That’s all for today. Enjoy the weekend’s football, wherever you watch it.
Also, The Fiver is here! Warning: contains topical Kwasi Kwarteng references.
With the waking nightmare that is Qatar 2022 looming ever larger in the collective consciousness, Barney Ronay wants to move beyond “sportswashing” and discover a new lexicon for the coming World Cup dystopia. Here’s his latest column.
Meanwhile, in Europe, there’s even more to look forward to. It’s El Clásico weekend, for one, with Barcelona travelling to the Bernabéu to play Real Madrid on Sunday.
Serie A is gearing up for the Turin derby, with Juventus facing city rivals Torino. In the Bundesliga, Union Berlin, the surprise league leaders, will do battle with Borussia Dortmund, while Freiburg, in second, play Bayern Munich, in third. In Ligue 1, PSG welcome hated rivals Marseille to the Parc des Princes. That should be enough to keep you busy.
Beyond the Premier League, there are plenty of games worth keeping an eye on this weekend. In the Championship, fourth-placed Burnley take on sixth-placed Swansea in a meeting between two of the division’s form sides. In League One, Cheltenham Town go up against Bristol Rovers in a West Country derby (of sorts). In League Two, second-placed Leyton Orient host third-placed Northampton Town.
There are also a few dozen FA Cup fourth qualifying round ties on Saturday, so get down to your local non-league club if you don’t fancy any of the above.
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Anthony Martial could return to face Newcastle after limping off against Everton last weekend. At least, Ten Hag hopes so. “Martial can be [fit] but we have to wait [to see] how it develops in the coming hours. Harry Maguire will not make this [game], but it doesn’t take long [for him to return] … I think that next week he will be back in the team training or over the next week.”
Will Magee here, thrown back in at the deep end. Shall we hear some more from Erik ten Hag? Go on, let’s treat ourselves. Asked about his strongest midfield pairing ahead of Newcastle’s trip to Old Trafford on Sunday, he said: “[It’s] difficult to say in this moment, when they have to play longer together, but what’s important once again is that you need a squad.
“I think Fred played a good game [against Omonia Nicosia] and he [did] really well in the counter-press, he wins a lot of balls … I think we have some combinations and in the midfield it’s always about balance. So I am happy with all four [Fred, Scott McTominay, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen] and I hope they keep going in this way.”
Right, my work here is done, and it’s back over to Will Magee to close this out.
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World Cup latest: Spain will not, after all, be sending riot police to Qatar.
Per Reuters.
Spain will not send riot police to Qatar to help safeguard the upcoming soccer World Cup as had been requested by the Middle Eastern country.
The ministry would not provide any further comment on the decision, and only confirmed an earlier report on Cadena Ser radio, which said Spain had been mulling whether to send around 115 officers to Qatar but ultimately refused.
With a population of less than three million – of whom just 380,000 are Qatari nationals – Qatar faces a shortage of personnel as it gears up for the month-long FIFA soccer tournament kicking off on Nov. 20. Last month, Turkey announced it would send more than 3,000 riot police to help Qatar stage soccer’s showpiece event.
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Douglas Luiz has signed a new deal with Aston Villa, the club describing it as “long term”. Arsenal pushed hard to sign the Brazilian midfielder late on in the summer transfer.
🇧🇷 @DGOficial is here to stay. pic.twitter.com/iPuXpdlmw3
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 14, 2022
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Aleksandar Mitrovic could be back for Fulham tomorrow against Bournemouth, having sustained an injury during the recent international break and did not feature during his side’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham last weekend, having come off early against Newcastle on October 1.
Marco Silva admitted he will have to be assessed ahead of Saturday’s match.
He’s getting better. Of course, he did the warm-up with the team, did some boxes and the session was more strategy for the match, of course, but I can tell you that was the first day that he was involved in the team.
Before he was two-and-a-half weeks without (training) with the team and now we’re checking, assessing how he is feeling as well and we will do the same later this evening to take the decision if he will be involved in the squad list or not. But it is still soon, let’s see what will happen in the next few hours.
As well as Reece James, there’s another Chelsea player in danger of missing the World Cup, and that’s N’Golo Kanté. These quotes from Graham Potter seem quite pessimistic.
Again, he’s due to see a consultant at the weekend. It’s a setback so it’s not good news but anything other than that at this stage I can’t give you anything more. Historically there are things which have happened which is a concern, so we need to get to the bottom of that.
It’s a setback at this stage of this rehab which is worrying, but all we can do is get the right diagnosis, get the right consultation, and try and help him get back to full fitness and enjoying his football.
Kulusevski set to miss out again for Tottenham
Dejan Kulusevski is out of Tottenham’s home game against Everton on Saturday after suffering a set-back in his injury rehabilitation during Thursday’s training session.
The winger returned from Sweden duty at the end of September with a hamstring problem and he has not been able to play since. He had a scan on Monday and Antonio Conte reported it was positive. The Spurs manager was ready to include Kulusevski against Everton.
But that will not happen now and Conte is unsure whether Kulusevski will be available for Wednesday night’s trip to Manchester United.
“In this moment, honestly, it is a bit difficult to answer yes or not [about the United game],” Conte said. “It depends on the new MRI he did today and what the doctors say. Also, the feeling of the player. In this situation, it is important to respect the feeling of the player. The player has to feel he is OK, 100 per cent, otherwise it is not good to take stupid risk.”
You rarely hear how ambitious Newcastle are these days, do you…?
Eddie Howe bangs the drums here.
The aim of this club with the ambition behind the scenes – which is huge now – I have always said we have to now try and deliver those huge ambitions. But there is no ceiling here. When you see the passion around the city … the thing that always blows me away is the young people here, the 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds, their passion for Newcastle. It runs through generations and that won’t stop.
What will happen hopefully is the global brand and the global enthusiasm for Newcastle will grow. The global support will definitely change through time if the club can be successful. I am putting more pressure on myself here, but that is the challenge and that is where the club wants to be. Who knows what the future will look like in 20 or 30 years.
More Manchester City, from Jamie Jackson, who was at the club’s pre-match presser today.
I always had the feeling in Anfield that we behaved really well,” Guardiola said. “Maybe in the last two games we were a little bit soft, in different circumstances, but you have to behave at the top, top level. But in Anfield, win or lose, we always behaved with a huge personality.
It is one of the biggest and nicest [venues], it’s a joy to be there and be a part of this type of game – it’s important but it’s a football game. With Liverpool what is important is the quality they have. You have to win duels. When they push you, you have to push, you have to be there. The semi-final in the FA Cup was tough and in the Community Shield we were not ready. They were one base higher; you cannot do that against this team.
Guardiola: Liverpool can still be City's main challengers
Pep Guardiola has given Liverpool the dreaded vote of confidence despite form that has dropped them to tenth of the league while Manchester City sit comfortably on the shoulder of Arsenal. He even believes that Jürgen Klopp’s team will be City’s main challengers for the Premier League title come the end of a season cut in half by next month’s World Cup.
“Always have been [our main rivals], always it is, and will be. If you asked that question with 10 games left I would say I don’t think Liverpool can catch the top of the league. But being in the position we are now, and with the World Cup, anything can happen. I know the quality they have. It has always been a tough game and I don’t expect anything else. Always have been, always it is, and will be. I know the quality they have, the character.”
But beware Liverpool. Erling Haaland is ready, after resting up against Copenhagen. “He was tired, and Bernardo (Silva) and others as well, but they feel good and are ready for Sunday.”
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Some Steven Gerrard words from his press conference ahead of Aston Villa’s match with Chelsea. Villa were unconvincing – and dull – in drawing with Leeds and Nottingham Forest in their last two matches. Let’s suggest this press conference is not dissimilar.
We have gone four unbeaten - I’m not satisfied with that because in the last two games we should have executed better and should have taken maximum points - but we want to make that five. We want to go into this game [against Chelsea] with belief and confidence that one of these moments could be taken.
I have got a job to do, to prepare the team and focus on what I can control. I prepare our game plan the best I can and try and prove people wrong. Obviously we are underdogs at the weekend but for me it’s a really exciting opportunity to go and prove people wrong.
Players under me are allowed to make mistakes, that’s not a problem as long as we move on quickly and focus on next match. Pressure is coming my way - that is fine, I accept it, I won’t shy away from it.
Here’s Jürgen Klopp on the clear and present danger of Erling Haaland.
That’s all from Hasenhüttl and, coincidentally, from me. John Brewin has returned from eating a delicious lunch and will guide you through the rest of the afternoon.
Hasenhüttl not fretting about his future
In what is becoming an alarmingly regular occurrence, the Southampton manager is asked whether he fears losing his job. “I have not really had one minute to think about it,” he says gruffly.
“This is not the way I plan my week. As long as I am here I do my best to make us successful. It costs so much energy there is no energy left to think about that question. For me, the only goal is to see my team working hard and knowing that on the weekend we have a very important game for this club, the fans. It’s not about me, it’s about winning points and coming in a better position in the table. I think since I have been here we have not been below the [relegation] line, so it’s necessary to win on Sunday or we could be below that line.”
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With Manchester United set to host Newcastle on Sunday, Erik ten Hag has given an optimistic assessment of his side’s attacking capabilities. Here’s Jamie Jackson with the lowdown.
Bad news for Reece James, it seems. Jacob Steinberg has the latest on his knee injury, which is worse than first thought and could keep him out of the World Cup.
More injury news. Hasenhüttl has suggested Roméo Lavia, Southampton’s £12m summer signing from Manchester City, is close to making a comeback from the hamstring problem which has kept him out since September. Moussa Djenepo has been sidelined with illness, however, while Tino Livramento is still working his way back from knee surgery.
“For us we have only Moussa with illness. He was not in the training the whole week. The rest of the team – apart from Roméo, who is possibly starting the beginning of next week with the team, and Tino, [who] will still need a bit longer – the rest are fit.”
Given that West Ham are on a four-match winning run in all competitions following their 2-1 win against Anderlecht in midweek, Hasenhüttl knows Southampton will have to be at their best on Sunday. “The Premier League is the hardest league and even if you perform well you might not win games,” he says.
“Against Wolves and Everton it was possible to get more than a good performance but it wasn’t enough.”
That’s all from Guardiola. Over to Ralph Hasenhüttl. Asked about Soüthampton’s worrying four-match losing run, he says: “This is a Premier League situation for us, like all the last four years since I was here. The margins for winning a game … take the last game against Everton, 1-0 up and conceding two goals in five minutes. You have to put these margins on your side to be successful again.
“We have had tough moments but also moments where we have turned things around. We are more than 10 years part of the Premier League, it is clear fans want to see higher up the table and this is the goal we have.”
And now for some injury news. Guardiola confirms that Kalvin Phillips, John Stones and Kyle Walker will all miss the trip to Anfield, saying: “John I think will be back I don’t know when, but maybe one week, 10 days. Kalvin is getting better and is improving a lot. Kyle is still out.”
Asked whether they will be fit in time to feature for England at the World Cup, he says: “I don’t know.”
Guardiola 'not thinking' about contract talks
Asked whether there has been any progress over extending his contract, which runs out at the end of the season, Guardiola bats the question away airily. “You know I am not thinking one second about that.
“We have two or three weeks until the World Cup and this is an important time. After that we have plenty of time to talk about that.”
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It’s press conference time for Pep Guardiola, who insists that Manchester City’s upcoming visit to Anfield will be a tricky challenge despite Liverpool’s slump to 10th in the Premier League. “It’s always difficult in the years since we have arrived here together, it will be a tough game and I don’t expect anything else. The game will be dictated on the pitch, not by the table, because we are in front of them, or behind, not because of those kinds of things.
“I know the quality they have, they know the quality we have. If this was with three games left, I would say they could not catch top of the league but, with so long left plus a World Cup, anything can happen.”
Ahead of West Ham’s trip to Southampton on Sunday, David Moyes has reflected on Jarrod Bowen’s chances of being On The Plane™ to Qatar. “He is a really good boy to work with. He wants to listen and watch his clips back and watch his runs. He wants to see where he can improve. He is a really diligent boy at trying to improve his game.
“I have told him if he scores five or six goals between now and the World Cup, he will have a chance of going to the World Cup. He has a couple already so he has a chance. Let’s hope he can keep it going.”
Will Magee here. You’ve been saddled with me again. Look, I’m as unhappy about this as you are, OK? Here’s Ben Fisher’s interview with Wout Faes, Leicester’s only outfield summer signing, to start us off.
Right, lunchtime calls, and so the next tranche of red-hot news will come from Will Magee.
Potentially big story here, way beyond the world of football, though a reminder of how tied in with geopolitics football has become.
The Premier League has been asked to confirm whether it has investigated the billionaire owner of Manchester City Football Club under its “fit and proper” owners’ test, over allegations of helping Russian oligarchs avoid western sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, the deputy prime minister of the UAE and a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, has been accused in media reports of helping to allow rich Russians to evade sanctions by moving their assets, including superyachts and private jets, to the Emirates.
More from Newcastle’s Dan Ashworth, this time in the sphere of women’s football.
Already, they’ve gone from a team where the players had to pay to play last year to being professionalised. We will do everything we can to give them the support to get to the WSL as quickly as possible.
In the WSL itself this weekend, all eyes on Chelsea, where Emma Hayes has taken her leave of absence. Her assistants Denise Reddy and Paul Green will take charge of the team in her absence. Chelsea’s next game is at Everton on Sunday. They begin their Champions League campaign at Paris Saint-Germain the following Thursday.
Some meat on the bones of that SENSATIONAL Nuno return to Wolves from Ben Fisher.
Nuno signed a two-year deal with Al-Ittihad in July and his lucrative contract with the Saudi Arabian club could prove prohibitive, with compensation likely required. But Nuno’s agent, Jorge Mendes, who also represents Lopetegui, is highly influential at Molineux and could ease talks.
Wolves have also spoken to their former Under-23s coach Rob Edwards, who was recently sacked by Watford after 11 games. Edwards, a former Wolves defender, is highly regarded by the club’s hierarchy.
Newcastle corner, courtesy of a BBC interview with sporting director Dan Ashcroft Ashworth, and some decent quotes from the former West Brom, England and Brighton operative.
On heavy transfer spend: “You can’t keep doing that every year. You just can’t, so consequently we have to look at some emerging talent, enhancing our academy and getting the players through from a different route.”
On selling to buy: “I can’t lie to you and say we’ll never have to sell a player, we’d always be able to hold on to our top talent. That doesn’t happen anywhere. Liverpool sold Mane - you have to sometimes make a pragmatic decision to go, ‘OK, we’ll do that because that’s a way of reinvesting in the club’. But as a rule of thumb, I would like to think we’ll be able to hold on to our top talent in order to drive our ambitions of driving up the league and competing for cups.”
Meanwhile, for their game at Old Trafford, Newcastle will be without Alexander Isak, who will be back soon, and Emil Krafth, who has a long-term injury.
Jake Daniels of Blackpool and the Australian Josh Cavallo of Adelaide United are the highest-profile current male players to have come out. Asked why more had not followed, Lineker said: “Fear. Fear of the unknown, I imagine. Perhaps they are worried what their teammates might think, although they probably already know. It seems insane that it should even be a thing.
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Klopp wary of 'best striker in the world'
Some Jürgen Klopp, ahead of Sunday, firstly on his team’s concession of early goals.
These things can happen if you lose the ball in the wrong moment,” he says of Liverpool’s habit of conceding first. Obviously when you play against somebody at the moment who is the best striker in the world you have to make sure he doesn’t get that many balls. That’s what we will try but obviously against City the problem is if you close Haaland down with too many players you open up gaps for all the other world-class players. So that will not make life easier, it’s a challenge, it’s a football problem and we will try to find a solution.
And on City’s attacking talent, including you know who.
When [Haaland] was very young, you could see the potential, it was insane. I don’t think he started against us in a home game, I think he was injured or came on - but we were already pretty busy with thinking about him, I can remember that. How can you close him down, shut him down - he scored anyway!
Physically he sets new standards, the combination of being really physical and technical and sensational awareness, his orientation on the pitch is exceptional, he knows always where the decisive gaps are, barely offside. Now at City he has some of the best players in the world at setting up goals - De Bruyne, Mahrez, Foden, Bernardo Silva, - so it’s a perfect fit.
This was Haaland’s previous visit to Anfield.
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The word is that Nuno has a dream of going back to Wolves, and so do they. Nuno, of course, was the first client of Jorge Mendes, who is the club’s owner’s “football adviser”, but who couldn’t get Julen Lopetegui, also his client, to Molineux. He was also Bruno Lage’s agent.
Talks have opened over a shock Nuno comeback at Wolves. It's believed the former head coach has told the club he's eager to return to Molineux
— Tim Spiers (@TimSpiers) October 14, 2022
Details here ⬇ #WWFC https://t.co/B26XGetqhQ
It’s hotting up in the MLS, though no playoff place for the David Beckham/Pippin Neville dream team in Miami. Always next year, lads.
The World Cup Qatar from next month will have areas for drunk fans – and journalists – to sober up as the first to be held in a Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol yet still sponsored by a certain American beer brand.
Per Reuters.
Qatar will let ticketed fans buy alcoholic beer at matches starting three hours before kickoff and for one hour after the final whistle, but not during the match, Reuters reported in September, citing a source with knowledge of plans for the tournament.
Qatar 2022 chief executive Nasser Al Khater told Sky News in an interview published on Thursday that anyone who overdoes it would be looked after. “I know that there are plans in place for people to sober up if ... they’ve been drinking excessively,” Al Khater said, adding that it was to make sure they were safe and not harmful to others or themselves and said it was “a good idea”.
Al Khater also repeated assurances that LGBTQ+ fans were welcome and would feel at ease in Qatar. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, as it is in many countries in the Middle East. “Everybody is welcome here and everybody will feel safe when they come to Qatar,” he said when asked for his message to LGBTQ+ fans. When asked if that included gay fans holding hands in public, he said: “Yes” and said “yes” again when asked if that was a message of reassurance.
Tournament organisers have previously stressed that everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or background, is welcome in Qatar, while also warning fans against public displays of affection. Qatar and several countries in the region banned Disney’s animated film “Lightyear” from screening in cinemas this year for featuring characters in a same-sex relationship.
Crisis club latest, from Reuters.
Barcelona will sport the owl logo of Drake’s OVO Sound label on their jerseys instead of main sponsors Spotify when they take on Real Madrid on Sunday to mark the Canadian rapper surpassing 50 billion streams on the music platform.
Barcelona, who were one of the last major clubs without a shirt sponsor, said the move was part of their efforts to bring soccer and music together. Four-times Grammy award winner Drake posted an image of the limited-edition jersey on Instagram to his more than 120 million followers. Barca lead La Liga on goal difference ahead of Real Madrid.
To “bring soccer and music together” is an interesting concept. Why didn’t anyone think of that before? Well done, Drake, on 50 billion streams. Don’t spend the $20 cheque all at once, mate.
Recap of last night’s Europa League news and events.
Our overnight 10 things starts off with this from Andy Hunter
One “freak” result – as Jürgen Klopp put it – has transformed the mood inside Liverpool after they condemned Rangers to the joint-heaviest defeat in their history at Ibrox on Wednesday. The next, and more onerous, challenge is to ensure an emphatic first away win changes the momentum of an inconsistent season. Manchester City and a rested Erling Haaland pose the most formidable threat but the 7-1 win in Glasgow, or certainly the standard of the second-half display, has to be the benchmark for a team that comfortably beat Rangers at Anfield last week before underperforming in defeat at Arsenal. With 13 points separating the two teams who have dominated the title race in recent years, Liverpool cannot afford another false dawn. Their intensity will be key, according to Andy Robertson. “We need to get consistency back into our game, back into our performance,” said the fit-again full-back. “We have to play with that intensity again. At our best we know we can cause problems to any team. Anything below that and it will be a difficult afternoon.” Andy Hunter
Preamble
If Liverpool’s visit to Arsenal last week was a last-chance saloon for the title race, then maybe Sunday and the visit of Manchester City represents something akin to Douglas Adams’ Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Should Erling Haaland do Erling Haaland things then there’s a possibility it puts an end to the club’s latest golden era, a doomsday that means the top four becomes a distant prospect, too. Of course, we are talking about a team that gubbed Rangers 7-1 just two days ago but then again the 9-0 defeat of Bournemouth rings out. Bournemouth are two points above Liverpool at the time. There was a time when there was nothing between Liverpool and City, a matter of two points over four seasons, but not now.
There’s loads of other stuff to look forward to including Brentford v Brighton tonight, with the home team struggling for form. Saturday sees the latest examination of Brendan Rodgers when Crystal Palace visit Leicester. There’s also an unlikely mid-table class between Fulham and Bournemouth, managerless Wolves v Nottingham Forest, that bastion of incredulity.
Sunday is where the main action can be found with Aston Villa, Steven under severe pressure, welcoming Graham Potter’s Chelsea. Table-toppers Arsenal go to Leeds Leeds Leeds. Manchester United v Newcastle now feels like a big match again, which is what a decent run of form in red and an injection of Saudi cash will do for you. Ralph Hasenhüttl’s tightrope walk continues when Southampton welcome West Ham, before the big one takes place at Anfield.
Unlike last week, when Everton played Manchester United, there’s no game in the Hi de Hi/Last of the Summer Wine slot, and long may that continue.
Beyond that, all the big news from the EFL and around the world game. Join us.
