6QESD
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) February 23, 2024
Updated
Europa League Round of 16 draw
Sparta Prague v Liverpool
Marseille v Villarreal
Roma v Brighton
Benfica v Rangers
Freiburg v West Ham
Sporting v Atalanta
Milan v Slavia Prague
Qarabag v Bayer Leverkusen
Legs to be played 7 and 14th March
Updated
Breaking: Freiburg v West Ham
Updated
Breaking: Benfica v Rangers
Updated
Breaking: Liverpool will face Sparta Prague and Brighton have been drawn against Roma in the Europa League last 16.
Updated
Liverpool: Here’s more from Pep Lijnders as the audience in Nyon listen to a very, very longwinded explanation of how the Europa League draw will work.
“Is that a compliment from United?” he asks, upon being told Sir Jim Ratcliffe said Manchester United could learn a thing or two from how things are done at Liverpool. “That says everything, no? No-one can replace Jurgen Klopp but the past showed already a few difficult transitions. What was the most difficult transition inside this club? Bill Shankly saying ‘That’s me [done]’. Who stepped up? Bob Paisley. He was different from Shanks.
“It showed that we as a club we have to search for someone who wants to grow who, has the mindset to develop but it is not for us but the owners, they can make the decision. We made the right decision to announce this early, to give the club time to get this transition smooth.
“The past has shown it is possible. Barcelona ... Pep Guardiola announced he was done and then Tito Vilanova took over and got them the most points ratio over. That was probably the hardest transition in the past 15 years. I was at Porto when Andre Villas-Boas won so much at Porto, then Vítor Pereira took over and was completely different to Andre and was champion the year off. They don’t have to replace Jurgen, but find a new manager.”
Liverpool have just been drawn against Sparta Prgaue in the Europa League.
Europa League draw: With the final of this season’s competition being staged in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, former Republic of Ireland international John O’Shea is the tournament ambassador.
He has been invited to Nyon to assist Uefa Deputy Secretary General Giorgio Marchetti and the governing body’s debonair frontman Pedro Pinto with the draw.
Europa League draw: The little footballs will be plucked from the Uefa tombola imminently, to decide who plays who in the Europa League Round of 16. Liverpool, Brighton, West Ham and Rangers are the British representatives in the draw.
All four clubs are seeded, which means they will be away from home for the first leg on Thursday 7 March and at home for the second leg on 14 March. Teams from the same league cannot be paired with each other at this stage of the competition.
Updated
Liverpool: On the back of the news that Alisson is expected to be out until some time after the next international break, Pep Lijnders has been talking up the Brazilian’s Irish deputy, Caoimhin Kelleher. (For anyone who is still unsure, it’s the Irish for ‘Kevin’ and is pronounced ‘Key-veen’.)
“I still know his first game: Derby away, no-one watching,” says Lijnders. “Not on a main pitch, the sixth pitch! He saved a penalty and you saw a boy who was 15. At the time it was not an easy situation and with his feet already impressed in a trial game. I think he played for many years outfield before he became a goalkeeper.
“I am really pleased for him. At Liverpool you need two good goalkeepers and we have that. It is a huge compliment to John [Achterberg], [Claudio] Taffarel and all the guys at the academy because we produce some good goalkeepers but Caoimhin is probably the most outstanding one, and the most complete.
“He can make match-winning saves, has this, and he sees the game, knows how to act as the free player with direction and he is calm, has serenity. It creates calmness for the others. Especially the way we want to play. It’s important to have a goalkeeper like that. Again, it is the culture with our own players. It’s cool.”
Not football: Joe Root hits 100 in Ranchi
Cricket: Joe Root seems to have hit a welcome return to form and has just completed a splendid century in very trying circumstances during England’s opening innings against India in the fourth Test. He’s 103 not out, England are 282-7 and you can follow the last of the day’s action from Ranchi with Tim de Lisle …
Newcastle United: A number of Newcastle players were spotted at the Premier League of Darts in Newcastle last night and their presence was raised by some tell-tale at Eddie Howe’s press conference.
Howe said he was unaware that Dan Burn and chums were planning a night out at the arrars and said he hoped they weren’t out too late and suggested they probably should have gone in fancy dress to avoid detection. At the very least, he’ll be pleased to know they weren’t drinking anything stronger than water, as the footage below proves.
If Newcastle’s players stayed for the final of last night’s round of the competition, they’ll have seen Michael van Gerwen beat Nathan Aspinall 6-4 in the final.
Eddie Howe on #NUFC players going to the darts 🎯 last night:
— Keith Downie (@SkySports_Keith) February 23, 2024
“I wasn’t aware of that so, erm… you’ll need to give me a list of names please. Hopefully it wasn’t a late night?
Maybe they should’ve been in fancy dress…” #NUFC 🎯 @SkySportsDarts https://t.co/zaCydSa3eS
Arteta: Partey is very close to return
Arsenal: The Arsenal manager appears to have calmed down from his obvious fury at his team’s performance in defeat against Porto on Wednesday and has been offering an assessment on the players among his squad’s lame and halt. He says Thomas Partey is “very close” to a return after nearly five months out.
“Same with Gaby [Gabriel Jesus] and the same with Ollie [Oleksandr Zinchenko],” he says. Asked about Takehiro Tomiyasu, who hasn’t played since returning from the Asian Cup at the beginning of February, he says: “Tomiyasu is a little bit more, I think.”
Updated
Liverpool: Jürgen Klopp’s assistant Pep Lijnders is taking today’s press conference and is asked about the fitness of Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah, who are all rated doubtful for the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
“Dominik, Darwin and Mo we really have to see,” he says. “We have two more days. We have today’s session, tomorrow’s session and then we will check if they can be there. It would be great [if they are fit] to be honest.”
Lijnders adds that Curtis Jones will miss the Carabao Cup final with a sprained ankle and will be out until “around the” international break, which begins on 17 March. The Dutch coach reveals that Trent Alexander-Arnold will be sidelined for a similar time-frame, while Diogo Jota and Alisson will almost certainly be out for longer.
Updated
Eddie Howe on Ashworth
Newcastle: Following the news that Newcastle’s Director of Football has been placed on gardening leave, while Newcastle seek £20m compensation from Manchester United, who want to recruit him, Howe is asked to assess Ashworth’s contribution to affairs at St James’ Park since the Saudi takeover.
“I don’t think I should be going there,” says Howe. “That’s something for other people to reflect on. As a football club we need to reflect and move forward strongly. I don’t think it’s right to comment on. The events this week have given us certainty. We needed that as a football club. We move forward and look to the future.”
Howe goes on to say that Alexander Isak and long-term absentee Joe Willock are back in training, and that Fabian Schar has been passed fit to play against Arsenal despite finishing last weekend’s match against Bournemouth with a suspected broken wrist.
On Willock: “You go through lots of emotions with the players,” says Howe. “He’s been battling so hard to come back and he’s had setbacks along the way. He just wants to play and be able to express himself. He’s had a limitation placed on him because of his body.
“He’s handled it well and we’ve seen him mature the last few months. As long as he comes back in full health, we’ll see a better Joe Willock for that experience.”
Updated
Newcastle United: As is customary, Early Bird Eddie Howe is first out of the traps when it comes to weekend press conferences and is currently fielding interrogatroy projectiles ahead of his side’s match against Arsenal at the Emirates tomorrow night.
Bruno Guimaraes has been just one yellow card away from a two-match ban since picking up his ninth Premier League booking of the season ( his 15th in all competitions for club and country) against Manchester City five games ago. His manager was asked how his spiky midfielder is dealing with life on the disciplinary tightrope.
“He’s managed it well so far,” says Howe. “He’s been his normal self. He hasn’t looked as though it’s conscious in his mind. He’s played with discipline. You need your creative players to fire and your defensive players to fire in a different way. He was very competitive in the home game but also very good technically. We need all our players to fire.”
Updated
Key event
Philipp Lahm on Euro 2024: “As the tournament director, I see the Euros’ potential to enhance the best of our way of life and to set aside ugly resentments,” writes the former Germany international. “We are now experiencing an era when Europe must live its values and sport can be a piece of the mosaic.”
Updated
Europa League: Pierre Emerick Aubameyang became the competition’s all time top scorer with 31 goals as Marseille booked their place in the last 16 at Shakhtar Donetsk’s expense. Roma, Benfica, Qarabag, Freiberg, Sporting, AC Milan and Sparta Prague also advanced last night.
Carabao Cup final: A five-times winner of the League Cup with Manchester City, Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling will face another of his former teams, Liverpool, in Sunday’s final. The dynamic is intriguing, writes Jacob Steinberg.
Preamble
The weekend is upon us, with all it entails: Premier League action, Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley and a whole lot more besides.
Join us as we check in on the press conferences of football managers the length and breadth of the country and diligently report their every utterance, however inspiring or banal they might be. Except no knock to go unreported as the day unfolds.
And with five British teams left in the Europa League and Europa Conference League, we’ll bring you news of who they’ll face in the last 16 when the draws are conducted later this morning.
Liverpool, West Ham, Brighton and Rangers are in the Europa League draw, which takes place from 11am (GMT). The favourites for the competition, Aston Villa will discover their Europa Conference League opponents at noon.
Updated
